Charise Johan P.

Soligam 20161124669

Krizia Kaye F. Fernandez 20161105448

BA1A
ZGE 1106- READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

1. Try to remember the last national holiday that we have. Why do you think that
the common perception of a holiday is “no classes” (walang pasok) to the
point that it has become its meaning? What were lost, that we have come to
view national holidays as this? Why were they lost?

We just celebrated this holiday remembering Ninoy Aquino's assassination,

which is a non-working holiday. People, in my opinion, look forward to taking a
break, which is why they rely on holidays to happen. We acknowledge that we
have lost all sense of the core of the holiday and the reason for which we
celebrate or commemorate it. We've come to a point where younger generations
are losing their national spirit as a result of government policies that have caused
our patriotism to fade. People in modern culture are forced to focus on their
ambitions rather than their nation. Youths are pushed to study for long hours to
achieve excellent grades, rather than learning about their country's values and
culture. In today's world, individuals choose to celebrate alternative days rather
than national holidays. They are having fun on other days since it brings them
more pleasure and socialism. People dislike their national holiday for a variety of
political reasons.

2. In Gottschalk’s book, history as now being read, is only a very minute portion
of the totality of history for very few information of the past were observed, few
were remembered, few were recorded, few survived. How would this affect
your reading and appreciation of history today?

Reading about the history of the Philippines will always be fascinating and
inspiring. Learning how our heroes sacrifice themselves. While we have a clear
 grasp of our past, there are some voids in our records. Some are unwritten, while
others are forgotten. According to Gottschalk's book, "few information of the past
were observed, few were remembered, few were recorded, and few survived."

This is correct; reading our country's records and history could help to create
certain thoughts, such as "what if" inquiries. What if we overlooked Rizal's
participation in events that had a significant impact on us as a country? Now comes
the fun part: it impacts us by broadening our horizons. Giving us the power of
curiosity and instilling in us a desire for discovery

Discoveries are produced over generations, and they begin with questions, which
are fueled by curiosity sparked by the possibility that something is missing from
our archives. Gottschalk's novel has an impact on us because it teaches us that
there is more out there. More for us to learn, and more to satisfy our need for
knowledge. As learners, we should constantly be interested and ready to ask
questions. That is why we go to school: to satisfy our need for knowledge.

3. In the same book, a monument, a relic, a document would remain simply

data and will never be historical source without human element. What does
this mean?

When an object, place, monument, relic, or even a document was found, it will
not be part of our history not until it was proven by a human element that the
founded object has a story behind it. Thus, the human element is essential in
every relic or document that will be discovered by historians – only by then it will
be part of our history and will be viewed as a historical source.

For example, an abandoned house was founded in Polo, Valenzuela City, if there
was no human element founded behind the house, then it will not be part of our
history – it will just be known by everyone in the area as an abandoned house
only. But if the house was said to be Dr. Pio Valenzuela’s house, then it will be
part of our history. As we all know that Dr. Pio had his contribution during Dr.
Jose Rizal’s era – when Dr. Jose Rizal was sent to Dapitan.
4. In the historical method as discussed by Gottschalk, the third stage of the
historical method is the examination of genuineness of the source or
material. Why, do you think, the genuineness of the material should first be
established before the extraction of credible particulars would follow?

If an object was founded by a historian, he/she should be able to determine if the

founded material was real and if it was really a historical source – primary or
secondary. As discussed by Gottschalk, one object can only be determined if it
has a human element behind it thus the historian must prove its genuineness first
and its source. And if the historian proved that the object found was a genuine
historical source or material – only by then the historian can establish and extract
the credibility of the founded object.