CUSTOMS OF THE TAGALOGS

CUSTOMS OF THE TAGALOGS.

Learning Outcomes. 0 1. Examine the context and perspective of the document.

Historical context. 01.

During the first century of Spanish rule, the colonial government had difficulty in running local politics because of the limited number of Spaniards who wanted to live outside of Intramuros. This situation forced Spanish officials to allow Filipinos to hold the position of gobernadorcillo. To ensure that the gobernadorcillos would remain loyal to the Crown, the friars assigned in the parishes were instructed to supervise and monitor the activities of the former. Hence, the friars ended up performing the administrative duties that colonial officials should have been doing at the local level. They supervised the election of the local executives, helped in the collection of taxes, were directly involved in educating the youth, and performed other civic duties. Consequently, the friars became the most knowledgeable and influential figure in the pueblo..

The friars who were assigned in mission territories were required periodically to inform their superiors of what was happening in their respective areas. They prepared reports on the mumber of natives they converted, the people's way of life, their socio-economic situation, and the problems they encountered Some of them submitted short letters while others who were keen observers and gifted writers wrote long dispatches. On top of the regular reports they submitted, they also shared their personal observations and experiences. Plasencia's Relacion de las Costumbres de Los Tagalogs (Customs of the Tagalogs, 1589) is an example of this kind of work. It contains numerous information that historians could use in reconstructing the political and socio-cultural history of the Tagalog region. His work is a primary source because he personally witnessed the events and his account contained his observation..

\ There were other friars and colonial officials who also wrote about the Filipinos which could further enrich our knowledge of Philippine history during the early part of the Spanish period. For example, Miguel de Loarca, an encomendero of Panay wrote his Relación de las Islas Filipinas (1582) and described the Filipinos' way of life in the Western Visayas area. Lieutenant Governor Antonio de Morga wrote Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas which provides information about the state of the Philippines in the latter part of the 16th century. The other Spanish missionaries who continued the historiographical tradition were Fr. Pedro Chirino S.J. (Relación de las Islas Filipinas, 1604), Fr. Juan Delgado S.J. (Historia General, 1751), Fr. Francisco Colin S.J. (Labor Evangelica, 1663), and Fr. Francisco Ignacio Alcina S.J. (Historia natural del sitio, fertilidad y calidad de las Islas e Indios de Bisayas, 1668). Most of what we know about Philippine history during the first century of the Spanish period were derived from the accounts of the Spanish friars..

Background of the Author.

Juan de Plasencia Born: Juan Portocarrero 1520 Plasencia, Extremadura, Spain Died: 1590 (aged 69–70) Lilio, Laguna, Captaincy General of the Philippines Nationality: Spanish Known for: Doctrina Cristiana.

About the text. T he original document of Customs of the Tagalogs is I currently kept in the Archivo General de Indias (A.G.I.) in Seville, Spain. A duplicate copy of it is kept in the Archivo Franciscano Ibero-Oriental (A.F.1.O.), in Madrid, Spain..

Excerpts from Customs of the tagalogs. Government.

Social classes. Datu maharwlika aliping mamahay aliping saguiguuilir.

Datu. chief , captain of wars whom governed, obeyed and reverenced.

Maharlika. Free-born, they do not pay taxes.

Aliping Namamahay. They lived in their own houses and lords of their property and gold.

Aliping Saguiguilir. They served their master in his house and cultivated lands can be sold.

Government. The unit of govenrment is called Baranggay ruled by a chieftain and, consist of 30 to 100 families together with their relatives and slaves.

Slaves. A person becomes a slave by captivity in a war by reason of debt by inheritance by purchase by commiting a crime.

Men were in general are monogamous,while their wife are called asawa Courtship begins with paninilbihan Prior to the marriagae the man requires to give a dowry Bigay kaya panghihimuyat bigay-suso Marriage between couples belonging to a different social classes were not commom Several grounds of divorce are adultery abandon,ment on the part of the husband cruelty insanity.

Inheritance. The first son of the chieftain inherit his father position; if the first son dies, the second son succeeds their father; in the absence of male heirs it is the eldest daughter becomes the chieftain.

Religious Beliefs.

Bathala. “all powerfull” or “maker of all things”.

stars. They called the morning star tala. seven littkle goats.

Balatic. lic ha. Images with different shapes. Dian Mansalanta.

Lacapti and idianale. Patrons of cultivated lands and husbandry.

Superstitioous beliefs. 1. catolonan 2. mangagauay 3. manyisalat 4. mancocolam 5. hocloban 6. silagan 7. magtatangal 8. osuang 9. mangagayuma 10. sonat 11. pangatohajan 12. cotquean.

Relevance. The contents of the writing of Fray Juan De Plasencia depicts the ancient or pre-colonial life of the Filipinos before and upon the arrival of Spain as embodied in Plasencia's detailed narration oh how was the life of Filipinos during this time. It just proved that these occurrences beliefs and practices had been existing long before the arrival of Spaniards. Hence, it is appropriate to debunk the western depiction of the islands as barbaric, uncivilized, and uncultured when they arrived. based on Plasencia's observation, the Tagalogs are already highly civilized and have a sophisticated as described in Plasencia's report. The document "custom of the Tagalogs" had contributed much to the understanding of the culture and heritage of the Filipinos. In a way that it provided us with significant and meaningful information to better appreciate and be proud of the cultural legacy from our ancestors. It serve as the basis of historical reconstruction of Tagalog Society. . Many of the 16th century beliefs and practices are still present today. It affirms that during the pre-Hispanic period, Filipinos already have government as well as a set of beliefs and practices, wherein we can still observe today.

Our team. Kim Hera C. Bacsain Kim Jasmin C Bacsain Cielo Sanglay.