1.

) What is the significance of case study 1, that of Francisco Albo’s log and the account of
Antonio Pigafetta, Primo viaggio intorno al mondo (First Voyage Around the World)?
In his writings, Antonio Pigafetta, the chronicler of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand
Magellan, is said to have described the island of Limasawa. "I will offer a two million cash
reward to anyone who can pinpoint directly from Pigafetta's account... that Limasawa Island was
the location of the first [Easter] Mass," De Jesus told a crowd in Butuan. The historian stated that
the word "Limasawa" was never recorded in the logbooks of explorers and historians in relation
to the first Mass, which took place on March 31, 1521. Magellan's companion, Father Pedro de
Valderrama, celebrated the Mass days after they arrived at the beach.

2.) What is the significance of case study 2, i.e., the Cavite Mutiny?
The Cavite mutiny, is an uprising of Filipino military personnel at Fort San Felipe, the
Spanish arsenal in Cavite, took place in 1872. Around 200 locally recruited colonial troops and
laborers rose up in the hope of escalating the rebellion to a national level. After the mutiny
failed, government soldiers executed many of the participants and started to suppress a growing
Philippines nationalist movement. The Cavite Mutiny of 1872 was widely regarded as the start of
Filipino nationalism, which would ultimately lead to the Philippine Revolution of 1896.

3.) What is the background of each author of the abovementioned sources:

a. Francisco Albo;

Francisco Albo was a botswain and navigator from Rhodes. He served as botswain of the
Trinidad in Ferdinand Magellan's expedition before becoming pilot of the Victoria under
Sebastian de Elcano's command. On Easter Sunday, March 31, 1521, the first recorded Catholic
Mass in the Philippines was held. It was led by Father Pedro de Valderrama along the shores of
"Mazaua," as described in Antonio Pigafetta's journals.
b. Antonio Pigafetta;
Was an Italian explorer and scholar. He was a member of King Charles I of Spain's
expedition to the Spice Islands led by explorer Ferdinand Magellan, as well as the subsequent
voyage around the world after Magellan's death in the Philippines Islands. During the expedition,
he assisted Magellan and kept a thorough log, which later helped him translate the Cebuano
language. It is the oldest written record of the language.
c. Jose Montero y Vidal
José Antonio Julián Montero y Vidal was a Spanish writer, historian, geographer and
politician born in Gérgal (Almería province, Autonomous Community of Andalusia) in 1851 and
probably died during the first half of the 20th century. He held various positions in the Spanish
overseas provinces of the Philippines and Cuba, and wrote extensively about them.
d. Gov. Gen. Rafael Izquierdo
was a politician, statesman, and military officer in Spain. From April 4, 1871, to January
8, 1873, he was Governor-General of the Philippines. He was known for his "Iron Fist" style of
government, which contrasted with his predecessor, Carlos Mara de la Torre y Navacerrada's
liberal style. During the 1872 Cavite mutiny, he acted as Governor-General, and 41 mutineers,
including the Gomburza martyrs, were executed. From March to April 1862, Izquierdo served as
Governor-General of Puerto Rico.
e. Trinidad Pardo de Tavera
was a Spanish and Portuguese-born Filipino physician, historian, and politician. Trinidad,
also known as T. H. Pardo de Tavera, was a writer who focused on various facets of Philippine
culture. Trinidad was born on April 13, 1857, to Félix Pardo de Tavera, a Spanish lawyer and
government official, and Juliana Gorricho, a wealthy and illustrious Filipino family. The Pardos
de Tavera have a long and distinguished history. His father, Félix, was a descendant of the Pardo
aristocratic family of Tavira, Portugal. Similar to Spanish noble traditions, the Pardos applied the
name de Tavera to their place of origin in the late 1640s.
f. Edmund Plauchut.
He traced the immediate cause to a peremptory order from the governor, Izquierdo,
levying personal taxes on Filipino laborers in the Cavite arsenal's engineering and artillery corps
and forcing them to conduct forced labor as ordinary subjects. Until that time, these arsenal
employees had been excluded from all taxes and forced labor. The day of the uprising, January
20, was payday, and the laborers discovered that the sum of taxes, as well as the fee in lieu of
forced labor, had been removed from their pay envelopes. That was the last straw. They revolted
that night. Forty infantry soldiers and twenty artillery men took charge of the Fort of San Felipe
and shot cannonades to proclaim their victory to the world. It was a fleeting success.

4.) What is the context of each document in relation to the controversial site of the first
Catholic Mass in the Philippines?
On Easter Sunday, March 31, 1521, the first recorded Catholic Mass in the Philippines
was held. It was led by Father Pedro de Valderrama along the shores of "Mazaua," as defined by
Antonio Pigafetta in his journals. Many historians and the government believe the first mass was
held in Limasawa, on the tip of Southern Leyte, though this has been challenged by some who
say the first mass was held in Masao, Butuan. The National Historical Commission of the
Philippines (NHCP) panel adopted the recommendation to end the controversy over the first
mass, and unanimously decided that the facts and arguments raised by pro-Butuan advocates are
insufficient and compelling enough to warrant the NHI's decision on the case being repealed or
reversed (National Historical Institute). It is further supported by the fact that the next Spanish
expedition, led by Ruy de Villalobos, landed in Mindanao just 22 years later, in 1543.

5.) What is the context of each document in relation to the conflicting accounts of the
Cavite Mutiny of 1872?
Cavite Mutiny, a brief uprising of 200 Filipino troops and workers at the Cavite arsenal
on January 20, 1872, that served as a pretext for Spanish repression of the fledgling Philippine
nationalist movement. Ironically, the Spanish authorities' brutal retaliation eventually aided the
nationalist cause. The mutiny was quickly put down, but the Spanish dictatorship, led by
reactionary governor Rafael de Izquierdo, exaggerated the incident and used it as an excuse to
crack down on Filipinos who were calling for change. Several Filipino intellectuals were arrested
and charged with collaborating with the mutineers. Three priests, José Burgos, Jacinto Zamora,
and Mariano Gómez, were publicly executed after a brief hearing. Following that, the three
became martyrs in the battle for Philippine independence.
6.) What is the contribution of Albo’s log and Pigafetta’s accounts on the controversial site
of the first Mass in the Philippinestowards understanding Philippine history especially in
its 500th Year of Christianity?
The mutiny was quickly put down, but the Spanish dictatorship, led by reactionary
governor Rafael de Izquierdo, Albo’s log and Pigafetta exaggerated the incident and used it as an
excuse to crack down on Filipinos who were calling for change. Several Filipino intellectuals
were arrested and charged with collaborating with the mutineers. Three priests, José Burgos,
Jacinto Zamora, and Mariano Gómez, were publicly executed after a brief hearing. Following
that, the three became martyrs in the battle for Philippine independence.

7.) What is the contribution of the differing accounts of the CavityMutiny in 1872, i.e. the
so-called Spanish accounts (Montero and Izquierdo) and that of Pardo de Tavera’s and
Edmund Plauchut’s accounts in awakening Filipino nationalism?
Since 1898, the 12th of June has been a significant date in the lives of all Filipinos. The
entire Filipino country, as well as Filipino communities around the world, gather on this day to
commemorate the Philippines' independence. For all of us, 1898 has become a crucial year—it is
on par with 1896, the year when the Philippine Revolution exploded in reaction to the Filipinos'
desire to be free of the Spanish colonial regime's abuses. However, another year, 1872, is just as
important as the previous two.