Like our national hero Jose Rizal once said, “Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan.” (“He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination.”) The popular quote reminds us that we always need to remember where we came from, highlighting the importance of knowing our own history.
Times have become much more modern since the age of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, so if you need a refresher on how our favorite heroes came to be heroes, or just want to learn more about our history, watch these Filipino historical documentaries now available for free on the National Historical Commission of the Philippines’ (NHCP) Youtube channel.
Image credit: NHCP Museums
If you want a change of content from your usual Netflix movies and series, you might want to consider checking out a history documentary. It might sound like a nerdy thing to do, but history is actually pretty cool – we get to learn why the Philippines is the way it is now and the stories of iconic people.
You can learn all about Philippine history with these 6 free documentaries provided by the NHCP. Not only can you watch them for free and easily through Youtube, but they’re also less than 1 hour long each, so it won’t take up too much of your time.
Among the 6 documentaries, you can relearn the stories of popular national heroes Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Apolinario Mabini, and Emilio Jacinto. Though we’ve learned about them in our Makabayan and history classes, these documentaries are a good refresher, or might even teach you a new tidbit or two.
2 of the 6 documentaries also focus on the women in our history, including Gregoria de Jesus, the OG Katipunera. Kababaihan ng Rebolusyon specifically takes a break from the popular male heroes to shine a light on how women aided the revolution.
Aside from free documentaries, the NHCP’s Youtube channel is also filled with other informative videos. They’ve done a 10-episode series on Martial Law under the Marcos regime, with each episode lasting 1-3 minutes long.
Their channel is also where you can find all the iconic Filipino anthems you might need for a project or just a boost of patriotism, from Lupang Hinirang to Pilipinas Kong Mahal.
Other content includes tours of museum exhibits and infographics on current and historical events.
No need to be in school to get some learning done, especially since these days, it’s much safer to stay in. Being at home with a phone or laptop and internet access is all you need to watch a documentary or video clip, in case you want to learn something new.
Also check out:
Cover image adapted from: @matthewlopez93 and NHCP Museums
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