Torrentira-Course Modulein GE 216Readingsin Philippine History-Research Gate PDF

Preview

Summary

See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: researchgate/publication/Torrentira, Readings in Philippine History Course ModuleBook · August 2020CITATIONS 0READS 96,1 author:Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:Dissertation View pr...

Description

See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343398828

Torrentira, Readings in Philippine History Course Module Book · August 2020

CITATIONS

READS

0

96,375

1 author: Moises JR Torrentira University of Southeastern Philippines 21 PUBLICATIONS11 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Dissertation View project

PD 1586 Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System Sample Case from Supreme Court View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Moises JR Torrentira on 03 August 2020. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Torrentira, Readings in Philippine History

1|Page

Table of Contents

Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4 Lesson 5 Lesson 6 Lesson 7 Lesson 8 Lesson 9 Lesson 10 Lesson 11 Lesson 12 Lesson 13 Lesson 14 Lesson 15 Lesson 16

An Introduction to Philippine Historiography: Sources and Discourses History of the Philippine Islands The Manunggul Jar The Laguna Copperplate Duties of the Katipunan of the Sons of the People (KKK) Act of Declaration of Philippine Independence 1899 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines (Malolos Convention) Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain (Treaty of Paris) Jose Rizal’s Retraction Controversy Convention between the United States of America and Great Britain Delimiting the Boundary between the Philippine Archipelago and the State of North Borneo {1930} Minutes of the Proceedings on the National Territory of the 1971 Constitutional Convention The Role of Islam in the History of the Filipino People History of Terrorism in the Philippines Agreement on Peace between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Report of the Cholera Epidemic in the Philippines Mintal “The Little Tokyo of the Pre-war Philippines”

Page 2 13 20 24 30 32 34 46 51 58 61 68 76 82 85 90

Lesson 1: Week 1-2 Torrentira, Readings in Philippine History

2|Page

An Introduction to Philippine Historiography: Sources and Discourses Learning Objectives: By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to: • • • • •

Define history Differentiate history from historiography Restate the sources of history Analyze how historians write a history Recall some Filipino historians and their contributions to historiography

Introduction History deals with the study of past events. Individuals who write about history are called historians. They seek to understand the present by examining what went before. They undertake arduous historical research to come up with a meaningful and organized reconstruction of the past. But whose past are we talking about? This is a basic question that a historian needs to answer because this sets the purpose and framework of a historical account. Hence, a salient feature of historical writing is the facility to give meaning and impart value to a particular group of people about their past. The practice of historical writing is called historiography. Traditional method in doing historical research focuses on gathering of documents from different libraries and archives to form a pool of evidence needed in making a descriptive or analytical narrative. However, modern historical writing does not only include examination of documents but also the use of research methods from related areas study such as archaeology and geography. Sources of History Basic to historical research is utilization of sources. There are diverse sources of history including documentary sources or documents, archaeological records, and oral and video accounts. To date, most of our historical sources are documents. These refer to handwritten, printed, drawn, designed, and other composed materials. These include books, newspapers, magazines, journals, maps, architectural perspectives, paintings, advertisements, and photographs. Colonial records such as government reports and legal documents form a significant part of our collection of documents here and abroad, particularly in Spain and the United States. In the 20th century and up to now, memoirs or personal accounts written by important historical personages constitute another type of documents. Philippine presidents such as Emilio Aguinaldo, Manuel Quezon, and Diosdado Macapagal wrote their memoirs to highlight their roles as nation-builders. On the other hand, archaeological records refer to preserved remains of human beings, their activities, and the environment where they lived. In the Philippines, the most significant excavated human remains include the Callao Man’s toe bone (dated 67 000 BCE) and the Tabon Man’s Torrentira, Readings in Philippine History

3|Page

skullcap (22 000 BCE). Aside from human remains, other archaeological records are generally categorized as fossils and artifacts. Fossils are remains of animals, plants, and other organisms from the distant past, while artifacts are remnants of material culture developed by human beings. These include clothing, farm implements, jewelry, pottery and stone tools. Oral and video accounts form the third kind of historical source. These are audio-visual documentation of people, events, and places. These are usually recorded in video and audio cassettes, and compact discs. Aside from scholars, media people also use oral and video accounts as part of their news and public affairs work.

Doctrina Christiana, the first published work Primary and Secondary Sources There are two general kinds of historical sources: primary and secondary. Primary Sources refer to documents, physical objects, and oral/video accounts made by an individual or a group present at the time and place being described. These materials provide facts from people who actually witnessed the event. Secondary sources, on the other hand, are materials made by people long after the events being described had taken place. Most historical narratives today are so reliant on documentary sources due to the plethora of written records and the lack of archaeological records and oral/video memoirs. Although having several documents about an event allows for easier counterchecking of facts history researchers are confronted with one basic challenge with regard primary sources- their ability to read and understand texts in foreign languages. Torrentira, Readings in Philippine History

4|Page

Many of our untapped archival documents here and abroad are written in Spanish. A good knowledge of Spanish is a huge advantage. But this skill is unusual among today’s historians who prefer to read translations of Spanish texts such as the 55-volume. The Philippine Islands, 14931898 (1903-1909) edited by Emma Blair and James Robertson, which is the most cited collection of primary sources about the Philippines before the advent of the American colonial regime. The collection includes translations of portions of 16th- century chronicles such as Antonio Pigafetta’s Primo Viaggio intorno al mundo (1524), Miguel Loarca’s Relacion de las Yslas Filipinas (1582), and Juan de Plasencia’s Relacion de las Islas Pilipinas (1592). Filipino historians, such as the father-daughter tandem of Gregorio Zaide and Sonio Zaide, have also compiled and translated colonial documents. They published the 10- volume Documentary Sources of Philippine History (1994). Aside from reading the Spanish originals documents or translated words, another daunting task for Filipino historians is to discern the cultural context and historical value of primary sources because most of these primary documents were written by colonialists and reflected Western cultural frames. For examples, derogatory terms used to Label Filipinos such as “pagan,” “uncivilized,” “wild,” and “savage” abound in these colonial documents. Uncovering myths and misconceptions about Filipino cultural identity propagated by the Spanish and American colonizers is extra challenging for contemporary Filipino scholars. If the key function of primary source documents is to give facts, secondary source documents, on the other hand, provide valuable interpretations of historical events. The works of eminent historians such as Teodoro Agoncillo and Renato Constantino are good examples of secondary sources. In his interpretation of the Philippine Revolution, Agoncillo divided the revolution into two phases: the first phase covers the years from the start of the revolution in August 1896 to the flight of Emilio Aguinaldo and company to Hong Kong as a result of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato, while the second phase spans from Aguinaldo’s return to Manila from Hong Kong until his surrender to the Americans in March 1901. However, Constantino refuted Agoncillo’s leader-centric scheme of dividing the revolution into two phases by stressing that Agoncillo’s viewpoint implied that the revolution came to a halt when Aguinaldo left the country. Constantino disputed the soundness of Agoncillo’s two-phase scheme by asserting that the war of independence continued even without Aguinaldo’s presence in the country. Aside from the issue on Philippine Revolution, there are other contending issues in Philippine history such as the venue of the first Christian mass in the country and the question of who deserves to be named national hero. By and large, interpretations serve as tools of discernment for readers of historical sources, but they should be cautious of frames of analysis used for biased, discriminatory, and self-serving ends. Historical Criticism Many documents have primary and secondary segments. For instance, examining a newspaper as a historical source entails a discerning mind to identify its primary and secondary Torrentira, Readings in Philippine History

5|Page

components. A news item written by a witness of an event is considered as a primary source, while a feature article is usually considered as a secondary material. Similarly, a book published a long time ago does not necessarily render it as a primary source. It requires a meticulous reading of the document to know its origin. To ascertain the authenticity and reliability of primary sources to be used in crafting a narrative, a historian needs to employ two levels of historical criticism, namely, external criticism and internal criticism. External criticism answers concerns and questions pertinent to the authenticity of a historical source by identifying that composed the historical material, locating when and where the historical material was produced, and establishing the material’s evidential value. Internal criticism, on the other hand, deals with the credibility and reliability of the content of a given historical source. This kind of criticism focuses on understanding the substance and message that the historical materials wants to convey by examining how the author frame the intent and meaning of a composed material. Locating Primary Sources There are substantial primary sources about the Philippines here and abroad. In the country, government institutions such as the National Library and the National Archives are major repositories of documentary sources. The National Library has complete microfilm copies of the Philippine Revolutionary Records (1896-1901), a compilation of captured documents of Emilio Aguinaldo’s revolutionary government, and Historical Data Papers (1952-1953), a collection of “history and cultural life” of all towns in the country spearheaded by public school teachers during President Elpidio Quirino’s term. The Manuscript’s Section of the National Library’s Filipiniana Division contains the presidential papers of different administrations from Manuel Quezon to Joseph Ejercito. Search aids such as the “Checklist of Rare Filipiniana Serials (1811-1914),” “Filipiniana Serials in Microfilm,” and several registers of Philippine presidential papers are provided for faster and easier way to look for historical materials. The National Archives, on the other hand, holds a substantial collection of catalogued and uncatalogued Spanish documents about the Philippines composed from 1552 to 1900. These consist of 432 document categories such as Administration Central de Rentas y Propiedades (Central Administration of Rentals and Properties), Administration de Hacienda Publica (Administration of Public Finance), Aduana de Manila (Customs Office of Manila), Almacenes Generales (General Stores), Asuntos Criminales (Criminal matters), Ayuntamiento de Manila (Town Council of Manila), Colera (Cholera), Padron General de Chinos (General register of Chinese), and Presos (Prisoners). For local historians, valuable materials from the National Archives include Cabezas de Barangay (Heads of Barangay), Ereccion de los Pueblos (Establishment of Towns), Guia Oficial (Official Guide), and Memorias (Official Reports of Provincial Governors), Aside from Spanish sources, the National Archives is also the repository of 20th-century documents such as civil records, notarial documents, and Japanese wartime crime

Torrentira, Readings in Philippine History

6|Page

records. There are also some sources written in Tagalog such as the documents pertinent to Apolinario de la Cruz, the leader of the Coonfradia de San Jose in the 19th century. Academic institutions such as the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, University of Santos Tomas in Manila, Silliman University in Dumaguete City, and University of San Carlos in Cebu City have also substantial library and archival holdings. The Media Services Section of the UP Main Library has microfilm copies of Philippine Radical Papers, a compilation of documents relevant to the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP) and its allied organizations as well a People’s Court Proceedings, a collection of court proceedings against Filipino leaders who corporate with the Japanese during their short-lived occupation. The Ateneo de Manila’s Rizal Library houses the American Historical Collection that consists of vital documents relevant to the American experience such as the Reports of the Philippine Commission (1901-1909), Annual Reports of the Governors-General of the Philippine Islands (1916-1935), and records of the Philippine legislature from 1907 to 1934. Privately owned museums and archives, such as the Ayala Museum in Makati and Lopez Museum in Pasig City, have also considerable historical resources. Religious congregations such as the Augustinians, Dominicans, Jesuits, and Recollects also have extensive archival holdings that remain untapped. Outside the Philippines, there are several documents about the country found in Spain and the United States. The bulk of Spanish documents are found at the Archivo General de Indias in Sevilla, Spain. Important American sources are available at the Manuscript Division of the United States Library of Congress, Harvard University’s Houghton Library, United States National Archives, and the University of Michigan’s Bentley Historical Library. In this age of Internet, there are open access online archives on Filipino history and culture, such as the extensive digital Filipiniana collection of the University of Michigan, which consists of manuscripts and photographs of the early part of 20th century Philippines. Another rich online source of primary documents is the University of Illinois at Chicago Field Museum. It houses the extensive photographic collection of Dean Worcester, the secretary of Interior of the American colonial government in the country from 1901 to 1913. Colonial Historiography Philippine historiography has changed significantly since the 20th century. For a long time, Spanish colonizers presented our history in two parts: a period of darkness or backwardness before they arrived and a consequent period of advancement or enlightenment when they came. Spanish chroniclers wrote a lot about the Philippines but their historical accounts emphasized the primacy of colonization to liberate Filipinos from their backward “barbaric” life ways In the same manner, American colonial writers also shared the same worldview of their predecessors by rationalizing their colonization of Filipinos as a way to teach the natives of the “civilized lifestyle” which they said the Spaniards forgot to impart including personal hygiene and public administration. Colonial narratives have portrayed Filipinos as a people bereft of an advanced culture and a respectable history. This perception challenged Filipino intellectuals beginning in the 1800s to rectify such cultural bias or prejudice. In 1890, Jose Rizal came out with an annotation Torrentira, Readings in Philippine History

7|Page

of Antonio de Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (Events in the Philippine Islands), a book originally published in 1609. He used de Morga’s book, a rare Spanish publication that positively viewed precolonial Filipino culture, as a retort to the arrogant Spaniards. However, cultural bias against Filipino culture continued even after Rizal’s death and the end of Spanish colonialism.

Jose Rizal

Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas

Learning from the fate of its colonial predecessor, the United States did not only use brute force but also affected ingenious ways of pacification such as the use of education as a tool to control their subjects and increase political and economic power of the elite few. These colonial instruments were so ingrained among Filipinos that they perceived their colonial past in two ways: initially maltreated by “wicked Spain” but later rescued by “benevolent America.” This kind of historical consciousness has effectively erased from the memories of Filipino generations the bloody Philippine-American War as exemplified by the Balangiga Massacre in Eastern Samar and the Battle of Bud Bagsak in Sulu. Consequently, such perception breathes new life to the two-part view of history: a period of darkness before the advent of the United States and an era of enlightenment during the American colonial administration. This view has resonated with Filipino scholars even after the Americans granted our independence in 1946. Philippine Historiography after World War II The stark reality of Filipino historians thinking like their colonial counterpart’s during the postcolonial period troubled a small group of professors and cultural workers who were mostly alumni of the University of the Philippines. This spurred the emergence of Filipino scholars who challenged the narrow view of colonial narratives and developed historical writing from the viewpoint of a nationalist agenda. In the 1950s, Teodoro Agoncillo pioneered nationalist historiography in the country by highlighting the role of the Filipino reformists and revolutionaries from 1872, the year that saw the execution of the Gomburza priests, to the end of the Philippine Revolution as the focal point of the country’s nation-building narrative. Two of his most celebrated books focus on the impact

Torrentira, Readings in Philippine History

8|Page

of the Philippine Revolution: The Revolt of the Masses: The story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan (1956) and Malolos: The Crisis of the Republic (1960). His writings veered away from emphasizing Spanish colonial period and regarded events before 1872 as part of the country’s “lost history.” This discourse of “lost history” was not accepted by another known scholar, Renato Constantino, whose published work entitled “The Miseducation of the Filipino” became a staple reading for academ and activists beginning in late1960s. Constantino advanced th Teodoro Agoncillo idea of a “people’s history” – a study of the past that sought to analyze society by searching out people’s voices from colonial historical materials that typically rendered Filipinos as decadent, inept and vile. Following this mode of historical inquiry, he authored The Philippines: A Past Revisited (1975), a college textbook that offered a more critical reading of Philippine history compa...