Title:
THE 137TH YEAR
Date Created:
2021-06-25
Description:
Since the first 100 years of colonial management, the grassroots were still solely under supervision of Catholic missionaries by royal order. While the colony underwent political stress from internal and external causes, the religious strengthened their positions among the folk. In 1702 new auditors arrived with royal instructions to check on the tributary population. Licentiate Don Francisco Gueruela who had a royal appointment to the colony’s Audencia (court) conducted his visit to Camarines. It had 30,000 souls in villages administered by 16 priests. What worried the inspector is that more than P19,000 was going into local church coffers. The brave Gueruela revealed abuses committed on the indios and a list of reformatory measures ordered by his office. Many pertain to provisioning the friars. The edicts published during his visitation order that food supplies to the curas should be paid for by them; young girls (dalagas) should not pound rice to remove husk as their “repartamiento” [required labor] for the religious; food, wax [for illumination], candles should not be collected from the natives under any pretext of usage, custom or devotion; indios [men in this case] should not be domestics, cooks, fishers or act in any other personal employ for the religious without pay. The individual tribute given as the parish’s share was defined as no more than 3 reales yearly covering all church festivities [and rituals] and only 4 gantas of palay [toward support of masses for the dead]. If not having any arrears, an indio should not be expected to cut bamboo for frames [perhaps as festival decorations?] without pay.
Subjects:
Don Francisco Gueruela Camarines Abuses Reform Colonialism
Exhibition:
Philippine Food 200
Source:
Image is from 1903, describing Camarines
Type:
Image;Still Image
Format:
image/jpeg
Source
Preferred Citation:
"THE 137TH YEAR", Philippine Food History, Felice P. Sta. Maria
Reference Link:
felicepstamaria.net/items/coll254.html