Introduction to History
Before I reconstruct the history of Iloilo with a span of almost 500 years , I have strong passion for the History of the Church having a span of 2000 thousand years . Studying Church History is not very easy , with Greek and Latin text that I am not familiar with , and worsened by the the socio-cultural set up of Regional Churches which changes everytime . It was difficult , challenging , nevertheless , it does not stop to amaze me . My curiosity is ever-growing . Roman gladiatorship to the barbaric invasion , the christian kingdoms and their ecclesiastical saga , Church Medical Science , The Age of Reason , Church duel with Darwin or Eistein or the Socialist genius under Karl Marx , church Fantasic expansion in America and Asia. Indeed , I have learned so much about the value of objectivity and credibility as Church writers stood against to counter hoax , revisionism and falsehood.
Here comes the history of Iloilo , I have carefully invistigated the ancient documents and eyewitness accounts . I maintain that Iloilo History it is less hard ( than Church history ) with following reasons:
1. Linguistic Methodology is less complex: The available spanish text are not too intricate to decipher .My English proficiency is a plus for British and American writers and their accounts of the past.
2. Affinity to Oral Tradition and Socio-cultural Set-up : I have great affinity of socio-cultural set-up , and cultural homogeniety of Iloilo.
3. Shorter span - of history over 500 years
4. Free access to Physical and historical environment with artifacts , monuments etc
5. My strong inclination for objectivity , deductive reasoning and further study.
In a scholarly sense , Reconstruction does not mean revision . I have patterned the title with the History Book - The Americans - Reconstruction as duly sanctioned by Federal Government of United States. In the past , History of Iloilo has many holes that prevent us to revisit the past in a vivid way. That which filled the missing piece are the concurrent historical piece published and completes the puzzle and solves the riddle. We have now the primary sources , some are preserved in their authentic form.
For clarity and enhancement , other external sources are incorporated such as
1. Demographic History of Iloilo using Census of 1903
2. Geographic history of China
3. Spanish Histeriographers.
3. Family History of Lopez Family
4. Ethnolinguistic History
5. Catholic Encyclopedia
6. American History Books and History writers
7. History of Holland and so on
8. Philippine History books , articles etc
Guided by a policy for a balanced interpretation of Research Center for Iloilo , I have conjured the Management of Quality Information . Knowledge base is dynamic and not static unlike all other textbook, it take years or even decades to re-edit . In here , history is regularly updated. Related informations are constantly collected , synthesized and processed in a sophisticated procedures to guarantee a custumer-satisfaction and dispel all the doubts at best.
I have adopted different approach for intellectual historical immersion through time
1. Develop Historical Perspective: is an understanding of events and people in the context of their times. Using historical perspective can help you avoid judging the past solely in terms of present-day norms and values.
Example: Modern people complain about Spanish practice of slavery and demonized them out of it but setting aside slavery is the general character anywhere in the world up to 1800's .
2. Analyzing Motives - means examining the reasons why a person , group , or government took a particular action. These reasons often go back to the needs , emotions , and prior experience of a person or group as well as their plans and objectives.
Read: Why in the world Caram supported Japanese while Tomas Confesor did not.
3. Evaluating Decisions and Courses of Action- means making judgements about the decisions that historical figures made. Historians evaluate decisions on the basis of their moral implications and their cost and benefits from different point of view.
Example: Why Ilongos did not resist Spanish Conquest? A promese of prosperity , civilization and protection from pirates prompted Ilongos to help Spanish to conquer Manila easily .
Ilongos supported Spain about Tagalog Insurrection principally , Iloilo indebted its prosperity from Spanish Economic Trade with America , Europe and Australia. Presumably , Spanish made tagalog life harder compare the the amiable coexistence of Spanish and Ilongos in Iloilo
4. Forming Opinions - Historians form opinions about the information they deal with. They support their opinions with references to facts , examples , and historical parallels.
Example: You might be asked , for instance , to decide whether Emilio Aguinaldo has legal right to abolish Federal Republic of the Visayas.
3. Identifying Problems - means recognizing and understanding the difficulties faced by particular groups of people at particular times. Being able to focus on specific problems help historians understand the course of historical event.
Example: Some people of Iloilo , convinced about the incapacity of Spanish Troops to protect them from Dutch Pirates
4. Analyzing causes , recognizing effects - Historians not only want to know what happened in the past but also want to understand why things happened. Discovering cause-and-effect relationships helps historians see the events are related and why they took place.
Read : Papal Bull influenced Spain Spiritual Conquest
Unification of Spain and Portugal consequencial trouble in Iloilo .
5. Distinguish Fact from Opinion - Facts are date , statistics , and accounts of events or they are statement that are generally known to be true. Facts can be checked for accuracy. Opinions are the judgement , beliefs and feelings of a writer or speaker.
Example: Foreign jobs offered in many areas of the world ( Fact) that meet perseverance , industry and honesty of Ilongo workers. ( Opinion)
Example of Opinion: The name “Iloilo City” was derived from “irong-irong”, a reference to the native word “irong” which means “nose”. The name took after the nose-like configuration of the main settlement area during the pre-Spanish period as so shaped by the Iloilo River. Chinese traders who frequent the area and who mispronounce the “r” sounds with “l” sounds, soon popularized the term “ilong-ilong.
6. Analyzing Assumptions and Biases - An assumption is a belief or an idea that is taken for granted. Sometimes people make assumptions based on evidence , sometimes they make unfounded assumptions. Whether assumptions are clearly stated or just implied , you can usually figure out what they are
Bias - is a prejudiced point of view . Historical accounts that are biased tend to be one-sided and reflect the personal prejudices of a historian.
Example: Some people who assumed Ilongos non-patriot gesture by supporting Spanish to deter Tagalog Insurgencies are plain bias because it is clear that Panay is represented in Philippine Flag .
7. Synthesizing - is the skill historian use in developing interpretations of the past. Like detective work , synthesizing involves putting together clues , information and ideas to form an overall picture of a historical event.
Example: Spanish Friars converted people of Ogtong , Salog , Arevalo , Araut and Tigbaun . They are fully aware there are more people in hinterlands to be reach. By synthesizing , we attuned to the perspective of a Spanish Friar in 16th century and deeply immersed into that particular event of history.
Here comes the history of Iloilo , I have carefully invistigated the ancient documents and eyewitness accounts . I maintain that Iloilo History it is less hard ( than Church history ) with following reasons:
1. Linguistic Methodology is less complex: The available spanish text are not too intricate to decipher .My English proficiency is a plus for British and American writers and their accounts of the past.
2. Affinity to Oral Tradition and Socio-cultural Set-up : I have great affinity of socio-cultural set-up , and cultural homogeniety of Iloilo.
3. Shorter span - of history over 500 years
4. Free access to Physical and historical environment with artifacts , monuments etc
5. My strong inclination for objectivity , deductive reasoning and further study.
In a scholarly sense , Reconstruction does not mean revision . I have patterned the title with the History Book - The Americans - Reconstruction as duly sanctioned by Federal Government of United States. In the past , History of Iloilo has many holes that prevent us to revisit the past in a vivid way. That which filled the missing piece are the concurrent historical piece published and completes the puzzle and solves the riddle. We have now the primary sources , some are preserved in their authentic form.
For clarity and enhancement , other external sources are incorporated such as
1. Demographic History of Iloilo using Census of 1903
2. Geographic history of China
3. Spanish Histeriographers.
3. Family History of Lopez Family
4. Ethnolinguistic History
5. Catholic Encyclopedia
6. American History Books and History writers
7. History of Holland and so on
8. Philippine History books , articles etc
Guided by a policy for a balanced interpretation of Research Center for Iloilo , I have conjured the Management of Quality Information . Knowledge base is dynamic and not static unlike all other textbook, it take years or even decades to re-edit . In here , history is regularly updated. Related informations are constantly collected , synthesized and processed in a sophisticated procedures to guarantee a custumer-satisfaction and dispel all the doubts at best.
I have adopted different approach for intellectual historical immersion through time
1. Develop Historical Perspective: is an understanding of events and people in the context of their times. Using historical perspective can help you avoid judging the past solely in terms of present-day norms and values.
Example: Modern people complain about Spanish practice of slavery and demonized them out of it but setting aside slavery is the general character anywhere in the world up to 1800's .
2. Analyzing Motives - means examining the reasons why a person , group , or government took a particular action. These reasons often go back to the needs , emotions , and prior experience of a person or group as well as their plans and objectives.
Read: Why in the world Caram supported Japanese while Tomas Confesor did not.
3. Evaluating Decisions and Courses of Action- means making judgements about the decisions that historical figures made. Historians evaluate decisions on the basis of their moral implications and their cost and benefits from different point of view.
Example: Why Ilongos did not resist Spanish Conquest? A promese of prosperity , civilization and protection from pirates prompted Ilongos to help Spanish to conquer Manila easily .
Ilongos supported Spain about Tagalog Insurrection principally , Iloilo indebted its prosperity from Spanish Economic Trade with America , Europe and Australia. Presumably , Spanish made tagalog life harder compare the the amiable coexistence of Spanish and Ilongos in Iloilo
4. Forming Opinions - Historians form opinions about the information they deal with. They support their opinions with references to facts , examples , and historical parallels.
Example: You might be asked , for instance , to decide whether Emilio Aguinaldo has legal right to abolish Federal Republic of the Visayas.
3. Identifying Problems - means recognizing and understanding the difficulties faced by particular groups of people at particular times. Being able to focus on specific problems help historians understand the course of historical event.
Example: Some people of Iloilo , convinced about the incapacity of Spanish Troops to protect them from Dutch Pirates
4. Analyzing causes , recognizing effects - Historians not only want to know what happened in the past but also want to understand why things happened. Discovering cause-and-effect relationships helps historians see the events are related and why they took place.
Read : Papal Bull influenced Spain Spiritual Conquest
Unification of Spain and Portugal consequencial trouble in Iloilo .
5. Distinguish Fact from Opinion - Facts are date , statistics , and accounts of events or they are statement that are generally known to be true. Facts can be checked for accuracy. Opinions are the judgement , beliefs and feelings of a writer or speaker.
Example: Foreign jobs offered in many areas of the world ( Fact) that meet perseverance , industry and honesty of Ilongo workers. ( Opinion)
Example of Opinion: The name “Iloilo City” was derived from “irong-irong”, a reference to the native word “irong” which means “nose”. The name took after the nose-like configuration of the main settlement area during the pre-Spanish period as so shaped by the Iloilo River. Chinese traders who frequent the area and who mispronounce the “r” sounds with “l” sounds, soon popularized the term “ilong-ilong.
6. Analyzing Assumptions and Biases - An assumption is a belief or an idea that is taken for granted. Sometimes people make assumptions based on evidence , sometimes they make unfounded assumptions. Whether assumptions are clearly stated or just implied , you can usually figure out what they are
Bias - is a prejudiced point of view . Historical accounts that are biased tend to be one-sided and reflect the personal prejudices of a historian.
Example: Some people who assumed Ilongos non-patriot gesture by supporting Spanish to deter Tagalog Insurgencies are plain bias because it is clear that Panay is represented in Philippine Flag .
7. Synthesizing - is the skill historian use in developing interpretations of the past. Like detective work , synthesizing involves putting together clues , information and ideas to form an overall picture of a historical event.
Example: Spanish Friars converted people of Ogtong , Salog , Arevalo , Araut and Tigbaun . They are fully aware there are more people in hinterlands to be reach. By synthesizing , we attuned to the perspective of a Spanish Friar in 16th century and deeply immersed into that particular event of history.