1. Social StructureSocial Structure

2. Ministry of
the Colonies
King of Spain
Governor
General
Royal Audiencia
(highest judicial body)
Archbishop of
Manila
General
Segundo Cabo
Board of
Authorities
Corregidores (not
completely pacified)
Alcaldes en
ordinario
Cabeza de Barangay
or Cabeza del Barrio
Gobernadorcillo
or Capitan
Council of
Administration
Alcalde Mayor
(pacified areas)
Structure of the PhilippineStructure of the Philippine
GovernmentGovernment
Provincial
Government
(advisory bodies)
(adviser on military affairs)
(City Government or Ayuntamiento)
1. Alcaldia Mayor
2. Corregimientos
for barrios
for municipal government

3. the government which Spain set up in the Philippines was highly
centralized that the central or national government was so powerful that
almost nothing official could be done without its knowledge and consent
there were two branches of government, the executive and
judicial
there was no legislative branch because laws passed in Spain were
extended to the Philippines or simply the laws to govern the Philippines
were not made in the Philippines but in Spain
executive powers were exercised by the governor-general, while judicial
powers were exercised by the judges of the Royal Audiencia (Supreme
Court), by judges of the lower courts, and to a certain extent by the
governor-general – all these officials represented the central government
below the central government were the provincial, the
municipal, the barrio, and the city governments

4. The Municipal Government
below the provincial government was the municipal
government and each municipality or town was headed
by the gobernadorcillio (little governor), popularly
known as the capitan
the barrios or barangays of which each town was
composed were headed by a cabeza de barangay
The Provincial Government
the provinces in the Philippines in the Spanish
times were of two kinds – the civil provinces and
the military provinces
the civil provinces were headed by the alcade-mayor and the
military provinces were headed by army officers known as
corregidores

5. Alcalde -Alcalde -
mayormayor
the colonial chieftain and exercised both executive and
judicial powers including the power to collect taxes
exercised both executive and judicial powers, collected tributes from the
town and enjoyed the privilege of monopolizing commerce in the
province and engaged in usury
manipulated government funds as well as drew loans from the
obras pias, the friars' chest for "charities," to engage in nefarious
commerce and usury
described as a model of graft, corruption, and
inefficiency brought about by inexperienced men
being assigned to govern the provinces
had the privilege of engaging in trade to increase his income
(indulto de comercio) but abused his powers and committed graft

6. CorregidorCorregidor
esespolitico – military governors
in charge of the corregimientos or the territories that had not
been completely pacified
GobernadorciGobernadorci
llollotheir office was open to Filipinos
assisted by four deputies called tenientes, a
chief of police, and subordinate officials
called alguaciles
in the beginning, he was elected for a term of one year
by all the married men in each town but by the late 19th
century, he was elected by a board of electors
composed of outgoing gobernadorcillo and twelve
cabeza de barangay (barangay heads)
to qualify for the office of the gobernadorcillo, one had
to be a Filipino of at least 25 years of age and must know
how to read and write Spanish, and must have been a
teniente mayor or cabeza de barangay

7. Cabeza deCabeza de
barangaybarangay
each town had several villages or barangays placed
directly under the cabezas de barangay
was appointed by the gobernadorcillo from among the
former datus or gobernadorcillo’s relatives
his most important duty is to collect taxes from the barrio or
barangay inhabitants
the town and barangay officials had no salary and
their positions were honorary
they and their families however were exempted from
paying tributes and were considered as members pf the
principalia (leading citizens)

8. Composition of the FilipinoComposition of the Filipino
SocietySociety
Españoles
- españoles peninsulares
- españoles insulares
Mestizos / mestizas
- Chinese mestizos
- Spanish mestizos
Indios

9. EspaEspañolñol
eses
españoles peninsulares
españoles insulares
- born in the Spanish peninsula
- both parents are Spanish
- also known as the criollos or full–
blooded Spaniards born in the colonies

10. IndioIndio
(Masses / indios naturales)(Masses / indios naturales)
literally, Indians; the Spanish term for Filipinos or natives of the
Philippines without Spanish or Chinese ancestry
regarded as belonging to the “primitive” and “inferior races” and as
fit to be to be enslaved or subjugated and could not comprehend
more than the basic knowledge
MestizoMestizo
the offspring of Filipino and non-Filipino marriages;
includes those of Spanish-Filipino parentage and Chinese-
Filipino parentage
a Spanish term for racially mixed people
formed the first Filipino elite during the colonial period,
and today they continue to form an economically and
politically important minority

11. Chinese mestizo
(mestizos de sangley)
Spanish mestizo
(mestizos de español)
described as rich, active and intelligent and
comprised about 23 percent of the combined total
of indios and mestizos
when indios and mestizos intermarried, the old structure of
local government weakened and their rise was a major
challenge to the colonial state
they mixed with the local and Chinese population,
creating another mestizo population
earlier Spanish mestizos in the countryside were illicit
offspring of friars and were absorbed into Indio
communities
often referred to themselves as criollos, wanting to
claim pure Spanish blood and fearing descent on the
colonial social ladder

12. SocialSocial
ClassesClasses
Principalia
Masses

13. the highest class was
reserved for the
Spaniards
as members of the conquering race,
they were the administrators and
high government and church officials

14. MasseMasse
ss
consisted of the poor, such as laborers
and the peasants
enjoyed a few rights and no privileges
could not vote or be elected to a
public office
were kept to the status of serfs and even
the freemen became dispossessed

15. Principalia or the principales (principal ones)Principalia or the principales (principal ones)
had local wealth; high status and prestige; and certain privileges, such
as exemption from taxes, lesser roles in the parish church, and
appointment to local offices
larger and more influential than the preconquest nobility, and it created
and perpetuated an oligarchic system of local control
became responsible for collecting and remitting tributes and other
contributions to the encomendero and church, and in return, they and
their eldest sons were exempt from tribute and labor service and their
position allowed them to engage in various tactics to enrichment, such as
demanding excess payment and reviving debt slavery
referred to the prominent land-owning and propertied citizens who could read,
write, and speak English and enjoyed many social and political advantages
including the right to vote in elections and the right to hold public office
the descendants of the ancient datus and
maharlikas, the rich plantation owners, and the
local officials or ex-officials; the members of this
class comprised the town aristrocracy

16. iLLustradiLLustrad
ooin the 19th
century, thanks to the opening of the
Philippines to world trade and the effects of material
progress, a new social class – the illustrado, an enlightened
middle class – developed in the country
members of this social class formed the
town intelligentsia
they enjoyed economic security and high
social status
came from wealthy Filipino families that could afford to send
them to the limited number of secondary schools (colegios)
open to non-Spaniards
they included physicians, pharmacists, lawyers, teachers, writers,
businessmen, and educated property owners
among them were Jose Rizal, Emilio Jacinto,
Apolinario Mabini, etc. 

17. PicturePicture
ss

18. costume of a family belonging to Principalía
during the late 19th centuryThe Ilustrados: José Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar and Mariano Ponce.