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Polo y servicio

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Polo y servicio was the forced labor system without compensation[1] imposed upon the local population in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period.[2] In concept, it was similar to Repartimiento, a forced labor system used in the Spanish America.[3]

The word polo refers to community work, and the laborer was called polista.[4] The community activities that polistas have to perform may include cutting trees for timber, and building Galleon trade ships,[5] churches, government buildings, roads, and bridges.[6]

Polo y servicio was mandatory for males from 16 to 60 years old, for a 40-day period per year.[4] The laborers could be sent to any community project, and anyone who refused was fined and imprisoned.[7]

History

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Polo y servicio was imposed on the local indigenous male population in the Philippines since the late sixteenth century.[7]

In 1863, a strong earthquake struck Manila, and killed more than a thousand people and destroyed much of the city.[8] To support with the city reconstruction, a decree was promulgated to expand the polo y servicio, called prestación personal at that time, to Spaniards and other foreigners in the Philippines.[7]

In 1867, the Spanish colonial government mandated male Chinese residing in the Philippines between 18 and 60 years old, to render forced labor.[7] Similar to the local population, the Chinese laborers were tasked with working on churches, government buildings, and roads.[9] Chinese who had the money preferred paying the falla of 3 pesos to be exempted from forced labor.[7]

Infrastructure built

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Malagonlong Bridge

Polo y servicio was employed for the construction of several churches and government projects in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period, such as:

Impact

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For colonial Spain, the forced labor system was necessary to establish a reliable source of labor in the Philippines.[7] It was also a source for government revenue as males who evaded polo y servicio had to pay the falla, amounting to 1½ reales per day.[14]

However, the system crippled the ability of the local male population to feed themselves and their families, which caused hunger.[4] In particular, the system affected the agricultural sector because of the lack of male farmers, which resulted in low harvests.[15]

Moreover, it led to injury and death of many men working in hazardous projects.[4]

Polo y servicio also resulted in numerous rebellions and movements against colonial Spain, such as:[15]

Sumuroy Rebellion

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Sumuroy monument

In Northern Samar, Agustin Sumuroy held a rebellion against polo y servicio on 1649.[citation needed] He rebelled against the sending of his fellowmen to the shipyards in Cavite, which is quite far from his hometown in Northern Samar.[16] A rebel government was successfully established in the mountains, however he was captured and executed in 1650.[17]

Maniago Revolt

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In Pampanga, Francisco Maniago rebelled in 1660 due to forced labor.[18] His fellowmen were made to work for eight months as timber cutters and were not paid. Maniago mutinied and set their campsite on fire.[19] As a result, he and Governor-General Sabiniano Manrique de Lara met to negotiate conditions to end the rebellion.[20]

Dagohoy Revolution

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In Bohol, Francisco Dagohoy, from 1744 to 1829, led the longest revolution against Spain in the Philippine history.[21] Polo y servicio is one of the reasons for Dagohoy's revolution.[22]

Cavite Mutiny

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Left to right: Jacinto Zamora, Mariano Gómez, and José Burgos

Governor-General Carlos María de la Torre granted privileges to arsenal laborers in Fort San Felipe in Cavite, like exemption from paying tributes and rendering forced labor.[23] However, Rafael Izquierdo withdrew these privileges when he succeeded de la Torre.[24] This triggered the Cavite Mutiny in 1872.[25]

The mutiny was immediately suppressed, but three Filipino priests, Mariano Gómez, José Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora—collectively known as Gomburza—were implicated as the masterminds behind the mutiny and executed by garrote that same year.[26]

Propaganda Movement

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The Propaganda Movement was consisted of several prominent Filipinos, such as José Rizal, Graciano Lopez Jaena, Mariano Ponce, and Marcelo del Pilar.[27][28] Established in 1880–1895, the propagandists started the formation of a nationalist ideology in the Philippines.[29] Among the aims of the movement was to abolish polo y servicio.[30]

Abolition

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Polo y servicio was eventually abolished in 1898 after the Philippine revolution and the country's independence from Spain.[31]

References

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  1. ^ "The release of a documentary celebrates José Rizal's 160th birth-anniversary". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  2. ^ Ladrido, R. C. (2023-04-04). "Iloilo's Heritage Churches: Sweat, Blood, and Faith". VERA Files. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  3. ^ Newson, Linda A. (2009-04-16). Conquest and Pestilence in the Early Spanish Philippines. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-3272-8.
  4. ^ a b c d Rey, Maestro Valle (2020-11-04). "What Is Polo y Servicio? About The Spanish Term And Practice". PhilNews. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  5. ^ Romero, Segundo Eclar (2023-05-16). "Manila-Acapulco galleons built by unpaid labor". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  6. ^ Philippine History Module-based Learning I' 2002 Ed. Rex Bookstore, Inc. ISBN 978-971-23-3449-8.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Galang, Jely. ""Have Them Work Like the Indios": Chinese Polistas in the Nineteenth-Century Philippines". Philippine Association for Chinese Studies. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  8. ^ Martín, Susana María Ramírez (2006). El terremoto de Manila de 1863: medidas políticas y económicas (in Spanish). Editorial CSIC - CSIC Press. ISBN 978-84-00-08430-1.
  9. ^ "Vol. 10, No. 1, Jely A. Galang | CSEAS Journal, Southeast Asian Studies". 2021-04-22. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  10. ^ Navales, Reynaldo G. (2022-10-20). "Fund-raising run, bike ride set for Angeles City church repair". SunStar Publishing Inc. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  11. ^ Layug, Benjamin (2017-06-07). "There's more to shoot for in Pagsanjan | Benjamin Layug". BusinessMirror. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  12. ^ "History | Maribojoc Municipal Government". www.maribojoc.gov.ph. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  13. ^ Llemit, Kathleen A. "WATCH: Longest Spanish colonial bridge made of 100k adobe blocks still stands in Tayabas". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  14. ^ Agoncillo, Teodoro A. (1974). Introduction to Filipino History. Radiant Star Pub.
  15. ^ a b Manalili, Gil Angelo (2023). "MINIMUM WAGE LAW of 1951".
  16. ^ "Sumuroy killed Father Barberan marked start of Palapag rebellion June 1, 1649". The Kahimyang Project. 2012-05-31. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  17. ^ "Sumuroy". CulturEd: Philippine Cultural Education Online. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  18. ^ Inquirer, Philippine Daily (2018-10-07). "This Week's Milestones: Oct. 7-13, 2018". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  19. ^ Halili, M. c (2004). Philippine History. Rex Bookstore, Inc. ISBN 978-971-23-3934-9.
  20. ^ Mawson, Stephanie Joy (2023-07-15). Incomplete Conquests: The Limits of Spanish Empire in the Seventeenth-Century Philippines. Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-1-5017-7028-9.
  21. ^ "Bohol History". www.aenet.org. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  22. ^ Orde, Joen Rico M.; Publishing, Ukiyoto (2020-10-31). Collected Tales And Legends From The Philippines. Ukiyoto Publishing. ISBN 978-981-14-8708-8.
  23. ^ The Filipino Moving Onward 5' 2007 Ed. Rex Bookstore, Inc. ISBN 978-971-23-4154-0.
  24. ^ Philippine History Module-based Learning I' 2002 Ed. Rex Bookstore, Inc. ISBN 978-971-23-3449-8.
  25. ^ Baylon, Jose Bayani (2022-06-09). "Gomburza and history". malaya.com.ph. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  26. ^ The Filipino Moving Onward 5' 2007 Ed. Rex Bookstore, Inc. ISBN 978-971-23-4154-0.
  27. ^ Schumacher, John N. (1997). The Propaganda Movement, 1880-1895: The Creation of a Filipino Consciousness, the Making of the Revolution. Ateneo University Press. ISBN 978-971-550-209-2.
  28. ^ Philippine History Module-based Learning I' 2002 Ed. Rex Bookstore, Inc. ISBN 978-971-23-3449-8.
  29. ^ Ocampo, Ambeth R. (2022-06-03). "Propaganda: Good or bad?". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  30. ^ Philippine History Module-based Learning I' 2002 Ed. Rex Bookstore, Inc. ISBN 978-971-23-3449-8.
  31. ^ Mioten, Erika (2023-06-12). "Looking back on the Philippines' hard-fought independence". BusinessWorld Online. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
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