Custom of Tagalogs
Wednesday, 4 October 2023
9:36 pm
JUAN DE PLACENCIA
 Born in the 16th century to the illustrious family
of the Portocarreros in Plasencia, in the region of
Extremadura, Spain.
 His real name is Joan de Puerto Carrero, del
convento de Villanueva de la Serena.
 He was a Spanish Friar of the Franciscan order.
o Said to have been inspired to be a Franciscan
because of his upbringing spent during a
spiritual and religious resurgence affected by
Spain's siglo de oro.
o Came with the first batch of Franciscan
missionaries in the Philippines in 1577.
o In 1589, the King of Spain wrote him a letter
asking him to describe the natives and their
culture.
CUSTOM OF THE TAGALOGS
 is a narrative on the established culture of the
Tagalogs in Luzon written by Juan de
Plasencia, a Franciscan missionary in the
Tagalog region since 1578 until 1590.
 written as an answer to the request of the
monarchy in Spain to provide information about
the government, administration of justice,
inheritances, slaves, dowries, worships, burials,
and superstition of the "Indians" in the colony.
DATOS
 Chiefs of barangay who governed the people
and were captains in their wars whom they obey
and reverence.
BARANGAY
 Tribal gathering; name originated when the
people came to this land by means of boat called
barangay, and the head is called "Dato".
SOCIAL CLASSES
1. Chief (Datos)
2. Nobles (Maharlika)
3. Commoners (Aliping Namamahay)
4. Slaves (Aliping Saguiguilir)
THREE CASTES
CASTES - level of cultural society
NOBLES- free-born whom they call Maharlika. They
do not pay tax or tribute to the dato.
COMMONERS- who are called "aliping namamahay".
They live in their own houses and are lords of their own
property and gold.
SLAVES- who are called "aliping saguiguilir". They
serve their master in his house and on his cultivated
lands and may be sold.
MARRIAGES WITH CASTES
 Those who are Maharlikas on both the mother's
and father's side continue to be so forever, and if
it happens that they should become slaves, it is
through marriage.
 Maharlika (man) + Slave = Free Child
 Maharlika + Other slave = child half free half
slave
 Maharlika (woman) + Slave = free child
 If two persons married of whom one was a
Maharlika and the other a slave, the children
were divided: odd numbers on father's side, even
on the mother's.
 Maharlikas could not after marriage move from
one village to another without paying a certain
fine in gold as arranged among them.
A PERSON BECOME SLAVES BY:
 Captivity in war
 Reason of debt
 Inheritance
 By purchase
 By committing a crime
SLAVES CAN BE EMANCIPATED THROUGH:
 By forgiveness
 By paying debt
 By bravery
RULES AND REGULATIONS
 They had laws by which they condemned to
death a man of low birth who insulted the
daughter or wife of a chief.
 Witches are condemned with death penalty, their
children and accomplices will become slaves of
the chief, after he had made some recompense to
the injured person.
 All other offenses were punished by fines in
gold, if not with promptness, exposed the culprit
to serve until the payment should be made.
DEBTS AND LOANS
 For loans, the debtor is condemned to a life of
toil. Borrowers become slaves and after the
death of the father, the children pay the debt.
 Ways to pay debt: half the cultivated lands and
all their produce belonged to the master.
 The aliping saguiguilir could pay more than 5
taels for his freedom, if he successfully paid 10
taels he is considered free.
DOWRIES AND INHERITANCE
 Dowries are given by men to the women's
parents before marriage. If the parets are both
alive, they both enjoy the use of it.
 For inheritance, the legitimate children of a
father and mother inherit equally.
  If a man had a child from his two or more
legitimate wives, each child received an
inheritance from the dowry that was given to
their mother.
DIVORCE
 In case of divorce, if the wife left the husband
for the purpose of marrying another, she must
return the dowry with an additional amount but
if she did not marry another, the dowry was
returned.
 If the husband left the wife, he should give half
the dowry to her wife.
 If they already have a child at that time, the
whole dowry must be given to the relatives that
are responsible for their children.
WORSHIP OF TAGALOGS - Before the introduction
of Christianity, the Filipinos were mostly pagans. They
worshiped spirits which they believed dwell in objects
like trees, mountains, rivers, etc. They worshiped nature,
the sun, the moon, and the stars. They also believed in a
supreme God or deity. Because of their belief in a deity
and in animate or living things their religion was called
animo-deism.
Pandot - a celebration of festival or worship which is
held at the large house of the Datu.
Sibi - a temporary shed to shelter the people during
worship.
Sorohile – small lamps to illuminate the sibi during
worship.
Nagaanitos – the act of worship that unites the whole
barangay and families.
DEATH
Maca – place of another life of rest. The “paradise” or
“village of rest”. Those who go to this place are the just,
the valiant, and those who lived without doing harm, or
who possessed moral virtues.
Casanaan – place of punishment, grief, and affliction.
Which is also called “place of anguish”.
No one would go to heaven, where there only dwelt
Bathala.
Bathala/Badhala - maker of all things.
TAGALOG GODS AND DIETIES
 Worshiped the moon (Mayari), especially when
it was new, which they had great rejoicing in,
adoring it and bidding its welcome.
 The Sun was also worshiped and is being
accounted for its beauty, and it is universally
respected and honored.
 Stars are also adored by some, specifically Tala
– the morning star.
 Mapolon – the god of seasons, medicine and
health.
 Dian Masalanta - goddess of love, conception
and childbirth and the protector of lovers.
 Lacapati - identified as the most important
fertility deity. The goddess of cultivated land.
 Balatic – the Greater Bear
 Lic-ha – images with different shapes,
sometimes worshiped with little importance.
 Idianale - the goddess of labor and good deeds.
Tagalog deities are fluid genders, she was also
known as a female deity of animal husbandry,
and a male deity of agriculture. Deity of
craftsmanship.
TAGALOG COUNTERPART OF HELL
SITAN- The Guardian of Kasamaan and the keepers of
all souls therein.
 In a 1589 record, Sitan and Bathala are said to
have once waged a war with each other to
determine who should rule the realm intended
for ancestral.
MGA ALAGAD NG DEMONYO:
 Catolonan – one of the priestess of the devil.
 Manisilat or Mansisilat - she was tasked to
destroy and break every happy and united family
that she could find.
 Mangagauay – witches who pretend to heal the
sick.
 Silagan – if they saw anyone clothed in white, it
would tear out his liver and eat it. Thus causing
death.
 Mancocolam - The only male agent of Sitan, he
was to emit fire at night and when there's bad
weather, hence he is referred to as a fire god.
Fires caused during bad weather are associated
with him or Kidlat
 Hocloban - could change herself into any form
she desired. She can kill or make people
unconscious simply by greeting them. She could
also kill someone by simply raising her hand and
could heal without any difficulty as she wished
 Osuang – a flying creature that murders men
and eats their flesh
 Magtatangal – shows himself at night to many
persons without his head or entrails.
 Mangagayoma - they made charms out of
herbs, stones, and wood,which infused the heart
with love.
 Sonat – helps someone die.
 Panatahojan – predicts the future. A seer.
 Bayoguin - a cotquean (masculine woman), a
man whose nature inclined toward that of a
woman.