Lesson 1

An Introduction to Philippine Historiography: Sources

and Discourses
 Group 1 Reporters

Jan Rexille Jhonas Miguel Dax Leander Lobusta

Quinicio Corcoro
 What to expect here?
• This presentation is simple, brief, and made with LOVE but it is understandable.
• We will give a soft copy of our presentation (PowerPoint Presentation) after the
discussion.
• The reporting will be online so we will not see your reactions, so we can
encourage you to tell us if we are talking fast or any problem you will see.
• The presentation will focus on the objectives of this study.
• “SUPPORTING ANOTHER PERSON’S SUCCESS WILL NEVER RUIN YOURS”
So Let’s Start!
 Objectives and Focus of the Study
• Define history.
• Differentiate history from historiography.
• Restate the sources of history.
• Analyze how historians write a history.
• Recall some Filipino historians and their contributions to
historiography.
 Trivia!
• Doctrina Christiana is the first published work or
printed book in the Philippines by Fray Juan de
Plasencia.
 What does history means?
• It deals with the study of the past. It is a report that record and explains
past events. It is based on the interpretation of evidence.
• It is the past events, memory, discovery, and presentation of these events.

• HISTORIANS – they are the individuals who are studying and

interpreting the past.
• “But whose past are we talking about?”.
 Wh- Questions that we can see in a written
report about history
• What happened before?
• Who are the involve people?
• When did it happen?
• Where did it happen?
• Why this happened?
• How did it happen?
• Example: Martial Law in the Philippines.
 TRIVIA!

Historia is the Greek word of “History” meaning

knowledge acquired by investigation.
 History vs. Historiography
History Historiography
Study of Historical Writing
“The history of history”
Study of how history was written, by
Study of the Past whom, and why it is was recorded as
such.
It covers how historians have studied that
topic using their ways, sources and
techniques.
 Historical Writing
• MEANING: the writing of history
• PURPOSE: to give meaning and impart value to something like particular people about
their past.
TWO TYPES
• Traditional Method – focuses on gathering of documents from different libraries in
making a descriptive or analytical narrative.
• Modern Historical Writing – it does not include examination of documents but from
related areas study such as archaeology and geography.
 TRIVIA!
• Teodoro Agoncillo is the Father of New
Philippine Historiography.
 Sources of History
1. Documentary sources. – to date, most of our historical sources are these.

2. Archaeological records.

3. Oral and video accounts.

 Documentary Sources
• Handwritten, printed, drawn, designed and other documentary sources.
• BOOKS & NEWSPAPERS
• MAGAZINES & JOURNALS
• MAPS & ARCHITECTURAL PERSPECTIVES
• PAINTINGS, ADVERTISEMENTS & PHOTOGRAPHS
• GOVERNMENT REPORTS & LEGAL DOCUMENTS
 Archaeological Records
1. Human remains.

2. Fossils - remains of animals, plants, and other organisms from the past.

3. Artifacts – material culture such as clothing, farm implements, jewelry,

pottery, and stone tools.
Tabon Man’s skullcap Callao Man’s toe bone
 Oral and Video Accounts

Audio-visual documentation of people, events, and places that

are recorded in cassettes and compact discs.
Documents Archaeological Oral/Video
 TRIVIA!

Herodotus is the Father of History.

 2 kinds of Historical Sources
1. Primary sources – these are the documents, physical objects, and oral/video
accounts present at the time and place being described that provide facts
from people who actually witnesses it. But many documents have primary
and secondary segments, so examining is a must.

2. Secondary Sources – these are materials made by people long after the
events being described had taken place. Examples are textbooks,
biographies, encyclopedia, and journal articles written by other historian.
Primary Secondary
 Difference of Primary and Secondary Sources

PRIMARY SECONDARY
• Present information on original form. • Present information written by
• It’s users gains more knowledge and someone from the original.
clarity.
• It’s users gains more context and
• Free from misinterpretation. meaning.
• In debate over interpretation of the • It allows quick comparison of
past, it provide a neutral perspective.
different sources of information.
 How do you tell if a source is primary or
secondary?

A primary source gives you direct access to subject of your research.

Secondary sources provide second-hand information and commentary from
other researchers. A secondary source describes, interprets, or synthesizes
primary sources.
 Locating Primary Sources
• National Library like captured documents of Emilio Aguinaldo’s
revolutionary government.
• National Archives like substantial collections of catalogued and uncatalogued
Spanish documents about Philippine composed from 1552 to 1900.
• Academic institutions like UP Diliman have also substantial library.
• Privately owned museums and archives like Ayala Museum.
• Religions congregations such as Augustinians and Dominicans have too.
 TRIVIA!
The black flag with the skull and cross bones was
called “Llanera’s skull” by Andres Bonifacio.
 How do historians write history
• Historians gather information about a subject using the primary sources that will be
a fact and write what they have learned from their study.
• Historians look for facts and evidence in their primary and secondary sources before
making a judgment or conclusion.
• Segments of the evidence relating to the sources are gathered, examined, and
analyzed.
• Historians can write history and search clues using primary and secondary sources
to compare things and make a clear point in writing history.
• Can a historian write history without any sources? NO.
 Some Filipino Historians
• A father-daughter tandem who
compiled and translated colonial
documents.
• They also published the 10 volume
Documentary Sources of Philippine
History (1994).
• Mr. Zaide authored 67 books and some
of it became a textbook in our country.
GREGORIO ZAIDE and SONIA ZAIDE
 Some Filipino Historians
• He was included in 1985 in the roster of the
Order of National Scientist by Pres. Marcos
for his contribution to Philippine History.
• 2 of his celebrated books: The Revolt of the
Masses: The story of Bonifacio and the
Katipunan (1956) and Malolos: The Crisis of
the Republic (1960).

TEODORO AGONCILLO • His works are considered essential to the

study of Philippine History.
 Some Filipino Historians
• He was the first Filipino historian and
scholar who taught us to reexamine our
colonial history, to correct it and to learn
from the past.
• He authored The Philippines: A Past
Revisited (textbook) that provides a more
critical reading of Philippine History than
RENATO CONSTANTINO Agoncillo’s work.
• They inspired and challenged other
historians to reevaluate our national history.
 Some Filipino Historians
• He wrote Pasyon and Revolution: Popular
Movements in the Philippines. In this work, he
attempted to recognize the way of thinking of
ordinary folks by using alternative sources
such as folk songs and prayers.
• His works gives new interpretation of common
topics such as Jose Rizal, Philippine-American
REYNALDO ILETO
war, and American colonization.
 Some Filipino Historians
• He conceptualized “Pantayong Pananaw” as
an approach to understanding the past from
our traditions, myths, and language.
• He encouraged other scholars to conduct
outstanding historical researches in Filipino.
• He is the proponent of Pantayong Pananaw, a
self reflective view in the study of Philippine
ZEUS SALAZAR history.
 Some Filipino Historians
• He is remembered for mainstreaming the role and
relevance of Filipino Muslim’s in the country’s
national history.
• His work, “The Filipino Muslim Armed Struggle”
sought to examine the struggle of Filipino Muslims
during the American colonial regime.
• His work, “A history of the Philippines” briefly
describes the human history and culture of the
SAMUEL TAN
Philippines.
SUMMARY
 Define History

It deals with the study of the past events.

Differentiate History from Historiography

History Historiography
Study of Historical Writing
“The history of history”
Study of how history was written, by
Study of the Past whom, and why it is was recorded as
such.
It covers how historians have studied that
topic using their ways, sources and
techniques.
 Sources of History
Primary Sources Secondary Sources
1. Documents such as letters, journals, • Made by people after the events
and maps. being described had taken place.
2. Archaeological records such as Such as:
human remains, fossils, and artifacts.
1. Textbooks
3. Oral and video account such as
documentation of people and events
2. Biographies
3. Newspaper editorial pieces
 How do historians write a history

HISTORIANS CHECK THE EVIDENCE IN PRIMARY

SOURCES AND COMPARE IT TO SOURCES THAT ARE
RELIABLE. THEN, THEY LOOK AT SECONDARY SOURCES
THAT EXPRESS DIFFERENT POV TO GET A CLEARER
IDEA OF WHAT HAPPENED.
 Filipino Historians
• Gregorio Zaide and Sonia Zaide
• Teodoro Agoncillo
• Renato Constantino
• Reynaldo Ileto
• Zeus Salazar
• Samuel Tan
THANK YOU!