RIZAL’S ANNOTATIONS ON MORGA’S SUCCESOS DE LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS
ANNOTATING ANTONIO DE MORGA’S SUCESOS
- Filipinos were viewed by the Spaniards as
indolent and well as ungrateful.
- This moved Rizal towards the task of rectifying
errors, in the way the history of the Philippines
had been presented; he had an itching to prove
its utter falsity.
- The Spaniards believed that without them,
Indios would have remained uncivilized and
barbaric.
- Rizal needed credible and reliable sources to
refute such claims.
- Works of the Friars were mostly compilations
and tales of miracles rather than objective notes
observed outside the prism of their theological
lenses.
Ferdinand Blumentritt
- Informed Rizal of De Morga’s Sucesos found at
British Museum in London
Antonio De Morga
- A layman, and not a Friar
- Illustrious Sapniard with impressive academics
before he wound up in government service.
- Became the Lieutenant-Governor of the
Philippines in 1593.
- Graduated at University of Salamanca, had a
doctorate in Canon Law, and studied Civil Law.
- He witnessed the events he described and
wrote them objectively without exaggerations.
- Erred in interpreting some patterns of the
Filipino culture
SUCESOS DE LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS
- 8 chapters, the first seven being rich accounts of
expeditions and policies of the various Spanish
administrators.
- The 8th focused on pre-Hispanic Filipinos’ way of
life, customs, and values.
- The last chapter was of value to Rizal as this
would be material in his efforts to reconnect the
19th century Filipinos to their past.
Chinese Uprising in 1603
- Believed that element of miraculous friars or
saints saved Intramuros
- No accounts of these were found in Morga and
Argensola’s writings.
DEFLATING THE COLONIAL MYTH
- It was an oft theme in many and varied Spanish
discourses that the pre-Hispanic Filipinos were
uncivilized.
- Rizal asserted that the culture of the Filipinos
was much more refined in many ways than
claimed by the Spaniards.
PABLO FECED
- Scorned the Indio for not sporting enough
“beard, which is a sign of virility of a race”
- Cited Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution since
he poured his scorn on the anthropoid ancestry
of the Filipino people.
BISHOP FRANCISCO GAINZA
- Characterized the Indios as barbaric, uncivilized,
and ignorant.
- Commented that the pre-Hispanic Filipinos’
religion was a sign of repugnant cynicism
- According to his letter, Pre-Hispanic Filipinos
were also deceitful, depraved of customs and
had degenerated intellectual facilities.
The picture that was being painted of the Philippines
was an excuse to the presence of Spaniards in the
country
Exposicion de Filipinas in Madrid (1886)
- Brought alleged less civilized people from the
Philippines as evidence to the Spanish public of
the still uncivilized state of the Filipinos.
- A way to discredit the Filipinos and their
demands of reforms
- It was also a strike to the Filipino nationalist
movement.
SOME MISINTERPETED FILIPINO CULTURE
1. Veneration and high regards to parents
- True among other Asians, parents were believed
to be life-givers much like the gods who must be
honored.
- Family members were buried within their lots,
cemeteries were not a pattern of the Filipinos.
2. Marriages
- Strongly conservative than liberal or pragmatic
- Divorce was not a common place.
3. Chastity of Filipinas
- Were popularized as weak and gullible
- Although already known to virtue when they
resisted
 RIZAL AND HISTORY: ANNOTATIONS OF SUCESSOS
4. Illiteracy
- Rizal asserted that Filipinos had a well-
developed system of writing and widespread
literacy
- With Spanish conquest, literature was
supplanted by foreigners’ reading material they
did not understand and were not taught to
understand it either.
- Yet Filipinos exhibited high aptitude for learning
Castilian just within 30 years of Spanish
occupation.
- Unwillingness of friars to teach contributed to
the illiteracy and ignorance.
IMPACT OF SPANISH CONQUEST
- Destruction of native culture and the systematic
disappearances of the flourishing trade and
industries which the life of the people
depended.
- Economic activities were neglected and Indios
were made to fight wars of Spain.
- Overall impact was not civilization, but
destruction
- There was nothing the Filipinos should be
grateful for the Spaniards.
The Polo or Forced Labor
- Became the symbol of people’s slavery
Encomienda System oppression and The Tribute
- Suckled the money and resources of people.
The mission of the Spaniards to civilize Filipinos was a
hoax, since they were already possessed with a high
civilization.
IMPORTANTCE OF RIZAL’S ANNOTATION OF MORGA
(1) It is meant to raise the people’s consciousness of
their past that kay buried from memory
(2) See the grandeur and glory of their race snatched
away by colonial contact and to feel a certain pride
about themselves, and their country
(3) Permits the 19th century Filipinos to assess the state
of colonial life in the Philippines and to renew their
sense to take back what is rightfully theirs.
(4) For modern-day Filipinos, his work should be more
relevant in impelling them to learn the history of their
country
(5) Had become a definitive apology against all
misinterpretations about the Philippines and the
Filipinos
- Rizal’s De Morga is heavily tinged with
nationalism
- To prepare Filipinos for El Filibusterismo, which
had a darker theme, he had to re-educate and
oriented about the identity of Filipinos.
- Make them feel united as a nation, regardless of
their linguistic differences.
- Rizal made the audacious gesture to wrest the
name Filipino away from the Spanish hands.
o This was deliberate in order to make a
distinction between the Spaniards and
the Filipino.
*Rizal cross-referenced with the works of Pigafetta,
Chirino, Colin, Aduarte, Argensola, and San Agustin
RIZAL’S DE MORGA AS A MINOR WRITING
- His work on annotating De Morga was not as as
popular as Noli nor El Fili.
- De Morga’s works were all banned and copies of
Sucesos were confiscated and destroyed, if not
burned.
- Sucesos was written in a language most Filipinos
were not familiar with.
- Burden of tending the pedagogy of history fell
on educated Filipinos, which was already
challenging.
- Filipinos relied on La Solidaridad
RIZAL AS A HISTORIAN
- His love for his country made him a historian.
- Rizal’s was a historiography with a purpose.
- He thought of putting up an International
Association of Filipinologists aimed at studying
The Philippines from the scientific and historical
point of view. Did not materialize because of the
French government.
- According to Ambeth Ocampo, Rizal’s De Morga
was significant because he wrote the Philippine
history from the viewpoint of a Filipino.
- Rizal realized the importance of the past as a
tool to understand the present and eventually
confront the future.
EXCERPTS
A. Footnotes numbered 99-113
Accounts on pre-Hispanic Filipino government
- Filipinos did not have neither kings nor lords,
rather they had principals.
- Principalias or high station stations were
inherited by succession. Their duty was to
govern and rule.
 RIZAL AND HISTORY: ANNOTATIONS OF SUCESSOS
- In Rizal’s annotations, due to lack of rapid
communications, it was not wise to have one
government residing in one place since it would
cause “towns to be greatly paralyzed”.
- Although principal men had wars and
differences, friendly relations were more
common. In fact relations of the islands were
very strong.
- Privileges of principalship were also enjoyed by
women, proving that there was a high
consideration to women.
- People who happen to saw lady principals
taking their baths in the river with scant respect
were made slaves. But this is just a testament of
the women for modesty and high regard of her
person. Rizal argued that Spaniards treated
Indios much worse than that of becoming a
slave in pre-Hispanic Filipino civilization.
- They also formed a kind of confederation since
some principal men became more outstanding
that he can govern other people as well as other
principle men.
- Henchmen, upon committing any slight offense
or fault, were either punished, made slaves or
killed. But these slaves were not always in
dismal condition.
- Laws were following the traditions and customs
of their ancients in accordance to unwritten
statuses. According to Rizal, “this is very simple
and crude, but it was more speedy.” The judges
were from the locality which means they were
more familiar to these customs.
- Laws were not written but customs have more
force than a written or printed law, especially
when these laws are not in harmony with their
customs and is unstable.
B. Footnotes numbered 18 – 26
- Pre-Hispanic Filipinos were very hygienic. They
commonly used organic products found around.
- They bathe in rivers and streams
- Women worked with the needle and tended the
house, all the while raising chickens and pigs.
- While folk-men engage in work like fishing,
boating, farming, and some work in the fields.
- Men and women were covetous and money
loving. Although their weakness for “pay” is not
just a defect monopolized by Filipinos. Women
also resisted the Spaniards and preferred death
to violence.
- Their regular daily food is rice and prefer meat,
fish and saltfish. Spaniards thought saltfish were
beginning to decompose but it was just
bagoong and they were not used to the foul
smell.
- Their form of alcohol was lambanog. They drink
this during wedding and feasts, accompanied by
singing. They generally do this to have a good
time. Their drunkenness was also not
dangerous.
- Although lambanog also has medicinal
components when used moderately.
C. Footnotes numbered 120 – 130
- Marriages among natives are generally between
those of the same social class, but sometimes
intermarry among different castes.
- Implied to have a polygamous marriage, but the
children of the first wife were considered the
legitimate ones.
- Groom contributed a dowry and the
solemnization of marriage consisted in the
mutual agreement between the parents.
- The spouses could separate and dissolve their
marriage owing to trivial causes and upon
proper hearing.
- The dowry was not in any way a payment, but
as compensation to the parents of the bride for
the care and education of their daughter.
- The dowry is kept by the bride’s parents and
returned if ever the divorce pushed through.
This continued the union between parents and
children. Union and not affection since this
sentiment is always taken for granted.
- A character of Filipina women is to help rather
be a burden. Marriage was viewed more of a
partnership.
- The presence of children prevented parents to
divorce out of love for them.
- People could also adopt any person in the
presence of the relatives.
- Adultery was not punished, but the guilty
spouse would pay to the aggrieved spouse such
indemnity; grievance was thus forgiven and
resumed married life.
- All legitimate children will inherit equally all the
property of the parents acquired.
- Often, there was no written will since Filipinos
believe that the spirits of their ancestors still live
with them which prevented any violation to the
spoken will. Only since the missionaries
convinced that there was a purgatory or hell
that they did have a need for notaries and to
engage in lawsuits.
RIZAL AND HISTORY: ANNOTATIONS OF SUCESSOS