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
In order to attain this end, it becomes natural, as is necessary,
to adopt a system diametrically opposed to the first. The chief
object must be that it does not cause the shedding of blood, that the
relations of friendship and of trade with España are not interrupted,
that the European Spaniards living there do not lose their chattels
or landed property, and, especially, that our race there, the
Filipino-Spaniards, preserve their estates and their rights of
naturalization, and free from the unfortunate fate that threatens
them, and which is even inevitably expected for them, if the colony
separates by force and at this moment. It is needful to encourage
public instruction in all ways possible, permit newspapers subject
to a liberal censure, to establish in Manila a college of medicine,
surgery, and pharmacy: in order to break down the barriers that divide
the races, and amalgamate them all into one. For that purpose, the
Spaniards of the country, the Chinese mestizos, and the Filipinos
shall be admitted with perfect equality as cadets of the military
corps; the personal-service tax shall be abolished, or an equal and
general tax shall be imposed, to which all the Spaniards shall be
subject. This last plan appears to me more advisable, as the poll-tax
is already established, and it is not opportune to make a trial of
new taxes when it is a question of allowing the country to be governed
by itself. Since the annual tribute is unequal, the average shall be
taken and shall be fixed, consequently, at fifteen or sixteen reals
per whole tribute, or perhaps one peso fuerte annually from each
adult tributary person. This regulation will produce an increase in
the revenue of 200,000 or 300,000 pesos fuertes, and this sum shall
be set aside to give the impulse for the amalgamation of the races,
favoring crossed marriages by means of dowries granted to the single
women in the following manner. To a Chinese mestizo woman who marries
a Filipino shall be given 100 pesos; to a Filipino woman who marries
a Chinese mestizo, 100 pesos; to a Chinese mestizo woman who marries
a Spaniard, 1,000 pesos; to a Spanish woman who marries a Chinese
mestizo, 2,000 pesos; to a Filipino woman who marries a Spaniard,
2,000 pesos; to a Spanish woman who marries a Filipino chief, 3,000 or
4,000 pesos. Some mestizo and Filipino alcaldes-mayor of the provinces
shall be appointed. It shall be ordered that when a Filipino chief
goes to the house of a Spaniard, he shall seat himself as the latter's
equal. In a word, by these and other means, the idea that they and
the Castilians are two kinds of distinct races shall be erased from
the minds of the natives, and the families shall become related by
marriage in such manner that when free of the Castilian dominion
should any exalted Filipinos try to expel or enslave our race, they
would find it so interlaced with their own that their plan would be
practically impossible.
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.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account