Annotation of Annotation of Antonio Morga’s Antonio social, and economical aspects of the

Morga’s “Sucesos de las “Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas” Philippines under the Spanish era
Islas Filipinas” Sucesos
- Sucesos is the creation of an honest
observer who was also a prominent player
Introduction in the drama of his time, a dynamic
bureaucrat who knew the inner workings of
What is the word “Annotation” and who is “Morga” the administration.
- Annotation – short explanation or note Las Islas Filipinas
added to a text or image - Providing accounts of the islands in the
Philippine archipelago, as well as
ANTONIO DE MORGA SANCHEZ GARAY (1559-1636) observations on the nature and customs of
• Author of “Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas” the indigenous peoples, both before and
after the Spanish colonization of the islands
• Spanish lawyer
in 1564
• Historical anthropologist
• Conquistador

IMPORTANT DATES IN MORGA’S LIFE Chapter Summary

❖ 1559 - Morga was born CHAPTER 1: Of the first discoveries of the Eastern
❖ 1580 - Joined the government service as a Islands
lawyer
❖ 1582 - Served as mayor of Baracaldo in Vizcaya, o The first chapter of Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas
Spain Filipinas described the rich and precious islands
❖ 1594 - Sailed from Cadiz, Spain to Mexico that are found in Asia.
❖ 1595 - Arrived in Manila and serve as the o Some of the famous islands are Maluco,
Lieutenant of the Governador General of the Celeves, Tendaya, Luzon, Mindanao, at Borneo,
Philippines which are now called the Filipinas.
❖ 1598 - forgo his position as lieutenant governor CHAPTER 2: Of the government of Dr. Francisco de
and take over the office of the oidor in the Sande
Audiencia de Manila
❖ 1600 - he was assigned to lead a Spanish fleet to o 1575 – Dr. Sande was appointed as a governor
fight against the Dutch invasion under Oliver and captain of the Island Philippines
van Noort CHAPTER 3: Of the government of Don Gonzalo
❖ 1603 - Morga was reassigned to Mexico where Ronquillo de Penalosa
he became alcalde of criminal causes in the
Royal Audiencia of Mexico City o 1580 – the first bishop of the Filipinas
❖ 1625 - Morga was investigated for corruption o 1583 – A fire broke out in the city of Manila
and arrested
CHAPTER 4: Of the government of Dr. Santiago de Vera
❖ 1636 - He died at the age of 77
o 1584 – the president and auditors of the
Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas
audiencia arrived in the Filipinas, Diego
“Events in the Philippine Islands ” Ronquillo as the governor
First book to tackle Philippine History
CHAPTER 5: Of the government of Gomes Perez
Published in 1609 in Mexico
Dasmarinas
Annotated by Rizal in 1890
was a historical account describing the scenarios o 1590 – under the administration of governor
in the Philippines from 1493 to 1603 under the general Gomez Perez Dasmarina, the following
Spaniards. This book centralizes on the political, achievements were made
CHAPTER 6: Of the government of Don Franciso Tello The Oriental People Morga described

o 1596 – Governor Francisco governor-general of - locals of the islands who are middle-sized
the Philippines and on his arrival, Fray Ignacio and have a complexion comparable to the
de Santibanez was appointed archbishop quince fruit. Both men and women have
o 1597 – San Geronymo dispatched to Nueva attractive characteristics, such as dark hair
Espana compelled to stop over in the port of and a sparse beard, and are intelligent,
Japan because of the heavey storm determined, sharp, and quick-tempered.
o 1598 – The archbishop arrived at tha Manila natives have the same color as the others,
audiencia was re-established by the royal order but they are more physically capable,
courageous, and warlike. They have lengthy
CHAPTER 7: Of the government of don Pedro de Acuna
hair that reaches all the way down to their
1602-1603 This chapter dealt with the events during the shoulder.
period of perode acuna’s administration who arrived
Customs and Other Practices of the Oriental People

- The custom of marriage is prominent in

ANNOTATIONS OF RIZAL CHAPTER 8: AN ACCOUNT TO Morga's observations. Marriages between
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS the principals and their fellow principals or
nobles are common among the natives
Important dates

1888 (August 18)

➢ The term "CONQUEST" is admissible but for a
1888 (December 11) part of the islands and then only in its broadest
1889 (By the end of September) sense. Cebu, Panay, Luzon, Mindoro, and some
others cannot be said to have been conquered
The Oriental Islands: Philippines ➢ CEBU, which Morga calls "The City of the Most
- The Philippines was regarded as Oriental Holy Name ofJesus”
Islands by Morga, wherein these 'islands ' ➢ Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos, during
are described to be vast and noteworthy. his expedition, named “PHILIPINA” one of the
Some of the known Islands were Luzon, southern islands, now perhaps Leyte.
Mindoro, Tandaya, Capul, Leyte, Samar, ➢ The southern islands, the Bisayas, were also
Cebu, Mindanao, etc. As described by called "The land of the Painted People (or
Morga, the Oriental Islands may be located Pintados, in Spanish)"
from west to east when sailing from India of ➢ The "PACIFICATION" of Kagayan
Portugal. ➢ Morga's remark that the Filipinos like fish better
when it is commencing to turn bad is another of
Topography and Seasons of the Oriental Islands those prejudices which Spaniards, like all other
nations, have
- According to Morga, the temperature on
these islands varies depending on the
location and province. Heavy rains,
whirlwinds, and storms can be expected Ferdinand Blumentritt
from June through September. The sky is BLUMENTRITT CRITICIZED RIZAL’S EXPLANATION ON
bright and the sea is calm from October to TWO ACCOUNTS
the end of May. However, winter and severe
rains arrive sooner in certain areas than in 1. He noticed that Rizal had committed the
others. mistakes of many modern historians who
judged events in the past
 2. He said that Rizal shouldn’t condemn He believed the conquest of the spaniards
Catholicism even though they didn’t do any contributed in part to the decline of the
effort to suppress calls for reform Philippine’s rich traditions and culture.

FERDINAND BLUMENTRITT ALSO WROTE A PREFACE WHY DID RIZAL CHOOSE MORGA’S SUCESOS DE LAS
EMPHASIZING SOME SALIENT POINTS: ISLAS FILIPINAS?

1. The Spaniards have to correct their conception The first consideration for the choice of Morga
of Filipinos as “children of limited intelligence”
- Because the book was rare and Morga was a
2. There are 3 kinds of Spanish delusion about the
layman rather than a religious chronicler
Philippines
and Rizal thought Morga was more
- Filipinos as an inferior race
"objective" than those who included many
- Filipinos were not ready for parliamentary
miracle stories, the religious writers.
representation and other reforms
- Denial of equal rights can be compensated The second consideration for the choice of Morga
by strict dispensation of justice.
- Rizal wishes to publish a Morga edition since
ANALYSIS: there has never been a history written by an
Indio or from the perspective of an Indio.
Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (1609)
When Austin Craig, an American historian,
Morga (1609) wrote that the purpose for writing pointed out that the colonial histories of the
Sucesos was so he could chronicle “the deeds achieved Philippines were little more than chapters in
by our Spaniards, the discovery, conquest, and the wider history of Spain.
conversion of the Filipinas Islands - as well as various
The third consideration for the choice of Morga
fortunes that they have from time to time in the great
kingdoms and among the pagan people surrounding the - "The straight forward historical annotations"
islands ” (Rizal corrects the original one) and
"Historical based reflect his anticlerical bias"
are the two categories of Rizal's annotation.
WHY DID MORGA WRITE SUCESOS DE LAS ISLAS
The fourth consideration for the choice of Morga
FILIPINAS?
- "The Morga is an excellent book; it can be
This work perhaps was the best account of Spanish
said that Morga is a modern learned
colonialism in the Philippines and it was merely based
explorer (modern sabio explorador). He has
on documentary research, observation, and on Morga’s
nothing of the superficiality and
personal experience and knowledge.
exaggeration so typical of present-day
Spaniards. He writes very simply, but in
reading him there is much difference
Rizal’s Annotation to Morga’s Sucesos de Las Islas
between the lines because he was governor
Filipinas (1890)
general in the Philippines and after, head
WHAT LEAD JOSE RIZAL TO MORGA’S WORK? (alcalde) of the Inquisition (Epistolario 1938,
5:308). "This is the Letter to blumentritt.
Rizal was an earnest seeker of truth and this that Rizal sent as he expressed his fondness
marked him as historian for Morga.
He had a burning desire to know exactly the
condition of the Philippines when the Spaniards The fifth consideration for the choice of Morga
came ashore to the islands.
- Rizal believed that the Filipinos already had
His theory was that the country was
their own culture and did not require the
economically self-sufficient and prosperous.
introduction of a new religion or civilization
from Spain.
Lessons

Fight for what you think is right.

Filipinos already had their own culture prior to

colonization

Filipinos are not inferior to other races

We must not be ashamed of being called "Indio",

despite all its negative connotations.

Filipinos must learn and pass down the truth about

Philippine History.

“To foretell the destiny of a nation, it is necessary to

open the book of stories that tells of his past and let its
seeds grow as inspirations… ” -Dr. Jose Rizal