CUSTOMS OF THE TAGALOGS

By: Fr. Juan de Plasencia(1589)

Content and Contextual Analysis

CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS

Author’s Background

 PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL INFORMATION

 EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
 ORIGINAL PICTURE/PORTRAIT

Fray Juan was born to the illustrious family of the Portocarreros in Plasencia in the region of Extremadura, Spain in
the early 15th century.

His father, Don Pedro Portocarrero,was a captain opf a Spanish schooner, who died in Naples, Italy in 1574

He was included in the list of missionaries bound for the Philippine Islands which was dispatched from the Casa de la
Contratacion of Seville,dated May 21,1577.

He was a member of the Frabnciscan Order who came together with the first batch of missionaries to the Philippines
in 1578. He and a fellow Franciscan Fray Diego de Oropesa,were assigned to do a mission works in southern tagalog..

He was acknowledfed as the founder of numerous towns in Luzon particularly in Quezon,Laguna,Rizal and Bulacan
using the method of reduccion.

As his biographies testify, his life was characterized by zeal, prayer and dedicated service

Plasencia wrote the Doctrina Christiana en Lengua Esponala y Tagala which later became the first printed book in
the Philippines in 1593

After several dedicated years of hardwork, converting the natives, teaching catechisms and organizing towns and
barangays, he finally succumbed to Sister Death. He passed away in Lilio (liliw), in the Province of Laguna in the year
1590.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE DOCUMENT

During the 1st century of Spanish rule, the colonial government had difficulty in running local politics

Hence, the friars eneded up performing administrative duties that the colonial officials should have been doing at
the local level

The friars who were assigned in mission territories were required periodically to inform their superiors of what was
happening in their respective areas.

The manuscript contains numerous information and observation of the political and socio-cultural history of the
Tagalog region

October 21,1589-completion date of the manuscript

Nagcarlan, Laguna-place where the manuscript was finished

CONTENT PRESENTATION

POLITICAL ASPECT

Barangay System

 Hundred houses,sometimes even less than thirty

 Headed by chieftain(datu/dato)
 Captain of wars
 People who committed any offense against them, or spoke but a word to their wives and children,were severely
punished.
Justice System

 Fair Judgement or trial is being practiced long before

 The trial is done in public
 The punishment are based on the degree of the committed crime/acts