THE TWILIGHT OF SPAIN’S RULE
the director general of
 Political Chaos In Spain
o From 1834 – 1862 in Spain, 4
constitutions, 28 parliaments
and 529 ministers with
portfolio
o From 1835 – 1879 in the PH,
50 governors general and
there two regularly appointed
and 2 acting temporarily
 The Philippine Representation of
the Spanish Cortes
o 1810 – 1813, 1820 – 1823
and 1834 - 1837
o Ventura de los Reyes
 The only Filipino to
sign the Spanish
Constitution of 1812
 Succeeded in having
the Manila-Acapulco
trade abolished
o June 18, 1837 - Spain
abolished Philippine
representation in the Spanish
Cortes and replaced with
special laws
o The Propaganda
Movement: Prominent
members are Jose Rizal,
Marcelo H. del Pilar,
Graciano Lopez Jaena and etc
 Creation of Two Advisory Bodies
to the Governor General
o The Board of Authorities
(Junta de Autoridades)
 Created by the Royal
Decree of April
16,1850
 Archbishop of Manila
+ the general second
in command of the
armed forces + the
admiral of the navy +
the civil
administration + the
intendente general de
hacienda (treasurer) +
the president of the
Royal Audiencia
(chief justice) + the
attorney general
 Function: To advise
the governor general
on government
projects
o The Council of
Administration (Consejo de
Administracion)
 The Archbishop of
Manila + the general
second in command
of the armed forces +
the admiral of the
navy + the president
of the Royal
Audiencia + the
intendete general de la
hacienda + the
director general of the
civil administration +
the fathers superior of
the religious orders +
the president of the
Manila Chamber of
Commerce + the
president of
Economic Society of
Friends of the country
+ six delegates (three
representing Luzon
and three representing
the Visayas) + the
three other members
chosen by the
 governor general from
among the prominent
Spanish residents in
Manila
 Function: To advise
the governor general
on the annual budget
of the central
government, the
budgets of he local
governments and on
important matters
affecting the welfare
of the colony
 Changes in the Judicial System
o Under the Royal Audiencia in
Manila (composed of a chief
justice and associate justices)
are the Territorial Audiencia
of Cebu and of Vigan
o Under the Courts of First
Instance (court in provinces),
are Justice of the Peace courts
 Spanish Laws Extended to the
Philippines
o Siete Partidas
o Leyes de Toro
o Novisima Recopilacion
 The Tax Reform of 1884
o Provided by the Royal
Decree of March 6, 1884
o Abolition of the hated tribute
and its replacement by the
cedula tax
o Reduction of the 40-day
annual forced labor (polo) to
15 days
o Imposed on the Filipinos,
Spaniards and Foreigners
except Chinese
 Reforms in Provincial Government
o Alcalde Mayors
 The provinces were
governed by the
Spanish alcalde
mayors, wh enjoyed
the executive and
legislative powers and
also the special
privilege to engage in
trade (indulto de
comercio)
 They were mostly
laymen
o Queen Isabella II
 On September 23,
1844, she
promulgated a royal
decree which ordered
that only qualified
lawyers must be
appointed as alcalde
mayores.
 On October 3, 1844,
she issued a decree
that abolished the
special privilege to
trae which all alcaldes
mayores enjoyed.
 Three classes of
alcadias: entrada,
ascenso and termino
 For every three years,
an alcalde mayor will
promote from entrada
to termino
 Reforms in Municipal
Government
o The Ordinances of Good
Government
 Regulated the
methods of electing
the town
gobernadorcillo and
other local officials
 (teniente mayor, juez
de sementeras, juez de
ganados, and juez de
policia)
o The Royal Decree of
October 5, 1847
 Called the Muncipal
Election Law of 1847
 Gobernadorcillo and
other town officials
shall be elected
annually by an
electoral board
consisting of the
outgoing
gobernadorcillo and
twelve senior cabezas
de barangay  Colonial Army and Navy
 Schoolhouse or
convent
 Secret ballot with the
alcalde-mayor and
parish priest present
o Queen Regent Maria
Cristina
 Ruled during the
minority of her son
(King Alfonso XIII)
 Promulgated the
Royal Decree of May
19, 1893 (Maura Law
of 1893) upon
recommendation of
Maura y Montaner,
Minister of Colonies
 The Maura Law of 1893
o From “tribunal of the town”
to municipal tribunal
o From gobernadorcillo to
municipal captain
o Municipal tribunal composed
of the municipal captain,
chief lieutenant, lieutenant of
police, lieutenant of fields
and lieutenant of cattle
o All these municipal officials
were elected by means of
secret ballot by 6 Former
cabezas de barangay, 3 former
town executives and 3
prominent town tax-payers
o Principalia
 Town aristocracy
 Elected from among
its twelve delegates
 From these twelve,
they attended the
sessions of the
municipal tribunal
representing this
o General Pedro Manuel de
Arandia
 Created the King’s
Regiment
 Organized four
artillery brigades
o Artillery, infantry and calvary
were under the command of
the gov. general with segunda
cabo (second in command)
o Realities of the King’s
Regiment
 Highly deficient and
ineffective
 Low salaries
 Poor meals
 Outmoded arnaments
 Lack of discipline
 Insufficient military
training
o Don Juan Manuel de Matta
sent a secret report to
Governor Marcelino de Oraa
where:
  Importation of veteran o Spanish Friars
officers and soldiers  Influential and
from Spain powerful
 Increasing the salaries  Even Spanish civil
of th troops to attract officials, government
better men to join the officials, members of
army the Royal Audencia
 Instill greater feared them
discipline in the  Controlled the
armed forces colony’s education
 Adoption of the merit system and owned the
system for army best haciendas in the
promotion country
 Establishment of  Grievances of Filipinos against
Tagalog academies so Spanish Rule
that the Spanish o “The Sleep lasted for
commissioned and centuries, but one day the
non-commissioned thunderbolt struck and in
officers may learn striking, infused life.” – Jose
local dialect Rizal
 Guardia Civil, Symbol of Spanish  Little Participation of the Filipinos
Misrule in their Government
o The Guardia Civil o Only few Filipinos with
 Established by the brains was appointed
Royal Decree of o Right to vote – only the
February2,1852 Prinicpalia
 Patterned after the  Human Rights Denied to Filipinos
Guardia Civil in o Freedom or press, speech,
Spain fair trial in court, form
 Duty: to suppress associations, petition the
banditry and uprising government for redress of
in the provinces grievances
o Two types of Guardia Civil:  Corrupt Spanish Officialdom
 With leather boots o Corrupt, incompetent and
(Spaniard in the PH) abusive
and without leather o General Weyler and General
boots (Filipinos) Primo de Rivera
 Known victims: Jose  Abusive and Immoralities of Bad
Rizal and Teodora Friars
Alonso o “Anti-Friar Manifesto of
 The Frailocracy 1888
o Union of Church and State o Noli and El Fili portrayed by
o Rule of Friars Rizal
 o Atty. Felipe G. Calderon (
My mother is the daughter of
a Franciscan Friar
 Racial Discrimination
o Indios (Brown Filipino)
 Spanish Maladministration of
Justice
o Graft and corruption
o Incompetent, dishonest and
venal
 Persecution of Filipino Patriots
o Patrioti leader
o Other Filipino embolded to
continue their fight for
freedom despite of the
killings.