Belgian interests and private business dealings of the last consul in the Philippines during the imperial transition

Abstract

The article analyzes the figure of the Belgian consul in the Spanish Philippines, a position held by businessmen linked to international commercial firms and Belgian tobacco companies established in the archipelago after the disestablishment. They combined their economic activities with the tasks of the consul, a workload that could be assumed due to the lack of compatriots. But this position also made it possible to come into contact with authorities and handle privileged information that could be used to obtain an important economic return. This was the case with the last Belgian consul of the Spanish period, Édouard André, who went on to create a powerful company before being accused of smuggling and arms trafficking by the United States during the imperial transition.