Manuel S.

Enverga University Foundation

Lucena City
Granted Autonomous Status
CHED CEB Res. 076-2009

Expanded Tertiary Equivalency Education Accreditation Program

Prof. Joana Fe B. Panganiban, RGC

Email address: jfembp@mseuf.edu.ph
Mobile number: 09334947812

SOCIAL SCIENCES MODULE 1

CULTURE AND SOCIETY

Culture and Society Defined

Anthropologically, culture consists of the beliefs, behaviors, objects, and other

characteristics common to the members of a particular group or society. Through culture, people
and groups define themselves, conform to society’s shared values, and contribute to society.
Thus, culture includes many societal aspects: language, customs, values, norms, mores, rules,
tools, technologies, products, organizations, and institutions. This latter term, institution, refers to
clusters of rules and cultural meanings associated with specific social activities. Common
institutions are the family, education, religion, work, and health care.

Popularly speaking, being cultured means being well‐educated, knowledgeable of the arts,
stylish, and well‐mannered. High culture—generally pursued by the upper class—refers to
classical music, theater, fine arts, and other sophisticated pursuits. Members of the upper class
can pursue high art because they have cultural capital, which means the professional credentials,
education, knowledge, and verbal and social skills necessary to attain the “property, power, and
prestige” to “get ahead” socially. Low culture, or popular culture—generally pursued by the
working and middle classes—refers to sports, movies, television sitcoms and soaps, and rock
music. Remember that sociologists define culture differently than they do cultured, high culture,
low culture, and popular culture. Sociologists define society as the people who interact in
such a way as to share a common culture. The cultural bond may be ethnic or racial, based on
gender, or due to shared beliefs, values, and activities. The term society can also have a
geographic meaning and refer to people who share a common culture in a particular location. For
example, people living in arctic climates developed different cultures from those living in desert
cultures. In time, a large variety of human cultures arose around the world. Culture and
society are intricately related. A culture consists of the “objects” of a society, whereas a society
consists of the people who share a common culture. When the terms culture and society first
acquired their current meanings, most people in the world worked and lived in small groups in
the same locale. In today's world of 6 billion people, these terms have lost some of their
usefulness because increasing numbers of people interact and share resources globally. Still,
people tend to use culture and society in a more traditional sense: for example, being a part of a

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 Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation
Lucena City
Granted Autonomous Status
CHED CEB Res. 076-2009

“racial culture” within the larger “Philippine society (cliffnote.com/study-guides/sociology/

culture and societies).

10 Reasons Why Life Was Better in Pre-colonial Philippines

While Filipinos nowadays are fairly knowledgeable of the Spanish, American, and
Japanese eras in the Philippines, the same cannot be said when it comes to the country’s
precolonial era. Which is a shame actually, because even before the coming of the three foreign
races, our ancestors were pretty much living in a veritable paradise.

Although it wasn’t perfect, that era was actually the closest thing we ever had to a Golden
Age, a sentiment shared by national hero Jose Rizal, members of the Katipunan, noted historian
Teodoro Agoncillo, and even some church historians.

Let’s look at some of the compelling reasons why we think life was really better during
the pre-Spanish Philippines.

1. Women enjoyed equal status with men.

During pre-colonial times, women shared equal footing with men in society. They were
allowed to divorce, own and inherit property, and even lead their respective barangays or
territories.

In matters of family, the women were for all intents and purposes the working heads,
possessing the power of the purse and the sole right to name their children. They could dictate
the terms of their marriage and even retain their maiden names if they chose to do so.

During this time, people also traced their heritage to both their father and mother. In fact,
it could be said that pre-colonial Philippines was largely matriarchal, with the opinions of women
holding great weight in matters of politics and religion (they also headed the rituals as the
babaylans).

As a show of respect, men were even required to walk behind their wives. This largely
progressive society that elevated women to such a high pedestal took a serious blow when the
Spanish came. Eager to impose their patriarchal system, the Spanish relegated women to the
homes, demonized the babaylans as satanic, and ingrained into our forefathers’ heads that
women should be like Maria Clara—demure, self-effacing, and powerless.

2. Society was more tolerant back then.

While it could be said that our modern society is one of the most tolerant in the world, we
owe our open-mindedness not to the Americans and certainly not to the Spanish, but to the
precolonial Filipinos.

Aside from allowing divorce, women back then also had a say in how many children they
wanted. Sexuality was not as suppressed, and no premium was given to virginity before
marriage. Although polygamy was practiced, men were expected to do so only if they could

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 Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation
Lucena City
Granted Autonomous Status
CHED CEB Res. 076-2009

support and love each of his wives equally. Homosexuals were also largely tolerated, seeing as
how some of the babaylans were actually men in drag.

Surprisingly, with the amount of sexual freedom, no prostitution existed during the
precolonial days. In fact, some literature suggests that the American period—which heavily
emphasized capitalism and profiteering—introduced prostitution into the country on a massive
scale.

3. The people enjoyed higher standard of government.

The relationship of the ruler to his subjects was very simple back then: In return for his
protection, the people pay tribute and serve him both in times of war and peace.

Going by the evidence, we could say that our ancestors already practiced an early version
of the Social Contract, a theory by prominent thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and
Jean-Jacques Rousseau which espoused the view that rulers owe their right to rule on the basis of
the people’s consent.

Conversely, if the ruler became corrupt or incompetent, then the people had a right to
remove him. And that’s exactly the kind of government our ancestors had. Although the datus
technically came from the upper classes, he could be removed from his position by the lower
classes if they found him wanting of his duties. Also, anyone (including women) could become
the datu based on their merits such as bravery, wisdom, and leadership ability.

4. We were self-sufficient.

In terms of food, our forefathers did not suffer from any lack thereof. Blessed with such a
resource-rich country, they had enough for themselves and their families.

Forests, rivers, and seas yielded plentiful supplies of meat, fish, and other foodstuffs.
Later on, their diet became more varied especially when they learned to till the land using
farming techniques that were quite advanced for their time. The Banaue Rice Terraces is one
such proof of our ancestors’ ingenuity.

What’s more, they already had an advanced concept of agrarian equity. Men and women
equally worked in the fields, and anyone could till public lands free of charge. Also, since they
had little-to-no concept of exploitation for profit, our ancestors generally took care of the
environment well.

Such was the abundance of foodstuffs that Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, the most-successful
Spanish colonizer of the islands, was said to have reported the “abundance of rice, fowls, and
wine, as well as great numbers of buffaloes, deer, wild boar and goats” when he first arrived in
Luzon.

5. We had smoother foreign relations.

We’ve all been taught that before the Spanish galleon trade, the pre-colonial Filipinos had
already established trading and diplomatic relations with countries as far away as the Middle East.

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 Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation
Lucena City
Granted Autonomous Status
CHED CEB Res. 076-2009

In lieu of cash, our ancestors exchanged precious minerals, manufactured goods, etc. with
Arabs, Indians, Chinese, and several other nationalities. During this time period, many foreigners
permanently settled here after marvelling at the beauty of the country and its people.

Out of the foreigners, it was the Chinese who were amazed at the pre-colonial Filipinos
the most, especially when it came to their extraordinary honesty. Chinese traders often wrote
about the Filipinos’ sincerity and said they were one of their most trusted clientele since they did
not steal their goods and always paid their debts.

In fact, some Chinese—out of confidence—were known to simply leave their items on

the beaches to be picked up by the Filipinos and traded inland. When they returned, the Filipinos
would give them back their bartered items without anything missing.

6. Our forefathers already possessed a working judicial and justice system.

Although not as advanced (or as complicated) as our own today, the fact that our
ancestors already possessed a working judicial and legislative system just goes to show that they
were wellversed in the concept of justice.

Life in pre-colonial Philippines was governed by a set of statutes, both unwritten and
written, and contained provisions with regards to civil and criminal laws. Usually, it was the datu
and the village elders who promulgated such laws, which were then announced and explained to
the people by a town crier called the umalohokan.

The datu and the elders also acted as de facto courts in case of disputes between
individuals of their village. In case of inter-barangay disputes, a local board composed of elders
from different barangays would usually act as an arbiter.

Penalties for anyone found guilty of a crime include censures, fines, imprisonment and
death. Tortures and trials by ordeal during this time were also common. Like we’ve said, the
system was not perfect, but it worked.

7. They had the know-how to make advanced weapons.

A lantaka (rentaka in Malay), a type of bronze cannon mounted on merchant vessels

travelling the waterways of the Malay Archipelago. Its use was greatest in precolonial Southeast
Asia, especially in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Our ancestors—far from being the archetypal spear-carrying, bahag-wearing tribesmen

we picture them to be—were very proficient in the art of war. Aside from wielding swords and
spears, they also knew how to make and fire guns and cannons. Rajah Sulayman, in particular,
was said to have owned a huge 17-feet-long iron cannon.

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 Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation
Lucena City
Granted Autonomous Status
CHED CEB Res. 076-2009

Aside from the offensive weapons, our ancestors also knew how to construct huge
fortresses and body armour. The Moros living in the south for instance, often wore armour that
covered them head-to-toe. And yes, they also carried guns with them.

With all these weapons at their disposal and the fact that they were good hand-to-hand
combatants, you’d think that the Spanish would have had a harder time colonizing the country.
Sadly, the Spanish cleverly exploited the regionalist tendencies of the pre-colonial Filipinos. This
divide-and-conquer strategy would be the major reason why the Spanish successfully controlled
the country for more than 300 years.

8. Several professions already existed.

Aside from being farmers, hunters, weapon-makers, and seafarers, the pre-colonial
Filipinos also dabbled—and excelled—in several other professions as well.

To name a few, many became involved in such professions as mining, textiles, and
smithing. Owing to the excellent craftsmanship of the Filipinos, locally-produced items such as
pots, jewelry, and clothing were highly-sought in other countries. In fact, it is reported that
products of Filipino origin might have even reached as far away as ancient Egypt. Clearly, our
ancestors were very skilled artisans.

9. The literacy rate was high.

Using the ancient system of writing called the baybayin, the pre-colonial Filipinos
educated themselves very well, so much so that when the Spanish finally arrived, they were
shocked to find out that the Filipinos possessed a literacy rate higher than that of Madrid!

However, the high literacy rate also proved to be a double-edged sword for the Filipinos
once the Spanish arrived. Eager to evangelize and subjugate our ancestors, the missionaries
exploited the baybayin for their own ends, learning and using it to translate their various works.
Consequently, the pre-colonial Filipinos became more easily susceptible to foreign influence.

10. We already had an advanced civilization.

Contrary to foreign accounts, our ancestors were not just some backwards, jungle-living
savages. In reality, pre-colonial Philippines already possessed a very advanced civilization way
before the coming of the Spanish.

Our ancestors possessed a complex working society and a culture replete with works of
arts and literature. When the colonizers came, everything contradictory to their own system had
to go. Sculptures, texts, religious ceremonies, and virtually anything else deemed obscene, evil or
a threat to their rule were eliminated.

Conclusively, we can only speculate what would have happened had our ancestors never
been colonized in the first place. Although the Spanish era (and the American period by
extension) did have their good points, would it have really been worth it all in the end?

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 Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation
Lucena City
Granted Autonomous Status
CHED CEB Res. 076-2009

GUIDE QUESTIONS:

1. Discuss the implications of the perceived influence of the foreign people in our cognitive
and socio-emotional Filipino identity. Identify facts/concepts that we Filipinos think of
ourselves. How did it affect the way we live and think?

2. Choose three (3) current issues from the newspaper, radio, internet or TV that associates
the social condition of the Philippines during the earlier time of the colonization and the relation
of it in recent/current time. Discuss why and how it happened.