history

• Political Changes under Spanish Colonial Regime:
• The Philippines was administered by the Council of Indies as a crown colony
• Spanish officials were appointed by the King of Spain
• In 1863, the Philippines was placed under the Ministry of the Colonies of Overseas Ministries
• The central government was highly centralized and headed by the governor, captain-general, or governor-general appointed by the King of Spain
• Royal Audiencia:
• Highest court during Spanish times
• Served as an advisory body to the Governor General
• Had the power to check and report on abuses by the Governor General
• Audited the expenditures of the colonial government
• Residencia:
• Special judicial court that investigated the performance of a Governor General about to be replaced
• Submitted a report of its findings to the King
• The Visita:
• Government official called the Visitador General was sent by the Council of the Indies in Spain to observe conditions in the colony
• Reported findings directly to the King
• Local Government Units:
• Provincial Government had two kinds of provinces: Alcaldians (pacified regions) and Corregimientos (unpacified areas)
• Alcalde mayor exercised both executive and judicial powers
• The City Government:
• Royal Decree of September 23, 1844, abolished the special privilege "indulto de commercio" and required only lawyers to serve as alcaldes mayores
• Larger towns became cities called Ayuntamiento
• Ayuntamiento had a city council called the Cabildo composed of Alcalde (Mayor), Regidores (Councillors), Alguacil Mayor (Police Chief), and Escribano (Secretary)
• First city established in the Philippines was Cebu, followed by Manila on June 24, 1571
• The Encomienda System:
• Grant of inhabitants of the conquered country given by the Spanish Crown to Spanish colonizers
• Encomendero collected tributes from the inhabitants
• Two kinds of encomiendas: Royal encomiendas belonging to the Spanish Crown and Private encomiendas belonging to private persons or institutions
• Taxation:
• Bandala coerced natives to sell their harvest to the government at low prices
• Tributo was a general tax paid by Filipinos to Spain
• Sanctorum was a tax for Christianization purposes
• Forced Labor:
• Caja de Comunidad was a tax for town expenses
• Polo was dehumanizing labor where all healthy males aged 16-60 were required to render service for forty days
• Polistas were natives who rendered forced labor without daily wages or food rations
• Falla was a fee given to Spaniards to be exempted from forced labor
• The Abolition of Slavery:
• Bishop Domingo Salazar and religious orders asked the King to abolish slavery in the colony
• King Philip II issued the Royal Decree of August 9, 1589, emancipating all slaves in the colony