TEACHING SOCIAL SCIENCES IN ELEMENTARY GRADES

2 (PHILIPPINE HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT)

UNIT 2: THE SPANISH PERIOD

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
 Know and understand and analyze the aims of Spanish colonization of the
Philippines and the colonial government.

CONTENT:

THE SPANISH PERIOD

Aims of Spanish Colonization of the Philippines
There were four aims of the Spanish colonization in the Philippines:
1. To spread Christianity, as evidenced by the will and testament of Queen Isabella,
by the laws of the Indians, by the contributions of the missionaries and by Spain's
more than 300 years of colonial work;
2. To generate wealth to support the Spanish government, as evidenced by the
imposition of taxes, monopolized agricultural products, forced labor called polo y
servicio where males worked in the construction of roads, bridges, galleon and
churches;
3. To acquire territories, as evidenced in the Treaty of Tordesillas where lands going
to the west belong to Spain; and
4. Acquisition of spices which was very expensive at that time.

Magellan's Expedition in Search of the Spice Island

 Ferdinand Magellan (Magallanes) who was born in 1480 and died in 1521 was a
Portuguese maritime explorer who went to Spain in 1518 to offer his service to
King Charles I. He left Portugal for Spain because he was ignored by the King of
Portugal, Manuel I for his bravery and expertise in expeditions. The Spanish king
agreed to send an expedition to the Moluccas, then known as the Spice Island (or
the Indies or Indonesia), with Magellan as the commander-in-chief. The
expedition consisted of five (5) ships: flagship Trinidad, Concepcion, Victoria,
Santiago and San Antonio. Antonio Pigafetta, an Italian chronicler, went with
Magellan's voyage. The expedition left Spain on September 20, 1519 and sailed
southward across the Pacific Ocean. After two months of difficult sailings due to
hunger and hardship, the expedition reached Brazil, then to Rio de Janeiro in the
southern tip of South America. In this place, a mutiny occurred but the mutiny
was suppressed and the participants punished.

 From the tip of South America, the expedition reached the strait in the Pacific
Ocean which bears his name the Strait of Magellan. Then on March 1521, with
only three (3) ships remaining, the expedition reached the Ladrones Island
(Marianas Island), named by Magellan because one of Magellan's boats was stolen
by the natives. After they had rested in this island, the voyage continued until a
mountain was sighted in Samar on March 16, 1521 (but should be March 17 by
adding one day after crossing the International Dateline coming from America).
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2 (PHILIPPINE HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT)

This marked the coming of the Spaniards to the Philippines (rediscovery). On

March 17, Magellan and his 150 men went to Homonhon and after having rested,
proceeded to Limasawa which was ruled by Raja Kulambo. A blood compact was
held as a sign of friendship. Father Pedro de Valderama who went with Magellan's
expedition celebrated mass at Limasawa seashore on March 31, Easter Sunday
and it was the first mass celebrated in the Philippines.

 Then a large cross was planted on top of the hill overlooking the sea. Magellan
called this island Archipelago de San Lazaro because it was St. Lazarus's day
when Magellan found this island. However, in 1542, this island was named
“Philippines”by Ruz Lopez de Villalobos, a voyager, in honor of the Spanish Prince
Felipe who later became King Philip II of Spain. After staying a week in Limasawa,
Magellan proceeded to Ceby on April 8 and soon a blood compact between him
and King Humabon was made. On April 15, a mass was celebrated and a cross
was erected. Some 800 natives were christianized. King Humabon was christened
as “Carlos” (in honor of King Charles of Spain) and his wife “Juana” (in honor of
King Charles' mother). Magellan presented “Juana” an image of the Infant Jesus
(Sto. Nino), now the Patron Saint of Cebu.

The Battle of Mactan and Death of Magellan

 Raja Sula, one of the chieftains of the neighboring islands of Mactan (Maktan)
asked Magellan's help to defeat his rival, Rajah Lapu Lapu who refused to pay
tribute to Spain. In order to show his might, Magellan with some sixty (60) men
sailed to Mactan on April 27 (some authors say March 28). Lapu Lapu and his
men armed with spears and kampilan faced Magellan's men. In that battle,
Magellan was wounded in the leg and seeing him wounded. Lapu Lapu's men
killed him with their spears. With the death of Magellan, his men fled to their
ships and returned to Cebu. In one occasion, while attending a party tendered by
Raja Humabon, they were massacred by the Cebuano natives because some of
them robbed the natives and raped some Cebuanos.

The Return of Trinidad and Victoria

 On May 2, the remaining Spanish men left the Philippines with only 2 ships,
Trinidad and Victoria, with Concepcion being abandoned. On their way to the
Pacific Ocean, they reached Brunei. In Brunei, Rajah Siripada gave the Spaniards
26 tons of spices (cloves and cinnamon). Trinidad was captured by the Portuguese
soldiers but Victoria set sail via the Indian Ocean enroute home on December 21,
commanded by Juan Sebastian Elcano. On May 6, Victoria rounded Cape Good
Hope and Cape Verde but many of Elcano's men died of starvation and sickness.
On September 6, 1522, Elcano and his few men arrived in Spain (3 years after
they departed).
Other Spanish Expeditions
– Magellan's expedition was significant because it led to other Spanish expeditions to the
Philippines. These were the Loaysa expedition in 1526, Cabot expedition in 1530,
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2 (PHILIPPINE HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT)

Sayavedra expedition in 1528. The two famous and significant expeditions were the
Villalobos and Legazpi expeditions.
– In order to settle the question of ownership of the Moluccas Island, the monarchs of
Spain and Portugal agreed to draw an imaginary line of the Moluccas Island and lands
west of the line belong to Spain while those of the east belong to Portugal. Spain was
paid by Portugal in the sum of 350,000 gold ducats (US$800,000 today) to get the
Moluccas. Spain respected the provisions of the Treaty of Zaragoza for many years but
later violated it by sending Ruy Lopez de Villalobos to an expedition to Moluccas and
reached Mindanaw (Mindanao). It was here where Villalobos named the islands of Leyte
and Samar as Felipinas to honor King Philip of Spain. Thereafter, Villalobos sailed for
Moluccas but was captured by the Portuguese.
– Set free, he sailed for Mexico but died later in 1546. In 1556, King Philip II who
succeeded his father King Charles I, sent Miguel Lopez de Legazpi to head another
expedition. Father Andres de Urdaneta, a member of the Loaysa expedition, became the
pilot of the expedition. With four (4) ships and about 380 men, Legazpi sailed from
Mexico in 1564 and reached Cebu in 1565. With Panay at his home base, he decided to
spread Spanish rule to the other islands. At almost the same time, Juan de Salcedo
(Legazpi's younger grandson) and Martin de Goiti captured Manila (Maynila) which was
then a Muslim kingdom ruled by Raja Sulayman.
– After Legazpi took over Manila, he laid the foundation of a new city and made Manila,
the capital of the Philippines. King Philip II later called Manila as “Distinguised and Ever
Loyal City”. The Augustinians were the first missionaries to reach the Philippines led by
Father Andres de Urdaneta who was also a member and the pilot of Loaysa expedition. –
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi founded the first European settlement in Cebu in 1565. He
declared Manila as the capital of the Philippines in June 3, 1571. He became the first
governor-general of the Philippines. Diego delos Rios, on the other hand, was the last
governor-general (1889).
The Central Government
The head of the Spanish central government in the Philippines was the governor
general or captain general who was appointed by the King of Spain. The governor-
general was the King's official representative to the colony. He possessed vast executive,
legislative and judicial powers. There was no legislature or Congress because laws were
either made by the King of Spain through a Royal Decree or Order of the governor-
general through a superior decree.
The Audiencia
Judicial powers were exercised by the Audiencia (the highest court) and the lower
courts. The governor- general was the president or presiding officer of the Audiencia. The
Audiencia was established in 1854 with Santiago de Vera as the first president.
The Provincial Government
The provincial government was headed by alcalde mayor who was appointed by
the governor-general. His salary was meager but he was given the privilege to collect
tributes and engage in trade to increase his income. Because of abuses committed by
the provincial governor (alkalde mayor), the position was abolished in 1844.
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Municipal Government
Each municipality or town was headed by a gobernadorcillo (little governor). The
gobernadorcillo was assisted by four (4) tenientes, a chief of police and subordinate
officials called alguaciles. The gobernadorcillo was also called capitan municipal or
simply capitan. Today, he is called Mayor. In the beginning, the gobernadorcillo was
elected for one year by all married men in each town but in the late 19th century, he was
elected by a board of electors composed of the outgoing gobernadorcillo and twelve
cabeza de barangay heads. The parish priest and the alcalde mayor presided over the
election. The result of the election had to be approved by the parish priest and the
alcalde mayor. The winning candidate had to be sent to the governor general for final
approval. To qualify for the office of the gobernadorcillo, he must be Filipino, at least 25
years old, be able to read and write Spanish, and must be a teniente mayor or a cabeza
de barangay.

Summary of Spanish Colonization in the Philippines

The Spaniards ruled the Philippines for 300 years under these conditions,
continually harassed by Chinese pirates, by the Moros (Mohammedans from Mindanao
and Sulu), by the Dutch and the English who wanted to take possession of the Islands,
and finally by the frequent revolts on the part of the natives.
When European traders, in search for a new route to the Spice Islands, stumbled into
the Philippine archipelago in 1521, they found the people living in a comparatively high
state of civilization. The natives dwelt on houses made of bamboo and palm leaves, and
were properly attired at all times. They cultivated rice, which was their staple food,
fished the extensive waters around them, and brewed many kinds of drinks, which they
were very fond of. The women’s position in society was high; tribal laws and customs
recognized her equality with the men in many respects. The people practiced monogamy
in general. Codes of law governed their conduct. Punishments with varying degrees of
severity were meted out to culprits whose offenses were tried in public courts presided
over by the chiefs.
Several languages were spoken, then, as now, although there was one common
alphabet called babaying, which resembled the ancient alphabet of India. Spanish
historians, writing about the early Filipinos, affirmed that there was hardly a man or
woman who could not read and write. There was oral and written literature.
Such was the state of culture of the Filipinos when Ferdinand Magellan arrived in the
Philippines at the head of a Spanish expedition searching for the Spice Islands in 1521.
Magellan never completed the journey himself; he was killed in an encounter with
natives after having claimed the Philippines for Spain.
The actual work of colonization began in 1565, when Miguel Lopez de Legazpi
concluded treaties of friendship with the native chiefs. Then he proceeded to establish a
Spanish town on Cebu Island, to convert the people to Roman Catholicism.
Spain’s foremost aim in the Philippines was to spread their religion. For this purpose
thousands of Catholic missionaries belonging to various orders came to the Philippines.
The contribution of this mission work toward the advancement of education, culture,
and architecture in general was enormous, although in later years the friars came to be
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considered as the opponents of the enlightenment of the people. It was also at this point
when the Spanish missionaries tried to eliminate the ancient written literature of the
Filipinos. Because of the destruction of ancient writings, in their eagerness to erase the
previous cultural records of the Philippines, only the orally transmitted literature has
survived.
Starting on a clean slate, it can be said that the missionaries encouraged the growth
of literature, art, science, and industry. The religious orders established schools and
colleges, founded libraries and museums, and set up printing presses. They also built
hospitals, asylums, and orphanages to take care of the sick and needy (including the
unwanted babies sired by friars).
But Spain’s biggest legacy to the Philippines is Roman Catholism, which the people
embraced readily from the beginning. The missionary zeal to make the country an
outpost of the Catholicism in spite of the fact that (even with unsparing exploitation), the
Philippines was a financial liability as a colony. Whether this is true or not, historians
seem to agree that the cross, rather than the sword, conquered the Filipinos.
The colorful rituals and numerous holidays of the Catholic Church gave rise to many
folk traditions. The fiesta, or religious festival, for example, quickly became the chief
occasion for the folk to gather and perform songs and dances. Each town was assigned a
patron saint on whose birthday the festival was held. The folk have come to associate the
occasion with gay colors, brass bands, and general merrymaking. It was during these
feasts, too, that the peasants indulged in such pastimes as drinking palm wine and
cock-fighting.
With the rising influence of the Catholic Church in the Philippines, there began a
contention for power between the religious and civil authorities, which proved harmful to
the Filipinos. Each camp accused the other of oppressing the people. In the conflict, the
progress of the nation was retarded, because the Spaniards spent much time and energy
in quarreling among themselves instead of governing.
One chief source of abuse, the encomienda system, was not abolished until the end
of the 18th century. By this system, pieces of territory, with their inhabitants and
resources, were granted by the Spanish king to the colonizers as a reward for services to
the Crown. The encomenderos ruled like the feudal lords of Medieval Europe, and
exploited their territories to the limit. They abused, overtaxed, cheated, and practically
enslaved the Filipinos. The few priests who tried to defend the people were helpless, and
the elaborate laws framed to protect the subjects were openly flouted.
Even after the encomienda system was abolished, corrupt Spanish officials continued
to exploit the people, who still had to render forced labor and pay heavy tribute. The
feudal economy remained, with land concentrated in the hands of a few individuals and
the Church itself. Attempts at reform by sympathetic Spanish officials were quickly put
down by influential personages who had their own interests to protect. With the growth
of the country’s population, poverty was widespread among the masses; mendicancy,
unknown before the coming of the Spaniards was common. The beggar by the church
gate or the frequented street corner, and the blind mendicant begging from house to
house became familiar sights.
The Spaniards ruled the Philippines for 300 years under these conditions,
continually harassed by Chinese pirates, by the Moros (Mohammedans from Mindanao
 TEACHING SOCIAL SCIENCES IN ELEMENTARY GRADES
2 (PHILIPPINE HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT)

and Sulu), by the Dutch and the English who wanted to take possession of the Islands,
and finally by the frequent revolts on the part of the natives.

ASESSMENT:
1. Aims of the Spanish colonization in the Philippines?
2. The colonial government of the Spain.
3. What are the changes during the Spanish period.
4. Social, economic and cultural conditions during the Spanish Rule
5. The birth of Filipino Nationalism & Propaganda Movement (Name of the movement
and the leader)
ADDITIONAL TASK
The Philippine Under American & Japanese Rule

 The American government

 The American Influences
 The Commonwealth Government
 The Philippine under the Japanese Military
 The battle against Oppressors

Reference:
Ariola, Mariano M. Philippine History and Government. Manila. Purely Books Trading &
Publishing Corporation. 2012
https://history.knoji.com/the-spanish-era-in-the-