Paula C. Tagomaya
BSED MATH 4A
Life and Works of Rizal
First Semester, SY 2022-2023
Written Output No. 3
Annotating Antonio de Morga’s Sucesos de Las Islas Filipinas
Instruction: On the left column of the table are select excerpts from Antonio de Morga’s
Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas. These were Morga’s historical account of the Philippines which
he wrote while serving as Lieutenant Governor of the Spanish colonial government. Opposite
each of Morga’s account, write your annotation of it based on the current condition or
situations of Filipinos according to the theme raised by Morga. Write your annotation in 1- 2
SENTENCES ONLY. DO NOT copy from sources. (2 points per annotation, 20 points perfect
score)
Morga’s Sucesos
My Annotation
The people who inhabit this great island of Luzon in The province of Camarines
underwent partitions and rethe province of Camarines…. All live by their
partitions and what we have now is
labour, gains, fishing and trade, navigating by sea
Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte.
from one island to another, and going from one
Today, the province of Camarines is a
province to another by land (p.267).
major rice-producing province in the
Philippines, and transportation is now
accessible.
The way Filipinos dressed evolved over
The costume and dress of these inhabitants of
Luzon, before the Spaniards entered the country,
centuries, but some communities, such
usually consisted of, for men, coats of cangan
as Indigenous people, continue to dress
without collars, sewed together in front, with short in the style of their forefathers to
sleeves, coming a little below the waist, some blue, preserve culture and tradition. The
others black, and a few of colours for the chief men, conquest of different countries in the
these they call chininas; and a coloured wrapper
Philippines made an enormous
transformation until now on how
folded at the waist and between the legs, so as to
cover their middles, and half-way down the thigh, Filipino expressed themselves through
clothing.
what they call bahaques; their legs bare, and the
feet unshod, the head uncovered, and a narrow cloth
wrapped round it with which they bind the forehead
and temples, called potong (p.268).
Since the Spaniards are in the country many Indians Today, similar outfits can be seen at
do not wear bahaques (waist cloths) but wide
grand celebrations, particularly for
drawers of the same stuffs and wrappers, and hats on the elite class. When people wear
their heads. The chiefs wore braids of beaten gold,
tuxedos or formal attire, we can
and of various workmanship, and used shoes; the
identify those with power, influence,
great ladies also were daintily shod many of them
and wealth.
with shoes of velvet, embroidered with gold, and
white robes like petticoats (p.269).
The women have for their employment and
Women are no more restricted to
occupation, needlework, in which they excel very
sewing, doing household chores, and
much, as in all kinds of sewing; they weave
being a caretaker of the family. In this
coverings, and spin cotton, and serve in the houses
century, women are expected to lead,
of their husbands and fathers (p.270).
serve, and dominate in areas where
men also prevail.
Today, whether you are married or
The women, married and unmarried, are not very
not, you have the option of fondling.
chaste, and the husbands, fathers, and brothers are
This generation is now more open
but slightly jealous or careful on this matter.
and liberal in this regard.
They and the women are so interested and covetous, that
There is already a legal basis and
if money is forthcoming, they easily allow themselves to
legal consequences when one acts in
be overcome, and when a husband finds his wife in
covetousness or adultery. It is
adultery, without difficulty he is calmed and appeased;
classified as a "crime against
though since they know the Spaniards, some of them
chastity" under the Revised Penal
who set up claims to know more than other shave at
Code Act 344.
Paula C. Tagomaya
BSED MATH 4A
times killed the adulterers (p.270).
All these islands are in many parts rich in gold washings,
and in ore of this metal, which the natives extract and
work; although since the Spaniards are in the country,
they proceed more slowly with this, contenting
themselves with what they have already got in jewels,
and from a far distant time, and inherited from their
predecessors, which is a large quantity, for he must be a
very poor and wretched person, who does not possess
any chains of gold, bracelets, and earrings (p.283).
The language of all the Pintados and Bisayas is one and
the same, by which they understand one another,
speaking and writing, with letters and characters which
they have of their own, and which resemble those of the
Arabs; the usual writing of the natives is on leaves of
trees, and on canes, upon the bark; for in all the islands
there are many with the joints of enormous size, and the
roots are very thick and solid trees (p.293).
The buildings and houses of the natives of all these
Philippines isles are of one same kind, and their towns
also because they always construct them on the sea shore
between rivers and creeks; the natives usually collecting
together in quarters and towns wherever they sow their
rice and own their palms, nupa trees, plantain groves,
and other trees, and apparatus for fisheries and
navigation and fewer number inhabit the interior of the
country, who are the Tinguians (p.295).
These chiefdoms and lorships were inherited by filiation
and succession from father to son, and their descendants;
and in default of them, the brothers and collaterals
succeeded. Their duty was to rule and govern their
subjects and partisans, and assist them in their wants and
necessities; and what they received from their subjects
was, to be greatly respected and venerated by them, and
served in their wars, navigation, and labours of tillage
and fishery. And the construction of their houses
(p.296).
Loans with profit were very ordinary and much
practiced, very excessive interest being customer, so as
to double and increase the debt, all the time it was
deferred, to the whole extent of the principal; and the
debtor and his children, when he possessed nothing
else, became slaves (p.302).
The Philippines is one of the top
gold-producing countries in the
world. Access to accessories, cutlery,
and furniture is now available to
everyone, and some regard it as an
expression rather than a status
symbol.
The Philippines is a multilingual
country with distinct dialects in each
region. We speak a variety of
languages and dialects, but the
Filipino language is our national
language and is used primarily in
formal settings.
Because of the influence of American
architecture, houses are now built
with western materials such as
concrete walls, and some Filipinos
are considering townhouses and
condominiums. There is still a
community that lives near rivers and
seas as a means of subsistence.
Chiefdoms and lordships of the past
can be compared to the political
dynasties of today. Although we are
now a democratic country with the
freedom to choose our leaders, we
cannot deny that they use government
as a family kinship, with their sons,
daughters, and relatives gaining
positions due to their influence.
Loans are still evident now and
guaranteed because some loans are
government insured. It is no longer
the case that if a person does not pay
his or her debt, his or her children
will become slaves; instead, there is a
formal agreement of one's asset
called collateral.