The Philippine Islands Part 22

The secession of Mexico from the Spanish Crown in the second decade of last century brought with it a complete revolution in Philippine affairs. Direct trade with Europe through one channel or another had necessarily to be permitted. The "Situado," or subsidy (_vide_ p. 244), received from Mexico became a thing of the past, and necessity urged the home authorities to relax, to a certain extent, the old restraint on the development of Philippine resources.

In 1839 the first Philippine Budget was presented in the Spanish Cortes, but so little interest did the affairs of the Colony excite that it provoked no discussion. After the amendment of only one item the Budget was adopted in silence. It was not the practice in the earliest years to publish the full Philippine Budget in the Islands, although allusion was necessarily made to items of it in the _Gaceta de Manila_. However, it could be seen without difficulty in Madrid. Considering that the Filipinos had no political rights, except for the very brief period alluded to in Chapter xxii. (_vide Cortes de Cadiz_), it is evident that popular discussion of public finance would have been undesirable, because it could have led to no practical issue.

There is apparently no record of the Philippine Islands having been at any time in a flourishing financial condition. With few exceptions, in latter years the collected revenue of the Colony was usually much less than the estimated yield of taxes. The Budget for 1888 is here given in detail as an example.

PHILIPPINE BUDGETS

Financial Estimated Income Difference.

Year. Income. Realized.

P P P 1884-85 11,298,508.98 9,893,745.87 1,404,763.11 1885-86 11,528,178.00 9,688,029.70 1,840,148.30 1886-87 11,554,379.00 9,324,974.08 2,229,404.92 1894-95 13,280,139.40 13,579,900.00 299,760.60 1896-97 17,086,423.00 17,474,000.00 387,577.00

ANTIc.i.p.aTED REVENUE, YEAR 1888

P cts.

Direct Taxes 5,206,836 93

Customs Dues 2,023,400 00

Government Monopolies (stamps, c.o.c.k-fighting, opium, gambling, etc.) 1,181,239 00 Lotteries and Raffles 513,200 00 Sale of State property 153,571 00 War and Marine Department (sale of useless articles. Gain on repairs to private ships in the Government a.r.s.enal) 15,150 00 Sundries 744,500 00

9,837,896 93

Antic.i.p.ated Expenditure, year 1888 9,825,633 29

Antic.i.p.ated Surplus P 12,263 64

The actual deficit in the last previous Budget for which there was no provision was estimated at P1,376,179.56, against which the above balance would be placed. There were some remarkable inconsistencies in the 1888 Budget. The Inspection of Woods and Forests was an inst.i.tution under a Chief Inspector with a salary of P6,500, a.s.sisted by a technical staff of 64 persons and 52 non-technical subordinates. The total cost for the year was estimated at P165,960, against which the expected income derived from duties on felled timber was P80,000; hence a loss of P85,960 was duly antic.i.p.ated to satisfy office-seekers. Those who wished to cut timber were subjected to very complicated and vexatious regulations. The tariff of duties and mode of calculating it were capriciously modified from time to time on no commercial basis whatever. Merchants who had contracted to supply timber at so much per foot for delivery within a fixed period were never sure of their profits; for the dues might, meanwhile, be raised without any consideration for trading interests. The most urgent material want of the Colony was easy means of communication with the interior of the Islands. Yet, whilst this was so sadly neglected, the Budget provided the sum of P113,686.64 for a School of Agriculture in Manila and 10 model farms and Schools of Cultivation in the provinces. It was not the want of farming knowledge, but the scarcity of capital and the scandalous neglect of public highways and bridges for transport of produce which r.e.t.a.r.ded agriculture. The 113,000 pesos, if disbursed on roads, bridges, town halls, and landing-jetties, would have benefited the Colony; as it was, this sum went to furnish salaries to needy Spaniards.

The following are some of the most interesting items of the Budget:

CURIOUS ITEMS OF REVENUE

P cts.

2,760,613 Identification Doc.u.ments (_Cedulas personales_), costing 4 per cent, to collect--gross value 4,401,629 25 Tax on the above, based on the estimated local consumption of Tobacco 222,500 00 Chinese Capitation Tax 236,250 00 Tax on the above for the estimated local consumption of Tobacco 11,250 00 Recognition of va.s.salage collected from the unsubdued mountain tribes 12,000 00 Industrial and Trading Licences (costing 1/2 per cent, to collect), gross value 1,350,000 00 Yield of the Opium Contract (farmed out) 483,400 00 Yield of the c.o.c.k-fighting Contract (farmed out) 149,039 00 Lotteries and Raffles, nett profit say 501,862 00 State Lands worked by miners 100 00 Sale of State Lands 50,000 00 Mint--Profits on the manipulation of the bullion, less expenses of the Mint (P 46,150), nett 330,350 00 Stamps and Stamped Paper 548,400 00 Convict labour hired out 50,000 00

CURIOUS ITEMS OF EXPENDITURE

P cts.

34 per cent, of the maintenance of Fernando Po (by Decree of August 5, 1884) 68,618 18 Share of the pension paid to the heir of Christopher Columbus, the Duke de Veragua (P 23,400 a year) 3,000 00 Share of the pension paid to Ferdinand Columbus, Marquis de Barboles 1,000 00 The Marquis de Bedmar is the heir of the a.s.sayer and caster in the Mint of Potosi (Peru). The concern was taken over by the Spanish Government, in return for an annual perpetual pension, of which this Colony contributed the sum of 1,500 00 The Consular and Diplomatic Services, Philippine Share 66,000 00 Postal and Telegraph Services (staff of 550 persons) 406,547 17 The Submarine Cable Co. Subsidy (Bolinao to Hong-Kong) 48,000 00 Charitable Inst.i.tutions partly supported by Government, including the "Lepers' Hospital" P500 26,887 50

THE ARMY AND ARMED LAND FORCES

Rank and File and Non-commissioned Officers as follows:--

Infantry, Artillery, Engineer, and Carabineer Corps 9,470 Cavalry Corps 407 Disciplinary Corps (Convicts) 630 Disciplinary Corps (Non-commissioned Officers) 92 Three Civil Guard Corps (Provincial Constabulary) 3,342 Veteran Civil Guard Corps (Manila Military Police) 400

Total number of men 14,341

ARMY OFFICERS IN THE PHILIPPINES.

Year 1888.

How Employed. Lieutenant-Generals.

| Brigadier-Generals.

| | Colonels.

| | | Lieutenant-Colonels.

| | | | Majors.

| | | | | Captains.

| | | | | | Lieutenants.

| | | | | | | Sub-Lieutenants.

| | | | | | | | Totals.

Governor-General, with local rank of Captain-General 1 1 Employed in Government Administration, Political Military Provincial Governments, Staff Officers and Officers at the Orders of the Governor-General 1 7 7 14 39 37 23 12 140 With command or attached to Army Corps and Disciplinary Corps 5 11 14 88 136 127 381 Civil Guard 3 3 9 33 54 54 156 Veteran Civil Guard 1 6 6 13 Invalid Corps 1 1 Military Academy 1 1 2 4 Prisons and Penitentiaries 1 1 4 3 9 Commissariat Department 1 1 1 14 18 35 Judicial Audit Department 1 1 2 2 6 In expectation of service 1 3 6 12 12 12 46 In excess of Active Service requirements 3 1 7 9 20 Total of Officers 2 9 19 36 73 191 262 220 812

The Archbishop, as Vicar-General of the Armed Forces, ranked in precedence as a Field-Marshal. (In the Spanish Army a Field-Marshal ranks between a Brig.-General and Lieut.-General.)

OFFICERS' PAY PER ANNUM

Rank. Ordinary Pay.

| When Commanding a Corps. _Extra_.

| | When in Civil Guard.

| | | When in Veteran | | | Civil Guard.

| | | | P P P P Captain-General was paid as Governor-General of the Colony 40,000 [108]