ChanRobles Virtual law Library








 

 
 

MAIN INDEX

1987 Constitution
(Present Constitution)
1986 Provisional "Freedom" Constitution
1973 Constitution

1943 Constitution
(Constitution During the Japanese Occupation)

1935 Constitution
1899 Constitution
(The Malolos Constitution)
SEARCH
UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION
and
CONSTITUTIONAL LAWS OF NATIONS
chanroblesvirtualawlibrary

THE CODE OF KALANTIAW
(Full Text)
See Note below (click here)

 

ARTICLE I

 

You shall not kill, neither shall you steal, neither shall you do harm to the aged, lest you incur the danger of death. All those who infringe this order shall be condemned to death by being drowned in the river, or in boiling water.

 

ARTICLE II

 

You shall obey. Let all your debts with the headman be met punctually. He who does not obey shall receive for the first time one hundred lashes. If the debt is large, he shall be condemned to thrust his hand in boiling water thrice. For the second time, he shall be beaten to death.

 

ARTICLE III

 

Obey you: let no one have women that are very young nor more than he can support; nor be given to excessive lust. He who does not comply with, obey, and observe this order shall be condemned to swim for three hours for the first time and for the second time, to be beaten to death with sharp thorns.

 

ARTICLE IV

 

Observe and obey; let no one disturb the quiet of the graves. When passing by the caves and trees where they are, give respect to them. He who does not observe this shall be killed by ants, or beaten to death with thorns.

 

ARTICLE V

 

You shall obey; he who exchanges for food, let it be always done in accordance with his word. He who does not comply, shall be beaten for one hour, he who repeats the offense shall be exposed for one day among ants.

 

ARTICLE VI

 

You shall be obliged to revere sights that are held in respect, such as those of trees of recognized worth and other sights. He who fails to comply shall pay with one month's work in gold or in honey.

 

ARTICLE VII

 

These shall be put to death; he who kills trees of venerable appearance; who shoot arrows at night at old men and women; he who enters the houses of the headmen without permission; he who kills a shark or a streaked cayman.

 

ARTICLE VIII

 

Slavery for a doam (a certain period of time) shall be suffered by those who steal away the women of the headmen; by him who keep ill-tempered dogs that bite the headmen; by him who burns the fields of another.

 

ARTICLE IX

 

All these shall be beaten for two days: who sing while traveling by night; kill the Manaul; tear the documents belonging to the headmen; are malicious liars; or who mock the dead.

 

ARTICLE X

 

It is decreed an obligation; that every mother teach secretly to her daughters matters pertaining to lust and prepare them for womanhood; let not men be cruel nor punish their women when they catch them in the act of adultery. Whoever shall disobey shall be killed by being cut to pieces and thrown to the caymans.

 

ARTICLE XI

 

These shall be burned: who by their strength or cunning have mocked at and escaped punishment or who have killed young boys; or try to steal away the women of the elders.

 

ARTICLE XII

 

These shall be drowned: all who interfere with their superiors, or their owners or masters; all those who abuse themselves through their lust; those who destroy their anitos (idols) by breaking them or throwing them down.

 

ARTICLE XIII

 

All these shall be exposed to ants for half a day: who kill black cats during a new moon; or steal anything from the chiefs or agorangs, however small the object may be.

 

ARTICLE XIV

 

These shall be made slave for life: who have beautiful daughters and deny them to the sons of chiefs, and with bad faith hide them away.

 

ARTICLE XV

 

Concerning beliefs and superstitions; these shall be beaten: who eat the diseased flesh of beasts which they hold in respect, or the herb which they consider good, who wound or kill the young of the Manaul, or the white monkey.

 

ARTICLE XVI

 

The fingers shall be cut-off: of all those who break idols of wood and clay in their alangans and temples; of those who destroy the daggers of the tagalons, or break the drinking jars of the latter.

 

ARTICLE XVII

 

These shall be killed: who profane sites where idols are kept, and sites where are buried the sacred things of their diwatas and headmen. He who performs his necessities in those places shall be burned.

 

ARTICLE XVIII

 

Those who do not cause these rules to be obeyed: if they are headmen, they shall be put to death by being stoned and crushed; and if they are agorangs they shall be placed in rivers to be eaten by sharks and caymans.

NOTE: In the famous epic story of Maragtas, there was this mythical legal code called "The Code of Kalantiaw". It was named after its supposed author, Datu Kalantiaw, who allegedly wrote it in 1433. Datu Kalantiaw was a chief on the island of Negros. It was written about by Jose E. Marco in 1913 in his historical fiction "Las Antiguas Leyendes de la Isla de Negros" (The Ancient Legends of the Island of Negros). He ascribed its source to a priest named Jose Maria Pavon.

The historian Josue Soncuya wrote about the Code of Kalantiaw in 1917 in his book "Historia Prehispana de Filipinas" (Prehispanic History of the Philippines) where he transferred the location of the origin of the Code from Negros to Panay because he contended that said Code may have been related to the Binirayan festival.

The story on this Code has been recognized through the ages by known authors.  In 1968, however, historian William Henry Scott called this a "hoax" in his book "Prehispanic Source Materials for the Study of Philippine History". Consequently, Filipino historians agreed to expunge the Code of Kalantiaw in future materials on  Philippine history.

Although the said Code ceases to be part of the texts of Philippine history, however, many still believe its validity. chanroblesvirtualawlibrary

Chan Robles Virtual Law Library is featuring this as part of its Constitutional Law Series for academic purposes only.

QUICK SEARCH
1987 CONSTITUTION OF THE PHILIPPINES
 

Go to full text of the


1987 Constitution contained in one webpage.



Quick Search by Section


PREAMBLE 
ARTICLE I     National Territory  
ARTICLE II    Declaration of Principles and State Policies  
ARTICLE III   Bill of Rights  
ARTICLE IV   Citizenship  
ARTICLE V    Suffrage 
ARTICLE VI   Legislative Department  
ARTICLE VII   Executive Department  
ARTICLE VIII  Judicial Department   
ARTICLE IX    Constitutional Commissions  
 
A CommonProvisions  
B The Civil ServiceCommission  
C The Commissionon Elections  
D TheCommission on Audit  
 
ARTICLE X Local Government  chanroblesvirtualawlibrary

General Provisions   
AutonomousRegions  
 
ARTICLE XI  Accountability of Public Officers  
ARTICLE XII National Economy and Patrimony  
ARTICLE XIII  Social Justice and Human Rights  
 
Labor  
Agrarian and Natural Resources Reform  
Urban Land Reform and Housing  
Health  
Women  
Role and Rights of People's Organization  
Human Rights 
 
ARTICLE XIV  Education, Science and Technology, Arts, Culture and Sports  
Arts and Culture 
Language  
Science and Technology  
Sports  

ARTICLE XV    The Family  
ARTICLE XVI   General Provisions  
ARTICLE XVII  Amendments or Revisions  
ARTICLE XVIII Transitory Provisions  
ORDINANCE  
MEMBERS OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COMMISSION 

 Back to Top   -    Back to Home    -    Back to 1987 Constitution Main Index





































chanrobles.com




ChanRobles Legal Resources:

ChanRobles On-Line Bar Review

ChanRobles Internet Bar Review : www.chanroblesbar.com

ChanRobles MCLE On-line

ChanRobles Lawnet Inc. - ChanRobles MCLE On-line : www.chanroblesmcleonline.com