You plan to move to the Philippines? Wollen Sie auf den Philippinen leben?

There are REALLY TONS of websites telling us how, why, maybe why not and when you'll be able to move to the Philippines. I only love to tell and explain some things "between the lines". Enjoy reading, be informed, have fun and be entertained too!

Ja, es gibt tonnenweise Webseiten, die Ihnen sagen wie, warum, vielleicht warum nicht und wann Sie am besten auf die Philippinen auswandern könnten. Ich möchte Ihnen in Zukunft "zwischen den Zeilen" einige zusätzlichen Dinge berichten und erzählen. Viel Spass beim Lesen und Gute Unterhaltung!


Visitors of germanexpatinthephilippines/Besucher dieser Webseite.Ich liebe meine Flaggensammlung!

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Saturday, June 18, 2022

What is the strongest tribe in the Philippine archipelago before the Spaniards arrived?

Profile photo for Dayang Marikit
Dayang Marikit

There we’re tribes in the deep mountainous interiors of the islands, but the most powerful cultures in the archipelago were not tribal.


Based on archeological evidence, it seems that Manila bay polities always has some form of influence over the archipelago. We could see this in the Laguna Copperplate, where it seems that Tondo had political influence as far as Dewata in Butuan.


By the time of Spanish contact they also mentioned that Manila had a monopoly of the archipelago’s trade, thus making the other polities in the archipelago almost completely dependent on Manila. It is important to note that by around this time, Tondo had become more of a port town, and its leader (Lakandula) was said to be more of a port supervisor than an actual ruler, most of the political power was concentrated in Manila. Chinese products would enter the port of Tondo and be transported to Manila, from where these products would be redistributed across the islands.

Based on Spanish accounts, when the Spaniards arrived in Butuan, they attempted to trade with the locals, but merchants from Manila ordered the locals not to deal with the Spaniards unless it was silver that was being traded. The Spaniards were also able to settle in Cebu because of Manila Moro interpreters who helped them make deals with the local rulers, then when the Spaniards almost starved to death in Cebu, Manila Moros brought them food and supplies. A Spaniard also mentioned that there was a powerful Moro ruler in Manila who was well known throughout the islands and that he was obeyed as little less than a king. Manila had basically woven a trading colony or a trading empire prior to Spanish colonization, and the Spaniards actually based their colony on Manila’s network.

The Spaniards also relied on the local blacksmiths in Manila to manufacture cannons for them, this is because they were already knowledgeable about cannon-making, even before European contact.


The main takeaway here is that Manila monopolized trade in the archipelago and that made the other polities become very reliant on them. The Spaniards also relied on Manila to make their own colony. In my opinion, that makes Manila the most powerful political entity by the time of Spanish contact.

  • The Spaniards were able to settle in Cebu with the help of Manila Moros, but the Spaniards still wanted to move to Manila. I think that gives you an idea about how wealthy and attractive Manila was.

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