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Five Examples of Primary Sources from Philippine History

PRIMARY SOURCES TO CITE PHILIPPINE HISTORICAL FACTS
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Psychology (Psych 31)

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Five Examples of Primary Sources from Philippine History Primary sources are defined as first-hand or present-day accounts of an event or topic. These are original materials and are considered as the most leading evidence of time or events that took place because they were authored by witnesses when the event arose (Delozier, n. d). According to UCI Libraries (n. d), primary sources allow researchers to get as close as possible to what truly supervenes during a historical event or era. Archives, manuscripts, photographs, audio and video recordings, films, journals, published books, newspapers, magazines, government publications, artifacts such as clothing, costumes and furniture, autobiographies, memoirs and oral histories are various substantial precedents that were written, taken and existed at that time. However, not all sources are credible and reliable, especially during the era where disinformation is chronic. As per UPSTATE Library (2022), there’s a need to evaluate sources to ensure trustworthiness and eminence. Internal characteristics such as the intended audience, purpose of the material, whether it is produced for propaganda and viewpoint of the source stipulate whether it is suitable to use. One of the leading sources of truth and evidence is photographs just like this snapshot of the legendary peaceful revolution of EDSA People Power on February 22, 1986 captured by Pete Reyes. This photograph showcased the heroic deeds and the unity of millions of Filipinos from all walks of life including nuns who handed out rosaries and flowers to the military personnels guarding the Malacañang Palace with Main Battles Tanks (MBTs), to march along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) to put an end to the dictatorship of the late President Ferdinand Marcos (Official Gazette, 2016). Based on what can be seen in the photograph, people, alongside with the nuns, seem to be chanting their outcry to the government. In front of them were the military forces armed with guns and weapons. The black and white hues and color schemes in the photograph were also an indication that high- definition cameras were not yet invented during the perpetuation of this historical event. One of the strengths of photographs as primary sources is that it exhibits a glimpse of what was happening during the time period the

photograph was taken. Also, it displayed the remarkable movement of the Filipino people to resolve the country’s biggest conflict for 20 years of the Marcos’ regime, the long-standing abuse of power and violation of human rights. People sought freedom through a peaceful revolution. Individuals who cannot solely believe in written archives could use photographs in conjunction with other sources for one of its advantages is that it provides information that is difficult to convey through written formats (Gale Family Library, 2022). However, some of the weaknesses of photographs as credible primary sources are anonymity, perspective of the photographer and the viewer’s interpretation of the photo which could be biased. Spoliarium of Juan Luna (1884) as the second primary source of information (Google Arts and Culture, n. d). This painting on a canvas where Luna spent eight months accomplishing it is an artwork depicting dying gladiators. It was submitted to the Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes in 1884 in Madrid, where it earned its first gold medal award. The National Museum appraises it as the largest painting in the Philippines with 4 meters x 7 meters measurements. As seen from the naked eye, at the center of the painting were fallen gladiators being dragged by Roman Soldiers. On its left were spectators watching from a distance waiting for the opportunity to strip of the cold body, meanwhile, at the opposing side a depressing mood was depicted with an old man carrying a torch seemingly searching for a relative and a woman agonizing over the death of her loved one. A deeper take of the significance of the oil on canvas painting of the great Juan Luna is to symbolize the anguish and countless loss of lives of the Filipino people during the Spanish’s reign. One strength that the Spoliarium possesses is its strong impact to the audience, by simply looking at the graphics of the painting people would recognize the emotions Juan Luna carried in each stroke of his besom, the despair and the quality of life the Filipino experience during the foreign colonization. Moreover, considering that the painting was applauded internationally and is a front-line display in the National Museum, it serves as one of the undying proofs of the rich history of the Philippines. This piece of art is also a reminder that the Filipino people will never forget the abuse and prejudice it garnered alongside colonization and empiricism. In contrast to

attempt to condition and take advantage of our country’s resources again. The fourth primary source is an artifact displayed in the National Museum of the Philippines, the Manunggul Jar. This jar is one of the numerous jars found in a burial cave that was discovered by Victor Decalan, Hans Kasten and other volunteer workers from the United States Peace Corps in March 1964. Manunggul, was part of the archaeologically significant Tabon Cave Complex in Lipuun Point, Quezon, Palawan (Chua, 2022). As seen in the display image of a Manunggul Jar, its lid cover features a ship-of-the-dead figure which symbolizes the journey of the deceased souls into the afterlife. It’s also observable that the figures of people in the boat were hugging their knees close to the chest which is a widespread practice of indigenous people in the Islands when they are having memorial ceremonies. And a delicate pattern of pottery is displayed on the surface of the jar’s external characteristics. One of the remarkable strengths of artifacts is that it showed the culture and tradition of our ancestors and it exhibits artistry of the early Filipinos reflected in those fine lines and intricate designs. An obsolete sign that Filipinos were not as dumb as portrayed by the foreign invaders. The Manunggul jar also served as evidence of our common heritage with our Austronesian-speaking ancestors in spite of the diverse culture of the Philippines. Early Filipinos believed that man is composed of the body, the life force called the ginhawa, and the kaluluwa (soul). The kaluluwa, after death, could return to earth to exist in nature and guide their descendants’ everyday lives which explains why the lid of the Manunggul jar featured three elements: the soul, the boat driver, and of the boat itself. For our ancestors, things in nature have souls and lives of their own. It showed they perceived nature as divine. A significant weakness of the Manunggul Jar is that it cannot solely explicate the pre-colonization era. Just like the other primary sources featured in this paper, there’s a need to thoroughly examine

this artifact alongside other primary sources recovered by anthropologists and historians. The fifth and last primary source is the La Solidaridad, a newspaper created and published in Spain on December 13, 1888 by the notable heroines of Philippine History. The organization was composed of liberal parties exiled in 1872 and students from Europe universities. This newspaper aimed to increase awareness of what’s really occurring in the colony of Spain and propagate a closer relationship between the two countries. The first issue of La Solidaridad came out on February 15, 1889. It is defined as the gathering of libertarian ideals as they are expressed on a daily basis in government, research, artistry, poetry, business, farming, and industrial. La Solidaridad y the Propaganda Movement gave birth to this organization. Numerous writers took part in La Solidaridad over its six years of programming, like Antonio Luna, Anastacio Carpio, Mariano Ponce, Antonio María Regidor, José María

UPSTATE Library. (2022). Primary Sources: Getting Started. University of South Carolina. Retrieved from uscupstate.libguides/primary- sources.

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Five Examples of Primary Sources from Philippine History

Course: Psychology (Psych 31)

42 Documents
Students shared 42 documents in this course

University: Holy Cross College Pampanga

Was this document helpful?
Five Examples of Primary Sources from Philippine History
Primary sources are defined as first-hand or present-day accounts of an
event or topic. These are original materials and are considered as the most
leading evidence of time or events that took place because they were
authored by witnesses when the event arose (Delozier, n. d). According to
UCI Libraries (n. d), primary sources allow researchers to get as close as
possible to what truly supervenes during a historical event or era. Archives,
manuscripts, photographs, audio and video recordings, films, journals,
published books, newspapers, magazines, government publications, artifacts
such as clothing, costumes and furniture, autobiographies, memoirs and oral
histories are various substantial precedents that were written, taken and
existed at that time. However, not all sources are credible and reliable,
especially during the era where disinformation is chronic. As per UPSTATE
Library (2022), there’s a need to evaluate sources to ensure trustworthiness
and eminence. Internal characteristics such as the intended audience,
purpose of the material, whether it is produced for propaganda and
viewpoint of the source stipulate whether it is suitable to use.
One of the leading sources of truth and evidence is photographs just like this
snapshot of the legendary peaceful revolution of EDSA People Power on
February 22, 1986 captured by Pete Reyes. This photograph showcased the
heroic deeds and the unity of millions of Filipinos from all walks of life
including nuns who handed out rosaries and flowers to the military
personnels guarding the Malacañang Palace with Main Battles Tanks (MBTs),
to march along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) to put an end to the
dictatorship of the late President Ferdinand Marcos (Official Gazette, 2016).
Based on what can be seen in the photograph, people, alongside with the
nuns, seem to be chanting their outcry to the government. In front of them
were the military forces armed with guns and weapons. The black and white
hues and color schemes in the photograph were also an indication that high-
definition cameras were not yet invented during the perpetuation of this
historical event. One of the strengths of photographs as primary sources is
that it exhibits a glimpse of what was happening during the time period the

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