Module 1 Lesson 3: Content Analysis

Group 7 Leader: Torres, Erica Bianca Members: Yumul, Ayrfenee Tanhueco,

Dennise Lozada, Xhaira Yambao, Ian

3.1 Background of the author

Juan de Plasencia, also known by Fray Juan Portocarerro, was a Spanish friar of the Franciscan
Order, born in 1520 as one of the seven children to his father, Don Pedro Portocarrero, and was
raised in Placencia in the region of Extremadura, Spain. Not much had known about his early life,
but, according to some historians, Juan spent his childhood during the Spanish Golden age or Siglo
De Oro. A spiritual and religious resurgence in Spain that might have encouraged him to join the
Franciscan at a young age. Fray Juan was among the first batches of Franciscan missionaries being
sent to the Philippines by the Casa de la Contratacion in Seville on May 21, 1577. After four (4)
months in the journey, they would arrive in Mexico to rest up and collect necessary supplies, only
to resume the voyage on March 15, 1578, and finally reaching the port of Cavite, only a few
kilometers from the south of the capital Manila on July 2, 1578. Their task was to observe, judge,
and document the customs and traditions of the colonized natives sent by the King of Spain.
Throughout the colonization, there have been issues regarding certain government officials abusing
their power to punish the natives in various ways, which lead to Plasencia making it his life mission
to protect the natives and stopping the injustices enacted upon them. According to biographers, he
is a man who leads a lifestyle of avoiding luxury and dedicated himself to his life mission and
traveled to several towns and barangays in Laguna, Tayabas, and other provinces, where he visited
natives and converted them to Christianity. Fray Juan was known for helping the poor, taking care
of the sick and standing up for the rights of the neglected natives, and even organizing education
centers for Filipinos to learn in reading, writing, and Christianity. His interest led him to his
endeavors, studying and learning about the different native languages, including their unique
customs and traditions. The efforts in his literary work caused Plasencia to produce the Doctrina
Cristiana, an early version of the book on the catechism, believed by many to be the first book
printed in the Philipines. In 1590, after years of hard work, Frey Juan de Plasencia would pass
away in Lilio, in the Province of Laguna, devoting his life to converting natives, organizing towns,
and teaching catechisms to the Filipinos.

3.2. Historical background of the document

There are at least three major discursive issues that can be extracted from the document, Customs
of the Tagalogs written by Juan de Plasencia in 1589, if we are to put socio-political context into
the text – first, the issue of authorship; second, the discourse of power in colonial writing; and
third, the logic of binarism or the Occident-Other dichotomy. These are interrelated threads that
probably constitute major segments of colonial historical writing in the Philippines. The authorial
voice or authorship plays a pivotal role in putting meaning(s) to this colonial text. The author, Juan
de Plasencia was, in the first place, not a native Tagalog but a Franciscan missionary who first
arrived in the Philippines in 1577. He was tasked by the King of Spain to document the customs
and traditions of the colonized (“natives”) based on, arguably, his own observations and judgments.
Notably, de Plasencia wrote the Doctrina Cristiana, an early book on catechism and is believed to
be the first book ever printed in the Philippines. Such initiatives were an accustomed practice of
the colonizer during the Age of Discovery to enhance their superiority over the colonized and
validity of their so-called duties and legacies to the World. It is a common fact that during this era,
the Spanish colonizers, spearheaded by missionaries, drew a wide variety of texts ranging from
travel narratives and accounts of the colony to even sermons.

3.3 Content presentation and analysis of the important historical information found in the
document

Plainly serving prompt colonial interests, numerous bits of the story are tricky to the extent that
they set the Tagalogs so as to improve the legitimacy of the colonizer's devotions. Slanted
assumption and illustrative predispositions flourish all through the whole report. In de Placensia's
record ashore possession, for instance, he said that "the grounds were split between the barangay
and nobody having a place with another barangay would develop them except if after the buy or
legacy." However, "since the coming of the Spaniards, it isn't so separated." Such articulation
suggests that the mediation of the colonizer has placed request into the disruptiveness. He likewise
made an end that Catholicism had the option to remove crude and underhanded conviction
frameworks of the Tagalogs with respect to divine beings, entombments and strange notions,
saying that "all the Tagalogs not a hint of this is left; and that the individuals who are currently
wedding don't have a clue what it is, on account of the proclaiming of the blessed gospel, which
has ousted it." This case subverts that the Tagalog populace didn't completely accept Catholicism
yet appropriated it as per their native strict practices. Summed up and essentialist claims were
likewise made by de Placencia in his conversation of the nearby traditions in "Laguna and tingues,
and among the whole Tagalo race." What comprised the Tagalo race in any case? How could he
think of such a class? Individuals of Laguna were only a little individual from the Tagalogs and
alluding them as the reflection of the whole Tagalo race is mistaken.

4. Contribution and relevance of the documents in understanding the grand narrative

of Phil. History

Juan Plasencia’s Customs of the Tagalogs became relevant because of his experiences and journey
that he wrote in his documents that provided historical information that influence current Filipino
life. Upon having Plasencia's Customs, we discovered that Filipinos were already cultured and
civilized even before the Spaniards colonized the Philippines. The people’s way of life,
socioeconomic situations, and problems encountered before reflect of how they have adapted it
and modified it in the present. It also created a foundation for the government to become more
organized and sustainable using the set of rules and regulations that have been established in the
earlier period. Overall, Plasencia’s writings about the Philippines’ early history gave us knowledge
and a more in-depth understanding of the past as a nation. Despite being colonized by different
countries, Filipinos had their own culture before them.

A huge part of his records were additionally founded on bogus correlations, and not combined with
precise data. He monotonously contrasted neighborhood conventions and Western
worldview/boundaries. The Tagalog symbol, lic-ha, for instance, was coordinated with Romans'
sculpture of god of a dead man who was daring in war and enriched with unique resources. These
two articles are obviously extraordinary in nature and don't fall under a similar class. Datos were
likewise portrayed as what could be compared to the European "aristocrats," thus sabotaging the
native political frameworks. More terrible, the ceremonial and odd convictions of the Tagalogs
were ridiculed by de Placencia, by concocting different classifications of fiend ish convictions.
The mangagauay and mangagayoma, for example, were both viewed as "witches" who performed
tricky mending methods, a judgment made by an untouchable who thought nothing about the
unpredictability of native mind. What he neglected to acknowledge is that in customary societies,
these supposed "evil" rehearses were a vital piece of Filipino society convictions; and the early
Tagalogs, in actuality, never thought about them as demonstrations of the fiend. Obviously, the
use of Western boundaries to neighborhood customs has regularly demonstrated bad tempered
particularly in grouping and portraying nearby and frontier circumstances.

5.Personal Insights

The customs of the Tagalog written by fray Juan de Plasencia could truly be one of the most
primary resources in the field of historical view of our country Philippines. Juan de Plasencia
writings are indeed documentaries in the lives of the early Filipinos that we considered as our great
ancestors. His writings customs of the Tagalog tackles about the aspects of our modern traditions
and beliefs that our early ancestor’s influences by the time when we were conquered and colonized
by the Spaniards. Base on my reading even before the Spaniards came in our country, we were
practiced by the Tagalog’s or rather our great ancestors. Indeed, we literally have our own cultures
including traditions and beliefs originated by our great ancestors and in particular it will conclude
that we have our own method or system in our government and in fact the early Filipino’s having
a fair judgment. As a Filipino for me it is indeed an impressment that even the other countries or
the western could truly proof, we have our own traditions beliefs, and our cultures, even though I
cannot say it all thus our nationality from our early ancestors their legitimate legacy it overviews
as a one Filipino.
REFERENCES:

Accustomed Othering in Colonial Writing A Review of “Customs of the Tagalogs” (two relations)
by Juan de Plasencia From The Philippine Islands 1493-1898 from Mapanoo, Sherwin A.
Retrieved from: Accustomed Othering in Colonial Writing : Philippine Art, Culture and
Antiquities (artesdelasfilipinas.com)

Said, Edward W. The Edward Said Reader. New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2007.
Retrieved from: Accustomed Othering in Colonial Writing : Philippine Art, Culture and
Antiquities (artesdelasfilipinas.com)

Life and Works of Juan de Plasencia by Gutay, Jose. Retrieved from: Life and Works of Fray Juan
de Plasencia (tripod.com)

Edward, M. (2007) Accustomed Othering in Colonial Writing A Review of “Customs of the

Tagalogs”, New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group Retrived From: Accustomed
Othering in Colonial Writing : Philippine Art, Culture and Antiquities (artesdelasfilipinas.com)