Political and Social Structures of the Philippine Sultanates

Abstract

This chapter describes the political and social structures of the Philippine sultanates. Firstly, the system of Datus or Datuship defines many aspects of the institution, thus the principals run a post within the hierarchy. The organization is perfectly defined, and every member of the polity is positioned by social prestige and political power. The chapter first studies the Bornean model to clarify the nature of the Philippine sultanates, and the legal system to sustain the mixed law, between the application of the shariah and the continuation of customary rules. The sense of the sultanates was to create a superior community beyond the tribe indeed, sanctioned by a divine authority. Different ethnic communities adopted Islamic practices in the archipelago and populated the territories under the rule of the sultans. Accordingly, the sultanate must negotiate not only the inner social hierarchy but also the external political action. Thus, the way to undertake diplomacy is one of the most remarkable aspects of the Islamic states in the Philippines. And therefore, the Bichara follows the most solid Islamic tradition of the Adab.