BACKGROUND OF THE AUTHOR

Fray Juan De Plasencia was born to the illustrator’s family of the portocarreros in
plasensia in the region of Extremadura. Spain in the early 16th century, and died in 1590
at Liliw, Laguna. His real name is Fray Joan De Puerto Carrero Del Convent De
Villanueva De La Serena. He was known to be a defender of the natives who came
together with the first batch francisian missionaries in the Philippines. He was a Spanish
friar and historian who lived in the 16th century. Fray Juan de Plasencia was a Spanish
Franciscan friar who was one of the early conquistadors in the New World, participating
in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire in Mexico during the early 16th century
(Landa, 1566). He is known for being one of the first friars to arrive in Mexico and for his
role in the evangelization of the indigenous peoples. He is also known for his work as a
chronicler of Spanish colonial history in the Philippines, including the writing of several
important manuscripts that document the early years of Spanish colonization in the
region. Very little is known about Plasencia's life, but his works have been invaluable in
providing a historical record of the Spanish colonization of the Philippines and the
customs and beliefs of the indigenous peoples of the region.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE DOCUMENT

The "Document of the Customs of the Tagalogs" is a colonial-era manuscript
written on the year 1589. It isa part (either chapters or subsections) of longer
monographs written by the chroniclers of the Spanish expeditions to the Philippines
during the early 16th and 17th centuries. It was written as a fulfillment of the task given to
him by the King of Spain to document the customs and traditions of the colonized
(“natives”) based on, arguably, his own observations and judgments. The manuscript
provides a description of the customs and beliefs of the Tagalog people, who were
indigenous to the Philippines at the time of Spanish colonization (Blair & Robertson,
1906). The document is considered to be one of the earliest and most comprehensive
sources of information on the pre-colonial Philippines and its peoples. A critical edition of
the manuscript was published by Emma Helen Blair and James Alexander Robertson in
1906, under the title "The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803." This publication provides a
detailed introduction to the document, including its historical context and significance
(Blair & Robertson, 1906).
Content Analysis
The Tagalog customs written by Fray Juan de Plasencia are based on how the
Filipino ancestors lived before the Spaniards colonized the Philippines. It may contain
prejudiced critiques, but the majority of the content is historical. The book demonstrated
how our forefathers survived without the Western government. Furthermore, they have
their way of controlling their people, known as barangays, and the individuals who lead
them are known as chiefs. There was also a social hierarchy of three classes, which
were called novelists, commoners, and slaves.
Economics

Placencia also wrote on the dowry system, which is given to women's parents
before marriage. According to Plancensia, "I have not been able to ascertain with any
certainty when or at what age the division of children was made." Placensia wasn't sure
about the division, but according to the reading of the Philippines, Saguiguilid women
who married from another barangay and had children would have their children divided.
Worships of the tagalog
Filipinos, according to Placencia, do not have temples but do have a place for
adoration known as Simbahan. It is also the location where people seek to worship the
Pandot or recognized deity. He also describes their worshiping Bathala, whom they
considered to be the most powerful creator of all things. They also worship the sun for its
beauty, as well as the moon when it rises. He stated that Filipinos are prone to seeing
auguries in what they see and often perform divination.
Not only did they bathala, but they also had a distinction about the priest of the
devil. Catolonan, Sonat, Mangaguay, Manyisalat, Mancocolam, Hocloban, Silagan,
Magtatangal, Osuan, Mangagayoma, and Pangatahojan are among them. Filipinos
believe in ghosts known as Vibit, Tikbalang, and Patianac. However, he remarked that
such notions had already been eradicated by the teaching of the holy gospel. (Aplus,
2020)

PERSONAL INSIGHTS
Pamintuan, Kyle David B.
The Custom of the Tagalogs made me realize that even before the Spaniards
colonized the Philippines, Filipinos already have their own set of traditions, customs,
practices, beliefs, and government that they abide to. The way Plasencia provided
information that are helpful for today’s generation in understanding our history and in
discovering practices that some are still practice while others are no longer practiced
today. Example of this is giving dowries before marriage, although in some religion like
Muslims still practiced this tradition, most people don't practice this kind of
"pamamanhikan" anymore. Although such monster and superstition are not recognized
in today's generation anymore, there are still people, especially the elders, that believes
in the existence of tikbalang and tiyanak. Even the concept of Barangay is still evident in
today’s generation. The baranggay still holds the smallest unit of Government, having
the Baranggay Captain as the representation of Datu. It is undeniable that our customs
and practices changed along with time however, there are still fragments of our past that
remain and will continue to remind us of our origin. It is such an honor knowing about our
history and being able to discover how rich the Philippines was in terms of our customs,
beliefs and practices.

REFERENCES
Blair, E. H., & Robertson, J. A. (1906). The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803.
Cleveland, Ohio: A.H. Clark Co.
Landa, D. (1566). Relación de las cosas de Yucatán. Madrid: Ediciones Atlas.

(n.d.)., G. (2023, February 3). Customs of the tagalogs. Retrieved from

https://pdfcoffee.com/customs-of-the-tagalogs-19-pdf-free.html
Said, E. W. (2021, February 3). Artes de las Filipinas. Retrieved from Accustomed
othering in colonial writing : Philippine Art, culture and antiquities. :
https://artesdelasfilipinas.com/archives/186/accustomed-othering-in-colonial-
writing#:~:text=Customs%20of%20the%20Tagalogs%2C%20just,would%20be
%20appealing%20to%20them.