GEC107- Readings in Philippine History

Lesson 3
Controversies and
Conflicting Views in
Philippine History
Prepared by: Wilfredo DJ P. Martin IV

Please wait. We shall start in a while.

Controversies and
Conflicting Views in
Philippine History

The Site of the First Mass

The Cavite Mutiny
Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you must be able to:

1. Be informed of the controversies and conflicting views in

Philippine History as far as the Site of the first mass and the
Cavite Mutiny are concerned

2. Discuss amongst themselves and others the importance of

seeing the different perspectives of historians

3. Have an in-depth evaluation of contextualizing the primary

sources that are related to this lesson
“To foretell the destiny
of a nation, it is
necessary to open the
book that tells her past”

-Dr. Jose Rizal

 Cavite Mutiny Mariano
Gomez
Limasawa
Ferdinand Magellan
Jose Burgos Masao
Jacinto Zamora
Antonio Francisco Albo
Pigafetta
Looking at the
Spanish
viewpoint
Antonio Pigafetta
❖ Italian scholar and explorer
❖ joined Ferdinand Magellan in exploring a westward route
to the Spice Islands
❖ chronicled the first circumnavigation of the world.
❖ written account of the European encounters became an
important primary source on early communities and
cultures of Latin America and the East Indies, the
Philippines included
 He claims that Pigafetta’s writings
were superfluous because they
have magical realism in it.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

 But his (Pigafetta’s) works and
chronicles are considered to be one
of the most important primary
source in the Philippines
nonetheless.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

THE FIRST CONTACT
 On March 18, 1521, a group of locals riding in two boats investigated
the presence of these people in Homonhon. Magellan thought our
ancestors would attack them. He instructed his men not to do
anything that would agitate our ancestors, learning from their
experience in Guam a week earlier.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/LaConsolaciondeIntramuros/photos/a.126491902194134/284598906383432/?type=3&theater
 Upon confirming that the stranded foreigners
needed help, an unnamed Rajah himself (most
probably from mainland Samar) led the sending of
food to these people. (Pigafetta recorded that the
rajah was from Suluan; but it appears Suluan was
used by the rajah as a base to monitor the situation
in Homonhon.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/LaConsolaciondeIntramuros/photos/a.126491902194134/284598906383432/?type=3&theater
 The magnanimity exhibited by our ancestors inspired
Magellan to be hopeful of the locals around. In return,
Magellan presented gifts to the rajah of Samar. The
event was the first encounter between our ancestors
and the expedition.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/LaConsolaciondeIntramuros/photos/a.126491902194134/284598906383432/?type=3&theater
 Pigafetta remarked: “Those people became very
familiar with us." He further added: "We took great
pleasure with them, for they were very pleasant and
conversable (using hand gestures).”

Source: https://www.facebook.com/LaConsolaciondeIntramuros/photos/a.126491902194134/284598906383432/?type=3&theater
Ladrones Islands (Island of Thieves)

In Pigafetta's account,
Magellan's fleet reached
what he called the
LADRONES ISLANDS, or
the "Islands of the Thieves."

He recounted: "These people have no arms, but use sticks, which have a fish bone at the end.
They are poor, but ingenious, and great thieves, and for the sake of that we call these three
islands the Ladrones Islands.
Ladrones Islands (Island of Thieves)
The Ladrones Islands is presently
known as the Marianas Islands.
Ten days after arriving at the
Ladrones Islands, Pigafetta
reported, they reached what he
called the Isle of Zamal, now
Samar, but Magellan decided to
land in another uninhabited
island for greater security, where
they could rest for a few days.
On March 25, Pigafetta recounted that they
saw two balanghai (balangay), a long boat
full of people in Mazzava/Mazaus. The
leader, whom he referred to as the king,
became close with Magellan as they both
exchanged gifts
After a few days, Magellan was introduced
to the king's brother, who was also a king of
another island where, as Pigafetta
reported, the fleet saw mines of gold.
The First Mass
 In 1998, the National
Historical Institute (now
NHCP) declared that
Limasawa was the site of
the first Catholic mass in
the Philippines.
With the declaration of
the NHI, there were
other claims that the
first Catholic Mass
happened in a place in
Butuan called Masao.
The First Mass
On March 31 (Easter Sunday),
Magellan ordered the chaplain to
preside mass by the shore. Hearing
about this plan, the king sent two
dead pigs and attended the mass
with the other king.
 The First Mass
“When the offertory of the mass came, the
two kings sent to kiss the cross like us, but
they offered nothing, and at the elevation of
the body of our Lord they were kneeling like
us, and adored our Lord with joined hands.”
-Pigafetta
The First Mass

This was the first mass in the

Philippines, and the cross would be
the famous Magellan's Cross, which
is still preserved today

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/magellan-s-
cross
The Site of the
First Mass
Limasawa or Masao?
 The Site of the
First Mass

Antonio Pigafetta claims that the

first mass in the Philippines was
held at a place he calls Mazaua
on 31 March 1521.
The Site of the
First Mass

The first mass was

presided by Fr. Pedro
Veldarama.
 The Site of the
First Mass
There are two conflicting claims on the
exact location of Mazaua:

(1)The little island south of Leyte, Limasawa

and
(2) An island called Masao in Northern
Mindanao, which is now Butuan City.
Masao/Butuan
1872: A monument to commemorate
the site of the first mass in the
Philippines was erected in Butuan.

1953: The people in Butuan asked the

Philippine Historical Committee to
rehabilitate the monument and
construct a place marker on the site
Limasawa Island
Francisco Albo, one of the pilots in
Magellan's expedition, kept a logbook
where he wrote that they erected a
cross on a mountain that overlooked
the islands in the west and the
southwest
 Franciso Albo’s Log
a. On the 16th of March (1521) as they
sailed in a westerly course from
Ladrones, they saw land towards the
northwest; but owing to many shallow
places they did not approach it. They
found later that its name was Yunagan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyJSqs91Fg4
 Franciso Albo’s Log
b. They went instead that same day
southwards to another small island named
Suluan and there they anchored. There
they saw some canoes, but these fled at
the Spaniards' approach. This island was at
9 and two-thirds degrees North latitude.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyJSqs91Fg4
 Franciso Albo’s Log
c. Departing from those two islands, they sailed
westward to an uninhabited island of "Gada" where
they took in a supply of wood and water. The sea
around that island was free from shallows. (Albo
does not give the latitude of this island, but from
Pigafetta's testimony, this seems to be the
"Acquada" or Homonhon, at 10 degrees North
latitude.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyJSqs91Fg4
 Franciso Albo’s Log
d. From that island they sailed
westwards towards a large island
names Seilani that was inhabited and
was known to have gold. (Seilani or, as
Pigafetta calls it, "Ceylon" was the
island of Leyte.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyJSqs91Fg4
Franciso Albo’s Log
e. Sailing southwards along the coast
of that large island of Seilani, they
turned southwest to a small island
called Mazava. This island was also at
9 and two-thirds degrees North
latitude.
 Franciso Albo’s Log
f. The people of the island of the
Mazava were very good. There, the
Spaniards planted a cross upon a
mountain top. They were also told
that there were gold in the other
islands.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyJSqs91Fg4
 Antonio Pigafetta’s Testimony
(Saturday) March 16, 1521 (Sunday) March 17, 1521 (Monday) March 18, 1521

They landed on "another island

Magellan's expedition sighted a which was uninhabited“ (Humunu) Magellan and his crew saw a
"high land" named "Zamal" and which lay "to the right" of boat with nine men in it. They
which was some 300 leagues "Zamal” exchanged gifts with the locals
westward of Ladrones (now the and promised to return in 4
Marianas) Islands. He also named the archipelago as days.
“Island of Saint Lazarus”
 Antonio Pigafetta’s Testimony
(Friday) March 22, 1521 (Monday) March 25, 1521 (Thursday) March 28, 1521

They arrived at Morning of

The Natives returned with Magellan and his men left Humunu Holy Thursday at Mazaua
food and other resources (Homonhon) and sailed towards West, Island (emphasizing the 9 2/3
to share Southwest towards Leyte then lat. towards Artic Pole and long.
Southward, then Westward eventually 162 degrees position) and
turning to Mazaua stayed there for 7 days.
 He lays down the argument that in the Pigafetta
account, a crucial aspect of Butuan was not
mentioned--the river. Butuan is a riverine
settlement, situated on the Agusan River.

The beach of Masao is in the delta of said

river. It is a curious omission in the account
of the river, which makes part of a distinct
Fr. Miguel Bernad characteristic of Butuan's geography at
Butuan or Limasawa: The Site of the First Mass in
the Philippines: Reexamination of Evidence seemed to he too important to be missed
(1981)
 It must also be pointed out that later on, after
Magellan's death, the survivors of his expedition
went to Mindanao, and seemingly went to
Butuan. In this instance, Pigafetta vividly
describes a trip in a river. But note that this
account already happened after Magellan's

Fr. Miguel Bernad death.

Butuan or Limasawa: The Site of the First Mass in
the Philippines: Reexamination of Evidence
(1981)
 Republic Act No. 10086 or
Strengthening People’s
Nationalism Act of 2009 mandates
the NHCP to “actively engage in
the settlement or resolution of
controversies or issues relative to
historical personages, places,
dates and events.”
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mExTClwb_z7AMjS3Hvpds75WLoKLNnYh/view
THE CAVITE MUTINY
End of Lesson 3
Thank you for Listening!
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[email protected]
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@Didge Martin(Wilfredo DJ IV)