READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY The Meaning and Relevance of History

Module I
This module emphasizes the relevance of studying Philippine history in the 21st Century. It focuses on
analyzing Philippine history from multiple perspectives based on selected primary sources from various
disciplines and genres.
In conducting any historical research, different sources of information are required to gain extensive
knowledge on a particular topic. Some researchers rely on written sources while others choose to make use of
oral sources. No matter what source is being utilized, it is important to know which among the gathered
sources can provide accurate details and information about the historical event or subject being researched on.
It is important to distinguish primary from secondary sources. The degree to which the author of a piece is
removed from the actual event being described illustrates whether the source is reporting impressions firsthand
or secondhand. As such, the primacy of primary over secondary sources should be considered by every
researcher.
Primary sources are considered as contemporary accounts of an event, personally written or narrated by an
individual person who directly experienced or participated in the said event. Aside from eyewitness
testimonies, primary sources also include materials that capture the event such as photographs, voice and video
recordings, and the like. These materials are considered as original resources that directly narrate the details of
the event. These sources can be in the form of diary and journal entries, letters, memoirs, journals, speeches,
interviews, official records such as government publications, minutes reports, artworks, and artifacts. Primary
sources mostly include unpublished works of individuals that were discovered after some time such as during
historical excavations and historical researches done in public and private libraries. In some instances,
newspaper or magazine articles are also considered primary sources as long as they were written soon after the
events and not as historical accounts.
On the other hand, secondary sources serve as interpretations or readings of primary sources. Usually, the
author of a piece incorporates his or her personal insights and interpretations, thus detaching the original value
of the component of the subject being discussed. These sources usually contain analyses of primary sources by
experts, academicians, and professionals. These are usually in the form of published works such as journals,
articles, reviews, books, conference papers, and documentaries. They can also be based on interpretations of
other secondary sources, or a combination of primary and secondary sources. Many historical researches also
bank on secondary sources to get different perspectives on a particular topic. However, relying too much on
secondary sources may blur out the actual details of particular historical events.
Therefore, primary and secondary sources should be evaluated. Most scholars use the following questions in
evaluating the validity and credibility of sources of historical accounts:
1. How did the author know about the given details? Was the author present at the event? How soon was
the author able to gather the details of the event?
 - The nationality, political persuasion, education, intellectual interests, personal history, and
historical context may provide crucial details about how a work takes shape.  Does it matter, for
example, that the author is affiliated with a particular organization? What difference would it
make if the author participated in the events they wrote about? What other topics has the author
written about? Does this work build on prior research or does it represent a new or unique area
of research.
2. Where did the information come from? Is it a personal experience, an eyewitness account, or a report
made by another person?
- A report made by another person
3. Did the author conclude based on a single source, or on many sources of evidence?
- It depends on the historian's intent, some sources change their designation. How neutral is the
text how much does the author have a stake in you reading it.

If the evaluation of an available source shows any indication that it is an interpretative work, rather than a
factual firsthand account, it is considered as a secondary source. Thus, in conducting historical research, it is
important to identify first whether the available sources are primary or secondary sources. This is to determine
how reliable and helpful these sources are.
Exercise 1
Primary Sources vs. Secondary Source
Instructions:
1. Using the Venn diagram below, compare and contrast the characteristics of primary and secondary source
materials. Give an explanation for the overlapping characteristics on the space provided.

Explanation for overlapping concepts:

2. List down five (5) examples of primary sources.

a. Archives and manuscript material

b. Photographs audio recordings video
c. Journals, letters and diaries
d. Speeches
e. Scrapbooks
3. List down (5) examples of secondary sources.
a. Books, articles and documentaries
b. Synopses and descriptions
c. Encyclopedias and textbooks
d. Reviews and essays

4. List down five (5) examples of sources which can either be primary or secondary depending on the context
and use.
a. diaries, correspondence, ships' logs
b. original documents e.g. birth certificates, trial transcripts.
c. biographies, autobiographies, manuscripts
d. interviews, speeches, oral histories.

Exercise 1.1.2
Instructions: Using any social media site, ask your friends to share their opinion on whether President Rodrigo
Duterte is an elite president or a populist president. Afterwards, screenshot five responses that can either be a
primary or secondary source on the space provided. Indicate whether the response is a primary or secondary
source of information. Justify why each response is a primary or secondary source.

Response 1

Secondary source
Response 2

Secondary source

Response 3
Secondary source

Response 4

secondary source
Response 5

Secondary source