“Judging A Book By Its Cover” – Ambeth Ocampo. “Judging A Book By Its Coverage” – Frank A Hilario. The Question Of PH’s Declaration Of Independence In 1896

Not well-known, I am an 83-year old writer & editor, self-taught, inspired by the Reader’s Digest during my high school days in the mid-1950s. Well-known Ambeth Ocampo, 63 years old, is a much-respected historian – but today, I find I can edit him! (Once an editor, always an editor, eh?)

Right now, I’m reading Mr Ocampo’s Facebook sharing of Wed 27 March 2024:

Historians read differently. While most people start with the so-called “Front Matter” (Title Page, Introduction, Table of Contents, etc.) historians usually start at the back of the book, checking out the Bibliography or the list of sources (manuscript, printed, oral, and digital) used in the writing of the book. Historians judge a book not by its cover but by its “Back Matter.”

Mr Ocampo: If you judge a book by the list of sources that was used to produce the contents, then you are giving weight to the sources (which you should), but not much weight to the words of the author (which you should not). Ignoring logic and/or originality of the author is dangerous, even in history writings, especially if the writer is original! (Well, I’m not surprised, because historians are hardly original, here or abroad.)

I editor would give equal weights to the list of sources and the thoughts of the author of the book, whether of history or not. Nowadays, you can always check digitally – you just have to google skillfully, and patiently. (Yes, you may have to google repeatedly – but that saves you from buying a new or old book!)

More to the point, he may not have realized it, but Mr Ocampo himself needs an editor.

Example: Mr Ocampo never mentions the fact that the alleged Philippines’ “Declaration of Independence” (from Spain) declared on 12 June 1896 was actually a “Declaration of Dependence” (on the United States)!

Here is the historical proof. This is from the “Declaration of Independence” dated 12 June 1898 (Wikipedia, en.wikisource.org):

And having as witness to the rectitude of our intentions the Supreme Judge of the Universe, and under the protection of the Powerful and Humanitarian Nation, the United States of America, we do hereby proclaim and declare solemnly in the name and by authority of the people of these Philippine Islands…
(lower image from shutterstock.com)

(And how many did sign that document? If I am not mistaken, there were 84 signatures, from “Don Segundo Serrano Arellano” to “Don Ladislao Diwa” (from Wikipedia, en.wikisource.org).

If you call “under the protection of” the same as a “declaration of independence” – then you must be using an alien dictionary!

That is to say, historians must be their own editors – or hire somebody else to sharpen their logic, not to mention their language, especially a foreign language like English.

In any case, the way historical events are shaping up, with the threats from Red China, the reality is that PH is still under the protection of the US of A. History does repeat itself!@517