The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898; Volume 50: 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 50: 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
Another of the more important causes which occasion the said abuse
is, that since the Audiencia has no cognizance of the affairs of
the provinces in regard to their government, and as the governors
on account of their military profession (in which alone they have
been trained) have not the necessary knowledge of the laws and of
the "Ordinances of good government," or of municipal regulations,
it results that an upright governor does not come to a resolve about
anything, for fear of making some mistake; another, more resolute,
goes headlong into measures to which his associates persuade him;
and another governor, with interested motives, works for his own
advantage. As a general rule, all or most of the governors are
bewildered with the multitude of affairs which present themselves;
they do very little work, and in nothing do they act with less vigor
than in the government of the provinces; and enactments are made at the
pleasure of the governor's secretary, and occasionally of the assistant
judge [asesor]. Here these usually are venal and have little sense
of honor; and they attend only to such business as brings them gain,
and not that of their office, which yields them nothing. These serious
and notorious difficulties can be avoided only by separating from
the government the superintendency of the exchequer [64] which is the
department of business that is most neglected, and is most worthy of
attention--and establishing ordinances, which shall be enforced without
deviation, for the secure furtherance of the royal interests, and of
the administration of justice in the provinces, leaving the absolute
cognizance of the latter to the royal Audiencia, and of the former
to an intendant, and forbidding them to the governors, who have more
than enough field for action in military and purely political affairs
in which to display their zeal. Then they would devote themselves
to these important matters belonging to their profession, which are
those which have seemed to them to merit least attention and care,
because their application to other business produces them more gain.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account