Problems in

interpreting
Philippine History
Presented by:
Dino, John Dominic Nicole C.
Donde, Mohammad D.
 Unit Introduction

• This unit introduces students to problems in historical interpretation in

Philippine history. What must we look out for when analyzing primary
resources or reading historical interpretations presented to us in different
media?
• Lesson 10 explores the issues of oversimplification tentativeness, and
adequacy of evidence when looking at primary sources.
Table of contents

01 02
Historical The Battle of
Interpretaion Mactan

03 04
The First Rizal’s
Catholic Mass in Retraction
the Philippines
 01
Historical
Interpretation
 Introduction
- History is the study of the past, but a more contemporary
definition is centered on how it impacts the present through its
consequences and the reality is, it is a more of a dialogue among
historians and one historian’s contribution to this dialogue is an
interpretation of the past based on sources and evidence
consulted.
History is like a fruit with a hard core of
facts enclosed by a pulp of disputable
interpretations

— Scholar E. H. Carr
The history we read, though
based on facts, is strictly
speaking, not factual at all, but a
series of accepted judgments.

— Geoffrey Barraclough
 Historians utilize facts collected
from primary sources of history and
then draw their own reading so that
their intended audience may
understand the historical event, a
process that in essence, “make sense
of the past.”
 The interpretations is not just a matter of when, where, or who, but also why and how, variables that cannot
just be lifted straight from the source.

These interpretations are affected by a host of factors:

01 02 03

Oversimplification Inadequacy Tentativeness

 Oversimplification
Happens often in education or propaganda settings, when a historical event is
reduced to its basics to relay what happened in the past quickly. It occurs when
an interpretation does not offer enough detail to provide a fuller picture of what
happened in the past, which could lead to an incomplete and inaccurate version
of the historical account.
 Inadequacy
When there is inadequate evidence to make definitive assumptions about the
past, yet many still proceed with historical interpretation. We perpetuate a
reading of the past that may have been wrong in the first place.
 Tentativeness
The appreciation that historical interpretation should not be treated as if written in
stone, that interpretations are subject to changes as new information is uncovered,
new voices heard, and new interpretations broached. It is the quality of the
historical account that makes the study of history a dynamic endeavor and proves
that the study of history is not about remembering answers instead it requires
following and evaluating arguments and arriving at useful conclusions that are
complex, adequately sourced and tentative.
02
The Battle
of Mactan
 The Battle of Mactan
Was fought in the Philippines The Battle of Mactan was a
on 27 April 1521, prior to historical event that took
Spanish colonization. The place six centuries ago. In
warriors of Lapu-Lapu, a April 27, 1521. It is the
native chieftain of Mactan first known and recorded
Island, overpowered and resistance of the Filipinos
defeated a Spanish force against foreign forces who
fighting for Rajah Humabon aimed to invade and
of Cebu, under the command 04/27 conquer the Philippines.
of Ferdinand Magellan, who 1521
was killed in the battle.
Pigafetta’s First Voyage Around the World
Magellan’s landing in Homonhon Island

Contrary to old textbook depictions of Ferdinand Magellan arriving in the Philippines to invade the country,
the actual purpose of Magellan’s voyage was to prove that Earth is not flat by circumnavigating the world
by traveling westward to get to the East.

After crossing the Pacific Ocean, a name coined by Magellan for its tranquil waters, the expedition team
sighted the highest peak on Samar Island on March 16, 1521. On Magellan’s orders, the crew waited until
the following day until they landed on the beach of Homonhon, an uninhabited island.

When they landed on Homonhon, Magellan's crew was detected by Rajah Humabon, the chief of a nearby
island called Limasawa. Humabon sent scouts to Homonhon to investigate. Pigafetta details how the
Filipino natives approached their beach settlement from a boat.

“We saw a boat coming toward us with nine men in it. Therefore, the captain-general [Magellan] ordered
that no one should move or say a word without his permission. When those men reached the shore, their
chief went immediately to the captain-general, giving signs of joy because of our arrival.”
Magellan presented the natives with mirrors, bells, red caps, combs, and ivory. In exchange, the natives
offered the foreigners fish, wine, and bananas, which the Spaniards mistook for figs.

“When those men reached the shore, their chief went immediately to the captain-general, giving signs of
joy because of our arrival,” wrote Pigafetta. “The captain-general seeing that they were reasonable men,
ordered food to be set before them, and gave them red caps, mirrors, combs, bells, ivory, bocasine, and
other things. When they saw the captain’s courtesy, they presented fish, a jar of palm wine, which they call
uraca (alak), figs more than one palm long.

They had nothing else then, but made us signs with their hands that they would bring umay or rice, and
cocoanuts and many other articles of food within four days,” .

Magellan Was Caught Between Feuding Chieftains

The highest ranks in society in pre-colonial Philippines were composed of local chieftains or datus who
cooperated or competed against each other. In some places, there was a pecking order among the ranks of
the datus: vassals or subordinate datus were less powerful leaders who allied themselves with datus who
controlled trade and had more resources.
Magellan and his crew witnessed this play of politics, but did not recognize its dynamics. They even
mistook these local chieftains for “kings,” which they were not. One of the “kings” with whom Magellan
forged a close friendship was Rajah Humabon of the small island of Limasawa. Humabon was a rival of one
of the chiefs on Mactan Island, Lapu-Lapu. Another chief in Mactan, Datu Zula, was also wary of Lapu-
Lapu.

Pigafetta writes, “On Friday, April twenty-six, Zula, a chief of the island of Matan, sent one of his sons to
present two goats to the captain-general, and to say that he would send him all that he had promised, but
that he had not been able to send it to him because of the other chief Cilapulapu (Lapu-Lapu), who refused
to obey the king of Spagnia.” Because of this, Magellan promised to eliminate the “king” who would not
recognize the superiority of Spanish crown.

Although this was technically true, it was Magellan’s arrogance and his overconfidence on medieval
weaponry that cost him his life. Magellan was an excellent explorer and navigator, but he was no battle
tactician.

In one of their encounters with datus aboard the Victoria, Magellan demonstrated the superiority of Spanish
armor and weapons, to the amazement of the locals. Pigafetta described the encounter in proud detail.
“Then the captain-general had a man armed as a soldier, and placed him in the midst of three men armed
with swords and daggers, who struck him on all parts of the body,” wrote Pigafetta. “Thereby was the king
rendered almost speechless? The captain-general told him through the slave that one of those armed men
was worth one hundred of his own men.”

Magellan fervently believed that his men were so superior to the natives that he allowed 49 of his crew to
face off against a force of 1,500 enraged natives. He was so confident that he refused the help of his allies,
Rajah Humabon and Datu Zula, and asked them to just watch how they fought.

Balanghai “The Christian king (Humabon) would have aided us,” wrote Pigafetta, “but the captain told him
before we landed, not to leave his , but to stay to see how we afought.” Chiefs Humabon and Zula obeyed,
to Magellan's demise. Magellan was an excellent explorer and navigator, but he was no battle tactician.
Refusing the help of the two chiefs was his first big mistake at the Battle of Mactan.
A Lopsided Battle of Mactan

The Battle of Mactan is often depicted in films and paintings as a fierce battle between Filipinos and
Spaniards of arguably equal force, won only by Filipinos by virtue of their love of freedom. In reality, it
was a horrific battle for Magellan and his crew.

According to Pigafetta, they arrived at the shores of Mactan three hours before sunrise. Magellan sent a
message to the natives saying that if they still refused to recognize the Spanish king and pay them tribute,
they would demonstrate how effective their swords were at wounding people.

In reply, Lapu-Lapu’s men told Magellan that although the Spaniards had lances, they, too, were armed with
bamboo and stakes hardened with fire. The natives requested Magellan’s party to wait until morning before
attacking so they could gather more warriors, to which Magellan obliged.

When the sun rose, Magellan, including his crew of 49 (11 remained on the ship) witnessed how the natives
were highly organized at warfare:

“When we reached land, those men had formed in three divisions to the number of more than one thousand
five hundred persons. When they saw us, they charged down upon us with exceeding loud cries, two
divisions on our flanks and the other on our front,” wrote Pigafetta.
Against spears, bows, and arrows, Magellan’s muskets and armor proved worthless. The musket took one
minute to reload and fire, while the bow and arrow took one or two seconds to shoot between two arrows.

“When the natives saw that we were shooting our muskets to no purpose, they redoubled their shouts. When
our muskets were discharged, the natives would never stand still, but leaped hither and thither, covering
themselves with their shields,” wrote Pigafetta.

“They shot so many arrows at us and hurled so many bamboo spears (some of them tipped with iron) at the
captain-general, besides pointed stakes hardened with fire, stones, and mud, that we could scarcely defend
ourselves.”

Magellan's Second Mistake: Burning the Natives' Houses

Realizing that they were no match for the natives they so underestimated, Magellan became desperate, so
he ordered some of his crew to distract the natives by burning their houses. Pigafetta is generous in details.
“One of them wounded him on the left leg with a large cutlass, which resembles a scimitar, only being
larger. That caused the captain to fall face downward, when immediately they rushed upon him with iron
and bamboo spears and with their cutlasses, until they killed our mirror, our light, our comfort, and our true
guide.”

“When they saw their houses burning, they were roused to greater fury,” described Pigafetta. “Two of our
men were killed near the houses, while we burned twenty or thirty houses. So many of them charged down
upon us that they shot the captain through the right leg with a poisoned arrow.”

The wounded Magellan ordered his men to retreat more slowly, but the enraged natives were relentless at
the pursuit.

“The natives shot only at our legs, for the latter were bare; and so many were the spears and stones that they
hurled at us, that we could offer no resistance. We continued to retire from the shore always fighting up to
our knees in the water. The natives continued to pursue us, and picking up the same spear four or six times,
hurled it at us again and again.”
Ancient Filipino weapons and armor similar to what Lapu-Lapu and his men used in the Battle of
Mactan, as described by Pigafetta
There is an annual commemoration for
the battle of Mactan in Mactan in Lapu-
Lapu City, this is also the location
where you can find the Liberty Shrine
and one of Cebu's tourism landmark -
the statue of Datu Lapu-Lapu.
 03
The First Catholic
Mass in the
Philippines
Introduction
The first documented Catholic Mass in the
Philippines was held on March 31, 1521, Easter
Sunday. It was conducted by Father Pedro de
Valderrama of Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition
along the shores of what was referred to in the
journals of Antonio Pigafetta as "Mazaua".
 Father Pedro de
Valderrama
Only priest remaining, was given
by Magellan the task of celebrating said
historic mass. It marked a birth of
Roman Catholicism in our country (and
start of Christianity’s spread in Asia).
 Antonio Pigafetta
Was a famous Italian traveler who studied
navigation and known by the name of
Antonio Lambardo or Francisco Antonio
Pigafetta. He joined the Portuguese,
Captain Ferdinand Magellan and his
Spanish crew on their trip to Maluku
Island.
04
Rizal's
retraction
 What is retraction?
- A public statement made about an earlier statement that
withdraws, cancels, refutes, or reverse the original
statement or ceases and desist from publishing the
original statement.
What was Rizal’s retraction
all about?
The letter, dated Dec 29, 1896 was said to have been signed
by the National Hero himself. Rizal retracted because the
church would not allow his marriage to Josephine bracken
unless he retracted his masonic affiliation.
 “I Declared myself a catholic and in this religion in
which I was born and educated I wish to live and
die.

I retract with all my hearth whatever in my words,

writings, publications and conduct has been contrary
to my character as son of the Catholic Church. I
believe and I confess whatever she teaches and I
submit to whatever she demands. I abominate
Masonry, as the enemy which is of the Church, and as
a Society prohibited by the Church. The Diocesan
prelate mat, as the Superior Ecclesiastical Authority,
make public this spontaneous manifestation of mine
in order to repair the scandal which my acts may have
caused and so that God and people may pardon me.”

Manila 29th of December of 1896 Jose Rizal

Retraction Letter.
MAIN ISSUES CONCERNING THE
RETRACTION

Rizal retracted his masonic affiliation

Rizal wrote and signed the retraction
Rizal’s marriage to Josephine.
Thanks
Thanks