READINGS IN PHILIPPINE

HISTORY

ALDRIN P. CABAHUG
Instructor

Chapter II.
A Brief Summary of the First Voyage Around the World by Magellan by Antonio Pigafetta

Pigafetta’s travelogue is one of the most important primary sources in the study of the
precolonial Philippines. 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
Lapulapu’s forces in the Battle of Mactan, and in the departure of what was left of Magellan’s
fleet from the islands.

ANALYSIS OF PIGAFETTA’S CHRONICLE

The chronicle of Pigafetta was one of the most cited documents by historians who wished
to study the precolonial 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” precolonial society. Indeed, Pigafetta’s work is of great importance in the study of
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 produced.

In the case of Pigafetta, the reader needs to understand that he was a chronicler
commissioned by the King of Spain to accompany and document a voyage intended to expand
the Spanish empire. He was also of noble descent who came from a rich family in Italy. These
attributes influenced his narrative, his selection of details to be included in the text, his
characterization of the people and 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 voyage 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 native’s amazement and illiteracy to the European artillery,
merchandise, and other 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 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 Christianity were perceived to
the 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.

ANALYSIS OF THE “KARTILYA NG KATIPUNAN”

Similar to what we have done to the accounts of Pigafetta, this primary source also needs
to be analyzed in terms of content and context. As a document written for a fraternity whose
main purpose is to overthrow a colonial regime, we can explain the content and provisions of the
Kartilya as a reaction and response to certain values systems that they found despicable in the
present state of things that they struggled against with. For example, the fourth and the thirteenth
rules in the Kartilya are an invocation of the inherent equality between and among men
regardless of race, occupation, or status. In the context of the Spanish colonial era where the
indios were treated as the inferior of the white Europeans, the Katipunan saw to it that the
alternative order that they wished to promulgate through their revolution necessarily destroyed
this kind of unjust hierarchy.
Moreover, one can analyze the values upheld in the document as consistent with the
burgeoning rational and liberal ideals in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Equality,
tolerance, freedom, and liberty were values that the first emerged in the eighteenth century
French Revolution, which spread throughout Europe and reached the educated class of the
colonies. Jacinto, an illustrado himself, certainly got an understanding of these values. Aside
from the liberal values that can be dissected in the document, we can also decipher certain
Victorian and chivalrous values in the text.

For example, various provisions in the Kartilya repeatedly emphasized the importance of
honor in words and in action. The teaching of the Katipunan on how women should be treated
with honor and respect, while positive in many respects and certainly a significant stride from the
practice of raping and physically abusing women, can still be telling of the Katipunan’s
secondary regard for women in relation to men. For example, in the tenth rule, the document
specifically stated that men should be the guide of women and children, and that he should set a
good example, otherwise the women and the children would be guided in the path of evil.
Nevertheless, the same document stated that women should be treated as companions by men
and not as playthings that can be exploited for their pleasures. In the contemporary eyes, the
Katipunan can be criticized because of these provisions. However, one must not forget the
context where the organization was born. Not even in Europe or in the whole of the West at that
juncture recognized the problem of gender inequality. Indeed, it can be argued that Katipunan’s
recognition of women as important partners in the struggle, as reflected not just in Kartilya but
also in the organizational structure of the fraternity where a women’s unit was established, is an
endeavor advanced for its time.
Aside from Rizal’s known Letter to the Women of Malolos, no same effort by the
supposed cosmopolitan Propaganda Movement was achieved until the movement’s eventual
disintegration in the latter part of the 1890s. Aside from this, the Kartilya was instructive not just
of the Katipunan’s conduct toward other people, but also for the members’ development as
individuals in their own rights. Generally speaking, the rules in the Kartilya can be classified as
either directed to how one should treat his neighbor or how one should develop and conduct
one’s self. Both are essential to the success and fulfillment of the Katipunan’s ideals. For
example, the Kartilya’s teachings on honoring one’s word and wasting time are teachings
directed toward self-development, while the rules on treating the neighbor’s wife, children, and
brothers the way that you want yours to be treated is an instruction on how Katipuneros should
treat and regard their neighbors. All in all, proper reading of the Kartilya will reveal a more
thorough understanding of the Katipunan and the significant role that it played in the revolution
and in the unfolding of the Philippine history, as we know it.

ACTIVITY FOR THE WEEK

Directions: On a sheet of bond paper, make a TWO SEPARATE own CRITIQUE/ANALYSIS

on:

1. ANALYSIS OF PIGAFETTA’S CHRONICLE (in a minimum of 200 words and a

maximum of 500 words)

2. ANALYSIS OF THE “KARTILYA NG KATIPUNAN” (in a minimum of 200 words and

a maximum of 500 words)

Hence, you should follow this following format on your paper in writing your output.

Samar Colleges, Inc.

Catbalogan City

College of Criminal Justice Education

Name: ______________________________ Subject code: ____________

Instructor: ___________________________ Date: ____________________

ANALYSIS/ CRITIQUE:

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Note: 1. Deadline of Submission: October 7, 2020

2. Take a photo of your output and submit through our Group chat messenger