Iloilo State College of Fisheries

College of Hospitality Management

Reporters : Marifer Galas Dr. Eddienilo T. Empedrado

Ericka Depositario
Cristel Faye Docilidad

Customs of the Tagalogs

Historical Context
1. Limited number of Spanish officials who would venture outside Intramuros
2. Team up of Filipino gobernadorcillo and friar
◦ .Supervisory and monitoring act
◦ .Most knowledgeable and Influential figure in the pueblo
3. Missionaries and religious districts
◦ .Statistics of converts
◦ .People’s way of life
◦ .Socio-economic condition
◦ .Problems of the natives
4. Friars who are keen observers and gifted writers had long reports and letters with their personal
observations and experiences
◦ .Relacion de las Costumbres de los Tagalogs by Juan de Plasencia
◦ .Relacion delas Filipinasby Miguel de Loarca in 1582 about the Visayan way of life
◦ .Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas by Gov. Antonio de Morga about the 16th century Philippines
◦ .Relacion de las Islas Filipinas by Fr. Pedro Chirino in 1604
◦ .Historia General by Fr. Juan Delgado in 1571
◦ .Labor Evangelica by Fr. Francisco Colin in 1663
◦ .Historia natural del sitio, fertilidad y calidad de las Islas e Indios de Bisayas by Fr. Francisco Ignacio
Alcina in 1668
Juan de Plasencia

 Born in the 16th century to the illustrious family of the Portocarreros in Plasencia in the region of Extremadura, Spain.
 His real name is Joan de Puerto carrero, del convento de Villanueva de la Serena
 Came with the first batch of Franciscan Missionaries in the Philippines in 1577.
 He was a Spanish Friar of Franciscan order.
 Said to have been inspired to be a Franciscan because of his upbringing spent during a spiritual and religious resurgence affected
by Spain’s siglo de oro.
 Well reputed as the one who took the leading role in fostering the spread of primary education.
 Converted natives, thaught catechisms, and organized towns and barangays in the Philippines
 Promoted the understanding of both the Spanish language among the natives, and the local languages among the missionaries, to
facilitate the task of spreading Christianity.
 Initiated the Reduccion Policy – Policy to reduce the or resetle natives in central locations.
 Some of his works aimed to put an end to some injustices being commited against the natives by certain government officials.
 Placensia died in Liliw, Laguna in 1590.

Excerpts from Customs of the Tagalogs

 Barangay - a family of parents and children, relations and slave.

 Datos – who governed them and were captains in their wars, and whom they obeyed and reverenced.

In addition to these chief, who corresponds to our knights there were The three castes namely:

 Nobles or Maharlika– Free-born, they do not pay taxes.

 Commoners or Aliping Namamhay – They live in their own houses and lords of their property and gold.
 Slaves or Aliping sa Guiguilir – They serve their master in his house and his cultivated lands and can be sold.

Those who are maharlicas on both the father and mother side continue to be so forever, and if it happens that they should become slaves, it is
through marriage.

If maharlicas had children among their slaves, the children and their mothers became free.

If maharlicas had children by the slave – woman of another, the slave – woman was compelled weth pregnant, to give her masterhalf of a gold tael.
In this case, half of the child was free if the father (Maharlica) recognized him. If not, the child will become a whole slave

If a free woman had children by a slave they were all free, provided he were not her husband.

If two persons married, of whom one was a maharlica and the other a slave (namamahay or sa guiguilir) the children were divided. Odd birth order
(1st, 3rd, 5th…..) belong to the father. Even birth order (2nd, 4th, 6th…. ) belong to the mother . Only child (Half free, half slave)

Maharlicas could not after marriage move from one village to another without paying a certain fine in gold (ranging from one to three taels and a
banquet to the entire baranggay) as arranged among them.

When a married woman of another village the children were afterwards divided equally between the two barangays
Investigations made and sentences passed by the dato must take place in the presence of those his barangay.

They had law by which they condemned to death man of low birth who insulted daughter or wife of the chief, likewise witches, and others of tye
same class.

Dowries are given by men to women's parents before marriage. If the parents are both alive. They both enjoy the use of it.

Worship of the Tagalogs

 No temples
 Simbahan – temples or place of adoration
 Pandot or a festival celebrated
 Sibi – a temporary shed of the house
 Sorihile – small lamps that set on the posts of the house
 Nagaanitos

IDOLS

 Bathala – “all powerful” or “maker of all things”

 Lic – ha – which were images with different shapes
 Dian Masalanta - (patron of lovers and of generation)
 Lacapati and Idianale - (patron of cultivated lands and of husbandry)
 Tala
 Seven little goats - (the Pleiades)
 Mapolon - (change of seasons)
 Balatic - (greater bear)
 Buaya – which they paid reverence to water – lizards for fear of being harmed by them.
 Tigamamanuguin (bird ) – which was singing in the tree
 No established division of years, months and days
 Catolonan (officiating priest)
 Offering and sacrifices
 Belief on bearing child

Distinctions among the priest of the devil

1. Catalonan – was either a man or woman. This office was an honorable one among the natives, and was ordinarily by people of
rank, this rule being general in all islands.
2. Mangangauay (witches) – deceived by pretending to heal the sick.
3. Manyisalat – same with mangangauay, 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 from having intercourse with the latter.
4. Mancocolam – whose duty was to emit fire from himself at night, once or oftener each month.
5. Hocloban – another kind of witch, of greater efficacy than the mangangauay. Without use of medicine, and by simply saluting
or raising the hand, they killed whom they chose.
 6. Silagan – if they saw anyone clothed in white, to tear out his liver and eat it, thus causing his death.
7. Magtatangal – his purpose was to show himself at night to many persons, without his head or entrails.
8. Osuang – which is equivalent to a “sorcerer”, they say that they have seen him fly, and that he murdered men and ate their
flesh.
9. Mangagayoma – they made charms for lovers out of herbs, stones, and wood which would infuse the heart with love.
10. Sonat – equivalent tto”preacher”. It was his office to help one die, at which time he predicted the salvation or condemnation of
the soul.
11. Pangatahojan – was a soothsayer, and predicted the future.
12. Bayoguin – signified a “cotquean, “ a man whose nature inclined toward that of a woman.

Manner of burying the dead of the tagalogs :

 Manner of burying the dead of Aetas or Negrillos

 Maca – another life of rest, “paradise” or in other words, “village of rest”
 Casanaan – place of punishment, grief, and affliction (“place of anguish”).
 Sitan – dwelt the demons
 Vibit (ghosts)
 Tigbalaang (phantoms)
 They had another deception – namely, if any woman died in childbirth, she and the child suffered punishment; and that night, she could
be heard lamenting. This is called Patianac