AMANDO COPE COLLEGE

A.A. Berces St., Baranghawon, Tabaco City

Albay Philippines 4511

READINGS IN
PHILIPPINE
HISTORY

Prelim Module and Activity

Manual

____________________________________________________________________________________

Name of Student

____________________________________________________________________________________
Course and Year Level

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GE 2- READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (SESOR, MARIFE B.)
 READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY
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 on the document. The discussion 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 they will become versatile, articulate, broad-minded,
morally upright and responsible citizens. (CMO No. 20, s. 2013)
Learning Objectives:
1. To understand the meaning of history as an academic discipline and to be
familiar with the underlying philosophy and methodology of the discipline
2. To appreciate the importance of history in the social and national life of the
Philippines
3. To familiarize oneself with the primary documents in different historical periods
of the Philippines

This chapter introduces history as a discipline and as a narrative. It presents the

definition of the history, which transcends the common definition of history as the
study of the past. This chapter also discusses several issues in history that consequently
opens up for the theoretical aspects of the discipline. The distinction between primary
and secondary sources is also discussed in relation to the historical subject matter being
studied and the historical methodology employed by the historian. Ultimately, this
chapter also tackles the task of the historian as the arbiter of facts and evidences in
making his interpretation and forming historical narrative.

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GE 2- READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (SESOR, MARIFE B.)
 INTRODUCTION

Reforms to the basic education system of the Philippines have resulted into the
introduction of the K to 12 program, a much needed development since the Philippines
has been the last country in Asia with a 10-year pre-university cycle. Globally, the
accepted span of basic education is 12 years, and it is recognized as the standard for
students and professionals.

With the lengthening of basic education, there is a need for higher education
institutions to respond with the same enthusiasm in reforming their respective course
offerings and programs. The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) approved the
New General Education (GE) Program, which aims to restructure the old GE program
in higher education institutions to respond to the challenges of the times. It is geared
toward the holistic development of the person in overlapping realms of the individual,
the Filipino community, and the global community.

It is in these realities that the General Education course Readings in Philippine

History is situated, with the course description “Philippine history viewed from the lens
of selected primary sources in different periods, analysis, and interpretations.” The
focus of the course is to develop historiographical skills connected to context and
content analysis, applying both analytical strategies in themes and topics across the
Philippine past. Primary sources will be the ultimate bridge between the past and the
present, allowing spaces for students to simply not parrot facts about the past but to
gain knowledge that can be used in proposing solutions to the problems of today.

The use of primary sources in studying about the past connects the history
learner to the text producers themselves, allowing for a richer experience of
understanding and appreciation. However, the use of primary sources for those who
lack the sufficient training and knowledge could also be disastrous, and may be a
source of misunderstanding and alienation to the events of the past.

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GE 2- READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (SESOR, MARIFE B.)
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY AND CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF SELECTED
PRIMARY SOURCES IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

Lesson 1: DEFINITION OF HISTORY

History was derived from the Greek word “historia” which means knowledge acquired through
inquiry or investigation. History as a discipline existed for around 2, 400 years and is as old as
mathematics and philosophy. This term was then adapted to classical Latin where it acquired a new
definition. Historia became known as the account of the past of a person or a group of people through
written documents and historical evidences. That meaning stuck until the early parts of the twentieth
century. History became an important academic discipline. It became the historian’s duty to write about
the lives of important individuals like monarchs, heroes, saints, and nobilities. History was also focused
on writing about wars, revolutions and other important breakthroughs.

No document, no history

It means that unless a written document can prove a certain historical event, then it cannot be
considered as a historical fact.

But as any other academic disciplines, history progressed and opened up to the possibility of
valid historical sources, which were not limited to written documents like:

Some Valid Historical Documents

1. Government Records
2. Chronicle’s Account
3. Personal Letters
4. Receipts, etc.

Discrimination in the Validity of History

 Restricting historical evidence as exclusively written is a discrimination against other social

classes who were not recorded in paper.
 Others got their historical documents burned and destroyed in the events of war or colonization

Think about these questions:

1. What is history?
2. Why study history?
3. And history for whom?

HISTORIOGRAPHY

 The history of history

 It covers how historians have studied and developed history including its sources, techniques
and theoretical approaches

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GE 2- READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (SESOR, MARIFE B.)
  It should not be confused with History because history is the study of the past, the events that
happened in the past.
 It focuses on how a certain historical text was written, who wrote it, what was the context of its
publication, what historical method was employed, what sources were used.

POSITIVISM

 The school of thought that emerged between the 18th and 19th century. This thought requires
empirical and observable evidence before one can claim that a particular knowledge is true.
 Historians were required to show written primary documents in order to write a particular
historical narrative.

As a narrative, any history that has been taught and written is always intended for a certain group of
audience. When the ilustrados, like Jose Rizal, Isabelo de los Reyes and Pedro Paterno wrote history, they
intended it for the Spaniards so that they would realize that Filipinos are people of their own intellect and
culture.

When American historians depicted the Filipino people as uncivilized in their publication, they
intended that narrative for their fellow Americans to justify their colonization of the islands. They wanted
the colonization to appear not as a means of undermining the Philippines’ sovereignty, but as a civilizing
mission to fulfill what they called as the “white man’s burden”.

POST-COLONIALISM

 The school of thought that emerged in the early 20th century when formerly colonized nations
grappled with the idea of creating their identities and understanding their societies against the
shadows of their colonial past.
o Two Things in Writing History
1. Tell the history of their nation that will highlight their identity free from that
colonial discourse and knowledge
2. To criticize the methods, effects, and idea of colonialism

One of the problems confronted by history is the accusation that the history is always written by
victors. This connotes that the narrative of the past is always written from the bias of the powerful and
the more dominant player.

For instance, the history of the Second World War in the Philippines always depicts the United
States as the hero and the Imperial Japanese Army as the oppressors. Filipinos who collaborated with the
Japanese were lumped in the category of traitors or collaborators. However, a more thorough historical
investigation will reveal a more nuanced account of the history of that period instead of a simplified
narrative as a story of hero versus villain.

HISTORY AND THE HISTORIAN

 Facts cannot speak for themselves. It is the historian’s job not just to seek historical evidences and
facts but also to interpret them. It is their job to give meaning to these facts and organize them
into timeline, establish causes and write history.

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GE 2- READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (SESOR, MARIFE B.)
  It comprises certain techniques and rules that historians follow in order to properly utilize
sources and historical evidences in writing history.

The Annales School of History is a school of history born in France that challenged the canons
of history. This school of thought did away with the common historical subjects that were almost always
related to the conduct of states and monarchs. For example, Annales scholars studied longer history of
peasantry, the history of medicine, or even the history of environment. The history from below was
pioneered by the same scholars. They advocated that the people and classes who were not reflected in
the history of the society in the grand manner be provided with space in the records of mankind. In
doing this, Annales thinkers married history with other disciplines like geography, anthropology,
archeology and linguistics.

For example, if a historian chooses to use an oral account as his data in studying the ethnic history of
the Ifugaos in the Cordilleras during the American Occupations, he needs to validate the claims of his
informant through comparing and corroborating it with written sources. Therefore, while bias is
inevitable, the historian can balance this out by relying to evidences that back up his claim. In this sense,
the historian need not let his bias blind his judgment and such bias is only acceptable if he maintains his
rigor as a researcher.

HISTORICAL SOURCES

Two classifications:

1. Primary Sources
 Sources produced at the same time as the event, period, or subject being studied. For
example, if a historian wishes to study the Commonwealth Constitutions Convention of
1935, his primary sources can include the minutes of the convention, newspaper
clippings, Philippine Commission reports of the U.S. Commissioners, records of the
convention, the draft of the Constitution and even photographs of the event.
2. Secondary Sources
 Sources produced by an author who used primary sources to produce the material. In
other words, secondary sources are historical sources, which studied a certain historical
subject. For example, on the subject of Philippine Revolution of 1896, students can read
Teodoro Agoncillo’s Revolt of the Masses: The Story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan
published originally 1956. The Philippine Revolution happened in the last years of the
nineteenth century while Agoncillo published his work in 1956, which makes the Revolt
of the Masses a secondary source. More than this, in writing the book, Agoncillo used
primary sources with his research like documents of the Katipunan, interview with the
veterans of the Revolution and correspondence between and among Katipuneros.

When examining a source, the historian must conduct:

 External Criticism
o The practice of verifying the authenticity of evidence by examining the physical
characteristic of the time when it was produced and the materials used for the evidence
Examples: quality of the paper
the type of the ink
the language and words used in the material

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GE 2- READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (SESOR, MARIFE B.)
  Internal Criticism
o The examination of the truthfulness and factuality of the evidence. It looks at the content
of the source and examines the circumstance of its production. It could be done by
looking at the author, its context, agenda, the purpose behind its creation
For example: Japanese reports and declarations during the period of the war should
not be taken as historical fact hastily. Internal criticism entails that the historian
acknowledge and analyze how such reports can be manipulated to be used as war
propaganda.

Deception Cases in Philippine History

 Hoax Code of Kalantiaw

The code was as set of rules contained in an epic, Maragtas, which was allegedly written by a certain
Datu Kalantiaw. The document was sold to the National Library and was regarded as an important
precolonial document until 1968, when American historian William Henry Scott debunked the
authenticity of the code due to anachronism and lack of evidence to prove that the code existed in the
precolonial Philippine society.

 Ferdinand Marcos as WWII Soldier

This was widely believed by students of history and Marcos had war medals to show. This claim was
disproven when historian counterchecked Marco’s claims with the war records of the United States.
These cases prove how deceptions can propagate without rigorous historical research.

The task of the historian is to look at the available historical sources and select the most relevant and
meaning for history and for the subject matter that he is studying. History, like other academic discipline,
has come a long way but still has a lot of remaining tasks to do. It does not claim to render absolute and
exact judgment because as long as questions are continuously asked, and as long as time unfolds, the
study of the history can never be complete. The task of the historian is to organize the past that is being
created so that it can offer lessons for nations, societies and civilization. It is the historian’s job to seek for
the meaning of recovering the past to let the people see the continuing relevance of provenance, memory,
remembering and historical understanding for both the present and the future.

Philippine historiography underwent several changes since the precolonial period until the present.
Ancient Filipinos narrated their history through communal songs and epics that they passed orally from
generation to another. When the Spaniards came, their chroniclers started recording their observations
through written accounts. The perspective of historical writing and inquiry also shifted. The Spanish
colonizers narrated the history of their colony in a bipartite view. They saw the age before colonization
as a dark period in the history of the islands, until they brought light through Western thought and
Christianity. Early nationalist refuted this perspective and argued the tripartite view. They saw the
precolonial society as a luminous age that ended with darkness when colonizers captured their freedom.
They believed that the light would come again once the colonizers were evicted from the Philippines.
Filipino historian Zeus Salazar introduced the new guiding philosophy for writing and teaching history:
pantayong pananaw (for us-from us perspective). This perspective highlights the importance of facilitating
an internal conversation and discourse among Filipinos about our own history, using the language that
is understood by everyone.

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GE 2- READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (SESOR, MARIFE B.)
Activity 1

Name: _______________________________________________ Date: _________________

Year Level: __________________

TRUE OR FALSE. Write true if the statement is true. Otherwise, write false in the space provided.

_______ 1. History is the study of the past.

_______ 2. Historical sources that were not written should not be used in writing history.

_______ 3. The subject of historiography is history itself.

_______ 4. History has no use for the present, thus, the saying “past is past” is true.

_______ 5. History is limited to the story of a hero versus a villain.

_______ 6. Only primary sources may be used in writing history.

_______ 7. There are three types of sources: primary, secondary, and tertiary sources.

_______ 8. External criticism is done by examining the physical characteristics of a source.

_______9. Internal criticism is done by looking at a source’s quality of paper and type of ink, among
others.

_______10. The historians are the only source of history.

ELLABORATION: Give at least three scenarios in every source discovered as primary, secondary or
tertiary sources based it with the previous discussion and the output should be classified as the given
characteristics of the sources.

Type of Sources Definition Scenarios

Primary Source

Secondary

Tertiary

ESSAY: Using the examples of a primary source in this chapter, look for a primary source that is
visible in your school or at home. Discussed how it qualifies as a primary source and relate it on the life
history of the Philippines.

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GE 2- READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (SESOR, MARIFE B.)
LESSON 2: A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE VOYAGE AROUND THE WORLD BY MAGELLAN
BY ANTONIO PIGAFETTA

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.
Using primary sources in historical research entails two kinds of criticism. The first one is
EXTERNAL CRITICISM and the second is INTERNAL CRITICISM. EXTERNAL CRITICISM examines
the authenticity of the document or the evidence being used while INTERNAL CRITICISM examines the
truthfulness of the content of the evidence.
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. 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
Lapu-lapu’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 pre-colonial period, but also on how the fresh eys 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 the history need to realize that primary sources used in
the subsequent written histories depart from certain perspectives.

Who is Antonio Pigafetta?

 Famous Italian traveller born in Vicenza around 1490 and died in the same city in 1534, who is
also known by the name of Antonio Lombardo or Francisco Antonio Pigafetta. Initially linked
to the order of Rhodes, which was Knight, went to Spain in1519, accompanied by the
Monsignor Francisco Chiericato, and was made available from Carlos V to promote the
company initiated by the Catholic Monarchs in the Atlantic. Soon he became a great
friendship with Magallaned, who accompanied, together with Juan Sebastian Elcano, in the
famous expedition to the Moluccas begun in August of 1519 and finished in September 1522.
 He was wounded at the battle of the island of Cebu (Philippines) in which Magellan found
dead. The output of Seville made it aboard of the Trinity; the return, along with a handful of
survivors (17 of the 239 who left this adventure), in victory, ship that entered in Sanlucar de
Barrameda on September 6, the designated year. In the last years of his life, he traveled by
land from France to finally return to Italy in 1523. He wrote the relation of that trip, which was
the first around the world, Italian and with the title of Relazioni in lathe to the primo viaggio
di circumnavigazone. Notizia del mondo Nuovo with figure you dei paesi scorperti, which
was published posthumously, in 1536.
 The account of Pigafetta is the single most important source about the voyages of
circumnavigation, despite its tendency to include fabulous details. He took notes daily, as he
mentioned when he realizes his surprise at Spain and see that he had lost a day (due to its
driving direction). Includes descriptions of numerous animals, including sharks, the Storm
petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus), the pink spoonbill and the Phylium orthoptera, an insect
similar to a sheet. Pigafetta captured a copy of the latter near Borneo and kept it in a box,
believing a moving blade that lived in the air. His report is rich in ethnographic details. He
practiced as an interpreter and came to develop, at least in two Indonesian dialects.

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GE 2- READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (SESOR, MARIFE B.)
  In Pigafetta’s account, their fleet reached what he called the LADRONES ISLANDS or the
“Islands of the Thieves”.

He encountered:

“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 call these three islands of the Ladrones Islands.”

 Presently known as the Marianas Islands

 Ten days after they have reached Ladrones Islands, Pigafetta reported that they have what he
called the Isle of Zamal, now Samar but Magellan decided to land in another uninhabited island
for greater security where they could rest for few days.
 On 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.
 Pigafetta detailed in amazement and fascination the palm tree which bore fruits called cochos
and wine.
 He 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 he referred to as the “Watering place of Good Signs” for it is in this place that
they found the first signs of gold in the island. The named the island together with nearby island
as the archipelago of St. Lazarus.
 On March 25th, Pigafetta recounted that they saw two balanghai (balangay), a long boat full of
people in Mazzava/ Mazaus. The leader whom he referred to the king became closely bonded
with Magellan as they both exchanged gifts to one another.
 After a few days, Magellan was introduces to the king’s brother who was also a king of another
island where Pigafetta reported that they saw mines of gold. The gold was abundant that parts of
the ship and of the house of the king were made of gold. This king was named Raia Calambu,
king of Zuluan and Calagan (Butuab and Caragua), and the first king was Raia Siagu.
 On March 31st (Easter Sunday), Magellan ordered the chaplain to preside a Mass by the shore.
The king heard about this plan and sent two dead pigs and attended the Mass with the other
king. Pigafetta then wrote:

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GE 2- READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (SESOR, MARIFE B.)
 “…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.”

 This was the first mass in the Philippines, and the cross would be famed Magellan’s Cross which
is still preserved at present day. This was the same cross which Magellan explained to the kings
as a sign of his emperor who ordered him to plan it in the places where he would reach and
further explained that once other Spaniards saw this cross, then they would know that they had
been in this island and would not cause those troubles.
 By April 7th, Magellan and his men reached the port of Zzubu (Cebu) with the help of Raia
Calambu who offered to pilot them in going to the island. The kind of Cebu demanded that they
pay tribute as it was customary but Magellan refused. 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.
 On April 14th, Magellan spoke to the kind 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.
After 8 days, all of the island’s inhabitant were already baptized.
 When the queen came to the mass one day, Magellan gave her an image of the Infant Jesus made
by Pigafetta himself.
 On 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 name Silapulapu
(Lapulapu). Magellan offered 3 boats instead and went to Mactan to fight the said chief.
 They numbered 49 in the total and the islanders of Mactan were estimated to number 1,500.
Magellan died in battle. He was pierced with a poison arrow in his right leg. The king of Cebu
who was baptized offered help but Magellan refused so that he could see how they fought.
 The kind also offered the people of Mactan gifts of any value and amount in exchange of
Magellan’s body but the chief refused and wanted to keep Magellan’s body as a memento of their
victory.
 Magellan’s men then elected Duarte Barbosa as the new captain.
 Pigafetta also accounted how Magellan’s slave and interpreter named Henry betrayed them and
told the king of Cebu that intended to leave as soon as possible. Henry and the king of Cebu
conspired and betrayed what was left of Magellan’s men. The king invited these men to
gathering where he said he would present the jewels that he would send for the King of Spain.
 Pigafetta was left on board the ship and was not able to join the 24 men who went to the
gathering because he was nursing his battle wounds.
 The natives had slain all the men except the interpreter and Juan Serrano who shouted at the men
on his ship to pay ransom so that he would be spared but he was left on the island for they
refused to go back to shore.
 The fleet abandoned Serrano and departed. 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 by historians who wished to
study the pre-colonial 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” pre-colonial

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GE 2- READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (SESOR, MARIFE B.)
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 produces. In the case of
Pigafetta, the reader needs to understand that he was a chronicler commissioned by the King of Spain to
accompany and documents a voyage intended to expand the Spanish empire. He was also noble descent
who came from a rich family in Italy. These attributed 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 voyages 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 others 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 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 on their 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, but understanding the context would reveal that spices were scarce in
Europe 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.

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Activity 2

Name: _______________________________________________ Date: _________________

Year Level: __________________

SKETCH THE MAP

 This is the time for mapping the circumnavigation of Ferdinand Magellan. Use your own legends on
citing at least ten important places, events and people during his whole expedition. Explain why they
are important and give a brief description for every given citation.

Magellan’s Expedition

 Imagine that you are Magellan, writing in your own journal on your expedition from Spain to the
Pacific Ocean. Write a paragraph from Magellan’s point of view, describing details like sights and
sounds on the boat as well as the experience of your whole expedition. Paragraphs should include at
least three places you’ve cited on the map above.

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GE 2- READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (SESOR, MARIFE B.)
 Lesson 3: 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.
 The two principle aims of the KKK as gathered from the
writings of Bonifacio:
1. Unity of Filipino people
2. Separation from Spain by means of revolution

 Rizal doubtless approved the first aim but refused to accept the second and this was the reason that
he refused to go along with the “Katipuneros” (soldiers of the Katipunan) and voluntarily surrendered
that leads him to prison and death.
 To achieve the unity of the Filipinos, propaganda work must be done and this was through massive
education and civic trainings of the Katipuneros. To that end, Bonifacio prepared his now well-
known Decalogue, and Jacinto his famous “Kartilya ng Katipunan” or the Primer of the Katipunan.

KARTILYA

 The Kartilya can be treated as the Katipunan’s Code of conduct which contains 14 rules that
instruct the way a Katipunero should behave.

TRANSLATED VERSION OF THE RULES IN KARTILYA

I. The life that is not consecrated to a lofty and responsible 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 virtue.
III. It is rational to be charitable and love one’s fellow creature, 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: 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.

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GE 2- READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (SESOR, MARIFE B.)
 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 penalties of life; her (physical) weakness will increase thy interest in her and she will
remind thee of the mother who bore thee and 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, 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 oppresses, 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.

Guide Questions:

1. Who is the first supremo of the Katipunan? How did he handled being the leader of the revolt?
2. What is your stand in this statement, “Rizal’s pen was mightier than Bonifacio’s sword”? Support
your claim.
3. Some says Bonifacio was a poor leader who lost most of the battles he led. Are you agree or
disagree on this? Explain your answer.

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GE 2- READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (SESOR, MARIFE B.)