Social

 

 

Before the Spaniards came in the Philippines, there were Barangays that are also known as independent villages or social units. These barangays have leaders that are either called a Datu or Raja. A datu leads a barangay when 150 families occupy it. Then a raja leads a barangay if it is near a body of water. Philippines is also divided into three social classes and these are nobles, freemen and dependents. Nobles consist of chiefs and their families; they have rights in the community and they are either titled Gat or Lakan. Freemen are called Maharlika; they are either composed of free people or dependents that earned their freedom. Dependent is the lowest social class, they were also known as the alipins and they acquired this status because of inheritance, failure to pay debts and committing crimes. They can also be classified as namamahay or sagigilid according to Sucesos “These slaves were of various kinds”. Aliping namamahay had their own families and properties; they also worked for their master. While aliping sagigilid had no properties and they lived with their masters. These facts can be proved by quotations from Sucesos.

 

“Some were for all purposes and servitude just as have them and there were called Saguiguilires who served…”

“Others had their own houses for their family apart from the house of their master and who would come to the house from time to time to help in the tilting of the land and in harvesting..”

“Known as namamahayes slaves whose children and descendants are also salves to serve in the same capacity.”