Rafael María de Aguilar y Ponce de León

Detail of Balmis Expedition's routes in The Philippines

One of the key accomplishments of Aguilar's administration was setting up the defense of the archipelago. Fortifications were reinforced in Cavite. In 1794, a shipyard was constructed at Binondo in Manila and a naval base built at Corregidor.[3] These were set up in order to make boats for military campaigns against the Moros.[1] In 1796, two regiments of professional native troops were formed, the first time the native contingent of the colonial armed forces was professionalized. These regiments were named Granaderos de Luzon (Luzon Grenadiers) and Granaderos de Batangas (Batangas Grenadiers). In addition to this, five battalions of militia were organized. In 1800, the Naval Command was formed in order to check foreign vessels entering the archipelago. Six years later, a force of 300 marine grenadiers were organized.[2]

Aguilar was able to effectively advocate the opening of Manila to foreign trade, a proposal that had been attempted by his predecessors, Félix Berenguer de Marquina (1788–1793) and José Basco y Vargas (1778–1787).[4] However, it would only be by the royal decree of September 6, 1834 when the Sociedad Económica de los Amigos del País (Economic Societies of Friends of the Country) was abolished and Manila was completely opened to international trade.[5] He was also able to reprint and disseminate former Governor-General José Antonio Raón y Gutiérrez's revised version of the "Ordinances of Good Government", a document first drafted by Pedro Manuel de Arandía Santisteban.[6] Meanwhile, in 1804, he proposed the modernization of Manila. This had been done by massive public works projects, creation of cultural institutions, and the illumination of Manila streets.[2] It was also during the administration of Aguilar that the Balmis Expedition (1803–1806) arrived in the Philippines. The expedition, led by Doctor Francisco Javier de Balmis, aimed to vaccinate people against smallpox, and the Philippines was included in the number of destinations of the mission.[7] Aguilar died on 8 August 1806, one day after being succeeded by Mariano Fernández de Folgueras.[1]