Philippine History Module 3

Making Sense of the Past: Historical Interpretation

• Historians use facts from primary sources to draw their own readings, making sense of the past for their intended audience.
• Not all primary sources are accessible to the general audience, and without proper training, non-historians may misinterpret sources.
• Interpretations of the past vary depending on who reads the primary source, when it was read, and how it was read.
• Historical interpretations change over time, making it essential to track these changes to understand the past.

Multiperspectivity

• Multiperspectivity is a way of looking at historical events, personalities, developments, cultures, and societies from different perspectives.
• Each perspective can be equally valid and partial, containing discrepancies, contradictions, and ambiguities.
• Exploring multiple perspectives in history requires incorporating source materials that reflect different views of an event.
• Different sources can provide different historical truths, and different historical agents can create different historical truths.

Case Study 1: Where Did the First Catholic Mass Take Place in the Philippines?

• The site of the first Catholic Mass in the Philippines is a topic of debate, with Butuan and Limasawa as the two main contenders.
• Butuan has been believed to be the site for three centuries, based on an elementary reading of primary sources.
• A more nuanced reading of the available evidence suggests that Limasawa may be the correct site.
• Primary sources:
  • Albo's Logbook
  • Pigafetta's Testimony on the Route of Magellan's Expedition
  • Evidence from the Legazpi expedition
• Evidence for Limasawa:
  • Albo's account of the location of Mazava
  • Pigafetta's testimony and map
  • The two native kings
  • The seven days at "Mazaua"
  • Argument from omission
• Evidence for Masao:
  • The name of the place
  • The route from Homonhon
  • The latitude position
  • The geographical features (bonfire, balanghai, house, abundance of gold, and developed settlement)

Case Study 2: What Happened in the Cavite Mutiny?

• The Cavite Mutiny and the martyrdom of the three priests (GOMBURZA) are significant events in Philippine history.
• The event has caused ripples throughout time, directly influencing the Revolution at the end of the century.
• There are different perspectives on the event, supported by primary sources:
  • Spanish Perspective:
    • Documentation by Spanish historian Jose Montero y Vidal
    • Official Report of Governor General Rafael Izquierdo
  • Filipino Perspective:
    • Account of Dr. Trinidad Hermenegildo Pardo de Tavera
    • Account of French writer Edmund Plauchut
• Basic facts that remained unvarying:
  • Dissatisfaction among workers of the arsenal and native army
  • Rigid policies introduced by Gen. Izquierdo
  • Failure of the Central Government to conduct an investigation
  • Active participation of Filipino clergy in the secularization movement

Case Study 3: Did Rizal Retract?

• Jose Rizal is a hero of the revolution, and his writings aimed to end colonialism and liberate Filipino minds.
• A document, known as "The Retraction," allegedly written by Rizal a few hours before his execution, declares his belief in the Catholic faith and retracts everything he wrote against the church.
• There are four interactions of the texts of this retraction:
  • Published in La Voz Española and Diario de Manila
  • Appeared in Barcelona, Spain, in the magazine La Juventud
  • Found in the archdiocesan archives
  • The Balaguer Testimony
• Doubts on the retraction document abound, especially since only an eyewitness account of the writing of the document exists – that of Fr. Vicente Balaguer.
• Other eyewitness accounts and critical analyses:
  • The Testimony of Cuerpo de Vigilancia
  • Fr. Pio Pi's Statement
  • Rafael Palma's Critical Analysis
  • Austin Coates's Critical Analysis