Controversies

• Pepito M. Capito prepared a list of controversial issues in Philippine history. He got the information from the book of Pedro A. Gagelonca who happened to be the author’s history professor in FEU.
• Many years ago, an NFO Trends Survey showed that only 37 percent of the 1,420 respondents aged 7 to 21 years old, were able to sing the Philippine National Anthem and only 28 percent could recite the old version of “Panatang Makabayan” of the many Filipinos hence,

  they could only name up to 2 heroes – and other matters. The conclusion is that the Filipino youth, in general, had a “very shallow knowledge and appreciation” of the country’s history and

  cultural heritage.
• (a.) Molina – 7, 083 islands

  (b.) Agoncillo and Alfonso – 7,000 islands

  (c.) Alip – 7,108 islands

  (d.) Zaide – 7,083 islands

  (e.) Ariola – 7,100 islands
• (a.) Agoncillo and Alfonso – 3,000 named islands and 4,000 unnamed islands

  (b.) Alip – 2,773 named islands, the rest are still unnamed islands.

  (c.) Zaide – different data in his own books

  (d.) ____, The Filipino Histories – 2,000 islands have been named.

  (e.) Google, Wikipedia – 5,000 islands are yet to be named.
• (a.) Zafra – Philippines is located about 700 miles or 1126.54 km from the mainland of

  Asia.

  (b.) Molina – Philippines is located southeast of its Asiatic mainland.

  (c.) Alip – Philippines lies 700 miles or 1126.56 km to the southeast of the Asia

  mainland.

  (d.) Zaide – Philippines is a sprawling archipelago fringing the southeastern rim of the

  Asian Continent.
• Philippine Deep: third deepest in the world
• This is the third deepest in the world which is located on the east of the

  Philippines. Its length is 1,320 km (820 miles) and a width of about 30 km (19 miles).
• This is located in Luzon Trending southeast to the northern Malubes Island of Halmahera, Indonesia. Galatea Depth, its deepest point has a depth of 10,540 meters (5,760 fathoms; 34,580 feet).
• Molina – Philippine Deep or Philippine Trench which is formed east of Mindanao is the second lowest region of the earth.
• Zaide –It is the lowest region in the world, an ocean depth east of Mindanao (cited in his book Philippine History For Catholic High Schools)
• Zaide – It is the lowest part of the earth situated about 15 miles (24.1402 km)

  northeast of Mindanao. It is 34,218 feet (10.429646 km) below sea level (cited inhis

  book Philippine Political and Cultural History).
• Zaide – It is the second lowest place in the world and is located 72.4205 km (45 miles) east of Northern Mindanao. It is 35,400 feet or 10.78992 km deep (cited in his book Philippine History)
• Agoncillo – It is second deepest sea in the world which is located east of Mindanao and width a depth of 35,440 (10.802112 km).
• Google – The Philippine Deep has a depth of 34,580 feet or 10.539984 kilometers.
• Cagayan River or Rio Grande de Cagayan: The longest, largest and widest river in the Philippines
• Cagayan River is located in the northwestern part of Luzon that

  traverses the provinces of Nueva Viscaya, Quirino, Isabela and Cagayan.
• Rio Grande de Mindanao or Mindanao: is the second largest river located on the southern part of Mindanao.
• Mindanao. It has a length of 373 kilometers (232 miles). Its headwaters are in the mountains of impasugong, Bukidnon, south of Gingong City in Misamis Oriental what it is called the Pulangi River joining the Kabacan River where it becomes the Mindanao River.
• a.) Alip – Cagayan River is the longest river in the Philippines.

  b.) Molina – Rio Grande de Mindanao is the longest river in the Philippines.
• c.) Benitez – Rio Grande de Mindanao is the longest river in our country.

  d.) Zaide – The longest river is Cagayan River (cited in his book Philippine History for

  Elementary Schools).
• e.) Zaide – The longest river is the Rio Grande de Mindanao (cited in his book Philippine

  History for High Schools).

  f.) Google – Rio Grande de Cagayan is the longest and widest river in the Philippines whereas Rio Grande de Mindanao or Mindanao river is the country’s second largest river system with a length of 373 kilometers.
• Straits – It is a naturally formed, narrow but navigable watering that connects two larger bodies of water.
• a.) Molina – There are 8 landlock straits in the Philippines.

  b.) Agoncillo – There are 20 landlock straits.

  c.) Zaide – There are 8 landlock straits.

  d.) Google – There are 22 straits.
• Coastline – It is also called seashore where the land meets the sea or oceans, or a line that

  form the boundary between the land and the ocean, sea or lake.
• a.) Zaide – The Philippine coastline is thrice longer than the U.S. coastline with 10,850

  statute miles or 17,461.382 statute kilometers.

  b.) Molina – The Philippine coastline is 11,44_ statute miles or 18,470.605 statute

  kilometers.

  c.) Alip – The Philippine coastline is nearly 11,000 miles or 17,702.784 kilometers.

  d.) Benitez – The Philippine coastline is 11,440 statute miles or 18,410.895 statute

  kilometers.
• Mt. Apo: the highest mountain in the Philippines
• a.) Agoncillo – Mount Apo is 9,600 feet or 2.92608 kilometers high.

  b.) Alip – Mount Apo is 9,699 feet or 2.956 plus kilometers high.

  c.) Zaide – Mount Apo is 9,690 feet or 2.9535 kilometers high.

  d.) Google – Mount Apo is 2,954 kilometers high.
• 9.) Mount Pulag or sometimes called Mount Pulog is the third highest mountain in the Philippines and Luzon’s highest peak at 2,922 meters above sea level. It borders between the province of Benguet, Ifugao and Nueva Viscaya.
• a.) Agoncillo – Mount Pulag is the second highest peak in Luzon with 8,481 feet (2.585009

  kms) high

  b.) Alip – Mt. Pulag is 9,606 feet high (2.927 kms) high

  c.) Google – Mt. Pulag is 2.922 kilometers high

  The second highest mountain is Mt. Dulong-Dulong with a peak of 2,936 meters. The

  fourth is Mt. Kitanglad Ranges (2,899 meters) with Mt. Piapayungan Range 2,890

  meters.
• Limasawa Island: site of the first Catholic Mass
• “On March 31, 1521, Easter Sunday, Friar Pedro Valderama celebrated mass together with Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his man. With the Spaniards were the ruler of Mazaua Rajah Siasis and his brother Rajah Colambu, the rulers of Butuan. Afterwards they planted

  a cross on the highest hill and stayed in the area for seven days and helped in the rice harvest for two days together with more than hundreds of its Rajah’s men.”
• Local historians in Butuan City believed that the first site of the Catholic mass took place in Mazawa, a place in Butuan now called Masao, not in Limasawa Island in Leyte as stated in history books.
• There were five dates of the cry – August 20, 23, 24, 25 and 26 and five different venues for the first cry: Balintawak, Pugalawin, Kangkong, Bahay Toro and Pasong Tamo.
• GOMBURZA: to whom Rizal dedicated his novel "El Filibusterismo"
• February 17, 1872: date of GOMBURZA's execution
• The three priest were summarily tried and sentenced to death by the garrote for being linked as investigators of the Cavite Arsenal Revolt of January 20, 1872. The three priests were very active in the secularization (or nationalization) of the clergy’s (Nuguid, 2012).
• GOMBURZA

  • Mariano Gomez 85
  • Jose Burgos 30
  • Jacinto Zamora 35
• Two Perspectives in reference to the death of the three Filipino martyrs

  • Spanish Perspective (Jose Montero y Vidal)
  • Filipino Perspective (Dr. Trinidad Hermenigildo Pardo de Tavera)
• Makers of the Philippine Flag

  • Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo (Designer)
  • Doña Marcela Agoncillo (Nagtahi)
  • Lorenza and by Delfina Herbosa Natividad. (Nagtahi)
• First Design of the Philippine Flag

  • Made from fine silk
  • White triangle at the left containing sunburst with eight rays at the center
  • A five-pointed star at each angle of the triangle
  • Upper strike of dark blue and valor.