Captaincy General of the Philippines
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Captaincy General of the Philippines | |||||||||||
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1565–1898[1] | |||||||||||
Motto: Plus Ultra "Further Beyond" | |||||||||||
Anthem: Marcha Real (1565–1873, 1874–1899) "Royal March" King | | ||||||||||
• 1565–1598 (first) | Philip II | ||||||||||
• 1886–1898 (last) | Alfonso XIII | ||||||||||
Governor-General | |||||||||||
• 1565–1572 (first) | Miguel López de Legazpi | ||||||||||
• 1898 (last) | Diego de los Ríos | ||||||||||
Legislature | Cortes Generales | ||||||||||
History | |||||||||||
• Spanish conquest | 27 April 1565 | ||||||||||
15 March 1646 | |||||||||||
24 September 1762 | |||||||||||
20 January 1872 | |||||||||||
19 August 1896 | |||||||||||
12 June 1898 | |||||||||||
10 December 1898[1] | |||||||||||
Currency | Spanish dollar, Spanish peseta | ||||||||||
Time zone | 16 to 12 hours behind GMT (27 April 1565–30 December 1844) 8 to 12 hours ahead of GMT (1 January 1845 onwards) | ||||||||||
ISO 3166 code | PH | ||||||||||
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The Captaincy General of the Philippines (
The
For centuries, all the administrative, political and economic aspects of the Captaincy General were administered in
History
Early explorations
After a long, tolling voyage across the
Miguel López de Legazpi arrived in Umatac in 1565 and claimed the island of Guam for Spain, before proceeding to the Philippines, where, in a short period of time, they successfully incorporated into Spain's empire Cebu, Samar, Mazaua, Leyte, and Bohol, before conquering Manila.
Later (in 1569), Miguel López de Legazpi transferred the Spanish headquarters from
Several Pacific islands were claimed by Spain during the 16th century, including the
Spanish settlement and creation of the Captaincy General
In 1574, the Captaincy General of the Philippines was created as a dependency of the
As part of the
Until 1822, all General Captains were civilians, but after that year they were always chosen among the military. Throughout the second half of the 19th century, there were established many dependent local government offices and military settlements, very numerous due to a large number of islands and the extent of the districts.
Government
Level of government | Headed by | Description |
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Spanish Empire | Monarch of Spain |
Civil and Spiritual Authority (through Royal Patronage) |
Council of Indies |
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Viceroyalty of New Spain (abolished after Mexico gained independence in 1821) | Viceroy of New Spain | Governed New Spain on the King's behalf |
Central Government in Manila | Captain General |
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Archbishop of Manila |
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Real Audiencia de Manila |
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Local government | ||
Provincia/Alcaldía Mayor | Bishops of Suffragan Dioceses | |
Alcalde Mayor (for Provinces) |
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Corregidor (for Districts) |
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Junta Provincial (1893–1898) |
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Pueblo/Municipio | Gobernadorcillo |
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Capitan Municipal (1893–1898) |
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Tribunal Municipal (1893–1898) | Municipal council composed of the municipal captain, the chief lieutenant, the lieutenant of police, the lieutenant of fields and the lieutenant of livestock, all of which were elected by the residents of the municipio | |
Barangay | Cabeza de Barangay |
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Political system
The Spanish quickly organized their new colony according to their model. The first task was the reduction, or relocation of indigenous Filipinos into settlements. The earliest political system used during the conquista period was the encomienda system, which resembled the feudal system in medieval Europe. The conquistadores, friars and native nobles were granted estates, in exchange for their services to the King, and were given the privilege to collect tribute from its inhabitants. In return, the person granted the encomienda, known as an encomendero, was tasked to provide military protection to the inhabitants, justice and governance. In times of war, the encomendero was duty bound to provide soldiers for the King, in particular, for the complete defense of the colony from potential invasions of outside powers such as the Dutch, British and Chinese. The encomienda system was abused by encomenderos and by 1700 was largely replaced by administrative provinces, each headed by an alcalde mayor (provincial governor).[8] The most prominent feature of Spanish cities was the plaza, a central area for town activities such as the fiesta, and where government buildings, the church, a market area and other infrastructures were located. Residential areas lay around the plaza. During the conquista, the first task of colonization was the reduction, or relocation of the indigenous population into settlements surrounding the plaza.
National government
On the national level or social class, the
Provincial government
On the local level, heading the pacified provinces (alcaldías), was the provincial governor (alcalde mayor). The unpacified military zones (corregimiento), such as
Municipal government
The pueblo or town was headed by the Gobernadorcillo or little governor. Among his administrative duties were the preparation of the tribute list (padron), recruitment and distribution of men for draft labor, communal public work and military conscription (quinto), postal clerk and judge in minor civil suits. He intervened in all administrative cases pertaining to his town: lands, justice, finance and the municipal police. His annual salary, however, was only P24 but he was exempted from taxation. Any native or Chinese mestizo, 25 years old, proficient in oral or written Spanish and has been a cabeza de barangay of 4 years can be a gobernadorcillo.
Any member of the
Barrio government
Every barangay was further divided into "barrios", and the barrio government (village or district) rested on the barrio administrator (cabeza de barangay). He was responsible for peace and order, recruited men for communal public works, and collecting the barrio's taxes. Cabezas should be literate in Spanish and have good moral character and property. Cabezas who served for 25 years were exempted from forced labor.
In addition, this is where the sentiment heard as, "Mi Barrio", first came from.
The Residencia and the Visita
To check the abuse of power of royal officials, two ancient Castilian institutions were brought to the Philippines: the Residencia, dating back to the 5th century, and the Visita, which differed from the residencia in that it was conducted clandestinely by a visitador-general sent from Spain and might occur anytime within the official's term, without any previous notice. Visitas could be specific or general.
Maura law
The legal foundation for municipal governments in the country was laid with the promulgation of the
Territorial divisions
Until the second half of the 18th century, there were 24 provinces, 19 alcaldías mayores and five corregimientos:[10]
Corregimientos
- Mariveles
- Cavite
- Zamboanga
- Mindanao Moro
- Ogtong (Oton)
Alcaldías mayores
- Albay
- Camarines(later partitioned)
- Tayabas
- Cagayán
- Ilocos(later partitioned)
- Pangasinán
- Pampanga
- Bulacan
- Tondo
- Laguna
- Balayán
- Leyte
- Panay
- Caraga
- Negros
- Calamianes
- Mindoro
- Marianas
- Cebú
Other administrative units established afterward
- Pangasinán)
- Mariveles and from Pampangain 1754)
- Nueva Écija (separated from Pampanga)
- Cagayánin 1839)
- Ilocosin 1818)
- Ilocosin 1818)
- Camarines Norte (divided in two from Camarinesin 1829)
- Camarines Sur (divided in two from Camarinesin 1829)
- Samar (separated from Leite)
- Cebú)
- Iloílo (separated from Panay)
- Antique (separated from Panay)
- Abra (separated from Ilocos Sur in 1846)
- Nueva Guipúzcoa (separated from Caraga in 1847)
- Ticao and Masbate (separated from Albay in 1846)
- La Unión (separated from Pangasinán and Ilocos Sur in 1850)
- Tarlac (separated from Pampanga and Pangasinán in 1873)
- Lower territories of Agno (Military outposts)
Established during the 19th century
Until the second half of the 19th century, there existed the administrative units:
- Luzon Island (20 administrative units): Tondo, Bulacán, Pampanga, Zambales, Bataan, Nueva Écija, La Unión, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Pangasinan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Tayabas, Abra, Cagayán (including Babuyan Islands), Nueva Vizcaya, Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur.
- Mindoro, Marinduque, Luban, Ilin (one administrative unit): Mindoro.
- Batán (one administrative unit): Batanes.
- Panay Island (three administrative units): Cápiz, Iloilo, Antique.
- Negros(one administrative unit): Negros.
- Samar (one administrative unit): Samar.
- Leite (one administrative unit): Leite.
- Calamianes (one administrative unit): Calamianes.
- Cebú(one administrative unit): Cebú.
- Mindanao (four administrative units): Caraga, Misamis, Zamboanga, Nueva Guipúzcoa.
- Sultanate of Sulu
- Joló
- Agaña, Guam.
- Palau
- Bonin Islands (now part of Japan as Ogasawara Islands)
- Spratly Islands
- Caroline Islands
- Special Districts (four): Benguet, Ticao and Masbate, Comandancia del Corregidor, Lower territories of Agno.
Spanish rule in the Philippines ceased in 1898 after the war with the United States, which annexed most territories, although the administrative jurisdictions remained intact.
Most of the remaining territories in the Pacific Ocean were sold to Germany during the
Economy
Manila-Acapulco galleon trade
Manila was the western hub of the
The Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade was the main source of income for the colony during its early years. Service was inaugurated in 1565 and continued into the early 19th century. The Galleon trade brought silver from New Spain, which was used to purchase Asian goods such as
While the trade did bring some results which were beneficial to the Philippines, most effects were disadvantageous.[16] However, the trade did result in cultural and commercial exchanges between Asia and the Americas that led to the introduction of new crops and animals to the Philippines such as tomatoes, avocado, guava, papaya, pineapple, and horses.[16] These gave the colony its first real income. The trade lasted for over two hundred years, and ceased in 1815 just before the secession of American colonies from Spain.[17]
Royal Society of Friends of the Country
José de Basco y Vargas, following a royal order to form a society of intellectuals who can produce new, useful ideas, formally established the Spanish Royal Economic Society of Friends of the Country, after the model of the
Royal Company of the Philippines
On 10 March 1785,
The first vessel of the Royal Philippine Company to set sail was the "Nuestra Señora de los Placeres" commanded by the captain Juan Antonio Zabaleta.[20]
Taxation
Also there was the bandalâ (from the Tagalog word mandalâ, a round stack of rice stalks to be threshed), an annual forced sale and requisitioning of goods such as rice. Custom duties and income tax were also collected. By 1884, the tribute was replaced by the
Aside from paying a tribute, all male Filipinos as well as Chinese immigrants from 16 to 60 years old were obliged to render forced labor called "polo". This labor lasted for 40 days a year, later reduced to 15 days. It took various forms such as the building and repairing of roads and bridges, construction of public buildings and churches, cutting timber in the forest, working in shipyards and serving as soldiers in military expeditions. People who rendered the forced labor was called "polistas". He could be exempted by paying the "falla" which is a sum of money. The polista were according to law, to be given a daily rice ration during their working days which they often did not receive.[23]
Resistance against Spanish rule
Spanish rule of the Philippines was constantly threatened by indigenous rebellions and invasions from the
. The previously dominant groups resisted Spanish rule, refusing to pay Spanish taxes and rejecting Spanish excesses. All were defeated by the Spanish and their Filipino allies by 1597. In many areas, the Authorities left indigenous groups to administer their own affairs but under Spanish overlordship.From its inception, the Captaincy General of the Philippines was governed from
Early resistance
The Resistance against Spain did not immediately cease upon the conquest of the Austronesian cities. After Rajah Patis of Cebu, some indigenous Filipino nobles resisted Spanish rule. Throughout their rule, Madrid and the government in Manila had faced minornumerous revolts across the country, most of which they had successfully quelled while others were won through agreements with the leaders of the revolts themselves.
The Spanish–Moro conflict lasted for several hundred years. In the last quarter of the 19th century, Spain conquered portions of Mindanao and Jolo,[24] and the Moro Muslims in the Sultanate of Sulu formally recognized Spanish sovereignty.[25][26]
During the
Hispanization did not spread to the mountainous center of northern Luzon (Except in Some areas), nor to the inland communities of Mindanao.
Freemasonry
Freemasonry had gained a substantial following in Europe and the Americas during the 19th century and found its way to the Philippines. The Western World was quickly changing, and sought less political control from the Catholic Church.
The first Filipino Masonic lodge was Revolución. It was established by
In December 1889, Marcelo H. del Pilar established the Solidaridad in Madrid with the help of Julio Llorente, its first Worshipful Master. A short time later, the Solidaridad grew, and some of its members included José Rizal, Pedro Serrano Laktaw, Baldomero Roxas, and Galicano Apacible.
In 1891, Del Pilar sent Laktaw to the Philippines to establish a Masonic lodge. Laktaw established the Nilad on 6 January 1892, the first lodge in the islands. It is estimated that by 1893, there were 35 Masonic lodges in the Philippines, of which nine were in Manila. The first
Freemasonry was important during the Philippine Revolution, as it pushed the reform movement and carried out propaganda work. Many of those who supported outright revolution were Freemasons like Andrés Bonifacio. In fact, the organizational framework used by Bonifacio for the Katipunan was derived from Masonic structures. It may be said that joining Masonry was one activity that both reformists and the Katipuneros shared, despite their differing views.
Gallery
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Lesser coat of arms
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Middle coat of arms
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Greater coat of arms
See also
- History of the Philippines (1565–1898)
- Spanish East Indies
- Spanish Filipino
- New Spain
- Governor-General of the Philippines
- Royal Audience of Manila
- Spanish Empire
- Viceroyalty of New Spain
- History of the Philippines
Notes
References
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 February 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Cf. William Henry Scott, Cracks in the Parchment Curtain, Quezon City: 1998, p. 4. Also cf. Antonio Morga, Sucessos de las Islas Filipinas, 2nd ed., Paris: 1890, p. xxxiii.
- ^ Blair & Robertson 1911, pp. 15–16.
- ^ Blair & Robertson 1911, p. 73.
- ^ "Enciclopedia GER". Archived from the original on 23 July 2011.
- ^ Biblioteca de legislación ultramarina en forma de diccionario alfabético. Pág. 621. Compilado por: José María Zamora y Coronado. Editor: Impr. de J. M. Alegria, 1845
- ^ Philippine Electoral Almanac. – Revised and expanded edition. Manila: Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office. 2015. p. 5-12.
- ^ Abinales & Amoroso 2005, p. 55
- ISBN 978-90-474-2685-1.
- ^ Memorias históricas y estadísticas de Filipinas y particularmente de la grande isla de Luzon. Author: Rafael Díaz Arenas. Publicado por Imprenta del Diario de Manila, 1830
- ISBN 978-0-8248-1829-6.
- ^ Bolunia, Mary Jane Louise A. "Astilleros: the Spanish shipyards of Sorsogon" (PDF). Archaeology Division, National Museum of the Philippines. p. 1. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
- S2CID 163709949.
- ^ "South East Asia Pottery – Philippines". Archived from the original on 16 July 2011.
- ^ Schurz, William Lytle (1939). The Manila Galleon. Historical Conservation Society. p. 15.
- ^ ISBN 9789712334498.
- ]
- ^ Solidarity, vol. 2, Solidaridad Publishing House, p. 8, "The charter of the Royal Philippine Company was promulgated on 10 March 1785 tolast for 25 years."
- ^ De Borja & Douglass 2005, pp. 71–79
- ^ "Rostros de piedra; biografías de un mundo perdido" (PDF). Miaka1 Cuadernos de investigación. San Telmo Museoa. Retrieved 6 October 2014. p. 68
- ^ Agoncillo 1990, pp. 82–83
- ^ McCoy & de Jesus 2001, p. 233
- ^ https://www.studymode.com/essays/Polo-y-Servicio-1880531.html Polo y Servicio
- ^ United States War Department (1903). Annual Report of the Secretary of War. U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 379–398. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- ISBN 978-9971-69-386-2. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
- ^ Spain (1893). Colección de los tratados, convenios y documentos internacionales celebrados por nuestros gobiernos con los estados extranjeros desde el reinado de Doña Isabel II. hasta nuestros días. Acompañados de notas histórico-críticas sobre su negociación y cumplimiento y cotejados con los textos originales... (in Spanish). pp. 120–123.
- ^ Sagmit & Sagmit-Mendoza 2007, p. 127
Sources
- Abinales, P. N.; Amoroso, Donna J. (2005), State and Society in the Philippines, Rowman & Littlefield, ISBN 978-0-7425-1024-1
- Agoncillo, Teodoro A. (1990), History of the Filipino People (Eighth ed.), University of the Philippines, ISBN 971-8711-06-6
- Blair, Emma Helen & Robertson, James Alexander, eds. (1911). The Philippine Islands, 1493–1803: Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the beginning of the nineteenth century. Volume 03 of 55 (1493–1803). Historical introduction and additional notes by Edward Gaylord Bourne. Cleveland, Ohio: Arthur H. Clark Company. OCLC 769945704.[verification needed]
- De Borja, Marciano R.; Douglass, William A. (2005), Basques in the Philippines, University of Nevada Press, ]
- McCoy, Alfred W.; de Jesus, Ed. C. (2001), Philippine social history: global trade and local transformations, Ateneo de Manila University Press, ISBN 978-971-550-279-5
- Sagmit, Rosario S.; Sagmit-Mendoza, Ma. Lourdes (2007), The Filipino Moving Onward 5', Rex Bookstore, Inc., ISBN 978-971-23-4154-0