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Chapter 1: Introduction

This document summarizes key events and debates in Philippine history: 1) It discusses prominent Filipino historians who have reevaluated and debated aspects of Philippine history, such as the earliest inhabitants and the legal standards for historical evidence. 2) It outlines the mainstream view that written Philippine history began with the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, though oral histories predate this. 3) It describes the 1734 Murillo Velarde Map as the first and most important map of the Philippines. 4) It presents the historical debate around whether the first Catholic mass in the Philippines was held in Butuan or Limasawa after Ferdinand Magellan's arrival, citing contradictory accounts by two

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Camille Bonsay
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863 views3 pages

Chapter 1: Introduction

This document summarizes key events and debates in Philippine history: 1) It discusses prominent Filipino historians who have reevaluated and debated aspects of Philippine history, such as the earliest inhabitants and the legal standards for historical evidence. 2) It outlines the mainstream view that written Philippine history began with the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, though oral histories predate this. 3) It describes the 1734 Murillo Velarde Map as the first and most important map of the Philippines. 4) It presents the historical debate around whether the first Catholic mass in the Philippines was held in Butuan or Limasawa after Ferdinand Magellan's arrival, citing contradictory accounts by two

Uploaded by

Camille Bonsay
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Bonsay,Camille P.

Reading in Philippine History


BPA 1-A Sir. Paul de Jesus

Chapter 1: Introduction
What is History?
It is a continuous and a systematic narrative past event, as relating to a particular
people, country, period, person, etc., usually written as a chronological account;
chronicle or records. It studies the past and the legacies of the past in the present.
Philippine History
Some prominent Filipinos continuously conduct their research:
‘We need to reevaluate some our story from the past to capture a clearer picture of
those events and the patriotism and heroism of those early Filipinos.”
- Renato Constantino
‘It is difficult to prove that the first inhabitants of this country were the Negritoes.”
- Felipe Landa Jocano
‘There is a great similarity between legal evidence and historical evidence. The only
difference lies in the fact that in legal evidence it is the judge who determines whether
the account of a witness is acceptable or not. - Teodoro A. Agoncillo

The Birth of Philippine History


According to H.O Beyers Migration Theory, the history of the Philippines is believed to
have taken off with the arrival of the first humans using rafts or boats at least 67,000
years ago as the 2007 discovery of Callao Man suggested Negrito tribes first inhabited
the isles and more groups later migrated to the islands like the story of the Ten(10)
Bornean Datus. But the written record of the Philippine Islands started with the coming
of the Spaniards. Not because the country had no history, culture and literature before
but many believed that Spaniard destroyed the earlier records as completely as
possible

Murillo Velarde Map. It was a hydrographical and chorographical chart of the Philippines
Island drawn by the Jesuit Father Pedro Murillo Velarde (1696-1753) and published in
Manila in the year 1734. It was the first and believed to be the most important map of
the Philippines.
Chapter 2: Some Conflicting Views in Philippine History
1. Site of the first Mass in the Philippines
There was a controversy regarding where the site of the first mass was held in the
Philippines when Ferdinand Magellan reached our archipelago – in (Masao) Butuan or
Limasawa (Leyte)?

Masao Butuan
During the 17th century, two Jesuit historians accounted for Magellan’s voyage in the
Philippines Father Francisco Collins, S.J. (1592-1660) in his work Labor Evangelica,
published in 1663 (three years after his death), recounted the events when Magellan
first landed on the local shore. The work was republished 240 years later in three
volumes with annotations of Father Pastells, S.J in Madrid in 1903.

Collins seemed familiar and precise with the accounts of Magellan voyage and for his
narration of Magellan Landing in Homonhon Island which they spelled Humunu as also
written in Pigafetta’s Chronicle.

The second Jesuit writer was Father Francisco Combes S.J (1620-1665). He and
Collins both lived and worked as missionaries here in the Philippines. Like Collins, his
book (History of Mindanao) was also printed and published in Madrid in 1667, two years
after his death. Combe’s work was edited by Wenceslao Retana and Father Pastells. It
was re-issued after 230 years.

According to this account, Combes explained that Magellan landed in Bataan and he
put the cross in a solemn ceremony, but he did mention about the first mass held.
Two- contradicting versions of the two Jesuits historian;
1. Combes – Magelan went first to Limasawa then to Butuan and went back to
Limasawa before sailing to Cebu.

2. Collin – Magellan went first to Butuan to Limasawa before sailing to Cebu.


Evidence that show Limasawa as the Place Where the First Mass was Held

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