PHS AP CLUB

16/02/2024

On February 17, 1872, three Filipino priests namely Jose Burgos, Mariano Gomez (Gomes), and Jacinto Zamora were executed at Bagumbayan. Collectively known later as the GOMBURZA, their deaths were supposedly witnessed by thousands of Filipinos. The ex*****on occurred after a speedy trial made in the aftermath of the Cavite Mutiny, a revolt of some 200 Filipino soldiers and workers.

Executed with them was the mutineer turned witness Francisco Saldua (Zaldua), who once served as a messenger and artilleryman. He expected his testimony condemning the priests to acquit him. To the last minute, it appeared that Saldua expected some kind of intervention for his sake. His hopes of freedom were dashed for he was the first to be killed.

Filipino interpretations, meanwhile, were not as uniform on the matter. Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, for instance, believed that the localized mutiny about workers' and soldiers' grievances was magnified by the Spanish in the Philippines to arrest the reforms introduced in the archipelago, including public education.

Others, like Jose Rizal, hold the mutiny in high regard, and raised it to a status of national significance, "Had it not been for 1872, there would be no Plaridel, nor Jaena, nor Sancianco, nor the emergence of the brave and generous Filipino colonials in Europe. Had it not been for the events of 1872, Rizal would have been a Jesuit, and instead of writing Noli Me Tangere, I would have written something different."

In relation to this, three imprisoned Spanish friars, namely Antonio Piernavieja of San Francisco de Malabon, Agapito Echegoyen of Amadeo, and Domingo Cadenas of Talisay, admitted during a trial done in February 1897 by Filipino revolutionaries that the clergy had a hand behind the Cavite Mutiny and the deaths of the Gomburza. It was revealed to be a convoluted plot that included a friar disguising as Burgos to convince the mutineers, and even a supposed bribe given to then Governor General Rafael de Izquierdo. They also admitted to the corporate role of the religious in the ex*****on of Jose Rizal. While these information were allegedly obtained under duress, the tribunal found the three friars guilty and executed them on February 28 of the same year. The Magdalo council, however, criticized this hasty decision. After all, this came after Andres Bonifacio on February 13, 1897 supposedly agreed that a large ransom could have helped to accelerate their freedom.

Emilio Aguinaldo, in particular, accused the Magdiwang leaders who decided on the ex*****on as "atheists." The later Aguinaldo administration would be known for a record in trying to maintain human rights, regardless of nationality or status. Spanish friar Ulpiano Herrero, for instance, commended in 1900 the Filipino treatment of prisoners: "In spite of our imprisonment by the insurgents, the masses accorded us with due respect and kind attention with the exception of the few who succumbed to the pressure of the Katipuneros."

Herrero was imprisoned in Orion, Bataan. He was one of some 9,000 Spanish prisoners of war under Filipino jurisdiction as of 1898.

Learn more about the 1872 Cavite Mutiny: https://history-ph.blogspot.com/2014/12/mutiny-philippines-january-mutiny.html

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16/02/2024

Somehow, we tend to forget that an earlier Valentine (Valentinus, 100-160), the namesake of 14 February's "holiday", was labeled as a heretic in mainstream Christian theology for his Gnostic views. The more popular Roman version of Valentine (226-269), who was supposed to have been martyred 100 years after the Gnostic theologian Valentine, and would become patron for epileptics and the mentally ill, did not appear in records until after another 200 years (i.e., 496, causing confusion on his story to the point of being considered mythical by some). In fact, even his clergy rank remains unclear to this day. Meanwhile, the Gnostic Valentine was then so well known, his contemporaries such as Irenaeus (130-212), Tertullian (155-240), Clement (150-210), and Bardaisan (153-218) had documented his work.

He taught that there were three kinds of people: that is, the spiritual, psychical, and material. Only those of a spiritual nature (his own followers) received the gnosis (knowledge) that allowed them to return to the divine Pleroma (fullness of God), while those of a psychic nature (ordinary Christians) would attain a lesser form of salvation, and that those of a material nature (pagans and Jews) were doomed to perish. Baptism is not sufficient for salvation, so they argued, but there must be knowledge. There were Gnostic texts attributed to Valentine, such as the Gospel of Truth, which dealt less with Jesus' earthly life than His work to spread the truth. With this in mind, a semi-personified figure called Error should have Jesus nailed to the cross. There are many theories to this day on the identity of Error.

Thus, could it be argued that Valentine's Day might not really be about the matter of love (agape or eros), but the matter of knowledge (gnosis) and people's access to it? So much about history's misconceptions. At least, knowledge remains by your side if you choose to embrace it. Learn more about Christianity: https://history-ph.blogspot.com/2020/12/inventing-messiah.html

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30/01/2024

23/01/2024

👀

On January 22, 1878, Sulu Sultan Jamal ul-Azam granted a "permanent lease" (pajak) of his Borneo territories, notably Sabah, to Britain, represented by German diplomat Gustavus Baron von Overbeck and Alfred Dent, Esq. In exchange, the British pledged to pay the Sultan 5,000 dollars annually. The leased territory went from Pandassan River to Sibuku River.

The Sulu sultanate acquired its Borneo territory for its assistance in resolving the Brunei Civil War (1662-1673), and had since administered a maritime empire stretching from the western extremity of Mindanao to Palawan and Borneo, as affirmed by the 1836 Treaty of Peace, Protection, and Commerce between Sulu and Spain. The same treaty assumed that Sulu was under "protectorate" status of the Spanish.

Meanwhile, the British did not claim to have disenfranchised the Sultan's reign over Borneo. Baron von Overbeck, being designated by the agreement as Datu Bendahara, was understood by the Sultan as his vassal, and recognized that what they were granted was "monopoly of trade," not a cession of sovereign territory. In addition, Britain actively sought to keep the Sultan's sovereignty over his dominions if it meant they could sustain what they obtained.

The Bases of Capitulation and Peace between Spain and Sulu, however, changed the geopolitical situation. On July 22, 1878, after some two years of fighting, Jamal ul-Azam signed a treaty with the Spanish governor of Sulu, Colonel Carlos Martinez, who represented the Governor General Domingo Moriones.

While the earlier 1851 treaty between the two established the sovereignty of Spain over Sulu, mandated that Sulu raise the Spanish flag, and provided for the integration of the sultanate in the Philippines (the Spanish governor of Sulu assumed office thereafter), the 1878 treaty went further by detailing which lands would be effectively occupied by the Spanish and which would be retained by the Sultan. Annual compensation was also provided for the Sultan and his officials "for the losses they incurred" during the conflict. These two treaties posed an issue on the international status of Sulu.

For one, Britain did not recognize Spanish sovereignty over Sulu, as did any other European nation at the time. However, when the British established their North Borneo Company by 1881, and the British realized the military victory of Spain over the Sultan of Sulu, they soon expressed interest to discuss with Spain provided they will "renounce" all claims over North Borneo. Germany, which ships also went to Sulu, followed suit. Their negotiations would result to the 1885 Madrid Protocol, which made Spain renounce "claims of sovereignty" over Borneo in exchange for British and German recognition of their sovereignty over Sulu, regardless of actual occupation status within the sultanate.

Notably, neither the Sultan nor any of his datus were party to the negotiations. In the long term, Spain honored this protocol. When the 1898 Treaty of Paris was concluded, the territory of the Philippines ceded to the United States stopped at Sibutu Island, with no inch of North Borneo territory included. This was reinforced by the subsequent Treaty of Washington. Learn more about the history of Sulu and Mindanao: https://history-ph.blogspot.com/2017/06/paduka-batara.html

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22/11/2023

On November 18, 1848, Trinidad Tecson was born in Bulacan. Known for her humanitarian work during the Philippine Revolution, she was dubbed as the "Mother of the Philippine Red Cross." Before joining the Katipunan, she was a member of the Masonic Logia de Adopcion.

She served in many battles under various Filipino generals, including Francisco Makabulos, Mariano Llanera, Isidoro Torres, and Gregorio del Pilar, where at one time she allegedly survived because she pretended to be dead. Similar to Teresa Magbanua, she was supposedly called "Henerala" by her followers despite having been accorded no official rank in the armed forces.

Tecson died on January 28, 1928. Learn more about women in the Philippine Revolution: https://history-ph.blogspot.com/2022/06/blog-post.html

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17/11/2023

17/11/2023

17/11/2023

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November 17, 1405 is one of the accepted dates when the Sultanate of Sulu was established by its first sultan, Abu Bakr (Sayyid Abubakar Abirin), who assumed the title Paduka Mahasari Maulana al Sultan Sharif ul-Hashim. Scholars such as Najeeb Saleeby and Cesar Adib Majul, however, placed doubts on this date forwarded in some sources. Saleeby, for instance, believed it was any time between 1407 and 1436, but not as early as 1405. Meanwhile, Majul would place the sultan's ascension to the throne around 1450.

Among the factors to be considered would be the rule of Rajah Baguinda (Baginda), who was not granted the title of sultan by the Sulu datus despite being a Muslim. Arriving some time between 1390 and 1410, Baguinda was said to have encountered Sulu as still mostly non-Muslim, an observation Sharif ul-Hashim would also have coming after Baguinda. Tradition also has it that Sharif ul-Hashim married into Baguinda's family.

Another would be the Chinese record of three Sulu kings, namely Paduka Batara (the eastern king), Maharajah Komalating (the western king), and Paduka Prabhu (the "cave" king), arriving with their retinue in Ming China in 1417. If Paduka Batara nor any of these Sulu kings did not identify with Sharif ul-Hashim, even as their royal titles were more Indianized than Islamic, would it have been possible that the sultanate was established at a later time?

Learn more the history of Sulu and Mindanao: https://history-ph.blogspot.com/2017/06/paduka-batara.html

Photo: The Palace of Flowers (Darul Jambangan) in Maimbung, as shown here before being destroyed by a typhoon in 1932, served as the Sulu sultan's residence.

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09/11/2023

👉Today in history..

On November 9, 1896, the Battle of Binakayan and Dalahican commenced after early skirmishes and Spanish artillery bombardment. With Filipino revolutionaries under the command of Emilio Aguinaldo and Santiago Alvarez utilizing trench warfare, the 20,000-strong Spanish force under Governor General Ramon Blanco himself was unable to make a significant breakthrough. In the aftermath on November 11, the Filipino victory was evident despite the limitations of the revolutionaries. The Spanish governor of the province, General Diego de los Rios, thus remarked that Cavite had been transformed into the "center of the Revolution" and would be nearly impossible to retake. Meanwhile, the triumph in Binakayan had also been placed in contrast with the reported loss in battle of Filipino revolutionaries at the San Mateo-Montalban area a few days prior despite facing a relatively smaller force, convincing the Spanish public that the greater threat may have been indeed in Cavite, and Blanco seemed incapable to meet their expectations.

The development of trench systems in Cavite was attributed to General Edilberto Evangelista, a civil engineer by profession who studied in Belgium and a friend of Jose Rizal. He joined the Revolution in October 1896 after escaping from prison, and would continue fighting until his death in battle on February 17, 1897.

Blanco's second in command, General Bernardo Echaluce, described Blanco's strategy as an attempt to lure the revolutionaries to Cavite for a decisive battle. Echaluce was among the first to see action in the Philippine Revolution, known for his role in thwarting Andres Bonifacio's assault against San Juan del Monte in August 1896. The failure of the Spanish government to win in Cavite likely doomed Blanco's hopes, damaging his reputation in Spain itself. His designated successor, General Camilo de Polavieja, arrived in Manila less than a month later, and by December 13, Blanco had left the Philippines.

Learn more about Emilio Aguinaldo's career: https://history-ph.blogspot.com/2015/03/president-aguinaldos-only-battle.html

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27/10/2023

Another milestone achieved! 🌟 Thanks to everyone who made this United Nations event a resounding success. Together, we're making a positive impact on the world. 🌎Thank you Ap Club Officers and members ❤️❤️
UN QUIZ BEE
1st Placer- Juliane Pal(Grade 12 Orange)
2nd Placer- Niña Marie Cahapon ( Grade 9 Grapes)
3rd Placer- John Lester Estorba (Grade 7 Apple)
Poster Making
1st Placer - Caryl Vallentos ( Grade 11 Pomelo)
2nd Placer- Jaya Bordado ( Grade 12 Orange)
3rd Placer- Angie Tampos ( Grade 9 Grapes)

26/10/2023

24/10/2023

a day to remember