Mod 4: History of PH Politics

• Even before the arrival of the Spaniards, the Philippines had already its own type of government in each of the composed settlements or villages called "balangay", a Malayan word meaning "boat."
• Datu


  Chief executive, law giver, chief judge, and military head
• Maginoos


  Council of elders that assisted the datu
• Monarchy


  Form of government before due to the wealth and physical prowess of the chieftain
• Most of the laws, were unwritten and were passed on to generations by oral tradition.
• Trial by ordeal


  A system of justice administered during precolonial times
• The barangay administered laws, and cases were settled through mediation and compromise.
• Social stratification

  • Maharlika (nobles/wealthy families)
  • Timawa (freemen)
  • Alipin namamahay (slaves/serfs with some freedom)
  • Aliping sagigilid (slaves without liberty)
• Datu


  • Supreme authority, leader of the military, establishes relations with other barangays
  • Creates laws with the help of the council of elders
  • Serves as the prime judge during a trial, presides the trial along with the council of elders
• Precolonial laws were customary or orally passed from generation to generation and written.
• Code of Kalantiaw


  Alleged evidence of written precolonial laws, but dismissed as a hoax by historians
• Precolonial law-making process


  1. Datu recommends/proposes a law

  2. Council of elders reviews and decides whether to approve the law

  3. Umalohokan announces the newly approved law to the barangay
• Trial by ordeal


  Used to settle disputes, includes dipping hand in boiling water, holding lighted candle, chewing rice, etc.
• Barangay relations


  • Trade with one another
  • Form alliances through blood compact
  • Confederation to defend against common enemy
  • Elders from neutral barangays preside as judges/arbiters for inter-barangay cases
  • Conflicts sometimes settled through violence
• If the precolonial government was characterized by independent barangays, the Spaniards consolidated power and these independent barangays under a centralized government.
• There were only two branches of the Spanish colonial government: the executive and the judicial. There was no legislature or congress because the laws for the Philippines were made by the Spaniards in Spain.
• Governor-General

  Highest-ranking ruler during the Spanish rule, representative of the King of Spain, exercised executive, administrative, legislative and judicial powers
• Governor-General's powers

  • Executive: Directs government activities, appoints minor officials, commander-in-chief of armed forces
  • Legislative: Can issue superior decrees with force of law, can suspend Royal decrees
  • Judicial: Can bring cases directly to the Audiencia
• Audiencia


  Highest court for civil and criminal cases, exercised political and administrative powers in the absence of the Governor-General, audited government finances
• Local government structure


  • Unpacified/military zones (corregimiento) ruled by corregidor
  • Pacified provinces (alcaldia) ruled by alcalde mayor
  • Municipalities (pueblo) headed by gobernadorcillo
  • Barangays (barrios) governed by capitan
  • Cities (ayuntamiento) composed of alcaldes, regidores, and other officials
• Spanish colonial policies


  • Hispanization of names
  • Tributo (tribute/taxes)
  • Encomienda (land grants to conquerors)
  • Polo y servicio (forced labor)
  • Bandala (compulsory purchase of goods)
• Changes in social class


  • Maharlikas (nobles) lost privileges
  • Timawa (freemen) became commoners
  • Alipin (slaves) remained at the bottom
• Tributo


  The Spaniards collected tribute or taxes in cash or in kind, in full or installment basis, from the Filipinos in order to raise enough money to finance the administration of colony. It was considered as a form recognition of the Filipino's loyalty to the King of Spain.
• Encomienda


  Refers to the land given by the King of Spain to the conquerors of unpacified lands in the Philippines as a form of favor. These conquerors turn into encomendero who were given the right to collect tributes or taxes from the inhabitants of the encomienda.
• Polo y servicio


  Filipinos were forced to render their services which include working on the construction of churches, roads, bridges, and ships, and planting and harvesting crops.
• Bandala


  Filipinos were also compelled to purchase expensive goods or products from the government.
• Social classes


  • Maharlikhas
  • Peninsulares
  • Insulares
  • Mestizo
  • Indio
• The Maharlikhas, who were once on the top of the hierarchy, have to submit to the authority of peninsulares, insulares, and meztizo. The rest of the Filipinos were called as Indio. They belong to the lowest class and were usually given dehumanizing stereotypes.
• Peninsulares, the highest class refer to the Spaniards who lived in the Philippines but was born in Spain. Insulares also refer to Spaniards but they were born in the Philippines. Mestizo was a class of people who share Spanish and Filipino blood. These classes enjoy more rights and privileges, and command respect from the principalia and indios.
• Reasons why Filipino revolts failed

  • Spaniards possessed superior weapons and were able to employ native mercenaries
  • People remained divided and lacked unity
  • Giving of positions of power and privileges to the datu/chieftains and their families made these maharlikhas collaborate with the Spaniards thus, weakened unity among people
• Emergence of Liberal Ideas and Spread of Liberalism


  Filipinos were inspired by the liberal ideas from American and French Revolution. These uprisings proved that citizens can overthrow oppressive authorities like kings and colonial masters. Liberal ideas from these revolutions spread worldwide through trade and eventually reached the Philippines.
• Secularization Controversy


  Most positions in churches were taken by the Spanish priest (regular priests). Filipino priests (secular priest) asked for their right to administer parishes and Filipinization of churches, but was refused by the friar-curates.
• Cavite Mutiny and Execution of GomBurZa


  A mutiny in Cavite erupted which was caused by the revocation of the privileged shipyard workers to be exempted from forced labor and paying tribute. It was led by a military sergeant named La Madrid. The mutiny was suppressed by the Spaniards and leaders and participants were arrested and shot to death. The Spanish government also ordered the arrest of Filipinos and meztizos who were believed to be behind it. These include the Filipino priests GomBurZa: Fr. Gomez, Fr. Burgos, and Fr. Zamora. No documents had been found to show that they were connected with the mutiny. Nevertheless, they were sentenced to death by garrote.
• Ilustrados and Propaganda Movement


  The well-to-do Filipino parents were able to send their children to Spanish schools. These educated Filipinos called ilustrados later asked for reforms in the Spanish administration of the Philippines. This movement is called "Propaganda Movement" in which ilustrados studies and work hard for the introduction of reforms to the Spaniards.
• Reforms introduced by the Propaganda Movement


  • The Philippines would be assimilated as a province of Spain and the Filipinos would become Spanish citizens, who would enjoy all the rights and privileges by all Spanish citizens
  • The Philippines would be represented in the Spanish lawmaking body called the Cortes in order to have equal status in the eyes of the law
• The Propaganda Movement failed despite its benefits due to the Spanish officials in the country being too busy with their own problems to listen to the collective voice of the reformists, the reformists not having enough financial means to make their campaign effective, the reformists themselves not being united, and the friars being very influential in opposing the campaign of the reformists.
• Katipunan


  A secret association organized by Andres Bonifacio. It had its own form of government with the Kataastaasang Sanggunian (Supreme Council), Sangguniang Balangay (Provincial Council), Sangguniang Bayan (Popular Council), and Sangguniang Hukuman (Judicial Council).
• Discovery of Katipunan and Cry of Pugad Lawin


  Two Katipuneros named Apolonio dela Cruz and Teodoro Patiño had a quarrel which led to the revelation of Katipunan secrets to the authorities. Upon the discovery of Katipunan, Bonifacio gathered the Katipuneros at a sitio called Pugadlawin and asked them if they were ready to fight. Everyone shouted they were prepared to die. They brought out their cedulas, tore them into pieces, and had a battle cry!
• The Katipunan was divided into two factions: Magdalo favoring Aguinaldo as the leader and Magdiwang favoring Bonifacio. Eventually, the Katipunan was replaced by another form of government headed by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo who was elected as the President in the election held at Tejeros Convention.
• Malolos Republic (First Philippine Republic)


  The First Philippine Republic, also known as the Malolos Republic was formed after the declaration of independence and the collapse of the Spanish rule over the Philippines. It was established with the proclamation of the Malolos Constitution which declared that sovereignty resides exclusively in the people, stated basic civil rights, separated the church and the state and called for the creation of an Assembly of Representatives to act as legislative body.