The Customs of the Tagalog written by Fray Juan de Plasencia is one of the most important primary

sources of the Philippine History. It tackles about the everyday living of then acient Filipinos, their
system of government, their social statuses, and their customs, traditions, and beliefs. This document is
important for determining how the Spaniards will govern the Filipinos during the Spanish era. Although
it has lesser value in the modern world right now, it is still important for us to trace the roots of who we
are in the past.

Early Filipinos were very much alike with the Malays based on their language. Even before they came
here in the Philippines, they were governed by a Dato who was like a king. Datos were highly respected
and they have to follow whatever it commands. Not even the wife or the children of the Dato were
exempted for getting a punishment when they disobeyed him.

A Dato only governs small groups of people approximately 100 houses only. The territory of a Dato is
called “barangay” which came from the word “balangay” (a boat they ride for transportation). Datos
don’t let other Datos conquer their land and they only treat other Datos as a family, friend, ally, or an
enemy.

There was a caste system being followed in every barangay during that time. The highest social status
was being a maharlika, second is being a commoner, and the third is being a slave. The Maharlika or the
nobleman, also called free-born people, don’t pay taxes but they should accompany the Datu in
everything he does. Next below it is being a commoner, also known as Aliping namamahay. They are
slaves who serves their masters but has their own houses and has the right to own a property. The
lowest class is the Aliping saguiguilid. They are those who were staying inside the houses of their
masters and they are the ones being sold to other people.

In that time, debts are the main reason why there are times that a nobleman becomes a slave.
Sometimes, slaves came from the captives of war. In order for a slave to be set free, they have to pay a
minimum amount of gold to their masters.

Dividing a property is a pain during those time because of the social status of their parents. The one who
gets the big part of the property is the one with a higher social status and children of the maharlikas
from the slaves gets the smallest part of the property.

There are times when the Datos becomes a judge for the two opposing parties so that the judgement
will be fair and just. When two Datos doesn’t get along with each other they call other Datos to be the
mediator to prevent a war. Punishments that time were as brutal as being hanged or being put into a
boiling water.

In the document of Plasencia, he also observed the beliefs of the Tagalogs about their gods, devils,
witches, burials, and their beliefs on afterlife. Although Plasencia only observed this customs and
traditions, he manage to give me a picture of how early Filipinos think and live by their customs and
traditions.

All these customs were practiced by the Tagalogs or the early Filipinos even before the Spaniards came
into the Philippines. With this kind of fact, it can be concluded that the early Filipinos have their own
style of governing their people and having a fair judgement system.
As I read through the work of Juan de Plasencia, it reminded me of my high school days when our
teacher in Araling Panlipunan taught this topic. Somehow this kind of system still exists in our country
like the caste system. Although we have laws about protecting the human rights, we can’t deny the fact
that the one with a higher social status gets almost all the privilege of having a good life while people in
low class status always try their best to get out of where they are right now. People who are wealthy
and rich gets the highest seat and people who are poor and doesn’t have anything gets the lowest seat.
Another is I like the justice system of the early Filipinos where they incorporate the fairness for each
parties headed by the Datu or other people who are veterans of this.

I analyze the document of Plasencia and searched the context of it. I learned that Plasencia was told to
document the customs and traditions of early Filipinos. But one mistake he did was he only observed
the early Filipinos and he didn’t even confirm the natives if what he had concluded in his observation
was right or just a misconception.

There is a part of the document wherein I kind of dislike what he wrote about the beliefs of the early
Filipinos. Southeast Asians are known for its animistic type of religion. They worship nature and they
believe in different idols. The way Plasencia wrote this is somewhat biased because he thinks that
Christianity is far superior than the beliefs of early Filipinos. It only shows how the Spaniards think of
early Filipinos as a low class people.

The last thing I wanted to give reaction of is how Plasencia describe other natives as Priests of the Devil.
For me it sounded like a propaganda for encouraging the one reading the document that the natives
possessing powers or such were devils. Actually they are just normal people but because of their beliefs
and customs, they looked as if they were devils. They are just doing their part in the community but I
understand why Plasencia misunderstood it because of his different view about religion.

Overall, although we don’t know if the work of Plasencia is biased or not (because he is a Spandiard), it
made a great contribution of knowing who we are, Filipinos, in the past and where we came from. These
document gave us our own identity that we Filipinos even before the Spanish times have our own
customs and traditions that up until now we are incorporating in the modern world. In addition, this
document also shows not only about the early Filipinos but how the Spaniards see our ancient customs
and traditions in a negative and inferior way.