PHILIPPINE GEOGRAPHY

A. Origin of the Philippines

1. Theories
i.
Part of a lost continent
It was believed that the Philippines was a remnant of a vast continent
in the pacific which had sunk during pre- historic times like the fabled
Atlantis lost somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.
This lost pacific continent was called Lemuria or Mu.
Its remnants aside from Philippines were Borneo, Celebes, Java,
Sumatra, and other islands of the pacific.
ii.
Pacific Theory
It was proposed by Dr. Bailey Willis.
According to this theory, Philippines was born due to the eruptions of
sea volcanoes in remote epochs.
iii.
Land Bridge Theory
This theory suggests that Philippines was once a landmass bridging
China and the Asian Mainland, to Borneo, Indonesia, New Guinea,
and even Australia. The present China Sea was an exposed dry land
known as the Sunda Shelf which covered an area of 1, 800, 000
square kilometers. During the post glacial age, about 250, 000 years
ago, the worlds ice melted, causing the sea level to rise.
Consequently, the lower land regions including the land bridges
linking Asia and the Philippines were submerged, thus, Philippines
archipelago was formed.
This theory is supplied by the following plausible reasons;
a. Similarity of fauna and flora in Asia and the
Philippines
b. Similarity of rock structure
c. Existence of the shallow China Sea between the
Asia Mainland and the Philippines
d. The presence of a fore deep at the eastern margin
of the Philippines indicating the archipelago was
once the edge of the Asia continental Platform
B. Origin of the Filipinos
1. Legends
The first Filipino couple sprang out from bamboo nodules. They were
named Lalake and Babae or Malakas and Maganda.
The second legend claims a racial superiority in the brown
complexion of the Filipinos that is Filipinos were baked by God named
Bathala.
2. Theories
Migration Theory- It was proposed by Professor H. Otley Beyer.
Beyer believed that Filipinos came from to the
Philippines in different waves of migration. Such is
explained in the table:
Negritos
Indonesia
Indonesia
Malays
ns A
ns B
Date of Migration
25,000- 30,000 3,0001,500- 500 20 BC
years ago
4,000 BC
BC
Characteristic
Black skin
tall
shorter
medium height
5 ft tall
slender
bulky
slim but well
dark kinky hair light
body
built
dark
brown skin
round
black complexio
n
complexi black hair
eyes
thin lips
on
flat noses
dark
brown
thick lips
high
eyes
large
aquiline
nose
nose

Ways of Life

Nomadic
They had permanent They
They
lived dwellings.
introduced iron
They wore clothing and metal, smiting,
through
pottery
hunting,
personal ornaments.
fishing,
and They knew agriculture, making, cloth
foraging
for mining,
and
copper weaving, and
jewelry
wild plants.
tools.
making.
They wore little
clothing.
They
have
crudest
religion.
They
were
among
the
worlds
best
archers
and
herbalists

Evolution Theory- The discovery in a Tabon cave in Palawan in 1962 of a skull cap
and a portion of a jaw, presumed to be those of a human being, shows conclusively
that man came earlier to the Philippines than to the Malay Peninsula where,
according to the old theory, the Filipinos came from. As to the present Filipino,
Indonesians, and Malays of Malaysia, Jocano maintains that they are the end results
of both the long process of evolution and the later... movements of people. They
stand co-equal as ethnic groups, without any one being the dominant group, racially
or culturally. The differences, according to Jocano, are due to the differences in their
responses to their environment. On the other hand, the similarities found among
them are due to the adjustment to their environment..
EARLY FILIPINO ANCESTORS

A. THE BARANGAYS
Well organized independent villages.
It originated from balangay, a Malayan word meaning sailboat.
It is a self- sustaining community ruled by a datu.
It consisted of from 30- 100 families while some having a population of more
than 2,000.
B. HOUSES AND DWELLINGS
Bahay kubo (nipa hut)- houses which were made of wood and bamboo, roofed
by nipa palm leaves. It had a bamboo ladder that could be drawn up at night
or when the family was out. It had a gallery called batalan where big water
jars were kept for bathing and washing purposes. Under the house were kept
the rice, firewood, and animals.
Some lived in tree houses which were built on the top of trees for better
protection against the enemy.

C. TATTOOS
It serve two purposes
a. To enhance their bodily beauty
b. To show their war record
Men were more tattooed than women. Children were not tattooed at all.
The Visayans are the most tattooed Filipinos. They were called pintados or
painted people.
D. FAMILY LIFE
It is the basis of the society, hence, family ties, as they are today, was close
and strong.
The children were given considerable attention, affection and discipline by
their parents. They were trained to be loyal to the ancestral god, to respect
the elders, to love their parents and to obey the datu and barangay rules.
The father was the head of the family, thus, his words were law to children.
The mother was the housekeeper. She enjoyed the sole privilege of naming
the children.
E. SOCIETY AND SOCIAL CLASSES

The pre- Spanish society was divided into three social classes:
a. Maharlikas- nobles- they constituted the barangay aristocracy, the highest
social class. This class was composed of the affluent slave- owning
families, including the datu, his family and relatives and the rich people.
b. Timawas- freemen- they constituted the middle class in the barangays.
They were free- born persons and emancipated slaves. They formed the
majority among the inhabitants of every barangay.
c. Alipin- slaves- they belonged to the lowest social classes

Kinds of Slaves
1) Aliping Namamahay- they lived in their houses. They owned their
property. They could marry without their masters consent. They
could not be sold.
2) Aliping Saguiguilid- they owned no property. They lived in their
masters house. They could not marry without their masters consent.
They could be sold anytime.
F. RELIGION
The following were their gods and goddesses:
Bathala- supreme god and the creator of heaven and earth
Idianale- Tagalog goddess of agriculture
Lakampati- Tagalog god of harvest
Sidapa- Visayan god of death
Apolaki- Pangasinan war god
Kidul- Kalinga god of thunder
Dallang- Ilocano goddess of beauty
Malyari- Zambal god of power and strength
Poko- Tagbanua god of sea
Kolyog- Ifugao god of earthquakes
They worshipped ancestral spirits called anitos (Tagalog) or diwatas (Visayan).
To these anitos the sacrifices called, maganito, were offered. The ritual was
performed by a priest or priestess called katalona or babaylan.
They also worshipped nature in the belief that such natural objects were the
habitats of the spirits.
They also believed in life after death. The good soul would go to heaven,
called kaluwalhatian (Tagalog) or Ologan (Visayan), while the bad soul would
go to hell called, kasamaan (Tagalog) or Solad (Visayan).