CUSTOMS OF

THE
TAG ALO G
SBY: J U A N D E P L A S E N C I A
Presented and prepared by: Group
2
A. BACKGROUND OF THE AUTHOR
Juan de Plasencia was born in the early 16th century as Juan Portocarrero in
Plasencia, in the region of Extremadura, Spain. He was one of the seven children
of PedroPortocarrero, a captain of a Spanish schooner.
Juan de Plasencia died in Liliw, Lagunain 1590
Juan de Plasencia was a Spanish friar of the Franciscan Order. He was among the
first group of Franciscan missionaries who arrived in the Philippines on 2 July
1578.
spent most of his missionary life in the Philippines, where he founded numerous
towns in Luzon and authored several religious and linguistic books, most notably
the Doctrina Cristiana (Christian Doctrine), the first book ever printed in the
Philippines.
Juan de Plasencia grew up during the period known as the Siglo de Oro, a
Golden
Age when arts and literature flourished in many parts of Spain, among them his
native Extremadura
A. BACKGROUND OF THE AUTHOR
He is believed to have arrived to the Philippines on 2 July 1578,[2] after a
stopover in Mexico. As soon as he arrived, he joined forces with another
missionary, Fray Diego de Oropesa, and they both started preaching around
Laguna de Bay and Tayabas, Quezon, in Quezon Province, where he founded
several towns.
Juan de Plasencia wrote a numberof books designedprimarily to promotethe
understanding of both the Spanish language among the natives, and the local
languages among the missionaries, to facilitate the task of spreading
Christianity
He is the author of what is believed to be the first book printed in
thePhilippines, the DoctrinaCristiana, that was not only printed in Spanish, but
also in Tagalog, in both Latin script and the commonly used Baybayin script
of the natives of the time, and it even had a version in Chinese.
B. BAC KG RO UND O F THE PRIMARY
SOThe
URC E of the Tagalog is published in 1589. Through a letter, the King of Spain
Customs
tasked Juan de Plasencia to document the customs and traditions of the colonized
(natives)based on his observation and judgment.
He collected Indios from different districts, older men, and those of most capacity. He
has obtained the simple truth from them after weeding out much foolishness regarding
their government, administration of justice, inheritance, slaves, and dowries.
Customs of the Tagalogs is a part of longer monographs written by the chroniclers of
the Spanish expeditions to the Philippines during the early 16th and 17th centuries.
They appeared initially in Blair and Robertson's 55 volumes, “The Philippine Islands
(1903)” and in the “Philippine Journal of Sciences(1958)”.
Given the author's significant number of biases and, to a large extent, inaccurate
judgment and pretensions, the text was not intended for local consumption but for
Western readers.
The Customs of the Tagalog was intentionally made to provide an eroticizedescription
of the Tagalog natives, clearly fed by politics and propaganda.
C. CONTENT ANALYSIS OF PRIMARY SOURCE

DATUS
The ruler over the people, who led them in battle and whom they obediently
respect.

BARANGAY
A group of family, relatives and slaves.
 THE THREE CASTES

R O YA LT Y NOBLE SLAVES

DATU MAHARLIKA ALIPIN

(MAGINOO, (ALIPIN
(MAGINOO) FREEMAN, WARRIOR SANGUIGUIR AND
NOBILITY) ALIPIN
NAMAMAHAY)
 CONDITIONS
SITUATION 1
Those who are maharlicas on both the
mother's and father's sides remain
such forever, and if they should ever
turn into slaves, it will be through
marriage.
SITUATION 2
If maharlicas had offspring among
their slaves, both the women and the
children become free.
SITUATION 3
If a maharlica had children by another
slave woman, the slave-woman was
required to give her master half of a
gold tael while she was pregnant. If
the father (maharlica) in this instance
acknowledged the kid, then half of the
child was free. If not, the kid will end
as a slave.
 CONDITIONS
SITUATION 4 SITUATION 5
The offspring were shared if two people
If a free lady had children
were married, one of whom was a
with a slave, as long as maharlica and the other was a slave
(namamahay or sa guiguilir). 1st, 3rd,
he was not her husband, and 5th in an odd birth order are the
all of the offspring were father's children. Even birth order (2nd,
4th, 6th) belong to the mother. One and
also free. only children are equally free and
enslaved.
W O R S H I P O F THE TA G A L O G

No temples
Simbahan- Temple or Place of
Adoration Pandot- or a festival
celebrated

Sibi
Sorihile
Nagaanitos
 ID O L
Bathala S
Lic-Ha
Dian Masalanta (Patron of
Lover and of Generation)
Lacapati and Idianale
(Patrons of Cultivated
Lands and of Husbandry)
Tala
DISTINCTIONS A MONG THE
PRIESTS O F THE DEVIL

Catalonan
Manganguay(witches)
Manyisalat
Mancocolam
Hocloban
D. CONTRIBUTION AND RELEVANCE O F THE
DOCUMENT IN UNDERSTANDING THE
GRAND NARRATIVE O F PHILIPPINE HISTORY
Published a number of books with the primary goal of encouraging
missionaries and native speakers of the local languages to understand one
another in order to preach Christianity.
He is the author of Doctrina Cristiana, thought to be the first book printed in
the Philippines. It was also published in Chinese and was written not just
in Spanish but also in Tagalog, Latin script, and the locals’ common
Baybayin alphabet.
Other works credited to him are the “Relacion de las Costumbres de Los
Tagalos” (1589), that not only helped comprehend and preserve many of the
traditional ways of the local community, but also gave the earliest type of
Civil Code, used by local governors to administer justice.
D. CONTRIBUTION AND RELEVANCE O F THE
DOCUMENT IN UNDERSTANDING THE
GRAND NARRATIVE O F PHILIPPINE HISTORY
By living simply and staying in touch with the people he was attempting to
convert to Christianity, Juan de Plasencia kept his word. In addition, he had a
reputation for protecting the rights of the native populace, and taking care of
those who were disadvantaged, sick, or mistreated.
His request for official approval to establish educational facilities where
“Filipinos could not only learn Christian doctrine but also reading and writing,
and some arts and crafts, so they would after, not only be good Christians but
also useful citizens” was granted by Domingo de Salazar, the first Bishop of
the See of Manila. He was also very interested in establishing primary schools
(1512–1594)
E. RELEVANCE O F THE DOCUMENT TO THE
PRESENT TIME
Novelty Applicability
Before the arrival of the Spaniards, we Beliefs and practices
Filipinos have our own set of traditions,
customs, practices, belief and from the 16th century
government system. Juan de Plasencia of the
also noticed that the way of life of the
Filipinos were highly civilized because
Filipinos are still present until
of the governance of the Dato. They today such as the practice
enjoyed a rich culture wherein they can
own an agricultural land without
of marriage and dowry,
overstepping someone’s property. worship of Gods and
Goddesses and believe in
E. RELEVANCE O F THE DOCUMENT TO THE
PRESENT TIME
Memory
Juan de Plasencia’s capability to
proclaim the scenarios happened from
the past opens our minds to
understand
our own history. Our rituals and
practices have undeniably changed
with time, yet there are still remnants
of our past that remain and will
continue to remind us of our origin. It
is a privilege to learn about our history
and discover how rich the Philippines
was in terms of customs, beliefs, and
Effect
We can agree that what happened in
the past was solely based on the
observations
of the historians or to the people who
witnessed the significant events.
Although, we do not have certain
assurance that these things are necessarily
true. It is undeniable that we are still
affected because of the exoticized
description given by the authors.
It somehow gives us an excitement
that boosts our patriotism.
 REFERENCES
Studocu. (n.d.). Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://
www.studocu.com/ph/document/university-of-st-la-salle/readings-in-philippine-
history/customs-of-the-tagalog-reflection-paper/19018904

Wikipedia contributors. (2022, May 26). Juan de Plasencia. Wikipedia. Retrieved September 27, 2022,
from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_de_Plasencia#:%7E:text=He%20spent%20most%20of
%20his,ever% 20printed%20in%20the%20Philippines.

Studocu. (n.d.c). Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://

www.studocu.com/ph/document/new-era-university/civil-engineering/relevance-o
customs-of-tagalog-to-philippine-history/23415550