The Social Standing of the Early Filipinos during the Pre-Spanish Period

The Social Standings of Early Filipinos during the Pre-Spanish Period

Group I

*Kieran *Rommel *Careina *Norie

*Christian *Lance *Vynz *Melissa

During Pre-Spanish times Filipinos can be divided according to these classes:

The noble class called the Maginoo; the freeman class called the Timawa; the warrior class called the Maharlika; and the indentured class called the Alipin.

The Maginoo were the ruling class, the educated class, the royal class, and the privileged class. It was from this class that the Datu would come from. The Datu is the leader of the community called a barangay. He is the chieftan somewhat synonymous to a Monarch, Rajah, Sultan, or King.

It is unknown if the Datu position was hereditary such as following the lineage of the eldest child especially the eldest son of the Datu, or if the Maginoo class (who were likely all related to one another) elected a Datu. The practice may have varied throughout the Philippines. We have to remember that lowland Filipinos arrived on sailboats called balangays.

These early groups would settle near the shorelines or river banks, and their new found community would be called a barangay (similar to the word balangay). The size of a barangay can vary, but usually somewhere between 50 to 100 families, or 30 to 100 houses, or 100 to 500 persons. These migrations were likely led by the Maginoo class who wanted to found a new barangay for themselves.

The freeman class known as the Timawa probably made up the bulk of the barangay community. They were free. They could acquire property, acquire any job they want, pick their own wives, and acquire an alipin. They were however expected to pay taxes, and support the Maginoo class. They are the only class to pay taxes, and hence their importance in the community.

The Maharlika had all the rights of the Timawa, but they are specifically the warrior class. They were well respected if not revered by the barangay. Unlike the Timawa, they were not expected to pay taxes. They would provide protection to the barangay, and were responsible for providing and preparing the weapons at their own expense.

A Maharlika could change their allegiance to another barangay by marrying into it or by simply moving to it. This however required paying a certain amount to his Datu. A feast would be given in his honor when leaving the barangay.

President Marcos' first use of the word Maharlika was quite appropriate because he only used it to name a group of soldiers rather than an entire aristocracy or country.

The Alipin had the least rights. They are not exactly slaves in the traditional sense, but they were indentured servants. Basically they served their master who belonged to one of the classes above them. But it does not mean that they did all the work in the barangay.

The Timawa were probably expected to do most of the work in the barangay, and the alipin was likely his or her servant at home such as doing house chores and cooking, or aided the timawa with their duties at work.

There are two types of Alipin:

Aliping Namamahay was a servant that lived in their own little house on the property of their master, and Aliping Sagigilid was a servant that lived around the house of their master.

An Alipin can actually become free, and become a Timawa provided he or she fulfilled the services of their master, this process is known as Tinimawa. The Alipin did not likely make any money for their services, and hence did not pay taxes.

The people who bore the greatest stigma in society were the alipins who were indebted to other alipins. A gigilid of an aliping namamahay was called a bulisik, which meant vile and contemptible. Even lower was the bulislis who was a gigilid indebted to another gigilid.

The vulgar name meant that these alipins were so vulnerable that it was like their genitals were exposed. In modern terms we might say they “had their pants down,” though bulislis really means, “lifted skirt.”

The only people lower than the bulislis were slaves who were brought from other communities or who were captured in war. They were considered non-persons until they were accepted into the community. Once accepted, they had the same rights as other alipins.