Forced Labor and Filipino Tribute During the Spanish Period

During the Spanish regime, all Filipino men between the ages of 18 and 60 were required to give their free labor, called polo, to the government. This work was 40 days a year, reduced to 15 days in 1884. It took various forms, such as the construction of roads and bridges, the construction of public buildings and churches, the felling of wood in the forest, work in shipyards and the Spanish military service. expeditions The one who did forced labor was called a polo player.

Members of the principalia (people’s aristocracy) were exempt from polo. Wealthy Filipinos paid the falla, a sum of seven pesos, annually to be exempt from forced labor. Local officials (former and current governors, barangay heads, etc.) and schoolteachers were also exempt by law from polio due to their services to the state.

Obviously, only poor Filipinos who had no social or political standing in the community were forced into forced labor. This practice contributed greatly to the widespread Filipino aversion to physical labor, which has only recently been surpassed by attractive overseas wages.

The conditions for forced labor were (1) that it should be used only for necessary public works and construction intended to improve the community; (2) that workers should be paid in full for their work; (3) that mayors should consider the physical condition of each worker, that is, the weak should not be overworked; (4) that workers should not be sent to work in distant lands; (5) that the provision of the service must be scheduled in such a way that it does not interfere with the planting or harvest seasons.

However, all this was good only on paper; forced labor laws were often violated. The workers were rarely paid their wages. They were separated from their families forcing them to work in distant areas. They were not given food, as required by law; instead they had to provide their own food. Furthermore, they were shamefully overworked and thousands of Filipino workers died on the job sites as a result.

The Philippine tribute to colonial rule

In order to obtain enough money to pay for the administration of the country and the construction of churches, government buildings, roads and bridges, and improvements in transportation and communication, Filipinos were forced to pay a tribute called the tribute to the colonial government. The tribute was imposed as a token of Filipino loyalty to the King of Spain. Those who paid tribute were people over the age of sixteen and under the age of sixty. At first a tribute of eight reales was collected. The tribute increased in 1598 and a small part, called the sanctorum, went to the church. Due to the general opposition to the tribute and the abuses in its collection, the king abolished it in 1884. In its place the personal certificate was introduced, whose equivalent is the current certificate of residence.

In addition to tribute, Filipinos also paid other taxes. There were the property tithes, the donation from Zamboanga and the vintage. The property tithes was a tax that consisted of a tenth of the product of the land. The Zamboanga Donation, introduced in 1635, was taxed specifically used for the conquest of Jolo. The vinta was a tax paid by the inhabitants of the provinces along the coast of western Luzon to defend the area from the Muslim pirates common at that time, as can still be seen on the surviving stone towers (where they played the bells to warn the town when the Muslims arrived the pirates).