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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 of trees for timber, and building Galleon trade ships,[5] churches, government buildings, roads, and bridges.[6]

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

History

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Polo y servicio was imposed to 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 extend the polo y servicio, called prestación personal at that time, to Spanish 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 to build churches, government buildings, and roads.[9] Chinese who had the money preferred paying the falla of three pesos to be relieved from the forced labor system.[7]

Infrastructure built

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Malagonlong Bridge

Polo y servicio contributed to 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 want to avoid polo y servicio had to pay the falla, which was the equivalent of one and half 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 Gomez, and Jose Burgos

Governor-General Carlos Maria Dela 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 and became governor-general.[24] Thus, the Cavite Mutiny sparked in 1872.[25]

The mutinity was immediately stopped but three Filipino priests, Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora—known as Gomburza—were implicated as the masterminds of the mutiny and executed.[26]

Propaganda Movement

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The Propaganda Movement was consisted of several prominent Filipinos, such as Jose 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 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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