WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY-PHILIPPINES

Maria Aurora 3202, Aurora

Table of Contents
Lesson 1 An Introduction to Philippine Historiography: Sources and
Discourses

Lesson 2 History of the Philippine Island

Lesson 3 The Manunggul Jar

Lesson 4 The Laguna Copperplate

Lesson 5 Duties of the Katipunan of the Sons of the People (KKK)

Lesson 6 Act of Declaration of Philippine Independence

Lesson 7 1899 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines (Malolos Convention)

Lesson 8 Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the

Kingdom of Spain (Treaty of Paris)

Lesson 9 Jose Rizal’s Retraction Controversy

Lesson 10 Convention between the United States of America and Great Britain Delimiting
the Boundary between the Philippine Archipelago and the State of North Borneo
{1930}

Lesson 11 Minutes of the Proceedings on the National Territory of the 1971 Constitutional
Convention

Lesson 12 The Role of Islam in the History of the Filipino People

Lesson 13 History of Terrorism in the Philippines

Lesson 14 Agreement on Peace between the Government of the Republic of the

Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front

Lesson 15 Report of the Cholera Epidemic in the Philippines

Lesson 16 Mintal “The Little Tokyo of the Pre-war Philippines”

Lesson 1: Week 1-2

An Introduction to Philippine
Historiography:
Sources and Discourses
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:
• Define history
• Differentiate history from historiography
• Restate the sources of history
• Analyze how historians write a history
• Recall some Filipino historians and their contributions to historiography
Introduction
History deals with the study of past events. Individuals who write about history are
called
historians. They seek to understand the present by examining what went before.
They undertake
arduous historical research to come up with a meaningful and organized
reconstruction of the past.
But whose past are we talking about? This is a basic question that a historian needs
to answer
because this sets the purpose and framework of a historical account. Hence, a
salient feature of
historical writing is the facility to give meaning and impart value to a particular
group of people
about their past. The practice of historical writing is called historiography.
Traditional method in
doing historical research focuses on gathering of documents from different libraries
and archives
to form a pool of evidence needed in making a descriptive or analytical narrative.
However,
modern historical writing does not only include examination of documents but also
the use of

research methods from related areas study such as archaeology and geography.

Sources of History
Basic to historical research is utilization of sources. There are diverse sources of
history
including documentary sources or documents, archaeological records, and oral and
video accounts.
To date, most of our historical sources are documents. These refer to handwritten,
printed, drawn,
designed, and other composed materials. These include books, newspapers,
magazines, journals,
maps, architectural perspectives, paintings, advertisements, and photographs.
Colonial records
such as government reports and legal documents form a significant part of our
collection of
documents here and abroad, particularly in Spain and the United States. In the 20 th
century and up
to now, memoirs or personal accounts written by important historical personages
constitute another
type of documents. Philippine presidents such as Emilio Aguinaldo, Manuel Quezon,
and
Diosdado Macapagal wrote their memoirs to highlight their roles as nation-builders.
On the other hand, archaeological records refer to preserved remains of human
beings, their
activities, and the environment where they lived. In the Philippines, the most
significant excavated

human remains include the Callao Man’s toe bone (dated 67 000 BCE) and the
Tabon Man’s
skullcap (22 000 BCE). Aside from human remains, other archaeological records are
generally
categorized as fossils and artifacts. Fossils are remains of animals, plants, and
other organisms
from the distant past, while artifacts are remnants of material culture developed
by human beings.
These include clothing, farm implements, jewelry, pottery and stone tools.
Oral and video accounts form the third kind of historical source. These are audio-
visual
documentation of people, events, and places. These are usually recorded in video
and audio
cassettes, and compact discs. Aside from scholars, media people also use oral and
video accounts

as part of their news and public affairs work.

Doctrina Christiana, the first published work

Primary and Secondary Sources

There are two general kinds of historical sources: primary and secondary.
Primary
Sources refer to documents, physical objects, and oral/video accounts made
by an individual or a
group present at the time and place being described. These materials
provide facts from people
who actually witnessed the event. Secondary sources, on the other hand,
are materials made by
people long after the events being described had taken place.
Most historical narratives today are so reliant on documentary sources due
to the plethora
of written records and the lack of archaeological records and oral/video
memoirs. Although having several documents about an event allows for
easier counterchecking of facts history researchers are confronted with one
basic challenge with regard primary sources- their ability to read and
understand texts in foreign languages.

Many of our untapped archival documents here and abroad are written in Spanish. A
good knowledge of Spanish is a huge advantage. But this skill is unusual among
today’s historians who prefer to read translations of Spanish texts such as the 55-
volume. The Philippine Islands, 1493- 1898 (1903-1909) edited by Emma Blair and
James Robertson, which is the most cited collection of primary sources about the
Philippines before the advent of the American colonial regime. The collection
includes translations of portions of 16 th - century chronicles such as Antonio
Pigafetta’s Primo Viaggio intorno al mundo (1524), Miguel Loarca’s Relacion de las
Yslas Filipinas (1582), and Juan de Plasencia’s Relacion de las Islas Pilipinas (1592).
Filipino historians, such as the father-daughter tandem of Gregorio Zaide and Sonio
Zaide, have also compiled and translated colonial documents. They published the
10- volume Documentary Sources of Philippine History (1994).
Aside from reading the Spanish originals documents or translated words, another
daunting task for Filipino historians is to discern the cultural context and historical
value of primary sources because most of these primary documents were written by
colonialists and reflected Western cultural frames. For examples, derogatory terms
used to Label Filipinos such as “pagan,” “uncivilized,” “wild,” and “savage” abound
in these colonial documents. Uncovering myths and misconceptions about Filipino
cultural identity propagated by the Spanish and American colonizers is extra
challenging for contemporary Filipino scholars.
If the key function of primary source documents is to give facts, secondary source
documents, on the other hand, provide valuable interpretations of historical events.
The works of eminent historians such as Teodoro Agoncillo and Renato Constantino
are good examples of secondary sources. In his interpretation of the Philippine
Revolution, Agoncillo divided the revolution into two phases: the first phase covers
the years from the start of the revolution in August 1896 to the flight of Emilio
Aguinaldo and company to Hong Kong as a result of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato, while
the second phase spans from Aguinaldo’s return to Manila from Hong Kong until his
surrender to the Americans in March 1901.
However, Constantino refuted Agoncillo’s leader-centric scheme of dividing the
revolution into two phases by stressing that Agoncillo’s viewpoint implied that the
revolution came to a halt when Aguinaldo left the country. Constantino disputed the
soundness of Agoncillo’s two-phase scheme by asserting that the war of
independence continued even without Aguinaldo’s presence in the country.
Aside from the issue on Philippine Revolution, there are other contending issues in
Philippine history such as the venue of the first Christian mass in the country and
the question of who deserves to be named national hero. By and large,
interpretations serve as tools of discernment for readers of historical sources, but
they should be cautious of frames of analysis used for biased, discriminatory, and
self-serving ends.

Historical Criticism
Many documents have primary and secondary segments. For instance, examining a
newspaper as a historical source entails a discerning mind to identify its primary
and secondary components. A news item written by a witness of an event is
considered as a primary source, while a feature article is usually considered as a
secondary material. Similarly, a book published a long time ago does not
necessarily render it as a primary source. It requires a meticulous reading of the
document to know its origin.
To ascertain the authenticity and reliability of primary sources to be used in crafting
a narrative, a historian needs to employ two levels of historical criticism, namely,
external criticism and internal criticism. External criticism answers concerns and
questions pertinent to the authenticity of a historical source by identifying that
composed the historical material, locating when and where the historical material
was produced, and establishing the material’s evidential value.
Internal criticism, on the other hand, deals with the credibility and reliability of
the content of a given historical source. This kind of criticism focuses on
understanding the substance and message that the historical materials wants to
convey by examining how the author frame the intent and meaning of a composed
material.
Locating Primary Sources
There are substantial primary sources about the Philippines here and abroad. In the
country, government institutions such as the National Library and the National
Archives are major repositories of documentary sources.
The National Library has complete microfilm copies of the Philippine Revolutionary
Records (1896-1901), a compilation of captured documents of Emilio Aguinaldo’s
revolutionary government, and Historical Data Papers (1952-1953), a collection of
“history and cultural life” of all towns in the country spearheaded by public school
teachers during President Elpidio Quirino’s term. The Manuscript’s Section of the
National Library’s Filipiniana Division contains the presidential papers of different
administrations from Manuel Quezon to Joseph Ejercito. Search aids such as the
“Checklist of Rare Filipiniana Serials (1811-1914),” “Filipiniana Serials in Microfilm,”
and several registers of Philippine presidential papers are provided for faster and
easier way to look for historical materials.
The National Archives, on the other hand, holds a substantial collection of
catalogued and uncatalogued Spanish documents about the Philippines composed
from 1552 to 1900. These consist of 432 document categories such as
Administration Central de Rentas y Propiedades (Central Administration of Rentals
and Properties), Administration de Hacienda Publica (Administration of Public
Finance), Aduana de Manila (Customs Office of Manila), Almacenes Generales
(General Stores), Asuntos Criminales (Criminal matters), Ayuntamiento de Manila
(Town Council of Manila), Colera (Cholera), Padron General de Chinos (General
register of Chinese), and Presos (Prisoners). For local historians, valuable materials
from the National Archives include Cabezas de Barangay (Heads of Barangay),
Ereccion de los Pueblos (Establishment of Towns), Guia Oficial (Official Guide), and
Memorias (Official Reports of Provincial Governors), Aside from Spanish sources, the
National Archives is also the repository of 20 th -century documents such as civil
records, notarial documents, and Japanese wartime crimerecords. There are also
some sources written in Tagalog such as the documents pertinent to Apolinario de
la Cruz, the leader of the Coonfradia de San Jose in the 19 th century.
Academic institutions such as the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Ateneo de
Manila University in Quezon City, University of Santos Tomas in Manila, Silliman
University in Dumaguete City, and University of San Carlos in Cebu City have also
substantial library and archival holdings. The Media Services Section of the UP Main
Library has microfilm copies of Philippine Radical Papers, a compilation of
documents relevant to the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP) and its allied
organizations as well a People’s Court Proceedings, a collection of court proceedings
against Filipino leaders who corporate with the Japanese during their short-lived
occupation. The Ateneo de Manila’s Rizal Library houses the American Historical
Collection that consists of vital documents relevant to the American experience
such as the Reports of the Philippine Commission (1901-1909), Annual Reports of
the Governors-General of the Philippine Islands (1916-1935), and records of the
Philippine legislature from 1907 to 1934.
Privately owned museums and archives, such as the Ayala Museum in Makati and
Lopez Museum in Pasig City, have also considerable historical resources. Religious
congregations such as the Augustinians, Dominicans, Jesuits, and Recollects also
have extensive archival holdings that remain untapped. Outside the Philippines,
there are several documents about the country found in Spain and the United
States. The bulk of Spanish documents are found at the Archivo General de Indias in
Sevilla, Spain. Important American sources are available at the Manuscript Division
of the United States Library of Congress, Harvard University’s Houghton Library,
United States National Archives, and the University of Michigan’s Bentley Historical
Library.
In this age of Internet, there are open access online archives on Filipino history and
culture, such as the extensive digital Filipiniana collection of the University of
Michigan, which consists of manuscripts and photographs of the early part of 20 th
century Philippines. Another rich online source of primary documents is the
University of Illinois at Chicago Field Museum. It houses the extensive photographic
collection of Dean Worcester, the secretary of Interior of the American colonial
government in the country from 1901 to 1913.
Colonial Historiography Philippine historiography has changed significantly since
the 20th century. For a long time, Spanish colonizers presented our history in two
parts: a period of darkness or backwardness before they arrived and a consequent
period of advancement or enlightenment when they [Link] chroniclers wrote
a lot about the Philippines but their historical accounts emphasized the primacy of
colonization to liberate Filipinos from their backward “barbaric” life ways In the
same manner, American colonial writers also shared the same worldview of their
predecessors by rationalizing their colonization of Filipinos as a way to teach the
natives of the “civilized lifestyle” which they said the Spaniards forgot to impart
including personal hygiene and public administration. Colonial narratives have
portrayed Filipinos as a people bereft of an advanced culture and a respectable
history. This perception challenged Filipino intellectuals beginning in the 1800s to
rectify such cultural bias or prejudice. In 1890, Jose Rizal came out with an
annotationof Antonio de Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (Events in the
Philippine Islands), a book originally published in 1609. He used de Morga’s book, a
rare Spanish publication that positively viewed precolonial Filipino culture, as a
retort to the arrogant Spaniards. However, cultural bias against Filipino culture
continued even after Rizal’s death and the end of Spanish. colonialism.
Jose P. Rizal

Sucesos de las Islas

Filipinas

Learning from the fate of its colonial predecessor, the United States did not
only use brute
force but also affected ingenious ways of pacification such as the use of
education as a tool to
control their subjects and increase political and economic power of the elite
few. These colonial
instruments were so ingrained among Filipinos that they perceived their
colonial past in two ways: initially maltreated by “wicked Spain” but later
rescued by “benevolent America.” This kind of historical consciousness has
effectively erased from the memories of Filipino generations the bloody
Philippine-American War as exemplified by the Balangiga Massacre in
Eastern Samar and the Battle of Bud Bagsak in Sulu. Consequently, such
perception breathes new life to the two-part view of history: a period of
darkness before the advent of the United States and an era of enlightenment
during the American colonial administration. This view has resonated with
Filipino scholars even after the Americans granted our independence in
1946.

Philippine Historiography after World War II

The stark reality of Filipino historians thinking like their colonial counterpart’s
during the
postcolonial period troubled a small group of professors and cultural workers
who were mostly
alumni of the University of the Philippines. This spurred the emergence of
Filipino scholars who
challenged the narrow view of colonial narratives and developed historical
writing from the
viewpoint of a nationalist agenda.
In the 1950s, Teodoro Agoncillo pioneered nationalist historiography in the
country by
highlighting the role of the Filipino reformists and revolutionaries from 1872,
the year that saw
the execution of the Gomburza priests, to the end of the Philippine
Revolution as the focal point
of the country’s nation-building narrative. Two of his most celebrated books
focus on the impactof the Philippine Revolution: The Revolt of the Masses:
The story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan (1956) and Malolos:
The Crisis of the Republic (1960). His writings veered away from emphasizing
Spanish colonial period and regarded events before 1872 as part of the
country’s “lost history.” This discourse “lost history” was not accepted by
another known scholar, Renato Constantino, whose
published work entitled “The Miseducation of the Filipino” became a staple
reading for academics and activists beginning in the late1960s. Constantino
advanced the idea of a “people’s history” – a study of the past that sought to
analyze society by searching out people’s voices from colonial historical
materials that typically rendered Filipinos as decadent, inept and vile.
Following this mode of historical inquiry, he authored The Philippines: A Past
Revisited (1975), a college textbook that offered a more critical reading of
Philippine history compared to Agoncillo’s History of the Filipino People
(1973). Undoubtedly, these two
nationalist scholars inspired or challenged other historians to reevaluate the
country’s national
history. Three other Filipino historians set new directions in redefining
Philippine historiography in the last 30 years of the 20 th century. The first of
these scholars is Zeus Salazar who conceptualized “Pantayong Pananaw” as
an approach to understanding the past from our own cultural frame and
language. He emphasized the value of our Austronesian roots to defining
Filipino culture and encouraged other scholars to conduct outstanding
historical researches in Filipino such as the work of Jaime Veneracion’s
Kasaysayan ng Bulacan (1986)
Bulacan (1986).
Teodro Agoncillo
Renato Constantino
Equally important is the contribution of Reynaldo Ileto who wrote about his
“history from below” treatise in his ground-breaking work, Pasyon and
Revolution: Popular Movements in the Philippines, 1840-1910 (1979). In this
work, Ileto endeavored to recognize the way of thinking of ordinary folks by
using alternative historical sources such as folk songs and prayers. His other
works spurred new interpretations of common topics such as Jose Rizal,
Philippine-American War, and American colonization.

Zeus Salazar
Reynaldo Ileto
Samuel Tan

There is Samuel Tan, another prolific historian who is remembered for

mainstreaming the
role and relevance of Filipino Muslims in the country’s national history. His definitive
work, The
Filipino Muslim Armed Struggle, 1900-1972 (1978), sougth to examine the struggle
of Filipino
Muslims in the context of 20th –century nation-building dynamics during the
American colonial
regime and subsequent postcolonial Filipino administrations. In his book, A History
of the Philippines (1987), Tan tempted to write a national history reflective of the
historical experiences not only of lowland Christianized Filipinos but also of the
other different cultural communities in the archipelago. Since the latter part of the
20th century, there have been considerable changes in the way historians compose
our national history. However, contemporary Philippine historiography still
continues to be characterized by the dominance of political narratives, colonial
histories, elite-centric perspective, and Christianized Filipinos.

Political Narratives
Most of our national histories today favor narratives that deal with the political
aspects of nation-building such as the legacies of political leaders and
establishment of different government. Questions such as the following are focal
points in these narratives. Who was the first Spanish governor-general vital in
implementing the encomienda policy? Who was the governor-general responsible
for the massive employment of Filipinos in the American colonial bureaucracy? Who
served as the last president of the Philippine Commonwealth and the inaugural chief
executive of the Third Republic? Who was the Philippine president responsible for
the declaration of martial law? The challenge for present-day historians is to present
a more holistic history that goes beyond politics by means of integrating other
aspects of nation-building such as its economic and cultural aspects.

Colonial Histories in Historical Narratives

Another weakness of most national histories is the importance given to colonial
histories. This continues to breed Filipinos who are more familiar with stories about
our colonial history rather than stories of our precolonial past. Up to now, some
social studies textbooks misrepresent ancient Filipinos as savages or barbarians by
portraying colonizers, especially the Spaniards and American, as liberators of the
Filipinos from cultural backwardness. The key to uncover such cultural prejudices is
to examine available historical sources and to write about our past by
understanding the myths and misconceptions that characterized the Filipino culture
for centuries.
Elite-centric Perspective in Historical Narratives
Some historical narratives focus on the contributions of the elite in nation-building
such as what the Illustrados (educated Filipinos) fought for in the 19 th century or
how the local politicians negotiated with their American counterparts to obtain an
independence law during the first half ofthe 20 th century. Though eminent historians
such as Constantino and Ileto reiterated the importance of a “people’s history” and
“history from below,” respectively, so much has to be done in terms of writing about
the roles played by ordinary people in our history.
Patriarchal Orientation in Historical Narratives
Most of the country’s historical narratives highlight the heroism of men in different
ways: leading revolts and liberation wars against colonizers, championing the cause
of independence, and spearheading political and economic development. Women,
on the other hand, are viewed by several historians as merely support to men. Let
us take for example the women leaders such as Gabriela Silang, Tandang Sora, and
Corazon Aquino. Silang assumed the leadership of the Ilocosrevolt after her
husband was murdered in May 1763. Tandang Sora’s decision to offer her barn and
farm to revolutionaries in August 1896 was linked to her son’s involvement in the
Katipunan.
Aquino rose to prominence as a martyr’s widow who led a movement to depose a
dictatorship in February 1986. These representations show women’s roles as
consequences of their connection to the men in their lives. With this bias in mind, it
is imperative for contemporary historians to use gender-sensitive approaches in
understanding history to avoid typecasting women as dependent, emotional, less
important, passive, submissive, and weak.
Emphasis on Lowland Christianized Filipinos
National histories tend to show partially toward lowland Christianized Filipinos at the
expense of other cultural communities such as Muslim Filipinos and other
indigenous peoples such as the Manobos of Mindanao, Ibalois of Cordillera, and
Mangyans of Mindoro. Celebrated figures of our past are all lowlander Christians
and predominantly Tagalogs including Jose Rizal, the leading propagandist; Andres
Bonifacio, the Katipunan founder; Emilio Aguinaldo, the revolutionary leader who
declared independence; and Manuel Quezon, the first president of the Philippine
Commonwealth. Non-Christians and highlanders remain unrecognized in historical
narratives. Muslim Filipinos, in particular, have been subjected to negative
characterization by lowland Christians in published works such as history books.
This is caused by the culture of mistrust that developed between Christians and
Muslims during the colonial periods. Muslim Filipinos are depicted as brutal, cruel,
ferocious, and vicious as exemplified by their attacks of Christian towns. This
narrow-minded view has to be reevaluated in order to correct misrepresentations of
Muslim Filipinos in this age of political correctness and cultural sensitivity. Because
of the need to reassess our national histories, many local stories- narratives about
origins and development of a barangay, town, city, province, or an ethnolinguistic
community – have been written in the last three decades. The writing of these
stories broadens the scope of our national history reflective of the roles played by
the country’s cultural communities in nation – building.

Source: Gonzalez, M C, Madrigal, C., San Juan, DM, Ramos, DJ (2014). Chronicles in a
changing
world: Witnesses to the history of the Filipino people. Santillan, NM (Chapter): Diwa
Learning
Systems Inc: Innovation in Education, Makati.

Learning Activity: Essay

Requirements:
1. What is history? How is it different from historiography?
2. What are the sources of history? Enumerate them.
3. How do historians write history?
4. Who are some of the notable Filipino historians? What are their
contributions to
Philippine historiography

Lesson 2: Week 3
History of the Philippine Islands
An Excerpt from the Original Work of Antonio De Morga (Chapter 8)
……relation of the Filipinas Islands and of their natives, antiquity, customs, and
government, both during the period of their paganism and after their conquest by
the Spaniards, and other details.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:
• Quote the observations of the writer about the inhabitants of the Philippine
islands when
the Spaniards arrived
• Describe the culture of the inhabitants of the Philippine islands before the
colonization
• Criticize the way the Filipinos were described by the writer.
“In various parts of this island of Luzon are found a number of natives black in color.
Both men and women have wooly hair, and their stature is not very great, though
they are strong and robust. These people are barbarians, and have but little
capacity. They possess no fixed house or settlements, but wander in bands and
hordes through the mountains and rough country, changing from one site to
another according to the season. They support themselves in certain clearings, and
by planting rice, which they are very skillful and certain. [217] They live also on
honey from the mountains, and roots produced by the ground. They are barbarous
people, in whom one cannot place confidence. They are much given killing and to
attacking the settlements of the other natives, in which they commit many
depredations; and there is nothing that can be done to stop them, or to subdue or
pacify them, although this is always attempted by fair or foul means, as opportunity
and necessity demand.’’
The apparel and clothing of these natives of Luzon before the entrance of the
Spaniards into the country were generally, for the men, certain short collarless
garments of cangan, sewed together in the front, and with short sleeves, and
reaching slightly below the waist, some were blue and others black, while the chiefs
had some red ones, called chinanas. [218] They also whore a strip of colored cloth
wrapped about the waist, and passed between the legs, so that it covered the privy
parts, reaching half-way down the thigh; these are called banaques. [219] they go
with legs bare, feet unshod, and the head uncovered, wrapping a narrow cloth,
called protong [220] just below it, with which they bind the forehead and temples.
About their necks they wear gold necklaces, wrought like spun wax, [221] and with
links in our fashion, some larger than others. On their arms they wear armlets of
wrought gold, which they call calombigas, and which are very large and made in
different patterns. Some wear strings of precious stones- cornelians and agates; and
other blue and white stones, which they esteem highly. [222] They wear around the
legs somestrings of these stones, and certain cords, covered with black pitch in
many foldings, as garters. [223]”
These principles, and lordship were inherited in the male line and by succession of
father and son and their descendants. If these were lacking, then their brothers and
collateral relatives succeeded. Their duty was to rule and govern their subjects and
followers, and to assist them in their interests and necessities. What the chiefs
received from their followers was to be held by them in great veneration and
respect; and they were served in their wars and voyages, and in their tilling, sowing,
fishing, and the building of their houses. To these duties the natives attended very
promptly, whenever summoned by their chief. They also paid the chiefs tribute
(which they called (buiz), in varying quantities, in the crops that they gathered. The
descendants of such chiefs, and their relatives, even though they did not inherit the
lordship, were held in the same respect and consideration. Such were all regarded
as nobles, and as persons exempt from the services rendered by others, or the
plebeians, who were called timaguas. [224] The same right of nobility and
Chieftainship was preserved from the women, just as for the men. When any of
these chiefs was more courageous than others in war and upon other occasions,
such a one enjoyed more followers and men; and the others were under his
leadership, even if they were chiefs. These latter retained to themselves the
lordship and particular government of their own following, which is called barangani
among them. They had datos and special leaders [mandadores] who attended to
the interests of the barangay.
The superiority of these chiefs over those of their barangani was so great that they
held the latter as subjects; they treated these well or ill, and disposed of their
persons, their children, and their possessions; at will, without any resistance, or
rendering account to anyone. For every slight annoyance and for slight occasions,
they were wont to kill and wound them, and to enslave them. It bating in the river,
or who have raised their eyes to look at them less respectfully and for other similar
causes. [312] When some natives had suits or disputes with others over matters of
property and interest, or over personal injuries and wrongs received, they appointed
old men of the same district, to try them, the parties being present. If they had to
present proofs, they brought their witnesses there, and the case was immediately
judged according to what was found, according to the usages of their ancestors on
like occasions; and that sentence was observed and executed without any further
objection or delay, [313]
The natives’ laws throughout the islands were made in the same manner, and they
followed the traditions and customs of their ancestors, without anything being
written. Some provinces had different customs than others in some respects.
However, they agreed in most, and in all the islands generally the same usages
were followed. [314]
There are three conditions of persons among the natives of these islands, and into
which their government is divided: the chiefs, of whom we have already treated; the
timaguas, who are equivalent to plebians; and slaves, those of both chiefs and
timaguas.

The slaves were of several classes. Some were for all kinds of work and
slavery, like those
which we ourselves hold. Such are called sagigilid; [315] they served inside
the house, as did
likewise the children born of them. There are others who live by their own
houses with their
families, outside the house of their lord; and come, at the season, to aid him
in his sowings and
harvests, among his rowers when he embarks, in the construction of his
house when it is being
built, and to serve in his house when there are guests of distinction. These
are bound to come to
their lord’s house whenever he summons them, and to serve in these offices
without any pay or
stipend. These slaves are called namamahay, [316] and their children and
descendants are slaves
of the same class. From these slaves- sagigilid and namamahayan- are issue,
some of whom are
whole slaves, some of whom are half slaves, and still others one-fourth
slaves. It happens thus; if
either the father or the mother was free, and they had only child, he was half
free and half slave. If they had more than one child, they were divided as
follows: the first follows the condition of the father, free or slave; the second
that of the mother. If there were an odd number of children, the last was half
free and half slave. Those who descended from these, if children of a free
mother or father, were only one-fourth slaves, because of being children of a
free father or mother and of a half-slave. These half slaves or one-fourth
slaves, whether sagigilid or namamahay, served their masters during every
other moon; and in this respect so is such condition slavery. In the same
way, it may happen in division between heirs that a slave will fall to several,
and serves each one for the time that is due him. When the slave is not
wholly slave, but half or fourth, he has the right, because of that part that is
free, to control his master to emancipate him for a just price. This price is
appraised and regulated for persons according to the quality of their slavery,
whether it be saguiguilid or namamahay, half slave or quarter slave. But if he
is wholly slave, the master cannot be compelled to ransom or emancipate
him for any [Link] usual price of a saguiguilid slave among the natives is,
at most, generally ten taes of
good gold, or eighty pesos, if he is namamahay. Half of that sum. The others
are in the same
proportion, taking into consideration the person and his age. No fixed
beginning can be assigned as the origin of these kinds of slavery among
these natives, because all the slaves are natives of the islands, and not
strangers. It is thought that they were made in their wars and quarrels. The
most certain knowledge is that the most powerful made the others slaves,
and seized them for slight cause or occasion, and many times for loans and
usurious contracts which were current among them. The interest, capital,
and debt, increased so much with delay that the barrowers became slaves.
Consequently, all these slaveries have violent and unjust beginnings; and
most if the suits among the natives are over these, and they occupy the
judges in the exterior court with them, and their confessors in that of
conscience. [317]
These slaves comprise the greatest wealth and capital of the natives of these
islands, for
they are very useful to them and necessary for the cultivation of their
property. They are sold,
traded, and exchanged among them, just as any bother mercantile article,
from one village to
another, from one province to another, and likewise from one island to
another. Therefore, and to
avoid so many suits as would occur if these slaveries were examined, and
their origin and scurce
ascertained, they are preserved and held as they were formerly.
This marriage of these natives, commonly and generally were, and are:
Chiefs with women
chiefs; timaguas with those of that rank; and slaves with those of their own
class. But sometimes
these classes intermarry with one another. They considered one woman,
whom they married, as
the legitimate wife and the mistress of the house; and she was styled
ynasaba. [318] Those whom
they kept besides hey they considered as family. The children of the first
were regarded as
legitimate and whole heirs of their parents; the children of the others were
not so regarded, and left something by assignment, but they did not inherit.
The dowry was furnished by the man, being given by his parents. The wife
furnished
nothing for the marriage, until she had inherited it from her parents. The
solemnity of the marriage consisted in nothing more than the agreement
between the parents and relatives of the contracting parties, the payment of
the dowry agreed upon to the father of the bride, [319] and the assembling
at the wife’s parents’ house of all the relatives to eat and drink until they
would fall down. At night the man took the woman to his house and into his
power, and there she remained. These marriages were annulled and
dissolved for slight cause, which acted as mediators in the affairs. At such a
time the man took the dowry (which they call vigadicaya), [320] unless it
happened that they separated through the husband’s fault;
For when it was not returned to him, and the wife’s parents kept it. The
property that they
had acquired together was divided in to halves, and each one disposed of his
own. If one made any profits in which the other did not have a share or
participate, he acquired it for himself alone.
The Indians were adopted one by another, in presence of the relatives. The
adopted person gave and delivered all his actual possession to the one who
adopted him. Thereupon he remained in his house and care, and had a right
to inherit with the other children. [321]
Adulteries were not punished corporally. If the adulterer paid the aggrieved
party the
amount adjudged by the old men and agreed upon by them, then the injury
was pardoned, and the husband was appeased and retained his honor. He
would still live with his wife and there would be no further talk about the
matter. In inheritance all the legitimate children inherited equally from their
parents whatever property they had acquired. If there were any movable or
landed property which they had received from their parents, such went to
the nearest relative and the collateral side of that stock, if there were no
legitimate children by an ynasaba. This was the case either with or without a
will. In the act of drawing a will, there was no further ceremony than to have
written it or to have stated it orally before acquaintances. If any chief was
lord of a barangay, then in that case, the eldest son of an ynasaba
succeeded him. If he died, the second son succeeded. If there were no sons,
then the daughters succeeded in the same order. If there were no legitimate
successors, the succession went to the nearest relative belonging to lineage
and relationship of the chief who had been the last possessor of it. If any
native had slave women concubines of any of them, and such slave woman
had children, those children were free, as was the slave. But if she had no
children, she remained a slave. [322]

These children by a slave woman, and those borne by a married woman, were
regarded as illegitimate, and did not succeed to the inheritance with the other
children, neither were the parents obliged to leave them anything. Even if they were
the sons of chiefs, they did not succeed to the nobility or chieftainship of the
parents, nor to their privileges, but they remained and were reckoned as plebeians
and in the number and rank of the other timaguas. The contract and negotiations of
these natives were generally illegal, each one paying attention to how he might
better his own business and interest. Loans which interest were very common and
much practiced, and the interest incurred was excessive. The debt doubled and
increased all the time while payment was delayed, until it stripped the debtor of all
his possessions, and he and his children, when all their property was gone, became
slaves. [323]
Their customary method of trading was by bartering one thing for another, such as
food, cloth, cattle, fowls, lands, houses, fields, slaves, fishing-grounds, and palm-
trees (both nipa and wild). At Sometimes a price intervened, which was paid in gold,
as agreed upon, or in metal bells brought from China. These bells they regard as
precious jewels, resemble large pans and are very sonorous. [324] They play upon
these at their feasts, and carry them to the war in their boat instead of drums and
others instruments. Thereare often delays and terms for certain payments, and
bondsmen who intervene and bind themselves, but always with very usurious and
excessive profits and interests. Crimes were punished by request of the aggrieved
parties. Especially were thefts punished with greater severity, the robbers being
enslaved or sometimes put to death. [325] The same was true of insulting words,
especially when spoken to chiefs. They had among themselves many expressions
and words which they regarded as the highest insult, when said to men and women.
These were pardoned less willingly and with greater difficulty that was personal
violence, such as wounding and assaulting. [326] Concubinage, rape, and incest,
were not regarded at all, unless committed by a timagua on the person of a woman
chief. It was a quite ordinary practice for a married man to have lived a long time in
concubinage with the sister of his wife. Even before having communication which
his wife he could have had access for a long time to his mother-in-law, especially if
the bride were very young until she were of sufficient age. This was done in sight of
all the relatives. Single men are called bagontaos, [327] and girls of marriageable
age, dalagas. Both classes are people of little restraint, and from early childhood
they have communication with one another, and mingle with facility and little
secrecy, and without this being regarded among the natives as a cause for anger.
Neither do the parents, brothers, or relatives, show any anger, especially if there is
any material interest in it, and but little is sufficient with each and all. As long as
these natives lived in their paganism, it was not known that they had fallen into the
abominate sin against nature. But after the Spaniards had entered their country,
through
communication with them—and still more, through that with the Sangleys, who
have come from
China, and are much given to that vice—it has been communicated to them
somewhat, both to men and to women. In this matter it has been necessary to take
action. The native of the islands of Pintados, especially the women, are very vicious
and sensual. Their perverseness has discovered lascivious methods of
communication between men and women; and there is one to which they are
accustomed from their youth. The men skillfully make a hole in their virile member
near its head, and insert therein a serpent’s head, either of metal or ivory, and
fasten it with a peg of the same material passed through the hole, so that it cannot
become unfastened. With this device, they have communication with their wives,
and are unable to withdraw until a long time after copulation. They are very fond of
this and receive much pleasure from it, so that, although devices are called sagras,
and there are very few of them, because since
they have become Christians, strenuous efforts are being made to do away with
these, and not consent to their use; and consequently the practice has been
checked in great part. [328] Herbalist and witches are common among these
natives, but are not punished or prohibited among them, so long as they do not
cause any special harm, But seldom could that be ascertained or known. There were
also when whose business was to ravish and take away virginity from young girls.
These girls were taken to such men, and the latter were paid for ravishing them, for
the natives considered it a hindrance and acquaintance if the girls were virgins
when they married. In matters of religion, the natives proceeded more barbarously
and with greater blindness than in all the rest. For besides being pagans, without
any knowledge of the true God, they neither strove to discover Him by way of
reason, nor had any fixed belief. The devil usually deceived them with a thousand
errors and blindness. He appeared to them in various horrible and frightful forms,
and as fierce animals, so that they feared Him and trembled before Him. They
generally worshiped him, and made images of him in the said forms. These they
kept in caves and private houses, where they offered them perfumes them
perfumes and odors, and food and fruit, calling them anitos. [329] Others worshiped
the sun and the moon, and made feasts and drunken revels at the conjunction of
those bodies. Some worshipped a yellow-colored bird that dwells in their woods,
called batala. They generally worship and adore the crocodiles when they see them,
by kneeling down and clasping their hanads, because of the harm that they receive
from those reptiles; they believe that by so doing the crocodile will become
appeased and leave them. Their oaths, execrations, and promises are all as above
mentioned, namely, “May buhayan eat thee, if thou dost not speak truth, or fulfil
what thou hast promised,’’ and similar things. There were no temples throughout
those islands, nor houses generally used for the worship of idols; but each person
possessed and made his house own anitos, [330] without any fixed rite or
ceremony. They had no priests or religious to attend to religious affairs, except
certain old men and women called catalonas. These were experienced witches and
sorcerers, who kept the other people deceived. The latter communicated to these
sorcerers their desires and needs, and the catalonas told them innumerable
extravagancies and lies. The catalonas uttered prayers and performed other
ceremonies to the idols for the sick; and they believed in omens and superstitions,
with witch the devil inspired them, whereby they declared whether the patient
would recover or die. Such were their cures and methods, and they used various
kinds of divinations for all things. All this was with so little aid, apparatus, or
foundation—which God permitted, so that the preaching of the holy gospel should
find those of that region better prepared for it, and so that those natives would
confess the truth more easily, and it, and would be less difficult to withdraw them
from their darkness, and the errors in which the devil kept them for so many years.
They never sacrificed human beings as is done in other kingdoms. They believed
that there was a future life where those who had been brave and performed valiant
feats would be rewarded; while those who had done evil would be punished. But
they did not know how or where this would be. [331]
Source:
De Morga, Antonio. History of the Philippine islands: From their discovery by
Magellan in 1521 to the beginning of the XVII Century; with description of Japan,
China and adjacent countries.
Translated by Blair and Robertson. Ohio: The Arthur and Clark Company. 1907.

Learning Activity: Reaction Paper

Requirements:
1. Based on your critical analysis of the above description of
Antonio de Morga about the
early inhabitants of the then called Philippine islands, draw some
points which you do
not agree about the Filipino people before the Spanish colonization.
Provide evidence of
your argument.
2. Do you think some of the observed characteristics of culture and
practices of the early
Filipinos still exist now a days? Give examples, if there is. Justify if
there is none.
Lesson 3: Week 4
The Manunggul Jar
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:
• Identify the parts of the Manunggul jar
• Interpret the significance and symbolisms of the design of the jar
• Relate the design of the jar with the cultural practices of the early
civilization
• Illustrate the significance of the discovery of the jar to the history of the
Philippines
The Manunggul Jar is a secondary burial jar excavated from a Neolithic
burial site in
Manunggul cave of Tabon Caves at Lipuun Point at Palawan dating from 890–
710 B.C. The two
prominent figures at the top handle of its cover represent the journey of the
soul to the afterlife.
The Manunggul Jar is widely acknowledged to be one of the finest Philippine
pre-colonial
artworks ever produced and is a considered a masterpiece. It is denoted a
national treasure and it
is designated as item 64-MO-74 by the National Museum of the Philippines. It
is now housed at
the Museum of the Filipino People and is one of the most popular exhibits
there. It is made from
clay with some sand soil. The cultural treasure found in the early 1960’s in
Manunggul Cave, Lipuun Point, Palawan is a secondary burial jar. The upper
portion of the jar,as well as the cover is incised with curvilinear scroll designs
and painted with natural iron or hematite. On top of the jar cover or lid is a
boat with two human figures representing two souls on a voyage to the
afterlife. The boatman is seated behind a figure whose hands are crossed on
the chest. The position of the hands is a traditional Filipino practice observed
when arranging the corpse.
The burial jar which is unrivaled in Southeast Asia and considered as the
work of a master potter, signifies the belief
of early Filipinos in life after death. It is
dated to the late Neolithic Period, about
890-710 B.C.
Discovery of the Jar
The Manunggul Jar was found by Dr. Robert B.
Fox and Miguel Antonio in 1962. It was found alongside the discovery of the
remains of Tabon
Man. It was recovered by Dr. Fox in Chamber A of Manunggul Cave in
Southwestern Palawan. Manunggul Cave is one of the Tabon Caves in Lipuun
Point. In the expansion, the Tabon Caves is known to be a site of jar burials
with artefacts dating a range from 4250-2000 BP. Chamber A dates as a Late
Neolithic burial site (890-710 BC). Seventy-eight jars and earthenwares,
including the Manunggul Jar, was discovered on the subsurface and surface
of Chamber A. Each artifact varied in design and form but was evidently
types of funerary pottery.

First Excavation and Response to Discovery

As mentioned earlier, the first ever excavation that gave way to the discovery of
this burial jar is on the year 1964 by Dr. Robert Fox. During that time, he and his
team were excavating the Tabon Cave Complex, specifically in the Lipuun Point. In
Fox’s excavation, it is yet the most unusual in all angles. The inside of the jar
contains human bones which are covered in red paint. Like the Egyptian burial
practice, the jar was also found to be equipped with numerous bracelets. “... is
perhaps unrivaled in Southeast Asia, the work of an artist and a master potter.” —
These words were said by Robert Fox when asked as to how he would describe the
jar’s origin, based from its appearance.

Design of the Jar

The fine lines and complex design of the Manunggul Jar reflect the artistry of
the early
Filipinos.
The Manunggul Jar shows that the Filipinos' maritime culture is paramount
that it reflected
its ancestors' religious beliefs. Many epics around the Philippines would tell
how souls go to the
next life, aboard boats, pass through the rivers and seas. This belief is
connected with
the Austronesian belief of the anito. The fine lines and intricate designs of
the Manunggul Jar
reflect the artistry of early Filipinos. These designs are proof of the Filipinos'
common heritage
from the Austronesian-speaking ancestors despite the diversity of the
cultures of the Filipinos.
The upper part of the Manunggul jar, as well as the cover, is carved with
curvilinear scroll designs which are painted with hematite. The depiction of
sea-waves on the lid places this Manunggul jar in the Sa Huỳnh culture
pottery tradition. These are people that migrated in an East to West
migration from the Borneo-Palawan area to Southern Vietnam. Early Filipinos
believed that a man is composed of a body, a life force called ginhawa, and a
kaluluwa.
This explains why the design of the cover of the Manunggul Jar features
three faces - the soul, the boatman, and the boat itself. The faces of the
figures and on the prow of the boat have eyes and mouth rendered in the
same style as other artifacts of Southeast Asia of that period. The two human
figures in a boat represent a voyage to the afterlife. The boatman is holding
a steering paddle while the one on his front shows hands crossed on his
chest. The steersman's oar is missing its paddle, as is the mast in the center
of the boat, against which the steersman would have braced his feet. The
manner in which the hands of the front figure are folded across the chest is a
widespread practice in the Philippines when arranging the corpse. The cover of
Manunggul Jar provides a clear example of a cultural link between the archeological
past and the ethnographic present. It also
signifies the belief of ancient Filipinos in life after [Link] Manunggul Jar tells us
of our connections with our Southeast Asian neighbors. The design is a proof of our
common heritage from our Austronesian-speaking ancestors despite the diversity of
the cultures of the Philippine peoples. 5 Traces of their culture and beliefs can still be
seen in different parts of the country and from different Philippine ethno-linguistic
groups,reminding us that there can be a basis for the so-called “imagined
community” called the Filipino nation. The Manunggul Jar tells us of how important
the waters were to our ancestors. Before the internet, the telephone, the telegram,
and the plane, the seas and the rivers were their conduit of trade, information and
communication.6 In the Philippine archipelago, that, according to Peter Bellwood,
the Southeast Asians first developed a sophisticated maritime culture which made
possible the spread of the Austronesian-speaking peoples to the Pacific Islands as
far Madagascar in Africa and Easter Island near South [Link] ships—the
balanghay, the paraw, the caracoa,and the like—were considered marvelous
technological advances by our neighbors that they respected us and made us
partners in trade, these neighbors including the imperial Chinese. The Manunggul
Jar shows that our maritime culture is so paramount to us that it reflected our
ancestor’s religious beliefs. Many epics around the Philippines would tell us of how
souls go to the next life aboard boats, passing through the rivers and seas. The
belief is very much connected with the Austronesia belief in the anito. Our ancestors
believed that man is composed of the body, the life force called the ginhawa, and
the kaluluwa. The kaluluwa, after death, can return to earth to exist in nature to
guide their descendants. This explains why the design of the cover of the
Manunggul Jar features three faces, those of the soul, of the boat driver, and of the
boat itself. For them, even things from nature have souls, have lives of their own.
That’s why our ancestors respected nature more than those who thought that it can
be used for the ends of man. Source:

[Link]
[Link]

Learning Activity: Map Analysis

Requirements:
1. Given the map below, extracted from Google Earth, the Tabon Caves in
the Lipuun Point of
Palawan where the Manunggul Jar was discovered are facing the South
China Sea and the
Spratly Islands. Below the Palawan peninsula is the island of Borneo. Do
you find any
relationship between the symbolism of the design of the jar and the
surrounding environment?
What do you think is the source of inspiration in such design given its
environment?
2. Using your own analysis of the map, formulate your own theory of the
possible role of the
Palawan peninsula in the history of
civilization in the early Philippines.

Map of Palawan Province Manunggul Tabon Cave, Palawan

Lesson 4: Week 5
The Laguna Copperplate
Learning Objectives:

By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:

• Restate the English translation of the inscription in the copperplate
• Explain the relevance of the discovery of the copperplate to Philippine
historiography
• Justify the existence of advanced Philippine civilization prior to the arrival
of the Spaniards
The Laguna Copperplate Inscription was found in 1989 near the mouth of the Lumbang River
nearLaguna de Bay,[11] by a man who was dredging sand to turn into concrete. Suspecting that the
artifact might have some value, the man sold it to an antique dealer who, having found no buyers,
eventually sold it to the National Museum of the Philippines, where it was assigned to Alfredo E.
Evangelista, head of its anthropology department.[12][13] The National Museum refers to the artifact as
the Laguna Copper Plate.[14]A year later, Antoon Postma noted that the inscription was similar to the
ancient Indonesian script ofKawi. Postma translated the script and found the document dated itselfto
the Saka year 822, an old Hindu calendar date which corresponds to 900 CE.[15]
[better source needed]
Thisnmeant that the document pre-dated the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 and is
from about the same time as the mention of the Philippines in the official Chinese Song
dynasty History of Song for the year 972.[16]

Political Entities in Southeast Asia in the 10th Century

During the 10th
century, a number
of political entities
were in existence
in Southeast Asia.
One of the most
famous of these
was the Khmer Empire,
which dominated
much of the
Southeast Asian
mainland. To its
east, the modern
country of Vietnam
was divided between
the Chinese in the
north, and the
Kingdom of Champa in the south. The seas below the Southeast Asian mainland were beyond the
reach of the Khmers and were largely controlled by a maritime empire known as rivijaya.

The maximum extent of the Srivijaya Empire during the 8th century. ( CC BY SA 3.0 )
However, there is little information on the area in the part of this region where the modern country of
the Philippines is now situated. This lack of information led many scholars to believe that it was
isolated from the rest of the region. Thus, the Laguna Copperplate Inscription is an important artifact,
as it has allowed scholars to re-evaluate the situation in this part of Southeast Asia during the 10th
century AD.
Learning Activity: Critical Discourse
Requirement:
1. What do you think is the use of the discovered copperplate in Laguna in
writing the
history of the Philippines?
2. The copperplate was accidentally discovered by a man who was
dredging sand in Lumbang River in Laguna. Dredging is part of a
quarrying activity for the purpose of accumulating sand and gravel
forconstruction purposes. With the emergence of many quarrying
activities now a days, do you think there is still a possibility of discovering
more artifacts with the same value as the Laguna copperplate? What do
you think is the role of the National Historical Commission in making sure
that areas with possible historical value are protected and regulated?
3. Presidential Decree No. 1586 declares that any area which has
historical significance or has unique historic, archaeological, and scientific
interests are considered environmentally critical. Hence, the place where
the copperplate was discovered shouldbe now considered environmentally
critical area. You are hereby tasked to produce any evidence like news
clips, online article, or photo or any document to prove that the area
where the copperplate was discovered is already protected by the
government. If there is none, you are going to formulate recommendation
to any concerned government agency or local government unit.

Lesson 5: Week 6
Duties of the Katipunan of the Sons of
the People
(KKK)
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:
• Recite the decalogue of the Katipunan
• Examine the practicality of the decalogue during the time of revolution
• Compare the decalogue with the vision and mission of the Philippine
National Police and
Philippine Army
• Construct a personalized decalogue for the present-day heroes
Although unpublished during Bonifacio’s lifetime, this Decalogue is today well
known, printed in schoolbooks and inscribed on monuments. The format in which
Bonifacio sets out the duties of KKK members obviously derives from the Old
Testament, and in content the injunctions echo the “Programa Masonica” and
“Codigo Masonico” of the Gran Oriente Espanol. The “Codigo” for instance, similarly
opens with the direction to exalt the Creator, and similarly extols charity and love
for one’s fellows. It, too, enjoins lodge members to be calm, to be guided by reason,
and to support one another, “even at the cost of one’s life.” It, too, says members
who break their obligations will be duly punished.
The crucial difference between the, masonic credo and Bonifacio’s Decalogue is one
of ultimate purpose. The mission of masonry, according to the Gran Oriente’s
“Programa”, is exclusively humanitarian: it strives to “foster charity and
philanthropy among free men of good standing” and to establish a “fraternity
among mankind.” The mission of the Katipunan, the Decalogue makes clear, is to
liberate the country from enslavement.
Duties of the Sons of the People
1. Believe with a fervent heart in the creator.
2. Reflect always that a sincere faith in him involves love of one’s native land,
because this shows true love for one’s fellows.
3. Engrave on the heart the conviction that to die for the liberation of the country
from enslavement is the highest honor and fortune.
4. In any endeavor, the realization of good aspirations depends on calmness,
perseverance, reason and hope.
5. Guard the instructions and plan of the K K K as you would guard your own honor.
6. Anyone who falls into danger whist carrying out their duties should be supported
by all, and rescued even at the cost of life and riches.
7. Let each of us strive in the performance our duty to set a good example for
others to follow.
8. Share whatever you can with whoever is needy.
9. Diligence in earning a livelihood is a true expression of love and affection for self,
spouse,
children, brothers or compatriots.
10. Believe absolutely that scoundrels and traitors will be punished and good deeds
will be rewarded. Believe, likewise, that the aims of the K K K are blessed by
creator, for the will of the people is also His will.
Learning Activity: Personalized Decalogue
Construction
Requirement:
Create your own decalogue dedicated to all frontliners during the COVID-19
Pandemic. Note that frontliners are considered modern-day heroes.

Lesson 6: Week 7
Act of Declaration of Philippine
Independence
Written and Read by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista on June 12, 1898 at Cavite del
Viejo (Kawit)
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:
• Examine the contents of the act of declaration

Source: “Declaration of Philippine Independence.” In The Laws of the First Philippine

Republic (The
Laws of Malolos), edited by Sulpicio Guevara, 203-206. Manila: National Historical
Commission, 1972.

Learning Activity: Evaluative Essay

Requirements:
1. What does the document want to convey?
2. How did the revolutionaries regard Aguinaldo based on the document?
3. According to the document, what do the symbols in the Philippine flag represent?
4. How did the Filipinos regard the United States according to the document?
5. What is the importance of this document in the history of our country?

Lesson 7: Week 8
1899 CONSTITUTION OF THE
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
(MALOLOS CONVENTION)
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the lesson, the student will be able to:
• Examine the contents of the Malolos Constitution
• Appraise the prevailing conditions when the first constitution was made
• Sort significant provisions that still remain in the present constitution of the
Philippines
The President of the Council,

Apolinario Mabini.

PREAMBLE

We, the Representatives of the Filipino people, lawfully convened, in order to establish
justice, provide for common defense, promote the general welfare, and insure the
benefits of liberty, imploring the aid of the Sovereign Legislator of the Universe for the
attainment of these ends, have voted, decreed, and sanctioned the following:

POLITICAL CONSTITUTION

TITLE I

THE REPUBLIC

Article 1. The political association of all Filipinos constitutes a nation, whose state shall
be known as the Philippine Republic
Article 2. The Philippine Republic is free and independent

Article 3. Sovereignty resides exclusively in the people.

TITLE II

THE GOVERNMENT

Article 4. The Government of the Republic is popular, representative, alternative, and

responsible, and shall exercise three distinct powers: namely, the legislative, the
executive, and the judicial. Any two or more of thesethree powers shall never be united
in one person or cooperation, nor the legislative power vested in one single individual.

TITLE III

RELIGION

Article 5. The State recognizes the freedom and equality of all religions, as well as the
separation of the Church and the State.

TITLE IV

THE FILIPINOS AND THEIR NATIONAL AND INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS

Article 6. The following are Filipinos:

1. All persons born in the Philippine territory. A vessel of Philippine registry is

considered, for this purpose, as part of Philippine territory.

2. Children of a Filipino father or mother, although born outside of the Philippines.

3. Foreigners who have obtained certification of naturalization.

4. Those who, without such certificate, have acquired a domicile in any town within
Philippine territory. It is understood that domicile is acquired by uninterrupted residence
for two years in any locality within Philippine territory, with an open abode and known
occupation, and contributing to all the taxes imposed by the Nation. The condition of
being a Filipino is lost in accordance with law.

Article 7. No Filipino or foreigner shall be detained nor imprisoned except for the
commission of a crime and in accordance with law.

Article 8. All persons detained shall be discharged or delivered to the judicial authority
within 24 hours following the act of detention. All detentions shall be without legal
effect, unless the arrested person is duly prosecuted within 72 hours after delivery to a
competent court. The accused shall be duly notified of such proceeding within the same
period.

Article 9. No Filipino shall be imprisoned except by virtue of an order by a competent

court. The order of imprisonment shall be ratified or confirmed within 72 hours following
the said order, after the accused has been heard.

Article 10. No one shall enter the dwelling house of any Filipino or a foreigner residing
in the Philippines without his consent except in urgent cases of fire, inundation,
earthquake or similar dangers, or by reason of unlawful aggression from within, or in
order to assist a person therein who cries for help. Outside of these cases, the entry into
the dwelling house of any Filipino or foreign resident in the Philippines or the search of
his papers and effects can only be decreed by a competent court and executed only in
the daytime. The search of papers and effects shall be made always in the presence of
the person searched or of a member of his family and, in their absence, of two
witnesses resident of the same place. However, when a criminal caught in fraganti
should take refuge in his dwelling house, the authorities in pursuit may enter into it,
only for the purpose of making an arrest. If a criminal should take refuge in the dwelling
house of a foreigner, the consent of a latter must first be obtained.

Article 11. No Filipino shall be compelled to change his residence or domicile except by
virtue of a final judgment.

Article 12. In no case may correspondence confided to the post office be detained or
opened by government authorities, nor any telegraphic or telephonic message
detained. However, by virtue of a competent court, correspondence may be detained
and opened in the presence of the sender.

Article 13. All orders of imprisonment, of search of a dwelling house, or detention of

written correspondence, telegraph or telephone, must be justified. When an order lacks
this requisite, or when the grounds on which the act was founded is proven in court to
be unlawful or manifestly insufficient, the person to be detained or whose imprisonment
has not been ratified within the period prescribed in Art. 9, or whose correspondence
has been detained, shall have the right to recover damages.

Article 14. No Filipino shall be prosecuted or sentenced, except by a judge or court of

proper jurisdiction andaccording to the procedure prescribed by law.

Article 15. Except in the cases provided by the Constitution, all persons detained or
imprisoned not in accordance with legal formalities shall be released upon his own
petition or upon petition of another person. The law shall determine the manner of
proceeding summarily in this instance, as well as the personal and pecuniary penalties
which shall be imposed upon the person who ordered, executed or to be executed the
illegal detention or imprisonment.

Article 16. No one shall be temporarily or permanently deprived of rights or dstured in

his enjoyment thereof, except by virtue of judicial sentence. The officials who, under
any pretext whatsoever, should violate this provision, shall be personally liable for the
damages caused.

Article 17. No one shall be deprived of his property by expropriation except on

grounds of public necessity and benefit, previously declared and justified by proper
authorities, and indemnifying the owner thereof prior to expropriation.

Article 18. No one shall be obliged to pay any public tax which had not been approved
by the National Assembly or by local popular governments legally so authorized, and
which is not in the manner prescribed by the law.

Article 19. No Filipino who is in full enjoyment of his civil or political rights, shall be
impeded in the free exercise of said rights.

Article 20. Neither shall any Filipino be deprived:

1. Of the right to freely express his ideas or opinions, orally or in writing, through the
use of the press or other similar means.

2. Of the right of association for purposes of human life and which are not contrary to
public morals; and lastly

3. Of the right to send petitions to the authorities, individually or collectively.

The right of petition shall not be exercised through any kind of armed force.

Article 21. The exercise of the rights provided for in the preceding article shall be
subject to general provisions regulating the same.

Article 22. Crimes committed on the occasion of the exercise of rights provided for in
this title, shall be punished by the courts in accordance with the laws.

Article 23. Any Filipino may establish and maintain institutions of learning, in
accordance with the laws authorizing them. Public education shall be free and
obligatory in all schools of the nation.

Article 24. Foreigners may freely reside in Philippine territory, subject to legal
dispositions regulating thematter; may engage in any occupation or profession for the
exercise of which no special license is required by law to be issued by the national
authorities.

Article 25. No Filipino who is in full enjoyment of his political and civil rights shall be
impeded in his right to travel freely abroad or in his right to transfer his residence or
possessions to another country, except as to his obligations to contribute to military
service or the maintenance of public taxes.

Article 26. No foreigner who has not been naturalized may exercise in the Philippines
any office which carries with it any authority or jurisdictional powers.

Article 27. All Filipinos are obliged to defend his country with arms when called upon
by law, and to contribute to the expenses of the State in proportion to his means.

Article 28. The enumeration of the rights provided for in this title does not imply the
denial of other rights not mentioned.

Article 29. The prior authorization to prosecute a public official in the ordinary courts is
not necessary, whatever may be the crime committed. A superior order shall not
exempt a public official from liability in the cases which constitute apparent and clear
violations of constitutional precepts. In others, the agents of the law shall only be
exempted if they did not exercise the authority.

Article 30. The guarantees provided for in Articles 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 and paragraphs 1
and 2 of Article 20 shall not be suspended, partially or wholly, in any part of the
Republic, except temporarily and by authority of law,when the security of the State in
extraordinary circumstances so demands. When promulgated in any territory where the
suspension applies, there shall be a special law which shall govern during the period of
the suspension, according to the circumstances prevailing. The law of suspension as
well as the special law to govern shall be approved by the National Assembly, and in
case the latter is in recess, the Government shall have the power to decree the same
jointly with the Permanent Commission, without prejudice to convoking the Assembly
without the least delay and report to it what had been done. However, any suspension
made shall not affect more rights than those mentioned in the first paragraph of this
Article nor authorize the Government to banish or deport from the Philippines any
Filipino.

Article 31. In the Republic of the Philippines, no one shall be judged by a special law
nor by special tribunals. No person or corporation may enjoy privileges or emoluments
which are not in compensation for public service rendered and authorized by law. War
and marine laws shall apply only for crimes and delicts which have intimate relation to
military or naval discipline.

Article 32. No Filipino shall establish laws on primogeniture, nor institutions restrictive
of property rights, nor accept honors, decorations, or honorific titles or nobility from
foreign nations without the consent of the Government. Neither shall the Government
establish in the Republic institutions mentioned in the preceding paragraph, nor confer
honors, decorations, or honorific titles of nobility to any [Link] Nation, however,
may reward by special law approved by the Assembly, conspicuous services rendered
by citizens of the country.

TITLE V
THE LEGISLATIVE POWER
Article 33. Legislative power shall be exercised by an Assembly of Representatives of
the Nation.
This Assembly shall be organized in the form and manner determined by law.

Article 34. The Members of the Assembly shall represent the who nation and not
exclusively the electors who
elected them.

Article 35. No representative shall receive from his electors any imperative mandate
whatsoever.
Article 36. The Assembly shall meet every year. The President of the Republic has the
right to convoke it,
suspend and close its sessions, and dissolve the same, within the periods prescribed by
law enacted by the
Assembly or by the Permanent Commission.

Article 37. The Assembly shall be open at least three months each year, without
including in this period the time spent in its organization.
The President of the Republic shall convoke the Assembly, not later than the 15th day of
April.

Article 38. In extraordinary cases, he may convoke the Assembly outside of the period
fixed by law, as
determined by the Permanent Commission, and prolong its law-making, provided the
extended period does not
exceed one month and provided further that such extensions do not take place more
than twice during the same
legislative term.

Article 39. The National Assembly, jointly with the special Representatives, shall
organize committees for the
organization of the Assembly and for the election of the new President of the Republic,
which shall be formed
at least one month before the expiration of the term of office of the Representatives.
In case of death or resignation of the President of the Republic, the Assembly shall meet
in session by its own
right or by initiative of the President or of the Permanent Commission.

Article 40. In the meantime, that the new President has not been chosen, his functions
shall be exercised by the
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court whose office shall be taken over by one of the
Justices of the Court, in
accordance with law.

Article 41. Any session of the Assembly held outside the period of ordinary legislature
shall be unlawful and
void. The case provided in Article 30 and in which the Assembly has constituted itself
into a Tribunal of Justice
shall be excepted, but in the latter case no other functions shall be exercised except
that pertaining to judicial
functions.

Article 42. The sessions of the Assembly shall be public. However, sessions may be
held in secret upon petition of a certain number of its members fixed by the Rules,
deciding afterwards by an absolute majority of votes of the members present if the
discussion on the same subject has to continue in public.

Article 43. The President of the Republic shall communicate with the Assembly by
means of messages, which
shall be read by a Department Secretary

The Department Secretaries shall have the right to be heard in the Assembly, upon their
request, and they may be represented in the discussion of certain bills by
Commissioners appointed by decrees of the President of the Republic.

Article 44. The Assembly may constitute itself into a Tribunal of Justice to hear and
determine crimes committed against the security of the State by the President of the
Republic and members of the Council of Government,by the Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court, and by the Solicitor General of the Nation, by means of a decree
promulgating it, or by the Permanent Commission, or by the President of the Republic
upon petition of the Solicitor General or Council of Government. The law shall determine
the mode and manner of the accusation, instruction, and disposition of the proceedings.

Article 45. No member of the Assembly shall be prosecuted nor held accountable for
the opinions expressed by him, nor by the vote taken by him in the discharge of his
office.

Article 46. No member of the Assembly shall be prosecuted criminally without

authority of the Assembly or of the Permanent Commission to which an immediate
report of the facts shall be made, for its proper action.

The imprisonment, detention, or apprehension of a member of the Assembly shall not

be carried out without the prior authority of the same or by the Permanent Commission.
The moment the Assembly is notified of the order of imprisonment, it shall incur liability
if, within two days following the notification, it does not authorize theimprisonment or
give sufficient reason upon which the refusal is based.

Article 47. The National Assembly shall have the following additional powers:

1. To approve Rules for its internal government.

2. To examine the legality of the elections and the legal qualifications of the elected
members.

3. To elect its President, Vice-Presidents, and Secretaries. Until the Assembly has been
dissolved, the President, Vice-Presidents, and Secretaries shall continue to exercise
their office for the period of four legislative terms; and

4. To accept the resignations of its members and grant privileges in accordance with the
Rules.

Article 48. No bill shall become law without having been voted on by the Assembly. To
approve a bill, the presence in the Assembly of at least one-fourth of the total number
of the members whose elections have been duly approved and taken the oath of office
shall be necessary.

Article 49. No bill shall be approved by the Assembly until after it has been voted upon
as a whole and subsequently article by article.

Article 50. The Assembly shall have the right of censure, and each of the members the
right of interpellation.

Article 51. The initiative in the presentation of bills belongs to the President of the
Republic and to the Assembly.

Article 52. Any member of the Assembly who accepts from the Government any
pension, employment, or office with salary, is understood to have renounced his
membership. From this shall be excepted the employment as Secretary of the
Government of the Republic and other offices provided for by special laws.

Article 53. The office of Representatives shall be for a term of four years, and shall be
compensated by a sum fixed by law, according to the [Link] who absent
themselves during the entire period of the legislative sessions shall not be entitled to
any compensation; but they may be allowed to recover the right to compensation
should they attend subsequently.

TITLE VI

THE PERMANENT COMMISSION

Article 54. The Assembly, before adjournment, shall elect seven of its members to
form the Permanent Commission during the period of adjournment, which shall
designate at its first session, the President and the Secretary.

Article 55. The Permanent Commission, during the adjournment of the Assembly, shall
have the following attributes:
1. Declare if there is sufficient cause to proceed against the President of the Republic,
the Representatives, Department secretaries, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court,
and the Solicitor-General in the cases provided by this Constitution.

2. Convoke the Assembly to a special session in the cases where the latter should
constitute itself into a Tribunal of Justice.

3. To act upon pending matters which require proper action.

4. Convoke the Assembly in special sessions when the exigencies of the situation so
demand.

5. Supplement the powers of the Assembly in accordance with the Constitution,

excepting the act of voting and approving [Link] Permanent Commission shall meet
in session whenever convoked by the presiding officer, in accordance with this
Constitution.

TITLE VII

THE EXECUTIVE POWER

Article 56. The Executive Power shall be vested in the President of the Republic, who
shall exercise it through his Department Secretaries.

Article 57. The administration of the particular interests of towns, provinces, and of the
State shall correspond, respectively, to the Popular Assembles, the Provincial
Assemblies, and to the Administration in power, in accordance with the laws, and
observing the most liberal policy of decentralization and administrative autonomy.

TITLE VIII

THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC

Article 58. The President of the Republic shall be elected by absolute majority of votes
by the Assembly and by the special Representatives, convened in chamber assembles.
His term of office shall be four years, and may be reelected.

Article 59. The President of the Republic shall have the right to initiate the introduction
of bills equally with the members of the Assembly, and promulgate the laws when duly
voted and approved by the latter, and shall see to it that the same are duly executed.

Article 60. The power to execute the laws shall extend to all cases conducive to the
preservation of internal public order and to the external security of the State.

Article 61. The President shall promulgate the laws duly approved by him within 20
days following their
transmittal to him by the Assembly.

Article 62. If within this period, the President should fail to promulgate them, he shall
return them to the
Assembly with his reasons for the return, in which case the Assembly may reconsider
same, and it shall be
presumed by a vote of at least two-thirds of the members of the Assembly present in a
quorum. If repassed in
the manner indicated, the Government shall promulgate same within ten days, with a
manifestation of its non
conformity. The obligation is imposed upon the Government if it allows twenty days to
elapse without returning the bill to the Assembly.

Article 63. When the promulgation of a law has been declared urgent by express will of
an absolute majorityof
votes of the Assembly, the President of the Republic may require the Assembly to re-
approve same which cannot be refused, and if the same bill is repassed, the President
shall promulgate it within the legal period, without prejudice to his making of record his
non-conformity with the bill.

Article 64. The promulgation of laws shall be made by publishing them in the official
gazette of the Republic,
and shall have the force of law thirty days following such publication.

Article 65. The President of the Republic shall have at his disposal the army and the
navy, and may declarewar
and make and ratify treaties with the prior consent of the Assembly.

Article 66. Treaties of peace shall not take effect until voted upon by the Assembly.

Article 67. The President of the Republic, in addition to his duty to execute the laws,
shall:
1. Supervise civil and military employees in accordance with the laws.
2. Appoint the Secretaries of the Government.
3. Direct the diplomatic and commercial relations with foreign powers.
4. See to it that justice is duly and promptly administered throughout the Philippines.
5. Grant pardon to convicted criminals in accordance with the laws, except any special
provision relating
to the Secretaries of the Government.
6. Preside over all national functions and receive ambassadors and accredited
representatives of foreign
powers.

Article 68. The President of the Republic may be authorized by special law:
1. To alienate, transfer or exchange any portion of Philippine territory.
2. To incorporate any other territory to the Philippine territory.
3. To admit the stationing of foreign troops in Philippine territory.
4. To ratify of alliance, defensive as well as offensive, special treaties of commerce,
those which stipulate
to grant subsidies to a foreign power, and those which may compel Filipinos to render
personal service.
Secret treaties in no case may prevail over the provisions of open treaties or treaties
made publicly.
5. To grant general amnesties and pardons.
6. To coin money.

Article 69. To the President belongs the power to issue regulations for the compliance
and application of the
laws in accordance with the requisites prescribed in said laws
Article 70. The President of the Philippines, with the prior approval by majority vote of
the Representatives, may dissolve the Assembly before the expiration of its legislation
term. In this case, new elections shall be called within three months.

Article 71. The President of the Republic may be held liable only for cases of high
treason.

Article 72. The salary of the President of the Republic shall be fixed by special law
which may not be changed except after the presidential term has expired.

TITLE IX

THE SECRETARIES OF GOVERNMENT

Article 73. The Council of Government is composed of one President and seven
secretaries, each of whom shall have under his charge the portfolios of Foreign
Relations, Interior, Finance, War and Marine, Public Education, Communications and
Public Works, and Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce.

Article 74. All the acts done by the President of the Republic in the discharge of his
duties shall be signed by the corresponding Secretary. No public official shall give
official recognition to any act unless this requisite is complied with.

Article 75. The Secretaries of Government are jointly responsible to the Assembly for
the general administration of the Government, and individually for their respective
personal acts.

Article 76. In order to exempt them from responsibility, when held guilty by the
Assembly, a petition to this effect approved by absolute majority of the Representatives
is necessary.

TITLE X

THE JUDICIAL POWER

Article 77. To the Court corresponds exclusively the power to apply the laws, in the
name of the Nation, in all civil and criminal trials. The same codes of laws shall be
applied throughout the Republic, without prejudice to certain variations according to
circumstances as determined by law. In all trials, civil, criminal, and administrative, all
citizens shall be governed by one code of laws and procedure.

Article 78. The courts of justice shall not apply general local regulations, except when
they conform to the laws.

Article 79. The exercise of judicial power shall be vested in one Supreme Court and in
other courts established by law. Their composition, organization, and other attributes
shall be determined by the laws creating them.

Article 80. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the Solicitor-General shall be
chosen by the National Assembly in concurrence with the President of the Republic and
the Secretaries of the Government, and shall be absolutely independent of the
Legislative and Executive Powers.
Article 81. Any citizen may file suit against any member exercising the Judicial Power
for any crime committed by them in the discharge of their office.

TITLE XI

PROVINCIAL AND POPULAR ASSEMBLIES

Article 82. The organization and attributes of provincial and popular assemblies shall
be governed by their respective laws. These laws shall conform to the following
principles:

1. The government and management of the particular interests of the province or town
shall be discharged
by their respective corporations, the principle of direct and popular elections being the
basis underlying
each of them.
2. Publicity of their sessions, within the limits provided by law.
3. Publication of all appropriations, accounts, and agreements affecting same.
4. Government interference and, in the absence thereof, by the National Assembly, to
prevent provinces
and municipalities exceeding their powers and attributes to the prejudice of the interest
of individuals
and of the Nation at large.
5. Power of taxation shall be exercised to the end that provincial and municipal taxation
do not come into
conflict with the power of taxation of the State.

TITLE XII
ADMINISTRATION OF THE STATE
Article 83. The Government shall submit every year to the Assembly a budget of
expenditures and income,
indicating the changes made from those of the preceding year, accompanying the same
with a balance sheet as
of the end of the year, in accordance with law. This budget shall be submitted to the
Assembly within ten days
following the commencement of its session.

Article 85. The Government, in order to dispose of the property and effects of the
State, and to borrow money
secured by mortgage or credit of the Nation, must be authorized by special law.
Article 86. Public debts contracted by the Government of the Republic, in accordance
with the provisions of this
Constitution, shall be under the special guarantee of the Nation.
No debt shall be contracted unless the means of paying the same are voted upon.
Article 87. All laws relating to income, public expenses, or public credits shall be
considered as part of the
appropriation and shall be published as such.

Article 88. The Assembly shall determine every year, upon the recommendation of the
President of the Republic, the military forces by land and sea.

TITLE XIII
AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION
Article 89. The Assembly, on its own initiative or that of the President of the Republic,
may propose
amendments to the Constitution, indicating what Article or Articles are to be amended.
Article 90. This proposal having been made, the President of the Republic shall
dissolve the Assembly, and shall convoke a Constituent Assembly which shall meet
within three months. In the decree convoking the Constituent Assembly, the resolution
mentioned in the preceding Article shall be inserted.

TITLE XIV
CONSTITUTIONAL OBSERVANCE, OATH, AND LANGUAGE
Article 91. The President of the Republic, the Government, the Assembly, and all
Filipino citizens shall
faithfully observe the provisions of the Constitution; and the Legislative Power, upon
approval of the

Appropriations Act, shall examine if the Constitution has been strictly complied with and
whether violations, if
any, have been duly corrected and those responsible for the violations held liable.
Article 92. The President of the Republic and all other officials of the Nation shall not
enter into the discharge
of their office without having taken the prescribed oath. The oath of the President of the
Republic shall be taken
before the National Assembly. The other officials of the Nation shall take their oath
before the authorities
determined by law.
Article 93. The use of languages spoken in the Philippines shall be optional. Their use
cannot be regulated except
by virtue of law, and solely for acts of public authority and in the courts. For these acts
the Spanish language
may be used in the meantime.

TRANSITORY PROVISIONS
Article 94. Meanwhile and without prejudice to the provisions of Article 48 and to the
acts of the commissions
designated by the Assembly to translate and submit to the same the organic laws in the
development and
application of the rights granted to Filipino citizens and for the government of public
powers therein mentioned,
the laws of the Republic shall be considered those found existing in these islands before
the emancipation of the same. The provisions of the Civil Code relating to marriage and
civil registry, suspended by the Governor General of these islands; the Instructions of
April 26, 1888 to carry into effect Articles 77, 78, 79, and 82 of said Code; the law on
civil registry of June 17, 1870 which refers to Article 332 of the same, and the
Regulation of December 13 following for the enforcement of this law, without prejudice
to the Chiefs of towns continuing to be in charge of inscriptions in the civil registry and
intervening in the celebration of marriage between Catholics, shall also be deemed in
force and effect.

Article 95. In the meantime that the laws referred to in the preceding Article have not
been approved or enforced, the Spanish laws which said article allows to be enforced
provisionally may be amended by special law.
Article 96. Once the laws approved by the Assembly have been promulgated in
accordance with Article 94, the Article 94, the Government of the Republic shall have
the power to issue decrees and regulations necessary for the immediate organization of
the various organs of the State.

Article 97. The present President of the Revolutionary Government shall assume later
the title of President of
the Republic and shall discharge the duties of this office until the Assembly when
convoked proceeds to the election of one who shall definitely exercise the duties of the
office.

Article 98. The present Congress, composed of members by suffrage or by decree,

shall last for four years, or
for the duration of the present legislative term commencing on the 15th of April of next
year.

Article 99. Notwithstanding the general rule established in part 2 of Article 4, in the
meantime that the country
is fighting for its independence, the Government is empowered to resolve during the
closure of the Congress all questions and difficulties not provided for in the laws, which
give rise to unforeseen events, of which the
Permanent Commission shall be duly apprised as well as the Assembly when it meets in
accordance with this
Constitution.

Article 100. The execution of Article 5, Title III shall be suspended until the constituent
Assembly meets in
session. In the meantime, municipalities which require spiritual ministry of a Filipino
priest may provide for his necessary maintenance.

Article 101. Notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 62 and 63, bills returned by the
President of the Republic to the Congress may not be repassed except in the legislature
of the following year, this suspension being under the responsibility of the President and
his Council of Government. When these conditions have been fulfilled, the promulgation
of said laws shall be obligatory within ten days, without prejudice to the President
making ofrecord his non-conformity. If the reapproval is made in subsequent legislative
terms, it shall be deemed law approved for the first time.

Source: [Link]
constitution/

Learning Activity: Textual Analysis / Essay

Requirements:
1. How does the Malolos Constitution define sovereignty?
2. How did the Malolos Constitution regard independence?
3. What is a republic? Do you think it is the most appropriate form of government
for the
Philippines? Explain your answer.
4. How should a republic exercise its power based on the Malolos Constitution?
5. Why do you think doe the Malolos Constitution put so much emphasis on the
protection
and promulgation of the rights of citizens?

Lesson 8: Week 9
Treaty of Peace between the United
States of America
and the Kingdom of Spain (Treaty of
Paris)
Signed in Paris, 10 December 1898
By the President of the United States of America

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:
• Analyze the provisions of the Treaty of Paris
• Explain the role of the United States of America on the liberation of the
Philippines from
the Spanish colonization

A Proclamation
Whereas, a Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and Her
Majesty the
Queen Regent of Spain, in the name of her August Son, Don Alfonso XIII, was
concluded and
signed by their respective plenipotentiaries at Paris on the tenth day of
December, 1898, the
original of which Convention being in the English and Spanish languages, is
word for word as
follows:

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN REGENT
OF SPAIN, IN THE NAME OF HER AUGUST SON DON ALFONSO XIII, desiring to
end the
state of war now existing between the two countries, have for that purpose
appointed as
Plenipotentiaries:
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,
WILLIAM R. DAY, CUSHMAN K. DAVIS, WILLIAM P. FRYE, GEORGE GRAY, and
WHITELAW REID, citizens of the United States;
AND HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN REGENT OF SPAIN,
DON EUGENIO MONTERO RIOS, President of the Senate
DON BUENAVENTURA De ABARZUZA, Senator of the Kingdom and ex-
Minister of the
Crown,
DON JOSE DE GARNICA, Deputy to the Cortes and Associate Justice of the
Supreme Court;
DON WENCESLAO RAMIREZ DE VILLA-URRUTIA, Envoy Extraordinary and
Minister
Plenipotentiary at Brussels, and
DON RAFAEL CERERO, General of Divisions;
Who, having assembled in Paris, and having exchange their full powers,
which were found to be
in due and proper form, have, after discussion of the matters before them,
agreed upon the
following articles:

ARTICLE I
Spain relinquishes all claims of sovereignty over and title in Cuba. And as the
island is,
upon its evacuation by Spain, to be occupied by the United States, the
United States will, so long
such occupation shall last, assume and discharge the obligations that may
under international law
result from the fact of its occupation, for the protection of life and property.

ARTICLE II
Spain cedes to the United States the island of Porto Rico and other islands
now under
Spanish sovereignty in the West Indies, and the island of Guam in the
Marianas or Ladrones.

ARTICLE III
Spain cedes to the United States the archipelago known as the Philippine
Islands, and
comprehending the islands lying within the following line:
A line running from west to east along or near the twentieth parallel of north
latitude, and
through the middle of the navigable channel of Bachi, from the one hundred
and eighteenth (118th) to the one hundred and twenty seventh (127th)
degrees meridian of longitude east of Greenwich, thence along the one
hundred and twenty seventh (127th) degree meridian of longitude east of
Greenwich to the parallel of four degree and forty five minutes north latitude,
thence along the parallel of four degrees and forty five minutes north
latitude to its intersection with the meridian of longitude one hundred and
nineteen degrees and thirty five minutes east of Greenwich. The United
States will pay to Spain the sum of twenty million dollars ($20,000,000)
within three months after the exchange of the ratifications of the present
treaty.

ARTICLE IV
The United States will, for the term of ten years from the date of the
exchange of the
ratifications of the present treaty, admit Spanish ships and merchandise to
the sports of the
Philippine Islands on the same terms as ships and merchandise of the United
States.

ARTICLE V
The United States will, upon the signature of the present treaty, send back to
Spain, at its
own cost, the Spanish soldiers taken as prisoners of war on the capture of
Manila by the American forces. The arms of the soldiers in question shall be
restored to them.
The time within which the evacuation of the Philippine Islands and Guam
shall be
completed shall be fixed by the two Governments. Stands of colors,
uncaptured war vessels, small arms, guns of all calibers, with their carriages
and accessories, powder, ammunition, livestock, and materials and supplies
of all kinds, belonging to the land and naval forces of Spain in the Philippines
and Guam, remain the property of Spain.

ARTICLE VI
Spain will, upon the signature of the present treaty, release all prisoners of
war, and all
persons detained or imprisoned for political offences, in connection with the
insurrections in Cuba and the Philippines and the war with the United States.
The Government of the United States will at its own cost return to Spain and
the Government of Spain will at its own cost return to the United States,
Cuba, Porto Rico, and the Philippines, according to the situation of their
respective homes, prisoners released or caused to be released by them,
respectively, under this article.

ARTICLE VII
The United States and Spain mutually relinquish all claims for indemnity,
national and
individual, of every kind, of either Government, or of its citizens or subjects,
against the other
Government. The United States will adjudicate and settle the claims of its
citizens against Spain
relinquished in this article.

ARTICLE VIII
And it is hereby declared that the relinquishment or cession, as the case may
be, to which
the preceding paragraph refers, cannot in any respect impair the property or
rights which by law
belong to the peaceful possession of property of all kinds, of provinces,
municipalities, public or
private establishments, ecclesiastical or civic bodies, or any other
associations having legal
capacity to acquire and possess property in the aforesaid territories
renounced or ceded, or of
private individuals, of whatsoever nationality such individuals may be. The
aforesaid relinquishment or cession, as the case may be, includes all
documents exclusively referring to the sovereignty relinquished or ceded
that may exist in the achieves of the Peninsula. Where any document in such
achieves only in part relates to said sovereignty, a copy of such part will be
furnished whenever it shall be requested. Like rules shall bereciprocally
observed in favor of Spain in respect of documents in the achieves of the
islands above referred to. In the aforesaid relinquishment or cession, as the
case may be, are also included such rights as the Crown of Spain and its
authorities possess in respect of the official achieves and records, executives
as well as judicial, in the island above referred to, which relate to said islands
or the rights and property of their inhabitants.

ARTICLE IX
In case they remain in the territory they may preserve their allegiance to the Crown
of Spain by making, before a court of record, within a year from the date of the
exchange of ratifications of this treaty, a declaration of their decision to preserve
such allegiance; in default of which declaration they shall be held to have
renounced it and to have adopted the nationality of the territory in which they may
reside. The civil rights and political status of the native inhabitants of the territories
hereby ceded to the United States shall be determined by the Congress.

ARTICLE X The inhabitants of the territories over which Spain relinquishes or cedes
her sovereignty shall be secured in the free exercise of their religion.

ARTICLE XI The Spaniards residing in the territories over which Spain by this treaty
cedes or relinquishes her sovereignty shall be subject in matters civil as well as
criminal to the jurisdiction of the courts of the country wherein they reside,
pursuant to the ordinary laws governing the same; and they shall have the right to
appear before such courts, and to pursue the same course as citizens of the country
to which the courts belong.

ARTICLE XII
Judicial proceedings pending at the time of the exchange of ratifications of this
treaty in the territories over which Spain relinquishes or cedes her sovereignty shall
be determined according to the following rules:
1. Judgements rendered either in civil suits between private individuals, or in
criminal matters, before the date mentioned, and with respect to which there is no
recourse or rights of review under the Spanish law, shall be deemed to be final, and
shall be executed in due form by competent authority in the territory within which
such judgements should be carried out.
2. Civil suits between private individuals which may on the date mentioned be
undetermined shall be prosecuted to judgement before the court in which they may
then be pending or in the court that may be substituted there for.
3. Criminal actions pending on the date mentioned before the Supreme Court of
Spain against citizens of the territory which by this treaty ceases to be Spanish shall
continue under its jurisdiction until final judgement; but, such judgement having
been rendered the execution thereof shall be committed to the competent authority
of the place in which the case arose.

ARTICLE XIII
The rights of property secured by copyrights and patents acquired by Spaniards in
the Island of Cuba, and in Porto Rico, in Philippines and other ceded territories, at
the time of the exchange of the ratifications of this treaty, shall continue to be
respected. Spanish scientific, literary and artistic works, not subversive of public
order in the territories in question, shall continue to be admitted free of duty into
such territories, for the period of ten years, to be reckoned from the date of
the exchange of the ratifications of this treaty.
ARTICLE XIV
Spain shall have the power to establish consular officers in the sports and
places of the
territories, the sovereignty over which has been either relinquished or ceded
by the present treaty.

ARTICLE XV
The government of each country will, for the term of ten years, accord to the
merchant
vessels of the other country the same treatment in respect of all port
charges, including entrance
and clearance dues, light dues, and tonnage duties, as it accords to its own
merchant vessels, not
engaged in the coast wide trade.
This article may at any time be terminated on six months’ notice given by
their Government
to the other.

ARTICLE XVI
It is understood that any obligations assumed in this treaty by the United
States with respect
to Cuba are limited to the time of its occupancy thereof; but it will upon the
termination of such
occupancy, advice any Government established in the island to assume the
same obligations.

ARTICLE XVII
The president treaty shall be ratified by the President of the United States,
by and with the
advice and consent of the Senate thereof, and by Her Majesty the Queen
Regent of Spain; and the ratifications shall be exchanged at Washington
within six months from the date hereof or earlier if possible. Now, therefore,
be it known that I, William McKinley, President of United States of America,
have caused the said Convention to be made public, to the end that the
same and every article and clause thereof may be observed and fulfilled with
good faith by the United States and the citizens thereof.

Source: [Link]
the-united-states-of
america-and-the-kingdom-of-spain-treaty-of-paris-signed-in-paris-december-10-
1898/

Learning Activity: Reaction Paper

Requirement:
Of the seventeen (17) articles of the Treaty of Paris, select one (1) article
which you think
is favorable to the people of the Philippines. Select another one (1) article
which you think is
unfavorable to the people of the Philippines. Explain each of them.

Lesson 9: Week 10
Jose Rizal’s Retraction Controversy
The Cuerpo de Vigilancia Version
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:
• Investigate the possibility of Rizal to retract his statements against the
church and the
Spanish government
• Assess the authenticity of the said claims or documents
• Explain the consequences of Rizal’s retraction claim to Philippine
historiography

Retraction—the act of taking back

an offer or statement, or
admitting that the previous
statement was
false(dictionary.c [Link])
The report of Moreno (NAP Manuscript A-6, Doc. 1) presents another
eyewitness account of what transpired in Rizal’s prison cell before he was
executed. It contains several details that could be used for and against the
claim that Rizal returned to the Catholic fold and renounced Masonry. The
account may be considered more objective than earlier ones because
Moreno was neither a member of the Catholic hierarchy nor a known Mason.
He was in Fort Santiago not to serve a particular interest group but simply to
perform a function connected with his work. Moreover, the fact that his
report was written a day after the event lessened the possibility that it was
edited to please a particular group. Since the report is not very long, a
translation of it will be
presented first before analyzing it:
Most Illustrious Sir, the agent of the Cuerpo de Vigilancia stationed in Fort
Santiago to
report on the events during the [illegible] day in prison of the accused Jose
Rizal, informs
me on this date of the following:
At 7:50 yesterday morning, Jose Rizal entered death row accompanied by his
counsel,
Señor Taviel de Andrade, and the Jesuit priest [Jose] Vilaclara. At the urgings
of the
former and moments after entering, he was served a light breakfast. At
approximately 9,
the Adjutant of the Garrison, Señor [Eloy] Maure, asked Rizal if he wanted
anything. He
replied that at the moment he only wanted a prayer book which was brought
to him shortly
by Father [Estanislao] March.
Señor Andrade left death row at 10 and Rizal spoke for a long while with the
Jesuit fathers,
March and Vilaclara, regarding religious matters, it seems. It appears that
these two
presented him with a prepared retraction on his life and deeds that he
refused to sign. They
argued about the matter until 12:30 when Rizal ate some poached egg and a
little chicken.
Afterwards he asked to leave to write and wrote for a long time by himself.
At 3 in the afternoon, Father March entered the chapel and Rizal handed him
what he had
written. Immediately the chief of the firing squad, Señor [Juan] del Fresno
and the
Assistant of the Plaza, Señor Maure, were informed. They entered death row
and together
with Rizal signed the document that the accused had written. It seems this
was the
retraction.
From 3 to 5:30 in the afternoon, Rizal read his prayer book several times,
prayed kneeling
before the altar and in the company of Fathers Vilaclara and March, read the
Acts of
Faith, Hope and Charity repeatedly as well as the Prayers for the Departing
Soul.
At 6 in the afternoon the following persons arrived and entered the chapel;
Teodora
Alonzo, mother of Rizal, and his sisters, Lucia, Maria, Olimpia, Josefa,
Trinidad and
Dolores. Embracing them, the accused bade them farewell with great
strength of character
and without shedding a tear. The mother of Rizal left the chapel weeping and
carrying two
bundles of several utensils belonging to her son who had used them while in
prison.
A little after 8 in the evening, at the urgings of Señor Andrade, the accused
was served a
plate of tinola, his last meal on earth. The Assistant of the Plaza, Señor
Maure and Fathers
March and Vilaclara visited him at 9 in the evening. He rested until 4 in the
morning and
again resumed praying before the altar.
At 5 this morning of the 30th, the lover of Rizal arrived at the prison
accompanied by his
sister Pilar, both dressed in mourning. Only the former entered the chapel,
followed by a
military chaplain whose name I cannot ascertain. Donning his formal clothes
and aided
by a soldier of the artillery, the nuptials of Rizal and the woman who had
been his lover
were performed at the point of death (in articulo mortis). After embracing
him she left,
flooded with tears.
Rizal heard mass and confessed to Father March. Afterwards he heard
another mass
where he received communion. At 7:30, a European artilleryman handcuffed
him and he
left for the place of execution accompanied by various Jesuits, his counsel
and the Assistant
of the Plaza. Father March gave him a holy picture of the Virgin that Rizal
kissed
repeatedly.
When the accused left, I noticed he was very pale but I am very certain that
all the time he
was imprisoned he demonstrated great strength of character and
composure.
God grant Your Excellency.
Manila 30 December 1896.
Chief Inspector Federico Moreno (Harper 1997)

The most serious and obvious discrepancy is that Moreno never

mentioned Fr. Balaguer in his report. All throughout the history of
the retraction controversy, Fr. Balaguer consistently claimed that he
was present in Rizal’s prison cell and actively involved in convincing
him to retract. All other pro-retraction advocates who came after Fr.
Balaguer took his account as historical fact and argued their case
using him as their primary source. The Masons attacked Fr.
Balaguer’s narrative, but they never questioned his claim that he
was a witness to this event. However, in Moreno’s account only two
Jesuits are identified: Fr. Jose Villaclara and Fr. Estanislao March. In
his affidavit, Fr. Balaguer declared that he talked to Rizal three
times on
December 29, 1896. The first time was in the morning, from 10 to
12:30. It was during this meeting that he presented the retraction
template to Rizal but the latter did not sign. Moreno confirmed this
meeting, including the presentation of the draft retraction. But he
reported that Rizal was talking not to Fr. Balaguer but to Frs. March
and Vilaclara. Moreno also confirmed that Frs. March and Vilaclara
returned to Rizal around 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Fr. Balaguer
claimed in his affidavit that he was one of Rizal’s afternoon visitors.
Fr. Balaguer continued that the third time he talked to Rizal was
around 10 in the evening. He had another lengthy and passionate
discussion with him for more than an hour. It was on this occasion
that Rizal finally signed his retraction letter. Moreno confirmed that
Rizal had visitors after dinner, but the persons he identified were
Señor Andrade, Señor Maure, and Frs. March and Vilaclara. Again,
Fr. Balaguer was not mentioned, and the time of the meeting was 9
o’clock and not shortly before midnight. Neither did Moreno’s report
mention that they discussed issues concerning faith and the
retraction. The narrative is short and ends with Rizal going to bed.
Moreno’s report is a big blow to the credibility of Fr. Balaguer. The
fact that Moreno never mentioned him in his report casts a cloud of
doubt on the veracity and accuracy of the affidavit that he
executed. If we are to believe Moreno, Fr. Balaguer did not have
personal knowledge of what happened to Rizal the day before he
died. If his affidavit contains accurate historical details, he might
have gotten them from those who were with Rizal on December 29,
1896. If Fr. Balaguer was the chief negotiator who convinced Rizal to
recant, and if he talked to Rizal three times that day, Moreno would
surely have inquired who he was. There is a remote possibility that
Moreno did not know Fr. Balaguer because he was a priest and not
an ordinary visitor. Since Moreno was able to identify the names of
Rizal’s relatives and the other visitors who talked to him, there is no
reason why Moreno would not mention Fr. Balaguer in his report if
indeed he talked to Rizal three times.
Moreno’s report may have damaged the credibility of Fr. Balanguer,
but it did not refute the claim that Rizal retracted. It mentions that
when Fr. March returned at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, Rizal handed
him a document. Then it says that Rizal, together with Juan del
Fresno and Señor Maure, signed the document. In the retraction
document that Fr. Gracia found in 1935, one sees that the three
persons Moreno identified were signatories of the document. Moreno
did not provide details on the contents of the document, probably
because he was witnessing the event from a distance. But that did
not prevent him from presupposing that the document was Rizal’s
retraction letter. He simply wrote, “It seems this was the retraction
[parece que el escrito era la retractación].”
The latter part of Moreno’s report confirmed a few other
controversial events that occurred before Rizal was executed.
Moreno reported that right after Rizal signed the alleged retraction
letter, he read the Acts of Faith, Hope and Charity as well as the
Prayers for the Departing Soul. While kneeling in front of the altar,
he also read his prayer book in the company of Frs. Vilaclara and
March. Moreno also reported that in the early morning of the
following day, Rizal and Josephine Bracken got married. The
ceremony was done in articulo mortis (at the point of death), and
there were no sponsors or witnesses present. Moreover, Moreno did
not mention that the couple signed a marriage contract. This should
explain why this document remains unaccounted for until today, and
therefore people should stop looking for it. All these details in
Moreno’s report are indirect forms of proof that Rizal retracted.
Archbishop Nozaleda and Fr. Pio Pi’s instructions were clear that
Rizal should not be given the sacraments unless he retracted his
anti-Catholic beliefs. The fact that the marriage took place is a
confirmation that Rizal re-embraced his Catholic faith. Lastly,
Moreno also reported that minutes before Rizal was brought to
Luneta, he heard Mass, confessed to Fr. March, received Holy
Communion, and kissed the image of the Blessed Mother. All these
acts suggest, and may be considered evidence supporting the claim,
that Rizal died a Catholic.
There is another thing Rizal did that is recorded in many history
books and also
confirmed by Moreno. He handed his family members his personal
belongings when they visited him the day before he died.
Unfortunately, Moreno did not specify the person to whom Rizal
gave his personal belongings. Specifically, he did not mention to
whom he gave the stove (others say lamp) where Rizal put his Mi
Ultimo Adios. A number of biographies state that Rizal gave it to his
sister Trinidad with the message “there is something inside” (Craig
1913, 240; Guerrero 1971, 480). Moreno simply wrote that his
weeping mother left the chapel carrying “two bundles of several
utensils belonging to her son.” One can easily assume that the stove
was one of the utensils that Teodora Alonzo brought home.
Aside from Federico Moreno’s report, there are other documents in
the collection
that can enrich further the narrative of Rizal’s final 24 hours. For
instance, the collection has several newspaper clippings of what
happened to him before and after his death. One is the account of
La Voz Española, dated December 26, 1896, which reports the
meeting of the Consejo de Guerra on the trial of Jose Rizal (NAP
Manuscript A-1, Doc.
25). El Diario de Manila has a similar account of this topic and event
(NAP Manuscript A-1, Doc. 26). On the day of his execution, the
newspaper La Voz Española reported what happened in Luneta, and
it also printed the text of the retraction letter that Rizal allegedly
signed (NAP Manuscript A-1, Doc. 27). The Cuerpo collection also
has a photograph of Rizal and the members of the execution squad
(NAP Manuscript A-1 [9], Doc. 307). Finally, the collection has a
three-page letter written by Juan Ferrer to a person he simply calls
“Apolinario,” dated two weeks after Rizal died. The writer states that
Rizal was very brave during his execution. He also asks Apolinario to
inform his friends in Imus that they will not stop fighting the
Spaniards until Manila is independent. The author claims that he
was tasked to monitor Manila and buy clothes and arms. Moreover,
he offers his help to Apolinario in case he organizes meetings in
Vigan. He ends his letter warning Apolinario not to tell his parents
about his involvement in the revolution and that he accepts that he
will be arrested one day (NAP A-12, Doc. 9).
Source: Escalante, R. (2019). Did Jose Rizal die a catholic? Revisiting Rizal’s
last 24 hours using
spy reports. Southeast Asian Studies Vol. 3, No. 3. DOI:
10.20495/seas.8.3_369

Learning Activity: Argumentative Discourse

Requirement:
1. In your opinion, do you think that Rizal would retract his statements?
2. Hypothetically, supposed that Dr. Jose Rizal did retract his statements
against the Catholic
church and the Spanish government, and you were given the chance to talk
to Jose Rizal,
what would you say to him about his retraction?
3. How do you think the history of the Philippines be written if it were true
that Rizal retracted
and that he was not executed as a result? Could there had been a
revolution?

Lesson 10: Week 11

Convention between the United States of
America and
Great Britain Delimiting the Boundary
between the
Philippine Archipelago and the State
of North Borneo {1930}
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:
• Analyze the provisions of this convention
• Discuss the matters of delineation between the Philippines and North
Borneo

A PROCLAMATION
Whereas a convention between the United States of America and his Majesty
the King of
Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of
India, delimiting
definitely the boundary between the Philippine Archipelago (the territory
acquired by the United
States of America by virtue of the treaties of December 10, 1898, and
November 7, 1900, with her Majesty the Queen Regent of Spain) and the
State of North Borneo which is under British
protection, was concluded and signed by their respective Plenipotentiaries at
Washington on the
second day of January, one thousand nine hundred and thirty, the original of
which convention is
word as follows:
The President of the United States of America and His Majesty the King of
Great Britain,
Ireland and the British, Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of India,
December 10, 1898, and November 7, 1900 with Her Majesty Queen Regent
of Spain) and
the State of North Borneo which is under British Protection, Have resolve to
conclude a
Convention for that purpose and have appointed as their plenipotentiaries:
The President of the United States of America, Henry L. Stimson, Secretary of
State of the
United States; and His Majesty the King of Great Britain, Ireland and the
British Dominions
beyond the Seas, Emperor of India,
For Great Britain and Northern Ireland: The Right Honorable Sir Esme
Howard, G.C.B.,
G.C.M.G., C.V.O., His Majesty’s Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary at Washington;
Who, having communicated to each other their respective full powers found
a good and
due form have agreed upon and concluded the following Articles:
ARTICLE I
It is hereby agreed and declared that the line separating the islands
belonging to the
Philippine Archipelago on the one hand and the islands belonging to the
State of North Borneo
which is under British protection on the other hand shall be and is hereby
established as follows:
Hence, due north along the meridian of longitude one hundred nineteen
degrees east of Greenwich to its with the parallel of four degrees forty-two
minutes north latitude; thence in a
straight line approximately true passing between Little Bakkungaan Island
and Great Bakkungaan Island to the intersection of the parallel of six
degrees seventeen minutes north latitude and the meridian of longitude one
hundred seventeen degrees fifty-eight minutes east of Greenwich; the latter
point being on the boundary defined by the Treaty between the United
States of America and Spain signed at Paris, December 10, 1898.

ARTICLE II
The line described above has been indicated on Charts Nos. 4707 and 4720,
published by
the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, corrected to July 24, 1929,
portions of both charts
so marked being attached to this treaty and made a part thereof. It is agreed
that if more accurate
surveying and mapping of North Borneo. The Philippine Islands and
intervening islands shall in
the future show that the line described above does not pass between Little
Bakkungaan and Great
Bakkungaan Islands, substantially as indicated on Chart No. 4720.
Mangsee Great Reef as indicated on Chart No. 4720, the boundary shall be
understood to
be defined in that areas as a straight line drawn from the intersection of the
parallel of north latitude and the meridian of longitude of east Greenwich,
passing through Mangsee Channel as indicated on attached Chart No. 4720
to a point on the parallel of north latitude.

ARTICLE III
All island to the north and east of the said line and all islands and rocks
traversed by the
said line, should there be any such, shall belong to the Philippine Archipelago
and all islands to
the south and west of the said line shall belong to the State of North Borneo.

ARTICLE IV
North Borneo on the other hand in consequence of the establishment of the
line fixed by
the preceding articles of the present Convention. In the event of either High
Contracting Party
ceding, selling, leasing, or transferring any of the islands in question to a
third party provision shall be made for the continued application to such
island of the aforementioned Article 19 of the Treaty between the United
States of America, the British Empire, France, Italy and Japan limiting naval
armament, signed at Washington on February 6, 1922, provided that Treaty
is still in force at the time of such cession, sale, lease or transfer.

ARTICLE V
The present Convention shall be ratified by the President of the United States
of America,
by and with the advice and consent of the Senate thereof, and by His
Britannic Majesty, and shall
come into force on the exchange of the acts of ratification which shall take
place at Washington as soon as possible.
In witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the same
and have affixed
there to their respective seals. Done in duplicate at Washington the second
day of January in the
year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and thirty.
Now, THEREFORE, be it known that I, Herbert Hoover, President of the United
States of
America, have caused the said convention to be made public, to the end that
the same and every
article and clause thereof may be observed and fulfilled with good faith by
the United States of
America and citizens thereof.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal
of the
United States of America to be affixed.
Done at the city of Washington this fifteenth day of December in the year of
our Lord one
thousand nine hundred and thirty-two, and of the Independence of the
United States of America
the one hundred and fifty-seventh.
HERBERT HOOVER
By the President:
ZENRY L. STIMSON.
Secretary of State
National Territory
{Document No. 19:3}

Source:
[Link]
states-of
america-and-great-britain-delimiting-the-boundary-between-the-philippine-
archipelago-and-the-state-of
north-borneo-1930/

Learning Activity: Discourse

Requirement:
China has been very aggressive in its claim of most parts of the
South China Sea or the West
Philippine Sea. How would you use this Convention between the
United States of America and
Great Britain Delimiting the Boundary between the Philippine
Archipelago and the State of
North Borneo {1930} as a counter evidence of the Philippines in
defending its territory and
sovereignty?

Lesson 11: Week 12

Minutes of the Proceedings on the

National Territory
of the 1971 Constitutional Convention
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
• Examine the contents of the minutes of the proceedings on the national territory
of the 1971
constitutional convention
• Define national territory
• Justify claims of the Philippines in its territorial jurisdiction

Minutes of the Session

Friday, February 11, 1972
1. At 8 a.m. President Diosdado Macapagal called the session to order.
2. Delegate Fernando Bautista led the singing of the National Anthem.
3. Delegate Benjamin R. Abubakar delivered the invocation.
SUSPENSION OF SESSION
4. The session was suspended at 8:05 a.m.
RESUMPTION OF SESSION
5. The session was resumed at 9:30 a.m.
DECLARATION OF QUOROM
6. Two hundred ninety-eight (298) Delegates were recorded present. The following
were recorded
absent.

Delegate Damian Aldaba

Delegate Jaime C. Opinion
Delegate Sonia S. Aldeguer
Delegate Melchor G. Padua Jr.
Delegate Jose D. Calderon
Delegate Rolando C. Piit
Delegate Mary Rose J. Ezpeleta
Delegate Gil G. Puyat Jr.
Delegate Carlos Ledesma
Delegate Juanito R. Remulla
Delegate Juan A. Lucas Luna
Delegate Luis D. Santos
Delegate Jose P. Marcelo
Delegate Jose A. Yulo Jr.
Delegate Jacinto Montilla

Upon certification of the secretary, the Chair declared the existence of a quorum.
7. Floor Leader Carlos J. Valdes moved to defer consideration of item on the agenda
(continuation of
consideration of committee Report No. 1 of the committee on Preamble and
National Identity).
There b 8. Floor Leader Valdes recommended that Committee Reports Nos. 1 and 2
of the Committee of the
National Territory be considered, and asked that delegate Eduardo Quintero,
Committee Chairman,
be recognized.
8.1 Upon recognition by the chair, Delegate Quintero stated that his committee was
sponsoring the
inclusion of the following article on national territory in the new constitution:

ARTICLE 1

The National Territory

SECTION 1. The National Territory of the Philippines shall be the archipelago of the
name,
the historic home of the Filipino people from its beginnings, whose boundaries are
set forth in
article III of the Treaty of Paris concluded between the United States and Spain on
the tenth day of
December, eighteen hundred and ninety-eight, together with all the islands
embraced in the treaty
concluded at Washington between the United States and Spain on the seventh day
of November,
nineteen hundred, and in the convention concluded between the United States and
Great Britain on
the second day of January, nineteen hundred and thirty, and all other territories
over which the
Government of the Philippines has been exercising jurisdiction or over which it has a
right.

SECTION 2. All the waters around, between and connecting the various islands of
the
Philippines archipelago, irrespective of their widths or dimensions, are considered
necessary
appurtenances of the Land territory, forming part of the inland or internal waters of
the Philippines.

SECTION 3. All the waters beyond the outermost islands of archipelago within the
boundaries set forth in the treaties and convention mentioned in section one hereof
comprises the
territorial sea of the Philippines.

SECTION 4. The sovereignty of the Philippines extends, beyond its land territory
and its
internal waters, to a belt adjacent to its coast, described as the territorial sea. Said
sovereignty also
extends over the air space above its land areas, its internal waters and territorial
sea as to its land
areas, its seabed and subsoil.

SECTION 5. The National Assembly shall define the control that the Philippines will
exercise in the contiguous zone and in the superjacent waters of the continental
shelf.
He suggested that the panel of sponsors first be allowed to present the stand of the
committee before
interpellations were entertained.

SUSPENSION OF SESSION
9. The session was suspended at 9:50 a.m.
RESUMPTI OF SESSION
10. The session was resumed at 9:53 a.m.
11. Delegate Quintero proceeded to define the following terms: archipelago, high
seas, territorial sea
and inland waters.
12. Delegate Custodio A. Villalva pointed out the erroneous technical description of
Philippines
territory in article III of the Treaty of Paris of December 10, 1898 which was
adopted in article I of
the present constitution. He stated that the treaty fixed the northern boundary
along the 20th north
latitude, thus excluding Batanes. Citing historical facts, he said that Batanes has
been a part of the Philippines , since the Spanish and American regimes. He then
recommended the approval of section 1 of the committee report.
12.1 Delegate E. Voltaire Garcia II suggested the deletion of the article, arguing that
international laws
should govern delimitation of the national territory.
ADJOURNMENT OF SESSION
13. Upon motion floor Leader Valdes, the session was adjourned until 9 a.m. the
following day.
It was 10:58 a.m.
I hereby certify to the correctness of the foregoing.
(Sgd.) JOSE V. ABUEVA
Secretary
FLOOR LEADERS:
HON. ESTANISLAO A. FERNANDEZ
HON. FIDEL P. PURISIMA
HON. CARLOS J. VALDES
Minutes of the session
February 17, 1972
****
8. Floor Leader Garcia (J.) announced the next item on the agenda (consideration of
the revised draft article on national territory), and asked that delegate Eduardo
Quintero, Chairman of the Committee on National Territory, be recognized.
8.1 Upon recognition by the Chair, Delegate Quintero presented the revised draft
article and read the names of authors of various amendments incorporated therein.
He then moved for its approval, reading as follows;

ARTICLE 1

The National Territory

THE NATIONAL TERRITORY CONSISTS OF THE PHILIPPINE ARCHIPELAGO, WHICH IS

THE
ANCESTRAL HOME OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE, AND WHICH IS COMPOSED OF ALL THE
ISLANDS AND WATERS EMBRACED THEREIN, AND ALL OTHER TERRITORIES
BELONGING
TO THE PHILIPPINES BY HISTORIC RIGHT OR LEGAL TITLE INCLUDING THE
TERRITORIAL
SEA, THE AIR SPACE, THE SUBSOIL, THE SEA-BED, THE CONTINENTAL SHELF AND
OTHER
SUBMARINE AREAS OVER WHICH THE PHILIPPINES HAS SOVEREIGNTY OR
JURISDICTION.
THE WATERS AROUND, BETWEEN AND CONNECTING THE ISLANDS OF THE
ARCHIPELAGO, IRRESPECTIVE OF THEIR BREADTH AND DIMENSIONS, FORM PART OF
THE INTERNAL WATERS OF THE PHILIPPINES.
8.2 Interpolating, Delegate Felixberto M. Serrano suggested that CONSISTS in Line 1
called for an
enumeration, and that WATERS AROUND in Line 11 was ambiguous. Delegate
Quintero explained that
the points brought up could be taken care of by the Committee on style.

8.3 Delegate Emmannuel T. Santos explained that the continental shelf, continental
slope, and continental rise would constitute the continental margin implied in the
term OTHER SUBMARINE AREAS in Line 9.
8.4 Delegate Pedro G. Exmundo inquired if HISTORIC RIGHT in Line 6 referred to all
the territories ceded by Spain to the United State under the Treaty of Paris.
Delegate Quintero replied on the affirmative.
8.5 Delegate Anacleto D. Badoy Jr. observed that the word BELONGING would not
provide for future territorial acquisitions, and suggested the phrase ALL WATERS
WITHIN THE TERRITORIAL
BOUNDARIES instead of ‘’waters around’’ in Line 11. Delegate Quintero replied that
the Committee on style could consider the matter.
8.6 Noting the absence of an explanatory note to the revised draft, Delegate
Antonio R. Tupaz moved that the records of the Committee proceedings during
revision of the draft be included in the journal. The Chair suggested that the motion
be made at the proper time. Delegate Tupaz (A.) obliged.
8.7 Delegate Pedro O. Valdez asked if the words SUBSOIL and SEA-BED included
mineral and marine resources. Speaking in behalf of the Committee, Delegate
Justino P. Hermoso replied in the affirmative.
8.8 Delegate Midpantao L. Adil observed that the Sulu archipelago should be
properly defined in the article.
8.9 Delegate Manuel A. Concordia inquired if the revised draft implied the
acquisition of territory through purchase. Delegate Quintero replied in the
affirmative.
8.10 Delegate Roseller T. lim proposed that the term PHILIPPINE ARCHIPELAGO be
legally defined in the article. Delegate Quintero explained that the Committee had
decided to avoid any mention of treaties
between powers which colonized the Philippines.
8.11 Delegate Rebeck Espiritu suggested that national territory be defined simply in
terms of land, interval waters, and territorial sea to avoid redundancy. Delegate
Hermoso explained that the definition was comprehensive in order to emphasize
the multi-dimensional nature of the territory.
8.12 Delegate Victor de la Serna inquired if BELONGING TO THE PHILIPPINES BY
HISTORIC RIGHT OR LEGAL TITLE in lines 5 and 6, implied that the country was
already asserting its sovereignty over disputed territories. Delegate Quintero replied
in the negative.
9. Delegate Samuel C. Occeña moved for the previous question. Submitted to a
vote, the motion was approved, 119 to 4.
10. Delegate Rogelio E. panotes inquired if the draft was still open to perfecting
amendments. The Chair was replied in the negative.
10.1 Citing Section 7, Rule V, Part III of the Rules, Delegate Panotes pointed out that
amendments were in order after the main debate. The Chair ruled that a motion for
the previous question could be made at any time, and that once approved, such
motion would end debate.
11. Delegate Rodolfo A. Ortiz requested that his remarks on the draft be inserted in
the journal of the Convention. The request was granted.
12. Delegate Badoy moved for reconsideration of the vote on the motion for the
previous question. Submitted to a vote, the motion was lost, 49 to 80.
13. Delegate Padua (C.) requested that his interpretation of the territorial sea be
inserted in the Journal. The request was granted.
13.1. Rising on a point of order, Delegate Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said that the body
should be informed of the nature of documents being made part of the Journal.
Whereupon, the Chair asked Delegate Padua (C.) to withdraw his request
temporarily. Delegate Padua (C.) obliged.
13.2. Delegate Quintero commented that the Padua (C.) interpretation differed from
that of the Committee.
14. Delegate Ernesto R. Rondon pointed out that voting on the draft before
amendments were discussed on the floor would be irregular. The Chair replied that
the Committee had already considered amendments and that a motion for the
previous question had been approved.
14.1. Delegate Rondon appealed from the ruling of the Chair. Submitted to a vote,
the appeal was lost.
15. Delegate Panotes inquired what would happen to the draft if it were rejected by
the body. The Chair replied that the matter could be taken up at the proper time.
16. Upon direction by the Chair, the Secretary read the draft of Article I for voting. It
was approved, 177 to 14.
SUSPENSION OF SESSION
17. The session was suspended at 5:29 p.m.
RESUMPTION OF SESSION
18. The session was resumed at 5:44 p.m.
19. Delegate Tupaz (A.) moved that the minutes of the Committee deliberations on
the draft be inserted in the Journal. There being no objection, the motion was
approved.
20. Delegate Padua (C.) reiterated his request that his discussion on the territorial
sea be inserted in the Journal. It was granted.
21. Delegate Raul S. Roco, Chairman of the Committee on Declaration of principles
and Ideologies, asked that his statements in reply to newspaper criticism of the
draft article on the declaration of principles be inserted in the Journal. The request
was granted.
22. Delegate Lim (R.) moved to suspend the Rules, and asked that he be allowed to
explain his motion.
SUSPENSION OF SESSION
23. The session was resumed at 5:56 p.m.
RESUMPTION OF SESSION
24. The session was resumed at 6:09 p.m.
25. Delegate Lim (R.) explained that Rules on the presentation of motions for the
previous question needed amendment so that such motions could not be used to
cut debates short. He pointed outthat the presentation of amendments on the
floor was vital and should not be disregard merely to expedite proceedings.
25.1. Delegate Natalio B. Bacalso suggested that motions for the previous
question be presented
only after all amendments were disposed of.

25.2. The Chair declared that the observations of Delegates Lim (R.) and
Bacalso would be referred to the Committee on Legal Affairs for proper
action.

26. Delegate Augusto T. Kalaw suggested that nominal voting should be held
on the second
reading of constitutional proposals since it was more crucial that the vote on
third reading.

26.1. The Chair stated that the Rules made nominal voting mandatory on
third reading, but
discretionary on second reading.

26.2. Delegate Kalaw requested that his observations on nominal voting he

referred to the
Committee on Legal Affairs. The request was granted.

27. Delegate Jose Y. Feria moved for reconsideration of the approval of the
draft article on national territory.

SUSPENSION OF SESSION
28. The session was suspended at 6:29 p.m.

RESUMPTION OF SESSION
29. The session was resumed at 6:35 p.m.
30. Delegate Feria withdraw his motion.
31. Delegate Ramon A. Diaz, Chairman of the Steering Council, presented
the draft article on civil service, as prepared by the Committee on Civil
Service and consolidated by the Council, and asked that Delegate Numeriano
. Tanopo Jr., Chairman of the Committee on Civil Service, be recognize for
sponsor the draft.

31.1. Delegate Tanopo submitted for consideration and approval the draft
article on civil service.
He stated that Delegate Alfredo J. Lagamon would be the first sponsor.

31.2. Deploring the state of the civil servi, Delegate Lagamon stressed the
need to upgrade it
through the proposals recommended by the Committee. He emphasized that
the civil sevice must
meet the demands of the time.

ADJOURNMENT OF SESSION
32. Upon motion of Floor Leader Garcia (J.) the session was adjourned until 8
a.m. the following
day. It was 7 p.m.

I hereby certify to the correctness of the foregoing.

(Sgd.) JOSE V. ABUEVA Secretary
FLOOR LEADERS:
HON. EDMUNDO B. CEA
HON. JESUS GARCIA
HON. ANTONIO D. OLMEDO
Source: 1971 Constitutional Convention Records: Records of the Session, Vol. VI,
February
1972

Learning Activity:
Requirement:
1. How did the 1972 constitutional convention finally define national
territory?
2. Can we use this document to argue the claim of rights of the Philippines
over the
islands being claimed by China? Why or why not?

Lesson 12—Week 13
The Role of Islam in the History of the
Filipino People
Cesar Adib Majul
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:
• Recall the historical background of Moslem people in the Philippines
• Describe the development of Islam in the southern part of the Philippines
• Characterize a unique historiography of Islam in the Philippines
• Contrast Moslem historiography from the usual church-oriented writing of history

Facts demonstrate that Islamic influences from Borneo and Sulu were beginning to
shed root in Luzon during the first half of the sixteenth century. Not long after, Islam
was being strengthened in Mindanao from Sulu as well as from the [Link]
spread of Islam in the Malaysian Archipelago is indeed a legitimate field of inquiry;
but such a complex phenomenon must not be looked at as a mere spread of a few
theological principles or religious beliefs and rituals made possible by a handful of
enthusiastic missionaries. The spread of Islam had represented an interplay of
political, economic, psychological and social causes and factors together with their
ideological concomitants. Furthermore, the attractive characteristics of Islam as
such, as well as its ability to satisfy new needs brought about by rapid economic
changes due to the nature of the international trade at that time, must also be
considered.
The First stage. The first stage represents the conception of Malaysia as a
constellation of sultanates and principalities exemplifying different stages in
Islamization. It covers the period from the end of the 13 th century to the end of the
15th century. This stage portrays sultans, port- kings, minor chieftains, etc.,
participating in various degrees and intensities in the international trade from the
Red Sea to the China Sea, a trade that was under the control of Moslem traders,
principally Arabs, Indians and Persians. Many of the Malaysian ports served as
sources of articles of trade and as clearing houses. A more direct participation of
Sulu in this international trade can be traced to the arrival of Arab traders around
the end of the ninth century or the beginning of the tenth century, not long after
they were ousted from the China trade in 878 during the T’ang dynasty. After a
prohibitive policy of the Chinese against Arab and other Moslem traders, Kalah in
the Malay Archipelago became for some time the last port of call for them.
However, due to the persistent demand for Chinese products in Arab lands either for
domestic use or re exportation to other lands in the Mediterranean, the Arab traders
made efforts to get a Chinese product. It was then that they learned or discovered a
new route starting from Borneo then passing through Sulu, Palawan, Luzon, up to
Formosa and the South of Japan where Chinese products were available. Even after
the middle of the tenth century duringthe Sung Dynasty, when the Moslem
traders were allowed once more to frequent the ports of South China and the
old route through the coast of Indochina began to be utilized again, the new
route was still used since the traders became acquainted either with new
products or better sources of old products. However, it is clear that the use
of this new or second route does not necessarily imply the Islamization of
either Borneo or Sulu.
It only suggests that the presence of Moslem traders in Sulu and, therefore, its more
direct participation in the international trade. Sulu had started to become a clearing
house for products which its intrepid sailors brought from the more outlying islands.
The following are important phases of the first stage:
a. The coming to Sulu of Arab traders, who performed missionary activities during
the end of 13th century and the beginning of the 14th century. At this time there is
evidence of trading colony in Sulu consisting at least of transient Moslem traders.
This is the phase of the coming of the Makhdumin (Arabic Singular: makdum). The
first seeds of Islam were sowed by them
b. Increasing participation of Chinese traders in the Sulu trade. Traditional accounts
claim that Chinese Moslem traders had accompanied or competed with Arab
traders. Eventually, competition and other factors made the Chinese displace Arab
traders in the second route.
c. The coming of Sumatran Islamic influences and political institutions during the
end of the fourteenth century. This phase is represented in the Sulu tarsilas by the
coming of Rajah Baguinda Ali with ministers and soldiers who arrived in Sulu and
established a principality.
d. Sulu’s official contacts with the Celestial throne 1417-1424. At least three
“tributes” were sent.
e. The establishment of the sultanate in Sulu around the middle of the fifteenth
century under the Sherif Abu Bakr, an Arab who had travelled extensively in
Malaysia. The establishment of the sultanate assumes that a great number of the
coastal inhabitants of Sulu had become Moslems and therefore responsive to such
as Islamic institution. It also shows their acquaintance with some Islamic
jurisprudential elements especially those which asserted the right of an Arab.
More specially a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, to rule non-Arab Moslems.
The Sheriff Abu Bakr initiated attempts to convert the inhabitants of the interior of
Sulu (Buranuns) and is believed to have been successful. The coastal peoples and
those of the interior of Sulu became slowly integrated into a political community
under a central authority.
f. The coming of Islam to the Cotabato basin and its consequent spread to the
Lanao area during the end of fifteenth century. This is signified in the Mindanao
tarsilas by the coming of the Sherif Mohammed Kabungsuwan,an Arab- Malay from
Malaya, as well as a couple of Arab predecessors claimed to have been also sheriffs
and of which one returned to Sumatra.
g. The increase of Islamic influences in Sulu and Mindanao through greater
maritime contacts with Malacca, Java and Borneo, and the occasional visits of
Moslem traders and missionaries from Arab and Indian lands.
The second stage. The second stage represents the coming of Western European
Imperialism and Colonialization during the 16th and 17th centuries to Malaysia. This
stage represents the destruction of the Arab and /or Moslem monopoly of the
international trade in Southeast Asia as a consequence of the coming of the
Portuguese and the defeat of Arab fleets inSocotra (1507), Diu (1513), etc. The
Portuguese and Spaniards came in the sixteenth century not only to extend the
possessions of their sovereigns but to spread Catholicism. In the same manner that
they had the consciousness of coming from Christian lands and had a religious
mission, the Moslems and Malaysia had a consciousness of their Islamic faith and of
the integrity of dar-ul-Islam. It would be a fallacy to maintain that on account of the
different st ages of Islamization in the various parts of Malaysia there was no such
conception. Actually, by this time Islam was well rooted in Acheh, Malacca, parts of
Java, Brunei and Sulu. From a very important point of view, Islam constituted the
only ideology that resisted and combatted Western Imperialism and Colonialism,
and Christianity. Early Portuguese and Spanish authors had looked at their arrival in
Malaysia as the continuance of the Crusader’s war between Christians and Moslems.
It will be recalled that the fall of Malacca in1511 was less than two decades after
the fall of the Moorish kingdom in Granada. The Turkish menace to Europe had also
increased after their conquest of Constantinople, while the coming of the
Portuguese to Malaysia had followed their wars in North Africa against the Moslems.
The important phases of the second stage can be summarized as follows:
a. The coming of the Portuguese and their disruption of the Moslem international
trade control. The fall of Malacca to them in 1511, with the consequence that the
center of power of Malaysian Moslems shifted from Malacca to Acheh on northern
Sumatra. Dutch commercial interests in Java and other parts of the East Indies in
the 1590’s.
b. The coming of Christian Religious and economic threat brought about a
deliberate Hindu, pagan, etc. This time the missionary activities were initiated by
Malaysian themselves, attempts at Islamic missionary activities on the uncommitted
parts of Malaysia who were either principally Javanese, accompanied occasionally
by Arab zealots. Many port kings became Moslems: Ambon 1515, Banjarmasin
1520, Mataram 1525, Bantam 1527, Sambas, Bima, and Macassar in 1600, etc.
c. The rise of Brunei as a commercial power, its dynastic alliances with Sulu, and its
greater participation in the trade of the Philippine Archipelago. By the second half of
the sixteenth century, Manila was already ruled by members of the Bornean
aristocracy. This signified the beginning of the Islamization of the area around
Manila Bay. Beginnings of Bornean missionary activities in Batangas and other part
of the Philippines during the last quarter of the sixteenth century.
d. By the last quarter of the sixteenth century, there began a greater consolidation
of the possessions of the Sulu sultan from the northeastern part of Borneo to parts
of Zamboanga, including the islands of Taguima (Basilan) and Tawi-Tawi.
e. At the same time the consolidation of the “sultanates” of Maguindanao and
Buayan is begun. Dynastic relations between them as well as with the Moluccas,
principally Ternate. Coming of Moslem missionaries and functionaries from Ternate
to Mindanao.
f. Fall of Manila as a Moslem principally in [Link] attacks on Brunei in 1578
and 1581 and first attack on Sulu in [Link] between the Sulu Sultan and
Spaniards on June 14, 1578.
g. Conflicts between Spaniards and Magindanaos in 1579, 1596, etc. Spanish
attempts to colonize Mindanao. At this point a study of Bertram Schrieke’s theory
that the spread of Islam in Malaysia was accelerated by the coming of Western
powers is imperative.
h. Spanish expeditions to the Moluccas: 1982, 1585, 1593 and 1603. The
expeditions can be interpreted not only as attempts to check Dutch ambitions in the
area or to extend Spanish territories but also as attempts to isolate Moslems in the
Philippine Archipelago and cut off sources of human and material aid to them from
the Moluccas. Conversely, the temporary neutralization of the Magindanaos was
sought to facilitate the conquest of the Moluccas.
The third stage. The third stage represents the gradual fragmentation of the
Malaysian dar-ul-Islam under the spheres of different colonial powers. It is a stage of
great resistance and counterattacks against the West which were mainly
unsuccessful. The rise of Acheh as a great Moslem power failed to dislodge the
Portuguese in Malacca. Javanese resistance against the Dutch commercial
ambitions had weakened. Brunei’s eclipse as a commercial power had begun.
Brunei’s missionary activities in Batangas, etc. had ceased. The fall of Luzon and
the Visayas to the Spaniards and the destruction of Moslem pockets of resistance in
Mindoro and other island islands signifies that the northeast expansion of Islam to
the furthest end of the Malaysian Archipelago had been checked. Islam’s furthest
limit would then be in its outposts in Sulu and in Mindanao.
The following phases are important:
a. The contest for the control of Luzon and the Visayas between the Spaniards and
the Moslems. This refers to at least two events: The first represents the 1589
attempts at alliance between the Brunei,Sulu and Magindanao sultanates with the
disgruntled aristocracy of Manila and Tondo ( now under Spanish rule) to dislodge
Spaniards from the Philippine Archipelago.
Desperate attempts to get Japanese help did not materialize. Significance of the
Magat Salamat Conspiracy. The second event refers to the so-called piratical raids
initiated by the Magindanaos with Sulu and ternate help from 1599 to 1603. Blood
compact between Magindanaos under Buisan and Leyte datus against Spain. Failure
of the ultimate aim of such large-scale raids.
b. The decline of the “sultanate” of Buayan around 1619 in favor of the Magindanao
sultanate under the redoubtable Sultan Dipatuan Kuderat whose powers extended
up to the Maranao regions. Cagayan de Oro become tributary to him in 1622 and
Selangani in 1626. Kuderat’s assumption of the title of Sultan. After his death in
1671 the decline of the Magindanao sultanate began and slowly broke up into
various minor sultanates. Spanish presence in Mindanao frustrated the natural
course of events for the gradual integration of various minor Moslem principalities
under one centralized authority.
c. Spanish conquest of the Moluccas in 1606 cut off aid to the Moslems of the
Philippines from the farther south. Further isolation of Moslems in the Philippines.
Sulu and Magindanao sought for Dutch alliance in [Link] of Moslem raids in
1616, 1625, etc.
d. The system of divide and rule of the Western colonial powers. Sultanates and
principalities made to fight each other. In the Philippines, Christianized natives
made to fight Moslems as well as to extend Spanish possessions. Spaniards
persistently tried to foster dissensions between Buayan and Magindanao.
Nevertheless, dynastic or commercial rivalries between Western powers at home
and abroad brought to Malaysia. This explains Dutch aid to Sulu, Magindanao, and
Ternate Moslems in their resistance against Spanish rule. The eventual frustration of
Dutch ambitions in the Philippines also implied further dependence of Moslem in the
Philippines on their own resources. Establishment of Spanish fort in Zamboanga in
[Link] raids on Spanish held territories by Moslem alliances.
e. The expeditions of Governor General Corcuera to Mindanao in 1637 and Sulu in
1638. Lanao expedition of [Link] temporary character of Spanish victories. Fall
of Jolo on January 4, [Link] of Sultan’s capital to Tawi-Tawi in [Link] long
rule of Sultan Muwallil Wasit I (Rajah Bongsu) from around 1614 to 1648. His
alliances with Macassar in 1638. Alliances with the Dutch in 1644. Treaty between
Spain and Sulu on April 14, 1646. The evacuation of Zamboanga in 1662. The Sulu
and Magindanao sultans as independent as before.
f. The inability of Sulu to expand or extract tribute from up North led it to look
further westward in the Island of Borneo for its tributary expansion. On account of
intervention in Brunei’s dynastic wars, the Sulu Sultan’s territories in Borneo
extended further West to the Kimanis river in North Borneo around [Link] the end
of the seventeenth century during the reign of Sahab-udDin, the power of the Sulu
sultan extended from parts of Zamboanga to the Kimanis river in the northern part
of the Islands of Borneo.

The fourth stage. The fourth stage refers to the attempts of the Sulus to regain
part of their former glory during the eighteenth century and early nineteenth
century. Around 1700 there were dynastic quarrels between Sulu and Maguindanao
and the Sulus tried to exercise some domination over the Cotabato and Zamboanga
regions. During this state there were strong attempts on the part of the Moslem
sultanates to recapture their ancient commercial glory. The English tried to have a
foothold in Sulu territory to exercise greater hold on their China trade A few salient
events are listed below:
a. A modest resumption of Sulu trade with China initiated during the reign of the
Sultan Sahabud- Din around 1700. Badar-Din its missions to China in 1726 and
1727.
b. Attempts to Badar-ud-Din I for peaceful commercial relations with Manila. Treaty
of December 19, 1726.
c. The so- called piratical raids during this time and earlier can be interpreted as a
source of income to make up for the loss of participation in the international trade
and the former trade with China. The raids were also meant to weaken Spanish
resources which were used to subject the Moslems. Of importance too was that they
were also intended to intimidate Christian natives used by Spaniards to conquer the
Moslems. Moslem attack on Palawan, the Calamianes, etc., under Datu Sabdula
(Nasar-ud-Din) in the 1730’s. The significance of these attacks is that they partially
satisfied the expectations of the Sulus for strong leadership during a time when
there was a dynastic rivalry for the sultanate.
d. The difference of character and rule of the two brothers A’zim-ud-Din I (1735-
1748) and Muiz-ud-Din (1748-1763). The former believed that he could keep his
throne and help Sulu with friendly relations with Spain and by the granting of
concessions to Spaniards. Accepting the fact of the meager resources of the Sulu
and their relative isolation from other Moslem principalities now under the
domination of other Western powers A’zim-ud-Din I believed that Sulu’s progress
could be the result of the strengthening of the institution of the sultanate and other
Islamic institutions together with commercial and political relations with Spain and
other lands. His attempts at commercial relations with China. His “tribute” to China
in 1743, Muiz-ud-Din (Datu Bantilan), on the other hand, believed that such
independence could be maintained by the closer relations with English who could be
considered as sources of material aid against persistent Spanish aims at
domination. He even toyed with the idea of contacting the Ottoman sultan at
Istanbul for possible aid to help maintain Sulu’s independence. Bantilan’s
conception of dar-ulIslam though relatively of place at that time reflects his Islamic
consciousness. In 1754, he almostasked for Chinese protection. Muiz-ud-Din reign
witnessed an increaser of Moro depredations on the Bicol Regions, Mindoro, the
Manila areas etc.
e. Relative peaceful relations between Sulu and Spain from the reign of Sultan
Muhammad Israel (1774-1778) to Sultan Sharef-ud-Din (1791-1808). Modest
commercial prosperity for Sulu.
The decline of the sultanates. The decline already manifested earlier becomes
more manifestly rapid by the middle of the nineteenth century onwards. Badar-ud-
Din’s earlier failure to capture Zamboanga in 1719 not long after its refortification
by the Spaniards revealed Sulu’s weakness. Badar-ud-Din’s alliance with the
Maguindanao and negotiations to patch divisive elements between Sulu’s and
Maguindanaos around 1720 to make another try at Zamboanga was not very
effective. Greater pressures from Spaniards to assert their sovereignty in Sulu. Sulu
was then being pushed into the vortex of conflicting and rival ambitions of Western
powers which spelled doom to its independent existence as a small principality that
had ceased to have place in a rapidly changing world condition. A few of the
significant events are as follows:
a. The commercial ambitions of the English exemplified in the cession of
Balambagan and the first cession of the North Borneo territories of the Sulu Sultan
to them in the 1760’s. Destruction of Balambangan in 1775 by the Sulu’s under the
leadership of the royal datu Teteng. French commercial ambitions shown by their
desire to purchase the Island of Basilan from Sultan Pulalun (1842-1862) in 1844
and 1845.
b. Spanish use of steam war vessels in 1848 enabled them to gradually gain
mastery of the Sulu Sea. The destruction of the power of the Balangingi Samals and
forcible deportation of survivors in 1848 by the Spaniards.
c. Spanish expedition to Davao in 1848. Oyanguren versus the Sulu Datu Bago
d. The visit of James Brooke, the British consul general at Borneo and governor of
Labuan, to Sulu in 1849. The inking of the political and commercial pact between
Great Britain and Sulu (although never confirmed) revealed the attempts of Sulu to
play one European power against another. Fear of rival Western powers in Sulu
alarmed the Spaniards who now desire more than ever to subjugate Sulu.
e. Spanish fear and reaction to the ambitions of British and French as well as the
persistence of piratical raids culminated in the Spanish expeditions against Sulu and
the capture of Julu in 1851 under the leadership of Governor General
[Link] with the Sulus on April 30, 1851. Sulu’s interpreted the treaty as
one of the friendly relations while Spaniards considered it Sulu’s acceptance of
Spanish sovereignty.
f. The Spanish expeditions of 1876 and capture of Jolo. Establishment of a
permanent outpost in Jolo. The January 1878 cession of Sulu’s North Borneo
possession to a British company by the Sulu Sultan. Treaty of July 26, 1878 with the
Spaniards. Extension of Spanish power to the other Islands. Spanish intervention in
Sulu affairs even in dynastic quarrel, etc. Rule of Jamal-ulA’zam (1862-1881).
g. The rise of the juramentados . Significance of such an event is that organized
resistance under the Sultan had failed. Responsibility for the integrity of dar-ul-
Islam had become an individual one.
h. Change of official Spanish policy: the transformation of the Moslems in the
Philippine Archipelago into loyal Spanish subjects rather that converting them into
Catholicism.
i. The 1885 Protocol; between Great Britain, Spain and Germany agreed that Sulu
belonged to the Spanish sphere of sovereignty.

j. The 1891 Weyler Campaign in Cotabato. The 1895 Blanco’s campaign in

Lanao. The
juramentado institution among the Magindanaos.

The Philippine Revolution and the American Occupation.

a. The leaders of the revolution considered the Moslems of the South as
Filipinos bound
with them by racial ties, ancient historical relations, and geographical
propinquity. The manifesto
of the Hong Kong Junta in 1893 declared that the Filipinos were made to fight
in the Moros in
Mindanao and Sulu who “in reality are brothers, like us fighting or their
independence.”
Aguinaldo’s message to the Congress on January 1, 1899 proposed that the
Government be
empowered to “negotiate with the Moros of Jolo and Mindanao for purposes
of establishing
national solidarity upon the basis of a real federation with absolute respect
for their beliefs and
traditions.”

b. The Bates Treaty with the Sulu Sultan in 1899.

c. The defeat of sporadic rising against American Occupation and the futility
of the battles
of Bud Bajo (1906) and Bud Bagsak (1913).

d. Sultan Jamal-ul-Kiram’s formal abdication of political power in 1915

(Carpenters
agreement). Moslem representation in the Philippine Government.

e. The role of the Moro resistance against the Japanese Occupation.

f. The independence of the Philippine on July 4.1946. All Filipino Moslems

with rights of
Citizenship. Their responsibility in building the National community and the
responsibility of
others towards them. The increased secularization of Philippine society.
Anyone with some acquaintance with the history of events in Sulu and
Mindanao will easily
noticed the incomplete character of the above outline. Actually, there has
been no intention
comprehensiveness. It is hoped that most of the most important events were
included. However,
to one desiring to avoid a purely chronological narration, these events can
only be significant in
terms on the social and political institutions of the Moslem of the South as
well as the economic
structure of their society. It is indispensable to possess a good background of
classical Islamic
beliefs, practices, and institutions over and above a knowledge of those
indigenous or Pre-Islamic elements shared by the Moslems of the Philippines
with the other Malaysian peoples. With such a background it is possible to
appreciate the results of the impact of Islam on such indigenous elements.
For example, the juramentado upsurge in the 1880’s cannot be fully
understood except with the knowledge of the Sultan’s failure to prevent a
non-Moslem power from controlling a land asserted to have been part of dar-
ul-Islam . That the responsibility for the defense of such a territory had
shifted from a duly constituted authority to that of an individual is only
significant if elements of Islamic jurisprudence are considered. Likewise, the
General lack of Sulu adherence to treaties entered between their Sultan and
Spanish Authorities can be better understood in terms of the relations
between the Sultan and the datus or traditional chiefs. This in turn requires
knowledge of Sulu traditions regarding the coming of the Sherif-ul-Hashim,
reputed to have established himselfas first sultan of Sulu, his commitments
with the datus, the principles of dynastic succession, the division of territorial
authority, etc.

Moreover, the dynastic relations between the different sultans in Mindanao

and their claims
to rule and exact tribute are to some extent based on appeals to Islamic law
and traditions. For the first two stages in the outline there must be further
recourse to the additional local tarsilas otherthan those already published.
One must also be continually alert to tarsilas that are slowly coming to light
from Borneo and Indonesian Islands from the south of Mindanao. However, it
is imperative to develop a technique to evaluate such tarsilas in order to
render them of historical value. A comparative study of the local tarsilas is
essential, and a great deal of some of them can be checked against Spanish,
English and Dutch sources. The value of some tarsilas, especially those that
present an enumeration of the sultans of Sulu, is that they do not only reveal
the most salient characteristics of the personality of the sultans but also
what the Sulus considered the most important historical event of their reign.
Negatively speaking, the differences among tarsilas, relative to certain
omissions, reveal dynastic rivalries and even certain Sulu models for
dynastic successions. But further research into the primary sources in the
Spanish, British and Dutch Archives is indispensable. However, without the
virtue of tolerance and the ability to emancipate oneself from unexamined
premises, historical empathy for the struggles of Moslems in the South, and
uncompromising desire to understand, nothing can be accomplished.
The history of the Moslems in the Philippine South and the lives of their
sultans are not
devoid of an epic character. That a great deal of cruelty, tears and suffering
have followed the
wake of their depredations and persistent struggle against aims to conquer
them is not to be denied; but these are merely responses to similar
inflictions upon them. In all life-and-death struggles, no contestant has a
monopoly of virtue or vise. Yet the foe had observed the invariant bravery,
stoicism in defeat, and in general, magnanimity in the moment of Moslem
victory. What had not been easily conceded to them is that such behavior
could have stemmed from their basic Islamic belief, that there is universal
prescription for behavior and that man ought to try to approximate it.
Indeed, in the further search for national identity one of our largest
minorities in the Philippines can contribute a great deal.

Source: [Link]
[Link]

Learning Activity: Video analysis

Watch the video in the Youtube by clicking or copying the link:
[Link] or you may scan the QR code
below using your
android or IOS phone to get access to the video immediately.
Requirement: What is your reaction on the statement below?
According to John Leddy Phelan, “were it not for the Spanish colonization of
the
Philippines for 333 years, the country, would have been a Muslim State like
its Southeast Asian
neighbors.”

Lesson 13: Week 14

History of Terrorism in the Philippines
(An International Fact-Finding Mission Report)
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:
• Describe the emergence of insurgency and terrorism in the Philippines
• Associate terrorism with cultural and religious aspects
• Explore the various initiatives of the Philippine government to counter terrorism
and address insurgency
General context
Located in South East Asia, the Republic of the Philippines comprises 7,107 islands
which are commonly divided in three groups: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The
capital city, Manila, is located in Luzon. The Philippines is the 12 th most populated
country in the world with 96 million inhabitants. It is also the 4 th largest Catholic
nation with about 80% of Christians, whereas Muslims form a minority throughout
the country (approximately 5%). The rest of the population is made up mostly of
smaller Christian denominations as well as indigenous people, part of which are
animists.
Before its independence in 1946, the country was successively dominated by Spain
(16th to 19th century) and by the United States of America (1898-1946). Before
Spanish colonization, part of the inhabitants were animists while part were Muslims
as a result of trade with the Arabs. Spanish colonization imposed Christianity upon
the country, and the Muslims were called Moros. 6 Today, Bangsamoro (“the Moro
People”) are mainly settled in the Southern islands of Mindanao, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-
Tawi and Palawan. They were never colonized neither by Spain, nor by the USA –
which introduced a system of government that was criticized for leading to the
“minorization and marginalization” of the Moros and indigenous people in
Mindanao.7 The ancestral domain of Moros and indigenous people was declared as
public land; this is an issue still bearing consequences today, the indigenous
people’s claims for ancestral domains being still not recognized.
When independence was declared on July 4, 1946 and the Republic of the
Philippines was established, it comprised Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The Moros
reiterated their objections but Mindanao was nevertheless incorporated under the
Republic. From the independence onwards, Muslims and indigenous people have
been complaining that they are marginalized politically and economically, except for
a few rich families.
The Philippines counts natural resources comprising oil, timber, nickel, cobalt,
silver, gold… In addition, its soil is rich and fertile. But land tenure has been – and
still is – a controversiaissue across history. About half of the population is rural and
agriculture is the primary and often only source of income for rural poor people,
whereas important land is owned by powerful landlords. An agrarian reform is
ongoing and should end in 2008, but concrete implementation is extremely
protracted because of landowners’ resistance and this generates frequent tensions.
The communists (CPP, NPA and NDFP)
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) was re-established 8 in 1968 by Jose
Maria Sison, a professor at the University of the Philippines. CPP adopted a strategy
based on the struggle for national democracy through a two-stage revolution: a
protracted people’s war to be followed by a Socialist Revolution. One year later, the
New People’s Army (NPA) was organized as the guerilla-military wing of the Party, to
wage a peasant-worker revolutionary war in the countryside against landlords and
foreign companies. CPP heads the National Democratic Front of the Philippines
(NDFP), which is the political-diplomatic arm of CPP-NPA. It is estimated that the
guerrilla army of CPP now consists of about 10,000 persons.
CPP-NPA has been labelled as a terrorist organization by the US Government and by
the European Unionvv(EU) Council. The Philippine government has not made a
formal decision classifying CPP-NPA as a terrorist group but it openly considers it as
such. CPP-NPA-NDFP sees itself as a broad political, revolutionary and liberation
movement and claims that it does not attack civilian targets and that it adheres to
international law. NPA nevertheless claimed responsibility for the assassination of
two congressmen in May 2001 whom it considered as “legitimate targets.” Former
CPP chair Rodolfo SALAS acknowledged that in the 1980s, internal purge of persons
suspected to be government and army infiltrators within CPP resulted in torture and
execution of about 1,800 cadres and civilians. 14 This fact is still used by the
government and by the army to attribute the responsibility of current extrajudicial
killings to CPP. Peace efforts to end the armed conflict between the Government of
the Republic of the Philippines and NDFP have been going on for 21 years but
stalled in 2004. On June 16, 2006 the President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared
an all-out war against NPA. However, on September
5, 2007, she signed – conditional to the respect of certain criteria – an Amnesty
Proclamation, to become effective only after Congress has approved it. Peace talks
stalled with one substantive agreement as an achievement though, the
Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International
Humanitarian Laws (CARHRIHL). To oversee the implementation of this agreement
by both sides, the parties have jointly appointed a Joint Monitoring Committee
(JMC).Although it has not convened since 2004and it has not agreed upon a
common procedure, it has continued to register complaints about human rights
violations.
Dangerous amalgam between the CPP-NPA and legal “leftist”
organizations
A recent statement made by President Arroyo during a visit she paid to the Local
Peace and Security Assembly (LPSA) of the Bicol region on December 13, 2007,
shows that the executive branch of the Government does not always distinguish
between the groups promotingan ideology in a peaceful way and groups using arms
and violence to promote the same ideology.
Indeed, President Arroyo thanked LPSA for “supporting her vision to eradicate
communism in the country by the year 2010”; President Arroyo spoke about
communism as such and not only about the communist insurgency. During a
meeting of the FIDH mission with the AFP Vice-Chief of Staff and a dozen of high-
ranking officers at the AFP General Headquarters on August 16, 2007, AFP denied
any implication in extrajudicial killings. The senior military prosecutor present at the
meeting told the FIDH mission that groups such as NPA, MILF and Abu Sayyaf are
clearly “enemies of the State” and that AFP is acting in the framework of the law.
The senior military prosecutor added that there are legal groups supporting NPA
and MILF and that not all members of those legal groups are considered as
“enemies of the State.” However, according to this high-ranking officer, some
prominent members of those groups have been identified, on the basis of
documents allegedly recovered by AFP, as giving the order to kill civilians.
Unfortunately, AFP did not provide the FIDH mission with a written list of names and
did not inform it about the resulting judicial proceedings. Moreover, the same senior
military prosecutor told the FIDH mission that the AFP soldiers and officers can tell
and recommend to people, especially in zones where NPA is active, to avoid joining
legal groups.
“Leftist” organizations are labelled as “enemies of the State”: legal and peaceful
organizations like peasant or fishermen associations, mass organizations or political
parties like Bayan and Anak Pawis are often amalgamated with CPP-NPA, which is
an armed group. In February 2006, President Arroyo declared a week-long state of
Emergency in response to alleged conspiracies involving members of the opposition
(including “leftists” but also rightists and members of the military). At least
hundreds of “leftists” – whether belonging to legal and peaceful organizations or to
armed ones – were arrested. Charges seemed largely groundless and In 2005, a
slide presentation entitled “Know the Enemy” was reportedly made available to the
public. Among others, it listed “legal front organizations” (like party list groups,
religious organizations, women organizations, student associations) allegedly allied
with CPP-NPA andhence considered as “enemies of the State.” Despite official denial
by AFP, it is reported by many different stakeholders that AFP further broadcasted
on TV a similar propaganda film in 2006, after the issuance of the February state of
emergency. The film intended to discourage people to belong to a list of legal left
organizations, accusing the latter of being too close to CPP-NPA. In parallel, three
books entitled “The Trinity of War” were also issued by AFP, which also contained a
list of organizations labeled as allied of CPP-NPA, including peaceful and legal
political parties. Finally, “Orders of Battle” have reportedly been established,
identifying sectoral groups (people belonging to a particular category such as
farmers, youth, women, workers, etc.) alleged to be fronts of the communist
underground. The Order of Battle is a list of enemies ranked according to their
importance. According to KMP (Philippine peasant organization), the documents do
not use the term “kill” but say “neutralize.” General Palparan has reportedly been
the leading military figure promoting such guidelines. When asked about his
previous statements accusing organizations such as Bayan, Karapatan or Gabriela
as front organizations of CPP-NPA, General Palparan neither confirmed nor denied
having made such statements.
The legal left-wing political party Anak Pawis also has reportedly been labeled as
“front organization.” As Crispin “Ka Bel” B. Beltran, member of the House of
Representatives elected on the Anak Pawis party-list, says: “Election law foresees
that any political party advocating for or engaged in the use of arms should be
dismissed. Hence, as long as no evidence is found of such acts, all political parties –
including so-called ‘leftist’ ones – should not suffer from any ‘labeling.’ Would it not
be the case, pressure would be put on electors so as to encourage them to support
other parties.”
This practice of “labeling” is extremely worrying, especially since the majority of
victims of human rights violations belong to so-called “leftist” organizations. Even if
they might share the same ideology, a clear distinction should be drawn between
peaceful legal parties and organizations on the one hand and the armed groups on
the other hand.
The Muslim secessionists: MNLF and MILF
There are two main Muslim armed groups in the Philippines, which were initially
forming one single movement: The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which appeared later. Both advocate for the
independence of the Southern island of Mindanao, but MILF agenda is more rooted
in Islam.
The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)
MNLF was organized in the late ‘60s - early ‘70s by Nur Misuari, a former professor
at the University of the Philippines. The goal of MNLF was to establish an
independent Moro nation through an armed struggle. The armed group is mainly
based in Mindanao. It is also a political organization in the Philippines, accredited by
the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC). On September 2, 1996 the Jakarta
Accord, brokered by OIC between MNLF and GRP was signed. This gave
predominantly Muslim areas in Mindanao a degree of self-rule with the
establishment of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Nur Misuari
became the regional governor and many of the MNLF armed units were integrated
into AFP. The MNLF leader was nevertheless later arrested in 2001 and is still under
house arrest today. He is very popular in the Philippines but his attempt to
collaborate with GRP was seen as a mistake by some – including [Link] to
him, MNLF reportedly still counts more than 20,000 supporters. To summarize the
relations between civilians and MNLF and referring to support received from
peasants, he says “You don’t cut hands which feed you!” A tri-partite meeting was
set for July 2007 between MNLF, GRP and OIC in order to revise the 1996 Jakarta
peace accord. It was however delayed. Nur Misuari said to the FIDH mission that
MNLF never attacked but only defended itself and he insisted on brotherhood with
his “friends indigenous and Christians. MNLF is not listed as a terrorist organization.

Interview of Mr. Nur Misuari who is under house of arrest, in

the presence of a spiritual leader of MNLF and under the surveillance of a guard.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
MILF broke away from MNLF in 1977, in order to put more emphasis on the
Islamic roots
of the movement. It views poverty, the land issue and economic
underdevelopment in Mindanao
as a result of the colonization of the BangsaMoro people by the Philippine
government.
MILF was established by Ustaz Salamat Hashim, who became its chairman.
Before his
death in July 2003, he issued a statement denouncing terrorism and
reiterated MILF commitment
to achieve peace through a political settlement. MILF also claims to be
committed to make use of anti-personnel landmines strictly for defensive
purposes and in a discriminate manner.
MILF is nevertheless carrying what it sees as a war for self-determination. Its
spokesperson told the FIDH mission that MILF never initiated violence but
responded when it
was attacked by soldiers violating its territory, admitting that this might have
caused “collateral
damages.” He added that terrorism was not an issue but that it was a theme
exploited by the
government.28 Like MNLF, MILF also acknowledges that “lost commands” and
“lawless
elements” taking refuge in their territories but disowned by their leadership,
might be responsible
for acts of violence.
MILF has not been listed as a “terrorist organization” by the US and the
Philippine
government29 but it continues to be a target in the anti-terrorism campaign
of the latter for having
links with Al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). MILF recognizes having been
approached by the
latter, but denies any collaboration with it. MILF is said to have about 12,000
to 12,500 members.30
It is mainly based in Mindanao and – like the MNLF – reportedly receives
popular support.
GRP-MILF peace negotiations31 started in January 1997 and went back and
forth until now.
Attacks allegedly perpetrated by MILF against civilians, supposed links with JI
and hostile attitude of the government towards MILF notably explain that the
process has been slowed down. The incident of Filipino marines who were
beheaded on the island of Basilan in July 2007 revived the tensions between
MILF and GRP.32 MILF disagrees with the GRP accusation of beheading but
recognizes the killing of the marines, considered as “legitimate” targets.
Exactions committed by AFP (including torture) are also criticized by MILF as
an obstacle to the negotiations.
Abu Sayyaf, Jemaah Islamiyah and Rajah Solaiman Movement
The three aforementioned groups appeared more recently in the Philippines
and reportedly
have links with Al Qaeda, according mainly to the information provided by
the USA authorities.
Depending on the interlo-cutor from the civil society, FIDH was told that they
are a “USproduct”
or even do not exist. The majority of the people met by the mission agree on
the fact that they only consist of a few criminals led more by profit than by
any ideology. Human Rights Watch however listed a series of attacks
perpetrated by those groups. Like MNLF and MILF, they are mainly located in
the Southern island of Mindanao. However, both MNLF and MILF claim to
distance themselves from partnership with these extremist armed groups;
individual Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) or MILF members may however join militant
alliances with Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG). ASG and JI are working increasingly
with Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM), militant converts to Islam based in
Manila and northern Luzon, who are a vehicle for more experienced terrorist
groups to move into the country’s urban heartland. Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah
Islamiyah are considered by the USA as terrorist organizations, as well as by
AFP which also listed RSM as a terrorist organization.

Sources:
E. San Juan Jr., “Terrorism and Revolution: The Struggle for National
Democracy and Socialism
in the Philippines.”
See
[Link]
By Secretary of State Colin Powell on August 9, 2002 under Executive Order
13224. On August
9, 2004, the US Secretary of State re-designated them, as a Foreign Terrorist
Organization
under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
EU Council decision of 21 December 2005 Implementing Article 2(3) of
Regulation (EC) No.
2580/2001 on specific res-trictive measures directed against certain persons
and entities
with a view to combating terrorism and repealing Decision 2005/848/EC,
Official Journal
of the European Union, 23.12.2005, L 340/64.
Cornish, M., “Communist Party of the Philippines pursues a violent course
against its left
opponents,” Freedom Socialist, Vol. 26, No. 4, August-September 2005.
See e.g. Armed Forces of the Philippines press release, “CPP/NPA Covers Up
its
Activities,” September 4, 2006: [Link]

Learning Activity: News Analysis

Requirement:
Download any news clip or article online which reported terror attacks by the
separatists,
communist rebels, ISIS-inspired groups, and other insurgents in the
Philippines. Answer the
following:
1. What is the motive or intention of the terror attack?
2. Do you think the attack will satisfy their cause/motive?
3. How do you think should the government respond to such attack?

Lesson 14: Week 15

Agreement on Peace between the
Government of the
Republic of the Philippines and the Moro
Islamic
Liberation Front
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:
• Express appreciation of the initiative of the Philippine government to
achieve peace
• Derive lessons from the experience of both government and MILF

The Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front
herein referred to as the “Parties” to this Agreement;
Determined to establish a peaceful environment and a normal condition of
life in the
Bangsamoro homeland;
Reaffirming the General Cessation of Hostilities dated 18 July 1997 and the
General
Framework of the Agreement of intent signed between the Parties on 27
August 1998, and
committing to reach a negotiated political settlement of the Bangsamoro
problem, and enduring
peace and stability in Mindanao;
Recalling the Tripoli Agreement of 1976 and the Jakarta Accord of 1996
between the
Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro National
Liberation Front
(MNLF), and the OIC Resolution No. 56/9-P (IS) on 12 November 2000 of the
Ninth Session of
the Islamic Summit Conference in Doha, State of Qatar, urging the GRP and
the MILF “ to
promptly put an end to armed hostilities and to pursue peace talks towards
finding a peaceful
resolution to the existing problem in Mindanao;”
Noting that the basic elements/principles for the resumption of peace talks
between the
MILF and the GRP panels have been facilitated by the Government of
Malaysia, as set forth in the Agreement on the General Framework for the
Resumption of Peace Talks between the
Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front signed on
March 24, 2001 in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia; Further recalling Article VI of the
said Agreement on General Framework for the Resumption of the Peace
Talks between the GRP and the MILF signed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in
which Parties agreed to undertake relief and rehabilitation measures for
evacuees, and joint development projects in the conflict affected areas; and
Recognizing that peace negotiations between the GRP and the MILF is for the
advancement of the general interest of the Bangsamoro people and other
indigenous people; and, recognizing further the need for a comprehensive,
just and lasting political settlement of the conflict in Mindanao, the Parties
welcome the resumption of the peace talks and, consequently, Have agreed
as follows:

A. SECURITY ASPECT
In accordance with the incremental characteristic of the peace process and
agreement on the General Framework for the Resumption of the Peace Talks, the
Parties, as represented by their respective Peace Panels, consider that
normalization in conflict affected areas can be achieved if certain principles and
guidelines of conduct and action are adhered to by the Parties. That among these
are:
1. All past agreements of the Parties shall be implemented in accordance with the
Agreement on the General Framework for the Resumption of the Peace Talks signed
in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 24 March 2001 for the progressive resolution of the
Bangsamoro problem with honor, justice, and integrity for all sectors of society.
2. The negotiation and peaceful resolution of the conflict must involve consultations
with the Bangsamoro people free of any imposition in order to provide chances of
success and open new formulas that permanently respond to the aspirations of the
Bangsamoro people for freedom.
3. The Parties agree to invite representatives of the Organization of Islamic
Conference (OIC) to observe and monitor the implementation of all GRP-MILF
Agreements. The Parties further agree to strengthen the GRP-MILF Agreement on
the General Cessation of Hostilities dated 18July 1997. Upon signing this
Agreement, a Monitoring Team shall be constituted with representatives from the
OIC.

B. REHABILITATION ASPECT
1. The observance of international humanitarian law and respect for internationally
recognized human rights instruments and the protection of evacuees and displaced
persons in the conduct of their relations reinforce the Bangsamoro people’s
fundamental right to determine their own future and political status.
2. The MILF shall determine, lead and manage rehabilitation and development
projects in conflict affected areas, except when public funds are involved, in which
case Government procedures and rules will be observed.
3. The Parties shall safely return evacuees to their place of origin; provide all the
necessary financial/material and technical assistance to start a new life, as well as
allow them to be awarded reparations for their properties lost or destroyed by
reason of the conflict.
4. In order to pave the way for relief and rehabilitation of evacuees and
implementation of development projects in the areas affected by conflict, the
Parties agree to implement the GRPMILF Agreement on the General Cessation of
Hostilities dated July 18, 1997.

C. ANCESTRAL DOMAIN ASPECT

On the aspect of ancestral domain, the Parties, in order to address the humanitarian
and economic needs of the Bangsamoro people and preserve their social and
cultural heritage andinherent rights over their ancestral domain, agree that
the same be discussed further by the Parties in their next meeting.
D. ACTIVATION OF COMMITTEES
Immediately upon signing of this Agreement, the Parties hereby agree to
activate working committees for the purpose of discharging their mandates,
particularly the implementation of all
agreements between the Parties.

E. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Parties acknowledge the leadership of President Gloria Macapagal-
Arroyo in pursuing an all-out peace policy in Mindanao. The Parties express
their collective appreciation and gratitude
to the Great Leader of the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya,
Colonel Muammar
Gaddafi, and to the Chairman of the Gaddafi International Foundation for
Charitable Associations, Saif Al Islam Gaddafi, for hosting the Formal
Opening of the Resumption of the GRP-MILF Peace Talks in Tripoli, Libya; to
His Excellency Dato Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohammad, Prime Minister of Malaysia
and His Excellency Abdurrahman Wahid, President of the Republic of
Indonesia, for their full and continuing support.
Done on this 22nd day of June 2001 corresponding to 30 Rabi’ ul Aw’al 1422
in the
presence of the representatives of the Gaddafi International Foundation for
Charitable
Associations, the Government of Malaysia and the Government of the
Republic of Indonesia.

For the GRP:

JESUS G. DUREZA
Chairman, GRP Peace Panel

For the MILF:

AL HAJ MURAD EBRAHIM Chairman, MILF Peace Panel Witnessed by:
SAIF AL ISLAM GADDAFI
Chairman of the Gaddafi International Foundation for Charitable Associations
Source: [Link]
[Link]

Learning Activity: Reflection Paper

Requirement:
What important lessons have learned from this agreement for peace? What
is the current
status of this agreement? Can we achieve lasting peace in Mindanao?

Lesson 15: Week 16

Report of the Cholera Epidemic in the
Philippines

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:
• Recognize the experience of epidemic in the history of the Philippines
• Create strategies to develop resilience from pandemics
• Visualize the scenario of the early Filipinos who struggled for survival from the
infection of the disease.

The 1899-1902 war of resistance and the 1902-1904 cholera epidemic belong to
two distinct series in Philippine historiography. The fight against the cholera of
1902-1904 has been represented as a drama whose theme is American heroism
and medico-sanitary skill. Cholera was introduced into the Mariquina valley east of
Manila by troops sent to guard against infection of the Manila water supply. Cholera
claimed its victims from all levels of society, including American soldiers and
residents, prominent Filipinos, Chinese, and Spaniards. Developments in
nineteenthcentury medicine contributed to the convergence of colonial warfare and
disease control. In March 1902, it was the fourth year of the Philippine-American
War. Many towns in Luzon, hamletted by the Americans, suffered from famine. In
Isabela, Emilio Aguinaldo would soon be captured. In Batangas, Miguel Malvar felt
forced to surrender soon, so that rice could be planted in May. To top it all, cholera
arrived. “For the inhabitants of the war-torn areas, it was ultimately a choice
between dying of hunger or dying of cholera,” wrote historian Reynaldo C. Ileto. “In
March 1902 a vessel from Hongkong arrived in Manila carrying cholera. Soon after,
the first cases of cholera surfaced. Cholera was impossible to contain because the
Filipinos and even the American troops themselves moved around carrying the
bacteria. Cholera was not selective; it claimed as victims people from different
strata of society and ethnicity—elite, masses, Filipinos, Americans, Spaniards and
Chinese. But the lower classes were the hardest hit, especially in certain districts in
Manila, because of the ‘overcrowding, poor sanitation, and poor diet.’ By the time
the epidemic ended, about 109,461 died, 4,386 of which were in Manila… “[T]he
cholera epidemic gave way to what Ileto calls ‘germ warfare,’ another stage of the
PhilippineAmerican War. During this time, military surgeons became the next wave
of ‘pacifiers’ after the cavalrymen and troops. Searches and surveillance were
conducted among Filipino homes to ferret out the sick and quarantine them. The
Filipino response was concealment and evasion since they refused to part with their
sick family members. “Within the cholera combat zone, colonial officials prohibited
gatherings of people in places considered conducive to the spread of cholera like
churches and cockpits. Officials also resorted to burning the houses of cholera
victims and even gathering places like the town market. By cremating cholera
casualties, they elicited further resistance and hatred among Filipinos whose
religious practices demanded proper burial.
Official
publication of the report of the cholera epidemic in the Philippines

Ileto notes that powerful drugs, strict quarantine, and cremation of the dead
did not end cholera. Rather, it was the combination of the heavy rains and
the increasing immunity of the populace that caused the epidemic to
subside.
The Deadly 1902 Cholera Epidemic in the Philippines, with Special
Interest on Its
Consequences in Batangas
The disease cholera is an infection of the small intestines that leads to
diarrhea, vomiting
and muscle cramps. It is caused by a bacterium called vibrio cholera that can
be transmitted by
unsanitary water or food. Persons infected with the disease may suffer
severe dehydration and
electrolyte imbalance, which may, in turn, result into death. The mortality
rate for the disease is
anything from 5% to 50%, depending on the availability of treatment .
Occasionally, cholera epidemics worldwide reach pandemic levels, i.e.
spread over a large
region, multiple continents or even worldwide. The first pandemic to reach
the Philippines was the one of 1852-1860, during the Spanish era. There
were passing references to this in the barrio
histories of Batangas called Historical Data, so we know that the pandemic
affected the province
as well.
There is more available documentation on the sixth global pandemic which
raged through
the Philippines, including Batangas, from 1902-1904; and it is to this that we
now devote our
attention. On 8 March 1902, American health officials in the Philippines
received word that a strain of Asiatic cholera had appeared in Guangzhou,
China; and that five days later it was also reported in Hong Kong. By 19
March, the chief quarantine officer issued an order “forbidding the
importation” of vegetables as well as a directive to health officials to “be on
the lookout for persons suffering from bowel trouble of a suspicious
character.” Despite these measures, the cholera somehow managed to slip
through. The following day, the Board of Health was informed by the San
Juan de Dios Hospital that two patients were exhibiting symptoms of Asiatic
cholera. By 22 March, the presence of the disease was confirmed.
Despite efforts by American officials to contain the spread of the disease,
before long it did so, in
communities along the Pasig River, including Manila. Quarantine guards were
stationed “on all roads, paths and streams leading out from Manila” to
prevent the disease from spreading to the provinces, but it did so, anyway. It
was likely brought along with them by people who slipped quarantine by
riding bancas or crossed fields instead of using roads to get out of Manila.

On 24 May, the first case of cholera infection in Batangas was confirmed in

the town of
Bauan. Before long, the disease started to spread. By July, cases were
confirmed in the towns of
Balayan, Batangas, Lipa, Taal, Lemery, Ibaan, San Juan de Bocboc, Tanauan
and San Jose.
By 1 September, 3,093 people had been afflicted; and of this number, a total
of 2,340 would die for a staggering 75% mortality rate. These were just the
cases that were officially reported and
recorded. How the cholera spread so swiftly was likely due to a number of
factors. First, there was a “scarcity of doctors in the province 6 ” which, in
turn, made diagnosis and treatment not just of cholera difficult. Sanitary
conditions were also understandably poor by present-day standards, and
water for drinking and personal hygiene was fetched in many cases from
open wells or rivers. In fact, when the Americans first tried to control the
disease in Manila by distributing distilled water, many among the
uneducated suspected that they were being poisoned.

When the first case of cholera was confirmed in Batangas, it had been just a
month or sosince Batangueños were allowed to return to their homes from the
concentration camps, where they were forced to live by the United States Army
since December of the previous year. The forced concentration was a tactical move
to prevent the civilian population from supporting the guerrilla efforts of General
Miguel Malvar’s forces. After studying burial records in the towns of Lipa and
Batangas, the historian Glenn A. May conjectured that “the zones (i.e. concentration
camps) were unhealthy places to live (in) and that the number of deaths was
extraordinarily high during the months of concentration.” In other words, the
general state of health among Batangueños after their release from the
concentration camps would have been poor, particularly in the face of a raging
pandemic. This state of poor health would have continued even after the end of
concentration because farms upon which families depended for subsistence had
been neglected while people were in the camps. There would have been food
shortages.
While the disease raged, the Board of Health decreed that no funeral services over
the dead would be allowed in the churches of Batangas as a precaution against its
spread. As a workaround, church services were held without the bodies of the
deceased, which were often sent straight to the cemetery for burial.
In time, measures undertaken by the Board of Health would result in a decline of
the disease’s spread. Among others, these included an educational campaign about
how to avoid becoming infected by the disease; the distribution of free distilled
water; a ban on the sale of food items deemed likely to carry the disease; and the
quarantine of infected localities.
Overall, however, by the time the Board of Health declared that the disease had
disappeared from Luzon in 1904, in Batangas the final number of reported cases
was 3,433 with 2,718 deaths. The mortality rate was a staggering 79%. There would
be more outbreaks of the disease in the country in the coming years, but certainly
not of the same scale as the pandemic that raged from 1902-1904.
Source:
Report of the cholera epidemic in the Philippines. Medical Record 1866-1922; New
York Vol 63 Issue 9 ( Feb 28, 1903): 345.
[Link]
pqorigsite=gscholar&cbl=40146 Ileto, R. (2017). Cholera and the origins of the
American sanitary order in the Philippines. Imperial medicine and indigenous
societies. Manchester University Press
[Link]
04#ixzz6Tx1daWw5
Batangas: History, Culture and Folklore: Report of the Cholera Epidemic in the
Philippines

Learning Activity: Comparative Analysis

Requirement:
Given the current situation, using the table below, compare the scenarios of
both cholera epidemic
in 1902 and the COVID-19 in the Philippines in terms of:
a) The number of persons infected (as of the real time for COVID-19)
b) Speed of spread of infection
c) Effect to the economy
d) Effect to the social activities of the people
e) Strategies of the government to address the situation

Indicators 1902 Cholera COVID-19 Pandemic

Epidemic
The number of persons
infected (as of the real
time)
Speed of Spread of
Infection
Effect to the Economy
Effect o the Social
Activities of the People
Strategies of the
Government to Address
the Situation
Leeson 16: Week 17-18
Mintal
“The Little Tokyo of the Pre-war
Philippines”
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:
• Recognize the significant role of Brgy. Mintal in the local history of Mindanao
before World War II
• Appraise the historical value of heritage sites in Mintal
• Recommend programs and projects for the preservation of heritage sites in Mintal
and other significant areas in Tugbok area.

Few people know that Davao City and Japan share a rich historical bond. More than
a century ago, there was a thriving community of around 30,000 Japanese in
Barangay Mintal, then the city’s economic center. What remains of the community a
century later are a few Japanese mementos, cemetery and monuments that serve
as window to the past. It’s an urban legend that during the Commonwealth era, the
Japanese community that settled in Davao was among the most progressive in the
early days of Davao and left behind a long-lasting legacy that influences us to this
[Link] fact, it can be said that they set up the broad strokes for much of the
development and economic blueprint of modern Davao, probably the only city in the
country where the Japanese imprint is so strong and so beneficial. Davao, during
the days of the Commonwealth era, was found to be a suitable place to cultivate
abaca. Land was fertile, weather benevolent, and unlike Bicol, it was safely located
away from the typhoon belt.
One of the early Japanese settlers was wealthy entrepreneur Ohta Kyozaburo, who
arrived in the city in 1903, set up his Ohta Development Company head office in
Talomo, and later moved to Mintal where his abaca business had not only flourished
but had also driven the city’s economy. Ohta Kyosaburo, a Japanese businessman,
decided to start an abaca plantation there. Kennon Road to Baguio was just
completed. The Japanese work force was out of work but still in Manila waiting for
repatriation. Instead of their returning to Japan where work was uncertain, Ohta
convinced them to move to rural Davao and begin abaca cultivation there.
From oral accounts, the area where the Japanese settled to plant abaca was part of
tribal land owned by the local tribe, the Bagobos, led by Datu Intal, thus the name
“Mintal.” Ohta Kyozaburo was dubbed the “Father of Davao Development.” His
success in abaca farming and processing drew other Japanese to Mintal, then the
most advanced of all villages with a well thought of map similar to an “urban plan”
initiated by the Japanese. Japanese built, among others, a school, cemetery,
irrigation facility, ice plant, hospital, and hydropower plants with a combined power
of 3,470 kilowatts enough to power the whole of old Davao City. The hospital built
by the Japanese was said to be the biggest and the most modern at that time in
Mindanao.

Photo on the left shows the decrepit stairs of the hospital (right) built by the Japanese in
Mintal, Davao City in the early 1900s. Photo by ANTONIO L. COLINA IV

The Japanese were forced to flee the city immediately after the World War II broke
out in the 1940’s for fear they might bear brunt of the people for the hostilities that
the imperial army had brought. During the recovery period, however, most of the
Japanese houses, monuments, and buildings were destroyed, parts removed to
build new houses or looted for gold. The Shinto shrines were also all over Mintal but
remnants of these buildings could no longer be found.
Ohta Kyozaburo Monument

The Ohta Kyozaburo Monument is still standing within the Mintal Elementary School.
However, the nearby triangular structure was destroyed by treasure hunters looking for
gold, the war loots of the Japanese imperial army The obelisk is known to pupils as “pencil”.
MindaNews photo by ANTONIO L. COLINA IV
Ohta Kyozaburo Monument is an important historical structure erected in 1926 in
Bago Oshiro in Calinan District, Davao City in honor of Ohta Kyozaburo, a Japanese
entrepreneur, who, shortly after the turn of the 20th century, migrated to Davao
City and cultivated vast lands around the shores of Davao Gulf into Abacá and
coconut plantations, and who is considered by local historians as the "Father of
Davao Development." Born in Hyogo, Japan in February 1876, Ohta Kyozaburo
established the Ohta Development Company, the first Japanese Abacá plantation
company in the Philippines in May 3, 1907. He also established several other
companies such as Mintal Plantation Company, Riverside Plantation Company,
Talomo River Plantation Company, Guianga Plantation Company, and was
instrumental in Davao's economic growth and prosperity. He died in Kyoto, Japan in
October 31, 1917 at age 41.
The first wave of Japanese plantation workers set foot in 1903 (three years after the
American forces landed in 1900) and, immediately thereafter, built their own
schools, hospitals and road networks, published their own newspapers, erected an
embassy, and a Shinto Shrine. During this time, private farm ownership and large-
scale business interests such as copra, timber, fishing, and import-export trading by
the Japanese had flourished in Davao region. Transportation and communication
facilities had also much improved, and over time, the locals learned from the
Japanese the modern techniques of cultivation. Hence, agriculture became the main
lifeblood of Davao which paved the way for the province’s economic growth and
prosperity.
Left photo: Abaca Plantation In Davao, and right photo: the obelisk in honor of
Ohta Kyozaburo

The Guianga Municipal District, centered around Mintal in Davao,

known as "Little Tokyo," became the center of trade and settlement for
Japanese expatriates working for the Ohta Development Corporation and the
Furukawa Plantation Company. By the 1930’s, Davao was
completely under the control of the Japanese and their economic clout made
them politically
influential as their population grew to 17, 900 by 1939. During this period,
the then undivided
province of Davao became the world's biggest producer of Abaca with the
entire
industry practically under Japanese control. Despite laws restricting foreign
ownership of land, the Japanese managed to become the largest plantation
owners in Davao. They were able to achieve this by using dummies to buy
land from local landowners and marrying local women, particularly with datu
lineage.
As Japan was becoming a world power, having defeated Russia in 1904, and
annexed
Korea in 1910 and Manchuria in 1931, doubts as to the real intentions of the
Japanese haunted the entire country. In the 1934 Constitutional Convention,
Davao delegate, Pantaleon Pelayo Sr.,
strongly denounced total control of Davao by the Japanese and their
unlimited acquisition of
land. Due to the increasing influence of the Japanese in the trade and
economy of the region, on
March 16, 1936, Davao Congressman Romualdo C. Quimpo filed House Bill
no. 609 calling for
the creation of Davao as a chartered city. The bill sought to break the control
of the Japanese and
was subsequently passed and signed into law by President Manuel L. Quezon
as Commonwealth
Act No. 51, formally creating the City of Davao from the Town of Davao
(Mayo) and the Guianga District. The Act stipulated for the appointment of its
local officials by the President of the Philippines, instead of being elected,
thus entrenching Japanese power in Davao. It also made
Davao City the provincial capital of the then undivided Davao Province, thus,
making it the largest city in the world with a territory of 2,244 square
kilometers or 244,400 hectares.

However, World War II erupted and, on December 8, 1941, the Japanese

planes bombed
the city, and eventually occupied Davao in 1942. By 1945, the American
troops and the Philippine Commonwealth forces had liberated Davao City
from Japanese occupation. And whatever progress the local and Japanese
migrants made in this "Little Tokyo" in Guianga Municipal District in Mintal
was destroyed during the war. The only remnants include the Obelisk built in
1926 with the inscription:
The Obelisk and the Japanese Pyramid

Beside the Obelisk is the base of the Japanese pyramidal structure honoring
the memories
of the directors of Ohta’s plantation company. The area used to be part of a
ten-thousand-hectare
Abaca plantation which included an advanced irrigation canal system.
Today, the irrigation canal is being utilized by the National Power
Corporation. The
Obelisk, the Japanese Pyramid, and the irrigation canal are located on the
grounds of the Mintal
Public Elementary School which was the former site of one of the biggest
Japanese Primary
Schools built in Davao in 1924, and which was once used as the Japanese
Headquarter during
WWII..
Other markers and obelisks of Japanese nationals who died as residents of
Davao during the war can still be seen in and around Mintal, Toril, and
Calinan. In the month of August, Japanese
tourists would usually come to these places to visit and honor their dead - an
important Japanese
tradition. They particularly visit Mintal which is the site of the Ohta
Corporation, once the biggest prewar Abacá production company that had
ruled the industry for over four decades. Local government officials led by
"Little Tokyo": of Prewar Philippines, and the deputy mayor, are busy at this
time preparing for the coming of their Japanese guests. On May 11, 2009, a
Peace Pole was planted right beside the marker by the World Peace
Prayer Society.

The marker
erected in2003 and the peace Pole
Funerary stele with Japanese characters in Mintal cemetery
Bagobos and Japanese coexisted peacefully. Intermarriage resulted in, among other
things, increased plantation area. Eventually, the Bagobo population out-migrated
and today there are hardly any that remain in the Mintal area. During the
Commonwealth era, a major part of Mintal was planted to abaca. In 1937, at the
height of its agricultural and civic activity, more Japaneseworkers brought in from
the Okinawa region of Japan. It is said that there were as many as 11,000 Japanese
living and working there aside from their Filipino employees. To care for such a
large community, facilities were introduced to service the population. The schools,
hospital, commercial and infrastructure facilities—to mention a few—set up in Mintal
and managed by Japanese or Japan-trained Filipinos. Managed with the usual
Japanese efficiency, the facilities became known to be among the best in Mindanao
at that time. The infrastructure left by the Japanese in Mintal was technologically so
well built that they formed the basis of the infrastructure network of modern Davao.
It can be said that they set the tone for the development of contemporary Davao.
One example is the water catchment system set up to service the hydroelectric
power plant of old Mintal has survived to be incorporated into the city power system
until its recent decommissioning. As expected, World War II was the end of the
Japanese presence in Mintal. Those who did not flee into the surrounding hills joined
the Imperial army. To be able to continue living in Davao, others took on new
identities and changed their living patterns. Physically, very little Japanese heritage
remains in Mintal. And what little remains is badly in need of repair and
conservation. Some older people in the barrio remember vague Japanese links, but
these links have become clouded memories. No traces of Japanese culture,
language or even food remain.
Reflection:
It is mostly forgotten these days, or vaguely mentioned during some conversations
with Davaoeños. The story of Mintal, the Japanese presence, and their contribution
to contemporary life and culture is totally disregarded—a pity since this is such a
crucial part of Davao history. Mintal is an example of forgotten heritage. Mintal is
commonly known as “Little Tokyo” but there is little to remind one of Tokyo. In fact,
the town looks like any other typical town along any Philippine highway: tired, dusty
and sleepy.
Nothing but a few decaying Japanese monuments—graveyard steele inscribed with
Japanese characters in the cemetery, a concrete pyramid (badly broken down) next
to a chipped obelisk memorial to Ohta Kyosaburo located in what is now the public-
school football field. Only the ruined bottom of the front steps of the former hospital
remains, hidden away in the back of the public market that has taken over the
original hospital site. The heritage possibilities for a barrio like Mintal are endless.
But first, the residents have to rediscover and relive their Japanese heritage, the
very thing that gives them the cultural significance that sets them apart from their
neighbors.
Once the cultural significance is rediscovered, pride of place sets in, It is the
touchstone to community redevelopment, for additional income generating projects,
for locals to “own” their barrio and look out for its future.
Think of Vigan. Once the locals rediscovered the uniqueness of their city, doors and
possibilities opened up: houses were restored and re-used for different purposes,
plazas and streets were improved, new businesses blossomed, and tourists started
coming in droves. Davao is a city of migrants, of people who have settled there
from all over the Philippines. Among its earliest and most influential migrant groups
were the Japanese, who deserve more thanks and recognition for their legacy than
what they receive today. There are many Mintals in the Philippines, many towns or
districts whose uniqueness has been covered by the dust of time. These places are
just waiting for you to lead in its rediscovery. Who knows what treasures are waiting
to be found?

Source: [Link]
[Link]
Colina, A. (2017). From ‘Little Tokyo’ to Tokyo, Japan: historical bond, shared
journey.
Mindanews. Villalon, A. (2017). Little Tokyo in Davao. Philippine Daily Inquirer
February 13,
2017. [Link]

Learning Activity: Document Analysis

Download the document in the like below:
[Link]
Historical
Tourism-Site

The document is a research output which was converted into a proposed

eco-historical-tourism
site in Mintal and neighboring areas. The document is still a plan. It has not
been presented yet to
any concerned agency.
Requirements:
1. What is your impression about the document?
2. Does it provide enough information for the development of the heritage
site? Explain.
3. What government agencies should be tapped to undertake the proposed
project?
4. What can you suggest to the proponents of the proposed project so that it
can be given
attention by the concerned government agency?