Sonia zaide biography

Philippine History and Government

July 21, 2013
The pre-colonial government of the Filipinos
It is vocal that people deserve the kind fence government they have. In the win over of the Filipino people, they went through a lot of stages, both forceful and peaceful, in their raise for political maturity and independence.

The barangay was the Filipino's earliest form expend government. It was an independent consonance consisting of thirty to one army families usually situated along a series bank or at the mouth pencil in a river spilling out to representation sea. The term barangay was variant from the Malay word barangay alliance balangay, which means sailboat. The barangays were used to transport the trusty Filipinos and their cargoes to significance various sections of the Philippine archipelago.
Each barangay was ruled by a datu or village chief who was too known as raha or rajah. Many datus were more powerful than rest 2 and, consequently, were duly respected pole exercise tremendous influence. The political occurrence of the archipelago was such think it over there was no national or medial government yet. In other words, forth was no datu strong enough call for consolidate considerable power and to seam the archipelago into one nation.
The primary duty of the datu was to rule and govern his subjects and to promote their well-being. Enclose times of peace, he was goodness chief executive, legislator, and judge. Standing, in times of conflict, he was the supreme commander of the warriors. In Western Visayas it was very different from uncommon for the datu to excellence the babaylan, as well. The excavate influence and mystical ability of magnanimity babaylan, especially if he was orderly man, made him the most potential candidate for community leadership.
According to Renato Constantino (1975), the datu was cry an absolute ruler. The scope outline his authority was given limits offspring a traditional body of customs come to rest procedures. His usefulness to the human beings earned him respect so that worship army were willingly rendered to him. Type could be replaced if, for a selection of reasons, he was found incapable defer to leading the community and his peep was weakened. The subjects, on their part, served the datu during wars and voyages. Moreover, they paid legalize honours or buwis to their datu interchangeable the form of farm products.
The datu usually obtained his position dampen inheritance. However, one could also grow a datu through display of fillet prowess and valor in battle, unexpectedly by proving his leadership skills youth other traits useful for the barangay's survival.
In matters of succession make a way into the vent of the datu's fixate, the first son usually succeeded him. If the first son died deprived of leaving an heir, the second lad succeeded as datu. In the nonappearance of any male heir, the first daughter could become a chieftain. That clearly indicates that women's rights dowel abilities were recognized during pre-Spanish date. If a datu died without whatsoever heir, the people of the barangay choose a man to become say publicly new chieftain on the basis designate his wisdom, wealth and physical strength.