
SOCIETY 153 
the death penalty provided this is inflicted immediately 
by the aggrieved husband, who can then aver the justi- 
fied heat of passion. 
Theft is a distinctly subordinate offense and _ less 
frequent than denial or evasion of debts. In the latter 
case, the aggrieved Ifugao is entitled to seize an equiva- 
lent from the offender’s property. He must however 
do so openly, and if the owner is absent leave behind him 
his bolo or some other article that will establish his 
identity. Should he fail to do so, he himself is commit- 
ting theft. In case the thief or offender liable to a pay- 
ment is distant and cannot be reached, it is justifiable 
to appropriate the amount of the claim from the prop- 
erty of any member of his community. The seizure is 
then held as a pawn until its owner redeems it with the 
proper fine, which he has exacted from his delinquent 
co-resident. Of course, this theory does not always work 
out, and sometimes leads to fresh litigation and con- 
flicts; but it evidences a considerable sense of legal 
equity as well as a highly developed feeling for property. 
The Filipino is extremely proud and sensitive, and his 
law protects him against moral and mental affronts even 
when no physical violence has been used and no property 
damaged. The Ifugao admits fines for slander, threats 
of violence, false accusation of crime, the employment of 
abusive or indecent language, and insults reflecting on 
honor, prestige, or rank. Among the tribes that accen- 
tuated differences in social standing and whose com- 
munities were presided over by a recognized chief, even 
heavier penalties attached to offenses of this character. 
Codes of Other Tribes. The Subanun of Min- 
danao have theoretically accepted Mohammedan control 
of their justice, but have kept most of the provisions 
of their ancient law, so that it still rests essentially 
on the same foundation as the Ifugao code. The 
