In 1842, alarmed by the domination of foreign merchants in the economy of Manila, the Spanish government sent Sinibaldo de Mas, a Spanish diplomat, to the Philippines in order to conduct an economic survey of the Philippines and submit recommendations.
After an intensive investigation of colonial affairs in the Philippines, De Mas submitted his official report to the Crown. The report, Informe sobre el estado de las Islas Filipinas en 1842, was published in Madrid in 1843.
De Mas recommended the following:
- opening of more ports to promote foreign trade
- encouragement of Chinese immigration to stimulate agricultural development
- abolition of the tobacco monopoly
