Philippines Treasures

Before the Spaniards colonized us, the Philippines was a rich country. It was
believed that our ancestors wore lots of palamuti as their everyday wear. It
distinguished the royalty from the commoners. Our country already had social classes
back then namely the maharlika, which were the noblemen, the timawa were the
commoners and the alipin were the slaves. Aside from that, precolonial Philippines had a
rich culture. It involved festive and gatherings that included activities like theatrics,
singing, and dancing.
In the documentary, it showed that a man found different kinds of exquisite gold
accidentally. The pieces of gold that the man found was believed to be originally created
here in our country because of the intricate designs and also with the fact that Philippines
is rich in minerals like gold. Another case was the small piece of gold statue named The
Golden Tara. Unfortunately, the Manobo woman that found it in the waters of Wawa
River in Agusan lost it, but some also say that it was stolen. It was passed on to many
hands until the Americans finally bought it with the worth of $4000 only. It can now be
found in Fields Museum in Chicago.
Its a shame that this kind of treasure isnt in the hands of the Filipinos, although
its a bit relieving too because the staff in the museum are taking great care of the Golden
Tara. In fact, some tourists think that its one of the most valuable thing inside the
museum.