Readings in

Philippine History
CHED’s objective:

To expose students to
different facets of Philippine
history through the lens of the
eyewitnesses.
 Week 1-2
Meaning and relevance of history;
distinction of primary and
secondary sources ; external and
internal criticism.
Every generation writes their own history. It
is not because the history written by
previous generous is wrong, but because
each generation uses a different perspective
in analyzing a particular historical event.
 Collecting/ Studying/ Writing/
Gathering of Analyzing the Narrating of
Historical validity of the data
Data history

Availability of data - language barrier

No Data ( Writing Culture)
Churches - The author’s background
Govt. Institutions (intent), authority on the
- Intramuros
Administration subject.
UST - biases in history starts
Local Govts. (Old provinces)
with the historian
- History is never objective
Sanitizing , Editing, Romanticizing History

The Fall of Bataan

The Fall of Corregidor
The Fall of Tirad Pass
Death of Bonifacio
Major Lazaro Makapagal. The man who led the
soldiers who executed Andres Bonifacio, The
Supremo of the Katipunan
 Section of a letter of Col.
Lazaro Makapagal to historian
Jose P. Santos in the 1930s
narrating how he and his squad
executed Andres Bonifacio and
his brother, Procopio in
Maragondon, Cavite in May,
1897. This is the portion where
Makapagal says Bonifacio fell
to his knees begging for his life
then running away when he
saw that he was about to be
shot.
History should be a developmental
subject, trying to teach people to
surpass their sufferings.
Lessons from the
Battle of Tirad Pass

1. Our reluctance to look ahead

and plan.
2. Our inability to organize
3. Our disunity and
childishness
Things to remember

There is no single understanding of truth in history.

Every generation writes their own history. It is not because

the history written by previous generous is wrong, but
because each generation uses a different perspective in
analyzing a particular historical event.

We can always doubt history. It is a science. Thus, it is

evolving. It teaches us to be critical and analytical.
A primary source is a document
or physical object which was
written or created during the
time under study.
External Criticism- checking the
sources’ authenticity
Internal Criticism- checking the
source’s validity
When historians discuss the past, they use
frameworks like political, economic, social and
cultural.

Frameworks like political, economic, social

and cultural allow historians to write about
society with greater depth, precisions and
complexity while avoiding generalization.
 Diaries, speeches, manuscripts letters,
interviews, news film footage, autobiographies,
official records
The original "manuscript" of
Rizal's last poem later
entitled "Mi Ultimo Adios"
This is now preserved in the
vault of the National Library
of the Philippines along with
the other writings of Jose
Rizal and the original
manuscripts of the Noli Me
Tangere and El
Filibusterismo.
Jose Rizal's admission record
to the Faculty of Medicine and
Surgery in the University of
Santo Tomas (1878-1879). This
gives lie to the story that Rizal
had to hide his real last name
"Mercado" when he enrolled in
UST. (UST Archives)
• Specimen of the writing
of the early Filipinos
called Baybayin from the
UST Archives. This brittle
sheet of paper is one of
the irreplaceable
treasures found at the
University of Santo
Tomas
 Meaning and Relevance of History
“ Only a part of what was observed in the past was
remembered by those who observed it; only a part of what
was remembered was recorded; only a part of what was
recorded has survived; only a part of what has survived has
come to historian’s attention; only a part of what has come
to their attention is credible; only a part of what is credible
has been grasped; and only a part of what has been grasped
can be expounded or narrated by the historian…Before the
past is set forth by the historian, it is likely to have gone
through eight separate steps at each of which some of it has
been lost; and there is no guarantee that what remains is the
most important “. - Louis Gottschalk
“ “Only a part of what was observed in the past was
remembered by those who observed it; only a part
of what was remembered was recorded….”

Pigafetta’s account is
the single most
important source in
history, voyage and
navigation.
Antonio Pigafetta
” At noon on Friday, March 22, those
men came as they had promise us in
two boats with cocoanuts, sweet
oranges, and a jar of palm-wine. They
exhibited great signs of pleasure at
seeing us.”
Antonio Pigafetta
“It was necessary to set that cross
on the summit of the highest
mountain, so that on seeing it every
morning, they might adore it; and if
they did that, neither thunder,
lightning, nor storms would harm
them in the least”.
Antonio Pigafetta
“The captain-general had him asked to
declare whether he had any enemies, so
that he might go with his ships to destroy
them and to render them obedient to
him. The king thanked him and said that
he did indeed have two islands hostile to
him, but that it was not then the season
to go there.”
“The captain told him that if God
would again allow him to return to
those districts, he would bring so
many men that he would make the
king’s enemies subject to him by
force.”
1. Their seignior was an old man who was
painted (i.e., tattooed) . He wore two gold
armlets on their arms and kerchiefs about
their heads.
2. They go naked, with a cloth woven from
the bark of a tree about their privies except
some of the chiefs who wear cotton cloth
embroidered with the silk at the ends by
means of a needle.
Their women are clad in tree cloth
from their waist down, and their
hair is black and reaches to the
ground.
The king told him that he was welcome but that it
was their custom for all ships that entered their
ports to pay tribute.

The interpreter told the king that, since his master

was the captain of so great a king, he did not pay
tribute to any seignior in the world, and that if the
king wished peace he would have peace, but if war,
instead, war.
They further said to the king “ These men are
the same who have conquered Calicut,
Malaca and all India Magiore (i.e., India
Major) . The master’s king was more powerful
in men and ships than the kings of Portogalo
that he was the king of Spagnia, and that if
the king did not care to be his friend he would
next time send so many men that they would
destroy him.
They shot so many arrows at us and
bamboo spears. The captain-general
sent some men to burn their houses in
order to terrify them. When they saw
their houses burning, they were roused
to greater fury.
 The historian brings with
them their biases in history.
Pigafetta on Magellan’s death

“One of them wounded him on the left

leg with a large cutlass. That caused the
captain to fall face downward, when
immediately they rushed him with iron
and bamboo spears and with their
cutlasses, until they killed our mirror, our
light, our comfort, and our true guide”.
Other examples of Primary source:

RELICS OR ARTIFACTS: Pottery, furniture, clothing,

buildings

CREATIVE WORKS: Poetry, drama, novels, music,

art
 De La Salle College, St. La Salle
Building, post-World War II
The building is apparently being
repaired but war damage can still be
seen on the facade as well as debris
from the Battle of Manila. Military
vehicles can be seen parked in front of
the building on what is apparently the
driveway. Photo taken from Taft
Avenue. The main facade is blocked
by the tree but the entrance to the
building can be seen.
The entrance door of the Intramuros campus of the University of Santo
Tomas. The door on the left is the university portal after the renovations
of 1937 during the XXXIII Eucharistic Congress. The one on the right is
the door after the Battle of Manila in 1945. This entrance was later
dismantled and transferred to the Sampaloc campus. It is now the Arch
of the Centuries.
 •

Remnants of one of
the entrances of the
old University of
Santo Tomas building
in Intramuros, ca.
l950.
 Internees of the Santo
Tomas Internment Camp
stand in front of the
University of Santo Tomas
Main Building the morning
following the liberation of
the camp by the US Army
on February 3, 1945 prior
to the Battle of Manila.
The original Espana Gate of the University of Santo Tomas,
ca. 1940s. Take note that the gate has two pedestrian
entrances. The campus at that time was still enforcing the
separate sex rule: Men on one side, Women on the other.
Construction of the Rizal Monument
in Switzerland, 1911.
The original name of the monument
was “Motto Stella” by Richard Kissling
which won second prize in a contest
for a monument to the national hero
in 1905. Construction began in 1908
and three years later, it was shipped
to the Philippines. In December,
1911, the remains of Jose Rizal were
transferred to the proposed site of the
monument and placed in the
foundation. The completed
monument was unveiled on
December 30, 1913.
 University of Santo Tomas Student Handbook, ca. 1930s
Student handbooks were issued to the UST students as part of the
administration's reminders for the rules and regulations of the university
to its students. The handbook here shows part of the strict guidelines for
being with the women students at the time when the university started
accepting females.
 Photograph of an
original copy of the
La Solidaridad.
Contrary to popular
belief, it was only
the size of a 8x11
bond paper. This is
one of several
copies found in the
UST Archives
The letter bears no date
To my family,
I ask you for forgiveness for the pain I cause you,
but some day I shall have to die and it is better that I
die now in the plentitude of my conscience.
Dear parents and brothers: give thanks to God that I
may preserve my tranquility before my death. I die
resigned, hoping that with my death you will be left in
peace. It is better to die than to live suffering. Console
yourselves.
I enjoin you to forgive one another the little meanness of
life and try to live united in peace and good harmony.
Treat your old parents as you would like to be treated
by your children later. Love them very much in my
memory.
Bury me in the ground. Place a stone and a cross over it.
My name, the date of my birth and of my death.
Nothing more. If later you wish to surround my grave
with a fence, you can do it. No anniversaries. I prefer
Paang Bundok.
Have pity on poor Josephine.
___________
PACO CEMETERY – Where Rizal was first buried after the execution
 Royal
Mr. P. Fort ofRizal)
R. (Paciano Santiago, 29 (?) December 1896
My dear brother,

It has been four years and a half that we have not

seen each other or have we addressed one another in
writing or orally. I do not believe this is due to lack
of affection either on my part or yours but because
knowing each other so well, we had not need of
words to understand each other.

Now that I am going to die, it is to you I dedicate

my last words to tell you how much I regret to
leave you alone in life bearing all the weight of the
family and of our old parents!
I assure you, brother, that I die innocent of this crime
of rebellion. If my former writings had been able to
contribute towards it, I should not absolutely deny it,
but then I believe I expiated my past with my exile.

I think of how you have worked to enable me to have a career.

I believe that I have not tried to waste my time. My brother: if
the fruit has been bitter, it is not my fault; it is the fault of
circumstances. I know that you have suffered much because of
me: I am sorry.
Tell our father that I remember him, but how? I
remember my whole childhood, his tenderness and his
love. Ask him to forgive me for the pain I have
unwillingly caused him.

Your brother,

José Rizal