Prior to Spanish colonization, the Philippines consisted of independent barangays which were essentially small city-states. Each barangay was led by a datu and council of elders, and had a social hierarchy consisting of nobles, freemen, serfs, and slaves. When the Spanish arrived, they consolidated the barangays into towns and provinces governed under a centralized Spanish administration headed by a Governor-General. During the Philippine Revolution against Spain, nationalist groups like the Katipunan established provisional governments and the Biak-na-Bato Republic declared independence briefly before Spain's defeat led to the Revolutionary Government under Emilio Aguinaldo.

1. The Pre-Spanish
Government of
the Philippines

3. •Prior to the arrival of Spaniards, the
Philippines was composed of
settlements or villages, each called
barangay, named after balangay, a
Malayan word meaning “a boat”.
The Pre-Spanish Government of the Philippines

5. The Pre-Spanish Government of the Philippines
• Every barangay was virtually a state, for it
possessed the four basic elements of
statehood. At times, however, some
barangays joined together as
“confederations” mainly for the purpose of
mutual protection against common enemies.

6. The Pre-Spanish Government of the Philippines
• Each barangay was ruled by a chief called datu in
some places, and rajah, sultan or hadji in others.
He was its chief executive, law giver, chief judge,
and military head. In the performance of his
duties, however, he was assisted usually by a
council of elders (maginoos) which serves as his
advertisers. In form, the barangay was monarchy
with wealth, or physical prowess.
DATU

7. Note:
Gitna: Datu
and Council of Elders (Maginoos)

8. The Pre-Spanish Government of the Philippines
•The people of the barangay were divided into
four classes, namely; the nobility (Maharlika),
to which the datu belonged, the freemen
(timawa), the serfs (aliping namamahay), and
the slaves (aliping sagigilid) .
SOCIAL CLASSES IN THE BARANGAY

9. Figure 1. Maharlika (Datu) “Datu Ali”

10. Figure 2. The Freemen (Timawa)

11. Figure 3. The Serfs (Aliping Namamahay)

12. Figure 4. The Slaves (ALIPING SAGUIGUILID)

13. The Pre-Spanish Government of the Philippines
• The early Filipinos had both written and unwritten
laws. The written laws were promulgated by the
datus. The known written codes in the pre-
Spanish era are the “Maragtas Code” which was
said to have been written about 1250 A.D by Datu
Sumakwel of Panay, and the Kalantiaw Code
written in 1433 A.D by Datu Kalantiaw , also of
Panay.
EARLY LAWS

14. The Pre-Spanish Government of the Philippines
•It can be said that the laws of the barangay
were generally fair. The system of
government, although defective was not so
bad considering the conditions in other
lands in the age during which it flourished.
COMPARISON WITH OTHER ANCIENT GOVERNMENTS

15. PHILIPPINES DURING SPANISH PERIOD

16. PHILIPPINES DURING SPANISH PERIOD
• It was based on the discovery made by Ferdinand
Magellan in 1521, consummated by its conquest by
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi 45 years later and long
possession for almost four centuries, until it was
terminated in 1898, when by the Treaty of Paris, the
Philippines was ceded by Spain to the United States.
SPAIN’S TITLE TO THE PHILIPPINES

17. PHILIPPINES DURING SPANISH PERIOD
• From 1565 to 1821, the Philippines was
indirectly governed by the King of Spain
through Mexico. From 1821 when Mexico
obtained her independence from Spain, to
1898, the Philippines was ruled directly from
Spain.
SPANISH COLONIAL GOVERNMENT

18. PHILIPPINES DURING SPANISH PERIOD
• From 1863, the military of Ultramar (colonies)
exercised general powers of supervision over
Philippine affair. Three times during the Spanish
period (1810-1813, 1820-1823, and 1836-1837),
the Philippines was given representation in the
Spanish cortes, the legislative body of Spain.
SPANISH COLONIAL GOVERNMENT

19. PHILIPPINES DURING SPANISH PERIOD
• The government which Spain established in the
Philippines was centralized in structure and
national in scope. The barangays were
consolidated into towns each headed by
GOBERNADORCILLO, popularly called captain,
and the towns into provinces, each headed by a
governor who represented the Governor General in
the province.
GOVERNMENT IN THE PHILIPPINE UNITARY

20. PHILIPPINES DURING SPANISH PERIOD
• The power of the government were actually
exercised by the Governor-General who
resided in Manila. He was “Governor-
General”, “Captain-General”, and “vice-royal
patron”. As Governor-General, he had
executive, administrative, legislative and
judicial power.
THE GOVERNOR GENERAL

21. PHILIPPINES REVOLUTIONARY
ERA: GOVERNMENTS AND
REPUBLICS OF THAT PERIOD

23. PHILIPPINES REVOLUTIONARY ERA: GOVERNMENTS AND REPUBLICS OF THAT PERIOD
• The Judicial Power was exercised by a
Judicial Council (Sangguniang Hukuman).
The Katipunan was replaced by another
government whose officials headed by Gen.
Emilio Aguinaldo as President, were elected
in the Tejeros Convention held on March 22,
1897.
THE KATIPUNAN GOVERNMENT

24. PHILIPPINES REVOLUTIONARY ERA: GOVERNMENTS AND REPUBLICS OF THAT PERIOD
• On November 1, 1897, a republic was
established by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo in
Biak-na-Bato (now San Miguel de Mayumo,
Bulacan). It had a constitution which was to
take effect for two years only.
THE BIAK NA BATO REPUBLIC

25. PHILIPPINES REVOLUTIONARY ERA: GOVERNMENTS AND REPUBLICS OF THAT PERIOD
• It declared that the aim of the revolutions
was the “separation of the Philippines from
the Spanish monarchy and their formation
into an independence state.” The Biak-na-
Bato Republic lasted up to December 15,
1897, with conclusion of the “Pact of Biak-
na-Bato.
THE BIAK NA BATO REPUBLIC

26. PHILIPPINES REVOLUTIONARY ERA: GOVERNMENTS AND REPUBLICS OF THAT PERIOD
• Following the outbreak of the Spanish-
American war on April 25, 1898, Gen.
Aguinaldo in view of the chaotic conditions
in the country, established the Dictatorial
Government on May 24, 1898.
THE DICTATORIAL GOVERNMENT

27. PHILIPPINES REVOLUTIONARY ERA: GOVERNMENTS AND REPUBLICS OF THAT PERIOD
• The most important achievements of the
Dictatorial Government were the
Proclamation of the Philippine Independence
at Kawit on June 12, 1898 and the
reorganization of local governments.
THE DICTATORIAL GOVERNMENT

28. PHILIPPINES REVOLUTIONARY ERA: GOVERNMENTS AND REPUBLICS OF THAT PERIOD
• In the administration of the Philippines, the
Governor-General was assisted by many
boards and officers, particularly the Board of
Authorities and the Council of
Administration.
THE REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT

29. PHILIPPINES REVOLUTIONARY ERA: GOVERNMENTS AND REPUBLICS OF THAT PERIOD
•On June 23, 1898, Gen. Aguinaldo
established the Revolutionary
Government replacing the Dictatorial
Government.
THE REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT

30. PHILIPPINES REVOLUTIONARY ERA: GOVERNMENTS AND REPUBLICS OF THAT PERIOD
• The decree-making such change stated that aims
of the new government were “struggle for the
independence of the Philippines, until all nations
including Spain will expressly recognized it,” and
“to prepare the country for the establishment of a
real Republic.”
THE REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT

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32. INIULAT NI
AICELLE MARIE T. ESTIMADA
GRADE 11-ROSE
MINASID NI
G. SIXTO TALABAN