Publications

This paper explores the Dominican missionaries' unsuccessful but interesting project of purchasing and transporting children from China to the Philippines in the mid-nineteenth century set against the broader economic development and the ‘labour question’ in the Philippines during that period. Using primary sources from Philippine and Spanish archives, it aims to examine why and how the Dominicans conceived this project; identify the actors, institutions and processes that should have been involved in its execution; determine the factors that prevented its implementation; and discuss some events that happened as a consequence of the failed project. Ultimately, the analysis intends to demonstrate that through this undertaking the Dominicans attempted to address not only the religious but also the economic concerns – specifically related to labour – on the Spanish colony at that time.

This paper explores how different groups in the Philippines invoked and utilized the 1864 Sino-Spanish Treaty to protect, maintain, and promote their economic interests, and how some of its provisions affected the lives of the Chinese in late-nineteenth century Philippines. Three cases—based on underexplored archival materials from Philippine and Spanish archives—that occurred in the last three decades of the Spanish colonial period were examined to address these concerns. These cases include (1) the Spanish colonial government’s implementation of new immigration and residence policies directed to transient Chinese (1871); (2) a complaint filed by the German Ambassador to Spain regarding the importation of Chinese coolies (1889); and (3) a complaint filed by the Chinese legation in Spain regarding the increase in the disembarkation fee imposed upon Chinese immigrants (1894).

Malimit na ginagamit bilang halimbawa ng ulirang sistema ng transportasyong pampubliko ang trambiya na bumaybay sa Kalakhang Maynila noong panahon ng pananakop. Ngunit maliban sa pananaw ng publiko, mahalagang malaman din kung paano tinatanaw ng mga akademikong iskolar ang trambiya, sapagkat mayroon silang kakayahang bigyan ng intelektuwal na lalim ang paksa ng trambiya sa pamamagitan ng kanilang masugid na pananaliksik. Samakatuwid, mainam na tanungin - nakita ba ng mga iskolar ang trambiya bilang isang moda ng transportasyong pampubliko na naging kapaki-pakinabang para sa mga tao ng Kamaynilaan sa kabila ng pagiging likha nito ng kolonyalismo? Sisikapin ng sanaysay na ito na sagutin ang katanungan sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng detalyadong diskusyon ng diskursong historiograpikal ng trambiya ng kolonyal ng Kamaynilaan.

Dubbed as a one-stop tourist spot, Nayong Pilipino (Philippine Village) Park is an amalgamation of everything “Filipino” designated in a compact site for people to conveniently explore and experience. It can be traced back from the revival of a defunct plan to establish a souvenir shop for native crafts and products in the Cultural Center Complex. This historical research paper focuses on the institutional history of the Nayong Pilipino Foundation and itspark from 1970 to 2015, being that 1970 was the year that the park was inaugurated and 2015 was set as the year that will be apt for hindsight about the foundation. Moreover, this paper presents a historical outline of the park and its foundation, therebytraces and draws patterns of its dynamic changes throughout time. Furthermore,the narrative will be divided into two periods: (1) Nayong Pilipino Parkin Pasay (1970 - 2004) and; (2) Nayong Pilipino Park in Clark Exposition(2007 - 2015).  Discussion about the in between the years of its hiatus is also provided in the paper. The methodology of the research is a mixture of archival sources (composed of official reports and newspaper clippings), an oral interview and secondary sources, primarily exploring the philosophy and nature of cultural heritage and tourism in the country vis-à-vis the international scene. Ultimately, in its almost six decades of existence, this paper asserts its continued relevance in the contemporary times and humbly offers insights for the future administration, researchers and enthusiasts alike to consider and ponder.

This article examines how the ilustrados, particularly Marcelo del Pilar, Mariano Ponce, and Antonio Luna, sought to revive José María Panganiban’s campaign for reforms in Philippine higher education by resuming the publication of the “La Universidad de Manila” columns in La Solidaridad. I first discuss the salient points of the columns published between December 1890 and September 1891. I also illustrate that the new series juxtaposed the programs of study enforced at the University of Santo Tomas with their counterpart royal universities in Madrid. Finally, I offer a counterpoint to Fidel Villarroel’s assessment of the new series, that these “renewed attacks” added nothing to Panganiban’s litany of the defects of the university. A closer look at the columns however reveals that the new La Universidad de Manila series underscores new issues such as Santo Tomas’ ‘royal’ character and therefore belonging to the state and also its discrepant programs of study relative to its counterpart universities in Spain.

This article interrogates Teodoro Agoncillo’s oftcited argument in the second volume of The Fateful Years (1965) that Filipino active resistance against the Japanese began only after the Fall of Corregidor on 6 May 1942. Documentary evidence however—evidence Agoncillo himself cites—suggests otherwise. By examining three key guerrilla units in Luzon, namely the Ablan Madamba Guerrilla Forces of Ilocos Norte, the Tangkong Vaca Guerrilla Unit of Camarines Sur, and the Filipino-American Irregular Troops of various Tagalog provinces as well as their respective network and breakaway guerrilla units, I present counterexamples to Agoncillo’s claim and argue that the formation and operations of these resistance units as early as December 1941 render his claim untenable. Finally, I make the case that what Agoncillo may have considered as “active resistance” included only those that have been part of the organized resistance and fought on after Corregidor fell, those units who have been granted guerrilla recognition by the United States, or those inducted into the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE).

While the precolonial balangays and Manila-Acapulco galleons are etched into our historical narrative as a maritime nation, hardly anything has been written about domestic shipping. Accounts about companies such as William Lines or Aboitiz Shipping may seem trivial in the context of Philippine economic history, but they are part of a narrative that actually dates back to the Spanish colonial era when Cebu was opened up to foreign trade in 1860. This article will therefore give an account of how domestic shipping transformed from the colonial era until the present day. Specifically, it will also highlight the historical agency of certain personalities from Cebu who created institutions that were part of everyday life, yet remain invisible in the historiography of our development as an archipelagic nation.

Trinidad Hermenegildo José María Juan Francisco Pardo de Tavera y Gorricho (1857–1925), a distinguished Filipino doctor and language scholar, was the Philippines’ foremost intellectual from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century. He assumed the inaugural chairmanship of the Department of Linguistics at the University of the Philippines Diliman, established on August 28, 1922. His timeless legacy is intricately woven into Filipino intellectual history, particularly through his scholarly pursuits, including groundbreaking research on Philippine medicinal plants.

In his 1892 masterpiece, Plantas medicinales de Filipinas (Medicinal Plants of the Philippines), Pardo de Tavera not only conscientiously documented Filipino healing practices but also affirmed the Philippines’ distinctive role in the global scientific community. As contemporary global interest increasingly focus on local medicinal knowledge, Pardo de Tavera’s work stands as a timeless bridge connecting the past to the future. It sheds light on the brilliance of Filipino intellect and underscores the enduring relevance of local healing knowledge, emphasizing its significance in the ongoing discourse on traditional medicine.

This article focuses on the sailors who served during the initial years of the Carrera del Pacífico, one of the globalizing projects of the Spanish Monarchy. In particular, the paper aims to examine the sailors who took advantage of the Pacific trade circuits by actively participating in various income-generating activities created by the Carrera. Using the sailors’ economic endeavors, especially as sailor-merchants, as a lens can elucidate how early global trade was conducted and demonstrate the dynamics of the early Pacific trade. The paper argues that by seizing the opportunities presented by the Carrera, primarily by assuming the dual roles of sailors and merchants, these laborers helped consolidate the Spanish-Pacific region and reshape the consumption pattern of its local population. The sailors engaged in the transportation, sale, and purchase of global commodities during the early modern period, including textiles and chinaware, which catered to the demands of the broader consumer base in Spanish America. The sources draw data from the Royal Treasury of Acapulco registers during its first decade (1590-1600), where 1,574 sailors were identified. It belongs to Archivo General de Indias’ Contaduría (Account) records, which contain the duties of commodities entering and leaving the port of Acapulco.

Pinagmumunihan sa sulating ito ang ilang pamamaraan sa pagtuturo ng kasaysayan ng Pilipinas, partikular ang sentralidad ng teksto at talastasan. Sa pagtutuon sa teksto at talastasan, mapalilitaw ang mga kaisipan at praxis ng kasaysayan-bilang komunikasyon. Gamit ang mga kaisipan hango sa set theory, inilalatag din ang balangkas ng daloy, interseksyon, at antas ng “may-akda” at “teksto” sa proseso ng pagsasakasaysayan. Tumutukoy ang mga ito sa tao at sa tekstong sangkot sa tekstuwalisasyon ng kasaysayan o produksyon ng mga akdang pangkasaysayan. Mula sa balangkas na ito, mapalilitaw ang mga deviation, o pagtiwalag, pag-alpas, o di-pagsunod sa nakatakdang prinsipyo o daloy ng balangkas, na nakatutok sa pagkawala ng eksperto, o ang historyador. Nagbubunga ang deviation ng mga hamon at problemang historiograpikal na kasalukuyang kinahaharap ng/sa pag-aaral at pagtuturo ng kasaysayan ng Pilipinas.