ANNO DOM. 1750.
The Administration of the Marquis of Obando.
Don Francisco Joseph de Obando, a native of Caceres, in Estremadura,
had arrived in the South Sea with a squadron, and was in Lima when
the great earthquake happened, by which Callao was swallowed up. On
this occasion his exertions obtained the King's favour, and he was
nominated Governor of Manila. He then passed over to Mexico, where
he married Dona Barbara Ribadeneyra, and accompanied by her embarked
for the Philippines, the government of which he took possession of in
the month of July, 1750. The Archbishop, on his arrival, presented him
with the King's despatches, in which his Majesty charged him with the
expulsion of the Chinese. A council was summoned in order to discuss
the measure, when a difference of opinion arose on the subject, which
terminated in totally frustrating the good intentions of his Majesty
in respect to the Chinese, notwithstanding the prejudice these his
dominions suffered by them. The Archbishop claimed the right of sitting
on the left hand of the Governor, on the government seat, and which he
was not disposed to accede to; and he claimed likewise the same honours
from the officers commanding the guard when he entered the palace,
or passed through the gates of the city. These points of etiquette
alone were of sufficient importance to suspend the execution of the
orders of expulsion of the Chinese from the Philippines. The council
was consulted on this controversy, when both points were decided in
favour of the Archbishop.
The Royal Audience had likewise a misunderstanding with the Governor,
in consequence of his having, on his own authority, given the command
of Cavite Castle, ad interim, to Don Domingo Nebra; this appointment
being, in point of regularity, always given by the consent of, and
after duly consulting the Royal Audience, conformable to his Majesty's
orders. The Governor did not deny this royal order, but alleged,
in his own justification, that he could not find any person so well
qualified as Nebra for constructing such vessels as were requisite for
the commerce of Acapulco, and the defence of the islands against the
Moors; that Nebra was seventy years of age, and could not be compelled
to undertake the charge of constructing vessels unless he chose it;
and that he would by no means accept the employment, if there were
any interference of the Royal Audience, because, in such case, he
would be obliged to reside at Cavite. An extraordinary case like
the present ought not to be subjected to common rules, and he had
determined according to what appeared to him most conducive to the
interest of his Majesty's service. The Royal Audience, in reply, made
its representations and protests, but finding that the power of the
Governor preponderated, they yielded up the point in the mean time,
and appealed to his Majesty. Notwithstanding the science of Nebra,
however, of which the Governor boasted so much, the ship Pilar, which
he careened before her departure for Acapulco, disappeared at sea, and
nothing has ever been heard of her since. Another dispute, which made
considerable noise, took place at this time in Manila: a lady who had
taken the veil in the nunnery of Santa Catalina, under the name Madre
Cecilia, had fallen in love with Don Francisco Figueroa, and the vacant
seat of government being at that time filled by Senor Arrechedera,
Figueroa presented himself to the proper officer, requiring that the
profession of Madre Cecilia might be annulled. The Vicar General,
not desirous of having any controversies with the Dominican Friars,
of whose order the Governor was, advised Figueroa, on this occasion, to
say nothing on the subject for the present, but wait a more favourable
conjuncture for his pretensions. As soon as the Senor Obando arrived,
conceiving that the reason which induced him to refrain no longer
existed, he presented himself to the Archbishop, requesting, as
he had done before, that the Vicar General should annul the nun's
vows. His Excellency ordered that she should be lodged in the Santa
Potenciana; the Dominicans opposed it most strenuously, and appealed
to the superior government; but not finding themselves supported in
this tribunal, they gave up the point, and delivered her over to the
Vicar General, who was charged with the care of her. The cause mean
time went on, and the Archbishop decreed, after mature deliberation,
that the sanctuary of Santa Catalina being by his Majesty prohibited
from being converted into a convent, the Madre Cecilia, who had there
made her profession, could not be properly considered a religieuse,
and that her profession, therefore, was null and void. The Dominicans
appealed to the delegate, who was the Bishop of Zebu; the appeal was
admitted, but permission was given her to marry. In order to follow
up this appeal, with alacrity, a dignified clergyman was ordered to
be despatched, who was capable of opposing the pretensions of Cecilia
with effect, for it was concluded that to act otherwise would be to
dishonour the sanctuary of Santa Catalina; but this gentleman not
being disposed to take charge of so unpleasant a suit, pretended ill
health. There was no other of that description in the Philippine
Islands to whom they could have recourse, in consequence of which
they laid the cause before the Archbishop of Mexico, who received it,
and cited the Madre Cecilia to appear before his tribunal, ordering
her to be sent to Mexico to answer the plea, and receive sentence.
As the appeal, however, was not allowed to operate to the suspension of
matrimony, Cecilia contracted marriage, and with her husband embarked
for Mexico, where it was decided that the marriage should be considered
as valid, and of course the profession declared to be annulled. This
decision having reached the council of the Indies, it was ordered that
the sanctuary of Santa Catalina should be abolished, on the decease
of all the religious then existing in it, which, however, was not
observed, the Dominicans having obtained a reversal of the order.
The Governor having received information of new depredations
committed by the Moors in the Bisaya provinces, determined to fit
out an efficient force, which might not only attain this object, but
likewise re-establish the throne of Jolo in Don Fernando Alimudin,
who had been unjustly deprived of it, and whom he had found, on his
arrival at Manila, converted to Christianity.
On this last point, indeed, there was a diversity of opinion, for
many thought that his fidelity could not be relied on, and that the
very first opportunity which offered he would be guilty of treachery,
as his ancestors had been. It was, however, determined in favour of
the expatriated King, and he was conducted to Jolo in the Admiral's
ship of the squadron, which sailed from Cavite, under the command of
Colonel Quian, who was charged with both commissions. The squadron
arrived at Zamboanga, with the exception of the Admiral's ship,
which not appearing, and that the monsoon might not be lost, or time
allowed to the Moors to fortify themselves, the armament sailed from
that port on the 13th of June, 1751, and on the 20th came to anchor
in the harbour of Jolo, one mile distant from the fortification of
the enemy. The attack was immediately commenced, and so panic-struck
were the Moorish commanders, that they directly entered into a treaty,
and signed an instrument, binding themselves to obedience to the King,
and to conduct themselves as faithful subjects, and also engaging to
deliver up to the Spaniards all the captive Christians which might
be then in the island. With this treaty the Colonel returned in nine
days to Zamboanga, carrying with him two sampans with Chinese, whom
he found there acting as merchants, and whom he made prisoners, under
the pretext that they had sold a cannon to the Joloese, our enemies,
with whom we had just made peace. The Admiral's ship had been delayed
by a storm, and was detained in Calapan repairing the rudder, which
was the occasion of his not arriving at Zamboanga until the 25th
of July, but the King of Jolo, impatient at such delay, embarked,
accompanied by two carracoas, and had arrived twelve days before.
Notwithstanding his diligence, the Governor of Zamboanga entertained
much doubt of his fidelity, and having taken charge of two letters,
one of which he had written, by order of the Governor of Manila,
to the King of Mindanao, and the one letter being in the vulgar
tongue, and the other in Arabic, a language which he had acquired in
Batavia, where he had been some time, it excited a curiosity to know
what the King had said in that language so totally in disuse in our
islands. Accordingly a person was procured to translate the letter,
and the contents were found to be, that he (the King) had written the
other letter in obedience to the commands of the Governor of Manila,
and that he could not do otherwise than obey, as he was in the power
of a stranger.
To the suspicion attached to this was added another circumstance:
a brother of his, named Asin, together with the chiefs of Jolo, who
had capitulated with the Colonel, and agreed to receive their King,
and deliver up the Christian captives, paid a visit to Zamboanga, and
in addition to their bringing with them no captives whatever, they were
charged with having introduced arms to surprise the government. The
Governor, upon the strength of this charge, immediately confined the
King, together with Asin, and those who accompanied him: his house
was searched, but only a few arms were found, quite insufficient to
induce a belief that he intended any thing against the government;
but many other effects were found concealed in his prison, and various
informations and memoranda which he had sent to the Moors, justified
the suspicions entertained of him. In corroboration of all this,
the Admiral and two passengers declared, that the King was on very
bad terms with the Manila people, of whom he had received so many
attentions and services, and that on all occasions he manifested
his ingratitude. That he had said the new Governor detained him
prisoner; that he had given no proofs of being a Christian, for he
slept every night with his concubines; that he never heard mass;
and that he even stripped off the crosses from the rosaries of the
family he resided with; and, lastly, that he had become an apostate,
by making a Mahometan sacrifice at Calapan, where he had killed a goat,
divided it into twelve portions, with many superstitious ceremonies,
and distributed it to his companions to eat, by way of celebrating
the passover.
The Governor of Zamboanga communicated these proceedings to the
government at Manila, requesting instructions for the regulation
of his conduct in respect to the seizure of the Sultan and his
family; and the result was an order for his being sent to Manila
with all his people. War was likewise immediately declared against
the Joloese. Letters of marque and reprisal were granted to whomever
might apply for them, and all prize-money was given up arising from
captures, together with the liberty of detaining the persons of their
prisoners as slaves. So firm, indeed, was the determination of our
government to exterminate the Moors, that a general absolution was
conceded to all those who should present themselves to serve against
them. The armament at Zamboanga, under the command of the Colonel,
was reinforced, and a second expedition was undertaken to Jolo, still
more unfortunate in its results than the first: for having attempted
to disembark in that island, they were received by the Moors with so
much spirit, that they were obliged to retire with considerable loss,
and with great disgrace and ignominy to the Spanish arms.
The haughty Bantilan, who governed the kingdom of Jolo in the absence
of his brother, proud of the victory he had obtained against the
Spaniards, began to treat with the inhabitants of Mindanao, to induce
them to break with us, and molest us as much as in their power: and
he persuaded all the pirates among those islands to exert themselves
against the Spaniards, representing them as conquered, and in great
dread of his arms. The consequence was, that the seas were covered
with Moorish armaments, which spread desolation in every quarter.
Nothing was heard of but the robberies, burnings, captures of ships,
imprisonments, and insults which our provinces experienced from
the Moors. So that Senor Obando was resolved to proceed in person
against them, and endeavour to remove the dreadful evils to which we
were exposed.
His Majesty had given orders that an establishment should be formed
in the island of Paragua, to shut out the pirates from that quarter,
in the same manner as they were from Zamboanga. To proceed with due
regularity in this respect, the governor despatched an ambassador to
the King of Borneo, to induce him to cede to us the claim he held to
part of that island, which, being granted, a squadron was sent there
to erect the proposed station, and to cruize against the Moors, who
infested the islands. He was desirous of taking the command of this
expedition in person, and consulted the Royal Audience on the subject,
who were of opinion that it would not be proper to expose himself, and
that, by confiding it to some other person, and sending an engineer
to make the necessary arrangements for forming the establishment in
the island of Paragua, every thing might be done which the public good
required. In conformity to this advice he named Don Antonio Fabea to
the command of this expedition, who proceeded from Port Cavite with
eleven sail of armed vessels, taking with him Don Manuel Aguirre,
who went as governor of the proposed new establishment. He received
orders in passing by Igolote, in the same island, to dislodge the
Moors, who were the only possessors of that part of it; but here,
sickness prevailing to a great extent in the armament, they merely took
possession of the island, and returned to Manila, leaving behind them
two hundred and seventy dead, and bringing many more invalids in the
squadron. The King of Jolo had by this time arrived at Manila, and
was imprisoned in the fort of Saint Jago, to the great satisfaction
of all those who had opposed his baptism, and who always doubted
his fidelity; but he obtained permission from the Governor for his
daughter, Fatima, who was also a prisoner with him, to go to Jolo,
and to carry letters to his brother, and other principal persons,
in order to bring about a peace with the Spaniards; and for this
indulgence he bound himself to deliver up fifty captive Christians. The
princess fulfilled the engagement, brought over the fifty captives,
and induced her uncle, Bantilan, to send an ambassador to Manila,
to treat on all matters relative to her father. This envoy brought
powers to negociate in concert with the King for peace with the
Governor; and in confirmation of such powers, he bound himself to
observe whatever terms were acceded to by them.
It was accordingly stipulated with the King and the Ambassador, that
the Moors of Jolo should deliver up all the Christian captives who
might be found in the island. That they should return all the arms
they had taken from the Spaniards, and the ornaments of which they
had pillaged the churches; and in order to have the treaty ratified,
liberty was granted to one of the chief officers, who was confined
with the King, to go to Jolo in company with the ambassador whom
Bantilan had sent over. The Governor put very little confidence
either in the promises or the treaty of the Moors, for they have
never observed them, but have broken them with the same facility
with which they made them. He therefore fitted out a strong squadron
to compel them by force to a due observation of their engagements,
as it was not otherwise to be expected.
His precautions were not in vain, for in the very same year of 1754,
the greatest irruption took place which these islanders ever made into
the Philippines. They entered with fire and sword in all directions,
murdering the religious orders, Indians and Spaniards, burning and
robbing towns, and making prisoners of thousands of Christians,
not only in the islands near to Jolo, but in all our dominions,
even the provinces in the immediate neighbourhood of Manila.
The fleet sailed which had been prepared to oppose them; but before any
thing could be done, the four years of Obando's government expired. His
successor arrived, and the Marquis left these islands in the most
deplorable situation in which they were ever known. The causes of
these evils were either his own ill management, the incapacity of
those he employed, or, perhaps, misfortune. What we are certain of
is, that the period of his residence here was most calamitous. Yet,
we must say, he had many great difficulties to encounter.
The following year he embarked in the galleon Santissima Trinidad
for Acapulco, and died on his passage, without ever reaching New Spain.