The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803; 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, commericial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the beginning of the nineteenth century; [Vol. 1, no. 36]

I649-I666] CONDITION OF PHILIPPINES, I842

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occupy themselves rather in their affairs than in
those of the alcalde?" "The alcalde can always,
whenever he wishes, make trouble for the gobernadorcillo by making him go to the chief village
with innumerable pretexts, and by various other
methods which it would take a long time to enumerate, and which it is very easy to conceive. Besides,
it is important for the alcalde to keep the gobernadorcillo satisfied. Suppose now, that a road has
to be built, or a bamboo bridge, or any other work
for which the people of the village who have to do
it, according to their obligation called polos and
services, are summoned. As some of them are busy
in their fields or other business, they wish to be free
from such a burden, and they give the gobernadorcillo two or three reals and he excuses them on the
ground of sickness. A party of troops or a Spaniard
passes by and asks for some beast of burden, or an
aid in food. That is also an occasion for the gobernadorcillo to get even with those whom he dislikes
and obtain part of his demands; for some give him
presents in order that he may not give the beasts of
burden, while others do not receive the pay for that
food. During the days of tiangui or village fairs,
such and such a sum is exacted for each post in
the market place. In general there are some men
of service called bantayanes who are a kind of sentinel placed at the entrances of villages. Many of
them also pay to be excused from that burden when
their turn comes or when they are told that it comes.
In general he has ten or twelve men called honos,
manbaras, etc., given to him, who are exempt from
polos and services, and they serve the ayuntamiento
to send papers, conduct prisoners, etc., and the gober