Japan Has Samurai. We Had Maharlika. Before Spanish colonization, the Tagalog region of the Philippines had its own warrior class: the Maharlika. These free, battle-hardened elites served local chiefs, defended their barangays, and honed real-world combat skills: typically seen as the Filipino counterpart to Japan’s samurai in pop culture. Spanish rule eventually dismantled their hierarchies, but the Maharlika’s legacy of courage, loyalty, and Filipino pride continues to inspire today. #philippi