J. G.

Cervantes October 14, 2019

“Rizal’s Annotation of Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas”

What Morga’s purpose for writing Sucesos? Why Rizal did annotated the book of Sucesos
de las Islas Filipinas? Is this have a big impact to the Filipinos?

Morga wrote that the purpose for writing Sucesos is that it talks about the action achieved by the
Spaniards, the discovery, domination, and persuading of the Filipinas islands- as well as the
various fortunes that they have from time to time in the great kingdoms and among the pagan
peoples surrounding the islands. The book Sucesos narrates the history of wars, intrigues,
diplomacy and evangelization of the Philippines. Rizal annotates the Morga’s book because he
read some errors of the many historians in appraising the events of the past until in the present
standards. He also attacks on the church were friar and unjustified because he abuses of the friars
should not be clarify to mean the Catholicism is bad. And Rizal’s annotation of the book of Morga
the Sucesos Islas Filipinas, he wanted to convey to all of us especially the Filipino people that our
country really existed on earth even before the coming of the Spaniards. Our ancestors the natives
had their antiquity, customs and Government, both during their gentility (non-conversation) and
after the Spaniards had conquered them; and other peculiarities. Why Rizal did annotated the book
of Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas? The book Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas it talks about
what happened when the Spaniards came from the Philippines and also this books focuses on the
traditions, foods, beliefs, culture, transportation of goods and also the weather forecast of the
Philippines that Morga wrote on his book. This book has a big impact to us as a Filipino because
this book give us knowledge on what did happen from the past with the Spaniards. Some of the
Spaniards maltreated the Filipinos especially they making us slaves when they are in the
Philippines. Some of those Spaniards enclave us when they are in the Philippines. They bugging,
give us trouble in our place. They never treated us as family. Antonio de Morga wrote a lot of his
books, some of those are true and some are not that is why Rizal give comments and reaction on
his book he made. He made a lot of things and sayings through his book but I only focus on the 6
categories that Rizal annotates. And the choice that I choose was being annotated Rizal which are
the climate, clothes, foods, body tattoo, and the islands.

There are a lot of comments that Rizal give to Morga’s book but the first choice that I
choose which is the climate in which according to Morga, “that the winters and summer are
opposite of those in Europe. As the rainfalls from the month of June to September. And the summer
from the month of October and to the end of May”, and Rizal gives comment and according to
him, “he explained that in Manila by December to February, the temperature goes down more than
it does during August to September. Thus, with regards to the season, it resembles Spain as all the
rest of the north hemisphere. Rizal disagree and explained carefully what he said on the comment
of the book of Morga. Well for me, the climate here in the Philippines in the month of December
to March that was the winter season while the summer lasts in the month of June to September.
The information that Rizal comments in the book of Morga was correct because in the north
hemisphere by the month of December to March was the winter season and in the month of June
to September. Antonio de Morga give the wrong information to his compatriot about the true
happens in the Philippine while he was staying in our place, and also he also write in his book that
the Filipinos. And the second is the clothes because according to Morga, “the clothes that they
wear was made in cotton” but Rizal gives comment and he also disagree because according to him,
“the clothes that they wear was made in Sinamay/Abaca”. As we all know that the Abaca is one
of the raw materials that the native made their clothes using the Abaca or Sinamay because this
Abaca or Sinamay is firm in making a clothes unlike the cotton it is only smooth and soft, it is easy
to be scattered this clothes if we wore it. And if we talk about the food, Morga stated that the
Filipinos prefer to eat salt which they begin to decompose and smell but according to Rizal that
the fish that Morga mention does not taste better when it is beginning to rot; all on the contrary “it
is bagoong, and all those who have eaten it and tasted it know it is not or ought not to be rotten.
As we all know that we Filipinos loves to eat salted fish which this is one of our kind of food when
we eat, it would never be missed in our dinner room when we eat. This food is one of the most
significant food that we eat. And next is the body tattoo which is according to Morga that the native
also known the Biscayan, a pattern drawn by putting black powder where blood oozes out and
Rizal agreed on him, that it is the same method as Japanese, the Filipinos then until now loves to
draw their body which is called tattoo. The tattoo is also in the Japanese breed that this methods is
not only to the Filipino but also to the other citizen or people who love that their bodies has a lot
of drawing even though its hurt but they never matter the hurt in there body. And also tattoo
becomes a décor in our body that provides us the beauty of the body. Many people loves to have
a body tattoo. And last is the islands that Morga stated that according to him, that the 3 islands is
the Luzon, Visayas, and Tandaya but according to Rizal, it is the Luzon, Visayas, and Tendaya.
Rizal corrected it because Morga give wrong information about the islands of the Philippines. I
only choose this major category even though he annotated a lot about the book of Morga because
it is most important information that we should know as the Filipinos when the Spaniards came in
our place.

So my comments on Rizal’s Annotation on Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas is that people

should know and study the history in the Philippines so that they will be aware on what did happen
from past when the Spaniards came and also if we talk about the books that Rizal annotates is that
Filipino should always read some history book in the Philippines so that they will never been
behind the information what did happen from the history of our country. And also my reaction on
the Rizal’s Annotation on Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas is that even Morga came in the Philippines
he should never touch the doings about the natives in our country because he never experience the
doings of what did the natives do and also if he wrote a book he should never demote our natives
and he should not comparing his place to our place because as we all know that he came in the rich
country which these country conquest us. And also we should be thankful to Jose Rizal because
he saved our country when the Spaniards came in our country. Not only Jose Rizal but also to
those heroes who fight to those Spaniards. They give their strength, lives, best, and love to our
country because they fight fair for the sake of the victory of our country. They give their lives even
though they know that they never win this battle from the Spaniards because the Spaniards have
many troops and many weapon that the Philippines don’t have that is why the Filipinos become
pity because Filipinos before always moved from another place to be saved with the Spaniards. I
learned that when I watch the movie “El Presidente” this movie is very attractive to watch because
this give us knowledge and awareness in our country.