CUSTOMS OF THE TAGALOG

• Juan de Plasencia- a
Franciscan missionary in the
Tagalog region since 1578-1590
• Customs of the Tagalogs- a
narrative on the established
culture of the Tagalogs in
Luzon written by Juan de
Plasencia
▫ this document was written as an
answer to the request of the
monarchy in Spain
• Plasencia wrote:
• “this people always had a chiefs, called by
them “datos”, who governed them and
were captains in their wars, and whom
they obeyed and reverenced.”
• these chiefs ruled over but few people;
sometimes as many as a hundred houses,
sometimes less than thirty
• this tribal gathering is called barangay
COMMUNITY
DATU

MAHARLIKA

ALIPING NAMAMAHAY

ALIPING SAGUIGUILID
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.
• Maharlica (nobles)
▫ Do not need to pay taxes
▫ Must accompany the datos in war
• Aliping Namamahay
▫ They have their own properties but has to serve
their own masters (commoners)
▫ Children belonging to this caste inherit the status
of their parents
▫ Cannot be treated as a slave nor can be sold off.
• Aliping sa Guiguilid (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
The Trial
• TRIAL BY DATU
• TRIAL BY ORDEAL
▫ Boiling water and stone
▫ Lighted candle
▫ Swimming under water
• TRIAL BY WAR
▫ Fight it out until one gives up.
Marriage Customs
• Dowries are given by the men to the women’s
parents
• 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.
Worship and Belief
• 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
• Among their many idols there was one called
“bathala, whom they especially worshiped.the
title seem to signift ‘all powerful” or “maker of
all things”
• they also worshiped the sun and the moon.
• Their manner of offering sacrifice was
to proclaim a feast, and offer to the
devil what they had to eat. This was
done in front of the idol, which they
anoint with fragrant perfumes and
praise it in poetic songs sung by the
officiating priest, male or female who
is called catolonan.
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.
• they knew that there was another life of rest which
they called maca, just as if we should say “paradise”
or “village of rest”
• they also said that in other life and mortality, there
was a place of punishment, grief, and affliction, called
casanaan, which was “a place of anguish”
• In the case of young girls who first had
their monthly courses, their eyes were
blindfolded four days and four nights; in
the meantime, the friends and relatives
were all invited to partake 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.
• 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.

• 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.