Customs of the Tagalogs

by Juan de Plasencia
 Juan de
Plasencia
Background of Juan de Plasencia
• Born in the early 16th century to the illustrious
family of the Portocarreros in Plasencia in the
region of Extremadura, Spain
• He was a Spanish Friar of the Franciscan order
• Said to have been inspired to be a Franciscan
because of his upbringing spent during a spiritual
and religious resurgence affected by Spain’s siglo de
oro
Arrival in the Philippines
• Came with the first batch of Franciscan
missionaries in the Philippines
• Dispatched Seville in 1577 and stopped over
Mexico for 6 months
• His real name is Joan de Puerto Carrero,
del convento de Villanueva de la Serena
• Arrived at a port in Cavite in July 2, 1578
Life in the Philippines
• Started preaching in Laguna de Bay and Quezon
areas as early as two months upon arrival in Manila
• Also preached in provinces of Bulacan and Rizal
• Elected as the custos of the friars in May 23, 1584
and held it until 1588
• Passed away in Liliw, Laguna in the year 1590
Juan de Plasencia
• Initiated the Reduccion Policy
➢Policy to reduce or resettle natives in central
locations
• Some of his works aimed to put an end to
some injustices being committed against the
natives by certain government officials
Works of Juan de Plasencia
• Arte de la Lengua (Art of Language)
• Vocabulario
• Coleccion de frases tagala (Collection of Tagalog
Phrases)
• Catecismo de la Doctrina Cristiana (1581)
➢Translated the Christian Doctrines in Tagalog
Works of Juan de Plasencia
• Diccionario Tagalog (1580)
• La Santina (1585)
➢Opus on prayer and meditation
• Relacion de las Costumbres de Los Tagalos (1589)
➢First Civil Code of the Philippines
Historical Background
• Prior to the colonization of the Spaniards, the
Filipinos, particularly the Tagalog, already had
customs and beliefs that they followed and are
accustomed to.
• These customs and beliefs show how systematized
and civilized their way of living is.
• Fr. Juan de Plasencia received a letter from his
lordship requesting him to write and discuss the
customs and beliefs of the Indians.
Historical Background
• In order to fulfill this request, he thoroughly
informed himself by collecting people from
different districts (old men and those with the
capacity to tell him) all known to him.

• He then tried to compile the facts with regard to

the Indians’ government, administration of justice,
slaves, inheritance and dowries.
Analysis – Customs
Datos (chiefs)
• governed them and were captains in their wars, and
whom they obeyed and reverenced
• subject who committed any offense against them, or
spoke but a word to their wives and children, was
severely punished.
• Ruled a barangay
Analysis – Customs
Barangay
• as many as a hundred houses, sometimes even less than
thirty
• many barangays in a town, they are not subject to one
another, except in relationship and friendship (Chiefs
helped one another in wars)
Analysis – Customs
Maharlica (nobles)
• Didn’t pay taxes/tribute to dato, accompanies him in
wars instead (at his own expense)
• very close to the chief (Feast before wars, division of
spoils after, rows boat for dato, helps build house for
dato and are fed for it)
• Some cases, they paid a hundred gantas of rice annually
(when a new chief buys the land, new chief divided
lands as he see fit)
Analysis – Customs
Division of lands
• the land of a barangay, especially the irrigated portion, is
divided upon the members
• cannot be cultivated by a person from another barangay
UNLESS: purchased or inherited
• TINGUES (mountain ridges) owned in common by
barangay
• Chiefs had fisheries (with limits) and section of rivers
(for market), no one could fish or trade except members
of barangay. (Special exception to those who pay the
privilege in doing those)
Analysis – Customs
Aliping namamahay (commoners)
• married and serves master (datu or not) with half of
cultivated lands
• has own houses, property, gold
• children inherits these lands, properties
• cannot be sold and made slaves (saguiguilir)
• If they should fall by inheritance into the hands of a
son of their master who was going to dwell in
another village, they could not be taken from their
own village and carried with him; but they would
remain in their native village, doing service there
and cultivating the sowed lands.
Analysis – Customs
Aliping sa guiguilir (Slaves)
• includes those who cannot pay debts, captives of war
• can be a namamahay (commoner) when they pay their
masters a certain amount of gold (usually greater than 5 taels)
• serves master in his house and on his cultivated lands
Analysis – Customs
Aliping sa guiguilir (Slaves)
• can be granted a portion of harvest for them to work faithfully
(not always and only if master profited from his work)
• can be sold, servants born in house of master are rarely sold
• Consequently, the alcaldes-mayor should be instructed to
ascertain, when anyone asks for his alipin, to which class he
belongs, and to have the answer put in the document that
they give him.
Analysis – Customs
Conception of Children on Non-Married couples
• Maharlicas on both father and mother side are maharlicas
forever (can be slaves through marriage)
• If a maharlica had children among his slave, the child and
mother becomes free
Analysis – Customs
Conception of Children on Non-Married couples
• If the child is from a slave-woman of another, mother should pay
half of a gold tael to master (because of risk of death and inability
of servitude during pregnancy)
• If child is recognized by the father(by supplying with food) , half of him
was free. If not, the child is wholly a slave
• If a free-woman has children by a slave, they are free provided that
she is not married to the slave.
Analysis – Customs
Conception of children on married couples
• If a maharlica marries an alipin (whether
namamahay or saguiguilid), the 1st, 3rd, 5th child
belonged to father, 2nd, 4th, 6th, to the mother. If
father is free, children are free. If father is a slave,
children are also slaves. Same applies to the mother
(when the number of children is even number)
Analysis – Customs
Conception of children on married couples
• When the number of children is odd, the odd one is
half-free/half-slave
• If only 1 child, the latter is half-free/half-slave
• Those who became slaves fell under the category of
servitude which was their parent's, either
namamahay or sa guiguilir
Analysis – Customs
Transferring of barangays
• Aliping saguiguilir can be transferred to other barangays
when sold
• Aliping namamahay cannot be sold and can only be
transferred through inheritance (barangay should be on
the same village)
Analysis – Customs
Transferring of barangays
• Maharlicas cannot transfer village or barangays after
marriage unless they pay a certain fine of gold.(depends
on the village. Ranges from 3 taels to banquet to entire
barangay)
• failure of payment might result to war to the barangay he left
and entered
Analysis – Customs
Laws and punishments
• Investigations made and sentences passed by dato
should take place in front of the barangay members
• On special cases, an arbiter (unanimously chosen) is
named as a judge. (chosen because they are just and fair
men)
• if person accused feels aggrieved,
• if controversy lay between two datos who wish to avoid war
• when disputants belonged to two different barangays
Analysis – Customs
Laws and punishments
• Condemned to death
• a man of lowbirth who insulted daughter or wife of chief
• witches and the like
• slavery is never a punishment
• unless a person merited the death penalty
• children and accomplices of witches
• if fines were not paid
• All other offenses were punished by fines in gold
• if not paid, the culprit serves person aggrieved until payment
has been made
Analysis - Customs
Inheritances
• legitimate children of a married couple inherited
equally, except when parents showed a slight partiality
such as gifts like gold taels or jewels
• If one had children to two or more legitimate wives,
children receives inheritance and dowry of mother and
share of father’s estate
• If one had a child to slave and to his legitimate wife,
former had no share of inheritance but the mother will
be freed and will be given a tael or a slave (if father is a
datu)
Analysis - Customs
Inheritances
• If one had a child to a legitimate wife and another
free woman ( inaasaya), legitimate child gets 2/3 of
inheritance and the other gets 1/3
• If no legitimate children and only from the inaasaya,
the latter gets all inheritance.
Analysis - Customs
Inheritances
• If a married woman had a child from another man
• if husband punished adulterer, it’s considered dowry and
the child is part of the inheritance
• If the husband did not punish the adulterer, the child is
not considered legitimate and gains no inheritance
• Adopted children inherits the double on what was
paid for their adoption
Analysis – Worship
• Simbahan
• A temple or place of adoration
• The whole barangay united and joined in the worship
which they call nagaanitos
• Place to conduct a festival or “pandot”
Analysis – Worship
• Bathala
• “All powerful” or “maker of all things”
• Sun
• Moon
• Stars
• Lic-ha
• Idols which were images with different shapes
Analysis – Worship
• Dian masalanta
• Patron of lovers and of generation
• Lacapati and Idianale
• Patron of the cultivated lands and of husbandry
• Crocodiles
• Paid reverence in fear of being harmed by them
• A portion of what they carried in their boats
Analysis – Worship
• Auguries
• If they left their house and met on the way a serpent or
rat, or a bird called tigmamanuguin which was singing in
the tree, considering the incident as a sign that some
evil might befall them
Analysis – Worship
• No established division of years, months, and days
• Cultivation of the soil
• Counted by moons
• Different effect produced upon the trees when yielding
flowers, fruits, and leaves
Analysis – Worship
• Manner of Offering Sacrifice
• Proclaim a feast, and offer to the devil what they had to
eat
• Done in front of the idol and praise it in poetic songs
sung by the officiating priest (Catolonan)
• Objects of sacrifice were goats, fowls, and swine
• Flayed, decapitated, and laid before the idol
• A jar of rice
• Buyos – small fruit wrapped in a leaf with some lime
• Fried food and fruits
Analysis – Worship
• Reasons for Sacrifices
• Recovery of a sick person
• Prosperous voyage of those embarking on the sea
• Good harvest in the sowed lands
• Propitious result in wars
• Successful delivery in childbirth
• Happy outcome in married life
Analysis – Worship
• Young girl’s first monthly period
• Blindfolded for four days and four nights
• The friends and relatives were all invited to partake of
food and drink
• At the end of this period, the catolonan took the young
girl to the water, bathed her and washed her head, and
removed the bandage from her eyes
• Did this in order that the girls might bear children, and
have fortune in finding husbands to their taste
Analysis – Worship
1. Catalonan
❖Man or woman
❖Honorable one among the natives
❖Held ordinarily by people of rank
Analysis – Worship
2. Mangagauay
❖Witches
❖Deceived by pretending to heal the sick
❖Induced ailments by their charms
❖Capable of causing death
❖Prolong life for a year by binding a live serpent to the
waist
❖Serpent – believed to be the devil, or at least his
substance
Analysis – Worship
3. Manyisalat
❖Same as magagauay
❖Power of applying remedies to lovers
❖They would abandon and despise their wives
❖Prevent having intercourse with the wives
❖Abandoned women – bring sickness (discharge blood
and matter)
Analysis – Worship
4. Mancocolam
❖Emit fire from himself
❖Fire – could not be extinguished or emitted
❖Except if the priest wallowed in the ordure and filth
which falls from the houses
❖He who lived in the house fell ill and died
Analysis – Worship
5. Hocloban
❖Greater efficacy than the mangagauay
❖By simply saluting or raising their hand, they killed
whom they chose
❖Only in Catanduanes
Analysis – Worship
6. Silagan
❖To tear out the liver of anyone clothed in white and eat
it
❖Only in Catanduanes
❖Calavan – they tore out in this way through his anus all
the intestines of a Spanish notary
Analysis – Worship
7. Magtatangal
❖Show himself at night without his head or intestines
❖The devil walked about carried, or pretended to carry,
his head to different places
❖In the morning, returned it to his body
❖Catanduanes
Analysis – Worship
8. Osuang
❖Equivalent to “sorcerer”
❖Seen him fly and he murdered men and ate their flesh
❖Visayas Islands
9. Mangagayoma
❖Another class of witches
❖Made charms for lovers out of herbs, stones, and wood,
which would infuse the heart with love
Analysis – Worship
10. Sonat
❖Equivalent to “preacher”
❖Help one to die, at which time he predicted the
salvation or condemnation of the soul
11. Pangatahojan
❖Soothsayer, predicted the future
12. Bayoguin
❖Signified a “cotquean”, a man whose nature inclined
toward that of a woman
Analysis - Worship
• Manner of burying the dead
• Deceased was buried beside his house
• If he were a chief, he was placed beneath a little house or
porch which they constructed for this purpose
• If he were a warrior, a living slave was tied beneath his body
until in this wretched way he died
• Mourned for four days
• Laid him on a boat which served as a coffin
• Also accompanied by eating and drinking
Analysis – Worship
• Manner of burying the dead [Aetas or Negritos]
• Dug a deep, perpendicular hole
• Placed the deceased within it, leaving him upright with
head or crown unburied, on top of which they put half a
coconut which was to serve him as a shield
• Pursuit of some Indian, whom they killed in punishment
for the Negrito who had died
• To this end they conspired together, hanging a certain
token on their necks until some one of them procured
the death of the innocent one
Analysis – Worship
• Another life
• “Maca”
• “Paradise” or “village of rest”
• Those who lived without doing harm
• Possessed other moral virtues
• “Casanaan”
• “A place of anguish”
• All the wicked
• Here dwelt the demons, sitan
• Heaven
• Only Bathala who governed from above
Analysis - Worship
• Ghosts
• Vibit
• Phantoms
• Tigbalaang
• Patianac
• If any woman died in childbirth, she and the child
suffered punishment
Relevance to PH History
• Caste system
• Maharlica – nobles, free
• Aliping sa guiguilir – slaves, could be traded
• Aliping namamahay – commoners
• Tribal gathering called barangay
• Chinese influence already present
• Tael
Relevance to PH History
• Marriage was present even before the Spaniards
came.
• Filipinos had a religion before Christianity was
brought by the Spaniards
• place of worship “Simbahan”
• God called Bathala
Relevance of the Document
• Proved that Filipinos had their own
culture before the Spaniards came
• Proof against the Spaniards’
belief of “The Indolence of the
Filipinos”
• Sobre la indolencia de los
filipinos by Dr Jose Rizal
• Important piece of literature giving
us a glimpse of our ancestors’
beliefs and practices
Relevance of the Document
• We see the relations of our
current superstitions to the
superstitions of our ancestors
• Mancocolam – priest of the devil;
emit fire from himself
• Osuang – sorcerer; murdered
men and ate their flesh
• Mangagayoma – made charms
for lovers to infuse the heart with
love
• Patianac – if a woman died in
childbirth, she and the child were
punished and at night could be
heard lamentin
Relevance of the Document
• The term “barangay” is still used now for division
of towns/cities
Highlights of the Book
I. The Philippines Before and After Christ
1. The peopling of the Pacific
2. The Philippines before Magellan
3. The Philippines in prehistoric times
4. Racial and cultural history of the Filipinos
5. A rough survey of the prehistoric legislation of the
Philippines
Highlights of the Book
II. Asiatic Contacts
1.Early history of Philippine relations with foreign countries
2.A thousand years of Philippine history before the coming of the
Spaniards
3.The relations of the Chinese to the Philippine Islands
4.Chinese pottery in the Philippines
5.Chau Ju-Kua’s description of the Philippines in the thirteenth
century
Highlights of the Book
III. Spanish Contacts
1. Relation of the Philippine Islands
2. Customs of the Tagalogs
3. Customs of the Pampangans in their lawsuits
4. Relation of the Philippine Islands
5. Relation of the Philippine Islands and of their
natives, antiquity, customs, and government
6. The manners, customs, and beliefs of the Filipinos
of long ago