Infrastructure built
Polo y servicio contributed to the construction of several churches and government projects in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period, such as:
Polo y servicio was the forced labor system without compensation [1] imposed upon the local population in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period. [2] In concept, it was similar to Repartimiento, a forced labor system used in the Spanish America. [3]
The word polo refers to community work, and the laborer was called polista. [4] The community activities that polistas have to perform may include cutting of trees for timber, and building Galleon trade ships, [5] churches, government buildings, roads, and bridges. [6]
Polo y servicio required males from 16 to 60 years old for a 40-day period per year. [4] The laborers could be placed on any community project, and anyone who refused to follow was fined and imprisoned. [7]
Polo y servicio was imposed to local indigenous male population in the Philippines since the late sixteenth century. [7]
In 1863, a strong earthquake struck Manila, and killed more than a thousand people and destroyed much of the city. [8] To support with the city reconstruction, a decree was promulgated to extend the polo y servicio, called prestación personal at that time, to Spanish and other foreigners in the Philippines. [7]
In 1867, the Spanish colonial government mandated male Chinese residing in the Philippines, between 18 and 60 years old, to render forced labor. [7] Similar to the local population, the Chinese laborers were tasked to build churches, government buildings, and roads. [9] Chinese who had the money preferred paying the falla of three pesos to be relieved from the forced labor system. [7]
Polo y servicio contributed to the construction of several churches and government projects in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period, such as:
For colonial Spain, the forced labor system was necessary to establish a reliable source of labor in the Philippines. [7] It was also a source for government revenue as males who want to avoid polo y servicio had to pay the falla, which was the equivalent of one and half reales per day. [14]
However, the system crippled the ability of the local male population to feed themselves and their families, which caused hunger. [4] In particular, the system affected the agricultural sector because of the lack of male farmers, which resulted in low harvests. [15]
Moreover, it led to injury and death of many men working in hazardous projects. [4]
Polo y servicio also resulted in numerous rebellions and movements against colonial Spain, such as: [15]
In Northern Samar, Agustin Sumuroy held a rebellion against polo y servicio on 1649.[ citation needed ] He rebelled against the sending of his fellowmen to the shipyards in Cavite, which is quite far from his hometown in Northern Samar. [16] A rebel government was successfully established in the mountains, however he was captured and executed in 1650. [17]
In Pampanga, Francisco Maniago rebelled in 1660 due to forced labor. [18] His fellowmen were made to work for eight months as timber cutters and were not paid. Maniago mutinied and set their campsite on fire. [19] As a result, he and Governor-General Sabiniano Manrique de Lara met to negotiate conditions to end the rebellion. [20]
In Bohol, Francisco Dagohoy, from 1744 to 1829, led the longest revolution against Spain in the Philippine history. [21] Polo y servicio is one of the reasons for Dagohoy's revolution. [22]
Governor-General Carlos Maria Dela Torre granted privileges to arsenal laborers in Fort San Felipe in Cavite, like exemption from paying tributes and rendering forced labor. [23] However, Rafael Izquierdo withdrew these privileges when he succeeded De La Torre and became governor-general. [24] Thus, the Cavite Mutiny sparked in 1872. [25]
The mutinity was immediately stopped but three Filipino priests, Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora—known as Gomburza—were implicated as the masterminds of the mutiny and executed. [26]
The Propaganda Movement was consisted of several prominent Filipinos, such as Jose Rizal, Graciano Lopez Jaena, Mariano Ponce, and Marcelo del Pilar. [27] [28] Established in 1880–1895, the propagandists started the formation of a nationalist ideology in the Philippines. [29] Among the aims of the movement was to abolish polo y servicio. [30]
Polo y servicio was abolished in 1898 after the Philippine revolution and the country's independence from Spain. [31]
Gomburza, alternatively stylized as GOMBURZA or GomBurZa, refers to three Filipino Catholic priests, Mariano Gómes, José Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, who were executed by a garrote on February 17, 1872, in Bagumbayan, Philippines by Spanish colonial authorities on charges of subversion arising from the 1872 Cavite mutiny. The name is a portmanteau of the priests' surnames.
Tagalog Republic is a term used to refer to two revolutionary governments involved in the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish Empire and the Philippine–American War. Both were connected to the Katipunan revolutionary movement.
Maribojoc, officially the Municipality of Maribojoc, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 22,178 people.
The Captaincy General of the Philippines was an administrative district of the Spanish Empire in Southeast Asia governed by a governor-general as a dependency of the Viceroyalty of New Spain based in Mexico City until Mexican independence when it was transferred directly to Madrid.
Francisco Dagohoy was a Filipino revolutionary who holds the distinction of having initiated the longest revolt in Philippine history, the Dagohoy Rebellion. This rebellion against the Spanish colonial government took place on the island of Bohol from 1744 to 1829, roughly 85 years. Francisco Dagohoy started the revolt at the age of 20.
During the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines (1565–1898), there were several revolts against the Spanish colonial government by indigenous Moro, Lumad, Indios, Chinese (Sangleys), and Insulares, often with the goal of re-establishing the rights and powers that had traditionally belonged to Lumad communities, Maginoo rajah, and Moro datus. Some revolts stemmed from land problems and this was largely the cause of the insurrections that transpired in the agricultural provinces of Batangas, Ilocos sur, Cavite, and Laguna. Natives also rebelled over unjust taxation and forced labor.
The Cavite mutiny was an uprising of Filipino military personnel of Fort San Felipe, the Spanish arsenal in Cavite, Philippine Islands on January 20, 1872. Around 200 locally recruited colonial troops and laborers rose up in the belief that it would elevate to a national uprising. The mutiny was unsuccessful, and government soldiers executed many of the participants and began to crack down on a burgeoning Philippines nationalist movement. Many scholars believed that the Cavite mutiny was the beginning of Filipino nationalism that would eventually lead to the Philippine Revolution.
Gregoria de Jesús y Álvarez, also known by her nickname Oriang, was the founder and vice-president of the women's chapter of the Katipunan of the Philippines. She was also the custodian of the documents and seal of the Katipunan. She married Andrés Bonifacio, the Supremo of the Katipunan and President of the Katagalugan Revolutionary Government. She played a major role in the Philippine Revolution. After the death of Bonifacio, she married Julio Nakpil, one of the generals of the revolution. She had one son from Andrés Bonifacio and five children from Julio Nakpil.
Rafael Gerónimo Cayetano Izquierdo y Gutiérrez was a Spanish military officer, politician, and statesman. He served as Governor-General of the Philippines from 4 April 1871 to 8 January 1873. He was famous for his use of "Iron Fist" type of government, contradicting the liberal government of his predecessor, Carlos María de la Torre y Navacerrada. He was the governor-general during the 1872 Cavite mutiny which led to execution of 41 of the mutineers, including the Gomburza priests. Izquierdo also acted as Governor of Puerto Rico from February to April 1862.
The Cry of Pugad Lawin was the beginning of the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish Empire.
The Spanish fortifications of the Philippines, or fuerzas, are strongholds constructed by Filipinos and Spaniards primarily for protection against local and foreign aggressors during the Spanish colonial period, and during the subsequent American and Japanese occupations. Structures built included fortresses, watchtowers, and bastions. Many are badly damaged, either due to old age or past conflicts. Currently, there are initiatives for restorations of all forts, beginning when the Baluarte Luna of La Union and the Intramuros of Manila were restored in the 2010s. In 2013, a typhoon and earthquake hit Central Visayas and damaged numerous Spanish fortifications, leading to the largest restoration activity for fortifications in Philippine history.
The history of the Philippines from 1565 to 1898 is known as the Spanish colonial period, during which the Philippine Islands were ruled as the Captaincy General of the Philippines within the Spanish East Indies, initially under the Viceroyalty of New Spain, based in Mexico City, until the independence of the Mexican Empire from Spain in 1821. This resulted in direct Spanish control during a period of governmental instability there. The Philippines was under direct royal governance from 1821 to 1898.
The Philippines–Vietnam relations refers to the bilateral relations of the Republic of the Philippines and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Since the end of the Cold War, relations between the two countries have warmed significantly. Vietnam is sometimes referred to as the only communist military ally of the Philippines. Both nations have cooperated in the fields of education, tourism, agriculture, aquaculture, trade, and defense. Additionally, both nations have similar positions on the South China Sea issue, with Vietnam backing the Philippine victory in the ICC against China, and the Philippines backing to a certain extent the claim of Vietnam in the Paracels. Both nations have overlapping claims in the Spratlys, but have never made military confrontations as both view each other as diplomatic allies and ASEAN brethren.
Maribojoc Church, also known as Santa Cruz Parish Church or Holy Cross Parish Church, is a Roman Catholic parish church in the municipality of Maribojoc, Bohol, Philippines, under the Diocese of Tagbilaran. The parish was first established by the Jesuits in 1767 or 1768 with Father Juan Soriano, SJ as its first parish priest. The Augustinian Recollects later administered the community until 1898.
The Fort of Saint Vincent Ferrer or commonly known as Punta Cruz Watchtower (Tagalog: Bantayan ng Punta Cruz) is a Spanish colonial era watchtower located at the western tip of the municipality of Maribojoc, Bohol, Philippines. Also known as Maribojoc Watchtower because of its geographical location, it is located three kilometers (1.9 mi) away from Maribojoc Church. It is known for being the "only perfect isosceles triangle" tower-fort structure in the Philippines.
The Andrés Bonifacio Monument, commonly known simply as Bonifacio Monument or Monumento, is a memorial monument in Caloocan, Philippines which was designed by National Artist Guillermo Tolentino to commemorate the Philippine revolutionary Andrés Bonifacio, the founder and Supremo of the Katipunan, who fought for independence from the politically and socially ruthless colonial rule by Spain.
A revolutionary government or provisional government has been declared a number of times in the Philippines, by various insurgent groups.
Francisco Maniago was a Filipino revolutionary leader who lived in the 17th century, during the Spanish colonization period in the Philippines. He led a revolt in Pampanga in 1660 against the bandala system, where the locals were forced to sell their agricultural products at low prices, and the polo y servicio system, a form of forced labor where the locals worked on any government project without payment.