Lesson 6: Annotation of Antonio Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas

**Lesson 6 - Annotation of Antonio Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas** Objectives: At the end of the lesson , students are expected to: analyze Rizal's ideas on how to rewrite Philippine History; compare and contrast Rizal and Morga's different views about Filipinos and the Philippine Cultu...

**Lesson 6 - Annotation of Antonio Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas** Objectives: At the end of the lesson , students are expected to: analyze Rizal's ideas on how to rewrite Philippine History; compare and contrast Rizal and Morga's different views about Filipinos and the Philippine Culture; and develop deep appreciation to the works and writing of Jose Rizal. This lesson is about Rizal\'s annotations of Antonio Morga\'s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas. Morga\'s Sucesos is considered the first Philippine history book. Rizal\'s annotations provide clarifications and amplification of details, refutations of statements where necessary, and confirmations when checked against other sources on the pre-Spanish Philippines. It opens doors for better understanding of Filipinos\' early history, culture, and identity. *Antonio de Morga\'s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas* *The value of Antonio de Morga\'s Sucesos de las Islas has long been recognized. A first-hand account of the early Spanish colonial venture into Asia, it was published in Mexico in 1609 and has since been re-edited on a number of occasions. It attracted the attention of the Hakluyt Society in 1851, although the edition prepared for the Society by H. E. J. Stanley was not published until 1868. Morga\'s work is based on personal experiences, or on documentation from eye-witnesses of the events described. Moreover, as he tells us himself, survivors from Legazpi\'s expedition were still alive while he was preparing his book in Manila, and these too he could consult. As a lawyer, it is obvious that he would hardly fail to seek such evidence. The Sucesos is the work of an honest observer, himself a major actor in the drama of his time, a versatile bureaucrat, who knew the workings of the administration from the inside. It is also the first history of the Spanish Philippines to be written by a layman, as opposed to the religious chroniclers.* *Morga\'s book was praised, quoted, and plagiarized, by contemporaries or successors. Filipinos have found it a useful account of the state of their native culture upon the coming of the conquistadors; Spaniards have regarded it as a work to admire or condemn, according to their views and the context of their times; some other Europeans, such as Stanley, found it full of lessons and examples.* *The First Philippine History Book* *When Rizal published his annotation of* *Antonio de Morga\'s Sucesos in 1890, he had already travelled in parts of Spain, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, China, Hong Kong, Japan, the United States and England. He could converse in Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese and English.* *In his travels he familiarized himself with each country\'s history, customs, ways of life and language. He held the common sense belief that learning a people\'s language \"will open \... the treasures of a country, that is, the knowledge, the learning\" and \"its own way of thinking.\" Although he was interested in the social and scientific progress he witnessed abroad and understood the factors that lead to such advancement, he was even more fascinated by the collage of cultural symbols that become embraced by a people as their own national identity. A consummate student of ancient and modern history, Rizal was convinced that the enduring and unifying strength of all great societies lies in their collective sense of tradition \-- a tradition that is carried forth and becomes that people\'s cultural history.* *By publishing his annotated version of Morga\'s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (Events of the Philippine Islands, originally published in 1609), Rizal\'s intent was not only to* *provide the Filipino people their early history, a pre-Spanish history, but to* *present to them their own authentic culture and identity. Aware of most of the books written about the Philippines, he selected the Sucesos because he \"considered it necessary* *to invoke the testimony of an illustrious Spaniard who governed the destinies of the Philippines in the beginning of her new era and witnessed the last moments of our ancient nationality.\" His annotations included clarifications and amplifications of details, refutations of statements where necessary, and confirmations when checked against other sources.* *Rizal offered the annotated Sucesos to the Filipinos with the wise counsel that \"to foretell the destiny of a nation, it is necessary to open the books that tell of her past.\"* *Rizal's Annotations to Inspire Young Filipinos of Today* *"To the Filipinos: In Noli Me Tangere (The Social Cancer) I started to sketch the present state of our native land. But the effect which my effort produced made me realize that, before attempting to unroll before your eyes the other pictures which were to follow, it was necessary first to post you on the past. So only can you fairly judge the present and estimate how much progress has been made during the three centuries (of Spanish rule). Like almost all of you, I was born and brought up in ignorance of our country's past and so, without knowledge or authority to speak of what I neither saw nor have studied, I deem it necessary to quote the testimony of an illustrious Spaniard who in the beginning of the new era controlled the destinies of the Philippines and had personal knowledge of our ancient nationality in its last days.* *It is then the shade of our ancestor's civilization which the author will call before you. If the work serves to awaken in you a consciousness of our past, and to blot from your memory or to rectify what has been falsified or is calumny, then I shall not have labored in vain. With this preparation, slight though it may be, we can all pass to the study of the future, wrote Rizal in Europe in 1889.* *"Governor Morga was not only the first to write but also the first to publish a Philippine history. This statement has regard to the concise and concrete form in which our author has treated the matter. Father Chirino's work, printed in Rome in 1604, is rather a chronicle of the Missions than a history of the Philippines; still it contains a great deal of valuable material on usages and customs. The worthy Jesuit in fact admits that he abandoned writing a political history because Morga had already done so, so one must infer that he had seen the work in manuscript before leaving the Islands."* *"By the Christian religion, Dr. Morga appears to mean the Roman Catholic which by fire and sword he would preserve in its purity in the Philippines. Nevertheless, in other lands, notably in Flanders, these means were ineffective to keep the church unchanged, or to maintain its supremacy, or even to hold its subjects.* *These centuries ago, it was the custom to write as intolerantly as Morga does, but nowadays it would be called a bit presumptuous. No one has a monopoly of the true God nor is there any nation or religion that can claim, or at any rate prove, that to it has been given the exclusive right to the Creator of all things or sole knowledge of His real being.* *The civilization of the Pre-Spanish Filipinos in regard to the duties of life for that age was well advanced, as the Morga history shows in its eighth chapter.* *Morga shows that the ancient Filipinos had* *army and navy with artillery and other implements of warfare. Their* *prized krises and kampilans for their magnificent temper are worthy of admiration and some of them are richly damascened. Their coats of mail and helmets, of which there are specimens in various European museums, attest their great advancement in this industry.* *Of the native Manila rulers at the coming of the Spaniards, Raja Soliman was called "Rahang mura," or young king, in distinction from the old king, "Rahang matanda." Historians have confused these personages.* *The artillery cast for the new stone fort in Manila, says Morga, was by the hand of an ancient Filipino. That is, he knew how to cast cannon even before the coming of the Spaniards, hence he was distinguished as "ancient." In this difficult art of ironworking, as in so many others, the modern or present-day Filipinos are not so far advanced as were their ancestors.* *From the earliest Spanish days' ships were built in the islands, which might be considered evidence of native culture. Nowadays this industry is reduced to small craft, scows and coasters.* *In Morga's time, the Philippines exported silk to Japan whence now comes the best quality of that merchandise. Morga's views upon the failure of Governor Pedro de Acuña's ambitious expedition against the Moros unhappily still apply for the same conditions yet exist.* *Ancient traditions ascribe the origin of the Malay Filipinos to the island of Sumatra. These traditions were almost completely lost as well as the mythology and the genealogies of which the early historians tell, thanks to the zeal of the missionaries in eradicating all national remembrances as heathen or idolatrous. The study of ethnology is restring this somewhat.* *Filipinos had minstrels who had memorized songs telling their genealogies and of the deeds ascribed to their deities. These were* *chanted on voyages in cadence with the rowing, or at festivals, or funerals, or wherever there happened to be any considerable gatherings. It is regrettable that these chants have not been preserved as from them it would have been possible to learn much of the Filipinos' past and possibly of the history of neighboring islands."* *Blumentritt's Friendly Critique to Rizal's Annotations* *The importance of Rizal's annotations to Morga was that he tried to use history and historical revision not just to express his personal views on the historiography, but to create a sense of national consciousness or identity. Historical revision is always met with varying degrees of opposition, and Rizal\'s first attempt at writing Philippine history was no exception. That the Spaniards would object was inevitable, and Rizal was prepared for this. When the Morga was officially banned in the Philippines, Rizal was not surprised. However, the first criticism of Rizal\'s historical work was not by a Spaniard or by one of Rizal's enemies, but by Blumentritt in the introduction to the book itself. Often overlooked, this introduction contains observations which are hidden under a mountain of praise.* *Blumentritt noted, for example, that Rizal\'s \"observations on the conduct of the European conquerors and civilizers are in general not new to the historian. The Germans specially discussed this theme." Nevertheless, Blumentritt continued with:* *These new points of view give your notes an imperishable value, an undeniable value even for those who dream of an inaccessible superiority of race or nationality. The scholar will salute your erudite annotations with enthusiasm, the colonial politician gratitude and respect. Through these lines run a flood of serious observations equally interesting and important to historians and ministers of overseas colonies alike.* *Then he cites two defects of Rizal\'s scholarship which have been condemned, and rightly so, by later historians; a* *historical use of hindsight, and a strong anti-clerical bias. Blumentritt, in his glowing introduction, did not forget to state that:* *My great esteem for your notes does not impede me from confessing that, more than once, I have observed that you participate in the error of many modern historians who censure the events of past according to the concepts that correspond to contemporary ideas. This should not be so. The historian should not impute to the men of the sixteenth century the broad horizon of ideas that moves the nineteenth century. The second point with which I do not agree is some vented against Catholicism. I believe that you cannot find the origin of numerous events regrettable for Spain and for the good name of the European race in religion but in the hard behavior and abuses of many priests.* Hindsight and anti-clericalism are fatal defects in a purely scholarly work, but as mentioned earlier, Rizal used history as a propaganda weapon against the abuses of the colonial Spaniards. Rizal\'s Morga should be seen and excused in this context. The problem with Rizal is his constant ambiguity: is he trying to be a scholar or a propagandist? Hence, the Morga was deemed too historical, too scholarly for propagandists, while historians and scholars found the work too biased, too much a work of propaganda to be taken seriously. Generalization Rizal\'s annotated reedition of Morga\'s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas reflects his attempt to rewrite Philippine pre-Spanish history from an Indio viewpoint. From his standpoint, revisiting the past is a tool to understand the present and confront the future. Rizal\'s annotations fall into two categories. First are the straightforward historical annotations, where Rizal amplifies or corrects the original. Second are the annotations, which though historically based, reflect his strong anti-clerical bias. The latter is not expected in a scholarly work, but these notes give Rizal\'s edition its distinct flavor. Questions: 1.What made Rizal decide to annotate Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas? 2, How important Rizal's annotation of our country's pre-Spanish history? *3. Describe the way how Rizal annotates Morga's book. (plus points/minus points)* 4\. From an indio's point of view, how vital is Rizal's annotations on the Philippine history, culture, and identity? 5\. How did Rizal's Sucesos awakens your consciousness of our past and will help you study further our country's future? **Other References for Reading/Inclusion to Report:** (You will discover details of Rizal's annotations of Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas in those references. As you read the materials, you could assess Rizal's views on Philippine history and study. More specifically, in Ocampo's essay, you will discover a comprehensive analysis of Rizal's annotations, a prelude to better understanding of Philippine historiography) Mañebog, J. DG., et al. (2018). *Jose Rizal: Biography, legacies, love life, and collaborations with other heroes.* Mutya Publishing House, Inc. Wani-Obias, R., et al. (2018). *The life and works of Jose Rizal.* C&E Publishing, Inc. Zaide, G. F. & Zaide, S. M. (2008). *Jose Rizal: Life, works and writings of a genius, writer, scientist and national hero.* All-Nations Publishing Co., Inc. Quezon City. Ocampo, A. R. (1998). Rizal's Morga and views of Philippine history. Philippine Studies, 46(2), 184--214. [annotation of morga\'s by ambet ocampo.pdf](file:///C:%5CUsers%5Cmargo%5CDesktop%5Crizal%5Cannotation%20of%20morga's%20by%20ambet%20ocampo.pdf) Ocampo. A. R. (1995). Rotten beef and stinking fish: Rizal and the writing of Philippine History. History Department Faculty Publications, *Ateneo de Manila University.* Craig, A. (1929). *Rizal\'s life and minor writings.* Translations were made by Mr. Chas. E. Derbyshire for the author. Cummins, J. S. (1969). Antonio De Morga and his Sucesos De Las Islas Filipinas. *Journal of Southeast Asian History, 10*(3), 560 -- 581, September. DOI:. Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 August 2009. Hall, J. Q. (1999). The first Philippine history book. *Filipino American Journal*, March. Pedrosa, C. N. (2018, October 28). Rizal on annotations of Antonio Morga's Sucesos las Islas Filipinas. *The Philippine Star.* SOAS University of London (2019, May 24). *Annotating colonial histories: José Rizal and the rethinking of Filipino identity in 19th century England.* (not found anymore, march 10, 2024) [Chapter 6: ANNOTATION OF ANTONIO MORGA'S Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (jsrizal.com)](https://jsrizal.com/chapters/chapter6.html) [viewcontent.cgi (ateneo.edu)](https://archium.ateneo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1074&context=history-faculty-pubs) [Bing Videos](https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=Rizal%27s+Annotation+of+Morga%27s+Sucesos&&view=riverview&mmscn=mtsc&mid=10671D889FC1C1EF0E2B10671D889FC1C1EF0E2B&&aps=187&FORM=VMSOVR) Government: Morga, as one might imagine, was critical of the government\'s systems. Stated, hardly existed because there was no powerful figure ruling over them. Each community, the majority of which are coastal, has its own set of leaders. Why should the communities be beholden, Rizal argued, if it is better that way? to a ruler who didn\'t dwell among them and didn\'t understand their needs as well as issues? How could he have resolved conflicts, met justice, and put policies in place? If he didn\'t even live in the neighborhood. Natives: Morga was fascinated with the social organization of the natives, he described origins, dierences, privileges of social classes, upward and downward mobility, inheritance of possession and titles. While Rizal emphasizes that native women, unlike their European counterparts, never lost their noble titles. In marriage it was the groom who gave the bride's parents a dowry because they were losing a precious daughter. Beliefs: Morga stated that taking a bath without it could be harmful to their health. Indios, according to Rizal, are particularly careful not to bathe during nap, after luncheon, or during the first two days of catarrh. Language: Morga said that, Inasawa is a wife married to a native man. Rizal corrected Morga that asawa is the term called the wife of a native man. Morga also said that a house with partners and children are called " Bahandin". While for Rizal, that in Tagalog, a house is called "Pamamahay". Rizal said that it is impossible that bahandin has been printed for bahayin, because it is an obsolete derivative. Lifestyle: Morga said Lawlaw is a very small fish which is netted. It is dried on the sun or air, and it is cook on a various ways. Rizal said Lawlaw is called a salted and dried sardines. Morga seems to refer to Tiwalis or Dilos of Batangas. Daily Living: Morga said that cotton was grown extensively in practically all the islands which the natives sold as thread and woven fabrics to Chinese and other foreign merchants. Rizal clarified, Morga must have meant Sinamay, which was woven from abaca thread that comes from the trunk, not the leaves. Social: Morga said that "namamahay" are those who helped build their master house, and serve frequently a helpers when there are guests, and serve their master when their master requires them to, without compensation Rizal said, that "namamahay" slaves still exist but they are now called "kasama". Rizal and Morga have dierent views about our Culture but let us always remember that they have contributed a great deal to our country which has given lessons and experiences to each of us today. 1. **Lifestyle Views**: - **Morga** described a *lawlaw* as a small fish caught, dried in the sun or air, and prepared in various ways. However, **Rizal** referred to a salted and dried sardine as *lawlaw*. - Morga's term *bahandin* denoted a house with parents and children sharing a room. In contrast, Rizal used *pamamahay* for a house. - Morga's definition of *inasawa* was a wife married to a native man, while Rizal considered it the term for a native man's wife. 2. **Beliefs and Practices**: - **Morga** believed that bathing without health considerations was common. He also noted that crocodiles larger than indigenous ones were considered superior. - Rizal highlighted that Indios avoided bathing during siesta, after lunch, and the first two days of catarrh due to cleanliness concerns. Some friars were even eaten by crocodiles, while Indios managed to escape. - Morga's religious leaders were old men, sorcerers, and magicians. People believed in omens and superstitions. - Rizal's perspective differed, emphasizing the role of cleanliness and the existence of well-dressed, overlooked priests known as *Catalona/Babaylan*. 3. **Colonial Rule**: - While both recognized Filipino culture's richness, their views diverged on Spanish colonial impact. - [**[Rizal]** saw it as oppressive and detrimental to Filipinos, whereas **[Morga]** viewed it as a civilizing force](https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/technological-university-of-the-philippines/bachelor-of-science-in-electronics-and-communication-engineering/rizal-and-morga-comparison/20693659) [Bing Videos](https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=youtube%20annotation%20of%20morga&mid=D1337EEDC2A36889C1BED1337EEDC2A36889C1BE&ajaxhist=0)