Module 3: Content and
Contextual Analysis of
Primary Sources – Part 2
INTRODUCTION:
The key function of primary sources is to give facts. In order
to establish the credibility and authenticity of primary sources,
content and contextual analysis must be done.
This session is designed to guide you in analyzing the context,
content and perspective of different kinds of primary sources. It
is also expected that your critical and analytical skills will be
developed as you will be exposed to different primary sources.
2|Content and Contextual Analysis – Part 2
“The Kartilya ng Katipunan”
A. 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-Spanish movements, efforts,
and organizations had already been
established centuries before the creation
of the KKK, it was only KKK that
envisioned (1) a united Filipino nation that would revolt against the Spaniards
for (2) the total independence of the country from Spain.
• Previous armed revolts had already occurred before the creation of the KKK,
but none of them envisioned a unified Filipino nation revolting against the
colonizers.
o For example, Diego Silang was known as an Ilocano
who took up 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 KKK.
• On the other hand, the propaganda movement led by the
ilustrados 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, the KKK created a complex structure and a
defined value system that would guide the organization as a collective aspiring
for a single goal. One of the most important KKK documents was the Kartilya
ng Katipunan. 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."
3|Content and Contextual Analysis – Part 2
o The Kartilya ng Katipunan was written
by Emilio Jacinto in 1896.
▪ He was a law student at the
Universidad de Santo Tomas.
▪ Jacinto was only 18 years old
when he joined the movement.
o Despite his youth, Bonifacio
recognized the value and intellect of
Jacinto that upon seeing that Jacinto's
Kartilya was much better than the
Decalogue he wrote, he willingly
favored that the Kartilya be distributed
to their fellow Katipuneros.
o Jacinto became the secretary of the organization and took charge of the
short-lived printing press of the KKK.
o On April 15, 1897, Bonifacio appointed Jacinto as a commander of the
KKK 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 KKK’s code of conduct.
o It contains fourteen rules that instruct the way a Katipunero should
behave, and which specific values should he upheld.
o Generally, the rules stated in the Kartilya can be classified into two.
▪ The first group contains the rules 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 the Kartilya:
I. The life that is not consecrated to a lofty and reasonable purpose is a
tree without a shade, if not a 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
by 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.
4|Content and Contextual Analysis – Part 2
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 dost 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 is 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 the 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 all 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 KKK, properly understanding the Kartilya will help in understanding the
values, ideals, aspirations, and even the ideology of the KKK.
B. Analysis of the "Kartilya ng Katipunan"
• Let us now analyze this document in terms of content and context.
• As a document written for a fraternity whose main purpose is to overthrow the
colonizers, we can explain the content of the Kartilya as a reaction to certain
value systems that they found despicable during that time that they struggled
against with.
o For example, the fourth and the thirteenth rules in the Kartilya advocate
equality between and among men regardless of race, occupation or
status.
o In the context of the Spanish period where the indios (the Filipinos) were
discriminated by the white Europeans, the KKK saw to it that they will
destroy such discrimination and that they will spread equality through
their revolution.
• Moreover, one can analyze the values upheld in the document as consistent
with the flourishing liberal ideals in the eighteenth and nineteenth century.
5|Content and Contextual Analysis – Part 2
o Equality, tolerance, freedom, and liberty were values that first came to
be known in the eighteenth-century French Revolution, which spread
throughout Europe and reached the educated class of the colonies.
o Jacinto, an ilustrado himself, certainly got an understanding of these
values.
• Aside from the liberal values that can be seen in the document, we can also
see certain Victorian and chivalrous values in the text.
o For example, various rules in the Kartilya repeatedly emphasized the
importance of honor in words and in action.
• The teaching of the KKK on how women should be treated with honor and
respect, while positive in many respects and certainly a significant step from
the practice of raping and physically abusing women, still shows KKK’s
secondary regard for women in relation to men.
o For example, in the tenth rule, the document specifically stated that men
should be the guide of women and children, and that he should set a
good example, otherwise the women and the children would be guided
in the path of evil.
o Nevertheless, the same document stated that women should be treated
as companions by men and not as playthings that can be exploited for
their pleasure.
o If we use our standards today, the KKK can be criticized because of
these rules. However, one must not forget the context where the KKK
was born. Not even in Europe or in the whole of the West at that time
recognized the problem of gender inequality.
o Indeed, it can be argued that KKK’s recognition of women as important
partners in the struggle, as reflected not just in the Kartilya but also in
the organizational structure of the fraternity where a women's unit was
established, is an endeavor advanced for its time.
• Aside from this, the Kartilya was instructive not just of the KKK’s conduct toward
other people, but also for the members' development as individuals in their own
rights.
• Generally speaking, the rules in the Kartilya can be classified as either directed
to (1) how one should treat his neighbor or to (2) how one should develop and
conduct one's self. Both are essential to the success and fulfillment of the KKK’s
ideals.
o For example, the Kartilya's teachings on honoring one's word and not
wasting time are teachings directed toward self-development, while the
rules on treating the neighbor's wife, children, and brothers the way that
you want yours to be treated is an instruction on how Katipuneros should
treat and regard their neighbors.
• All in all, proper reading of the Kartilya will reveal a deeper understanding about
the KKK and the significant role that it played in the revolution and in the
unfolding of the Philippine history, as we know it.
6|Content and Contextual Analysis – Part 2
“Selected Political Caricature
in Alfred McCoy’s Philippine Cartoons:
Political Caricature of the American Era (1900-1941)”
A. Political Caricatures of the American Era in the Philippines
• Political cartoons and caricature are art forms which turned away from the
classical art by exaggerating human features and poking fun at its subjects.
o Political cartoons and caricature became a part of the print media as a
form of social and political commentary, which usually targets persons
of power and authority.
o Cartoons became an effective tool of publicizing opinions through heavy
use of symbolism, which is different from a verbose written editorial and
opinion pieces.
• The unique way that a caricature represents opinion and captures the
audience's imagination is reason enough for historians to examine these
political cartoons.
• In his book Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricature of the American Era (1900-
1941), Alfred McCoy compiled political cartoons published in newspapers and
periodicals in the said time period.
• For this part, we are going to look at selected cartoons and explain the context
of each one.
• The first example shown above was published in The Independent on May 20,
1916. The cartoon shows a politician from Tondo, named Dr. Santos, passing
his crown to his brother-in-law, Dr. Barcelona. A Filipino guy (as depicted
wearing a salakot and a barong tagalog) was trying to stop Santos by telling
him to stop giving Barcelona the crown because it is not his to begin with.
7|Content and Contextual Analysis – Part 2
• The second cartoon was also published by The Independent on June 16, 1917.
This was drawn by Fernando Amorsolo and was aimed as a commentary to the
workings of Manila Police at that period.
• Here, we see a Filipino child who stole a skinny chicken because he had nothing
to eat. The police officer was relentlessly pursuing the said child. A man wearing
a salakot, labeled Juan de la Cruz, was grabbing the officer, telling him to leave
the small-time pickpocket and thief and to turn at the great thieves instead. He
was pointing to huge warehouses containing bulks of rice, milk, and grocery
product.
• The third cartoon was a commentary on the unexpected cases of colorum
automobiles in the city streets. The Philippine Free Press published this
commentary when fatal accidents involving colorum vehicles and taxis occurred
too often already.
8|Content and Contextual Analysis – Part 2
• This fourth cartoon depicts a cinema. A blown-up police officer was at the
screen saying that couples are not allowed to neck and make love in the theater.
Two youngsters looked horrified while an older couple seemed amused.
• The next cartoon was published by The Independent on November 27, 1915.
Here, we see the caricature of Uncle Sam riding a chariot pulled by Filipinos
wearing school uniforms.
• The Filipino boys were carrying American objects like baseball bats, whiskey,
and boxing gloves.
• McCoy, in caption to the said cartoon, says that this cartoon was based on an
event in 1907 when William Howard Taft was brought to the Manila pier riding
a chariot pulled by students of Liceo de Manila. Such was condemned by the
nationalists at that time.
9|Content and Contextual Analysis – Part 2
• The last cartoon was published by Lipang Kalabaw on August 24, 1907.
• In the picture, we can see Uncle Sam rationing porridge to the politicians and
members of the Federalista Party while members of the Nacionalista Party look
on and wait for their turn.
• This cartoon depicts the patronage (or sponsorship) of the United States being
desired by Filipino politicians from either of the party.
B. Analysis of the Political Caricatures during the American Period
• The transition from the Spanish Colonial Period to the American Occupation
Period demonstrated different changes in culture, society, and politics.
o It was during the American period that Filipinos were introduced to
different manifestations of modernity like healthcare, modern
transportation, and media. This ushered in a more open and freer press.
• The selected cartoons illustrate not only the opinion of certain media outlets
about the Philippine society during the American period but also shows the kind
of society and politics that the Philippines had under the United States.
• In the arena of politics, for example, we see the price that Filipinos paid for the
democracy modeled after the Americans.
o First, it seemed that the Filipino politicians at that time did not understand
well enough the essence of democracy and the accompanying
democratic institutions and processes.
▪ This can be seen in the rising of political dynasties in Tondo as
depicted in the cartoon published by The Independent.
o Patronage also became influential and powerful between the newly
formed political parties composed of the elite and the United States.
▪ This was depicted in the cartoon where the United States,
represented by Uncle Sam, provided dole outs for members of
the Federalista while the Nacionalista politicians looked on and
waited for their turn. Thus, the essence of competing political
parties to enforce choices among the voters was cancelled out.
10 | C o n t e n t a n d C o n t e x t u a l A n a l y s i s – P a r t 2
▪ The problem continues up to the present where politicians
transfer from one party to another depending on which party was
powerful in specific periods of time.
• The transition from a Catholic-centered, Spanish-Filipino society to an imperial
American-assimilated one, and its complications, were also shown in the
cartoons.
o One example is the unexpected increase of motorized vehicles in the
city.
▪ Automobiles became a popular mode of transportation in the city
and led to the emergence of taxis.
▪ However, the laws and policy implementation were mediocre (not
very good). This resulted in the increasing colorum and
unlicensed vehicles transporting people around the city.
▪ The rules governing the issuance of driver's license was not
properly implemented and traffic police does not care about the
widespread violations of traffic rules. This is a direct consequence
of the desperate urbanization of the Philippine society.
o Another example is what McCoy called the "sexual revolution" that
occurred in the 1930s.
▪ Young people, as early as that period, disturbed the conservative
Filipino mindset by engaging in daring sexual activities in public
spaces like cinemas.
▪ Here, we can see how that period was the meeting point between
the “conservative past” and the “liberated future” of the
Philippines
• Lastly, the cartoons also showed the conditions of poor Filipinos in the
Philippines under the administration of the United States at that time. From the
looks of it, nothing much has changed.
o For example, a cartoon depicted how police authorities oppress petty
Filipino criminals while turning a blind eye on big time hoarders who
monopolize goods in their huge warehouses (presumably Chinese
merchants) at that time.
o The other cartoon depicts how Americans controlled Filipinos through
seemingly harmless American objects.
▪ By controlling their consciousness and mentality, Americans got
to control Filipinos.