The Nineteenth Century Philippine Economy, Society, and the Chinese Mestizos PDF

The Nineteenth Century Philippine Economy, Society and The Chinese Mestizos VOCABULARY CASH CROP- crops cultivated for exports. DECREE- an order issued by a legal authority; a policy pronouncement. GALLEON TRADE- from 1565-1815, this was the form of trade between the Philippines and Mexico...

The Nineteenth Century Philippine Economy, Society and The Chinese Mestizos VOCABULARY CASH CROP- crops cultivated for exports. DECREE- an order issued by a legal authority; a policy pronouncement. GALLEON TRADE- from 1565-1815, this was the form of trade between the Philippines and Mexico. The galleons would sail to Mexico loaded with goods and return to the Philippines carrying the payment in silver. VOCABULARY INSULARES- pure-blooded Spanish born in the Philippines. MESTIZO- a person with mixed ancestry- one parent is Chinese or Spanish and the other is native; an important section of population in nineteenth century Philippines. MERCHANT HOUSES- firms established in Manila and other cities by foreign traders. VOCABULARY PACTO DE RETROVENTA- an agreement that allowed a landowner to sell his/her land with a guarantee that he/she could buy the land back at the same price. PARIAN- Chinese enclave established in 1581 0utside the walls of Intramuros. The Chinese was forced to live in the Parian. PENINSULARES- pure-blooded Spanish born in Spain. VOCABULARY PRINCIPALIA- wealthy pure-blooded natives said to have descended from the kadatoan class. SANGLEY- a term that proliferated in the Spanish Philippines to refer to people of pure Chinese descent; came from the Hokkien word “seng-li” meaning business. SOCIAL STRATIFICATION- a way by which people in a society are categorized based on socio- economic as well as political standards. The Changing Landscape of Philippine Economy and Society Change, however, had its initial ripples in the previous century. By the late eighteenth century, the monarchy in Spain experienced a dynastic shift from the Habsburgs to Bourbons. With the goal of invigorating the profitability of the colonies like the Philippines, Bourbon policies and reform were carried out. The first governor- general to the Philippines under the Bourbon mandate was Jose de Basco y Vargas who arrived in the Philippines in 1778. As Spain sought ways to salvage the dwindling economy of the empire, the global wave of industrialization became a silver lining. As many imperial powers in Europe and the West were undergoing industrialization, an increased demand for raw materials presented an opportunity to look into the agricultural potential of the Philippines. Thus, it was viewed that the transformation of the economy towards being export-oriented, harnessing the agricultural products that could be yielded from the archipelago, was the way to go. Basco established the Royal Philippine Company in 1785 to finance agricultural projects and manage the new trade being established between the Philippines and Spain (and Europe) as well as other Asian markets. Resistance also came from various sectors like the Catholic Church that was not receptive of the labor realignments entailed by the planned reforms, and traders all throughout the Spanish colonial period. They influenced the changing economy in the nineteenth century by purchasing land, accumulating wealth and influence. Impact on Life in the Colony The economic developments, as mentioned, precipitated social, political, and cultural developments as well. An example of this is the new economy demanded a more literate population to address the rising need for a more professionalized workforce to man trading activities in Manila and other centers. This demand compelled the issuance of the colonial government order in 1836 that required all towns to set up primary schools to teach the population how to read and write. It eventually led to the passage of an education decree in 1863 that mandated free education. The nineteenth century gave birth to many schools that addressed the growing demand for more professionals. Ateneo Municipal was established during this time. The complex nature of the developing economy also allowed the government to intensify bureaucratization and to streamline colonial governance. Concerns raised due to the increased rate of internal migration 1. People flocked the centers of trade like Manila. - Overcrowding implied issues in living quarters, sanitation and public health, and increase in criminality. 2. The continuous movement of people made tax collection extra difficult. In order to mitigate these concerns, one measure implemented was the 1849 decree of Governor-General Narciso Claveria, Claveria that urged the people in the colony to adopt surnames. With the catalogo de apellidos drawn up, the colonial government assigned surnames to people and forbade them to change names. Another policy is the registration and possession of a cedula personal bearing one’s name and residence, the colonial government sought to have a better surveillance mechanism. Guardia civil are responsible to help carry out the policies. Renegotiating Social Stratification As the Spaniards lost economic power in the nineteenth century, they asserted dominance by virtue of their race. This issue brought complications with the rising principalia and mestizo populations who realized their indispensable position in society as movers and facilitators of the economy. The renegotiation continued throughout the century as the mestizos and the pricipalia elite eventually demanded social recognition that the pure-blooded Spaniards had consistently denied them. These wealthy mestizos and members of the principalia continued to amass economic and cultural capital. They availed themselves of the opportunity to obtain higher degrees of education not only in the Philippines but also in Europe. These activities augmented their relevance in society as it was from these ranks that articulations of nationalism would emerge.