Umalohokan refers to the town criers of precolonial barangays in the Philippines. They were responsible for going around and making people aware of new laws and policies enacted by the Datu or chieftain.[1]
Some historians, however, have a different interpretation. In cases of large scale disputes between barangays in the Visayas, the respective Datus of the barangays may elect a head Datu, called an Umalohokan, to serve as judge. The Spanish colonizers noted that elections were held in the Philippines before they arrived, specifically for this post. When the dispute was settled, the term of the Umalohokan was over.[2]
References
edit- ^ Agoncillo, Teodoro A.; Oscar M. Alfonso; Milagros Guerrero (1970). History of the Filipino people. Malaya books. p. 47. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
- ^ Laput, Ernesto J. "Buhay sa Nayon". Pinas: Munting Kasaysayan Ng Pira-pirasong Bayan. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
- Scott, William Henry (1994). Barangay: Sixteenth Century Philippine Culture and Society. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press. ISBN 971-550-135-4.
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