The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 16 of 55 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 326 pages of information about The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 16 of 55.

The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 16 of 55 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 326 pages of information about The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 16 of 55.

The natives are free to move from one island to another, and from one province to another, and pay their tribute for that year in which they move and change their residence in the place to which they move; and to move from a Christian village that has instruction to another village possessing it.  But, on the other hand, they may not move from a place having instruction to one without it, nor in the same village from one barangay to another, nor from one faction to another.  In this respect, the necessary precautions are made by the government, and the necessary provisions by the Audiencia, so that this system may be kept, and so that all annoyances resulting from the moving of the settled natives of one place to another place may be avoided.

Neither are the natives allowed to go out of their villages for trade, except by permission of the governor, or of his alcaldes-mayor and justices, or even of the religious, who most often have been embarrassed by this, because of the instruction.  This is done so that the natives may not wander about aimlessly when there is no need of it, away from their homes and settlements.

Those natives who possess slaves pay their tributes for them if the slaves are saguiguilirs.  If the slaves are namamahays living outside their owners’ houses, they pay their own tributes, inasmuch as they possess their own houses and means of gain.

The Spaniards used to have slaves from these natives, whom they had bought from them, and others whom they obtained in certain expeditions during the conquest and pacification of the islands.  This was stopped by a brief of his Holiness [210] and by royal decrees.  Consequently, all of these slaves who were then in the possession of the Spanish, and who were natives of these islands, in whatever manner they had been acquired, were freed; and the Spaniards were forever prohibited from holding them as slaves, or from capturing them for any reason, or under pretext of war, or in any other manner.  The service rendered by these natives is in return for pay and daily wages.  The other slaves and captives that the Spaniards possess are Cafres and blacks brought by the Portuguese by way of India, and are held in slavery justifiably, in accordance with the provincial councils and the permissions of the prelates and justices of those districts.

The natives of these islands have also their personal services, which they are obliged to render—­in some parts more than in others—­to the Spaniards.  These are done in different ways, and are commonly called the polo. [211] For, where there are alcaldes-mayor and justices, they assign and distribute certain natives by the week for the service of their houses.  They pay these servants a moderate wage, which generally amounts to one-fourth real per day, and rice for their food.  The same is done by the religious for the mission, and for their monasteries and churches, and for their works, and for public works. [212]

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The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 16 of 55 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.