STUDY GUIDES

3&4

READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

Andres A. Hinayas
[Company name]
 Table of Contents
Title Page ……………………………………………………………………………………… 1
Course Overview ……………………………………………………………………………………… 3
Study Guide ……………………………………………………………………………………… 4
Study Guide Three: Philippine History: Spaces for Conflict &
Controversy …………………………………………………………………… 5
Pre-Test ……………………………………………………………………………………… 5
Lesson 1
 Making sense of the Past: Historical Interpretation ………………………………….…. 6
 Case Study 1: Where did the First Catholic Mass Take Place in
the Philippines? ……………………………………………………………….… 9
 Primary Source: Albo’s Log ………………. ……………………………………………..……… 9
 Primary Source: Pigafetta & Seven Days in Mazaua …………………………...………... 12
Lesson 1 – Activity …………………………………………………………………………………….… 15
Lesson 2
 Case Study 2: What Happened in the Cavite
Mutiny? …………………………………………………………………………….. 16
 Spanish Accounts of the Cavite Mutiny.………………………………………………………. 16
 Primary Source: Excerpts from Montero’s Account of the Cavite Mutiny……… 16
 Primary Source: Excerpts from the Official Report of Governor Izquierdo on
the Cavite Mutiny of 1872 ………………………………………………. 17
 Primary Source: Excerpts from Tavera’s Account of the Cavite Mutiny………… 18
 Primary Source: Excerpts from Plauchut’s Account of the Cavite Mutiny……… 19
Lesson 2 – Activity . .……………………………………………………………………………………... 22
Post Test ………………………………………………………………………………………. 23

Study Guide Four: Doing History – A Guide for Students…………………………………. 26

Pre-Test .……………………………………………………………………………………… 26
Lesson 1
 Doing Historical Research Online ………………………. ………………………………….…. 27
 Doing Life Histories and Biographical Research ……………………………………….... 29
Lesson 1 – Activity …………………………………………………………………………………….… 30
Lesson 2
 Doing Local and Oral History ………………………………………………………………. 31
Lesson 2 – Activity . .……………………………………………………………………………………... 32
Term Project ………………………………………………………………………………………. 32
Post Test ………………………………………………………………………………………. 33
References ……………………………………………………………………………………… 35

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 COURSE OVERVIEW

Course Number : GE-SS 202

Descriptive Title : READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

School Year/Term : SECOND SEMESTER, A.Y. 2021-2022

Mode of Delivery : ONLINE SYNCHRONOUS / ASYNCHRONOUS OR PRINT STUDY

GUIDE

Name of Instructors : Andres A. Hinayas, MAEd

Flordeliza E. Vitor, Ph.D.
Errel N. Labastida, J.D.
Richard . Lago, D.P.A.
Carlou A. Ampo, M.PHIL.
Jube B. Canete
Artchel L. Mondala

Course Description : Readings in Philippine History analyzes Philippine history from

multiple perspectives through the lens of selected primary
sources coming A. Ampo, from various disciplines and of
different genres. Students are given opportunities to analyze
the author’s background and main arguments, compare
different points of view, identify biases and examine the
evidences presented in the document. The discussions will
tackle traditional topics in history and other interdisciplinary
themes that will deepen and broaden their understanding of
Philippine political, economic, cultural, social, scientific and
religious history. Priority is given to primary materials that
could help students develop their analytical and
communication skills. The end goal is to develop the historical
and critical consciousness of the students so that they will
become versatile, articulate, broad-minded, morally upright
and responsible citizens.

Following the orientation of the Commission on Higher

Education curriculum in teaching “Readings in Philippine
History,” this study guide covers different topic areas such as
sources of historical data and historical criticisms, content and

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 contextual analysis of selected primary sources, controversies
and conflicting views in Philippine history and local history.

The course is organized into four (4) main topics: (a)

Introduction to history: Definition, Issues, Sources, and
Methodology; (b) Content and Contextual Analysis of Selected
Primary Sources in Philippine History; (c) Philippine History:
Spaces for Conflict and Controversies; (d) Doing History: A
Guide for Students.

Course Outcomes :  Display the ability to work in a team and contribute to a

group project. (Cognitive by evaluation)
 Manifest interest in local history and concern in promoting
and preserving our country’s national patrimony and cultural
heritage. (Affective by organization)
 Propose recommendations/solutions to present-day
problems based on their understanding of root causes and
their anticipation of future scenarios. (Psychomotor by
perception/awareness)

SLSU Vision : A HIGH QUALITY CORPORATE UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE,

TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION

SLSU Mission : SLSU WILL DEVELOP SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION

LEADERS AND PROFESSIONALS, PRODUCE HIGH-IMPACT
TECHNOLOGIES FROM RESEARCH AND INNOVATIONS,
CONTRIBUTE TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH
RESPONSIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS, AND
GENERATE REVENUES TO BE SELF-SUFFICIENT AND
FINANCIALLY-VIABLE.

STUDY GUIDE

This study guide in Readings in Philippine History is purposely developed to make higher
education continue to provide service to students amidst the challenges brought about by the
Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic considering that face to face classroom teaching interaction is
forbidden. It is embedded with different principles of self-paced modular approach in the learning
process. With this approach, the students are given the wide latitude or greater flexibility and
convenience in time and location as they undergo the learning process and comply to the course-set
activities and requirements. Furthermore, this study guide will be submitted before the end of
every semester or any date within the semester when the student is already done accomplishing
the required course-set of activities and requirements. Despite the deadline of submissions, this

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study guide will responsively benefit the students considering that it will not directly imply time
pressure in answering the activities and complying the requirements. It does not require face to
face class sessions. Furthermore, it improves memory and it is suitable for different students’
learning styles. The end goal is to develop the historical and critical consciousness of the students
so that they will become versatile, articulate, broad-minded morally upright and responsible
citizens.

This study guide is structured with the following components to assist the students in the
learning process and in ensuring the realization of the intended learning outcomes of the study
guide:

Intended Learning Outcomes. Students are informed on the expected competencies to be

achieved after they have finished the study guide. This expected competencies or intended learning
outcomes are enabling outcomes to realize the broad course outcomes expected to be achieved
after the expiration of the semester.

Pre-Test and Post-Test. Students will be assessed in relation to the realization of the
intended learning outcomes. Pre-test will be facilitated to measure the extent of preparedness
among students before proceeding to the new lesson. While, post-test will be facilitated to measure
the extent of achievement of the intended learning outcomes. The nature and extent of the tests are
set as representation of the intended learning outcomes.

Learning Plan. Students will be introduced on the outlined subject matters or topics in this
study guide. The subject matters or topics are enabling contents to achieve the intended learning
outcomes. Furthermore, students will be aided with learning activities which will reinforce or
enhance the learning process and prepare them for assessments. The learning plan ends with a
study guide summary of terms and concepts.

References. References are enumerated based on the cited sources of information to avoid
plagiarism and to provide students more avenues to read further for detailed and richer knowledge,
and peruse the same to improve the learning process and outcomes.

Moreover, this study guide strives to provide the students with a stimulating and well-
organized learning experience and further expecting that the students will be able to learn at self-
paced approach on their convenient time and location, and in the development or attainment of the
intended learning outcomes. The developer is aware that some of the students, if not the most, are
new to this modality, but the same assures the students for a responsive technical assistance for
any questions, inquiries or clarification that may arise from time to time. Finally, the study guide
has been developed to be more accessible and responsive to the students’ needs and context and
who are entirely new to this approach or modality as well as more engaging to those who have
already underwent the same.

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 Study Guide 3

PHILIPPINE HISTORY: SPACES FOR CONFLICT AND CONTROVERSIES

 INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the time the students finished the learning experience, they should be able to:

1. Demonstrate the ability to formulate arguments in favor or against a particular issue

using primary sources.
2. Interpret historical events using primary sources.
3. Identify the advantages and disadvantages of employing critical tools in interpreting
historical events through primary sources.

 Tell Me What You Already Know! (Pre-Test)

 Answer the following essay questions.

1.) In your own idea, what is historical interpretation?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.) What do you know about Code of Kalantiaw? Is there any conflicting or questionable point
in it as part of Philippine history? Justify your answer.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3.) What do you know about the poem “Sa Aking Mga Kabata”? Is there any conflicting or
questionable point in it as part of Philippine history? Justify your answer.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4.) Where did the first Catholic mass take place in the Philippines? Justify your answer.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5.) What do you know about Cavite Mutiny?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Study Guide Introduction

This study guide is designed for self-paced independent study. In this module, you will learn
to interpret historical events using primary sources. You will also learn to identify the advantages
and disadvantages of employing critical tools in interpreting historical events through primary
sources. You will also learn to demonstrate ability to argue for or against a particular issue using
primary sources. Furthermore, you will also learn to analyze two historiographical problems in
Philippine history in an attempt to apply what we have learned thus far in the work of a historian
and the process of historical inquiry.

The history of the Philippines has numerous splendid topics to discuss. Many issues have
only been briefly explicated and sometimes this brings confusion in understanding our past as one
nation. In fact, every Filipino student must learn the different issues in our history so that he/she
may know his/her beginnings and understand as to what chances we, as a people, may have in the
upcoming days.

It is imperative as well that students get their view of history about different topics from
primary materials. It is for the reason that events in the past presented in these materials may
influence them to formulate arguments and develop their analytical skills in making their stand on
an issue.

This study guide is divided into three separate topics: Making Sense of the Past: Historical
Interpretation; Case Study 1: Where Did the First Catholic Mass Take Place in the Philippines? and
Case Study 2: What Happened in the Cavite Mutiny?

LESSON ONE

Making Sense of the Past: Historical Interpretation

History is the study of the past, but a more contemporary definition is centered on how it
impacts the present through its consequences. Geoffrey Barraclough defines history as “the attempt
to discover, on the basis of fragmentary evidence, the significant things about the past.” He also

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notes “the history we read, though based on facts, is strictly speaking, not factual at all, but a series
of accepted judgments.” Such judgments of historians on how the past should be seen make the
foundation of historical interpretation.

Historians utilize facts collected from primary sources of history and then draw their own
reading so that their intended audience may understand the historical event, a process that in
essence, “makes sense of the past.” The premise is that not all primary sources are accessible to a
general audience, and without the proper training and background, a non-historian interpreting a
primary source may do more harm than good---a primary source may even cause
misunderstandings; sometimes, even resulting in more problems.

Interpretations of the past, therefore, vary according to who reads the primary source,
when it was read, and how it was read. As students of history, we must be well equipped to
recognize different types of interpretations, why these may differ from each other, and how to
critically sift these interpretations through historical evaluation. Interpretations of historical events
change over time; thus, it is an important skill for a student of history to track these changes in an
attempt to understand the past.

Many of the things we accept as “true” about the past might not be the case anymore; just
because these were taught to us as “facts” when we were younger does not mean that it is set in
stone---history is, after all, a construct. And as a construct, it is open for interpretation. There might
be conflicting and competing accounts of the past that need one’s attention, and can impact the way
we view our country’s history and identity. It is important, therefore, to subject to evaluation not
only the primary source, but also the historical interpretation of the same, to ensure that the
current interpretation is reliable to support our acceptance of events of the past.

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The Code of Kalantiaw is a mythical legal code in the epic history Maragtas. Before it was
revealed as a hoax, it was a source of pride for the people of Aklan. In fact, a historical marker
was installed in the town of Batan, Aklan in 1956, with the following text:

“CODE OF KALANTIAW. Datu Bendehara Kalantiaw, third Chief of Panay, born

in Aklan, established his government in the peninsula of Batang, Aklan Sakup.
Considered the First Filipino Lawgiver, he promulgated in about 1433 a penal
code now known as Code of Kalantiaw containing 18 articles. Don Marcelino
Orilla of Zaragoza, Spain, obtained the original manuscript from an old chief of
Panay which was later translated into Spanish by Rafael Murviedo Yzamaney.”

It was only in 1968 that it was proved a hoax, when William Henry Scott, then a doctoral
candidate at the University of Santo Tomas, defended his research on pre-Hispanic sources in
Philippine history. He attributed the code to a historical fiction written in 1913 by Jose E. Marco
titled Las Antiguas Leyendas de la Isla de Negros. Marco attributed the code itself to a priest
named Jose Maria Pavon. Prominent Filipino historians did not dissent to Scott’s findings, but
there are still some who would like to believe that the code is a legitimate document.

“Sa Aking Mga Kabata” is a poem purportedly written by Jose Rizal when he was eight years
old and is probably one of Rizal’s most prominent works. There is no evidence to support the
claim that this poem, with the now immortalized lines “Ang hindi magmahal sa kanyang salita ay
mahigit sa hayop at malansang isda” was written by Rizal, and worse, the evidence against
Rizal’s authorship of the poem seems all unassailable.
There exists no manuscript of the poem handwritten by Rizal. The poem was first published in
1906, in a book by Hermenegildo Cruz. Cruz said he received the poem from Gabriel Beato
Francisco, who claimed to have received it in 1884 from Rizal’s close friend, Saturnino Raselis.
Rizal never mentioned writing this poem anywhere in his writings, and more importantly, he
never mentioned of having a close friend by the person of Raselis.
Further criticism of the poem reveals more about the wrongful attribution of the poem to Rizal.
The poem was written in Tagalog and referred to the word “kalayaan.” But it was documented
in Rizal’s letters that he first encountered the word through a Marcelo H. del Pilar’s translation
of Rizal’s essay “El Amor Patrio,” where it was spelled as “kalayahan.”
While Rizal’s native tongue was Tagalog, he was educated in Spanish, starting from his mother,
Teodora Alonzo. Later on, he would express disappointment in his difficulty in expressing
himself in his native tongue.
The poem’s spelling is also suspect---the use of letters “k” and “w” to replace “c” and “u,”
respectively was suggested by Rizal as an adult. If the poem was indeed written during his time,
it should use the original Spanish orthography that was prevalent in his time.

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Case Study 1: Where Did the First Catholic Mass Take Place in the Philippines?

The popularity of knowing where the “firsts” happened in history has been an easy way to
trivialize history, but this case study will not focus on the significance (or lack thereof) of the site of
the First Catholic Mass in the Philippines, but rather, use it as a historiographical exercise in the
utilization of evidence and interpretation in reading historical events.
Butuan has long been believed as the site of the first Mass. In fact, this has been the case for
three centuries, culminating in the erection of a monument in 1872 near Agusan River, which
commemorates the expedition’s arrival and celebration of Mass on 8 April 1521. The Butuan claim
has been based on a rather elementary reading of primary sources from the event.
Toward the end of nineteenth century and the start of the twentieth century, together with
the increasing scholarship of the history of the Philippines, a more nuanced reading of the available
evidence was made, which brought to light more considerations in going against the mpre accepted
interpretation of the first Mass in the Philippines, made both by Spanish and Filipino scholars.
It must be noted that there are only two primary sources that historians refer to in
identifying the site of the first Mass. One is the log kept by Francisco Albo, a pilot of one of
Magellan’s ship, Trinidad. He was one of the 18 survivors who returned with Sebastian Elcano on
the ship Victoria after they circumnavigated the world. The other, and the more complete, was the
account by Antonio Pigafetta, Primo viaggio intorno al mondo (First Voyage Around the World).
Pigafetta, like Albo, was a member of the Magellan expedition and an eye witness of the events,
particularly, of the first Mass.

Primary Source: Albo’s Log

Source: “Diario o derotero del viage de Magallanes desde el cabo se S. Agustin en el Brazil hasta al
regreso a Espana de la nao Victoria, escrito por Francisco Albo,” Document no. xxii in Collecion de
viages y descubrimientos que hicieron por mar los Espanoles desde fines del siglo XV, Ed. Martin
Fernandez de Navarrete (reprinted Buenos Aires 1945, 5 Vols.) IV, 191-225. As cited in Miguel A.
Bernard “Butuan or Limasawa? The Site of the First Mass in the Philippines: A Reexamination of
Evidence” 1981, Kinaadman: A Journal of Southern Philippines, Vol. III, 1-35.

1. 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.

2. 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 Spaniard’s approach. This
island was at 9 and two-thirds degrees North latitude.

3. 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.)

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4. 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.)

5. Sailing southwards along the coast of that large island of Seilani, they turned southwest to a
small island called “Mazava.” That island is also at a latitude of 9 and two-thirds degrees North.

6. The people of that island of Mazava were very good. There the Spaniards planted a cross upon a
mountain-top, and from there they were shown three islands to the west and southwest, where
they were told there was much gold. “They showed us how the gold was gathered, which came
in small pieces like peas and lentils.”

7. From Mazava they sailed northwards again towards Seilani. They followed the coast of Seilani
in a northwesterly direction, ascending up to 10 degrees of latitude where they saw three small
islands.

8. From there they sailed westwards some ten leagues, and there they saw three islets, where they
dropped anchor for the night. In the morning they sailed southwest some 12 leagues, down to a
latitude of 10 and one-third degree. There they entered a channel between two islands, one of
which was called “Matan” and other “Subu”.

9. They sailed down that channel and then turn westward and anchored at the town (la villa) of
Subu where they stayed many days and obtained provisions and entered into a peace-pact with
the local king.

10. The town of Subu was on an east-west direction with the islands of Suluan and Mazava. But
between Mazava and Subu, there were so many shallows that the boats could not go westward
directly but has to go (as they did) in a round-about way.

It must be noted that in Albo’s account, the location of Mazava fits the location of the island of
Limasawa, at the southern tip of Leyte, 9°54’N. Also, Albo does not mention the first Mass, but only
the planting of the cross upon a mountain-top from which could be seen three islands to the west
and southwest, which also fits the southern end of Limasawa.

Primary Source: Pigafetta’s Testimony on the Route of Magellan’s Expedition

Source: Emma Blair and James Alexander Robertson, The Philippine Islands, Vols. 33 and 34, as
cited in Miguel A. Bernad, “Butuan or Limasawa? The Site of the First Mass in the Philippines: A
Reexamination of Evidence” 1981, Kinaadman: A Journal of Southern Philippines, Vol. III, 1-35.

1. Saturday, 16 March 1521 – Magellan’s expedition sighted a “high land” named “Zamal”
which was some leagues westward of Ladrones (now the Marianas) Islands.

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2. Sunday, March 17 – “The following day” after sighting Zamal Island, they landed on “another
island which was uninhabited” and which lay “to the right” of the above-mentioned island of
“Zamal”. (To the “right” here would mean on their starboard going south or southwest).
There they set up two tents for the sick members of the crew and had a sow killed for them.
The name of this island was “Humunu” (Homonhon). This island was located at 10 degrees
North latitude.

3. On that same day (Sunday, March 17), Magellan named the entire archipelago the “Islands
of Saint Lazarus”, the reason being that it was Sunday in the Lenten season when the Gospel
assigned for the Mass and the liturgical Office was the eleventh chapter of St. John, which
tells of the raising of Lazarus from the dead.

4. Monday, March 18 – In the afternoon of their second day on that island, they saw a boat
coming towards them with nine men in it. An exchange of gifts was effected. Magellan asked
for food supplies, and the men went away, promising to bring rice and other supplies in
“four days”.

5. There were two springs of water on that island of Homonhon. Also they saw there some
indications that there was gold in these islands. Consequently, Magellan renamed the island
and called it “Watering Place of Good Omen” (Acquada la di bouni segnialli).

6. Friday, March 22 – At noon the natives returned. This time they were in two boats, and they
brought food supplies.

7. Magellan’s expedition stayed eight days at Homonhon: from Sunday, March 17, to the
Monday of the following week, March 25.

8. Monday, March 25 – In the afternoon, the expedition weighed anchor and left the island of
Homonhon. In the ecclesiastical calendar, this day (March 25) was the feast-day of the
Incarnation, also called the feast of the Annunciation and therefore “Our Lady’s Day”. On
this day, as they were about to weigh anchor, an accident happened to Pigafetta: he fell into
the water and was rescued. He attributed his narrow escape from death as grace obtained
through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary on her feast-day.

9. The route taken by the expedition after leaving Homonhon was “toward the west
southwest, between four islands: namely, Cenalo, Hiunanghan, Ibusson and Albarien.” Very
probably “Cenalo” is a misspelling in the Italian manuscript for what Pigafetta in his map
calls “Ceilon” and also Albo calls “Seilani”: namely the island of Leyte. “Hiunanghan" (a
misspelling of Hinunangan) seemed to Pigafetta to be a separate island, but is actually on
the mainland of Leyte (i.e, “Ceylon”). On the other hand, Hibuson (Pigafetta’s Ibusson) is an
island east of Leyte’s southern tip.

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 Thus, it is easy to see what Pigafetta meant by sailing “toward the west southeast” past
those islands. They left Homonhon sailing westward towards Leyte, then followed the Leyte
coast southward, passing between the island of Hibuson on their portside and Hiunangan
Bay on their starboard, and then continued Southward, then turning westward to “Mazaua”.

10. Thursday, March 28 In the morning of Holy Thursday, March 28, they anchored off an island
where the previous night they had been a light or a bonfire. That island Ties in a latitude of
nine and two-thirds towards the Arctic Pole i.e., North) and in a longitude of one hundred
and sixty-two degrees from the line of demarcation. It is twenty-five leagues from the
Acquada, and is called Mazaua."

11. They remained seven days on Mazaua Island.

12. Thursday, April 4 - They left Mazaua, bound for Cebu. They were guided thither by the king
of Mazaua who sailed in his own boat. Their route took hem past five "islands" namely:
"Ceylon, Bohol, Canighan, Baibai, and Gatighan."

13. At Gatighan, they sailed westward to the three islands of the Camotes Group, namely, Poro,
Pasihan and Ponson. Here the Spanish ships stopped to allow the king of Mazaua to catch up
with them, since the Spanish ships were much faster than the native balanghai—a thing that
excited the admiration of the king of Mazaua.

14. From the Camotes lslands they sailed southwards towards "Zubu."

15. Sunday, April 7 At noon they entered the harbor of "Zubu" (Cebu). It had taken them three
days to negotiate the journey from Mazaua northwards to the Camotes Islands and then
southwards to Cebu.

It must be pointed out that both Albo and Pigafetta's testimonies coincide and corroborate each
other. Pigafetta gave more details on what they did during their weeklong stay at Mazaua.
Primary Source: Pigafetta and Seven Days in Mazaua

Source: Emma Blair and James Alexander Robertson, The Philippine Islands, Vols. 33 and 34, as
cited in Miguel A. Bernad, "Butuan or Limasawa? The Site of the First Mass in the Philippines: A
Reexamination of Evidence" 1981, Kinaadman: A Journal of Southern Philippines, Vol. II, 1-35.

1. Thursday, March 28 - In the morning they anchored near an island where they had seen a
light the night before a small boat (boloto) came with eight natives, to whom Magellan threw
some trinkets as presents. The natives paddled away, but two hours later two larger boats
(balanghai) came, in one of which the native king sat under an awning of mats. At Magellan's
invitation some of the natives went up the Spanish ship, but the native king remained seated
in his boat. An exchange of gifts was effected. In the afternoon that day, the Spanish ships
weighed anchor and came closer to shore, anchoring near the native king's village. This
Thursday, March 28, was Thursday in Holy Week, i.e., Holy Thursday.

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2. Friday, March 29 - "Next day. Holy Friday," Magellan sent his slave interpreter ashore in a
small boat to ask the king if he could provide the expedition with food supplies, and to say
that they had come as friends and not as enemies. In reply the king himself came in a boat
with six or eight men, and this time went up Magellan's ship and the two men embraced.
Another exchange of gifts was made. The native king and his companions returned ashore,
bringing with them two members of Magellan's expedition as guests for the night. One of the
two was Pigafetta.

3. Saturday, March 30 - Pigafetta and his companion had spent the previous evening feasting
and drinking with the native king and his son. Pigafetta deplored the fact that, although it
was Good Friday, they had to eat meat. The following morning (Saturday) Pigafetta and his
companion took leave of their hosts and returned to the ships.

4. Sunday, March 31 - "Early in the morning of Sunday, the last of March and Easter day,"
Magellan sent the priest ashore with some men to prepare for the Mass. Later in the morning
Magellan landed with some fifty men and Mass was celebrated, after which a cross was
venerated. Magellan and the Spaniards returned to the ship for the noon-day meal, but in the
afternoon they returned ashore to plant the cross on the summit of the highest hill. In
attendance both at the Mass and at the planting of the cross were the king of Mazaua and the
king of Butuan.

5. Sunday, March 31 - On that same afternoon, while on the summit of the highest hill, Magellan
asked the two kings which ports he should go to in order to obtain more abundant supplies
of food than were available in that island. They replied that there were three ports to choose
from: Ceylon, Zubu, and Calagan. Of the three, Zubu was the port with the most trade.
Magellan then said that he wished to go to Zubu and to depart the following morning. He
asked for someone to guide him thither. The kings replied that the pilots would be available
"any time." But later that evening the king of Mazaua changed his mind and said that he
would himself conduct Magellan to Zubu but that he would first have to bring the harvest in.
He asked Magellan to send him men to help with the harvest.

6. Monday, April 1 - Magellan sent men ashore to help with the harvest, but no work was done
that day because the two kings were sleeping off their drinking bout the night before.

7. Tuesday, April 2 and Wednesday, April 3 - Work on the harvest during the "next to days," i.e.,
Tuesday and Wednesday, the 2nd and 3rd of April.

8. Thursday, April 4 - They leave Mazaua, bound for Cebu.

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 Using the primary sources available, Jesuit priest Miguel A. Bernad in his work Butuan or
Limasawa: The Site of the First Mass in the Philippines: A Reexamination of Evidence (1981) 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 characteristic of Butuan's geography that seemed to be too important to

The Age of Exploration is a period of competition among European rulers to conquer and
colonize lands outside their original domains. Initially, the goal was to find alternative routes by
sea to get to Asia, the main source of spices and other commodities. Existing routes to Asia were
mainly by land and cost very expensive. A sea route to Asia means that Europeans could access
the spice trade directly, greatly reducing
costs for traders. Spain's major foray into the exploration was through Christopher Columbus,
who proposed to sail westward to find a shortcut to Asia. He was able to reach the Americas,
which was then cut-off from the rest of the known world.

Spain colonized parts of North America, Mexico, and South America in the sixteenth century.
They were also able to reach the Philippines and claim it for the Spanish crown. Later on, other
European rulers would compete with the activities of exploring and conquering lands.

be missed.

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 death.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RELATED TO THE TOPIC:

The first documented Catholic Mass in the Philippines was held on March 31, 1521, Easter
Sunday. It was conducted by Father Pedro de Valderrama along the shores of what was referred to
in the journals of Antonio Pigafetta as "Mazaua".
Today, this site is widely believed by many historians and the government to be Limasawa at
the tip of Southern Leyte, though this was contested by some who assert that the first mass was
instead held at Masao, Butuan.
To end the conflict for the issue about the first mass, the National Historical Commission of
the Philippines (NHCP) panel adopted the recommendation and unanimously agreed that the
evidence and arguments presented by the pro-Butuan advocates are not sufficient and convincing
enough to warrant the repeal or reversal of the ruling on the case by the NHI (National Historical
Institute). It is further strengthen by the evidence that it was only after 22 years, on 1543 - Next
Spanish expedition led by Ruy Lopez de Villalobos lands in Mindanao.
On June 19, 1960, Republic Act No. 2733, called the Limasawa Law, was enacted without
Executive approval on June 19, 1960. The legislative fiat declared the site in Magallanes, Limasawa
Island in the Province of Southern Leyte, where the first Mass in the Philippines was held is hereby

Page 14 of 37
declared a national shrine to commemorate the birth of Christianity in the Philippines. Magallanes
is east of the island of Limasawa. In 1984 Imelda Marcos had a multi-million pesos Shrine of the
First Holy Mass built, an edifice made of steel, bricks and polished concrete, and erected on top of a
hill overlooking barangay Magallanes, Limasawa. A super typhoon completely wiped this out just a
few months later. Another shrine was inaugurated in 2005.
Limasawa celebrates the historic and religious coming of the Spaniards every March 31 with
a cultural presentation and anniversary program dubbed as Sinugdan, meaning "beginning."

Lesson 1 Activity

Give concise explanation on the following items: (Cambria 11 is the required font style and font size
respectively. Use A4 size bondpaper, then send to my email address.)

1. What is your stand about the site of the First Catholic Mass in the Philippines?
2. How do the evidences presented in the text help you understand the controversy on the
First Catholic Mass in the Philippines?

Page 15 of 37
LESSON TWO

Case Study 2: What Happened in the Cavite Mutiny?

The year 1872 is a historic year of two events: The Cavite Mutiny and the martyrdom of the
three priests: Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, later on immortalized as
GOMBURZA. These events are very important milestones in Philippine history and have caused
ripples throughout time, directly influencing the decisive events of the Philippine Revolution
toward the end of the century. While the significance is unquestioned, what made this year
controversial are the different sides to the story, a battle of perspectives supported by primary
sources. In this case study, we zoom in to the events of the Cavite Mutiny, a major factor in the
awakening of nationalism among the Filipinos of that time.

Spanish Accounts of the Cavite Mutiny

The documentation of Spanish historian Jose Montero y Vidal centered on how the event
was an attempt in overthrowing the Spanish government in the Philippines. Although regarded as a
historian, his account of the mutiny was criticized as woefully biased and rabid for a scholar.
Another account from the official report written by then Governor General Rafael Izquierdo
implicated the native clergy, who were then, active in the movement toward secularization of
parishes. These two accounts corroborated each other.

Primary Source: Excerpts from Montero's Account of the Cavite Mutiny

Source: Jose Montero y Vidal, "Spanish Version of the Cavite Mutiny of 1872," in Gregorio Zaide and
Sonia Zaide, Documentary Sources of Philippine History, Volume 7 (Manila: National Book Store,
1990), 269-273.

The abolition of privileges enjoyed by the laborers of the Cavite arsenal of exemption from
the tribute was, according to some, the cause of the insurrection. There were, however, other
causes. The Spanish revolution which overthrew a secular throne; the propaganda carried on by an
unbridled press against monarchical principles, attentatory [sic] of the most sacred respects
towards the dethroned majesty; the democratic and republican books and pamphlets; the speeches
and preachings of the apostles of these new ideas in Spain; the outbursts of the American publicists
and the criminal policy of the senseless Governor whom the Revolutionary government sent to
govern the Philippines, and who put into practice these ideas were the determining circumstances
which gave rise, among certain Filipinos, to the idea of attaining their independence. It was towards
this goal that they started to work, with the powerful assistance of a certain section of the native
clergy, who out of spite toward friars, made common cause with the enemies of the mother country.

At various times but especially in the beginning of year 1872, the authorities received
anonymous communications with the information that a great uprising would break out against the

Page 16 of 37
Spaniards, the minute the fleet at Cavite left for the South, and that all would be assassinated,
including the friars. But nobody gave importance to these notices. The conspiracy had been going
on since the days of La Torre with utmost secrecy, at times, the principal leaders met either in the
house of Filipino Spaniard, D. Joaquin Pardo de Tavers, or in that of the native priest, Jacinto
Zamora, and these meetings were usually attended by the curate of Bacoor, the soul of the
movement, whose energetic character and immense wealth enabled him to exercise a strong
influence.

Primary Source: Excerpts from the Official Report of Governor Izquierdo on the Cavite
Mutiny of 1872

Source: Rafael Izquierdo, "Official Report on the Cavite Mutiny," in Gregorio Zaide and Sonia Zaide,
Documentary Sources of Philippine History, Volume 7 (Manila: National Book Store, 1990), 281-286.

...It seems definite that the insurrection was motivated and prepared by the native clergy, by the
mestizos and native lawyers, and by those known here as abogadillos…

The instigators, to carry out their criminal project, protested against the injustice of the
government in not paying the provinces for their tobacco crop, and against the usury that some
practice in documents that the Finance department gives crop owners who have to sell them at a
loss. They encouraged the rebellion by protesting what they called the injustice of having obliged
the workers in the Cavite arsenal to pay tribute starting January 1 and to render personal service,
from which they were formerly exempted…

Up to now it has not clearly determined if they planned to establish a monarchy or a republic,
because the Indios have no word in language to describe this different form of government, whose
head in Filipino would be called hari; but it turns out that they would place at the head of the
government a priest... that the bead selected would be D. Jose Burgos, or D. Jacinto Zamora...

Such is… the plan of the rebels, those who guided them, and the means they counted upon for its
realization.

It is apparent that the accounts underscore the reason for the revolution": the abolition of
privileges enjoyed by the workers of the Cavite arsenal Such as exemption from payment of tribute
and being employed in polos y servicios, or force labor. They also identified other reasons which
seemingly made the issue a lot more serious, which included the presence of the native clergy, who,
out of spite against the Spanish friars, "conspired and supported" the rebels. Izquierdo, in an
obviously biased report, highlighted that attempt to overthrow the Spanish government in the
Philippines to install a new "hari" in the persons of Fathers Burgos and Zamora. According to him,
native clergy attracted supporters by giving them charismatic assurance that their fight would not
fail because they had God's support, aside from promises of lofty rewards such as employment,
wealth, and ranks in the army.

Page 17 of 37
 In the Spaniard's accounts, the event of 1872 was premeditated, and was part of a big
conspiracy among the educated leaders, mestiz0s, lawyers, and residents of Manila and Cavite. They
allegedly plan to liquidate high- ranking Spanish officers, then kill the friars. The signal they
identified among these conspirators of Manila and Cavite was the rockets fired from Intramuros.

The accounts detail that on 20 January 1872, the district of Sampaloc celebrated the feast of
the Virgin of Loreto, and came with it were some fireworks display. The Caviteños allegedly
mistook this as the signal to commence with the attack. The 200-men contingent led by Sergeant
Lamadrid
attacked Spanish officers at sight and seized the arsenal. Izquierdo, upon learning of the attack,
ordered the reinforcement of the Spanish forces in Cavite to quell the revolt. The "revolution" was
easily crushed, when the Manileños who were expected to aid the Caviteños did not arrive. Leaders
of the plot were killed in the resulting skirmish, while Fathers Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora were
tried by a court-martial and sentenced to be executed. Others who were implicated such as Joaquin
Pardo de Tavera, Antonio Ma. Regidor, Jose and Pio Basa, and other Filipino lawyers were
suspended from the practice of law, arrested, and sentenced to life imprisonment at the Marianas
Island. Izquierdo dissolved the native regiments or artillery and ordered the creation of an artillery
force composed exclusively by Peninsulares.

On 17 February 1872, the GOMBURZA were executed to serve as a threat to Filipinos never
to attempt to fight the Spaniards again.

Deferring Accounts of the Events of 1872

Two other primary accounts exist that seem to counter the accounts of Izquierdo and Montero.
First, the account of Dr. Trinidad Hermenegildo Pardo de Tavera, a Filipino scholar and researcher,
who wrote a Filipino version of the bloody incident in Cavite.

Primary Source: Excerpts from Pardo de Tavera's Account or the Cavite Mutiny

Source: Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, "Filipino Version of the Cavite Mutiny," in Gregorio Zaide
and Sonia Zaide, Documentary Sources of Philippine History, Volume 7 (Manila: National
Book Store, 1990), 274-280.

This uprising among the soldiers in Cavite was used as a powerful level by the Spanish
residents and by the friars... the Central Government in Madrid had announced its intention
to deprive the friars in these islands of powers of intervention in matters of civil
government and the direction and management of the university... it was due to these facts
and promises that the Filipinos had great hopes of an improvement in the affairs of their
country, while the friars, on the other hand, feared that their power in the colony would
soon be complete a thing of the past.

Page 18 of 37
 ...Up to that time there had been n0 intention of secession from Spain, and the only
aspiration of the people was to secure the material and education advancement of the
country.

According to this account, the incident was merely a mutiny by Filipino soldiers and
laborers of the Cavite arsenal to the dissatisfaction arising from the draconian policies of Izquierdo,
such as the abolition of privileges and the prohibition of the founding of the school of arts and
trades for Filipinos, which the General saw as a smokescreen to creating a political club.
Tavera is of the opinion that the Spanish friars and lzquierdo used the Cavite Mutiny as a
way to address other issues by blowing out of proportion the isolated mutiny attempt. During this
time, the Central Government in Madrid was planning to deprive the friars of all the powers of
intervention
in matters of civil government and direction and management of educational institutions. The
friars needed something to justify their continuing dominance in the country, and the mutiny
provided such opportunity.

However, the Central Spanish Government introduced an educational decree fusing

sectarian schools run by the friars into a school called the Philippine Institute. The decree aimed to
improve the standard of education in the Philippines by requiring teaching positions in these
schools to be filled by competitive examinations, an improvement welcomed by most Filipinos.

Another account, this time by French writer Edmund Plauchut, complemented Tavera's
account and analyzed the motivations of the 1872 Cavite Mutiny.

Primary Source: Excerpts from Plauchut's Account of the Cavite Mutiny

Source: Edmund Plauchut, “The Cavite Mutiny of 1872 and the Martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za,"
in Gregorio Zaide and Sonia Zaide, Documentary Sources of Philippine History, Volume 7
(Manila: National Book Store, 1990), 251-268.

General La Torre.... created a junta composed of high officials… including some friars and six
Spanish officials.... At the same time there was created by the government in Madrid a
committee to investigate me problems submitted to the Manila committee. When the two
finished work, it was found that they came to the same conclusions. Here is the summary of
the reforms they considered necessary to introduce:

1. Changes in tariff rates at customs, and the methods of collection.

2. Removal of surcharges on foreign importations.

3. Reduction of export fees.

Page 19 of 37
 4. Permission for foreigners to reside in the Philippines, buy real estate, enjoy freedom
of worship, and operate commercial transports flying the Spanish flag.

5. Establishment of an advisory council to inform the Minister of Overseas Affairs in

Madrid on the necessary reforms to be implemented.

6. Changes in primary and secondary education.

7. Establishment of an Institute of Civil Administration in the Philippines, rendering

unnecessary the sending home of short term civil officials every time there is a
change of ministry.

8. Study of direct-tax system.

9. Abolition of the tobacco monopoly.

…The arrival in Manila of General Izquierdo. put a sudden end to all dreams of reforms... the
prosecutions instituted by the new Governor General were probably expected as a result of
the bitter disputes between the Filipino clerics and the friars. Such a policy must really end
in a strong desire on the part of the other to repress cruelly

In regard to schools, it was previously decreed that there should be in Manila a Society of
Arts and Trades to be opened in March of 1871… to repress the growth of liberal teachings,
General Izquierdo suspended the opening of the school… the day previous to the scheduled
inauguration...

The Filipinos had a duty to render service on public roads construction and pay taxes every
year. But those who were employed at the maestranza of the artillery, in the engineering
shops and arsenal of Cavite, were exempted from this obligation from time immemorial…
Without preliminaries of any kind, a decree by the Governor withdrew from such old
employees their retirement privileges and declassified them into the ranks of those who
worked on public roads.

The friars used the incident as a part of a larger conspiracy to cement their dominance,
which had started to show cracks because of the discontent of the Filipinos. They showcased the
mutiny as part of a greater conspiracy in the Philippines by Filipinos to overthrow the Spanish
Government. Unintentionally, and more so, prophetically, the Cavite Mutiny of 1872 resulted in the
martyrdom of GOMBURZA, and paved the way to the revolution culminating in 1898.

The GOMBURZA is the collective name of the three martyred priests Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos,
and Jacinto Zamora, who were tagged as the masterminds of the Cavite Mutiny. They were
prominent Filipino priests charged with treason and sedition. It is believed that the Spanish clergy
connected the priests to the mutiny as part of a conspiracy to stifle the movement of secular priests
who desired to have their own parishes instead of being merely assistants to the regular friars. The
GOMBURZA were executed by garrote inPage public, a 37
20 of scene purportedly witnessed by a young Jose
Rizal.
Their martyrdom is widely accepted as the dawn of Philippine nationalism in the nineteenth
century, with Rizal dedicating his second novel, El Filibusterismo, to their memory:
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RELATED TO THE TOPIC:

Aftermath of the Cavite Mutiny

In the immediate aftermath of the mutiny, some Filipino soldiers were disarmed and later
sent into exile on the southern island of Mindanao. Those suspected of directly supporting the
mutineers were arrested and executed. The mutiny was used by the colonial government and
Spanish friars to implicate three secular priests, Mariano Gómez, José Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora,
collectively known as GomBurZa. They were executed by garrote in Luneta, also known
in Tagalog as Bagumbayan, on February 17, 1872. These executions, particularly those of the
GomBurZa, were to have a significant effect on people because of the shadowy nature of the
trials. José Rizal, whose brother Paciano was a close friend of Burgos, dedicated his work, El
Filibusterismo, to these three priests.
On January 27, 1872, Governor-General Rafael Izquierdo approved the death sentences on
forty-one of the mutineers. On February 6, eleven more were sentenced to death, but these were
later commuted to life imprisonment. Others were exiled to other islands of the colonial Spanish
East Indies such as Guam, Mariana Islands, including the father of Pedro Paterno, Maximo Paterno,
Antonio M. Regidor y Jurado, and José María Basa. The most important group created a colony of
Filipino expatriates in Europe, particularly in the Spanish capital of Madrid and Barcelona, where
they were able to create small insurgent associations and print publications that were to advance
the claims of the seeding Philippine Revolution.
Finally, a decree was made, stating there were to be no further ordinations/appointments of
Filipinos as Roman Catholic parish priests. In spite of the mutiny, the Spanish authorities continued
to employ large numbers of native Filipino troops and civil guards in their colonial forces through
the 1870s–1890s until the Spanish–American War of 1898.

Behind the Story of Cavite Mutiny

During the short trial, the captured mutineers testified against José Burgos. The state
witness, Francisco Saldua, declared that he had been told by one of the Basa brothers that
the government of Father Burgos would bring a navy fleet of the United States to assist a revolution
with which Ramón Maurente, the supposed field marshal, was financing with 50,000 pesos. The
heads of the friar orders held a conference and decided to get rid of Burgos by implicating him to a
plot. One Franciscan friar disguised as Burgos and suggested a mutiny to the mutineers. The senior
friars used an una fuerte suma de dinero or a banquet to convince Governor-General Rafael
Izquierdo that Burgos was the mastermind of the coup. Gómez and Zamora were close associates of
Burgos, so they too were included in the allegations. Also, Francisco Saldua had been the principal
informer against the three priests. His statement had been the main basis for the convictions and he
had been promised pardon in exchange for his testimony, however, he was condemned along with
the three. He was the first to be executed among them on February 17, 1872.
The Central Government of Madrid proclaimed that they want to deprive the friars of all the
power of intervention in matters of civil government and direction and management of educational

Page 21 of 37
institutions. The friars feared that their dominance in the country would become a thing of the past,
and that they needed something to justify their perpetuation, with the mutiny providing such an
opportunity. However, the Philippine Institute was introduced by the Spanish government as an
educational decree fusing sectarian schools once ran by the friars. This decree aimed to improve the
standard of education in the Philippines by requiring teaching positions in these schools to be filled
by competitive examinations, an important step welcomed by most Filipinos.

Lesson 2 Activity

Give a concise explanation on the following items: (Cambria 11 is the required font style and font
size respectively. Use A4 size bondpaper, then send to my email address.)

A. Research on a particular current event or issue in the country that spans at least three periods
in Philippine history, tracing the roots of the issue and proposing solutions or
recommendations afterward.
B. Among the three versions of Cavite Mutiny, which one is most credible? Why?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 Summary
 Historical interpretation is based on the historian’s judgment on how the past events should
be seen.
 Collection of facts from primary sources of history by historians and then draw their own
reading for their intended audience may understand historical event is a process that makes
sense of the past.
 The Code of Kalantiaw, the poem “Sa Aking Mga Kabata”, First Catholic Mass in the Philippines
and the Cavite Mutiny are primary sources of history that require important skill for a student
of history to critically understand them.
 The Code of Kalantiaw was a legendary legal code in the epic story Maragtas. It is said to have
been written in 1433 by Datu Kalantiaw, a chief on the island of Negros in the Philippines. It
was actually written in 1913 by Jose E. Marco as a part of his historical fiction Las Antiguas
Leyendas de la Isla de Negros (Spanish, “The Ancient Legends of the Island of Negros”), which
he attributed to a priest named Jose Maria Pavon.

In 1917, the historian Josue Soncuya wrote about the Code of Kalantiaw in his book Historia
Prehispana de Filipinas (“Prehispanic History of the Philippines”) where he moved the
location of the Code’s origin from Negros to the Panay province of Aklan because he suspected
that it may be related to the Ati-atihan festival. Other authors throughout the 20th century
gave credence to the story and the code.
 The poem “Sa Aking Mga Kabata” (To My Fellow Youth) is a poem about the love of one’s
native language written in Tagalog. It is widely attributed to the Filipino national hero Jose
Rizal, who supposedly wrote it in 1868 at the age of seven. There is no evidence, however, to
support authorship by Rizal and several historians now believe it to be a hoax. The actual

Page 22 of 37
 author of the poem is suspected to have been the poets Gabriel Beato Francisco or
Herminigildo Cruz.
 The First Catholic Mass in the Philippines was held on March 31, 1521, Easter Sunday. It was
conducted by Father Pedro de Valderrama along the shores of what was referred to in the
journals of Antonio Pigafetta as “Mazaua”. Today, this site is widely believed by many
historians and the government to be Limasawa at the tip of Southern Leyte, though this is
contested by some who assert that the first mass was instead held at Masao, Butuan.
 The Cavite Mutiny is a brief uprising of 200 Filipino troops and workers at the Cavite arsenal,
which became the excuse for Spanish repression of the embryonic Philippine nationalist
movement. Ironically, the harsh reaction of the Spanish authorities served ultimately to
promote the nationalist cause.
 The mutiny was quickly crushed, but the Spanish regime under the reactionary governor
Rafael de Izquierdo magnified the incident and used it as an excuse to clamp down on those
Filipinos who had been calling for governmental reform. A number of Filipino intellectuals
were seized and accused of complicity with the mutineers. After a brief trial, three priests---
Jose Burgos, Jacinto Zamora, and Mariano Gomez---were publicly executed. The three
subsequently became martyrs to the cause of Philippine independence.

 Assessment which is align to the Intended Learning Outcomes (Post-Test)

As you have read all the text discussions above, tell me what you think about this matter.

A. Essay

1.) What is historical interpretation?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.) What is Code of Kalantiaw? Is there any conflicting point in it as part of Philippine history?
Justify your answer.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3.) What is “Sa Aking Mga Kabata” poem? Is there any conflicting point in it as part of
Philippine history? Justify your answer.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4.) Where did the first Catholic mass take place in the Philippines? Justify your answer.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Page 23 of 37
 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5.) What is Cavite Mutiny?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

B. True or False. Write true if the statement is true. Otherwise, write false in the space
provided.

______ 1. Historical interpretation is based on the historian’s judgment on how the past
should be seen.
______ 2. We make sense of the past through historical interpretation.
______ 3. There is only one account of the First Catholic Mass in the Philippines.
______ 4. The significance of the martyrdom of the GOMBURZA is questioned by historians.
______ 5. The Cavite Mutiny is an event that led to the execution of the GOMBURZA.

C. Identification. Identify what is being described in the following items.

__________ 1. It refers to the complete name of the chronicler of the document entitled, “The
Voyage Around the World.”
__________ 2. It is the term used by Pigafetta which refers to the island where the historic
mass was celebrated.
__________ 3. It refers to the gift which was given by Magellan to the native queen.
__________ 4. It refers to the name of the chief of Matan (Mactan) who had defended his
people, territory, and defeated Magellan in the battle.
__________ 5. It is the complete date of the historical battle of Matan (Mactan).

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

References

Candelaria, JL. & Alporha, V. (2018). Readings in Philippine History, Manila: Rex Book Store, Inc.

Alvarez, S. (1998). Katipunan and the Revolution: Memoirs of a General, Quezon City: Ateneo de
Manila University Press.

Bernad, M. A. (1981). "Butuan or Limasawa? The Site of the First Mass in the Philippines: A
Reexamination of Evidence." Kinaadman: A Journal of Southern Philippines, Vol. III, 1-35.

Page 24 of 37
Chua, M. C. (2016). "Retraction ni Jose Rizal: Mga Bagong Dokumento at Pananaw. in GMA News
Online. http://www.gmanetwork.com/news lifestyle/artandeulture/594027/retraction-ni-
jose-rizal-mga-bagong-dokumento-at-pananaw/story/ Retrieved 18 October 2017.

Phelan, P., & Reynolds, P. (1996). Argument and Evidence: Critical Analysis for the Social Sciences.
London: Routledge.

Pigafetta, A. (1969). First Voyage Around the World. Manila: Filipiniana Book Guild.
Zaide, G., & Zaide, S. (1990). Documentary Sources of Philippine History.12 Vols. Manila: National
Book Store.

Page 25 of 37
 Study Guide 4

Doing History: A Guide for Students

 INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the time the students finished the learning experience, they should be able to:

1) Manifest interest in local history and cultural heritage.

2) Apply historiographical methods in writing the history of one’s locality or country.
3) Incorporate technology in the discipline of history.
4) Appreciate the value of doing history to the present day.

 Tell Me What You Already Know! (Pre-Test)

 Answer the following essay questions.

1) In your own idea, what is online research?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2) What do you understand by biographies or life history?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3) What is local or oral history?

Page 26 of 37
 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4) What are the websites that you may use to legally download scanned copies of books and
other materials for free?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5) Is doing local history an easy task? Why?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Study Guide Introduction

This study guide is designed for self-paced independent study. In this study guide, you will
learn and understand the importance of doing historical research online. You will also learn the
procedure or basic steps on how to put in place this historical online research. The different
websites including government websites are mentioned in the discussion to further help students
in conducting historical research online as they are expected to write historical essays and/or
historical research papers, and this entails the collection of data through primary sources. You will
also learn the beauty of doing life histories and biographical research and also doing local and oral
history. Furthermore, local history teaches you that it is also a broad and dynamic field of inquiry
that aims to have an in-depth understanding of a certain locale. You will also discover that local and
oral history are important endeavors in the development and enrichment in the discipline of
history.

This study guide is divided into three separate topics: Doing historical research online;
Doing life histories and biographical research; and Doing local and oral history.

LESSON ONE

Doing Historical Research Online

Let us start with the first tool that any student nowadays would use to do research – the
Internet. It has increasingly become the primary means by which anyone would find any
information that they need. With a single click, students are able to access tons and tons of available
information. So much information, in fact, that it would be easy to get lost in all the data available.

Page 27 of 37
 Cyberspace is a great resource for research if you know how to use it properly. Remember
that just because information is available does not mean you should just get it and use it right away
– approaching something. such as an idea, as yours is considered plagiarism, which is one of the
worst
crimes in the academe. Treat anything you find online as a source and use the same historical
methods you have learned to analyze the data you get online.

A simple skill that will get you far in doing historical research online is knowing where to
look and how to look. Search engine websites such as Yahoo! (www.yahoo.com) or Google
(www.google.com) could lead you to a lot of sources with the right search strings. A search string is
a combination of words that you use to come up with relevant results and lead you to what you are
looking for. The more refined your search string is, the more definite and refined the results will be.

Google also provides its own customized platform for scholarly research, called Google
Scholar (www.scholar.google.com). You may use it to find electronic journal articles, materials from
institutional repositories, and book chapters from many different sources. It could be a good
starting point in building your research by providing you an overview of existing published
material for your topic. Google Books (www.books.google.com) also provides sources for scanned
books, where you may be able to read some chapters for free. This could be useful if you want to
know if a certain book would be useful to your research before going to a physical library Lo loan
the book or photocopy pages of it.

Sometimes, a simple search online is all you need to find the data you need. And most often,
one of the first results that will come out will be pages from Wikipedia. Wikipedia is the biggest
open source encyclopedia in the whole of cyberspace. In 2017, it has 40 million articles in 293
languages. Being an open source encyclopedia, anyone could contribute or edit articles in the site,
which makes some of the information in the site unreliable Nonetheless, Wikipedia provides a
useful launch pad to sources that you may use for research. When you read from Wikipedia, look at
the linked citations in the articles, which could lead you to a source you may use for your own
research. However, exercise caution in using this site, as many in the academe frown upon research
that utilizes Wikipedia. As a practice, use Wikipedia to gain a general overview of what you need to
know so that you may be guided in looking for credible and reliable sources that you need for your
research.

There are websites that you may use to legally download scanned copies of books and other
materials for free, especially those books with expired copyrights and are in public domain. Project
Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org) is the oldest digital library in the world, founded in 1971. It has
more than 50,000 items in its collection, which include many works concerning the Philippines,
such as the Doctrina Cristiana (the first published book in the Philippines), the published
travelogues of foreigners who visited the Philippines such as Jagor, de Comyn, Virchow, Foreman,
and Worcester Austin Craig's biography of Rizal, and all volumes of Blair and Robertson's The
Philippine Islands: 1493-1898. Another online archive you may use is Internet Archive
(www.archive.org), an online library that originally sought to archive web history, but grew later on

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to provide digital versions of other works. The archive contains 279 billion web pages, 11 million
books and texts, four million audio recordings, three million videos, one million images, and
100,000 software programs.

Philippine government websites (www.gov.ph) are starting to be enriched with sources that
may be used for historical research, especially on laws and other government issuances that may be
useful when doing topics of a more contemporary period. Websites of newspapers, magazines,
broadcasting stations, and other media outlets usually keep an archive of their articles from a
particular date. For older issues, you may have to find copies, either digitized or physical copies, in
the library.

Doing Life Histories and Biographical Research

Studying history is always focused on history of nations and different collectives. Studying
the life of an individual is often incidental to a greater event that has been significant to the life of a
larger unit that he or she happened to contribute to. Life history is an oft-neglected sub discipline of
history because it is seen as trivial to larger narratives of nations, societies, and civilizations.
However, students of history should realize that the individual is a significant contributor to
various historical breakthroughs across periods of time. Individuals make up societies and
individual actions can cause large-scale social change.

Individuals' influence can span centuries and generations. Individuals can also influence
large spaces and many places. For example, Jesus Christ as an individual, influenced the whole
world. The faith and the religion that He started also launched wars, created civilizations, lasted for
many centuries, and persist up to the present. Jose Rizal, on the other hand, influenced many
generations of Filipinos. His novels inspired radical Filipinos to fight the colonizers, and his death
was seen as the tipping point of the revolution. However, his influence was limited to the
Philippines.

These examples are cases of exceptional individuals. History has proven that their lives,
their exploits, and their legacies had a huge impact in the society where they belonged.
Nevertheless, the writing of life history should not be limited o great individuals like heroes,
prophets, or world leaders. Ordinary individuals should also be able to locate themselves in the
pages of history. One should sec himself as a part of a larger history and not as a separate and
remote entity unaffected by what is happening around him. Doing life histories should be
accompanied by locating the life of the individual in the larger social life.

Indeed, people's interest in history can be perked up once they realize that their lives can be
plotted alongside the trajectory of history of a larger nation, society, or even local community.
There is after all, a mutual constitution between history and biography. However, doing a life
history is not an easy task. The researcher should be able to identify different factors that affected
the life of the person he is trying to study. Some social scientist would lament that studying

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individuals tend to be more complicated than studying societies. Individuals are distinct, unique,
and dynamic. The life historian or the biographer should identify aspects of the individual's life in
order to properly historicize his life.

For example, studying the life of Jose Rizal docs not only require looking at big events in his
life that affected the nascent nation, like the publication of his novels, his exile to Dapitan, or his
execution in Bagumbayan. A more thorough understanding of Rizal's life necessitates looking at
different aspects of his life that affected his persona. Examples are his family, his education, his
peers, his travels, and even his affections. In relation to this, one should also look at the context
where Rizal existed. It is worthwhile to ask, for example, about Rizal's hometown. What were the
characteristics of Calamba, Laguna in the nineteenth century? What was the most common
livelihood in that town? Was it a rich progressive municipality? What was the terrain like? Was it an
agricultural locality? These questions will give context to Rizal's childhood and family.
Speaking of family, doing a life history of an individual will also lead to questions about his
family and genealogy. Indeed, family is an important aspect of an individual. It determines the
person's socioeconomic status, religious belief, character, interests, and values. In the same
example, getting to know Rizal's family and genealogy would tell us about Rizal's socioeconomic
status. Such will answer other questions about Rizal, like How did he afford to study in good schools
in Manila even though he was an indio? What were his interests in the Calamba hacienda incident?
Who instilled upon him the value of education? Who was his greatest infuence? And so on.

Institutions where the individual belonged should also be looked at in studying his life
history. If the family and the community where he belonged will give us clues about his early life.
the latter stages of his life can be understood with certain activities and learning that he had as he
affiliated in different institutions like schools, organizations. fraternity, church, and interest groups.
In the case of Rizal, for example, one can learn a lot about the development of his ideas by knowing
the kind of education taught at the Universidad de Santo Tomas and Ateneo Municipal. His political
opinions and biases shaped his work with the Propagandistas in Europe and in his stint in La
Solidaridad. Institutions, indeed, are not only shaped by individuals. Institutions also shape
individuals.

Other aspects that may be studied in order to come up with a deeper life history are sector,
ethnic group, and culture. Zooming out to the national history of the country where that individual
identifies with is also helpful. Understanding these seemingly mundane aspects of an individual's
life would provide historians insightful information that will allow him, not just to simply state facts
about the individual but also to make sense of these facts and establish connections about different
aspects of the individual's life in order to understand the person that he has become.

Lesson 1 Activity

Shrine/Museum Virtual or Online Visit. Make a virtual or online visit to local or national
historical shrine or museum. As proof of your visit, please take photos of at least thirty (30)
different artifacts and name each of them with brief description. You are also required to write a

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reflection paper on the said visit using A4 size bond paper. Observe proper margin and neatness of
work. Send all of them to my email address.

LESSON TWO

Doing Local and Oral History

The history subjects and courses usually taught to students in schools are Philippine
history, world history, and history of Asia. The coverage is always expansive and taught in broad
strokes of historical periods, of large spaces, and of prominent personalities. Little is known about
the subdiscipline of local history. Local history is the study of the history of a particular community
or a smaller unit of geography. Debates, however, continuously persist on the definition of this
subdiscipline, particularly in the subject of its study. Does local history study local communities?
Local institutions? Local groups? Local heroes? In recent studies, local history tends to cover all of
these topics. Local historians study the history of local institutions like churches. They also study
the local economies, local heroes, and local events. Local history, thus, is also a broad and dynamic
field of inquiry that aims to have an in-depth understanding of a certain locale.

The most compelling question, however, is why study and do local history? In the first
chapter, we discussed how history could serve as a repository of collective memory. Such memory
is important in forging of national unity through identification with a common collective past.
Nevertheless, nationalism, like other ideologies, when taken into extreme can produce the most
horrendous of human tragedies. The atrocities of the Second World War that killed six million
Jewish people in Europe were perpetrated by an extreme nationalist rhetoric propagated by Nazi
Germany. Totalitarian states at present, like the North Korea, also use nationalism in justifying the
dictatorial and anti-democratic character of the country. In these cases of extreme nationalism,
history is being used by states in forms of official national history to rally the people behind them.

Local history can serve as a balancer of these tendencies by showing the peculiarities in
certain locales in a particular nation, region, or continent Studying local history can provide new
and alternative interpretations on the different aspects of a nation's history. Local history also
facilitates a historical narrative emanating from the people. Historians call this the history from
below. Ultimately, studying local history shall provide new provisions and perspectives on the

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already established national history. What used to be a generalizing narrative of the nation would
start to recognize certain nuances and uniqueness in the experience of people coming from
different localities in the nation. Thus, local history is not just aimed at opposing the discourse in
the national histories but is also a tool of enriching these
national narratives.

Doing local history, however, is not an easy task. Despite the seemingly smaller scope of
study, historians are often faced with challenges in locating sources for local and specific objects of
study. For example, it is much easier to study the life of national heroes than that of a local hero.
Sources abound on subjects of national importance but tend to be scarce on local subjects
Nevertheless, this limitation should encourage historians to innovate and recreate local historical
methodology. One important historical methodology to local history is oral history.

Oral history is important in the midst of scarcity in written sources, historical documents,
and other material evidences. This method uses oral accounts of historical subjects, witnesses,
members of the communities, and the like. Oral history primarily relies on memory. The subject or
the informant will recount his experiences to the researcher as he remembers it. In other instances,
the informant will relay what he learned from his ancestors or older members of the community to
the historian. This nature and definition of oral history caused positivist historians or those who
subscribe to the belief that history should be primarily based on written documents to criticize the
methods of oral history. Memory is seen as something that is faulty and inaccurate. At best,
positivist historians see oral accounts as mere supplement to the history written from written
documents.

However, one cannot discount the importance of oral history in writing the history of
underprivileged sectors and communities like the urban poor or indigenous peoples. These groups
are usually left out on records. They Were undocumented because of their status. In these
instances, it is the task of the historian to search for alternative methods that will capture the
experience and collective pasts of these communities. Oral history plays this role.

Local and oral history are important endeavors in the development and enrichment in the
discipline of history. These efforts fill the gaps in the discipline by highlighting alternative areas of
study and methodology toward a more holistic, inclusive, and progressive study of our past.

Lesson 2 Activity

My Life History. Write your autobiography/life history using only primary sources. Attach a copy
of the primary source you used when you submit your autobiography. Use A4 size bond paper.
Observe proper margin and neatness of work. Send all of them to Google classroom.

__________________________________________________________________________________________
TERM PROJECT:

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Write a 500-word persuasive essay that attempts to explain why Philippine government should
fund a local historical research. Suggest possible ways in which the government could help facilitate
the promotion of local history. Use logical reasoning supported with examples.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Summary
 It is not enough to know our history. We must also realize that as agents of social change, we
can contribute to the narrative of the nation by participating in writing about our past and our
present. Writing history can be done through historical research online, by doing life histories
and biographical research, and by conducting local and oral history.
 Historical research online is a way of doing research using cyberspace/internet as the
primary source of getting information. It has increasingly become the primary means by
which anyone would find any information that they need.
 Doing life history/biographical research is a process of studying the life of an individual who
is a significant contributor to various historical breakthroughs across periods of time. Other
aspects that may be studied in order to come up with a deeper life history are institution,
sector, ethnic group, and culture.
 Doing local history is a process of studying the history of a particular community or a smaller
unit of geography.
 Doing local history is not an easy task due to its smaller scope of study and sources for local
and specific objects of study.
 One important historical methodology to local history is oral history that primarily relies on
memory.
 Local and oral history are important endeavors in the development and enrichment in the
discipline of history.

 Assessment which is align to the Intended Learning Outcomes (Post-Test)

A. Essay. As you have read the all text discussions above, tell me what you think about this
matter.

1.) In your own idea, what is online research?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.) What do you understand by biographies or life history?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3.) What is local and oral history?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4.) What are the websites that you may use to legally download scanned copies of books and
other materials for free?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5.) Is doing local history an easy task? Why?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

B. True or False. Write true if the statement is correct and false if it is incorrect to your
answer sheet.

1. Local history is the key understanding of the different cultures and perspectives of
general communities.
2. The study of local history is an easy task.
3. Life history is an oft-neglected subdiscipline of history.
4. Doing life histories should be accompanied by locating the life of the individual in the
larger social life.
5. Oral history primarily relies on memory.

C. Identification. Identify what is referred to by the following:

__________ 1. It is the biggest open source encyclopedia in the whole of cyberspace.

__________ 2. It is the oldest digital library in the world that was founded in 1971.

__________ 3. It is the study of the history of a particular community or a smaller unit of

geography.

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 __________ 4. It is considered as one important historical methodology to local history.

__________ 5. It is an act of using another person’s words or ideas especially in doing online
research without giving credit to that person.

______________________________________________________________________________________

NOTE: CONTENTS OF THESE STUDY GUIDES (3 & 4) ARE JUST SOURCED OUT FROM THE
BOOK “READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY” AUTHORED BY JOHN LEE P. CANDELARIA AND
VERONICA C. ALPORHA.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

References:

Candelaria, JL. & Alporha, V. (2018). Readings in Philippine History, Manila: Rex Book Store, Inc.

Acero, V., Javier. E., & Castro, H. (2003). Principles and Strategies of Teaching. Manila: Rex Book
Store, Inc.

Black, J. & MacRaild, D. (2000). Studying History. Basingstoke, New Hampshire: Macmillan.

Blair, F. H, & Robertson, J. A. Eds. and trans. (1908-1909). The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898. 55
volumes. Cleveland: The Arthur and Clark Company

Marius, R. (1999). A Short Guide to Writing About History. New York: Longman.

McCoy, A. (2000). Lives at the Margin: Biographies of Filipinos Obscure, Ordinary, and Heroic. Quezon
City: Ateneo de Manila University Press.

National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). (2000). Philippine Archives Directory: A
Nationwide Survey of Government and Private Archives and Archival Holdings. Manila: National
Commission for Culture and the Arts.

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Navarro, A., Campomanes, A., & Candelaria, J. Eds. (2008). Kaalaman at Pamamaraan sa Pagtuturo
ng Kasaysayan, Quezon City: U.P. Lipunang Pangkasaysayan.

Sztompka, P. (1993). The Sociology of Social Change. (First Ed). Oxford, United Kingdom: Wiley-
Blackwell.

Tosh, J. (2002). The Pursuit of History: Aims, Methods and New Directions in the Study of Modern
History (Revised 3rd Ed.). London, United Kingdom: Pearson Education Ltd.

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