1.

Describe the social life of the early Filipinos according to the Sucesos de las Islas
Filipinas by Antonio Morga as annotated by Rizal as to the following:
a. Dwelling
They construct their shelters in various areas according to their lifestyle
and source of living. Mostly, they were situated along the seashores, streams,
rivers, forest, fertile land areas and even caves. In water areas they look for fish,
shells, pearls as their source of living. They also made boats and utilized it for
travel particularly transferring their goods to another place for trading purposes.
For those living in the land areas tend to engage on cultivating the land for
agricultural purposes such as planting rice, bananas and crops. After harvest, they
prefer not to use the area but rather finding another place with fine soil and trees
and continue farming.
b. Clothing

During pre-colonial era, Barong Tagalog already existed and worn by

natives. The men wore a sleeve-doublet made of canga that reached slightly
below the waist. Their loins were covered with a pane that hung between the legs
and mid-thigh. The women also wear a sleeve dress but shorter than men. They
also wear a pane attached to the waist and reaching to the feet accented by
colorful belt. The Visayan men wore a jacket with a morish style rob, that reach
down their feet and was embroidered in beautiful colors. Tagalog and Visayan
men bound their temples and forehead with a “putong”. They also wore gold,
jewelry and other accessories to beautify their bodies.

c. Marriage

Rizal emphasized that native women, unlike their European counterparts,

never lost their noble titles. The groom must offer a dowry to the bride’s family
which range from domestic animals like chicken, pig, to gold and land. The
wedding will be held for three days and was officiated by Babaylan or Datu in lieu
of Babaylan. On the first day, bride and groom will be carried to the Babaylan’s
house through a procession. The second day, blood compact will be performed and
both of them will exchange jewel just like how Christian’s exchange rings during
wedding ceremony. The third day would be about the feast in which various kinds
of yummy foods are prepared.

d. Legal System
 Philippine natives before colonization enforced laws according to their
customs, usages and tradition. It will be agreed by set of leaders who are considered
having a profound wisdom and expertise with regards to how a certain community
must be ruled.

e. Social System and Governance

Social system of the pre-colonial Philippines is comprised of three classes

namely; Lakan/ Tumao, Maharlika/Timawa, and Alipin or Oripon. Lakan/Tumao is
the ruling class which had started to accumulate land and owned privately or
administered in the name of the clan or community. Maharlika/Timawa is
intermediate class of men who had enough land in which they rendered services to
the rulers rather than working on the fields. Alipin or Oripon are those who are
unable to pay their debts, punished criminals and illegitimate children. There is no
powerful personality controlling the archipelago, each community has its own set of
leaders which according to Rizal was better since it will result to better governance.
It is because those leaders clearly knows and understand their constituent since they
have live with them.
QUIZ I

A. Why there was need for Rizal to annotate the work of Antonio Morga?

Antonio Morga’s work contains a lot of information which are not based on facts and just
a mere conclusion of him to establish that the natives and their place were improved due to
colonization. Therefore Rizal needs to correct those mistakes in order for Filipinos to realize how
beautiful and amazing their place during pre-colonial era. In addition it also provides a clear
picture of the reality prior to conquest since Rizal is a Filipino and has a lot of experience with
regards to the lives of Filipinos leading to the correction of distorted and falsifiesd information
encapsulated in the work of Morga. Furthermore, it’s a way of Rizal to unveil to many how
civilized the Philippines during the absence of the Spaniards.

B. What was Rizal’s Borneo Colonization all about?

On March 7, 1892, Rizal went to Sandakan on board the ship Menon to negotiate with the
British authorities about the establishment of Filipino colony in North Borneo or Sabah. He was
offered 100,000 acres of land free of charge for 99 years. However, his brother in law, Manuel
Hidalgo, was not in favor since for him it is unnecessary to leave Philippines particularly that
they had already given a lot of sacrifices for the country. But is does not affect Rizal’s plan,
instead he wrote a letter to Governor-General Eulogio Despojul about his plan which was
eventually rejected for two reasons; the colony was lack of workers, and leaving to country to
cultivate a foreign soil would be unpatriotic to Spain.

C. What was Rizal’s status in Dapitan?

During Rizal’s exile in Dapitan, he devoted his life as a useful being to the community
through utilizing his wisdom and experiences. He put up a school and dormitory for boys in
Talisay as well as clinic in which he treated ailments and perform eye surgery. With the aid of
his engineering and architectural skills, he built a dam and waterworks in Talisay and set up a
town Plaza of Dapitan with street lightning. Rizal’s scientific mind spurred him to conduct
archaeological excavations uncovering pre-colonial artifacts; as a naturalist, he collected
biological and botanical specimens, a few of which were named after him; and as a linguist, he
studied Visayan and Malayan languages. Rizal continued his literary pursuits while in exile,
writing poetry such as Mi Retiro, which described his place of exile as a tranquil haven from
political persecution, and the song, Himno a Talisay, for his pupils, which paid tribute to
individual excellence and holistic education. Rizal also created sculptures from clay such as
Oyang Dapitana and Mother’s Revenge.It was also in Talisay where Rizal met and fell in love
with Josephine Bracken, whose adoptive father Rizal had treated as a patient in Dapitan. Rizal
wrote a poem to Josephine, A Josefina, and asked his family to accept her as one of their own.
Jose and Josephine lived as husband and wife in the casa residencia, where family members
stayed during their visits.

Rizal’s productive lifestyle transformed the lives, attitudes, and consciousness of many
Filipinos not just in the past but also those living in the present trying to understand and imbibe
his teachings. His exemplary life was dictated by simple pleasures—cultivating the self through
education, enriching the minds of the young, encouraging thrift and industry, developing artistry
and ingenuity, showing compassion through communal health and welfare and commitment to
liberate his country through peaceful means even if it cost him his life.