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The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 44, 1700-1736: 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 44, 1700-1736: 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

are lacking the [native] overseer pays the superintendent of the work
at the rate of two reals a day for the failure of each man. To this
is added that the superintendent himself is wont to grant exemptions
of his own accord, with unjust benefit to some, to the great injury
of the main work, [the burden of] which falls on those who remain;
moreover, he usually establishes shops, and thus the fund which his
Majesty provides to aid these poor people by the purchase of some of
their commodities remains therein. His Majesty orders that the men
be called out and paid for one month; but many poor creatures do not
get away from the woodcutting in a month and a half, during which time
they are so overtaxed and harassed that they hardly have time to eat,
and of sleep they will have some three hours, as a result of their
labors on the account of his Majesty and outside his account. Such
is the sorrowful course of the experiences and the unjust acts which
they encounter in the woodcutting, [a labor] so carefully guarded
from these by his Majesty--whose royal and innate piety adorns his
crown with his clemency toward the poor, and with the justice of
the many laws which he has promulgated in their favor. In presenting
thus in general these transgressions of the laws, these crimes, and
these oppressions of the poor to your Lordship, as to their judge and
father, it is not our intention to blame all the head overseers of
the woodcutting; for some have been known who with Christian zeal,
the utmost assiduity, and entire disinterestedness have begun and
ended their terms of woodcutting with treating those poor people with
compassion and justice.

In these provinces near Manila there are a great number of Indians
whose mode of life may appropriately be compared to that of the gypsies
in España; for they go from one village to another accompanied by
some women, and, without labor, they travel, eat, and are clothed;
while they prove to be the authors of many murders, robberies, rapes,
and other iniquitous deeds. Of the same sort are a great many of the
slaves from Manila, who have fled from their masters and go about in
bands through various districts; they ravage and destroy fields and
farms; they lord it in the houses of the poor Indians; and there is
hardly an evil deed that their rash boldness will not perform.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

History

The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 44, 1700-1736: 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

are lacking the [native] overseer pays the superintendent of the work
at the rate of two reals a day for the failure of each man. To this
is added that the superintendent himself is wont to grant exemptions
of his own accord, with unjust benefit to some, to the great injury
of the main work, [the burden of] which falls on those who remain;
moreover, he usually establishes shops, and thus the fund which his
Majesty provides to aid these poor people by the purchase of some of
their commodities remains therein. His Majesty orders that the men
be called out and paid for one month; but many poor creatures do not
get away from the woodcutting in a month and a half, during which time
they are so overtaxed and harassed that they hardly have time to eat,
and of sleep they will have some three hours, as a result of their
labors on the account of his Majesty and outside his account. Such
is the sorrowful course of the experiences and the unjust acts which
they encounter in the woodcutting, [a labor] so carefully guarded
from these by his Majesty--whose royal and innate piety adorns his
crown with his clemency toward the poor, and with the justice of
the many laws which he has promulgated in their favor. In presenting
thus in general these transgressions of the laws, these crimes, and
these oppressions of the poor to your Lordship, as to their judge and
father, it is not our intention to blame all the head overseers of
the woodcutting; for some have been known who with Christian zeal,
the utmost assiduity, and entire disinterestedness have begun and
ended their terms of woodcutting with treating those poor people with
compassion and justice.

In these provinces near Manila there are a great number of Indians
whose mode of life may appropriately be compared to that of the gypsies
in España; for they go from one village to another accompanied by
some women, and, without labor, they travel, eat, and are clothed;
while they prove to be the authors of many murders, robberies, rapes,
and other iniquitous deeds. Of the same sort are a great many of the
slaves from Manila, who have fled from their masters and go about in
bands through various districts; they ravage and destroy fields and
farms; they lord it in the houses of the poor Indians; and there is
hardly an evil deed that their rash boldness will not perform.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

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