Manuel S.

EnvergaUniversity Foundation
LucenaCity
Granted Autonomous Status
CHED CEB Res. 076-2009

Module 1. Introduction to Social Sciences

The Philippine Society in the Pre-Colonial Context

BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
Culture and Society Defined
Anthropologically, culture consists of the beliefs, behaviors, objects, and other characteristics
common to the members of a particular group or society. Through culture, people and groups define
themselves, conform to society’s shared values, and contribute to society. Thus, culture includes many
societal aspects: language, customs, values, norms, mores, rules, tools, technologies, products,
organizations, and institutions. This latter term, institution, refers to clusters of rules and cultural
meanings associated with specific social activities. Common institutions are the family, education,
religion, work, and health care.
Popularly speaking, being cultured means being well ‐educated, knowledgeable of the arts, stylish,
and well‐mannered. High culture—generally pursued by the upper class—refers to classical music,
theater, fine arts, and other sophisticated pursuits. Members of the upper class can pursue high art because
they have cultural capital, which means the professional credentials, education, knowledge, and verbal
and social skills necessary to attain the “property, power, and prestige” to “get ahead” socially. Low
culture, or popular culture—generally pursued by the working and middle classes—refers to sports,
movies, television sitcoms and soaps, and rock music. Remember that sociologists define culture
differently than they do cultured, high culture, low culture, and popular culture. Sociologists define
society as the people who interact in such a way as to share a common culture. The cultural bond may be
ethnic or racial, based on gender, or due to shared beliefs, values, and activities. The term society can also
have a geographic meaning and refer to people who share a common culture in a particular location. For
example, people living in arctic climates developed different cultures from those living in desert cultures.
In time, a large variety of human cultures arose around the world. Culture and society are intricately
related. A culture consists of the “objects” of a society, whereas a society consists of the people who
share a common culture. When the terms culture and society first acquired their current meanings, most
people in the world worked and lived in small groups in the same locale. In today's world of 6 billion
people, these terms have lost some of their usefulness because increasing numbers of people interact and
share resources globally. Still, people tend to use culture and society in a more traditional sense: for
example, being a part of a “racial culture” within the larger “Philippine society (cliffnote.com/study-
guides/sociology/ culture and societies).

10 Reasons Why Life Was Better in Pre-colonial Philippines

While Filipinos nowadays are fairly knowledgeable of the Spanish, American, and Japanese eras
in the Philippines, the same cannot be said when it comes to the country’s precolonial era. Which is a
shame actually, because even before the coming of the three foreign races, our ancestors were pretty
much living in a veritable paradise.
Although it wasn’t perfect, that era was actually the closest thing we ever had to a Golden Age, a
sentiment shared by national hero Jose Rizal, members of the Katipunan, noted historian Teodoro
Agoncillo, and even some church historians.
Let’s look at some of the compelling reasons why we think life was really better during the pre-
Spanish Philippines.

1. Women enjoyed equal status with men.

During pre-colonial times, women shared equal footing with men in society. They were allowed
to divorce, own and inherit property, and even lead their respective barangays or territories.
 Manuel S.EnvergaUniversity Foundation
LucenaCity
Granted Autonomous Status
CHED CEB Res. 076-2009
In matters of family, the women were for all intents and purposes the working heads, possessing
the power of the purse and the sole right to name their children. They could dictate the terms of their
marriage and even retain their maiden names if they chose to do so.
During this time, people also traced their heritage to both their father and mother. In fact, it could
be said that pre-colonial Philippines was largely matriarchal, with the opinions of women holding great
weight in matters of politics and religion (they also headed the rituals as the babaylans).
As a show of respect, men were even required to walk behind their wives. This largely
progressive society that elevated women to such a high pedestal took a serious blow when the Spanish
came. Eager to impose their patriarchal system, the Spanish relegated women to the homes, demonized
the babaylans as satanic, and ingrained into our forefathers’ heads that women should be like Maria Clara
—demure, self-effacing, and powerless.

2. Society was more tolerant back then.

While it could be said that our modern society is one of the most tolerant in the world, we owe
our open-mindedness not to the Americans and certainly not to the Spanish, but to the precolonial
Filipinos.
Aside from allowing divorce, women back then also had a say in how many children they wanted.
Sexuality was not as suppressed, and no premium was given to virginity before marriage. Although
polygamy was practiced, men were expected to do so only if they could support and love each of his
wives equally. Homosexuals were also largely tolerated, seeing as how some of the babaylans were
actually men in drag.
Surprisingly, with the amount of sexual freedom, no prostitution existed during the precolonial
days. In fact, some literature suggests that the American period—which heavily emphasized capitalism
and profiteering—introduced prostitution into the country on a massive scale.

3. The people enjoyed higher standard of government.

The relationship of the ruler to his subjects was very simple back then: In return for his
protection, the people pay tribute and serve him both in times of war and peace.
Going by the evidence, we could say that our ancestors already practiced an early version of the
Social Contract, a theory by prominent thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques
Rousseau which espoused the view that rulers owe their right to rule on the basis of the people’s consent.
Conversely, if the ruler became corrupt or incompetent, then the people had a right to remove
him. And that’s exactly the kind of government our ancestors had. Although the datus technically came
from the upper classes, he could be removed from his position by the lower classes if they found him
wanting of his duties. Also, anyone (including women) could become the datu based on their merits such
as bravery, wisdom, and leadership ability.

4. We were self-sufficient.
In terms of food, our forefathers did not suffer from any lack thereof. Blessed with such a
resource-rich country, they had enough for themselves and their families.
Forests, rivers, and seas yielded plentiful supplies of meat, fish, and other foodstuffs. Later on,
their diet became more varied especially when they learned to till the land using farming techniques that
were quite advanced for their time. The Banaue Rice Terraces is one such proof of our ancestors’
ingenuity.
 Manuel S.EnvergaUniversity Foundation
LucenaCity
Granted Autonomous Status
CHED CEB Res. 076-2009
What’s more, they already had an advanced concept of agrarian equity. Men and women equally
worked in the fields, and anyone could till public lands free of charge. Also, since they had little-to-no
concept of exploitation for profit, our ancestors generally took care of the environment well.
Such was the abundance of foodstuffs that Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, the most-successful Spanish
colonizer of the islands, was said to have reported the “abundance of rice, fowls, and wine, as well as
great numbers of buffaloes, deer, wild boar and goats” when he first arrived in Luzon.

5. We had smoother foreign relations.

We’ve all been taught that before the Spanish galleon trade, the pre-colonial Filipinos had already
established trading and diplomatic relations with countries as far away as the Middle East.
In lieu of cash, our ancestors exchanged precious minerals, manufactured goods, etc. with Arabs,
Indians, Chinese, and several other nationalities. During this time period, many foreigners permanently
settled here after marvelling at the beauty of the country and its people.
Out of the foreigners, it was the Chinese who were amazed at the pre-colonial Filipinos the most,
especially when it came to their extraordinary honesty. Chinese traders often wrote about the Filipinos’
sincerity and said they were one of their most trusted clientele since they did not steal their goods and
always paid their debts.
In fact, some Chinese—out of confidence—were known to simply leave their items on the
beaches to be picked up by the Filipinos and traded inland. When they returned, the Filipinos would give
them back their bartered items without anything missing.

6. Our forefathers already possessed a working judicial and justice system.

Although not as advanced (or as complicated) as our own today, the fact that our ancestors
already possessed a working judicial and legislative system just goes to show that they were wellversed in
the concept of justice.
Life in pre-colonial Philippines was governed by a set of statutes, both unwritten and written, and
contained provisions with regards to civil and criminal laws. Usually, it was the datu and the village
elders who promulgated such laws, which were then announced and explained to the people by a town
crier called the umalohokan.
The datu and the elders also acted as de facto courts in case of disputes between individuals of
their village. In case of inter-barangay disputes, a local board composed of elders from different
barangays would usually act as an arbiter.
Penalties for anyone found guilty of a crime include censures, fines, imprisonment and death.
Tortures and trials by ordeal during this time were also common. Like we’ve said, the system was not
perfect, but it worked.

7. They had the know-how to make advanced weapons.

A lantaka (rentaka in Malay), a type of bronze cannon mounted on merchant vessels travelling the
waterways of the Malay Archipelago. Its use was greatest in precolonial Southeast Asia, especially in the
Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Our ancestors—far from being the archetypal spear-carrying, bahag-wearing tribesmen we
picture them to be—were very proficient in the art of war. Aside from wielding swords and spears, they
also knew how to make and fire guns and cannons. Rajah Sulayman, in particular, was said to have
owned a huge 17-feet-long iron cannon.
 Manuel S.EnvergaUniversity Foundation
LucenaCity
Granted Autonomous Status
CHED CEB Res. 076-2009
Aside from the offensive weapons, our ancestors also knew how to construct huge fortresses and
body armour. The Moros living in the south for instance, often wore armour that covered them head-to-
toe. And yes, they also carried guns with them.
With all these weapons at their disposal and the fact that they were good hand-to-hand
combatants, you’d think that the Spanish would have had a harder time colonizing the country. Sadly, the
Spanish cleverly exploited the regionalist tendencies of the pre-colonial Filipinos. This divide-and-
conquer strategy would be the major reason why the Spanish successfully controlled the country for more
than 300 years.

8. Several professions already existed.

Aside from being farmers, hunters, weapon-makers, and seafarers, the pre-colonial Filipinos also
dabbled—and excelled—in several other professions as well.
To name a few, many became involved in such professions as mining, textiles, and smithing.
Owing to the excellent craftsmanship of the Filipinos, locally-produced items such as pots, jewelry, and
clothing were highly-sought in other countries. In fact, it is reported that products of Filipino origin might
have even reached as far away as ancient Egypt. Clearly, our ancestors were very skilled artisans.

9. The literacy rate was high.

Using the ancient system of writing called the baybayin, the pre-colonial Filipinos educated
themselves very well, so much so that when the Spanish finally arrived, they were shocked to find out
that the Filipinos possessed a literacy rate higher than that of Madrid!
However, the high literacy rate also proved to be a double-edged sword for the Filipinos once the
Spanish arrived. Eager to evangelize and subjugate our ancestors, the missionaries exploited the baybayin
for their own ends, learning and using it to translate their various works. Consequently, the pre-colonial
Filipinos became more easily susceptible to foreign influence.

10. We already had an advanced civilization.

Contrary to foreign accounts, our ancestors were not just some backwards, jungle-living savages.
In reality, pre-colonial Philippines already possessed a very advanced civilization way before the coming
of the Spanish.
Our ancestors possessed a complex working society and a culture replete with works of arts and
literature. When the colonizers came, everything contradictory to their own system had to go. Sculptures,
texts, religious ceremonies, and virtually anything else deemed obscene, evil or a threat to their rule were
eliminated.
Conclusively, we can only speculate what would have happened had our ancestors never been
colonized in the first place. Although the Spanish era (and the American period by extension) did have
their good points, would it have really been worth it all in the end?9

GUIDE QUESTION
1. What are the common myths or concepts that we Filipinos think of ourselves? How did it affect the
way we live and think?
2. Choose three (3) issues from the newspaper, radio, internet or TV that negate the social condition of
the Philippines during the pre-colonial period. Explain why it happened.

Reference: http://www.filipiknow.net/life-in-pre-colonial-philippines/