SURIGAO DEL SUR STATE UNIVERSITY

Cantilan Campus
Cantiilan, Surigao del Sur 8317

Readings in Philippine
History

First Semester
MODULE 12020 - 2021

RETSY T. MALONG
Focal Person

Members:
Michol Anthony U. Arreza
Myrna T. Alferez
 SURIGAO DEL SUR STATE UNIVERSITY
Cantilan Campus
Cantilan, Surigao del Sur 8317
Telefax No. 086-214-4221

Ryan L. Oranza
Lowelyn O. Quezada
Bernard D. Yu

Module Overview
What’s Inside?
Module Overview
An Introduction to History
Content and Contextual Analysis of Selected Primary Sources in Philippine History
Philippine History: Development of Philippine Historiography
Social, Political, Economic, and Cultural Issues in Philippine History

In this module, you will learn about the different concepts related to Philippine history.
Aside from that, you will gain insights between the distinction of primary and
secondary sources as part of analyzing the content of the documents. Lastly, this will
also give you the impression that past generations tell us a valuable lesson.

After this module, you can:

• analyze and critic Philippine controversial events and histories; and

• craft a life history or documentary research that applies the primary documents.

Are you ready? Then, let’s get it on!

GE-RPH – Readings in Philippine History

MODULE 1
 SURIGAO DEL SUR STATE UNIVERSITY
Cantilan Campus
Cantilan, Surigao del Sur 8317
Telefax No. 086-214-4221

Introduction to History: Definition, Issues,

Sources,
and Methodology
LESSON 1 Definition and Subject Matter

Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you should be able:

1. define history as an academic discipline;

2. distinguish between primary and secondary sources;
3. apply the knowledge of historical methodology and philosophy through existing local
or national history; and
4. appreciate the importance of history by creating a life history.

Introduction
This lesson provides learning in history as an academic discipline. It contains
definition, methodology and other philosophies of history that are fundamentally
needed in studying the lesson. You will also answer activities in order to assess your
learning. This lesson hopefully develops your skills in a learning process that is both
fun and exciting.
___________________________________________________________________________

Activity

When you hear the word HISTORY what comes to your mind?
What are the words you think associated with history? Write your
answers in the diagram below. You may produce more bubbles if
you have an additional idea.

GE-RPH – Readings in Philippine History

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 SURIGAO DEL SUR STATE UNIVERSITY
Cantilan Campus
Cantilan, Surigao del Sur 8317
Telefax No. 086-214-4221

⮚ How are those words you wrote in the bubbles related to history?

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⮚ What makes each of them a valuable part of the discussion of history?

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⮚ Are those words helpful in crafting the meaning of history?

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Analysis
• Based on the activity, can you define history?
___________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

• Why do you need to study history?

___________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

GE-RPH – Readings in Philippine History

MODULE 1
 SURIGAO DEL SUR STATE UNIVERSITY
Cantilan Campus
Cantilan, Surigao del Sur 8317
Telefax No. 086-214-4221

• What do you think is the importance of history as a student?

___________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

Abstraction

THE NATURE OF HISTORY AS A DISCIPLINE

In teaching basic Philippine History, educators in this field may well

observe that most students simply equate the discipline with the study of past
events. While others suggest that it is the written accounts of the past or simply
the chronological accounts from earlier to the present, collecting the record
neither arranging them in chronological order (according to the sequence of
occurrence for these events) is not enough. Though in History, a chronology is
indispensable, it does not speak as its totality. The causal relation of events is
given much weigh to highlight because it entails not only chronology but also a
proper understanding of why the events happened in such a sequence. History
breaks down merely as “his story” is another view that should not be taken
lightly. The line that separate History with mere “story” is that History requires
pieces of evidence like documents and other sorts to support its reconstruction
of the past1 while “Story” can be fictional that neither facts nor proofs are its
necessities.

History is an art of investigative study of the past that involved historical

accounts side by side with a trained historian to reconstruct the past. To be
specific, History investigates events that happened in the past and to
understand how it may shed enlightenment for the future. Prof. Juvanni
Caballero, a notable historian of Mindanao contends:

That though the descriptions above somehow share some

semblances of the definition of History as a discipline, they
nevertheless are too broad yet incomplete. To equate History
with written records, for instance, is not only misleading but
also reduces the discipline into mere records. It must be

1 In reconstructing the past, historians obtain their data from three basic sources namely: Written
records (diaries, newspapers, chronicles, journals, etc.); Oral traditions (epics, legends, folktales,
riddles, myths, etc.); 3.) Relics (skeletal remains, stone tools, coins, pottery)

GE-RPH – Readings in Philippine History

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 SURIGAO DEL SUR STATE UNIVERSITY
Cantilan Campus
Cantilan, Surigao del Sur 8317
Telefax No. 086-214-4221

pointed out that records may exist but they do not necessarily
speak for themselves. It is the historian, who, with the
proper training, collects these written records, analyzes or
interprets them, and comes up with the reconstruction of the
past. (Juvanni A. Caballero in Teaching and Learning Guide in
Philippine History-unpublished manuscript)

The etymological roots of History derived from the old European societies
such as Latin term Historia- which means “inquiry or investigation; French term
Historie meaning “knowing”; and finally Greek word Histor/Istor which means
“learned or wise man”. Hence, a historian must be equipped with the necessary
training to interpret data secured during his/her investigation to be able to
accomplish a credible historical account. To deal with the lengthy past,
Historians concentrate much of its energy to the specific events in the past that
has significance and not the fullness of what is considered as “past events”.
Presented below are some requisites for events to be considered historically
significant:

a.) Events should be based on facts

b.) Events should be past human events
c.) Events should be definite in time and place
d.) Events should be social in nature
e.) Events should be socially significant

The Development of Philippine Historiography

The idea propagated by History is not an alien concept among our

ancestors. Even when the Western impositions swept our early customs and
altered with their brand of civilization, some of our oral traditions persist.
Fortunately, Spanish documents containing details of their observation were
compiled and survived through centuries. Here is an excerpt taken from the
book The Philippine Islands by Blair and Robertson:

“More or less gold is found in all these islands; it is

obtained from the rivers, and, in some places, from mines,
which the natives work. However, they do not work the mines
steadily, but when forced by necessity; for because if their
sloth and the little work done by their slaves, they do not

GE-RPH – Readings in Philippine History

MODULE 1
 SURIGAO DEL SUR STATE UNIVERSITY
Cantilan Campus
Cantilan, Surigao del Sur 8317
Telefax No. 086-214-4221

even try to become wealthy, not do they care to accumulate

riches. When a chief possesses one or two pairs of earrings of
very fine gold, two bracelets, and a chain they will not
trouble himself to look for any gold." (Blair and Robertsson’s
translation of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi’s “Relation of the
Felipinas Islands and the Character of their Inhabitants” Vol.
3 pp. 56-57)

Note that this primary document was dated way back 1569-1576
taken from an official letter of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi to the Spanish King
Felipe II. These examples manifest the inclination of these early accounts
done by foreign writers. One of the visible presumptions here is the nature of
how the economy was defined among Europeans. Profit-driven economic
activities in the West differs from how it is perceived among reciprocity-
oriented people of the East (Narotzsky, 1997). Legazpi's concept of being
wealthy does not necessarily translates into how the native of the Island
defines wealth in their time. Reading through the text is confirmed that our
ancestors way back in time, lived in harmony with nature extracting only
what is essential and not accustomed to surplus production.

The prevalent notion in the earliest development of Historiography in

the country was well influenced by POSITIVISM. This school of thought in
history relies heavily on the available written accounts/documents.
Anchoring much of its interest on the existing primary accounts, these
orientation produce SECONDARY documents like Eric Wolf’s “Europe and the
People without History” published in 1982, Peter Schreurs' Caraga Antigua of
1989, and Jose Arcilla’s “Jesuit Letters” published in 1990. Nonetheless, those
secondary accounts reverberates the persona of the former colonizers due
to the fact that they centered on European motivation and exploits. In the
search to look back into the antiquity of the people in the region these
secondary account can be usefull yet demand further scrutiny. Schreurs, in
his account for instance, contend that European explorer headed by
Ferdinand Magellan reach this part of the country 500 years ago. His
chronicler, Antonio Pigafetta, who coined the term “Benaiam” referring to

GE-RPH – Readings in Philippine History

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 SURIGAO DEL SUR STATE UNIVERSITY
Cantilan Campus
Cantilan, Surigao del Sur 8317
Telefax No. 086-214-4221

the eastern coast of Mindanao was the first to introduce the ancient
Caragans to the age of written history (Schreurs, 1989). This historical injustice
suggest that the people in this region were completely ignorant and
backward that whatever they poses today they owe it to their former
colonial master.

The fundamentals of this movement were soon challenged by another

school of thought that emerges. POST-COLONIALISM took the challenge of
rewriting history from the perspective of the people and not anchored on the
impositions of a foreign authority. This movement utilizes not just printed
materials of early European accounts but included surviving oral traditions,
legends, folktales, and even relics and artifacts to reconstruct History free
from the dictates of the former colonizers. They utilize scriptures of the
antiquity and dichotomize biases and impurities committed by the forerunner
of the discipline.

HISTORIOGRAPHY can explain the motivation behind this historical

source. Historiography is known as an art of writing down history, the context
of historical account, and the perspective that the author assumes in
reconstructing the past. The earliest accounts are well-known with either
military or religious undertone along with their biases towards the people
they perceived as "heathen" and "savages". Despite these accounts are
inaccurate and one sided, they remain as the rich source in writing of data if
one wish to revisit the antiquity. Because those documents do not speak
alone, employing post-colonial orientation to attain credibility is necessary. In
this matter, we take for instance the concept of "LADONG" among the littoral
people of the eastern seaboard of Mindanao that was repeatedly inscribed
in official Spanish chronicles. With this phenomenon, the inhabitants of
Mindanao facing the Pacific ocean (from Cantilan in Surigao del Sur to
Caraga in Davao Oriental) were nicknamed "spirited people" or
Kalagan/Caragan (Schreurs, 1980; Arcilla, 1990; Blair and Robertsons 1903 ).
Using only text, this occurrence appears in their manuscript as “Kalag” or

GE-RPH – Readings in Philippine History

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 SURIGAO DEL SUR STATE UNIVERSITY
Cantilan Campus
Cantilan, Surigao del Sur 8317
Telefax No. 086-214-4221

Carag in Spanish writings but some details remains vague. Using oral tradition
and supplementary investigation the term “Ladong” emerges. Hence, this
method of annotating written accounts to extract data that conforms to the
existing practices is another effective way to reconstruct History.

Application
Define in your own words the meaning of history.
Task 1

Look at the pictures below, write PS if it is Primary Source and SS for

Secondary Source. Write at least 3 sentences justifying your answers in
the space provided at the right side of the pictures.
Task 2

_________ 1. Pres. Marcos official declaration of Martial Law

_____________________________

_____________________________

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7VbTrjuihA

_________ 2. Golden Tara of Agusan del Sur

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

GE-RPH – Readings in Philippine History

MODULE 1
 SURIGAO DEL SUR STATE UNIVERSITY
Cantilan Campus
Cantilan, Surigao del Sur 8317
Telefax No. 086-214-4221

https://joylez.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/golden-tara-ng-agusan.jpg

_______ 3. Journal of English Linguistics

________________________________________

________________________________________

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https://umb.libguides.com/PrimarySources/secondary

_______ 4. Textbook on the Philippine Constitution

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

_______ 5. One of the diaries of Dr. Jose P. Rizal

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

GE-RPH – Readings in Philippine History

MODULE 1
 SURIGAO DEL SUR STATE UNIVERSITY
Cantilan Campus
Cantilan, Surigao del Sur 8317
Telefax No. 086-214-4221

Select at least one (1) significant song in the Philippine society

Task 3 (local/regional/national) and answer the following given questions.

Who is the composer of the song?

1. Where is the song originated?
2. Is the song useful in the community/country? Support your answers.

Task 4 Write a documentary history of your life based on the following topics:

● My Elementary and High School Memories

● The Place Where I Live

● My Memorable Experience.

● Why I want to Get a Degree?

● Who am I?
Note: Choose only one (1) and attach a copy of the primary source you
used when you submit your output.

GE-RPH – Readings in Philippine History

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 SURIGAO DEL SUR STATE UNIVERSITY
Cantilan Campus
Cantilan, Surigao del Sur 8317
Telefax No. 086-214-4221

Congratulations, well done! You have just finished the three (3) tasks of this module.

Now if you are ready, please proceed to Lesson 2.

References:

Arcilla, Jose. (1989). The Jesuit Letters and Mindanao. Philippine Studies, 37(3), 357-366.
Retrieved July 23, 2019, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/42633611

Blair Emma and James Alexander Robertsons (1903) The Philippine Islands. Arthur A
Clark Co.. Cleveland, Ohio

Caballero Juvanni A. Teaching and Learning Guide in Philippine History-unpublished

manuscript

Candelaria and Alporha (2018). Readings in Philippine History. Rex Book Store, Inc.,
Manila, Philippines

Narotzky, Suzanna (1997) New Directions in Economic Anthropology. Pluto Press.

London, UK

Rosales et. al., (2020). Understanding Philippine History: Readings and Discourse. Lorimar
Publishing Inc.,Quezon City, Manila, Philippines.

Schreurs, Peter (1989) Caraga Antigua: The Hispanization and Christianization of

Agusan, Surigao and East Davao. San Carlos Publication, University of San
Carlos Cebu City, Philippines

Web Sites

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7VbTrjuihA

https://joylez.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/golden-tara-ng-agusan.jpg

https://umb.libguides.com/PrimarySources/secondary

GE-RPH – Readings in Philippine History

MODULE 1
 SURIGAO DEL SUR STATE UNIVERSITY
Cantilan Campus
Cantilan, Surigao del Sur 8317
Telefax No. 086-214-4221

https://www.rexestore.com/1898-thickbox_default/textbook-on-the-philippine-
constitution.jpg

Rubric for Essay

GE-RPH – Readings in Philippine History

MODULE 1
 SURIGAO DEL SUR STATE UNIVERSITY
Cantilan Campus
Cantilan, Surigao del Sur 8317
Telefax No. 086-214-4221

https://www.ccd.edu/download/file/fid/16929

GE-RPH – Readings in Philippine History

MODULE 1