Readings in Philippine History Essay On Philippine Nationalist Historiography

The History of Freedom in the Views of the Philippine Nationalist
Historiography
Would the Filipinos be considered as other than themselves if we truly

never attained freedom and stood still, trapped by the shackles of the oppressive
Spaniards? Would we have truly attained absolute freedom if we did so
otherwise? Rizal, in a letter he wrote to his friend Mariano Ponce, said: “If at his
death, Burgos had shown the courage of Gomes, the Filipino of today would be
other than they are.” The execution of the three martyr priests—Jose Burgos,
Mariano Gomes, and Jacinto Zamora, most commonly referred to as GOMBURZA
—sparked the outrage of the Filipinos and led to the spark that became one of
the reasons for the revolution in the Philippines. This event also marked the
advent of Philippine history.
The nationalist historian Teodoro Agoncillo explained that there was no

Philippine history before 1872, which was the day the three martyr priests were
executed. He stated that Filipinos started charting the course of their own history
as they witnessed the unlawful execution of the three priests, and that before
1872, what was called “Philippine history” was nothing but the history of Spain in
the Philippines. Teodoro Agoncillo, a remarkable figure in Philippine history,
valued the “Filipino Point of View”—the notion of rewriting history from the
perspective of Filipinos while sticking to the facts (Ilao, 2021). Agoncillo
debunked the idea that the Ilustrados, the elites among the indios, spearheaded
the revolution, believing instead that the Katipunan, which comprised the
masses or the lower class, did so, leading to considerable changes in how we
attained our freedom. Before Agoncillo, historians in the Philippines wrote history
from a “neutral point of view,” mostly relying on sources from the colonizers’
perspective. Teodoro challenged this, arguing that through these lenses, the
facts were twisted and biased against Filipinos, and that considering both Filipino
and Spanish perspectives as primary sources would help in attaining the truth.
He was one of the few prominent figures to challenge the idea that Ferdinand
Magellan “discovered” the Philippine Islands, arguing that the indios had always
inhabited the lands and that their arrival was a mere disruption.
Renato Constantino held a Marxist view of the negative effects of social

ills. He considered the notion that Philippine history was a mere representation
of the views of the upper class on the perceived history of the Philippines. He
argued for a rewriting of Philippine history not only from the perspective of
Filipinos but also from that of the Filipino masses. He articulated his views on the
necessity of having a “people’s history,” which highlights the collective struggles
of Filipinos in the past, focusing on the collective articulation of the struggles of
the masses as the point of interest in writing history.
Professor Reynaldo C. Ileto’s works focused on the Philippine Revolution

from the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. His
works, which centered on the roots of the masses and marginalized people in
society, resemble much of Agoncillo’s work, emphasizing how ordinary people
rather than elites or the upper classes became the backbone of the Philippine
Revolution's success. His famous book, Pasyon and Revolution: Popular
Movements in the Philippines, 1840-1910 (1979), focused on the idea that the
Pasyon, or the teachings of the Spanish, fueled the anti-colonial and
revolutionary movements that took place centuries ago. The general public’s
view of the tribulations faced by Jesus Christ was adopted by the masses as a
way of life, leading them to see Spanish colonial rule as evil and finding a cause
to stand against it. Ileto's works inspired Filipinos to take pride in their heritage
and not be swayed by narrow-minded exclusionary nationalism.
The inclusive notion of social interconnectivity is relatively well known in

the country as Pantayong Pananaw (PP), introduced by Zeus A. Salazar. It is the
concept of understanding social collectiveness and connectivity in a unified and
internal manner, classified through a linguistic-cultural structure of
communication and interaction, or a sense of oneness regarding the purpose of
existence. It integrates different communities within a single nation without
erasing their sense of identity. Pantayong Pananaw is an important aspect of our
national identity and history, as the oppressed Filipinos have often been
categorized as “Indios” or “Little Brown Americans” due to the views of the
colonizers. Pantayong Pananaw shows us that the collectiveness of Filipinos is
how we view ourselves through our own lens and through the lens of others. The
notions mentioned, contributed by the great minds that shaped our
understanding of Philippine history, paved the way to reconceptualize a profound
understanding of history through our own “Filipino Point of View.”
As the diverse and rich history of Filipinos is rewritten, it becomes clear
that we have always been ourselves; the things that the colonizers attempted to
take failed, as did their attempts to overshadow their actions. The historical
movements that took place revealed the cruel reality and challenged the
perspective that we became who we are only because of them. In reality, we
were already Filipinos prior to their arrival. This highlights the importance of
relearning history through the lens of Filipinos while also considering the views
that colonizers had about us.
Sources
Ocampo, A. R. (2023). Gomburza and Rizal’s execution | Inquirer Opinion. INQUIRER.net.
https://opinion.inquirer.net/161124/gomburza-and-rizals-execution
FlipScience. (2023, September 10). History from our perspective: The legacy of historian
Teodoro Agoncillo - FlipScience - Top Philippine science news and features for the
inquisitive Filipino.
https://www.flipscience.ph/features/national-scientist-teodoro-agoncillo/
Guiang. (2021). The genesis of partisan scholarship: Renato Constantino as a public

intellectual and nationalist historian, 1950s–1980s. UPD Journals Online.
https://www.journals.upd.edu.ph/index.php/socialsciencediliman/article/download/
8517/7456#:~:text=History%20should%20thus%20give%20focus,Filipino%20people
%20(Constantino%201975).
Hopkins, A. G. (2021). The Philippines in imperial history. The Journal of Imperial &
Commonwealth History, 49(4), 805–825.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03086534.2021.1957502
Fukuoka Prize Org, (n.d) Fukuoka Prize
https://fukuoka-prize.org/en/laureates/detail/23c0e846-12a6-413f-a3a3-
027c626bdd7b#:~:text=Ileto%20is%20a%20leading%20scholar,%2C%20religion%2C
%20and%20cultural%20studies.
Guillermo, R. (2014) Exposition, critique and new directions for Pantayong Pananaw -
Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia. Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia
https://kyotoreview.org/issue-3-nations-and-stories/exposition-critique-and-new-
directions-for-pantayong-pananaw/#:~:text=1)%20%E2%80%9CPantayong%20Pananaw
%E2%80%9D%20as,a%20strong%20Pantayong%20Pananaw%E2%80%9D).

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The History of Freedom in the Views of the Philippine Nationalist

Would the Filipinos be considered as other than themselves if we truly

The nationalist historian Teodoro Agoncillo explained that there was no

Renato Constantino held a Marxist view of the negative effects of social

Professor Reynaldo C. Ileto’s works focused on the Philippine Revolution

The inclusive notion of social interconnectivity is relatively well known in

Ocampo, A. R. (2023). Gomburza and Rizal’s execution | Inquirer Opinion. INQUIRER.net.

Guiang. (2021). The genesis of partisan scholarship: Renato Constantino as a public

Fukuoka Prize Org, (n.d) Fukuoka Prize

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