GEC 2:Readings in the

Philippine History
FIRST SEMESTER, F.Y. 2020-2021

Table of Contents
Table of Contents 3
Prelim Coverage

Chapter 1: Meaning and Relevance of History 6

Lesson1: Learning History 6
Lesson2: Understanding Sources 10
Chapter 2: Content and Contextual Analysis of Selected Primary Sources 17
Lesson3: First Voyage around the World 17
Lesson4: Customs of Tagalog 22
Lesson 5: The Political Cartoons 31
Lesson 6: Works of Juan Luna and Fernando Amorsolo 37
Lesson 7: Speech of Corazon Aquino before the US Congress 41

Course Description:

The course analyzes Philippine history from multiple perspectives through the lens of selected
primary sources coming from various disciplines and of different genres. Students are given
opportunities to analyze the author’s background and main arguments, compare different points
of view, identify biases and examine the evidences presented in the document. The discussions
will tackle traditional topics in history and other interdisciplinary themes that will deepen and
broaden their understanding of Philippine political, economic, cultural, social, scientific and
religious history. Priority is given to primary materials that could help students develop their
analytical and communication skills. The end goal is to develop the historical and critical

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consciousness of the students so that they will become versatile, articulate, broad-minded,
morally upright and responsible citizens.

Course Outcomes:

a. Identify credible and authentic primary sources that could be used in reconstructing the
rich history of the Filipino people from pre-colonial times to the present;
b. Analyze the context, content, and perspective of selected primary sources and
determine their contribution in understanding the history of the Filipino people;
c. Develop critical and analytical skills as they are exposed to primary sources;
d. Demonstrate the ability to use primary sources that will enable them to argue in favor or
against a particular issue;
e. Effectively communicate, using various techniques and genres, their historical analysis of
a particular event or issue that could help other people understand the chosen topic;
f. Propose recommendations/solutions to present day problems based on their own
understanding of their root causes, and their anticipation of future scenarios;
g. Display the ability to work in a team and can contribute to a group project; and
h. Manifest interest and concern in promoting and preserving our country’s national
patrimony and cultural heritage.

Prelim Coverage

CHAPTER I: Meaning and Relevance of History; Distinction of Primary and

Secondary Sources; External and Internal Criticisms; Repositories and Different
Kinds of Primary Sources
Chapter Outcomes:
a. Appreciate the meaning and relevance of history;
b. Engage deeper with our country’s rich history and culture;
c. Evaluate primary sources for their credibility, authenticity and provenance;
d. Analyze the context, content and perspective of different kinds of primary
sources;
e. Determine the contribution of different kinds of primary sources in understanding
Philippine history;
f. Develop critical and analytical skills with exposure to primary sources;

LESSON NO: 1 (3hours)

Title: Learning History

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 WHAT IS HISTORY?

The study of the beliefs and desires, practices and

institutions of human beings. With this definition, history becomes
an active factor in the study of Philippine society. It also includes a
look into the development of Philippine culture through time
especially with the influence of the colonial period that would
eventually shape the present Philippine identity.
The English word history is derived from the Greek noun istoia,
meaning learning. As used by the Greek philosopher Aristotle,
history meant a systematic account of a set of natural phenomena, whether or not
chronological factoring was a factor in the account.
By its most common definition, the word history now means, “the past of mankind.”
Excerpts from Understanding History: A Primer of Historical Method by Louis Gottschalk (1950,
New York: Knopf, p.17)

Why Study History?

Looking at the past teaches us to see the world through different eyes appreciating the
diversity of human perceptions, beliefs and cultures. Different and/or new perspectives will
enable us to analyze critically the present contexts of society and being

 History teaches us to see the world through different eyes-

appreciating the diversity of human perceptions, beliefs and
cultures.

 History will
give you a
combination of
skills and
insights that
will help you
to:
•Prepare you
for work
•Enable you to
participate
fully in society
 History is very relevant to modern life
•Many books, films and plays are inspired by historical events
•Develop you as a person

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ROLE OF A HISTORIAN
• To draw insights from the ideas and realities that have
shaped the lives of men and women and the society.
• Can comprehend how situations happened, identify
their elements, and think how these situations can
solve today’s predicaments and help plan for the future.

ROLE OF HISTORY

1. History becomes an active factor in the study of Philippine

society.
2. It looks into the development of Philippine culture through
time especially with the influences of the colonial period that
would eventually shape the present Philippine identity.
3. You will develop an appreciation of the society in which you
live and of other societies, past and present
4. You will also develop a greater awareness of your own identity
and traditions
5. You will learn more about the particular role of women in
shaping the past

Relevance
to LIFE

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 The study of history History he lp s you to
This will he lp you in
is not just ab out wr ite in an org anize d ,
your othe r sub je cts,
inte rp re ting the p ast cohe re nt, log ical way,
as we ll as in life and Yousup pwill
ortingalso
your
You will b ut also p re se nting
become work late views with evid e nce
your thoug hts. realize the
skilled at locating
importance of RESEARCH
historical data from
looking at issues SKILLS
different sources,
evaluating it and from more than
recording and one point of
presenting your view

•You will also

develop your ANALYTICAL These skills are
ability to think SKILLS very useful in
critically, to many careers and
evaluate the in everyday life
usefulness of
sources, to detect

Guide Questions

1. What is your understanding of history? How is your view different from what is
explained in this lesson?
2. As a student of history, what do you think will be your duties?
3. Why is there a need to understand and realize the meaning and importance of our
history?
4. Why does social scientist refer to history in analyzing or predicting a certain situation or
a particular behavior?

Teacher’s Insights
History allows us to know the things that molded us. The beliefs, practices, desires and
institutions of human being. This is the reason why, history is not just knowing and
memorizing the facts.
Why the subject history keeps on coming back you ever since when you were in your
elementary days up to you tertiary even beyond the academe. One thing is to deepen your
learning with regards history and to correct the misconceptions that happens in the annals of
the Philippine history. This subject is an eye opener for us to look back, study persons who
sacrificed their selves to give democracy and to open us a new civilization. Render your 54
hours in studying Philippine history compare to the forerunners who spent their time for how
many years to give and brought us a history. Studying history will not only be in the four

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 walls of the classroom but throughout your life.

LESSON NO. 2 (3 hours)

Title: Understanding Sources

What is a Source

The first kind of sources relies or remains, offer the researchers a clue about the past simply by
virtue of their existence. The wooden columns found at the date of a prehistoric settlement
testify for example to the existence of people and tell to historians something about their
culture. The pegs or dowels they used to fasten building materials further enlighten scholars
about their technical skills and artistic capacities. By comparing their articrafts with those with
other places historians can further learn something of their commercial or intellectual relations.
In contrast the testimonies are the oral or written reports that describe an event,
weather simple or complex such as the record of property exchange. The author of such
testimonies can provide the historians information about what happened, how and what the
circumstances the event occurred and why it occurred.
The primary responsibilities of the historians to distinguish for readers carefully between
information that comes literally out of the source itself.

Primary Sources

Primary sources are materials produced by people or groups directly involved in the
event or topic being studied.

Formally, there are eight examples of these primary sources:

1. Photographs that may reflect social conditions of historical realities and everyday life.
2. Old sketches and drawings that may indicate the conditions of life of societies in the
past.
3. Old maps that may reveal how space and geography were used to emphasize trade
routes, structural build-up, etc.
4. Cartoons for political expression or propaganda
5. Material evidence of the prehistoric past like cave drawings, old syllabaries and ancient
writings.
6. Statistical tables, graphs and charts
7. Oral history or recordings by electronic means of accounts of eyewitnesses or
participants; the recordings are then transcribed and used for research.
8. Published and unpublished primary documents, eyewitness accounts and other written
sources.

Four Main Categories of Primary Sources

1.Written sources

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2. Images

3. Artifacts

4. Oral testimony

“My first day was a scary one. There was a patient whose earlobes were so
long... he had no nose, only two holes on his face, and no fingers, only the
palm of his hands...the other patients were in different stages of leprosy.

Documented Oral Testimony

of Sr. Maria Luisa
Montenegro, SPC 1940

Secondary Sources

Gottschalk simply defines secondary sources as the testimony of anyone who is not an
eyewitness – that is of one who was not present at the event of which he tells. These are
books, articles, scholarly journals, biography, thesis, dissertations, almanacs, dictionaries and
transcriptions that had interpreted primary sources or had used them to discuss certain subjects
of history.

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Source of Typologies

Their evolution and complementarity Written source are usually categorized according to
a tripartite scheme as narrative or literally as diplomatic/juridical or as a social document.
Sources are traditionally classified as narrative or literally includes chronicles or tracts presented
in narrative form written in order to impact particular message.

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.

There are two ways on how to examine historical resources in order for the scholastic writers
and historians to validate the authenticity of the sources that they have collected to be used as
the reference of the historical account that they are going to publish. These are:

Internal Criticism
 The problem of credibility
 It looks within the data itself to try to determine the truth- facts and the reasonable
interpretation.
 It includes looking at the apparent or possible motives of the person providing the data.
 It indicates the accuracy, trustworthiness and veracity of the materials to which
historical data will be based.

Tests of Credibility
1. Identification of the author
 to determine his reliability; mental processes, personal attitudes
2. Determination of the approximate date
 handwriting, signature, seal
3. Ability to tell the truth
 nearness to the event, competence of witness, degree of attention
4. Willingness to tell the truth
 to determine if the author consciously or unconsciously tells falsehood
5. Corroboration
 historical facts –particulars which rest upon the independent testimony of two or more
reliable witnesses

External Criticism
 The problem of authenticity
 It applies experimental science to certify the authenticity of the material that holds the
data in which historical information will be based.
 It entails such physical and technical test as dating of paper where a document is
written on.
 It involves knowledge of when certain things existed or it supports the claim whether it
is possible or impossible to exist.
 It evaluates the authenticity and genuineness of data.

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 Test of Authenticity
1. Determine the date of the document to see whether they are anachronistic;
 Is the document outdated? For example, the document tells about the event
during 1950’s and it was written by the use of pencil. Take note that pencil did
not exist.

2. Determine the author;

 handwriting, signature, seal
3. Anachronistic style
 idiom-phrase, expression, for example, the author in his document, mention the
word petmalu, take note again, this word was only used during 1920s
 ortography, punctuation

4. Anachronistic reference to events

 too early, too late, too remote

5. Provenance or custody

 determine its genuineness

6. Semantics- determining the meaning of a text or word;
7. Hermeneutics- determining ambiguities.

The Impact of Communication and Information Technology on the Production of

Sources

The availability of the sources general, very much determined by technology that is by
the conditions under which is given culture received and collected information. In the first
information was transmitted by people who walked or ran with the news as the rate probably
never exceeding six miles per hour. The second phase of information was transported using
pack animals. This phase began about 20000B.C.E.in central Asia about 10000B.C.E. in the
Mediterranean area and sometimes during sixteenth century among the Incas in Peru.

Three categories of information were transported in this period each of which required slightly
different technology of literacy. The First included secret correspondence of various kind of
diplomatic military which had to be written in code. The second general correspondence which
in time was taken by the newspaper.

Teacher’s Insights

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The chapter enlightens the distinction of different sources. It scrutinized and study the primary
and the secondary sources in the history. It is like searching your true friend or your forever
and it can be solving a problem trying to find a solution.

Chapter 2: Content and Contextual Analysis of Selected Primary Sources

Chapter outcomes:
a. Identify the people who participated in the first voyage around the world;
b. properly interpret the primary source through examining the document;
c. Familiarize oneself with the customs of the Tagalogs with the use of a primary
source;
d. Properly interpret Juan de Plasencia’s Customs of the Tagalog through examining
the content and context of the document;
e. Interpret the selected Political Cartoons: Political Caricature of the American Era
1900 – 1941 through examining the content and context of the documents;
f. Analyze the context behind each selected Political Cartoons and Caricature;
g. Familiarize oneself with works of Juan Luna and Fernando Amorsolo that has
great part in Philippine History;
h. Critique and interpret the different works of Juan Luna and Fernando Amorsolo
through examining the content and context of the document/artifacts; and
i. Interpret the speech of Corazon C. Aquino delivered in the US Congress through
examining the content and context of the document.

What is Content and Contextual Analysis?

Content analysis is a systemic evaluation of the primary source be it a text, painting,
caricature, and or/speech that in the process students could develop and present an argument
based on their own understanding of the evidences form their readings. The students will
identify pertinent information from the texts/documents and explain its importance to their
understanding of history in the Philippine setting. While, Contextual analysis considers
specifically the time, place, and situation when the primary source was written. The analysis as
well includes the author’s background, authority on the subject and intent perceptible, and its
relevance and meaning to people and society today (Ligo, et.al., 2018)
Content and contextual analysis is an indispensable approach to strengthen the students critical
and analytical thinking skills and their ability to articulate their own ideas, views and
perspectives on a certain primary data or source. In order to achieve this, primary sources will
be used and utilized for analysis.

Lesson No. 3 (3 hours)

Title: First Voyage Around the World

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Description:
The 15th and 16th centuries brought an era of worldwide exploration and expansion that
resulted from the desire to gain new lands, power, and wealth for the explorers and their
countries. Henceforth, the fall of Constantinople (1453) and the emergence of the Ottoman
Turks led to the exploration of new trade routes for spices among European countries primarily
Spain and Portugal. These events eventually resulted in the historical occurrence of the first
voyage around the world.
To have an accurate glimpse of this historical event, a content and contextual analysis of a
primary source is needed. Subsequently, the most accurate account of the said voyage as
regarded by many historians was the account written by Antonio Pigafetta, the chronicler of
Magellan’s Expedition.
Studying such primary source would give us a clear foretaste of the forgotten past happened
hundreds of years ago. However, it is imperative not just to agree on everything what has been
written on the account but to critically analyze this to have a deeper understanding of our
history. Were there any biases made by the author? What makes the account credible? Did the
descriptions in the account match the actual geographical, demographic, and cultural
characteristics of the people and the archipelago? Did Magellan really circumnavigate the world
first? Did Lapu-lapu kill Magellan in the Battle of Mactan? Did Magellan really “discover” the
Philippines? etc.
The students are expected to examine the content and context of the primary account of the
first voyage around the world written by Antonio Pigafetta. However, a brief discussion on the
route and timeline of the voyage is suggested before studying the excerpt of the Pigafetta’s
account to facilitate easier understanding. A quiz bowl may be conducted to affirm their
understanding about the content of the account and a worksheet is to be answered by the
students to evaluate their understanding about its context.

Content:
A Brief Timeline of the First Voyage around the World
Ferdinand Magellan was famous as the great explorer who led 5
Spanish ships and 251 men in the first voyage around the World.
Short Biography of Ferdinand Magellan
 Date of Birth: Born in 1480
 Place of Birth: Saborosa in Villa Real, Province of Traz os
Montes in Portugal
 Parents: Mayor Pedro Ruy de Magalhaes (Father) and Alda de
Mezquita (Mother)

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  Background Facts, Information & Ancestry: Came from a wealthy family who had strong
Source:https://www.history.com/top
connections with
the Portuguese court.
ics/exploration/ferdinand-magellan

1480  Born at Saborosa in Villa Real, Province of Traz os Montes in Portugal.

 Well tutored at home and then spent his early years at the Portuguese
court.

1505  Ferdinand Magellan joined the expedition of Francisco d'Almeida to India.

1512  Took part in the Portuguese expedition to Morocco and was badly wounded.
 Has a serious disagreement with a commanding officer and leaves the
service without prior permission.

1513  Requests permission from King Manuel of Portugal to sail to the Spice
Islands in the Far East but is refused following the unfavorable reports from
Morocco.
 Resumes his studies in Portugal for a couple more years but fails to gain
favor with the Portuguese court and therefore renounces his Portuguese
nationality.

1518  Magellan leaves Portugal and heads for Spain.

1519  March 22: Magellan convinces King Charles I of Spain to support his voyage
to the Spice Islands and the King promises Magellan one-fifth of the profits
from the voyage to the Spice Islands
 Spain provides five ships for the expedition:
 Magellan commands the Trinidad
 Juan de Cartagena commands the San Antonio
 Gaspar de Quesada commands the Conception
 Luis de Mendoza commands the Victoria
 Juan Serrano commands the Santiago
 Leads the five Spanish ships with 251 men in what was to become the first
voyage around the World
 20 September: The fleet sail across the Atlantic Ocean to South America
and Rio de Janeiro and then start to search for a passage to the Pacific
Ocean

1520  March: The fleet anchor for the winter at Puerto San Julian in Southern
Argentina
 September: A storm destroys the Santiago and a mutiny breaks out
 October: Ferdinand Magellan and his crew resume their voyage on the
remaining ships
 21 November: Enters the straits which would be named the Magellan Straits
becoming the first Europeans ever to sail across the Pacific Ocean

1521  3 February: Ferdinand Magellan reaches the Equator

 1521 March 6: Magellan reached the Pacific island of Guam

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  16 March: Discovers the Philippines
 April 27: Ferdinand Magellan was killed by natives on the island of Mactan
 Only 110 of the original crew members remained so they abandoned one of
the ships - the Conception. The Trinidad tried to return back to Spain the
same way they had came but was forced to return to the Spice Islands
where they were imprisoned by the Portuguese. The Victoria was the last
remaining ship.

1522  September 6: The Victoria reached Sanlucar de Barrameda in Spain with

only 18 survivors

Source: http://www.datesandevents.org/people-timelines/13-ferdinand-magellan-timeline.htm

https://www.google.com/url? https://www.google.com/url?
sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwig- sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwig
cjDtvniAhXYc94KHYbZCUYQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=https%3A%2F -
%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FTimeline_of_the_Magellan cjDtvniAhXYc94KHYbZCUYQjRx6BAgBEAU&
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Z7qJzcsdMeOID4Qd&ust=1561166933175346 %2Fwiki%2FTimeline_of_the_Magellan
An excerpt of Antonio Pigafetta’s The First Voyage %25E2%2580%2593Elcano_circumnavigatio
Around the World
n&psig=AOvVaw3CendpZ7qJzcsdMeOID4Q
The narrative of d&ust=1561166933175346
the voyage which was translated
by
Lord Stanley is presented on cited reference below.
However, only the necessary and important details of
the narrative were taken based on what is useful for the
students. In brief, the narrative as it was written began
with the description of the preparation for the voyage,
the captain and his men, the dates as to when it left
Spain, the time when they crossed the Atlantic Ocean,
Pacific Ocean, and Indian Ocean. In particular, Pigafetta
wrote relating to
the description
of the different places he had seen, the people he
met and their diverse and fascinating culture. The
historic expedition began in 1519 and was successfully completed in 1522 (Ligan, et.al. 2018)
Background of the Author
Antonio Pigafetta

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   was born around 1490 in the town of Vicenza, Venice, Italy,
was the eldest son of Giovanni Pigafeta.
 Studied astronomy, geography, and cartography.
 Well educated young man possessing an avid curiosity of the
world around him
 an Italian scholar and explorer from the Republic of Venice.
 He traveled with the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand
Magellan and his crew by order of the King Charles I of Spain on their voyage around
the world.
 During the expedition, he served as Magellan's assistant and kept an accurate journal of
their journey.
 Pigafetta was wounded on Mactan in the Philippines, where Magellan was killed in
the Battle of Mactan in April 1521 nevertheless, he recovered and was among the 18
who accompanied Juan Sebastián Elcano on board the Victoria on the return voyage to
Spain.
 The voyage completed the first circumnavigation of the world; Juan Sebastián
Elcano served as captain after Magellan's death.
 Pigafetta's journal is the source for much of what we know about Magellan and Elcano's
voyage.
What is the Historical Background of the Document?
 The manuscript volume dating from around 1525, details
Ferdinand Magellan’s voyage accompanied by Antonio
Pigaffeta around the world.
 Pigafetta kept a detailed journal, the original of which is
lost. However, an account of the voyage written by
Pigaffeta between 1522 and 1525, survives in four
manuscript versions. One in Italian and three in French.
 The manuscript volume dating from around 1525, details
Ferdinand Magellan’s voyage accompanied by Antonio Pigaffeta around the world.
 Pigafetta kept a detailed journal, the original of which is lost. However, an account of
the voyage written by Pigaffeta between 1522 and 1525, survives in four manuscript
versions. One in Italian and three in French.
 The second, or Paris, edition of Transylvanus’ De Moluccis, printed in 1523, several
moths after the first or the Cologne edition (Massachussetts Historical Library.
 Second French manuscript by Pigaffeta, the writing is more legible and seems newer
that the preceeding two copies.

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 The fourth edition of Transylvanus ’ De Moluccis, printed in 1524, about a year and half
after it first appeared in Cologne.
Historical Context
 In the 15th century, spices were at the epicenter of the world economy,
 Magellan was exposed to stories of the great Portuguese and Spanish rivalry for sea
exploration and dominance over the spice trade in the East Indies.
 Intrigued by the promise of fame and riches, Magellan developed an interest in maritime
discovery in those early years.
 In search of fame and fortune, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (c. 1480-1521)
set out from Spain in 1519 with a fleet of five ships to discover a western sea route to
the Spice Islands.
 March 16,1521 – Antonio Pigafetta together with Ferdinand magellan and the crew
landed Samar.
 Magellan befriended the locals and, struck with a sudden religious zeal, and he sought
to convert them to Christianity. 
Historical Analysis
 There is already a sense of colonial mentality
 Natives have already the feeling of Hospitality.
 There was a peaceful relationship of the spanish voyagers with the natives of Cebu
before meeting Lapu lapu.
 The natives have their own traditions/ceremonies when their chiefs dies.
 It is not Lapu lapu killed Magellan but his men.
Contemporary Relevance
 The excerpt promotes understanding of Philippine History from an eyewitness.
 Pigafetta’s journal became the basis for his 1525 travelogue.
 The Voyage is not always bad as others thought but it also useful for it contributes
Christianity among Filipino people.
 Pigafetta’s chronicle contributed immensely to European historiography as it preserved
and popularized the achievements of Magellan-elcano expedition.
 They proved that the earth is not flat but an oblate sphere
 they demolished the myth that there is boiling water at the equator.
 The confirmed that the Portuguese route is not only way to the spice islands.
 Resulted in the inclusion of new territories in their world view.

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  It reminds that natives of the mentioned places have already colorful culture and upto
now are still existing.
 Develop sense of Patriotism
 Serves as new source in reconstructing the history.
 it shows that many of our utensils came from the culture of the Spanish.

Teacher’s Insights
The searching of spices in Asia paved the way to the changes in the Philippine history
brought by the European people under the leadership of Ferdinand Magellan. Thanks to
Antonio Pigafetta , the chronicler of Ferdinand Magellan for providing us the document or an
account that became main source of the first encounter and considered to be the colonization
of the Spaniards in the Philippines.

Lesson No. 4 (3 Hours)

Description:
This lesson requires the students to critically analyze The Customs of the Tagalogs written by
Juan de Plasencia, a Franciscan Missionary in the Tagalog region in 1578 to 1590. This would
also elicit appreciation among the students on how rich are the Tagalogs’ practices and belief
systems. Besides, this would also give us insights on how Spaniards view these customs during
their occupation in the archipelago.

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 Content:
The authorship plays a pivotal role in putting meaning(s) to this colonial text. The author, Juan
de Plasencia was, in the first place, not a native Tagalog but a Franciscan missionary who first
arrived in the Philippines in 1577.
He was tasked by the King of Spain to document the customs and traditions of the colonized
(“natives”) based on, arguably, his own observations and judgments. Notably, de Plasencia
wrote the Doctrina Cristiana, an early book on catechism and is believed to be the first book
ever printed in the Philippines and The Customs of the Tagalogs describing the way of life of
the Tagalogs. Such initiatives were an accustomed practice of the colonizer during the Age of
Discovery to enhance their superiority over the colonized and validity of their so-called duties
and legacies to the World. It is a common fact that during this era, the Spanish colonizers,
spearheaded by missionaries, drew a wide variety of texts ranging from travel narratives and
accounts of the colony to even sermons (Mapanoo, 2015).
In this particular text, we are not just to look at it as a window of the past but as a mirror to
reflect if the descriptions used by Plasencia really match the customs of the Tagalogs in the
context of the Filipinos, the Tagalogs in particular. We are to critically examine its content and
context validity. Did Plasencia made biases in writing the account? How did he view these
customs that are completely strange of him? Is his account a credible source of our history?
etc.

Excerpt 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 rules over a few of people; sometimes as many as a hundred houses, sometimes
as may as a hundred house, 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 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
Juan de Plasencia:
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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, 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 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 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 guigilir) 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, they could not be taken from their own
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 maybe 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, may have been classed as slaves who really are not. The
Indians sseing that the alcalses- mayor do not understand this, have adopted the custom of
taking away the children aliping namamahay, making use of them as they would af aliping sa
guiguilir, as servants in their households, which is llegal, 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 f 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 the
free child namely, the half belonging to his father, who supplied the did child not with food. If
he did not do this, he showed that he did not recognize him as his child, in which case the
HELLO 18
latter was wholly a slave. If a free woman had children by a slave, they were al free was wholly
a 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, belonged the children were divided; the first, whether male or
female, belonged uilir, the 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 large to another or from one
barangay to another, without paying 4 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 entre 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. death penalty.
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 promptness, exposed the culprit to serve, until the payment

HELLO 19
should be made, the person was aggrieved, to whom the to whom the money was paid. This
was done in the following way: Half of 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 bis children until such time as he a 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 he kept possession of the children if the payment
could not be met. This last was usually the case, and they remained slaves
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 h0use 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 the 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.
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

HELLO 20
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 e house, assembled people, a temporary
shed on each side of the h the 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 bouse 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 man 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 universal 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 w0 was brave in war and endowed with
special faculties, to who they commended themselves for protection in their tribulatios They
had another idol called Dian Masalanta, who was the and patron of lovers and of generation.
The idols called Lacapati and Idianale were patrons of the cultivated lands and of husbandry.
aid reverence to water-lizards 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
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

HELLO 21
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 rice.

****

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. Th 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 me intoxicated. In
some of the idolatries they were accustomed to place a good piece of cloth, doubled, over the
idol, and over the cloth 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 regions4s 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 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

HELLO 22
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. f 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 he hey made ill by their charms, they
did so by using other charms. Moreover, if they wished to destroy the bouse 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 bis 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 body-
remaining 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 flesb. 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.

HELLO 23
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. 1n 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 beard 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 ado not even know what it is, thanks to the preaching of the holy
gospel, which has banished it.

Teacher’s Insights
The problem of the Spaniards during their time in the Philippines is who will govern the
different province. They make a solution and that is the Friars will govern the different
provinces and spread Christianity. The friars who were assigned in mission territories were
required periodically to inform their superiors of what is happening in their respective areas.
Fray Juan de Plasencia (Joan de Portocarrero, his real name) was a member of Franciscan
order who came together with Fray Diego de Oropesa and other first batch of missionaries in
the Philippines in 1578. There were assigned in Southern Tagalog area. Fray Juan de
Plasencia wrote the first printed book in the Philippines which is the Doctrina Christiana en
Lengua Espanola y Tagala in 1593. He used this book to deepen the faith of the Filipinos in
their newly accepted religion.

HELLO 24
Lesson No. 5 (3 hours)

Title: The Political Cartoons

Description:

This lesson is to properly interpret the political cartoon which is a cartoon that makes a
point about a political issue or event and the caricatures that is a satirical, exaggerated
portrayal of person. That paves the way to understand the situation of politics and of the
society in American period.

Content:

Such accounts in Philippine History need to be understand the politics and society and
understood not only through text but also cartoons or caricatures. Political cartoons and
caricature are a rather recent art form, which veered away from the classical art by
exaggerating human features and poking funs at its subjects. This is a graphic with caricatures
of public figures, expressing opinions in every significant event in our history. This is a
combination of artistic skill, hyperbole and satire in order to question authority and draw
attention to corruption, political violence and other social ills that is worthy of historical
examination.

In his book Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricature of the American Era (1900-1941).
Alfred McCoy, together with Alfred Roces, compiled political cartoons published in newspaper
dailies and periodicals in the aforementioned time period. For this part, we are going to look at
selected cartoons and explain the context of each one.

HELLO 25
 The first example is the Manila: The Corruption of a City. If the nationalism was the
ideology of the Manila press, then the city was its reality. The editors, artists and writers all
lived and worked in Manila, and so expressed their frustrations with its discomforts and
decadence in some of the angriest cartoons of the American period (1899-1941). Costumes and
characters have changed in the half century since their publication, but Mania’s constant urban
problems – poverty, corruption and prostitution --- give these cartoons an almost timeless
quality.
The American period was a time of major physical and cultural change for Manila.
During its first 20 years, the U.S. colonial regime transformed Manila from a fortified 17 th
century enclave into a modern colonial metropolis. In 1899 Manila was a grand city from
another era fallen upon hard times. Writing in 1637, little more than a half century alter the
Spanish had begun building in earnest, a Crown officer, Juan Grau y Monfalcon, reported that
Manila was already a modern metropolis worthy of equal rank with the greatest and most
celebrated cities in the world He Suggested that Manila be maintained as the symbol of Spain's
might in Asia. the "daughter of its power. Influenced by the grandeur of Mexico City's then
unique grid of ceremonial boulevards and plazas, Miguel de Legazpi Manila's s founder, had
selected a defensible site at the mouth of the Pasig River in 1571 and laid out u similar grid
Crowned a single grand plaza for Cathedral and government buildings With the great profits

HELLO 26
from the trans- Pacific -Galleon trade subsequent builders, secular and religious, added the
encircling battlements and impressive stone buildings that made Intramuros a 17 th century
marvel.

American influence brought some subtle social changes as well. The annual influx of
legislators and their cronies gave Manila a political high life of high-roller gambling and gossip
he sudden increase in Schools and Colleges made youth a distinct social class. Their elders
suddenly became concerned about the morality and political wisdom of the young. By 1941
Manila was a changed city

This second cartoons are situated at the Distant Provinces that the provinces began
at Manila door’s step, but for the city press they were a world apart.
The provinces began at Manila's door-step but for the city's press they were a worked
apart. The editor’s writers and cartoonists all lived in Manila and made the press a chronicle of
urban life. The cartoons are then remarkably detailed and precise record of the city's changing
face- fashion, morality, politics, transport, and commerce If Manila was reality, then the
provinces became fantasy. Coverage of provincial developments was infrequent and uneven.
Even this limited coverage was biased towards the fantastic, the catastrophic and absurd.
HELLO 27
Excepting the candidacies of Manila ilustrados in Cavite and Batangas in the 1907 Assembly
elections, the Manila press ignored the routine of provincial politics and portrayed only the
ridiculous. The cartoons expressed mock horror at the intensity of faction fighting in Lipa,
Batangas in 1930; mustered condescending approval tor Governor Juan Cailes' tax collection
efforts in Laguna; and delighted in a Kawit, ordinance banning pigs from the street. Provincial
politics were little more than light relief from the affairs of state in Manila.

While Manila's changing mores were a serious matter provincial pretention became the
object of ridicule. A 1907 cartoon on gambling shows an entire town so obsessed with playing
that everyone's eyes have glazed over with Peso signs. Two Free Press cartoons of the 1920s
show students returning from Manila to their barrios, puffed with pride in smart w clothes that
garb dismal academic records.

Convenient Blindness (above the Second picture) is the translation of a satirical

comment on the provincial's preoccupation with gambling. Outside the municipal hall provincial
officials, their eyes glazed over with visions of Conant pesos, gamble at cards. The caption says
that in a province near Manila gambling is so widespread that everyone the municipal president,
provincial board and governor do nothing but gamble.

The third example is the Colonial Condition: that for Sophisticated Filipino nationalist,
colonialism was not a simple matter of who occupied the executive offices in Malacanang
Palace. They saw colonialism as a pervasive condition that had penetrated the whole of their
social fabric – influencing their culture, politics, economy, and class relations.

HELLO 28
 The fourth example is the situation of Uncle Sam and Little Juan: During the decades of
U.S. colonial rule. Uncle Sam underwent a striking transformation in the pages of the Philippines
press. In the early years when Filipino nationalism was at its height, Uncle Sam often appeared
crafty and predatory in his relationship with the virginal maiden. Filipinos, During the Harisson
administration, however, Uncle Sam metamorphized into a wise, kindly looking man with a
paternalistic concern for the boyish figure of Juan de la Cruz, who had largely supplanted the
maiden Filipinas as the nation’s symbol. These images are thus a cameo of changing Filipino
attitudes towards America and Americans.

The transition from the Spanish Colonial period to the American Occupation period
demonstrated different scenario of changes and shifts in culture, society, and politics. The
selected cartoons illustrate not only opinion of certain media outfits about the Philippine society
during the American period but also paint a broad image of society and politics under the
United States.

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The fifth example shows the Aliens in our Midst

Process Questions:
1. Analysis of the given selected Political Caricatures during the American Period. Identify the
symbols in a cartoon; think about what the cartoonist intends each symbol to stand for.
Then, try to decide what point the cartoonist was trying to make through exaggeration.
Does the label make the meaning of the object clearer? After you’ve studied a cartoon for
a while, try to decide what the cartoon’s main analogy is. What two situations does the
cartoon compare? Once you understand the main analogy, decide if this comparison
makes the cartoonist’s point more clearly to you. If you can, think about what point the
irony might be intended to emphasize. Does the irony help the cartoonist express his or
her opinion more effectively?
2. What is the significance of artworks such as editorial cartoons in the mapping of history?
3. Give you own Political analysis on the following caricatures made by Alfred MacCoy.

Activity 1
Students will make their own editorial cartoon with regards on the current situation of the
Philippine society.

Guide Questions:
1. What issue is this political cartoon about?
2. What is the cartoonist’s opinion on this issue?
3. What other opinion can you imagine another person having on this issue?
4. Did you find this cartoon persuasive? Why or why not?

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 5. What other techniques could the cartoonist have used to make this cartoon more
persuasive?
Teacher’s Insights
We have different ways to tell our grievances to a certain person or authority. Arts became
an avenue to break the silence of the oppressed people. Political cartoons and caricatures
became an instrument by exaggerating human features and poking at its subject. This
became an effective tool to target one person of power and authority.

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