Note 159 — Chapter VII
Reading edition
Delgado says (p. 318) that the sin of intoxication is overstated. Among the Visayans, intoxicating beverages are indulged in in differing degrees, while many are abstemious. “I would like to hear what the Tagálog Indians who live among Spaniards in Manila would say to this stain, that is imputed to them alone.”
“Perhaps this may have been so in the time of Father Gaspar, as the Filipinos preserved more of their ancient customs than now, for we see that intoxication is very common in the independent tribes living in the mountains, but today it is not observed that the [civilized Filipinos] drink more than the individuals of other nations who are considered sober.” (Mas, pp. 121, 122.)