Francisco Coloma y Maceda | |
|---|---|
| 28thGovernor-General of the Philippines | |
| In office 11 April 1677 – 25 September 1677 | |
| Monarchs | Philip IV of Spain Charles II of Spain |
| Governor | (Viceroy of New Spain) Payo Enríquez de Rivera |
| Preceded by | Manuel de León |
| Succeeded by | Francisco Sotomayor y Mansilla |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1617 Navarrete,La Rioja,Spain |
| Died | 25 September 1677(1677-09-25) (aged 59–60) Manila,Captaincy General of the Philippines |
| Resting place | Santo Domingo Church |
| Profession | oidor |
| Awards | Order of Calatrava Order of Santiago |
| Signature |  |
Francisco Coloma y Maceda, Marqués of Canales de Chozas (1617 – 25 September 1677) was aSpanishoidor andlicentiate who served as the 29thgovernor-general of the Philippines. He is the fifth governor-general of the Philippines from theReal Audiencia of Manila. Prior to being governor, Coloma served as senior auditor (oidor) in charge of military affairs during the administrations of Governor-GeneralDiego de Salcedo to Manuel de León.
Little is known about the early life of Coloma, who was born in the La Rioja branch of theHouse of Coloma in 1617.[1] He was alicentiate when he arrived in thePhilippines on 29 March 1661 to serve asoidor (auditor) in theReal Audiencia.[2] On 22 June 1662, Coloma married María de Cuellar y Cisneros in the Philippines.[2] During the administrations ofGovernor-GeneralDiego de Salcedo to Manuel de León, Coloma held the position of senior auditor. As senior auditor, Coloma was in charge of military affairs. This position was challenged by Francisco Sotomayor y Mansilla, who was also part of theReal Audiencia, arguing that he was supposed to be the senior auditor. However, in fear of Salcedo, Sotomayor gave in to Coloma and assumed the second highest position.[3]
When a coup replaced Salcedo withJuan Manuel de la Peña Bonifaz on 28 September 1668, the new administration had Sotomayor and the rest of the members of the Real Audiencia locked up outsideManila. The new governor and his associates seized Salcedo's fortune of 14,000pesos and thesituado brought by theManila galleon amounting to 400,000 pesos for themselves. To circumvent the threat of Sotomayor, he was exiled fromCavite toOton, Iloilo, on 30 December 1668. While Coloma remained in the city, the associates of de la Peña terrorized his wife so that he could not act on the matter. Meanwhile, the governor appointed two licentiates, Juan de Rosales and Eugenio Gutierrez de Mendoza, to decide on the seniority of Coloma and Sotomayor.[3] However, it was beyond the knowledge of de la Peña that KingCharles II of Spain already appointed a new governor on 24 June 1668. He arrived in the Philippines by July 1669, and when he took office in Manila on 24 September of the same year, he put all those involved in the coup to trial.[4] In 1670, he presided over theresidencia of Salcedo, which was delayed by the coup two years ago. However, a protest was filed to theCouncil of the Indies regarding this review. Since he was senior auditor during the Salcedo administration, he was also the governor'sasesor (legal adviser). All advice on the governor's acts came from Coloma. In essence, he would be reviewing his own acts. In 1671, Coloma's appointment to take theresidencia was cancelled and Sotomayor took over Salcedo'sresidencia.[5] As for Salcedo, he died while being transported toMexico for trial.[4]
Coloma was with Governor de León when the latter went to the convent ofTondo, Manila, with full military display. This was done to influence the election of theprovincial superior in the area, of which the leading candidate (Francisco de Medina Basco) was not in good terms with de León.[6] While still in the Philippines, his wife died. The governor, then suffering from obesity, visited the funeral of Coloma's wife. However, the smell of buried corpses made de León's condition worse. Soon enough, his wounds reopened and he died ofhemorrhage on 11 April 1677. On the same day, Coloma, then presiding over theReal Audiencia of Manila as senior auditor, succeeded asgovernor-general.[7] One of the first acts of the Coloma administration was the disposition of de León's estate, which amounted to 250,000pesos. All of the former governor's fortune was allotted to charity, including 50,000 pesos for the Misericordia, 33,000 pesos for the founding ofchaplaincies, 12,000 pesos for the rebuilding of San Lazaro Hospital inSanta Cruz, Manila, and another 12,000 pesos for rebuilding the seminary inSanta Potenciana.[7] In 1668, eight thousandpesos were brought toNew Spain but it was from the vandala of the rice production ofPampanga. TheKapampangan people appealed to Coloma for help, and in a landmark decision, the entire eight thousand pesos were returned to the people.[8]
On 25 September 1677, Coloma died and was buried inSanto Domingo Church. He was succeeded by Sotomayor.[4] Up to this day, remains of Coloma's shield and coat of arms can be seen inNavarrete, La Rioja, with the following inscription:ESTAS ARMAS SON DE FRANCISCO COLOMA, VIRREY Y CAPITAN GENERAL DE MANILA (This is the coat of arms of Francisco Coloma,Viceroy andCaptain General of Manila).[9] With no apparent heir, his will was carried out with money from his nephew, Pedro Coloma y Escalona, Marqués of Canales de Chozas, marrie to married to Ana de Tapia y Zúñiga. In 1675, two years prior to his death, Coloma's estate had been partitioned as follows:[10][11]
| Preceded by Manuel de León | Governor General of the Philippines 1677 | Succeeded by Francisco de Montemayor y Mansilla |
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