PHILIPPINE HISTORY REVIEWER

CHAPTER 6
The Impact of Spanish Colonial Rule

 Began when Miguel Lopez de Legazpi arrived from New Spain

(Mexico) and founded settlement in Cebu
 1571- Spain occupied Manila through an almost bloodless way
 Purpose of Spanish Colonization:
3Gs:
 God
 Gold
 Glory
Objectives:
 Convert to Catholicism
 Political Glory
 Economic wealth

 BULLION (gold and silver) became the guiding principle of

mercantilism

 1565-1821, Philippines was a dependency of the Viceroyalty of Mexico

 1821 Independence of Mexico
 Spain- Centralized form of Government
 Ministro de Ultramar (Ministry of Colony)- superseded the Royal and
Supreme Council of the Indies in 1863

Governor-General
 Head
 Appointed by the King of Spain
 Has absolute powers
 Chief Executive and Commander in Chief of the Army
 Responsible in issuing and implementing royal decrees
 Has the right to dismiss some officials except those appointed by
the King
 Handled administration and review of the Justice system being the
President of the Royal Audencia
 Has the power to make laws
 Has the power to appoint priests to ECCLESIASTICAL POSITION
Vice Royal Patron equivalent to the King’s Patronate Real
 Was subjected to 2 kinds of checks:
 Residencia-special judicial court; reviews
performance of the outgoing Gov-general
 Visita-observed conditions of the colony

Royal Audencia
 Highest court
 Established in 1583 by virtue of a royal decree
 Adviser of the Governor-general but at the same time, checks and
reports the abuses
 Audited the expenditures of the colonial government
 Has the power to enact joint laws with the Governor-general known as
“Autos Acordados”
The Local Government
 Served as an arm to facilitate the administration of the country; to
represent the King and Governor-general to the provinces
 THE ARCHIPELAGIC NATURE OF THE PHILIPPINES BECAME A
SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IN THE CREATION OF THE LOCAL
GOVERNMENT

THE PROVINCIAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

 2 kinds of provincial government:
 Alcaldias
 pacified provinces whose inhabitants accepted the
Spanish rule and owed their loyalty to the King of
Spain.
 headed by Alcaldes Mayores and Alcaldes En
Ordinario.

 Corregiminetos-
 unpacified region
 led by a military officer called Corregidor or
Corregidores
 Alcalde
 was tasked to implement the laws and to collect taxes
 performed judicial functions in the provinces
 was given a trading privilege called indulto de comercio;
the privilege was removed in 1844 because it led to the
monopoly of the provincial trade
 The city government was called ayuntamiento
headed by an alcalde.

THE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT

 The alcaldias were further divided into towns called pueblo
 Each pueblo was governed by gobernadorcillo or often called
Capitan;
 he was the supreme authority whose function is not only
limited in overseeing his constituents, but also in the
administration of justice system
 The position is elected by 13 members of principalia: the
outgoing gobernadorcillo, 6 former incumbent cabeza de
barangay.
 The election was done through secret balloting
 receives no salary
 Reduccion Plan
 presented by Fr. Juan de Plasencia
 easy propagation of Christianity
 it was implemented so that Spaniards can
effortlessly collect taxes from the indios
 The establishment of pueblo represented Spain’s
strategy of indoctrination. Missionaries were sent to
different provinces to establish a pueblo and gather
the natives in a redducion (resettlement).
 In each resettlement, the government constructed a
Capilla or a Visita as the seat for the indoctrination
of Christianity
  remontados or tulisanes- Filipinos who did not accept
the reduccion plan
 Barangay
 Formerly known as Balangay
 Smallest political unit
 easier administration of the colony
 The headship was formerly hereditary, but in the course of
time, the position of cabeza de barangay became
elective among the principalia class
 Each cabeza received two percent of the collected tribute
from their respective barangay

THE POLITICAL STRUCTURE DURING THE SPANISH PERIOD

*Refer to the given picture/hierarchy

 In 1894, there were already eight recognized ayuntamientos all over

the country and these were Manila, Iloilo, Cebu, Jaro, Batangas, Albay,
Nueva Caceres and Vigan

THE SOCIAL STRUCTURES

 Spain created a rigid pyramidical social stratification from the
simple social organization if the Filipino natives
 Governed by the principle of limpieza de sangre (PURITY OF BLOOD)
 Structure was divided into 3:
 With Spanish blood
 With money and power
 Indio class
 The peninsulares held the highest position in the Spanish colonial
government.
 The first structure was further divided into three: the peninsulares
or the Spaniards born in Spain; the insulares or Spaniards born in the
Philippines and lastly, the Spanish mestizo, who were born with a
Spanish father and indio mother.
 The second structure was composed of the principalia or the
town’s ruling elite class and the landed native class known as
creoles, and the Chinese mestizo, born of a Chinese father and Indio
mother, or Chinos who arrived originally from the China.
 The most discriminated were the Indios, who occupied the bottom
of the pyramid. The indios were not even regarded as human beings.
They were even treated worse than the Chinese and Chinese Mestizos
in the Philippines.
 The peninsulares held the highest position in the Spanish colonial
government.
 The insulares on the other hand, held positions in the colonial
army and in the parishes.
 The administration of towns were given to the principalia.
 During the late 19th century, another class of Filipinos emerged
from the ranks. These were Filipinos who benefitted from
economic progress bought about by the opening of the Philippines to
world commerce – the educated class- the illustrados.

SOCIAL STRUCTURE DURING THE SPANISH PERIOD

 Spanish colonial government imposed different forms of taxes in the
Philippines:
  direct taxes-included personal tribute and tax imposed on
income

 indirect taxes-comprised of bandala and custom duties

POLO Y SERVICIO PERSONAL (FORCED LABOR)

 One of the most abusive of the Spanish economic policy
 Male Filipino ranging from 16 to 60 years old were obliged to give
community service to the government for forty days.
 it led to the neglect of farming leading to the decrease in production in
terms of agriculture.

ENCOMIENDA SYSTEM
 From the Spanish word encomendar (to entrust)
 used by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in the organization and
administration of the colony in the Philippines
 reward given by the King of Spain to those Spaniards who helped in the
process of colonization
 There are two kinds of encomienda:
 royal -were those lands reserved for the king which
included principal town and ports

 private encomienda-were granted to those individuals

who were either the King’s proteges or men who served
with merit during the conquest and pacification campaigns