RENATO CONSTANTINO * considered as a Filipino nationalist and scholar par excellence * dedicated his life to the cause of Philippine national sovereignty, democratic rights, peace and social justice * his nationalist works have been cited and recognized by the Quezon City and Manila governments, the Civil Liberties Union, and the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and the University of the Philippines * his writings: 1. teach us to re-examine our colonial history 2. wants us to learn from our past and to correct some of the historical errors made by early writers of history 3. “usable past” – a past that can be used to advance the Filipino’s quest for genuine nationhood

History and Partisan Scholarship * discusses the frameworks used by early historians in writing our history * emphasized that since colonial mentality and culture were effective instruments of colonization, a counter-culture for national liberation was necessary in order to blast the myths and distortions of history

Definition of History * History is not just a description of the past but an important tool in understanding the present * It helps us to understand how events in the past shaped our society and how mistakes committed in the past will serve as lessons to be used in the future

Writings on History I. Early Writings A. Created myths / propagated “colonial consciousness” B. Sources of Distortions: 1. Clerical Scholars a. point of view: religion b. writings based on Christian prejudices 2. American Historians a. focused on education b. posed as altruistic benefactors of the subjugated people 3. Filipino Historians c. tends to idealize and romanticize Pre-Spanish culture and society d. tends to celebrate leaders as heroes II. Partisan Scholarship A. Partisan: a firm adherent to a party, faction, cause, or person B. Framework in writing history wherein the people’s point of view is being considered and the role of the people is being projected C. Objectives/Goals: 1. To redress the imbalance contained in colonial historiography by exposing the myths 2. To evaluate past events and actions in terms of how these events affected the people D. Assumes a high sense of academic responsibility and a deep commitment to certain ethical standards -------------------------------------------------
Our scholarship should be partisan “in favor of our development and protective of our own interests.

What we need to achieve: A. necessity for the development of research techniques that will address the need to deeply understand the material and cultural life of the Filipino people B. writers must choose between two diametrically-opposed viewpoints or two sets of truth – these were “the truth of the colonizer and the truth of the colonized”

**The reader must also be critical and analytical of written official histories

A New Look at Heroes * critic on how early writers of history deify leaders * discusses that it is only within the context of a people’s history that individuals can be correctly appraised * heroes can be made and unmade based on the developments in historical research

Some Myths Hero | Common Belief | Situation | Resort | Diego Silang | * tagged as the “Early Hero of Ilocandia” * leader of a revolt that demanded greater autonomy | * rebuffed by Spaniards * fear of Simon de Anda’s attack on Ilocos | Shifted allegiance to British (protection for natural resources) | Gabriela Silang | * heroine of Ilocos * Joan of Arc of the Philippines | * death of her husband | revenge | Emilio Aguinaldo | | * assurance of the leadership of the elite | elimination of the Bonifacios | Ramon Magsaysay | * “hero of the masses” | * unabashed pro-American * sponsored by US Central Intelligence Agency | American-“promoted” hero |

**History cannot be cheated:
“History will not err in its judgment because no matter how you fabricate achievements, glorify events or conceal truths, a true people’s history will eventually unmask the fake heroes and the judgment on them will be harsh and severe.”

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It is not individuals who make history;
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It is the people who are makers of history.