Session 2: The Philippines Rizal Saw: Under Spanish Colonial Regime

The fifteenth and sixteenth century of world history is

considered as the “age of exploration.” It was during this time

that European countries employed explorers to search for

spices, raw materials, and lands around the world. One of the

most notable explorers during that time was Ferdinand

Magellan, a brilliant Portuguese explorer working for the King

of Spain. In his voyage to circumnavigate the earth, Magellan

and his crew reached in 1521 an archipelago in the western

part of the Pacific Ocean rich in natural resources. This

archipelago was later named as the Philippines. After being

entangled with tribal rivalries, Magellan died in a battle. When his surviving crew returned to Spain, the

King of Spain was made aware of the existence of the Philippines. Eager to acquire the territory, Spain

sent multiple expeditions to conquer the territory. It was only in 1565 during the Legazpi expedition when

the Spaniards successfully occupied the archipelago. With Legazpi’s success, Spain successfully and

officially made the entire Philippines its colony, which signaled the loss of freedom pre-colonial societies

once enjoyed.

Several institutional changes were

imposed by the Spaniards when they

officially started to occupy the Philippines.

Firstly, they forced the people who were

living in the barangays to transfer in a

designated area. This system of

resettlement was called reduccion. People

from different barangays were placed into

chosen areas. At the center of these areas was called poblacion, which serves as the major population

center of the area. It was here where the church and major government offices were located. Natives

who refused to follow this system were hunted down by the Spaniards. Secondly, the Spaniards collected

taxes from the natives. There were two commonly collected taxes during that time, the buwis and the

bandala. The buwis was a monthly tax that can be paid through cash or in kind. The bandala, on the

other hand, was the enforced confiscation of goods such as rice or coconut oil. Since a lot of people

cannot pay or did not find it justifiable to pay, violence was used by the Spaniards to force them to pay.
Those who cannot pay or could not pay were tortured or imprisoned. Some fled to the countryside only

to have their houses looted or burned down by the authorities to serve as punishment for the defiance.

Thirdly, men between the ages of sixteen and sixty except chieftains and their eldest sons were forced

to work for forty days each year. This system was called polo

y servicio. Drafted men or polistas were obligated to give

personal service to projects such as construction of

infrastructure, church construction, or cutting logs. In other

words, this was a forced labor system. Not only it resulted to

the sufferings of the laborers, it also led to hunger and poverty

in communities where men were taken from since the lack of men resulted to shortage of workforce in

the communities. Fourthly, the arrival of the Spaniards led to changes in the social standing of the people.

During pre-colonial times, there were only nobles, freemen, and dependents. When the Spaniards

arrived, they were now at the top, while the natives were at the bottom. At the top of the pyramid were

the “peninsulares.” They were full-blooded Spaniards who were born from Spain. The “insulares” were

also full-blooded Spaniards but they were born in the Philippines. Below the insulares were the “mestizos”

who were born from foreign and native parents. Below the mestizos were the descendants of the nobles

during the pre-colonial period who allied themselves with Spain. They were called the “principalias.”

Below them were the full-blooded natives or inhabitants of the archipelago. They were called “indios.”

They were formerly the freemen and the

Peninsulares dependents. They had no foreign descent

or prestige in society. The “sangleys” had

Insulares
the lowest standing in society under the

Spanish rule. They were composed of

Mestizos
Chinese citizens who instead of living in

Principalias China, went to Philippines to pursue their

trading activities. This hierarchy resulted to

Indios
racism, discrimination, and abuse of the

Sangleys Spaniards to those who were at the

bottom.

Aside from these institutional changes, another dominant change that was visible during the

Spanish occupation was the prominent role of the Church in ruling the archipelago. Some historians call

this as “frailocracy” or the rule of the friars or priests. Because the priests helped in the colonization
process, they were able to establish themselves as political figures in the country. They have massive

influence in every aspect of society and ruled supreme in governmental matters during the Spanish

regime. As servants of God, people were afraid to oppose them even if they were already abusing their

power. These priests were also able to accumulate economic wealth and power through the vast lands

granted to them by the King of Spain. According to Marcelo H. del Pilar:

“...The friars control all the fundamental forces of society in the Philippines. They control the
educational system, for they own the University of Santo Tomas, and are the local inspectors
of every primary school. They control the minds of the people because in a dominantly
Catholic country, the parish rectors can utilize the pulpit and confessionals to publicly or
secretly influence the people; they control all the municipal and local authorities and the
medium of communication; and they execute all the orders of the central government...”

References:

Agoncillo, T.A. (1990). History of the Filipino People (8th ed.). Quezon City: Garo Tech Books Inc.
Constantino, R. (1975). The Philippines: A Past Revisited (Pre-Spanish – 1941). Volume I. Manila:
Twentieth Printing.