Part and Parcel of Philippine Historiography
...collection has 55 volumes and was first published in Cleveland, Ohio in 1903. These volumes contain nearly 20,000 pages of historical documents and books translated to English, but some are in Spanish original texts, and provided with notes and introductions. But now, the complete set of the collections is quite expensive and hard to find. Good that the Bank of the Philippine Island, on their 150th anniversary reissued the entire set on two CD-Roms, to be distributed to selected schools and to be sold to the publish for 1,730 pesos only. The actors of the historical events in the Spanish period wrote documents in this collection. They reveal the actions and thought and the hopes of the men that made possible the conquest and the administration of the colony. My assigned task is to focus on Chapters 15 to 20. In these chapters deal more on the “Exploration of early navigations of the Island and their people, their history and records of the Catholic Missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscript, showing the political, economics, commercial and the religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close to the nineteenth Century.”1 Items in Chapter 15 include the translation of Antonio de Morga’s book Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas which include some endorsement of the book like that of Fray Garcia, Archbishop of Mexico that says “ for which we grant him authority and since it is evident by the above-mentioned opinion, that it contains nothing against the holy catholic faith, or good morals but that, on the contrary, it is useful and profitable to all person who may read it.”2 For the bibliographical data, they made use of the Harvard originals and some other reprints like Zaragoza and Rizal. Chapter 15 also presented with Appendixes on the Expedition of Tomas Candish and the early ears of the Dutch in the East Indies. The Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas is concluded in Chapter 16. The editor presented only those topics related to the Philippines and summarized those omitted in the book of Bartolome Leonardo de Argensola entitled Conquita de las Islas Filipinas. Chapter 17 covers the seven years from 1609 to 1616, the leading subject in the documents therein being commerce and navigation, mission and ecclesiastical affairs. The mission of the Jesuits reported as making progress and the Dominicans began their college of Sto. Tomas. The scope of chapter 18 are more on the period of Moro pirate attacks and the losses in commerce in the island due to the Dutch. It also discusses the possibility and threat in doing trade in China and Japan, which is good venture for more revenues and the possibility to spread the faith. Some of the documents on this chapter are the following: Documents of 1617-1618 like the trade between Nueva Espana and the Far East and the Events in the Philippine Islands, 1617-18, which is a description of the island and lastly on Philippine ship and ship building. In greater and less detail are discussed affairs in the island on Chapter 19. Military and religious, in which all the various ramifications of each estate are touched upon. Reforms, both civil and religious are urged. Presentation of Jesuit letters to the King and General of the Society continues like that of Fr. Francisco de Otago, SJ. The documents in this volume are taken from the various sources, except no. 9, from the Archivo General de India, Sevilla. Chapter 20 of this collection, centers on the years 1621-24. Although not marked by great battles, conquests or calamities, contain much that is of interest in the internal development of the Philippine colony and these documents vividly illustrate the ceaseless play and interaction of human interest and passions-especially in the romantic but tragic love-affair of Fajardo’s wife. The usual conflicts occur between the civil authorities and the friars, and between the governor and the audiencia. The topics stress in these chapters centers on the missionary activities of the religious orders like the Jesuits, Augustinians and the Dominicans. With their letters to their superiors and the to the king of Spain, give us light into the lives and thoughts of the men who came with the military. They had behind them an enormous experience in the art of conquest and Christianization. The economic and political aspects are somehow represented but not that extensive, as it ought to be. Quite obvious is the few documents on the social aspect on this collection. This aspect is important for it can illustrate the microcosm of the entire historical events of our country in a given period of time. The authors of these documents were not professional writers, but mostly men of culture, of law or of the cloth. Urdaneta and Morga were friars of great learning. In spite of their limitation in writings, they offered a vivid drama of life in the early years of Spanish Colonization. Furthermore, men who wrote the...