Module 2

Readings in Philippine History

Name: Garde, Lovelen E. Course/Year & Section: BSBA FM 1-B

Address: Bliss Project, San Miguel, Jordan, Guimaras Contact Number: 09614860254
Instructor’s Name: Steve Michael Tagat Sent Date: Sep. 30, 2022

Lesson 3: Relacion de las Costumbres de Los Tagalogs By Juan de Plasencia

(Customs of the Tagalogs)
APPLY

Instructions: Identify two urban legends in your place and research about people’s stories related to them.
Afterwards, examine if these legends bear a resemblance to the supernatural beliefs documented by Fr.
Plasencia. How similar or different were they? Write down your findings in the space provided below.

Many of the legends of Guimaras island narrated the supernatural doings of some people, even as far as
rumors seeing them in motion. There was one dating back to my mother’s teenage era or period, specifically
here in our area. It was a rumor or “kuno-kuno” that a person was believed to be exuding an aura, magic or such
that whenever you pass by her, your stomach immediately hurts/aches. She also “licks” your stomach which is a
sign or a cure for healing the said stomach ache. She was called Lola “Atring”, believed to be an “aswang” from
Inday Leah. Another superstitious belief is the one that is mostly known as “Santermo” or a fire ball which
roams in the streets and is said to appear or “naga-tuhaw” whenever it is raining. It is said to be a fire in the size
of a ball floating around, not really sure if it follows a person or if it brings bad luck.
All those good myths, legends and fairytales didn’t just appear out of nowhere without good reason. At
least, that’s what I perceived as I grew up. There are lots of ancient myths, folklores and legends ubiquitously
that have been served as basis and inspirations of prominent movies as of today. The above-mentioned legend
and myth have been pure tales or narratives that are not substantiated, However, what are their similarities or
differences in Fr. Juan Plasencia’s claims? Juan Plasencia is entrusted by the King of Spain with recording and
documenting the customs and traditions of the people of the Philippines based on his own observations and
judgements. He authored the Tagalog custom to put an end to various abuses done against natives by some
government officials. One of his books, Custom of Tagalog, deals with the ordinary lives of the ancient
Filipinos, their social standing, customs, traditions, and Tagalog beliefs. It also gave birth to the first Civil
Code, which was utilized by local rulers to administer justice.
As a distinction, Spaniards didn’t believe what our ancestors used to do. Pre-Spanish Filipinos had a
basic understanding of astronomy and were firmly convinced in omens. Ergo, this was recorded by Fr.
Plasencia as a sign of pagan worship and demonic practices. They do not believe in faith healers or witches,
mangkukulam/gayuma, shapeshifters, mansisilat or homewrecker, mystical or mythical creatures like aswang,
magtatangal, diwata, the living temple and many more. They also affirm that it is the acts of the devil which
caused them to believe these fables of anito, or other bathala and nature spirits that our ancestors’ dwell/used to
worship.

ASSESS

Answer the following questions:

1. How did Plasencia describe the society of the prehispanic Filipinos?
The Early Filipinos lived in a small scattered settlements under the patriarchal rule of independent
chieftains called datus. They formed distinct kinship groups. One such group was called barangay, a name
derived from the sailboats which brought the early Malays to the Philippines.
The Spaniards later found that the barangay society had much common with the European feudal society
of the Middle Ages. In fact, Fray de Plasencia O.F.M.(whose real name was Portocarrero), a missionary for
many years among the Tagalogs, described the social structure of the Tagalog barangay in the language of
Spanish feudalism: "Besides the chiefs, who may be considered as composing the nobility, there were three
other states: gentlemen, commoners, and slaves.
The gentlemen were free men, and were called maharlicas...
The commoners are called aliping namamahay. They are householders who serve a lord...
The slaves are those called aliping saguiguilir who serve their lord in his house or farm...

2. What were the injustices in the classification of societal status?

In the days of ancient Filipinos, people were mostly engaged in activities like fishing, farming, swine
raising, poultry, gold mining and trade etc. Most people were engaged in agricultural or other similar activities
and also worked on the coastal areas. The early Filipinos recognized and followed a social hierarchy structure
based on what they did and which household they were born into. In accordance with this arrangement, the rank
and responsibilities of those at the top of the pyramid decreased as the pyramid tapered down.
 The chiefs held the topmost position among the ancient or early Filipinos and enjoyed most social
benefits and luxuries. The nobles occupied the next highest hierarchy position during the early Filipino days.
The nobles were also wealthy, enjoyed a lot of respect and responsibility and were people who were engaged in
important social decisions and works. The next Filipino social class which was observed in the ancient Filipino
days was that of the freemen.  This was the middle class of the society and people belonging to this class were
said to belong to the timawa or maharlika group. The lower most class in the ancient Filipinos was that of the
slaves. Slavery was a common practice during those days and slaves were those who had no rights, no
responsibility and were under the control of their masters who were mostly the nobles.

3. What does Fr. Plasencia’s account reveal about the religious and spiritual beliefs of the early Filipinos?
The account revealed a belief in heavenly bodies such as stars and the moon.
 Fr. Juan de Plasencia was one of the Franciscan order's Spanish friars who was tasked with overseeing
parish operations.
 He demonstrated that the Filipinos had spiritual beliefs and cultural customs long before the Spaniards
arrived and colonised our nation.
 Early Filipino’s believed in Aswang, Dwend, Kapre, Tikbalang, Patyanak/Tiyanak.
 They also believed in magical power of amulet and charms such as anting-anting, kulam and gayuma or
love potion.
 They used to revere the Bathala as well as other celestial bodies such as the moon and stars.
 They also observed funeral customs as a sign of respect for the deceased.
 They also thought that there are demon priests in places like Mangagaway, Manyisalat, Mancocolam, and
Hocloban.

4. Based on your critical analysis of the above description of Juan de Plasencia about the early inhabitants of the
Philippines, draw some points which you do not agree about the Filipino people before the Spanish
colonization. Provide evidence of your argument.
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. 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.
beliefs.
The mangagauay and mangagayoma, for instance, were both regarded 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; and the early Tagalogs, in reality, never considered them as acts of the
devil. Needless to say, the application of Western parameters to local traditions has often proven fractious
especially in classifying and describing local and colonial situations.Given the plethora of biases and to a great
extent, inaccurate judgments and pretensions of the author, the text was clearly not written for local
consumption, but for Western readers. Customs of the Tagalogs, just like any other colonial texts written during
the Spanish colonial period, was intentionally made to provide an exoticize description of the Tagalog natives,
clearly fed by politics and propaganda and operated with the Western-outsider's gaze, that would be appealing
to them.