Principalía

This privileged upper class was exempted from forced labor during the colonial regime. It was the town’s aristocracy, which could be roughly comparable to the Patrician class of Ancient Rome or of the Italian city-states and towns, and other European territories during the Medieval and Renaissance Periods. The members of this class enjoyed exclusive privileges, e.g., only the "Principales" were exempted from paying tax, [ "The cabezas, their wives, and first-born sons enjoyed exemption from the payment of tribute to the Spanish Crown." "Cf". "Ibid"., Vol. XLII, p. 326.] allowed to vote, be elected to public office and be addressed by the title: Don or Doña. ["Cf". "Ibid"., Vol. XL, p. 218.] They were also given certain roles in the parish Church, e.g., assisting the Spanish parish priest in pastoral and worship activities. For most part, the social privileges of the "Principales" were freely acknowledged as befitting their greater social responsibilities. And these responsibilities were great. It was from their ranks that the elective municipal offices were filled- offices which carried more burdens than emoluments. The Gobernadorcillo that time, for example, received a very nominal salary and received no public funds for public services he was expected to maintain, like the post office, jail house, construction and repair services of public infrastructure and buildings. So, he has to be a man of means and wealth. ["Cf". H. de la Costa, S. J., "Reading in Philippine History", Manila 1973, pp. 182-183. Also "cf". Gregorio F. Elizalde, "Pageant of Philippine History", Vol. I, p. 294. Also "cf". Emma Helen Blair and James Alexander Robertson, "The Philippine Islands (1493-1898)", Cleveland: The A.H. Clark Company, 1903, Vol. XVII, p. 326.]

History and evolution

The system of indirect rule helped create in rural areas a Filipino upper class, referred to later as the "Principalía" or the "Principales". This group had local wealth, high status, privileges, and prestige. The "Principalía" was larger and more influential than the pre-conquest nobility. ["Cf". footnote n.3.] It created and perpetuated an oligarchic system of local control. ["Cf". Emma Helen Blair and James Alexander Robertson, "The Philippine Islands (1493-1898)", Cleveland: The A.H. Clark Company, 1903, Vol. XVII, p. 331; "Ibid"., Vol. XL, p. 218.]

In some provinces like, Iloilo, the ruling Spanish government encouraged foreign merchants to trade with the locals but they were not given certain privileges like ownership of land. From this contact and social intercourse between foreign merchants, e.g., Chinese, Indians, and especially with the Spanish colonizers, a new culture eventually came into being, i.e., the mestizo culture. The mestizo class was born from the intermarriages of the Spaniards and merchants with the Malayo-Polynesian natives especially with the rich and landed local nobles. ["Cf". also Encomienda; Hacienda; Iloilo.] Their descendants, especially the Spanish mestizos, emerged later as the more influential part of the ruling class or the "Principalía". ["Cf". "The Impact of" "Spanish Rule in the Philippines" in www.seasite.niu.edu. [http://www.seasite.niu.edu/TAGALOG/Tagalog_Homepage99/impacts_of_spanish_rule_in_the_p.htm] ]

Certain class symbols

s of this ruling class were usually embossed with silver and sometimes decorated with silver coins or pendants that hang around the rim of the headgear. [Alfredo R. Roces, et al., eds., "Ethnic Headgear" in "Filipino Heritage: the Making of a Nation", Philippines: Lahing Pilipino Publishing, Inc., 1977, Vol. IV, pp. 1106-1107.]

References

Cross References

* Regalado Trota Jose, "The Many Images of Christ" (particularly in the section: "Spain retains the old class system") in "Kasaysayan: The Story of the Filipino People", Jose S. Arcilla, ed, Philippines: Asia Publishing Company, Limited, 1998, Vol. III, pp. 178-179.
* Alfredo R. Roces, et al., eds., "The Ruling Class" in "Filipino Heritage: The Making of a Nation", Philippines: Lahing Pilipino Publishing, Inc., 1978, Vol. V, pp. 1155-1158.

ee also

* Gobernadorcillo
* Cabeza de Barangay
* Filipino mestizo
* Prince
* Datu

External links

*http://www.seasite.niu.edu/TAGALOG/Tagalog_Homepage99/impacts_of_spanish_rule_in_the_p.htm