Like the early ancestors of humankind, our ancestors also developed a system of

communication and information dissemination. When there is a system of oral

communication, it follows that a system of written communication also existed.

From our historians, we learned that the existence of a language system in the pre-colonial
Philippines was already in place in the form of the written word. The most notable discovery
of which is the ancient alphabet called alibata or baybayin whose form was similar to the
image-based types of characters of our Asian neighbors. As with the other tribal discoveries
of other regions, ancient Filipinos also used materials existing in their environment to jot
down and record their experiences and transactions using such a language system.
However, oral systems of handing down information, literary creations such as folk tales and
epics, as well as family histories were also predominant in various areas of our developing
multi-language archipelago.

Perhaps the closest to having a broadcast system of information dissemination in ancient

times could be traced to the existence of the umalohokan or the town crier. The town
crier’s major role was to go around the barangay or their small towns and announce
important information that concerns the citizenry. In other historical accounts, the
umalohokan was actually a person needed to settle arguments within the barangay. The
barangay head or the datu would actually call for special elections to place someone as the
umalohokan to help settle a certain dispute. When the argument was settled, the
umalohokan’s “term of office” also ends. Thus, it is no wonder that today’s media would also
have this kind of balancing function wherein two opposing sides of an issue would be
featured. 

In Philippine history, the year 1521 marks the arrival of the first colonial power, and the
beginning of what is often called the Spanish period. This period is thus described as the
pre-colonial era or the pre-Spanish era. The pre-Spanish historical period ending in 1521.
Historian Ambeth Ocampo notes an overlap in the history of pre-colonial Philippines and
the Spanish colonial period, claiming that while Magellan's arrival in 1521 marked the first
documented arrival of European colonizers to this country, it was not until the arrival of
Miguel López de Legazpi in 1565 that the Europeans had any marked impact on the lifestyle
of the residents of the Philippine Archipelago.

An Indigenous form of communication was already in existence evidenced by writings on

barks and bamboos. News were also announced by an umalokohan or the town crier.
Literature was already developing: forms included sabi, (maxim), bugtong (riddle), darangan
(epic poetry), kumintang (war songs), and hudhud (wedding song).

Spanish colonial motives were not, however, strictly commercial. The Spanish at first viewed
the Philippines as a stepping-stone to the riches of the East Indies (Spice Islands), but, even
after the Portuguese and Dutch had foreclosed that possibility, the Spanish still maintained
their presence in the archipelago. Spanish rule for the first 100 years was exercised in most
areas through a type of tax farming imported from the Americas and known as the
encomienda. But abusive treatment of the local tribute payers and neglect of religious
instruction by encomenderos (collectors of the tribute), as well as frequent withholding of
revenues from the crown, caused the Spanish to abandon the system by the end of the 17th
century. The governor-general, himself appointed by the king, began to appoint his own
civil and military governors to rule directly.
There were no Filipinos during the Pre-Spanish Era. What you had were Tagalogs and
Visayans notably. They are pretty much different from today's hispanised Filipinos.

Archaeological findings, notably the Laguna Copperplate, suggests not only a system of
writing but also Tagalog spoken somewhat similar today. Castillian accounts say that the
Tagalogs of Maynila and Tondo, and certain “Kingdom of Luzon" had strong political ties
with the Nobility of Brunei. Tondo's Rajah Matanda was addressed as the “King of Luzon" by
a captured Bruneian Ship by Antonio Pigafetta's fleet, the oficial accountant and secretary of
the Spain Ferdinand Magellan.

Thus saying, communications were already as advanced as by means of merchant ships.

Locally, the Laguna Copperplate suggests the existence of legal documents. However, we
have not discovered contracts or treaties yet in use. Even Legaspi and the Rajahs forged
alliances by Blood Compact rather than written agreement. Official messages were delivered
by official envoys, usually a vassal Rajah and considered “official" even if only verbal. This
was pretty much communication protocol all over the world that time even in Europe.

In the Visayas, Pigafetta noted that the Visayans were skilled merchants whose trade
network reached as far as Arabia, Siam and China. Pigafetta observed that the language of
trade was Golden Sironese or Malaccan or the language of the Spice Islands area. The
Malaccan Henrique aboard Magellan's business expedition communicated with the Visayan
Rajahs with Golden Sironese. The Visayans would have spoken a form close to what
Cebuanos speak today.

Note that the Rajahs (whom you usually refer to as “native Filipinos") were themselves new
comers like the Castillians. They Rajahs only arrived in the islands in the 1300s to 1400s, just
200 years before Magellan arrived. Lapu-Lapu himself was not born here but rather Borneo.
They have not been here thousands of years and are erroneously called “Ancient Filipinos"
because these Austronesians arrived when even the Middle Ages was already over. Both the
Rajahs and Castillians arrived during the Commercial Revolution, just 200 years apart.

There are no records yet of the Tagalogs and Visayans communicated. Legaspi found out
about the Kingdom of Maynila from the Rajah of Panay. Rajah Humabon of Sugbu made no
mention of a great trading bay as Manila Bay. The army of the Rajahs of Panay was the bulk
of the invasion army that conquered Manila for Miguel López de Legaspi. This shows that
the Tagalogs and Hilagaynons (Panay) did not have commercial relations but rather were
enemies.
Advantages:

 They discovered the route to Mexico

o Prior to the Spanish, the Philippines did not trade with the Americas Manila galleon -

Wikipedia
o Adam Smith mentioned that the Galleon trade in Manila was significant as it generated a

lot of silver
 Medicine

Pigafetta was the first European to write about the Philippines. He tells of a diseased Cebuano who was
supposed to die because native medicine could not cure him. The Spanish friars visited the man and gave

him Western medicine and was cured within a few days. This led to the conversion of Cebu to Christianity.
This is similar to China giving vaccines for free to the Philippines and other countries which convinced

those countries to pledge allegiance to China.

Disadvantages:
 They monopolized Philippine trade to themselves

o Prior to the Spanish, local rulers were already trading with other Asian countries, notably

China, Cambodia, and Thailand. The Spanish took all these away from the locals to fund

their own empire. For example, Philippine revenue probably was used to fund
the Spanish Armada which was lost and never contributed to Philippine development

 They lost Brunei and Sabah

o Without the Spanish, the Philippines would have been larger, to include North Borneo,

along with the oil of Brunei. Unfortunately, they lost Borneo and Sabah, which then split
the Sulu people into two.

 This created a permanent anomaly in the Southern Philippines which manifests as

the Moro Rebellion, Bud Dajo massacre, and the Sabah claim. These disturbances

constantly drain the current Philippine economy in terms of conflict, damages, bad

press, and fear of investment. Castilian War - Wikipedia

o The British were willing to lease Sabah back to Jose Rizal for 999 years but the Spanish

refused New Calamba - Wikipedia

 The existence of an indigenous plan to colonize Sabah is proof that the natives had
a natural pioneering and pro-development mentality which was merely killed by

the Spanish.
 A Rizaline city on Sabah would’ve spurred development of Borneo to avoid lagging

behind Western Malaysia

o You can see Duterte trying to rebuild the natural economy between Mindanao and

Brunei which the Spanish disrupted.

 They limited Chinese dominance in the Philippines

o The Spanish oppressed the Chinese and limited their natural growth, which is

different from the policies implemented by the British in Malaysia and

Singapore. Confucianism spurs the Chinese to industry and this is easily seen

in the difference between Malay-led Malaysia and Chinese-led Singapore.

Sangley insurrection that broke out in Manila on October 4, 1603 in the name
of their governor Juan Baptista

 They helped finance the Opium trade

 o The British and Americans pioneered the steam ships which later made the

Spanish Galleon trade obsolete. So the Spanish switched to financing the

British in selling opium to China, using their silver.

Economically, Spanish colonization produced a net loss to the country and most other countries it
colonized. For example, the Inca already had institutions, and the  Maya  could already

build infrastructure. All these were destroyed by the Spanish.

As far as I know, the only areas where Spanish colonization produced a net gain were the tiny Pacific

islands (Guam, Marianas, etc). In the other colonies, the local population died from European disease or
were killed off by the Spanish. Such death and destruction could never justify whatever was gained from

the Spanish.