INSTITUTIONAL IMPACT OF SPANISH Internal – integration of Spanish customs and

RULE values, Christianity, Castillian language

I. Economic Institutions
 When Spaniards came, Filipinos are living either A. Taxation without representation –
in lineal or nucleated barangay settlements along Income generating mechanism
water routes and river banks a. Direct – personal tribute and
 Ilaya – upstream income tax
 Ibaba- downstream b. Indirect – custom duties and
 First task of encomenderos and missionaries bandala
(Most difficult): Collect together all scattered c. Monopolies of special crops and
Filipinos together in a reduccion bajo el son de la items
campana or bajo el toque de la campana Buwis – paid in cash or in kind,
 Reduccion – settlement partly or wholly
 Bajo el son de la campana – under the sound of
bell 1570s – tribute is fixed at eight
reales ( 1 real =12.5 centavos) or in
 Bajo el toque de la campana – under the peal of
kind or “gold, blankets, cotton, rice,
bell
bells”
 1580 – Franciscans proceeded “to establish
pueblos ordering the missionaries to reside It was raised to 15 reales until the
there,” where church and convent would be end of Spanish period
constructed
 Reduccion plan – presented by Franciscan Fr.  Mid-19th century
Juan de Plasencia to the Synod of Manila (1582) Tribute of 10 reales
was approved unanimously by missionaries of all
the religious order Diezmos prediales (tithes) - 1 real
 With the reduccion Spaniards attemted to tame Town Community chest – 1 real
the reluctant Filipinos through Christian
indoctrination in a quite novel settlement pattern Sanctorum tax for church support – 3
using convent/casa real/plaza complex as the reales
focal point
TOTAL OF 15 REALES
 Reduccion – a civilizing device to make Filipinos
a law-abiding citizen to the Spaniards  Special tax of ½ real of rice –
 The unbelievers went to hills and were called samboagan or donativo de
remontados, cimarrones, ladrones, monteses, Zamboanga
malhechores or tulisanes  Tax exemption was granted to
 To entice the unwilling unbaptized indios, descendants of the Filipino
Spaniards used Christian rites and rituals such as chiefly class who served in
Flores De Mayo or Santa Cruzan, Sinakulo, pacification of campaigns
Moro-moro. Other attractuons were medals, conducted by conquistadores
scapularies, cords, and rosaries. All of these (Carlos Lakandula – Manila,
“hypnotized” the spirit of indios. Pedro Mojica – Cavite, Rajah
 Upon baptism, Fipinos were given Christian Tupas – Cebu)
names  Bandala – tax collected
- Mandala – round stack of
Changes in barangays’ rice stalks to be threshed
External – construction of colonial churches and - Annual enforced sale or
convents, the building of private homes (with requisitioning of goods
lime and mortar, with roofs of tiles, and wide - Payments were in
azotea and water reservoirs) promissory notes (which is
why Pampanga and
 Tagalog regions suffered to
this outright confiscation)
- Spaniards debt to
Kapampangan reached
70,000 to 200,000, thus
sparking a revolt in 1660-
1661
1884 – tribute was replaced by cedula
personal or personal identity paper =
present residence tax
-Everyone over 18, whether Filipinos
or other nationalities were required to
pay
B. Polo y Servicio Personal or
Prestacion Personal
- Tagalog “pulong” –
meeting of person or things/
community labor
- Laborers (polistas) –
Filipino or Chinese male
Mestizo from 16 to 60 yrs
old – obligated to give
personal service to
community projects for 40
days
- In 1884 it was reduced to
15 days
- By paying falla ( Spanish,
falta, which means
“absence from work”) one
could be exempted from
work
- Polistas pay falla daily for 1
½ real during the 40-day
period
- This system was patterned
to Mexican’s selection for
forced labor
- Negative effects of polo:
(1) Upsetting of the village
economy
(2) Forced separation from
the family and relocation to
different places
(3) Decimation of the male
population
C. Enconmiendas: Royal and Private –
Econmienda – enconmendar – to
entrust
- Another revenue-getting
Hispanic Institution
- A grant from the Spanish
crown to a meritorious
Spaniard to exercise control
over a specific place
including its habitats
Enconmedero – duty-bound to
defend his encomienda from external
incursions, keep peace and order, and
assist missionary teachings
- They were granted the right
to impose tributes
according to the limit and
kind set by higher
authorities
2 KINDS OF ENCOMIENDAS
a. The Royal/ Crown - land reserved
for the crown and included the
principal towns or ports
b. The Private – granted to
individuals who were either King’s
proteges or men who served with
merit during conquest and
pacification campaigns
During first implementation in
Visayas, Legaspi authorized
enconmenderos to collect 8 reales
yearly in cash or in kind, wherein ¼
goes to the encomendero, another
portion to the priest, and the
remaining to the government
However, encomenderos bviolated
regulations and raised the tribute paid
by the poor Filipinos, those who
escape the oppressive taxation were
called “lawless” remontados to
tulisanes (bandits). Each
enconmendero collects according to
their personal whims, when gold is
abundant, and cash is in scarce, they
would ask for cash and vice versa.
 Filipinos would travel great distance
to buy products they demand. Many
Filipinos died out of starvation, while
those who refused were publicly
flogged, tortured, or jailed.
D. The Manila-Acapulo Galleon Trade
(1565-1815) – running the only
regular fleet in Pacific Ocean for 250
years was the Acapulo galleon
- Only two vessels were
making journey yearly –
one outgoing, and the other
incoming
- Trip lasted in 200 days
- When the trade declined, there
was an economic depression
- Agriculture of the Philippines
further retarded because of
conflicts in harvesting and
planting schedule (which was
supposedly not meant to happen)
- One positive result is an
intercultural exchange between
Philippines and Americans
E. Royal Economic Society of Friends
of Country (1780-ca. 1895)
 Jose de Basco y Vargas –
despotismo ilustrado, who
for 9 years revamped the
then existed antiquated
economic system which
stagnated progress in the
Philippines.
- In 1780, he organized Real
Sociedad Economica de
Amigos del Pais, which is
composed of all leading
men in business, industry,
and the professions, whom
he himself prodded to
exploit the Island’s natural
bounties
- Introduced Plan General
Economico – income-
generating monopolies of
tobacco, areca nut, spiritous
liquors and explosives,
which brought untold
hardships of Filipinos
 Offered local and foreign
scholarship and training grants and
endowment fund for a professorial
chair in agriculture
 Credited for introducing mynah
birds (martinez), and carabao ban
(to conserve this draft animal) in
1782, the formation of silversmiths
and gold beaters’ guild in 1783,
and construction of first papermill
in the PH in 1785
 Temporarily died in 1787, revived
in 1819, suspend due to Asiatic
cholera epidemic in 1820, resumed
in 1822, gradually faded out in
1875, and cease to exist in 1890s
F. Royal Philippine Company
-created in March 10, 1785 by
Charles III, with a 25 yr charter and a
purpose of uniting American and
Asian commerce
- met stiff opposition from
Consulado y Comercio de Manila
who saw it as a strong competitor of
Manila-Acapulo trade
-the keen rivalry resulted to political
unrest in the Philippines, and
tremendous losses suffered by
Manila board of merchants
- Manila-Acapulo detoriated while
Royal Philippine Company reaped
profits
- for the Spaniards, the company
helped the early growth of
agriculture, especially of Philippine-
grown products
-for Filipinos it was more of untold
miseries, for they were forced to
plant prized cash exports crops for
which they didn’t have any direct
benefit at all
-devoted exclusive preference in
cotton production
- Cotton was a favorite trade item
that attracted Chinese during
Legaspi’s time
G. Infrastructure, Telecommunication,
and Public Utilities Development
 Ferrocaril de Manila – 120
miles long up to Dagupan
(Pangasinan), the only railway
line in the Archipelago,
operated regularly four years
before the Philippine
Revolution in 1896
 Compania de los Travanias de
Filipinas – established in
Manila in 1885 by Jacobo
Zobel de Zangroniz and Adolfo
Bato
- In 1892 there were 5 street
car service lines
connecting the primate city
with suburbs: 4 horse-
drawn in Intramuros,
Malate, Sampaloc, and
Tondo, one tranvia de
vapor (steamed power)
between Malabon and
Binondo since 1888
 To avoid traffic jams, the first
suspension bridge in the Far
East was built.
- 110 meters long, 7 meters
wide, designed by Gustave
Eiffel (of the famous Eiffel
Tower)
- 2 laned, with raised middle
portion reserved for foot
travelers
- CHARGES: Pedestrians – one
kusing (1/2 centavos), Each
horse – three cuartos (about 2
centavos)
- Toll for carriages depend on
the number of wheels, the more
wheel the higher the rate
 1889 – first bicycle in
Manila appeared
 Ships sailed from Manila –
Hongkong weekly, while Manila-
Barcelona monthly. Ships from
Japan and other Eurasian countries
and the US comes irregularly.
Interisland shipping to the Visayas
and Mindanao was mainly through
streamers and steamboats
 Telephone in Manila began
functioning in 1890
 The first telegraph
commenced in 1872
 Telephone service started in
1894
 In 1882, the Manila-
Hongkong overseas telegram was
laid thus putting Manila in constant
touch with Europe, Asia, and other
countries in the world
 1897 – first interisland
submarine linking Manila to Ilolo,
Bacolod, and Cebu was laid by
Extension Australia and China
Telegraph Company
 1814 – Public lightning
system in Manila and using
suburbs coconut oil was considered
by ayuntamiento
 In Mid-19th Century wealthy
European and Filipinos were
illumined by oil, gradually
changing to keroses
- Use of kingke (French
gas lamp, named after
Antoine Quinquet) was
banned in Nipa House ad
fire prevention
 1893 – walled city and
suburbs were powered by
electricity, with the founding
of La Electricita de Manila