In all present and future affairs, the chief remedy is to invoke God,
endeavoring to placate Him by sacrifice and prayer, and beseeching
Him to protect us by His powerful right hand. This duty devolves by
special right upon the religious. Our duty is to threaten and strive
to correct him who offends God.
Admitting that we expect outside enemies--and we have them among
us, because of our little assurance that the natives, if they see
themselves safe, will not rise and attack us, on which point will he
discussed, in its proper place, whether it will not be advisable to
collect the arquebuses given them during the war with the Çambales--the
immediate question is whether it would be advisable to take some
security from them, such as, for instance, the gold that they wear,
and of which they should be possessed, so that, if they did not prove
an aid to us, they should not prove harmful. Also, whether this gold
should be deposited with the fathers who instruct them, so that the
natives would understand that this action is taken only for security,
and with no other intent; and whether this gold should be brought
to Manila by the said fathers of the doctrina, and deposited in
the fortress--that being the most secure place. Also it should be
considered whether this taking their gold seems a harsh measure, and
whether others easier and milder offer themselves--as the exemption of
certain chiefs from tribute, and otherwise making much of them. But
this race is so barbarous and ungrateful that, if they understand
our necessity, and discover any weakness or fear in us, the majority
of them will rebel against us, and we shall be compelled rather to
deal with them as with enemies. Therefore, whatever our exigency,
we must deal with them with the same courage, superiority, and
firmness as in our most prosperous time itself; and we must assure
them that our orders and requests are solely for their good, and by
no necessity of ours. It appears to be advisable to order them that
each chief send one of his sons with his gold, in order to watch it,
and to prove that the rightful owner accompanies it.
Likewise: whether it will be advisable to have a quantity of rice,
swine, fowls, and other food stored in certain parts of the mountains
and tingues; for were the places where these are chiefly produced
near this city, or in places easy of access to the enemy--and since
it is supposed that they would come in force--in such case, it would
not be difficult for them to seize this food and appropriate it to
their own use, or burn it, for we could not have sufficient forces
to divide them, or withdraw them from the defense of this city. And
in this connection it is observed that it would be advisable to have
the cattle-pastures -which are the support of this state, and the
first thing that the enemy look for--established inland (as there
is sufficient pasturage in all parts), with some guard. And since,
if the enemy came, and we were actually confronted with the danger,
it would be necessary for the Indians who have their villages and
houses on the seacoast, or along the rivers or estuaries, where the
enemy could penetrate easily, to retire inland to live, it seems
that it would be advisable for the fathers of the doctrinas to have
the natives warned and persuaded immediately to move to more retired
and secure places; and that they should commence their sowing, since
there are many virgin and unoccupied lands. Should such an event
[the coming of an enemy] occur, then this would be already done;
and if not, then they would lose nothing in harvesting their rice;
for it would be necessary to abandon their hamlets and comforts,
if the enemy did come. Furthermore, as these Indians are traders, as
is known, and trade in rice and other products with this community,
since they bring it from Otton, Camarines, Ylocos, and other places,
this trade and provision would, if the enemy came, have to cease;
and if these Indians remained among us and near their present abodes,
they would consume our food, and we both would starve. In order to
supply food, there is no better remedy than to commence to sow in
distant and secure places, so that the natives may be safe, prepared,
and forewarned, and that there may be abundance of provisions; since,
by withdrawing from each varangay ten men, or the number that may be
deemed sufficient, these fields and new settlements may be commenced.
Likewise should be considered whether it would be advisable to store
the property of all the Sangleys in the stone warehouses of this
city, where the goods might be kept safe, while the Sangleys could
go outside of the city to build their houses, because of the great
danger, lest by some fire-contrivance they should burn that Parian
and a great part of the city. This is to be understood as proposed
only if occasion should arise for us to take such measures. Likewise,
it will be advisable to have the houses or churches which now are
thatched with straw or nipa roofed with tiles; or else they might
be destroyed, because of the manifest danger of being set afire with
great facility upon any occasion.
Whether the encomenderos, because of these common necessities, should
be allowed to collect from each tributario the value of two reals in
rice and one real in one laying hen, or two chicks (male or female),
or one cock, and the rice at its value among them. Also whether the
encomendero should not store it in the city, in the house that he
is actually living in; and whether, since the hen is obtained from
the Indian as the tribute for one real, neither the hen, the male or
female chicks, nor the cock--whichever the Indian gives in tribute,
the matter being left to his choice--can be valued, sold, or bought
for more than one real.