_Of the election of our fathet Fray Juan de Valderrama_
When the time for the election came, namely, May 22, 1590, all the
capitulars, who were now coming from all parts, assembled. They came
from the Bisayas in their caracoas, and from llocos, some by land
and some by sea, for the election. Those among the Tagáls and in
Pampanga were living nearer, and accordingly, without being absent
over Lent from their missions, they came at the critical moment and
entered Manila at the time set by our rules. Finally, all assembled,
and considered and consulted in regard to the person most suitable,
in their opinion, for the good and welfare of the province. That, to my
way of thinking, is what the religious always take by the horns, as men
who place the common welfare before the spiritual (or rather, private)
good. Finally, they thought that father Fray Juan de Henao (or rather,
Valderrama) was the man most suitable for that occasion. Accordingly,
they elected him, and his election was a most fortunate event, for
he was very religious and very devoted to his institution. Hence he
governed with great prudence and devotion.
During his term some new priorates were established, which seemed
advisable for the good government and administration of the
Indians. Among them was that of Arayat, located in the farthest
corner of Pampanga. It had a goodly population at the beginning,
but now the population has dwindled to less than one hundred Indians;
[142] for on one side the Zambales, and on the other the conscriptions,
have been consuming them, as is seen at present in other districts. He
also established religious and visited the provinces very carefully,
and provided in all things quite in accordance with the obligation
of our calling.
At this time happened a wonderful miracle in the province of llocos,
whose memory endures unto today. It was as follows. Among the religious
who were going to Filipinas quite ordinarily, in great numbers, went
father Fray Pedro de la Cruz, [143] to whom our Lord gave much of His
spirit, and who was called commonly "the Apostle of the Filipinas;"
and for him the Lord worked many wonderful miracles. The province of
Pangasinan--which as we said above we gave to the religious fathers
of our father St. Dominic (perhaps from this fact, the latter have
taken occasion to write that he was their religious; but the trick
matters not; only it is not right to take him from those to whom he
belongs, for the stones which shine with more luster in religion are
those in whom our Lord shows more of His piety and mercy)--fell to
this religious and holy man. This servant of God, then, being in a
village of that province called Bagnotan, saw an Indian woman carrying
a baby, to whom she had but recently given birth. The religious was
doubtless moved by the spirit of heaven in his question. The Indian
woman answered that she was taking the baby to bury it alive, for it
had been born blind. When he asked her for her reason, she said that
they had the custom of immediately burying alive any child born who
was incapable of serving its parents, for in such case the latter had
no interest or hope in its living. For it was an arduous task to give
them being, to bear them in travail, to rear them through childhood and
support them all their lives, since such children could not requite
so many benefits. No arguments availed to persuade the Indian woman
of the contrary, until the holy man made an agreement with her,
namely, that she should give him the child, and that he would rear
her and support her as his own daughter. With this agreement, the
mother gave the child to Father Pedro de la Cruz, and he entered his
convent with his new daughter. He got a woman to nurse her at the
price of four reals per month, and then with his right as father,
set about baptizing her. He did so, and it was our Lord's pleasure,
for the credit of His servant, the value of holy baptism, and His own
glory, and likewise so that that devilish custom should cease, that,
as soon as the infant received the water of holy baptism, she gained
her sight, although she had indeed been born blind....