The disruption of the Austronesian-based early Filipino society by the Spanish

Colonization
Plus Ultra! A Latin phrase which means ‘further beyond’, is the motto of the Kingdom of
Spain. A reminder of the age of exploration and the glory of colonial Spain. With the closing of
the eastern trade routes by the Ottomans, and the Portuguese dominating the sea route, Spain was
forced to look westward. They would eventually establish colonies in Africa, the Americas, and
the Philippines, fulfilling the promise of further beyond. However, these lands ‘discovered’ by
Spanish conquistadores are already inhabited by people they saw as savages. Much of the
western civilization at the time dismissed their counterparts in the east and the New World as
pagans and uncivilized. It was therefore, in their perspective, their duty to save these savages
from barbarism and teach them the western way of life. In this process, several native cultures
had to give way and some vanished completely. The dwellers of the Philippine archipelago at the
time of Magellan’s arrival, though not as sophisticated as the Aztecs or the Incas, already have a
complex society. Austronesian, Hindu, and Islamic influences composed and enriched the culture
of the Filipino ancestor. These external influences have competed and amalgamated with each
other, but it was always a gradual process. The arrival of the Spanish and their subsequent
colonization of the islands aggressively wrested the Filipinos from their way of life to favor their
colonial ambitions. Traditions and beliefs of the early Filipinos were forced into obscurity, its
practitioners driven into isolation. The society built from the Austronesians to the Hindus and
Muslims were disrupted by the Spanish. The natural progression of civilization abruptly halted.
Technology and knowledge from the western world brought by the Spanish were
certainly much more advanced than that of the Filipinos. However, this does not mean that
Filipinos did not have their own methods and practices in different industries. For instance,
William Henry Scott described in detail the agricultural practices of the Visayans and how they
determine the appropriate season for planting certain crops from “the appearance of stars,
shifting direction of winds, the flowering of plants, and the song of birds”. He also mentioned
several terms used in agriculture such as kaingin or the process of slash-and-burn, suggesting a
rich tradition of agriculture (Scott 35-37). In this regard, the rice terraces of the Ifugao may be
the most remarkable example of agricultural feat which to this day stands and even utilized.
Jewelry and gold-working was also a widespread practice. Visayans mine gold by panning using
a dulang or wood pan, and kotkot or kali which is actual excavation. The gold or bulawan was
worked on by a panday sa bulwan or goldsmith. The Jesuit missionary, Francisco Ignacio Alcina
called the goldwork “of greater value […] than could be expected of a people apparently so
crude and uncivilized.” (qtd. in Scott 68). Another important technology is observable in
seafaring. Though belittled by the Spanish when compared to their ships or with the Chinese
junks, the caracoa is a boat of significance. It is the primary war-ship of pre-colonial Filipinos.
Scott argued that comparing it to galleons or junks is “gratuitous” because of the different
circumstances these ships were made for. The galleons are primarily for long journeys on deep
waters while carrying a significant amount of provisions. The caracoa was designed to “carry
warriors at high speeds […] through dangerous, reef-filled waters” (Scott [Boat-Building] 344).
Although most of these practices continued throughout the Spanish era, like in agriculture, some
important applications have been forgotten or obscured. For example, Alcina in 1634 remarked
that the quality of the Visayan gold work declined possibly due to the arrival of Mexican silver
(qtd. in Scott 68). It can be argued that many of these practices were substituted for Western
counterparts because they were perceived as inferior.
The overshadowing of native practices and technology by its Spanish equivalents is
primarily due to the nature of the relationship between Spain and the Philippines. In elementary,
it is commonly taught that the three reasons for Spain’s colonization was for power, riches, and
to spread Catholicism. In this, riches can be better interpreted as resources. From here, it can be
observed that produced goods were previously for that community’s consumption or for export.
In either situation, the community benefits. However, after being a colony, the produce primarily
benefited the colonizers. Spain, as an emerging European power, needed all the resources it can
get. It was initially thought that majority of the profit would come from agriculture. However,
the Spanish soon realized that trade with China was more profitable. Katharine Bjork reported an
approximate 5 million pesos per year being shipped from the Americas for Chinese goods (qtd.
in Merchant 56). This trade was facilitated through galleons built by forced labor or the polo y
servicios. The Filipino people who descended from expert seafarers are forced to build boats for
their foreign colonizers. The tributo was also an example of how resources that should have
benefited the Filipino went to the Spanish instead. In 1602, the tributo was at 10 reales payable
in money or in kind (Pisano 334). On top of this, encomenderos abused their power by hoarding
collected items (from tributo) until such time that the demand for them increased. Then, they
would sell these to the Filipinos for a higher price (Pisano 335). Filipinos were then forced to
take loans and they would suffer even more.
As the Spanish trade with China prospered, the previous trade relations of the Filipinos
with fellow Austronesian descended neighbors declined. With the Spanish controlling trade, it
can be argued that their focus on the more profitable China disconnected most of the Filipino
from the trade networks described by William Solheim II. This connection is important because
it would have probably strengthened the relationship of the Philippines with other Southeast
Asian states today. It can be observed that among its neighbors, the Philippines is significantly
different. On the other hand, local interactions have also been hindered by the colonization. The
once mutually beneficial relationship of the ilawod (communities near seas or rivers) and the
ilaya (communities in the mountains) eroded. Those living in the lowlands eventually saw fellow
Filipinos who were untouched by colonialism as backwards as well. This would not help the
Filipino aspiration to build a nation.
As mentioned previously, the need and desire for profit led to the exploitation and abuse
of the native population. Abuse was present in almost every colonial establishment then. The
maltreatment of the Filipinos by the encomenderos were reported by Fray Domingo de Salazar to
the king in 1583. He talked about how several of the encomenderos would severely punish the
native chief, ranging from lashing to crucifixion and being sold as slaves (qtd. in Constantino
45). Aside from the tributo and the polo y servicios, many Filipinos were forcibly converted.
Even after converting, they were still discriminated against. This can be seen in Francisco
Dagohoy’s reason for revolt. According to an excerpt from Gregorio Zaide’s writing, a priest
ordered Dagohoy’s brother to pursue a man who “abandoned his Christian religion”. His brother
was killed in a confrontation with the man and when the corpse was returned to town, it was
refused a Christian burial due to him dying in a duel which was prohibited (Zaide). The abuse of
the Filipinos made them second class in their own homeland. However, it can also be argued that
this abuse eventually paved the way for a Filipino identity formed during the revolution.
In conclusion, the society founded on the combination of native Negrito culture, and
Austronesian and other influences was impeded by the Spanish colonization. This is due to the
decay of native technology and practices, the detachment from local and regional relationships,
prioritization of Spanish ambition, and the abuse of the colonizers. The Spanish influence is not
entirely negative. Although it was oppressive, this catalyzed the formation of a Filipino identity.

References:
Scott, William Henry. Barangay: sixteenth-century Philippine Culture and Society, Ateneo de Manila
University Press, 1994, pp. 35-68. Internet Archive,
archive.org/details/BarangaySixteenthCenturyPhilippineCultureAndSociety/page/n21.

- - -. “Boat-Building and Seamanship in Classic Philippine Society.” Philippine Studies, vol. 30, no. 3,
Ateneo de Manila University, 1982, p 344.
www.philippinestudies.net/files/journals/1/articles/1696/public/1696-3504-1-PB.pdf.

Merchant, Pranav. “Economic Effects of the Spanish Conquest of the Philippines and
Mercantile Theory.” p 56. web.stanford.edu/group/journal/cgi-bin/wordpress/wp-
content/uploads/2012/09/Merchant_SocSci_2009.

Pisano, Nicholas. The Spanish Pacification of the Philippines 1565-1600, MA Thesis, U.S. Army Command
and General Staff College, 1992, pp. 334-335.
www.researchgate.net/publication/36257441_The_Spanish_pacification_of_the_Philippines_15
65-1600.

Constantino, Renato. “Patterns of Struggle.” The Philippines: A Past Revisited, From the Spanish
Colonization to the Second World War, p 45. Siagrey, siagrey.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/the-
philippines-a-past-revisited-renato-constantino.pdf.

Zaide, Gregorio. “Bohol History.” Bohol History, www.aenet.org/bohol/boholhis.htm.