By Gabriela Baron
Filipino historians weighed in on the “history is chismis” (gossip) remark which recently made rounds on social media.
Ambeth Ocampo, author of multiple history books who also teaches at the Ateneo de Manila University, reminded the public not to “confuse history and chismis.”
“Don’t confuse history and chismis,” Ocampo wrote in a Facebook post.
“History may have bias but it is based on fact not opinion. Real history is about truth, not lies, not fiction,” he added.
Unlike gossip and hearsays, history is based on evidence and documentations, according to historian and academician Xiao Chua.
“History can be filtered, history can be biased, history can also be [an] opinion, pwede ‘yun. Pero merong nakakalimutan at ‘yung nakakalimutan, ‘yun ‘yung pinakaimportante, ‘yung method, because history is evidence-based kaya hindi pwedeng chismis,” Chua said in a radio interview on Monday, July 4.
“Pagka-na-verify na ‘yung chismis, hindi na siya chismis. Yung ginagawang method, ‘yun ‘yung verification,” Chua added.
‘Historical chismis’
But for writer and history professor Jose Victor Torres, there is such a thing as “historical chismis” but are just “grains and kernels of facts in the entire pot of history.”
“Yes, there is such thing as ‘historical gossip’ or ‘historical tsismis.’ And what makes these gossip interesting is that our minds are tickled in studying history whether they are true or not,” Torres wrote in a Facebook post.
He pointed out that “historical tsismis colors our history” and “shows the generations of Filipinos how human our historical figures are.”
“But again, they are just grains and kernels of facts in the entire pot of history. For history is a story of a nation in its entirety.”
This after actress Ella Cruz made the headlines when she likened history to mere gossip.
“History is like tsismis. It is filtered and dagdag na rin, so hindi natin alam what is the real history. Andoon na ‘yung idea, pero may mga bias talaga. As long as we’re here alive at may kanya-kanyang opinion, I respect everyone’s opinion,” Cruz was quoted as saying. – ag
