Annotating Rizal’s Annotations

Causing, Ivan Joshua

Navas, Christian Rize
Rancapero, Ma. Bernadette

Antonio de Morga published his Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas in 1609, making it the first
printed history of the Philippine Islands not written by a member of the clergy. Morga, who served
in Manila as a high ranking colonial official for 43 years, got the chance to keenly observe, access
historical documents and take part in Philippine history itself. This objectivity attracted Jose Rizal
two centuries later, and he decided to annotate Morga’s work with the desire of purging his fellow
Indios of ignorance about the Spanish colonization of the island and its pre-colonial past. In fact,
Rizal wrote, “To foretell the destiny of a nation, it is necessary to open the books that tell of her
past…” in the first pages of his annotated version.
Rizal, through his annotations, illustrated the pre-conquest past as a civilized society with
knowledgeable inhabitants who possessed, valued, and practiced rich traditions in a place with
abundant resources. Rizal showed that pre-conquest filipinos were civilized and not as ignorant as
the conquerors believed them to be by debunking false information regarding their practices that
falsely painted them as barbaric. For example, when Morga talked about the natives' hygienic
practices, he wrote that the natives bathed in rivers and streams, with no concern for their health,
because they believed this to be a remedy to be healthy. However, in Rizal’s annotation 21, he
wrote that they were “very careful” in choosing when to not take baths, including when they had
herpes or were menstruating.
While Morga talked about certain things only in passing, Rizal would elaborate on them in
his annotations and show that there is a corresponding tradition or custom. For instance, when
Morga was talking about the large vessel banca, Rizal mentioned that the natives would sing songs
about their gods in the boat, revealing to us a pre-colonial religious custom. Other customs, such
as the painting of the skin of the Visayans, clothes such as the potong, dowry in marriages, and the
class system, were also elaborated on by Rizal in his annotations. Rizal was showing that these
pre-conquest identities or character of the filipinos were lost, corrupted or discontinued with the
coming of the Spaniards. This sentiment was expressed in annotation 95 wherein Rizal, on the
subject of the writing system the pre-conquest filipinos had, criticized the Spanish government for
putting the responsibility of educating the filipinos in the hands of the friars who spread ignorance
instead of knowledge.
Rizal also viewed some of the customs and the system that existed in the pre-conquest past
as comparable to or even more advanced than their European counterparts. For instance, when
Rizal compared written laws to the customs that the natives followed, Rizal wrote in annotation
110 that “...a custom has more force than a written or printed law…” implying that the pre-
conquest customs that the natives followed were a much more effective and powerful device to
attain peace. Rizal’s higher regard for the pre-conquest customs and beliefs of the filipinos in the
past can also be noted when he compared the divorce law of the French and the English to the one
followed by the natives, as well as in annotation 138 when he talked about the high moral
sensibility the Europeans lack which ancient filipinos had, concerning what is considered an
offense to another person.
It can be inferred that Rizal’s annotation of Morga is not without motive; Rizal's footnotes
can generally be classified as either those which are objective grammar and historical corrections,
or those with Rizal’s own subtle political sentiments aimed at rebutting the Spanish colonialist
notion that they saved the Islands from barbarity and destruction. As one reads Rizal’s remarks, it
invokes the reader to compare the state of the islands before the arrival of the Spanish with the
islands that Morga wrote about in his work. Even though Rizal purposely chose Morga for his
objectivity, it can be noticed that the Sucesos still celebrates Spanish achievement in the islands.
For instance, Morga writes about a province located north of Manila that is abound by colonial
canals which is well-populated by natives and is bountiful. Rizal comments in annotation 80 (p
266) that the aforementioned province of Pampanga has declined in population due to the ship-
building and timber industry that the Spanish set up there. Similarly in annotations 79 (p 265) and
85 (p 267), Rizal writes that the populations of Corregidor and Mindoro diminished when the
Spanish built a lighthouse and mines in those places respectively.
Although most of Rizal’s annotations and views were correct, especially regarding the
origin of certain practices and words like the significance of Visayan tattoos and the system of
slavery that was followed, there are still some views that are arguable. For example, while there
existed a system of writing or written literature, it cannot be said to be as developed as Rizal
believed; oral literature, such as chanting or singing, was the most prevalent form of pre-conquest
literature that originated from Borneo as seen in Scott (1994). Though not entirely as Rizal
depicted, the apparent erosion of pre-conquest written literature under Spanish rule served his
agenda of showing the detrimental effects of the conquest on native literature.
To conclude, Rizal offered his countrymen a more accurate depiction of his home islands
than Antonio de Morga’s Sucesos, one 20th century references would validate. Rizal's annotations
were far from neutral commentary on an earlier historical account, or mere factual corrections of
Morga's claims—they were clearly motivated by his political agenda of advancing reforms for the
Filipinos under Spanish rule. By attempting to reveal the rich pre-colonial society tampered by
centuries of colonial rule, Rizal hoped to spark in his countrymen a true awareness of the past
towards a national ambition for the future.
References

Rizal, José. 1961 [1890]. Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas por el Doctor Antonio de Morga, obra
publicada en Méjico el año de 1609 nuevamente sacada a luz y anotada (Events of the Philippine
Islands by Dr. Antonio de Morga, published in Mexico in 1609 recently brought to light and
annotated). Manila: José Rizal National Centennial Commission.
Scott, William Henry. 1994. Weapons and war. In Barangay: Sixteenth-century Philippine
culture and society, 147–57. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila.

APPENDIX

Annotations Linguistic Terminologies Words, term 5(p.241),

with Political & Clarifications corrections, etc. 12(p.244),
Sentiments 27(p.248),
33(p.250),
43(p.254),
48(p.254)

Grammar & Pre-Spanish 96(p.272),

Language language, 97(p.273),
communication, 98(p.274),
grammar, etc 113(p. 278)
Environmental Geography & Population 1(p.240),
Demography count, Land and 3(p.241),
aquatic regions 78(p.265),
82(p.267)

Wildlife Animals and 35(p.251),

&Vegetation plant scapes 39(p.252),
46(p.254),
53(p.256)

Customs & Basic Customs Food, labor 17(p.245),

Events & Practices practices, 24(p.247),
clothing, etc. 25(p.247),
32(p.250)

Legal Customs Tribunal 104(p.276),

practices, Laws, 113(p.279),
slaves, etc. 122(p.282)
 Familial Family 124(p.282),
Customs relations, 128(p.284)
inheritance,
marriage, etc.
Relations Trading 9(p.243),
Customs practices such 77(p.265),
as boats, 100(p.275)
relations with
different
chieftains, etc.
Life Practices Religious and 102(p.276),
Religious & &Beliefs Philosophical 143(p.290),
Moral Beliefs Beliefs and 146(p.291)
practices

Afterlife Practices and 153(p.293)

Practices beliefs for the
&Beliefs dead

Annotations Linguistic Terminologies Words, term 86(p.268)

without & Clarifications corrections, etc.
Political
Grammar & Pre-Spanish 96(p.272),
Sentiments
Language language, 97(p.273),
communication, 98(p.274),
grammar, etc 113(p. 278)
Environmental Geography & Population 8(p.242),
Demography count, Land and 80(p.266),
aquatic regions 85(p.267)

Wildlife & Animals and 50(p.255),

Vegetation plant scapes 150(p.292)

Customs & Basic Customs Food, labor 6(p.241),

Events practices, 18(p.246),
clothing, etc. 26(p.248),
66(p.260),
89(p.269),
144(p.290)

Legal Customs Tribunal 10(p.244),

practices, Laws, 99(p.274),
slaves, etc. 109(p.277),
 132(p.285),
137(p.287)
Familial Family 125(p.283),
Customs relations, 126(p.283),
inheritance, 127(p.284),
marriage, etc. 131(p.285),
139(p.288)
Relations Trading 34(p.251),
Customs practices such 68(p.261)
as boats,
relations with
different
chieftains, etc.

Life Practices Religious and 92(p.270),

Religious & & Beliefs Philosophical 107(p.276),
Moral Beliefs Beliefs and 142(p.289),
practices 149(p.291),
152(p.293)
Afterlife Practices and 130(p.285),
Practices beliefs for the 154(p.294),
&Beliefs dead 155(p.294),
156(p.295)