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Placencia's Code
on the Customs
of the Tagalogs
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Placencia's Code on the Ancient
Customs of the Tagalogs (1589)
Background of the Author

Historical Background of the Document

Content Presentation

Contribution of the Document to Philippine

History

Relevance of the Document in Modern

Times
Background of the Author

Juan de Plasencia's birth name is Juan

Portocarrero.

He was born in the 16th century to illustrious

family of Portocarreros in Plasencia in the
region of Extremadura, Spain.

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.

He is the author of what is believed to be the first

book printed in the Philippines, the “Doctrina
Christiana”. 3
Background of the Author
Arrival in the Philippines
A Spanish friar. One of the first Franciscan missionaries who
4 arrived in the Philippines on July 2, 1578 - at a port in Cavite.

Upon his arrival, Fray Juan de Plasencia together with

Fray Diego de Oropresa, started preaching around
Laguna de Bay area and as far as Tayabas (the present
Quezon Province) converting souls to the Catholic fold.

As a friar, Juan de Plasencia lived up to his pledge which

was converting people to Christianity.

He was also known to be a defender of the native

population, looking after the poor, ill, or neglected, and
standing up for their rights on numerous occasions.

He was a Franciscan missionary, linguist and writer who

documented the ancient customs of the Tagalogs.
Historical Background of the Document
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Customs of the Tagalogs is a part (either chapters
or subsections) of longer monographs written by
the chroniclers of the Spanish expeditions to the
Philippines during the early 16th and 17th centuries.
These writings first appeared in Robertson and
Blair's 55 volumes, The Philippine Islands (1903), and
in the Philippine Journal of Science.

The author, Juan de Plasencia was, a Franciscan

missionar y was tasked by the King of Spain to
document the customs and traditions of the
colonized (“natives”) based on, arguably, his own
observations and judgments.

Given the fact that the author is not a native

Tagalog, debatably, the eye-witness' perspective
and narration may contain personal biases when
writing down his interpretation and discernment of
island's ethnography.
 CONTENT PRESENTATION: Social Stratification 6
BARANGAY - tribal gathering in Tagalog was inferred THREE CASTES:
that the reason for giving themselves this name 1. Nobles (Maharlica) - Free-born, people who don’t
arose from the boat as they’ve reached this land. pay taxes to the dato but must accompany him in a
war.
DATOS -They ruled over a hundred or less than thirty 2. Commoners (Aliping Namamahay)- They are married,
houses which is called barangay. and serve their master, whether he be a dato or not,
with half of their cultivated lands, as was agreed upon
in the beginning.
MARRIAGES WITH CASTES (Rules in determining the 3. Slaves (Aliping sa guiguilir) - they serve their master
social status of offsprings) in his house and on his cultivated lands.
♂ Maharlica + ♀ Maharlica = Maharlica
Maharlica + Aliping Namamahay/Aliping Saguiguilir =
division of children (Odd birth order belonged to the Father,
Maharlica + Slave = Free Child (Mother and Child will
even birth order belonged to the Mother regardless of the
be free provided he were not her husband.)
gender.)
• If the status of the Father was free, all of his child who
Maharlica + Other slave-woman = free if recognized belonged to him was free, if he was a slave, all of those
however becomes wholly slave if not recognized by the who belonged to him were slaves, same applied to the
father Mother.
 CONTENT PRESENTATION: Marriage Customs and Dowries
7
v Marriage between couples belonging to
v Dowries (bigay-kaya) are given by men to
different social classes were not common.
the women's parents before marriage.
v Several grounds for divorce are adultery and
v But if the woman has no parent or relatives,
abandonment; on the part of the husband,
the whole dowry will be hers.
the cruelty and insanity.

v In case of divorce before the bir th of

children, if the wife left the husband for the
v Death of wife who in a year's time had borne no
purpose of marrying another, all her dowry children, parents returned half of the dowry to the
plus an equal additional amount fell to the husband.
husband. v Death of husband, half of the dowry was returned to
v When the husband left his wife, he lost the the relatives of the husband
half of his dowry. If he possessed children [Practice based on piety (most conception is humility)]
at the time of his divorce, the whole dowry
went to the children.
 CONTENT PRESENTATION: Rules and Regulations 8
v When it comes to justice system, investigation All the offense were punished by
made and sentences passed by the datu must fines in gold which if not paid with
take presence of those his barangay. promptness. This done in the following
ways:
v They condemned no one to slavery, unless he
merited the death penalty. As for witches, they
1. Half the cultivated lands and all
kill them, and their children and accomplices their produce belonged to the
become slaves of the slaves chief. master.
2. The master provided the culprit
Slaves can be emancipated (free from legal, with food and clothing, enslaving
social, or political restrictions; liberated) through: the culprit and his children until
such time as he might amass
1.By forgiveness enough money to pay the fine.
2.By paying debt 3. Last and usually the case is they
3.By condonation
remain slaves.
4.By bravery
 CONTENT PRESENTATION: Inheritances 9
v The first son of the chief of barangay
inherits his father’s position. If a man had a children by two or
v The legitimate children inherited more legitimate wives, each child will
equally, (except if the parents showed a receive the inheritance and dowry of
slight partiality by such gifts as two or his mother.
three gold taels or perhaps jewelry.)

If a man had a child by one of his If a man had a child by a slave

slaves as well as legitimate children, the woman, the child will not be inherited
former had no share in the inheritance. equally, but only the third part.
 CONTENT PRESENTATION: Inheritances 10

If there are no legitimate child the

inheritance will be given to the father
or nearest relatives.

Adopted children will inherit

double of what was paid for their
adoption.
 Contribution of the Document to
Philippine History 11

The account helped in preserving the valuable information about early

forms of traditions in the islands through a written document. With this
written historical literature of an eye-witness, it unlocked one of the facets of
pre-Spanish history of the Philippines.

Plasencia's account though written through a western lens , was considered to be

one of the foremost sources of early Filipino culture.

Moreover, his work was considered to be the framework for Spanish

laws and policiesand provided the means to rewrite and re-institutionalize
the Filipino Society and even rewrite history. (Woods, 2005)

Plasencia's account was also cited in many gender and sociological

studies. From this, it can be said that it not only contributes to the study of
Philippine history, but also on studies on how our customs have changed
through time.
 Relevance of the Document in Modern Times 12

It is a proof that even before the pre-Hispanic Assits in gaining

period, the natives had been able to establish knowledge beyond the
own political system as well as unique sets of viewpoints of
beliefs and practices. Plasencia’s experiences.

Given its nature as a primar y

source of history, it is a valuable
source of raw evidence to analyze
and interpret the past.

The document helps reader to relate It ser ves as a significant source and lense in
in a personal way to those events of knowing one of the portions of history of people
the past and promotes a deeper specially Tagalogs in the Philippines before the
understanding about customs of the spanish colonization which added an insightful
Tagalogs as a series of human events. wisdom about the way of living of the natives.