Philippine Judiciary System History

Study Notes

Judiciary System during the Spanish Period

The Royal Audiencia (1583) served as the Supreme Court of the Philippines during the Spanish times, performing functions of executive and legislative nature.
Territorial Audiencias (1893) exercised appellate jurisdiction over criminal cases and were established in Cebu and Vigan.
Courts of First Instance (1886) had civil and criminal jurisdiction in the provinces.
Justice of Peace Courts (1885) were established in different towns.
Military and Naval Courts had jurisdiction over military offenses.
Ecclesiastical Courts had cognizance of canonical matters and ecclesiastical offenses.
Treasury and Commercial Courts were established to handle specific matters.

Evaluation of the Spanish Government in the Philippines

The Spanish government was defective as it was a government for Spaniards and not for the Filipinos.
Spanish officials were often inefficient and corrupt.
The union of church and state produced serious strife between ecclesiastical and civil authorities.
The Spanish rule, when viewed in the broader light of global colonization, was generally mild and humane.
It brought about the unification of the Filipino people.
It uplifted the Filipinos from the depth of primitive culture and paganism.

Government during the Spanish Period

Spain's title to the Philippines was based on the discovery of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 and the conquest of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi 45 years later.
The Philippines was ceded to the United States through the Treaty of Paris in 1898.

Spanish Colonial Government

The Philippines was indirectly governed by the King of Spain through Mexico from 1565 to 1821.
Mexico obtained her independence from Spain in 1821.
The Philippines was ruled directly from Spain from 1821 to 1898.
The Council of Indies was responsible for the administration of the Philippines until it was abolished in 1837.
The Council of Ministers performed legislative functions after 1837.
The Ministry of Ultramar exercised general powers of supervision over the Philippines from 1863.
The Spanish Cortes was the legislative body of Spain, and the Philippines was given representation from 1810 to 1813, 1820 to 1823, and 1836 to 1837.

Government in the Philippines

Unitary Towns (Pueblos) consolidated barangays and were headed by a gobernadorcillo (little governor/capitan).
Provinces consolidated towns and were headed by a governor who represented the Governor General.
Ayuntamiento/Cabildo was the city council.
Cities governed under Special Charters, such as Cebu (1565) and Manila (1571).

The Governor-General

The powers of the government were actually exercised by the Governor-General.
The Governor-General had executive, administrative, legislative, and judicial powers.
The Governor-General was also the Captain General, commander in chief of all armed forces, and the Vice-Royal Patron, exercising certain religious powers.
The Governor-General was assisted by the Board of Authorities and Council of Administration.
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi was the first Governor-General, serving from 1565 to 1571.

Description

Test your knowledge of the Philippine judiciary system during the Spanish era. Learn about the different courts and their jurisdictions, from the Royal Audiencia to the Courts of First Instance. How well do you know the history of the Philippine judiciary?