By Bobby M. Reyes, Cofounder, Philippine-American National Hysterical Society (PANHS)

This writer penned in an earlier article that said: "The FANHS (Filipino-American National Historical Society) made a historical mountain out of a hysterical molehill by declaring that ‘Filipino-American history began on Oct. 18, 1587. Filipinos were the first (sic) Asians to cross the Pacific Ocean as early as 1587, which was 50 years before the first English settlement of Jamestown was established. From 1565 to 1815, during the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade, Filipinos were forced to work (sic) as sailors and navigators onboard Spanish Galleons . . .’"

I wrote further in the same article: "Serious students of history can really die laughing at the claims of the FANHS. The first error of the FANHS is that the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade did not begin in 1565, as Manila was ‘founded’ (sic) by the Spaniards only in 1571. The second mistake was that many Filipinos (then called ‘Indios’) actually ‘enlisted’ to join the crews of the Spanish galleons. And there is not even one piece of primary or secondary source (of evidence) that prove that ‘Luzon Indios’ were sent to the California shore to claim the land for the Spanish king."

The FANHS and some Filipino-American "activists" (sic) continue to write and complain about the abuses that the Spanish colonial authorities allegedly committed in the Philippine archipelago. As stated in the lead paragraph, the FANHS maintains that Filipino Indios "were forced to work as sailors and navigators onboard Spanish Galleons . . ."

A reader e-mailed me privately and asked for proof(s) that "Filipino Indios actually enlisted to join the crews of the Spanish galleons."

The proofs? There are anecdotal sources in Samar and Sorsogon Provinces that clarify the cause of the so-called "Sumoroy Rebellion" that started in Palapag town (in what is now Province of Northern Samar) in 1649. For almost 70 years, the Spaniards maintained a repair facility for their galleons in Palapag and a shipyard in Bagatao Island off Magallanes town in Sorsogon Province. The FANHS and their historians claim that the 1649-1650 rebellion, as led by Juan Ponce Sumoroy (spelled also as "Sumuroy"), was due to the forcible conscription of workers and sailors who were forced to work on the Spanish galleons.

The "Sumoroy Rebellion" was actually an uprising to protest the closure of the Palagag repair facility and the shipyard in Sorsogon Bay (just across the San Bernardino Strait between Samar and Sorsogon). This happened after the Spaniards decided to do all the work in a new shipyard in Cavite, off Manila Bay. Samarnons and Sorsoganons lost jobs and the chance to be recruited as crew members of the Spanish galleons. With the opening of the Cavite shipyard, the Tagalogs obtained geographical advantage over the natives of Samar and Sorsogon.

Even now in the 21 st century, hundreds of thousands of Filipinos join the merchant marine and set sail on thousands of foreign ships in all the world’s seven seas. The same sense of adventurism and income opportunities as crew members and shipyard workers attracted many Indios from Samar, Sorsogon and the neighboring provinces to volunteer or enlist in the 16th and 17th centuries with the Spanish maritime authorities.  

 Yes, the FANHS and some other Filipino historians continue to blame the Spaniards, the Chinese, the Americans and other foreigners for all the problems and sufferings of the Filipino people.

Editor’s Note: To read an article of similar import, "Revisiting ‘The Religion of Blame’ Filipino Psyche, Part5," please click on this link

Isn’t it about time that we stop the "Blame Game" and cease treating hysteria as history (and vice versa)? The Hoaxbalahaps (sic) in the FANHS and their allies should stop "inventing" Philippine history and turning out myths that only make legitimate historians laugh at the supposed "historical achievements" of the Filipino people.

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