Introduction

The Philippine islands first came to the attention of Europeans

with the Spanish expedition around the world led by Portuguese
explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1521. Magellan landed on the
island of Cebu, claiming the lands for Spain and naming them
Islas de San Lazaro. He set up friendly relations with some of the
local chieftains and converted some of them to Roman
Catholicism. However, Magellan was killed by natives, led by a
local chief named Lapu-Lapu, who go up against foreign
domination.

Ferdinand Magellan

Over the next several decades, other Spanish expeditions were send off to
the islands. In 1543, RuyLópez de Villalobos led an expedition to the
islands and gave the name Las Islas Filipinas (after Philip II of Spain) to the
islands of Samar and Leyte. The name would later be given to the entire
archipelago.
RuyLópez de Villalobos

But the one who started the conquest is Miguel López de Legazpi’s
(b. 1502–d. 1572) conquest of Manila in 1571 ushered in a 327-year
epoch of Castilian rule in the Philippine Islands, but his actions also
created unintended historical by-products that made the undertaking
dissimilar to any other colony in the Spanish empire. Most notable
were that the archipelago was located in Asia, it consisted of many
islands inhabited by a variety of Malay and Austronesian peoples,
and Chinese cultural and economic influences, which had been
developing since at least the Tang dynasty, competed with
Castilian/Mexican. Manila became both a battleground and mixing
pot for Asian, Malay/Austronesian, and Iberian/Mexican peoples,
Miguel López de religious beliefs, political institutions, technologies, and cultivated
Legazpi crops and domesticated animals, to name but a few of the exchanges
that occurred over the three centuries of Spanish dominion. Before
the word “globalization” became a ubiquitous catchphrase in the
late 20th century, the Manila Galleon, Amoy, Malay, and Portuguese trade routes converged
on Manila, uniting Europe, the Americas, East/South/Southeast Asia, and Africa through
maritime commerce across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans in the late 16th century.
Discussion
The Galleon Trade
When the Spaniards came to the Philippines, our
ancestors were already tradingwith China, Japan,
Siam, India, Cambodia, Borneo and the Moluccas. The
Spanish government continued trade relations with
these countries, and the Manila became the center of
commerce in the East. The Spaniards closed the ports
of Manila to all countries except Mexico. Thus, the
Manila–Acapulco Trade, better known as the "Galleon
Trade" was born. The Galleon Trade was a
government monopoly. Only two galleons were used:
One sailed from Acapulco to Manila with some
500,000 pesos worth of goods, spending 120 days at sea; the other sailed from Manila
to Acapulco with some 250,000 pesos worth of goods spending 90 days at sea.
Encomienda System
In 1570 the encomienda was introduced in the Philippines when Legaspi, in compliance with
the decree issued by King Philip II in 1558, distributed lands in Cebu to loyal Spanish
subjects. These men had helped conquer the Philippines. The encomienda was not actually a
land grant but was a favor from the kind under which the Spaniard receiving his favor was
given the right to collect tributes–or taxes–from the inhabitants of the area assigned to him.
The man who received this favor was called an encomendero. The encomienda was,
therefore, a public office.
The encomenderos were required by law to perform the following duties:
#1. to give protection to the natives
#2. to help the missionaries convert the natives to Christianity
#3. to promote education
Unfortunately, many Spanish encomenderos committed abuses, such as:
Brutal treatment of the Filipinos
Collecting more tribute than that authorized by law
Forcing the people to work for them
Seizure of the people’s animals and crops without just compensation
Because of the abuses of encomenderos, much bad feeling resulted. First, peace and order,
which the colonizers and the early Spanish friars had established, was disturbed. Second, the
abuses led to a conflict between the friars and the encomenderos. The early friars observed
that the encomenderos neglected their duty of teaching the Christian faith to the Filipinos.
They saw that the encomenderos were only interested in enriching themselves instead.
The friars tried to protect the Filipinos from the greed and abuses of the encomenderos by;
#1. preaching from the pulpits against encomendero abuses
#2. writing letters and memorials to the King of Spain in which they reported the abuses of
the encomenderos
#3. refusing to absolve the encomenderos from their sins.
The Filipinos, seeing that the encomenderos were interested only in getting rich, grew lazy.
They reasoned that it was useless to work too hard for a living if the fruits of their work
would only go to the payment of excessive tributes to the encomenderos. This attitude was
encouraged by the friars who told them that the abandonment of their labors would free from
injustice.
There were three kinds of encomiendas:
#1. the Royal Encomiendas, belonging to the King
#2. the Ecclesiastical Encomiendas, belonging to the Church
#3. Private Encomiendas, belonging to private individuals
At first the natives paid eight reales as tribute. This amount was increased to ten reales in
1589 by order of King Philip II. Aside from the tribute expected from the royal encomiendas,
the king also received reales from each tribute each encomiendero received from his
encomienda. The total amount of the tributes intended for the king was kept as fund to pay
the expenses for the country’s defense. This fund was called the situado.
The size of an encomienda was determined in two ways:
#1. by the number of people living in it
#2. by the value of the land
The law limited the number of natives in an area and administered by an encomendero to not
more than 300, and the value of the land was limited to not more than P2,000. At first an
encomienda could be held for three generations (about ninety years). This was later reduced
to two generation. But because of the complaints from encomenderos, the king decided to
return the encomienda tenure to three generations in 1635.

Christianization

Magellan's arrival in Cebu represents the first attempt by Spain to convert Filipinos to Roman
Catholicism. The story goes that Magellan met with Chief Humabon of the island of Cebu,
who had an ill grandson. Magellan (or one of his men) was able to cure or help this young
boy, and in gratitude Chief Humabon allowed 800 of his followers to be 'baptized' Christian
in a mass baptism.
The Forced labor and Tributes of Filipinos during the Spanish Period

During the Spanish regime, all male Filipinos from 18 to 60 years of age were required to
give their free labor, called polo, to the government. This labor was for 40 days a year,
reduced to 15 days in 1884. It was in various forms, such as building roads and bridges,
constructing public buildings and churches, cutting timber in the forest, working in shipyards,
and serving the Spanish military expeditions. One who rendered forced labor was called a
polista.

The members of the principalia (town aristocracy) were exempt from the polo. Rich Filipinos
annually paid the falla, a sum amounting to seven pesos, in order to be exempt from forced
labor. The local officials (former and incumbent gobernadorcillos, cabezas de barangay, etc.)
and schoolteachers were also exempted by law from the polio because of their services to the
state.
References

http://www.philippine-history.org/galleon-trade.html

http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199766581/obo-
9780199766581-0164.xml

https://prezi.com/auung_9e5o_y/philippine-society-under-spanish-rule/

http://www.philippinecountry.com/philippine_history/spanish_colonization.html

http://www.seasite.niu.edu/crossroads/russell/christianity.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Forced-Labor-and-Tribute-of-the-Filipinos-During-Spanish-
Period&id=5620267