LIZA MARIE BERAMO BSCRIM 1-A

Magellan's Voyage Around the World

-According to Antonio Pigafetta's account, how did the locals of the island welcome Magellan
and his crew? Did the locals treated or accommodated them well or were they already
hateful with the arrival of these foreigners?
-Narrate how are the locals way of life, cultural practices, and religious beliefs as described by
Pigafetta during this period (16th century Visayan islands).
-What caused the Battle of Mactan as per Pigafetta?
ANSWERS:
According to Pigafetta the locals welcomed Magellan and his crew peacefully. The locals
accommodated them well because the voyagers offered the island men some things that they
can use. The locals treated them by offering some local products like fruits, fishes, palm wine
and others.
Pigafetta said that the people of the Visayan Island in 16th century lived a simple life, the locals
have only rice, coconuts and other foods. He mentioned the way of getting the wine from the
coconut tree, that’s why coconut tree was very useful to them. He also described how the locals
look like and also their clothes. They were covered with tattoos and have big holes on their ears
with large earrings. They have only soft woven cloth on their private parts because they were
naked and it is different to what chiefs wearing, it was a cotton cloth with silk embroidered in it.
The skin colour was dark and they were fat and the hair was very black and long.
Pigafetta said that they were using daggers, shields, spears and knives as their weapon. They
also used fine woven net and boats for fishing. He said that the food in a Royalty House was
gold and also some parts of it was made by gold. The king wore a silk on his head and there was
a golden earrings on his ears, he also wearing a cotton cloth in his waist to the knees. For the
religious beliefs, they just raised their clasped and face to the sky and their God was called
Abba, while some of them worshiping objects like caves, trees and animals.
The refusal of lapu-lapu to obey the king of Spagnia triggered all events that leads to the Battle
of Mactan. He refused to accept Christianity but the captain general and Zulu, one of the two
chiefs of Mactan were so determined to achieve their goal. Captain General Ferdinand
Magellan already allied to the other chiefs and means that they are also allied to the Spaniards.
The threat that the Spaniards conquered India and Malacca made Humabon, the king of Cebu,
allied to the Spaniards because he was afraid to be conquered if he refused to the Captain.
The Zula’s plan to ally with the Spaniards can be seen on the day he sent his son offer two goats
to the Spaniards. Making lapu-lapu recognize the king of Spain was the promise of Zula to
captain general which he did not achieve it so his desperation leads him in asking captian
general for help to defeat lapu-lapu. Magellan wanted teach lapu-lapu a lesson. With Humabon,
sixty men and other chiefs in 20 to 30 balanghais, Magellan reached Mactan in three hours
before dawn. He gave a message to the Moro giving them a chance to withdraw their refusal,
obey the king of Spain, accept the Christianity and pay the tribute. The Moro stand their ground
and resisted what the captain general wanted.

Magellan's Voyage Around the World 2

The previous primary source (excerpts from Magellan's Voyage Around the World) that you
have read was from a viewpoint of an outsider as an observation when he and his party
reached the Philippine Islands.
Do you think if a fellow Filipino would write an account about the pre-colonial Philippines,
would the happenings be the same as described in the journal of Pigafetta?
With the said account of pre-colonial Philippines, do you consider the Filipinos during that
time as "uncivilized"?
Why do you think there is no written account of the pre-colonial Philippines by a Filipino?
ANSWERS:
If a fellow Filipino would write an account about the pre-colonial Philippines it would be the
same as Pigaffeta wrote to his journal.
I consider the Filipinos during pre-colonial Philippines as civilized because Filipinos have their
own language, form of government, laws, culture, religion and system of writing.
There are unknown written account of pre-colonial by natives according to what I’ve searched.
Very rare but there are and there might be many others that we haven’t discover yet.

Customs of the Tagalogs

1. How did he describe the hierarchy of people in the barangay?
-In his book, Fr. Juan de Plasencia divides the population of a barangay into four social classes
namely; Cheiftain or Datu (chief, captain of wars, whom governed, obeyed and reverenced),
Nobles or Maharlika (They did not pay tax or tribute to the dato, but must accompany him in
war, at their own expense. The chief offered them beforehand a feast, and afterward they
divided the spoils. Moreover, when the dato went upon the water those whom he summoned
rowed for him. If he built a house, they helped him, and had to be fed for it.), Commoners of
Aliping Namamahay (They are married, and serve their master, whether he be a dato or not,
with half of their cultivated lands, as was agreed upon in the beginning. They accompanied him
whenever he went beyond the island, and rowed for him. They live in their own houses, and are
lords of their property and gold), and Slaver or Aliping Saguiguilir (They serve their master in his
house and on his cultivated lands, and may be sold. The master grants them, should he see fit,
and providing that he has profited through their industry, a portion of their harvests, so that
they may work faithfully. For these reasons, servants who are born in the house of their master
are rarely, if ever, sold. That is the lot of captives in war, and of those brought up in the harvest
fields).
2. Which particular precolonial policy or rule stood out to you? Why?
-The pre-colonial policy or rule that stood out to me is the “women enjoyed equal status with
men” because duing pre-colonial times, women shared equal footing with men in society. They
were allowed to divorce, own and inherit property, and even lead their respective barangays or
territories. In matters of family, the women were for all intents and purposes the working
heads, possessing the power of the purse and the sole right to name their children. They could
dictate the terms of their marriage and even retain their maiden names if they chose to do so
unlike today, gender inequality were very common especially when it comes to employment.
3. What does Fr. Plasencia's account reveal about the religious and spiritual beliefs of the
early Filipinos?
-According to the accounts of Fr. Juan de Plasencia, it claimed that with the exception of the
morning star, which they called Tala, the early Filipinos adored the stars, even though they
didn’t know their names like the Spaniard and other countries do.
4. What are the reasons of the natives for offering sacrifices?
-In addition to whatever personal matters there may have been, the reasons for offering this
sacrifice and adoration were the recovery of a sick person, a safe voyage for those embarking
on the sea, a good harvest in the sown lands, a favorable outcome in wars, a successful delivery
in childbirth, and a happy outcome in married life. If that happened among people of power,
the celebrations would linger for 30 days.

Kartilya of the Katipunan

How would you describe the Kartilya in terms of its form/writing style and content? What are
its main teachings and how are they presented?
-The Kartilya contains KKK’s principles and teachings. In terms of its form/writing style and
content, I think it is an expository writing because it’s like a writing style that expose or explain
a topic which is about the lessons that serve as the Katipuneros' guide in living with morals and
good values. It was like a code of conduct that shows the importance of one’s love for people,
the integrity of oneself, and the interdependence of the Filipino nation (or what we may also
know as bayanihan). Additionally, the said guidebook also contains the ideals of democracy,
which includes one of the most prominent issue until now- the equality of people with different
skin colors, different standards of living, and different educational level attained. It specifies
how the Katipuneros are intellectual and moral radicals fighting for its nation and culture;
people by whom no longer enslaved by the colonial restraints of the West. Each lesson is
unique in such a way that it tackle different aspects of person’s life. The main teachings are It
gave highlights to equality, it reminded the Katipunero on the values that he should have and a
Katipunero must value other people's time. Also, to express true love of native land and
genuine compassion for others, for everyone shall be treated equal and true brethren. Kartilya
ng Katipunan is a set of principles that shows the path on how each and every one of us must
live of lives by living to the fullest through good values. I believe that this Kartilya ng Katipunan
was made to change the thoughts of every Filipino’s unacceptable behavior. Katipunan was not
just an organization working towards the freedom of the Filipinos. They built on the ideological
and political foundation constructed by men and women who sacrificed themselves because of
their love for the country and for the people.
Why can the Kartilya be considered timeless and relevant to the industrializing and
globalizing present?
-The Kartilya can be considered timeless and relevant to the industrializing and globalizing
present because it teaches lessons that have an importance in living our everyday life. When
you think about it our country, it is rapidly developing industries in a wide scale with more and
more business showing up each year, you might think that work and businesses would be the
center of our lives but the Kartilya would always remind us that God should remain in our
hearts, to honor our country our fellow Filipino’s, that we should culminate the significance of
having the virtuous attitude towards other people. It conveys important lessons which includes;
we should show cooperation and compassion towards others, believing in justice and honoring
the reputation and dignity of every person. The document teaches us compassion, diligence,
love for God and for our country giving us a core principle that no matter how busy or
successful in life we may be we will never forgot to honor God and to show love for our
country. By doing so, having the knowlegde, understanding and applying what was written in
this document will be helpful in recreating the past and it provides how to do what is right, that
can lead the Philippines and its people to be a better version. It is likewise significant in our
progress toward globalization in terms of cultural globalization since many Filipino's today work
abroad. They share the guideline of the Kartilya and address the Filipinos by showing devotion
to their work and obligations, showing care, compassion and empathy not only to their fellow
Filipino's but also to unfamiliar individuals they meet abroad. The Kartilya ng Katipunan is not
only applicable to the Spaniards or Katipuneros but it is also applicable for us Filipinos in the
present or in the future generations and it serves as a guide to the Filipino to do what is right so
they could be models for others. Because of that, future leaders will know how to act right by
following Jacinto’s teachings in his writings.
Speech of President Corazon Aquino Before the Joint Session of United States
Congress
-The speech of Pres. Cory Aquino was held in United States Congress in Washington DC and it
was a big crowd with many members of the congress that witnessed her remarkable speech.
The members of the congress welcomed her by wearing yellow ties and yellow roses. Her
speech was heartfelt and inspiring as a Filipino. Her speech was adorned by countless
references to her husband- Former Senator Ninoy Aquino to whom the Filipino nation has
assigned as the poster boy for anti-Marcos movements. Her speech even went so far as to
connect Ninoy’s struggle with that and of the whole nation. She also pointed out Marcos’
abuses the power and how much he grappled it. She also talked about her determination to
defend integrity and keep the Philippines free as well as her commitment in democracy. Her
speech was very powerful and it interrupted by the applause of the audience many times. The
audience gave their full attention and respect for Cory Aquino’s half-hour-long speech. She
ended her speech in front of people on standing ovation and lot long applause.
-As a viewer, it made understand and realize how cruel the regime of Marcos and how the
country was left with so much debt under the government of Marcos. However, I haven’t hear
or know the story of Marcos’ Governance. I understand what happened to Cory’s husband,
Ninoy Aquino and his important contributions in the idea of Philippine Democracy. I agree to
the importance of democratic freedom because I know and believe that citizens deserves to
have basic human rights that they can express their opinions and voice out their issues about
the government. The Philippines is still in a democratic under the regime of President Duterte.
There are some people who want to oust President Duterte because they believe that he is
trying to begin a dictatorial government. Hence, anti-Duterte wants to insist their democratic
right to stop Duterte from leading us to the path of a modern dark age according to them. The
specific line mentioned by Cory Aquino in her speech was “Democracy must be defended by
arms when it is attacked by arms, and by truth if it is attacked by lies” (Archibald McLeish). I
agree with this statement because the line gives highlight on how we should defend democracy
with integrity. Not because we have freedom of speech that gives us the chance to voice out
our agreement, disagreement and thoughts, that doesn’t mean that we are free ro voice out
everything including fake news.