The pre-colonial Philippine era is generally overlooked in Philippine history with a number of grey areas.

Many Filipinos are misguided by the perception that pre-colonial Philippines was an era of barbarianism
and that the Spanish invasion marked the start of Philippine history. In reality, the pre-colonial Filipinos
had a rich sense of culture, economics, politics and religion that made up its vast and colorful identity.
Culture was very prominent in pre-colonial times as the native Filipinos had their own art, dance, music,
literature and architecture. They engaged in cultural traditions such as folk dances and one more famous
tradition of Filipino culture is tattooing and the wearing of gold as signs of strength and wealth
respectfully. Philippine economics is another common misconception as most people believe that pre-
colonial Filipinos only engaged in hunting and gathering or simply agriculture as their means of economics.
In truth, the pre-colonial Filipinos engaged in barter trade from other countries, especially China. The
Philippine economy was not as advanced as other countries such as China but our trade industry and
economy were already players in international trade. The Filipinos also had a systematic political system
before Spanish arrival and it was known as the barangay system, headed by a Datu who rules over the
barangay. Finally, a common misconception about pre -colonial Philippines was that they were mostly
pagans. The Filipinos did have some pagan tribes, but these are mostly less advanced ones as most of the
tribes were actually Muslim. The Philippines, in fact, was on the verge of becoming a Muslim country if
not for the Spanish arrival. Asides from Islam there were also evidence that may trace to some pre-colonial
Filipinos being Buddhists and Hindu. These are only some common misconceptions that most Filipinos
have about their pre-colonial ancestors. Having a better understanding of Filipinos in pre-colonial times
would enlighten one about their vast culture and society and rethink what they know about Philippine
History. So despite common misconceptions the Filipinos did have a flourishing identity way before
Spanish arrival.