Note 12 — Domesticated Natives—Origin—Character

A decree issued by Don Juan de Ozaeta, a magistrate of the Supreme Court, in his general visit of inspection to the provinces, dated May 26, 1696, enacts the following, viz.:—“That Chinese half-castes and headmen shall be compelled to go to church and attend Divine Service, and act according to the customs established in the villages.” The penalty for an infraction of this mandate by a male was “20 lashes in the public highway and two monthsʼ labour in the Royal Rope Walk (in Taal), or in the Galleys of Cavite.” If the delinquent was a female, the chastisement was “one month of public penance in the church.” The Alcalde or Governor of the Province who did not promptly inflict the punishment was to be mulcted in the sum of “₱200, to be paid to the Royal Treasury.”