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
