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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
pre-colonial 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.
Let’s look at some of the compelling reasons why we think life was really better during the pre-
Spanish Philippines.
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.
5. Our Forefathers Already Possessed A Working
Judicial And Legislative System.
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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 well-versed in the
concept of justice.
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.
7. We Were Self-Sufficient.
SavePainting by Manuel Pañares
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.
READ: 7 Prehistoric Animals You Didn’t Know Once Roamed The Philippines
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 a 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.
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).
Also Read: 12 Surprising Facts You Didn’t Know About Pre-Colonial Philippines
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.