READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY
came to this land, the head of the boat
The Customs of Tagalog
Juan de Plasencia: Las Costumbres de los
Indios Tagalog de Filipinas
- Is a narrative on the established culture
of the Tagalogs in Luzon.
- It was written by Juan de Plasencia, a
Franciscan missionary in the Tagalog
region since 1578 until 1590.
- He came together with the first batch if
Franciscan missionaries in the Philippines
from Spain.
- This document was written as an answer
to the request of the monarchy in Spain
which was to provide pieces of
information about the government,
administration of justice, inheritances,
slaves, dowries, worships, burials, and
superstition of the people in the colony.
- This is to rectify also the previous reports
about the people’s way of life in the
region.
SOCIAL CLASSES
• DATOS (Chieftain)
- These were the chiefs who ruled and
governed the people.
- They were the captains in their wars
whom they obeyed and reverenced.
- These chiefs rules over people as many
as 30 to a hundred houses.
- The term used to refer to a person who
has the authority to establish control
over his people.
- The term arose from the fact when they
(or balangay) became a dato.
- The barangay, in its origin, was a family
of parents and children, relations and
slaves.
- A barangay refers to a political unit
established by the Tagalogs.
• MAHARLIKA (Nobles)
- The nobles were the free-born whom
they call Maharlika. They did not pay
tax or tribute to the dato, but must
accompany him in war, at their own
expense.
• ALIPING NAMAMAHAY (Commoners)
- The commoners were called Aliping
Namamahay. They are married, and
serve their master, whether he be a
dato or not, with half of their cultivated
lands.
- They live in their own houses and are
lords if their property and gold. Their
children inherit it and enjoy their
property and lands.
• ALIPING SAGIGILID (Slaves)
- The slaves are called Aliping Saguiguilir.
They serve their master in his house, and
on his cultivated lands, and may be
sold.
- The master grants them, should he see
fit, a portion of their harvests so that they
may work faithfully. For this reason,
servants who are born in the house of
their master are rarely sold. That is the lot
of captives in war, and of those brought
up in the harvests fields.
 - If two persons married, of whom one
was a Maharlika and other a slave,
whether Namamahay or Saguiguilir the
children were divided:
• First child (male or female) belonged
to father, as did the third and fifth.
(Odd)
• Second child, fourth, and sixth fell to
mother, and so on. (Even)
- In this manner, if the father were free, all
the children who belonged to him were
free; if he were a slave, all those who
belonged to him were slaves; and the
same applied to the mother. If there
should not be more than one child, he
was half free and half slave.
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
- Tagalogs have the name Simbahan,
which means a temple or place of
worship, Foremerly, when they wished to
celebrate a festival or worship, which
they called Pandot, they celebrate it in
the large house of a chief.
- They also celebrated a feast with
beating of the drums which lasted for
four days, which they called
Nagaanitos. During this time, the whole
barangay or family unite and joined in
the worship.
- Among their many idols there was one
called Bathala, who they especially
worshiped. They also worshiped the sun,
which is almost universally respected
and honored by heathens.
- They also worshiped the moon,
especially when it was new, at which
time they held great rejoicings, adoring
it and bidding it welcome. Some of
them also adored the stars.
- They paid reverence to the water-lizards
which they called buaya or crocodiles,
from fear of being harmed by them.
They were even in the habit of offering
these animals a portion of what they
carried in their boats, by throwing in into
the water, or placing it upon the bank.
CATOLONAN
- The officiating priest, could be a male or
female, who lead in their offering of
sacrifice to the front of the idol which
they anoint with fragnant perfumes such
as musk or other adoriferous woods, and
praise it in poetic songs sung by the
Catolonan.
- In the case of young girls who had their
first monthly courses, their eyes were
blindfolded for 4 days and 4 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. They did this do that the girls
might bear children and have fortune in
finding husbands of their taste.
BURIAL CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS
- The manner of burying the dead was as
follows:
- The deceased was buried inside the
house, and if he were a chief, he was
placed beneath a little house or porch
which they constructed for this purpose.
Before interring him, they mourned him
for four days, and afterwards laid him on
a boat which served as a coffin or bier.
MACA
- This is the place in the “another life”
which they consider the “paradise” or
“village of rest.” They say that those who
 go to this place are just, the valiant, and
those who lived without doing harm,
and who possessed moral virtues.
CASANAAN
- This is the place of punishment, a place
of anguish, grief, and affliction, where
the wicked were believed to go in the
other life. They also believed that they
demons whom they called Sitan, also
dwelt there.
BELIEF IN SUPERNATURAL BEINGS
- These people also believed in ghosts
which they called Vibit, and phantoms
which they called Tigbalaang.
- They also believed that if any woman
died in childbirth, she and the child
suffered punishment; and that at night,
she could be heard lamenting, which
they called Patianac.
THE SPANIARDS’ VERSION OF THE
CAVITE MUTINY
Spaniards' Version of the Cavite Mutiny
of 1872
- This version was written by Jose Montero
y Vidal, a Spanish historian, in his book
entitled "Historia General de Filipinas."
- The author, in his account, overstated
the mutiny of some dissatisfied soldiers
and laborers into a revolt to bring down
Spanish rule, which also intricated some
patriots like Gomburza and others.
- Don Rafael de Izquierdo - assumed
control of the government of these
islands April 4, 1871.
- The most eventful episode in his rule was
the Cavite revolt of 1872.
- The abolition of the privileges enjoyed
by the laborers of Cavite arsenal of
exemption from the tribute was, to
some, the cause of the insurrection.
- In the beginning of 1872, the authorities
received anonymous communication
that a great uprising would break out
against the Spaniards, the minute the
fleet at Cavite left for the south, and
that all would be assassinated including
the friars.
- The conspiracy had been going on
since the days of Gov. La Torre (the one
that preceded Izquierdo). At times, the
principal leaders met in the house of
Don Joaquin Pardo de Tavera or that of
Fr. Jacinto Zamora.
- The garrison of Manila, composed
mostly of native soldiers, were involved
in this conspiracy, as well as a multitude
of civilians.
- The plan was for the soldiers to
assassinate their officers, the servants,
their masters, and the escort of the
captain-general.
- The signal among the conspirators of
Cavite and Manila was the firing of
rockets from the walls of the city.
- it was agreed that the uprising was to
breakout in the evening of the 20th of
January, 1872.
- Various circumstances, however, upset
the plans and made the conspiracy a
failure.
- In the district of Sampaloc, the fiesta of
the patron saint, the Virgin of Loreto,
was being celebrated with pomp and
splendor. On the night of the 20th,
 fireworks were displayed and rockets
fired into the air.
- Those in Cavite mistook these for the
signal to revolt; and in that evening, 200
native soldiers under the leadership of
Sergeant La Madrid rose up in arms, and
assassinated the commander of the fort
and wounded his wife.
- Early the next morning, two regiments
under the command of Don Felipe
Ginoves left for Cavite on board
merchant vessels.
- Ginoves demanded rendition and
waited the whole day of the 21st for the
rebels to surrender, without ordering the
assault of their position in order to avoid
unnecessary shedding of blood.
- After waiting the whole day in vain for
the rendition of the rebels, Ginoves
launched an assault against these
rebels' position, putting to the sword the
majority of the rebels and making
prisoners of the rest.
- Rojas, despatched two Spaniards to
inform the Manila authorities of the
uprising but they were met on the way
by a group of natives, who put them
instantly to death.
- An employee of the arsenal, Don
Domingo Mijares, left Cavite in a war
vessel for Manila. He informed the
commandant of marine of what had
occurred, and this official immediately
relayed the news to Governor Izquierdo.
- Early in the morning of the 22nd, an
official proclamation announced the
suppression of the revolt.
- Several individuals were pointed out as
instigators and they were arrested: Jose
Burgos, Jacinto Zamora (curates of the
Cathedral) Mariano Gomez (curate of
Bacoor) and several other Filipino
priests, Antonio Ma.Regidor, Joaquin
Pardo de Tavera, Pedro Carillo, Gervasio
Sanchez, Jose Mauricio de Leon,
Enrique Paraiso, Jose and Pio Basa,
Crisanto Reyes, Maximo Paterno, and
several other Filipinos.
- The council of war (which took charge
of the causes in connection with the
Cavite uprising) passed the sentence of
death on 41 of the rebels.
- On the 27th of January, the captain-
general fixed his "cumplase" on the
sentence.
- On the following month, 11 more were
sentenced to death, but the governor-
general commuted this sentence to life
imprisonment.
- The sentence of death was pronounced
on Camerino for the assassination of the
Spaniards who were sent to Manila to
carry news of uprising.
- The same council on the 5th of February,
sentenced to die by strangulation the
Filipino priests: Jose Burgos, Jacinto
Zamora, and Mariano Gomez, and
Francisco Saldua.
- Maximo Inocencio, Enrique Paraiso and
Crisanto delos Reyes were sentenced to
10 years imprisonment.
- Early in the morning of the 17th of
February, an immense multitude
appeared on the field of Bagumbayan
to witness the execution.
- The attending force was composed of
Filipino troops, and the batteries of the
fort were aimed at the place of
execution, ready to fire the least sign of
uprising.
- Gomez was executed first, then Zamora,
then Burgos, and lastly, Saldua.

- On the 3rd of April 1872, the Audiencia

suspended from the practice of law the
following men: Jose Basa, Joaquin
Pardo de Tavera, Antonio Ma.Regidor,
Pedro Carillo, Gervasio Sanchez, and
Mauricio de Leon.

- Izquierdo had requested the sending of

Spanish troops to Manila for the defense
of the fort as most of these found here
were natives.

- In pursuance of Izquierdo's request, the

government dissolved the native
regiments of artillery, and ordered the
creation of an artillery force to be
composed exclusively of Peninsulares.

- These troops composed of the

Peninsulares arrived in Manila in July of
1872.

- On the occasion of the arrival of these

troops, the Sto. Domingo Church
celebrated a special mass, which was
attended by the high officials of the
government, the religious corporations,
and the general public, upon invitation
of the Governor and Captain-General
of the Philippines.
The Filipinos' Version of the Cavite Mutiny
This version was written by Dr. Trinidad H. Pardo
de Tavera, a Filipino scientist. scholar and
historical researcher. In his account, Cavite
Mutiny was simply a mutiny by the Filipino
soldiers and laborers of the Cavite arsenal who
turned out to be dissatisfied with the
eradication of their privileges. Tavera, in his
account blamed Gov. General Izquierdo's
harsh policies like the abolition of their
privileges of exemption from paying yearly
tribute and rendering forced labor. This
eventually resulted to a bloody incident on the
night of January 20, 1872 when some of the
soldiers, laborers and residents assassinated the
Commanding officer and some Spanish
officials in sight. Dr. Pardo de Tavera's version is
as follows
Source Zande. Gregorio and Soner Zade (1990) Documentary
Sources of Philippine History Vol. 5 Mona Martional Book Store
"The arrival of General Izquierdo (1871-1873)
was the signal for a complete change in the
aspect of affairs. The new governor soon made
it clear that his views were different from those
of La Torre that there would be no change in
the established form of government-and he at
once announced that he intended to govern
the people "with a crucifix in one hand and a
sword in the other"
His first official act was to prohibit the founding
of a school of arts and trades, which was being
organized by the efforts and funds raised by
natives of standing in the community, but the
founding of which did not tally with the views
of the religious orders, Governor Izquierdo
believed that the establishment of the new
school was merely a pretext for the
organization of a political club, and he not
only did not allow it to be opened but made a
public statement accusing the Filipinos who
had charge of the movement. All of those who
had offered their support to ex- Governor La
Torre were classed as personas sospechosas
(suspects), a term that since that time has
been used in the Philippine Islands to
designate any person who refused to servilely
obey the wishes and whims of the authorities.
The conservative element in the islands now
directed the governmental policy, and the
educated Pilipinos fell more and more under
the displeasure and suspicion of the governor
The peace of the colony was broken by a
certain incident which, though unimportant in
itself, was probably the origin of the political
agitation which, constantly growing for thirty
years, culminated in the overthrow of the
Spanish sovereignty in the Philippine Islands.
From time immemorial the workmen in the
arsenal at Cavite and in the barracks of the
artillery and engineer corps had been exempt
from the payment of the tribute tax and from
obligation to work certain days each year on
public improvements. General Izquierdo
believed the time. opportune for abolishing
theses privileges and ordered that in the future
all such workmen should pay tribute and labor
on public improvements. This produced great
dissatisfaction among the workmen affected
and the men employed in the arsenal at
Cavite went on a strike, but, yielding to
pressure and threats made by the authorities,
they subsequently returned to their labors.
The workmen in the Cavite arsenal were all
natives of that town and the neighboring town
of San Roque. In a short while the
dissatisfaction and discontent with the
government spread all over that section and
even the entire troops became disaffected.
On the night of January 20, 1872, there was an
agrising among the soldiers in the San Felipe
fort, in Cavite, and the commanding officer
and other Spanish officers in charge of the fort
were assassinated Forty marines attached to
the arsenal and 22 artillerymen under Sergeant
La Madrid took part in this uprising, and it was
believed that the entire garrison in Cavite was
disaffected and probably implicated. But if the
few soldiers who precipitated the attack
believed they would be supported by the bulk
of the army and that a general rebellion
against Spain would be declared in the islands,
they were deceived. When the news of the
uprising was received in Manila, General
Izquierdo sent the commanding general to
Cavite, who reinforced the native troops, took rulers in Spain within the few days, as well as
possession of the fort, and put the rebels to the other occurrences, seemed to accentuate the
sword. Sergeant La Madrid has been blinded claims made by the conservative element in
and badly burned by the explosion of a sack the Philippine Islands regarding the peril which
of powder and, being unable to escape. was threatened Spanish sovereignty in the islands; it
also cut down. A few of the rebels were appeared as though the prophecies were
captured and taken to Manila and there was about to be fulfilled. The Madrid authorities
no further disturbance of the peace or were not able to combat public opinion in that
insubordination of any kind. country; no opportunity was given nor time
taken to make a thorough investigation of the
This uprising among the soldiers in Cavite was
real facts or extent of the alleged revolution;
used as a powerful lever by the Spanish
the conservative element in the Philippine
residents and by the friars. During the time that
Islands painted the local condition of affairs in
Gen. La Torre was chief executive in the
somber tints; and the Madrid Government
Philippine Islands the influential Filipinos did not
came to believe, or at least to suspect, that a
hesitate to announce their hostility to the
scheme was being concocted throughout the
religious orders, and the Central Government
islands to shake off Spanish sovereignty.
in Madrid has announced its intention to
Consistent with the precedents of their colonial
deprive the friars in these islands of all powers
rule, the repressive measures adopted to quell
of intervention in matters of civil government
the supposed insurrection were strict and
and of the direction and management of the
sudden. No attempt appears to have been
management of the university. Moret, the
made to ascertain whether or not the innocent
colonial minister, had drawn up a scheme of
suffered with the guilty, and the only end
reforms by which he proposed a radical
sought appeared to be to inspire terror in the
change in the colonial system of government
minds of all by making examples of a certain
which was to harmonize with the principles for
number, so that none in the future should
which the revolution in Spain had been fought.
attempt, nor even dream of any attempt at
It was due to these facts and promises that the
secession.
Filipinos had great hopes of an improvement in
the affairs of their country, while the friars, on Many of the best known Filipinos were
the other hand, feared that their power in the denounced to the military authorities, and
colony would soon be completely a thing of they, the sons of Spaniards born in the islands
the past. and men of mixed blood (Spanish and
Chinese), as well as the Indians of pure blood,
The mutiny in Cavite gave the conservative
as the Philippine Malays were called, were
element-that is, those who favored a
persecuted and punished without distinction
continuation of the colonial modus vivendi --
by the military authorities. Those who dared to
opportunity to represent to the Spanish
oppose themselves to the friars were punished
Government that a vast conspiracy was afoot
with special severity; among others may be
and organized throughout the archipelago
mentioned the priests Burgos, a half-blood
with the object of destroying the Spanish
Spaniard, Zamora, a half-blood Chinaman,
sovereignty. They stated that the Spanish
and Gomez, a pure-blood Tagalog, who had
government in Madrid was to blame for the
vigorously opposed the friars in the litigation
propagation of pernicious doctrines and for
over the curacies in the various province. The
the hopes that had been held out from Madrid
three priests mentioned were condemned to
to the Filipino people, and also because of the
death by a military court-martial; and Antonio
learnings of ex-Governor La Torre and of other
M. Regidor, a lawyer and councilman of
public functionaries who had been sent to the
Manila, Joaquin Pardo de Tavera, lawyer and
Philippine islands by the Government that
member of the administrative council, P.
succeeded Queen Isabella. The fall of the new
Mendoza, curate of Santa Cruz, Guevarra,
curate of Quiapo, the priests Mariano Sevilla,
Feliciano Gomez, Ballesteros, Jose Basa, the
lawyers Carillo, Basa, Enriquez, Crisanto Reyes,
Maximo Paterno, and many others were
sentenced to life imprisonment on the
Marianas Islands. The Government thus
secured its object of terrorizing the Filipino
people, but the punishments meted out were
not only unjust but were from every point of
view unnecessary, as there had not been the
remote intention on the part of anyone to
overthrow the Spanish sovereignty. On the
contrary, the attitude of Moret, Labra, Becerra,
and other high officials in the Madrid
Government had awakened in the breasts of
the Filipinos a lively friendship for the home
government, and never had the ties which
bound the colony to Spain been as close as
they were during the short interval between
the arrival of General La Torre and the time
when General Izquierdo, in the name of the
home government was guilty of the atrocities
mentioned above, of which innocent men
were made victims.
A careful study of the history and documents
of that time brings to light the part which the
religious orders played in that sad drama. One
of the results of the so called revolution of
Cavite was to strengthen the power of the
friars in the Philippine Islands in such manner
that the Madrid Government, which up to that
time had contemplated reducing the power of
the religious orders in these islands, was obliged
not only to abandon its intention, but to place
a yet greater measure of official influences at
the service of the friars, and from that time they
were considered as an important factor in the
preservation of the Spanish sovereignty in the
colony. This influence was felt throughout the
islands, and not only were the friars taken into
the confidence of the Government, but the
Filipino people looked upon the religious orders
as their real masters and as the
representatives, powerful and unsparing, of the
Spanish Kingdom.
But there were other results following upon the
unfortunate policy adopted by Governor
Izquierdo. Up to that time, there had been no
intention of secession from Spain, and the only
aspiration of the people was to secure the
material and educational advancement of the
country. The Filipino people had never blamed
the Spanish nation for the backward condition
in which the islands existed, nor for the
injustices committed in the islands by the
Spanish officials; but on the contrary it was the
custom to lay all the blame for these things on
the individual officers guilty of
maladministration, and no attempt had been
made to investigate whether or not the evils
under which the islands suffered were due to
fundamental causes. The persecutions which
began under Governor Izquierdo were based
on the false assumption that the Filipino people
were desirous of independence, and although
this was an unfounded accusation, there were
many martyrs to the cause, among whom
were found any of the most intelligent and
well-to-do people, without distinction of color
or race or nationality, who were sentenced to
death, to imprisonment, or were expatriated
because they were believed to aspire to the
independence of these islands. The fear which
he people felt of the friars and of the
punishments meted out by the Government
was exceeded only by the admiration which
the Filipino people had for those who did not
hesitate to stand up for the rights of the
country. In this manner, the persecutions to
which the people were subjected served as a
stimulus and an educative force, and from that
time the rebellion was nursed in secret and the
passive resistance to the abuses of the official
power became greater day by day.
No attempt was made to allay the ill-feeling
which existed between the Filipinos and the
Spaniards, especially the friars, caused by the
mutiny in Cavite and the cruel manner in
which the punishment was meted out. Many
years would have been necessary to heal the
wounds felt by the large number of families
whose members were made the victims of the
unjust sentences of the military courts-martial.
Nothing was done by the Government to blot
out the recollections of these actions; on the
contrary, it appeared to be its policy to
continually bring up the memory of these
occurrences as a reminder to the malcontents
of what they had to expect; but the only thing
accomplished was to increase the popular
discontent. It was from that time that every
disagreement between the Spaniards and the
Filipinos, however trivial, was given a racial or
political character; every time a friar was
insulted or injured in any way, it was claimed to
be an act of hostility to the Spanish nation."