The subjugation of the Filipinos by the Spaniards

Causes of the Subjugation of Filipinos

The military might of the Spaniards

• Spanish conquistadors were mostly experienced soldiers
• They were well armed with body armor and helmets

The Policy of Attraction

• One of the most effective strategies employed by the Spaniards
• Gained the support of local chiefs by excluding them from tributos and polo
• Concluded blood compacts with native rulers.
  • Blood compact between Magellan and Kulambo in Limasawa (1521) - first blood compact
  • Blood compact between Legazpi, Urrao of Samar, Si Katuna, and Si Gala of Bohol (1565)

Divide and Conquer Method

• An effective strategy for subjugating the natives
• Fragmented autonomous units called barangays
• Took advantage of the disunion of the Filipinos and made them fight each other

The Crucial role of Christianity

• The colonization of the Philippines is viewed as the conquest of the sword and the cross
  • The conversion to Christianity proved to be an effective colonization strategy
  • Converts became fanatics and blind followers
  • Blind obedience equated to salvation
  • The Filipinos began to practice a syncretic blend of religion that is presently referred to as folk Christianity. The friars allowed the natives to go on with some folk beliefs and practices like sacrificial offerings, use of incense, etc.

Disunion among Filipinos

• Native tribes were known to be at war with each other
• Stark differences were noticed between Islamized Mindanao and Sulu and the animistic Luzon and Visayas
• Language served as another barrier to the union of the Philippines
• National sentiment is non-existent

Filipino Hospitality

• Filipinos are naturally hospitable and friendly to outsiders
  • It is an indication of the familiarity of the other settlers in the country
  • It may also explain their quick acceptance of Catholicism

The reduccion and plaza complex

• Christianized natives were required to place their dwellings where they could hear the ring of the church bells (i.e., bajo de la campana)
  • The church is the center surrounded by the plaza
  • The center of all festivities and activities from birth to death, and beyond
• Remontados, cimarrones, ladrones, monteses, tulisanes - Those who refused to put up their houses in Spanish-controlled areas
• The plaza also became witness to injustices, oppression, and exploitation suffered by the Filipinos under the hands of colonizers

Instruments of Exploitation and Control

Encomienda System

• Encomienda - from the word encomendar, which means to entrust or to assign responsibility to a person.
  • A Spaniard was assigned to a particular territory with its inhabitants. His role is to collect tributo and utilize the people in church and government projects
  • Source of abuse and corruption
  • Natives become tulisanes after failing to pay
  • The Spaniards would often collect scarce currency, whether gold, money, or harvest to pay their tributo.

The imposition of taxes

• Three kinds of tax
  • Direct taxes - consists of the tributo and tax income
  • Indirect taxes - include the bandala and custom tax
  • Product taxes - fees covering products such as wine, tobacco, betel nut, firecrackers, and opium

The Polo y Services

• Native indios and mestizos were from 16 to 60 years old were forced to work for 40 days every year

  • 1884 - labor was reduced to 15 days
  • Polistas - workers in the construction of bridges, roads, churches and convents, boats, etc.

• The polo was also a source of corruption.

  • Officials will conscript excess workers to earn bigger wages for themselves.
  • The natives were also arbitrarily conscripted to serve in the military

The role of the traditional leader

• Native leaders were a key to keeping the Spanish rule stable in many parts of the Philippines
  • They assisted the Spaniards in assigning tributo, polo, and bandala
  • This helped them get to the side of the Spaniards, ultimately saving them from much of the forced labor and keeping their fortune for several generations

The Manila-Acapulco Trade

• The ship would sail to Acapulco de Juarez and the back to the Philippines

  • Another would also sail from Mexico to Manila and back

• A lucrative business that only benefitted the few, mostly the Spanish elite

• The natives, on the other hand, suffered through forced labor as sailors and rowers, and shipbuilders

• The Philippines became a transshipment

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