RECHEN S. MEÑA READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY BSN !D FEB.

15, 2024

ZEUS A. SALAZAR:
Unveiling Truths for
FILIPINOS
Zeus Atayza Salazar, born April 20, 1934 is The socio-political landscape of the
a Filipino historian, anthropologist, and Philippines during Salazar's formative
philosopher of history, best known for years was characterized by struggles for
pioneering an emic perspective in democracy, social justice, and national
sovereignty. The legacy of Spanish During Marcos's authoritarian rule in
Philippine history called Pantayong
colonialism, followed by American the Philippines, dissent and critical
Pananaw (The "We" Perspective), earning occupation and subsequent neocolonial
inquiry were often suppressed, and
him the title "Father of New Philippine influences, left an indelible mark on
historical narratives were manipulated
Historiography." Philippine society and culture. Salazar's to serve the regime's propaganda and
own experiences of witnessing legitimization efforts. His participation
oppression, inequality, and cultural in the Diliman Commune increased
imperialism fueled his commitment to tensions; when Marcos declared martial
uncovering the hidden narratives of law in 1972, Salazar was imprisoned.
Filipino history

He is a major player in the

indigenization campaign in the
Philippines. Salazar spent 30 years For Salazar, pantayong pananaw served
teaching at University of the as a corrective to the biases and
Philippines Diliman and held both limitations of mainstream
history department chair and college historiography. Salazar, as a scholar and
dean positions. activist committed to social justice and
truth-telling, found himself in

SALAZAR: Author of opposition to Marcos's regime. He saw

firsthand the consequences of historical

“PANTAYONG PANANAW” revisionism and the erasure of

Salazar was born on 29 April 1934 in
Tiwi, Albay, the eldest of seven
children. His father was the town's first
lawyer. Salazar attended El Colegio de
San Beda for primary school and Albay
High School for secondary, then earned
a BA in history from University of the
Philippines Diliman (UP) in 1955. He
was the history program's first graduate
to achieve summa cum laude.
marginalized voices under Marcos's rule.
His work aimed to empower Filipinos
In the 1970s, Salazar was among a
to reclaim their history and envision a
number of scholars who questioned the
more just society.
validity of whether the recently
discovered Tasaday people had indeed
developed their civilization completely
isolated from the Philippines since the
Stone Age. He and anthropologist
Jerome Bailen called the "discovery" a
hoax perpetrated by President
Ferdinand Marcos to increase tourism.