READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY
History
• History means “the past of mankind”
• German word for history, “Geschichte”
meaning “that which has happened”
• History cannot be reconstructed. It is an
inquiry of important events as to what
happened, when it happened, and how it
happened supported by evidence and factual
research.
Relevance of History
Political Intelligence - Understand the present
existing social, political, religious and economic
conditions of the people.
Personal Growth and Appreciation – provide a
sense of identity by having courage, persistence and
being able to protest what needs to be changed.
Builds better citizenship – history promotes a strong
national identity. It also provides knowledge about
different races and cultures that lead to patriotism
and humanitarian people.
Present day Issues – It positions us to see patterns
and study the continuity and changes that are taking
place over time.
Distinction of primary and secondary sources
Primary Sources – These are first-hand, original
records, evidence, and information, that are created
during the period when the event takes place. More
credible to be used as evidence.
Secondary Sources - These are interpretations and
analyses of the primary sources. It provides second-
hand information which can be summaries,
opinions, and critiques of an original source. A good
and reliable secondary source uses primary source
as evidence.
External and Internal Criticisms
External Criticisms – determines the authenticity of
the source. The practice of verifying the authenticity
of evidence by examining its physical characteristics;
consistency with the historical characteristics of the
time when it was produced; and the material used
for the evidence. Testing the genuineness of the
sources, localizing, analyzing
Internal Criticisms – determines the historicity of the
facts contained in the document. It is used to detect
whether the document contains errors or lies.
Interpretation of the sources and is also known as
interpretative criticism.
• Determining value of the source,
• Interpretation of the source,
• Establishment of the source.
Repositories of Primary Source
Define a place, building, or receptacle where
things are or may be stored. The word
derives from the Latin repositorium , which meant a
container or chambe r in which
objects might
be
deposited.
Markers and monuments that serve as a record of
significant people and events.
Museums are where artifacts and implements of
the past are exhibited and restored. Archive is a
place where old government or church documents
are stored for safe keeping and research.
Libraries are depositories of written texts and other
media.
Republic Act No. 10086, an act strengthening
peoples’ nationalist through philippines history
by changing the nomenclature of the national
historical institute into the national historical
commission of the Philippines, strengthening
its power and functions, and for other
purposes.
Example of Repositories in the Philippines
The National Archives of the Philippines is the home
of about 60 million documents from the centuries of
Spanish rule in the Philippines, the American and
Japanese occupations, as well as the years of the
Republic. It is also the final repository for the
voluminous notarized documents of the country.
• Asia Pacific Research Center
• Ateneo de Manila University. American
Historical Collection
• Ateneo de Manila University. Pardo de
Tavera Room
• De La Salle University. University Archives
• Filipinas Heritage Library
Kinds of Primary Sources – Manuscripts (Letters,
Journal, diaries,) Photographs, Object/Artifacts,
Newspaper articles, Public Record,
KALANTIAW CODE
• Found in one of the chapters in "Las
antiguas leyendas de la isla de
Negros" (Ancient Legends of Negros
Island) by Fr. Jose Maria Pavon.
• Pavon manuscripts were eventually
discovered by Jose E. Marco of
Negros Occidental in 1914. The
famous code, which is referred to as
"The 17 theses, or laws of the
Regulosin use in 150 since 1433,"
• Kalantiaw code established a set of
rules with a certain fine for any
person who will abide by the law
indicated in the code of Kalantiaw. In
addition, 18 different punishments
depending on what law is violated.
Kalantiaw code is a hoax due to lack
of basis.
ARTICLE I
You shall not kill, neither shall you steal, neither shall
you do harm to the aged, lest you incur the danger
of death. All those who infringe this order shall be
condemned to death by being drowned in the river,
or in boiling water.
ARTICLE II
You shall obey. Let all your debts with the headman
be met punctually. He who does not obey shall
receive for
the first time one hundred lashes. If the debt is large,
he shall be condemned to thrust his hand in boiling
water thrice. For the second time, he shall be
beaten to death.
ARTICLE III
Obey you: let no one have women that are very
young nor more than he can support; nor be given
to excessive lust. He who does not comply with,
obey, and observe this order shall be condemned to
swim for three hours for the first time and for the
second time, to be beaten to death with sharp
thorns.
ARTICLE IV
Observe and obey; let no one disturb the quiet of the
graves. When passing by the caves and trees where
they are, give respect to them. He who does not
observe this shall be killed by ants, or beaten to
death with thorns.
ARTICLE V
You shall obey; he who exchanges for food, let it
be always done in accordance with his word. He who
does not comply, shall be beaten for one hour, he
who repeats the offense shall be exposed for one
day among ants.
ARTICLE VI
You shall be obliged to revere sights that are held in
respect, such as those of trees of recognized worth
and other sights. He who fails to comply shall pay
with one month's work in gold or in honey.
ARTICLE VII
These shall be put to death; he who kills trees of
venerable appearance; who shoot arrows at night at
old men and women; he who enters the houses of
the headmen without permission; he who kills a
shark or a streaked cayman.
ARTICLE VIII
Slavery for a doam (a certain period of time) shall be
suffered by those who steal away the women of the
headmen; by him who keep ill-tempered dogs that
bite the headmen; by him who burns the fields of
another.
ARTICLE IX
All these shall be beaten for two days: who sing
while traveling by night; kill the Manaul (Bird); tear
the documents belonging to the headmen; are
malicious liars; or who mock the dead.
ARTICLE X
It is decreed an obligation; that every mother teach
secretly to her daughters matters pertaining to lust
and prepare them for womanhood; let not men be
cruel nor punish their women when they catch
them in the act of adultery. Whoever shall disobey
shall be killed by being cut to pieces and thrown to
the caymans. (Crocodile)
ARTICLE XI
These shall be burned: who by their strength or
cunning have mocked at and escaped punishment
or who have killed young boys; or try to steal away
the women of the elders.
ARTICLE XII
These shall be drowned: all who interfere with their
superiors, or their owners or masters; all those who
abuse themselves through their lust; those who
destroy their anitos (idols) by breaking them or
throwing them down.
ARTICLE XIII
All these shall be exposed to ants for half a day: who
kill black cats during a new moon; or steal anything
from the chiefs or agorangs, however small the
object may be. (Article 1)
ARTICLE XIV
These shall be made slave for life: who have
beautiful daughters and deny them to the sons of
chiefs, and with bad faith hide them away.
ARTICLE XV
Concerning beliefs and superstitions; these shall be
beaten: who eat the diseased flesh of beasts which
they hold in respect, or the herb which they consider
good, who wound or kill the young of the Manaul, or
the white monkey.
ARTICLE XVI
The fingers shall be cut-off: of all those who break
idols of wood and clay in their alangans and temples.
of those who destroy the daggers of the tagalons, or
break the drinking jars of the latter.
ARTICLE XVII
These shall be killed: who profane sites where idols
are kept, and sites where are buried the sacred
things of their diwatas and headmen. He who
performs his necessities in those places shall be
burned.
ARTICLE XVIII
Those who do not cause these rules to be obeyed:
if they are headmen, they shall be put to death by
being stoned and crushed; and if they are agorangs
they shall be placed in rivers to be eaten by sharks
and caymans.
PRE-COLONIAL PHILIPPINES (1500)
Archaeological Evidences of Human Existence in the
Philippines
The islands' precolonial period, during which
indigenous peoples engaged in healthy trade with
various cultures and economies in the region.
first under Spain for over 300 years, and then under
the United States, briefly occupied by the Japanese
during World War II, before gaining independence in
1946.
Recent excavations in the northern Luzon province
of Kalinga uncovered 57 stone tools and over 400
animal bones. All of the remains were dated to
709,000 years ago using Electron-spin resonance
methods – Method na ginamit para madetermine
yung date ng mga nadiscover na fossils.
Austronesian Theories and Evidences Theory 1:
Austronesian Migration Theory by Peter Bellwood
(1995)
This idea attempted to explain the origins of our
ancestors, particularly those who speak an
Austronesian language, how they arrived in the
Philippines, how language evolved, and how the
population grew
Evidence:
Lapita pottery dispersal patterns
"Lapita" most commonly refers to a lowfired,
earthenware ceramic design with distinctive
decoration known as dentate stamping. Found in
Nagsabaran, Cagayan.
Linguistic data strongest evidence for the
theory that the ancestors of the Lapita
civilization were
Austronesian is linguistic
• Proto-Malayo-Polynesian - All Austronesian
languages spoken beyond Taiwan have their
origins in Proto-Malayo-Polynesian.
• Cultural traits (trade relations) - He contends
that rather than a series of migrations, the
transmission of cultural traits most likely
occurred through some sort of trading network
because the pattern of cultural diffusion in the
Asia-Pacific region is spread out in all
directions.

• Proto-Oceanic - a protolanguage that was

supposed to be rebuilt as the oceanic
languages' most likely shared ancestor.
Boxer Codex
Human DNA
DNA examination of four Lapita bones The Boxer Codex is a manuscript written in 1595
discovered in ancient cemeteries on the islands of that discusses the illustrations of Ethnic groups in
Vanuatu and Tonga the Philippines at the time of initial contact with the
Spaniards.
Ocean voyaging technology
Austronesian-speaking tribes of the Southeast Asian Native Pre-Colonial inhabitants of the Philippines
islands invented outrigger boats in order to facilitate
sea travel. Large outrigger warships from the
Philippines were known as karakoa.

Theory 2: The Nusantao Hypothesis: The Spread of

Austronesian Speakers by Wilhelm G. Solheim II

He acquired the term from George Grace, nusa

means island and tau means people, which
roughly translates to "island people."

Evidence:
• Maritime culture - Wilhelm G. Solheim II put
forth a theory in 1975 regarding the origins of
Austronesian speakers, and that would be in
the southern Philippine islands and general
eastern Indonesia where, because of Holocene
Sea level rise, populations started integrating
to become predominately coastal and
maritime communities.
Other Residents in the Philippines
 Literature of the Ilocano

Dal-lot - sung during baptismal parties, weddings,

and feasts which is popular among the peasants.
Badeng - love songs are sung during serenades
Pamuliwanen - expresses a longing for a loved one.
Dung-aw - dirge are a lament for the dead.

Literature of the Ifugaos

They wrote folk epics which to date number no less

than twenty, had their folk epics Hudhud and Alim.

Hudhud glorifies Ifugao history,

Alim deals with the gods and resembles the
Indian epic Ramayana.

Literature of the Muslims

Epics as Sources of Indigenous People and Culture
Indigenous Literature in the Philippines These
include epics, stories, “bugtong” or riddles, folk
tales, mythology, legends and oration.
Literature of the Tagalog
Kundiman - Love for country (Patriotic song) Uyayi
and hele - a lullaby song of mother to his sleeping
child.
kutang-kutang - humorous and
lightheartedness of the singer Bontok - a song
that expresses wonder and nostalgia. Also,
death ritual song
Literature of the Maranao
Tubad-tubad - New generation or descendant of a
tribe"
Several darangans or epics of which the
Bantugan, Indarapatra and Sulayman, and
Bidasari are the most notable.
Earliest Record of Trade Relations with the
Chinese
a) Relations with the Orang Dampuans
• Between 900 and 1200 A.D., another
group of immigrants came to the
Philippines from southern Annam.
Known as Orang Dampuans or Men
from Champa, they established
trading posts in Sulu, resulting in a
flourishing trade between Sulu and
Southern Annam. The Orang
Dampuans were not politically
minded and had no intention of
dominating the people of Sulu, who
were called Buranuns.
 b) Relations with Bapjarmasin
• The fame of Sulu reached as far as
northern Borneo and soon
Banjarmasin and Brunei, two of the
important sub-states of the Empire of
Sri Vijaya, sent traders to Sulu. The
latter’s famous pearl beds drew the
interest of the Banjarmasin
merchants and adventurers.
c) Relations with China
Chinese Influences
Chinese influences on Filipino life were mainly
economic, for the Chinese who came to the islands
were “economic” men whose interest lay in profits
rather than in political domination.
ENCUENTRO & METAMORPHOSIS OF INDIO
(1565 – 1800)
Arrival of the Spaniards: Pigafetta's Account of
Magellan's Voyage
Magellan’s Voyage around the World by Antonio
Pigafetta
This manuscript volume, which dates from around
1525, describes Ferdinand Magellan's voyage
around the world between 1519 and 1522.
Pigafetta's work is significant not only for providing
information about the voyage, but also for providing
an early Western description of the people and
languages of the Philippines.
Antonio Pigafetta

• Chinese Tagalog • He was born around 1490 in Vicenza, Italy

• am-pau - ampaw • Giovanni Pigafetta and Angela Zoga are his
• a-chi - ate parents
• bi-hun - bihon • The eldest of two siblings
• bi-koe - biko • He studied astronomy, geography, and
• bi-wo - bilao cartography
• Accompanied Ferdinand Magellan and Juan
Sebastian Elcano on their famous expedition
to the Moluccas, which began in August 2019
and ended in September 1522
• His book "First Voyage Around the World"
served as the primary source for the history
of Magellan's voyage

Ferdinand Magellan
• Born in Sabrosa, Portugal, on February 4,
1480
• Passed away on April 27, 1521, in Mactan,
Cebu
• He was a Portuguese explorer who is
credited with organizing the first
circumnavigation of the world
Pigafetta’s Account of Magellan’s Voyage
• Ferdinand Magellan is a Portuguese explorer
who went to Spain after King Manuel of
Portugal, to whom he first pitched the idea
of an expedition, turned him down.
• Magellan's proposition to the king and queen
of Spain at the time was that he would find a
route to the east via the west route.
• His goal was to create a western route to the
Spice Island of Moluccas, located north-east
of Indonesia.
o Spices from Asia or the East were very
popular among Europeans at the
time. They were exotic commodities
worth many times their weight in
gold, and they were used as
seasonings, food preservatives, and
aphrodisiacs.
Historical Context
▪ Spain agreed to have exclusive rights to the
west, while Portugal expected to retain
control of the east.
▪ Treaty of Tordesillas which divided the
world.
▪ The transaction was completed in the small
Spanish town of Tordesillas.
Important Dates:
September 20, 1519
o Magellan started his expedition with 5
ships and 270 crew members.
➢ Trinidad (55crews) commanded by
Magellan
➢ San Antonio(60crews) commanded by
Juan de Cartageña
➢ Concepcion(45crews) commanded by
Gaspar de Quesada
➢ Santiago(32crews) commanded by Juan
Rodriguez Serrano
➢ Victoria(43crews) commanded by Luis de
Mendoza, which carried the supplies
o They first traveled southward through
the Atlantic Ocean to Brazil, looking for a
passage going eastward that they had no
idea about.
October 21, 1520.
o The discovery of Strait of Magellan.
o Magellan took 38 days to each the Pacific
Ocean where he named it Mar Pacifico
which translates to "calm or tranquil
ocean"
March 6, 1521
o They arrived in Guam, Marianas Islands.
o Magellan referred to the island as "Isla de
Ladrones" or "Island of Thieves" because
he believed that he has been robbed as
payment for their food.
March 16, 1521
o Magellan and his crew arrived at Zamal
Island (or Samar at present)
o He decided to land on uninhabited island
for their security
March 18, 1521
o A Filipino Natives who are sailing saw
Magellan and his men.
o Filipino Natives shows different island to
Magellan.
o On this day, Magellan named it "Archipelago
of San Lazaro" because they discovered it on
the Sunday of St. Lazarus.
March 25, 1521
o On this day, Magellan met Rajah Siagu, who
gave Magellan money for his ship's supplies.
o Rajah Siagu was the Rajah of Butuan
o Rajah Colambu was the one who led the
Mazaua or the Limasawa. Pigafetta
 described him as the most handsome man he
saw on the island.
March 31, 1251
o Mazaua (Limasawa at present) a province in
Southern Leyte.
o March 31, 1521 is the first ever mass that
was held in the Philippines and organized by
Magellan.
o Magellan ordered that the cross should be
brought with nails and crowned in place as
May 1, 1521
this is the sign of his emperor.
April 7, 1521
o With the help of Rajah Calambu they landed
on Cebu which is known as the largest and
the richest island.
o Rajah Humabon is the Rajah in Cebu who had
Blood Compact with Magellan to seal their
friendship.
April 27, 1521 (Battle of Mactan)
o According to Pigafetta, morning of April 27,
1521. Magellan with 49 of his crew went for
suicidal attack against to approximately
1,500 men of Lapu-Lapu.
o According to Pigafetta’s journal there are a
total of eight deaths and a large number of
unspecified wounded in Magellan’s men
while there are fifteen deaths and
unspecified number of fatalities in Lapu-
Lapu’s side.
o After the death of their Captain Magellan,
Duarte Barbosa the brother in law of
Magellan became the captain of the ship
Victoria.
o On May 1, 1521, Enrique (Interpreter and
slave of Magellan) and Rajah Humabon
plotted a trap against Spaniards.

April 14, 1521

Importance of First Voyage Around the World
o Rajah Humabon together with people of
• Importance in geography
Cebu willingly converted into Christian and a
• He also helped Europe by establishing
mass was held everyday at the shore.
immensely profitable trade routes.
o In the nearby island even their Rajah agreed
• Catholicism was introduced in the
to become an alliance and to serve under
Philippines.
Spanish flag except for one; the Rahaj of
Mactan lead by Rajah Zula and Rajah Lapu- • It is the most cited document and can be
Lapu. considered as Primary Source for those who
want to study the history of the Philippines
April 26, 1521 or the pre-colonial Philippines.
o Rajah Zula desires to show his loyalty to
Magellan because he wishes an allegiance
with Magellan; however, Lapu-Lapu refuses.
o With this, the conflict between Magellan and
Rajah Lapu-Lapu deepened and send 3 boats
with 60 men to Rajah Zula to overthrow
Rajah Lapu-Lapu.
INITIAL REACTION: FRIAR ACCOUNTS OF THE
CUSTOMS OF THE NATIVES
CUSTOMS OF THE TAGALOGS (Two Relations by Juan
de Plasencia)
JUAN DE PLASENCIA
• Juan de Plasencia was a Franciscan
missionary, among the first batch of the said
missionaries who first arrived in the
Philippines in 1578.
• He was also known as one of the friars who
was assigned to spread Christianity in the
Philippines and wrote the Doctrina Cristiana,
an early book on catechism, believed to be
the first printed book in the country.
Customs of the Tagalogs
• Document about the customs and traditions
of the colonized (natives) written in 1589
during the Spanish colonial period.
Social Organizations
• Datos - They are the chiefs that govern
barangays. They are also the one who acted
as captains during wars. And they ruled over
thirty (30) to one hundred (100) houses or
families.
• Barangay - It is a tribal gathering, or a group
of people governed by Datos. It consists of
family of parents and children, relatives, and
slaves. The name “barangay” came from the
word “balangay”, which is a boat used by
them to arrive in the country.
Three Castes (Social Classes)
● Maharlica (Nobles) - They are the free-born or
free people. They did not pay tax nor tribute to the
dato.
● Aliping Namamahay (Commoners) - They are
married and serve the nobles or their masters within
their houses (their masters can be a dato or not).
They also cannot be made into slaves, be sold,
and/or be exchanged.
● Aliping sa Guiguilir (Slaves)
- They serve their master within his house and
on his cultivated lands. They do low and
extensive types of jobs, and they can be sold
or used as payment.
- People become slaves when they are unable
to pay debt, captured during a war, proven
guilty of a crime, and if their parents are
slaves.
Marriage
• courtship began with harana and
paninilbihan and ends with pamamanhikan.
• weddings are officiated by the priestess or
babaylan.
• uncooked rice was thrown at the couple after
the ceremony.
• men were “monogamous”
• can be between two different social classes
• nobles could move from one barangay to
another by paying a certain fine or gold
Marriage between Nobles and Slaves
• If these maharlicas have children among
their slaves, the children and their mothers
became free;
• if one of them had children by another slave
woman, she was required to offer her master
half of a gold tael while pregnant
 • If two persons married, of whom one was a
maharlica and the other a slave, whether
namamahay or saguiguilir.
Dowries
• Usually, the man gave the woman's family
money or gold in exchange for her hand in
marriage.
Other forms of Dowries:
Panghihimuyat – a specific sum of money is to be
given to her parents.
Himaraw – can be gold or land;
Sambon – bribe to the family members.
In case of Divorce
• If a wife left her husband to marry another
man, her entire dowry plus an additional sum
equal to it belonged to the new husband.
• When the husband left his wife, half of the
dowry was lost, and the other half was given
back to him.
Loans and Inheritance
• If the creditor passes away, the debtor will no
longer owe money; if the debtor passes
away, the debt will be paid by the dead
person's family.
• Legitimate children will inherit their parents’
riches equally; while illegitimate children will
inherit nothing
• Adopted children, of whom there are many
among them, inherit double of what was
paid for their adoption.
Government and Legislation
• Barangay alliances were typical and
formalized through the sangduguan ritual.
• The idea is approved by the datu after
consultation with an elders' council.
• “The umalohokan” announces regulations to
the village.
Laws
• Customary- passed down from one
generation to the next
• Written- proclaimed from time to time as
necessity arises.
Status of Women
• had the right to inherit property, engage in
trade and industry, and succeed to the
traditional rulers of the barangay in the
absence of male heir.
• had full rights on the naming of their
children.
RELATION OF THE WORSHIP OF TAGALOGS, THEIR
GODS, AND THEIR BURIALS AND SUPERSTITIONS.
Religion
During the pre-colonial era in the Philippines,
Filipinos held diverse views regarding the existence
of numerous goddesses. The ancient Filipinos
believed that gods and spirits protected the
environment's natural characteristics, including
mountains, rivers, forests, and even heaven.
Babaylan: Served as spirit’s medium
Anito and Diwata: Diwata is believed as the good
fairy and guardian of nature, while Anito is the bad
fairy.
Simbahan: A space where people could practice
their prayers.
Other Gods during pre-colonial period:
Bathalang Maykapal or Badhala - Creator
Idinayale - God of Agriculture
Sidapa - God of Death
Balangaw - God of Rainbow
Mandarangan - God of War
Agni - God of Fire
Lalahon - Goddess of Harvest
Siginarugan - God of Hell
Diyan Masalanta - Goddess of Love
Burial Practices
● Cremation Burial (9500-9000 years)
- The stack of organized bones was one of the
pieces of evidence of fragmentation,
burning, and re-fragmentation before
internment in a container.
● Primary Burial
- This involves laying the remains on the
ground or in a container.
● Secondary Burial
- This burial practice was done by
transferring the bone and teeth remains into
burial containers.
Laraw - which is a four-day mourning time for datus,
during which it was forbidden to engage in quarrels.
Tibaw- a performance to commemorate the
deceased.
Pasiyam- observed during ninth night of person’s
death.
Beliefs or Superstitions
Mangagauay- a person who deceives people by
pretending he heals the sick person.
Manyisalat- a person who applies remedies to lovers
so that a man would abandon his wife and cause
illness to the woman.
Hocloban- without using any medicine, it can kill
people whom they want to kill by just a gesture of
hand.
Mancocolam- it emits fire from himself at night.
Silagan- they eat the liver of anyone they see
wearing white clothes at night.
Magtatangal- this kind of persona shows himself
during nighttime without his head.
Osuang- also known as sorcerer which believed as a
creature who can fly and murder men to eat their
flesh.
Mangangayoma- it can create a charm for lovers
that would infuse the heart of a person with love.
Pangatahojan- a person who acts like a fortune
teller because it can predict the future.
SPECIAL TOPIC: HEALTHCARE DURING SPANISH
PERIOD
The Philippine Islands' medical and pharmaceutical
operations in the 17th and 18th centuries
• The yearly Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade, in
which supplies were ordered from Manila
and fulfilled by the viceroy of Mexico, was
what determined the availability of medical
supplies.
• Since the majority worked for the Cuerpo
Sanidad Militar, Manila was the only city with
licensed doctors, surgeons, and pharmacists.
• Franciscans established hospitals in the
Manila region that serviced the local
populace; royal hospitals in Manila and
Cavite were only for Spanish patients.
• The parish priests and the local therapists
played a significant role in local medicine.

Imported Medications and Drugs
• Doctors and pharmacists with European
training who were mostly based in Manila
were responsible for the majority of medical
and pharmaceutical expertise.
• The galleon trade was mostly used to bring
drugs and medications from Mexico.
• We bought "valuable narcotics" from the
Cambodian king.
• To help with the medical demands, the
Chinese, who are Asia's traditional
apothecaries, were enlisted.
Friar Develops Local Treatments
• Many religious missionaries combed the
countryside, recording the floral
environment in an effort to find and use
complementary treatments.
• Rural areas suffered the lack of medical
supplies.
• The indigenous matanda or mediquillo, who
were considered ineffective therapists by the
Spaniards, had to administer traditional
therapy for the poor patients.
Curandero Art becomes Missionary Medicine
• The term "curandero" was used to describe
the local traditional healers who treated sick
people using herbology, hydrotherapy,
massage therapy, and divination.
• also known as mediquillos
• The "empiric period" refers to the time when
local traditional medicine was developing,
evolving from its magical and supernatural
roots.
Herbal Medicine and Botany
• Herbal therapy or opotherapy was the
element of ancient indigenous healing arts
that received the most acceptance. The
padres then ventured further into the
tropical flora region.
• As priest-botanists who also served as
doctors, pharmacists, and occasionally
surgeons, the friars evolved into physicians
of the body.
• Both personal experience and the assistance
of the curanderos or mediquillos contributed
to the priests' knowledge of medical science
in the Philippines.
Hydrotherapy
• Franciscans and Augustinians popularized
the use of natural remedies springs.
• In addition to herbal medicine, the
therapeutic properties of the islands' natural
pools were also highly valued by the faithful.
Obstetrics
• The reality of childbearing fatalities was one
of the most significant concerns in the world
of medicine at the time
• Customary matronas, the mediquillos and
parish priests could offer their expertise and
attention to childbearing.
• The priests made an effort to perfect the
then-extremely lethal surgical techniques.
• Guidebook written by Fr. Sanz, The
development of the medical and surgical
science of obstetrics through many centuries
was made possible by the experiences of
priests, mediquillos, and matronas.
General Surgery
• The priests and missionaries agreed that
surgery was necessary or useful, as did the
curanderos.
• Surgery became the sole domain of Spanish
military doctors, who only used their abilities
when called upon by western-minded Manila
officials.
Common Diseases and Cures: An Overview
• Due to the contradicting nature of symptoms
and the difficulties in conducting differential
diagnostics, patients referred to missionary
hospitals or to infirmaries in remote
locations were misdiagnosed.
• The possibility of accurately identifying
diseases back then is limited or hampered by
the lack of modern diagnostic techniques
and the quality of health and medicine that
followed the precise flaws at that time.