Political System during the Spanish Occupation

Reported by Group 2: Feliciano, Angelo, Barril, Tongoy, Soriano

1-SLP

Encomienda•“encomendar” - to commend or to commit

to one’s care

•Originally a feudal institution in Spain to reward deserving Spaniards.

•Was introduced by the Spanish Crown to attract others to settle in the colonies

Encomienda in the Philippines•It was an administrative unit for the purpose of exacting tribute from the natives and to use the personal services of the King’s vassals in the encomienda.

•It was looked upon by its beneficiaries as a pretense for slavery.

•It became the tool of oppression and depression of the by the encomenderos.

Encomendero

•Undertook ways to look after the well-being of his people

•Educated the people with Spanish norms of conduct

•Authorized to collect tribute from natives

•Recruited workers for Polo y Servicio

•Received about 1/4 of the tribute collected

Corregimientos vs Alcaldia-Mayor

CORREGIMIENTOS Not been completely

‘Pacified’ Corregidores Places resistant to the

Spanish rule

ALCALDE-MAYOR ‘pacified’ by the

Spanish government Alcalde-mayor• To collect tax• To enforce the law• Dispensed justice• Given the privilage

of INDULTO DE COMERCIO (the privilage to engage in trade)

Thomas de Comyn

• A Spanish social scientist• One of the authors of “The Former Philippines

Thru Foreign Eyes”• Described that the office of alcalde-mayor as:

Model of graft and corruption Inefficiency brought about inexperienced men

governing the provincesSome had little or no background at all to execute

their varied responsibilities

Organization of the Provinces

Alcaldia-Mayor

Pueblo

Barangay

barangay

Pueblo

barangay

gobernadorcillo

Cabeza de barangay

Gobernadorcillo• This position is open to Filipinos• This was first occupied by pre-colonial chieftains

and their descendants and later elected by an electoral board consisting of the outgoing gobernadorcillo and 12 members of the principalia

• Principalia- prominent land-owning and propertied citizens who could read, write and speak Spanish

Cabeza de Barangay

• They were the ones who collected tributes when the encomienda system was still imposed.

• An appointed office

The Governor General

• The king appoints the governor general• Acts as the chief executive, the commander-

in-chief of the military forces of the colony, the vice-royal patron

• His term usually lasts for 2 years and 10 months

• This office is often bought or granted as a favor

The Governor General as the vice-royal patron

• He has the power to – Recommend priests in parishes– Authority to intervene in controversies between

religious authorities– Reject or suspend the implementation of any royal

decree or law from Spain (known as the Cumplase power)

How do they check the gubernatorial power?

•AUDENCIA ROYAL• To act as the Supreme court of the colony also

served as advisory body to the governor and audited the expenditures of the government.

•RESIDENCIA• To conduct a trial of an outgoing governor

general and other Spanish officials for the purpose of punishing those guilty of corruption.

•VISITADOR-GENERAL• To check the behavior of the high officials in

the colony

•ARCHBISHOP AND CLERGY

• Who were appointed by the Pope upon the reccommendation of the king.

SUBORDINATE PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND INFLUENTIAL PRIVATE CITIZENS

TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION

• A situation in which a government imposes taxes on a particular group of its citizens, despite the citizens not consenting or having an actual representative deliver their views when the taxation decision was made.

• DIRECT taxes – personal tributes and income tax

• INDIRECT taxes – custom duties and bandalâ

• MONOPOLIES (rentas estancadas) of special crops and items – e.g. liquors, betel nut, tobacco, explosives, opium

Buwis (tribute) – may be paid in cash or kind, partly or whollyPalay or tobacco, chickens, textiles, wax and special regional

produce (depends on area of country)

o Samboangan/donativo de Zamboanga – one half of real (rice) that was collected

To crush the Moro raids and vinta to equip vintas to shield the coastal areas of Bulacan and Pampanga

Tax exemptions – descendants of Filipino chiefly class (conquistadores), laborers of the arsenal and artillery yard (Cavite), mediquillos (Filipinos who had medical experience but no title)

Bandalâ – assignments of annual quotas to each province for the compulsory sale of products to the government

Cedula personal (personal identity paper) – equivalent to the present residence tax; everyone, over 18 yrs. of age was required to pay

GAME!

• 4 x 4 BOARD• 3 questions per topic• 1 topic will have an extra question