Government

The government was called “barangay”

There was no national government.
There were many independent
barangays and datus. But there was no
datu strong enough to unite the
archipelago into one nation. Some
barangays, however, united to form a
confederation.
It was headed by a ruler called datu or
raja.
 Power and Functions of Datu
• Implementing laws.
• Maintaining peace and order.
• Giving protection to his subjects.
• He also made the law, with the
assistance of group elders who
gave advice.
• (A newly enacted law was made
known to the public through town
crier called “umalokohan”)
• He acted also as a judge during
trial
• (It was easy for the datu to run for
the barangay since the population
was very small).
 Taxation
• Ancient Filipinos started the practice of paying
taxes. The purpose of paying taxes was simple,
it was the protection they received from the
datu. The collected tax was called buwis. The
chieftain’s family members were enjoying
exemption from paying taxes. Non-payment of
taxes was already punishable during this
period.
 Alliances
• Like community of nations, alliances among
barangay were formed. The purpose of
forming alliances was for trade, peace and
mutual protection.
• An alliances was sealed through blood
compact (sanduguan), to ensure conformity,
sincerity and commitment of the chieftains.