La Patria

College
Santiago City

A Course Pack in GEC

002
(Readings in Philippine
History)
 PHILOSOPHY

The La Patria College believes that its vital role is the development of
persons: to equip them with knowledge and skills, imbued with Christian
values in a democratic atmosphere to prepare them to be productive and
active in the economic, socio – cultural and technological growth of the
country and the world.

VISION

A learning community that has a continuing passion for excellence that forms
Patrians as leaders and nation-builders.

MISSION

La Patria College is a family-oriented learning environment that

develops students with Godly character and competence in their chosen fields.
 MODULE 1: UNDERSTANDING HISTORY USING PRIMARY AND
SECONDARY SOURCES
Meaning and relevance of history; distinction of primary and secondary
sources; external and internal criticism; repositories of primary sources, and different
kinds of primary sources.

A. Introduction to History and Historiography

B. Pantayong Pananaw ni Zeus Salazar

WEEK: 1

TIME ALLOTMENT: 3 Hours

OBJECTIVES/ LEARNING OUTCOMES:

At the end of the period, the students will be able to explain intelligently the
significance of History.

LEARNING CONTENT:

UNDERSTANDING HISTORY USING PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES

INTRODUCTION

The Chapter I will introduce you to the concept of history and historiography. It will
provide the true and deeper meaning of history and its importance to the
contemporary time. In addition, this chapter will expose you to the different
perspectives on how Philippine History and Philippine Historiography was written.

DISCUSSION

A. Introduction to History and Historiography

History

• To define, History is the study of the past. It is derived from the Greek word
‘Historia’ which means ‘information’ or ‘and enquiry designed to elicit truth’.
• It is a field of study which focuses on the analysis and interpretation of human
past, time, space, and people’s experiences and the influencing factors why
such experiences took place and continually changed overtime.
• History is an act both of intensive investigation and creative imagination that
describes how people of all generations survived the test of time, lived
harmoniously with geographical spaces, and persisted circumstances of all
forms.
• History seeks to explain how people, not only from the nobility but most
especially those who are ‘common-people’ from all walks of life, have changed
overtime in the light of culture and tradition, political structure, economic
 conditions, and social relations driven by internal forces like cultural adaptation
and assimilation and definitely brought by external forces like colonization and
the like.

Historiography

• The imaginative reconstruction of the past from the data derived by that
process (the writing of history)
• The historian endeavors to reconstruct as much of the past of mankind as he
can.
• Historian must be sure that his records really come from the past and are in fact
what they seem to be and that his imagination is directed towards re-creation
and not creation.
• These limits distinguish history from fiction, poetry, drama and fantasy.

Known Filipino Historians

“History deals with the past, not with the future. We use
history to avoid the mistakes of the past, not to recreate
the very same events.” – Teodoro C. Agoncillo

“Who says history is stagnant? For a historian, facts do not

change; it is the way we look at things, our interpretations
that are always changing. This is what makes history
exciting - that we can always find something new in what
is old.” – Ambeth Ocampo

“History is one of the most potent weapons of a once-colonized people in the struggle
to achieve real independence. On the other hand, history can also be used to
perpetuate attitudes of subservience and dependence on former colonizers.” – Renato
Constantino
B. Zeus Salazar and Pantayong Pananaw

Zeus Salazar is a Filipino historian and proponent of Pantayong Pananaw, a self-

reflective view in the study of Philippine history. He finished his B.A. in History at the
University of the Philippines Diliman and his Ph.D. in Ethnology at Sorbonne University
in Paris, France. His pioneering works include Ang Pilipino sa Agham Panlipunan at
Pilosopiya; Pantayong Pananaw (1991); Ugat at Kabuluhan (1997); Liktao at Epiko: Ang
Takip ng Tapayang Libingan ng Libmanan, Camarines Sur (2004). He was the former
Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy of the University of the
Philippines Diliman.
Pantayong Pananaw

• The Pantayong pananaw will pave the way for a new era in Philippine
historiography; in fact, it will virtually give birth to Filipino historiography,
Pangkasasayang Pilipino.
• The pantayong Pananaw speaks the language of the Filipino people and it is
also based in the Filipino culture, its actual existence is proof of the flourishing
of the actual Filipino historiography or, to be more apt, Pangkasaysayang
Filipino.
• Pantayong Pananaw suggests that national history should really be about the
Filipinos as a people. It should be written for the Filipinos. It should be written
using the standards of Filipinos themselves as a people. It should be written in
the language that all Filipino use, understand, and feel; it should be written in
Filipino.

The Role of Language

• The Filipino language is a significant aspect of pantayong pananaw; the use of

the former, in application of the latter, in the general area of social science
(within which, history is a part of) significantly stresses the exclusivity of the
membership (specifically composed of only those who speak and comprehends
the Filipino language) of those who make the view, about a particular subject,
and those who are being spoken with.

Pangkayo, Pangkami at Pantayo

1. Pangkayo – refers to the judgments made by external agents upon one’s

culture.
2. Pangkami – which was initially espoused by a generation of intellectuals who
were educated in Spain and then responded to the accusations of colonial
historiography regarding aspects of Filipino cultural heritage.
 3. Pangtayo – in Philippine historiography is currently the most theoretically
elaborate articulation of an indigenized social science perspective that offers a
viable alternative to Western point of view.

SUMMARY:

In conclusion, understanding our history makes us appreciate what we have

today. Indigenizing our history makes it more relatable to the general population.
Having a discourse among Filipino will enrich our history. Furthermore, it will also help
us analyze and scrutinize our present-day condition, which will lead us to address the
most pressing issues of our country.

REFERENCES:

1. Alporha, V. and Candelaria, J.L. (2018). Readings in Philippine History. Rex Book
Store.
2. Guillermo, R. (2009) Pook at Paninindigan: A Critical Appraisal of Pantayong
Pananaw. Retrieved from [Link]
paninindigancritical-appraisal-pantayong-pananaw/
3. Reyes, P. (2002) Pantayong Pananaw and Bagong Kasaysayan in the new
Filipino Historiography. A Histroy of Filipino Historiography as an History of
Ideas. Retrieved from [Link]
4. Salazar, Z. (2015). Ang Pantayong Pananaw Blang Diskursong
Pangkabihasanan. Retrieved from
[Link]
5. Torres, J.V. (2018). Batis Sources in Philippine History. C & E Publishing, Inc.
 LA PATRIA COLLEGE
Santiago City

INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE IN GEC 002

(Readings in Philippine History)

TOPIC/S: CHAPTER I. UNDERSTANDING HISTORY USING PRIMARY AND

SECONDARY SOURCES
C. Types of Sources
D. Types of Criticism
E. Technique in Analyzing Sources of History

WEEK: 2

TIME ALLOTMENT: 3 Hours

OBJECTIVES/ LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this module, the students will be able to:

1. Evaluate credible and authentic primary sources and know how to evaluate
their provenance;
2. Explain intelligently the significance of History; and
3. Demonstrate an understanding in History through various activities.

LEARNING CONTENT:

UNDERSTANDING HISTORY USING PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES

(CONTINUATION)

INTRODUCTION

After knowing the importance of history, this topic will help you identify and
scrutinize different sources in history. This module allows you to bring out the
investigative skills in you. You will examine different situations to show your
understanding of primary and secondary sources.

DISCUSSION
Historical Sources
• Sources – an OBJECT from the past or TESTIMONY concerning the past on which
historians depend in order to create their own depiction of that past. •
Tangible remains of the past
• Objects of the past:
➢ Artifacts that have been left by the past; relics, remains, or testimonies of
witnesses of the past.
➢ That which offer the researcher a clue about the past simply by virtue of
their existence.
• Testimonies – oral or written reports that described an event, whether simple or
complex such as record of a property exchange, speeches or commentaries.
➢ Provide the historian information about what happened, how and in what
circumstance the events occurred and why it occurred.

Written Sources
1. Publish materials
• Books
• Magazines
• Journals
• Travelogue
• Transcription of Speech

2. Manuscript (any handwritten or typed record that has not been printed)
• Archival materials
• Memoirs
• Diary

Non-written Sources
1. Oral history
2. Artifacts
3. Ruins
4. Fossils
5. Art works
6. Video Recording
7. Audio Recording

C. Types of Sources

A. Primary Sources
1. Testimony of an eyewitness
2. A primary source must have been produced by a contemporary of the event it
narrates
3. Gives direct or first-hand evidence about an event, object or work of art
4. Evidence of an eye witness or mechanical device which was present at the time
of the occurrence of an event
5. It includes historical and legal documents, accounts, results or experiments,
statistical data, pieces of creative writing, audio and video recording, art
objects, etc.
6. A primary source is a document or physical object which was written or created
during the time under study
7. These sources were present during an experience or time period and offer an
inside view of a particular event
 8. In natural and social sciences, primary sources are often empirical studies.

Four Main categories of Primary Sources

1. Written Sources
2. Images
3. Artifacts
4. Oral Testimony

Example of Primary Sources

Manunggul Jar
➢ Artifacts
➢ 1960’s in Manunggul Cave, Lipuun Point
➢ Secondary Burial Jar
➢ Signifies the belief of early Filipinos in life after death ➢ Dated to the
late Neolithic Period, about 890-710 B.C.

B. Secondary Sources
➢ A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. These sources
are one or more steps removed from the event.
➢ Secondary sources may have pictures, quotes or graphics of primary sources in
them
➢ A work that describes, interprets, summarizes, evaluates, and comment upon
collected data from primary sources.
➢ Dependent on Primary Sources

Examples of Secondary Sources

➢ History textbook
➢ Printed materials (serial, periodicals which interprets previous research)

What is Historical Criticism?

➢ In order for a source to be used as evidence in history, basic matters about its
form and content must be settled

D. Types of Criticism

A. External Criticism
➢ The Problem of Authenticity
a. Determine the Date of the document to see whether they are
Anachronistic
▪ Pencils did not exist before 16th century
b. Determine the Author
▪ Handwriting, signature, seal
c. Anachronistic style
▪ Idiom, orthography, punctuation
d. Anachronistic reference to events
▪ Too early too late, too remote
e. Provenance or custody
▪ Determine its genuineness
f. Semantics
▪ Study of language and its meaning
g. Hermeneutics
▪ Determining ambiguities; a method or theory of interpretation.
 ➢ To spot fabricated, forged, faked documents
➢ To distinguish a hoax or misrepresentation

B. Internal Criticism

➢ The Problem of Credibility

a. Identification of the author

▪ To determine his reliability; mental processes, personal attitudes
b. Determine of the approximate date
▪ Handwriting, signature, seal
c. Ability to tell the truth
▪ Nearness to the event, competence of witness, degree of attention
d. Willingness to tell the truth
▪ To determine if the author consciously or unconsciously tells falsehood
e. Corroboration
▪ Historical facts – particulars which rest upon the independent
testimony of two or more reliable witnesses

➢ Relevant particulars in the document – is it credible?

➢ Verisimilar – as close as what really happened from a critical examination of
best available sources

Three Major Components of Effective Historical Thinking

1. Sensitivity to Multiple Causation
2. Sensitivity to Context
3. Awareness of the interplay of continuity and change in human affairs

Repositories
1. Materials which should not be found in books;
2. Museums, where archaeological, epigraphically, or numismatic materials are
found.
3. Governmental libraries, courthouses and archives--for official records

E. Technique in Analyzing Sources of History

Understanding OPVL (Origin, Purpose, Values, and Limitations)

Origin, Purpose, Value and Limitation (OPVL) is a technique for analyzing historical
documents. It is used extensively in the International Baccalaureate curriculum and
testing materials, and is incredibly helpful in becoming critical observers. It is also
known as Document Based Questions (DBQ).

1. Origin

In order to analyze a source, you must first know what it is. Sometimes not all
of these questions can be answered. The more you do know about where a document
is coming from, the easier it is to ascertain purpose, value and limitation.

Other questions must be answered beyond whether the source is primary or

secondary and will give you much more information about the document that will help
you answer questions in the other categories. In the context of looking into the origin
of a certain document, the following questions are to be answered:

a. Who created it?

b. Who is the author?
c. When was it created?
d. When was it published?
e. Where was it published?
f. Who is publishing it?
g. Is there anything we know about the author that is pertinent to our
evaluation?

2. Purpose

This is the point where you start the real evaluation of the piece and try to
figure out the purpose for its creation. You must be able to think as the author of the
document. At this point you are still only focusing on the single piece of work you are
evaluating. Questions to consider are as follows:
a. Why does this document exist?
b. Why did the author create this piece of work? What is the intent?
c. Why did the author choose this particular format?
d. Who is the intended audience? Who was the author thinking would receive
this?
e. What does the document “say”?
f. Can it tell you more than is on the surface?

Avoid “I think the document means this...” Obviously, if you are making a
statement it is coming from your thinking. Practice saying “The document means
this...because it is supported by x evidence.”

3. Value

Now here comes the difficult part. Putting on your historian hat, you must
determine: Based on who wrote it, when/where it came from and why it was
created...what value does this document have as a piece of evidence? This is where
you show your expertise and put the piece in context. Questions to answer in this part
include:

a. What can we tell about the author from the piece?

b. What can we tell about the time period from the piece?
c. Under what circumstances was the piece created and how does the piece
reflect those circumstances?
d. What can we tell about any controversies from the piece?
e. Does the author represent a particular ‘side’ of a controversy or event?
f. What can we tell about the author’s perspectives from the piece?
g. What was going on in history at the time the piece was created and how
does this piece accurately reflect it?

It helps if you know the context of the document and can explain what the
document helps you to understand about the context.

The following is an example of value analysis:

 The journal entry was written by President Truman prior to the dropping of the
atomic bomb on Japan and demonstrates the moral dilemma he was having in making
the decision of whether to drop the bomb or not. It shows that he was highly conflicted
about the decision and very aware of the potential consequences both for
diplomatic/military relations and for the health and welfare of the Japanese citizens.

4. Limitation

The task here is not to point out weaknesses of the source, but rather to say: at
what point does this source cease to be of value to us as historians or students of
history?

With a primary source document, having an incomplete picture of the whole is

a given because the source was created by one person (or a small group of people?),
naturally they will not have given every detail of the context. Do not say that the
author left out information unless you have concrete proof (from another source) that
they chose to leave information out.
Also, it is obvious that the author did not have prior knowledge of events that
came after the creation of the document. Do not state that the document “does not
explain X” (if X happened later).

Being biased does not limit the value of a source. If you are going to comment
on the bias of a document, you must go into detail. Who is it biased towards? Who is it
biased against? What part of a story does it leave out? What part of the story is
MISSING because of parts left out?

a. What part of the story can we NOT tell from this document?
b. How could we verify the content of the piece?
c. Does this piece inaccurately reflect anything about the time period?
d. What does the author leave out and why does he/she leave it out (if you
know)?
e. What is purposely not addressed?

This is again an area for you to show your expertise of the context. You need to
briefly explain the parts of the story that the document leaves out. Give examples of
other documents that might mirror or answer this document. What parts of the
story/context can this document not tell?

SUMMARY:

There are two types of sources these are the Primary and Secondary sources. You
could also use different ways on how you scrutinize these sources through Internal and
External Criticism. In addition, to further analyze the sources you have, you could also
use the OPVL technique. Having a wide range of knowledge in investigating sources
will allow you to recognize accurate and reliable sources.

REFERENCE:

1. Alporha, V. and Candelaria, J.L. (2018). Readings in Philippine History. Rex Book Store
2. Torres, J.V. (2018). Batis Sources in Philippine History. C & E Publishing, Inc
INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE IN GEC 002
(Readings in Philippine History)
TOPIC/S: CHAPTER I. UNDERSTANDING PERSPECTIVE
A. Magellan’s Voyage Around the World

WEEK: 3

TIME ALLOTMENT: 3 Hours

OBJECTIVE/ LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this module, the students will be able to:
1. Analyze the context, content and perspective of primary source;
2. Determine how the events affected the history of Filipino people;
3. Develop critical and analytical skills as they are expose to primary sources;
4. Examine the context and perspective of the document;
5. Determine the significance of the document to the Philippine History; and
6. Examine the state of the Philippines today.

INTRODUCTION:

In this part of Chapter II, we will discuss why Magellan set sail and how he
arrived here in the Philippines together with his men in 1521. This module allows you
to reimagine how Magellan and his crew set sail from Spain to the Philippines. It also
includes their encounter with the various local chieftains of the Philippines, including
the famous Lapu-Lapu.

DISCUSSION:

UNDERSTANDING PERSPECTIVE

A. MAGELLAN’S VOYAGE AROUND THE WORLD

Historical Context

One of the benefits that the Europeans gained from the Crusades was the
discovery of some products that were not available in their home country. These
included porcelain, silk, incense, herbs, perfumes, fabrics, carpets, spices, and other
oriental products. Of all these Asian products, spices became the most expensive and
in-demand commodity among Europeans because of their numerous uses such as food
preservation, flavor enhancement, and even medicine. Since spices were a very
lucrative commodity, many merchants aspired to monopolize their supply and
distribution in the European markets.

Asian goods reached Europe either via the Silk Road or the Arabian-Italian trade
route. Both routes were expensive and oftentimes disrupted by wars, natural
calamities, and bandits. The closing of the land route of the Spice Trade with the
conquest by the Ottoman Empire of Constantinople (present-day Turkey and the
"gateway to the West" then) in 1453 forced European kingdoms to look for ways to
purchase spices directly from the source. They decided to explore the oceans to look
for a way to the famed Spice Islands.

Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal put up a maritime school that trained
sailors who would later discover an eastern sea route going to the Spice Islands (the
modern-day Moluccas Islands) and other islands in Southeast Asia via the Atlantic
Ocean and the Indian Ocean. This route enabled them to trade directly with the
producers of spices and other Oriental goods. The numerous economic benefits it gave
to Portugal made other monarchs envious and prompted them to search for a new
trade route to Asia. This led to the discovery of many territories previously unknown to
the Europeans, though inhabited already and known to other races.

The marriage of Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon

(1469) coupled with the victory of the Catholic monarchs over the Moors in the Battle
of Granada (1492) resulted in the rise of Spain as a world power. With the domestic
problems already under control, Spain started to explore their economic options
outside the Iberian Peninsula. Inspired by the success of Portugal, they aspired to have
a fair share in the spice trade. They financed the trans-Atlantic voyages of Christopher
Columbus (1492 to 1502) which resulted in the discovery of the territories on the other
side of the Atlantic Ocean. Decades later, the Spanish monarch also supported the
plan of Ferdinand Magellan to go to the East by sailing westward, a proposal that
Portugal refused to finance.

The Magellan-Elcano expedition left the port of Sanlucar de Barrameda in

Seville on August 20, 1519 with around 270 men of different nationalities. One of its
main objectives was to search for a new maritime path to the Spice Islands that would
not violate Spain's treaty with Portugal. Along the way, the expedition suffered natural
and man-made challenges and out of the five ships that left Spain only three reached
the Philippines. The first couple of weeks of their stay in the Philippines were marked
with hospitality and cordial exchanges of goods. The local inhabitants traded with
them and some were even converted to Christianity. Lapu-lapu, the chieftain of
Mactan, refused to trade with the Spaniards and when Magellan learned this, he waged
war with him. Despite their superiority in term of arms and training, the Spaniards lost
the battle and one of the casualties was Magellan himself. When the survivors
returned to Cebu, they were also treacherously attacked by their former allies. This
prompted them to leave the island. By that time, their number was just enough to man
two ships, the Victoria (now under the command of Juan Sebastian Elcano) and the
Trinidad. The expedition finally reached the Spice Islands and managed to purchase a
large amount of spices before leaving. Unfortunately, the Trinidad and her crew were
captured by the Portuguese on their journey back.

On September 7, 1522, Elcano and 17 survivors arrived in Spain aboard the

ship Victoria. One of them was Antonio Pigafetta, the assistant of Magellan who kept a
journal that became the main source of what we know about the first encounter of the
Spaniards and the Filipinos.

About the Author

Antonio Pigafetta (1491-c.1534), born around 1490 in the town of Vicenza,

Venice, Italy, was the eldest son of Giovanni Pigafetta to second wife Angela Zoga. He
studied astronomy, geography, and cartography and during his younger years worked
in the ships owned by the Knights of Rhodes. His biographers described him as a well-
educated young man possessing an avid curiosity of the world around him. He joined
the delegation of Monsignor Francesco Chieregati when the latter was assigned as
Papal Nuncio to Spain in 1519. It was during this time when Pigafetta became
acquainted with the lucrative spice trade and heard the news of the voyage to be
undertaken by Ferdinand Magellan. After getting the approval of the Spanish
sovereign, he left Barcelona and went to Seville. He presented his credentials to
Magellan and to the Casa de la Contratacion, the office in charge of voyages to the
New World. He was admitted as one of the sobresalientes (supernumeraries), or men
coming from prominent families who will join the trip for the love of adventure and for
the advancement of military service. Pigafetta survived the challenges and
catastrophes that the expedition encountered along the way, including being wounded
in the Battle of Mactan. He was among the 18 survivors who returned to Spain on
September 6, 1522 aboard the Victoria with Juan Sebastian Elcano.

From Seville, Pigafetta reported to his Majesty King Carlos V and gave him a
handwritten account of what happened to them during the journey before returning to
his native Italy. Very little is known as to what happened to him during the latter part
of his life except on some accounts that he joined the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem
in its battle against the Turks. He died sometime in 1534.

Excerpts from Magellan's Voyage Around the World

At dawn on Saturday, March sixteen, 1521, we came upon a high land at a

distance of three hundred leagues from the islands of Latroni-an island named Zamal
[i.e., Samar]. The following day, the captain-general desired to land on another island
which was uninhabited and lay to the right side of the above-mentioned island, in
order to be more secure, and to get water and have some rest. He had two tents set
up on the shore for the sick and had a sow killed for them. On Monday afternoon,
March 18, we saw a boat coming toward us with nine men in it. Therefore, the captain-
general ordered that no one should move or say a word without his permission. When
those men reached the shore, their chief went immediately to the captain-general…
seeing that they were reasonable men, ordered food to set before them, and gave
them red caps, mirrors, combs, bells, ivory, bocasine, and other things. When they say
the captain’s courtesy, they presented fish, a jar of palm wine which they call uraca
[i.e., arrack], figs more than one palmo long [i.e., bananas], and other which were
smaller and more delicate, and two cocoanuts [coconuts]. They had nothing else
then… but rice, and cocoanuts and many articles of food within four days.

Cocoanuts are the fruit of the palm tree. Just as we have bread, wine, oil, and
vinegar, so those people get everything from that tree. They get wine in the following
manner. They bore a hole into the heart of the said palm at the top called palmito [i.e.
stalk], from which distils a liquor which resembles white must [mist]. That liquor is
sweet but somewhat tart, and [is gathered] in canes [of bamboo] as thick as the leg
and thicker. They fasten the bamboo to the tree at evening for the morning, and in the
morning for the evening. That palm bears a fruit, namely the cocoanut, which is as
large as the head or thereabouts. Its outside husk is green and thicker than two
fingers. Certain filaments are found in the husk, whence is made cord for binding
together their boats. Under that husk there is a hard shell, much thicker than the shell
of the walnut, which they burn and make therefrom a powder that is useful to them.
Under that shell there is a white marrowy substance one finger in thickness, which
they eat fresh with meat and fish as we do [with] bread; and it has a taste resembling
the almond. It could be dried and made into bread. There is a clear, sweet water in the
middle of the marrowy substance which is very refreshing. When that water stands for
a while after having been collected, it congeals and becomes like an apple. When the
natives wish to make oil, they take that cocoanut, and allow the marrowy substance to
putrefy. Then they boil it and it becomes oil like butter. When they wish to make
vinegar, they allow only the water to putrefy, and then place it in the sun, and a
vinegar results like [that made from] white wine. Milk can also be made from it, for we
made some. We scraped that marrowy substance and then mixed the scrapings with
its own water which we strained through a cloth, and so [we] obtained milk like goat's
milk. Those palms resemble date-palms, but although not smooth they are less knotty
than the latter. A family of x [10] persons can be supported on two trees, by utilizing
them week about for the wine [by utilizing one of them during one week and the other
during the other 8 days for the wine]; for if they did otherwise, the trees would dry up.
They last a century.

Those people became very familiar with us. They told us many things, their
names and those of some of the island that could be seen from that place. Their own
island was called Zuluan and it is not very large. We took great pleasure with them, for
they were very pleasant and conversable. In order to show them greater honor, the
captain-general took them to his ship and showed them all his merchandise-cloves,
cinnamon, pepper, ginger, nutmeg, mace, gold, and all the things in the ship. He had
some mortars fired for them, whereat they exhibited great fear, and tried to jump out
of the ship. They made signs to us that the above said articles grew in that place
where we were going. When they were about to retire they took their leave very
gracefully and neatly, saying that they would return according to their promise. The
island where we were is called Humunu [Homonhon]; but inasmuch as we found two
springs there of the clearest water, we called it Acquada da li buoni Segnialli (i.e., "the
Watering-place of good Signs"), for there were the first signs of gold which we found in
those districts. We found a great quantity of white coral there, and large trees with
fruit a trifle smaller than the almond and resembling pine seeds. There are also many
palms, some of them good and others bad. There are many islands in that district, and
therefore we called them the archipelago of San Lazaro, as they were discovered on
the Sabbath [Sunday] of St. Lazarus. They lie in x degrees of latitude toward the Arctic
Pole, and in a longitude of one hundred and sixty-one degrees from the line of
demarcation.

At noon on Friday, March 22, those men came as they had promised us in two
boats with cocoanuts, sweet oranges, a jar of palm-wine and a cock, in order to show
us that there were fowls in that district. They exhibited great signs of pleasure at
seeing us. We purchased all those articles from them. Their seignior was an old man
who was painted [i.e., tattooed]. He wore two gold earrings [schione] in his ears, and
the others many gold armlets on their arms and kerchiefs about Jon] their heads. We
stayed there one week, and during that time our captain went ashore daily to visit the
sick, and every morning gave them cocoanut water from his own hand, which
comforted them greatly. There are people living near the island who have holes
[earrings] in their ears so large that they can pass their arms through them. Those
people are caphri, that is to say, heathen. They go naked, with a soft cloth wvoven
from the bark of a tree about their privies, except some of the chiefs who wear cotton
cloth embroidered with silk at the ends by means of a needle. They are dark, fat, and
painted. They anoint themselves with cocoanut and with beneseed oil, as a protection
against the sun and wind. They have very black hair that falls to the waist, and use
daggers, knives, and spears ornamented with gold, large shields, fascines, javelins,
and fishing nets that resemble rizali [a fine thickly woven net used for fishing]; and
their boats are [just] like ours.
Next day, holy Friday, the captain-general sent his slave, who acted as our
interpreter, ashore in a small boat to ask the king if he had any food to have it carried
to the ships; and to say that they would be well satisfied with us, for he land his men]
had come to the island as friends and not as enemies. The king came with six or eight
men in the same boat and entered the ship. He embraced the captain-general to
whom he gave three porcelain jars covered with leaves and full of raw rice, two very
large orade [dorado] and other things. The captain-general gave the king a garment of
red and yellow cloth made in the Turkish fashion, and a fine red cap; and to the others
(the king's men), to some knives and to others mirrors. Then the captain-general had a
collation spread for them, and had the king told through the slave that he desired to
be casi casi with him, that is to say, brother. The king replied that he also wished enter
the same relations with the captain-general. Then the captain showed him cloth of
various colors, linen, coral fornaments], and many other articles of merchandise, and
all the artillery, some of which had discharged for him, whereat the natives were
greatly frightened.

Pieces of gold, of the size of walnuts and eggs, are found by sifting the earth in
the island of that king who came [whom I led] to our ships. All the dishes of that king
are of gold and also some portion of his house, as we were told by that king himself.
According to their customs he was grandly decked out [molto in ordine], and the finest
looking man that we saw among those people. His hair was exceedingly black, and
hung to his shoulders. He had a covering of silk on his head, and wore two large
golden earrings fastened in [to] his ears. He wore a cotton cloth all embroidered with
silk, which covered him from the waist to the knees. At his side hung a dagger, the
haft of which was somewhat long and all of gold, and its scabbard of carved wood. He
had three spots of gold on every tooth, and his teeth appeared as if bound with gold.
He was perfumed with storax and benzoin. He was tawny and painted [i.e., tattooed]
all over. That island of his was called Butuan and Calagan [Caraga]. When those kings
wished to see one another, they both went to hunt in that island where we were. The
name of the first king is Raia Colambu, the second Raia Siaui.

Early on [in] the morning of Sunday, the last of March and Easter-day, the
captaingeneral sent the priest with some men to prepare the place where the Mass
was to be said; together with the interpreter to tell the king that we were not going to
land in order to dine with him, but to say mass. Therefore, the king sent us two swine
that he had had killed. When the hour for mass [had] arrived, we landed with about
fifty men, without our body armor, but carrying our other arms, and dressed in our
best clothes. Before we reached the shore with our boats, six pieces were discharged
as a sign of peace. We landed; the two kings embraced the captain-general, and
placed him between them. We went in marching order to the place consecrated, which
was not far from shore. Before the commencement of [the] mass, the captain sprinkled
the entire bodies of the two kings with musk water. The mass was offered up [During
the Mass, we made our offerings]. The kings went forward to kiss the cross as we did,
but made no offerings. When the body of our Lord was elevated, they remained on
their knees and worshipped Him with clasped hands. The ships fired all their artillery at
once when the body of Christ was elevated, the signal having been given from the
shore with muskets. After the conclusion of Mass, some of our men took
communion....Then he [they] had a cross carried in and the nails and a crown, to which
immediate reverence was made [to which they made immediate reverence]. He told
the kings through the interpreter that they were the standards given to him by the
emperor his sovereign, so that wherever he might go he might set up those tokens.
[He said] that he wished to set it up in that place for their benefit, for whenever any of
our ships came, they would know that we had been there by that cross, and would do
nothing to displease them or harm their property [property: doublet in original MS.J. If
any of their men were captured, they would be set free immediately on that sign being
shown. It wvas necessary to set that cross on the summit of the highest mountain, so
that on seeing it every morning, they might adore it; and if they did that, neither
thunder, lightning, nor storms would harm them in the least. They thanked him
heartily and [said] that they would do everything willingly. The captain-general also
asked them whether they were Moros [Muslims] or heathen, or what was their belief.
They replied that they worshiped nothing [had no other worship] but that they raised
their clasped hands and their face to the sky, and that they called their god "Abba."
Thereat the captain was very glad, and seeing that, the first king raised his hands to
the sky, and said that he wished that it were possible for him to make the captain see
his love for him. The interpreter asked the king why there was so little to eat there.
The latter replied that he did not live in that place except when he went hunting and to
see his brother, but that he lived in another island where all his family were. The
captain-general had him asked [asked him] to declare whether he had enemies, so
that he might go with his ships to destroy them and to render them obedient to him.
The king thanked him and said that he did indeed have two islands hostile to him, but
that it was not then the season to go there. The [That] captain told him that if God
would again allow him to return to those districts, he would bring so many men that he
would make the king's enemies subject to him by force. He said that he was about to
go to dinner, and that he would return afterward to have the cross set up on the
summit of the mountain. They replied that they were satisfied, and then forming in
battalion and firing the muskets, and the captain having embraced the two kings, we
took our leave.

After dinner we all returned clad in our doublets, and that afternoon went
together with the two kings to the summit of the highest mountain there. When we
reached the summit, the captain-general told them that he esteemed highly having
sweated for them, for since the cross was there, it could not but be of great use to
them. On asking which port was best to get food, they replied that there were three,
namely, Ceylon [Leyte], Zubu [Cebu], and Calaghann [Calagan], but that Zubu was the
largest and the one with most trade. They offered of their own accord to give us pilots
to show us the way. The captain-general thanked them, and determined to go threre,
for so did his unhappy fate will. After the cross was erected in position, each of us
repeated a Pater Noster and an Ave Maria, and adored the cross; and the kings did the
same. Then we descended through the cultivated fields, and went to the place where
the balanghai was. The king had some cocoanuts brought in so we might refresh
ourselves. The captain asked the kings for pilots, for he intended to depart the
following morning, and said] that he would treat them as if they were the kings
themselves, and would leave one of us as hostage. The kings replied every that every
hour he wished the pilots were at his command, but that night the first king changed
his mind, and in the morning when we were about to depart, sent word to the captain-
general, asking him for love of him to wait two days until he should have his rice
harvested, and other trifles attended to. He asked the captain-general to send him
some men to help him, so that it might be done sooner; and said that he intended to
act as our pilot himself. The captain sent him some men, but the kings ate and drank
so much that they slept all the day. Some said to excuse them that they were slightly
sick. Our men did nothing on that day, but they worked the next two days.
Those people were heathens, and go naked and painted. They wear a piece of
cloth woven from a tree about their privies. They are heavy drinkers. Their women are
clad in tree cloth from their waist down, and their hair is black and reaches to the
ground. They have holes pierced in their ears which are filled with gold. These people
are constantly chewing a fruit which they call areca, and resembles a pear. They cut
that fruit into four parts, and then wrap it in the leaves of their tree which they call
betre [i.e., betel]. Those leaves resemble the leaves of the mulberry. They mix it with a
little lime, and when they have chewed it thoroughly, they spit it out. It makes the
mouth exceedingly red. All the people in those parts of the world use it, for it is very
cooling to the heart, and if they ceased to use it they would die. There are dogs, cats,
swine, fowls, goats, rice, ginger, cocoanuts, figs [i.e., bananas], oranges, lemons,
millet, pancium, sorgo, wax, and a quantity of gold in that island. It lies in a latitude of
nine and two- thirds degrees toward the Arctic Pole, and in a longitude of one hundred
and sixty-two degrees from the line of demarcation. It is twenty-five [leagues] from the
Acquada, and is called Mazaua [Limasawa].

We remained there seven days, after which we laid our course toward the
northwest, passing among five islands, namely Ceylon, Bohol, Canighan, Baybai, and
Gatighan. In the last-named island of Gatighan, there are bats as large as eagles. As it
was late we killed one of them, which resembled chicken in taste. There are doves,
turtle-doves, parrots, and certain black birds as large as domestic chickens, which
have a long tail. The last-mentioned birds lay eggs as large as the goose, and bury
them under the sand, through the great heat of which they hatched out. When the
chicks are born, they push up the sand, and come out. Those eggs are good to eat.
There is a distance of twenty leguas [leagues] from Mazaua to Gatighan. We set out
westward from Gatighan, but the king of Mazaua could not follow us [closely]; and
consequently, we awaited him near three islands: namely Polo [Poro], Ticobon
[Pasijan], and Pozon [Pason]. When he caught up with us he was greatly astonished at
the rapidity with which we sailed. The captain-general had him come into his ship with
several of his chiefs at which they were pleased. Thus, did we go to Zubu from
Gatighan, the distance to Zubu being fifteen leguas.

At noon on Sunday, April seven, we entered the port of Zubu, passing by many
villages, where we saw many homes built upon logs. On approaching the city, the
captaingeneral ordered the ships to fling their banners. The sails were lowered and
arranged as if for battle, and the artillery was fired, an action which caused great fear
to the people. The captain sent a foster-son of his as ambassador to the king of Zubo
with the interpreter. When they reached the city, they found a vast crowd of people
together with the king, all of whom who were frightened by the mortars. The
interpreter told them that that was our custom when entering into such places, as a
sign of peace and friendship, and that we had discharged all our mortars to honor the
king of the village. The king and all of his men were reassured, and the king had us
asked by his governor what we wanted. The interpreter replied that his master was a
captain of the greatest king and prince in the world, and that he was going to discover
Malucho; but that he had come solely to visit the king because of the good report
which he had heard of him from the king of Mazaua, and to buy food with his
merchandise. The king told him that he was welcome [literally: he had come at a good
time], but that it was their custom for all ships that entered their ports to pay tribute,
and that it was but four days since a junk from Ciama [i.e., Siam] laden with gold and
slaves had paid him tribute. As proof of his statement, the king pointed out to the
interpreter, a merchant from Ciama, who had remained to trade the gold and slaves.
The interpreter told the king that, since his master was the captain of so great a king,
he did not pay tribute to any seignior in the world, and that if the king wished peace he
would have peace, but if war instead, war. Thereupon, the Moro merchant said to the
king "Cata raia chita"; that is to say, "Look well, sire. These men are the same who
have conquered Calicut, Malaca, and all India Magiore [i.e., India Major]. If they are
treated well, they will give good treatment, but if they are treated evil, evil and worse
treatment, as they have done to Calicut and Malaca." The interpreter understood it all
and told the king that his master's king was more powerful in men and ships than the
king of Portogalo, that he was the king of Spagnia [Spain] and emperor of all the
Christians, and that if the king did not care to be his friend he would next time send so
many men that they would destroy him. The Moro related everything to the king who
said thereupon that he would deliberate with his men, and would answer the captain
on the following day. Then he had refreshments of many dishes, all made from meat
and contained in porcelain platters, besides many jars of wine brought in. After our
men had refreshed themselves, they returned and told us everything. The king of
Mazaua, who was the most influential after that king and the seignior of a number of
islands, went ashore to speak to the king of the great courtesy of our captain-general.

Monday morning, our notary, together with the interpreter, went to Zubu. The
king, accompanied by his chiefs, came to the open square where he had our men sit
down near him. He asked the notary whether there were more than one captain in that
company, and whether that captain wished him to pay tribute to the emperor, his
master. The notary replied in the negative, but that the captain wished only to trade
with him and no others. The king said that he was satisfied, and that if the captain
wished to become his friend, he should send him a drop of blood from his right arm,
and he himself would do the same [to him] as a sign of the most sincere friendship.
The notary answered that the captain would do it [so]. Thereupon, the king told him
that all the captains who came to that place were wont to give presents one to the
other [i.e., mutual presents between the king and the captain], and asked whether our
captain or he ought to commence. The interpreter told the king that since he desired
to maintain the custom, he should commence, and so he did.

On Wednesday morning, as one of our men had died during the previous night,
the interpreter and I went to ask the king where we could bury him. We found the king
surrounded by many men of whom, after the due reverence was made, I asked it. He
replied, "If I and my vassals all belong to your sovereign, how much more ought the
land." I told the king that we would like to consecrate the place, and to set up a cross
there. He replied that he was quite satisfied and that he wished to adore the cross as
did we. The deceased was buried in the square with as much pomp as possible, in
order to furnish a good example. Then we consecrated the place, and in the evening
buried another mail. We carried a quantity of merchandise ashore which we stored in a
house. The king took it under his care as well as four men who were left to trade the
goods by wholesale. Those people live in accordance with justice, and have weights
and measures. They love peace, ease, and quiet. They have wooden balances, the bar
of which has a cord in the middle by which it is held. At one end is a bit of lead, and at
the other marks like quarter-libras [quarter-pounds], third-libras [third-pounds], and
libras [pounds]. When they wish to weigh they take the scales which has three wires
like ours, and place it above the marks, and so weigh it accurately. They have very
large measures without any bottom. The youth play on pipes made like ours which
they call subin. Their houses are constructed of wood and are built of planks and
bamboo, raised high from the ground on large logs, and one must enter them by
means of ladders. They have rooms like ours; and under the house they keep their
swine, goats, and fowls. Large sea snails [corniolli], beautiful to the sight, are found
there which kill whales. For the whale swallows them alive, and when they are in the
whale's body, they come out of their shells and eat the whale's heart. Those people
afterward find them alive near the dead whale's heart. Those creatures have black
teeth and skin and a white shell, and the flesh is [are] good to eat. They are called
laghan [a shellfish].

On Friday we showed these people a shop full of our merchandise, at which

they were very much surprised. For metals, iron and other large merchandise they
gave us gold. For the other smaller articles they gave us rice, swine, goats, and other
food. Those people gave us x pieces of gold for xiiii libras [14 pounds] of iron (one
piece being worth about one and one- half ducados [ducats]). The captain-general did
not wish to take too much gold, for there would have been some sailors who would
have given all that they owned for a small amount of gold and would have spoiled the
trade forever. On Saturday, as the captain [king] had promised the king [captain] to
become a Christian on Sunday, a platform was built in [on] the consecrated square,
which was adorned with hangings and palm branches for his baptism. The captain-
general sent men to tell the king not to be afraid of the pieces that would be
discharged in the morning, for it was our custom to discharge them at our greatest
feasts without loading [them] with stones.

On Sunday morning, April fourteen, forty men of use went ashore, two of whom
were completely armed and preceded the royal banner. When we reached land all the
artillery was fired. Those people followed us hither and thither. The captain and the
king embraced. The captain told the king that the royal banner was not taken ashore
except with fifty men armed as were those two, and with fifty musketeers; but so great
was his love for him that he had thus brought the banner. Then we all approached the
platform joyfully. The captain and the king sat down in chairs of red and violet velvet,
the chiefs on cushions, and the others on mats. The captain told the king through the
interpreter that he thanked God for inspiring him to became [become] a Christian, and
that [now] he would more easily conquer his enemies than before. The king replied
that he wished to become a Christian, but that some of his chiefs did not wish to obey,
because they said that they were as good as men as he. Then our captain had all the
chiefs of the king called, and told them that unless they obeyed the king as their king,
he would have them killed, and would give their possessions to the king. They replied
that they would obey him. The captain told the king that he was going to Spagnia, but
that he would return again with so many forces that he would make him the greatest
king of those regions, as he had been the first to express a determination to become a
Christian. The king, lifting his hands to the sky, thanked the captain, and requested
him to let some of his men remain [with him], so that he and his people might better
be instructed in the faith. The captain replied that he would like to take two of the
children of the chiefs with him, so that they might learn our language who afterward
on their return would be able to tell the others the wonders [cose] of Spagnia. A large
cross was set up in the middle of the square. The captain told them that if they wished
to become Christians as they had declared on the previous days, that they must burn
all their idols and set up a cross in their place. They were to adore that cross daily with
clasped hands, and every morning after their [i.e., the Spaniards'] custom, they were
to make the sign of the cross (which the captain showed them how to make); and they
ought to come hourly, at least in the morning, to that cross, and adore it kneeling. The
intention that they had already declared, they were to confirm it with good works. The
king and all the others wished to confirm it thoroughly. The captain-general told the
king that he was clad in all white to demonstrate his sincere love toward them. They
replied they could not respond to his sweet words. The captain led the king by hand to
the platform while speaking these good words in order to baptize him. He told the king
that he would call him Don Carlo, after his sovereign the emperor; the prince, Don
Fernando, after the emperor's brother; the king of Mazaua, Johanni; a chief, Fernando,
after our chief, that is to say the captain; the Moro, Christoforo; and then the others,
now one name, and now another. Five hundred men were baptized before mass. After
the conclusion of mass, the captain invited the king and some of the other chiefs to
dinner, but they refused, accompanying us, however, to the shore. The ships
discharged all the mortars; and embracing, the king and chiefs and the captain took
leave of one another.

After dinner the priest and some of the others went ashore to baptize the
queen, who came with forty women. We conducted her to the platform, and she was
made to sit down upon a cushion, and the other women near her, until the priest
should be ready. She was shown [I showed her] an image of our Lady, a very beautiful
wooden child Jesus, and a cross. Thereupon, she was overcome with contrition and
asked for baptism amid her tears. We named her Johanna, after the emperor's mother;
her daughter, the wife of the prince, Catherina; the queen of Mazaua, Lisabeta; and
the others, each [with] their [distinctive] names. Counting men, women, and children,
we baptized eight hundred souls. The queen was young and beautiful, and was entirely
covered with a white and black cloth. Her mouth and nails were very red, while on her
head she wore a large hat of palm leaves in the manner of a parasol, with a crown
about it of the same leaves, like the tiara of the Pope; and she never goes any place
without such a one. She asked us to give her the little child Jesus to keep in place of
her idols; and then she went away. In the afternoon, the king and queen, accompanied
by numerous persons, came to the shore. Thereupon, the captain had many trombs of
fire and large mortars discharged, by which they were most highly delighted. The
captain and the king called one another brothers. That king's name was Raia
Humabon. Before that week had gone, all the persons of that island, and some from
the other islands, were baptized. We burned one hamlet which was located in a
neighboring island, because it refused to obey the king or us. We set up the cross
there for those people were heathen. Had they been Moros, we would have erected a
column there as a token of our greater hardness, for the Moros are much harder to
convert than the heathen.

The captain-general went ashore daily during those days to hear mass, and told
the king many things regarding the faith. One day the queen came with great pomp to
hear Mass. Three girls preceded her with three of her hats in their hands. She was
dressed in black and white with a large silk scarf, crossed with gold stripes thrown over
her head, which covered her shoulders; and she had on her hat. A great number of
women accompanied her, who were all naked and barefoot, except that they had a
small covering of palm-tree cloth before their privies, and a small scarf upon the head,
and all hair flowing free. The queen, having made the due reverence to the altar,
seated herself on a silk embroidered cushion. Before the commencement of the mass,
the captain sprayed her and some of her [the] women with musk rosewater, for they
delighted exceedingly in such perfumes. The captain, knowing that the queen was
very much pleased with the child Jesus, gave it to her, telling her to keep it in place of
her idols, for it was a memory of the son of God. Thanking him heartily, she accepted
it.

One day, the captain-general asked the king and the other people why they did
not burn their idols as they had promised when they became Christians; and why they
sacrificed so much flesh to them. They replied that what they were doing was not for
themselves, but for a sick man who had not spoken now for four days, so that the idols
might give him health. He was the prince's brother, and the bravest and wisest man in
the island. The captain told them to burn their idols and to believe in Christ, and that if
the sick man were baptized, he would quickly recover; and if that did not so happen,
they could behead him [i.e., the captain] then and there. Thereupon, the king replied
that he would do it, for he truly believed in Christ. We made a procession from the
square to the house of the sick man with as much pomp as possible. There we found
him in such a condition that he could neither speak nor move. We baptized him and his
two wives, and x girls. Then the captain had him asked [asked him] how he felt. He
spoke immediately and said that by the grace of our Lord he felt very well. That was a
most manifest miracle [that happened] in our times. When the captain heard him [the
man] speak, he thanked God fervently. Then he made the sick man drink some almond
milk, which he had already made ready for him. Afterward he sent him a mattress, a
pair of sheets, a coverlet of yellow cloth, and a pillow. Until he recovered his health,
the captain sent him [every day] almond milk, rosewater, oil of roses, and some sweet
preserves. Before five days the sick man began to walk. He had an idol that certain old
women concealed in his house burned in the presence of the king and all the people.
He had many shrines along the seashore destroyed, in which consecrated meat was
eaten. The people themselves cried out "Castiglia!" "Castiglia!" and destroyed those
shrines. They said that if God would lend them life, they would burn all the idols they
could find, even if they were in the king's house. Those idols are made of wood, and
are hollow, and lack the back parts. Their arms are open and their feet turned up
under them with the legs open. They have a large face with four huge tusks like those
of the wild boar; and are painted all over.

There are many villages in that island. Their names and those of their chiefs are
as follows: Cinghapola and its chiefs, Cilaton, Ciguibucan, Cimaningha, Cimatichat, and
Cicanbul; one, Mandaui and its chief, Apanoaan; one Lalan, and its chief, Theteu; one,
Lalutan, and its chief, Tapan; one Cilumai; and one, Lubucun. All those villages
rendered obedience to us, and gave us food and tribute. Near that island of Zubu was
an island called Matan [Mactan], which formed the port where we were anchored. The
name of its village was Matan, and its chiefs were Zula and Cilapulapu [Lapu-lapu].
That city [village] which we burned was in that island and was called Bulaia.

On Friday, April twenty-six, Zula, chief of the island of Matan, sent one of his
sons to present two goats to the captain-general, and to say that he would send him
all that he had promised, but that he had not been able to send it to him because of
the other chief, Cilapulapu, who refused to obey the king of Spagnia. He requested the
captain to send him only one boatload of men on the next night, so that they might
help him and fight against the other chief. The captain-general decided to thither with
three boatloads. We begged him repeatedly not to go, but he, like a good shepherd,
refused to abandon his flock. At midnight, sixty men of us set out armed with corselets
and helmets, together with the Christian king, the prince, some of the chief men, and
twenty or thirty balanghais. We reached Matan three hours before dawn. The captain
did not wish to fight then, but he sent a message to the natives by the Moro to the
effect that if they would obey the king of Spagnia, recognize the Christian king as their
sovereign, pay us our tribute, he would be their friend; but that if they wished
otherwise, they should wait to see how our lances wounded. They replied that if we
had lances, they had lances of bamboo and stakes hardened with fire. [They asked us]
not to proceed to attack them at once, but to wait until morning, so that they might
have more men. They said that in order to induce us to go in search of them; for they
had dug certain pit holes between the houses in order that we might fall into them.
When morning came, forty-nine of us leaped into the water up our thighs, and walked
through water for more than two crossbow flights before we could reach the shore. The
boats could not approach nearer because of certain rocks in the water. The other
eleven men remained behind to guard the boats... When they saw us, they charged
down upon us with exceeding loud cries, two divisions on our flanks and other two on
our front. When the captain saw that, he formed us into two divisions, and thus did we
begin to fight. The musketeers and crossbowmen shot from a distance for half an hour,
but uselessly for the shots only passed through the shields which were made of thin
wood and the arms [of the bearers]. The captain cried to them, "Cease firing! Cease
firing!" but his order was not all heeded. When the natives saw that we were shooting
our muskets to no purpose, crying out, they [were] determined to stand firm, but they
[and] redoubled their shouts. When our muskets were discharged, the natives would
never stand still but leaped hither and thither, covering themselves with their shields.
They shot so many arrows at us and hurled so many bamboo spears (some of them
tipped with iron) at the captaingeneral, besides pointed stakes hardened with fire,
stones, and mud, that we could scarcely defend ourselves. Seeing that, the captain-
general sent some men to burn their houses in order to terrify them. When they saw
their houses burning, they were roused to greater fury. Two of our men were killed
near the houses, while we burned twenty or thirty houses. So many of them charged
down upon us that they shot the captain through the right leg with a poisoned arrow.
On that account, he ordered us to retire slowly, but the men took to flight, except six
or eight of us who remained with the captain. The natives shot only at our legs, for the
latter were bare; and so many were the spears and stones hurled at us, that we could
offer no resistance. The mortars in the boats could not aid us as they were too far
away. So, we continued to retire for more than a good crossbow flight from the shore,
always fighting up to our knees in the water. The natives continued to pursue us, and
picking up the same spear four or six times, hurled it at us again and again.
Recognizing the captain, so many turned upon him that they knocked his helmet off
his head twice, but he always stood firmly like a good knight, together with some
others. Thus, did we fight for more than one hour, refusing to retire farther [further].
An Indian hurled a bamboo spear into the captain's face, but the latter immediately
killed him with his lance, which he left in the Indian's body. Then, trying to lay hand on
sword, he could draw it out halfway because he had been wounded in the arm with
[by] a bamboo spear. When the natives saw that, they all hurled themselves upon him.
One of them wounded him on the left leg with a large cutlass, which resembles a
scimitar, only being larger. That caused the captain to fall face downward, when
immediately they rushed upon him with iron and bamboo spears and with their
cutlasses, until they killed our mirror, our light, our comfort, and our true guide. When
they wounded him, he turned back many times to see whether we were all in the
boats. Thereupon, beholding him dead, we, wounded, retreated, as best as we could to
the boats which were already pulling off. The Christian king would have aided us, but
the captain charged him before we landed, not to leave his balanghai, but to stay to
see how we fought. When the king learned that the captain was dead, he wept. Had it
not been for that unfortunate captain, not a single one of us would have been saved in
the boats, for while he was fighting, the others retired to the boats. I hope through [the
efforts of] your illustrious Lordship that the fame of so noble a captain will not become
effaced in our times. Among other virtues which he possessed, he was more constant
than ever in the greatest of adversity. He endured hunger better than all the others,
and more accurately than any man in the world did he understand sea charts and
navigation. And that this was the truth seen openly, for no other had so much natural
talent nor the boldness to learn how to circumnavigate the world, as he had almost
done. That [The] battle was fought on Saturday, April twenty-seven, 1521. The captain
desired to fight on Saturday, because it was the day especially holy to him. Eight of
our men were killed with him in that battle, and four Indians, who had become
Christians and who had come afterward to aid us, were killed by the mortars of the
boats. Of the enemy, only fifteen were killed, while many of us were wounded.

Relevance

Pigafetta's chronicle contributed immensely to European historiography as it

preserved and popularized the achievements of the Magellan-Elcano expedition. If
Pigafetta did not survive the journey, we would have very little knowledge of
Magellan's numerous contributions in the fields of geography, navigation, history, and
other related areas. First, credit must be given to the Magellan expedition for proving
that the earth is not flat but an oblate sphere. Moreover, they demolished the myth
that there is boiling water at the Equator. Second, Magellan and his men completed
the first circumnavigation of the world. Third, they confirmed that the Portuguese
route is not the only way to the Spice Islands. They proved the theory that one can go
to the east by sailing west. Fourth, they brought to the attention of the Europeans that
on the other side of the American continent exists a large body of water which they
named Pacific Ocean (Mar Pacifico). All these discoveries altered the European map of
the world and resulted in the inclusion of new territories in their world view.

The account of Pigafetta also enriched Philippine historiography because it

contains important details about the conditions of the Visayan Islands in the 16th
century. Some of the prominent leaders during that time, their economic activities,
social and cultural practices, and religious beliefs were identified. Moreover, local
textbook writers use his book as their source of historical information about the
beginning of Christianity in the Philippines. The accounts about the First Mass in the
Philippines, the conversion of Rajah Humabon and his wife, and the story of the image
of the Sto. Niño were mostly taken from Pigafetta's book. Finally, Pigafetta has
numerous accounts about the reaction of the Filipinos when they met the Spaniards.
Some Filipinos were easily befriended by the Spaniards while others refused to interact
and trade with them. Lapu-lapu is the most prominent Filipino character in Pigafetta's
narrative. He was the first Filipino who led the resistance movement against Spanish
rule and successfully thwarted the first attempt of the Spaniards to take control of the
Philippines.

It was mentioned earlier that Pigafetta was not the only one who wrote about
the expedition. The year after the ship Victoría arrived in Spain, Maximilianus
Transylvanus' De Moluccis Insulis (The Moluccas Islands) came off the press. Its subject
matter is the same as that of Pigafetta's book but it is not an eyewitness account
because the author is not part of the expedition. He based his narrative on the
interviews that he conducted with the survivors of the Victoria. His prominent
interviewees were Juan Sebastián Elcano, Francisco Albo, and Hernando de
Bustamante. Compared to Pigafetta's work, his account is far much shorter and
contains less details. Another survivor who maintained a journal of the voyage was
Francisco Albo (Victoria's pilot). His work is the shortest and it focused mainly on the
location of the expedition on certain dates. Finally, the last contemporaneous source of
information about Magellan is the Italian-born historian of Spain, Peter Martyr
d'Anghiera. From 1511 to 1530, he wrote accounts of the Spanish explorations of the
New World which he divided into "decades”. The fifth decade appeared in 1523 and it
recounted the conquest of Mexico and the circumnavigation of the world by Magellan.

SUMMARY:

This module talks through the account of Pigafetta. It provides a clear picture of
their journey in circumnavigating the world using the westward route. It was also
mentioned the experiences of Magellan and his crew upon arriving in the Philippines.
The written records made by Pigafetta present the first encounter of the Spaniards and
Filipinos.

The travelogue made by Pigafetta also entails the customs, culture, and
traditions of the Visayans. It includes one of the most historical events in our country,
which is the birth of Christianity through the conversion of the natives and their
chieftain. In addition, the heroic acts of Lapu-Lapu and his men in defending Mactan
from the Spanish colonizers were included in the said account.

REFERENCE:

• Torres, J.V. (2018). Batis Sources in Philippine History. C & E Publishing, Inc.

• [Link]
 MODULE 4: UNDERSTANDING PERSPECTIVE (PART 2)
B. Customs of the Tagalog

WEEK: 4

TIME ALLOTMENT: 3 Hours

OBJECTIVES/ LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this module, the students will be able to:
1. Analyze the context, content and perspective of primary source;
2. Determine how the events affected the history of Filipino people;
3. Develop critical and analytical skills as they are expose to primary sources;
4. Examine the context and perspective of the document;
5. Determine the significance of the document to the Philippine History; and
6. Examine the state of the Philippines today.

INTRODUCTION:

We will be discussing the way of life of our forefathers during and before the
16th century. This topic will enlighten us about our own culture and tradition. A
glimpse of the social and political life of our forefather will also be included in the
discussion of the module.
DISCUSSION:

UNDERSTANDING PERSPECTIVE

B. Customs of the Tagalog

Historical Context

During the first century of Spanish rule, the colonial government had difficulty
in running local politics because of the limited number of Spaniards who wanted to live
outside of Intramuros. This situation forced Spanish officials to allow Filipinos to hold
the position of gobernadorcillo. To ensure that the gobernadorcillos would remain loyal
to the Crown, the friars assigned in the parishes were instructed to supervise and
monitor the activities of the former. Hence, the friars ended up performing the
administrative duties that colonial officials should have been doing at the local level.
They supervised the election of the local executives, helped in the collection of taxes,
were directly involved in educating the youth, and performed other civic duties.
Consequently, the friars became the most knowledgeable and influential figure in the
pueblo.

The friars who were assigned in mission territories were required periodically to
inform their superiors of what was happening in their respective areas. They prepared
reports on the number of natives they converted, the people's way of life, their socio-
economic situation, and the problems they encountered. Some of them submitted
short letters while others who were keen observers and gifted writers wrote long
dispatches. On top of the regular reports they submitted, they also shared their
personal observations and experiences. Plasencia's Relacion de las Costumbres de Los
Tagalogs (Customs of the Tagalogs, 1589) is an example of this kind of work. It
contains numerous information that historians could use in reconstructing the political
and socio-cultural history of the Tagalog region. His work is a primary source because
he personally witnessed the events and his account contained his observations.

There were other friars and colonial officials who also wrote about the Filipinos
which could further enrich our knowledge of Philippine history during the early part of
the Spanish period. For example, Miguel de Loarca, an encomendero of Panay wrote
his Relación de las Islas Filipinas (1582) and described the Filipinos' way of life in the
Western Visayas area. Lieutenant Governor Antonio de Morga wrote Sucesos de las
Islas Filipinas which provides information about the state of the Philippines in the latter
part of the 16th century. The other Spanish missionaries who continued the
historiographical tradition were Fr. Pedro Chirino S.J. (Relación de las Islas Filipinas,
1604), Fr. Juan Delgado S.J. (Historia General, 1751), Fr. Francisco Colin S.J. (Labor
Evangelica, 1663), and Fr. Francisco Ignacio Alcina S.J. (Historia natural del sitio,
fertilidad y calidad de las Islas e Indios de Bisayas, 1668). Most of what we know about
Philippine history during the first century of the Spanish period were derived from the
accounts of the Spanish friars.

About the Author

Fray Juan de Plasencia (Joan de Portocarrero, real name) was a member of the
Franciscan Order who came together with the first batch of missionaries to the
Philippines in 1578. He and a fellow, Franciscan Fray Diego de Oropesa, were assigned
to do mission works in the Southern Tagalog area. Plasencia also helped in the
foundation and organization of numerous towns in Quezon, Laguna, Rizal, and
Bulacan. His continuous interaction with the people he converted to Christianity
enabled him to write a work titled Relacion de las Costumbres de Los Tagalogs
(Customs of the Tagalogs, 1589) where he vividly described the political, social,
economic, and cultural practices of the Filipinos before they were Christianized.

Plasencia did not limit himself to the task of administering the sacraments and
baptizing new converts. He believed that catechism or explaining the basic tenets of
Catholic faith is another very important function of a missionary. His biggest challenge
at that time was how to make the articles of faith comprehensible to people who have
never heard of Christ or the Catholic Church. He wrote the Doctrina Christiana en
Lengua Española y Tagala which later became the first printed book in the Philippines
in 1593. He used it as reading material for those Filipinos who wished to deepen their
faith in the newly-accepted religion. Plasencia died in Liliw, Laguna in 1590.

About the Text

The original document of Customs of the Tagalogs is currently kept in the

Archivo General de Indias (A.G.I.) in Seville, Spain. A duplicate copy of it is kept in the
Archivo
Franciscano Ibero-Oriental (A.F.I.O.), in Madrid, Spain. An English translation appeared
in Volume VII of the Blair and Robertson's The Philippine Islands. Another English
translation was published as part of the volume for precolonial Philippines in the
second series of the Filipiniana Book Guild. The excerpts presented below is from the
latter version.

Excerpts from Customs of the Tagalogs

This people always had chiefs, called by them datos, who governed them and
were captains in their wars, and whom they obeyed and reverenced. The subject who
committed any offense against them, or spoke but a word to their wives and children,
was severely punished.

These chiefs ruled over a few people; sometimes as many as a hundred houses,
sometimes even less than thirty. This tribal gathering is called in Tagalog a barangay.
It was inferred that the reason for giving themselves this name rose from the fact (as
they are classed, by their language, among the Malay nations) that when they came to
this land, the head of the barangay, which is a boat, thus called-as is discussed at
length in the first chapter of the first ten chapters-became the dato. And so, even at
present day, it is ascertained that the barangay in its origin was a family of parents,
children, relations and slaves. There were many of these barangays in each town, or at
least, on account of wars, they did not settle far from one another. They were not,
however, subject to one another, except in friendship and relationship. The chiefs, in
their various wars, helped one another with their respective barangays.

In addition to these chiefs, who corresponded to our knights, there were three castes:
nobles, commoners, and slaves. The nobles were the freeborn whom they call
maharlica. They did not pay tax or tribute to the dato, but must accompany him in
war, at their own expense. The chief offered them beforehand a feast, and afterward
they divided the spoils. Moreover, when the dato went upon the water those whom he
summoned rowed for him. If he built a house, they helped him, and had to be fed up
for it. The same was true when the whole barangay went to clear up his lands for
tillage. The lands which they inhabited were divided among the whole barangay,
especially the irrigated portion, and thus each one knew his own. No one belonging to
another barangay would cultivate them unless after purchase or inheritance. The lands
on the tingues, or mountain ridges, are not divided, but owned in common by the
barangay. Consequently, at the time of the rice harvest, any individual of any
particular barangay, although he may have come from some other village, if he
commences to clear any land may sow it, and no one can compel him to abandon it.
There are some villages (as, for example, Pila de Laguna) in which these nobles, or
maharlicas, paid annually to the dato a hundred gantas of rice. The reason of this was
that, at the time of their settlement there, another chief, upon his arrival, bought with
his own gold; and therefore the members of his barangay paid him for arable land, and
he divided it, among those whom he saw fit to reward. But now, since the advent of
the Spaniards, it is not so divided.

The commoners are called aliping namamahay. They are married, and serve
their master, whether he be a dato or not, with half of their cultivated lands, as was
agreed upon in the beginning. They accompanied him wherever he went beyond the
island, and rowed for him. They live in their own houses, and are lords of their property
and gold. Their children inherit it, and enjoy their property and lands. The children,
then, enjoy the rank of their fathers, and they cannot be made slaves (sa guiguilir) nor
can either parents or children be sold. If they should fall by inheritance into the hands
of a son of their master who was going to dwell in another village, they could not be
taken from their own village and carried with him; but they would remain in their
native village, doing service there and cultivating the sowed lands.

The slaves are called aliping sa guiguilir. They serve their master in his house
and on his cultivated lands, and may be sold. The master grants them, should they see
fit, and providing that he has profited through their industry, a portion of their
harvests, so that they may work faithfully. For these reasons, servants who are born in
the house of their master are rarely, if ever, sold. That is the lot of captives in war, and
of those brought up in the harvest fields.

The difference between the aliping namamahay and the aliping sa guiguilir,
should be noted; for, by a confusion of the two terms, many have been classed as
slaves who really are not. The Indians seeing that the alcaldes-mayor do not
understand this, have adopted the custom of taking away the children of the aliping
namamahay, making use of them as they would of aliping sa guiguilir, as servants in
their households, which is illegal, and if the aliping namamahay should appeal to
justice, it is proved that he is an alipin as well as his father and mother before him and
no reservation is made as to whether he is aliping namamahay or aliping sa guiguilir.
He is at once considered an alipin, without further declaration. In this way he becomes
a sa guiguilir, and is even sold. Consequently, the alcaldes-mayor should be instructed
to ascertain, when anyone asks for his alipin, to which class he belongs, and to have
the answer put in document that they give him.

In these three classes, those who are maharlicas on both father's and mother's
side continue to be so forever; and if it happens that they should become slaves, it is
through marriage, as I shall soon explain. If these maharlicas had children among their
slaves, the children and their mothers became free; if one of them had children by a
slave-woman of another, she was compelled, when pregnant, to give her master half of
the gold tael, because of her risk of death, and for her inability to labor during the
pregnancy. In such case half of the child was free-namely, the half belonging to his
father, who supplied the child with food. If he did not do this, he showed that he did
not recognize him as his child, in which case the latter was wholly a slave. If a free
woman had children by a slave, they were all free, provided he were not her husband.
 If two persons married, of whom one was a maharlica and the other a slave,
whether namamahay or sa guiguilir, the children were divided; the first, whether male
or female, belonged to the father, as did the third and fifth; the second, the fourth, and
the sixth fell to the mother, and so on. In this manner, if the father were free, all those
who belonged to him were free; if he were a slave, all those who belonged to him were
slaves; and the same applied to the mother. If there should not be more than one child
he was half free and half slave. The question here concerned the division, whether the
child were male or female. Those who became slaves fell under the category of
servitude which was their parent's, either namamahay or sa guiguilir. If there were an
odd number of children, the odd one was half free and half slave. I have not been able
to ascertain with certainty when or what age the division of children was made, for
each one suited himself in this respect. Of these two kinds of slaves the sa guiguilir
could be sold, but not the namamahay and their children, nor could they be
transferred. However, they could be transferred from the barangay by inheritance,
provided they remained in the same village.
The maharlicas could not, after marriage, move from one village to another, or
from one barangay to another, without paying a certain fine in gold, as arranged
among them. This fine was larger or smaller according to the inclination of the
different villages, running from one to three taels and a banquet to the entire
barangay. Failure to pay the fine might result in a war between the barangay where
the person left and the one which he entered. This applied equally to men and women
except that when one married a woman of another village, the children were
afterwards divided equally between the two barangays. This arrangement kept them
obedient to the dato, or chief, which is no longer the case-because if the dato is
energetic and commands what the religious fathers enjoin him, they soon leave him
and go to other villages and other datos, who endure and protect them and do not
order them about. This is the kind of dato that they now prefer, not him who has the
spirit to command. There is a great need of reform in this, for the chiefs are spiritless
and faint- hearted.

Investigations made and sentences passed by the dato must take place in the
presence if those in his barangay. If any of the litigants felt himself aggrieved, an
arbiter was unanimously selected from another village or barangay, whether he were a
dato or not; since they had for this purpose some reasons, known as fair and just men,
who were said to give true judgment according to their customs. If the controversy lay
between two chiefs, when they wished to avoid war, they also convoked judges to act
as arbiters; they did the same if the disputants belonged to two different barangays. In
this ceremony they always had to drink, the plaintiff inviting the others.

They had laws by which they condemned to death a man of low birth who
insulted the daughter or wife of chief; likewise witches of the same class.

They condemned no one to slavery, unless he merited the death penalty. As for
the witches, they killed them, and their children and accomplices became slaves of the
chief, after he had made some recompense to the injured person. All other offenses
were punished by fines in gold, which, if not paid with promptness, exposed the culprit
to serve, until the payment should be made, the person was aggrieved, to whom the
money was paid. This was done in the following way: Half the cultivated lands and all
their produce belonged to their master. The master provided the culprit with food and
clothing, thus enslaving the culprit and his children until such time as he might amass
enough money to pay the fine. If the father should by chance pay his debt, the master
then claimed that he has fed and clothed his children, and should be paid therefor. In
this way he kept possession of the children if the payment could not be met. This last
was usually the case, and they remained slaves. If the culprit had some relative or
friend who paid for him, he was obliged to render the latter half his service until he
was paid-not, however, service within the house as aliping sa guiguilir, but living
independently, as alipin namamahay. If the creditor were not served in this wise, the
culprit had to pay double of what was lent him. In this way slaves were made by debt;
either sa guiguilir, if they served the master to whom the judgment applied; or aliping
namamahay, if they served the person who lent them wherewith to pay.

Dowries are given by the men to the women's parents. If the latter are living,
they enjoy use of it. At their death, provided the dowry has not been consumed, it is
divided like the rest of the estate, equally among the children, except in the case the
father should care to bestow something additional upon their daughter. If the wife, at
the time of her marriage, has neither father, mother, nor grandparents, she enjoys her
dowry-which in such a case, belongs to no other relative or child. It should be noticed
that unmarried women can own no property, in land or dowry, for the result of all their
labors accrues to their parents.

In the case of a divorce before the birth of the children, if the wife left the
husband for the purpose of marrying another, all her dowry and an equal additional
amount fell to the husband; but if she left him, and did not marry another, the dowry
was returned. When the husband left his wife, he lost half of the dowry, and the other
half was returned to him. If he possessed children at the time of his divorce, the whole
dowry and the fine went to the children, and was held for them by their grandparents
or other responsible relatives.

In the matter of marriage dowries which fathers bestow upon their sons when
they are about to be married, and half of which is given immediately, even when they
are only children, there is a great deal more complexity. There is a fine stipulated in
the contract, that he who violates it shall pay a certain sum which varies according to
the practice of the village and the affluence of the individual. The fine was heaviest if,
upon the death of the parents, the son or daughter should be unwilling to marry
because it had been arranged by his or her parents. In this case the dowry which the
parents had received was returned and nothing more. But if the parents were living,
they paid the fine, because it was assumed that it had been their design to separate
the children.

II

Worship of the Tagalogs

In all the villages, or in other parts of the Filipinas Islands, there are no temples
consecrated to the performing of sacrifices, the adoration of their idols, or the general
practice of idolatry. It is true that they have the simbahan, which means a temple or
place of adoration; but it is because, formerly, when they wished to celebrate a
festival, which they called pandot or “worship," they celebrated it in a large house of a
chief. There they constructed, for the purpose of sheltering the assembled people, a
temporary shed on each side of the house with a roof called sibi, to protect people
from the wet when it rained. They so constructed the house that it may contain
people-dividing it after the fashion of ships, into three compartments. On the posts of
the house they set small lamps called sorihile; in the center of the house they placed
one large lamp, adorned with leaves of the white palm, wrought into many designs.
They also brought together many drums, large and small, which they beat
successively while the feast lasted, which was usually four days. During this time the
whole barangay, or family, united and joined in the worship which they called
nagaanitos. The house, for the above-mentioned period of time, was called a temple.

Among their many idols there was one called Bathala, whom they especially
worshipped. The title, seems to signify "all powerful," or "maker of all things." They
also worshipped the sun, which, on account of its beauty, is almost universally
respected and honored by the heathens. They worshipped too, the moon, especially
when it was new, at which time they had great rejoicings, adoring it and bidding it
welcome. Some of them also adored the stars, although they did not know them by
their names, as the Spaniards and other nations know the planets– with the exception
of the morning star they called Tala. They knew, too, the "seven little goats" [The
Pleiades]-as we call them-and, consequently, the change of seasons, which they call
Mapolon; and Balatic, which is our Greater Bear. They possessed many idols called lic-
ha, which were images with different shapes; and at times they worshipped any little
trifle, in which they adored, as did the Romans, some particular dead man who was
brave in war and endowed with special faculties, to whom they commended
themselves for protection in their tribulations. They had another idol called Dian
Masalanta, who was the patron of lovers and of generation. The idols called Lacapati
and Idianale were patrons of the cultivated lands and of husbandry. They paid
reverence to waterlizards called by them buaya or crocodiles, for fear of being harmed
by them. They were even in the bait of offering these animals a portion of what they
carried in their boats, by throwing it into the water, or placing it upon the bank.

They were, moreover, very liable to find auguries in things they witnessed. For
example, if they left their house and met on the way a serpent or rat, or a bird called
tigmamanuguin which was singing in the tree, or if they chanced upon anyone who
sneezed, they returned at once to their house, considering the incident as an augury
that some evil might befall them if they should continue their journey-especially when
the abovementioned bird sang. This song has two different forms: in the one case it
was considered an evil omen; in the other, as a good omen, and then they continued
their journey. They also practiced divination, to see whether weapons, such as dagger
or knife, were useful and lucky for their possessor whenever occasion should offer.

These natives had no established division of years, months, and days; these are
determined by the cultivation of soil, counted by moons, and the different effect
produced upon the trees when yielding flowers, fruits, and leaves: all this helps them
in making up a year. The winter and summer are distinguished as sun-time and water-
time–the latter term designating winter in those regions, where there is no cold, snow,
or ice.

Their manner of offering sacrifice was to proclaim a feast, and offer to the devil
what they had to eat. This was done in front of an idol, which they anoint with fragrant
perfumes, such as musk and civet, or gum of the storax-tree and other odoriferous
woods, and praise it in poetic songs sung by the officiating priest, male or female, who
is called catolonan. The participants made responses to the song, beseeching the idol
to favor them with those things of which they were in need, and generally, by offering
repeated health, they all become intoxicated. In some of the idolatries they were
accustomed to place a good piece of cloth, doubled, over the idol, and over the cloth a
chain or large gold ring, thus worshipping the devil without having sight of him. The
devil was sometimes liable to enter into the body of the catolonan, and, assuming her
shape and appearance, filled her with so great arrogance– he being the cause of it-that
she seemed to shoot flames from her eyes; her hair stood on end, a fearful sight to
those beholding, and she uttered words of arrogance and superiority. In some districts,
especially the mountains, when in those idolatries the devil incarnated himself and
took on the form of his minister, the latter had to be tied to a tree by his companions,
to prevent the devil in his infernal fury from destroying him. This, however, happened
but rarely. The objects of sacrifice were goats, fowls, and swine, which were flayed,
decapitated, and laid bare before the idol. They performed another ceremony by
cooking a jar of rice until the water was evaporated. After which they broke the jar,
and the rice was left as an intact mass which was set before the idol; and all about it,
at intervals, were placed a few buyos-which is a small fruit wrapped in a leaf with some
lime, a food generally eaten in these regions-as well as fried food and fruits. All these
above-mentioned articles were eaten by guests at the feast; the heads [of animals],
after being “offered," as they expressed it, were cooked and eaten also.

The reasons for offering this sacrifice and adoration were, in addition to
whatever personal matters there might be, the recovery of a sick person, the
prosperous voyage of those embarking on the sea, a good harvest in the sowed lands,
a propitious result in wars, a successful delivery in childbirth, and a happy outcome in
married life. If this took place among people of rank, the festivities lasted thirty days.

The distinctions made among the priests of the devil were as follows: The first,
called catolonan, as above stated, was either a man or woman. This office was an
honorable one among the natives, and was held ordinarily by people of rank, this rule
being general in all the islands.

The second was called mangagauay, or witches who deceived by pretending to

heal the sick. These priests even induced maladies by their charms, which in
proportion to the strength and efficacy of witchcraft, are capable of causing death. In
this way, if they wished to kill at once they did so; or they could prolong life for a year
by binding to the waist a live serpent, which was believed to be the devil, or at least
his substance. This office was general throughout the land. The third was called
manyisalat, which is the same as mangagauay. These priests had the power of
applying such remedies to lovers that they would abandon and despise their own
wives, and in fact could prevent them from having intercourse with the latter. If the
woman, constrained by these means, were abandoned, it would bring sickness upon
her; and on account of the desertion she would discharge blood and matter. This office
was also general throughout the land.

The fourth was called mancocolam, whose duty it was to emit fire from himself
at night, once or oftener each month. This fire could not be extinguished; nor could it
be thus emitted except as the priest wallowed in the ordure and filth which falls from
the houses; and he who lived in the house where the priest was wallowing in order to
emit this fire from himself fell ill and died. This office was general.

The fifth was called hocloban, which is another kind of witch, of greater efficacy
than the mangagauay. Without use of medicine, and by simply saluting or raising the
hand, they killed whom they chose. But if they desired to heal those whom they made
ill by their charms, they did so by using other charms. Moreover, if they wished to
destroy the house of the same Indian hostile to them, they were able to do so without
instruments. This was in Catanduanes, an island off the upper part of Luzon.

The sixth was called silagan, whose office it was, if they saw anyone clothed in
white, to tear out his liver and eat it, thus causing his death. His, like the preceding,
was in the island of Catanduanes. Let no one, moreover, consider this a fable; because
in Calavan, they tore out in this way through the anus all the intestines of a Spanish
notary, who was buried in Calilaya by father Fray Juan de Merida.
 The seventh was called magtatangal, his purpose was to show himself at night
to many persons, without his head or entrails. In such wise the devil walked about,
carried, or pretended to carry, his head to different places; and, in the morning,
returned it to his bodyremaining as before, alive. This seems to be a fable, although
the natives affirm that they have seen it, because the devil probably caused them to
believe. This occurred in Catanduanes.

The eighth they called osuang, which is equivalent to a "sorcerer” they say that
they have seen him fly, and that he murdered men and ate their flesh. This was among
the Visayas Islands; among the Tagalogs these did not exist.

The ninth was another class of witches called mangagayoma. They made
charms for lovers out of herbs, stones, and wood, which would infuse the heart with
love. Thus did they deceive the people, although sometimes, through the intervention
of the devil, they gained their ends.

The tenth was known as sonat, which is equivalent to “preacher." It was his
office to help one die, at which time he predicted the salvation or condemnation of the
soul. It was not lawful for the function of this office to be fulfilled by others than people
of high standing, on account of the esteem in which it was held. This office was general
throughout the islands.

The eleventh, pangatahojan, was a soothsayer, and predicted the future. This
office was general in the islands.

The twelfth, bayoguin, signified a “cotquean," a man whose nature inclined

toward that of a woman.

Their manner of burying the dead was as follows: the deceased was buried
beside his house; and, if he were a chief, he was placed beneath a little house or porch
which they constructed for this purpose. Before interring him, they mourned him for
four days; and afterward laid him on boat which served as a coffin or bier, placing him
beneath the porch, where guard kept over him by a slave. In place of rowers, various
animals were placed within the boat, each one being assigned a place at the oar by
twos-male and female of each species being together-as for example two goats, two
deer, or two fowls. It was the slave's care to see that they were fed. If the deceased
had been a warrior, a living slave was tied beneath his body until in this way he died.
In course of time, all suffered decay; and for many days the relatives of the dead man
bewailed him, singing dirges, and praises of his good qualities, until they wearied of it.
This grief was accompanied by eating and drinking. This was a custom of the Tagalogs.

These infidels said that they knew that there was another life of rest which they
called maca, just as if we should say "paradise," or, in other words, “village of rest."
They say that those who go to this place are the just, and the valiant, and those who
lived without doing harm, or who possessed moral virtues. They said also, that in the
other life and mortality, there was a place of punishment, grief, and affliction called
casanaan, which was a “place of anguish;" they also maintained that no one would go
to heaven, where there only dwelt Bathala, “the maker of all things," who governed
from above. There were also other pagans who confessed more clearly to a hell, which
they called, as I have said, casanaan; they said that all the wicked went to that place,
and there dwelt the demons, whom they called sitan.
There were also ghosts, which they called vibit; and phantoms, which they
called tigbalaang. They had another deception–namely, if any woman died in
childbirth, she and the child suffered punishment; and that, at night, she could be
heard lamenting. This is called patianac. May honor and glory be to God our Lord, that
among the Tagalogs not a trace of this is left; and that those who are now marrying do
not even know what it is, thanks to the preaching of the holy gospel, which has
banished it.

Relevance

Plasencia's Customs of the Tagalogs is a very popular primary source as it

vividly describes the way of life of the Filipinos before Spanish and Christian
influences. It also covers numerous topics that are relevant in many disciplines.
Political scientists, for instance, find it useful because it contains information about the
social classes, political stratifications, and legal system of the Tagalog region. Many of
what we know about the duties and responsibilities of the datu, maharlika, and alipin
came from Plasencia's account. Moreover, it tackles property rights, marriage rituals,
burial practices, and the manner in which justice is dispensed. Plasencia's account also
preserves and popularizes the unwritten customs, traditions, and religious and
superstitious beliefs of the Filipinos. One can also say that our historical knowledge
about the manananggal, aswang, hukluban, and gayuma, among others came from
Plasencia's works.

Priests and missionaries also read Plasencia's Customs of the Tagalogs and
Doctrina Christiana because they contain insights that can help and inspire them to
become effective evangelizers. The realization that one needs to master the local
language and study the culture of the people to be a successful missionary is one
insight from Plasencia. They also learned from Plasencia that preaching should be
accompanied with reading materials that contain the basic elements of faith. These
readings will serve as guide and reference when the missionaries are no longer
around. All these insights from Plasencia are applicable not only to missionaries but to
other professions as well.

Plasencia's historical writings also disprove the claim of some Spaniards that
when they arrived in the Philippines, Filipinos were still uncivilized and lacking in
culture. It is clear in the excerpts quoted that at the time Plasencia was assigned in the
Tagalog region, Filipinos were already politically and economically organized. They had
a functioning government, tax system, set of laws, criminal justice system, indigenous
calendar, and long-standing customs and traditions. Moreover, they had a concept of a
supreme being (Bathala), practiced burial customs, and believed in life after death.
Lastly, Plasencia mentioned that the people he met were wearing garments and gold
ornaments, and their houses were decorated with idols. All of these lead to the
conclusion that prior to the coming of the Spaniards, Filipinos were already civilized
and maintained a lifestyle that was on a par with or even better than that of the
people from other countries in Southeast Asia.

SUMMARY:

The historical document made by Placencia is essential in disproving the claim of

colonizers about our golden past as Filipino. We could now assert that Filipinos had
their own culture, politics, and system before the Spanish colonization. Moreover, our
ancestors were at par with our neighboring countries here in Southeast Asia.

REFERENCE:
 1. Torres, J.V. (2018). Batis Sources in Philippine History. C & E Publishing, Inc.

MODULE 5: UNDERSTANDING PERSPECTIVE (CONTINUATION)

C. Kartilya ng Katipunan

WEEK: 5

TIME ALLOTMENT: 3 Hours

OBJECTIVES/ LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this module, the students will be able to:
1. Analyze the context, content and perspective of primary source;
2. Determine how the events affected the history of Filipino people;
3. Develop critical and analytical skills as they are expose to primary sources;
4. Examine the context and perspective of the document;
5. Determine the significance of the document to the Philippine History; and
6. Examine the state of the Philippines today.

LEARNING CONTENT:

UNDERSTANDING PERSPECTIVE (CONTINUATION)

Introduction

We will be discussing the Katrilya ng Katipunan. The topic will make us

understand what are the guiding principles of the Katipuneros more so the guiding
principles of society in general. This will also teach the young Filipinos to become
moral and nationalistic individuals amidst the societal ill that we are facing.

C. The Kartilya ng Katipunan

Discussion

Historical Context

The first move towards independence began on July

7, 1892 when the Katipunan was established by Andres
Bonifacio. This was a result of the failure of the Reform
Movement in Spain in which Filipinos attempted to demand
reforms for the Philippines from the Spanish government.
Bonifacio saw the futility of the efforts of the Filipino
propagandists and organized an underground movement
against Spain. (Figure 1. Early flag of the Kaptipunan
 The Kataastaasang Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan or
KKK was a revolutionary society that espoused independence and freedom for the
Philippines through force of arms. Its main objective was separation of the Philippines
from Spain and, at the same time, the development of the Filipinos as citizens of their
own nation once independence was achieved. The latter was done through the written
works by Bonifacio and fellow Katipunero, Emilio Jacinto, who wrote a number of
poems and essays for the society members.

The recruitment process of the Katipunan followed the Masonic initiation rites
while its structure was said to be based on Rizal's aborted reformist organization, the
La Liga Filipina.
The new members of the society were indoctrinated with the Katipunan rules and its
teachings that emphasized the value of the love of one's country and fellow Filipinos.

About the Author

Emilio Jacinto was born on December 15, 1875 in the

district of Trozo in Tondo, Manila. He was the son of Mariano
Jacinto, a bookkeeper, and Josefa Dizon. Living a life of
poverty, Jacinto still managed to get a good education. He
finished his elementary education in a private school then
took up his secondary education at the Colegio de San Juan
de Letran. He later studied law at the University of Santo
Tomas where he developed a love of reading and improved (Figure 2. Emilio Jacinto) his
skills in Spanish. Unfortunately, he had to stop his studies when the Philippine
Revolution began in 1896.

Jacinto joined the Katipunan in 1894 at the age of 18 and took the symbolic
name Pingkian. It was during this time that he developed his nationalistic ideals.
Through his enthusiasm and ideas, Jacinto became a guiding light to the members of
the society. He wrote the Kartilya as well as the oath of the Katipuneros. He also edited
the Katipunan newspaper, Kalayaan, and was the author of several literary writings
using the pen-name "Dimas Ilaw." He served the Katipunan in different capacities such
as secretary, fiscal, editor, and later was appointed General by Bonifacio in 1897. He
also served as an adviser to the Supremo.

After the death of Bonifacio in Cavite in 1897, Jacinto continued the fight
against the Spaniards even after the truce following the Pact of Biak-na-Bato. He was
wounded in a battle against the Spaniards in Magdalena, Laguna and was captured.
Upon investigation, Jacinto was released after he managed to convince the Spanish
soldiers he was a spy in their service when he showed them a military pass issued to a
man he killed several months ago. Jacinto quickly went into hiding in Manila. There he
sent a letter to Apolinario Mabini in Malolos, Bulacan stating his plan to continue his
law studies at the newly-established Literary University of the Philippines. But this plan
was discontinued when Jacinto had to go back to Laguna to lead his fellow patriots in
the war against the new enemy, the Americans. He established his headquarters in the
town of Majayjay where he, unfortunately, contracted malaria. He died on April 6,
1899.

About the Text

 In his study of the Katipunan history and its documents, Jim Richardson said
that "the Kartilya is the best known of all Katipunan texts" and that it is “the only
document of any length set in print by the Katipunan prior to August 1896 that is
known to be still extant." The Kartilya was printed as a small pamphlet that was
distributed to the members of the Katipunan. Its term was derived from the Spanish
cartilla which was the primer used for grade schools during the Spanish period. And
like the cartillas, this document served as the primary lessons for the members of the
Katipunan.

The Kartilya presents not only the teachings for the neophyte Katipunero but
also the guiding principles of the society. These teachings are expected from the
members even after the attainment of freedom from the colonizers. The Kartilya ends
with a document of affirmation by the member to the society's teachings.

The Kartilya was not just a document for the Katipunan. Its importance today is
predicated on the teachings that embodied the moral and nationalistic principles of a
nation that fought for independence. These principles are relevant as the sense of
nationhood still holds true when the cultural and historical values of every Filipino are
threatened by the onslaught of foreign influences brought about by today's
globalization.

Kartilya ng Katipunan

Tagalog Text

KATIPUNAN NANG MANGA

A. N. B.

SA MAY NASANG MAKISANIB SA KATIPUNANG ITO

Sa pagkakailangan, na ang lahat na nagiibig pumasuk sa katipunang ito, ay

magkaroon ng lubos na pananalig at kaisipan sa mga layong tinutungo at mga
kaaralang pinaiiral, minarapat na ipakilala sa kanila ang mga bagay na ito, at ng bukas
makalawa'y huag silang magsisi at tuparing maluag sa kalooban ang kanilang mga
tutungkulin.

Ang kabagayang pinaguusig ng katipunang ito ay lubos na dakila at mahalaga;

papagisahin ang loob at kaisipan ng lahat ng tagalog(*) sa pamagitan ng isang
mahigpit na panunumpa. upang sa pagkakaisang ito'y magkalakas na iwasak ang
masinsing tabing na nakabubulag sa kaisipan at matuklasan ang tunay na landas ng
Katuiran at Kaliwanagan.

(*) Sa salitang tagalog katutura'y ang lahat nang tumubo sa Sangkalupaang ito;
sa makatuid, bisaya man, iloko man, kapangpangan man, etc., y tagalog din.

Dito’y isa sa mga kaunaunahang utos, ang tunay na pagibig sa bayang

tinubuan at lubos na pagdadamayan ng isa’t isa.

Maralita, mayaman, mangmang, marunong, lahat dito’y magkakapantay at

tunay na magkakapatid.
 Kapagkarakang mapusok dito ang sino man, tataligdan pilit ang buhalhal na
kaugalian, at paiilalim sa kapangyarihan ng mga banal na utos ng katipunan.

Ang gawang lahat, na laban sa kamahalan at kalinisan, dito'y kinasusuklaman;

kaya’t sa bagay na ito ipinaiilalim sa masigasig na pakikibalita ang kabuhayan ng sino
mang nagiibig makisanib sa katipunang ito.

Kung ang hangad ng papasuk dito’y ang tumalastas lamang ng mga kalihiman
nito, o ang ikagiginhawa ng sariling katawan, o ang kilalanin ang mga naririto’t ng
maipagbili sa isang dakot na salapi, huag magpatuloy, sapagkat dito'y bantain lamang
ay talastas na ng makapal na nakikiramdam sa kaniya, at karakarakang nilalapatan ng
mabisang gamut, na laan sa mga sukaban.

Dito’y gawa ang hinahanap at gawa ang tinitignan; kaya’t hindi dapat pumasuk
ang di makagagawa, kahit magaling magsalita.

Ipinauunawa din, na ang mga katungkulang ginaganap ng lahat ng napaaanak

sa katipunang ito ay lubhang mabibigat lalung lalu na, kung gugunitain na di
magyayaring maiiwasan at walang kusang pagkukulang na di aabutin ng kakilakilabot
na kaparusahan.

Kung ang hangad ng papasuk dito, ang siya’y abuluyan o ang ginhawa't
malayaw na katahimikan ng katawan, huag magpatuloy, sapagkat mabigat na mga
katungkulan ang matatagpuan, gaya ng pagtatangkilik sa mga naaapi at na paguusig
sa lahat ng kasamaan; sa bagay na ito madaluhong na paguusig sa lahat ng
kasamaan; sa bagay na ito aabutin ang maligalig na pamumuhay.

Di kaila sa kangino paman ang mga nagbalang kapahamakan sa mga tagalog

na nakaiisip nitong mga banal na kabagayan (at hindi man), at mga pahirap na
ibinibigay ang naghaharing kalupitan, kalikuan at kasamaan.

Talastas din naman ng lahat ang pagkakailangan ng salapi, na sa ngayo’y isa

sa mga unang lakas na maaasahang magbibigay buhay sa lahat; sa bagay na ito,
kinakailangan ang lubos na pagtupad sa mga pagbabayaran; piso sa pagpasok at sa
buan buan ay sikapat. Ang salaping ito’y ipinagbibigay alam ng nagiingat sa tuing
kapanahunan, bukod pa sa mapagsisiyasat ng sinoman kailan ma’t ibigin. Di makikilos
ang salaping ito, kun di pagkayarian ng karamihan.

Ang lahat ng ipinagsaysay at dapat gunitain at mahinahong pagbulaybulayin,

sapagkat di magaganap at di matitiis ng walang tunay na pagibig sa tinubuang lupa,
at tunay na adhikang ipagtangkilik ang Kagalingan.

At ng lalong mapagtimbang ng sariling isip at kabaitan, basahin ang

sumusunod na

MGA ARAL NANG KATIPUNAN NG MGA A.N.B

Ang kabuhayang hindi ginugugol sa isang malaki at banal na kadahilanan ay kahoy na

walang lilim, kundi damong makamandag.

Ang gawang magaling na nagbubuhat sa pagpipita sa sarili, at hindi sa talagang

nasang gumawa ng kagalingan, ay di kabaitan.
 Ang tunay na kabanalan ay ang pagkakawang gawa, ang pagibig sa kapua at ang
isukat ang bawat kilos, gawa't pangungusap sa talagang Katuiran.

Maitim man at maputi ang kulay ng balat, lahat ng tạo’y magkakapantay;

mangyayaring ang isa’y higtan sa dunong, sa yaman, sa ganda...; ngunit di
mahihigtan sa pagkatao.

Ang may mataas na kalooban inuuna ang puri sa pagpipita sa sarili; ang may hamak
na kalooban inuuna ang pagpipita sa sarili sa puri.

Sa taong may hiya, salita’y panunumpa.

Huag mong sasayangin ang panahun; ang yamang nawala’y magyayaring magbalik;
nguni't panahung nagdaan na’y di na muli pang magdadaan.

Ipagtangol mo ang inaapi, at kabakahin ang umaapi.

Ang taong matalino'y ang may pagiingat sa bawat sasabihin, at matutong ipaglihim
ang dapat ipaglihim.

Sa daang matinik ng kabuhayan, lalaki ay siyang patnugot ng asawa’t mga anak; kung
ang umaakay ay tungo sa sama, ang patutunguhan ng inaakay ay kasamaan
din.

Ang babai ay huag mong tignang isang bagay na libangan lamang, kun di isang
katuang at karamay sa mga kahirapan nitong kabuhayan; gamitan mo ng boong
pagpipitagan ang kaniyang kahinaan, at alalahanin ang inang pinagbuhata’t nagiwi
sa iyong kasangulan.

Ang di mo ibig na gawin sa asawa mo, anak at kapatid, ay huag mong gagawin sa
asawa, anak, at kapatid ng iba.

Ang kamahalan ng tao’y wala sa pagkahari, wala sa tangus ng ilong at puti ng mukha,
wala sa pagkaparing kahilili ng Dios, wala sa mataas na kalagayan sa balat ng
lupa; wagas at tunay na mahal na tao, kahit laking gubat at walang nababatid
kun di ang sariling wika, yaongmay magandang asal, may isang pangungusap,
may dangal at puri; yaong di napaaapi't di nakikiapi; yaong marunong
magdamdam at marunong lumingap sa bayang tinubuan.

Paglaganap ng mga aral na ito at maningning na sumikat ang araw ng mahal na

Kalayaan dito sa kaabaabang Sangkalupuan, at sabugan ng matamis niyang
liwanag ang nangagkaisang magkalahi't magkakapatid ng ligayang walang
katapusan, ang mga ginugol na buhay, pagud, at mga tiniis na kahirapa'y labis
nang natumbasan.

Kung lahat ng ito'y mataruk na ng nagiibig pumasuk at inaakala niyang matutupad

ang mga tutungkulin, maitatala ang kaniyang ninanasa sa kasunod nito.

Note: The teachings are followed by a form to be filled out with name, hometown, age,
occupation, status, and address. The Kartilya concludes with a brief undertaking to be
signed by the person who intends to join the association.
English Translation

ASSOCIATION OF THE SONS OF THE PEOPLE

To Those Who Want to Join this Association

In order that all who want to enter this Association may have a full
understanding and knowledge of its guiding principles and main teachings, it is
necessary to make these things known to them so that they will not, tomorrow or the
next day, repent, and so that they may perform their duties wholeheartedly.

This Association pursues a most worthy and momentous object: to unite the
hearts and minds of all the Tagalogs by means of an inviolable oath, in order that this
union may be strong enough to tear aside the thick veil that obscures thought, and to
find the true path of Reason and Enlightenment.

One of the foremost rules here is true love of the native land and genuine
compassion for one another.

Poor, rich, ignorant, wise-here, all are equal and true brethren.

As soon as anybody enters here, he shall perforce renounce disorderly habits

and shall submit to the authority of the sacred commands of the Katipunan.

All acts contrary to noble and clean living are repugnant here, and hence the
life of anyone who wants to affiliate with this Association will be submitted to a
searching investigation.

If the applicant merely wishes to know the secrets of the Association, or to seek
personal gratification, or to know who are here in order to sell them for a handful of
silver, he cannot proceed, for here the many who are watching him will already know
his intentions, and will immediately have recourse to an effective remedy, such as
befits traitors.

Here, only actions are demanded and esteemed; hence anybody who is not
willing to act should not enter, no matter how good a speaker he might be.

It is also announced that the duties to be performed by the members of this

association are exceedingly hard, especially if one remembers that there can be no
dereliction or willful evasion of duty without the exaction of a terrible punishment.

If an applicant merely desires financial support relief or wants to lead a life of

bodily comfort and ease, he had better not proceed, for he will encounter weighty
tasks, like the protection of the oppressed and the relentless fight against all that is
evil. In this way, his fate will be a vexatious life.

Nobody is unaware of the misfortune that threatens the Filipinos who

contemplate these things that are sacred (and even those that are not) and the
sufferings they are made to endure by the reign of cruelty, injustice and evil.
 Everybody also knows the need for money, which today is one of the main
things upon which we depend to bring sustenance to all. In this regard, the punctual
payment of dues is required: one peso upon entry and then twelve and a half centavos
each month. The custodian of the funds will periodically render an account to the
members, and each member has a right to examine the accounts, should he so wish.
The funds cannot be expended without the consent of the majority.

All this must be thought over and deliberated upon calmly, as it cannot be
accomplished or endured by anyone who has no love for his native land and no
genuine desire to promote Progress.

And for the upliftment of your mind and virtue, read the following

Teachings of the Katipunan of The Sons of the People

A life that is not dedicated to a great and sacred cause is like a tree without a shade,
or a poisonous weed.

A good deed lacks virtue if it springs from a desire for personal profit and not from a
sincere desire to do good.

True charity resides in acts of compassion, in love for one's fellow men, and in making
true Reason the measure of every move, deed and word.

Be their skin dark or pale, all men are equal. One can be superior to another in
knowledge, wealth and beauty... but not in being.

A person with a noble character values honor above self-interest, while a person with
an ignoble character values self-interest above honor.

An honorable man's word is his bond.

Don't waste time; lost wealth may be recovered, but time lost is lost forever.

Defend the oppressed and fight the oppressor.

An intelligent man is he who takes care in everything he says and keeps quiet about
what must be kept secret.

Along the thorny path of life, the man leads the way and his wife and children follow. If
the leader goes the way of perdition, then so do those who are led.

Do not regard a woman as a mere plaything, but as a helpmate and partner in the
hardships of this existence. Have due regard to her weakness, and remember
the mother who brought you into this world and nurtured you in your infancy.

What you would not want done to your wife, daughter and sister, do not do to the wife,
daughter and sister of another.

A man's worth does not come from him being a king, or in the height of his nose and
the whiteness of his face, or in him being a priest, a representative of God, or
in his exalted position on the face of this earth. Pure and truly noble is he who,
 though born in the forest and able to speak only his own tongue, behaves
decently, is true to his word, has dignity and honor, who is not an oppressor
and does not abet oppressors, who knows how to cherish and look after the
land of his birth.

When these doctrines have spread and the brilliant sun of beloved liberty shines on
these poor Islands, and sheds its sweet light upon a united race, a people in
everlasting happiness, then the lives lost, the struggle and the suffering will
have been more than recompensed.

Relevance

The current relevance of the Kartilya lies in the fact that it established not only
the rules for the members of the organization but the principles for the citizens of a
nation once independence had been achieved. Though written in the 19th century, the
Kartilya is significant to the lives of modern Filipinos as it reads like a simple creed for
living in the light of the many changes occurring at present.

Summary

The document allows us to understand the values, ideals, aspirations and even the
ideology of the Katipunan. In addition, the Kartilya was instructive not just of the
Katipunan’s conduct toward other people, but also for the member’s development as
individuals in their own rights.
All in all, proper reading of the Kartilya will reveal a more thorough understanding of
the Katipunan and the significant role that it played in the revolution and in the
unfolding of the Philippine history, as we know it.

REFERENCE:

1. Torres, J.V. (2018). Batis Sources in Philippine History. C & E Publishing, Inc.
 MODULE 6: UNDERSTANDING PERSPECTIVE (CONTINUATION)
D. The Act of Proclamation of Independence of the Filipino People (Acta De La
Proclamacion De La Independiencia Del Pueblo Filipino)

WEEK: 6

TIME ALLOTMENT: 3 Hours

OBJECTIVES:
By the end of this module, the students will be able to:
1. Analyze the context, content and perspective of primary source;
2. Determine how the events affected the history of Filipino people;
3. Develop critical and analytical skills as they are expose to primary sources;
4. Examine the context and perspective of the document;
5. Determine the significance of the document to the Philippine History; and
6. Examine the state of the Philippines today.

LEARNING CONTENT:

UNDERSTANDING PERSPECTIVE (CONTINUATION)

Introduction

This module will enlighten you about the things you probably don’t know about
Philippine Independence. Moreover, it will help you understand why the Filipino people
desire independence from Spain. As you through the module, you will learn how to
appreciate the freedom we are enjoying in our present day.

D. The Act of Proclamation of Independence of the Filipino People (Acta De

La Proclamacion De La Independiencia Del Pueblo Filipino)

Discussion

Historical Context

The first phase of the Philippine Revolution ended in a stalemate between the
Spaniards and the Filipino rebels. In December 1897, a truce was declared between
the two forces with the Filipino leaders, led by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, agreeing to be
exiled to Hong Kong while the Spaniards paid an indemnity for the damages caused as
a result of the conflict. The truce, however, lasted for only a few months before it
collapsed. The renewed conflict would have been disastrous for the Filipinos if not for
the deteriorating diplomatic relations between Spain and the United States over
another revolution in Cuba. This eventually led to the Spanish-American War in 1898
and the arrival of a new colonizer to the Philippines-the Americans.

Even before the Battle of Manila in 1898, Aguinaldo had already been meeting
with the Americans in Singapore. He talked with Consul E. Spencer Pratt regarding US-
Filipino collaboration against the Spaniards before he went back to Hong Kong to meet
up with Commodore George Dewey, commander of the Asiatic Fleet. Unfortunately,
Dewey had already left for the Philippines to attack the Spanish fleet following
America's declaration of war against Spain in April.
 Aguinaldo remained in Hong Kong and met with the American consul general
Rounseville Wildman. He paid Wildman a total of P117,000 to purchase rifles and
ammunition. A first shipment worth P50,000 was made but the other half was never
delivered. Wildman never returned the money given to him.

On May 19, 1898, Aguinaldo finally returned to the Philippines on board the
U.S.
cruiser McCulloch. Aguinaldo conferred with Dewey on Philippine conditions and was
supplied with arms captured from the Spaniards. From his headquarters in Cavite,
Aguinaldo announced the resumption of the revolution against the Spaniards, thus
beginning the second phase of the revolution. The Filipinos immediately flocked to the
province to join the army. By the end of May, Aguinaldo was in command of an army of
12,000 troops.

On May 28, the Filipino forces won their first victory in Alapan, Imus. The newly-
made Filipino flag was hoisted in Alapan then later unfurled at the Teatro Caviteño in
Cavite Nuevo (now Cavite City) in front of the Filipinos and captured Spanish soldiers.
A group of American officers and soldiers also witnessed the ceremony.

Earlier, On May 24, Aguinaldo announced the creation of the dictatorial

government. The formation of this type of rule was a necessity when the growing
nation needed a strong leader. He emphasized that the dictatorship was only
temporary as it would be a prelude to the establishment of a republican form of
government.

(Figure 1. Declaration of Philippine Independence)

On June 12, 1898, Aguinaldo declared Philippine independence from Spanish

rule at a ceremony in his house in Kawit, Cavite. Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista read the
declaration that was later signed by 177 persons, including an American military
officer. The Philippine National Anthem, then known as "Marcha Nacional Filipina,"
composed by Julian Felipe, was played by the Banda de San Francisco de Malabon and
the Philippine flag was again unfurled.

About the Author

(Although the actual author of the proclamation was

Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, the initiator of Philippine
independence that led to the making of the proclamation was Gen.
Emilio Aguinaldo.)

Emilio Aguinaldo was born on March 22, 1869 in Kawit,

Cavite (Cavite el Viejo), the second to the youngest of eight children
of Carlos Aguinaldo and Trinidad Famy. The Aguinaldos were a
wealthy and influential family with Carlos being gobernadorcillo for
several terms. Following his father's death in 1883, Emilio assisted his mother in the
family business and worked to help earn the family income.

(Figure 2. Emilio Aguinaldo)

Aguinaldo followed in his father's footsteps and was chosen capitan municipal
of Kawit in 1894. Months later, he joined the Katipunan choosing the name Magdalo, a
name that was also given to another branch of the Katipunan (the other was the
Magdiwang) which he set up in his province.

When the revolution began in 1896, the Katipunan in Cavite succeeded in

driving away the Spaniards from the province. But territorial and logistical problems
between the two groups soon forced Aguinaldo to ask for help from Supremo Andres
Bonifacio in settling the conflict. Bonifacio's intervention, however, only worsened the
situation and the only solution the two factions saw was to create a revolutionary
government.

Elections for a pamahalaang panghihimagsik were held in Barrio Tejeros, San

Francisco de Malabon (now General Trias) on March 22, 1897. Aguinaldo was elected
President with Mariano Trias (Vice-President), Artemio Ricarte (Captain-General),
Emiliano Riego de Dios (Director of War), and Andres Bonifacio (Director of the
Interior). But the elections were disrupted following a protest over Bonifacio's
educational qualification for such a position. Bonifacio angrily declared the result of the
elections null and void and walked out. The Magdalos, however, considered the
election binding and the new government was founded. When Bonifacio tried to put up
his own government with an armed group, he was arrested and tried for sedition.
Found guilty, the Supremo and his brother Procopio were executed on May 10, 1897.

The internal dissent caused by Bonifacio's death weakened the Katipunan

further. The Spanish troops regained Cavite and Aguinaldo was forced to retreat to the
mountains of Biakna-Bato. But the Spaniards soon realized that going after the rebels
in their mountain hideout was futile, A stalemate ensued broken only by a truce
proposal to which the rebels agreed. In exchange for an indemnity, amnesty, and
colonial reform, Aguinaldo and his officers went into exile in Hong Kong in December
1897.

The Spanish-American War in 1898 eventually changed Philippine history. After

the Americans won the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898, Aguinaldo returned to the
Philippines with their help and announced the resumption of the revolution against
Spain. After winning several victories against the Spaniards, he declared Philippine
independence on June 12, 1898.

But the Filipinos soon realized that the Americans were to become their new colonizers.
After the Spanish defeat in 1898, the United States began to send fresh troops to the
Philippines. In 1899, Aguinaldo convened a Congress in Malolos, Bulacan in which the
delegates wrote a Constitution and established the Philippine Republic with Aguinaldo
as President in January 1899.

Three weeks later, the continuing friction with the Americans erupted into a conflict in
February 1899. The Philippine-American War eventually ended in 1901 with the
capture of Aguinaldo. Soon after, he pledged allegiance to the United States and
returned to private life on his family farm. He briefly hugged the limelight when he ran
for the presidency of the Philippine Commonwealth but lost to Manuel L. Quezon.

Aguinaldo was charged with collaboration by the Americans for helping the
Japanese during World War II but was later freed in a general amnesty. As a private
citizen, he devoted his time to the cause of veteran revolutionaries until his death at
the age of 94 on February 6, 1964.

About the Text

On June 10, 1896, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo issued a one-sentence decree

appointing his Auditor General of War, Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, as a “special
commissioner" to write the Act of the Declaration of the Independence. The result was
a sixteen-page document that contained the aspirations of freedom from Spanish rule,
the sacrifices made, and the revolution that resulted from it. It was the text of this
declaration that was read in Kawit in the afternoon of the celebration of the declaration
of independence. Copies of the document were made and distributed. However, there
was a problem in determining how many witnesses really signed the declaration. The
copies classified under Philippine Revolutionary Papers (PRP) in the National Library
had varying numbers. Later research by historian-writer Jim Richardson placed the
total number of signees at 177.

The Act of Proclamation of Independence of the Filipino People

In the town of Cavite-Viejo, Province of Cavite, this 12th day of June 1898:

Before me, Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, War Counselor and Special Delegate
designated to proclaim and solemnize this Declaration of Independence by the
Dictatorial Government of the Philippines, pursuant to, and by virtue of, a Decree
issued by the Egregious Dictator Don Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy.

The undersigned assemblage of military chiefs and others of the army who
could not attend, as well as the representatives of the various towns.

Taking into account the fact that the people of this country are already tired of
bearing the ominous yoke of Spanish domination.

Because of arbitrary arrests and abuses of the Civil Guards who cause deaths in
connivance with and even under the express orders of their superior officers who at
times would order the shooting of those placed under arrest under the pretext that
they attempted to escape in violation of known Rules and Regulations, which abuses
were left unpunished, and because of unjust deportations of illustrious Filipinos,
especially those decreed by General Blanco at the instigation of the Archbishop and
the friars interested in keeping them in ignorance for egoistic and selfish ends, which
deportations were carried out through processes more execrable than those of the
Inquisition which every civilized nation repudiates as a trial without hearing.

Had resolved to start a revolution in August 1896 in order to regain the

independence and sovereignty of which the people had been deprived by Spain
through Governor Miguel López de Legazpi who, continuing the course followed by his
predecessor Ferdinand Magellan who landed on the shores of Cebu and occupied said
Island by means of a Pact of Friendship with Chief Tupas, although he was killed in
battle that took place in said shores to which battle he was provoked by Chief
Kalipulako of Mactan who suspected his evil designs, landed on the Island of Bohol by
entering also into a Blood Compact with its Chief Sikatuna, with the purpose of later
taking by force the Island of Cebu, and because his successor Tupas did not allow him
to occupy it, he went to Manila, the capital, winning likewise the friendship of its Chiefs
Soliman and Lakandula, later taking possession of the city and the whole Archipelago
in the name of Spain by virtue of an order of King Philip II, and with these historical
precedents and because in international law the prescription established by law to
legalize the vicious acquisition of private property is not recognized, the legitimacy of
such revolution cannot be put in doubt which was calmed but not completely stifled by
the pacification proposed by Don Pedro A. Paterno with Don Emilio Aguinaldo as
President of the Republic established in Biakna-Bato and accepted by Governor-
General Don Fernando Primo de Rivera under terms, both written and oral, among
them being a general amnesty for all deported and convicted persons; that by reason
of the non-fulfillment of some of the terms, after the destruction of the Spanish
Squadron by the North American Navy, and bombardment of the plaza of Cavite, Don
Emilio Aguinaldo returned in order to initiate a new revolution and no sooner had he
given the order to rise on the 31st of last month when several towns anticipating the
revolution, rose in revolt on the 28th, such that a Spanish contingent of 178 men,
between Imus and Cavite Viejo, under the command of a major of the Marine Infantry
capitulated, the revolutionary movement spreading like wild fire to other towns of
Cavite and the other provinces of Bataan, Pampanga, Batangas, Bulacan, Laguna, and
Morong, some of them with seaports and such was the success of the victory of our
arms, truly marvelous and without equal in the history of colonial revolutions that in
the first mentioned province only the Detachments in Naic and Indang remained to
surrender; in the second, all Detachments had been wiped out; in the third, the
resistance of the Spanish forces was localized in the town of San Fernando where the
greater part of them are concentrated, the remainder in Macabebe,
Sexmoan, and Guagua; in the fourth, in the town of Lipa; in the fifth, in the capital and
in Calumpit; and in the last two remaining provinces, only in their respective capitals,
and the city of Manila will soon be besieged by our forces as well as the provinces of
Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pangasinan, La Union, Zambales, and some others in the Visayas
where the revolution at the time of the pacification and others even before, so that the
independence of our country and the revindication of our sovereignty is assured.

And having as witness to the rectitude of our intentions the Supreme Judge of the
Universe, and under the protection of the Powerful and Humanitarian Nation, the
United States of America, we do hereby proclaim and declare solemnly in the name
and by authority of the people of these Philippine Islands.

That they are and have the right to be free and independent; that they have
ceased to have any allegiance to the Crown of Spain; that all political ties between
them are and should be completely severed and annulled; and that, like other free and
independent States, they enjoy the full power to make War and Peace, conclude
commercial treaties, enter into alliances regulate commerce, and do all other acts and
things which an Independent State has a right to do.

And imbued with firm confidence in Divine Providence, we hereby mutually bind
ourselves to support this Declaration with our lives, our fortunes, and with our most
sacred possession, our Honor.
 We recognize, approve, and ratify, with all the orders emanating from the
same, the Dictatorship established by Don Emilio Aguinaldo whom we revere as the
Supreme Head of this Nation, which today begins to have a life of its own, in the
conviction that he has been the instrument chosen by God, in spite of his humble
origin, to effectuate the redemption of this unfortunate country as foretold by Dr. Don
José Rizal in his magnificent verses which he composed in his prison cell prior to his
execution, liberating it from the Yoke of Spanish domination.

And in punishment for the impunity with which the Government sanctioned the
commission of abuses by its officials, and for the unjust execution of Rizal and others
who were sacrificed in order to please the insatiable friars in their hydropical thirst for
vengeance against and extermination of all those who oppose their Machiavellian
ends, trampling upon the Penal Code of these Islands, and of those suspected persons
arrested by the Chiefs of Detachments at the instigation of the friars, without any form
nor semblance of trial and without any spiritual aid of our sacred Religion; and
likewise, and for the same ends, eminent Filipino priests, Doctor Don Jose Burgos, Don
Mariano Gomez, and Don Jacinto Zamora were hanged whose innocent blood was shed
due to the intrigues of these so-called Religious corporations which made the
authorities to believe that the military uprising at the fort of San Felipe in Cavite on the
night of January 21, 1872 was instigated by those Filipino martyrs, thereby impeding
the execution of the decree-sentence issued by the Council of State in the appeal in
the administrative case interposed by the secular clergy against the Royal Orders that
directed that the parishes under them within the jurisdiction of this Bishopric be turned
over to the Recollects in exchange for those controlled by them in Mindanao which
were to be transferred to the Jesuits, thus revoking them completely and ordering the
return of those parishes, all of which proceedings are on file with the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs to which they are sent last month of last year for the issuance of the
proper Royal Decree which, in turn, caused the growth of the tree of liberty in this our
dear land that grew more and more through the iniquitous measures of oppression,
until the last drop from our chalice of suffering having been drained, the first spark of
revolution broke out in Caloocan, spread out to Santa Mesa and continued its course to
the adjoining regions of the province where the unequalled heroism of its inhabitants
fought a one-sided battle against superior forces of General Blanco and General
Polavieja for a period of three months, without proper arms nor ammunitions, except
bolos, pointed bamboos, and arrows.

Moreover, we confer upon our famous Dictator Don Emilio Aguinaldo all the
powers necessary to enable him to discharge the duties of Government, including the
prerogatives of granting pardon and amnesty.

And, lastly, it was resolved unanimously that this Nation, already free and
independent as of this day, must use the same flag which up to now is being used,
whose design and colors are found described in the attached drawing, the white
triangle signifying the distinctive emblem of the famous Society of the "Katipunan"
which by means of its blood compact inspired the masses to rise in revolution; the
three stars, signifying the three principal Islands of this Archipelago-Luzon, Mindanao
and Panay where this revolutionary movement started; the sun representing the
gigantic steps made by the sons of the country along the path of Progress and
Civilization; the eight rays, signifying the eight provinces-Manila, Cavite, Bulacan.
Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Laguna, and Batangas- which declared themselves in
a state of war as soon as the first revolt was initiated; and the colors of Blue, Red, and
White, commemorating the flag of the United States of North America, as a
manifestation of our profound gratitude towards this Great Nation for its disinterested
protection which it lent us and continues lending us.

And holding up this flag of ours, I present it to the gentlemen here assembled:
(The text is followed by the Signatures of the Witnesses)

Relevance

Nothing is more relevant to Philippine history than the declaration of

independence from colonial rule. The Declaration is, of course, that sole document that
proves the value Filipinos place on their freedom. At present, our independence has
been questioned especially in relation to our dealings with the United States (which
colonized us for almost half a century and later recognized our independence in 1946).
However, it must be understood that the independence we attained in 1898 was
freedom that was fought for with the lives of Filipinos. The goal or objective of this
independence, however, is something that we might have failed to achieve and
protect properly. It in this context that the Acta must be studied again.

Summary

The Philippine Independence proclaimed on June 12, 1898, in the province of

Cavite was indeed turning point in the Philippine history. The proclamation made
during that time ended the 333 years of Spanish colonization in our country. Although
the document was relatively short, it generally reflects the general revolutionary
sentiment of that period.

REFERENCE:
1. Torres, J.V. (2018). Batis Sources in Philippine History. C & E Publishing, Inc.