JUDICIAL PROCESS

Unlocking Difficulties1. adjudged – declared;

sentenced2. arbiter – go between;

referee3. culprit – lawbreaker;

criminal; perpetrator4. deities – gods; goddesses5. disputes – arguments

JUDICIAL PROCESS Judicial process was

influenced by religion. The manner of determining

guilt of the accused showed the religiosity of the natives.

They waited for the intervention of the deities

JUDICIAL PROCESSDisputes between

individuals were settled by a court made up of the village chief and the council of elders; between barangays acted as arbiter.

court

Chieftain / datu

judge jury

Council of elders

JUDICIAL PROCESSTrials were held publicly

and decisions were rendered promptly thereby avoiding what is now known as “justice delayed.”

JUDICIAL PROCESSThe accused and the

accuser faced each other in front of the court with their respective witnesses.

Both took an oath to tell the truth.

Oath: “May the crocodile

devour me if I don’t tell the truth and nothing

but the truth”, “May I die here and now

if I tell a lie”, “May the sun and the

moon frown upon me”.

Most of the time, the one who presents the most witnesses wins the case

If the losing party contests the decision, he is bound to lose in the end because the chief always take the side of the winner.

TRIAL BY ORDEALPurpose:A way of

determining a person’s innocence or guilt

A person was subjected to various forms of physical torture

TRIAL BY ORDEALBoiling water

ordeal, suspects pick a stone in a pot of boiling water. The suspect who

refused to obey the command was regarded

as the culprit. If the suspects made the

attempt as ordered, the man whose hand was scalded the most was considered the guilty

one.

TRIAL BY ORDEALCandle ordeal,

suspects are given lighted candles of the same sizes and the owner of the candle that died out first is the

guilty.

TRIAL BY ORDEALRiver ordeal, suspects plunge into the river or

lake with lances. He who came to the surface first was considered

guilty.

TRIAL BY ORDEALOrdeal by rice chewing,

suspects chew uncooked rice.

Each of them spat his saliva and the one whose saliva

came out the thickest was adjudged the

culprit.

ORDEAL of IFUGAOSWrestling /

combat ordeal, also

called as bultong; the

vanquished in the wrestling contest was

considered the guilty party.

ORDEAL of IFUGAOSAnother ordeal by

combat called alaw, involved a duel. In this kind of combat, the loser usually lost

his life, in itself considered a just

punishment.