Ocampo

Rotten Beef & Stinking Fish: Rizal and the Writing of Philippine

History

Armengol Artificio Aspe

Atilano Anonuevo

Introduction In writing history, historians (upon completing their research) are expected to come up with enthralling narratives using the gathered evidence; narratives that are not predetermined in analysis and structure. However, the task of looking for such historical narratives proves to be difficult as each and every historian, no matter how objective he/she tries to be, ends up producing an account not of history per se, but of their own version of history.

Having this idea in mind is important when studying and analyzing historical accounts and narratives like this of Rizal’s annotation of the Morga in order to achieve a more neutral understanding despite flaws on writers’ subjectivity.

Antonio de Morga

University of Salamanca 1593 appointed as Lieutenant Governor of the Philippines 1598 resigned this post to assume the office of judge

in the Audiencia Put in charge of the Spanish fleet against Dutch invasion Lost and then moved to Mexico. Sucesos De Las Islas Filipinas

Antonio de Morga

Source:emaze.com

Inside the Sucesos de Las Islas Pilipinas:

Chronicled political events/people including achievements by the Spaniards in transforming the Philippines

Specifically within the periods of the first governor-generals

Chapter 8 tackles the pre-Hispanic Philippines (unedited by Rizal except for spelling and punctuation)

Sucesos de Las Islas Pilipinas:

Source:emaze.com

Rizal’s agenda in writing History:

Historiographically, Rizal’s Morga had patriotism as a fulcrum Rizal’s historical perspective placed him in conflict with

Isabelo de los Reyes Committed scholarship → “necessary fictions”

Why Rizal chose Morga over other Spanish chronicles: Published in 1609 therefore original book was rare

Morga was a layman and was far more object unlike religious scribes

whose documents were written dominantly from religious/spiritual

basis

Morga’s writings seemed like an extension of Spanish history in the

Philippines not the history of the Philippines itself.

Morga was more sympathetic to indios.

Rizal’s Annotations

Historical Annotations

Annotations reflecting his strong anti-clerical bias

Rizal’s flaws in his annotations:

Rizal incessantly insisted that the pre-Hispanic Philippines was advanced and civilized for its time.

Examples in the text:

○  Boat technology ○  Panday Pira ○  Pre-Hispanic literature

Reception of the Morga: Past

Banned in the Philippines /censored by Spaniards Language barrier Criticism by Blumentritt

Present Recent advances in historical, archaeological and ethnographic

research Considered one of his “minor writings”

Relevance

First account of Philippine history from the viewpoint of a Filipino -

history of the place versus history of the people of the place

Republished by Rizal without censorship or revisions, unlike the one by

H.E.J. Stanley

Recreation of the pre-Hispanic indio

INSIGHTS:

Rizal’s choice of the Morga reflects his preference for secular accounts

Use of history to engineer society - image of the indio

Information reception is based on the perceived credibility of the author