The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 20 of 55: 1621-1624; Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century.
History
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 20 of 55: 1621-1624; Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century.
Demarcation line of Alexander VI; Missions -- Philippines; Philippines -- Discovery and exploration; Philippines -- History -- Sources
Secondly, that the government of this country has more need of a man
who is a servant of God, of mature age and prudence, rather than simply
a soldier; if there should not be readily found, a man thoroughly
qualified for the warfare of this country, the least influential
citizens here understand it. There are some men of great courage,
and thus when the Audiencia was governing, it has had excellent
successes. Consequently, such a man would cost your Majesty two-thirds
less than the governor costs you. It is certain, and I consider it
assured, that all the mishaps that the affairs of this country have
experienced--both in this land, and in the fleets and succors that
your Majesty has tried to send to it from those regions--have happened
because of the multitude of offenses to God that have been committed
here in other times and are even now being committed; and that all
are derived from the disorderly lives of the governors.
Thirdly, that great damages result because of the division of
jurisdiction between the Audiencia and captain-general. For the
Audiencia tries civil cases of the soldiers and the general the
criminal; but with authority as captain-general, as he is governor
and president, he extends that jurisdiction as far as he pleases. He
interprets the decrees that your Majesty has issued for this purpose,
[to apply] even to the citizens of Manila; and when the infantry
leave this city and the citizens are stationed as guards, they are
made to assume the condition of the other soldiers. The Audiencia is
left without any jurisdiction, while the captain-general gets it all,
notwithstanding the many offenses to God which are committed--for many
wicked men are protected by the war at this time, and in a few days go
out to commit greater crimes. Since the Audiencia tries civil causes
of the soldiers with the plenary jurisdiction that it enjoys over
the citizens (and the soldiers are citizens), on the other hand it
appears most fitting that it try cases of the soldiers like those of
the citizens; and that, as appeal is made from the ordinary judges,
appeal be made to the Audiencia by the soldiers in cases civil and
criminal--at least while the soldiers are not actually fighting,
or in pursuit of the enemy. For, besides the service to God and to
your Majesty that will result from such a course, the Audiencia,
when there is one, will be respected; and the soldiers will not be so
disregardful of what their captain-general says to them in times of
peace, even though the latter be one who razes a convent to the ground.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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