READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (GE 2)

HAPPY Framework

Doing being analyzed: Customs of the Tagalogs

Author/Creator/Maker of the source: Juan de Plasencia
H Where and when was this source
produced?
(Historical Context) Customs of the Tagalogs was written by Juan
de Plasencia in 1589 at Nagcarlan, Laguna

Place it in the appropriate context:

Connect the document across time to
The Spanish Empire would grow to
earlier and later eras and events
encompass the majority of North
happening in different places.
America, the Caribbean Islands, and
nearly all of Central and South America.
A total of 1.86 million Spaniards are
thought to have immigrated to the
Americas during the colonial period
(1492-1832), and another 3.5 million are
thought to have done so during the post-
colonial period (1850-1950); the estimate
is for 250,000 immigrants in the 16th
century and the majority in the 18th
century because the new Bourbon dynasty
encouraged immigration.

What happened in the year this

document was produced? Why is the
The influential royal audiencia guided the
date significant?
Spanish governor, who was elevated to
the rank of viceroy in 1589. The Filipino
people, who disapproved of the
encomienda system, frequently rose in
revolt. The Philippines are still governed
by their own culture and values despite
being under Spanish colonial rule at this
time.

A Who is the author's intended audience?

(Audience) The Customs of the Tagalos is written for
the King of Spain and the Spanish people.
It is fueled by politics and propaganda
 and runs with the Western outsider's view,
it was developed to give the Tagalog
people an exoticized description of
themselves that would appeal to them.

How might the intended audience affect

the reliability and validity of this
The intended audience can affect the
source?
reliability and validity of this source
because they are all Spanish and it is
given that they will be bias about
everything that is written in this book.

P What is the author's purpose for

creating this source?
(Purpose) The author’s purpose for creating this
kind of source was influenced by politics
and propaganda and was developed to
provide an eroticized description of the
Tagalog people. In order to track the
ongoing development of native culture in
the Philippines, Juan de Plasencia
authored The Customs of the Tagalog.

Why was this source produced?

(example: to persuade, to inform, as
This source is produced as propaganda
propaganda, etc.)
because it is affected by political view
and this is clearly bias about the Spanish
people with a lot of phrases written in the
book whether the author is praising to
influence the public or its audience.

P What do you know about the author and

their background?
(Point of View) Spanish Franciscan Order friar Juan de
Plasencia lived in Spain. On July 2, 1578,
the first group of Franciscan missionaries
entered the Philippines, and he was one of
them. He spent the most of his time as a
missionary in the Philippines, where he
established multiple towns in Luzon and
wrote various theological and linguistic
works, including the Doctrina Cristiana
(Christian Doctrine), the country's first
book to be printed.
 From what point of view/perspective is
the author writing this document?
THIRD PERSON PERSPECTIVE
-The pronouns "he" and "they" are used to
refer to characters, and the author narrates
what is happening to and what the
characters are doing.

Y What main idea is this source trying to

convey?
(Historical In addition to demonstrating that there is
Significance) no equality and that the higher class did
not treat the alipins correctly during this
period, the author's major point is to
illustrate how life or traditions were in the
past. According to Juan de Plasencia,
there are no equal rights or treatment for
slaves in Tagalog culture. The powerful
people treated the weaker people or slaves
cruelly.

Does this source reflect change over

time? How?
In my perspective, nothing has changed
because there are still disparities in
gender, socioeconomic standing, and
physical attractiveness now, in the 21st
century. The distinction between Spanish
colonization and now, after our
independence, is that they are not longer
Spanish people's servants but rather are
slaves of society and their own race.

Why is this source historically

significant? What's the "So What?"
It mainly illustrates the Filipinos'
dominant structure prior to the arrival of
the Spanish. During that time, according
to Plasencia, there were three castes: the
nobility, the commoners (also known as
aliping namamahay), and the slaves (also
known as aliping sa guiguilid). Plasencia
gives us an idea of the functions of these
various positions.
Plasencia portrays the previous religious
order. The "Badhala" that the first
Filipinos worshiped were alluded to by
him as "Badhala" in his statement. They
saw badhala as powerful and a creator of
all things. Where they fight various types
of demonic creatures like mangagauay
and mancocolam, priests were known as
Catalonian. The "Customs of the
Tagalogs" is used as a fundamental source
of information on the ante-conquest tribes'
origins. Plasencia shows the institution of
slavery, marriage, the priesthood, and
other things, but it should be made clear
to the reader that this is neither accurate
nor consistent. Without Plasencia's
accounts, it would be difficult to
comprehend the varied Tagalog customs.