One is that historians of an earlier generation, such as teodoro a. agoncillo and Renato constantino, have established the basic and comprehensive account of our history which have gained general acceptance, and have been institutionalized through the educational system as part of the Filipinos collective knowledge. A younger generation of historians have pointed out, however, that most of what has been written as a general history of the Philippines present a manila-centric perspective and tend to focus on national political history. A general history would, by its nature, inevitably have gaps and omissions with regards to local history. We can continue the work began by the older generation by filling in the gaps and omissions and presenting alternative viewpoints that reflect more accurately the complex nature of our collective history.
A second is the dismantling since 1986 of constraints imposed by the Marcos dictatorship, such as the instruments of state censorship, state-directed and state-sponsored writing of an “official history”, the suppression through military rule of free thought and contrary viewpoints, and pervasive fear among ordinary citizens engendered by blatant violations by the Marcos administration of our human rights. A social environment that is largely free from the fear of state power a stimulus to intellectual and cultural creativity, including historical research.
A third are the initiatives take by the national government since 1987 to promote historical awareness and encourage research agencies such as the national commission for culture and the arts, the national centennial commission and the national historical institute. By providing direction and financial assistance toward cultural awareness and historical research, these agencies have encouraged and enabled local groups and institutions to do their part. The series of national centennial celebrations under government sponsorship in particular have stimulated and inspired new interest among the people to study and promote local history.
A fourth are the concerned individuals in the regions beyond manila who have, on their own or through an organization, taken up the task of contributing to the research and writing of local history in their firm belief that the stories of the people must be heard now, without waiting for government intervention or assistance. Most have not gained academic or official recognition, but they, almost single-handedly, have kept historical research and writing alive in the regions.
The four factors mentioned have converged in the decade of the nineties, thus the flowering of a new era in the field of local history in the last decade of the twentieth century.
Actually, local history writing has a long tradition in the Philippines. We are all familiar with the souvenir programs generated by countless town fiestas and similar community celebrations that almost always contain a short account of the town’s history. Likewise, with feature articles on historical event and personalities published in local newspapers. But if we want local history to be of lasting value, history writing must become more professional. A good written historical account should exhibit at least three characteristics.
First, it must be an original work, not a rehash or a recycling of historical facts which have been written about countless times. An original work could either present new information (historical facts) usually using primary sources, or provide new perspectives, insights or interpretation to familiar information.
Second, it deals with a subject matter which is of historical value. Not everything in the past is worth researching, even if it were possible to do that. History is an academic discipline that is basically a look back through time. A historical account must show where we came from, how thing changed, what particular path was taken and for what reasons, and why we are where we are now.
Third, it must meet basic academic standards expected of any written work. These may include criteria such as good grammar whatever the language used, clarity of presentation or narrative, and proper attribution through a bibliography or foot/endnotes. Any historical writing which does not cite its sources is not very credible because it cannot be cross-verified.
Thus, a historical account which manifests the above characteristics would most likely be a research of value.
It should be emphasized that the history of a region or province can best be researched and written by the people of the region themselves, for a number of reasons. First, it would be a source of pride for local historians to have written a history of their own ethnic group or their hometown or home province. Second, the local historian would also be expressing the values and perceptions specific to his group or homeplace, which may be misinterpreted or unperceived otherwise by non-locals. Third, the local historian can also have easy access to local p