Que, Micaela

2013 72331

Economic Life in Pre-Colonial Philippines

The earliest Filipinos were known to live nomadic lifestyles. They mostly

survived through hunting and gathering of wild plants. The early Filipinos had no

sense of permanent territory so they had no real “property” to begin with, other

than the rocks and tools they used for hunting. However, at around 500 BC- 1000

AD, the Philippines was primarily inhabited by Negritos, Malays, Malayo-

Polynesians. It was around this time when permanent rice farmers settled in

Luzon. This was when the barangays were established and the Filipinos formed

a sense of territorialism and community. The main crop at that time was rice, but

Filipinos also planted sugar, coconut, sugar cane, hemp, bananas, and other

fruits and vegetables. Farming at that time was done two ways: the kaingin

system (slash and burn), which required the land to be burned after each

harvest, and the tillage system.

It was also during this period when Filipinos started using metal weapons

(brought about by the entry of the Malays from the west, and Austronesians from

the North). As such, other economic activities such as hunting, fishing,

lumbering, and mining became easier. The early Filipinos also engaged in land

holding. Even then, the concept of private and public land existed. Land that was

less arable (example: land near the mountains, etc) was considered public and

free for all, but land that was rich belonged to the noblemen. As for women,

weaving became their primary industry; however, some women also helped in

the tending of the animals.

At around 1000 AD, the first wave of Chinese merchants arrived in the

Philippines. This marked what is known as the “porcelain age” in Philippine

history. This marked the start of trading with foreigners in the Philippines.

Because there was no established currency exchange system back then, the

barter system was used in order to facilitate exchange. The Filipinos then

engaged in trade with several other countries including Aceh (Indonesia), China,

and Brunei. Some Filipinos even travelled to these places to further enhance

trade relations.

Sources:

1. Agoncillo, T., & Alfonso, O. (1969). History of the Filipino people, ([Rev.

ed.). Quezon City: Malaya Books.

2. Cole, F. (2004). Tinguian; social, religious, and economic life of a

Philippine tribe. Gutenberg Project.

3. Philippine History. (n.d.). Retrieved June 24, 2015, from

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/philippines/history.htm