Fool’s Gold: Fakes, Frauds, and Fallacies in Philippine History by Bob Couttie

Abstract

Reviewed by: Fool’s Gold: Fakes, Frauds, and Fallacies in Philippine History by Bob Couttie Francisco Jayme Paolo A. Guiang BOB COUTTIE Fool’s Gold: Fakes, Frauds, and Fallacies in Philippine History. Vol. 1. Quezon City: Central Books, 2020. 213 pages. Fool’s Gold: Fakes, Frauds, and Fallacies in Philippine History, volume 1, is an interesting work that unravels historical misconceptions that are commonly believed to be true. Bob Couttie, the book’s author, is an independent scholar who completed courses in forensic science at the University of Strathclyde; forensic psychology at The Open University in Milton Keynes, England; forensic science and criminal justice at the University of Leicester; military ethics at the University of New South Wales Canberra; and antiquities trafficking and art crime at the University of Glasgow. His interest in Philippine history is evident in articles in his blogsite, Bob’s Histories and Mysteries. Most noteworthy is Couttie’s book Hang the Dogs: The True Tragic History of the Balangiga Massacre (New Day, 2004), a scholarly work that introduces provocative ideas about the history of the Balangiga incident during the Philippine–American War. Fool’s Gold is printed and published by Central Books, although it can also be ordered online through a dedicated Facebook page and the author’s blogsite. Couttie offers his readers a very timely work in light of the recent surge in fake news, disinformation, and cases of negative historical revisionism that are used to advance certain political interests. The author recognizes this premise early in the book: “Falsehood has been weaponised as never before and democracy and freedom and the welfare and future of everything we know and care for is under threat. It is a war on truth” (xi). A distinct feature of Couttie’s work lies in its primary aim, which is to promote reasoned argument and critical thinking by revisiting “a range of popular, often outdated, misconceptions about Philippine history” (xi). Hence, Fool’s Gold is a scholarly work that does not only rectify erroneous or misleading information but also provokes readers to have a nuanced appreciation of [End Page 319] history. In line with this idea, the author explains that “If we apply that critical thinking skill to everything we hear, read or watch then we will be better armed against the falsehoods that seek to influence us and persuade us to be complicit in our own imprisonment and oppression” (xi). To expose “fakes, frauds, and fallacies” present in existing historical knowledge, Couttie thematically divides the book into four sections that deal with various topics across Philippine history. His bias toward the history of the Philippine–American War is evident in the first section, “War Stories,” which includes seven chapters. Couttie revisits and clarifies fascinating historical facts, such as the identity of Lewis M. Johnson, the “Colonel of Artillery” who served as the lone American signatory in the Philippine Declaration of Independence (3–29), and the contradicting statistics on the supposed death toll in Samar during the Philippine–American War (67–75). The succeeding five chapters are lumped under a section titled “Myths and Legends,” in which the author interrogates timeless debates in Philippine history. These discussions include Renato Constantino’s assessment of José Rizal as an American-sponsored hero (144–70), the story of Princess Urduja and its place in Philippine lore (111–33), and even Pres. Ferdinand Marcos’s ambitious anti-typhoon rocket program (134–42). Couttie probes into manufactured historical truths in the three chapters that comprise the third section, “Fakers All.” Most intriguing in this section is the author’s examination of the Tallano wealth, which Marcos purportedly acquired prior to his political heyday. The last section, aptly titled “And Finally,” is composed of a single chapter, “Kill the Chocolate Biscuit” (205–9), which deals with the controversy of the Hispanic chocolate biscuit brand Filipinos. Indeed, Couttie leads his readers into a dense narrative that is composed of multiple layers of inquiries that identify historical falsehoods and misconceptions. The discussions are thoroughly pursued through an examination of essential literature and relevant primary documents. Ending Fool’s Gold with a section on the history of chocolate as beverage and delicacy during the Spanish colonial period is...