_An act decreeing that the alguazils, as soon as they arrest
delinquents, shall give notice thereof to one of the auditors and to
the commissioners, who shall formulate their cases and bring them to
the office of the clerk of court._
In the city of Manila, on the third of April, one thousand five hundred
and ninety-nine, the president and auditors of the royal Audiencia
of the Philipinas Islands declared that, whereas it is continually
happening that the alguazils of this court arrest delinquents whose
cases the notaries and commissioners undertake, and, without giving
notice to the aforesaid president and auditors, or taking such cases
to the office of the present secretary, they allow them to remain in
their possession, and the said prisoners to remain in jail, without any
note or account of their imprisonment, whence result vexations to the
said prisoners, and the said alguazils and commissioners do not fulfil
the obligation which rests upon them: therefore, to find a remedy
for this and other annoyances which may result from it, they ordered,
and they did so order, that now and henceforth, as soon as the said
alguazils shall arrest any delinquent, they shall give notice thereof
to one of the above-mentioned persons, in order that he may take the
fitting action in regard to the said imprisonment. Any commissioner
who shall undertake the cause of said prisoner or prisoners shall
immediately take it to the office of the present clerk of court,
so that in this manner there may be the necessary system. Whatever
one or the other may do shall be despatched with all promptness and
punctuality, and no favor--under penalty of a fine of six pesos for
anyone who shall disobey this decree, to be given the poor in the
prison. By this act they so voted, ordered, and decreed.
_Don Francisco Tello_
_Doctor Antonio de Morga_
The licentiate _Tellez Almaçan_
Before me:
_Pedro Hurtado Desquibel_
_An act decreeing that the royal officials shall give Doctor Antonio
de Morga three hundred pesos from treasury fines, for ornaments and
other things necessary for the chapel._
In the city of Manila, on the tenth of May, one thousand five hundred
and ninety-nine, the president and auditors of the royal Audiencia
and Chancillería of the Philipinas Islands, being in session, declared
that, whereas the chapel of this royal Audiencia is in great want and
need of many things that are very necessary and indispensable, for
its vestments, decoration, and furniture; and whereas, through lack
of money, the said needs have not as yet been supplied: therefore,
to make provision for them, they ordered, and they did so order, that
the official judges of the royal exchequer of the king our sovereign,
in these islands, shall, from any treasury fines in their charge,
immediately give and deliver to Doctor Antonio de Morga, auditor
of this royal Audiencia, three hundred pesos of common gold, which
he shall expend in providing the said chapel with the things most
necessary for it, systematically and carefully. They ordered that he
be given a warrant for the said purpose, in due form. By this act,
they so voted, ordered, and decreed.
Before me:
_Pedro Hurtado Desquibel_
_An act decreeing that secretaries of this court and government may
be attended by slaves with swords._
In the city of Manila, on the thirteenth of May, one thousand
five hundred and ninety-nine, the president and auditors of the
royal Audiencia of the Philipinas Islands declared that, whereas,
in conformity with the decrees and ordinances given by his Majesty
for his royal Chancillería of Nueva España, residing in the City of
Mexico, and for other audiencias throughout the Yndias, he orders
that secretaries of the court and the government shall have, as a
retinue and guard, slaves with swords, conformably to the dignity
and gravity of their office: therefore, in order that the same be
done in this court, in regard to the secretaries of this court and
government, and in order to preserve the preeminence and exemptions
which they may and should enjoy here, they ordered, and they did so
order, that, now and henceforth, the said secretaries of this court
and government may freely bring into this court, as their retinue,
the said slaves with swords, according to the usual custom in the said
royal Chancillería of the City of Mexico, and other chancillerías of
the Yndias, without the interposition--by any person, of whatever
estate, quality, or rank--of any hindrance or impediment whatever,
under the penalties provided by law. Thus they voted, and ordered it
to be recorded as an act, and signed it in my presence.
_Pedro Hurtado Desquibel_
_An act decreeing that the Sangleys shall not be allowed to have
godchildren, on account of the injury which may result therefrom._
In the city of Manila, on the seventeenth of May, one thousand
five hundred and ninety-nine, the president and auditors of the
royal Chancillería of these Philipinas Islands, having examined the
information which was referred to this royal Audiencia by Estevan
de Marquina, alcalde-mayor of the village of Tondo and its presidio,
regarding the custom which the Christian Sangleys of that jurisdiction
have among themselves, of receiving and having a great number of
godchildren, both Christian and infidel, in order to have them
ready for any emergency that may arise, and to employ them as false
witnesses--to which they lend themselves with great facility, and at
little cost--and for other evil purposes and intents, exchanging with
them favors and assistance in their affairs; and whereas, on account
of these and other causes which have come to light, and as is quite
evident from the said information, that district is ruined and divided
into factions, and that it would be advisable, for its reform, to
suppress this custom of having godchildren, and that they should not
continue it, under severe penalties: therefore, they declared that
they ordered, and they did so order, that, now and henceforth, the
Sangleys of these islands shall in no manner have or avail themselves
of the said godchildren; nor use their names, nor those of any others,
in order to have them for their partisans or accomplices in any kind of
transaction which might occur, as they have been wont to do hitherto;
nor shall they regard them as such, or receive others in their place;
and they shall give up immediately all those that they had. The others
who are infidels shall do the same, so that there shall remain no
remembrance of the said intercourse--under penalty that any Sangley,
of any rank whatever, who shall be known to have continued it and to
have the said godchildren or godparents, shall be condemned to row
in the galleys for four years, in a place prescribed, without pay,
as soon as they are adjudged guilty thereof. The said alcalde-mayor
of Tondo and its presidio, and all other magistrates whatever, are
ordered to take especial care in the fulfilment and execution of this
act. They shall cause it to be published, in order that all persons
may know of it, and none plead ignorance--for which purpose an order
shall be given in due form, and this act inserted therein. Thus they
voted, ordered, and decreed.
Before me:
_Pedro Hurtado Desquibel_
_An act decreeing that the Christian Sangleys, and all those who
may become Christians in the future, shall practice and exercise the
occupations that they had before they became Christians._
In the city of Manila, on the seventeenth of May, one thousand five
hundred and ninety-nine, the president and auditors of the royal
Audiencia, Court, and Chancillería of the Philipinas Islands, having
examined this information which was remitted to this royal Audiencia
by Estevan de Marquina, alcalde-mayor of the village of Tondo and its
presidio, concerning the advisability and importance that the Christian
Sangleys living in the said village of Tondo, and in the other villages
of its jurisdiction, and those who become Christians in the future,
shall not abandon the occupations which they had before they became
Christians, as they have been accustomed to do, but shall continue
to exercise and practice them in the same manner as before--for,
by thus abandoning their occupations, that people are unoccupied
and slothful, and spend their time in games and vicious amusements,
whence result the harm and trouble which may be considered: they
declared that, in order to remedy that state of affairs, they ought
to order, and they did so order, that, now and henceforth, the said
Sangleys shall practice and exercise the occupations which they had
practiced and exercised before they became Christians, and shall,
under no consideration, abandon them--this being understood to apply
to those becoming Christians in the future, and to those who have
been Christians for six years previous to the present--under penalty
that whoever disobeys this decree shall be sentenced to row in the
galleys for four years, in a place prescribed, without pay, to which
they declared that they delivered them, and they did so deliver them,
immediately as condemned persons. They declared that they ordered,
and they did so order, the alcalde-mayor of Tondo and of the Parian,
and other magistrates of this city and of these islands, to take great
care in the execution and fulfilment of the aforesaid, under penalty
of being punished. Thus they voted, ordered, and decreed. They ordered
that the said magistrates, each in his own jurisdiction, should make
the necessary inquiries, in order to ascertain who are the Sangleys
that come under the provisions of this act, and the occupations which
they follow.
Before me:
_Pedro Hurtado Desquibel_
_An act decreeing that no alcaldes-mayor or other magistrates shall
leave their jurisdictions without undergoing residencia; and that
those who shall not have done so, or given a report of the convictions
and fines and tenths of gold which shall have been in their charge,
shall not be appointed._
In the city of Manila, on the fifteenth of June, one thousand five
hundred and ninety-nine, the president and auditors of the royal
Audiencia of the Philipinas Islands declared that they have been
informed that it is customary to appoint as alcaldes-mayor, and
to other offices of justice, some persons who have not undergone
residencia for offices that they have held before, or who have not
rendered account of the treasury fines and expenses of justice and
war which have been in their charge; also that other persons come to
this city after their terms of office have expired, without waiting
to furnish the said residencias, or being present at them, as is
required--whence it results that his Majesty's royal exchequer is
defrauded, since it does not have the income of the said fines and
tenths of gold. On the other hand, the said residencias not being
taken, as is required, nor the public claims before them paid to
their owners, and many other annoyances resulting, of some importance:
therefore, since it is advisable to remedy the aforesaid condition,
they ordered, and they did so order, now and henceforth, the decree
according to the laws of these realms, providing that no persons who
have held other offices be appointed to offices of the justiciary,
until they have furnished residencia of those that they previously
held, which shall have been examined and passed upon; and that such
persons shall have deposited, first and foremost, in his Majesty's
royal treasury, all the fines and condemnations which shall have
been in their charge, with tenths of gold and other things of which
they must give account, together with the payment of these and of
any other sums which they shall have been sentenced to pay in their
residencias. In order that they may furnish these, they must be present
in person, during the time prescribed by law, without leaving their
jurisdictions--being warned that if any person absent himself from
the jurisdiction where he holds office, without first furnishing
residencia, it will not be received or heard by the prosecutor, and
he will be compelled to return to furnish it in his own person. In
order that the provisions of this act may be strictly enforced,
they ordered that his Majesty's fiscal register the letters-patent
which shall have been given to the said offices of justice; so that
whatever is ordained by the said royal laws, and provided by this
act, he may claim when the officials shall be appointed, and the
necessary residencias be taken. Likewise there is to be delivered
to the government secretary of these islands a copy of this act, so
that in the patents of those who shall be appointed the fulfilment
of what is herein contained shall be formally inserted as a clause,
and his Majesty's said fiscal shall register the said patents. They
cannot continue to exercise their offices without first making the said
investigation, exactly observing the provisions of this said act; and
the accountant of the royal exchequer shall likewise register it; so
that whoever shall not have given an account of the said fines, tenths
of gold, and other matters which shall have been in his charge, shall
not take his office. By this act, they so voted, ordered, and decreed.
Before me:
_Pedro Hurtado Desquibel_
In the city of Manila, on the thirteenth of July, one thousand five
hundred and ninety-nine, I, Pedro Hurtado Desquibel, clerk of court
for the royal Audiencia, Chancillería, and Court of these Philipinas
Islands, certify and attest that, from the eighth of June, of the past
year, one thousand five hundred and ninety-eight, to the present day,
the date of this testimony, the president and auditors of this said
royal Audiencia, have from time to time agreed upon and enacted the
acts [4] which are herein copied, for good government, both officially
and at the petition of his Majesty's fiscal, as in them and each one
of them is declared. The copies are true and exact, and, in order
that it may be evident that it is by order of the aforesaid, I gave
the present copy--the witnesses to its transcription, correction, and
revision being Pedro Muñoz de Herrera, Joan de Harana, and Alonso de
Saavedra, citizens of this city. In witness of which, I have affixed
my seal in witness of the truth.
_Pedro Hurtado Desquibel_
[_Endorsed_: "Filipinas, 1599." "Acts for the good government of
those islands."]