CUSTOMS OF THE TAGALOG

LAS COSTUMBRES DE LOS INDIOS TAGALOS DE FILIPINAS

JUAN DE PLASENCIA, O.S.F.

JUAN DE PLASENCIA
 Born in the early 16th Century in Plasencia, in
the region of Extramadura, Spain.
 Originally named as Juan Portocarrero.
 Spanish friar for the Franciscan Order.
 Came together with the first batch of
Franciscan Missionaries in the Philippines.
(1571)
 Wrote the document during the Spanish
Colonial Period – Nagcarlán, October 21, 1589.
DATOS
• The chief of the Tagalogs.
• Captains in wars making them
revered and obeyed.
• People who went against them and
their family were severely
punished (DEATH)
• Ruled over Barangays.
BARANGAY
- A tribal gathering ruled over by a chief.
- It is in it’s origin, a family of parents and
children, relations and slaves.

- The name arose from the Malay word

balangay, the boat used by the early
settlers of the Philippines.
- The head of each boat became a Dato.
3 CASTES IN
THE BARANGAY
MAHARLICA
 Nobles or free-born.

 Did not pay tax or tributes to the dato.

 Must serve the dato when summoned but

were fed by the dato in return.

 Given their own lands when they help the

dato in clearing their lands for tillage.

*TINGUES – Lands on the mountain-ridges

that were owned in common by the barangay.
ALIPING
NAMAMAHAY
•  They are married, and serve their master, whether
he be a dato or not, with half of their cultivated
lands, as was agreed upon in the beginning.

• Their children cannot be made slaves, nor can they

or their parents be sold.

• They cannot be taken to another village if their

master wishes to move, but left behind in their
own lands and cultivate it.
ALIPING SA
GUIGUILIR
• They serve their master in his house and on his
cultivated lands, and may be sold.
• Their master may grant them a portion of their harvest
as incentive.
• Servants who are born in the house of their master are
rarely, if ever, sold.
• May ransom himself by paying an amount of 5 *taels or
more to become a namamahay or if he can afford it, 10
taels or more depending on the agreement, to become
wholly free.
*TAEL- A Chinese unit of weight that, when applied to silver, was
long used as a unit of currency. Most taels were equivalent to 1.3
ounces of silver.
MARRIAGE
WHAT HAPPENS IF A MAHARLICA WOULD HAVE
CHILDREN IN OTHER CASTES?

1. MAHARLICA + MAHARLICA = MAHARLICA / FREE

2. MAHARLICA + SLAVE (OWN) = MOTHER AND CHILD ARE FREE
3. MAHARLICA + SLAVE (OTHER) =
*IF THE MAHARLICA WAS A MALE THE CHILD WAS HALF A SLAVE IF
RECOGNIZED. OTHERWISE, THE CHILD WAS WHOLLY A SLAVE.
*IF THE MAHARLICA WAS A FEMALE THEY ARE ALL FREE PROVIDED THE
SLAVE IS NOT HER HUSBAND.
MARRIAGE
Maharlica + Alipin
- Children were divided; the first whether male or female belonging to the
father including the third, fifth, and so on. The second, fourth, etc. belonging to
the mother.
-The children belonging to the parent take after their position.
- If there is only one, the child is half free and half slave.
 The maharlicas after marriage can not move to another village
without paying a certain fine in gold depending upon agreement.

 Failure to pay the fine might result in a war between the barangay
which the person left and the one which he entered

 The children were afterwards divided equally between the two

barangays.

* “There is a great need of reform in this, for the chiefs are spiritless
and faint-hearted.”
LAWS
SLAVERY, DEATH PENALTY, JUDGEMENT
 Investigations made and sentences passed by
the dato must take place in the presence of those
of his barangay.

 They had laws by which they condemned to

death a man of low birth who insulted the
daughter or wife of a chief; likewise witches,
and others of the same class.

 They condemned no one to slavery, unless he

merited the death-penalty.
 If any of the litigants felt himself aggrieved, an arbiter was unanimously
named from another village or barangay, whether he were a dato or not. In
this ceremony they always had to drink, the plaintiff inviting the others.
 All other offenses were punished by fines in gold, which, if not paid with
promptness, exposed the culprit to serve, until the payment should be made, the
person aggrieved, to whom the money was to be paid.

WHAT HAPPENS IF A FRIEND OR RELATIVE PAYS FOR THE CULPRIT?

- He is obliged to render the latter half his service until he was paid—not, however,
service within the house as aliping sa guiguilir, but living independently, as aliping
namamahay.
-If the creditor were not served in this wise, the culprit had to pay the double of
what was lent him.

* In this way slaves were made by debt: either sa guiguilir, if they served the master to whom
the judgment applied; or aliping namamahay, if they served the person who lent them
wherewith to pay.
INHERITANCE AND DOWRY
 The legitimate children of a father and mother inherited equally.

DOWRY – Payment given by a man to the parents of the woman

he is going to marry.

 When the parents gave a dowry to any son, and, when, in order to marry him to a chief's
daughter, the dowry was greater than the sum given the other sons, the excess was not
counted in the whole property to be divided.

  If one had had children by two or more legitimate wives, each child received the
inheritance and dowry of his mother, with its increase, and that share of his father's estate
which fell to him out of the whole.
 If a man had a child by one of his slaves, as well as legitimate children, the former
had no share in the inheritance; but the legitimate children were bound to free the
mother, and to give him something—a tael or a slave, if the father were a chief; or if,
finally, anything else were given it was by the unanimous consent of all.

 If besides his legitimate children, he had also some son by a free unmarried woman
(called an inaasava), to whom a dowry was given but who was not considered as a
real wife, all these were classed as natural children, although the child by the
unmarried woman should have been begotten after his marriage. Such children did
not inherit equally with the legitimate children, but only the third part.

 If he had a child by a slave woman, that child received his share as above stated.
If there were no legitimate or natural child, or a child by an
inaasava, whether there was a son of a slave woman or not, the
inheritance went only to the father or grandparents, brothers, or
nearest relatives of the deceased, who gave to the slave-child as
above stated.

*In the case of a child by a free married woman, born while she was married, if the husband punished
the adulterer this was considered a dowry; and the child entered with the others into partition in the
inheritance.
DOWRY IN SITUATIONS
*ADOPTION
 Adopted children inherit the double of what was paid for their adoption.

 At the death of the parents, provided the dowry has not been consumed, it is divided like the rest of
the estate, equally among the children, except in case the father should care to bestow something
additional upon the daughter.

 If the wife, at the time of her marriage, has neither father, mother, nor grandparents, she enjoys her
dowry—which, in such a case, belongs to no other relative or child.

*It should be noticed that unmarried women can own no property, in land or dowry, for the result of all
their labors accrues to their parents.
DIVORCE
 In the case of a divorce before the birth of children, if the wife left the husband for the purpose
of marrying another, all her dowry and an equal additional amount fell to the husband.

 If she left him, and did not marry another, the dowry was returned.

 If the husband leaves his wife, he lost the half of the dowry, and the other half was returned to
him.

 If he possessed children at the time of his divorce, the whole dowry and the fine went to the
children, and was held for them by their grandparents or other responsible relatives.
 In the matter of marriage dowries which fathers bestow upon their sons when
they are about to be married, and half of which is given immediately, even
when they are only children, there is a great deal more complexity. There is a
fine stipulated in the contract, that he who violates it shall pay a certain sum
which varies according to the practice of the village and the affluence of the
individual. The fine was heaviest if, upon the death of the parents, the son or
daughter should be unwilling to marry because it had been arranged by his or
her parents. In this case the dowry which the parents had received was
returned and nothing more. But if the parents were living, they paid the fine,
because it was assumed that it had been their design to separate the children.
WORSHIP OF THE TAGALOGS,
THEIR GODS, AND THEIR
BURIALS AND SUPERSTITIONS
WORSHIP
  There are no temples consecrated to the performing of sacrifices, the
adoration of their idols, or the general practice of idolatry.

 Simbahan – A temple or place of adoration. This is usually built at the house

of the chief where they constructed a sibi.
 Pandot- A festival or “worship”.

 The whole barangay, or family, united and join in the worship which they
call nagaanitos.
IDOLS
 Badhala - The title seems to signify “all powerful,” or “maker of all things.”
 Tala – The morning star.
 The seven little goats – The Pleiades
 Mapolon – The change of seasons
 Balatic – The Greater Bear
 Lic-ha – Images with different shapes
 Dian Masalanta -  The patron of lovers and of generation.
 Lacapati and Idianale - Patrons of the cultivated lands and of husbandry.
AN EXAMPLE OF A SUPERSTITION
  If they left their house and met on the way a serpent
or rat, or a bird called Tigmamanuguin which was
singing in the tree, or if they chanced upon anyone
who sneezed, they returned at once to their house,
considering the incident as an augury that some evil
might befall them if they should continue their
journey—especially when the above-mentioned bird
sang. This song had two different forms: in the one
case it was considered as an evil omen; in the other,
as a good omen, and then they continued their
journey.
 These natives had no established division of years, months, and days.

 Their manner of offering sacrifice was to proclaim a feast, and offer to the devil what they had to eat.

 Catalonan – Officiating priest, male or female in a ceremony.

 The reasons for offering this sacrifice and adoration were,

in addition to whatever personal matters there might be,
the recovery of a sick person, the prosperous voyage of those
embarking on the sea, a good harvest in the sowed lands,
a propitious result in wars, a successful delivery in childbirth,
and a happy outcome in married life. If this took place
among people of rank, the festivities lasted thirty days.
DISTINCTIONS OF PRIESTS OF THE DEVIL

A. CATALONAN
B. MANGAGAUAY
C. MANYISALAT
D. MANCOCOLAM
E. HOCLOBAN
F. SILAGAN
G. MAGTATANGAL
H. OSUANG
I. MANGAGAYOMA
J. SONAT
K. PANGATAHOJAN
L. BAYOGUUIN
A.) CATALONAN
 This office was an honorable one among the natives,
and was held ordinarily by people of rank, this rule
being general in all the islands.
 The officiating priest in ceremonies.
 Can be male or female.
 Chants praises in the form of poetic songs in front of
the idols with the participants responding in song
form.
 The devil was sometimes liable to enter into the
body of the catolonan.
B.) MANGAGAUAY
Witches, who deceived by pretending to
heal the sick.
Capable of causing death.
They could prolong life for a year by
binding to the waist a live serpent, which
was believed to be the devil, or at least his
substance.
This office was general throughout the
land.
C.) MANYISALAT
 The same as magagauay.

 These priests had the power of applying such remedies to lovers that they
would abandon and despise their own wives, and in fact could prevent them
from having intercourse with the latter.
-If the woman, constrained by these means, were abandoned, it would bring sickness upon her; and on
account of the desertion she would discharge blood and matter.

 This office was also general throughout the land.

D.) MANCOCOLAM
Duty was to emit fire from
himself at night, once or oftener
each month.

This office was general.

E.) HOCLOBAN
 Has greater efficacy than the mangagauay.
 Without the use of medicine, and by simply
saluting or raising the hand, they killed whom
they chose.
 If they desired to heal those whom they had
made ill by their charms, they did so by using
other charms.
 This was in Catanduanes, an island off the
upper part of Luzon.
F.) SILAGAN

Whose office it was, if they saw anyone

clothed in white, to tear out his liver
and eat it, thus causing his death.

 This was in Catanduanes.

G.) MAGTATANGAL

 His purpose was to show himself at night

to many persons, without his head or
entrails.

 Natives affirm that they have seen it,

because the devil probably caused them
so to believe.

 This occurred in Catanduanes.

H.) OSUANG
Equivalent to “sorcerer;”

They say that they have seen him fly,

and that he murdered men and ate
their flesh.

This was among the Visayas Islands;

among the Tagalos these did not exist.
I.) MANGAGAYOMA

They made charms for lovers out of herbs, stones, and wood,
which would infuse the heart with love.

Thus did they deceive the people, although sometimes, through

the intervention of the devil, they gained their ends.
J.) SONAT
 Equivalent to “preacher.” or bishop.

 It was his office to help one to die, at which time

he predicted the salvation or condemnation of the
soul.

 It was not lawful for the functions of this office to

be fulfilled by others than people of high standing,
on account of the esteem in which it was held.

 This office was general throughout the islands.

K.) PANGATAHOJAN
A soothsayer, and predicted the
future.

This office was general in all the

islands.
L.) BAYOGUUIN
Signified a “cotquean,” a man whose nature inclined
toward that of a woman.

*cotquean -  a coarse masculine woman; a man who busies

himself with women's work or affairs.
PRACTICES
 Upon getting her first period (menarche), a young girl is
blindfolded four days and four nights; and, in the
meantime, the friends and relatives were all invited to
partake of food and drink.

 At the end of this period, the catalonan took the young girl
to the water, bathed her and washed her head, and
removed the bandage from her eyes.

 The old men said that they did this in order that the girls
might bear children, and have fortune in finding husbands
to their taste, who would not leave them widows in their
youth.
PRACTICES
 They practiced divination, to see whether weapons, such as a dagger or
knife, were to be useful and lucky for their possessor whenever occasion
should offer.

 They paid reverence to water-lizards called by them buaya, or crocodiles,

from fear of being harmed by them. They were even in the habit of offering
these animals a portion of what they carried in their boats, by throwing it
into the water, or placing it upon the bank.
BURIAL RITES
AS WRITTEN BY JUAN DE PLASENCIA
How the Tagalos buried their dead:
1. The deceased was buried beside his house; and, if he were a chief, he
was placed beneath a little house or porch which they constructed for
this purpose.

2. Before interring him, they mourned him for four days;

3. Afterward they laid him on a boat which served as a coffin or bier,

placing him beneath the porch, where guard was kept over him by a
slave. 
4. In place of rowers, various animals were placed within the boat, each one
being assigned a place at the oar by twos— male and female of each species
being together—as for example two goats, two deer, or two fowls. It was the
slave's care to see that they were fed.

5. If the deceased had been a warrior, a living slave was tied beneath his body
until in this wretched way he died.

6.  For many days the relatives of the dead

man bewailed him, singing dirges, and
praises of his good qualities, until finally they
wearied of it. This grief was also
accompanied by eating and drinking. This
was a custom of the Tagalos.
HOW THE AETAS/NEGRILLOS BURIED THEIR DEAD:

1. They dug a deep, perpendicular hole, and placed the

deceased within it, leaving him upright with head or
crown unburied, on top of which they put half a
cocoa-nut which was to serve him as a shield.

2. Then they went in pursuit of some Indian, whom they

killed in retribution for the Negrillo who had died. 

3. To this end they conspired together, hanging a certain

token on their necks until some one of them procured
the death of the innocent one.
OTHER BELIEFS
 Maca - another life of rest, “paradise,” or, in other words, “village of rest.”
-They say that those who go to this place are the just, and the valiant, and those who lived
without doing harm, or who possessed other moral virtues.
 Casanaan -  A place of punishment, grief, and affliction. “a place of anguish;”
 Sitan – Demons that dwelt in casanaan.
 They held the belief that no one  would go to heaven, where there dwelt only Bathala, “the
maker of all things,” who governed from above.
 Vibit – Ghosts
 Tigbalaang – Phantoms
 Patianac – If any woman died in childbirth, she and the child suffered punishment; and
that, at night, she could be heard lamenting.