The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 16 of 55: 1609; Explorations by Early Navigators, Descriptions of the Islands and Their Peoples, Their History and Records of the Catholic Missions, as Related in Contemporaneous Books and Manuscripts, Showing the Political, Economic, Commercial and Religious Conditions of Those Islands from Their Earliest Relations with European Nations to the Close of the Nineteenth Century
History
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 16 of 55: 1609; Explorations by Early Navigators, Descriptions of the Islands and Their Peoples, Their History and Records of the Catholic Missions, as Related in Contemporaneous Books and Manuscripts, Showing the Political, Economic, Commercial and Religious Conditions of Those Islands from Their Earliest Relations with European Nations to the Close of the Nineteenth Century
Demarcation line of Alexander VI; Missions -- Philippines; Philippines -- Discovery and exploration; Philippines -- History -- Sources
16. Their marriage custom was to have one wife--from whom they would
separate and marry another, on any occasion or change of feeling--and
to have three or four other women. They always considered that one the
legitimate wife with whom they naturally cohabited. The man always
gave the dowry, and this, together with certain gatherings in which
they drank, was considered marriage. If the man separated from his
wife, he lost the dowry which he had given her. If she separated
from the man, she returned double the dowry which she had received,
even though she had children. The property acquired during marriage,
they always divided equally. They never disinherited the children
in life or death, even though they were born of many women, if they
had been married to these. The other children, born of other women,
whom we call bastards, they called _asiao yndepat_. These did not
inherit, but they always gave them something. Even if any one had no
legitimate child at his death, the bastard could not inherit at all,
but the property went to the nearest relatives of the deceased.
17. They were not accustomed to will more to any child, except in small
sums, as three or four taes, or small pieces of land of the like value.
18. When anyone became a widower and no children had been born to the
husband and wife, the whole dowry was returned. But if any sons or
daughters had been born to them, even though these were dead at the
time of bereavement, not more than half the dowry was returned.
19. If any child were living at the time of the death of the father
or mother, all the property of the deceased was inherited by the
child or children. If they were not old enough to administer it,
the parents of the deceased kept and used it, and not the surviving
father or mother of the minors. If the minor died afterward, neither
the father nor the mother inherited it, but the minor's grandparents,
or the nearest relatives of the deceased from whom the minor had
inherited the property.
20. Among the slaves, the father and mother shared equally. If both
were slaves of one master, the children were so also. If one slave
belonged to one master and the other to another, the children were
divided in this way. The master of the father took the eldest, the
master of the mother, the second; and so on in this order with the
rest. If there were an odd one, the two masters of the parents divided
him; that is, the slave served both masters equally. If either the
father or mother were free, the children were divided in the same way,
so that if the father was free, the eldest son or daughter was free. On
the contrary, if the father was a slave, the eldest son or daughter was
a slave. This arrangement was kept and observed among them, namely,
to give an equal share to both the father and mother. If one of them
was free or half-free, they gave his part to him and to his children
in proportion to the amount which fell to his lot.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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