Was Spanish rule good or bad?

The Philippine colony was governed by Spaniards, by laws made in Spain, and for the

sole good of the mother country and its representatives in the colony. Filipinos held only

minor offices. They were not given the benefits of public education and their rights and

wishes were almost completely ignored. Such laws as did exist for their protection were

not enforced.

Benefits of Spanish rule should; however, be acknowledged. Spain brought its

language, its literature, its laws, and its religion to a Far Eastern country. Many of the

clergy tried to help the people in their social and economic development. They taught

many children to read and write in the local dialects, the better to teach them the

Christian religion. They introduced new crops, such as corn and cacao, and improved

sugar and coffee production. They taught many trades, including printing Manila had

printing presses before the end of the sixteenth century. They established higher

schools for the children of the wealthier caciques (a class which developed mostly as a

result of intermarriage between Spaniards and leading Malay families). The University

of Santo Tomas, in Manila, was founded as early as 1611—and 340 years later was

made into an internment camp for American civilians in the Philippines after the

Japanese occupation.

One of Spain’s greatest contributions to the development of the country was the one it

least wanted—the unification of the people under its control. The Filipinos were united,

first of all, through a common religion. But, more important, they were united by a

common hatred of the Spanish conqueror and all he stood for.

In spite of all the good they had done, even the Spanish religious orders began to

assume an excessive control over the people’s lives. This alienated many Filipinos and

brought the church orders into sharp conflict with Spanish officials who resented their

growing political power. Some of the church lands remain to this day as centers of

social unrest. The Aglipayan or Independent church of the Philippines, formed at the

time of the final revolution against Spain, was an added protest against the all-Spanish

nature of religious as well as political control.