UNIT 9

ANNOTATIONS OF MORGA’S “SUCESOS DE LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS” AND OTHER WRITINGS

LEARNING OUTCOMES: The learners are expected to:

• Analyze Rizal’s ideas on how to rewrite Philippine history

• Compare and contrast Rizal and Morga’s different views about Filipinos and Philippine culture

LEARNING CONTENT:

RIZAL’S ANNOTATIONS TO MORGA’S SUCESOS DE LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS

To The Filipinos: In Noli Me Tangere I started to sketch the present state of our native land. But the
effect which my effort produced made me realize that, before attempting to unroll before your eyes the
other pictures which were to follow, it was necessary first to post you on the past. So only can you fairly
judge the present and estimate how much progress has been made during the three centuries of
Spanish rule.

Like almost all of you, I was born and brought up in ignorance of our country's past and so, without
knowledge or authority to speak of what I neither saw nor have studied, I deem it necessary to quote
the testimony of an illustrious Spaniard who in the beginning of the new era controlled the destinies of
the Philippines and had personal knowledge of our ancient nationality in its last days.

It is then the shade of our ancestor's civilization which the author will call before you... If the work
serves to awaken in you a consciousness of our past, and to blot from your memory or to rectify what
has been falsified or is calumny, then I shall not have labored in vain. With this preparation, slight
though it be, we can all pass to the study of the future.

Governor Antonio de Morga was not only the first to write but also the first to publish a Philippine
history. This statement has regard to the concise and concrete form in which our author has treated the
matter. Father Chirino's work, printed at Rome in 1604, is rather a chronicle of the Missions than a
history of the Philippines; still it contains a great deal of valuable material on usages and customs. The
worthy Jesuit in fact admits that he abandoned writing a political history because Morga had already
done so, so one must infer that he had seen the work in manuscript before leaving the Islands.

•By the Christian religion, Doctor Morga appears to mean the Roman Catholic which by fire and sword
he would preserve in its purity in the Philippines. Nevertheless, in other lands, notably in Flanders, these
means were ineffective to keep the church unchanged, or to maintain its supremacy, or even to hold its
subjects.

•Great kingdoms were indeed discovered and conquered in the remote and unknown parts of the world
by Spanish ships but to the Spaniards who sailed in them we may add Portuguese, Italians, French,
Greeks, and even Africans and Polynesians. The expeditions captained by Columbus and Magellan, one a
Genoese Italian and the other a Portuguese, as well as those that came after them, although Spanish
fleets, still were manned by many nationalities and in them went negroes, Moluccans, and even men
from the Philippines and the Marianas Islands.

•Three centuries ago it was the custom to write as intolerantly as Morga does, but nowadays it would
be called a bit presumptuous. No one has a monopoly of the true God nor is there any nation or religion
that can claim, or at any rate prove, that to it has been given the exclusive right to the Creator of all
things or sole knowledge of His real being.

•The conversions by the Spaniards were not as general as their historians claim. The missionaries only
succeeded in converting a part of the people of the Philippines. Still there are Mohamedans, the Moros,
in the southern islands, and negritos, igorots and other heathens yet occupy the greater part territorially
of the archipelago. Then the islands which the Spaniards early held but soon lost are non-Christian-
Formosa, Borneo, and the Moluccas. And if there are Christians in the Carolines, that is due to
Protestants, whom neither the Roman Catholics of Morga's day nor many Catholics in our own day
consider Christians.

•It is not the fact that the Filipinos were unprotected before the coming of the Spaniards. Morga himself
says, further on in telling of the pirate raids from the south, that previous to the Spanish domination the
islands had arms and defended themselves. But after the natives were disarmed the pirates pillaged
them with impunity, coming at times when they were unprotected by the government, which was the
reason for many of the insurrections.

•The civilization of the Pre-Spanish Filipinos in regard to the duties of life for that age was well
advanced, as the Morga history shows in its eighth chapter.

•The islands came under Spanish sovereignty and control through compacts, treaties of friendship and
alliances for reciprocity. By virtue of the last arrangement, according to some historians, Magellan lost
his life on Mactan and the soldiers of Legaspi fought under the banner of King Tupas of Cebu.

•The term "conquest" is admissible but for a part of the islands and then only in its broadest sense.
Cebu, Panay, Luzon Mindoro and some others cannot be said to have been conquered.

•The discovery, conquest and conversion cost Spanish blood but still more Filipino blood. It will be seen
later on in Morga that with the Spaniards and on behalf of Spain there were always more Filipinos
fighting than Spaniards.

•Morga shows that the ancient Filipinos had army and navy with artillery and other implements of
warfare. Their prized krises and kampilans for their magnificent temper are worthy of admiration and
some of them are richly damascened. Their coats of mail and helmets, of which there are specimens in
various European museums, attest their great advancement in this industry.

•Morga's expression that the Spaniards "brought war to the gates of the Filipinos" is in marked contrast
with the word used by subsequent historians whenever recording Spain's possessing herself of a
province, that she pacified it. Perhaps "to make peace" then meant the same as "to stir up war."

Magellan's transferring from the service of his own king to employment under the King of Spain,
according to historic documents, was because the Portuguese King had refused to grant him the raise in
salary which he asked.

•Now it is known that Magellan was mistaken when he represented to the King of Spain that the
Molucca Islands were within the limits assigned by the Pope to the Spaniards. But through this error and
the inaccuracy of the nautical instruments of that time, the Philippines did not fall into the hands of the
Portuguese.
•Cebu, which Morga calls "The City of the Most Holy Name of Jesus," was at first called "The village of
San Miguel."

•The image of the Holy Child of Cebu, which many religious writers believed was brought to Cebu by the
angels, was in fact given by the worthy Italian chronicler of Magellan's expedition, the Chevalier
Pigafetta, to the Cebuano queen.

•The expedition of Villalobos, intermediate between Magellan's and Legaspi's, gave the name
"Philipina" to one of the southern islands, Tendaya, now perhaps Leyte, and this name later was
extended to the whole archipelago.

•Of the native Manila rulers at the coming of the Spaniards, Raja Soliman was called "Rahang mura", or
young king, in distinction from the old king, "Rahang matanda". Historians have confused these
personages. The native fort at the mouth of the Pasig river, which Morga speaks of as equipped with
brass lantakas and artillery of larger caliber, had its ramparts reinforced with thick hardwood posts such
as the Tagalogs used for their houses and called "harigues", or "haligui".

•Morga has evidently confused the pacific coming of Legaspi with the attack of Goiti and Salcedo, as to
date. According to other historians it was in 1570 that Manila was burned, and with it a great plant for
manufacturing artillery. Goiti did not take possession of the city but withdrew to Cavite and afterwards
to Panay, which makes one suspicious of his alleged victory. As to the day of the date, the Spaniards
then, having come following the course of the sun, were some sixteen hours later than Europe. This
condition continued till the end of the year 1844, when the 31st of December was by special
arrangement among the authorities dropped from the calendar for that year. Accordingly, Legaspi did
not arrive in Manila on the 19th but on the 20th of May and consequently it was not on the festival of
Santa Potenciana but on San Baudelio's day. The same mistake was made with reference to the other
early events still wrongly commemorated, like San Andres' day for the repulse of the Chinese corsair Li
Ma-hong.

•Though not mentioned by Morga, the Cebuans aided the Spaniards in their expedition against Manila,
for which reason they were long exempted from tribute.

•The southern islands, the Bisayas, were also called "The land of the Painted People" (or Pintados, in
Spanish) because the natives had their bodies decorated with tracings made with fire, somewhat like
tattooing.

•The Spaniards retained the native name for the new capital of the archipelago, a little changed,
however, for the Tagalogs had called their city "Maynila."

•When Morga says that the lands were "entrusted" (given as encomiendas) to those who had "pacified"
them, he means "divided up among." The word "entrust," like "pacify," later came to have a sort of
ironical signification. To entrust a province was then as if it were said that it was turned over to sack,
abandoned to the cruelty and covetousness of the encomendero, to judge from the way this gentry
misbehaved.

•Legaspi's grandson, Salcedo, called the Hernando Cortez of the Philippines, was the "conqueror's"
intelligent right arm and the hero of the "conquest." His honesty and fine qualities, talent and personal
bravery, all won the admiration of the Filipinos. Because of him they yielded to their enemies, making
peace and friendship with the Spaniards. He it was who saved Manila from Li Ma-hong. He died at the
early age of twenty-seven and is the only encomendero recorded to have left the great part of his
possessions to the Indians of his encomienda. Vigan was his encomienda and the Ilokanos there were his
heirs.

•The expedition which followed the Chinese corsair Li Ma-Hong, after his unsuccessful attack upon
Manila, to Pangasinan province, with the Spaniards of whom Morga tells, had in it 1,500 friendly Indians
from Cebu, Bohol, Leyte and Panay, besides the many others serving as laborers and crews of the ships.
Former Raja Lakandula, of Tondo, with his sons and his kinsmen went, too, with 200 more Bisayans and
they were joined by other Filipinos in Pangasinan.

•If discovery and occupation justify annexation, then Borneo ought to belong to Spain. In the Spanish
expedition to replace on its throne a Sirela or Malaela, as he is variously called, who had been driven out
by his brother, more than fifteen hundred Filipino bowmen from the provinces of Pangasinan, Cagayan,
and the Bisayas participated.

•It is notable how strictly the earlier Spanish governors were held to account. Some stayed in Manila as
prisoners, one, Governor Corcuera, passing five years with Fort Santiago as his prison.

•In the fruitless expedition against the Portuguese in the island of Ternate, in the Molucca group, which
was abandoned because of the prevalence of beriberi among the troops, there went 1,500 Filipino
soldiers from the more warlike provinces, principally Cagayan and Pampanga.

•The "pacification" of Cagayan was accomplished by taking advantage of the jealousies among its
people, particularly the rivalry between two brothers who were chiefs. An early historian asserts that
without this fortunate circumstance, for the Spaniards, it would have been impossible to subjugate
them.

•Captain Gabriel de Rivera, a Spanish commander who had gained fame in a raid on Borneo and the
Malacca coast, was the first envoy from the Philippines to take up with the King of Spain the needs of
the archipelago.

•The early conspiracy of the Manila and Pampanga former chiefs was revealed to the Spaniards by a
Filipina, the wife of a soldier, and many concerned lost their lives.

•The artillery cast for the new stone fort in Manila, says Morga, was by the hand of an ancient Filipino.
That is, he knew how to cast cannon even before the coming of the Spaniards, hence he was
distinguished as 4"ancient." In this difficult art of ironworking, as in so many others, the modern or
present-day Filipinos are not so far advanced as were their ancestors.

•When the English freebooter Cavendish captured the Mexican galleon Santa Ana, with 122,000 gold
pesos, a great quantity of rich textiles-silks, satins and damask, musk perfume, and stores of provisions,
he took 150 prisoners. All these because of their brave defense were put ashore with ample supplies,
except two Japanese lads, three Filipinos, a Portuguese and a skilled Spanish pilot whom he kept as
guides in his further voyaging.

•From the earliest Spanish days, ships were built in the islands, which might be considered evidence of
native culture. Nowadays this industry is reduced to small craft, scows and coasters.
•The Jesuit, Father Alonso Sanchez, who visited the papal court at Rome and the Spanish King at Madrid,
had a mission much like that of deputies now, but of even greater importance since he came to be a sort
of counsellor or representative to the absolute monarch of that epoch. One wonders why the
Philippines could have a representative then but may not have one now.

•In the time of Governor Gomez Perez Dasmariňas, Manila was guarded against further damage such as
was suffered from Li Ma-Hong by the construction of a massive stone wall around it. This was
accomplished "without expense to the royal treasury." The same governor, in like manner, also fortified
the point at the entrance to the river where had been the ancient native fort of wood, and he gave it the
name Fort Santiago.

•The early cathedral of wood which was burned through carelessness at the time of the funeral of
Governor Dasmariňas' predecessor, Governor Ronquillo, was made, according to the Jesuit historian
Chirino, with hardwood pillars around which two men could not reach, and in harmony with this
massiveness was all the woodwork above and below. It may be surmised from these how hard workers
were the Filipinos of that time.

•A stone house for the bishop was built before starting on the governor-general's residence. This
precedence is interesting for those who uphold the civil power. Morga's mention of the scant output of
large artillery from the Manila cannon works because of lack of master foundrymen shows that after the
death of the Filipino Panday Pira there were not Spaniards skilled enough to take his place, nor were his
sons as expert as he.

•It is worthy of note that China, Japan and Cambodia at this time maintained relations with the
Philippines. But in our day it has been more than a century since the natives of the latter two countries
have come here. The causes which ended the relationship may be found in the interference by the
religious orders with the institutions of those lands.

•For Governor Dasmariňas' expedition to conquer Ternate, in the Moluccan group, two Jesuits there
gave secret information. In his 200 ships, besides 900 Spaniards, there must have been Filipinos for one
chronicler speaks of Indians, as the Spaniards called the natives of the Philippines, who lost their lives
and others who were made captives when the Chinese rowers mutinied. It was the custom then always
to have a thousand or more native bowmen and besides the crew were almost all Filipinos, for the most
part Bisayans.

•The historian Argensola, in telling of four special galleys for Dasmariňas' expedition, says that they
were manned by an expedient which was generally considered rather harsh. It was ordered that there
be bought enough of the Indians who were slaves of the former Indian chiefs, or principales, to form
these crews, and the price, that which had been customary in pre-Spanish times, was to be advanced by
the encomenderos who later would be reimbursed from the royal treasury. In spite of this promised
compensation, the measures still seemed severe since those Filipinos were not correct in calling their
dependents slaves. The masters treated these, and loved them, like sons rather, for they seated them at
their own tables an gave them their own daughters in marriage.

•Morga says that the 250 Chinese oarsmen who manned Governor Dasmariňas’ swift galley were under
pay and had the special favor of not being chained to their benches. According to him it was
covetousness of the wealth aboard that led them to revolt and kill the governor. But the historian
Gaspar de San Agustin states that the reason for the revolt was the governor's abusive language and his
threatening the rowers. Both these authors' allegations may have contributed, but more important was
the fact that there was no law to compel these Chinamen to row in the galleys. They had come to
Manila to engage in commerce or to work in trades or to follow professions. Still the incident contradicts
the reputation for enduring everything which they have had. The Filipinos have been much more long-
suffering than the Chinese since, in spite of having been obliged to row on more than one occasion, they
never mutinied.

•It is difficult to excuse the missionaries' disregard of the laws of nations and the usages of honorable
politics in their interference in Cambodia on the ground that it was to spread the Faith. Religion had a
broad field awaiting it then in the Philippines where more than nine-tenths of the natives were infidels.
That even now there are to be found here so many tribes and settlements of non-Christians takes away
much of the prestige of that religious zeal which in the easy life in towns of wealth, liberal and fond of
display, grows lethargic. Truth is that the ancient activity was scarcely for the Faith alone, because the
missionaries had to go to islands rich in spices and gold though there were at hand Mohamedans and
Jews in Spain and Africa, Indians by the million in the Americas, and more millions of protestants,
schismatic and heretics peopled, and still people, over six-sevenths of Europe. All of these doubtless
would have accepted the Light and the true religion if the friars, under pretext of preaching to them, had
not abused their hospitality and if behind the name Religion had not lurked the unnamed Domination.

•In the attempt made by Rodriguez de Figueroa to conquer Mindanao according to his contract with the
King of Spain, there was fighting along the Rio Grande with the people called the Buhahayenes. Their
general, according to Argensola, was the celebrated Silonga, later distinguished for many deeds in raids
on the Bisayas and adjacent islands. Chirino relates an anecdote of his coolness under fire once during a
truce for a marriage among Mindanao "principalia." Young Spaniards out of bravado fired at his feet but
he passed on as if unconscious of the bullets.

•Argensola has preserved the name of the Filipino who killed Rodriguez de Figueroa. It was Ubal. Two
days previously he had given a banquet, slaying for it a beef animal of his own, and then made the
promise which he kept, to do away with the leader of the Spanish invaders. A Jesuit writer calls him a
traitor though the justification for that term of reproach is not apparent. The Buhahayen people were in
their own country, and had neither offended nor declared war upon the Spaniards. They had to defend
their homes against a powerful invader, with superior forces, many of whom were, by reason of their
armor, invulnerable so far as rude Indians were concerned. Yet these same Indians were defenseless
against the balls from their muskets. By the Jesuit's line of reasoning, the heroic Spanish peasantry in
their war for independence would have been a people even more treacherous. It was not Ubal's fault
that he was not seen and, as it was wartime, it would have been the height of folly, in view of the
immense disparity of arms, to have first called out to this preoccupied opponent, and then been killed
himself.

•The muskets used by the Buhahayens were probably some that had belonged to Figueroa's soldiers
who had died in battle. Though the Philippines had lantakas and other artillery, muskets were unknown
till the Spaniards came.

•That the Spaniards used the word "discover" very carelessly may be seen from an admiral's turning in a
report of his "discovery" of the Solomon Islands though he noted that the islands had been discovered
before.
•Death has always been the first sign of European civilization on its introduction in the Pacific Ocean.
God grant that it may not be the last, though to judge by statistics the civilized islands are losing their
populations at a terrible rate. Magellan himself inaugurated his arrival in the Marianas islands by
burning more than forty houses, many small craft and seven people because one of his boats had been
stolen. Yet to the simple savages the act had nothing wrong in it but was done with the same
naturalness that civilized people hunt, fish, and subjugate people that are weak or ill-armed.

•The Spanish historians of the Philippines never overlook any opportunity, be it suspicion or accident,
that may be twisted into something unfavorable to the Filipinos. They seem to forget that in almost
every case the reason for the rupture has been some act of those who were pretending to civilize
helpless peoples by force of arms and at the cost of their native land. What would these same writers
have said if the crimes committed by the Spaniards, the Portuguese and the Dutch in their colonies had
been committed by the islanders?

•The Japanese were not in error when they suspected the Spanish and Portuguese religious propaganda
to have political motives back of the missionary activities. Witness the Moluccas where Spanish
missionaries served as spies; Cambodia, which it was sought to conquer under cloak of converting; and
many other nations, among them the Filipinos, where the sacrament of baptism made of the inhabitants
not only subjects of the King of Spain but also slaves of the encomenderos, and as well slaves of the
churches and convents. What would Japan have been now had not its emperors uprooted Catholicism?
A missionary record of 1625 sets forth that the King of Spain had arranged with certain members of
Philippine religious orders that, under guise of preaching the faith and making Christians, they should
win over the Japanese and oblige them to make themselves of the Spanish party, and finally it told of a
plan whereby the King of Spain should become also King of Japan. In corroboration of this may be cited
the claims that Japan fell within the Pope's demarcation lines for Spanish expansion and so there was
complaint of missionaries other than Spanish there. Therefore, it was not for religion that they were
converting the infidels!

•The raid by Datus Sali and Silonga of Mindanao, in 1599 with 50 sailing vessels and 3,000 warriors,
against the capital of Panay, is the first act of piracy by the inhabitants of the South which is recorded in
Philippine history. I say "by the inhabitants of the South" because earlier there had been other acts of
piracy, the earliest being that of Magellan's expedition when it seized the shipping of friendly islands and
even of those whom they did not know, extorting for them heavy ransoms. It will be remembered that
these Moro piracies continued for more than two centuries, during which the indomitable sons of the
South made captives and carried fire and sword not only in neighboring islands but into Manila Bay to
Malate, to the very gates of the capital, and not once a year merely but at times repeating their raids
five and six times in a single season. Yet the government was unable to repel them or to defend the
people whom it had disarmed and left without protection. Estimating that the cost to the islands was
but 800 victims a year, still the total would be more than 200,000 persons sold into slavery or killed, all
sacrificed together with so many other things to the prestige of that empty title, Spanish sovereignty.

•Still the Spaniards say that the Filipinos have contributed nothing to Mother Spain, and that it is the
islands which owe everything. It may be so, but what about the enormous sum of gold which was taken
from the islands in the early years of Spanish rule, of the tributes collected by the encomenderos, of the
nine million dollars yearly collected to pay the military, expenses of the employees, diplomatic agents,
corporations and the like, charged to the Philippines, with salaries paid out of the Philippine treasury not
only for those who come to the Philippines but also for those who leave, to some who never have been
and never will be in the islands, as well as to others who have nothing to do with them. Yet all of this is
as nothing in comparison with so many captives gone, such a great number of soldiers killed in
expeditions, islands depopulated, their inhabitants sold as slaves by the Spaniards themselves, the death
of industry, the demoralization of the Filipinos, and so forth, and so forth. Enormous indeed would the
benefits which that sacred civilization brought to the archipelago have to be in order to counterbalance
so heavy a-cost.

•While Japan was preparing to invade the Philippines, these islands were sending expeditions to
Tonquin and Cambodia, leaving the homeland helpless even against the undisciplined hordes from the
South, so obsessed were the Spaniards with the idea of making conquests.

•In the alleged victory of Morga over the Dutch ships, the latter found upon the bodies of five Spaniards,
who lost their lives in that combat, little silver boxes filled with prayers and invocations to the saints.
Here would seem to be the origin of the anting-anting of the modern tulisanes, which are also of a
religious character.

•In Morga's time, the Philippines exported silk to Japan whence now comes the best quality of that
merchandise.

•Morga's views upon the failure of Governor Pedro de Acuna’s ambitious expedition against the Moros
unhappily still apply for the same conditions yet exist. For fear of uprisings and loss of Spain's
sovereignty over the islands, the inhabitants were disarmed, leaving them exposed to the harassing of a
powerful and dreaded enemy. Even now, though the use of steam vessels has put an end to piracy from
outside, the same fatal system still is followed. The peaceful countryfolk are deprived of arms and thus
made unable to defend themselves against the bandits, or tulisanes, which the government cannot
restrain. It is an encouragement to banditry thus to make easy its getting booty.

•Hernando de los Rios blames these Moluccan wars for the fact that at first the Philippines were a
source of expense to Spain instead of profitable in spite of the tremendous sacrifices of the Filipinos,
their practically gratuitous labor in building and equipping the galleons, and despite, too, the tribute,
tariffs and other imposts and monopolies. These wars to gain the Moluccas, which soon were lost
forever with the little that had been so laboriously obtained, were a heavy drain upon the Philippines.
They depopulated the country and bankrupted the treasury, with not the slightest compensating
benefit. True also is it that it was to gain the Moluccas that Spain kept the Philippines, the desire for the
rich spice islands being one of the most powerful arguments when, because of their expense to him, the
King thought of withdrawing and abandoning them.

•Among the Filipinos who aided the government when the Manila Chinese revolted, Argensola says
there were 4,000 Pampangans "armed after the way of their land, with bows and arrows, short lances,
shields, and broad and long daggers." Some Spanish writers say that the Japanese volunteers and the
Filipinos showed themselves cruel in slaughtering the Chinese refugees. This may very well have been
so, considering the hatred and rancor then existing, but those in command set the example.

•The loss of two Mexican galleons in 1603 called forth no comment from the religious chroniclers who
were accustomed to see the avenging hand of God in the misfortunes and accidents of their enemies.
Yet there were repeated shipwrecks of the vessels that carried from the Philippines wealth which
encomenderos had extorted from the Filipinos, using force, or making their own laws, and, when not
using these open means, cheating by the weights and measures.

•The Filipino chiefs who at their own expense went with the Spanish expedition against Ternate, in the
Moluccas, in 1605, were Don Guillermo Palaot, maestro de campo, and Captains Francisco Palaot, Juan
Lit, Luis Lont, and Agustin Lont. They had with them 400 Tagalogs and Kapampangans. The leaders bore
themselves bravely for Argensola writes that in the assault on Ternate, "No officer, Spaniard or Indian,
went unscathed."

•The Cebuanos drew a pattern on the skin before starting in to tattoo. The Bisayan usage then was the
same procedure that the Japanese today follow.

•Ancient traditions ascribe the origin of the Malay Filipinos to the island of Sumatra. These traditions
were almost completely lost as well as the mythology and the genealogies of which the early historians
tell, thanks to the zeal of the missionaries in eradicating all national remembrances as heathen or
idolatrous. The study of ethnology is restoring this somewhat.

•The chiefs used to wear upper garments, usually of Indian fine gauze according to Colin, of red color, a
shade for which they had the same fondness that the Romans had. The barbarous tribes in Mindanao
still have the same taste.

•The "easy virtue" of the native women that historians note is not solely attributable to the simplicity
with which they obeyed their natural instincts but much more due to a religious belief of which Father
Chirino tells. It was that in the journey after death to "Kalualhatian," the abode of the spirit, there was a
dangerous river to cross that had no bridge other than a very narrow strip of wood over which a woman
could not pass unless she had a husband or lover to extend a hand to assist her. Furthermore, the
religious annals of the early missions are filled with countless instances where native maidens chose
death rather than sacrifice their chastity to the threats and violence of encomenderos and Spanish
soldiers. As to the mercenary social evil, that is worldwide and there is no nation that can 'throw the
first stone' at any other. For the rest, today the Philippines has no reason to blush in comparing its
womankind with the women of the most chaste nation in the world.

•Morga's remark that the Filipinos like fish better when it is commencing to turn bad is another of those
prejudices which Spaniards like all other nations, have. In matters of food, each is nauseated with what
he is unaccustomed to or doesn't know is eatable. The English, for example, find their gorge rising when
they see a Spaniard eating snails, while in turn the Spanish find roast beef English-style repugnant and
can't understand the relish of other Europeans for beefsteak a la Tartar which to them is simply raw
meat. The Chinaman, who likes shark's meat, cannot bear Roquefort cheese, and these examples might
be indefinitely extended. The Filipinos' favorite fish dish is the bagoong and whoever has tried to eat it
knows that it is not considered improved when tainted. It neither is, nor ought to be, decayed.

•Colin says the ancient Filipinos had minstrels who had memorized songs telling their genealogies and of
the deeds ascribed to their deities. These were chanted on voyages in cadence with the rowing, or at
festivals, or funerals, or wherever there happened to be any considerable gatherings. It is regrettable
that these chants have not been preserved as from them it would have been possible to learn much of
the Filipinos' past and possibly of the history of neighboring islands.
•The cannon foundry mentioned by Morga as in the walled city was probably on the site of the Tagalog
one which was destroyed by fire on the first coming of the Spaniards. That established in 1584 was in
Lamayan, that is, Santa Ana now, and was transferred to the old site in 1590. It continued to work until
1805. According to Gaspar San Agustin, the cannon which the pre-Spanish Filipinos cast were "as great
as those of Malaga," Spain's foundry. The Filipino plant was burned with all that was in it save a dozen
large cannons and some smaller pieces which the Spanish invaders took back with them to Panay. The
rest of their artillery equipment had been thrown by the Manilans, then Moros, into the sea when they
recognized their defeat.

•Malate, better Maalat, was where the Tagalog aristocracy lived after they were dispossessed by the
Spaniards of their old homes in what is now the walled city of Manila. Among the Malate residents were
the families of Raja Matanda and Raja Soliman. The men had various positions in Manila and some were
employed in government work nearby. "They were very courteous and well-mannered," says San
Agustin. "The women were very expert in lacemaking, so much so that they were not at all behind the
women of Flanders."

•Morga's statement that there was not a province or town of the Filipinos that resisted conversion or
did not want it may have been true of the civilized natives. But the contrary was the fact among the
mountain tribes. We have the testimony of several Dominican and Augustinian missionaries that it was
impossible to go anywhere to make conversions without other Filipinos along and a guard of soldiers.
"Otherwise, says Gaspar de San Agustin, there would have been no fruit of the Evangelic Doctrine
gathered, for the infidels wanted to kill the Friars who came to preach to them." An example of this
method of conversion given by the same writer was a trip to the mountains by two Friars who had a
numerous escort of Pampangans. The escort's leader was Don Agustin Sonson who had a reputation for
daring and carried fire and sword into the country, killing many, including the chief, Kabadi.

•"The Spaniards, says Morga, were accustomed to hold as slaves such natives as they bought and others
that they took in the forays in the conquest or pacification of the islands." Consequently, in this respect
the "pacifiers" introduced no moral improvement. We even do not know if in their wars the Filipinos
used to make slaves of each other, though that would not have been strange, for the chroniclers tell of
captives returned to their own people. The practice of the Southern pirates almost proves this, although
in these piratical wars the Spaniards were the first aggressors and gave them their character.

Source: Rizal's Life and Minor Writings, pp. 310-331, Austin Craig, 1929, Translations were made by Mr.
Chas. E. Derbyshire for the author.

UNIT 13

• JOSE RIZAL AND THE PHILIPPINE NATIONALISM – BAYANI AND

KABAYANIHAN

LEARNING OUTCOMES: The learners are expected to:

• Examine the values highlighted by the various representations of Rizal as a national

symbol
• Advocate the values Rizal’s life encapsulates
LEARNING CONTENT:
A national hero of the Philippines is a Filipino who has been recognized as a national
hero for his or her role in the history of the Philippines. Loosely, the term may refer to all
Filipino historical figures recognized as heroes, but the term more strictly refers to those
officially designated as such. In 1995 the Philippine National Heroes Committee officially
recommended several people for the designation, but this was not acted upon. As of
2007, no one had ever been officially recognized as a Philippine national hero.
The reformist writer José Rizal, today generally considered the greatest Filipino hero and
often given as the Philippine national hero, has never been explicitly proclaimed as the
(or even a) national hero by the Philippine government. Besides Rizal, the only other
Filipinos currently given implied recognition as national hero such as revolutionary Andrés
Bonifacio. While other historical figures are commemorated in public municipal or
provincial holidays, Rizal and Bonifacio are commemorated in
public nationwide (national) holidays and thus are implied to be national heroes.

DR. JOSE P. RIZAL, PHILIPPINE NATIONAL HERO

Dr. José Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines, is not only admired for possessing
intellectual brilliance but also for taking a stand and resisting the Spanish colonial
government. While his death sparked a revolution to overthrow the tyranny, Rizal will
always be remembered for his compassion towards the Filipino people and the country.

Rizal had been very vocal against the Spanish government, but in a peaceful and
progressive manner. For him, “the pen was mightier than the sword.” And through his
writings, he exposed the corruption and wrongdoings of government officials as well as
the Spanish friars.

While in Barcelona, Rizal contributed essays, poems, allegories, and editorials to the
Spanish newspaper, La Solidaridad. Most of his writings, both in his essays and editorials,
centered on individual rights and freedom, specifically for the Filipino people. As part of
his reforms, he even called for the inclusion of the Philippines to become a province of
Spain.

But, among his best works, two novels stood out from the rest – Noli Me Tángere (Touch
Me Not) and El Filibusterismo (The Reign of the Greed).

In both novels, Rizal harshly criticized the Spanish colonial rule in the country and
exposed the ills of Philippine society at the time. And because he wrote about the
injustices and brutalities of the Spaniards in the country, the authorities banned Filipinos
from reading the controversial books. Yet they were not able to ban it completely. As more
Filipinos read the books, their eyes opened to the truth that they were suffering
unspeakable abuses at the hands of the friars. These two novels by Rizal, now considered
his literary masterpieces, are said to have indirectly sparked the Philippine Revolution.

Upon his return to the Philippines, Rizal formed a progressive organization called the La
Liga Filipina. This civic movement advocated social reforms through legal means. Now
Rizal was considered even more of a threat by the Spanish authorities (alongside his
novels and essays), which ultimately led to his exile in Dapitan in northern Mindanao.

This however did not stop him from continuing his plans for reform. While in Dapitan, Rizal
built a school, hospital, and water system. He also taught farming and worked on
agricultural projects such as using abaca to make ropes.

In 1896, Rizal was granted leave by then Governor-General Blanco, after volunteering to
travel to Cuba to serve as doctor to yellow fever victims. But at that time,
the Katipunan had a full-blown revolution and Rizal was accused of being associated with
the secret militant society. On his way to Cuba, he was arrested in Barcelona and sent
back to Manila to stand for trial before the court martial. Rizal was charged with sedition,
conspiracy, and rebellion – and therefore, sentenced to death by firing squad.

Days before his execution, Rizal bid farewell to his motherland and countrymen through
one of his final letters, entitled Mi Último Adiós or My Last Farewell. Dr. José Rizal was
executed on the morning of December 30, 1896, in what was then called Bagumbayan
(now referred to as Luneta). Upon hearing the command to shoot him, he faced the squad
and uttered in his final breath: “Consummatum est” (It is finished). According to historical
accounts, only one bullet ended the life of the Filipino martyr and hero.

After his death, the Philippine Revolution continued until 1898. And with the assistance
of the United States, the Philippines declared its independence from Spain on June 12,
1898. This was the time that the Philippine flag was waved at General Emilio Aguinaldo’s
residence in Kawit, Cavite.

Today, Dr. Rizal’s brilliance, compassion, courage, and patriotism are greatly
remembered and recognized by the Filipino people. His two novels are continuously being
analyzed by students and professionals.

Colleges and universities in the Philippines even require their students to take a subject
which centers around the life and works of Rizal. Every year, the Filipinos celebrate Rizal
Day – December 30 each year – to commemorate his life and works. Filipinos look back
at how his founding of La Liga Filipina and his two novels had an effect on the early
beginnings of the Philippine Revolution. The people also recognize his advocacy to
achieve liberty through peaceful means rather than violent revolution.
In honor of Rizal, memorials and statues of the national hero can be found not only within
the Philippines, but in selected cities around the world. A road in the Chanakyapuri area
of New Delhi (India) and in Medan, Indonesia is named after him. The José Rizal Bridge
and Rizal Park in the city of Seattle are also dedicated to the late hero.

Within the Philippines, there are streets, towns/cities, a university (Rizal University), and
a province named after him. Three species have also been named after Rizal – the Draco
rizali (a small lizard, known as a flying dragon), Apogania rizali (a very rare kind of beetle
with five horns) and the Rhacophorus rizali (a peculiar frog species).

To commemorate what he did for the country, the Philippines built a memorial park for
him – now referred to as Rizal Park, found in Manila. There lies a monument which
contains a standing bronze sculpture of Rizal, an obelisk, and a stone base said to contain
his remains. The monument stands near the place where he fell during his execution in
Luneta.

Source: https://theculturetrip.com/asia/philippines/articles/the-life-and-legacy-of-jose-rizal-the-
philippines-national-hero/