HIST 101:

SOURCES IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY III. Tertiary Sources

These are sources that index, abstract, organize, compile, or digest other sources.
Lesson 1: Types of Sources Some reference materials and textbooks are considered tertiary sources when their
chief purpose is to list, summarize or simply repackage ideas or other information.
I. Primary Sources Tertiary sources are usually not credited to a particular author.
These sources are records of events or evidence as they are first described or
actually happened without any interpretation or commentary. It is information that is Examples of Tertiary Sources:
shown for the first time or original materials on which other research is based. Dictionaries/encyclopedias (may also be secondary), almanacs, fact books,
Primary sources display original thinking, report on new discoveries, or share fresh Wikipedia, bibliographies (may also be secondary), directories, guidebooks, manuals,
information. handbooks, and textbooks (may be secondary), indexing and abstracting sources

● First-hand evidence or eyewitness account of an event or person Lesson 2: Historical Criticism

● Tells about the event without adding any interpretation or commentary that may
convey attitudes from a later time Historical Criticism
● Reflects the individual viewpoint or bias (a one-sided point of view) of the Historical criticism is a branch of criticism that investigates the origin of text or source
participant/recorder in order to understand the word behind the text. It seeks a greater understanding of
● Reflects the biases and attitudes of the time period in which it was written or the texts by analyzing the historical and social contexts in which they developed.
produced
Primary Goals:
Examples of Primary Sources: ● To discover the text's primitive or original historical context and its literal sense.
Theses, dissertations, scholarly journal articles (research based), some government ● To establish a reconstruction of the historical situation of the author and
reports, symposia and conference proceedings, original artwork, poems, recipients of the text.
photographs, speeches, letters, memos, personal narratives, diaries, interviews, ● To understand the text's meaning in its original context.
autobiographies, and correspondence. ● To answer questions about the text, such as: Who wrote it? When was it written?
What else happened at the time of its writing? How did it come to be in the form
II. Secondary Sources we have it today? What did it mean to the people who first read or heard it?
These sources offer an analysis or restatement of primary sources. They often try to
describe or explain primary sources. They tend to be works which summarize, 2 Types of Historical Criticism:
interpret, reorganize, or otherwise provide an added value to a primary source. External criticism (investigates the documents form)
Internal criticism (investigates the content of the documents).
● Second-hand account of an event or person made after the time period being
recorded. I. External Criticism
● Interprets, analyzes or explains a historical event and the evidence of that event This type of criticism looks for the obvious sign of forgery or misrepresentation. This
● Usually attempts to be objective and balanced, but may reflect the biases of the type of criticism tests the authenticity of the sources. It is interested in the writing
historian/recorder. styles of the eyewitness and his ignorance of the facts. The historian also analyzes
● Could convey the attitudes of the time period in which it was written or produced the original manuscript; its integrity, localization, and the date it was written.

Examples of Secondary Sources: To ascertain if a particular data is fabricated, forged, fake, corrupted or a hoax, that
Textbooks, edited works, books and articles that interpret or review research works, source must undergo the test of authenticity. Since external criticism is concerned
histories, biographies, literary criticism and interpretation, reviews of law and with the explicit sign of misrepresentation, it is the first test the historian employs to
legislation, political analyses and commentaries. ascertain sources' validity.
● Test of authenticity Modern Filipino Orthography
Here are the steps on how historians test the authenticity of the sources: Ama namin, sumasalangit Ka, Sambahin ang Ngalan Mo.
Mapasaamin ang kaharián Mo.
1. The first step to test a source is to determine the date of the document to see Sundín ang loób Mo
whether it is anachronistic. Anachronism means out of time or order, something that Dito sa lupa, para nang sa langit.
could not have been there at that particular time. It could be a person, thing or idea
placed at the wrong time. Being able to spot anachronism is important because it 4. The fourth test is the anachronistic reference to events. For example, if the event
helps us test the reliability of a source. If a source is unreliable then we probably cited in the document is prior to the actual event, then the document must be forged
should not use it. or fake.

Examples can be found in Rizal's allegedly first poem " Sa Aking Mga Kabata" where 5. The fifth test of authenticity is the provenance or custody of the document.
we could find the word "kalayaan". Rizal admitted that he first encountered the word Provenance is the place of origin of the earliest known history of documents. It traces
through a Marcelo H. Del Pilar's translation of Rizal's essay " El Amor Patrio". Rizal the roots of any source.
wrote this essay in 1882 while the poem supposedly was written by him in the year
1869. 6. The other two tests of authenticity are the semantics and hermeneutics.

2. The second step is to determine the author's handwriting, signature or seal. We ● Semantics is the linguistic study of meaning. In this test, semantics determine
can compare the handwriting of particular author to his other writings. Obvious signs the meaning of the text and words of the source. We may ask: is the meaning of
of forgery include patch writing, hesitation as revealed by ink blobs, pauses in the the statements different from its literal meaning?
writing, tremor causing poor line quality and erasures. However, some people are ● Hermeneutics on the other hand is theory and methodology of interpretation.
highly skilled in imitating others' handwriting. Even a skilled forger can be caught Hermeneutics is more than interpretation or method used when immediate
because the act of writing is a skill learned through repetition until it becomes a habit. comprehension fails. In historical criticism, we determine ambiguities which are
Thus, there is natural variation in everyone's handwriting. In addition, no one can words or expressions that can be understood in two or more possible ways.
duplicate all of the intricate subconscious writing habits of another in an extended Historians may also look if the statement is meant to be ironic (i.e. mean other
writing sample. than what it says).

Example of this is the handwriting in the alleged retraction letter of Jose Rizal. II. Internal Criticism
This type of criticism looks for deeper or more intense study of sources. Usually
3. The third test in determining the authenticity of the source is by looking for the historians first apply external criticism before undergoing the test of credibility
anachronistic style. In this test we will examine idiomatic expressions or the because of internal criticisms implicit character. It is important that the document must
orthography used in the documents. An idiom is an expression, word or phrase that be very similar or as close as what really happened from a critical examination of best
has a figurative meaning conventionally understood by native speakers. When we say available resources. It refers to the accuracy of the content of a document.
'break a leg' we all know that it means good luck. Orthography is a set of conventions
for writing a language. It includes norms of spelling, hyphenation, capitalization, word Internal criticism has to do with what the document says. It investigates the content or
breaks, emphasis and punctuation. When the poem Sa Aking Mga Kabata was substance of a document and the author's point of view. This type of criticism tests
allegedly written in 1869, most Philippine language was widely written in a variety of the credibility of the source.
ways based on Spanish Orthography:
● Test of Credibility
Early Tagalog System (taken from Doctrina Christiana,) Here are the steps on how historians test the credibility of the sources:
Ama namin, nasa Langitca, Ypasamba Mo ang Ngalanmo.
Mouisaamin ang pagcaharimo. 1. The first step is the identification of the author. It determines if the witness is
Ypasonor mo ang loob mo reliable or if he is consistent by comparing his other works. In these steps historians
Dito sa lupa para sa Langit. also examine the mental processes of the witness, if he is capable of telling the truth,
or if he is mentally challenged. Finally, we will look for his personal attitudes, if he is
telling something beyond what he saw or bragging about it. Many historians use some
kind of rubric to test the credibility of the author. REFERENCES

2. The second step in testing the credibility of the eyewitness is to determine the 1. Textbooks
approximate date.
Candelaria Jhon Lee P. and Veronica C. Alphorha. Readings in Philippine history -
Example of this is again Rizal's poem "Sa aking mga kabata". He wrote that poem Rex Book
when he was only eight years old and that poem is with rhythm and meter. To think
that when Rizal was 8 years old the primary education in the Philippines was Store 2018
nonexistent.
Solmerano, Ernesto Thaddeus et. al. Readings in Philippine History. Fast Books
3. The third step in testing the credibility of the source is its ability to tell the truth. Educational Supply Inc. 2018
Historians examine how near an eyewitness is to the event. The closer a source is to
the event which it purports to describe, the more one can trust it to give an accurate Torres, Jose Victor, Batis; Sources in Philippine History. C&E Publishing, Inc. 2018
historical description of what actually happened. Historians also look for the
competence of the eyewitness. Basically, they look for the background of the author 2. Other References
like education, health, age, or social status. The last test for this step is the degree of
the attention of the eyewitness. Whether the sources witness the event only partly or Rizal's Poems. National Historical Institute. 2002
if he witnesses the event from the start to finish.
Selected Writing of Rizal. Technology Supply Inc. 1999
4. The fourth step is the willingness to tell the truth. If the eyewitness is coerced,
forced or somebody threatens him to tell something then his account is not valid. If Bull, Sylvia and Joseph Schattauer Paillé (July 6, 2015) What is Historical Criticism?
the eyewitness wants to hide something for personal reasons. Queer Grace Retrieved. August 5, 2020 from http://queergrace.com/historical-
criticism/
5. The last step is to look for corroboration. This particular step rests upon the
independent testimony of two or more reliable sources. The words independent De Veyra, Lourd (2017) Greatest Hoaxes in Philippine History. History with Lourd.
testimony must be emphasized. For instance, if the soldier who fought the battle, a News 5
general who oversaw the battle, and a doctor who treated those wounded who fought
the battle, all recorded the same fact or all agree about an event, historians consider Everywhere. Retrieved Aug. 16, 2020 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
that event proven. v=H1IShfwt930

Gottschalk, Louis. A Primer of Historical Method. Alfred A. Knopf 1950

Howell, Martha and Walter Prevenier. From Reliable Sources: An Introduction to

Historical

Method. Cornell University Press 2001

Navarro, Atoy M. Ang Bagong Kasaysayan sa Wikang Filipino. Palimbagan ng Lahi.

2000

Orillos-Juan, Florina. Historical Method. Commission on Higher Education. Aug. 12,

2016. De

La Salle University -Manila