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
To command that the laws and decrees which order the Indians to be
taught the Spanish language, be observed; and that the father who
violates this, as they have done hitherto, be sent to España, which
it the greatest punishment; and without doubt they will have care in
the matter.
THIRTEENTH ABUSE
It is an abuse that all the curas oblige the dalagas (so are
the girls called) to go to the house of the fathers (the latter,
although contrary to law, call it "convent") to pound the rice. That
operation consists in removing the husks with certain mallets, by
dint of their labor. If this service and labor--which would have
to be done by their servants, or be paid for to the poor, in which
case the work would be proper, and of value to them--is neglected,
it is under penalty of lashes to the girl who does not render it. It
is a shameful thing that these women, all marriageable, have to do
so unsuitable and dangerous things, as daily experience affirms. [100]
They are also obliged to sweep the churches and clear the grass
away from the entrances, while in some places the fathers compel the
baguntaos (who are the unmarried men) each to carry them a stick of
wood every time they go to mass. In others they practice different
burdens and vexations, so that the result of these continual acts is,
that since these fathers do not content themselves with the generous
stipend which they receive from the king, nor with their so abundant
extra fees, they still burden the poor Indian in whatever way they
please, always conspiring so that he shall have nothing of his own,
not recognize or respect any other authority than their own. [101]
Remedy for this evil
To order, under penalty of expulsion, the fathers not to meddle
with the Indians except in their spiritual ministry; and that their
household duties be performed by servants, for which they have much
more than enough income.
FOURTEENTH ABUSE
Consequent upon this notion of theirs is this abuse, that when the
gobernadorcillos of the villages (these are the deputies of the
alcaldes) who exercise the royal jurisdiction, go to see the father,
they have to leave their staffs or rods of justice at the entrance;
for the fathers do not permit even tokens of the royal authority
in their presence. The fathers compel those officials to accompany
them quite to the sacristy, and, when they return to their house,
make them serve them at table, and never allow them to sit down or
to keep their hats on; and they address those officials by tu [i.e.,
"thou"] as they do servants. Let one estimate what they will do with
the other Indians.
Remedy for this evil
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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