PHILIPPINE

HISTORY
Introduction

The Filipino as a person has identity, culture and social background; his roots
influences, dreams aspirations and development; the past and present political, socio-
economic and cultural development of the Philippines.

This learning sheets consist of different notes from different topics to come up with
comprehensive understanding of the history of the Philippines. Activities are given before
or after each topic to determine if the students has a prior knowledge of the topic or really
understand the topic. Students are given enough time to complete each activities and
required to pass before or after the deadline.

After completing the course, students should be able to:

1. Learned the important events and persons of the Philippine history which help form the
growth of societies and distinction of culture.
2. Familiarized the places in the Philippines.
3. Identify the people who helped shape the history of the country.
4. Discussed the issues and problems of the country after it gain its sovereignty.
5. Reevaluated the policies of the past and present administration.
6. Helped the country become a strong republic.
7. Served the country honestly and with commitment to promote common good.
8. Showed their appreciation of the Philippine culture and tradition.
9. Created a video presentation about the Philippines.
10. Valued the efforts and accomplishments of fellow countrymen for the welfare of the
nation.
11. Developed the sense of nationalism.
12. Developed positive attitudes in order to face the challenges that the country is now
facing.
13. Appreciated the country’s cultural heritage.
14. Developed sense of responsibility in taking care of the environment.
Chapter 1

GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES THE PHILIPPINES

Location
The Philippines (12.8797° N, 121.7740° E) is an archipelagic country located in Asia
particularly in Southeast Asia. It is situated in Southeast Asia and its capital is Manila located
in the island of Luzon. The country is surrounded by Pacific Ocean in the north and east,
West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) on the west, and by Sulu and Celebes Sea to the
south. It has a total land area of 300, ooo sq km (116, 000 sq mi), consisting of 1, 764 islands
and considered to be one of the largest archipelago in the world categorized under three
main geographical divisions from north to south: Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao.

Topography and Climate

Due to its location, the Philippines has a tropical maritime climate relatively has a high
temperature and humidity and abundant rainfall with northeast (amihan) monsoon from
November to April and southwest monsoon (habagat) from May to October. It has only two
seasons, wet season from June to October and dry season from November to May. January
is the coolest month with a mean temperature of 25.5oC while May is the warmest month
with a mean temperature of 28.3oC.

The topography of the Philippines is very varied, it consists of mountainous terrains,

dense and rainforests, plains, coastal areas, and volcanic masses forming the core of most of
the largest islands. Sierra Madre is the longest mountain range in the country that stretches
from the north-south from Santa Anna of the province of Cagayan to Bondoc Peninsula in
Quezon. The highest point is Mt. Apo with the elevation of 2,954 m/9,692 ft) located in
Mindanao.

Natural resources
This nation is well known for its iconic tourist spots and its vibrant culture that has
emerged over the centuries from the occupation of many different nations. But it's also a
land with rich natural resources that helps to support the nation and make it a region's
significant economy.
The Philippines is abundant in resources that are natural. It has fertile, arable fields,
varied flora and fauna, vast coastlines and rich deposits of minerals. The Philippine Mines
and Geo-Sciences Bureau has classified about 30 percent of the country's land area as
geologically prospective. But only 1.5 per cent of the land area of the country is protected by
mining licenses. In the Philippines, nickel is the most abundant deposit, though iron and
copper are also present in large quantities.
Despite the Philippines' rich natural resources , the government is constraining their
exploitation. A logging ban is enforced in certain parts of the country and "sustainable
logging" is authorized only in selected areas. There are several places, however, where
illegal logging and small-scale illegal mining persists. President Benigno Aquino III ordered a
halt to all mining operations in all (78) protected sites and eco-tourism areas in July 2012. A
positive step in the right direction in order to protect the Philippines' natural resources.

Land
The primary source of livelihood for the Philippines is its fertile land. In the Cagayan
Valley, Central Luzon, South western Bicol, Panay, Negros, Davao, Cotabato, Agusan and
Bukidnon, rich, large plains suitable for farming are found. Six main crops in the country are
rice, corn, sugar cane, coconut, abaca, and tobacco. All these goods are exported, along
with bananas and pineapples, except for rice and corn.

Bodies of Water
The Philippines boasts many different types of natural water forms, including bays,
rivers, falls in lakes, gulfs, straits, and swamps. Since it is composed of islands, the coastline
of the country would span about 17.5 thousand kilometers if laid end-to - end. For ports like
Manila Bay the Philippines is blessed with excellent natural harbours. Other excellent
harbors are located in Ilocos, Pangasinan, Visayas , and Mindanao with port potential. The
country's top three largest rivers are found in Northern Luzon, the Cagayan River, and the
Rio Grande de Mindanao and the Agusan River in Mindanao. The Agno, Pasig, Angat
Pampanga and Bicol rivers at Luzon are also among the largest river in the country. The most
prominent river among tourists is the famous Puerto Prinsesa Underground river included as
one of the new seven wonders of the world.

Apart from rivers, the nation is also bounded with lakes. The heart-shaped Laguna de
Bay is the most popular. Taal in Batangas, Sampaloc in Laguna, Buhi and Bulusan in Bicol,
Naujan in eastern Mindoro, and Lanao and Mainit in Mindanao are other well-known lakes.
The magnificent waterfalls which also serve as tourist attractions serve as the generating
power for some parts of the country. The largest waterfalls is the Maria Cristina falls, which
can be found in Mindanao in the northwestern part of the province of Lanao, while the most
famous is the Pagsanjan falls in Laguna.
Flora and Fauna

The Philippines is diverse country and considered as one of the richest biodiversity in
the world. It supports a rich and varied flora with strong botanical ties to Indonesia and
other Southeast Asian countries. Forests occupy nearly half of the land area and are usually
tropical with Dipterocarpaceae, as the dominant family, forming 75 percent of the stands.
The forest has vineyards, epiphytes and climbers.

The open grasslands, up to 2.4 m (8 ft ) in height, cover one-fourth of the land area;
they are man-made, the aftermath of the slash-and - burn agricultural system, and most
include non-nutritious, hard-to-eradicate tropical savanna grasses. The diverse flora
comprises 8,000 flowering plant species, 1,000 types of ferns and 800 orchid species.

The wild hog, deer, wild carabao, monkey, civet cat and various rodents are common
mammals. Other mammals that can be found is the often popular, the binturong, or Asian
bear cat, but now this furry mammal is vulnerable. The tamaraw, a small water buffalo
species found only at Mindoro, is critically endangered. There are around 196 bird breeding
species, including megapods (turkey-like wildfowl), button quail, jungle fowl, peacock
pheasant, duck, pigeon, parrot, and hornbill, among others. The endangered Philippine
eagle, which eats monkeys, is barely surviving deforestation. 190 species represent reptilian
life; crocodiles exist and the larger snakes include the python and several varieties of cobra.

Regions of the Philippines

The Philippines has 17 regions, eight in Luzon, six in Mindanao, and 3 in Visayas. Each
region is composed of provinces and every region has a designated city as the regional
center where the regional offices of each national government agencies is located.

For this topic, students is given an activity to discover themselves the provinces of
the Philippines and familiarized where it is located.

Activity 1: Discover Me!

Research the following

1. Cite the 17 regions of the Philippines and its name.
2. Write its member provinces with its capital and highlight the region’s center.
3. The geographical location of the region.

Follow the format below.

 Region Provinces Location
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

12.

14.

15.

16.

17.

Profile of the Filipinos as a People

 The Filipino belongs to a mixture of races, although basically he is a Malay. Centuries
of cultural and commercial contacts with the countries of Asia and more than 3 centuries of
occupation by Western powers made the Filipinos sophisticated. There is in him a blending
of East and West, so that his character exhibits curious contradictions with foreigners are
apt to misunderstand. Doubtless, the Filipinos at the coming of Spaniards was brown-
skinned like his Malay ancestors. With the Spanish colonization, however, there appeared a
kind of Filipino who was obviously the result of the not-so-licit relations between the
conqueror and the conquered. This light-skinned and high-nosed Filipinos multiplied with the
coming of the Americans. The inter-marriage between the Filipino and the foreigner
particularly the white, led to a class known as the mestizo class, also humorously called the
mestizoisie.
In the Philippine society, it is well to distinguish the types or classes of mestizos.
When one says mestizo, the obvious implication is that the person spoken of is Spanish-
Filipino. All other half-breeds are qualified by the nationality of their parents. Thus, a Filipino
with an American father or mother is called American mestizo; with a Chinese father or
mother, a Chinese mestizo; with an Indian father or mother, an Indian mestizo and so on
down the line.
It is difficult, if not impossible, to define what is a Filipino. All that can be done is to
pick out some traits common to the average Filipinos and to separate those that are
obviously Spanish or American. The common traits are probably basically Malay and
characterize the Filipino as a people.
Hospitality. One patent Filipino trait that immediately commends itself to the
foreigners is his hospitality. Filipinos are known to be welcoming to their guests and
visitors.

Family oriented. The Filipinos has a very close family ties. The family has been
the unit of the society and everything revolves around it. The Filipino family ordinarily
consists of the grandparents, the parents, and the children. The father is the head of
the family, but while he rules, the mother governs. For it is the mother that reigns in
the home: she is the educator, the financial officer, the accountant, the censor, the
laundry woman, and the cook. But all over the ruler and the governor are the
grandparents, whose opinions and decisions on all important matters are sought.

Respect for others. It is one of the Filipino trait that has remained in the book
of unwritten laws. The Filipino parent exercises almost absolute powers over the
children. It is unthinkable for a Filipino to do an important things without consulting
his parents. The latter do not condone children talking back not only to them, but to
those older than they are. The particle “po” may look innocent to you, but the little
word shows respect for another.
Respect for elders include respect for the elder brother or sister. It is the
responsibility of the elder brother to perform the duties of the father and mother to
the younger member of the family. One finds that among Filipino families, the elder
brother or sister sacrifices eve his career for the sake of the young ones who must
have an education. Even after his/her marriage, the elder brother/sister sets aside a
small part of his salary to look up their elder brother with awe and respect. Kissing
the hands (pagmamano) of the parents and olde relatives or neighbors as a sign of
respect is extended to the elder brother and sister. Among old and respectable
families even cousins kiss the hands of their elder cousins as a sign of respect.
And this brings us to that aspect of Filipino family life which is both reasonable
and unreasonable. Since collective responsibility characterizes the Filipino family, it
follows that the better-off member has to take care not only his immediate family but
also of other relatives. It is not uncommon to see the poor relations go to their
employed kin to ask for money. This is done with such regularity that, though
annoyed, the “victim” has to bear as much as he can with the importunities of his less
relatives.

Fatalistic. The Filipino is naturally fatalistic. No amount of expostulation on the

virtues of science or logic can dislodge him from his idea of fatalism. He believes that
whatever happens to him is the work of Fate. This fatalism is best symbolized in the
phrase “Bahala na”, a phrase that defies translation but which may be rendered
loosely as “come what may”.

Lack of initiative. This trait is explained by a natural fear of competition, for

Filipino society is cooperative, not competitive. The experiences of college and
university professors reveal the sad fact that the average Filipino student has to be
hammered and whipped into line in order to make him work hard. He will not, on his
own initiative, read more than what the professor assigns.

Curious. The Filipinos, being childlike, is naturally curious. But his curiosity is
tainted with sympathy. There certainly is nothing malicious in his inquiries about
one’s health, about one’s children, about one’s salary, and so forth. Not infrequently
is a sophisticated Filipino embarrassed when asked, casually and with an air of
innocent abandon, where he works and how much he earns. An old woman of little
Spanish breeding once asked a college graduate: “Poco mas o menos, how much do
you make?” The poor man blushed and hesitantly answered, trying to avoid the horn
 of the bull, “Oh, just enough for me and my wife.” “Poco o menos?” the old woman
insisted. The young man metaphorically threw up his hands and finally gave the
information sought.
This “poking into one’s pie” is easily misunderstood by a Western who, not
accustomed to such kind of “inquisitorial” method, invariably suspects the Filipino of
invading the privacy of one’s life. No such things is meant, however. The Filipinos is
solicitous and if ever he asks too many questions about another’s life and mode of
living it is because, as a man of abundant faith and sympathy, he wants-and is ready-
to offer his unsolicited help.
Jealousy. It is another trait of the Filipinos. He oftentimes get jealous to the
success of other and this usually results to crab mentality. Instead of helping and
lifting up each other, one is dragging down the other.
Regionalistic. The Filipino, too, is regionalistic. He does not thing in terms of
national boundaries but in regional oneness. This feeling is an extension of the
closeness of family ties. Invariably, the Filipino believes that the person known to
him, no matter how bad, is better than the one unknown to him no matter how
good.

Activity 2.

Aside from the characteristics of the Filipinos discussed above, cite additional five known
character of Filipinos. Identify if that character is a strength or weakness.

Strengths Weaknesses
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.
Chapter 2
Pre Spanish Period
The First Filipinos
Many historians and scientists claim that during the Pleistocene period, the first
inhabitants of the Philippine islands appeared. There are two theories explaining where the
first Filipinos originated: Beyer's "Theory of Migration" and Jocano's "Theory of Evolution".
Renowned social scientist Henry Otley Beyer in his “Migration Theory” claimed that Filipinos
came from the different group of migration that came from Southeast Asia. Every group has
different characteristics, culture, customs and traditions. On the other hand, Jocano’s
“Evolution Theory” suggests that Filipinos are the result of evolutionary process and
migration.

Migration Theory
According to Beyer’s Migration Theory the first migrants that came to the Philippines
was the “Dawnmen” or “cavemen” because they settled in caves. The Dawnmen look alike
the Java Man, Peking Man, and other Homo Sapiens existed 25o, 0oo years agon in Asia.
Their means of living is through hunting and fishing. They came to the Philippines through
the land bridges and were in search for food particularly. Because they are nomads, they
eventually left the Philippines for another destinations.
Aetas were second wave of migrants that came to the Philippines. The same with the
Dawnmen, they came to the Philippines through crossing the land bridges from Malay,
Borneo, and Australia about 30, 000 years ago. The Aetas has dark skinned, kinky hair, and
thick lips. The Aetas went all over the place basically naked and were good at food gathering
like hunting and fishing. They utilized spears and small stones weapons for gathering food.
The Aetas were already in the country when the land bridges vanished due to the
thinning of the ice glaciers and the successive increase in seawater level. This natural events
forced them to stay in the Philippines and became its first permanents settlers.
Due to the disappearance of the land bridges, the third group of migrants was
essentially skilled in seafaring. These were the Indonesians, who came to the Philippines
through boats. They were more advanced than the Aetas in that: they had tools made out of
stone and steel, which enabled them to build sturdier houses: they engaged in farming and
mining, and used materials made of brass; they wore clothing and other body ornaments.
Last to migrate to the Philippines, according to Beyer, were Malays. They were
believed to have come from Java, Sumatra, Borneo, and the Malay Peninsula more than
2,000 years ago. Like the Indonesians, they also traveled in boats.
The Malays were brown-skinned and of medium height, with straight black hair and
flat noses. Their technology was said to be more advanced than that of their predecessors.
They engaged in pottery, weaving, jewelry making and metal smelting, and introduced the
irrigation system in rice planting.

Jocano’s Theory
Renowned Filipino anthropologist Felipe Landa Jocano disputes Beyer’s belief that
Filipinos descended from Negritoes and Malays who migrated to the Philippines thousands
of years ago. According to Jocano, it is difficult to prove that Negritoes were the first
inhabitants of this country. The only thing that can positively concluded from fossil evidence,
he says is that the first men who came to the Philippines also went to New Guinea, Java,
Borneo, and Australia.
In 1962, a skullcap and a portion of a jaw-presumed to be a human origin-were found
in the Tabon Caves of Palawan by archaeologist Robert Fox and Manuel Santiago, who both
worked for the National Museum. Carbon dating placed their age at 21,000 to 22,000 years.
This proves, Jocano argues, that man came earlier to the Philippines than to the Malay
Peninsula; therefore, the first inhabitants of our islands could not have come from the
region. The “Tabon Man” is said to resemble Java Man and Peking Man. He gathered fruits,
leaves and plants for his food. He hunted with weapons made of stone. Although further
research is still being done on his life and culture, evidence shows that he was already
capable of using his brain in order to survive and keep himself safe.
Instead of the Migration Theory, Jocano advances the Evolution Theory, as a better
explanation of how our country was first inhabited by human beings, Jocano believes that
the first people of Southeast Asia were products of a long process of evolution and
migration. His research indicates that they shared more or less the same culture, beliefs,
practices an even similar tools and implements. These people eventually went their separate
ways; some migrated to the Philippines, the others to New Guinea, Java and Borneo. Proof,
Jocano says, can be found in the fossils discovered in different parts of Southeast Asia, as
well as the recorded migrations of other peoples from the Asian mainland when history
began to unfold.

Ancestors’ cultures, practices and way of life

Before the coming of Spaniards the Filipinos had a civilization of their own. The
various aspects of this civilization doubtless came partly from the Malays who settled in the
country and partly from a response to the new environment. The customs and traditions,
the government and mode of living have, to a great extent, come down to the present and
may be found in remote rural areas which have so far succeeded in resisting the impact of
modern civilization. For this reason, many of the customs and practices of the pre-colonial
Filipinos are still operative in many parts of the country, a circumstance that is, in a sense,
advantageous for it offers an observer first-hand materials for the reconstruction of the
distant past.

Clothing. Among the ancient Filipinos, the male attire was composed of the upper
and lower parts. The upper called kanggan, was a black or blue collarless jacket with short
sleeves. It seems that the color of the jacket indicated the rank of the wearer, for the chief
wore a red jacket, white those below his rank wore either blue or black depending upon
their position in society. The lower part of the attire, called bahag, consisted of a strip of
cloth wrapped around the waist, passing down between the thighs. Such method of
dressing naturally left one’s thighs and legs exposed.
The woman’s dress, too, was composed of upper and lower parts. The upper called
baro or camisa, was a jacket with sleeves, while the lower part, called saya by the Tagalogs
and patadyong by the Visayans, was loose skirt. A piece of red or white cloth, called tapis,
was usually wrapped around the waist.
Men, women, and children walked about barefooted, for sandals and shoes were
Spanish innovations. The male had a headgear consisting of a piece of cloth, called putong,
which was wrapped around his head. The color of the putong showed the “manliness” of a
man; a red putong for instance, signified that the wearer had killed a man in war. But he who
had killed at least seven was privileged to wear an embroidered putong. The woman, on the
other hand, had no putong, but wore her hair gracefully knotted at the back of her head.
Ornaments. The early Filipinos had a weakness for personal adornment, for women,
as well as men, burdened themselves with such trappings as armlets called kalumbiga,
pendants, bracelets, gold rings, earrings, and even leglets. These ornaments were made of
gold, which was abundant in the mines and rivers, and precious stones. Since gold was
common commodity, the ancients made good use of it not only by turning it into rings,
armlets and bracelets, but also into fillings between the teeth. The fillings were made to
adorn their teeth, not to cover up a decayed tooth.
The adornment of the body was made not only by wearing costly and heavy jewels,
but by tattooing it with various designs. Even when women were so tattooed about their
bodies and faces that they appeared to be preparing for a masked ball in carnival
auditorium. The tattoo, then, was a form of ornament to enhance the beauty of the man or
woman. But it had another function, namely, to exhibit a man’s war record. The more
tattoos a man had, the more he was looked up to in society, for his numerous tattoos were,
in a manner of speaking, his war medals. Among the ancient Filipinos, the Visayans were the
most tattooed people, compelling the early Spanish writers to call them Pintados or painted
ones and their islands Islas del Pintados or Islands of the Painted People. Whether their
superabundant display of tattoos was a sign of bravery or simple vanity is hard to say. It may
be presumed, however, that the most tattooed man was both vain and brave.
 Houses. If one goes to the nearest barrio or village, one will see the ancient Filipino
house. This is because the average barrio house is constructed along a plan that originates
from ancient times. There is basically no difference between the present barrio house and
the ancient Filipino one. Neither time nor fortune, it seems, has wrought significant changes
in the dwelling of the rural folk. Built to suit the tropical climate, the ancient house was
made of wood, bamboo. And nipa palm. Antonio de Morga. A Spanish jurist and chronicler,
described the average house as he saw it at the beginning of the 17 th century:
The houses and dwellings of all these natives are universally set upon stakes arigues
(i.e.,columsn) high above the ground. They are bult and tiled with woods and bamboos, and
covered and roofed with nipa-palm leaves. Each house is separate, and is not built adjoining
another. In the lower part are enclosures made by stakes and bamboos, where their fowls and
cattle are reared, and the rice pounded and cleaned. One ascends into the house by means of
ladders can be drawn up, which are made from two bamboos.
Above are their open batalanes (galleriesused for household duties; the parents and
children live together. There is little adornment and finery in the house, which is called
bahandin.

Among the descendants of the Indonesians, such as the Ilongots and the Kalingas of
northen Luzon and the Mandayas and the Bagobos of Mindanao, the houses were bult then
in a raid. On the other hand, the Bajaos or Sea Gypsies of Sulu, made their houses in their
boats, for they were a sea-roving people whose life depended upon the wealth of the seas.

Social Classes. Philippine society was divided into three classes: the nobles, the
freeman, and the dependents. The nobles consisting of the chiefs and their families, wielded
tremendous influence in the barangay and enjoyed rights that were not usually enjoyed by
the other members of society. In the Tagalog region, they usually carried the tile of Gat or
Lakan, as in Lakan Dula or Gat Maitan. Next to the nobles were the freemen, called
mahadlika by the Tagalogs. They were composed of freemen and likewise of dependents
who had earned their freedom. Occupying the lowest stratum were the dependents, known
as alipin among the Tagalogs. A dependent acquired his low status in society by inheritance,
by captivity of war, by failing to pay his debts, by purchase, or by committing a crime for
which he was duly sentenced. It must be noted, however, that the lines drawn between the
classes were not hard; member of the social classes could go up or down the social ladder
depending upon the attendant circumstances.
Among the Tagalogs, the dependents were either aliping namamahay or aliping
sagigilid. The namamahay had his own family and house and served his master his master
during planting and harvest seasons, rowed for him, helped him in construction of his house,
and served his visitors. The sagigilid, on the other hand, had no property of his own, lived
with the master, and could not even marry without the latter’s consent. Among the Visayan,
dependents were of three kinds: the tumataban, the tumarampuk, and the ayuey. The first
worked for his master when summoned to do so; the second worked one day for his master;
and the third work for three days for his lord.

The Positon of Women. Women before the coming of Spaniards enjoyed a unique
position in the society that their descendants during the Spanish occupation did not enjoy.
Customary laws gave them the right to be equal of men, for they could own and inherit
property, engage in trade and industry, and succeeded to the chieftainship of a barangay in
the absence of a male heir. Then, too, they had the exclusive right to give names to their
children. As a sigm of deep respect, the men, when accompanying women, walked behind
them.

Marriage Customs. There was a custom, not so strictly followed, in which a man
belonging to one class married a woman of the same class. Thus, a chief married a woman of
his rank; a noble that of his class; and the dependent that of his status. Nevertheless, this
custom was not rigid, and it was possible for a noble to marry a dependent or a woman of
the chieftain class, and a dependent to marry a woman outside his rank. A man’s wife was
his legitimate wife and was called asawa, while the other woman were euphemistically
called “friends”. Only the children of the wife were regarded legitimate and legal heirs,
whereas children of the other women or “friends” were not considered legitimate and,
therefore, barred from inheriting any property from the legitimate father.
Mixed Marriages. If the married couple belonged to different classes, say, a freeman
and a dependent, their children were equally divided among the parents in so far as social
status was concerned. Thus, if the father was the freeman, the eldest, the third, the fifth, the
seventh, and so on, whether male or female, belonged to the father. The second, the fourth,
the sixth, and so on, belonged to the mother dependent, all children belonging to the father
became freemen and those belonging to the mother became dependents. But in case there
was only one child the latter became half-free and half-dependent. If there were an odd
number of children say nine, the ninth child became half free and half dependent.

Inheritance and Succession. Among the ancient Filipinos, the legitimate

children automatically inherited the property of their parents even without a written will.
The property was divided equally among the children, although either parent might show a
little partiality in giving a favorite son or daughter an extra jewel or a few pieces of gold. But
if the father gave any of his sons a dowry exceeded the total amount given to the other
sons, “the excess was not counted in the whole property to be divided.” Things given in
advance to any son or daughter, unless expressly considered by the parents as outside the
property to be inherited, were interpreted to be part of the inheritance of the recipient. In
cases where there were children by a free unmarried woman, aside from the legitimate
children, the former were considered natural children if begotten after the father’s first
marriage. The natural children did not share the father’s property equally with legitimate
children. The latter were given two parts, while the remaining part was given to the natural
children. In the absence of legitimate children, the natural children inherited all the property
of the father. If a man had a legitimate children as well as children by a dependent, the latter
did not inherit anything. But it was the duty of the legitimate to free the dependent woman
and to give something to her children. In the absence of heirs, however, the property of the
couple went to their nearest relatives.

Government. The barangay was the unit of government and consisted member from
30 to 100 families. The Tagalog word barangay was derived from the Malay balangay, a boat,
which transported them to these shores. Each barangay was independent and was ruled by
a chieftain. There was no king in those days, although some chieftains were powerful; than
others and consequently respected by the other chiefs. The multiplicity of barangays implies
that there was no national or central government. It was the primary duty of the chieftain to
rule and govern his subjects and to promote their welfare. What he received from them
must be kept well and venerated. The subjects served their chieftain during wars and
voyages and helped him in the tailing and sowing of the land and construction of his house.
They paid tributes, called buwis, to their chieftain in the form of crops. The chief’s
descendants and other relatives were highly regarded in the barangay and were considered
nobles who were exempted from tributes and services.
A chieftain had wide powers, for he exercised all the functions of government. He
was the executive, the legislator, and the judge. He was naturally, the supreme commander
in time of war.
The inter-barangay relations consisted in carrying on commerce between barangays
and in agreements concerning friendship and alliance. A treaty of friendship and alliance was
concluded by means of the blood compact or sanduguan, in which the contradicting parties
drew blood from their arms and mixed the blood thus drawn with the wine in a cup. The
concluding parties then drank from the same cup, thereby making them “blood-brothers.”
Wars between barangays occurred when a man from one barangay went to another
and was murdered without any obvious cause. Another cause of the war was kidnapping the
wives of the men belonging to one barangay. Still another cause was the maltreatment of
men of one barangay by men of another barangay. In these three causes of war there
seemed to have been very little or no attempt at all to reconcile conflicts, and the resolution
of the conflict was brought by force. Vengeance was the motive power that drove the men
of the barangays to cut each other’s throat.
 Laws. Laws were either customary or written. Customary laws were handed down
orally from generation to generation and constituted the bulk of the laws of the barangay.
The written laws were those that the chieftain and his elders promulgated from time to time
as necessity arose. Only a few of the written laws, among them the so called Code of
Kalantiaw and the Muslim laws, have come down to the present because many of them
were destroyed by the early Spanish missionaries and many more were destroyed by the
elements.
The laws, customary and written, dealt with the various subjects, such as inheritance,
divorce, usury, partnership, crime and punishment, property rights, family relations,
adoption, and loans. Criminal laws dealt with felonies, or major crimes, and minor crimes. A
recidivist or habitual criminal was punished more severely than the one who committed first
offense. Major crimes were rape, incest, murder, witchcraft, insult, trespassing, sacrilegious
acts, and larceny. A man guilty of any these crimes was punished by death or by a heavy fine.
Minor crimes, on the other hand, consisted of such misdemeanors as adultery, cheating,
theft, perjury, disturbance of peace of the night by singing, and destroying documents
owned by the chief. These misdemeanors were punished by exposure to the ants, by small
fine, by flogging, by cutting the fingers of one hand, or by swimming for a certain number of
hours.

How a Law was Made. When a chieftain of a barangay wanted a law enacted to
prevent, say, the commission of serious or minor crimes, he called in the elders of the
community and told them what he had in mind. The elders approved his plan, for it was
meant to protect society from the incursions of the bad elements. The chieftain then made
the necessary regulations or rules, which the elders immediately approved.
A public announcer, called umalohokan, was summoned and ordered to go around
the barangay to announce the promulgation of the new rules and regulations. With a bell in
one hand, the umalohokan called the attention of the subjects by ringing the bell furiously.
The people gathered around him and heard from him the provisions of the new law.
Anybody violating the law was promptly arrested and brought before the chieftain to be
judged according the merits of the case.
Judicial Process. Disputes are inevitable in any society, and Filipino society before the
arrival of the Spaniards was not an exception. But disputes in the latter case were usually,
though probably not always, decided peacefully through a “court” composed of the
chieftain as judge and the barangay elders as “jury”. Conflicts arising between subjects of
different barangays were resolved by arbitration in which a board composed of elders from
neutral barangays acted as arbiter.
Trials were held publicly and decisions were rendered promptly thereby avoiding
what is now known as “juice delayed”. Probably because there were no lawyers at that time,
all trials were conducted efficiently and without delay. The accuser and the accused faced
each other with their respective witness. The latter, to show their honesty and sincerity,
took an oath to this effect: “May the crocodile devour me if I tell any falsehood,” “May the
lightning strike me if I don’t tell the truth and nothing but the truth,” “May I die here and
now if I tell a lie,” “May the sun and the moon frown upon me.” It was as simple as that;
there was no Bible to put one’s right hand on, unlike today when the Bible is not taken
seriously by those who swear by it.
The disputants then began presenting their arguments, buttressed by the
testimonies of their respective witnesses. The chieftain listened attentively and the elders
took mental notes of the arguments. The disputant with more witnesses to his side was
adjudged the winner. Naturally, not a few losers contested the decision. In this case, the
chieftain, acting as judge and executive, enforced his judgement by siding openly with the
winner and compelling the defeated party to respect the judgement of the honorable court.
Under such circumstances, the defeated party had no other recourse than to bow before
the inevitable.

Trial by Ordeal. The medieval European had no monopoly of the trial by ordeal, for
the ancient Filipinos practiced it under certain circumstances to determine the guilt of a
person. The trial by ordeal was resorted in order to show that God in His infinite wisdom
always took the side of the innocent.
Several ordeals were adopted to determine the innocence or guilt of a party:
The first consisted in ordering the suspects to place a stone in a vessel with
boiling water and compelling them to dip their hands into the vessel to take out the
stone. The suspect who refused to obey the command was regarded as the culprit. If
the suspects made the attempt as ordered, the man whose hand was scalded the
most was considered the guilty one.
The second consisted of giving lighted candles to the suspects. The man
whose candle unfortunately died out first was regarded as the guilty party.
The third consisted of ordering the suspects to plunge into the river or lake
with lances. He who came to the surface first was considered guilty.
The fourth consisted in ordering the suspects to chew uncooked rice. Each of
them spat his saliva and the one whose saliva came out the thickest was adjudged
the culprit.

Religious Beliefs. The ancient Filipinos believed in the immortality of the soul and in
life after death. Their rituals were based on beliefs in a ranking deity whom they called
Bathalang Maykapas and a host of other deities, in environmental spirits, and in soul-spirits.
The Bathala, the given equivalent of the Spanish Dios, was supposed to be the creator of the
earth and man and therefore superior to all other deities.

The arrival and spread of Islam

The Spread of Islam to Old Malaysia was brought about by the activities of the Arab
traders, missionaries, and teachers who introduced their religious beliefs among the Malays.
The foundation of Islam was laid in Malaysia by the Arabian scholar Mudum, who arrived in
the Malay Peninsula about the middle of the 14 th century. He succeeded in establishing
Malacca a rather tenuous foothold for Islam. About 1380, he proceeded to Sulu and
preached the doctrines of Mohammed. In 1390, Raja Baginda, one of the petty rulers of
Menangkabaw, Sumatra, arrived in Sulu and promptly converted some of the natives to
Islam. His religious activities were followed by Abu Bakr who, about 1450, left Palembang
Sulu. He married Raja Baginda’s daughter, Paramisuli. After Baginda’s death, Abu Bakr
exercised his powers as sultan and established a government a government patterned after
the Sultanate of Arabia. Islam spread rapidly to all parts of Sulu.
In Mindanao, Serif Kabungsuan, who had meanwhile arrived form Johore with his
me, immediately began laying the foundations of Islam. He converted many tribes to his
religion and having married into an influential family, made himself the first sultan of
Mindanao. From then on, Islam spreads rapidly to the Visayas and Luzon. The arrival of
Spaniards in the second half of the 16 th century and the subsequent conquest of Luzon led
the Muslims to retreat to south where they maintained their independence from foreign
powers to the end of the Spanish regime.

Exercise 1. Fill in the Blocks (15 pts)

Who were the

first settlers in How did they Characteristics Way of Legacy to the
the came to the living Philippines/Filipinos
Philippines? Philippines
(in order)
References
Agoncillo, Teodoro A. (2012). History of the Filipino people. c & e publishing.quezon city,
Philippines
Wilfredo Y. Licuanan, Reine W. Cabreira, Porfirio M. Aliño, (2019) Chapter 23 Pages 515-537 -
The Philippines, Editor(s): Charles Sheppard, World Seas: an Environmental Evaluation
(Second Edition), Academic Press.

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/countries/philippines/
https://www.philatlas.com/regions.html
Figure 1- uploaded by Maïna L'Azou Jackson
Content may be subject to copyright.
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Map-of-the-Philippines-showing-the-administrative-17-
regions-19-20-The-Republic-of-the_fig1_267872402
Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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