Ravellie Joy Atutubo BSSW-1C

Relevance of the Document to the Grand Narrative

of the Philippine History
Author Historical Context
A Historiography Documentary film focusing on
Zamboanga City depicting how the Spaniards
defended the city with the Fort Pilar as Spain’s •Filipino’s struggle for freedom
last stronghold and bastion of defense and •Opposition towards Western Imperialism
economic expansion in the South of the •Political dynasty
Raiders of Icelle G. Philippines . It depicts the Southeast Asian •Bangsamoro” title was well-known throughout the
the Sulu Sea Borja flourishing free trading in the area and the Malaysian archipelago and among Muslim
adverse effects and repercussions when community
Europeans such as the English, Dutch and •Insisteng resistance may have inspired Filipino
Spanish who wanted to control the economy as revolutionaries
well to colonize and Christianize.
The film focuses on the slave raiding as
retaliation on colonizers- the sophisticated
ancient maritime vessels such as the Lanong,
Garay and the Salisipan and tools of war such
as the Barong, Kris, and the Kampilan and the
well-organized forces that is launched for slave
raiding the coasts of Mindanao Visayas, and
Luzon, between July to October called as the
Pirate wind “ Pirate monsoon”

It also focused on the fate of the Captured

Balangingi Leader called Panglima Taupan and
his family who eventually was exiled to the
north of Luzon in Cagayan, and was made to
work in the Tobacco Plantation- and his
descendants who went back to Zamboanga
and settled in the outskirts of Taluksangay with
the surname Dela Cruz Nuno- Maas Nuno, the
ancestor of the present Nuno clan of
Zamboanga.
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Art Historian Icelle Gloria D. Borja- Estrada

together with Dr. Samuel Tan and Margarita
Cohuangco and other International Asian
Historians contributed to the success of this
film Produced by Oakfilms3 based on
Singapore for Q channel, Discovery Channel
and the National Geographic for International
Release.
There were no Muslims (Moros) in the
Philippines prior to the year 1380. And most
definitely they were NOT the original
inhabitants of Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan.
Moros are Muslims and they are not an
ethnicity or indigenous people.
Prior to the arrival of the Muslims, the Datus
and the Rajas in each of their own tribal
domains or kingdoms ruled. The Tausugs, the
Maranaos, the Maguindanaoans, and all the
other tribes had their own ancestral domains.
None of them were Muslims or Moros.
Never forget that the Moros (Muslims) were the
first COLONIZERS of the Philippines. They
were the first EXPLOITERS of the Filipino
people. The Sultanates exploited the natural
resources and the culture of the indigenous
peoples. Now they even call the traditional
clothing, dances, food, customs, and tools of
the tribal indigenous peoples as Moro.
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The first Catholic Mass in the Philippines was  Controversies between Limasawa and Masao/
held on March 31, 1521 (Eastern Sunday) Butuan
Father Pedro de Valderrama
Site of First Located at the Southern Leyte
Mass in the Antonio * A popularly known as the birthplace of the
Phippines Pigafetta Church in the Philippines.
* Holy First Mass marked the birth of Roman
Catholicism in the Philippines.
* 1872: A monument to commemorate the site
of first mass on the Philippines was erected in
Butuan.
*1953: The people in Butuan asked the
Philippine Historical Committee to rehabilitate
the monument or place a marker on the site.
On the basis of this objection the monument
was re-erected but the marble slab stating it
was the site of first mass was removed.
*Zaide identified Masao in Butuan as the
location of the first mass. The basis Zaide’s
claim is the diary of Antonio Pigafetta, chronicle
of Magellan’s voyage
Jaime de Veyra stated that the first mass was
celebrated in Limawasa not in Butuan.
*Historian Pablo Pastells stating by the
footnote to Francisco Colin’s Labor Evangelica
that Magellan did not go to Butuan but form
Limasawa to Cebu.
Francisco Albo ( pilot of Magellan’s flagship
does not mention the first mass but he writes
that they erected a cross on a mountain which
overlooked three islands the west and the
southwest.
*James Robertson agreed with Pastells in a
footnote that “Mazua” was actually Limasawa.
In the authentic account of Pigafetta
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Cavite Mutiny Jose Cavite Mutiny, (Jan. 20, 1872), brief uprising of  In the early 1890's, the Philippines were still
Montero y 200 Filipino troops and workers at the Cavite under Spanish control, and things went awry
Vidal arsenal, which became the excuse for Spanish when the Spanish Governor-General (Rafael de
repression of the embryonic Philippine Izquierdo) introduced a new reforms including a
nationalist movement. Ironically, the harsh tax of Filipinos serving in the Army, requiring
reaction of the Spanish authorities served them to pay a tax for their service and force
ultimately to promote the nationalist cause. them into labour.
The mutiny was quickly crushed, but the  The Philippine soldiers were under the belief
Spanish regime under the reactionary governor that they would have support from Manila to
Rafael de Izquierdo magnified the incident and start an all-out uprising against the Spanish (a
used it as an excuse to clamp down on those sentiment that had fostering for a while).
Filipinos who had been calling for  No Filipino was allowed to serve as a priest
governmental reform. A number of Filipino following the incident, until the Philippines
intellectualswere seized and accused of independence from Spain in 1898.
complicity with the mutineers. After a brief trial, 
three priests—José Burgos, Jacinto Zamora,
and Mariano Gómez—were publicly executed.
The three subsequently became martyrs to the
cause of Philippine independence.
Cavite Mutiny. Cavite Mutiny, (Jan. 20, 1872),
brief uprising of 200 Filipino troops and workers
at the Cavite arsenal, which became the
excuse for Spanish repression of the
embryonic Philippine nationalist movement. ...
The three subsequently became martyrs to the
cause of Philippine independence.
The Cavite Mutiny led to the persecution of
prominent Filipinos; secular priests Mariano
Gómez, José Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora—
who would then be collectively named
GomBurZa—were tagged as the masterminds
of the uprising.
The One of the most intriguing of all was the issues  Rizal’s extraction from religious error has
Retraction of of Jose Rizal was his alleged retraction which been a very controversial claim since it was
Rizal was all about his reversion to the Catholic Faith first brought up
and all other issues linked to it such as his
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marriage to Josephine Bracken. That issue  By showing a retraction document, the

was claimed to be true by the Roman Catholic Spanish authorities are hoping that Rizal’s
defenders but asserted to be deceptive by anti- death will not become a rallying cry for the
retractonists. They claim that the retraction Filipinos in the quest for independence. They
document is a forgery, but handwriting experts fear it so much that the authorities even
concluded a long time ago that it is genuine. broke a promise to the Rizal family to
Rafael Palma’s opus on Rizal, titled “Biografia release the body to them after the execution
de Rizal” is so anti-Catholic that the Church and instead dumped his body on a secret,
successfully opposed its publication using unmarked grave.
government funds. In an article authored by  Serve as a face saving measure for the friars
Romberto Poulo, Rizal’s affiliation in Masonry whom Rizal made fun of and criticized in his
was accounted to have caused drastic change novels. However, there has been no
to his religious ideas. It was in the moment definitive proof whether this supposed
Rizal set foot on European soil when he was retraction is real or not.
exposed to a great deal of distinctions between 
what was happening to his country, the
discriminations, abuses, partialities, injustices,
and some other things made to cause
sufferings to his countrymen, and what was
the actual scene of the European nations. He
observed that Europe was a lot more different
compared to the Philippines in terms of way of
life, attitudes towards Roman Catholicism, and
most importantly, the freedom all the citizens
enjoy.
The exact copy had been received by Fr.
Balaguer in the evening immediately preceding
Rizal's execution. Jose Rizal with the addition
of the names of the witnesses taken from the
texts of the retraction in the Manila
newspapers. Fr. Pi's copy of Rizal's retraction
has the same text as that of Fr. Balaguer's
"exact" copy but follows the paragraphing of
the texts of Rizal's retraction in the Manila
newspapers. In order to marry Josephine, Rizal
wrote with the help of a priest a form of
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retraction to be approved by the Bishop of

Cebu. This incident was revealed by Fr.
Antonio Obach to his friend Prof. Austin Craig
who wrote down in 1912 what the priest had
told him; "The document (the retraction),
inclosed with the priest's letter, was ready for
the mail when Rizal came hurrying I to reclaim
it." Rizal realized (perhaps, rather late) that he
had written and given to a priest what the friars
had been trying by all means to get from him.

Surely whether Rizal died a Catholic or an

apostate adds or detracts nothing from his
greatness as a Filipino. It is because of what
he did and what he was that we revere Rizal.
Catholic or Mason, Rizal is still Rizal: the hero
who courted death “to prove to those who deny
our patriotism that we know how to die for our
duty and our beliefs”
The truth is that, almost two years before his
execution, Rizal had written aretraction in
Dapitan. Very early in 1895, Josephine
Bracken came to Dapitan with her adopted
father who wanted to be cured of his blindness
by Dr. Rizal; their guide was Manuela Orlac,
who was agent and a mistress of a friar.
The Cry of The news of the discovery of the Katipunan  Commemorates the no-turning-back moment
Pugadlawin spread throughout Manila and the suburbs. in the Philippine history, when the faction of
Bonifacio, informed of the discovery, secretly Filipinos, principally the Katipuneros,
instructed his runners to summon all the advocating the use of arms to end the 300+
leaders of the society to a general assembly to years of Spanish occupation took a stand.
be held on August 24. They were to meet at  The contrasting views of Andres Bonifacio
Balintawak to discuss the steps to be taken to and Jose Rizal in dealing with Spain, a
meet the crisis. That same night of August 19, movement taken over by the entry of the
Bonifacio, accompanied by his brother United States of America in the picture.
Procopio, Emilio Jacinto, Teodoro Plata, and Andres Bonifacio took a stand, through the
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Aguedo del Rosario, slipped through the Sigaw ng Pugad Lawin in 1896. The Treaty
cordon of Spanish sentries and reached of Paris was signed by Spain and the United
Balintawak before midnight. Pio Valenzuela States in 1898, with the former ceding
followed them the next day. On the 21st, control over the Philippines to the latter.
Bonifacio changed the Katipunan code  Tug-of-war between war and political
because the Spanish authorities had already negotiations spilled over into the cabinet of
deciphered it. In the afternoon of the same day, the first Filipino President, General Emilio
the rebels, numbering about 500, left Aguinaldo. General Antonio Luna, one of the
Balintawak for Kangkong, where Apolonio fiercest Filipino generals of his time, did not
Samson, a Katipunero, gave them food and believe that the United States will honor any
shelter. In the afternoon of August 22, they proposal to respect Philippine sovereignty.
proceeded to Pugadlawin. The following day, in 
the yard of Juan A. Ramos, the son of
Melchora Aquino who was later called the
"Mother of the Katipunan", Bonifacio asked his
men whether they were prepared to fight to the
bitter end. Despite the objection of his brother-
in-law, Teodoro Plata, all assembled agreed to
fight to the last. "That being the case,
“Bonifacio said, "bring out your cedulas and
tear them to pieces to symbolize our
determination to take up arms!" The men
obediently tore up their cedulas, shouting
"Long live the Philippines!" This event marked
the so-called "Cry of Balintawak," which
actually happened in Pugadlawin.