ROSS R.

REYES
BSIT GTT 1B

LESSON 3:
TITTLE: CUSTOMS OF THE TAGALOGS

ACTIVITY 4:
Fill in the table with corresponding answer base on your understanding about Customs of the
Tagalog.

What I Know What I Want to Know

ANALYSIS:

1.Who is Fr. Juan de Plasencia? When did he serve in the Philippine Island?
Juan de Plasensia, A Franciscan missionary in the Tagalog region since 1578 until 1590. He
was among the first group of Franciscan missionaries who arrived in the Philippines on July
2,1578.

2. How did he describe the hierarchy of people in the barangay?

into three castes which are Nobles ( maharlica),Commoners (aliping namamahay)
and slaves (aliping sa guiguilar).
3.Which particular pre-colonial policy or rule stood out to you? Why?
Juan de Plasencia was a Spanish friar of the Franciscan Order. He was among the first
group of Franciscan missionaries who arrived in the Islands on July 2, 1578.

He spent most of his missionary life in the Philippines, where he founded numerous towns in
Luzon and authored several religious and linguistic books, most notably the Doctrina Cristiana
(Christian Doctrine), the first book ever printed in the Philippines.

4.What does Fr. Plasencia’s account reveal about the religious and spiritual beliefs of
the early Filipinos?

According to the accounts of Fr. Juan de Plasencia the early Filipinos adored the stars, although
they did not know them by their names, as the Spaniards and other nations know the planets–
with one exception of the morning star, which they called Tala.

5.What are the reasons of the natives for offering sacrifices?

The early religious worship included the veneration of the spirits and the ancestors. The early
Filipinos believed in the cult of the dead and, in addition, the cult of the spirits. They also
believed in the offering of sacrifices to appease their gods
APPLICATION:

Mind mopping: Create a mind map of the important concept on the following :
1.Political Organization

Plasencia also helped in the foundation and

organization of numerous towns in Quezon, Laguna, Rizal, and Bulacan. His continuous
interaction with the people he converted to Christianity enable him to write a work titled
Relacion de las Custombres de Los Tagalogs (Customs of the Tagalogs, 1589) where he
vividly described the political, social, economic, and cultural practices of the Filipino
before they were Christianized.

2.Economic Organization

It also covers numerous topics that are

relevant in many disciplines. Political scientists, for instance, find it useful because it
contains information about the social classes, political stratifications, and legal system of
the Tagalog region. Many of what we know about the duties and responsibilities of the
datu, maharlika, and alipin cames from Plasencia’s account. Moreover, it tackles property
rights, marriage rituals, burial practices, and the manner in which justice is dispensed.
Plasencia’s account also preserves and popularizes the unwritten customs, traditions, and
religious and superstitious beliefs of the Filipinos.

3.Cultural Practice and Traditions

Pigafetta’s work is popular primary source as it vividly describes the way of life of the
Filipinos before Spanish and Christian influences. One can say that our historical
knowledge about the manananggal, aswang, hukluban, and gayuma, among others came
from Plasencia’s works.