José Torralba Rios (1653-1726) was a

Spanish 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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

oidor An () was a judge of the Royal ''Audiencias'' and ''Chancillerías'', originally courts of Kingdom of Castile, which became the highest organs of justice within the Spanish Empire. The term comes , referring to the judge's obligation to listen ...

and licentiate who served as the 36th

Governor-General of the Philippines The governor-general of the Philippines (; ; ) was the title of the Executive (government), government executive during the colonial period of the Philippines, first by History of the Philippines (1521–1898), the Spanish in Mexico City and l ...

. He is the eighth

from the

Real Audiencia of Manila The Real Audiencia of Manila () was the Real Audiencia of the Spanish East Indies, which included modern-day Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Micronesia and the Philippines. Similar to Real Audiencias throughout the Spanish Empire, it was ...

Early life and career

Doctor José Torralba was born of Jose Torralba and Melchora de Rios in

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

Province of Granada Granada is a province of southern Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Albacete, Murcia, Almería, Jaén, Córdoba, Málaga, and the Mediterranean Sea (along the Costa Tropi ...

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on 3 April 1653. Prior to being governor, he served as senior auditor (

) of the

, who put him in charge of military affairs. One of the cases given to him was the ''residencia'' of Juan Antonio Pimentel, Governor of

Marianas The Mariana Islands ( ; ), also simply the Marianas, are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly Volcano#Dormant and reactivated, dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean ...

(1709-1720). On 22 March 1710, four ships headed by Capts.

Woodes Rogers Woodes Rogers ( – 15 July 1732) was an English sea captain, privateer and colonial administrator who served as the List of governors of the Bahamas, governor of the Bahamas from 1718 to 1721 and again from 1728 to 1732. He is remembered ...

and Edward Cooke landed in Umatac, Guam. The English were treated well by Governor Pimentel, and were able to be refreshed with food and other supplies, despite Joseph de Quiroga's (

Sergeant major Sergeant major is a senior Non-commissioned officer, non-commissioned Military rank, rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's ...

of Marianas) efforts to set up a war council in case the English did raze the island. Pimentel did not meet with the war council. In addition, the governor gave the English gifts. Beyond the knowledge of Pimentel, the English were

privateers A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

and one of their ships, the ''Batchelor'', was actually the captured

Manila galleon The Manila galleon (; ) refers to the Spain, Spanish trading Sailing ship, ships that linked the Philippines in the Spanish East Indies to Mexico (New Spain), across the Pacific Ocean. The ships made one or two round-trip voyages per year betwe ...

''Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación y Desengaño''. Pimentel explained to

Martín de Ursúa Martín de Ursúa y Arizmendi (; February 22, 1653 – February 4, 1715), Count of Lizárraga and of Castillo, was a Spanish conquistador in Central America during the late colonial period of New Spain. Born in Olóriz, Navarre,Jones 1998, ...

, that the Marianas cannot be defended due to lack of resources and personnel. Torralba, who arrived in

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

in 1711 for the investigation, was not convinced of this explanation, especially since there was a state of war between Spain and England at the time. The bonds Pimentel gained were forfeited, and he was deprived of his position as governor. Torralba sent him to Manila in chains. The verdict was handed down on 23 January 1712, and the

Real Audiencia A ''Real Audiencia'' (), or simply an ''Audiencia'' (), was an appellate court in Spain and its empire. The name of the institution literally translates as Royal Audience. The additional designation ''chancillería'' (or ''cancillería'', Catala ...

approved the decision on 24 July 1714. He was also charged with the ''residencia'' of the officers of the galleon ''Nuestra Señora del Rosario y San Vicente Ferrer'', which was shipwrecked in 1709 at

San Bernardino Strait The San Bernardino Strait () is a strait in the Philippines, connecting the Samar Sea with the Philippine Sea. It separates the Bicol Peninsula of Luzon from Samar (island), Samar of Visayas. History During an ill-fated expedition, only one ship ...

. However, since the treasure carried made it to land, the charges were dropped. On 4 February 1715, Governor Ursúa died in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

. Torralba succeeded him as

Administration of the Philippines

Moro raids continued during the Torralba administration, but the colonial government would take action after his term. In 1704, the Tournon affair stripped Torralba's predecessor as senior auditor, José Antonio Pavon, of his position. This sentence was reversed by

royal decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, royal figure, or other relevant authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislative laws, or customary l ...

on 15 April 1713. However, the decree arrived only during Torralba's administration. Due to various reasons, Torralba did not approve Pavon's reinstatement. Pavon sought refuge in an Augustinian convent. He had also forwarded proceedings against Gregorio Manuel de Villa (also an auditor), and two officers, namely Santos Perez Tagle and Luis Antonio de Tagle. Nevertheless, a royal decree on 18 August 1718 rendered Torralba's acts on these people null. With the arrival of the new governor,

Fernando Manuel de Bustillo Bustamante y Rueda Fernando Manuel de Bustillo Bustamante y Rueda (died 1719) served as the 37th Governor-General of the Captaincy General of the Philippines from 1717 until his assassination. Governor-General of the Philippines Usually called ''mariscal'' (marsh ...

, they were reinstated to their respective positions. In addition, Pimentel was restored to his position of governor and was allowed to return to Marianas. Upon assuming office on 9 August 1717, Bustamante discovered financial mismanagement during the Torralba administration. The investigation was tasked to Andres Fernandez de Arquiju and Esteban Hizguiño. Within six months, the government was able to recover 293,444 pesos for the treasury, which includes the ''situado'' worth 74,482 pesos. Meanwhile, the investigation showed that there was a deficit of 700,000 pesos, with which Torralba was held responsible. Almost all members of the Audiencia were arrested, Torralba included, with the restored Villa as the only auditor remaining in service. By 1719, the shortage of auditors were evident. This led Governor Bustamante to consider releasing Torralba and reinstate him as auditor. However, Archbishop Francisco de la Cuesta contested this move, excommunicating Torralba for his acts against the Church during his administration. Meanwhile, Torralba sent warrants of arrest against his enemies, forcing them to seek

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

. As this happened, the Church called upon the people to march to the palace, leading to the death of Bustamante on 11 October 1719. With the governor's demise, Torralba was made to respond for his ''residencia''. Thus, Torralba was investigated for his and Bustamante's administrations. Despite the problems confronted by the Torralba administration, his ''residencia'' revealed that there was good progress being done in the two years he was governor. Various public works were undertaken, resulting to the repair of warehouses, hospitals, and churches.

Intramuros Intramuros () is the historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila. Intramuros comprises a centuries-old hist ...

was restored and new bronze

cannons A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during t ...

were installed in the walls. He also attempted to boost the morale of the colonial troops by focusing on military reforms and promotions. However, military officers viewed his attempt as encroachment of their authority. In 1716, Torralba's financial account submitted to King

Philip V of Spain Philip V (; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was List of Spanish monarchs, King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724 and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign (45 years and 16 days) is the longest in the ...

noted that there was actually a surplus of 294,000 pesos, with a net gain of 38,554 pesos. This is conflicting with the reported deficit of 700,000 pesos. Nevertheless, the ''residencia'' of Torralba caused his imprisonment and payment of fines as decided by the

Council of the Indies A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

. The original fine of 20,000 pesos was increased to 100,000 pesos, forcing him to poverty until his death in 1726.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Torralba, José 17th-century Spanish judges Captains general of the Philippines People from New Spain 1726 deaths 1653 births People from Granada