Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas (1 January 1519 – 25 October 1593[1]) was a Spanish politician, diplomat, military officer and imperial official.

At the same time, Philip increased the salary of the position to 10,000 Castilian ducados per year and made Pérez Dasmariñas a knight of the Order of Santiago.

He sent his son Luis Pérez Dasmariñas at the head of a military expedition to Cagayan, across parts of the island of Luzon never before seen by Spaniards.

However Licenciado Pedro de Rojas, the senior oidor, remained in Manila by order of the king as lieutenant-assessor in matters of justice, until some years later he was appointed alcalde in Mexico City.

Also during his administration (1592), a letter was received from Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the ruler of Japan at that time, demanding submission and tribute and threatening to come with a fleet and troops to lay waste the country.

As a continuing confirmation of Pre-hispanic Lucoes' service as mercenaries in Southeast Asia, in 1593 the king of Cambodia sent an embassy to the governor, namely the Portuguese Diego Belloso.

Pérez Dasmariñas sent the king a present of a horse and some emeralds and other objects, but postponed a reply to the request for aid.

On May 12, 1591, Esteban Rodríguez de Figueroa, a wealthy Spaniard of Manila, made an agreement with the governor to conquer Muslim Mindanao.

After his son left, he remained briefly in Manila, making final preparations and arming a galley (La Capitana) of 28 benches, in which he was to sail.

On the second day of this first leg of the expedition, the governor's fleet reached the island of Caca, 24 leagues from Manila and just off the coast of Luzon.

Upon hearing the commotion, Governor Dasmariñas, thinking that the galley was dragging and the men were taking to the oars, carelessly left his cabin bareheaded.

Two Spaniards, Juan de Cuellar, the governor's secretary, and Franciscan Father Montilla, survived by remaining in their cabin amidships.

Pérez Dasmariñas had brought with him to the Philippines a royal order directing him to choose a temporary successor in the event of his own death.