4HST

P h i l i p p i n e N a ti o n a l i s m a n d R e v o l u ti o n | 1

Absalon, Dannica November 22, 2016

Alfonso, Enrico

Balbalosa, Norly Jan

Berbon, John Nathaniel

4HST

THE FRIAR ESTATES OF THE PHILIPPINES- Dennis Morrow Roth, Albuquerque:

University of New Mexico Press, 1977, pp.197

I. Objectives of the Author

The Friar Estates of the Philippines, written by Dennis Morrow Roth mainly discusses about

the economic, religious and social aspects on how monastic orders were able to own, and use the

large parcel of lands in the Philippines under the Spanish regime. The motives of the author were

to explain how the situation characteristics of the later period could have been produced so that

we can see whether the inadequate sources support the idea that was produced. Dennis Roth used

a backward attack on explaining history without just differentiating the past from the present.

The Spanish era concerning the topic entails a laborious research because most documents

used were just patches of the whole topic. Most of the documents were land titles, official

concessions, documents which were likely preserved because of its importance in validating

against the claim of a private individual. No documents in the archives directly explain about the

descriptions of neither hacienda life nor pictures that can be used as proof or might be

interpreted. Dennis Roth aimed to fill these gaps by a process of ethnohistorical reasoning and
 4HST
P h i l i p p i n e N a ti o n a l i s m a n d R e v o l u ti o n | 2

some educated guess work. In order to make the readers understand of what friar estates are.

Dennis Roth shredded the topic into pieces and the first is to explain the wrong notion about the

Calamba Controversy and next is on how the friar estates played a role in the rise of the

Revolution of 1896 with the use of explaining a brief overview of Philippine Social History. He

also explained how the Spanish crown and its connection to the Philippines or “Royal Patronage”

because the distribution of lands was one way of the Spanish Crown to reward the conquerors

and colonizers of its empire which some of them sold or donated their lands to the monastic

orders. By the use of some examples and comparisons to global economic or agricultural events,

the author was able to narrate the missing gaps of the Friar Estates in the Philippines

OUTLINE OF THE OBJECTIVES OF THE AUTHOR:

 To discuss on how the Spanish monastic orders owned large parcel of lands and how they

lost them under the American conquest

 To be able to explain the history of the friar estates prior to the Philippine Revolution of

1896.

 To be able to explain the Early Labor System implemented by the Spanish Crown

 To be able to tackle the Revolt of 1745

 To be able to explain the ways on how friars populated their estates that added to the

institution of Labor

 To be able to summarize the ‘crises’ that affected modern peasantries; the crises in power

and authority, ecology and demography

 And to be able to make a conclusion about all the data set upon and make new knowledge

on what the Spanish friars and their estates became

 4HST
P h i l i p p i n e N a ti o n a l i s m a n d R e v o l u ti o n | 3

II. Summary of Contents

The “The Friar Estates of the Philippines” by Dennis Morrow Roth discusses the

different aspects of the hacienda system in the Philippines along with its economic history by

showing how the religious orders came to acquire those haciendas, what incentives did they use

to entice the natives to work on their haciendas, why was there was a shift in the hacienda labor

system during the mid-18th century, and how the downfall of hacienda’s economic profitability

soon led to the Philippine revolution.

The chapters which talk about the friar estates in the Philippines is divided into two parts

with the first half being dedicated to the its rise which then leads to the second half of the book

that details its fall. The former talks about how the rise of the friar estates in the Philippines was

due to the economic conditions prompted by the environment and the location of the colony as

well as the reduced manual labor promised by the religious orders who owned those estates. The

latter, meanwhile, talks about how the immense size of the hacienda was its downfall since

international trade forced it to become commercialized which made Filipino tenants think that

they were being confiscated of their possessions since they were not aware of the original land

grants which formed the estates.

III. Comparison with Similar Works of Other Authors

The Friar Estates of the Philippines when compared with Benito Legarda Jr’s “After the

Galleons” has differences when it comes to topics like how the seeds of revolution were fostered

in the Philippines. The former insists that both the tenants of the haciendas who thought they

were being evicted by the friars and the natives whose pueblos were seized by the friar estates

were the main reasons why nationalist consciousness was formed. Meanwhile the latter says that

it was the administrative unification and geographic consolidation of colonial Philippines that
 4HST
P h i l i p p i n e N a ti o n a l i s m a n d R e v o l u ti o n | 4

were the causes. Another example would be how the two books present their respective topics

that being how Dennis Morrow Roth has a more narrative approach to his topic whilst Benito

Legarda Jr. is more descriptive in his. Additionally, the former is more straight-to-the-point in

his discussion since he devotes only one chapter of his book for purposes of historical context

whilst the latter devotes a third of his though this could due to the scope of each author’s

respective topic.

However, both share a similar conclusion when talking about the mid-18th century in that

they both agree with that time period being the turning point in Philippines’ economic history.

They both agree that it was the period in which the Spain decided that their colony in the Far

East must have diversification of trade since the Philippines at that time was not producing

wealth even with the galleon trade still in effect.

The Economic History of the Philippines by Onofre Corpuz, naturally, has a wider and

larger scope than both After the Galleons and The Friar estates of the Philippines since it

discusses the Philippine economy from 1565-1940. While it does talk about the land grabbing

that made the haciendas infamous for Filipinos who lived in independent pueblos, it does not,

however, talk about how the friars acquired labor by giving peasants incentives to work on their

land. Furthermore, the Onofre Corpuz mentions that the profits the friars were getting from

trading their hacienda’s harvest was illegal as stated in the recopilacion whilst Dennis Morrow

Roth only discusses the land grabbing part that made the immense size of the haciendas

unacceptable.

IV. New Data Presented

 4HST
P h i l i p p i n e N a ti o n a l i s m a n d R e v o l u ti o n | 5

Roth, as what mentioned earlier, narrates his works straightforwardly. In this manner, the

data presented were interpreted as follows:

The Friar estates of the Philippines by Dennis Morrow Roth presented how the said

estates has become one the chief source of the rise and affected the fall of the agricultural

economy of the Philippines during the 18th century. Upon the purchase of the said lands through

public bidding, it was the Friars who did all the arrangements to be able to make the lands

suitable for planting cash crops such as corn, rice, sugar, tobacco, etc. Evidently, it was also the

Friars and their lands that caused the majors developments in agriculture and cultivation of

products. Providing irrigations to the land, cutting down the vast trees, and mowing overgrown

grass areas was done by the Friars. 10% profit coming from the lands that goes to the Friars were

used as a means to maintain and develop the very same estates which is why it is naive to doubt

that these priests used the money for their own benefit.

The friar estates also helped with the evolution of the Philippines’ economy from barter

economy to monetary. Allowing the tenants to pay in money when they could not pay in kind,

specifically agricultural products, the Friar estates paved way to the evolution from barter to

monetary economy.

Fianlly, this book’s primary contribution is that it presented the proof of the legitimacy of

ownership of the Friar estates in which many Filipino tenants questioned and became one of the

causes of revolts. The Calamba Controversy, specifically, has destroyed the reputation of the

Friars as a whole, not only the Dominicans, in the eyes of the Filipinos which is why many were

filled with doubt and paranoia that they were taken for granted and that it was not the Friars who

really should manage the lands. Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere also contributed to the rising doubt of
 4HST
P h i l i p p i n e N a ti o n a l i s m a n d R e v o l u ti o n | 6

the Filipinos, most especially the tenants of Calamba, implying to the readers that raising rents

was for the benefit of the Friars alone. If not from the estates of the Dominicans, many Filipinos

would not have their source of sustenance. In fact, the letter of Paciano to Jose Rizal proves that

the Friars were compassionate to the Filipinos, permitting them to lease the larger estate of sugar

lands in Calamba among other tenants. It was a saddening thought that the very Filipino

inquilinos who benefitted from the lands were the ones who questioned the Friars’ legitimacy.

After the case regarding the legitimacy of friars to the estates was heard, it was proven that the

Dominicans are legitimate in their ownership and the very fact that the tenants paid rent to the

Dominicans in the first place is an implicit ownership of the friars to the land.

V. Assessment of Objectives

The objectives of the author Dennis Roth were to show how the estates of the Spanish

religious orders that came to the Philippines came to existence, how was it administered

throughout the years of Spanish Colonial Rule in the country, and how it influenced the events

which led to rise of Filipino nationalist consciousness which ultimately led to the outbreak of the

Philippine Revolution of 1896. He also presented the historical context.

The friar estates surrounding the capital of Manila were the ones discussed since the sources

gathered by the author were only focused to it. Dennis Roth has obtained information especially

about the Dominican estates since most of his sources were from the Dominican-owned

University of Santo Tomas Archives in Manila and the Archivo de la Provincia de Santissimo

Rosario. The provincial archive contained a “Seccion de Haciendas” which contained 17

volumes about the Dominican Haciendas. The records also contained negotiations between the

Dominicans, the Papal Representatives, and the United States of America’s Taft Commission
 4HST
P h i l i p p i n e N a ti o n a l i s m a n d R e v o l u ti o n | 7

regarding the sale of the estates. Contrary to most historical plight, the archives possessed more

data for the 17th century up to the early 18th century since the records were contained in land titles

used for validating the Dominicans’ claim. The book also showed the different types of labor,

prices of rent, and the production of the estates. It also showed how the estates influenced the

social and economic conditions of the Filipino (the Tagalogs in particular) tenants.

The objectives of the author were met. The Introduction part of the book presented what a

hacienda is. Roth also presented similarities and differences between the haciendas of the

Spanish Philippine Colony and the Spanish Colonies in the Americas. He also showed other

scholars’ definition of a hacienda. The 1st Chapter specifically showed what events happened in

the Dominicans’ Calamba estate where the Rizals lived. The events then ultimately influenced

Jose Rizal’s protest novels. The 2nd Chapter presented a historical context which is of utmost

importance when it comes to understanding the conditions that traversed in the Philippine. The

3rd, 4th, and 5th chapter generally showed how the friars, in time, got their estates, how they

managed and administered their estates, and the “initiating condition” of it. The 6th chapter, like

the 1st chapter, showed a certain specific event, the revolt of 1745, which involved a hacienda

and a non-hacienda community. The last chapter was the author’s conclusion regarding the friar

estates in the Philippines.

VI. Assessment of Presentors

Taken as a whole, the book Friar Estates of the Philippines by Dennis Roth presented an

economic aspect which, in time, became the cause of the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution

of 1896. His published work focused on the economic implications which in turn influenced the

community in and around the friar estates surrounding the capital that is Manila.
 4HST
P h i l i p p i n e N a ti o n a l i s m a n d R e v o l u ti o n | 8

Dennis Roth also explained cohesively what the historical context surrounding the haciendas

is. His choice of topic, the friar estates, is more specific and detailed compared to a general

economic history of the Spanish Colony. His book thoroughly discussed what a hacienda is, how

it came to be, and how was it managed and administered. He also compared the Philippine

Colony and the colonies of Spain in the Americas.

The summation per chapter was a helpful tool for the readers to build constructively in their

minds what Roth was trying to narrate in his manner of chronology. Gradually, thoughts of the

readers regarding the chapters were enlightened because of the generalizations which lead to

better comprehension. The author also made use of a backward approach in discussing the friar

estates which is quite good for the reader to be able to be fully acquainted with the idea that Roth

is trying to imply in the book.

On the other hand, the book also contains a few flaws. First, the title is misleading simply

because the friar estates that are discussed is only the estates of the Dominicans order and also

goes against his stated objectives of discussing how all the monastic orders acquired land and

explaining the history of the friar estates in the Philippines although it is understandable since

most of his sources were from Dominican archives. Also, the estates tackled were the ones

surrounding the capital of Manila. Roth’s professionalism in his field was showed by admitting

that there were only limited sources available and that there are no documents in the archives that

solely describe the hacienda life.