THE PHILIPPINES UNDER THE SPANISH RULE
ROYAL AUDIENCIA
-the Supreme (highest) Court of the colony; adjudicated appeals for civil and criminal cases; served as a forum for settling important issues on governance and an auditing agency of the finances of Spanish colonial administration in the country. Santiago de Vera -first president of the Audiencia.
TAXES
Aside from the tribute, the Filipinos also paid other taxes. They included diezmosprediales(a tax which consisted of one-tenth of the produce of the land), donativode Zamboanga (was a tax specifically used for the conquest of Jolo), and the vinta(was a tax paid by the people of some provinces along the coast of Western Luzon for the defense of the coasts from Muslim pirates who raided the Visayans and Luzon for slaves that they needed for their overseas trading).
THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
The Spanish colonizers organized a highly centralized form of government. It meant that the central government was so powerful that almost everything had to be done with its knowledge and consent. It was headed by the governor general.
TOBACCO MONOPOLY
The most important government monopoly established by Governor Basco. The government had the monopoly of the planting, inspection, sale and purchase of tobacco, and its manufacture into cigar. Advantages: increased government revenues and development of agriculture in Ilocos, Nueva Ecija, etc. Bad Results: Land of tobacco farmers were seized when quota was not produced, farmers were only paid promissory notes, farmers couldn't smoke the tobacco they produced, and their families were abused. Other monopolies were on wine and liquor, gunpowder, playing cards and buyo or anise which gave big income to the government but were a burden to the Filipinos.
1744 DAGOHOY
dagohoy revolvt in bohol lasted 85 years provided independence fron the spanish rule
FALLA
fee
MARCH 15, 1521 FERNAO DE MAGALHAES
ferdinand magelan a portudues rediscoved ph
GOVERNADOR GENERAL
head of the Spanish colonial government; appointed by the King of Spain; he is the Vice-Royal Patron over religious affairs [he has the power to recommend priests in parishes, and the authority to intervene in controversies between religious authorities]; he is also the commander-in-chief of the colonial army. he is an ex-officio president of the Royal Audiencia; he had legislative powers: Actos acordados-laws enacted by the governor-general Cumplase-power to decide which law or royal decree should be implemented or disregarded in the colony [if in his opinion, the conditions in the colony did not justify its implementation]. Spanish Cortes -law-making body based in Madrid.
1621 1683
revolvt and uprising against the religios custom and spanish rule occured throughout the ph
MARCH 31, 1521 LIMASAWA
the first mass on ph was on eastern sunday leaded by valderrama
1896 INSURRECTION OF SPANISH RULE
the katipunan had a membership of a thousand
THE SUPREMACY OF THE FRIARS
*There was the union of the church and state in the Philippines, a principle upon which the Spanish colonial government was founded. This is because the early Kings of Spain helped so much in propagating and defending the Catholic faith. The same union was introduced to the Philippines, so that the officials appointed by the King were also defenders of the faith.
MAY 19 1571 SPANISH COLONIAL GOV
governor general miguel lopez gave the title of the city colony as manila
JANUARY 20 1872 CAVITE CONSPIRACY
three priest executed because of alleged cavite conspiracy
ROYAL ENCOMIENDA
which belonged to the King;(2) the ecclesiastical encomienda, which belonged to the Church; and (3) the private encomienda, which belonged to a private individual. So many were the abuses committed by the encomenderos that the King abolished the private encomienda toward the end of the seventeenth century.
ALCALDE MAYOR
-appointed by the governor general; given the right to trade called indulto de commercio. Gobernadorcillo-little governor; capitan municipal or capitan; elected by 13 electors prominent in town (6 former and 6 actual cabezas de barangay and the outgoing capitan). The one selected had to be approved by the Spanish friar-curate, provincial governor and finally the approval of the governor general in Manila. During the Spanish rule there were only two cities in the Philippines: Cebu and Manila. Later, the country had six cities: Cebu, Manila, Vigan, Nueva Segovia (Lal-lo, Cagayan), Arevalo (part of Iloilo City), and Nueva Caceres (Naga). The city then was the center of social, commercial, religious, and cultural life. Propagating the Catholic Faith when Legazpi sailed in the Philippines he was accompanied by some friars belonging to the Augustinian Order who converted many Filipinos to the Catholic faith in 1565, but later these Filipinos returned to their old animist (belief in supernatural force that animate things in the universe) religion. The King then decided that the entire Philippines should be converted to the Catholic faith. Missionaries were sent to the Philippines after the death of Legazpi
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
AN OVERVIEW Several factors accounted for the slow development of the Philippine economy. 1. Most Spanish officials were lazy and inefficient. 2. There were frequent quarrels among the Spaniards themselves which lead to demoralization. 3. Incompetence was paramount among Spanish officials. Tomas de Comyn said in 1810 that in order to be a chief in the Philippines, no training or knowledge or special services are necessary. All Spaniards were fit and admissible. Under these circumstances, the people became unproductive and indolent.
THE MEXICAN SUBSIDY
Because of the poor economic condition of the country, which the Spaniards, generally speaking, did not try to improve, the Philippines became a burden to Spain. In order to prevent the government from becoming bankrupt, the Mexican government sent to the Philippines an annual subsidy called situado. This subsidy amounted to ₱250,000 on the average that was enough to save the colonial government of the Philippines from bankruptcy. However, the money received from Mexico was not spent for the improvement of the condition of the Filipinos. A large portion of the subsidy went to the pockets of Spanish officials, employees, and priests in the form of salaries. The Mexican subsidy was finally stopped when Mexico became independent in 1821.
THE ECONOMIC SOCIETY
Governor Basco founded the Economic Society of Friends of the Country in 1781 to effectively implement an economic policy in the colony. This was according to the King's decree which gave him the right to establish a society ―of selected persons who are capable enough to produce useful ideas. In order to make it solvent from the start, prominent Spanish traders of Manila gave the Society a sum of ₱960 a year. Under the auspices (support) of the Society: economic subjects were discussed by government officials, traders and merchants; pamphlets on the cultivation of indigo, coffee, sugar, cacao, hemp and other plants were published and widely distributed; agricultural implements from the United States were imported to improve agriculture and increase production; advanced agricultural methods were introduced; Academy of Drawing in Manila was founded in 1824; scholarships were granted to those who were interested in the art of dyeing; and an agricultural school in Manila was founded in 1861 for the purpose of training farmers in advanced agricultural methods.
THE ROYAL COMPANY
Governor Basco's administration was also highlighted by the establishment of the Royal Company of the Philippines in 1785. The aims of the Company were to promote the progress of the Philippines by improving the foreign trade of the colony with Spain and to develop the natural resources of the Philippines by encouraging industry, manufacturing, and agriculture. Of the expected net profits of the Company, four percent was to be invested in agricultural pursuits. To implement this program, the King granted the Company privileges. For example, it was given the monopoly of the trade between the Spain and the Philippines. Again, products that the Philippines exported to Europe were exempted from tariff duties. Moreover, the Company's ships were allowed to visit oriental ports and the prohibition that Manila merchants could not trade with China and India was lifted. Because of these privileges, commercial relations between the Philippines and Europe were promoted and, consequently led to increase revenues. Despite the incentives, the Company failed in its two-fold aims. The failure may be attributed to the following causes: (1)the Spanish merchants in the Philippines, who had been accustomed to the profitable galleon trade, did not cooperate wholeheartedly with the Company; (2) the Company was not able to establish direct commercial contact with Japan, China and India; (3) the Company was not well managed because its officials spent their time in activities that were not connected with the promotion of the welfare of the Company; and (4) foreign vessels, instead of the Company's vessels, brought to Manila such items as groceries, canned goods, and other European products. It was abolished in 1834.
THE GALLEON TRADE
It is the early trade between Manila and Acapulco, Mexico. It was basically a trade between the Chinese and the Spaniards in Manila and their counterparts in Mexico. Products coming from Manila were shipped to Acapulco on trade vessels called galleons and sold there at lucrative profit. On the return trip, these galleons carried silver coins or silver bullions that the traders from Manila desired. It brought economic prosperity to the Chinese and Spaniards in Manila. It resulted in cultural exchanges that led to the introduction of new crops and animals to the country. Nonetheless, it brought disastrous effects on the Filipinos. Agriculture was neglected and forced labor was intensified.
POLO Y SERVICIO
The Laws of Indies provided that the natives, who were ordered to work either for the Church or State, should be paid their wages. The Spanish officials in the Philippines ordered the Filipinos to work in the construction of churches, bridges, ships, and in the industries of hauling and cutting timber. However, some conditions were set for forced labor, called p o l o y s e r v I c io , which included the following: (1)that the Filipinos to be drafted for work must be paid for their work; (2) that the Filipino laborers should not be made to work in distant places where they could not return to their families; (3) that the drafting of laborers should not coincide with the planting and harvest seasons; (4) that men who are physically incapable should not be overworked; (5) that the forced labor should be resorted to only in cases of absolute necessity; and (6) that the number of laborers drafted should be diminished as soon as laborers from the other countries (Chinese) had volunteered to work. The provisions of the policy on forced labor protected Filipino laborers from exploitation. However, it was cruel because the laws regarding forced labor were violated. For a Filipino laborer to be exempted from forced labor, he had to pay a fee called falla. This fee was unreasonably high, and oftentimes the laborer could not afford to pay it. Forced laborers are called polistas.
THE PLAZA COMPLEX
The houses of the natives were situated around a plaza or town center to bring them close to the church, the convent, the municipio, the marketplace, and the cemetery. This setup allowed the Spaniards to effectively administer and control the natives. The church easily regulated the activities of the natives, whose residences were ―under the peal of bells or bajo de las campanas.
TRIBUTE
To raise enough money to finance the administration of the colony the Filipinos were compelled to pay a tribute in cash or in kind, in full or installment basis, to the Spanish Colonial Government. The tribute was a form of recognition of the Filipino's loyalty to the King of Spain. The amount was small in 1570 where persons 17-59 years old paid the tribute. In 1589, the tribute was raised, of which a small portion went to the Church. This was called sanctorum. Because of the opposition to the tribute and to the abuses connected with its collection, the King abolished it in 1884 and the cedula personal was introduced. This is the present equivalent of the residence certificate class ―A
1762 EUROPES 7 YEARS WAR
british attacked and occupied manila
1763 TREATY OF PARIS
british occupation of ph ended when treaty of paris signed by england, spain and france manila was returned to spain
THE ENCOMIENDA
in principle was not actually a piece of land, but a favor from the King, under which the Spaniards receiving the favor was given the right to collect tributes or taxes from the inhabitants of an area assigned to him. The man who received this favor was called encomendero. The encomienda was therefore, a public office. * An encomienda could be held for 3 generations. Ideally, in exchange for this favour from the king, the encomendero should teach the natives under his jurisdiction the Christian doctrine. He was also ordered to protect them from harm. These were not followed. There were three kinds of encomiendas:
DECEMBER 10 1898 TREATY OF PARIS
it marked the end of the spanish era and beggining of the age of US
APRIL 14, 1521 CRISTIAN FILIPINO
magellan met rajah humabon converted 800 christian fil
APRIL 27, 1521 MAGELLANS DEATH
magellan was struck ny a bamboo spear and later surrounded and finished off by other weapon
VISITA
on the other hand, was a secret investigation by a visitador general of an official's conduct as a public servant. Its purpose was to ensure that the official will work honestly and efficiently as he was expected to do. This may be done anytime.
1603 LUZON TRAGEDY
over 30,000 chinese merchants were killed along with officials and civilians by the spanish chieftain
1543 FELIPINAS
ruy lopez de villalobos reach mindanao feb 2 of the following year, the first spaniard to make exploration in that island
FRIARS
supervising representative of the Spanish government for all local affairs; his approval was necessary on almost all acts of the local officials; he was practically the ruler of the town: he is the local inspector, health inspector, prison inspector, inspector of the accounts of the gobernadorcillos and cabeza de barangays. His approval was required in census lists, tax lists, lists of army conscripts and register of births, deaths and marriages. In some cases, a high Church official was also eligible to become governor general during the latter's absence or illness. (e.g. Archbishop Francisco de la Cuesta and Archbishop Manuel Rojo)
FRAILOCRACIA or FRAILOCRACY
term used by Graciano Lopez Jaena to refer to the situation wherein the friars became so powerful and influential that even civil authorities feared them. -This may be attributed to frequent changes in the top colonial administrations: owing to the fact that they remained in the colony every time a governor-general was removed from office, their advice on proper management of governmental affairs was sought by every new governor-general.
INQUISITION
was an ecclesiastical office, whose duty was to search for heretics and those guilty of preaching or practicing religious doctrines that were contrary to that of the Catholic Church. The primary duty of the representative of the Mexican Inquisition in the Philippines is to ferret out heretics among the Spaniards. Filipinos were not subject to inquisitorial practice and methods. The Introduction of Printing Xylography -printing by woodblock. Typography -movable type of printing introduced by Father Francisco de San Jose. Doctrina Christiana en lengua españolay tagala - earliest book printed; written by Fray Juan de Oliver; sought to explain the importance of Christ, chastity and devotion to God.
RESIDENCIA
was the public investigation and trial of outgoing colonial officials to ascertain whether they committed abuses in the performance of their duties. It was common during those days for enemies of an outgoing official to invent charges to embarrass him. (e.g. Gov. Gen. Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera)
