"I have lived in the Philippines for almost ten years before I learned that there was a man who had married several wives; and I did not know this until I went to the islands of Ibabao and Leyte....The man is not obliged to marry them in one day; after having one wife for many years, he may take another...as many as he can support".(Chirino)
The early Jesuit missionaries themselves wrote of their own experiences in the different mission sites in Leyte in the late 16th century. Fr. Alonso de Humanes tells of a certain noble and respectable Indio in Dulag whose conversion was delayed because of his affectionate attachment to his three wives.
Fr. Diego Sanchez recounts a similar incident in Ugmoc (Ormoc) about a chieftain who could but with great difficulty separate from two of his three wives. He wrote: "A man was married to two or more women but with little firmness that hardly could a woman be found who has not changed two or three husbands, because they (couple) would separate for whatever difficulty..."
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Fr. Francisco de Encinas writing to his superior mentioned that a woman in Carigara found it very difficult to embrace the Catholic Faith upon the learning of the indissolubility of marriage.
Chirino noted that the women rarely found reasons to separate from their husbands, for divorce was by no means without its consequential obligation to restore the dowry given during the marriage union unless the husband's unfaithfulness was unproven. If she was guilty, she had to restore the dowry.
Such polygamous practices doubtless often served as hindrances to the acceptance of the Catholic faith, especially to the rich pintados of Leyte.
Without the trappings of western morality, divorce seemed permissible during the period. For all the lavishness, the marriage ceremony itself officiated by the native priests was conditioned on the fidelity of both man and wife. If one was unfaithful to the other, they could separate without much ado. The retention of the dowry was hinged on the faithfulness of the woman to her husband. If the latter was unfaithful, she could keep the dowry and would be richer for it.
The children were divided between the husband and wife, regardless of sex. If the number was even, husband and wife got the same number. If odd, the remaining child was to stay with mother or father until some arrangement has been reached.
Divorce however was not a general practice here. Newly married couples got their possessions from their parents, including a house. In the division of family labor, the husband was considered head of the family, taking care of the wife and children and providing for their food and clothing. He worked in his farm, while his wife did household chores like weaving cotton, abaca and sinamay, needle work and taking care of the children.
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