RPH Pre-Colonial PH

• Mountain systems in the pre-colonial Philippines:

  • Caraballo del Sur forms the nucleus of the system Abra, Ilocos Norte, and Cagayan
  • Caraballo Occidentales divide into Cordillera Norte and Cordillera Central, traversing the region west of the Cagayan River
  • Sierra Madre, known as the Pacific coast range, starts at Baler, Quezon, and crosses Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, and Cagayan
  • Zambales Range starts at Cape Bolina and follows the China Sea coast to Bataan Peninsula
  • Tagaytay Range passes through Cavite and Batangas, forming the mountain system of the Southern
  • Mindoro Mountain Range begins at Mt. Haclon and is divided into three ranges
  • Negros is divided by a range running from northwest to southeast, with Kanlaon Volcano as a notable peak
  • Panay has a range separating Antique from Iloilo, Capiz, and Aklan
  • Mindanao has the Surigao Range, Butuan Range, Central Range, and Western Range
• Rivers and their drainage systems in the pre-colonial Philippines:

  • Rio Grande de Cagayan and its tributaries drain the Cagayan Valley
  • Agno Grande drains Benguet and the valleys of Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, and Tarlac
  • Abra River Systems receive tributaries from the Cordillera and drain Lepanto, Bontoc, and Abra
  • Rio Grande de Pampanga and its tributaries drain the fertile valleys of Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, and Bulacan
• Products and natural resources in the pre-colonial Philippines:

  • Fertile plains and rich valleys with diverse crops intended for exportation
  • Rice production breakthrough in the Central Plains of Luzon during the incumbency of late Pres. Marcos, Sr.
  • Export products include copra, abaca, gums, rubber, and sugar
  • Philippine forests provide timber and hardwoods
  • Mining resources include copper, gold, silver, iron, lead, zinc, manganese, and chromium
• Common traits of the pre-colonial Filipinos:

  • Hospitality
  • Close family ties
  • Respect for elders
  • Loyalty
  • Tendency to be indolent (lack of initiative)
  • Naturally curious
  • Jealousy
  • Regionalistic
• Regional traits of different Filipino groups:

  • Ilocos Region (Samtoy): known for frugality, not born humorists, and have poetry that requires sustained effort like Biag ni Lam-ang
  • Tagalog (Central Plains): feel superior to other Filipinos, strict code of ethics, strong tendency to live with parents or in-laws after marriage, lyrical and dreamy nature, engage in Balagtasan (a form of debate in verse)
  • Bicolano: known for temper and religiosity, enjoyment of life and offerings, fondness for spicy food
  • Visayan: happy-go-lucky, ready to spend their last peso to enjoy life, spendthrift, adventurous with wanderlust, self-reliant, hedonistic
  • Muslim: fierce lover of freedom, adventurous, honorable and loyal, proud of their culture, guarded their citadel against Spaniards with fast vintas
• Peopling of the Philippines:

  • Dr. Fritjof Voss, a German scientist, proved that the Philippines was never part of mainland China, rising from the sea due to the movement of the Pacific crust
  • F. Landa Jocano, a Filipino anthropologist, disputed the Wave Migration Theory, with discoveries like Tabon Man in Palawan Cave
• Introduction of Islam in the pre-colonial Philippines:

  • Arab traders, missionaries, and teachers introduced Islam in the 14th century, starting in Sulu and Mindanao
  • Serif Kabungsuan was the first Sultan of Mindanao, converting many tribes to Islam
• Relations of pre-colonial Filipinos with other groups:

  • Relations with Orang Dampuans in Southern Annam during 900-1200 AD focused on trade without political domination
  • Relations with Benjarmasim from northern Borneo involved trade of pearls and beautiful women, leading to Sulu becoming a trading hub for ships from Cambodia, China, Java, and Sumatra
• Relations of pre-colonial Filipinos with China:

  • During the Sung Dynasty (960-1127), Chinese goods continuously flowed to the Philippines, establishing trade on the coast
• The fame of Sulu reached as far as northern Borneo, Banjarmasin, and Brunei
• Sulu developed into an emporium, with trading ships from Cambodia, China, Java, and Sumatra anchoring at Sulu ports to savor their wealth and splendor
• Chinese influences in ancient Philippines:

  • Economic impact
  • Language
  • Use of umbrellas, gongs, lead, porcelain, gunpowder, mining methods, and metallurgy
  • Arranging of marriages, Visayans wearing white when mourning
• Indian influences primarily reflected in languages, particularly in Tagalog
• Dr. Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera noted Indian influences in intellectual acts, moral conceptions, emotions, superstitions, names of deities, planets, numerals, botany, war, titles, animals, instruments, industry, and money names
• Indian influences present in the ancient religious beliefs of Filipinos, with Indra Batara as a prominent mythological figure
• Ancient paganism in the Philippines involved demon and spirit worship
• The modern Philippine Barong Tagalog is the same cut and embroidery as the Kurta of Lucknow, India, with a similar cord and veil ceremony
• Early Filipino customs and practices:

  • Men wore Kanggan (black or blue collarless jacket with short sleeves), Bahag (strip of cloth wrapped around the waist), and Putong
  • Women wore Baro or Camisa, Saya or Patadyong, and Tapis around the waist
• Ornaments included Kalumbiga, pendants, gold rings, earrings, tattoos, with the Visayan people known as the Pintados
• Houses were made of wood, bamboo, and nipa palm, with variations like treetop houses for Ilongots, Kalingas, Mandayas, and Bagobos, and boat houses for Bajaos
• Social classes in ancient Philippines included nobles, freemen, and dependents, with leadership roles like Barangay, Gat or Lakan (Tagalog), Mahadlika, and Alipin (Namamahay and Sagigilid)
• Government structure included the Barangay or Balangay, with a chieftain responsible for ruling, governing subjects, and maintaining welfare and interests as an executive, legislator, and judge
• Laws in ancient Philippines were both customary, handed down orally, and written, promulgated by chieftains and elders, including the Code of Kalintaw and Muslim Laws, covering inheritance, divorce, usury, partnership, crime, and punishments
• Judicial processes included trial by ordeal, council of elders, and Umalookan
• Religious beliefs in ancient Philippines included reverence for Bathala, Bathalang Maykapal, Idinayale (Agriculture), Sidapa (Death), Balangaw (Rainbow), Agni (Fire), Magwayen (Otherworld), Lalahon (Goddess of Harvest), Siginarugan (Hell), and Diyan Masalanta (Love), with practices like adorning the sun and moon, reverencing the crocodile, old trees, Cult of the Dead, anitos, and anitas
• Burial practices and divination in ancient Philippines included beliefs in life after death, mourning rituals like Laraw, fasting practices like Sipa, avenging practices like Balata, and honoring the dead through Pasiyam
• Ancient Filipinos heavily relied on divination, auguries, and magic charms, interpreting signs like the flight of birds, barking of dogs, singing of lizards as omens, and beliefs in supernatural beings like Aswang, mangkukulam, manggagaway, tiyanak, tikbalang, and protective charms like Agimat or anting-anting, gayuma, odom, wiga, and sagabe
• Economic life in ancient Philippines revolved around agriculture (rice, coconuts, sugar cane, cotton, hemp, bananas, oranges), practices like kaingin and tillage, irrigation methods (Rice Terraces), public and private landholding, poultry, stock-raising, fishing, mining, lumbering, shipbuilding, and weaving
•      The Caraballo del Sur

  -        forms the nucleus of the system Abra, Ilocos Norte, and Cagayan
• ·        The Caraballo Occidentales

  -        divide into the Cordillera Norte and Cordillera Central and traverse the region west of the Cagayan River
• ·        The Sierra Madre

  -        also known as the Pacific coast range, begins at Baler, Quezon, and crosses Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, and Cagayan
• ·        Zambales Range

  -        starts at Cape Bolina and follows the China Sea coast to Bataan Peninsula 
• ·        Tagaytay Range

  -        passes through Cavite and Batangas and, with Mt. Makiling, forms the mountain system of the Southern.
• ·       The Mindoro Mountain Range

  -        begins at Mt. Haclon and is divided into three ranges.
• ·        Negros

  -        divided into two by a range running from northwest to southeast, with Kanlaon Volcano a notable peak.
• ·        Panay

  -        has a range from north to south that separates: Antique from Iloilo, Capiz, and Aklan
• ·       Mindanao

  -        Surigao Range, Butuan Range, Central Range, and Western Range
• ·        The Rio Grande de Cagayan and its tributaries drain the Cagayan Valley
• ·        Agno Grande drains Benguet and the valleys of Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, and Tarlac
• ·        Abra River Systems receives its tributaries from the Cordillera and drains Lepanto, Bontoc, and Abra