The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 52, 1841-1898: 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 52, 1841-1898: 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
The places of cabezas de barangay must not be hereditary, but these
posts ought to be filled by the most wealthy. Among these people
aristocracy of money has great influence, but not that of family. In
the colony, there must be no noble blood except the Spanish. When the
Filipino or mestizo meets a Spaniard, the former shall be obliged to
stop (except at Manila) to salute him. If seated, he shall rise when
the Spaniard addresses him or passes in front of him. He who raises his
hand against a Spaniard, although it be to defend his own life, shall
incur the penalty of laboring on the public works all his life. If the
offense is verbal, the punishment shall be decreased in proportion to
the case. A Spaniard shall not give a seat in his house to a Filipino
or mestizo, much less sit at table with him. He who falls into this
fault of decorum, shall be punished the first two times by a fine,
and the third time he shall be exiled from the colony. No Spaniard,
under any consideration, shall be allowed to contract marriage with
any Filipino or mestizo woman. The Filipinos or mestizos who desire
to use a carriage or a saddle horse, shall have to obtain a permit
for which an annual tax shall be charged, so that those who sustain
this luxury may be very few. [Mas condemns the custom of giving
the title "Don" to gobernadorcillos and principales. Even almost
naked Tinguianes and Igorots are found with that title--which is
ridiculous. Let the Filipinos use their own native equivalents for
"Don" and "Doña." Also the natives should not be allowed to present
petitions which are disrespectful because of their ignorance of the
language, such as for instance calling the governor a robber.]
Government employes should be well paid, for in a country where
appearances count for so much as in the Philippines, it is not well to
live in a miserly manner. There are no Spanish grandees in the colony,
and but few of the merchants can afford to live luxuriously. Mere
living expenses are cheaper than in Spain, and one could if he
desired save more, but if the natives live better than the ruling
class, there will be a loss of prestige. Better salaries are paid in
the Philippines than in Spain, but this is necessary. The governor,
for instance, must really give some idea of the royal master whom
he is serving, and this can be done through a certain amount of
display. Each official ought to spend at least two-thirds of his pay.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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