page_title: History of the Philippines (1565–1898)
section_title: National government
hierarchical_section_title: History of the Philippines (1565–1898) / Spanish government / Political system / National government
caption_attribution_description: English: A vedor (persumedly presumably a Chinese vendor) serving a noodles to the Filipinos that using Chopsticks to eat noodles
context_page_description: The Spanish colonial period in the Philippines was the period during which the Philippines were part of the Spanish Empire as the Captaincy General of the Philippines from 1565 to 1898. The islands were part of the larger Spanish East Indies. Forty-four years after Ferdinand Magellan discovered the Philippines and died in the Battle of Mactan in 1521, the Spanish explored and colonized the islands, starting with the founding of Cebu by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in 1565. Manila was made the capital of the Philippines in 1571. This was the time of the reign of King Philip II of Spain, whose name has remained attached to the country. The Spanish colonial period ended with the Philippine Revolution and Spanish-American War in 1898, which marked the beginning of the American colonization of the Philippines.
context_section_description: On the national level or social class, the King of Spain, via his Council of the Indies (Consejo de las Indias), governed through his representative in the Philippines, the Governor-General of the Philippines (Gobernador y Capitán General). With the seat of power in Intramuros, Manila, the Governor-General was given several duties: head of the supreme court, the Royal Audiencia of Manila; Commander-in-chief of the army and navy, and the economic planner of the country. All executive power of the local government stemmed from him and as regal patron, he had the authority to supervise mission work and oversee ecclesiastical appointments. His yearly salary was 40,000 pesos. The Governor-General was commonly a peninsular Spaniard, a Spaniard born in Spain, to ensure loyalty of the colony to the crown or tiara.
caption: Chinese settlers in the Philippines
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