Readings Module Five
Readings Module Five
Document One. Rizal's Introduction in His Annotations to Antonio de Murga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas
To the Filipinos
To the Filipinos
In the Noli me tangere I began the sketch of the present state of our native land. The effect that my attempt produced pointed out to me, before proceeding to unfold the other successive pictures before your eyes, the necessity of first making known to you the past in that you may be able to judge better the present and to measure the road traversed during three centuries.
Born and reared in the ignorance of our yesterday, like almost all of you, without voice or authority to speak about what we did not see or studied, I considered it necessary to invoke the testimony of an illustrious Spaniard who governed the destinies of the Philippines in the beginning of her new era and witnessed the last moments of our ancient nationality. It is then the shadow of the civilization of our ancestors which the author is now evoking before you. I transmit faithfully to you his words, without changing or mutilating them, adapting them only whenever possible to modern orthography for greater clarity, and altering the somewhat defective punctuation of the original in order to make its perusal easier. The post, the nationality, the merits of De Murga, together with the data and testimonies furnished by his contemporaries, almost all Spaniards, recommend the book to your thoughtful consideration.
If the book succeeds to awaken your consciousness of our past, already effaced from your memory, and to rectify what has been falsified and slandered, then I have not worked in vain, and with this as a basis, however small it may be, we shall be able to study the future.
Translation - Encarnacion Alzona
Document Two. Excerpts from Chapter Eight of Rizal's Annotations to Murga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, Footnotes Numbered Ninety-nine to One hundred thirteen
Throughout these islands, there were neither kings nor lords to rule them in the same manner as in kingdoms and provinces elsewhere. Instead, in every island and province many principals were known among the natives, some being more important and outstanding than others, each having his own followers and henchmen, forming barrios and families who obeyed and respected them. Those principal men used to have friendship and relationship with each other, and sometimes even wars and differences with each other.
These principalias or high social stations, were inherited by succession from fathers to sons and heirs, and in their default, to brethren and collateral kinsmen. Their duty was to govern and rule their subjects and henchmen, and to attend to their problems and needs; and in exchange for this, they received the peoples' respect and esteem, together with their support and help in their wars, expeditions, general work in farming, fishing, building houses and structures whenever they should be called upon to perform the same by their principals, upon which they would respond with punctuality. They also paid their tribute with the fruits of their toil which they called bins, some paying more than others. Furthermore, the descendants of these principals or nobles and their kinsmen were esteemed and respected, even if they had not inherited their distinction, and the former were considered and treated as noblemen, and as exempt from rendering service which was demanded from the Timaguas or plebeians. The privileges of a principalship were also enjoyed by the women of noble birth at par with the men. When any of these principal men became more outstanding than the others in war and in other matters, he thereby acquired (Ilegaba) more privileges and a greater following of henchmen, and he governed other people even principals themselves, while retaining for himself his own authority over his particular Barangai or clan with datus and other particular leaders who attended directly to the needs of the Barangai.
The authority which these principal men or leaders that they considered its components as their subjects, to treat well or mistreat, disposing of their persons, children and possessions at their will and pleasure without any opposition from the latter, nor duty on their part to account for the principals' action. Upon committing any slight offense or fault, these henchmen were either punished, made slaves or killed. It has happened that for having walked in front of lady principals while these were having their ablutions in the river; for having looked at them with scant respect; or for other similar reasons, these henchmen have been made permanent slaves.
Whenever any native had any controversies or differences with others on pecuniary matters, on property or regarding insults and physical injuries to their persons there were appointed elders among the same clan or group, who heard them in the presence of the parties, and their witnesses whenever evidence was necessary, and then decided the matter on their findings, thus following the same procedure used by their forefathers in similar cases. Thus, their decision was respected and executed without any further process or delay.
Their laws throughout the islands were along similar lines following the tradition and customs of their ancients in accordance with the unwritten statutes. In some provinces, there were different customs in certain things, although generally speaking, they had uniform usages and procedure throughout the islands.
There were three social stations among the natives of these islands constituting the commonwealth, to wit: Principal people, according to what has already been stated; timaguas which is equivalent to plebeians; and slaves both of the principals and of the Timaguas. These slaves were of various kinds. Some were for all purposes and servitude just as we have them and these were called Saguiguilires ...