FILIPINO SERVICES TO SPAIN

OVERVIEW
❖The FILIPINOS helped the Spaniards to remain and rule in the Philippines for more than
three centuries.
❖Why did Filipinos serve Spain?
❖How did Filipinos Serve Spain?
❖Filipinos as Farmers
Later, we will study why Filipinos serve the Spaniards
SUMMARY
✓The services of Filipino during the 300 years when we were only a colony of Spain taught
the Filipinos the values of endurance and service under hard masters. The time of the
Philippines under Spain was like the time of the Israelites as a slaves under Egypt.
Why Did the Filipinos Serve Spain?
➢The Filipinos served Spain instead of serving their own countrymen because of three
reasons:
1. The Filipinos were not united. They did not think of themselves as one nation. So the
Spaniards divided and conquered them. Spain played one tribe against another. For
Example, the Visayans were used to put down a revolt in the Tagalog region. The
Christian Filipino Muslims (Moros) and the pagan minorities.
2. The Filipinos were converted to the Roman Catholic religion. So the Filipinos were
taught to be loyal to the Spanish officials and priests who converted them and who
defended that religion. The Filipinos fought on the side of Catholic Spain against the
Muslims and the Protestant Dutch and British.
3. The Filipinos were offered rewards and honors by the Spanish rulers. The Spanish
flattered and took care of the loyal Filipinos. But they punished and killed the Filipinos
who disobeyed or revolted.
✓Loyal Filipinos were given positions in the local Government as “gobernadorcillos” (little
governors) and “cabeza de barangay” (barangay chiefs).
✓Master-of-Camp Francisco Laksamana received the highest military honor given by Spain
to a native.
✓In June 1662, he became the military commander of Fort Santiago for 24 hours (one day).
It was his rewards for putting down the third Chinese Revolt. (1662).

How did Filipinos Serve Spain

➢The Filipino services to Spain during the Spanish era included the following:
1. Filipinos provided food for the Spaniards.
2. Filipinos worked in industries owned by the Spaniards.
3. Filipinos fought on the side of Spain against Portugal.
4. Filipinos joint the military expeditions to Borneo and the Mollucas.
5. Filipinos fought on the side of Spain against the Dutch and British.
6. Filipinos joined the expedition to Indochina.
7. Filipinos joined the expedition to Taiwan.
8. Filipinos helped to colonize the Marianas, Palaus, and Caroline Islands.
9. Filipinos helped put down the Chinese revolts and to stop the invasion of Lim-Ah-Hong.
10. Christian Filipinos fought with Spain against the Filipino Muslims (Moros).

Filipinos as Farmers
✓It is not true that the Spaniards took away all the land from the Philippines.
✓Filipinos became the real farmers.
✓All the Spaniards- officials, priest, soldiers, and civilians- would have died of starvation
if the Filipinos had not provided them with food.
Filipinos in Industries
✓The Filipinos become good builders of ships for the Spaniards during the Spanish era.
✓They constructed many galleons used in the Manila-Acapulco trade, and numerous galleys
and frigates used by the Spaniards to fight their enemies.
✓This ships were made of wood because there were good forests for ships, timber in the
Philippines.
✓The Ship wards were located at Cavite, Albay, Camarines, Marinduque, Masbate, and
Mindoro.
✓The ships built by the Filipinos workers were of good quality.
➢Rajah Tupas was the last Rajah of Cebu in the
Pre-Hispanic Philippines. He was the son of Sri
Parang the Limp, and the nephew of Rajah
Humabon. He is known to have baptized on March
21 1568 at age of 70, placing his birthdate at
about 1947.
Filipinos in the Portuguese Wars.
✓The Portuguese attacked the early Spanish settlements in Cebu in 1568 and 1570. The
Portuguese attacks were led by their governor in the Moluccas, which was then a Portuguese
colony.
✓But Raha Tupas and his Cebuano warriors remained loyal to Legaspi and fought on the side
of Spain in these attacks. If they had not sided with the Spaniards, the Portuguese would
have won and made the Philippines a colony of Portugal.