Session 2: The Philippines Rizal Saw: Pre-colonial Philippines

Before the arrival of the Spaniards in

1521 and their subsequent invasion in

1565, the people living in the

archipelago had already established

their own civilization. During this time,

we should take note always that there

was no “Philippines” yet. There was no

label to the entire archipelago before the

Spaniards arrived. The archipelago was

composed of several communities called barangay. The word barangay came from the Malay word

balangay, which refers to the boat that transported them to their settlements. Each barangay was

independent, which means that there was no central government within the archipelago. A barangay was

headed by the datu or chieftain. His primary duties were to protect the barangay and promote its welfare

and interest. A datu had executive, legislative, and judicial powers. Despite these wide powers, the datu

did not act as if he was an absolute ruler. His powers were checked by the customs and laws of the

barangay. He can also be replaced by a better and stronger datu who can protect better the barangay.

Barangays were composed of three groups of people: the nobles, the freemen, and the

dependents. The nobles consisted of the datu and their families. They wielded influence in the barangay.

The freemen were composed of free people and dependents who earned their freedom. Their role was

to help the datu in activities that involve the welfare of the barangay. They’re either called Timawa or

Maharlika. The dependents were composed of people who were not able to pay their debts, cannot pay

their legal fines, captured in battle, or by being born to dependent parents. They served the members of

the barangay as a sort of payment for their freedom. It is a misconception to equate the dependents as

slaves since their position in society was not permanent. There were two types of dependents –

namamahay and sagigilid. This social stratification was not strict. It means that members of a group could

move from one group to another given a certain circumstance.

The people in the barangay did not act according to what they wanted. They were not “uncivilized”

people who did not follow rules. As a matter of fact, they had their own laws. Laws were either customary

or written. Customary laws composed the majority of laws in a barangay. These laws were passed down

orally from generation to generation. Written laws were those written by the datu and his advisers when

there was a necessity for it.

 People also had a sense of fashion during this time. For

males, the attire was composed of upper and lower parts. The

upper part is called kanggan, which was a collarless jacket with

short sleeves. The lower part is called bahag, a strip of cloth

wrapped in the waist, passing down between thighs. The color of

the attire had meaning. The datu wore red kanggan, while those

below him wore blue or black. Men also wore headgears called

putong, which was a cloth wrapped around the head. A red putong

entailed “manliness” or bravery. For women, the upper part is

called baro or camisa. It was a jacket with sleeves. The lower part was called saya, which was a loose

skirt. A tapis, a long cloth, was usually wrapped around the waist. There were no slippers or shoes during

the pre-colonial period. They all walked barefooted. Since gold was abundant before, both men and

women filled their bodies with golden ornaments and jewelries. Tattooing was a common practice. For

both men and women, it was a symbol of beauty. For men, it served as a proof of bravery and skill in

battle. The more tattoos a man had, the more men he killed in battle.

Even before the arrival of the Christianity, pre-colonial people also had their system of religion.

They believed in polytheism, which means that they had more than one god to worship to. Babaylans

were considered as religious/spiritual leaders. They considered Bathala as the creator of the Earth and

all living beings. He was the superior deity compared to other gods. They adored animals, plants, and all

objects of nature as something to be respected.

References:

Agoncillo, T.A. (1990). History of the Filipino People (8th ed.). Quezon City: Garo Tech Books Inc.
Constantino, R. (1975). The Philippines: A Past Revisited (Pre-Spanish – 1941). Volume I. Manila:
Twentieth Printing.