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Tuesday, Jul 19th, 2011

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Today in Philippine History: Basque Badasses and Kickass Governor-Generals (The Story of Simon de Anda)
Simon de Anda y Salazar was a badass; not to mention one of the most fascinating characters of the Spanish period. Though, much like so much of that period, he is forgotten, glossed over. He exists in popular consciousness as a traffic-snarled Circle, and a discarded monument. And historically he is a footnote to the British Invasion; an event of little remark too. But for his time, he was something of a trailblazer: He fought the friars, he fought the Crown, he fought the British. In other words, he just liked kicking ass; unsurprising since he was of Basque descent.
On July 18, 1770 Simon de Anda took the reigns as governor-general of the Philippines; in the process kicking off the first truly progressive period (well, other than the first 100 years) in Philippine history. The first 100 years were marked by upheaval and rapid change. Then there was a lull, a fallow period, where the rest of the country kind of fell into ennui. The fat cat traders (of whom there were just a few) in Manila were happy with the status quo. The limited reach of the galleon trade suited them just fine: Two ships a year, stuffed with Mexican silver and returning with regional goods worked well for the select few. Trade was a monopoly, capital investment was non-existent. At times, other than the missionaries, there were no foreigners outside of Manila. And those in Manila counted a scant few.
Then the British came in 1762. They invaded, they routed the government and ‘standing army’ stationed in the trading jewel of the Spanish empire. For, no matter how fallow the rest of the Philippines lay, Manila (Intramuros in fact) was a thriving as a regional entrepot. And in that moment, a young functionary from the Basque Country fled the city and raised the standard of the Spanish government in Bacolor. Where the Archbishop (Rojo) and the rest of the government gave up the Islands to the British, he refused. He named himself governor-general and he began to prosecute a guerilla war against the British. Effectively, and in cooperation with Filipinos. Filipinos formed the backbone of that government and the resistance. For two years, the British were never able to push out of Manila.
And in a sense, thus began a nascent form of nationalism. An ‘us vs them’ type of mentality.
But, for de Anda, this became a time where he worked closely with the Filipinos, where he saw and discovered the true potential of the colony and her people. After the end of the British occupation in 1764 he returned to Spain to give is report. And promptly spent the entire time pestering the King and anyone who would listen to him that the Philippines was in dire need of reforms.
Whether they agreed, or just wanted to get rid of him, they named him governor-general of the Philippines, and he came back home. Yes, the Philippines was his home. He had gone native.
His reign was marked by wars with the friars, Spanish traders, and the Crown; along with economic developmental policies and programs. He worked to break friar power, he attempted to uphold native rights. He even ignored Crown edicts that he disagreed with. All the while, he rebuilt Manila, started massive infrastructure development programs, and even built warships. All within the first few months of his reign. He had a vision for a self-sufficient Philippines and he tried to achieve it. While he may have failed in the short term, he laid the foundation for a new Philippines. A foundation that others, like Jose Basco y Vargas, built on.
The British Invasion broke the lassitude that gripped the archipelago; de Anda worked hard to take advantage and modernize a backward colony.
de Anda passed away in 1776, in Cavite. As Nick Joaquin so lyrically put it, shunned by the Spanish (who he had so hard fought) and honored by the Filipinos; with whom he felt at home. And they with him. Decades later, he was still remembered as a champion of native Filipino rights. On the occasion where his remains were to be moved, Filipinos lined the streets to pay him respect and homage. And in the process, peacefully protest a increasingly oppressive Spanish regime. The protest was organized by a young Father Jose Burgos.
So, while it may be odd to remember a Governor-General of the Spanish Empire as a champion of the Philippines and the Filipino. Simon de Anda left a legacy in this country. He directly contributed, through his reforms, to modernizing the Philippines. But memory is like that. Our memories of the past have become obscured by blind ideology; we’ve forgotten that the Philippines developed, that the creation of the Filipino identity was a process. And along the way, natives, Spanish, Basques, mestizos, sangleys, and so on contributed in their own ways.
Simon de Anda y Salazar certainly did. And his memory should live on.

Today in Philippine History: Basque Badasses and Kickass Governor-Generals (The Story of Simon de Anda)

Simon de Anda y Salazar was a badass; not to mention one of the most fascinating characters of the Spanish period. Though, much like so much of that period, he is forgotten, glossed over. He exists in popular consciousness as a traffic-snarled Circle, and a discarded monument. And historically he is a footnote to the British Invasion; an event of little remark too. But for his time, he was something of a trailblazer: He fought the friars, he fought the Crown, he fought the British. In other words, he just liked kicking ass; unsurprising since he was of Basque descent.

On July 18, 1770 Simon de Anda took the reigns as governor-general of the Philippines; in the process kicking off the first truly progressive period (well, other than the first 100 years) in Philippine history. The first 100 years were marked by upheaval and rapid change. Then there was a lull, a fallow period, where the rest of the country kind of fell into ennui. The fat cat traders (of whom there were just a few) in Manila were happy with the status quo. The limited reach of the galleon trade suited them just fine: Two ships a year, stuffed with Mexican silver and returning with regional goods worked well for the select few. Trade was a monopoly, capital investment was non-existent. At times, other than the missionaries, there were no foreigners outside of Manila. And those in Manila counted a scant few.

Then the British came in 1762. They invaded, they routed the government and ‘standing army’ stationed in the trading jewel of the Spanish empire. For, no matter how fallow the rest of the Philippines lay, Manila (Intramuros in fact) was a thriving as a regional entrepot. And in that moment, a young functionary from the Basque Country fled the city and raised the standard of the Spanish government in Bacolor. Where the Archbishop (Rojo) and the rest of the government gave up the Islands to the British, he refused. He named himself governor-general and he began to prosecute a guerilla war against the British. Effectively, and in cooperation with Filipinos. Filipinos formed the backbone of that government and the resistance. For two years, the British were never able to push out of Manila.

And in a sense, thus began a nascent form of nationalism. An ‘us vs them’ type of mentality.

But, for de Anda, this became a time where he worked closely with the Filipinos, where he saw and discovered the true potential of the colony and her people. After the end of the British occupation in 1764 he returned to Spain to give is report. And promptly spent the entire time pestering the King and anyone who would listen to him that the Philippines was in dire need of reforms.

Whether they agreed, or just wanted to get rid of him, they named him governor-general of the Philippines, and he came back home. Yes, the Philippines was his home. He had gone native.

His reign was marked by wars with the friars, Spanish traders, and the Crown; along with economic developmental policies and programs. He worked to break friar power, he attempted to uphold native rights. He even ignored Crown edicts that he disagreed with. All the while, he rebuilt Manila, started massive infrastructure development programs, and even built warships. All within the first few months of his reign. He had a vision for a self-sufficient Philippines and he tried to achieve it. While he may have failed in the short term, he laid the foundation for a new Philippines. A foundation that others, like Jose Basco y Vargas, built on.

The British Invasion broke the lassitude that gripped the archipelago; de Anda worked hard to take advantage and modernize a backward colony.

de Anda passed away in 1776, in Cavite. As Nick Joaquin so lyrically put it, shunned by the Spanish (who he had so hard fought) and honored by the Filipinos; with whom he felt at home. And they with him. Decades later, he was still remembered as a champion of native Filipino rights. On the occasion where his remains were to be moved, Filipinos lined the streets to pay him respect and homage. And in the process, peacefully protest a increasingly oppressive Spanish regime. The protest was organized by a young Father Jose Burgos.

So, while it may be odd to remember a Governor-General of the Spanish Empire as a champion of the Philippines and the Filipino. Simon de Anda left a legacy in this country. He directly contributed, through his reforms, to modernizing the Philippines. But memory is like that. Our memories of the past have become obscured by blind ideology; we’ve forgotten that the Philippines developed, that the creation of the Filipino identity was a process. And along the way, natives, Spanish, Basques, mestizos, sangleys, and so on contributed in their own ways.

Simon de Anda y Salazar certainly did. And his memory should live on.