The Code of Kalantiaw is a penal code which has been believed to govern pre-Hispanic

Philippine society written by Kalantiaw in 1433 a century before Magellan arrived in the
Philippines. A penal code is a document which possesses a significant amount of a particular
jurisdiction of criminal law against committed crimes and offenses. The Code of Kalantiaw thus
establishes the basis of a society for pre-colonial Filipinos. The Code of Kalantiaw embodies the
capital punishment for crimes such as stealing, sneaking in the house of a datu and even adultery
with his wife.
The Code of Kalantiaw is a penal code which has been believed to govern pre-Hispanic
Philippine society written by Kalantiaw in 1433 a century before Magellan arrived in the
Philippines. A penal code is a document which possesses a significant amount of a particular
jurisdiction of criminal law against committed crimes and offenses. The Code of Kalantiaw thus
establishes the basis of a society for pre-colonial Filipinos. The Code of Kalantiaw embodies the
capital punishment for crimes such as stealing, sneaking in the house of a datu and even adultery
with his wife.
The Code of Kalantiaw is a penal code which has been believed to govern pre-Hispanic
Philippine society written by Kalantiaw in 1433 a century before Magellan arrived in the
Philippines. A penal code is a document which possesses a significant amount of a particular
jurisdiction of criminal law against committed crimes and offenses. The Code of Kalantiaw thus
establishes the basis of a society for pre-colonial Filipinos. The Code of Kalantiaw embodies the
capital punishment for crimes such as stealing, sneaking in the house of a datu and even adultery
with his wife.
In the famous epic story of Maragtas, there was this mythical legal code called "The Code of Kalantiaw". It was named after its supposed author,
Datu Kalantiaw, who allegedly wrote it in 1433. Datu Kalantiaw was a chief on the island of Negros. It was written about by Jose E. Marco in 1913 in
his historical fiction "Las Antiguas Leyendes de la Isla de Negros" (The Ancient Legends of the Island of Negros). He ascribed its source to a priest
named Jose Maria Pavon. The historian Josue Soncuya wrote about the Code of Kalantiaw in 1917 in his book "Historia Prehispana de Filipinas"
(Prehispanic History of the Philippines) where he transferred the location of the origin of the Code from Negros to Panay because he contended
that said Code may have been related to the Binirayan festival.

The code of Kalantiaw is a penal code which has been believed to govern Pre-Hispanic Philippine society written by Kalantiaw in 1433, a century
before Ferdinand Magellan arrived in the Philippines. A penal code is a document which possesses a significant amount of a particular jurisdiction
of a criminal law against committed criminal crimes and offenses. The code of Kalantiaw thus establishes the basis of a society for pre-colonial
Filipinos. The code of Kalantiaw embodies the capital punishment for crimes such as stealing, sneaking in the house of a Datu and even adultery
with his wife.
The story on this Code has been recognized through the ages by known authors. In 1968, however, historian William Henry Scott called this a
"hoax" in his book "Prehispanic Source Materials for the Study of Philippine History". Consequently, Filipino historians agreed to expunge the Code
of Kalantiaw in future materials on Philippine history. Although the said Code ceases to be part of the texts of Philippine history, however, many
still believe its validity.

Article I
Ye shall not kill, neither shall ye steal nor shall ye hurt the aged, lest ye incur the danger of death. All those who this order shall infringe shall
be tied to a stone and drowned in a river or in boiling water.
Article II
Ye shall punctually meet your debt with your headman. He who fulfils not, for the first time shall be lashed a hundredfold, and If the
obligation is great, his hand shall be dipped threefold in boiling water. On conviction, he shall be flogged to death.

Article III
Obey ye: no one shall have wives that are too young, nor shall they be more than what he can take care of, nor spend much luxury. He who
fulfils not, obeys not, shall be condemned to swim three hours and, for the second time, shall be scourged with spines to death.
Article IV
Observe and obey ye: Let not the peace of the graves be disturbed; due respect must be accorded them on passing by caves and trees
where they are. He who observes not shall die by bites of ants or shall be flogged with spines till death.
Article V
Obey ye: Exchange in food must be carried out faithfully. He who complies not shall be lashed for an hour. He who repeats the act shall, for
a day be exposed to the ants.
Article VI
Ye shall revere respectable places, trees of known value, and other sites. He shall pay a month's work, in gold or money, whoever fails to do
this; and if twice committed, he shall be declared a slave.
Article VII
They shall die who kill trees of venerable aspect; who at night shoot with arrows the aged men and the women; he who enters the house of
the headman without permission; he who kills a fish or shark or striped crocodile.
Article VIII
They shall be slaves for a given time who steal away the women of the headmen; he who possesses dogs that bite the headmen; he who
burns another man's sown field.
Article IX
They shall be slaves for a given time, who sing in their night errands, kill manual birds, tear documents belonging to the headmen; who are
evil-minded liars; who play with the dead.
Article X
It shall be the obligation of every mother to show her daughter secretly the things that are lascivious, and prepare them for womanhood;
men shall not be cruel to their wives, nor should they punish them when they catch them in the act of adultery. He who disobeys shall be
torn to pieces and thrown to the caymans.
Article XI
They shall be burned, who by force or cunning have mocked at and eluded punishment, or who have killed two young boys, or shall try to
steal the women of the old men (agurangs).
Article XII
They shall be drowned, all slaves who assault their superiors or their lords and masters; all those who abuse their luxury; those who kill their
anitos by breaking them or throwing them away.
Article XIII
They shall be exposed to the ants for half a day, who kill a black cat during the new moon or steal things belonging to the headmen.
Article XIV
They shall be slaves for life, who having beautiful daughters shall deny them to the sons of the headman, or shall hide them in bad faith.
Article XV
Concerning their beliefs and superstitions: they shall be scourged, who eat bad meat of respected insects or herbs that are supposed to be
good; who hurt or kill the young manual bird and the white monkey.
Article XVI
Their fingers shall be cut off, who break wooden or clay idols in their olangangs and places of oblation; he who breaks Tagalan's daggers for
hog killing, or breaks drinking vases.
Article XVII
They shall be killed, who profane places where sacred objects of their diwatas or headmen are buried. He who gives way to the call of
nature at such places shall be burned.
Article XVIII
Those who do not cause these rules to be observed, if they are headmen, shall be stoned and crushed to death, and if they are old men,
shall be placed in rivers to be eaten by sharks and crocodiles.