ACTIVITY 2.

READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

1. Explain the relationship of the Cavite Mutiny to the GOMBURZA

On January 20, 1872, about 200 Filipino soldiers and workers in Cavite
arsenal rose in mutiny. The mutineers had a secret understand with the
Filipino soldiers in Manila for a concerted uprising. The suburb of Sampaloc,
in Manila, celebrated its fiesta that night with a brilliant display of
fireworks. Thinking that the fireworks had been set off by the Manila
troops, the Cavite plotters rose in arms. They killed their Spanish officers
and took control of the arsenal.
Government troops under Felipe Ginoves rushed to Cavite the following
morning and a bloddy battle ensued. Many of mutineer, including sergeant
Lamadrid, were killed in the fighting. Fathers Zamora, Gomez and Burgos
were among those who championed the cause of Filipino priests who had
not been receiving their due from the Spanish authorities. At that time the
Filipino priests were not allowed to hold high and profitable positions in the
church because of their brown skin and Asian ancestry. After a farcical trial
by a military court, Fathers Burgos, Gomez, and Zamora were sentenced to
die by the garrote, a strangulation machine. The blood of the martyrs of
1872 was thus the fertile seed of Filipino nationalism.

2. Research what is all about the BALAGUER TESTIMONY

Fr. Vicente Balaguer's statement:
Balaguer was one of the Jesuit priests who visited Rizal during his last hours in Fort
Santiago and claimed that he managed to persuade Rizal to denounce Masonry and
return to the Catholic fold. In an affidavit executed in 1917 when he had returned to
Spain, Balaguer also claimed that he was the one who solemnized the marriage of
Josephine Bracken and Rizal hours before the hero's execution. Moreover,
According to Balaguer, Rizal woke up several times, confessed four times, attended
a mass, received communion, and prayed the rosary, all of which seem out of
character.

Balaguer was one of the Jesuit priests who visited Rizal during his last hours at Fort Santiago and
affirmed that he had managed to convince Rizal to denounce Freemasonry and return to the Catholic
bosom. In an affidavit issued after his return to Spain in 1917, Balaguer also claimed that it was he
who solemnly celebrated the wedding of Josephine Bracken and Rizal hours before the hero's
execution. In addition, according to Balaguer, Rizal woke up several times, confessed four times,
attended mass, received communion and prayed the rosary, which all seems atypical.
 Doubts on the retraction document abound, especially because only one eyewitness
account of the writing of the document exist-that of the Jesuit friar Fr. Vicente
Balaquer. According to his testimony, Rizal woke up several times attended a mass,
received communion and prayed the rosary all of which seemed out of character. But
since it is the only testimony of allegedly a “primary’ account that Rizal ever wrote a
retraction document., it has been used to argue the authenticity of the document.
3. CUERPO DE VIGILANCIA included a report on the last hours of Rizal ,
written by FEDERICO MORENO.

Another eyewitness account surfaced in 2016, through the research of

Professor Rene R. Escalante. In his research document of the Cuerpo De
Vigilancia included a report on the last hour og Rizal, written by Federico
Moreno. The report details the statement of the Cuerpo De Vigilancia to
Moreno.
There is one issue in Jose Rizal’s life that historians have debated on several occasions but
remains unsettled. That issue is whether Rizal, on the eve of his death, re-embraced the
Catholic faith and disassociated himself from Masonry. The matter is controversial because
parties on both sides are affiliated with an organization that promotes moral values and the
pursuit of truth. The pro-retraction camp is represented by the Jesuits, the archbishop of
Manila, and a few other members of the Catholic hierarchy. Since they are all ordained priests,
they are assumed to be truthful in their pronouncements. Their opponents are the members of
Masonry, an organization that promotes brotherhood, integrity, decency, and professionalism.
This paper resurrects the retraction controversy in the light of the emergence of another
primary source that speaks about what happened to Rizal on the eve of his death. This
document was never considered in the history of the retraction controversy because it was
made available to researchers only in the past decade. The author of the report is a credible
eyewitness because he was physically present in the vicinity of where Rizal was detained. His
narrative is lucid and contains details that cast doubt on the credibility and reliability of earlier
primary sources on which previous narratives were based. This document needs serious
consideration and should be included in the discourse on Rizal’s retraction.
Jose Rizal is an identified as
a hero of the revolution for
his writing that center on
ending colonialism and
liberating Filipino minds to
contribute to creating the
Filipino nation.
The great volume of Rizal’s
lifework was committed to
this end, particularly the
more
influential one’s Noli Me
Tangere and El
Filibusterismo, his essays
vilify not the Catholic
Religion but the friars the main
agent of injustice in the
Philippine society.
It is understandable that Rizal
wrote those two noble as his
weapon against to the
Catholic Church and the
friars, weather it will be
damaged to his image but
before his
execution allegedly signed it
referred to as “The Retraction”
belief in the Catholic faith and
the retracts and everything he
wrote against the church.
The Balaguer Testimony
Doubts on the retraction
document abound, especially
because only one eyewitness
account of the writing of the
document exist– that of the
Jesuit friar Fr. Vicente
Balaguer.
According to his testimony,
Rizal woke up several times,
confessed four times, attended
a
Mass, received communion and
prayed the rosary all of which
seemed out of character. But
since it is the only testimony
of allegedly a “primary”
account that Rizal ever wrote
a
retraction document, it has been
used to argue the authenticity of
the document.
The Testimony of Cuerpo de
Vigilancia
Another eyewitness
account surfaced in 2016,
through the research of
Professor Rene
R. Escalante. In his research
document of the Cuerpo De
Vigilancia included a report on
the
last hour of Rizal, written by
Federico Moreno. The report
details the statement of the
Cuerpo
De Vigilancia to Moreno.
Question;

Give the events in the LAST HOURS OF DR. JOSE RIZAL, in the statements of
the CUERPO DE VIGILANCIA

4. What is all about EL GRITO DE REBELION or CRY OF REBELLION?

The term "Cry" is translated from the Spanish el grito de rebelion (cry of rebellion) or el
grito for short. Thus, the Grito de Balintawak is comparable to Mexico's Grito de
Dolores (1810). However, el grito de rebelion strictly refers to a decision or call to revolt. It
does not necessarily connote shouting, unlike the Filipino sigaw.

5. What are the different dates and places in the Cry of Rebellion.
DIFFERENT DATES AND PLACES Several accounts provide differing dates and places
for the Cry of Pugad Lawin. Olegario Diaz, who was an officer of the Spanish Guardia
civil stated that the Cry happened in Balintawak on August 25, 1896. Historian
Teodoro Kalaw wrote in his 1925 book entitled The Filipino Revolution that the Cry
took place during the final week of August 1896 at Kangkong, Balintawak. Santiago
Alvarez, a Katipunero and son of Mariano Alvarez who was the leader of the
Magdiwang faction in Cavite, stated in 1927 that the cry happened at Bahay Toro,
 now in Quezon City on August 24, 1896. Pío Valenzuela, Andrés Bonifacio’s close
associate, declared in 1948 that the event took place on August 23, 1896, in Pugad
Lawin. Some of the apparent confusion about the place where it happened is in part
due to the double meanings of the words “Balintawak” and “Caloocan” at the turn of
the century. However, from 1908 until 1963, this event was officially recognized as
having happened on August 26 in Balintawak. Ultimately, the Philippine government
declared in 1963 a change from August 26 to August 23 in Pugad Lawin, Quezon
City.

6. Research the document entitled “THE RETRACTION” of Rizal’s belief in the

Catholic Faith.

One of the most intriguing of all was the issues of Jose Rizal was his alleged retraction which was all
about his reversion to the Catholic Faith and all other issues linked to it such as his marriage to
Josephine Bracken. That issue was claimed to be true by the Roman Catholic defenders but asserted to
be deceptive by anti-retractonists. They claim that the retraction document is a forgery, but handwriting
experts concluded a long time ago that it is genuine. Rafael Palma’s opus on Rizal, titled “Biografia de
Rizal” is so anti-Catholic that the Church successfully opposed its publication using government funds. In
an article authored by Romberto Poulo, Rizal’s affiliation in Masonry was accounted to have caused
drastic change to his religious ideas. It was in the moment Rizal set foot on European soil when he was
exposed to a great deal of distinctions between what was happening to his country, the discriminations,
abuses, partialities, injustices, and some other things made to cause sufferings to his countrymen, and
what was the actual scene of the European nations. He observed that Europe was a lot more different
compared to the Philippines in terms of way of life, attitudes towards Roman Catholicism, and most
importantly, the freedom all the citizens enjoy.

The exact copy had been received by Fr. Balaguer in the evening immediately preceding Rizal's
execution. Jose Rizal with the addition of the names of the witnesses taken from the texts of the
retraction in the Manila newspapers. Fr. Pi's copy of Rizal's retraction has the same text as that of Fr.
Balaguer's "exact" copy but follows the paragraphing of the texts of Rizal's retraction in the Manila
newspapers. In order to marry Josephine, Rizal wrote with the help of a priest a form of retraction to be
approved by the Bishop of Cebu. This incident was revealed by Fr. Antonio Obach to his friend Prof.
Austin Craig who wrote down in 1912 what the priest had told him; "The document (the retraction),
inclosed with the priest's letter, was ready for the mail when Rizal came hurrying I to reclaim it." Rizal
realized (perhaps, rather late) that he had written and given to a priest what the friars had been trying
by all means to get from him.

Surely whether Rizal died a Catholic or an apostate adds or detracts nothing from his greatness as a
Filipino. It is because of what he did and what he was that we revere Rizal. Catholic or Mason, Rizal is
still Rizal: the hero who courted death “to prove to those who deny our patriotism that we know how to
die for our duty and our beliefs”
 7. Research the objectives of the KKK or KATAASTAASAN,
KAGALANGGALANGAN, KATIPUNAN ng mga ANAK ng BAYAN (explain each
objectives)
The KKK members agreed on the following objectives:
▪ The political goal was to completely separate the Philippines from Spain after
declaring the country’s independence.
>With a government in operation, Aguinaldo thought that it was necessary to declare
the independence of the Philippines. He believed that such a move would inspire the
people to fight more eagerly against the Spaniards and at the same time, lead the
foreign countries to recognize the independence of the country.

▪ The moral goal was to teach the Filipinos good manners, cleanliness, hygiene, fine
morals, and how to guard themselves against religious fanaticism.
▪ The civic goal was to encourage Filipinos to help themselves and to defend the
poor oppressed.

The political aim was total independence of the Philippines from Spain.

The moral aim was education for the Filipinos specifically when it comes to
cleanliness, fine morals, good manners, and how to guard themselves against religious
fanaticism.

The civic aim was for the Filipinos to be encouraged to help themselves and to defend
the poor and the oppressed.

8. How about the LA LIGA FILIPINA establish by JOSE RIZAL; give its objectives
On July 3, 1982, in the Philippines, Doctor Jose Rizal founded La Liga Filipina.
The goals were to integrate the entire archipelago into a single community with
equal rights for Filipinos and Spaniards.
Mutual protection in all times of need;
Defense against all types of violence and injustice;
Promotion of education, agriculture, and commerce; and study and implementation
of reforms.
Jose Rizal worked very hard to ensure that the gathering was peaceful. The
Spanish authorities, on the other hand, thought it was risky. Rizal was
surreptitiously captured four days after it was founded on the night of July 6, 1892.
Governor-General Eulogio Despujol ordered Rizal's deportation to Dapitan the
next day.
La Liga Filipina ceased to exist after Rizal's incarceration. Domingo Franco and
Andres Bonifacio reformed it after that. The organisation split into two factions:
 the Cuerpo de Compromisarios, which pledged to continue to support La
Solidaridad in Spain and the Katipunan in the Philippines.

9. In your own opinion, give your meaning to the word PHILIPPINE

REVOLUTION.
For decades, the life of filipinos has been defined by one thing: political oppression. Orlino Ochosa is
correct in saying that " a revolution is no dinner party. " a war is defined by the blood that is spilled by
combatants and a revolution by the ideologies of those individuals who aspire to real and lasting social
transformation. Violence in this respect can only result in the obliteration of society's enemies, but
only a true revolution can change people's lives.

To revolt is not only to believe that there is something wrong in this world, but also that, as human
beings with dignity, people deserve decency and respect in life. Filipino nationalists and the illustrator
class then had a real enemy: colonial spain and american imperialism. But in a real revolution, not all
heroes come to be revealed, or revered, for as always, it is the victors who write the story of war and
triumph. Filipinos often fight two enemies at the same time: their colonizers and themselves.

In the same manner as the americans, who taught us democracy and a presidential system, have
ignored mindanao. Then, many of our leaders have also forgotten the cause of the brave and valiant
lesser known filipinos who, history tells us, chose to continue the fight for our independence from
oppressive rule.

10. Give just the summary of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

“Noli me tangere” the first novel. The story of Juan Crisostomo Ibarra, an enlightened man who
returned to the Philippines after a long study visit to Europe. He endeavored to improve the condition
of his village by building a school. Resistance from the brothers who followed him and from his
father. Crisostomo was engulfed by the news of a revolt that led to his arrest. He escaped from jail
with the help of his faithful friend Elías while being pursued by the Civil Guard. Elijah was shot,
although everyone thought that Crisostomo had been killed. After their marriage plans were dissolved
and they believed that
Crisostomo was dead, Maria Clara, Crisostomo's lover, decided to enter the monastery.

"El Filibusterismo", the second novel, continued the story of Juan

Crisostomo Ibarra. After spending several years in another country, he
returned. Crisostomo now disguises himself as Simoun, a jeweler with a
strong influence on the governor-general. Simoun's wish was to carry out a
bloody revolution and take revenge on everyone involved in his tragedy. She
used his money and influence to instigate an uprising among oppressed and
unhappy people like him. The only sign of old Chrysostom in him was his
love for Maria Clara, whom he wanted to save from the monastery.
However, she died before Chrysostom could save her. Crisostomo decided
to end it all by blowing up a meeting of important people with a lamp full of
nitroglycerin. The explosion would kill the government and church officials
who would be attending the dinner. The planned chaos did not materialize
and instead, Crisostomo was hunted down and then shot.