The Philippines referendum was a 1599 incomplete referendum ordered by King Philip II of Spain to apply in the Captaincy General of the Philippines. Issued through a real cédula on February 8, 1597, it was meant to confirm Spanish sovereignty over the Philippines by offering the native population an elective chance to cease being part of the Hispanic Monarchy. Existent results were affirmative.[1]
The real cédula reached Manila on August 5, 1598, instructing Governor Francisco de Tello de Guzmán to organize the plebiscite among all indigenous under Spanish rule, asking them whether continue acknowledging the Spanish Empire as their legitimate authority. It was the result of many reforms within the empire to eliminate native abuse, following the premises of Francisco de Vitoria and Alonso de la Vera Cruz which postulated natives were sovereign of their own land regardless of their level of culture.[2]