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