Unit II - Readings

SOCSC 01 - READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY
A Module
for
SOCSC 01 – Readings in Philippine History
SEMESTER: First Semester, S.Y. 2020-2021
PREPARED BY: ESTRELLA B. LUIS

Associate Professor III
Elementary Education Department
NIÑA CHRISTELLE M. SUMINTAC

Instructor I
Secondary Education Department
Page 1 of 34
Chapter II
CONTENT AND CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF
SELECTED PRIMARY SOURCES
Page 2 of 34
Warm-up Activity
PICTURE TALK. Write your thoughts about the picture below.
PICTURE TALK
https://www.google.com/search?q=historians+working&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjMvp_lu4HsAhVBAJQKHdHMBsEQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=historians+working&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzICCAA6BAgjECc6BwgAELEDEEM6BAgAEEM6BQgAELEDOgYIABAFEB46BggAEAgQHjoECAAQGFDlZliEcmCtc2gAcAB4AIABvQKIAcAMkgEHMC45LjAuMZgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy1
3aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=S2VsX4ztMMGA0ATRmZuIDA&bih=608&biw=1366&rlz=1C1CHBF_enPH912PH912#imgrc=zGtw--wYVPcFf
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Page 3 of 34
_________________
Activity 1
LESSON 1
Identification of the Historical Importance of the Text
Distinction of Primary and Secondary Sources
Transliteration of the Laguna Copperplate

Inscription by Antoon Postma
LET US LEARN!
The Laguna Copperplate Inscription:

An Ancient Text That Changed the Perception of the History of the Philippines
Page 4 of 34
A high-contrast copy of the Laguna Copperplate Inscription.
Tagalog Translation
Mabuhay! Taóng Siyaka 822, buwán ng Waisaka, ayon sa aghámtalà. Ang ikaapat na
araw ng pagliít ng buwán, Lunes. Sa pagkakátaóng itó, si Dayang Angkatán sampû ng
kaniyáng kapatíd na nagngangalang Buka, na mga anák ng Kagalang-galang na si
Namwarán, ay ginawaran ng isáng kasulatan ng lubós na kapatawarán mulâ sa Punong
Pangkalahatan sa Tundún sa pagkatawán ng Punong Kagawad ng Pailáh na si Jayadewa.
Sa atas na itó, sa pamamagitan ng Tagasulat, ang Kagalang-galang na si Namwarán ay
pinatawad na sa lahát at inalpasán sa kaniyáng utang at kaniyáng mga náhulíng
Page 5 of 34
kabayarán na 1 katî at 8 suwarna sa harapán ng Kagalang-galang na Punong Kagawad

ng Puliran na si Ka Sumurán, sa kapangyarihan ng Kagalang-galang na Punong Kagawad
ng Pailáh.
Dahil sa matapát na paglilingkód ni Namwarán bilang isáng sakop ng Punò, kinilala ng
Kagalang-galang at batikáng Punong Kagawad ng Binwangan ang lahát ng nabubuhay
pang kamag-anak ni Namwarán na inangkín ng Punò ng Dewatà, na kinatawán ng Punò
ng Medáng.
Samakatwíd, ang mga nabubuhay na inapó ng Kagalang-galang na si Namwarán ay
pinatawad sa anumán at lahát ng utang ng Kagalang-galang na si Namwarán sa Punò ng
Dewatà. Itó, kung sakalì, ay magpapahayag kaninumán na mulâ ngayón kung may taong
magsasabing hindî pa alpás sa utang ang Kagalang-galang...
The Laguna Copperplate Inscription is the name of an inscription written on an artifact

that has great significance for the understanding of the history of the Philippines during
the 10th century AD – a time when many scholars believed that the area was isolated
from the rest of Southeast Asia.
Political Entities in Southeast Asia in the 10th Century
During the 10th century, a number of political entities were in existence in Southeast Asia.
One of the most famous of these was the Khmer Empire, which dominated much of the
Southeast Asian mainland. To its east, the modern country of Vietnam was divided
between the Chinese in the north, and the Kingdom of Champa in the south. The seas
below the Southeast Asian mainland were beyond the reach of the Khmers and were
largely controlled by a maritime empire known as Srivijaya.
However, there is little information on the area in the part of this region where the
modern country of the Philippines is now situated. This lack of information led many
scholars to believe that it was isolated from the rest of the region. Thus, the Laguna
Copperplate Inscription is an important artifact, as it has allowed scholars to re-evaluate
the situation in this part of Southeast Asia during the 10th century AD.
Characteristics of the Laguna Copperplate
The Laguna Copperplate is a thin piece of copper sheet measuring about 20 x 20 cm (7.9
x 7.9 inches), which was discovered around 1987. It has been reported that this artifact
was found during dredging activities with a mechanical conveyor in the Lumbang River,
which is situated in the Province of Laguna. This province is located to the east of Manila,
the capital of the Philippines. It is interesting to note that the Laguna Copperplate only
came to the attention of scholars in 1990, when it was offered for sale to the National
Museum in Manila, after attempts to sell it in the antiques market had been met with
little interest.
Page 6 of 34
An Incomplete Artifact
Investigations by Antoon Postma, a Dutch anthropologist, have revealed that the

inscription on the Laguna Copperplate is incomplete, and it is highly likely that there was
another similar piece of copperplate with inscriptions on it that has been lost. In an article
published in 1992, Postma wrote that:
“Moreover, certain persons, after viewing a photo of the LCI (Laguna Copperplate
Inscription), alleged, without being asked, that they had seen a similar piece of
copperplate with inscriptions around the same time (1987). Its importance, however, was
not realized then, and the possible second page of the LCI might have ended up in a local
junk yard and been irretrievably lost to posterity.”
Origins of the Inscription on the Laguna Copperplate
The inscription on the surviving copperplate is in itself intriguing, and has provided
enough material for scholars to analyze. For instance, the type of script used in the Laguna
Copperplate Inscription has been identified as the so-called ‘Early Kawi Script,’ a writing
system that originated in the Indonesian island of Java, and was used across much of
maritime Southeast Asia during the 10th century AD.
In fact, this script is said to have been derived from the Pallava script, which has its origins
in India. As for the language of the inscription, it has been found to be heavily influenced
linguistically by Sanskrit, Old Malay, and Old Javanese. Both the type script, and the
language of the Laguna Copperplate Inscription, therefore, shows that this area was not
actually isolated from the rest of Southeast Asia, as had been previously assumed.
The Inscription
The inscription begins by providing a date:
“Hail! In the Saka-year 822; the month of March-April; according to the astronomer: the
fourth day of the dark half of the moon; on Monday.”
The Saka era has its origins in India (supposedly marking the ascension of the Kushan
emperor Kanishka), and the year 822 is said to correspond with the year 900 AD in the
Gregorian calendar. The use of this calendrical system is further evidence that there were
cultural links between this area of Southeast Asia and its neighbors, which at that time,
were largely under the cultural influence of India.
As for the subject matter of the Laguna Copperplate Inscription, it has been suggested
that the inscription is a “semi-official certificate of acquittal of a debt incurred by a person
in high office, together with his whole family, all relatives and descendants.”
This acquittal is also said to be confirmed by other officials/leaders, some of whom have
been mentioned by name, along with their area of jurisdiction. These officials include “His
Page 7 of 34
Honor the Leader of Puliran, Kasumuran; His Honor the Leader of Pailah, representing
Ganasakti; (and) His Honor the Leader of Binwangan, representing Bisruta.” The recording
of these names suggests that there was some sort of political and social organization in
the Philippines of the 10th century AD.
To conclude, the Laguna Copperplate, which would probably not attract instant public
attention as gold or silver artifacts would, is in fact an immensely important object. This
seemingly insignificant artifact has sparked a re-assessment of the history of the
Philippines prior to the coming of the Spanish, in particular the 10th century AD, and the
archipelago’s relationship with the rest of Southeast Asia.
Ernesto Legisma Alfredo Evangelista

Alberto Dealino
(sand laborer) (Head, Anthropology Div. of
(antique dealer) the National Museum)
Antoon Postma Dr. Johann de Hector Santos

(Dutch Casparis (Filipino
Anthropologist; (Dutch expert on anthropological
ancient writing scripts Indonesian writing) enthusiast)
in SEA region)
• ancient Indonesian • old Hindu calendar • Monday, April 21,
writing called Kavi (900 C.E.) 900 C.E.
• Saka year 822
Wawa, Lumbang River, Laguna
Page 8 of 34
Map showing
the places
inscribed in LCI
according to
Antoon
Postma
Map showing
the places
inscribed in LCI
according to
Jaime Figueroa
Tiongson
Sources:
Cryer, A. B., 2015. Laguna Copperplate Inscription Explained. [Online]
Available at: http://everything.explained.today/Laguna_Copperplate_Inscription/
Morrow, P., 2006. The Laguna Copperplate Inscription. [Online]
Available at: http://www.mts.net/~pmorrow/lcieng.htm
Postma, A., 1992. The Laguna Copper-Plate Inscription: Text and
Commentary. Philippine Studies, 40(2), p. 183–203.
Santos, H., 1996. The Laguna Copperplate Inscription. [Online]
Available at: http://www.bibingka.com/dahon/lci/lci.html
History of the Philippine Is
Page 9 of 34
ACTIVITY
ACTIVITYTIME!
TIME!
I. ANSWER ME, PLEASE!

Now that you have a deeper understanding of the Laguna Copperplate Inscription,
answer the following questions below in at least 3 sentences each:
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER
1. From your understanding of the text, was the Philippines already a civilized nation?
Justify your answer.
2. What is the relevance of finding the LCI in our Philippine History?
3. Is it still important to look for the missing piece of the LCI? Why?
Page 10 of 34
II. TO BE CONTINUED
What do you think is found in the missing page of the LCI? Be creative and write at least 5
sentence continuation of….
Samakatwíd, ang mga nabubuhay na inapó ng Kagalang-galang na si Namwarán ay
pinatawad sa anumán at lahát ng utang ng Kagalang-galang na si Namwarán sa Punò ng
Dewatà. Itó, kung sakalì, ay magpapahayag kaninumán na mulâ ngayón kung may taong
magsasabing hindî pa alpás sa utang ang Kagalang-
galang..._____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________.
Page 11 of 34
Activity 2
LESSON 2
Kartilya ng Katipunan
LET US LEARN!
Sometime in 1896, Andres Bonifacio, the father of the Philippine Revolution, and once
the President of the Supreme Council of the Katipunan, penned the Duties of the Sons of
the People, a list of the duties and responsibilities to be followed strictly by every member
of the organization. The rules constituted a decalogue, and embodied Bonifacio’s
passionate beliefs.
In admiration of Emilio Jacinto’s literary style, Bonifacio would later adopt Jacinto’s
Kartilya as the official teachings of the Katipunan. Similar to the Decalogue, the Kartilya
was written to introduce new recruits to the principles and values that should guide every
member of the organization.
The Kartilya comprises thirteen lessons that detail not only the vision of the Katipunan,
but the vision for a egalitarian and morally sound Filipino nation.
For the Katipunan leadership, such as Emilio Jacinto, the ideas of Right and Light, Katwiran
and Kaliwanagan, were of utmost importance. They saw themselves as not only as
inheritors of the Age of Enlightenment, but intellectual and moral revolutionaries fighting
to create and define a nation and culture that was post-Enlightenment; that was no longer
shackled by the ideological and colonial restraints of the West, but a country that adopted
and merged the best of Spain, the United States, France, and our own unique culture and
society, in support of being Filipino.
(http://malacanang.gov.ph/7013-andres-bonifacios-decalogue-and-the-kartilya-ng-
katipunan/
Page 12 of 34
THE KARTILYA OF THE KATIPUNAN
1. A life that is not consecrated to a large and holy greatness is a tree

without shade, if not a poisonous weed.
2. Good work that comes from selfish desires and not from a true desire for
excellence is not kindness.
3. Real piety is hard work and love for fellowmen, and measuring each
action, labor and speech by true Reason.
4. Whether one’s skin be black or white, all people are equal; it may be that
each is superior in knowledge, wealth, beauty but there is no superiority in
human dignity.
5. One who has a high inner spirit, puts honor, goodness and virtue before
self-interest; one who has a lowly inner spirit puts self-interest before
honor, goodness and virtue.
6. To the person with shame, his or her word is sacred.
7. Do not waste time: wealth can be lost and recovered; but time that already
passes will not pass again.
8. Defend the oppressed and fight the oppressor.
9. The intelligent person is one who is careful in all that he or she says; and
learns to keep secret that which should deb kept in confidence.
10. On the thorny path of life, man is the guide of woman and of children; if
the guide leaded to evil, the destiny of those being led is also evil.
11. Thou must not look upon woman as a mere plaything, but as a partner
and sympathetic companion in the hardships of this life; in your strength,
consider her weakness, and remember the mother who birthed thee and
reared thee.
12. What thou dost not desire done unto thy wife, children, and siblings, do
not do unto the wife, children, and siblings of others.
13. The value of a person is not in being sovereign, not in an aquiline nose or
in a white face, it is not in the priestly SUBSTITUTE FOR GOD, nor is it in
the high station one has in life. Pure and truly highly esteemed, beloved
and noble is the person even if he or she was raised in the forest and
speaks nothing but his or her own language; who has beautiful behavior,
and only one sentence (which is) honor and virtue; who does not oppress
others or allow one’s self to be oppressed; who knows how to be sensitive
and knows how to cherish the land of his birth.
Page 13 of 34
ACTIVITY TIME!
I. Take three of your favorite lines from the Kartilya ng Katipunan and explain it in your
own words.
KARTILYA :
MY INTERPRETATION:
KARTILYA :
MY INTERPRETATION:
KARTILYA :
MY INTERPRETATION:
II. Time to make your own! Think like Emilio Jacinto and write three more additional
piece in the Kartilya ng Katipunan.
KARTILYA NG KATIPUNAN
1.
2.
3.
Page 14 of 34
Activity 3
LESSON 3
Customs of the Tagalogs by Juan de Plasencia
LET US LEARN!
About the Author:

• Fray Juan de Plasencia (real name is Joan de Portocarrero) is one of the seven children of
Pedro Portocarrero.
• He grew up in the region of Extremadura during the Golden Age (Siglo de Oro) of Spain.
• During this period there was an upsurge of men entering religious life with the intention
of suiting up for missionary works in the newly discovered territories.
• Plasencia belonged to the Franciscan order and came together with the first batch of
Franciscan missionaries who arrived in the
• Philippines on July 2, 1578.
• He and Fray Diego de Oropresa were assigned to do mission works in Southern Tagalog
area.
• Aside from performing sacerdotal and missionary functions, 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 enabled him to
write a book entitled Relacion de las Costumbres de Los Tagalos (Customs of
theTagalogs, 1589).
• It vividly describes the political, social, economic and cultural practices of the Filipinos
before they were Christianized.
• His biggest challenge at that time was how to make the articles of faith comprehensible
to people who have never heard of Christ nor the Catholic Church.
• In 1593, he published the book Doctrina Christiana en Lengua Espanola Y Tagala, the
first printed book in the Philippines.
• He used it as reading material for those Filipinos who wanted to deepen their faith in the
newly accepted religion.
• After several years of converting the natives and teaching catechism, the Franciscan
Order honored him with the title "Venerable."
• Plasencia died in Liliw, Laguna in 1590.
Page 15 of 34
Historical Context:
• During the first century of Spanish rule, colonial officials had the hard time running local
politics because of the limited number of Spaniards who wanted to live outside
Intramuros.
• This situation forced them to allow Filipinos to hold the position of gobernadorcillo.
• To ensure that they would remain loyal to the Crown, they instructed the friars
assigned in the parishes to supervise and monitor the activities of the gobernadorcillo.
• Hence, the friars ended up performing the administrative duties that colonial officials
• should have been doing in the local level.
• They supervised the election of the local executives, helped in the collection of taxes,
directly involved in educating the youth and performed other civic duties.
• As years went by, the friars ended up the most knowledgeable and influential figure in
the pueblo.
• Some duties of friars assigned in mission territories:
o inform periodically their superiors of what was going on in their respective
assignments.
o report the number of natives they converted, the people’s way of life, their
socio-economic situation and the problems they encountered.
o some submitted short letters while others who were keen observers and gifted
writers wrote long dispatches.
o On top of the regular reports they submit, they also shared their personal
observations and experiences.
• Plasencia’s Relacion de las Costumbres de Los Tagalos (Customs of the Tagalog, 1589) is
an example of this kind of work.
o It contains numerous information that historians could use in reconstructing the
political and socio-cultural history of the Tagalog region.
o His work is a primary source because he personally witnessed the events and
observations that he discussed in his account.
o There were other friars and colonial officials who wrote about the Filipinos that
could further enrich our knowledge of Philippine history during the early part of
the Spanish period.
Miguel de Loarca
• Arrived in 1576 and became an encomendero of Panay.
• He wrote Relación de las Islas Filipinas (1582) and his work described the way of life of
Filipinos living in Western Visayas area
Antonio de Morga
• He came to the Philippines in 1595 as Asesor and Teniente General.
• His Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas gives us a lot of information about the state of the
Philippines at the latter part of the 16th century.
Page 16 of 34
• Other Spanish missionaries who continued the historiographical tradition initiated by

Loarca and Plasencia were:
o Fr. Pedro Chirino S.J. (Relación de las Islas Filipinas, 1604;
o Fr. Juan Delgado S.J. (Historia General, 1751);
o Fr. Francisco Colin S.J. (Labor Evangelica, 1663);
o Francisco Ignacio Alcina S.J. (Historia natural del sitio, fertilidad y calidad de las
Islas e Indios de Bisayas, 1668); and
o Fr. Joaquin Martinez de Zuniga O.S.A. (Historia, 1803).
• Many of the what we know about Philippine history during the first century of the
Spanish period were derived from the accounts of the Spanish friars
About the Text:

• The work of Plasencia is considered by many historians as an example of a friar account.
• This kind of writing is one of the most common contemporaneous account during the
early part of the Spanish period.
• The original text of Plasencia’s Customs of the Tagalogs is currently kept in Archivo
General de Indias (A.G.I.) in Seville, Spain.
• There is also a duplicate copy of it in the Archivo Franciscano Ibero-Oriental (A.F.I.O.), in
Madrid, Spain.
• In the Philippines, an English version of it appeared in volume VII of the Blair and
Robertson collections.
• Another English translation of it was published as part of the volume for pre-Hispanic
Philippines of the Filipiniana Book Guild series and what will be presented below is from
this version.
o 1. Community (Barangay, Dato, Three Castes)
o 2. Property
o 3. Marriage Customs
o 4. Worship (Religion)
o 5. Superstition
o 6. Burying the Dead
• Barangay – tribal gathering ruled by chiefs

• It is called a “barangay” because they associate themselves with the “Malay” who
are one of the first people to arrive in the Philippines through a boat in which they
call “barangay”.
• Some consisted of around 30 - 100 houses
• Barangays also have some sort of diplomacy
• All barangays were equal in terms of status
Community Datu
• the chiefs of the village; they governed the people as captains even in wars, were
obeyed, and revered; any subject who committed any offense against them, or spoke to
their wives and children, were severely punished.
Page 17 of 34
Social Hierarchy
• There are three status/castes within a barangay: Maharlica, Aliping Namamahay, Aliping
sa Guiguilir.
o Maharlica are those who are born free;
o Aliping Namamahay are those who serve their masters however, they can
have their own properties
o Aliping sa Guiguilir are those considered to be slaves who serve their
masters or can be sold off.
Maharlica (nobles)
• People who are born free
• Do not need to pay taxes
• Must accompany the datus in war
Aliping Namamahay (commoners)
• They have their own properties but has to serve their own masters
• Children belonging to this caste inherit the status of their parents
• Cannot be treated as a slave nor can be sold off.
Aliping sa Guiguilir (slaves)

• They serve their master in their houses and lands
• Can be sold off
• The master can reward his/her slaves by giving them a portion of the harvest so that the
slaves would be faithful to him/her
Maharlica
• He would keep their status for a lifetime however, this can be taken if he/she marries a
slave.
• In this case, the kids would be divided and they would inherit the status of their mother
or father.
Property
• The land area was divided among the whole barangay, especially the irrigated portions.
• No one from a different barangay could cultivate land unless they inherit or buy the
land
• The lands on the tingues, or mountain ridges, are not divided but owned by the
barangay as a whole.
• At the time of rice harvest, any individual (regardless of their barangay) that starts to
clear any land area may sow in it.
• Fisheries of chiefs had established limits, and sections of the rivers for markets
• Unless you were a member of the chief’s barangay, you had to pay for the privilege of
fishing or selling in the chiefs’ fisheriesMarriage Customs
Page 18 of 34
• In the case of a divorce, if the wife would leave her husband for the sake of marrying
another man, all her belongings plus a certain amount would be given to her former
husband however, if she chooses to leave and do not have any plans to marry, then all
of her dowry will be returned to her.
• In the case of an adoption, the children would receive double the value of how much
they were bought to be adopted;
• Investigations and sentences for the accused shall be presented and read in front of the
tribe.
Worship and Belief (Religion)

• There were no temples or sacred places in which Filipinos would worship
• The word simbahan means a place to worship which is constructed at a large house of
the chief where people of the tribe go to celebrate festivals (aka pandot or worship)
• They beat large and small drums successively during the feast which usually lasted four
days
• nagaanitos - worship; (anito - soul or spirit of ancestors)
• sibi - a temporary shed, made on each side of the chief’s house, for the assembled
people.
• Bathala - one of their many idols, whom they specially worshipped.
• They worshipped the sun, the moon, and some, even the stars or a particular dead man
with special capability that fought bravely or protected them in their time of need
o sun - almost universally respected and honored because of its beauty;
o moon - they would rejoice, especially when new
o stars - they did not name them except for the morning star, which they called
Tala
• “Seven little goats” - the Pleiades; a star cluster
• Balatic - the Greater Bear constellation
• Mapolon - the change of seasons
• lic-ha - idols; images with different shapes;
• Dian masalanta - an idol; patron of lovers and generation
• Lacapati and Idianale - idols; patrons of the cultivated lands and husbandry;
• buaya - crocodiles; were respected by the Tagalogs due to their fear of being harmed by
them; they offered a portion of what they carried in their boats to them‘
12 Priests of the Devil

1. Catolonan
o Priest from a people of rank
o Officiates the offering sacrifice for a feast and the food to be eaten being offered to the
devil
2. Mangagauay
o They pretend to heal the sick in order to deceive others
3. Manyisalat
o They can cast remedies to couples for them to abandon one another
Page 19 of 34
4. Mancocolam
o Can emit fire from himself which cannot be extinguished
5. Hocloban
o Much more powerful than a mangagauay in which they can kill anyone without the use
of any medicine. They can also heal those who are ill.
6. Silagan
o They would tear out and eat the liver of those they saw were wearing white
7. Magtatangal
o They would go out at night without their heads and put it back into their bodies before
the sun rise
8. Osuang
o Tribesmen reported that they saw the “osuang” who can fly and murdered a man and
ate his flesh.
9. Mangagayoma
o They would seduce their partners with charms and other accessories so they can
deceive them.
10. Sonat
o This devil helped people to die. They can also know if the soul they helped to die can
either be saved or not.
11. Pangatahojan
o They can predict the future.
12. Bayoguin
o These are men who are in the nature of a woman.
• Placencia’s referred to certain ‘devil-ish belief’s e.g. the mangagauay and

mangagayoma.
• He regarded them both as “witches” who performed deceitful healing procedures, a
judgment made by an outsider who knew nothing about the complexity of indigenous
psyche.
• What he failed to realize is that in traditional cultures, these so-called “evil” practices
were an integral part of Filipino folk beliefs
Superstition
• They find omens in events they witness (i.e. when someone sneezed, met on their way a
rat or serpent, or the Tigmamanuguin bird sang they would go home in fear that evil
would befall them if they continued their journey)
• The Tigmamanuguin bird’s (a blue bird as large as a turtle-dove) song had two forms: a
good omen, and a bad omen.
Burying the Dead

• In burying the dead, the corpse would be placed beside its house and be mourned at for
4 days.
• It will then be laid on a boat which serves as a coffin which is guarded by a slave.
Page 20 of 34
• The grief of the relatives of the deceased is followed by eating and drinking.
CONTRIBUTION AND RELEVANCE OF THE DOCUMENT IN UNDERSTANDING OF THE GRAND

NARRATIVE OF PHILIPPINE HISTORY
• Plasencia’s Customs of the Tagalogs is a very popular primary source because it vividly
described the situation of the Philippines before it was tainted with Spanish and
Christian influences.
• Scholars like it because it covered numerous topics that are relevant in many disciplines.
• Political scientists for instance find it useful because it contains a lot of 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 datus, maharlikas
and alipins came from Plasencia’s account.
• Moreover, it also talks about property rights, marriage rituals, burial practices and the
manner in which justice is dispensed.
• Plasencia also preserved and popularized the unwritten customs, traditions, religious
and superstitious beliefs of the Filipinos.
• One can also say that our historical knowledge about the manananggal, aswang,
hukluban, gayuma, etc. came from Plasencia’s works.
• Priests and missionaries also read Plasencia’s Customs of the Tagalogs and Doctrina
Christiana because they get a lot of insights that help and inspire them to become
effective evangelizers.
• One insight they got from Plasencia is the the realization that one needs to master the
local language and study the culture of the people if you want to be a successful
missionary.
• They also learned from him that preaching should be accompanied with reading
materials that contain the basic elements of faith.
• These readings serve as their guide and reference when the missionaries are no longer
around.
• All these insights from Plasencia are applicable not only to missionaries but to other
professions as well.
• Plasencia’s historical writings also disprove the claim of some Spaniards that when they
arrived in the Philippines, Filipinos were still uncivilized and lacking in culture.
• It is clear in the excerpts quoted above that at the time Plasencia was assigned in the
• Tagalog region Filipinos were already politically and economically organized.
• They have a functioning government, tax system, set of laws, criminal justice system,
indigenous calendar and long standing customs and traditions.
• Moreover, they have already a concept of supreme being (Bathala), practiced burial
customs and believed in life after death.
• Lastly, Plasencia also mentioned that the people he met were wearing garments, gold
ornaments and their houses were decorated with idols.
Page 21 of 34
• All of these lead to the conclusion that prior to the coming of the Spaniards, Filipinos
were already civilized and maintained a lifestyle that was at par or even better than
other countries in Southeast Asia
ACTIVITY TIME!
I. Vocabulary Enrichment: Write the meaning of the following:
TERMS DEFINITION
Sacerdotal Functions
Gobernadorcillo
Asesor
Venerable
Teniente General
Catechism
Page 22 of 34
II. COMPREHENSION CHECK UP

4. Write a word/phrase/sentence about Juan de Plasencia
a.
b.
c.
5. Write things which you learned about the early Filipinos from the book written by
Plasencia in terms of:
a. Political Affairs -
b. Social Hierarchy -
c. Property Rights -
d. Religion -
e. Burial Practices –
6. Why is the book Relacion de las Costumbres de Los Tagalogs (Customs of the
Tagalogs,1589) considered as a primary source about the early Filipinos particularly
in the Tagalog Region? Write a 5 sentence paragraph.
Page 23 of 34
Activity 4
LESSON 4
History of the Philippine Islands by Antonio de Morga
LET US LEARN!
Sucesos delas Islas Filipinas

(1609)
One of the important works on the
early history of the Spanish
colonization of the Philippines
published in Mexico in 1609 by
Antonio de Morga later on in 1890,
to be reprinted with anotation by
Jose Rizal with a prologue by Dr.
Ferdinand Blumentritt.
Page 24 of 34
Relación de las Islas Filipinas

(1604)
Father Chirino wrote Relacion de las
Islas Filipinas in 1604 (Rome), which
he later transformed into a longer and
more detailed account of Jesuit work
in the Philippines. Father Chirino's
work is the first history, not just of the
Jesuit missions, but also of the
Catholic missions in the Philippines
and served as the source for later
histories.
Antonio de Morga Sanchez Garay

(1159-1636)
• Spanish lawyer
• high-ranking colonial official for 43 years, in the Philippines, New Spain and Peru,
• president of the Royal Audiencia for 20 years.
• Historian
Fr. Pedro Chirino, SJ (1557-1635)

• Spanish priest and historian who served as a Jesuit missionary in the Philippines.
• most remembered for his work, Relación de las Islas Filipinas (1604), one of the earliest
works about the Philippines and its people that was written.
Observations of Antonio de Morga in his Sucesos delas Islas Filipinas (Chapter 8)

• Luzon
➢ a number of Natives black in color
➢ woolly hair
➢ stature is not very great (read: short)
➢ strong and robust
➢ barbarians (not trustworthy)
➢ little capacity
➢ no permanent residence
➢ hunters
➢ plant rice (temporarily)
➢ attack other settlements
Page 25 of 34
➢ cannot be stopped in attacking other groups (relentless)
• Clothing
➢ Men
✓ Cangan: upper garment short collarless garments (blue/ black); chiefs (red/called
chinanas); below the waist bahaques (bahag); potong; gold necklaces; calombigas
(armlets); unshod; strings of precious stones.
• Leadership
➢ Succession: male line; father and son
➢ In the absence: brothers and collateral relatives
➢ Duties: rule and govern their subjects
➢ Leaders are held with veneration and respect
➢ Subjects: they serve their leader in the following areas:
i. Wars/voyages
ii.Tilling/sowing/fishing
iii.Building of the leader’s house
iv. The natives also pay their buiz (tribute) varying quantities; in the crops that they
gathered
v. The relatives of the rulers are given the same regard/respect
Page 26 of 34
• Hierarchy
➢ Principalities/Lordships
➢ Plebeians (Timawas)
➢ Slaves: saguiguilires/saguiguilirs (saguiguilid); namamahay
• Slavery
➢ Whole slaves
➢ Half slaves: father/mother: free
➢ One-fourth slaves
• More than one child

➢ First child (Father’s: free or slave)
➢ Second child (Mother’s: free or slave)
➢ Odd number of children: the last will be half free and half slave
➢ Descendants of these children: one-fourth slave
➢ One-fourth/one-half slaves: serve their master’s during every other moon
➢ Half-slaves/one-fourth slaves may be emancipated (freed) for a just price
➢ Whole/full-slave cannot be emancipated
➢ Price of a sanguiguilir: ten taels* of good gold
➢ Price of namamahay: half of that sum
➢ Origin of Slavery: undetermined; with violent and unjust beginnings; most cases are
related to these;
➢ Presumptions: slavery was made during wars and quarrels
➢ Certainty: the most powerful made the others slaves through: slight
causes/occassions; loans; usurious contracts-the increase is so much that slaves were
made out of the borrowers
➢ Slaves: most important wealth and capital of the natives
• Marriages/Family Life
➢ Chiefs with women chiefs
➢ Timawas with those of that rank
➢ Slaves with those of the same class (e.g. Saguiguilir with saguiguilir)
➢ Ynasaba: legitimate wife
➢ Children of the first wife: legitimate; whole heirs of the parents
➢ Children of the succeeding ones: do not inherit; only left with ‘something’
➢ Dowry: the man provides; woman do not provide dowry
• Marriage and Family Life

➢ Marriage: Agreement between parents and relatives
Dowry: agreed to the father of the bride; assembling at the wife’s parent’s house of all
the relative to eat and drink until they all fall down (waray upay);
Page 27 of 34
the couple stay’s at the groom’s house later at night

➢ There is annulment and marriage may be disolved for slight causes; upon examination
by relatives of both parties (mediators)
➢ Husband’s dowry will be taken back if the wife was at fault; unless it was the husband
➢ Conjugal property will be divided into halves (‘hating kapatid’)
➢ If the other party has no share; the other party keeps everything for him/her
• Adoption
➢ Adopted person gives everything to the adopting parent; have the same right to inherit
with the other children
• Adulteries
➢ No corporal punishment, maybe paid by and the injury will be pardoned; would
continue living together (read: move on!)
• Inheritance
➢ Legitimate (from ynasaba) children gets equal share; no legitimate children: nearest
relatives
• Succession
➢ Eldest son (from the ynasaba)
➢ Daughters may take the place in the absence of sons
➢ No direct successor: from the direct lineage of the chief (father or mother side)
• Slaves as concubines
➢ Children are free; as the slave
➢ In the absence of children the slave concubine remains a slave
➢ Illegitimate children (from slave and married women) no right to inheritance and
succession to the power but will be ranked as plebeians or timawas
▪ Business
➢ Contracts and negotiations are generally illegal, usually dwelling on how one might get
the better part for his own benefit/interest (read: mapanlamang)
➢ Usury was the order of the day (read: panunuba)
• Bartering
➢ Items for bartering: food, cloth, cattle, fowls, lands, houses, fields, slaves, fishing
grounds palm trees
➢ payment: in gold or metal bells (from China)
Page 28 of 34
• Crimes
➢ Theft: major crime
➢ Insulting words: major crime
➢ Wounding: pardonable
➢ Assault: pardonable
➢ Concubinage, rape and incest were not regarded unless committed by a timagua
(timawa) to a woman chief
➢ Concubinage of a man to the sister of his wife (sister-in-law) is an ordinary practice
➢ Married men can have ‘access’ to his mother-in-law if the bride is very young until
she reaches the right age with the knowledge of the relatives
➢ Single men: bagontaos; Single women: dalagas
• Seedy side
➢ Women of Pintados ( some Visayans) are vicious and sensual; perverse
➢ Sagras (sexual Accoutrement: (creative visualization please) the males make a hole
near the head of his virile member (read: penis) and make an insertion of a serpent’s
head (metal or ivory) and attached to it insert a peg of the same material through the
hole; they have extended copulation because of the inability to quickly withdraw.
Very popular among couples. Christianity eventually made them abandon the
practice. (Oragon Bay!)
Page 29 of 34
serpent’s head (metal or ivory)
➢ ‘Virgin ravishers’, men paid to de-virginize young girls

➢ The natives consider virginity among young girls is a “hindrance’ (balakid) in their
married life
Page 30 of 34
• Religion
➢ Pagans
➢ Nature worship
➢ Anitos: different types
➢ Crocodiles: nonos (nuno)
➢ Yellow colored bird : batala
Old men and women: catalonas, uses divinations, e
Source: Antonio de Morga, History of the Philippine Islands
ACTIVITY TIME!
III. Vocabulary Enrichment: Write the meaning of the following:
TERMS DEFINITION
Royal Audiencia
Cangan
Ynasaba
Calombigas
Dowry
Bagontaos
Anitos
Page 31 of 34
IV. COMPREHENSION CHECK UP

1. Write a word/ phrases associated to Dr. Antonio de Morga
a.
b.
c.
2. Fill up the chart
What you already know What you learned from What you still want to
about the early Filipinos Morga about the early learn about the early
Filipinos Filipinos
1. The early Filipinos had a rich culture prior to the coming of our colonizers. Justify
your answer.
Yes/No because _____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Page 32 of 34
Reflection
Choose from the emoji below and write your reasons why you felt that way during the taking
of lesson. Encircle the emoji and write at least three sentences below.
1. The Laguna Copperplate Inscription
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. Kartilya ng Katipunan
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Page 33 of 34
3. Customs of the Tagalogs by Juan de Plasencia
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. History of the Philippine Islands by Antonio de Morga
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Page 34 of 34

Unit II - Readings

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Unit II - Readings

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

SOCSC 01 - READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

SEMESTER: First Semester, S.Y. 2020-2021

PREPARED BY: ESTRELLA B. LUIS

NIÑA CHRISTELLE M. SUMINTAC

PICTURE TALK. Write your thoughts about the picture below.

Transliteration of the Laguna Copperplate

The Laguna Copperplate Inscription:

A high-contrast copy of the Laguna Copperplate Inscription.

kabayarán na 1 katî at 8 suwarna sa harapán ng Kagalang-galang na Punong Kagawad

The Laguna Copperplate Inscription is the name of an inscription written on an artifact

Political Entities in Southeast Asia in the 10th Century

Characteristics of the Laguna Copperplate

Investigations by Antoon Postma, a Dutch anthropologist, have revealed that the

Origins of the Inscription on the Laguna Copperplate

Ernesto Legisma Alfredo Evangelista

Antoon Postma Dr. Johann de Hector Santos

Wawa, Lumbang River, Laguna

I. ANSWER ME, PLEASE!

2. What is the relevance of finding the LCI in our Philippine History?

THE KARTILYA OF THE KATIPUNAN

1. A life that is not consecrated to a large and holy greatness is a tree

Customs of the Tagalogs by Juan de Plasencia

About the Author:

• Other Spanish missionaries who continued the historiographical tradition initiated by

About the Text:

• Barangay – tribal gathering ruled by chiefs

Aliping sa Guiguilir (slaves)

Worship and Belief (Religion)

12 Priests of the Devil

• Placencia’s referred to certain ‘devil-ish belief’s e.g. the mangagauay and

Burying the Dead

CONTRIBUTION AND RELEVANCE OF THE DOCUMENT IN UNDERSTANDING OF THE GRAND

I. Vocabulary Enrichment: Write the meaning of the following:

II. COMPREHENSION CHECK UP

History of the Philippine Islands by Antonio de Morga

Sucesos delas Islas Filipinas

Relación de las Islas Filipinas

Antonio de Morga Sanchez Garay

Fr. Pedro Chirino, SJ (1557-1635)

Observations of Antonio de Morga in his Sucesos delas Islas Filipinas (Chapter 8)

➢ cannot be stopped in attacking other groups (relentless)

• More than one child

• Marriage and Family Life

the couple stay’s at the groom’s house later at night

serpent’s head (metal or ivory)

➢ ‘Virgin ravishers’, men paid to de-virginize young girls

Source: Antonio de Morga, History of the Philippine Islands

III. Vocabulary Enrichment: Write the meaning of the following:

IV. COMPREHENSION CHECK UP

Yes/No because _____________________________________________________

1. The Laguna Copperplate Inscription

3. Customs of the Tagalogs by Juan de Plasencia

4. History of the Philippine Islands by Antonio de Morga

You might also like