READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

Academic Year 2021-2022

APPLYING MULTIPERSPECTIVITY IN HISTORY

1. What are the various events in history that consist of controversies and
conflicting views? Choose at least one historical event and discuss its
controversies and conflicting views.

The first catholic mass in the Philippines, Rizal's Retraction, the Cry of
Balintawak, Cavite Municipality, we already had an excellent public school
system before the Americans came, the Americans used pigs' blood and body
parts on moro insurgents, Gregorio del Pilar was Aguinaldo's assassin, and Miguel
Malvar, not Manuel Quezon, should be the second Philippine president. These
occurrences provoke arguments among people due to disparities and
ambiguity, which allow space for inquiry and research, ultimately guiding us to
the truth.
The first catholic mass in the Philippines is one of the historical events that
sparked debate and disagreement. In 1998, the national historical institution
recognized Limasawa Island as the first Catholic mass in the Philippines; however,
there were other reports that Butuan was also the site of the first Catholic mass,
which happened somewhere on Masao Island in Butuan. One of the historians
named Gregorio Zaide, identified Masao in Butuan as the location of the first
mass. He bases his allegations on Antonio Pigafetta's diary, which is a chronicle of
Magellan's voyage. On the other hand, several historians, like Jaime de Veyra
and Pablo Pastells, believe that the first mass was held in Limasawa. Pastells claims
in a footnote to Francisco Colin's Labor Evangelica that Magellan traveled from
Limasawa to Cebu rather than Butuan. Furthermore, Francisco Albo, the pilot of
Magellan's flagship, does not mention the first mass, but he does write that they
built across a peak that overlooked three islands to the west and southwest.
READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY
Academic Year 2021-2022

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2. Why do we need to use primary sources in interpreting controversies and
conflicting views in Philippine history?

We must employ primary sources to evaluate disputes and opposing

viewpoints in Philippine history because primary sources provide a more
comprehensive account of significant events. These sources will teach us to be
critical of every detail and see how a point of view and a prejudice impact
evidence. In primary sources, the history of varied evidence and opposing
viewpoints is involved, but we should examine to arrive at academic truth.

Finally, primary sources are essential since they investigate several points of
view. It is used to conduct in-depth investigations, which are then cross-checked
against evidence and accounted for in judgments and findings.