This made me feel that this book was just like any other book on pre-colonial Philippines: ethnographic accounts masquerading as a prelude to Magellan's landing in 1521. To make matters worse, everything was from the perspective of the Spaniards!

Lo and behold when I read this book, it was not a narrative history at all it was but an ethnography of 16th century Philippines. I though that this book will narrate pre-colonial Philippine history in detail, and that it would supply the wanting native identity all of us long for. It was my interest in native Philippine heritage which roused my curiosity in this book. This book is the crown jewel of pre-colonial Philippine studies almost every work written on this subject uses this book as a source. Unfortunately, I was not that satisfied-but still it was a worthy read-so I am only giving it four stars. Why do we not writer narrative histories about the expansion of the Bruneian empire in Kota Seludong (present-day Manila) or the attempted invasion of Majapahit in the same area? We, Filipinos, need a book a like this to satiate our thirst for a native identity.I have had high hopes for this book. I long for a book which does a survey of narratives of pre-Hispanic Philippine history from various sources Filipinos were mentioned in the accounts of the Thai, Burmese, Borneans, Chinese, etc.

Barangay by william henry scott