Week 3

Spanish expedition to the Philippines

Magellan Expedition

- Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese, who served the Spanish royalty, headed five ships with 235 men in
search of spices.

- Magellan and his men reached Philippines on March 17, 1521.

- He tried to conquer Mactan in April 1521, but he was killed by Lapulapu, the chieftain of Mactan. He
was named the first Filipino hero after that incident.

- Only one ship, the Victoria, completed the voyage back to Spain in 1522 headed by Juan Sebastian del
Cano.

Significance of Magellan's Journey

- To the world

-> Established that the world is round

-> Circumnavigated of the world

- To the Philippines

-> The first mass was held

-> Locating the Philippine archipelago in European and World Map

-> Introduction of Christianity

Saavedra Expedition

- In 1527, another expedition of three ships and a crew of 115 men were sent to the Philippines under
the command of Alonzo de Saavedra Ceron.

- They reached Lanuza Bay, overlooking Surigao del Sur in February 1528.

- They reported to Spain that Northern Mindanao was rich in gold, coconuts and domestic fowls.
- They conducted blood-brotherhood ceremonies with the people of Mindanao. They also recognized
Sikatuna as their chief. Saavedra failed to return to Spain because he died on the high seas.

Villalobos Expedition

-Six ships and a crew of 370 men under the leadership of Ruy Lopez de Villalobos reached the eastern
coast of Mindanao early of 1543.

- They settled in Sarangani Island where his men plowed and planted corn.

- Because of the scarcity of food in Sarangani Island, the expedition left the Philippines.

- Villalobos Expedition's greatest contribution was the naming of Tandaya or Kandaya (Leyte) as Las Islas
de Filipinas in honor of King Philip II of Spain.

Legazpi Expedition

- The Legazpi expedition was composed of four ships with 350 men under the command of Miguel Lopez
de Legazpi and they reached Cebu in February 1565.

- He had blood compact with Sikatuna at Sigala in Bohol. In April 1565, Ciudad del Santisimo Nombre de
Jesus became the first Spanish town established in the Philippines after Santo Nino of Cebu was
discovered.

- In June 1571, Martin de Goiti, Legazpi's nephew, conquered Manila and defeated Rajah Soliman. When
Manila and Cebu were named as capital of the Spanish government, the name Philippines was applied in
the entire archipelago.

- The arrival of the ship San Geronimo in October 1566, Legazpi learned that King Philip II was satisfied
with the feedback about the Philippines and also the king's determination to access the Philippine
territory.

Political Institutions

- Philippine society was administered by the ministry of colonies.

- Spain delegated their Governor-General, empowered to perform the executive, legislative and judicial
functions

- The Alcalde-mayor (governor) in the provinces were appointed by the governor-general

- Alcalde Mayor had the power to execute function in the province. His primary role is to collect taxes,
maintain peace and order in the province, and administer over prison cells.

- Gobernadorcillo administered the municipality. He collected taxes and maintained peace and order in
the municipality or city.
- Cabeza de Barangay was the former datu, sultan or raja. They were appointed by the Spanish
authorities. They are respected by the natives and enjoyed the privilege as members of the middle class.
They do not receive salary, but they are exempted to pay tax.

Economic Policies

- Tax was a compulsory contribution in terms of money levied by the state to people and property

- It serves as the lifeblood of the government. The Filipinos from the early times paid community tax and
bandala. The payment of taxes made them not to improve their production because the bigger part of
their income goes to tax.

- Forced labor (polo y servicio) required all men aged 16-60 to render service to the government for 40
days in a year.

- The Filipinos were forced to work in the construction of bridges, roads, schools and schools and ship
yards. Many of them worked more than eight hours a day.

- Encomienda were referred to as vast tracks of land given to the favorites of the government in return
of loyal services rendered. The owners were called encomiendero.

- Spanish Influences: The government and economic policies introduced by Spain in the Philippines
greatly influenced the culture and values of the Filipino people.

- Religious influences: Catholicism, baptism, fiestas, Christmas, Sta. Cruzan and Semana Santa are
traditions associated with religion.

- Filipino Surnames: Filipinos were ordered to adopt the Spanish family names during the leadership of
Governor-General Narciso Claveria in November 11, 1849.

Colonization of the Philippines

Miguel Lopez de Legazpi (1502-1572)

He came from a noble family. He was a lawyer and a soldier. He worked as a councilor in his town. He
was a leader of the financial government and civil governor of Mexico.

He established the first colony in the Philippines in 1565.

Legazpi's Achievements

-Peace accord with local leaders through blood compacts

- Conquest and establishment of Cebu as the oldest Spanish City

- Conquest of Panay and other islands

- Founding of the city of Manila

Reasons for Colonization: 3Gs

GOD- the conversion of the natives to Christianity

GOLD - accumulation of gold and wealth

GLORY - supremacy of Spain over Portugal as a Superpower

The political context of colonization was the union of the church and State.

The Petronato Real de las Indias was a combination of laws and Jurisprudence that governed the
delicate relationship between the Catholic Church and Spanish Crown.

Obligations of Church and Civil Authority under the Petronato Real

The Church was in charge of the:

- evangelization of the natives

- recognizing the right of Spaniards to colonization

Spanish Civil Authority, on the other hand:

-Promotes and maintains social order

-Promotes, maintains and defends Catholic Religion

-Extracts tribute/stipend and finance cost of missionary work