CHAPTER 11 – LOOKING AT THE Philippines from the time of Miguel Lopez

FILIPINO PAST de Legazpi in 1565 to Pedro de Acuña in

1606. The last chapter, title “An account
During the Spanish colonial period, of the Philippine Islands”, provided ample
Philippine history was primarily written by
descriptions of early Filipinos upon the
the Spanish. Early Spanish historians took
notes of the native’s appearance and way arrival of the Spaniards in the sixteenth
of life. However, many of these early century.
histories depicted the Filipinos in negative
While at the British Museum in late
terms and often contained biases against
the colonized people. 1889, Rizal found a copy of the first
edition of Antonio Morga’s Sucesos de las
José Rizal’s annotation of Antonio Islas Filipinas and began copying the text
Morga’s work, Sucesos de las islas by hand. He annotated the work along the
Filipinas, was an attempt to redress this way with the intention of creating a critical
biased view of the Filipinos. Although
work on the history of the Philippines.
Rizal’s annotations have been “largely
disregarded”, his work has been credited Despite hopes of getting the work
as the first Philippines history to be written published through the help of Antonio
from the viewpoint of a Filipino. Regidor, Rizal ended up with no publisher
when his annotations were done. By
In this chapter, we will discuss the reasons September 1889, Rizal decided to publish
why Jose Rizal decided to annotate
Antonio Morga’s work, sucesos de las islas the annotations himself in Garnier
Filipinas. Hermanos, a printing press based in Paris.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES Rizal’s choice of annotating Morga’s

At the end of this chapter, the students work among all other early chronicles
should be able to: written by Spaniards is not coincidental.
Historian Ambeth Ocampo provides five
 argue the reasons why José Rizal
decided to annotate Antonio Morga’s reasons behind Rizal’s choice.
work, Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas; The first reason, according to
 relate how Rizal’s annotations conform Ocampo, was the fact that Morga’s work in
with the overall aims of the Propaganda
Movement; and its original Spanish edition was rare. In
 create their own annotations of a fact, the original Spanish text had never
sample text. been reprinted in full until Rizal published
VOCABULARY his annotations in 1889. Second, unlike
 Audiencia- the Royal Audiencia or the other early Spanish chronicles written by
royal court of justice in Spain and its ecclesiastics, Morga was a civil
colonies administrator and therefore provided a
 ecclesiastics- the religious secular view of historical events during the
missionaries early Spanish colonial period. This second
 secular- having ideas and attitudes not
determined by any religious bias reason relates to Rizal’s belief that a
secular account was more credible than
WHO IS ANTONIO MORGA? those written by religious missionaries,
which is the third reason for his choice.
Antonio Morga was a Spanish Fourth, it was more sympathetic towards
administrator who served in the the natives in contrast to the biased
Philippines in the late sixteenth century. accounts written by the friars. Finally,
He was born in Seville in 1559 and began Morga’s work was a fitting choice because
working for the government in 1580. He he was an eyewitness to historical events
served as the Lieutenant-Governor — that occurred in the Philippines during the
second most powerful position in the period of early Spanish colonization.
colony—of the Philippines in 1593 and
then as a judge of the Audiencia in 1598. With the publication of his
By 1615, he moved to Mexico where he annotations to Sucesos, Rizal presented
served as the president of the Audiencia. an outline of a linear conception of history.
He was later investigated for corruption While Noli Me Tangere dealt with the
and was found guilty. Before being sent to nineteenth century or Rizal’s present, and
the gallows, however, he died in 1636. El Filibusterismo and the essay titled “The
Philippines a Century Hence” covered the
Morga’s work, Sucesos de las Islas future, the annotations of Sucesos tackled
Filipinas, was published in 1609 in Mexico the past.
and consisted of eight chapters. The first
seven chapters dealt with the terms of the More than an attempt to write the
governor-generals who had served in the country’s history, however, Rizal’s
annotation of Morga’s Sucesos must also they bathe, traps and fences with think
be seen within the context of the enclosures and bars of bamboo and
Propaganda Movement. At a time when timber within which they do their bathing
Filipino propagandists were clamouring for and washing, secure from these monsters
reforms in Spain, presenting a critical which they fear and respect to the degree
narrative of the country’s history might be of veneration, as if they were somehow
considered as an endeavour to create a superior to them.
sense of national consciousness or identity
Rizal’s Annotation
that was anchored on a glorious past.
Perhaps for the same reason, other
Whereas early Spanish chroniclers
nations have great esteem for the lion and
ridiculed the early Filipinos for being
bear, putting them on their shields and
barbarians, Rizal’s copious notes of
giving them honorable epithets. The
Sucesos revealed early Filipino culture as
mysterious life of the crocodile, the
rich and flourishing. Thus, Rizal’s
enormous size that it sometimes reaches,
annotations may be considered an effort
its fatidical aspect, without counting any
to assert Filipino identity within an
more its voraciousness, must have
oppressive colonial framework.
influenced greatly the imagination of the
ACTIVITY 1 Malayan Filipinos.
Critical Reading
Questions:
Read the following excerpts from
Rizal’s annotations of Morga’s Sucesos de 1. In Excerpt 1, what impression of the
las Islas Filipinas. Answer the questions Filipinos do you get from reading
that follow. Morga’s description of the type of food
that natives eat? Which particular
Excerpt 1
phrase gives you this impression?
Morga:
2. What is Rizal’s purpose in writing an
Their regular daily food is rice... together
annotation about the food preferences
with boiled fish of which there is an
of the English, Spaniards, and Chinese?
abundance, and pork or venison, likewise
3. In Excerpt 2, how did Morga portray the
meat of wild buffalo or carabao. They
Filipinos?
prefer meat and fish, salt fish which began
4. In Rizal’s subsequent annotation, what
to decompose and smell.
does he mean when he says, “Perhaps
Rizal’s Annotation: for the same reason, other nations
There is another preoccupation of have great esteem for the lion and
the Spaniards who, like any other nation, bear, putting them on their shields and
in the matter of food, loathe that to which giving them honourable epithets”?
they are not accustomed or is unknown to 5. In general, what is Rizal’s motive in
them. The English, for example, is writing his annotations of Morga’s
horrified on seeing a Spaniard eating work? How does this fit into the aims of
snails; to the Spaniard beefsteak is other propagandists working for
repugnant and he can’t understand how reforms during this time?
raw beefsteak can be eaten; the Chinese
who eat tahuri and shark cannot stand SUMMARY
Roquefort cheese, etc., etc. The fish that Rizal’s annotations of Sucesos de las
Morga mentions does not taste better Islas Filipinas may be considered an
when it is beginning to rot; all on the attempt to write Philippine history from
contrary: it is bagoong and all those who the point of view of a Filipino. With the
have eaten it and tasted it know that it is publication of this work, Rizal provided a
not or ought not to be rotten. linear view of history with Noli Me Tangere
showing a view of the present, El
Sample Excerpt 2 Filibusterismo and “The Philippines a
Morga: Century Hence” illustrating a view of the
In the rivers and streams, there are future, and the annotations clarifying a
very large and small scorpions and a great view of the past.
number of very fierce and cruel crocodiles In addition, Rizal’s annotations
which frequently get the natives from should also be understood within the
their bancas on which they ride…However context of propaganda work that Filipinos
much the people may trap, catch, and kill in Spain were engaged in. The annotations
them, these reptiles hardly seem to explored the possibilities of creating a
diminish in number. For this reason, the Filipino identity anchored clearly on a pre-
natives build on the border of their rivers Spanish past.
and streams in their settlements where
 work in its original Spanish edition was
rare. In fact, the original Spanish texthad
never been reprinted in full until Rizal
published his annotation in [Link]
was a civil administration and therefore
provided a secular view of historicalevents
during the early Spanish colonial
[Link] believes that a secular
account was more credible than those
written by religiousmissionaries.

[Link] was more sympathec towards the

natives in contrast to the biased accounts
written bythe [Link]’s work was a
Antonio de Morga Sánchez Garay (1559 – fitting choice because he was an
July 21, 1636) was a Spanish lawyer and a eyewitness to historical events
high-ranking colonial official for 43 years, thatoccurred in the Philippines during the
in the Philippines (1594 to 1604), New period of early Spanish [Link]
Spain and Peru, where he was president of are excerpts from Rizal’s annotations to
the Audiencia for 20 years. He was also a inspire young Filipinos of today.“To the
historian. After being reassigned to Filipinos: In Noli Me Tangere (The Social
Mexico, he published the book Sucesos de Cancer) I started to sketch the present
las islas Filipinas in 1609, consideredone state of our native land. But the effect
of the most important works on the early which my effort produced made me realize
history of the Spanish colonization of that, before attemptingto unroll before
thePhilippines. As Deputy Governor in the your eyes the other pictures which were to
Philippines, he restored the audencia. He follow, it was necessary first to postyou on
took over thefunction of judge or oidor. He the past. So only can you fairly judge the
also took command of Spanish ships in a present and estimate how much progress
1600 naval battle againstDutch corsairs, has been made during the three centuries
but suffered defeat and barely (of Spanish rule). Like almost all of you, I
[Link] suffered important failures was born and brought up in ignorance of
in both his military and political capacities. our country’s past and so, without
The samecannot be said for his work as knowledge or authority to speak of what I
historian. In 1609, he published the work neither saw nor have studied, I deem it
for which he is nowremembered – Sucesos necessary to quote the testimony of an
de las Islas Filipinas (Events in the illustriousSpaniard who in the beginning of
Philippine Isles). This work, perhapsthe the new era controlled the destinies of the
best account of Spanish colonialism in the Philippines and had personal knowledge of
Philippines written during that period, is our ancient nationality in its last [Link] is
based partly on documentary research, then the shade of our ancestor’s
partly on keen observation, and partly on civilization which the author will call
Morga's personalinvolvement and before you. If thework serves to awaken in
knowledge. Morga wrote that the purpose you a consciousness of our past, and to
for writing Sucesos was so he blot from your memory or torectify what
couldchronicle "the deeds achieved by our has been falsified or is calumny, then I
Spaniards i the discovery, conquest, and shall not have labored in vain. With this
conversion of theFilipinas Islands - as well preparation, slight though it may be, we
as various fortunes that they have from can all pass to the study of the future,
time to time in the greatkingdoms and wrote Rizal inEurope in 1889.“Governor
among the pagan peoples surrounding the Morga was not only the first to write but
islands.”Rizal’s choice of annotating also the first to publish a Philippine
Morga’s work among all other chronicles [Link] statement has regard to the
written by Spaniardsis not coincidental. concise and concrete form in which our
Historian Ambeth Ocampo provided five author has treated thematter. Father
reasons behind Rizal’s [Link]’s Chirino’s work, printed in Rome in 1604, is
rather a chronicle of the Missionsthan a
history of the Philippines; still it contains a culture. Nowadays this industry is reduced
great deal of valuable material on usages to small craft, scows and [Link]
andcustoms. The worthy Jesuit in fact Morga’s time, the Philippines exported silk
admits that he abandoned writing a to Japan whence now comes the best
political history becauseMorga had already quality of that merchandise. Morga’s views
done so, so one must infer that he had upon the failure of Governor Pedro de
seen the work in manuscript beforeleaving Acuña’s ambitiousexpedition against the
the Islands.”Here are items I have chosen Moros unhappily still apply for the same
from the annotations.“By the Christian conditions yet [Link] traditions
religion, Dr. Morga appears to mean the ascribe the origin of the Malay Filipinos to
Roman Catholic which by fire andsword he the island of Sumatra. Thesetraditions
would preserve in its purity in the were almost completely lost as well as the
Philippines. Nevertheless in other lands, mythology and the genealogies of which
notably inFlanders, these means were theearly historians tell, thanks to the zeal
ineffective to keep the church unchanged, of the missionaries in eradicating all
or to maintain itssupremacy, or even to nationalremembrances as heathen or
hold its [Link] centuries ago it idolatrous. The study of ethnology is
was the custom to write as intolerantly as restring this [Link] had had
Morga does, but nowadays itwould be minstrels who had memorized songs
called a bit presumptuous. No one has a telling their genealogies and of the
monopoly of the true God nor is there deedsascribed to their deities. These were
anynation or religion that can claim, or at chanted on voyages in cadence with the
any rate prove, that to it has been given rowing, or atfestivals, or funerals, or
the exclusive rightto the Creator of all wherever there happened to be any
things or sole knowledge of His real considerable gatherings. It isregrettable
[Link] civilization of the Pre-Spanish that these chants have not been
Filipinos in regard to the duties of life for preserved as from them it would have
that age was welladvanced, as the Morga been possible tolearn much of the
history shows in its eighth chapter. Filipinos’ past and possibly of the history
of neighboring islands.”

Morga shows that the ancient Filipinos had

army and navy with artillery and other
implements of warfare. Their prized krises
and kampilans for their magnificent
temper are worthy of admirationand some
of them are richly damascened. Their
coats of mail and helmets, of which there
arespecimens in various European Summary
museums, attest their great advancement
in this [Link] the native Manila rulers In chapter 11 of "Looking at the Filipino
at the coming of the Spaniards, Raja Past", the focus is on Jose Rizal's
Soliman was called “Rahangmura,” or annotations of Antonio Morga's work,
young king, in distinction from the old "Sucesos de las islas Filipinas". Antonio
king, “Rahang matanda.” Historians Morga was a Spanish lawyer and colonial
haveconfused these [Link] official who served in the Philippines and
artillery cast for the new stone fort in published the book in 1609, which is
Manila, says Morga, was by the hand of an considered an important account of the
ancientFilipino. That is, he knew how to Spanish colonization of the Philippines.
cast cannon even before the coming of the Rizal chose to annotate Morga's work
Spaniards, hence hewas distinguished as because it was a rare and secular account
“ancient.” In this difficult art of of historical events that was more
ironworking, as in so many others, sympathetic towards the native people
themodern or present-day Filipinos are not and based on Morga's personal
so far advanced as were their involvement and knowledge. Rizal
[Link] the earliest Spanish days believed that this work would help young
ships were built in the islands, which Filipinos understand their country's past
might be consideredevidence of native and judge the present. In his annotations,
Rizal explains why Morga's work was
significant and the purpose behind his own
effort to annotate the work.

In summary, Jose Rizal's annotations of

"Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas" aimed to
provide a Philippine history from a Filipino
perspective. He gave a linear view of
history by including Noli Me Tangere, El
Filibusterismo, and "The Philippines a
Century Hence." These works showed a
view of the present, future, and past
respectively. The annotations were also
part of the propaganda efforts of Filipinos
in Spain and aimed to create a strong
Filipino identity rooted in the pre-Spanish
past.