ESQUILLO, Miguel Alfonzo S.

GE 007 - Readings in Philippine History

Analyzing the Excerpts from the

Customs of the Tagalog by Fray Juan De Plasencia

❖ Fray Juan de Plasencia was once a member of the Franciscan Order (or Friars)
back in 1578. He was one of the first batch of missionaries who came to the
country in the same year.
❖ The highest position in the hierarchy was known as the “datu”. Following that, the
hierarchy was divided into three main “caste” (or categories); these are the
nobles, followed by the commoners, and lastly are the slaves. The noble ones
called “maharlika” were those who had no need to pay taxes but were required to
accompany and join the datu in war if ever there is. The commoners called
“aliping mamamahay” are those in the middle class. These people serve a
master, be it a datu or not. They are required to assist and join the datu on his
voyages beyond the island. Lastly, are the slaves called “aliping sa guiguilir” and
are the lowest rank in the hierarchy. The two main differences between aliping
mamahay and aliping sa guiguilir are: (1) The aliping mamamahay serve their
master for indoor duties (i.e. cleaning of the house, washing of plates, clothes,
and the like.) while the aliping sa guiguilir do the tasks meant for outdoor duties;
and (2) The aliping sa guiguilir can be sold, but the aliping mamamahay cannot
be it the parents or the children. In short, we see that the datu is the highest,
while the aliping sa guiguilir is the lowest. The two in the middle, the nobles and
commoners are similar to each other, but the nobles are more privileged and
have bigger and heavier responsibilities than that the commoners.
❖ For me, the pre-colonial rule that stands out among the others is the rule about
divorce, wherein the dowry of the man shares it with his wife. It states that if the
husband or the wife divorces with his or her partner to marry another, all the
dowry of either husband or wife would be given to whoever was divorced. From
 this, we see that even before the Spanish came, divorce was–as much as
possible–avoided, and not done only when necessary. (i.e. if the husband or wife
abuses his or her partner, unequal splitting of the dowry, and some others.) In
connection with this, we see that the Filipinos have valued family life and its
matters since the beginning. This stands out (or will soon stand out in me)
because it shows that in the future, I should remain faithful to my future wife,
even if this practice is not done in urban areas.
❖ The account of Fr. Plasencia regarding our early religious and spiritual beliefs
shows that the early Filipinos had a polytheistic religious system, in which they
not only worshipped Bathala, the almighty creator of everything, but also in
various objects like rocks, trees, the sun, water, and many other things. They
respected everything that was around them, be it the people they meet, the
plants they see, the food they eat, the air and water they feel and drink, and
much more. In short, we see that they worshipped both a supreme deity and
other deities that are less superior than that of Bathala.