Election results (Province of Iloilo, Philippines, 1855)

The ''gobernadorcillo'' (, literally "little governor") was a municipal judge or

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

during the Spanish colonial period, who carried out in a town the combined charges or responsibilities of leadership, economic, and judicial administration. The ''gobernadorcillo'' was the leader of a town or ''pueblo'' (people or population). In a coastal town, the ''gobernadorcillo'' functioned as a port captain. They were appointed through an exclusive nomination provided by the Spanish law. Their term of office lasted for two years. The position of a ''gobernadorcillo'' was honorary and mandatory in order to afford him those valid exemptions signified in the Philippine law. At the end of his biennial term he would enter and form part of the

principalía The ''principalía'' or noble class was the ruling and usually educated upper class in the ''pueblos'' of Spanish Philippines, comprising the ''gobernadorcillo'' (later called the c''apitán municipal'' and had functions similar to a town mayo ...

, and was entitled to enjoy the honors and preeminence inherent to this state. This "mayor", who was at the same time " justice of the peace" and port captain, was directly responsible to the governor of the province in the exercise of his office. In 1893, the

Maura Law Maura Law may refer to two different decrees named after Don Antonio Maura, the Spanish Minister of Colonies at the time. The first decree, The Royal Decree of May 19, 1893, was a law that laid the basic foundations for municipal government in the ...

was passed with the aim of making the municipal governments in the Philippine Islands more effective and autonomous. One of the changes that this law brought about was the reorganization of certain structures of town governments, among which was the designation of town head's title, that is, ''gobernadorcillo'', also as ''capitan municipal'', effective 1895."''Por «término municipal» se entenderá en Filipinas el formado por los pueblos en que haya Capitán ó Gobernadorcillo; por «Juez municipal» el de paz ó el Capitán ó Gobernadorcillo en los casos en que hagan las veces del último; por Fiscal municipal, en donde no lo haya, el Teniente de sementeras.''" Ministerio de Ultramar, ''Ley Hipotecaria para las Provincias de Ultramar'', Art. 413, 1°, Edicion Oficial, Madrid: 1893, Imprenta de la Viuda de M. Minuesa de los Rios, p. 150.

System of election

The ''gobernadocillo'' was elected from among the ranks of the principalía by twelve senior '' cabezas de barangay''. He was the '' primus inter pares'' of the ''cabezas'' of a confederation of barangays that made up a municipality. The electors had to choose two candidates who were to compose a list, called "''terna''". It was a requirement that the respective place of each nominee in the ''terna'' be indicated.

''The candidates must be able to speak, read, and write the
Castilian language In English, Castilian Spanish can mean the variety of Peninsular Spanish spoken in northern and central Spain, the standard form of Spanish, or Spanish from Spain in general. In Spanish, the term (Castilian) can either refer to the Spanish langu ...
. If anyone was elected who did not possess these qualifications, the election would be considered null and void.''

The same requirements were demanded in the election of officers of justice in the municipalities. The election of a ''gobernadorcillo'' was by ballot. It was authorized by a notary and presided over by the provincial chief. The priest of the town may be present if he wishes, to express what opinions he may consider fitting, but for no other purpose. The sealed envelopes containing the election results in provinces near Manila were sent to superior offices of the government in the capital. From the ''terna'', the governor-general appointed the gobernadorcillo, taking into consideration the report of the president of the election. In distant territories, the chief of each province appointed the nominee who got the highest vote.

Honors accorded to gobernadorcillos

Among the local leaders in the

Spanish Philippines Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

, the gobernadorcillos and Filipino officials of justice received the greatest consideration from the Spanish crown officials. The colonial officials were under obligation to show them the honor corresponding to their respective duties. They were allowed to be seated in the houses of the Spanish provincial governors, and in any other places. They were not to be left standing. It was not permitted for Spanish parish priests to treat these Filipino nobles with less consideration. Principalía of Leganes, Iloilo

On the day on which the gobernadorcillo would take on government duties, his town would hold a grand celebration. The festive banquet was offered in the municipal or city hall where he would occupy a seat, adorned by the coat of arms of Spain and with fanciful designs, if his social footing was of a respectable antiquity. On holy days the town officials would go to the church, together in one group. The principalía and '' "cuadrilleros"'', police patrol or assistance, formed two lines in front of the gobernadorcillo. They were preceded by a band playing the music as they processed towards the church, where the gobernadorcillo occupied a seat in precedence among those of the chiefs or ''cabezas de barangay'', who had benches of honor. After the mass, they would usually go to the parish rectory to pay their respects to the

parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

. Then, they would return to the

tribunal A tribunal, generally, is any person or institution with authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title. For example, an advocate who appears before a court with a single ...

(municipal hall or city hall) in the same order, and still accompanied by the band playing a loud double quick march called in Spanish a

paso doble Pasodoble ( Spanish: ''double step'') is a fast-paced Spanish military march used by infantry troops. Its speed allowed troops to give 120 steps per minute (double the average of a regular unit, hence its name). This military march gave rise ...

. The gobernadorcillo was always accompanied by an ''

alguacil Alguacil (in Spanish), aguazil or guazil (in Portuguese) is the title for a number of governmental office-holders. Origin The term ''alguacil'' is derived from the Arabic term (''wazir''), meaning Vizier. The first known use of the term dates b ...

'' or ''policia'' (police officer) whenever he went about the streets of his town.

Duties

The gobernadorcillos exercised command of the towns. They were port captains in coastal towns. Their office corresponded to that of the alcaldes and municipal judges of the peninsula. They simultaneously performed the functions of judges and even of notaries with defined powers. They also had the rights and powers to elect assistants and several lieutenants and ''alguaciles'', proportionate in number to the inhabitants of the town.

Responsibilities

* To give notice of ordinances for good government. * build public infrastractures in his town and other public works. * Collect some other taxes that are specified in their own credentials during their appointment in office. * Hear and judge civil cases up to the value of two taels of gold, or forty pesos. * They take action in criminal cases by collecting preliminary evidence, which they submit to the provincial chiefs. * Aid the parish priest in issues pertaining to worship and the observance of religious doctrine. * Oversee the collection of royal revenue.

Notes

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite book , editor1-last = BLAIR , editor1-first = Emma Helen , editor1-link = Emma Helen Blair , editor2-last = ROBERTSON , editor2-first = James Alexander , editor2-link = James Alexander Robertson , others = Historical introduction and additional notes by Edward Gaylord BOURNE; additional translations by Henry B. Lathrop , title = The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898 , url = http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15530 , volume = 17 of 55 (1609–1616) , year = 1904 , publisher =

Arthur H. Clark Company The Arthur H. Clark Company (founded 1902) is a major printer of publications related to the history of the Western United States. The company was named for its founder Arthur Henry Clark (1868-1951). He was born and raised in England and atten ...

, location = Cleveland, Ohio , oclc = 769945708 , isbn = 978-1426486869 , quote = Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century. , name-list-style = amp {{cite book , editor1-last = BLAIR , editor1-first = Emma Helen , editor1-link = Emma Helen Blair , editor2-last = ROBERTSON , editor2-first = James Alexander , editor2-link = James Alexander Robertson , others = Historical introduction and additional notes by Edward Gaylord BOURNE; additional translations by Robert W. Haight, Arthur B. Myrick, Helen E. Thomas and Alfonso de Salvio , title = The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898 , url = http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26004 , volume = 27 of 55 (1636–1637) , year = 1905 , publisher =

, location = Cleveland, Ohio , oclc = 769945240 , isbn = 978-0559408311 , quote = Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century. , name-list-style = amp {{cite encyclopedia , year = 1921 , title = Principalía , encyclopedia = Enciclopedia Universal Ilustrada Europeo-Americana , publisher = Espasa-Calpe, S.A. , location = Madrid , volume = XLVII Local politicians in the Philippines Positions of subnational authority People of Spanish colonial Philippines Filipino nobility Captaincy General of the Philippines Spanish words and phrases

System of election

Honors accorded to gobernadorcillos

Duties

Responsibilities

See also

Notes

References