MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY

LESSON 4: SELECTED PRIMARY SOURCES OF PRE-16th CENTURY

Learning Objectives
At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
1. Determine the contribution of primary sources in understanding the Philippine
History
2. Locate and identify the primary sources used by the historians.
3. Discuss the contribution of different authors in understanding the Philippine
History.

READ

The following are the some of the sources of Philippine History before 16 th
century:

1. NON-WRITTEN ACCOUNT- FOLKLORE - this refers to traditional customs,

beliefs, stories, and sayings (Webster). This includes manner, customs,
observances, superstitions, ballads, proverbs, etc. which would throw light about the
past. Folklore is a non-written source of history which knowledge, tales, saying,
ballad, songs or chants are transmitted from one generation to other. In this manner,
it is possible for the early ancestors to transmit history, law, literature and other
knowledge from one generation to other without any writing system.
 
Why Folklore? 
 Culture is always changing; folklore is relatively stable and resilient. 
 Folklore is the foundation of culture. Understanding folklore can show the
why’s, how’s, and where’s of current cultural changes 
  Folklore transcends recent changes in history, including political strife and
war that may have divided the nation. 

2. WRITTEN ACCOUNT (Description about the Early Filipinos)

The following are the some of the written accounts which are important
in understanding the Philippine history, culture and heritage:

A. Description of Barbarous People (Hu fan zhi) by Chao Ju Kua (1170-

123) 
 The first to write accounts and analysis of the foreign goods and the
places he saw during his term as trade commissioner in the twelfth
century.  
 Hu Fan Zhi  variously translated as A Description of Barbarian
Nations, Records of Foreign People is a 13th-century Song
Dynasty work by Zhao Rukuo. The work is a collection of descriptions
of countries and various products from outside China, and it is
considered an important source of information on the people, customs
and in particular the traded commodities of many countries in South
East Asia.

B. Tao I Chih Lio by Wang Ta-yuan 1346 

 Tao-I Chih Lio translated as “A Short Account of the Barbarian
Isles. The account is generally believed to be the most complete and
important account in understanding the customs and history of the
Philippines.
 In this manuscript says that : the men often take [our] ships
to Ch’iian-chou, where brokers take all their goods to have
them tattooed all over, and when they get home, their
countrymen regard them as chiefs and treat them ceremoniously
and show them to the highest seat, without even fathers and
 elders being able to compete with them, for it is their custom so to
honor those who have been to Tang [ie., China]. 

C. Book of the Marvels of the World, also known as The Travels of

Marco Polo, 1300 .
 This book is also known as “The Travels of Marco Polo”, Polo
travels along the Silk Road and the various Asian regions and
cities that he traverses, including China.
 In 1292, they party sailed to the port of Singapore, travelled north
to Sumatra. 

D. Ar-Rihla/Riḥlah   by Muhammad Ibn Battuta (1304 – 1368 or 1369) 

 Ar-Rihla/Riḥlah is the Arabic term for quest or voyage. It is also a
form of travel literature based upon the experiences of the
travelers.

 Ibn Battuta then sailed to a state called Kaylukari in the land

of Tawalisi, where he met Urduja, a local princess. Urduja was a
brave warrior, and her people were opponents of the Yuan dynasty.
She was described as an "idolater", but could write the
phrase Bismillah in Islamic calligraphy. The locations of Kaylukari
and Tawalisi are disputed. Kaylukari might referred to Po Klong
Garai in Champa (now southern Vietnam), and Urduja might be an
aristocrat of Champa or the Trần dynasty. Filipinos widely believe
that Kaylukari was in present-day Pangasinan Province of the
Philippines. In modern times, Urduja has been featured in Filipino
textbooks and films as a national heroine. Numerous other
locations have been proposed, ranging from Java to somewhere
in Guangdong Province, China. However, Sir Henry
Yule and William Henry Scott consider both Tawilisi and
Urduja to be entirely fictitious.
 E. The Suma Oriental by Tomé Pires (1465? –1524 or 1540) 
 First written account of the 'Spice Islands' of Banda in
Maluku, the islands that first drew Europeans to Indonesia. 
 Compilation of a wide variety of information: historical,
geographical, ethnographic, botanical, economic, commercial, etc.,
including coins, weights and measures.  
 Information collected from merchants, sailors and others with
whom he had contact. 

3. MISCELLANEOUS SOURCES: ISLAMIZATION OF THE PHILIPPINES (PRE-

16TH CENTURY) 
 Tombstones- early evidence is furnished by a tombstone
found in Mt. Data, Jolo, Sulu. The tombstone bears the inscription
710 A.D., or 1310 in the Christian calendar.  

 Sulu Code- guide for the proper execution of the duties of

office in accordance with the law and rules of the country. It is
concurred in by all, and is promulgated with the general consent of
all the datus, panglima, and subordinate officers of state. 

 Tarsilas/Salislas–written genealogical accounts of Sultans

and Datus ruler.

 Khutbahs—sermon/oration delivered by Imam during Friday

congregational worship service.

 Kitabs—” booklet or notes that show not only the list of

Sultans who reigned but also some of the salient features of their
characters and exploits.
ACTIVITY 1.4

List down all the possible primary sources that can be used to get some
information about the Philippines. Follow the format below for your answer.

POSSIBLE PRIMARY
CATEGORY DISCUSSION
SOURCE (SPECIFIC)
1. Statistical data
about fiscal and
economy

2. Population

3. Topography and
Location of the Place

4. Daily News and Events

5. Government Policy

4. Culture and Traditions

 REFERENCES

Aggarwal, Mamta, https://www.historydiscussion.net/history/important-sources-of-

history-primary-and-secondary-sources/626

David W. Koelle. Using Historical Resources, http://www.thenagain.info/ Classes/

Basics/Using Sources.html

Dunn, Ross E. The Adventures of Ibn Battuta. Berkeley: University of

California Press, 1989.

Gottschalk Louis, Understanding History A Primer ff Historical Method, University of

Chicago, New York: 1963.

https://historicalthinking.ca/historical-perspectives

https://www.historians.org/about-aha-and-membership/aha-history-and
archives/historical-archives/why-study-history-(1998)

https://www.historyskills.com/source-criticism/analysis/perspective/

Neuman, An Exploration of Historical Methods for Information Systems Research.

Internal and External Criticism, 2003, p. 421

Kenneth Scott Latourette, A Short History of the Far East: Fourth Edition

New York:  The Macmillan Company, 1964, p. 287.
MODULE 2: CONTENT AND CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF SELECTED PRIMARY
SOURCES

LESSON 1: FIRST VOYAGE AROUND THE WORLD (Antonio Pigafetta)

Learning Objectives: At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Identify credible and authentic primary sources that could be used in

reconstructing and analyzing the history of the Filipino people from pre-colonial
times to the present;
2. Analyze the context, content, and perspective of selected primary sources and
determine how they affected the history of the Filipino people;
3. Develop critical and analytical skills as they are exposed to primary sources;

READ

I. Background of the Author

Antonio Pigafetta (Italian: [anˈtɔːnjo piɡaˈfetta]; c.

1491 – c. 1534) was a Venetian scholar and
explorer. He joined the expedition to the Spice
Islands led by explorer Ferdinand Magellan under
the flag of King Charles I of Spain and, after
Magellan's death in the Philippines, the
subsequent voyage around the world. During the
expedition, he served as Magellan's assistant and
kept an accurate journal which later assisted him in
translating the Cebuano language. It is the first recorded document concerning the
language.

Pigafetta was one of the 18 men who returned to Spain in 1522, under the
command of Juan Sebastián Elcano, out of the approximately 240 who set out three
years earlier. These men completed the first circumnavigation of the world. Pigafetta's
surviving journal is the source for much of what is known about Magellan and Elcano's
voyage.

At least one warship of the Italian Navy, a destroyer of the Navigatori class, was named

after him in 1931.

In Seville, Pigafetta heard of Magellan's planned expedition and decided to join,

accepting the title of supernumerary (sobresaliente), and a modest salary of
1,000 maravedís.[2] During the voyage, which started in August 1519, Pigafetta collected
extensive data concerning the geography, climate, flora, fauna and the native
inhabitants of the places that the expedition visited. His meticulous notes proved
invaluable to future explorers and cartographers, mainly due to his inclusion of nautical
and linguistic data, and also to latter-day historians because of its vivid, detailed style.
The only other sailor to maintain a journal during the voyage was Francisco
Albo, Victoria's last pilot, who kept a formal logbook.

Pigafetta was wounded on Mactan in the Philippines, where Magellan was killed

in the Battle of Mactan in April 1521. Nevertheless, he recovered and was among the 18
who accompanied Juan Sebastián Elcano on board the Victoria on the return voyage to
Spain.

Upon reaching port in Sanlúcar de Barrameda in the modern Province of Cadiz in

September 1522, three years after his departure, Pigafetta returned to the Republic of
Venice. He related his experiences in the "Report on the First Voyage Around the
World" (Italian: Relazione del primo viaggio intorno al mondo), which was composed
in Italian and was distributed to European monarchs in handwritten form before it was
eventually published by Italian historian Giovanni Battista Ramusio in 1550–59. The
account centers on the events in the Mariana Islands and the Philippines, although it
included several maps of other areas as well, including the first known use of the word
"Pacific Ocean" (Oceano Pacifico) on a map. The original document was not preserved.

However, it was not through Pigafetta's writings that Europeans first learned of
the circumnavigation of the globe. Rather, it was through an account written by
a Flanders-based writer Maximilianus Transylvanus, which was published in 1523.
Transylvanus had been instructed to interview some of the survivors of the voyage
when Magellan's surviving ship Victoria returned to Spain in September 1522 under the
command of Juan Sebastian Elcano. After Magellan and Elcano's voyage, Pigafetta
utilized the connections he had made prior to the voyage with the Knights of Rhodes to
achieve membership in the order.

Antonio Pigafetta also wrote a book, in which a detailed account of the voyage
was given. It is quite unclear when it was first published and what language had been
used in the first edition. The remaining sources of his voyage were extensively studied
by Italian archivist Andrea da Mosto, who wrote a critical study of Pigafetta's book in
1898 (Il primo viaggio intorno al globo di Antonio Pigafetta e le sue regole sull'arte del
navigare) and whose conclusions were later confirmed by J. Dénucé.

Today, three printed books and four manuscripts survive. One of the three books
is in French, while the remaining two are in Italian language. Of the four manuscripts,
three are in French (two stored in the Bibliothèque nationale de France and one
in Cheltenham), and one in Italian.

At the end of his book, Pigafetta stated that he had given a copy to Charles V.
Pigafetta's close friend, Francesco Chiericati, also stated that he had received a copy
and it is thought that the regent of France may have received a copy of the latter. It has
been argued that the copy Pigafetta had provided may have been merely a short
version or a draft. It was in response to a request, in January 1523, of the Marquis
of Mantua that Pigafetta wrote his detailed account of the voyage.

II. Historical Background of the Document

James Alexander Robertson
James Alexander Robertson (August 19, 1873 – March 20, 1939) was an American
academic historian, archivist, translator and bibliographer. He is most noted for his
contributions to the history and historiography of the Philippines and other former
territorial possessions of the Viceroyalty of New Spain.

James Alexander Robertson was born 1873 in Corry, Pennsylvania.[1] He was the
sixth of eight children born to Canadian parents, who became naturalized U.S. citizens
after relocating to Corry in 1866. His father, John McGregor Robertson, was a building
contractor originally from Verulam, Ontario, near Peterborough. His mother, Elizabeth
Borrowman Robertson, had emigrated to Canada from her native Scotland as a child.

Robertson's mother died when he was seven. Three years later he and his family
moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where James completed his secondary education.

In 1902 Robertson became involved in the compilation of a massive multivolume

work on the history of the Philippines, initially called The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803.

On the completion of the Philippine Islands project Robertson went to the Carnegie

Institution of Washington to work in its historical research department (1909–10). In
1910 he moved to Manila and became bibliographer and librarian at the National Library
of the Philippines for the next six years. During his time in the Philippines Robertson
was instrumental in establishing library science as a discipline for instruction at
the University of the Philippines.
 Robertson returned to the U.S. and Washington in 1917, taking up a position with
the federal Department of Commerce. In 1918 Robertson was the founding editor of
the Hispanic American Historical Review, an academic journal devoted to Latin
American and Hispanic history. He remained the journal's editor-in-chief until his death.

In 1923 he gained a position as professor at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, and

lectured there for the next ten years. In 1935 he moved to Annapolis, Maryland, as the
archivist for the Maryland State Archives' Hall of Records. Robertson died three years
later on March 20, 1939 in Annapolis.

III. Contribution of the Document in Understanding the Philippine History

 Antonio Pigafetta was one of the survivors who kept a journal and considered as
the primary sources that actually witnessed the event and he was also the main
source about the first encounter of the Spaniards and the Filipinos.
 Pigafetta’s travelogue contributed immensely to the enrichment of Philippine
historiography.
 His writing described vividly the physical appearance, social life, religious beliefs
and cultural practices of the people they encountered in the islands of Samar,
Leyte and Cebu.
 His account also contains information about the economic activities of the local
folks and the goods they offered for trade.
 He got all this information through the help Enrique de Malaccca, Magellan’s
slave/interpreter.
 Lastly, Pigafetta gave us an eyewitness account of the Battle of Mactan which
resulted to the death of Magellan and him getting wounded.

ACTIVITY 2.1
I. Answer the following questions:
1. How did Pigafetta’s travelogue contribute immensely to the enrichment of
Philippine historiography?
 2. What is the important information about the account of Antonio Pigafetta in his
book, “First Voyage Around the World” to the Filipino history?

3. Discuss the relevance of the Pigafetta’s account to the contemporary times.

II. Make a research on the following selected topics. Make sure to use primary sources
as much as possible for your references:
1. Kartilya ng Katipunan
2. Raider of the Sulu Sea
The format for a research work shall include the following:
I. Credibility of the Authors/ Background of the Author
II. Short description of the refence used (must be a primary source)
III. Content Presentation (Topic Summary)
IV. Contribution of the document in understanding Philippine history

SUGGESTED READINGS:

Antonio Pigafetta, First Voyage Around the World (pp.22-48)

Doina Vasilca. 2016. The First Voyage around the World—An old story using a new
application.16th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference: 508-9

Stanley, Henry Edward John (trans. and ed.). 1874. The First Voyage Round the World
by Magellan: Translated from accounts of Pigafetta and other contemporary writers.
London. Hakluyt Society.

MODULE 2: CONTENT AND CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF SELECTED PRIMARY

SOURCE

LESSON 2: CUSTOMS OF THE TAGALOG ( Juan de Plascencia, OFM)

Learning Objectives: At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Identify credible and authentic primary sources that could be used in

reconstructing and analyzing the history of the Filipino people from pre-colonial
times to the present;
2. Analyze the context, content, and perspective of selected primary sources and
determine how they affected the history of the Filipino people;
3. Develop critical and analytical skills as they are exposed to primary sources;

READ

I. Background of the Author

Juan de Plasencia (Spanish: ['xwan de pla'senθja]) was a Spanish friar of

the Franciscan Order. He was among the first group of Franciscan missionaries who
arrived in the Islands on July 2, 1578.
 He spent most of his missionary life in the Philippines,
where he founded numerous towns in Luzon and authored
several religious and linguistic books, most notably
the Doctrina Cristiana (Christian Doctrine), the first book
ever printed in the Philippines. Juan de Plasencia was
born in the early 16th century as Juan Portocarrero
in Plasencia, in the region of Extremadura, Spain. He was
one of the seven children of Pedro Portocarrero, a captain
of a Spanish schooner.

Juan de Plasencia grew up during the period known as

the Siglo de Oro, a Golden Age when arts and literature flourished in many parts of
Spain, among them his native Extremadura.

It is not well known when or where he first entered the Order of the Franciscans.
Some scholars point at the Convento de Villanueva de la Serena, in Plasencia, while
others speculate that he might have traveled to Italy and joined a convent there, at a
time when a large part of Italy was under Spanish rule. According to researchers, he
took the habit as a young man at the Cloister of Saint Francis in Sorrento, Italy.

He is believed to have arrived to the Philippines in July 2, 1578,  after a stopover

in Mexico. As soon as he arrived, he joined forces with another missionary, Fray Diego
de Oropesa, and they both started preaching around Laguna de Bay and Tayabas,
Quezon, in Quezon Province, where he founded several towns.

During the following years they are also credited with the foundation of a large number
of towns in the provinces of Bulacan, Laguna and Rizal, such as Tayabas,
Caliraya, Lucban, Majayjay, Nagcarlan, Lilio (Liliw), Pila, Santa
Cruz, Lumban, Pangil, Siniloan, Morong, Antipolo, Taytay, and Meycauayan.

As a friar, Juan de Plasencia lived up to his pledge, leading a lifestyle devoid of

any luxury and in constant contact with the people he was trying to convert to
Christianity. He was also known to be a defender of the native population, looking after
the poor, ill, or neglected, and standing up for their rights on numerous occasions.
He was also very keen on creating primary schools, and requested official sanction for
the creation of educational centers where "Filipinos could not only learn Christian
doctrine, but also reading and writing, and some arts and crafts, so they would become
after, not only good Christians but also useful citizens", an initiative that was approved
by Domingo de Salazar, the first Bishop of the See of Manila (1512–1594).

Juan de Plasencia wrote a number of books designed primarily to promote the

understanding of both the Spanish language among the natives, and the local
languages among the missionaries, to facilitate the task of spreading Christianity. He
acknowledged at an early stage the need of mastering the language of the natives in
order to facilitate evangelization, and in a letter to the King of Spain, dated June 18,
1585, he mentioned some of his works to that effect:

In the language more common in these Islands, I have written some works like
the "Arte de la lengua tagala" and "Declaracion de toda la doctrina Cristiana," and now I
am writing the "Vocabulario." These are very necessary for all the ministers if they
would only be printed. It would be particularly favorable if Your Majesty would send me
a "cedula" so they could be sent for printing in Mexico at the expense of His Real
Hacienda. It would be of great use for these souls."

He is the author of what is believed to be the first book printed in the Philippines,
the Doctrina Cristiana, that was not only printed in Spanish, but also in Tagalog, in
both Latin script and the commonly used Baybayin script of the natives of the time, and
it even had a version in Chinese.

Other works attributed to him are the "Relacion de las Costumbres de Los
Tagalos" (1589), that not only helped understand and preserve many of the traditional
ways of the local population, but also provided the first form of Civil Code, used by local
governors to administer justice.

A mystical work which he entitled "La Santina", was an Opus number on prayer
and contemplation entirely done in the Tagalog language so the natives who did not
know Spanish could also engage in the spiritual exercises of their teachers.

Juan de Plasencia died in Liliw, Laguna in 1590.

II. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE DOCUMENT

 During the first century of Spanish rule, colonial officials had the hard time
running local politics because of the limited number of Spaniards who wanted to
live outside Intramuros.

 This situation forced them to allow Filipinos to hold the position of

gobernadorcillo.

 To ensure that they would remain loyal to the Crown, they instructed the friars
assigned in the parishes to supervise and monitor the activities of the
gobernadorcillo.

 Hence, the friars ended up performing the administrative duties that colonial
officials should have been doing in the local level.

 They supervised the election of the local executives, helped in the collection of
taxes, directly involved in educating the youth and performed other civic duties.

 As years went by, the friars ended up the most knowledgeable and influential
figure in the pueblo.

 Some duties of friars assigned in mission territories:

 inform periodically their superiors of what was going on in their respective

assignments.
 report the number of natives they converted, the people’s way of life, their
socio-economic situation and the problems they encountered.
 some submitted short letters while others who were keen observers and
gifted writers wrote long dispatches.

 On top of the regular reports they submit, they also shared their personal
observations and experiences.
 Plasencia’s Relacion de las Costumbres de Los Tagalos (Customs of the
Tagalog, 1589) is an example of this kind of work.

 It contains numerous information that historians could use in reconstructing the

political and socio-cultural history of the Tagalog region.

 His work is a primary source because he personally witnessed the events and
observations that he discussed in his account.

 There were other friars and colonial officials who wrote about the Filipinos that
could further enrich our knowledge of Philippine history during the early part of
the Spanish period.

 Miguel de Loarca

 Arrived in 1576 and became an encomendero of Panay.

 He wrote Relación de las Islas Filipinas (1582) and his work described
the way of life of Filipinos living in Western Visayas area.

 Antonio de Morga.

 He came to the Philippines in 1595 as Asesor and Teniente General.

 His Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas gives us a lot of information about the
state of the Philippines at the latter part of the 16 th century.

 Other Spanish missionaries who continued the historiographical tradition

initiated by Loarca and Plasencia were:

 Fr. Pedro Chirino S.J. (Relación de las Islas Filipinas, 1604;

 Fr. Juan Delgado S.J. (Historia General, 1751);
 Fr. Francisco Colin S.J. (Labor Evangelica, 1663);
 Francisco Ignacio Alcina S.J. (Historia natural del sitio, fertilidad y calidad
de las Islas e Indios de Bisayas, 1668); and
 Fr. Joaquin Martinez de Zuniga O.S.A. (Historia, 1803).
  Many of the what we know about Philippine history during the first century of the
Spanish period were derived from the accounts of the Spanish friars.

About the Text:

 The work of Plascencia is considered by many historians as an example of a friar

account.

 This kind of writing is one of the most common contemporaneous account during
the early part of the Spanish period.

 The original text of Plascencia’s Customs of the Tagalogs is currently kept in

Archivo General de Indias (A.G.I.) in Seville, Spain.

 There is also a duplicate copy of it in the Archivo Franciscano Ibero-Oriental

(A.F.I.O.), in Madrid, Spain.

 In the Philippines, an English version of it appeared in volume VII of the Blair and
Robertson collections.

 Another English translation of it was published as part of the volume for pre-
Hispanic Philippines of the Filipiniana Book Guild series and what will be
presented below is from this version.

III. CONTENT PRESENTATION (SUMMARY)

Political Organization
o The community is gathered in a barangay. It is called a “barangay”
because they associate themselves with the “Malay” who are one of the
first people to arrive in the Philippines through a boat in which they call
“barangay”.
o Some consisted of around 30 - 100 houses
o Barangays also have some sort of diplomacy
 o All barangays were equal in terms of status

Social Hierarchy

 There are three status/castes within a barangay: Maharlica, Aliping Namamahay,

Aliping sa Guiguilir.
 Maharlica are those who are born free;
 Aliping Namamahay are those who serve their masters however,
they can have their own properties
 Aliping sa Guiguilir are those considered to be slaves who serve
their masters or can be sold off.

Property

 The land area was divided among the whole barangay, especially the irrigated
portions.
  No one from a different barangay could cultivate land unless they inherit or buy
the land
 The lands on the tingues, or mountain ridges, are not divided but owned by the
barangay as a whole.
  At the time of rice harvest, any individual (regardless of their barangay) that
starts to clear any land area may sow in it.
 Fisheries of chiefs had established limits, and sections of the rivers for markets
  Unless you were a member of the chief’s barangay, you had to pay for the
privilege of fishing or selling in the chiefs’ fisheries

Marriage Customs

 In the case of a divorce, if the wife would leave her husband for the sake of
marrying another man, all her belongings plus a certain amount would be
 given to her former husband however, if she chooses to leave and do not
have any plans to marry, then all of her dowry will be returned to her.
 In the case of an adoption, the children would receive double the value of how
much they were bought to be adopted;
 Investigations and sentences for the accused shall be presented and read in
front of the tribe.

Worship and Belief (Religion)

 There were no temples or sacred places in which Filipinos would worship

  The word simbahan means a place to worship which is constructed at a large
house of the chief where people of the tribe go to celebrate festivals (aka
pandot or worship)
  They beat large and small drums successively during the feast which usually
lasted four days.
 nagaanitos - worship; (anito - soul or spirit of ancestors)
 sibi - a temporary shed, made on each side of the chief’s house, for the
assembled people.
 Bathala - one of their many idols, whom they specially worshipped. 
   They worshipped the sun, the moon, and some, even the stars or a
particular dead man with special capability that fought bravely or protected
them in their time of need
 sun - almost universally respected and honored because of its beauty;
 moon - they would rejoice, especially when new
 stars - they did not name them except for the morning star, which they called
Tala
  “Seven little goats” - the Pleiades; a star cluster
 Balatic - the Greater Bear constellation
 Mapolon - the change of seasons
  lic-ha - idols; images with different shapes;
  Dian masalanta - an idol; patron of lovers and generation
  Lacapati and Idianale - idols; patrons of the cultivated lands and husbandry;
  buaya - crocodiles; were respected by the Tagalogs due to their fear of being
harmed by them; they offered a portion of what they carried in their boats to
them

12 Priests of the Devil

1. Catolonan
 Priest from a people of rank
 Officiates the offering sacrifice for a feast and the food to be eaten being offered
to the devil
2. Mangagauay
 They pretend to heal the sick in order to deceive others
3. Manyisalat
 They can cast remedies to couples for them to abandon one another
4.Mancocolam
 Can emit fire from himself which cannot be extinguished
5. Hocloban
 Much more powerful than a mangagauay in which they can kill anyone without
the use of any medicine. They can also heal those who are ill.
6. Silagan
 They would tear out and eat the liver of those they saw were wearing white
7.Magtatangal
 They would go out at night without their heads and put it back into their bodies
before the sun rise
8. Osuang
 Tribesmen reported that they saw the “osuang” who can fly and murdered a man
and ate his flesh.
9. Mangagayoma
 They would seduce their partners with charms and other accessories so they can
deceive them.
10. Sonat
 This devil helped people to die. They can also know if the soul they helped to die
can either be saved or not.
11. Pangatahojan
 They can predict the future.
12. Bayoguin
 These are men who are in the nature of a woman.

Superstition
 They find omens in events they witness
 (i.e. when someone sneezed, met on their way a rat or serpent, or the
Tigmamanuguin bird sang they would go home in fear that evil would befall them
if they continued their journey)
   The Tigmamanuguin bird’s (a blue bird as large as a turtle-dove) song had two
forms: a good omen, and a bad omen.

IV. CONTRIBUTION AND RELEVANCE OF THE DOCUMENT IN UNDERSTANDING

PHILIPPINE HISTORY

 Plasencia’s Customs of the Tagalogs is a very popular primary source because it

vividly described the situation of the Philippines before it was tainted with
Spanish and Christian influences.
 Scholars like it because it covered numerous topics that are relevant in many
disciplines.
 Many of what we know about the duties and responsibilities of the datus,
maharlikas and alipins came from Plasencia’s account.
 Moreover, it also talks about property rights, marriage rituals, burial practices and
the manner in which justice is dispensed.
 Plasencia also preserved and popularized the unwritten customs, traditions,
religious and superstitious beliefs of the Filipinos.
 Priests and missionaries also read Plasencia’s Customs of the Tagalogs and
Doctrina Christiana because they get a lot of insights that help and inspire them
to become effective evangelizers.
 One insight they got from Plasencia is the the realization that one needs to
master the local language and study the culture of the people if you want to be a
successful missionary.
 They also learned from him that preaching should be accompanied with reading
materials that contain the basic elements of faith.
 These readings serve as their guide and reference when the missionaries are no
longer around.
 All these insights from Plasencia are applicable not only to missionaries but to
other professions as well.
 Plasencia’s historical writings also disprove the claim of some Spaniards that
when they arrived in the Philippines, Filipinos were still uncivilized and lacking in
culture.
 It is clear in the excerpts quoted above that at the time Plasencia was assigned
in the Tagalog region Filipinos were already politically and economically
organized.
 They have a functioning government, tax system, set of laws, criminal justice
system, indigenous calendar and long-standing customs and traditions.
 Moreover, they have already a concept of supreme being (Bathala), practiced
burial customs and believed in life after death.
 Lastly, Plasencia also mentioned that the people he met were wearing garments,
gold ornaments and their houses were decorated with idols.
 All of these lead to the conclusion that prior to the coming of the Spaniards,
Filipinos were already civilized and maintained a lifestyle that was at par or even
better than other countries in Southeast Asia.
ACTIVITY
I. Answer the following questions:
1. What was the document of Plascencia all about?

2. What do you think is the bias inhibited by the author?

3. What is the importance of the Customs of the Tagalog in understanding the

Philippine History?
. II. Make a research on the following selected topics. Make sure to use primary
sources as much as possible for your references:
1. Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricatures of the American Era by Alfred McCoy
The format for a research work shall include the following:
I. Credibility of the Authors/ Background of the Author
II. Short description of the refence used (must be a primary source)
III. Content Presentation (Topic Summary)
IV. Contribution of the document in understanding Philippine history

SUGGESTED READINGS

Juan de Placencia, Costums of the Tagalogs, (Garcia 1979,pp.221-234) Friar Account

The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898- Volume 07 of 55 eBook
 REFERENCES

Barrantes, Vicente (1875). Narraciones extremeñas. Madrid: Imp. de J. Peña. p. 197.

Bazaco, Evergisto (1939). History of Education in the Philippines. Manila: University

of Santo Tomas press. p. 474.

Cano, Glòria (February 2008). "Evidence for the deliberate distortion of the Spanish
Philippine colonial historical record in The Philippine Islands 1493–1898". Journal
of Southeast Asian Studies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, for the
History Department, National University of Singapore. 39 (1): 1–
30. doi:10.1017/S0022463408000015. ISSN 0022-4634. OCLC 259169493.

Felix de Huerta, OFM. Estado, geografico, topografico, Estadistico, Historico-

Religioso de la Santa y apostolica provincia de San Gregorio Magno,. Binondo,
Manila: 1885 p. 71

Fernandez, Jose "Ding". "Juan de Plasencia, OFM — Tatay ng Taytay ni Juan (Part

3)". Academia.edu (in Filipino). Retrieved August 28, 2019.

Gómez Platero, Eusebio, O.F.M. (1880). Catálogo Biográfico de los Religiosos

Franciscanos de la Provincia de San Gregorio Magno de Filipinas : desde 1577 en

que llegaron los primeros a Manila. Manila: Imprenta del Real Colegio de Santo
Tomás. p. 6.

Gutay, Jose "Long" D., OFM. "Life and Works of Fray Juan de Plasencia". OFM
Archives - Philippines. Archived from the original on 2007-06-03. Retrieved 2017-
10-25.
Hill, Roscoe R. (May 1939). "Dr. James Alexander Robertson 1873-1939". Hispanic
American Historical Review. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. 19 (2): 127–
129. ISSN 0018-2168. JSTOR 2507436. OCLC 1752092.

Magellan's Voyage around the World by Antonio Pigafetta – The original text of the
Ambrosian ms. translated by James Alexander Robertson, Cleveland : The
Arthur H. Clark Company (1906); Vol 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3

Murphy, Patrick J.; Coye, Ray W. (2013). Mutiny and Its Bounty: Leadership
Lessons from the Age of Discovery. Yale University Press. ISBN
9780300170283. Archived from the original on 2015-06-27.

Perez, Origen, "Carta del P. Juan de Plasencia al Rey, Manila, 18 de Junio de 1585",
pp.
287-288, Archivo General de Indias, Sevilla

Power Point Presented by: Eastern Visayas Group : Agbayani, Cenon Jr. , Destura,
Ryan, Gabunada, Maria Vanessa, Lanugan, Romulo, Mangada, Tessie, Pabalan,
Asuncion, Villarino, Ibarra Maximino

Shavit, David (1990). The United States in Asia: a historical dictionary. Westport,

CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-26788-X. OCLC 21522840.

The first voyage Round the world, by Magellan, London: The Hakluyt Society (1874)
Wilgus, A. Curtis (1970) [©1942]. "The life of James Alexander Robertson". In A.
Curtis Wilgus (ed.). Hispanic American Essays: A Memorial to James Alexander

Robertson. Essay index reprint series (Reprint of University of North Carolina Press
original ed.). Freeport, NY: Books for Libraries Press. ISBN 0-8369-1953-
X. OCLC 122617.