Unification Under Spanish Rule

Prior to Spain's colonization of

the Philippines, the country was
a mere geographical expression.
It consisted of independent and
self-governing barangays,
peopled by diverse tribes. It
was Spain that gave the country
its identity (Zaide, 1994)
The country came to be known as Philippines
due to Spain's three centuries of colonial
administration.
With the use of the Cross, the natives were
pacified (Agoncillo & Guerrero, 1974). The
reduccion plan of Fr. Juan de Plasencia was
implemented, which required the natives to
live in the area near the church. Those who
refused to obey were labeled as bandits or
tulisanes.
As a result, Spanish encomenderos found it
easy to collect taxes from the natives. It
also transformed the Filipinos into law-
abiding citizens under the Spanish Crown.
Gradually, the independence of the barangay
was lost as a consequence of the relocation
of the natives under the influence of the
Church. With the imposition of Catholicism
and Spanish culture, the Filipinos were
transformed into little brown Spaniards.
Administrative Organization
Before the 19th century, the Philippines was
governed indirectly by the Spanish Crown
through the Consejo de las Indias or Council
of the Indies. However, the king of Spain
governed the country directly in the 19th
Century through the Ministerio de Ultramar
or Ministry of Colonies. The government was
unitary as policies implemented by the
colonial administration from Luzon to
Mindanao emanated from Imperial Manila, the
seat of the central governmentAdministrative
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