Annotating Colonial

Histories
“Sucesos de las Islas
Filipinas”
Jose Rizal
Group 7
Kris Joseph C. Lasay 
Frethsy Ann E. Libron
Hanah Ge H. Mozo
Kayl Mamolang 
Aaliyah Mei Nerona
 Important information about Sucesos de
las Islas Filipinas
• First book ever to tackle Philippine History
• Consist of 8 chapters
• Discuss the political, social and economical
aspects of a colonizer and the colonized
country.
• Dr. Jose Rizal is a secondary source of the
book due to his Annotations
De Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas

Antonio de Morga Sanchez Garay

• He is the author of the book Sucesos de las

Islas Filipinas. A Spanish lawyer, high-ranking
Colonial Official and a historian.
• He wrote the first lay formal history of the
Philippines conquest by Spain.
 What is Las Islas Filipinas?
• The Philippines was named in honor of King
Philip II of Spain

What is Sucesos?
• Events, Happenings, Occurrence
• The Sucesos is the work of an honest observer, a versatile
bureaucrat who knew the workings of the administration
from the inside.
De Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas

Sucesos De Las Islas Filipinas is based on Antonio de

Morga's personal experiences and other
documentations from eye-witnesses of the events
during the colonial period.
Its purpose is to chronicle "the deeds achieved by our
Spaniards, the discovery, conquest, and conversion
of the Filipinas Islands - as well as various fortunes
that they have from time to time in the great
kingdoms and among the pagan peoples
surrounding the islands.
De Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas

• The book Sucesos De Las Islas Filipinas narrates the

history of wars, intrigues, diplomacy and
evangelization of the Philippines in a somewhat
disjointed way.
• This made Rizal noted that Morga has definite bias
and distorts the fact of what really the Philippine
history is. He would rely more on the Spanish side of
the story.
Rizal‘s Annotations on Sucesos de las Islas
Filipinas

• On May 25th Rizal arrived in London, He sat foot on the

British Museum where he begun to conduct a study of the
Philippine colonial past and discovered a book that
changed his reformist ideas.

• He had the objective to study and write a Philippine

history that would show the early Filipinos were already
civilized contrary to what the Spaniards said.
 Rizal‘s Annotations on Sucesos de las Islas
Filipinas
• Annotating the Morga took Jose Rizal part of a year and by 1889 it was
ready print. Rizal must print the book by himself and though there
were many printing shops in the city, the price to publish the book was
too expensive for Rizal. He decided to have the book printed where it
was cheaper, in Paris.
• In September 1889, the first copies of the reprinted Antonio de Morga,
Sucesos de las Isla Filipinas, with the annotations by Jose Rizal, in hold
of the precis of the Libreria de Garnier Hermanos.
• In October 1889, the British Museum got its copy, and it was a gift
from Jose Rizal.
• The book was resounding success, even though he criticized the book
in the prologue for being so anti-Catholic and that Rizal’s comments
relied on hindsight 
 Rizal‘s Annotations on Sucesos de las Islas
Filipinas

• Jose Rizal and the rethinking of Philippine identity in the 19th

century, England will walk us through how the concept of a
truly national Philippine Identity blossomed in one of the
greatest Filipino minds.

• Like Jose P. Rizal, it is the challenge of every Filipino to share

an accurate story of our history, our people and our identity to
the world.
 Reflection

In the Annotating Colonial Histories: José Rizal and The Rethinking

of Filipino Identity in 19th Century England gave enlightenment to
the Filipino history and identity. Rizal’s annotations on
Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas made me and more Filipinos
appreciate how deserving Rizal to be the greatest hero in the
Philippines. Through his annotations, he gave the Philippines and
the Filipinos its own true and unique identity that we can call our
own, that there is authenticity of us being a Filipino without any
added, subtracted and manipulated part of the history.
 
 
- Frethsy Ann E. Libron
 Reflection
 
 
Dr. Jose Rizal sealed the greatest contribution through his books
with the idea of nationalism and concept of a truly national
Philippine identity. His works, from the start, it opened people’s
eyes to the Spaniards’ injustice up until now. All of this, taught us
how to love our race, it gave us the patriotism of being Filipino and
of being proud of who we are and where we came from. We may
be able to find meaningful ways to mitigate our country’s illness by
reading and learning Rizal’s works, who fought for the common
good for the liberty of our country.
-Hanah Ge H. Mozo
 Reflection

History repeats itself. The injustices and corruption that are

happening today most likely resemble the things that had
happened during the Spanish era. Looking closely to the books of
Rizal and his annotations, young minds like us will learn so much
more not just about how the Philippines gained its freedom and
identity but also, how we can overcome the problems of today.
-Kayl Mamolang
Reflection
Dr. Jose Rizal demonstrated that a pen is mightier than a sword.
For his ability in compositions empower him to persuade his
entire fellowmen to achieve equity, thus, devastating a realm.
For words flies any place and lights each man's sentiments. Much
the same as a platitude says that word is powerful, there comes
positive and negative in it. It could mend one's heart but hurt
another like a twofold edged blade. Rizal has a God dreading
heart with the goal that he has ignited change and harmony and
thus mean we Filipinos ought to have a good conscience and
God-fearing heart to impose positive changes.
- Aaliyah Mei Nerona
Reflection
The previous work of Antonio de Morga Sucesos de las Islas
Filipinas indicated that Philippines was less before colonization
and all these blunders favored the Spanish interest. I think that
the annotations of Dr. Jose Rizal elucidated many misconceptions
and debunk the deceits. Rizal elaborated that Philippines has a
perfect geography, has an organized society, has forms of religion
and has a stable economy before the colonization. Rewriting
history is one way of Rizal to prove to our real identities as
Filipinos, we were not savage people before the colonization.
- Kris Joseph Lasay