A Filipino penal code, the so-called Code…

A Filipino penal code, the so-called Code of Kalantiyaw, is apparently written in 1433. (One of the few written documents to survive from the pre-Spanish culture, it will be discovered on the island of Panay in 1614.)

Eighteen orders decree the proper punishment to be administered for certain moral and social transgressions.

Depending on the gravity of the offense, punishment ranges from a light fine to being cut to pieces and thrown to crocodiles.

Many of the offenses specified—such as cutting sacred trees, singing during night walks, and killing white monkeys—illuminate the ancient Filipino religious beliefs.