PHILIPPINE HISTORY

Morga’s Point of View Rizal’s Point of View

Civilization
 The Philippines was an advanced civilization  The arrival of Spain colonization led to the loss
prior to the Spanish conquest. of the country’s distinct character or broke the
 The civilization of the Pre-Spanish Filipinos in pre- Hispanic colonization of the Philippines.
regard to the duties of life for that age was well  The benefits which that sacred civilization
advanced. brought to the archipelago have to be in order
 Morga shows that the ancient Filipinos had to counterbalance so heavy a cost.
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.
 Ancient traditions ascribe the origin of the
Malay Filipinos to the island of Samatra.
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 restring
this somewhat.

Inventions/ Craftmanship
 The women were very expert in lace-making,  Filipinos already got the sense of
so much so that they were not at all behind the craftsmanship even before the Spaniards came
women of Flanders. but eventually, influenced the way they make
 The native fort at the mouth of the Pasig river, crafts.
which Morga speaks of as equipped with
brass lantkas 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".

Food
 Each is nauseated with what he is  The fish that Morga mentions, that cannot be
unaccustomed to or doesn't know is eatable. good until it begins to rot, is bagoong [salted
 Their daily fare is composed of: lice crushed in and fermented fish or shrimp paste used as a
wooden pillars and when cooked is called sauce in Filipino cuisine] and those who have
morisqueta (this is the staple throughout the eaten it and tasted it know that it is neither nor
land); cooked fish which they have in abunm should be rotten.
pork, venieon, mountain buffaloes which they
call carabaos, beef and fish which they know
is best when it has started to rot and stink.
Mode of Dressing/ Costume
 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 Cebuans drew a pattern on the skin
before starting in to tatoo.
 Form of Government
 The Filipinos are using force, or making their
own laws, and when not using these open
means, cheating by the weights and
measures.
 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
Practices
 The ancient Filipinos had had minstrels who
had memorized songs telling their genealogies
and of the deeds ascribed to their deities.
Caballas, Czarina
Tolosa, Jediah
Sandrino, Naomi
Eugenio, Patrick
 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.
 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.