Module in Readings in

Philippine History

Prepared by:
Mark Dave S. Bandoy, LPT
Marinduque State College
College of Natural and Allied Health Sciences
READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

Course Code: GE 2

Course Description: The course analyzes Philippine history from multiple perspectives through
the lens of selected primary sources coming from various disciplines and different
 genres. Students are given opportunities to analyze the author’s background and
main arguments, compare different points of view, identify biases and examine
evidence 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.

This course includes mandatory topics on the Philippine constitution, agrarian

reform and taxation.

LEARNING OUTCOMES CONTENT

Explain the meaning and relevance of history; Meaning and relevance of history; distinction of
Analyze primary and secondary sources; primary and secondary sources; external and internal
Use internal and external criticism in understanding criticism; repositories of primary sources and
selected topics; different kinds of primary sources
Familiarize the repositories and kinds of primary
sources.
Analyze content and context of selected primary Content and contextual analysis of selected primary
sources; sources; identification of the historical importance of
Identify historical importance of selected texts; the texts; examination of the author’s main
Examine arguments and point of view of the author arguments and point of view.
of selected primary sources. a. A Brief Summary of the First Voyage Around
the World by Magellan by Antonio Pigafetta
b. The KKK and the “Kartilya ng Katipunan”
c. Reading the “Proclamation of the Philippine
Independence”
d. A Glance at Selected Philippine Political
Caricature in Alfred McCoy’s Philippine Cartoons:
 Political Caricature of the American Era (1900-
1941)
e. Revisiting Corazon Aquino’s speech before
the U.S. Congress
Critic varying perspectives on selected controversial “ One past, but many histories”: Controversies and
topics in Philippine history. conflicting views in Philippine history:
a. Site of the First Mass
b. Cavite Mutiny
c. Retraction of Rizal
d. The Cry of Rebellion

Discuss social, political, economic and cultural issues Social, political, economic and cultural issues in
in Philippine history; Philippine history
Create a timeline of issues in Philippine history
Mandated Topics:
1. Agrarian Reform Policies
2. Philippine Constitutions (1899, 1935, 1973,
1987)
3. Taxation

Other Topics:
1. Filipino Cultural Heritage
Biography of Prominent Filipinos
Take pride of the rich local history of Marinduque; Critical evaluation and promotion of local and oral
Identify local practices, rituals, etc.; history, museums, historical shrines, cultural
Write a research on local history, rites, rituals, local performances, indigenous practices, religious rites
traditions, practices, etc. and rituals, etc.
 MODULE 2

Content and Contextual Analysis of Selected

Primary Sources in Philippine History

Overview
In the preceding module, we have discussed the importance of familiarizing oneself about
the different kinds of historical sources. The historian’s primary tool of understanding and
interpreting the past is the historical sources. Historical sources ascertain historical facts. Such
facts are then analyzed and interpreted by the historians to weave historical narrative.
Specifically, historians who study certain historical subjects and events need to make use of
various primary sources in order to weave the narrative.
 The complete knowledge of the past through credible and reliable sources is essential to
the understanding and learning of the students of their own history. History must be studied
carefully; hence it necessitates the application of historical method.
Content analysis is a systematic evaluation of the primary source be it a text, painting,
caricature, and/or speech that in the process students could develop and present an argument
based on their own understanding of the evidence from their readings. The students will identify
pertinent information from the text/document and explain its importance to their understanding
of history in the Philippine setting. Contextual analysis on the other hand, considers specifically
the time, place, and situation when the primary source was written.
In this module, we are going to look at a number of primary sources from different
historical periods and evaluate these documents’ content in terms of historical value, and
examine the context of their production. The primary sources that we are going to examine are
Antonio Pigafetta’s First Voyage Around the World, Emilio Jacinto’s “Kartilya ng Katipunan,”
the 1898 Declaration of Philippine Independence, Political Cartoon’s Alfred McCoy’s
Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricature of the American Era (1900-1941), and Corazon
Aquinos’s speech before the U.S. Congress. These primary sources range from chronicles,
official documents, speeches, and cartoons to visual arts. Needless to say, different types of
sources necessitate different kinds of analysis and contain different levels of importance. We are
going to explore that in this module.

Objectives:
After reading the module, you are expected to:
1. To familiarize oneself with the primary documents in different historical periods of the
Philippines.
2. To learn history through primary sources.
3. To properly interpret primary sources through examining the content and context of the
document.
 4. To understand the context behind each selected document.

The KKK and the “Kartilya ng Katipunan”

The Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK) or

Katipunan is arguably the most important organization formed in the Philippine history. While
anti-colonial movements, efforts and organizations had already been established centuries prior
to the foundation of the Katipunan, it was only this organization that envisioned (1) a united
Filipino nation that would revolt against Spaniards for (2) the total independence of the country
from Spain. Previous armed revolts had already occurred before the foundation of the Katipunan,
buyt none of them envisioned a unified Filipino nation revolting against the colonizers. For
example, Diego Silang was known an Ilocano who took up of his arms and led one of the longest
running revolts in the country. Silang, however, was mainly concerned about his locality and
referred to himself as El Rey de Ilocos (The King of Ilocos). The imagination of the nation was
largely absent in the aspirations of the local revolts before the Katipunan. On the other hand, the
propaganda movements led by the illustrados like Marcelo H. del Pilar, Graciano Lopez Jaena,
and Jose Rizal did not envision a total separation of the Philippines from Spain, but only
demanded equal rights, representation, and protection from the abuses of the friars.

In the conduct of their struggle, Katipunan created a complete structure and a defined
value system that would guide the organization as a collective aspiring for a single goal. One of
the most important Katipunan documents was the Kartilya ng Kataipunan, the original title of
the document was “Manga [sic] Aral Nang [sic] Katipunan ng mga A.N.B.” or “Lessons of the
Organization of the Sons of Country.” The document was written by Emilio Jacinto in the 1896,
Jacinto was only 18 years old when he joined the movement. He was a law student in the
Universidad de Santo Tomas. Despite his youth, Bonifacio recognized the value and intellect of
Jacinto that upon seeing that Jacinto’s Kartilya was much better the Decalogue he wrote, he
willingly favored that the Kartilya be distributed to their fellow Katipuneros, Jacinto became the
secretary of the organization and tookcharge of the short-lived printing press of the Katipunan.
On 15 April 1897, Bonifacio appointed Jacinto as a commander of the Katipunan in Northern
Luzon. Jacinto was 22 years old. He died of Malaria at a young age of 24 in the town of
Magdalena, Laguna.
 The Kartilya can be treated as the Katipunan’s code of conduct. It contains fourteen rules
that instruct the way a Katipunero should behave, and which specific values should he uphold.
Generally, the rules stated in the Kartilya can be classified into two. The first group contains the
rule that will make the member an upright individual and the second group contains the rules that
will guide the way he treats his fellow men,

Below is the translated version of the rules in Katrtilya:

I. The life that is not consecrated to a lofty and reasonable purpose is a tree
without a shade, if not poisonous weed.
II. To do good for personal gain and not for its own sake is not virtue.
III. It is rational to be charitable and love one’s fellow creature, and to adjust
one’s conduct, acts and words to what is in itself reasonable.
IV. Whether our skin be black or white, we are all born equal: superiority in
knowledge, wealth and beauty are to be understood, but not superiority in
nature.
V. The honorable man prefers honor to personal gain; the scoundrel, gain to
honor.
VI. To the honorable man, his word is sacred.
VII. Do not waste thy time: wealth can be recovered but not time lost.
VIII. Defend the oppressed and fight the oppressor before the law or in the field.
IX. The prudent man is sparing in words and faithful in keeping secrets.
X. On the thorny path of life, man is the guide of woman and the children,
and if the guide leads to the precipice, those whom he guides will also go
there.
XI. Thou must not look upon woman as a mere plaything, but as a faithful
companion who will share with thee the penalties of life: her (physical)
weakness will increase thy interest in her and she will remind thee of the
mother who bore thee and reared thee.
XII. What thou does not desire done unto thy wife, children, brothers, and
sisters, that do not unto the wife, children, brothers and sisters of thy
neighbor.
 XIII. Man is not worth more because he was a king, because his nose is
aquiline, and his color white, not because he is a priest, a servant of God,
nor because of the high prerogative that he enjoys upon earth, but he is
worth most who is a man of proven and real value, who does good, keeps
his words, is worthy and honest; he who does not oppress nor consent to
being oppressed, he who loves and cherishes his fatherland, though he be
born in wilderness and know no tongue but his own.
XIV. When these rules of conduct shall be known to all, the longed- for sun of
Liberty shall rise brilliant over this most unhappy portion of the globe and
its rays shall diffuse everlasting joy among the confederated brethren of
the same rays, the lives of those who have gone before, the fatigues and
the well-paid sufferings will remain. If he who desires to enter has
informed himself of this and believes he will be able to perform what will
be his duties, he may fill out the application for admission.

As the primary governing document, which determines the rules of conduct in the
Katipunan, properly understanding the Kartilya will thus help in understanding the
values, idelas, aspirations, and even the ideology of the organization.

Bibliography
Candelaria&Alporha. (2018). Readings in Philippine History.1st ed. Rex Bookstore, Inc.
Ligan. V. O. et.al. (2018). Readings in Philippine History. Mutya Publishing House, Inc.