The
Need to Re-examine the Historical Books
About
the People whom Spanish Colonizers called “Filipinos”
By Apolinario Villalobos
It is surprising to know that well-known
writers were vocal about the supposedly Malaysian ancestry of the Filipinos, a
reference which yet, was imposed by the Spanish colonizers. These early writers
obviously based their claim on the “Ten Bornean Datus” and the “Code of
Kalantiaw”, the veracity of which, have been questioned, since researchers
today consider them as “legends”. Pre-Spanish history books made mention about
the natives of the islands of Southeast Asian islands, and with whom the early
traders such as Indians, Arabs and Chinese had a prosperous commercial
intercourse, and in the process intermarried with them. It could be possible
that because of trading ventures, those from the Malay Peninsula who have
ventured into the Philippine archipelago could have also intermarried with the
natives just like the three mentioned groups of traders, but who were never
referred to as the ancestors of Filipinos in general . It is unfair then to
make a sweeping reference to the Malaysians as the common ancestors of the
Filipinos.
The following are some disturbing quotes:
From the poem,”I am a Filipino Boy”, by
Amado M. Yuzon, in his book, “The Citizen’s Poems” (1960), the first two line
state:
“I
am a Filipino boy,
Runs in my veins, Malayan blood;”
From the poem, “Filipinas”, of the same
author, from the same book, the second paragraph states:
“I
see its face upon your face,
My friend, my sister, my brother;
Your browny skin is its Malayan race,
The Blessed Damosel(?) its mother.
From the book, “Philippine Civics” (1932),
used in elementary schools during the American Regime, and authored by Conrado
Benitez, p. 16 of Chapter I, the last paragraph states:
“At this point you
should recall your Philippine History. How did the first Malay settlers of the
Philippines reach these islands? Did they not come in boats called barangays?
Yes, these boats or barangays, were loaded with families of Malay immigrants
which were related to one another and which constituted a gens(?), or clan,
that was under a headman, or chief, or dato. (He must be referring to the
legendary “Ten Bornean Datus”).
On page
220, Benitez, emphasized the “Malays” by stating:
“The activities of
these early Malays were characterized by cooperation……” (referring to the early
Filipinos).
Another emphasis which the same author made
was on the title itself of Chapter XIV:
“CHAPTER
XIV – How Spain Built Upon our Old Malay Government”
Still, on page 270, Benitez, stated, under
a sub-chapter, Bill Of Rights: “Under our old Malayan government, the people
had few personal rights.”
Practically, the book of Benitez is replete
with reference to the Malaysian ancestry of Filipinos, quoting them all would
need several blog pages. At the time of
the book’s publication, he was the Director of Business Administration of the
University of the Philippines. His family established the Philippine Women’s
University (PWU), located along Taft Avenue. While he was still alive, clamors
to re-write history books of the Philippines were loud in view of the
questionable ancestry of the Filipinos, based on the controversial “Ten Bornean
Datus” and “Code of Kalantiaw”, but he did nothing to republish his own book
with necessary rectifications. Researchers who may encounter a copy of the book
then, but who has no knowledge on the questionable issue of the Filipino
ancestry, will definitely, gobble up the information that Benitez presented.
While the issue on Filipino ancestry has
not been settled yet, the Philippine government has added confusion by allowing
“authorities” in converting the textbooks into workbooks on other subjects,
leaving many students ignorant of what really happened in the past, such as the
effort of many national heroes who practically shed blood to gain freedom for
the country.
On the issue of Mindanao autonomy, there is
no need to cite questionable historic references to give it weight, as we, the
people of the Philippines are proud anyway, or our unique Filipino race. There
is diversity in religion and culture, just like in any other country, but what
cannot be questioned is the harmony that unites us all. And, just like in any
other country, the world over, the meddling of politics creates animosities in
our country, resulting to the suffering of the Filipinos as a people.
