The document discusses the importance of local history in understanding national history. It makes three key points: 1) Local history provides the foundation and substance for true national history, as national histories originated from contributions of local histories. 2) Local history enriches our understanding of national history by documenting the broad processes and events important to local communities. It also encourages autonomy and local initiatives. 3) By representing various localities, ethnic groups, and sectors, local and oral histories are fundamental to representing national diversity and uniting the nation. National history seeks to bring together these diverse voices.

1. Its importance to national history

2. Before there was national history
 There was local history
 National histories actually sprouted from
contributions from local history
 Local history should follow a common or a national
pattern

3. Local history is history in the local
context
 The study of local history provides the foundation and
the substance of true national history
 It is more than the study of towns, provinces and
regions of the Philippines and the people who live
there
 It provies us with the documentation and analysis of
the broad processes which are important to the life of
the people
 Local history enriches our understanding of our
national history

4. Local history along with oral history
are basic to autonomy
 Autonomy implies an exercise of freedom with limited
control or influence from the national government
 It provides more room for local initiatives to develop
and for local potentials to progress
 More importantly it encourages creative and
innovative responses to development with people with
special talents and potentials

5. History is defined as an organized
record of a meaningful past
 It is actually a reservoir of local data and memories of
events, realties, and things that provide the essences of
local life
 From this inexhaustible reservoir people can draw
patriotic strength in times of crisis, inspiration in
moments of despair and directions in times of
ambiguity and dilemma.

6. Local history provides the vital task
of putting the meaningful essence
of community in space and time
 Here we can see community life in the context orf
social perspective
 The Philippines has a strong and varied source of local
history because it has 16 regions, 78 provinces, 1,537
municipalities, 69 cities, 41,925 barangays and over a
hundred ethnolinguistic groups

7. Local and oral history are
fundamental to national interests
 By their very nature both help unite the nation as an
example of unity in diversity
 National history seeks to bring together all diverse
groups
 National interest by reason of national purpose and
will should represent the various localities, sectors,
and ethnic groups from Batanes to Tawi-Tawi,
regardless of creed, origin, race and gender

8. Colonial historiography
 This includes the Hispano-American historiographical
tradition we have preserved in our national
historiography
 The difference of Hispanic historiography is that it is
autocratic and prescriptive while the American is
liberal and democratic
 Filipino historiography incorporates both approaches
to national history

9. Nationalist Historiography
 Nationalist historiography aims to decolonize the old
views which is the task of the Filipino historian
 Local history is an important tool of decolonization
 It must derive substance and sustenance from local
history data before it can establish generalizations
 In short national history without local history is
shallow just as local history without national interest
is parochial and divisive.

10. Framework
 A framework is a theoretical and practical direction
 It teaches the historian to guide the organization of
data as well as the analysis although local histories are
usually nondescript presentations from A to Z
 While this type is useful it is necessary to develop and
promote a coherent, cogent and methodologically-
determined construction of historical construction
and if possibly an artistically crafted proficiency of
language and appropriateness of illustrations

11. Historical frameworks may vary
from one local history to another
 It begins with an assumption based on a broad survey
of representative literature.
 In the end all data should provide the basis for either
supporting the tentative assumption or modifying and
even altogether changing the framework.
 This may result in months of gathering deata and
analysis
 Without this validation by a preponderance of sources
framework becomes a speculative and imaginative
creation of mind usually taken from personal biases
and extraneous impositions

12. History without sources is
unthinkable but not all historical
works with sources are
commendable
 This brings to the question on what sources to use and
how to use them for historical construction

13. Historical sources may be generally
divided into
 Written source such as reports, correspondences,
speeches, memorials, petitions and any printed matter
available
 Oral historical sources gathered from interviews which
represent the main focus of oral history as a
methodology
 Cultural sources which are preserved evidences of
human culture including archaeological artifacts as far
back in time as possible

14. By the very nature of the sources
they are classified into:
 Primary accounts such as eyewitness accounts
 Secondary accounts which include accounts by
individuals with some valid information from
eyewitnesses

15. The organization and analysis of
data
 This require either familiarity of the historian with the
inter or multi disciplinary methodologies or lacking in
this, with access to disciplinary specialists concerned.

16. Methodology of Local History
 Interest in local history can be traced to four factors”
 Firstly the perception of a Manila-centric research
created a need to look beyond the metropolis. This
type of research tends to point to a national and
political history
 National history reveals gaps and omissions which can
only be revealed through local history research

17. The effect of the fall of a monolith such
as the Marcos dictatorship in 1986
triggered interest in local history
 Elements of monoliths such as state-censorship and
state-sponsored writing of an official history and the
suppression of counter thoughts prevented the
emergence of “other views”
 With the end of monoliths historians can now have
more freedom and exercise cultural creativity
including historical research

18. Governments following the collapse of
the monoliths actually encourage local
research
 The Philippine government actually encourages this
through its agencies such as the National Commission
for Culture and the Arts which fund local history
research
 Events such as the centennial of the declaration of
Philippine independence provided impetus.
 Instead of reliving national events there are efforts to
research the effect of national events in local
situations

19. Even without assistance from Manila
some local entities have started to
assert themselves
 These consist of individuals and organizations which
have taken up the task of researching and writing local
history in the firm belief that the stories of the people
must be heard now as a way of preserving local
heritage
 Many of them have not gained academic or local
recognition but they have kept historical research and
writing alive

20. Local history actually has a long
traditions in the country
 These take form ikn souvenir programs by countless
town fiestas and similar community celebrations
 Other forms of local histories are features articles in
local and national newspapers which contain stories
about events in towns and cities

21. However to be important local
history must have these qualities:
 It must be an original work not a recycling or rehashed
work that has been written countless of times. It
should present new information or at least a new
perspective, insight or interpretation
 It must deal with a subject of historical value. Note
everything which happened in the past is worth
researching. History is an academic discipline in
which we look back where we came from, how things
changed and what particular path we have taken for
what persons and why we are where we are now

22. Thirdly basic academic
requirements must be met
 A good research must have good grammar
 Clarity of presentation or narrative
 proper attrributes through a bibiliography with
footnotes and end notes
 Any historical work that does not cite its sources is not
credible because it cannot be cross-verified.

23. The history of a region or a province can be
best researched by the people of the
locality themselves
 It is a source of pride for the local historians to have people of their own
culture write about their ethnic group, their hometown or home
province.
 Local historians will have the authority to express their own values and
perceptions specific to his group or province.
 The local historian will have easy access to local primary sources.
 He will have the advantage of knowing the vernacular or the local
language in using local sources especially oral histories.
 Local historians serve as interpreters to the larger world and can
conversely interpret the larger world to the local community

24. Prerequisites of local history
research
 The local historian needs to have some preparation before writing a
historical account
 He/she must have a good grasp of the national history of the
Philippines. This does not mean the memorization of obscure or
irrelevant trivia but a familiarity with the general developments and
trends of national significance. Examples are the nature of
colonialism, the process of nation-building, the building of anti-
colonial sentiment and the impact of global trade on local economies
 The understanding of national history enables the local historian to
place in a larger context the local developments
 To achieve this one may use as reference national history textbooks
such as History of the Filipino People by T.A. Agoncillo, S.K. Tan’s A
History of the Philippines and R. Constantino’s The Philippines A Past
Revisited as well as other textbooks like G.F. Zaide, E. Alip and A.
Molina

25. A local historian must be familiar with
the historical literature of his region
 These helps you from duplicating earlier research
 They help you find leads in your own research
 These materials are useful in learning activities and
make lectures and class presentations relevant

26. Previous works may provide a
guide in writing
 W.H. Scott’s Cracks in the Parchment Curtain and
Documentary Sources for the Study of the Prehistory
of the Philippines- provide an excellent data as well as
theoretical framework
 Compilation of articles by Alfred McCoy and Ed de
Jesus in Philippine Social History: Global Trade and
Local Transformation, etc.

27. Sources of data: Primary and
Secondary sources
 Which is more important: facts or analysis?
 The quick answer was analysis but one must remember
there cannot be analysis with out facts
 Historical sources can be obtained from primary and
secondary sources
 Primary sources are those written and oral are
eyewitness or contemporaneous sources or observers
in a particular historical era
 Secondary sources are based on primary sources the
latter carry greater weight on the accuracy of facts

28. Reliable sources of primary sources
 The Philippine Islands by James Alexander Robertson
and Emma Helen Blair which is a collection of
documents and eyewitness accounts from the 15th to
the 19th centuries.
 Friar accounts – works by Ignacio Alcina, Pedro
Chirino, Aduarte, Malumbres, Plascencia
 Traveller accounts – writings by John Foreman, Jean
Mallat, Feodor Jagor,
 Unpublished primary sources can be found in the UST
archives, the archdiocesan archives of Manila and
other ecclesiastical archives

29. One must be critical in using these
sources
 There might be racial prejudice and bias which tend to
distort their observations and perceptions

30. For those who can read Spanish
may consult
 Erecciones de Pueblos – for those studying the
formation of towns
 Sediciones y Rebelliones - for studying the Philippine
Revolution
 Filipinos Ilustres – illustrious Filipinos
 Asuntos criminales – crimes
 Bautismos – baptisms
 Difunciones - deaths
 Many other sources in the PNA

31. Other primary sources
 These include maps, sketches, plans,

32. Selecting a research topic
 Get a topic that interests you most; one that attracts
your curiosity; one that is an original topic
 The topic must have a definite scope and limitation
 Determine your access to research resources
 Be sure that you will finish your research on time; have
a schedule or timetable.
 Some topics are fairly common such as the history of a
barangay, town or province. This type of research
usually highlights the remarkable events in the locality
such as the beginning or end of a period

33. Other topics maybe biographical
 Such biographies should include previously unknown
information
 Another topic would be the story of a site or structure
such as a church or even a series of historical sites.
 One may research a particular era such as the
Philippine Revolution, Peacetime or the Japanese
Occupation
 One may do an economic history such as the history of
the mining sector, the weaving industry
 Another area is institutional history such as the history
of an academic institution or a business company

34. Social movements
 History of the Pulajanes, the Colorums and other
messianic groups
 Cultural history includes changes in the practices of
the communties such as the Tingguianes and the
Apayaos.
 Women’s histories – now increasingly popular
 Local primary sources are now available for all these
topics.
 It is up for the researcher to use his creativity and
insight in unearthing and retrieving data from local
sources

35. Practical Guidelines for data-
gathering
 Use note cards or note paper because papers of a
uniform size are easier to carry, store and organize.
 Take notes carefully especially of direct quotes, to
ensure accuracy
 Do not mix two or more topics in one note card. If
you come across a new topic start with a new note card
to avoid confusion later.
 Do not alter data that you encounter just because it
runs against what you believe is the correct
information or your projected conclusion.

36.  Always indicate the source of information, such as the title
and date of a document, or the bibliographic data for the
printed materials such as books, pamphlets and
magazines.
 Organize your data into primary and secondary sources or
according to major topics or chronologically.
 Take proper care of primary materials such as old
photographs, manuscripts, or maps. Such materials are
extremely rare and are one-of-a kind and need special
handling.
 There maybe other practical steps which you have found
useful and which work is best for you.

37. Making an outline
 Before you begin to write it would be helpful to
prepare an outline to serve as your guide in organizing
your data and your narrative. The outline may contain
the following:
 Introduction – this is a short essay on what your topic
is all about, its scope and time frame and possibly what
made you choose the topic for your research
 Chronology – this is optional but useful especially for
complex narratives and would help you identify
possible conflicting dates of the events that occurred.

38.  Text – this is the main bulk of your written account.
This must be organized and coherent. An outline for
this section is necessary.
 Analysis – this is your explanation and interpretation
of the data that you have provided and this explains
your analytical framework or theory that you
employed.
 Conclusions and recommendations – these are based
on the text and analysis and a summation of your
findings.

39.  Appendix and glossary – these are materials which
could not be incorporated into the text but would add
to the clarity and depth of your research.
 Endnotes/footnotes – these are required in academic
research but may not be always applicable
 Bibliography – this is the listing of sources including
books that were used which could be classified as
primary or secondary, published or unpublished, oral
or written

40. Writing a Historical Account:
Perspectives and Concepts
 Language – first decide on what language to use. You may
choose to write in the vernacular but if you decide to have a
wider audience English would be the best language.
Writing in English does not mean a lack of nationalism but
is simply a matter of getting your message heard across a
wide spectrum of society.
 Writing down history is not simply putting down facts on
paper but it should be done through a proper framework or
context.
 Contemporary historians utilize a nationalist perspective.
This is not anti-foreign but it reflects our nationalist
consciousness and sentiment.

41. What this means is we think and write about our history in a way
that is not seen as filtered through the mentality and perspective
of foreign historians
 Rather we should see ourselves in the following light:
 That we are leading actors in the historical events rather
than merely acting to the colonizers
 As being in the center of our localities instead of just
accepting being relegated to the peripheries of power and
culture
 As people who can also determine their destiny instead of
just being driven willy-nilly by great external historical
forces
 As creators and originators of our own ethnic identity
which is unique and original rather an molding ourselves
in imitation of the dominant power’s culture

42. Philippine history as taught today is the
most colonially-driven disciplines which
need reinterpretation
 Many terms are derogatory such as infieles, piratas,
insurrectos, brujas whcih were uncritically accepted
 Tausug, Tagalog, Pampangos were seen as dialects or
tribes but should be recognized as languages and
ethnolinguistic groups instead

43. Shortcomings of local history
writing
 There maybe difficulty in relating cause and efffect. The historian
should take to account various local and external forces
 There maybe rigid conformity to periodization which conforms to
national history i.e. Pre-Spanish, Spanish and American periods.
 Indiscriminate presentation of facts in the belief that all data gathered
must not go to waste.
 There is too much emphasis on local celebrities and personalities who
may appear important but they are not i.e. Longest-serving mayor or
councillor.
 Tendency of local historians to slant their narrative in favor of powerful
families or portray a national personality in the hope of achieving
reflected glory or gaining patronage and reward from that family.
 In many instances local historians allow their personal biases to distort
their work by hiding certain unfavorable facts, misrepresenting events
and passing off false information as true which result in the work
becoming a propaganda instead of an accurate rendering of the past

44. Ethical issues
 Never plagiarize – always acknowledge and provide
citation of your sources. Always cite in quotation
marks every statement and phrase you lifted verbatim
from a source.
 Do not pass off somebody else’s work as your own –
because this will be eventually found out. Plagiarism
is an intellectual theft which discredits the author and
a plagiarized work has no value to the scholars

45. Do not make students and/or
subordinates do your research work
 Nor should you use their output/data without your
permission and without giving them due credit.
 Doing so constitutes an abuse of one’s position.

46. Respect the wishes of your sources
 When they ask that the information they gave you is
off the record. Publishing and revealing something
that an informant wanted to keep confidential will
cause harm to other people.

47. Always tell your informant that you are
using their information in a written
account
 Tell them about your purpose
 If you are going to use the information for some other
purpose you should also tell them.

48. Finally do not conduct your
research under false pretenses
 Just as you do not want to be fooled, so you should not
fool others in dealing with them.
 Always tell the informants or sources that you are
going to use their material

49. Conclusions
 All these points are meant to be guidelines and the
historian should know what works what and what weill
not only go through the processes of research and
writing
 All of us need to realize the urgency of the work of
local historians
 With the beginning of a new millennium it is
imperative that we should do the utmost effort in
retrieving oral and documentary sources and data
before they finally disappear
 If not us, then who?

50. Oral history is a historical source of
a special nature
 Its special nature lies in the fact that it is an unwritten
source of information which consists of verbal
testimonies which are reported statements involving
the past

51. Its Importance to Modern Historiography

52. What are the types of verbal
testimonies?
 Oral tradition – this comes from a collective
consciousness of a people
 These come in the form of epics, tales, genealogies and
legends
 Though not suited for historical analysis oral tradition
can be used as traditional material

53. Eyewitness account
 Eyewitness accounts are given by people who are
actually in the place of a historical event or were
actually its participants.
 Eyewitness accounts do not fall into the realm of oral
tradition
 hearsay does not qualify as eyewitness account
because the event was not witnessed by the narrator
and remembered by the informant himself

54. What about rumor?
 A rumor is a verbal account which does not always
concern the present.
 It is transmitted from one person to another
 It becomes useful as a historical source if it is
corroborated by other sources, otherwise it should be
dismissed as an uncorroborated hearsay.

55. Oral history is not a discipline of
history
 It is only a methodology of history in which first-hand
historical events are recounted by the eyewitness
through the intervention of a historian

56. The main technique of oral history
is the interview
 This technique goes as far back as ancient time
including that of Homer and Herodotus who used the
technique in their practice of historical discourse.
 However the popular use of oral history as a
methodology is relatively new even among
professional historians.
 Filipino historians like T.A. Agoncillo and Isabelo de
los Reyes used oral history in obtaining historical
information

57. Recently historical bodies have
engaged in oral history
 The best example was created by Dr. Marcelino
Foronda of De la Salle University who organized
students to conduct interviews of important
personalities starting from the 70s.
 Where written documents are lacking oral history
maybe used as long as this is corroborated by other
sources

58. Being a “talking people” Filipinos
are full of oral histories
 Oral history also gives the power to the marginalized
people who have no access to writing or could not
write or those who have no time to write history, their
views of the past

59. The practice of oral history
 Definition of terms:
 An eyewitness account is the sum of the testimonies
made by an informant concerning a single series of
events or a single event
 The informant - is a person or group of person who
gives an account of a referent or that of which the
account is given – the thing observed.
 The informant is the one who transmits the
information and he plays an important role in the
process of oral history.

60. Things to see:
 The credibility and the reliability of the informant –
one important task of the researcher is to determine
the reliability of the eyewitness account.
 Oral history helps fill the gaps in written history.
 One should not use it as a justification to use
uncorroborated accounts

61. How reliable is the informant?
 How involved was he in the event?
 Is he capable of lying or fond of telling untrue things?
 Is he suffering from memory lapses?
 Will he have ulterior motives or capable of having
ulterior motives?
 Is he fearful of legal complications?
 Care must be taken in evaluating the materials being
used.

62. Louis Gottchalk in understanding
history says:
 Is the source able to tell the truth?
 Is the primary witness willing to tell the truth?
 Is the primary witness accurately reported with regard
to the detail under examination?
 Is there any independent corroboration of the detail
under examination?

63. William Moss in Oral History
Program Manual says:
 “If the interviewee is committed to the purpose of the
interview, if he is also by nature a candid and reflective
person, and if he is also articulate and expansive in the
exposition of his memories then the artifacts maybe
plentiful and significant”

64. Get to know the environment
 The researcher must know the language and culture
 If the interviewer is not adept in these elements then
the information obtained by him maybe unintelligible.
 The interviewer must make a careful study of the
cultural system of the interviewee otherwise he would
not be able to obtain the information he truly needed.

65. The search for informants
 Not everyone is capable of supplying the information
he needed
 The informants must have the following:
 Conversant with the information required
 Their status must equip them with the certain
necessary information
 Their reputation is not tainted by dishonesty

66. Collection of sources
 The collection must be systematic
 He must be interesting in finding as much information
as much as possible.
 Complete collection of information would increase the
chance of an accurate reconstruction
 In research one must devise what is the practicable
way of obtaining information given the time and
financial means

67. Recording of sources
 The researcher must dispel the tension between himself
and the informant
 Failure to do this results in an incomplete testimony
 Make sure that the informant is at ease.
 The researcher should acquaint himself with the informant
either with him or through a third party
 Make sure that he is not afraid or overconfident
 The researcher must be observant that the informant does
not distort his information or make the informant say
things that he wanted to hear
 The informant must not know that the researcher is
interested in his information otherwise the risk of
distortion becomes great

68. The Interview Technique: According to
Willa Baums in Oral History for Local
Historical Society “Tips”
 Always begin with preliminaries
 Ask the informant his name, age, occupation
especially if it has something to do with the topic

69. Types of Interviews
 Interviews can be structured or unstructured
 Structured interviews require preparing a set of
questions to be answered by the informant
 Therefore it is best to prepare questions on notecards
 Unstructured interviews are more freewheeling
interviews in which the informant can talk freely and
free from time constraints

70. The interview is NOT a dialogue –
 the whole purpose is to get the informant to tell his or
her story.
The interviewer must therefore limit his remarks to a
few pleasantries to break the ice. Then ask questions
to guide him along

71. The interviewer must ask questions
that require more than “yes” or
“no” answers
 Start with questions with how, where, what, or what
kind

72. The interviewer should ask one
question at a time
 Interviewers who ask multiple questions while
informants will only answer the first question or the
last one
 Multiple questions will confuse the inf0rmant and
deliver confused answers

73. Ask brief questions
 It is unlikely that the informant is so dull that it takes
more than a sentence or two for him to understand the
question

74. Begin with non-controversial
questions
 Save the delicate questions if there are any until you
have become sufficiently acquainted with your
informant
 Avoid ambiguous questions. These results in vague
answers
 You may repeat the questions to verify the answers.

75. Do not interrupt a good story
 Especially when you forgot a good question or because
your informant is straying from the planned outline.
 If this happens try to pull him back as gently and as
quickly as possible.

76. It is often hard for an informant to
describe persons
 Begin by asking him how to describe a person’s
appearance. From there the informant is more likely
to move into character description

77. Try to establish every important point
in the story on the role of the informant
 It is important to indicate his role in the event in order
to indicate how much is eyewitness information and
how much is based on the reports of others

78. Do not challenge accounts which
you may think that is inaccurate
 Your informant may be telling you quite accurately
what he saw rather than what you think.
 Tactfully point out to the informant that there is a
different account what he is describing.
 Begin with “I have read...”
 This is not a challenge to his account but rather an
opportunity to refute the opposing view or to explain
how that view got established.
 If done carefully some of your best information can
come from the juxtaposition of different accounts.

79. Do not switch the recorder one
and off
 It is better to waste a little more tape on irrelevant
material than to call attention to the tape recorder by
constant switching on and off.
 Bring as more tape as possible
 Also bring enough batteries

80. End the interview at a reasonable
time
 An hour and a half is probably a reasonable time for a
single session.
 Informants cannot speak forever

81. Do not be a show-off
 Do not try to flaunt your knowledge about the subject
matter. It turns off the informant or makes him
hostile.
 Nor try to impress him with charm, vocabulary or
other abilities.
 Good interviewers do not shine only their interviewees
do.

82. Be observant
 Take note of the non-verbal acts such as gestures and
body language. These may add message
 Observe the tone of voice of the informant. You may
detect sarcasm, outright admiration and other
emotions which may be useful in the gathering of
information
 Some verbal taboos such as cuss words could also serve
as signals

83. Post Interview
 The interview can be written down or put on tape.
 The advantage of putting the interview on tape is that
it gives the exact wording of the testimony and allows
the informant to speak at the speed and rythm that is
natural to him.
 Post interview recording requires the reading back on
the tape to put in writing what has been recorded
 Although it takes time it is preferable to record on tape
when the words themselves become part of the
testimony

84. Create a transcript of the interview
 This should be done as soon as the interview is
completed.
 The interviewer may go back to the informant to
clarify vague matters and ask for follow-ups
 Upon finalizing the interview ask the informant if he
is willing to sign his testimony this strengthens the
interview

85. Questionnaire
 It is important to make a note of all the necessary
information
 Have a questionnaire ready to include a bio-data of the
informant, the language used, the manner of the giving of
testimony and controls exercised in getting the testimony
 A note must be given on the characteristics of the matter
such as payment given to the informant as to give some
information on what the informant will have for testifying.
 There is no one type of questionnaire and the researcher
has to devise his own

86. Prepared questionnaires
 These contain questions to be answered by the
informant by writing the testimony himself
 Should be brief, concise and to the point
 As in the interview the researcher should ask for the
informant’s background

87. Conclusion
 Oral history is very important in gathering eyewitness
information
 It is important in social history and it reveals aspects of
working class life and other experiences
 Oral history empowers the inarticulate in history and it
gives us what preliterate societies think.
 However oral evidence requires critical evaluation and
must be deployed in conjuction with the canons of
historical method.
 Transcriptions of oral history are not history themselves
but raw materials for writing history. It needs
corroboration and cross-referencing.