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pinai, thanks again for clearing things up. Also, I didn't even know there was a caste system in the P.I. until this thread. Yes, the ethnic Spanish, Chinese and Spanish/Chinese Mestizos are the well to do class in the P.I. San Miguel Beer is owned by pure Spaniards (Soriano Family?). The Shoe Mart Malls (freakin big Malls that rivals most of the malls in the U.S.) is owned by pure Chinese (Henry Sy). Either way they are Filipinos.
Ferdinand Marcos of Chinese/Japanese ancestry? Either way , his maker is the same maker as Kim Jung IL of North Korea - Satan . Btw, North Korea's new 'Dear Leader', the always constipated looking one, might just end up meeting his daddy in the 'near' future...man, I'm soooo mean. he he he.
The Principalía or noble class[1] was the ruling and, usually, the educated upper class in the towns of colonial Philippines, composed of the Gobernadorcillo (who had funcstions similar to a Town Mayor), and the Cabezas de Barangay (Chiefs of the Barangays) who governed the districts.[2] The distinction or status of being part of the Principalía is a heriditary right. But it could be acquired also, as attested by the Royal Decree of December 20, 1863 (signed in the name of Queen Isabel II of Spain by the Minister of the Colonies, José de la Concha).[3] [4]
This distinguished upper class was exempted from tribute (tax) to the Spanish Crown during the colonial period. [5] It was the town’s aristocracy, which could be roughly comparable to the Patrician class of Ancient Rome. The Principales (members of the Principalía) traced their origin from the pre-colonial royal and noble class of Datu of the established Kingdoms, Rajahnates, Confederacies, and Principalities, as well as of the smaller ancient social units (Barangays) in Visayas, Luzon, and Mindanao. The members of this class enjoyed exclusive privileges: only the members of the Principalía were allowed to vote, be elected to public office, and be addressed by the title: Don or Doña.[6]
For most part, the social privileges of the nobles were freely acknowledged as befitting their greater social responsibilities. The Gobernadorcillo during that period, received a nominal salary and was not provided government funds for public services. But more often, this Gobernadorcillo had to maintain the government of his municipality by looking after the post office and the jail house, and by taking care of the construction and repair services of public infrastructure and buildings.[7]
The Principales also provided assistance to the Parishes of the Church, by helping in the construction of Church buildings, and in the pastoral and religious activities of the Priest, who was usually the only Spaniard in most towns in the Colony. (The Clergy were often the sole representatives of Spain in many parts of the Archipelgo. [8] Under the Patronato Real of the Spanish Crown, these Spanish Churchmen were also the King's effective ambassadors,[9] and promoters [10] of the realm).
With the end of the Spanish rule in the Philippines and with the change of the form of government from monarchy to democracy (under the United States of America), the Principalía and their descendants lost their legal powers and social privileges.
Quote:
By the end of the 16th century, any claim to Filipino royalty, nobility, or hidalguía had disappeared into a homogenized, hispanized and Christianized nobility - the Principalía.[31] The Principalía was larger and more influential than the pre-conquest Indigenous nobility. It helped create and perpetuate an oligarchic system in the Spanish colony for more than three hundred years.[32][33] The Spanish colonial government's prohibition for foreigners to own land in the Philippines contributed to the evolution of this form of oligarchy. In some provinces of the Philippines, many Spaniards and foreign merchants intermarried with the rich and landed Malayo-Polynesian local nobilities. From these unions, a new cultural group was formed, the Mestizo class.[34] Their descendants emerged later to became an influential part of the government, and the Principalía.
So our Indigenous Filipina were not rape during the Spanish Colonial era but maybe it's true during the early Hispanic colonial rule. Most of them were intermarried because foreigners are not allowed to own a land in the Philippines. Which I think we still have this kind of rule and if you are not Filipino Citizen.
pinai, I clicked your wikipedia link and it opened up some more answers about pre-colonial Philippine history. So the Philippines was flooded with 'kingdoms' with Islamic (datu) and Hindu (rajah) influence. Spaniards came. They fought some of the 'kingdoms' and city-states while other 'kingdoms' formed a pact with Spain. The end result is the noble class or Principalia as you mentioned above. The Spanish colonizers eventually intermarried with the Principalia (who have the same rights as the nobles in Spain). So I'd reason a lot of the rich folks (not necessary billionaires or millionaires but just upper class of the small towns and barrios today) can trace their roots to the Principalia classes.
Filipinos are by and large asians. There have been genetic testing over several (though not entirely conclusive studies) studies which show that filipinos as a whole aren't really that mixed, but that the wealthy and the media in the philippines has a very pronounced bias towards the small percentage of people who are of mixed ancestry.
I suspect the mixed ancestry percentages were far higher before the massive population boom that took the nation during the 20th century and before world war II and then independence brought about a fairly massive exodus for the mixed/non-Malay people who had the means and then reason to leave the country.
pinai, I clicked your wikipedia link and it opened up some more answers about pre-colonial Philippine history. So the Philippines was flooded with 'kingdoms' with Islamic (datu) and Hindu (rajah) influence. Spaniards came. They fought some of the 'kingdoms' and city-states while other 'kingdoms' formed a pact with Spain. The end result is the noble class or Principalia as you mentioned above. The Spanish colonizers eventually intermarried with the Principalia (who have the same rights as the nobles in Spain). So I'd reason a lot of the rich folks (not necessary billionaires or millionaires but just upper class of the small towns and barrios today) can trace their roots to the Principalia classes.
The mixing started to the Nobles. Rajah's and Datus are the rich nobles Filipinos during the pre-hispanic time but not the entire population in the Philippines were Hindu and Islamic. In our history they believe that Negritos were already in the Philippines even before the Islamic and Datus, as well as the other tribes in the Philippines which is not an islamic or a hindu.
But as you can see they are the riches Filipinos during the pre-hispanic. just check the boxer codex of the Filipinos during the pre-hispanic most of them are wearing golds.
This is how they picture the Filipinos before the colonization & this will also explain some of those found golds that they are now displaying in Ayala Museum.
Yes, they usually called the upper class principalia's as DON and DONYA or DONA.
so these people are the Principalia's upper class during the Spanish Colonial era.
Thanks punai. My dads family was Spanish mestizo that used to live right on Manila bay and they spoke Spanish until grandma died (she only spoke Spanish). His family name is one of the ones you mentioned above and an uncle is on that YouTube video. I've always been curious about the history of that side of the family and of the Spanish community in Manila, in general.
Last edited by minibrings; 12-31-2011 at 01:51 AM..
Filipinos are by and large asians. There have been genetic testing over several (though not entirely conclusive studies) studies which show that filipinos as a whole aren't really that mixed, but that the wealthy and the media in the philippines has a very pronounced bias towards the small percentage of people who are of mixed ancestry.
I suspect the mixed ancestry percentages were far higher before the massive population boom that took the nation during the 20th century and before world war II and then independence brought about a fairly massive exodus for the mixed/non-Malay people who had the means and then reason to leave the country.
Yes, Filipinos are Asians. Asia is a historical geographical boundary much like North America. Racially, most Filipinos are (my amateur guess - 90-95 percent of population of the P.I.) have a large genetic DNA strand of the Austronesian (Malay) race. Pinai put up proof a few postings back (youtube, images) that the islanders in the Pacific (including Hawaii, New Zealand, Samoa etc..), Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, parts of Vietnam/Thailand and Madagascar have the same genetic makeup of Austronesians. Austronesian (language group) is also the root of the languages of the areas I mentioned. And they share a common Austronesian influenced architecture. Austronesian influence have been erased by European colonizers during the 19th century.
Yes, you are correct, the pure Chinese, Spanish and mixed raced Filipinos are given more focus and preference in the Philippine media. They also control most of the wealth in the P.I.
Austronesians and Malay are the same. I get confused with Malay with Malaysia. Native Malaysians are Austronesians.
The mixing started to the Nobles. Rajah's and Datus are the rich nobles Filipinos during the pre-hispanic time but not the entire population in the Philippines were Hindu and Islamic. In our history they believe that Negritos were already in the Philippines even before the Islamic and Datus, as well as the other tribes in the Philippines which is not an islamic or a hindu.
But as you can see they are the riches Filipinos during the pre-hispanic. just check the boxer codex of the Filipinos during the pre-hispanic most of them are wearing golds.
This is how they picture the Filipinos before the colonization & this will also explain some of those found golds that they are now displaying in Ayala Museum.
Yes, they usually called the upper class principalia's as DON and DONYA or DONA.
so these people are the Principalia's upper class during the Spanish Colonial era.
Yes, you are correct the Negritos (Black) where the very first Filipinos in the Philippines. They may share the same blood line as the citizens of Papua New Guinea in Asia and the Pacific. Then came the Austronesians from Taiwan and maybe of Luzon island (north of P.I.) thereafter spread out to the rest of the islands and coast in South East Asia, the Pacific and Madagascar (African country). From the east, arrived the Arabs and Indians influence in South East Asia (during the height of the Moors) that later form city-states and Kingdoms. The Conquistadors came around 1500's (after they kick the Moors out in Europe) and beat the hell out of these city-states/kingdoms (some opted with treaties) and later controlled most of the P.I. till 1898.
Yep, the first Filipinos is the black (most likely African origin) race.
A bit of trivia since we're talking about gold and jewelry, I read way back that one of the tribes somewhere in the south of the P.I. gave a large pearl (i think the largest pearl ever) to an American (probably G.I.) as a gift of appreciation for saving the tribe from another tribe? or the Japanese? I believe the P.I. has a large gold reserve ( http://www.2012.com.au/Philippines_gold.html )
Yes, Filipinos are Asians. Asia is a historical geographical boundary much like North America. Racially, most Filipinos are (my amateur guess - 90-95 percent of population of the P.I.) have a large genetic DNA strand of the Austronesian (Malay) race. Pinai put up proof a few postings back (youtube, images) that the islanders in the Pacific (including Hawaii, New Zealand, Samoa etc..), Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, parts of Vietnam/Thailand and Madagascar have the same genetic makeup of Austronesians. Austronesian (language group) is also the root of the languages of the areas I mentioned. And they share a common Austronesian influenced architecture. Austronesian influence have been erased by European colonizers during the 19th century.
Yes, you are correct, the pure Chinese, Spanish and mixed raced Filipinos are given more focus and preference in the Philippine media. They also control most of the wealth in the P.I.
Austronesians and Malay are the same. I get confused with Malay with Malaysia. Native Malaysians are Austronesians.
It would have been interesting if the Philippines became the only place in East/Southeast Asia with a truly mixed ancestry population of people from all over the world. I'm guessing World War II and its aftermath as it drove out a lot of the Spanish/mestizo and Japanese immigrants.
Other than Catholicism, there is nothing Hispanic about most Filipinos. Most Filipinos are pure Asian Mongoloids, most Filipinos are not Spanish Mestizos.
If Filipinos are Hispanic than so are the Polish, the Irish, and the Italians, since most of them are also Catholic.
Hispanic is a culture. Spaniards brought the Catholicism in the Philippines and they didn't just brought the catholicism to influence the Filipinos specially the lowland Filipinos who doesn't practice any tribal culture.
We from the Lowlands area.
As a Catholic this are the festivities we usually practice.
January 1 - New Years Day (Año Nuevo or Bagong Taon)
March or April - Semana Santa (Holy Week or Easter)
October 31 to November 2 - Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos),
Araw ng mga Kaluluwa/Día de las almas (All Souls' Day), and Todos Los Santos (All Saints' Day) where families spend much of the 3 days and 3 evenings visiting their ancestral graves, showing respect and honoring the departed relatives by feasting, decorating and offering prayers.
December 24 - Nochebuena (Good night or Christmas Eve)
December 25 - Christmas (Navidad or Pasko)
A lot of food influences...
Afritada
Albondigas
Arroz a la valenciana
Arroz Caldo
Avocado
Bistek
Brazo de Mercedes
Calabaza
Caldereta
Champorado
Galantina
Caldereta
Camote
Chicharrón
Chorizo
Dulce de membrillo
Dulce de leche
Dinuguan
Empanadas
Estopado
Ensaymadas
Escabeche
Flan
Jamonada or Endulzado
Galletas
Jamón
Lechón
Longaniza
Maíz con hielo
Mantequilla
Mazapan
Mechado
Natilla
Paella
Pan de sal
Pastel de lengua
Pastillas de leche
Pescado
Picadillo
Pionono
Picadillo
Pochero de bacalao
Polvoron
Quezo de Bola
Relleno
Tamal
Tamales
Torta del cielo
Tortas
Tortilla quesada
Tocino
Tocino del Cielo
Turrones de Casuy
Using Hispanic Surname reminds the Hispanic Influence.
National Costume isn't this not Hispanic Influence to you?
Filipiniana Dresses and Barong Tagalog
Dances, Music Instrument "Bandurria and Rondalla",
Literature (Noli Me Tangere & El Felibusterismo is originally written in Hispanic), National Anthem was originally composed in Hispanic.
Hispanic is already a part of Philippine Culture. The "Philippines" name after King Philip II & Original meaning of "Filipinos" referred to Pure Spanish born in the Philippines. But of course we cannot generalized the entire Philippines as Hispanic.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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I think Philippines has a lot of Spanish influence of course, but I wouldn't call it a true Hispanic country since there isn't a lot of Spanish ancestry and most people do not, of course, speak Espanol. Language to me is THE determining factor of Hispanic identity. One reason why I wouldn't even call Brazil Hispanic.
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