Pasqual Enrile y Alcedo
| Pasqual Enrile y Alcedo | |
|---|---|
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| 63rd Governor-General of the Philippines | |
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In office December 23, 1830 – March 1, 1835 |
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| Monarch | Ferdinand VII of Spain |
| Preceded by | Mariano Ricafort Palacín y Abarca |
| Succeeded by | Gabriel de Torres |
| Lieutenant Commander (Segundo Cabo) of the Philippines |
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In office 1826–1830 |
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| Succeeded by | Gabriel de Torres |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Pasqual Enrile y Alcedo April 13, 1772 Cádiz, Spain |
| Died | January 6, 1836 (aged 63) Madrid, Spain |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Signature |  |
Pasqual Enrile y Alcedo (1772-1836), a native of Cádiz, Spain, was the Spanish governor-general of the Philippines from December 23, 1830 to March 1, 1835. He was among the most illustrious rulers of the archipelago, on account of his ability, uprightness, and zeal for the public welfare. Enrile was especially active in building highways and providing other means of communication to bring the inland and the maritime provinces into communication with each other.
Enrile was born in Cádiz on 13 April 1772. He enlisted as a Marine Guard in the department in Ferrol, Galicia on 10 June 1788, continuing his service in the Royal Navy for 23 years, having gone through all the successive levels to become a captain of the frigate which he obtained on 23 February 1809.
In 1826, he was appointed segundo cabo (commander of the army or lieutenant-commander) of the Spanish East Indies in July 1829, and on 23 December 1830, the Governor-General of the islands.
In 1826, the Spanish government re-established the naval bureau at Manila which is independent of the governor-general, and Pasqual Enrile was appointed as its chief. He proceeded to reorganize all branches of the service, including that intended to serve against the pirates, whom he was able to restrain to a great extent. Under his command, he constructed several cruisers and other vessels, one of which remained in active service for forty years. He also established the jurisdiction of the bureau throughout the archipelago, creating port captains for Iloilo, Capiz, Cebu, and Pangasinan.
A most zealous and able governor, he personally visited the northern provinces of Luzon, accompanied by his relative and adjutant, José Maria Peñaranda, a military engineer, with expeditions to the mountain people of the country, especially the Igorots between 1831-1832. Afterwards, he made journeys and surveys in a large part of the rest of the island resuslting in carefully prepared itineraries, plans, and maps, which were utilized in the construction of highways and bridges, and the establishment of postal routes, which opened up communication between regions before destitute of such facilities, and sometimes in places heretofore deemed impassable. The navigable rivers and bayous of Pangasinan provinces were explored and mapped. A highway was made in Pampanga province which was safe from the overflow of Lake Canarem, Victoria, Tarlac province. Explorations were made from east to west in Luzon for the sake of bringing the shores of the island into communication with the fertile plains of the interior. Enrile created the Guia de Forasteros or "Guide for Strangers" to the Philippines, which first appeared in 1834.
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Wikipedia