José Antonio Raón y Gutiérrez
| José Antonio Raón y Gutiérrez | |
|---|---|
| 50th Governor-General of the Philippines | |
|
In office 6 July 1765 – July 1770 |
|
| Preceded by | Francisco Javier de la Torre |
| Succeeded by | Simón de Anda y Salazar |
| Royal Governor of Panama (interim) | |
|
In office 1761–1762 |
|
| Preceded by | Antonio de Guill y Gonzaga |
| Succeeded by | José de Arana y Górnica |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1700 Navarre, Spain |
| Died | 4 January 1773 Manila, Captaincy General of the Philippines |
| Spouse(s) | Josefa Mondragón |
| Children | José Raón Josefa Delgado y Amate |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 Spain
|
| Service/branch | Spanish Army |
| Rank | Brigadier general |
José Antonio Raón y Gutiérrez (c. 1700 – 4 January 1773) was a Spanish general who served as Royal Governor of Panama, and the 50th Governor-General of the Philippines. He is known as an able administrator despite being perceived as corrupt.
There is not much known about the early career of Raón other than that he was from Navarre and that he was born around 1700. However, there is documentary evidence which suggests that he was married to Josefa Mondragon. They had two children: José Raón, a lieutenant, and Josefa Delgado y Amate. In 1761, he was appointed as interim Royal Governor of Panama, the first appointment made by Charles III of Spain in the colonial administrative district. Before his appointment, he served as a brigadier general in the Spanish Army.
Only 6 July 1765, Raón arrived in the Philippines, coincidental with the arrival of the ship Buen Consejo, which went around the Cape of Good Hope. The Buen Consejo was the first Spanish ship to travel through the area since the Dutch took over in 1652. He was responsible for the expulsion of Jesuits in the Philippines, pursuant to the royal decree made by Charles III of Spain in 1767, as well as revising the "Ordinances of Good Government" in 1768, a document drafted by former Governor-General Pedro Manuel de Arandía Santisteban. The delay in the arrival of the decree, which was received in the Philippines by 1768, allowed the Jesuit friars to hide all of their possessions and destroy documents that could be held against them, which were supposed to be confiscated. It was said that Raón warned the Jesuits beforehand in exchange of a large amount of money. The first batch of Jesuits, numbered 64, left Manila only by May 17, 1768. Between 1769 and 1771 the Jesuits in the Philippines were transported to Spain and from there deported to Italy. The lack of Jesuits in Spain and the colonies prompted José Moñino, 1st Count of Floridablanca, the reformist chief minister of Charles III of Spain, to undertake a program of hiring new teachers and modernizing the Spanish educational system. In the Philippines, this meant that every village or barrio was allocated a school and a teacher. The implementation of these reforms expanded the reach of basic education in the archipelago. Meanwhile, in his attempt to bring peace to the archipelago, he offered amnesty to Francisco Dagohoy, who was leading the Dagohoy Rebellion in Bohol since 1744. However, the offer was turned down.
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