READINGS IN THE PHILIPPINE HISTORY

General Description:

Philippine History viewed from the lens of selected primary sources in different facets of Philippine history
through the lens of eyewitnesses. Rather than rely on secondary materials such as textbooks, which is the usual
approach in teaching Philippine history, different types of primary sources will be used- written (qualitative and
quantitative), oral, visual, audio-visual, digital- covering various aspects of Philippine life (political, economic, social,
cultural). Students are expected to analyze the selected readings contextually and in terms of content (stated and
implied) The end goal is to enable students to understand and appreciate our rich past by deriving insights from
those who are actually present at time of the event.

Context analysis considers the following: (i) the historical context of the source (time and place it was written
and the situation at the time), (ii) the author’s background, intent (to the extent discernable), and authority on the
subject; and (iii) the source’s relevance and meaning today.

Content analysis, on the other hand, applies appropriate techniques depending on the type of source
(written, oral, visual). In the process students will be asked, for example, to identify the author’s main argument or
thesis, compare points of view, identify biases, and evaluate the author’s claim based on the evidences presented or
other available evidence at the time. The course will guide the students through their reading and analysis of the
texts and require them to write reaction essays of varied length and present their ideas in other ways (debate
format, power point presentation, letter to the editor of the source, etc).

The instructor may arrange the readings chronologically or thematically, and start with the present (more
familiar) and go back to the earlier periods or vice-versa. (CMO No.20, series of 2013)

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

This course includes mandatory topics on the Philippine Constitution, agrarian reform, and taxation.

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

1. Evaluate primary sources for their credibility, authenticity, and provenance.

2. Analyze the context, content, and perspective of different kinds of primary sources.
3. Determine the contribution of different kinds of primary sources in understanding Philippine history.
4. Develop critical and analytical skills with exposure to primary sources.
5. Demonstrate the ability to use primary sources to argue in favor or against a particular issue.
6. Effectively communicate, using various techniques and genres, their historical analysis of a particular event
or issues that could help others understand the chosen topic.
7. Propose recommendations/solutions to present-day problems based on their understanding of root causes
and their anticipation of future scenarios.
8. Display the ability to work in a team and contribute to a group project.
9. Manifest interest in local history and concern in promoting and preserving our country’s national patrimony
and cultural heritage.
Chapter II Content and Contextual Analysis of Selected Primary Sources in Philippine History

Learning Objectives:

1. To familiarize oneself with the primary documents in different historical periods of the Philippines.
2. To learn history through primary sources.
3. To properly interpret primary sources through examining the content and context of the document.
4. To understand the context behind each selected document.

In the preceding chapter, we have discussed the importance of In familiarizing oneself about the different
kinds of historical sources. The historian's primary tool of understanding and interpreting the past is the
historical sources. Historical sources ascertain historical facts. Such facts are then analyzed and interpreted by
the historian to weave historical narrative. Specifically, historians who study certain historical subjects and
events need to make use of various primary sources in order to weave the narrative. Primary sources, as
discussed in the preceding chapter, consist of documents, memoir, accounts, and other materials that were
produced at the period of the event or subject being studied.

Using primary sources in historical research entails two kinds criticism. The first one is the external criticism,
and the second one is the internal criticism. External criticism examines the authenticity of the document or the
evidence being used. This is important in ensuring that the primary source is not fabricated. On the other hand,
internal criticism examines the truthfulness of the content of the evidence. However, this criticism requires not
just the act establishing truthfulness and/or accuracy but also the examination of the primary sources in terms of
the context of its production. For example, a historian would have to situate the document in the period of its
production, or in the background of its authors. In other words, it should be recognized that facts are neither
existing in a vacuum nor produced from a blank slate. These are products of the time and of the people.

In this chapter, we are going to look at a number of primary sources from different historical periods and
evaluate these documents content in terms of historical value, and examine the context of their production. The
primary sources that we are going to examine are Antonio Pigafetta's First Voyage Around the World, Emilio
Jacinto's "Kartilya ng Katipunan," the 1898 Declaration of Philippine Independence, Political Cartoon's Alfred
McCoy's Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricature of the American Era (1900-1941), and Corazon Aquino's speech
before the U.S. Congress. These primary sources range from chronicles, official documents, speeches, and
cartoons to visual arts. Needless to say, different types of sources necessitate different kinds of analysis and
contain different levels of importance. We are going to explore that in this chapter.

A Brief Summary of the First Voyage Around the World by Magellan by Antonio Pigafetta

This book was taken from the chronicles of contemporary voyagers and navigators of the sixteenth century.
One of them was Italian nobleman Antonio Pigafetta, who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan in his fateful
circumnavigation of the world, Pigafetta's work instantly became a classic that prominent literary men in the
West like William Shakespeare, Michel de Montaigne, and Giambattista Vico referred to the book in their
interpretation of the New World. Pigafetta's travelogue is one of the most important primary sources in the
study of the precolonial Philippines. His account was also a major referent to the events leading to Magellan's
arrival in the Philippines, his encounter with local leaders, his death in the hands of Lapulapu's forces in the
Battle of Mactan, and in the departure of what was left of Magellan's fleet from the islands.

Examining the document reveals several insights not just in the character of the Philippines during the
precolonial period, but also on how the fresh eyes of the Europeans regard a deeply unfamiliar terrain,
environment, people, and culture. Locating Pigafetta's account in the context of its writing warrants a familiarity
on the dominant frame of mind in the age of exploration, which pervaded Europe in the fifteenth and sixteenth
century. Students of history need to realize that primary sources used in the subsequent written histories depart
from certain perspectives. Thus, Pigafetta's account was also written from the perspective of Pigafetta himself
and was a product of the context of its production. The First Voyage Around the World by Magellan was
published after Pigafetta returned to Italy.
 For this chapter, we will focus on the chronicles of Antonio Pigafetta as he wrote his firsthand observation
and general impression of the Far East including their experiences in the Visayas. In Pigafetta's account, their
fleet reached what he called the Ladrones Islands or the "Islands of the Thieves." He recounted:

“ These people have no arms, but use sticks, which have a fish bone at the end. They are poor, but ingenious,
and great thieves, and for the sake of that we called these three islands the Ladrones Islands."

The Ladrones Islands is presently known as the Marianas Islands. These islands are located south-southeast
of Japan, west-southwest of Hawaii, north of New Guinea, and east of Philippines. Ten days after they reached
Ladrones Islands, Pigafetta reported that they reached what Pigafetta called the isle of Zamal, now Samar but
Magellan decided to land in another uninhabited island for greater security where they could rest for a few days.
Pigafetta recounted that after two days, March 18, nine men came to them and showed joy and eagerness in
seeing them. Magellan realized that the men were reasonable and welcomed them with food, drinks, and gifts.
In turn, the natives gave them fish, palm wine (uraca), figs, and two cochos. The natives also gave them rice
(umai), cocos, and other food supplies. Pigafetta detailed in amazement and fascination the palm tree which
bore fruits called cocho, and wine. He also described what seemed like a coconut. His description reads:

“This palm produces a fruit named cocho, which is as large as the head, or thereabouts: its first husk is
green, and two fingers in thickness, in it they find certain threads, with which they make the cords for fastening
their boats. Under this husk there is another very hard, and thicker than that of a walnut. They burn this second
rind, and make with it a powder which 1s useful to them. Under this rind there is a white marrow of a finger's
thickness, which they eat fresh with meat and fish, as we do bread, and it has the taste of an almond, and if
anyone dried it he might make bread of it (p. 72)"

Pigafetta characterized the people as "very familiar and friendly" and willingly showed them different islands
and the names of these islands. The fleet went to Humunu Island (Homonhon) and there they found what
Pigafetta referred to as the "Watering Place of Good Signs." It is in this place where Pigafetta wrote that they
found the first signs of gold in the island. They named the island with the nearby islands as the archipelago of St.
Lazarus. They left the island, then on March 25th, Pigafetta recounted that they saw two ballanghai (balangay), a
long boat full of people in Mazzava/ Mazaua. The leader, who Pigafetta referred to as the king of the ballanghai
(balangay), sent his men to the ship of Magellan. The Europeans entertained these men and gave them gifts.
When the king of the balangay offered to give Magellan a bar of gold and a chest of ginger, Magellan declined.
Magellan sent the interpreter to the king and asked for money for the needs of his ships and expressed that he
came into the islands as a friend and not as an enemy. The king responded by giving Magellan the needed
provisions of food in chinaware. Magellan exchanged gifts of robes in Turkish fashion, red cap, and gave the
people knives and mirrors. The two then expressed their desire to become brothers. Magellan also boasted of
his men in armor who could not be struck with swords and daggers. The king was fascinated and remarked that
men in such armor could be worth one hundred of his men. Magellan further showed the king his other
weapons, helmets, and artilleries. Magellan also shared with the king his charts and maps and shared how they
found the islands.

After a few days, Magellan was introduced to the king's brother who was also a king of another island. They
went to this island and Pigafetta reported that they saw mines of gold. The gold was abundant that parts of the
ship and of the house of the second king were made of gold. Pigafetta described this king as the most handsome
of all the men that he saw in this place. He was also adorned with silk and gold accessories like a golden dagger,
which he carried with him in a wooden polished sheath. This king was named Raia Calambu, king of Zuluan and
Calagan (Butuan and Caragua), and the first king was Raia Siagu. On March 31st, which happened to be Easter
Sunday, Magellan ordered the chaplain to preside a Mass by the shore. The king heard of this plan and sent two
dead pigs and attended the Mass with the other king. Pigafetta reported that both kings participated in the
mass. He wrote

“….when the offertory of the mass came, the two kings, went to kiss the cross like us, but they offered
nothing, and at the elevation of the body of our Lord they were kneeling like us, and adored our Lord with joined
hands. “
 After the Mass, Magellan ordered that the cross be brought with nails and crow in place. Magellan explained
that the cross, the nail, and the crown were the signs of his emperor and that he was ordered to plant it in the
places that he would reach. Magellan further explained that the cross would be beneficial for their people
because once other Spaniards saw this cross, then they would know that they had been in this land and would
not cause them troubles, and any person who might be held captives by them would be released. The king
concurred and allowed for the cross to be planted. This Mass would go down in history as the first Mass in the
Philippines, and the cross would be the famed Magellan's Cross still preserved at present day.

After seven days, Magellan and his men decided to move and look for islands where they could acquire
more supplies and provisions. They learned of the islands of Ceylon (Leyte), Bohol, and Zzubu (Cebu) and
intended to go there. Raia Calambu offered to pilot them in going to Cebu, the largest and the richest of the
islands. By April 7th of the same year, Magellan and his men reached the port of Cebu. The king of Cebu, through
Magellan's interpreter, demanded that they pay tribute as it was customary, but Magellan refused. Magellan
said that he was a captain of a king himself and thus would not pay tribute to other kings. Magellan's interpreter
explained to the king of Cebu that Magellan's king was the emperor of a great empire and that it would do them
better to make friends with them than to forge enmity. The king of Cebu consulted his council. By the next day,
Magellan's men and the king of Cebu, together with other principal men of Cebu, met in an open space. There,
the king offered a bit of his blood and demanded that Magellan do the same. Pigafetta recounts:

"Then the king said that he was content, and as a greater sign of affection he sent him a little of his blood
from his right arm, and wished he should do the like. Our people answered that he would do it. Besides that, he
said that all the captains who came to his country had been accustomed to make a present to him, and he to
them, and therefore they should ask their captain if he would observe the custom. Our people answered that he
would; but as the king wished to keep up the custom, let him begin and make a present, and then the captain
would do his duty."

The following day, Magellan spoke before the people of Cebu about peace and God. Pigafetta reported that
the people took pleasure in Magellan's speech. Magellan then asked the people who would, succeed the king
after his reign and the people responded that the eldest child of the king, who happened to be a daughter,
would be the next in line. Pigafetta also related how the people talked about, how at old age, parents were no
longer taken into account and had to follow the orders of their children as the new leaders of the land. Magellan
responded to this by saying that his faith entailed children to render honor and obedience to their parents.
Magellan preached about their faith further and people were reportedly convinced. Pigafetta wrote that their
men were overjoyed seeing that the people wished to become Christians through their free will and not because
they were forced or intimidated.

On the 14th of April, the people gathered with the king and other principal men of the islands. Magellan
spoke to the king and encouraged him to be a good Christian by burning all of the idols and worship the cross
instead. The king of Cebu was then baptized as a Christian. Pigafetta wrote

"To that the king and all his people answered that thy would obey the commands of the captain and do all
that he told them. The captain took the king by the hand, and they walked about on the scaffolding, and when
he was baptized he said that he would name him Don Charles (Carlos), as the emperor his sovereign was named;
and he named the prince Don Fernand (Fernando), after the brother of the emperor, and the King of Mazavva,
Jehan: to the Moor gave the name of Christopher, and to the others each a name of his fancy.

After eight days, Pigafetta counted that all of the island's inhabitant were already baptized. He admitted
that they burned a village down 1or obeying neither the king nor Magellan. The Mass was conducted by ne
Shore every day. When the queen came to the Mass one day, Magellan gave her an image of the Infant Jesus
made by Pigafetta himself. The king or Cebu swore that he would always be faithful to Magellan. When Magellan
reiterated that all of the newly baptized Christians need to burn their idols, but the natives gave excuses telling
Magellan that they needed the idols heal a sick man who was a relative to the king. Magellan insisted that they
should instead put their faith in Jesus Christ. They went to the sick man and baptized him. After the baptismal,
Pigafetta recorded that the man was able to speak again. He called this a miracle.
 On the 26th of April, Zula, a principal man from the island of Matan (Mactan) went to see Magellan and
asked him for a boat full of men so that he would be able to fight the chief named Silapulapu (Lapulapu). Such
chief, according to Zula, refused to obey the king and was also preventing him from doing so. Magellan offered
three boats instead and expressed his desire to go to Mactan himself to fight the said chief. Magellan's forces
arrived in Mactan in daylight. They numbered 49 in total and the islanders of Mactan were estimated to number
1,500. The battle began. Pigafetta recounted:

"When we reached land we found the islanders fifteen hundred in number, drawn up in three squadrons;
they came down upon us with terrible shouts, two squadrons attacking us on the flanks, and the third in front.
The captain then divided his men in two bands. Our musketeers and crossbow-men fired for half an hour from a
distance, but did nothing, since the bullets and arrows, though they passed through their shields made of thin
wood, and perhaps wounded their arms, yet did not stop them. The captain shouted not to fire, but he was not
listened to. The islanders seeing that the shots of our guns did them little or no harm would not retire, but
shouted more loudly, and springing from one side to the other to avoid our shots, they at the same time drew
nearer to us, throwing arrows, javelins, spears hardened in fire, stones, and even mud, so that we could hardly
defend ourselves. Some of them cast lances pointed with iron at the captain-general."

Magellan died in that battle. The natives, perceiving that the bodies of the enemies were protected with
armors, aimed for their legs instead. Magellan was pierced with a poisoned arrow in his right leg. A few of their
men charged at the natives and tried to intimidate them by burning an entire village but this only enraged the
natives further. Magellan was specifically targeted because the natives knew that he was the captain general.
Magellan was hit with a lance in the face. Magellan retaliated and pierced the same native with his lance in the
breast and tried to draw his sword but could not lift it because of his wounded arm. Seeing that the captain has
already deteriorated, more natives came to attack him. One native with a great sword delivered a blow in
Magellan's left leg, brought him face down and the natives ceaselessly attacked Magellan with lances, swords,
and even with their bare hands. Pigafetta recounted the last moments of Magellan:

"Whilst the Indians were thus overpowering him, several times he turned round towards us to see if we
were all in safety, as though his obstinate fight had no other object than to give an opportunity for the retreat of
his men."

Pigafetta also said that the king of Cebu who was baptized could have sent help but Magellan instructed him
not to join the battle and stay in the balangay so that he would see how they fought. The king offered the people
of Mactan gifts of any value and amount in exchange of Magellan's body but the chief refused. They wanted to
keep Magellan's body as a memento of their victory.

Magellan's men elected Duarte Barbosa as the new captain. Pigafetta also told how Magellan's slave and
interpreter named Henry betrayed them and told the king of Cebu that they intended to leave as quickly as
possible. Pigafetta alleged that the slave told the king that if he followed the slave's advice, then the king could
acquire the ships and the goods of Magellan's fleet. The two conspired and betrayed what was left of Magellan's
men. The king invited these men to a gathering where he said he would present the jewels that he would send
for the King of Spain. Pigafetta was not able to join the twenty-four men who attended because he was nursing
his battle wounds. lt was only a short time when they heard cries and lamentations. The natives had slain all of
the men except the interpreter and Juan Serrano who was already wounded. Serrano was presented and
shouted at the men in the ship asking them to pay ransom so he would be spared. However, they refused and
would not allow anyone to go to the shore. The fleet departed and abandoned Serrano. They left Cebu and
continued their journey around the world.

Analysis of Pigafetta's Chronicle

The chronicle of Pigafetta was one of the most cited documents Dy historians who wished to study the
precolonial Philippines. As one of the earliest written accounts, Pigafetta was seen as a credible source for a
period, which was prior unchronicled and undocumented. Moreover, being the earliest detailed documentation,
it was believed that Pigafetta's writings account for the "purest" precolonial society. Indeed, Pigafetta's work is
of great importance in the study and writing of Philippine history. Nevertheless, there needs to have a more
nuanced reading of the source within a contextual backdrop. A student of history should recognize certain biases
accompanying the author and his identity, loyalties, and the circumstances that he was in and how it affected
the text that he produced. In the case of Pigafetta, the reader needs to understand that he was a chronicler
commissioned by the King of Spain to accompany and document a voyage intended to expand the Spanish
empire. He was also of noble descent who came from a rich family in Italy. These attributes influenced his
narrative, his selection of details to be included in the text, his characterization of the people and of the species
that he encountered, and his interpretation and retelling of the events. Being a scholar of cartography and
geography, Pigafetta was able to give details on geography and climate of the places that their voyage had
reached.

In reading Pigafetta's description of the people, one has to keep in mind that he was coming from a
sixteenth century European perspective. Hence, the reader might notice how Pigafetta, whether implicitly or
explicitly, regarded the indigenous belief systems and way of life as inferior to that of Christianity and of the
Europeans. He would always remark on the nakedness of the natives or how he was fascinated by their exotic
culture. Pigafetta also noticeably emphasized the natives' amazement and illiteracy to the European artillery,
merchandise, and other goods, in the same way that Pigafetta repeatedly mentioned the abundance of spices
like ginger, and of precious metals like gold. His observations and assessments of the indigenous cultures
employed the European standards. Hence, when they saw the indigenous attires of the natives, Pigafetta saw
them as being naked because from the European standpoint, they were wearing fewer clothes indeed.
Pigafetta's perspective was too narrow to realize that such attire was only appropriate to the tropical climate of
the islands. The same was true for materials that the natives used for their houses like palm and bamboo. These
materials would let more air come through the house and compensate for the hot climate in the islands.

It should be understood that such observations were rooted from the context of Pigafetta and of his era.
Europe, for example, was dominated by the Holy Roman Empire, whose loyalty and purpose was the domination
of the Catholic Church all over the world. Hence, other belief systems different from that of Christianity were
perceived to be blasphemous and barbaric, even demonic. Aside from this, the sixteenth century European
economy was mercantilist. Such system measures the wealth of kingdoms based accumulation of bullions or
precious metals like gold and silver. It was not surprising therefore that Pigafetta would always mention the
abundance of gold in the islands as shown in his description of leaders wearing gold rings and golden daggers,
and of the rich gold mines. An empire like that of the Spain would indeed search for new lands where they could
acquire more gold and wealth to be on top of all the European nations. The obsession with spices might be odd
for Filipinos because of its ordinariness in the Philippines, understanding the context would reveal that spices
were scarce in Eurono e and hence were seen as prestige goods. In that era, Spain and Portugal coveted the
control of Spice Islands because it would have led to a certain increase in wealth, influence, and power. These
contexts should be used and understood in order to have a more qualified reading of Pigafetta's account.

The KKK and the Kartilya ng Katipunan

The Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK) or Katipunan is arguably the
most important organization formed in the Philippine history. While anti-colonial movements, efforts, and
organizations had already been established centuries prior to the foundation of the Katipunan, it was only this
organization that envisioned (1) a united Filipino nation that would revolt against the Spaniards for (2) the total
independence of the country from Spain. Previous armed revolts had already occurred before the foundation of
the Katipunan, but none of them envisioned a unified Filipino nation revolting against the colonizers For
example, Diego Silang was known as an locano who took up his arms and led one of the longest running revolts
in the country. Silang, however, was mainly concerned about his locality and referred to himself as El Rey de
Ilocos (The King of locos). The imagination of the nation was largely absent in the aspirations of the local revolts
before Katipunan. On the other hand, the propaganda movements led by the ilustrados like Marcelo H. del Pilar,
Graciano López Jaena, and Jose Rizal did not envision a total separation of the Philippines from Spain, but only
demanded equal rights, representation, and protection from the abuses of the friars.

In the conduct of their struggle, Katipunan created a complex structure and a defined value system that
would guide the organization as a collective aspiring for a single goal. One of the most important Katipunan
documents was the Kartilya ng Katipunan. The original title of the document was "Manga [sie] Aral Nang (sic]
Katipunan ng mga A.N.B." or Lessons of the Organization of the Sons of Country." The document was written by
Emilio Jacinto in the 1896. Jacinto was only 18 years old when he joined the movement. He was a law student at
the Universidad de Santo Tomas. Despite his youth, Bonifacio recognized the value and intellect of Jacinto that
upon seeing that Jacinto's Kartilya was much better than the Decalogue he wrote, he willingly favored that the
Kartilya be distributed to their fellow Katipuneros. Jacinto became the secretary of the organization and took
charge of the short-lived printing press of the Katipunan. On 15 April 1897, Bonifacio appointed Jacinto as a
commander of the Katipunan in Northern Luzon. Jacinto was 22 years old. He died of Malaria at a young age of
24 in and the town of Magdalena, Laguna.

The Kartilya can be treated as the Katipunan's code of conduct. It contains fourteen rules that instruct the
way a Katipunero should behave, and which specific values should he uphold. Generally, the rules stated in the
Kartilya can be classified into two. The first group contains the rules that ng will make the member an upright
individual and the second group contains on the rules that will guide the way he treats his fellow men.

Below is the translated version of the rules in Kartilya:

I. The life that is not consecrated to a lofty and reasonable ed purpose is a tree without a shade, if not
a poisonous weed.
II. To do good for personal gain and not for its own sake is not of virtue.
III. It is rational to be charitable and love one's fellow creature, S and to adjust one's conduct, acts and
words to what is in itself reasonable.
IV. Whether our skin be black or white, we are all born equal: t superiority in knowledge, wealth and
beauty are to be understood, but not superiority by nature.
V. The honorable man prefers honor to personal gain; the scoundrel, gain to honor.
VI. To the honorable man, his word is sacred.
VII. Do not waste thy time: wealth can be recovered but not time lost.
VIII. Defend the oppressed and fight the oppressor before the law or in the field.
IX. The prudent man is sparing in words and faithful in keeping secrets.
X. On the thorny path of life, man is the guide of woman and the children, and if the guide leads to
the precipice, those whom he guides will also go there.
XI. Thou must not look upon woman as a mere plaything, but as a faithful companion who will share
with thee the of life: her (physical) weakness will increase thy interest in her and she will remind
thee of the mother who bore thee reared thee.
XII. What thou dost not desire done unto thy wife, children brothers and sisters, that do not. unto the
wife, children brothers and sisters of thy neighbor.
XIII. Man is not worth more because he is a king, because his nose is aquiline, and his color white, not
because he is a priest. nose a servant of God, nor because of the high prerogative that he enjoys
upon earth, but he is worth most who is a man of proven and real value, who does good, keeps his
words, is worthy and honest; he who does not oppress nor consent to being oppressed, he who
loves and cherishes his fatherland, though he be born in the wilderness and know no tongue but his
own.
XIV. When these rules of conduct shall be known to all, the longed. for sun of Liberty shall rise brilliant
over this most unhappy portion of the globe and its rays shall diffuse everlasting joy among the
confederated brethren of the same rays, the lives of those who have gone before, the fatigues and
the well-paid sufferings will remain. If he who desires to enter has informed himself of all this and
believes he will be able to perform what will be his duties, he may fill out the application for
admission.

As the primary governing document, which determines the rules of conduct in the Katipunan,
properly understanding the Kartilya will thus help in understanding the values, ideals, aspirations, and even
the ideology of the organization.

Analysis of the "Kartilya ng Katipunan"

Similar to what we have done to the accounts of Pigafetta, this primary source also needs to be
analyzed in terms of content and context. As a document written for a fraternity whose main purpose is to
overthrow a colonial regime, we can explain the content and provisions of the Kartilya a reaction and
response to certain value systems that they found despicable n the present state of things that they
struggled against with. For example fourth and the thirteenth rules in the Kartilya are an invocation of the
inherent equality between and among men regardless of race, occupation, or status. In the context of the
Spanish colonial era where the indios were treated as the inferior of the white Europeans, the Katipunan
saw to it that the alternative order that they wished to promulgate through their revolution necessarily
destroyed this kind of unjust hierarchy.

Moreover, one can analyze the values upheld in the document consistent with the burgeoning
rational and liberal ideals in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Equality, tolerance, freedom, and
liberty were values that first emerged in the eighteenth century French Revolution, which spread
throughout Europe and reached the educated class of the colonies. Jacinto, an ilustrado himself, certainly
got an understanding of these values. Aside from the liberal values that can be dissected in the document,
we can also decipher certain Victorian and chivalrous values in the text. For example, various provisions in
the Kartilya repeatedly emphasized the importance of honor in words and in action. The teaching of the
Katipunan on how women should be treated with honor and respect, while positive in many respects and
certainly a significant stride from the practice of raping and physically abusing women, can still be telling of
the Katipunan's secondary regard for women in relation to men. For example, in the tenth rule, the
document specifically stated that men should be the guide of women and children, and that he should set a
good example, otherwise the women and the children would be guided in the path of evil. Nevertheless, the
same document stated that women should be treated as companions by men and not as playthings that can
be exploited for their pleasure.

In the contemporary eyes, the Katipunan can be criticized because of these provisions. However,
one must not forget the context where the organization was born. Not even in Europe or in the whole of the
West at that juncture recognized the problem of gender inequality. Indeed, it can be argued that
Katipunan's recognition of women as important partners in the struggle, as reflected not just in Kartilya but
also in the organizational structure of the fraternity where a women's unit was established, is an endeavor
advanced for its time. Aside from Rizaľ's known Letter to the Women of Malolos, no same effort by the
supposed cosmopolitan Propaganda Movement was achieved until the movement's eventual disintegration
in the latter part of the 1890s.

Aside from this, the Kartilya was instructive not just of the Katipunan's conduct toward other people,
but also for the members' development as individuals in their own rights. Generally speaking, the rules in
the Kartilya n be classified as either directed to how one should treat his neighbor or to how one should
develop and conduct one's self. Both are essential to the success and fulfillment of the Katipunan's ideals.
For example, the Kartilya's teachings on honoring one's word and not wasting time are wasting time are
teach directed toward self-development, while the rules on treating the neighbor’s wife, children, and
brothers the way that you want yours to be treated instruction on how Katipuneros should treat and regard
their neighbors.

All in all, proper reading of the Kartilya will reveal a more thorough understanding of the Katipunan
and the significant role that it played the revolution and in the unfolding of the Philippine history, as we
know it.

Reading the Proclamation of the Philippine Independence

Every year, the country commemorates the anniversary of the Philippine Independence proclaimed
on 12 June 1898, in the province of Cavite. Indeed such event is a significant turning point in the history of
the country because it signaled the end of the 333 years of Spanish colonization. There have been numerous
studies done on the events leading to the independence of the country but very few students had the
chance to read the actual document of the declaration. This is in spite of the historical importance of the
document and the details that the document reveals on the rationale and circumstances of that historical
day in Cavite. Interestingly, reading the details of the said document in hindsight is telling of the kind of
government that was created under Aguinaldo, and the forthcoming hand of the United States of America in
the next few years of the newly created republic. The declaration was a short 2,000-word document, which
summarized the reason behind the evolution against Spain, the war for independence, and the future of the
new republic under Emilio Aguinaldo.

The proclamation commenced with a characterization of the conditions in the Philippines during the
Spanish colonial period. The document specifically mentioned abuses and inequalities in the colony. The
declaration says

"..taking into consideration, that their inhabitants being already weary of bearing the ominous yoke
of .Spanish domination, on account of the arbitrary arrests and harsh treatment practiced by the Civil Guard
to the extent of causing death with the connivance and even with the express orders of their commanders,
who sometimes went to the extreme o ordering the shooting of prisoners under the pretext that they are
attempting to escape, in violation of the provisions of the Regulations of their Corps, which abuses were
unpunished and on account of the unjust deportations, especially those decreed by General Blanc0, of
eminent personages ana of high social position, at the instigation of the Archbishop and friars interested in
keeping them out of the way for their own selfish and avaricious purpose, deportations which are quickly
brought about by a method of procedure more execrable than that of the Inquisition and which every
civilized nation rejects on account of a decision being rendered without a hearing of the persons accused."

The above passage demonstrates the justifications behind the revolution against Spain. Specifically
cited are the abuse by the Civil Guards and the unlawful shooting of prisoners whom they alleged as
attempting to escape. The passage also condemns the unequal protection of the law between the Filipino
people and the "eminent personages." Moreover, the line mentions the avarice and greed of the clergy like
the friars and the Archbishop himself. Lastly, the passage also condemns what they saw as the unjust
deportation and rendering of other decision without proper hearing, expected of any civilized nation.

From here, the proclamation proceeded with a brief historical overview of the Spanish occupation
since Magellan's arrival in Visayas until the Philippine Revolution, with specific details about the latter,
especially after the Pact of Biak-na-Bato had collapsed. The document narrates the spread of the movement
"like an electric spark" through different towns and provinces like Bataan, Pampanga, Batangas, Bulacan,
Laguna, and Morong, and the quick decline of Spanish forces in the same provinces. The revolt also reached
Visayas; thus, the independence of the country was ensured. The document also mentions Rizal's execution,
calling it unjust. The execution, as written in the document, was done to "please the greedy body of friars in
their insatiable desire to seek revenge upon and exterminate all those who are opposed to their
Machiavellian purposes, which tramples upon the penal code prescribed for these islands." The document
also narrates the Cavite Mutiny of January 1872 that caused the infamous execution of the martyred native
priests Jose Burgos, Mariano Gomez, and Jacinto Zamora, "whose innocent blood was shed through the
intrigues of those so-called religious orders" that incited the three secular priests in the said mutiny.

The proclamation of independence also invokes that the established republic would be led under
the dictatorship of Emilio Aguinaldo. The first mention was at the very beginning of the proclamation, It
stated: "In the town of Cavite Viejo, in this province of Cavite, on the twelfth day of June eighteen hundred
and ninety-eight, before me, Don Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, Auditor of War and Special Commissioner
appointed to proclaim and solemnize this act by the Dictatorial Government of these Philippine Islands, for
the purposes and by virtue of the circular addressed by the Eminent Dictator of the same Don Emilio
Aguinaldoy Famy."

The same was repeated toward the last part of the proclamation. It states:

"We acknowledge, approve and confirm together with the orders that have been issued therefrom,
the Dictatorship established by Don Emilio Aguinaldo, whom we honor as the Supreme Chief of this Nation,
which this day commences to have a life of its own, in the belief that he is the instrument selected by God,
in spite of his humble origin, to effect the redemption of this unfortunate people, as foretold by Doctor Jose
Rizal in the magnificent verses which he composed when he was preparing to be shot, liberating them from
the yoke of Spanish domination in punishment of the impunity with which their Government allowed the
commission of abuses by its subordinates."
 Another detail in the proclamation that is worth looking at is its explanation on the Philippine flag
that was first waved on the same day. The document explained: "And finally, it was unanimously resolved
that this Nation, independent from this day, must use the same flag used heretofore, whose design and
colors and described in the accompanying drawing, with design representing in natural colors the three
arms referred to. The white triangle represents the distinctive emblem of the famous Katipunan Society
which by means of its compact of blood urged on the masses or the people to insurrection; the three stars
represent the three principal Islands of this Archipelago, Luzon, Mindanao ana Panay, in which this
insurrectionary movement broke out; the sun represents the gigantic strides that have been made by the
sons of this land on the road of progress and civilization, its eight rays symbolizing the eight provinces of
Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Laguna and Batangas, which were declared in a
state of war almost as soon as the first insurrectionary movement was initiated, and the colors blue, red and
white, commemorate those of the flag of the United States of North America, in manifestati0n 28 or our
profound gratitude towards that Great Nation the disinterested protection she is extending to us and will
continue to extend to us."

This often overlooked detail reveals much about the historically accurate meaning behind the most
widely known national symbol in the Philippines It is not known by many for example, that the white
triangle was derived from the symbol of the Katipunan. The red and blue colors of the flag are often
associated with courage and peace, respectively. Our basic education omits the fact that those colors were
taken from the flag of the United States. While it can always be argued that symbolic meaning can always
change and be reinterpreted, the original symbolic meaning of something presents us several historical
truths that can explain the subsequent events, which unfolded after the declaration of independence on the
12th day of June 1898.

Analysis of the “Proclamation of the Philippine Independence"

As mentioned earlier, a re-examination of the document on the declaration of independence can

reveal some often overlooked historical truths about this important event in Philippine history. Aside from
this, the document reflects the general revolutionary sentiment of that period. For example, the abuses
specifically mentioned in the proclamation like friar abuse, racial discrimination, and inequality before the
law reflect the most compelling sentiments represented by the revolutionary leadership. However, no
mention was made about the more serious problem that affected the masses more profoundly (i.e., the
land and agrarian crisis felt by the numerous Filipino peasants in the nineteenth century). This is ironic
especially when renowned Philippine Revolution historian, Teodoro Agoncillo, stated that the Philippine
Revolution was an agrarian revolution. The common revolutionary soldiers fought in the revolution for the
hope of owning the lands that they were tilling once the friar estates in different provinces like Batangas
and Laguna dissolve, if and when the revolution succeeded. Such aspects and realities of the revolutionary
struggle were either unfamiliar to the middle class revolutionary leaders like Emilio Aguinaldo, Ambrosio
Rianzares-Bautista, and Felipe Buencamino, or were intentionally left out because they were landholders
themselves.

The Treaty of Paris was an agreement signed between Spain and the United States of America
regarding the ownership of the Philippine Islands and other Spanish colonies in South America. The
agreement ended the short-lived Spanish-American War. The Treaty was signed on 10 December 1898, six
months after the revolutionary government declared the Philippine Independence. The Philippines was sold
to the United States at $20 million and effectively undermined the sovereignty of the Filipinos after their
revolutionary victory. The Americans occupied the Philippines immediately which resulted in the Philippine-
American War that lasted until the earliest years of the twentieth century.

The proclamation also gives us the impression on how the victorious revolutionary government of
Aguinaldo historicized the struggle for independence. There were mentions of past events that were seen as
important turning points of the movement against Spain. The execution of the GOMBURZA, for example,
and the failed Cavite Mutiny of 1872 was narrated in detail. This shows that they saw this event as a
significant awakening of the Filipinos in the real conditions of the nation under Spain. Jose Rizal's legacy and
martyrdom was also mentioned in the document. However, the Katipunan as the pioneer of the
revolutionary movement was only mentioned once toward the end of the document. There was no mention
of the Katipunan's foundation. Bonifacio and his co-founders were also left out. It can be argued, thus, that
the way of historical narration found in the document also reflects the politics of the victors. The enmity
between Aguinaldo's Magdalo and Bonifacio's Magdiwang in the Katipunan is no secret in the pages of our
history. On the contrary, the war led by Aguinaldo's men with the forces of the United States were
discussed in detail.

The point is, even official records and documents like the proclamation of independence, while
truthful most of the time, still exude the politics and biases of whoever is in power. This manifests in the
selectiveness of information that can be found in these records. It is the task of the historian, thus, to
analyze the content of these documents in relation to the dominant politics and the contexts of people and
institutions surrounding it. This tells us a lesson on taking primary sources like official government records
within the circumstance of this production. Studying one historical subject, thus, entails looking at multiple
primary sources and pieces of historical evidences in order to have a more nuanced and contextual analysis
of our past.

A Glance at Selected Philippine Political Caricature in Alfred McCoy's Philippine Cartoons: Political
Caricature or the American Era (1900-1941)

Political cartoons and caricature are a rather recent art form, when veered away from the classical
art by exaggerating human features and poking fun at its subjects. Such art genre and technique became a
part or the print media as a form of social and political commentary, which usually targets persons of power
and authority. Cartoons became an effective tool of publicizing opinions through heavy use of symbolism,
which is different from a verbose written editorial and opinion pieces. The unique way that a caricature
represents opinion and captures the audience's imaginat10n is reason enough for historians to examine
these political cartoons. Commentaries in mass media inevitably shape public opinion and such kind of
opinion is worthy of historical examination.

In his book Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricature of the American Era (1900-1941), Alfred McCoy,
together with Alfredo 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.

The first example shown above was published in The Independent on May 20, 1916. The cartoon
shows a politician from Tondo, named Dr. Santos, passing his crown to his brother-in-law, Dr. Barcelona. A
Filipino guy (as depicted wearing salakot and barong tagalog) was trying to stop Santos, telling the latter to
stop giving Barcelona the crown because it is not his to begin with.
 The second cartoon was also published by The Independent on 16 June 1917. This was drawn by
Fernando Amorsolo and was aimed as a commentary to the workings of Manila Police at that period. Here,
we. See a Filipino child who stole a skinny chicken because he had nothing to eat. The police officer was
relentlessly pursuing the said child. A man wearing a salakot, labeled Juan de la Cruz was grabbing the
officer, telling him to leave the small-time pickpockets and thieves and to turn at the great thieves instead.
He was pointing to huge warehouses containing bulks of rice, milk. and grocery products.

The third cartoon was a commentary on the unprecedented cases of colorum automobiles in the
city streets. The Philippine Free Press published this commentary when fatal accidents involving colorum
vehicles and taxis occurred too often already.
 This fourth cartoon depicts a cinema. A blown-up police officer was aat the screen saying that couples are
not allowed to neck and make love in the theater. Two youngsters looked horrified while an older couple
seemed amused.

The next cartoon was published by The Independent on 27 November 1915. Here, we see the caricature of
Uncle Sam riding a chariot pulled by Filipinos wearing school uniforms. The Filipino boys were carrying American
objects like baseball bats, whiskey, and boxing gloves. McCoy, in his caption to the said cartoon, says that this
cartoon was based on an event in 1907 when William Howard Taft was brought to the Manila pier riding a
chariot pulled by students of Liceo de Manila. Such was condemned by the nationalists at that time.

The last cartoon was published by Lipang Kalabaw on 24 August 1907 In the picture, we can see Uncle Sam
rationing porridge to the politicians and members of the Progresista Party (sometimes known as the Federalista
Party) while members of the Nacionalista Party look on and wait for their turn. This cartoon depicts the
patronage of the United States being coveted by politicians from either of the party.
Analysis of the Political Caricatures during the American Period

The transition from the Spanish Colonial period to the American Occupation period demonstrated different
strands of changes and shifts in culture, society, and politics. The Americans drastically introduced democracy to
the nascent nation and the consequences were far from ideal. Aside from this, it was also during the American
period that Filipinos were introduced to different manifestations of modernity like healthcare, modern
transportation, and media. This ushered in a more open and freer press. The post-independence and the post-
Filipino-American period in the Philippines were experienced differently by Filipinos coming from different
classes. The upper principalia class experienced economic prosperity with the opening up of the Philippine
economy to the United States but the majority of the poor Filipino remained poor, desperate, and victims of
state repression.

The selected cartoons illustrate not only the 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. In the
arena of politics, for example, we see the price that Filipinos paid for the democracy modeled atter the
Americans. First, it seemed that the Filipino politicians at that time did not understand well enough the essence
of democracy and the accompanying democratic institutions and processes. This can be seen in the rising
dynastic politics in Tondo as depicted in the cartoon published by The Independent. Patronage also became
influential and powerful, not only between clients and patrons but als0 between the newly formed political
parties composed of the elite and the United States. This was depicted in the cartoon where the United States,
represented by Uncle Sam, provided dole outs for members of the Federalista while the Nacionalista politicians
looked on and waited for their turn. Thus, the essence of competing political parties to enforce choiçes among
the voters was cancelled out. The problem continues up to the present where politicians transfer from one party
to another depending on which party was powerful in specific periods of time.

The transition from a Catholic-centered, Spanish-Filipino society to an imperial American-assimilated one,

and its complications, were also depicted in the cartoons. One example is the unprecedented increase of
motorized vehicles in the city. Automobiles became a popular mode of transportation in the city and led to the
emergence of taxis. However, the laws and policy implementation was mediocre. This resulted in the increasing
colorum and unlicensed vehicles transporting people around the city. The rules governing the issuance of
driver's license was loose and traffic police could not be bothered by rampant violations of traffic rules. This is a
direct consequence of the drastic urbanization of the Philippine society. Another example is what McCoy called
the "sexual revolution" that occurred in the 1930s. Young people, as early as that period, disturbed the
conservative Filipino mindset by engaging in daring sexual activities in public spaces like cinemas. Here, we can
see how that period was the meeting point between the conservative past and the liberated future of the
Philippines.

Lastly, the cartoons also illustrated the conditions of poor Filipinos in the Philippines now governed by the
United States. From the looks of it, nothing much has changed. For example, a cartoon depicted how police
authorities oppress petty Filipino criminals while turning a blind eye on hoarders who monopolize goods in their
huge warehouses (presumably Chinese merchants). The other cartoon depicts how Americans controlled
Filipinos through seemingly harmless American objects. By controlling their consciousness and mentality,
Americans got to control and subjugate Filipinos.

Revisiting Corazon Aquino's Speech Before the U.S. Congress

Corazon "Cory" Cojuangco Aquino functioned as the symbol of the restoration of democracy and the
overthrow of the Marcos Dictatorship in 1986. The EDSA People Power, which installed Cory Aquino in the
presidency, put the Philippines in the international spotlight for overthrowing a dictator through peaceful
means. Cory was easily a figure of the said revolution, as the widow of the slain Marcos oppositionist and former
Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. Cory was hoisted as the antithesis of the dictator. Her image as a mourning,
widowed housewife who had always been in the shadow of her husband and relatives and had no experience in
politics was juxtaposed against Marcos's statesmanship, eloquence, charisma, and cunning political skills.
Nevertheless, Cory was able to capture the imagination of the people whose rights and freedom had long been
compromised throughout the Marcos regime. This is despite the fact that Cory came from a rich haciendero
family in Tarlac and owned vast estates of sugar plantation and whose relatives occupy local and national
government positions.

The People Power Revolution of 1986 was widely recognized around the world for its peaceful character.
When former senator Ninoy Aquino was shot at the tarmac of the Manila International Airport on 21 August
1983, the Marcos regime greatly suffered a crisis of legitimacy. Protests from different sectors frequented
different areas in the country. Marcos's credibility in the international community also suffered. Paired with the
looming economic crisis, Marcos had to do something to prove to his allies in the United States that he remained
to be the democratically anointed leader of the country. He called for a Snap Election in February 1986, where
Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, the widow of the slain senator was convinced to run against Marcos. The canvassing
was rigged to Marcos's favor but the people expressed their protests against the corrupt and authoritarian
government. Leading military officials of the regime and Martial Law orchestrators themselves, Juan Ponce Enrile
and Fidel V. Ramos, plotted to take over the presidency, until civilians heeded the call of then Manila Archbishop
Jaime Cardinal Sin and other civiian leaders gathered in EDSA. The overwhelming presence of civilians in EDSA
successfully turned a coup into a civilian demonstration. The thousands of people who gathered overthrew
Ferdinand Marcos from the presidency after 21 years.

On 18 September 1986, seven months since Cory became president, she went to the United States and
spoke before the joint session of the U. Congress. Cory was welcomed with long applause as she took the
podium and addressed the United States about her presidency and the challenge faced by the new republic. She
began her speech with the story of her leaving the United States three years prior as a newly widowed wife of
Ninoy Aquino.

She then told of Ninoy's character, conviction, and resolve in opposing the authoritarianism of Marc0s. She
talked of the three times that they lost Ninoy including his demise on 23 August 1983. The first time was when
the dictatorship detained Ninoy with other dissenters. Cory related:

“The government sought to break him by indignities and terror. They locked him up in a tiny, nearly airless
cell in a military camp in the north. They stripped him naked and held a threat of a sudden midnight execution
over his head. Ninoy held up manfully under all of it. I barely did as well. For forty-three days, the authorities
would not tell me what had happened to him. This was the first time my children and I felt we had lost him."

Cory continued that when Ninoy survived that first detention, he was then charged of subversion, murder,
and other crimes. He was tried by a military court, whose legitimacy Ninoy adamantly questioned. To solidify his
protest, Ninoy decided to do a hunger strike and fasted for 40 days. Cory treated this event as the second time
that their family lost Ninoy. She said:

"When that didn't work, they put him on trial for subversion, murder and a host of other crimes before a
military commission. Ninoy challenged its authority and went on a fast. If he survived it, then he felt God
intended him for another fate. We had lost him again. For nothing would hold him back from his determination
to see his fast through to the end. He stopped only when it dawned on him that the government would keep his
body alive after the fast had destroyed his brain. And so, with barely any life in his body, he called off the fast on
the 40th day”.

Ninoy's death was the third and the last time that Cory and their children lost Ninoy. She continued:

"And then, we lost him irrevocably and more painfully than in the past. The news came to us in Boston. It
had to be after the three happiest years of our lives together. But his death was my country's resurrection and
the courage and faith by which alone they could be free again. The dictator had called him a nobody. Yet, two
million people threw aside their passivity and fear and escorted him to his grave."

Cory attributed the peaceful EDSA Revolution to the martyrdom of Ninoy. She stated that the death of Ninoy
sparked the revolution and the responsibility of "offering the democratic alternative" had "fallen on (her)
shoulders." Cory's address introduced us to her democratic philosophy, which she claimed she also acquired
from Ninoy. She argued:
 “I held fast to Ninoy's conviction that it must be by the ways of democracy. I held out for participation in the
1984 election the dictatorship called, even if I knew it would be rigged. I was warned by the lawyers of the
opposition, that I ran the grave risk of legitimizing the foregone results of elections that were clearly going to be
fraudulent. But I was not fighting for lawyers but for the people in whose intelligence, I had implicit faith. By the
exercise of democracy even in a dictatorship, they would be prepared for democracy when it came. And then
also, it was the only way I knew by which we could measure our power even in the terms dictated by the
dictatorship. The people vindicated me in an election shamefully marked by government thuggery and fraud.
The opposition swept the elections, garnering a clear majority of the votes even if they ended up (thanks to a
corrupt Commission on Elections) with barely a third of the seats in Parliament. Now, I knew our power."

Cory talked about her miraculous victory through the people's struggle and continued talking about her
earliest initiatives as the president of a restored democracy. She stated that she intended to forge and draw
reconciliation after a bloody and polarizing dictatorship. Cory emphasized the importance of the EDSA
Revolution in terms of being a "limited revolution that respected the life and freedom of every Filipino." She also
boasted of the restoration of a fully constitutional government whose constitution gave utmost respect to the
Bill of Rights. She reported to the U.S. Congress:

“Again as we restore democracy by the ways of democracy, SO are we completing the constitutional
structures of our new democracy under a constitution that already gives full respect to the Bill of Rights. A
jealously independent constitutional commission is completing its draft which will be submitted later this year to
a popular referendum. When it is approved, there will be elections for both national and local positions. So,
within about a year from a peaceful but national upheaval that overturned a dictatorship, we shall have returned
to full constitutional government."

Cory then proceeded on her peace agenda with the existing communist insurgency, aggravated by the
dictatorial and authoritarian measure of Ferdinand Marcos. She asserted:

“My predecessor set aside democracy to save it from a communist insurgency that numbered less than five
hundred. Unhampered by respect for human rights he went at it with hammer and tongs. By the time he fled,
that insurgency had grown to more than sixteen thousand. I think there is a lesson here to be learned about
trying to stifle a thing with a means by which it grows."

Cory's peace agenda involves political initiatives and re-integration program to persuade insurgents to leave
the countryside and return to the mainstream society to participate in the restoration of democracy. She
invoked the path of peace because she believed that it was the moral path that a moral government must take.
Nevertheless, Cory took a step back when she said that while peace is the priority of her presidency, she "will
not waiver" when freedom and democracy are threatened. She said that, similar to Abraham Lincoln, she
understands that "force may be necessary before mercy" and while she did not relish the idea, she "will do
whatever it takes to defend the integrity and freedom of (her) country."

Cory then turned to the controversial topic of the Philippine foreign debt amounting to $26 billion at the
time of her speech. This debt had ballooned during the Marcos regime. Cory expressed her intention to honor
those debts despite mentioning that the people did not benefit from such debts. Thus us, she mentioned her
protestations about the way the Philippines was deprived of choices to pay those debts within the capacity of
the Filipino people. She lamented:

"Finally may I turn to that other slavery, our twenty-six billion dollar foreign debt. I have said that we shall
honor it. Yet, the means by which we shall be able to do so are kept from us. Many of the conditions imposed on
the previous government that stole this debt, continue to be imposed on us who never benefited from it."

She continued that while the country had experienced the calamities brought about by the corrupt
dictatorship of Marcos, no commensurate assistance was yet to be extended to the Philippines. She even
remarked that given the peaceful character of EDSA People Power Revolution, "ours must have been the
cheapest revolution ever" She demonstrated that Filipino people fulfilled the "most difficult condition of the
debt negotiation," which was the "restoration of democracy and responsible government."
 Cory related to the U.S. legislators that wherever she went, she met poor and unemployed Filipinos willing
to offer their lives for democracy. She stated:

"Wherever I went in the campaign, slum area or impoverished village. They came to me with one cry,
democracy. Not food although they clearly needed it but democracy. Not work, although they surely wanted it
but democracy. Not money, for they gave what little they had to my campaign. They didn't expect me to work a
miracle that would instantly put food into their mouths, clothes on their back, education in their children and
give them work that will put dignity in their lives. But I feel the pressing obligation to respond quickly as the
leader of the people so deserving of all these things."

Cory proceeded in enumerating the challenges of the Filipino people as they tried building the new
democracy. These were the persisting communist insurgency and the economic deterioration. Cory further
lamented that these problems worsened by the crippling debt because half of the country's export earnings
amounting to $2 billion would "go to pay just the interest on a debt whose benefit the Filipino people never
received" Cory then asked rather compelling question to the U.S. Congress:

“Has there been a greater test of national commitment to the ideals you hold dear than that my people have
gone through? You have spent many lives and much treasure to bring freedom to many lands that were
reluctant to receive it. And here, you have a people who want it by themselves and need only the help to
preserve it."

Cory ended her speech by thanking America for serving as home t her family for what she referred to as the
"three happiest years of our lives together. She enjoined America in building the Philippines as a new home for
democracy and in turning the country as a "shining testament of our two nations commitment to freedom."

Analysis of Cory Aquino's Speech

Cory Aquino's speech was an important event in the political and diplomatic history of the country because
it has arguably cemented the legitimacy of the EDSA government in the international arena. The speech talks of
her family background, especially her relationship with her late husband, Ninoy Aquino. It is well known that it
was Ninoy who served as the real leading figure of the opposition at that time. Indeed, Ninoy's eloquence and
charisma could very well compete with that of Marcos. In her speech, Cory talked at length about Ninoy's toil
and suffering at the hands of the dictatorship that he resisted. Even when she proceeded talking about her new
government, she still went back to Ninoy's legacies and lessons. Moreover, her attribution of the revolution to
Ninoy's death demonstrates not only Cory's personal perception on the revolution, but since she was the
president, it also represents what the dominant discourse was at that point in our history. The ideology or the
principles of the new democratic government can also be seen in the same speech. Aquino was able to draw the
sharp contrast between her government and of her predecessor by expressing her commitment to a democratic
constitution drafted by an independent commission. She claimed that such constitution upholds and adheres to
the rights and liberty of the Filipino people. Cory also hoisted herself as the reconciliatory agent after more than
two decades of a polarizing authoritarian politics. For example, Cory saw the blown-up communist insurgency as
a product of a repressive and corrupt government. Her response to this insurgency rooted from her diametric
opposition of the dictator initiating reintegration of communist rebels to the mainstream Philippine society).
Cory claimed that her main approach to this problem was through peace and not through the sword of war.

Despite Cory's efforts to hoist herself as the exact opposite of Marcos, her speech still revealed certain
parallelisms between her and the Marcos's government. This is seen in terms of continuing the alliance between
the Philippines and the United States despite the known affinity between the said world super power and
Marcos. The Aquino regime, as seen in Cory's acceptance of the invitation to address the U.S. Congress and to
the content of the speech, decided to build and continue with the alliance between the Philippines and the
United States and effectively implemented an essentially similar foreign policy to that of the dictatorship. For
example, Cory recognized that the large sum of foreign debts incurred by the Marcos regime never benefitted
the Filipino people. Nevertheless, Cory expressed her intention to pay off those debts. Unknown to many
Filipinos was the fact that there was a choice of waiving the said debt because those were the debt of the
dictator and not of the country. Cory's decision is an indicator of her government's intention to carry on a debt-
driven economy.
 Reading through Aquino's speech, we can already take cues, not just on Cory's individual ideas and
aspirations, but also the guiding principles and framework of the government that she represented.

Chapter Exercises

A. True or False. Write true if the statement is true. Otherwise, write false in the space provided.

1. Non-written documents are not useful as primary sources in conducting historical research.

2.The aSsassination of Ninoy Aquino is an important historical event that fueled people's anger and
condemnation of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

3. Apolinario Mabini penned the "Kartilya ng Katipunan."

4. Magellan and his fleet received a warm welcome from all of the chieftains and local leaders in the Philippine
Islands.

5. The Americans radically altered the social structure in the Philippines after they took over from Spain in terms
of socioeconomic equality.

6. The"Proclamation of Philippine Independence" reflects the social and economic discontent of the masses
about land ownership and other agrarian issues.

7. The enmity between Aguinaldo and Bonifacio did not affect how the former's revolutionary government
credited Bonifacio to the beginnings of the Philippine Revolution.

8. Corazon Aquino did not want to forge alliance with the United States because the latter was a known
important ally of Marcos.

9. The conservative attitude of the youth toward sexuality did not change since the Spanish period until the
1930s.

10. The forces of Magellan were successful in defeating and conquering Lapulapu.

B. Critical Essay. Identify a primary source in Philippine history from the examples provided in this chapter. Write
an essay discussing (1) the importance of the text, (2) the background of the text's author, (3) the context of the
document, and (4) the text's contribution to understanding Philippine history.

C. Group Work. Form five groups among the members of the class. Each class will pick one of the following
primary sources: (1) The Laguna Copper Plate Inscription; (2) The poemn, "Ang Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa" by
Andres Bonifacio; (3) The declaration of Martial Law in 1972 by Ferdinand Marcos; (4) The speech of KALIBAPI
Acting Director Camilo Osias on 7 December 1943; and (5) The 1935 Constitution.

Brainstorm with your group mates on how you will respond to the following questions:

1. What does the document/artifact say?

2. What was the provenance or source of the document/artifact?

3. Who authored it (if applicable)?

4 What was the context of the primary source's production?

References

Aquino, C. (1986). "Restoring Democracy by the Ways of Democracy." In

http://www.coryaquino.ph/index.php/works/article/353b89aa-f2dc- 11df-b3cf-001617d76479. Retrieved 18
May 2017.

Bautista, A. (1898). "Declaration of the Philippine Independence." trans. Sulpicio Guevarra in The Laws of the
First Philippine Republic 1972. Manila: National Historical Commission.

Jacinto, E. (1896). "Kartilya ng Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan." trans. Gregorio Nieva, 1918. Text from
Philippine Center for Masonic Studies, http://www.philippinemasonry.org/kartilya-ng-katipunan.html. Retrieved
18 October 2017.

McCoy, A., & Roces, A. (1985). Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricature of the American Era, 1900-1941. Quezon
City: Vera-Reyes.

Pigafetta, A. (1874). The First Voyage Around the World by Magellan. trans. Lord Stanley of Alderley. London:
Hakluyt Society. 44 Readings in Philippine History