Philippine Family Law
...By Gilbert S. Coronel
I. THE BARANGAY
The Philippines is an archipelago. It has more than 7,100 islands and the islands form three main groups: Luzon up north, Mindanao down south, and Visayas in the middle.
Early historians claim that the original inhabitants of the archipelago were Negritos, who were short, dark, kinky-haired and snub nosed. This was before fossils of three individuals were discovered in the caves of Tabon, Palawan in the Visayas. Carbon dating of the fossils revealed that these cave dwellers lived 22,000 to 24,000 years ago. There were no indications that they were Negritos.
The first inhabitants, though, were hunters and gatherers who developed basic tools and pottery. Later they settled in areas near water, cultivated the soil and engaged in fishing. Small communities were established. There were significant encounters with Chinese, Arab and Indian traders, and significant influences from their great cultures.
In the 13th century, ten datus led by Datu Sumakwel escaped with their families from the tyrant sultan of Borneo and arrived in the Visayas. They arrived in long boats the Malays call balanghai and settled in Panay island. These families of Indo-Malay bloodlines are taller, brown-skinned and had medium-sized noses and proud foreheads. They integrated with the natives and divided the island among themselves. Separate communities were established, with the datu as chiefatin of each community. The community is known as barangay, named after the boat or balanghai.
The datus formed a confederation of barangays, and Datu Sumakwel became the head chieftain of this federation. Later some datus moved up north and established their fiefdoms in Luzon.
Religion included belief in one God, called Bathala, in life after death, and in the existence of deities and supernatural beings, similar to fairies and demi-gods,...
View Full Essay
