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The land and the People

Geographical Setting
The Philippine is an archipelago of 7,108 islands
It lies North of Indonesia and South of Taiwan in the Pacific
Its total land area is 115,707 square miles (300,000 square kilometres)
The largest island is Luzon with 40,814 sq. miles, the second is Mindanao with
32,374 sq. miles
Physical Features
The Philippines is a rugged land of mountains and plains, bays and lakes, rivers
and waterfalls, valleys and volcanoes
The irregular coastline stretches to 10,850 statute miles
The highest mountain is Mt. Apo (9,600 feet)
The lowest spot is the Philippine Deep (37,782 feet)
The largest plain is the central Luzon
Cagayan river is the longest river
Laguna de Bay is the largest lake in the country
Manila bay has an area of more than 700 sq. miles and a circumference of 120
miles is one of the finest natural harbours that can accommodate large ships
Climate
The Philippine has tropical warm climate
There are only two distinct seasons: dry and wet. Dry lasted from March to June,
wet July to October. November to February are neither too dry nor too wet. There
is abundant sunshine all year-round.
Products and Natural Resources
Rice, the staple crop is produced largely in Luzon and Mindanao
Copra, banana, pineapple, abaca. Gums, resins, rubber and sugar
Lumber, minerals and metallic materials such as copper, gold, silver, iron, lead,
zinc, manganese and chromium are exploited for their commercial value
Water has been utilized for power to turn the wheels of industry and to furnish
electric power
Geothermal energy from hot springs is a power source
The People
The Filipino belongs to the mixture of races, although basically we are Malay
We are a mixture or blending of east and west
We are a product of the mixture of many peoples such as
Negritoes (10%)
Malay (40%)
Indonesian (30%)
Chinese (10%)
Indian (5%)
European and Americans (3%)
Arab (2 %)
The Filipinos are divided among 87 ethnic groups
The Filipinos posses some common traits
a. Hospitality
h. sensitive
b. Close family ties
i. tendency to be indolent
c. Respect for elders
j. lack of initiative
d. Fatalistic
k. segurista
e. Loyalty
l. curious
f. Jealousy
m. regionalistic
g. Pakikisama

North (Ilocano frugality)

Tagalog belt, superior, fierce, pride, dreamer and romantic
Bicol region even temper; religious; enjoys life
Visayas happy-go-lucky; present oriented; extravagant; adventurers; self-reliant
South Mulims: fiercest lover of freedom; adventurous; man of honor

The Pre-Colonial Philippines

The Baranganic Societies (Characteristics of the Pre-Spanish Settlements)
At the time of the conquest, the population of the islands was estimated at about
750,000 (only lowlands of Luzon and Visayas)
The social unit was the barangay. The barangays were generally small, about 30
to 100 houses varying from 100 to 500 persons
Visayan villages along the coasts consisted of no more than 8 to 10 houses
Maynilad had about 2,000 inhabitants
Most communities were coastal or near riverine in orientation
Seas and rivers were the principal source of protein
People relied more on fishing rather than hunting for sustenance
People travelled principally by water
There were no wheeled vehicles
Rivers were the major source of water for bathing, washing and drinking
A higher degree of development emerged among communities which were
accessible to traders
Settlements were far from each other
Houses were of renewable materials
Fairly low level of political and social organization (no public buildings)
The custom of burning or abandoning a dwelling when a member of the family
died suggests that there houses were regarded as temporary shelters rather than
life-long homes
Shifting cultivation was the predominant method of rice culture
Most members of a community were related to one another by blood or marriage
Besides kinship, common economic interests and shared rituals formed the bases
for community cohesion
The barangay was a social rather than a political unit, each one a separate entity
with only informal contacts with other villages
Characteristics of the Pre-colonial Economy
Primitive economic units
The people had barely enough for their needs
Wet-rice agriculture was practiced by the more advanced villages
The kaingin or upland technique was practiced
Gold was found in all the islands but the people did not try to become wealthy nor
did they care to accumulate riches
There was the absence of an exploitative class
Everyone worked for an immediate need
The Pre-Colonial Government
The administrative leader of the community was the village chief. But he was not
an absolute ruler, he was subject for two reasons:
a. His authority was limited by a traditional body of customs and procedures
b. His position was hereditary, but it was originally attained by an exhibition of
prowess and valor, traits useful for the communitys survival
The chief could be replaced if for some reason his position weakened
Functions performed by the chief
a. Executive
b. Judicial
c. Military
Chieftainship was not his exclusive occupation. The chief remained a farmer and
wove his own cloth like the rest of the barangay members
Social Stratification
The people in the barangay were classified into the following social classes
a. Village chief and his family
b. Freemen, generally assisted the chief in chores that involved the welfare of the
community such as going to battle or planting

c. Slaves actually, they were debt peons. They will be released from
dependence after paying back the debts
Some people in the barangays were members of the dependent population.
Individuals became dependents through the following situations
a. Being captured in battle
b. Failing to pay a private debt or a legal fine
c. Committing a crime
Many crimes were punishable by fines. If the guilty person cannot pay his fine, he
barrowed and repaid the amount with his labor, thus becoming a dependent
Barangay stratification was not rigid. A chief could be deposed, freemen and even
members of the chiefs families could be reduced to dependence, and debt peons
could become freemen once they had paid their debts
The form of servitude that dependents underwent was generally mild. Master and
slave could eat at the same table, and slaves could even marry a member of his
masters family
The institution of debt peonage cannot be equated to slavery as it existed in
Europe

Pre-colonial Concept of Property

Private property in its exploitative sense did not exist
The chiefs merely administered the lands in the name of the barangay
Each individual participated in the community ownership of the soil and the
instruments of production as a member of the barangay
The economic functions of the barangays, therefore were geared towards:
a. The use of the land for the consumption of the producers
b. Fulfilment of kinship obligations. They were not economics geared to exchange
and profit