Chapter I

The Foundations of History

Why do we need to study History?

• Marvin Perry enumerated the following reasons why we need to study history
a) To learn about our past
b) To understand the present
c) To appreciate our heritage in a broad perspective
d) To acquire a background for critical thinking.

What is History? (with apologies to Mazour and Peoples, 1968)

• Yesterday of mankind
• Record of the past
• The Story of all Filipinos
• Historical Forces
a) Geography
b) Economy
c) Politics
d) Education
e) Religion
f) Humanities
g) Wars
h) Civilization

History Defined
• History is a scientific discipline that deals with the study of significant events in the past in order to
ascertain the truth
• Include the records or accounts usually written in sequential arrangement of past events especially
those concerning a particular nation, people, or field of knowledge as well as activities
• It is considered to be a scientific discipline because it uses the tools of science in finding out what really
transpired in the past.
• There are two types of historical epoch:
1) Pre-historic past
▪ Time before the invented writing
▪ Historians rely on physical evidences like skeletal remains, fossils, and artifacts to ascertain
what really transpired during this period
2) Historic past
▪ Period where events are recorded through written documents
▪ This may be divided into the ancient past, the medieval or middle ages, the modern
period, and the post-modern period
Post-modern history
o Contemporary history – refers to that time that happened within a lifetime of a
person
o Recent history – refers to current events

Historical Facts
• What is historical fact?
o Affirmation of events in the past o Not the past event itself o Symbol that enables us to recreate it
imaginatively
• Where is historical facts?
o In human minds
• When is historical facts?
o Present
Sources of Historical Data

Historical Data
- these are sourced from artifacts that have been left by the past
- these artifacts can either be relics or remains or the testimonies of witnesses to the past.

Sources of Data
1. Written
a. Narrative- newspaper articles, novel or film
b. Diplomatic- Supreme Court decisions, laws
c. Social- government reports, municipal accounts
2. Non-written
a. Material- jewelries, churches, schools, roads
b. Oral- tales, folk songs

Causative Interpretation of History

• Greeks and Roman - Historical events are determined by fate and destiny
• The Christian View of History - There is a concern for the welfare of the humankind
• Voltaire - There is no divine creature - History is the result of chance and fortuity
• Hegel - Formulated the materialist conception of history - History represents the development of the spirit’s
consciousness of its own
freedom and of the consequent realization of freedom - History is the spirit’s effort to attain knowledge
• The Darwinian Theory of Evolution - Social institutions, as well as the animal kingdom, the rule of the survival of
the fittest applies and that acquired characteristics of society are passed on the succeeding generation
• The Marxian Philosophy - Mode of production in economic life primarily determines the general
character of the social, political, and cultural processes of life that shifts as the economic foundation changes

History and Changes

• History is only possible because of changes of whatever kind
• There are two kinds of changes
o Quantitative Changes
- Refers to those that cannot be measured or counted
- Growth
o Qualitative Changes
- Refers to the modification of intrinsic value of a thing
- Development
• When the two kinds of change are combined, they form progress
 CHAPTER 2

The Philippine Prehistory

Civilization and Culture

Edward B. Taylor defined culture as that complex whole that includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law,
customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society. Moreover, Leslie A.
White refers to culture as an organization of phenomena that includes acts, objects, ideas, and sentiments.
Hence, culture is the way of living of certain people. How they dress, how they eat, how they court and bear
children, how they are buried, and many more referring to their culture.

Ethnocentrism and Xenocentrism are two concepts developed in sociology. When a person believes that
his own group and culture are superior to all others, may include pride in his community or hometown, his school,
his fraternity, or his province. This same belief may take such insidious and socially disruptive forms as racism, class
antagonism, religious bigotry, and the over-zealous and belligerent patriotism called jingoism. Xenocentrism is
the opposite of ethnocentrism; it is the feeling of inferiority of one’s own culture.

Contrary to what the early Westerners claimed, the Filipinos have their own indigenous culture prior to the
colonization period. Their houses are made of materials they found in their place. These houses are called bahay
kubo. In the mountains of the Cordilleras, they built their houses on tree tops while the Badjaos or Sea Gypsies of
Sulu lived in boats as they roamed the sea. Among the ancient Filipinos, the male clothing consisted of the
kanggan and the bahag. The women wore baro or camisa and the lower part consists of saya or patadyong.
They wore ornaments made of gold and precious stones. Unlike today, where tattoos are mostly for fashion, then,
it was a manifestation of a person’s record of bravery.

The ancient Filipinos were divided into social classes. These were the nobles, the freemen, and the
dependents. Among the dependents were classified into aliping namamahay and aliping sagigilid. Among the
Bisayans, the dependents were of three kinds: the tumataban, who worked for his master when told to do so;
and the ayuey, who worked three days a week for its master. During those times, women were equal of men.
They could own and inherit property and sell it. They could engage in trade and succeed to the chieftainship of
their community. The community called barangay was the unit of government (Agoncillo, 1974 – p. 18). The head
was powerful and promulgated the laws with the consent of the elders of the community. The barangays trade
among themselves and for mutual protection against their common enemy, they made alliances called
sanduguan. The chieftain called the datu, lakan, or hari made the laws of the barangay with the consent of the
elders. When the elders approved the proposed law, a town cryer, called the umalokohan, would explain the
new law. Most disputes were settled by trial by ordeal, which was the practice of most western nations.

Ancient Filipinos were very respectful of their dead because they believe in life after death and the
immortality of the soul. Mourning for their dead chieftain was called the Laraw; for a dead man, Maglahe; for a
dead woman, Morotal. Our ancestors venerated their dead by carving idols called diwata in Bisayan and anito
in Tagalog. They worshipped a Supreme Being called the Bathalang Maykapal.

Pre-Spanish Filipinos performed circumcision of their sons, a special rite done for their health and
cleanliness. Physical love was not taboo among ancient Filipinos. They had potions for sexual malfunctioning.
Morga reported the bagontaos or single men and dalagas or maidens were people of little restraint, and from
early childhood they had communication with one another and mingled with facility and little secrecy, and
without it is being regarded among the natives as a cause of anger. Young men and women entered into love
pacts, which they kept even after marriage to others (Maguigad, 2004 – p. 18).

While pre-Spanish Filipinos did not have formal schools, they were taught reading and writing in their own
homes. The children of school age were taught in their own homes by their mothers that in the Filipino homes
today, were considered to be the first teachers. The fathers trained their sons to be warriors, hunters, and
fishermen. Perhaps, it is safe to assume that the ancient Filipinos were generally literate.

There are more than a hundred languages and dialects that exist in the country today. Of these, eight
are considered major languages, namely: Sugbuhanon (Cebuano); Tagalog; Iloko; Pangasinan; Hiligaynon
(Ilonggo); Kapangpangan; Magindaw; and Samaron (Waray-waray). They are sister languages and belong to
one family of languages called Austronesian or Malayo-Polynesian (Agoncillo, 1974 – p. 24). When the Spaniards
set foot on Philippine soil, they found the Filipinos writing in their native syllabary because every letter is
pronounced as a syllable. The Tagalog script was called baybayin, sometimes erroneously called alibata. It
consisted of three vowels and fourteen consonants, with a total of 17 letters. The writing system was horizontal,
from left to right.

They also had a literature that may be classified into written and oral. Among the Tagalogs, the oral
literature consisted of sabi (maxims); bugtong (riddles); talindaw (boat song); tagumpay (victory song); uyayi
and hele (cradle song); ihiman (wedding song); kumintang (war song); and many others. In the 19th century, the
kumintang became a love song. During the Revolution, it disappeared and was replaced by the kundiman.
Filipinos have also written literature. The Ifugaos of the Cordilleras had epics, which were recited but later on
written down. Their epics are the Hudhud and Alim. The Ilocanos have their own epic, Biag ni Lam-ang of
Handiong, while the Muslims, a very daring, brave, and courageous group of people, have produced several
epics: the Bantugan; Indaraptra and Sulayman; Bidasari; and Parang Sabil.

Filipinos are considered born musicians. They play several musical instruments although they have not
studied music formally. The natives of Cebu played instruments made of bamboo and wood like a stringed
instrument called the kudyapi. Among the Negritos of Zambales and Bataan, the favorite musical instruments
were the bansic, a sort of a flute and the gangsa, a kind of guitar. The Ilocanos have their musical instruments
like kutibeng, a sort of guitar with five strings; the flute; and the kudyapi. They also had dances. Among the
Bisayans, the favorites were the balitaw and dandansoy. The ancient Filipinos from all regions had dances and
songs for all occasions.

The art of the earliest Filipinos may be seen in their tools and weapons. These tools were at first rough, but
as time went by, the Filipinos began to polish them. Later, beads, amulets, bracelets, and other ornaments were
used to improve their appearance.

The pre-Spanish Filipinos practiced agriculture, which was the primary source of livelihood. They also
practiced irrigation. They increased their crop production by irrigating ditches. This is proven by the rice terraces
in Banawe. Aside from agriculture, they went into such industries such as fishing, mining, shipbuilding, poultry,
stock-raising, lumbering, and weaving. Mining was another important industry. Gold is obtained from rivers and
in some places, from mines, which the natives work.

Shipbuilding and lumbering were thriving industries. The Filipino shipbuilders built all kinds of boats for travel,
war, and commerce. Domestic and foreign trade existed long before the Spaniards arrived in the Philippines.
Domestic commerce between barangays and islands was carried on through the waterways.

On the other hand, foreign trade was carried on with countries like China, Japan, Siam (Thailand),
Cambodia, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, and other islands of old Malaysia. Because currency was not in use, the pre-
Spanish Filipinos used the barter system in their commercial transactions. The Chinese traders testified that the
Filipinos were honest and paid their debts to the traders even after many months have passed.
 CHAPTER 3
THE ASIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE

EARLY PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES

• Historians believed that the first settlers of the islands came by land bridges from mainland Asia.
• The first settlers came to the Philippines during the Pleistocene period.
• In 1962, a skull of a man was discovered in the Tabon caves in Palawan.
• From the discovery, it was learned that a man had been in the Philippines for at least 22,000 years
ago.
• The Filipino people came from the combination of three major groups who migrated in the
Philippines.
1. Negritos
 Arrived in the Philippines about 25,000 years ago.
 They believed that they came in the Philippines through land bridges.
 They were described as short, black-skinned, with dark kinky hair, round black
eyes and broad-nosed.
 They are regarded as nomads because they do not have permanent
settlements.
 They wore very little clothing and had no well-defined language.
 They live by hunting, gathering of wild fruits and roots, and fishing.
 Their method of making fire was by rubbing together two pieces of bamboo
until enough heat was produced to give them warmth.
 They were skilled in the use of bows and arrows.
2. Indonesians
 They were taller as compared to Negritos.
 They came in boats being the first sea-immigrants of the country.
 They came at about 3000 B.C. and they were described as slender, fair in
complexion with sharp thin faces.
 While those who came in 1000 B.C. were shorter in height, bulkier in built and
dark-complexioned.
 They had a more advance culture than the Negritos.
 They acquired food through farming.
 Their weapons were more advanced.
 They cooked their food through bamboo tubes.
3. Malays
 They came on sailboats.
 They were attributed as medium in height, brown-complexioned, with straight
black hair, dark brown eyes and flat noses.
 They introduced land cultivation, sophisticated domestication of animals and
system of irrigation.
 They lived in permanent homes and wore clothes of woven fabrics.
 They tattooed their bodies and wore ornaments.
 They arrived in three waves
a. 200 B.C. to 100 A.D.- head-hunting Malays
b. 100 A.D. to 13th century- alphabet-user Malays
c. 14th to 16th century- Muslim Malays
 CHAPTER 4
THE PHILIPPINE GEOGRAPHY

THE EARTH’S SURFACE

Pangea- a supercontinent that incorporated all the landmasses on Earth.
- it existed 299 million years ago and it existed for 100 million years before it broke up.

• The islands of the Philippines were located on the northern hemisphere when Pangea was fully formed.
• The first Philippine island showed up about 60 million years ago. It is the island of Mindoro and Palawan.
• Due to geological and tectonic plate evolution, primarily due to Pacific and Australian plate; the island
of Luzon and Mindanao showed up.
• 30 million years ago, the Indian plate started to collide with Asian plate and created a tear that
developed the West Philippine Sea.
• The Australian and Indian plate continued to push inward to Asia creating 7, 641 islands of the Philippines.
• Palawan is considered as the most stable crust within the Philippine territory having only rare earthquakes.
• The Pacific plate continued to move creating a rise under ocean surface east of Isabela. The island is
considered as big as Luzon and was called the Benham Rise (Now Philippine Rise).

PHILIPPINE GEOGRAPHY

• The Philippines is an archipelago.

- a body of water studded with islands.
• The country is located in Southeast Asia.
• The Philippines is situated in the western Pacific Ocean.
• The Philippines also is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire and close to the equator that makes the
Philippines prone to earthquakes and typhoons.
• The Philippines is the 5th largest island country with and area of 300,00 km2.
• The country is divided into geographical groups namely Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao.
• Luzon is the largest island while Mindanao is the second largest.
• The northernmost point of the country is the Mavulis Island (Y’Ami) which is about 78 miles from Taiwan
and the southernmost point is Saluag Isles which is only 34 miles east of Borneo.
• The country is divided into 17 regions.
REGION NAME
I Ilocos Region
II Cagayan Valley
III Central Luzon
IV-A CaLaBaRZon
IV-B MiMaRoPa
 V Bicol Region
VI Western Visayas
VII Central Visayas
VIII Eastern Visayas
IX Zamboanga Peninsula
X Northern Mindanao
XI Davao Region
XII SoCCSKSarGen
XIII CARAGA
ARMM Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao
CAR Cordillera Administrative Region
NCR National Capital Region
• Political subdivisions of the Philippines

Philippines

Regions

Provinces

Cities Municipalities

Barangays Barangays

• The Philippines has 81 provinces, 144 cities, 1,490 municipalities and 42,036 barangays (source: COMELEC
as of August, 2015).
• Metro Manila has 16 cities and 1 municipality (Pateros).
• Davao Occidental is the latest addition in the provinces of the Philippines.
• Cebu is the largest province in the Philippines in terms of population.
• Palawan is the largest province in the Philippines in terms of land area.
• Batanes is the smallest province in the Philippines.
• Manila is the capital of the Philippines.

DIFFERENT THEORIES OF THE ORIGIN OF THE PHILIPPINES

1. Lemuria or Mu Theory- This theory states that the Philippines was a part of the lost Pacific continent called
Lemuria or Mu which sank during the pre-historic times.
2. Land Bridge Theory- This theory states that the Philippines was once a component of continental Asia but since
the ice melted which paved way for the rise of the sea level, bridges linking Asia and the low-lying regions like
the Philippines submerged.
3. Dr. Fritjof Voss’ Theory- The country was a result of earthquakes due to the movement of tectonic plates
underneath.
4. Dr. Bailey Willis’ Theory- His theory states that the Philippines was existed because of volcanic eruption beneath
thet ocean.

LANDFORMS IN THE PHILIPPINES

1. Mountains
• The largest mountain ranges are all found in Luzon.
• Sierra Madre is considered as the longest continuous mountain range in the Philippines.
• Mount Apo in Mindanao is the highest mountain in the Philippines with a height of 9,690 feet.
2. Volcanoes
 • As of 2010, there are 300 volcanoes in the Philippines.
• As of January 14, 2020, there are 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines.
• The most recent volcanoes that erupted are Mayon Volcano in 2018 and Taal Volcano who is
currently erupting since January 12, 2020.
• The Pinatubo Eruption of 1991 is the second-largest volcanic eruption in the 21st century that
occurred on June 15, 1991.
• The most famous volcano in the Philippines is the Mayon Volcano renowned for its perfect cone
shape and it is considered as the most active volcano in the country.
• The eruption of Mayon Volcano on February 1, 1814 buried the town of Cagsawa and the only
remaining part of the town was the bell tower of the Cagsawa Church.
• Taal Volcano is the second most active volcano in the Philippines.
• Before the 2020 eruption, Taal used to have an island within a lake, that was on an island within a
lake, that was on an island within a sea.
• Taal volcano is a caldera making it NOT the smallest volcano in the world.

BODIES OF WATER IN THE PHILIPPINES

1. Bodies of Water around the Philippines
• The north of the Philippines is bordered by the Babuyan Channel
• The west of the Philippines is bordered by the West Philippine Sea
• The south of the Philippines is bordered by the Celebes Sea
• The eastern coast of the Philippines faces the Pacific Ocean
2. Lake
• The largest lake in the Philippines is the Laguna de Bay
3. Bay
• Subic Bay, Manila Bay
4. River
• The largest river is the Mindanao River
• The longest river is the Cagayan River
5. Falls
• Ma. Cristina Falls
6. Strait
• San Juanico Strait separates Samar and Leyte.

RESOURCES IN THE PHILIPPINES

1. Forest Resources
• Narra is the national tree of the country and is considered as best wood for furniture making.
2. Fish and Marine Resources
• The various common fish in the Philippines are milkfish, lapu-lapu, talakitok, kanduli, tamban,
tanguigui, dalagang bukid and tilapia.
• Tabyas is the smallest fish in the world found at Lake Buhi in Camarines Sur.
• Pearl of Allah is the world’s largest natural pearl and was found in Palawan.
•

TYPHOONS IN THE PHILIPPINES

• The Philippines is always visited by typhoon starting in the month of May up to the latter part of
December.
• Typhoon Haiyan or Typhoon Yolanda was one of the most powerful cyclones ever recorded and
considered as the deadliest typhoon in Philippine history.

EARTHQUAKES IN THE PHILIPPINES

• The most destructive earthquake in the Philippines happened in Moro Gulf on August 17, 1976with
8.2 magnitude.

FLORA AND FAUNA

• The Philippines has almost all kinds of specie that existed except for kangaroo, polar bear, camel
and moose.
• The Philippines found unique animals like tamaraw, tarsier and mouse-deer.
 • Philippine Eagle is the largest eagle in length.
• Tarsier is the smallest primate.
• Whale Shark is the largest fish.
• Sampaguita is the national flower of the Philippines.

THE PEOPLE
• The Filipinos are a mixture of races even though they are basically Malay.
• Majority of Filipinos are Tagalog, Visayans, Ilocanos, Bilocanos, Pampangeños, Pangasinenses,
etc.
• The Philippines has 175 ethnic groups.

POSITIVE FILIPINO TRAITS

1. Hospitality
• A trait of the Filipinos that commends itself to a friend or foreigner.
• A trait wherein Filipinos are naturally inclined to be helpful towards others.
Ex.
As a guest in a Filipino house, the host will offer you even his bed and the best food there
is even if he has to borrow from his neighbors.
2. Pakikisama/ Sense of Togetherness
• A trait of the Filipinos wherein they become unselfish and participates cheerfully in work.
3. Close Family Ties
• The Filipinos posses a genuine and deep love for the family.
4. Respect for the Elders
• A Filipino trait that has been an enduring force that has remained in the book of unwritten laws.
• The Filipino parents exercises almost absolute power over their children.
• Filipinos used to use po and opo to respect the elders when talking
• Filipinos usually greet elders by taking their hands and guiding it towards your forehead called
mano.
5. Loyalty
• This is a trait of the Filipino, to be faithful to commitments on matters relating to personal
relationships.
• In the Philippines, a friend is considered part of the family
6. Superstition
• It is an irrational set of beliefs of the ominous significance of particular thing or circumstance and
phenomenon.
7. Fatalism/ Bahala na habit
• It is a doctrine for Filipinos where all events are predetermined or subject to fate.
• The fatalism is exemplified in the common expression "Bahala na, may awa ang Diyos."

NEGATIVE FILIPINO TRAITS

1. Extreme Personalism
• A trait of Filipinos wherein they always try to give personal interpretation to actions.
• "Baka," "Thank you, but…"
2. Extreme Family-Centeredness
• Sometimes Filipinos are so concern with the family to the point where they lack concern already
for the common good.
3. Lack of Discipline
• Filipinos have an aversion for following strictly a set of procedures to observe order and discipline.
• The are impatient to get what they want.
• Ningas-cogon- a trait wherein they usually leave works unfinished.
4. Lack of National Consciousness
• Filipinos are lacking national consciousness because of westernization.
5. Colonial Mentality
• The strong preference of Filipinos for imported goods, foreign ideas and ways
6. Passivity and Lack of Initiative
• Filipinos sometimes are passive and lacks initiative in a way that one has to be told what has to
be done.
 • Filipinos can tolerate inefficiency, poor service and even violation of human rights.
7. Kanya-kanya Syndrome
• Most Filipinos have selfish and self-serving attitude that generates a feeling of envy towards others.
OTHER FILIPINO TRAITS THAT MAKES US UNIQUE
1. Hard working
2. Flexibility, adaptability and creativity
• They have the capacity to adjust and adapt to conditions and circumstances in a given
environment.
3. Pakikipagkapwa-tao
• The gesture of empathizing with others
4. Joy and Humor
• Filipinos are fond of laughing even if they have problems.
5. Faith and Religiosity
• Filipinos have deep faith in God.
• To Filipinos, success is a blessing from above. That’s why tragedy and misfortune are accepted
with open heart.
6. Palabra de Honor
• Word of Honor
7. Delicadeza
• Being sensitive to what is right and wrong
8. Kaayusan
• Filipino trait of orderliness
9. Kagalingan
• Filipino trait of competence

Sources:
Zulueta, F.M. and Nebres, A.M. Philippine History and Government Through the Years. National Book Store
Publishing. 2003.
Dizon, Aimee, et al. Philippine History; College Edition. Malabon: Mutya Publishing House, Inc. 2010.
How the Philippines as an Archipelago Emerged. https://www.s1expeditions.com/2013/08/094-
philippinegis.html. January 26, 2020.
Active Volcanoes in the Philippines. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/01/14/1984829/list-active-
volcanoes-philippines. January 26, 2020.
Location of the Philippines. https://goo.gl/maps/MjS2WMw1DvxWsn4Z6. January 26, 2020.