Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE HISTORY

This chapter introduces history as a discipline and a narrative relative to the Philippine context. It
discusses the meaning of history as well as its relevance to our society. It also distinguishes the
different types of historical sources and the historical-critical methods used by historians to
establish historical truths. Extra tools employed by historians, specifically on the technical
analysis of sources, are also included.

Learning Objectives
At the end of this chapter, the students should be able to:
1. understand the meaning and relevance of history in Philippine context;
2. distinguish the primary sources from secondary sources;
3. differentiate the methods used in analyzing historical sources; and
4. identify the tools used in dealing with historical sources.

HISTORY: ITS ROOTS AND MEANING IN PHILIPPINE CONTEXT

History is an important description of the past generations. On a national level, it is an
embodiment of people’s experiences, though differ in terms of period and setting but united
towards the formation of a nation (Veneracion, 1998). As such, history is both the past and the
study of the past. It is about the past experiences of people as reconstructed and described by a
historian.

Etymologically speaking, history came from the Greek word historia referring to the systematic
narration of past events in a chronological manner. This form of history was popularized by
famous historians like Herodotus (c. 484-425 B.C.) and Thucydides (c. 460-400 B.C.) who
described their previous Greek war engagements. Introduced in 1565 in the Philippines, it also
became the tradition of writing that proliferated during the Spanish period. For example, the
subject or emphasis of Spanish accounts during those times was the chivalry of conquistadores
or those soldiers who have helped in the time of conquest. A colony, like the Philippines was

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treated as “object of study”—a place to be transformed according to the image of the Spanish
empire. As such, Spain was regarded as the center and its colonies were only mentioned as
periphery (kagiliran from the root word paligid) in Spanish accounts.

Leopold von Ranke (1795-1886)

https://www.123rf.com/photo_11366218_leopold-von-ranke-picture-from-meyers-lexicon-books-written-
in-german-language-collection-of-21-volu.html

With the start of the 19th century, the study of history developed as a discipline in Europe through
the initiative of the positivist movement. In particular, a German historian named Leopold von
Ranke (1795-1886) and his group pushed the idea of history as a scientific narration and
description known as positivism. They espoused a critical historical method in which all
observations and conclusions are results of careful analysis of certain events and on how they
acted upon each other. The certainty of events was based on documents. There can be no history
without sources. The existence of documents was an essential requirement during the period. The
task of the historian is to “base himself on documentation and to draw the evidence for his
assertions or interpretations from the facts found in documents” (Schumacher, 1991). This school
of thought led to the establishment of archives supported by the monarchy and the state. Journals
and chronicles were significant sources of historical truths. Simple and unbiased descriptions
became part of the scientific tradition to maintain a history which is objective in its own right. In
terms of writing Philippine history, the Spaniards believed that they have produced an objective
history as their accounts were always been based on documents that have the confirmation of

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scribes and notary public. But according to Veneracion (1998), the way the Spaniards outlined
Philippine history was an outright manifestation of a hispanocentric perspective. It was only
defined in two periods: 1) before the coming of the Spaniards, and 2) during the Spanish
colonization. With this kind of periodization, one can sense the direction of such history.

Through the propagandists in Spain during the 19 th century, a new kind of discourse in dealing
with history was used known as pangkaming pananaw. With this perspective, the propagandists
inflamed Filipino pride and asserted that the country is not backward like what early Spanish
accounts have mentioned. The propagandists used the language of the colonizers in investigating
the past. Example is Jose Rizal when he examined and annotated Antonio Morga’s account
entitled Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas. While it is true that Morga cited the dexterity of the early
Filipinos in metallurgy, their engagement in trade and their being hardworking, Rizal
emphasized that these qualities of the Filipinos have gone as a result of Spanish colonialism. He
claimed that the Philippines had not improved but rather retrogressed under Spanish rule
(Schumacher, 1991).

Different from the kind of periodization adopted by the Spaniards, pangkaming pananaw divided
Philippine history in three periods: 1) before the coming of the Spaniards; 2) during the Spanish
colonization; and 3) after the revolution or separation from Spain. Colonialism was focused on
history and regarded as hindrance to progress and solidarity. The Spanish period was considered
as a long period of oppression which caused the Filipino people to revolt as a reaction and a sign
of disappointment. It was likened to a long period of darkness, an age of ignorance where science
failed to flourish as an instrument for development (Veneracion, 1998). Pangkaming pananaw
have also influenced some Filipino historians who were successful writers of textbooks like
Gregorio Zaide and Teodoro Agoncillo. These historians imbibed the nationalist perspective in
writing history though they differed in emphasis and details. They also used English rather than
using Filipino in writing history like what propagandists did during the 19 th century (Veneracion,
1998).

At present, another perspective which advocated for an independent Filipino discourse was
realized. This is called the Pantayong Pananaw as popularized by Dr. Zeus Salazar of the

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University of the Philippines. The Filipino people as readers were given importance since history
is written in the language they understood. People who adhere to this view believed that there are
other events that historians should look into. Colonialism should not be the only the focus of
history since there were inhabitants of the Philippines who were not colonized. History should be
written about the development of the Filipino nation from the different ethnic communities
pamayanan to the formation of centralized settlements bayan en route to the establishment of a
state (bansa).

RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

Furay and Salevouris (2000) identified some uses of history which made it important in people’s
lives:
History is a memory. It is about the collective memory of a nation. As the Spanish-American
philosopher George Santayana (1863-1952) once said, “A country without a memory is a country
of madmen” (Santayana in Szasz, 1974). This means that people who do not know their history
know nothing. Without history, a nation is considered rootless and lost like an individual with
amnesia.
History is truth. It is a reminder that the past did happen. The records of past events though
seemed inadequate and difficult to interpret, constitute a connection between the past and the
present. The rapid change we see around us today shows the reality that all we have, all we do,
all we think, and all we are is the product of what we have been in the past. For example, the
kind of democracy that we have at present is a cumulative result of what people fought and
asserted for in the past.
History gives an informed perspective on the world around us. It provides information about
particular solutions employed by the past generations to similar problems and issues that we have
at present. We should not think that the problems we face and the solutions we propose are
unique and has no relationship to past human problems.
History shapes human affairs. Historical accounts can be a powerful tool in influencing the
minds of people about a particular event. For example, accounts of human rights violations and
corruption during the Martial Law years completely destroyed Marcos’ credibility which resulted
to the fall of the dictatorship.

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SOURCES OF HISTORY
Sources are materials from which historians construct meanings. These could be objects or things
from the past or testimonies concerning the past on which historians depend in order to come up
with their own depiction of the past (Howell and Prevenier, 2001). Sources can be categorized
into two based on structure or form; written and unwritten.

1. Written Sources. These are historical sources which are printed or in the form of documents.
Howell and Prevenier categorized written sources in three types.

a. Narrative/Literary Sources. Include chronicles or pieces presented in narrative form

which were written to impart a particular message. They vary widely in terms of
intention. A scientific piece is usually composed in order to inform contemporaries or
the future generations. A daily article might have been made to shape or influence
people’s opinions; personal narratives such as diaries or memoirs might be created in
order to justify the author’s actions or decisions or a biography might be written to
commend the subject’s achievements and success.

b. Diplomatic Sources. Refer to records of existing legal situation or create a new one.
They are regarded as the “purest” and the “best” source. Classic examples are charters,
laws, statutes, declarations, treatises, agreements, ordinances, and the like. These are
typically sealed or authenticated with the purpose of providing evidence of the conclusion
of a legal transaction or as evidence in judicial proceeding in the event of disputes.

c. Social Documents. The products of record-keeping by bureaucracies such as government

offices, charitable organizations, foundations, churches and schools regarding information
with economic, social, political, and juridical importance. These documents may provide
accounts of:

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 1. particular charges or agencies (i.e., Cabinet’s reports, Commission’s Reports,
SONA, election reports)
2. meetings (i.e., bicameral congress)
3. business policies (i.e., Filipino First Policy, TRAIN Law)
4. survey of administrative structure (i.e., property registers of a church or
foundation)
5. fiscal structure (i.e., tax rolls)
6. social structure (i.e., registers of births, marriages, and deaths, records of
migration)
7. political administration (i.e., list of rulers, Cabinet members, legislators)

2. Unwritten Sources. These are representations of the past that are not recorded or
documented. Artifacts, narratives, relics, fossils, images, audio-video records, paintings, maps,
and the like are examples of this source.

On the other hand, the forms of historical sources as mentioned may be classified into two types
depending on the historical subject being studied.

a. Primary Source. Also called original sources, these are proofs of witnesses and
evidences of materials which are present at the time of the occurrence of an event or
period. If an individual is interested to study the so-called EDSA People Power I in 1986,
primary sources can include newspaper clippings, video reports and accounts as well as
memoirs of people who joined the said event. Common examples of primary sources are
letters, diaries, archival documents, artifacts, official documents, among others.

b. Secondary Sources. These are second-hand sources. These are produced by an author by
means of primary sources. If students are interested with the Katipunan, they may read
Vivencio Jose’s Ang Diskurso ng Kaisipan at Layunin ng Katipunan or the article entitled
Andres Bonifacio and the 1896 Revolution by Milagros Guerrero, et al. For example,
Guerrero and her co-authors analysed artifacts and documents produced during the
existence of the KKK to write history.

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 When an author is interested to write about Filipinos during the early Spanish contact,
he or she may refer to Antonio de Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas or Pedro
Chirino’s Relacion de las Islas Filipinas as primary sources. His or her output will be
considered as secondary source later on.

3. The Methods of History. To come up with historical truth, an individual interested in dealing
with history must know how to examine historical sources. Any source material collected should
be subjected to both external and internal criticism.
a. External criticism. Concerned with establishing the authenticity of data. It is focused at
the document itself rather than the analysis or its meaning. The genuineness of a
document may involve tests of factors such as signatures, handwriting, scripts, type,
style, spelling, and the setting and timing of events. External criticism is concerned in
dealing with the following questions:
1. Is the document authentic?
2. When was it written?
3. Where was it written?
4. Why did it survive?
5. Who was the real author?

b. Internal criticism. Concerned with the meaning or interpretation and the value of the
document relative to context. The accuracy of the information contained in a document
as well as the credibility of the author is evaluated. It tries to answer the following
questions:
1. What is the meaning of the document?
2. Is it a work of an eyewitness or just a second-hand account?
3. Why was it written?
4. What is its literal meaning?
5. Is their internal consistency?

RELATED DISCIPLINES USED IN THE STUDY OF HISTORICAL SOURCES

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 Howell and Prevenier (2001) identified and described related disciplines in which historians
and students of history sought help in dealing with sources.
1. Paleography. It is the study of ancient and historical handwriting. Historical and social
change over the centuries can be reflected in changes of styles and form of writing. The
changing concerns of society are mirrored in the content and style of manuscripts.
Paleography as a discipline can be used for tracing history. The precise mode of
delineation of letters, the identification of local script styles or individual
scribal hands and the intricacies of punctuation and abbreviation are analysed to trace
influences across time and space, and even to trace the movements of individuals.
2. Statistics. It is the analysis of quantitative data and their relationships. An American
statistician named Carroll Davidson Wright (c. 1840-1909) once believed in the dictum
“history is past statistics, statistics present history” (Hull, 1914). This means that the
events of the past are reflected in numbers or that numbers tell stories. In establishing
historical truths, a historian may utilize numerical data. For example, if the historians
wanted to prove the historical truth that human rights violations were rampant during the
administration of former President Ferdinand Marcos, then he or she may present
statistical data of persons killed, raped, tortured, and imprisoned.
3. Diplomatics. This pertains to the study of formal properties of charters or agreements. It
is a tool that can be utilized by historians to determine the authenticity of official
documents or legal agreements issued by the government. Note that it is not the same
with palaeography. Its techniques are somewhat similar with textual
criticism and historical criticism.
4. Archaelogy. It is known as the study of artifacts and relics. Archaeology plays a very
crucial role in the reconstruction of history. This is true in looking and studying ancient
cultures and civilizations, especially when there are no written records available. With
the utilization of carbon dating and other methods to determine the precise age of the
items discovered in archaeological sites, archaeology can reconstruct events and things of
the past.
5. Sigillography. It is the study of seals, particularly on identifying and decoding them.
Sigillography is derived from the word “Sigil” which means a seal or signature. It also
means a “mark” or sign supposed to exercise occult power. Particularly, this discipline is

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 a helpful tool in reconstructing history since it deals with seals including their
authenticity, age, history, and content. During the olden times and even now, seals play a
very important role in the administration of people in power. Seals provide information
about the name of rulers, their titles, the extent of their empires, the dates of documents,
religion or dynasties they belonged as well as the date and era of issuance. These seals
also indicate the level of cultural development of the period.
6. Chronology. It is the study of the different ways people have kept and marked time. A
historian or a student of history should have a grasp of such discipline because it
specifically deals with the exact order of events that occur. As such, the cause and
effect of these events are better understood, and thereby allow people to step back in time
and view the wider context of history as to how and why events unfold in the way they
do, and how they are related.
7. Codicology. It is the study of manuscripts/handwritten books as archaeological objects,
including the study of the materials (i.e., parchment, paper), of the bindings, of
cataloguing, and of preservation problems. Knowledge of codicology helps the historian
to make inferences about events from the perspectives of the learned or literate who
penned the manuscripts. For example, the clergy house in Bayombong has left little for
archaeologists after it went on fire in the 1980s but it has left a set of accounts that tell
much about daily life and work in the community and the town.
8. Papyrology. It is the study of writing on papyrus. The study of papyrology is very
important for understanding of history, specifically the ancient world. The texts it deals
provide information about language, culture, and literature in the ancient world which
cannot be found in any written records.
9. Epigraphy. It is regarded as the study of texts written on hard materials, such as stone and
metal. Epigraphs are commonly called inscriptions. Epigraphs or inscriptions provide
valuable evidence pertaining to the political, social, and economic conditions of the
period and the country to which they belong. They are visual testimonies of the activities
of the periods when they were created. The historian should have the ability to read them
or get them deciphered and translated for him or her by those who know the language.
10. Numismatics. It is the study of coins, paper currency, and medals. Coins are useful in
many ways to reconstruct history. Names of the rulers, order of time, extent of territories,

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 kind of government and the like are provided in coins which could be of great help for
historians to establish knowledge about the past.
11. Heraldry. It is the study of coat of arms, banners, flags and shields. Knowledge in
heraldry aids the historians in deciphering the meanings of symbols present in the
heraldic forms of a particular group of people. The meanings Filipino people attach to the
symbols of the Philippine flag, for example, could establish its history as a nation.
12. Linguistics. It is the study of language (i.e., grammars, vocabularies). Knowledge in this
related discipline enable a historian to reconstruct earlier forms of present languages, thus
providing direct evidence of words, their meanings and historical influences in the past.
Studies on Filipino languages, for example, established the Filipino people’s history of
colonization.
13. Genealogy. This pertains to the study of family relationships which is the basis of studies
about social groups based on blood or marriage ties. For example, knowledge on tracing
kin relations benefits the historian studying the political history of a particular place.
With genealogy, he or she can establish how or why a particular family rose to power and
the extent of their influence.
14. Prosopography. This means the use of biographical material to construct group portraits.
It is concerned with personalities, the appearance and career of a particular group.
Prosopography capitalizes on collective biography to make sense of political action, to
help explain ideological or cultural change, to identify social reality and to describe and
analyse the structure of the society and the degree and the nature of the movements
within it. For example, a historian who is interested on the historical development of
feminism in the Philippines may look into the different biographies of feminist and
activist women all throughout the country. The biographies of women can be used to
infer about the birth and development of such group.

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 EXERCISE 1

Name: _______________________________________________ Date: ____________

Name of Professor/Instructor: _____________________________ Score: ___________

Answer the questions comprehensively. You may cite references.

1. A lot of arguments/debates on Marcos’ regime have emerged in the social media, especially in
the Facebook page. While some groups are in favor with his administration, some have treated it
as the worst administration. For the activity,
1.1 Screenshot or take a picture of an FB post that deals with Marcos’ administration.
1.2 Is the post a credible source for studying Marcos administration? Justify your answer.
1.3 What do you think should be done to come up with a reliable and credible source?
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A. Paste a cut-out of a primary source that can be used in the writing of your life history.
Discuss how it qualifies as a primary source.

Reason:
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______________________________________________________________________________
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EXERCISE 1.3

Name: _______________________________________________ Date: ____________

Name of Professor/Instructor: _____________________________ Score: ___________

A. Identification. Provide researches conducted about Philippine history which was done with
the aid of the following auxiliary disciplines of history. 10 points each.

Research Title and

Disciplines Short Description of the Research
Author/s
1. Archaeology

2. Genealogy

3. Linguistics

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REFERENCES

Furay, C., &

Salevouris, M. (2000). The methods and skills of history: A practical guide. Illinois: Harlan
Davison, Inc.

Howell, M., & Prevenier, W. (2001). From reliable sources: An introduction to historical
methods. Michigan: Cornell University Press.

Szasz, F. (1974). The many meanings of history, Part I. The History Teacher, 7(4), 552-563.
doi:10.2307/492061
Hull, C. (1914). The service of statistics to history. Publications of the American Statistical
Association, 14(105), 30-39. doi:10.2307/2965084

Schumacher, J. (1991). The making of a nation: Essays on 19th century nationalism. Quezon
City: Ateneo University Press.

Veneracion, J. B. (1998). Ang kasaysayan sa kasalukuyang henerasyon. In Santillan and Conde,

Kasaysayan at kamalayan: Mga piling akda ukol sa diskursong pangkasaysayan. pp. 1-
15). Quezon City: Limbagang Pangkasaysayan.

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