I.

) ECONOMIC: What was the process of trading between Philippines and other
countries during pre- colonial period?

1. Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (Events in the Philippine Islands) ,

published in Mexico in 1609, Antonio De Morga page 104
“The contracts and negotiations of these natives were generally illegal, each one paying
attention to how he might better his own business and interest.”

“Loans with interest were very common and much practiced, and the interests incurred
were excessive. The debt doubled and increased all the time while payment was delayed,
until it stripped the debtor of all his possessions, and he and his children when all their
property was gone, became slaves.”

“Their customary method of trading was by bartering one thing for another, such as food,
cloth, cattle, fowls, lands, houses, fields, slaves, fishing grounds, and palm- trees (both
nipa and wild). Sometimes a price intervened, which was paid in gold, as agreed upon,
resemble large pans and are very sonorous. They play upon these at their feasts, and
carry them to the war in their boats instead of drums and other instruments. There are
often delays and terms for certain payments and bondsmen who intervene bind
themselves, but always with very usurious and excessive profits and interest.”

Morga

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2. Chau- Ju- Kua from His work on the Chinese and Arab Trade in the twelfth and
thirteenth centuries, entitled Chu-fan-chi
"Whenever foreign traders arrive at any of the settlements, they live on board ship before
venturing to go on shore, their ships being anchored in mid-stream, announcing their
presence to the natives by beating drums. Upon this the savage traders race for the ship
in small boats, carrying cotton, yellow wax, native cloth, coconut-heart mats, which they
offer for barter. If the prices cannot be agreed upon, the chief of the [local] traders must
go in person in order to come to an understanding, which being reached the natives are
offered of silk umbrellas, porcelain and rattan baskets; but the foreigners still retain on
board one or two (natives) as hostages. After that they go on shore to traffic which being
ended they return the hostages."

“Trade is carried on in the following way. When a ship arrives there, natives take all the
goods and carry them for sale into the interior, whilst sell they sell also to the neighboring
countries, and when they come back the native articles are delivered to our merchants as
payment. When many pearls have been found during a year and our traders get large
ones, they make a profit of many hundred per cent; even if there are only a few pearls,
still a profit of a hundred per cent is made.”

Who is Chau Ju Kua – There is no direct reference as to the time in which Chao Ju-kua lived, but his name
is mentioned in the Imperial Catalogue, whence it appears that he was probably descended from some member
of the imperial family of the Sung dynasty, whose real name was Chao; and that he was born after the beginning
of the second half of the twelfth century. He was inspector of the salt gabel in the province of Fo-kien, and his
title was probably Shih-po, which means “Superintendent of Sea Trade.” As this post existed in Fo-kien only
during the years 1277–1287, it is probable that those dates fix the period of Chao Ju-kua. His work is called
the Chu-fan-chih, and the greater part of his notes are copies from older records. His position, however, gave
him opportunity to gather information personally from the traders who anchored at his port. At that time more
foreign traders frequented Chinese ports than either before or after, and it would be comparatively easy to gather
information. The Chu-fan-chih contains more geographical information than do the court records. See F.
Hirth’s China and the Roman Orient (Leipsic and Munich; and Shanghai and Hong-kong, 1885), pp. 21–25. ↑

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3. A description of early trade between Chinese merchants named Chan Ju-

Kuatom and the island he called Ma’I which was probably north of Borneo

“Chinese traders reached the shore of an island north of Borneo they called Ma’i.
They brought porcelain vases, iron, lead and glass beads which they left on the
shore and which, at night were picked up by people from the hills. The people
disappeared with the goods, not to return until 6-8 months later when they brought
back cotton, yellow wax, pearls, tortouise shells and betel nut, and nut which they
chewed and which could be compared to present day chewing tobacco, which they
left on the shore.”

Chan Ju Kuatom- a chinese merchants so it only means that he witnesses the

process of trading in the island of Ma’i

Description about Ma-i- Ma-yi,” the ancient name for Luzón, is derived from “Bahi” or “Bahy,” former
names of the lake of Bay. In other Chinese dialects, the name is given as “Ma-yit,” “Ba-hi,” or “Ba-yit.” As
the chief Tagálogs of Bulakan at the time of the conquest bore the title of “Gat-maytan,” I infer that the
name “Ma-yi” might very reasonably be derived from the ancient name of Bulakan, for that province was
always the richest district of Luzón. The whole of the Philippine archipelago was called “Ma-yi” by the
Chinese author. Dr. Hirth says also that the Chinese character “Ma-hi,” may also be read. “Mo-yat,” “Ba-
ek,” “Ma-i,” “Ma-yek,” etc.—B. ↑
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4. A History of the Philippines (2011) David P. Barrows

"When the merchant (Chinese) ships arrive at this port they anchor in front of an open
place ... which serves as a market, where they trade in the produce of the country. When
a ship enters this port, the captain makes presents of white umbrellas (to the mandarins).
The merchants are obliged to pay this tribute in order to obtain the good will of these
lords.” The products of the country are stated to be yellow wax, cotton, pearls, shells,
betel nuts, and yuta cloth, which was perhaps one of the several cloths still woven of
abacá, or piña. The articles imported by the Chinese were “porcelain, trade gold, objects
of lead, glass beads of all colors, iron cooking-pans, and iron needles.”
“These junks also visited the more central islands, but here traffic was conducted on
the ships, the Chinese on arrival announcing themselves by beating gongs and the
Filipinos coming out to them in their light boats. Among other things here offered by the
natives for trade are mentioned “strange cloth,” perhaps cinamay or jusi, and fine mats.”
Who is david – he is a General Superintendent of Public Instruction for the Philippine
Islands at ito ay batay sa pahayag na nasa kaniyang libro
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5. The Philippines before 1521 A.D. Robert Van Niel (1992)

“Agricultural and forest products which had always formed the basis of the trade in
the area were now augmented by an active slave trade. The coastal communities of
the Visayas served as the supply source for slave raiders. On the northern island of
Luzon, the area of Manila Bay over centuries had developed into an extensive
agricultural and trading area. Contacts with China were old but had never led
politically or economically to much more than a confederation of barangay to regulate
the exchange of local products such as honey, beeswax, livestock and exotic birds,
food products, palm wine and sugar in exchange for porcelain and metal products.
Sometime, probably around 1500 A.D. this trade also began to be organized by
Moslem merchants, either Chinese or Malay, and a more sophisticated state system
was developed.”

Robert van niel-

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