He ordered Don Francisco Javier Salgado to investigate the extortions and losses caused in the villages of Tondo and Cavite by the militia of Laguna and Tayabas who were assigned to oppose the English, because the leaders of such militia could not make them observe the due subordination. But no injured one presented himself, and accordingly he says that there is no one against whom to proceed, in spite of the fact that the order was published by edict.
He published an edict in regard to weights and measures, in order that they might not be made less or clipped.
He forbade the seculars who had fled to the provinces to obey the summons of the archbishop that they return to Manila.
He ordered the Indians not to go out of their villages without a passport from the gobernadorcillo to villages within the province; and from the governing Audiencia to Manila and its environs, so that they might not carry provisions to Manila.
That order not being sufficient, he issued other edicts making the prohibition more strict especially against the Spaniards.
Having seen that the four churches that were under the cannon of the fort of Manila had been used by the English as fortifications, who committed all manner of profanations, he ordered the necessary arrangements to be made in the villages to burn them, if the enemy attacked.[4] That order poorly understood, exposed the church of Viñan[5] to being unnecessarily burned, but it was saved by order of Anda. He also censured the first provision which he had to revoke.
He prosecuted and punished several spies sent by the English to ascertain what Anda and the loyal troops were doing.
He permitted free trade among the provinces, so that they might have food in abundance. He ordered that all the lands of Pampanga be planted, so far as possible, with rice, sugarcane, etc., and that land in the village of San Ysidro be given to the Tagálogs who had fled from Manila.
He arranged that the food for the provision of the warehouses be bought by the parish priests, and that they be paid in cash instead of demanding them through apportionment.
He went out to defend the loyal troops who were maltreated and insulted by the English generals who treated them like dogs. He offered ten thousand pesos for the heads of Drak, Esmith, and Broche.[6]