The first priests to come to the Philippines were six Augustinians
who accompanied Legazpi on the expedition which in 1565 established
the first permanent European settlement in the islands. Among them
was Martin de Rada, who was one of the most important and influential
priests during the early days of the Spanish colony, and who was the
first linguist of note to work in the Philippines. The first language
he learned was Visayan, [59] native to the island of Cebú where the
Spaniards first landed, but he also learned Chinese. In May 1572 he
was elected provincial of his order, and in June 1575 he went with
Jerónimo Marín, as ambassador to China, being "the first Spaniard
who entered into that said kingdom." [60] In preparation for the
voyage, we are told by González de Mendoza, whose famous and popular
history of China first printed in 1585 derives in a great measure from
information brought back by Rada, that Rada "began with great care &
studie to learne that language [Chinese], the which he learned in
few daies: & did make thereof a dictionarie." [61] Rada was then not
only the first to write in Visayan, but also the first to compile a
Chinese dictionary, and more important still brought back with him
to Manila from China many books of which Mendoza gives a list. [62]
These books, printed in the usual Chinese method from wood-blocks,
could have provided models for the Spaniards in the Philippines who
lacked European facilities for printing, and they may have given
birth to the idea which resulted in the xylographic Doctrinas.
Within the first few years several more Augustinian fathers [63]
arrived whose linguistic accomplishments are briefly noted by the
historians, but while these men were certainly pioneers in the speaking
of Tagalog and Chinese, they are not recorded as having written in
the language. According to Cano, [64] the first Tagalog grammar was
written by Agustin de Alburquerque, and Retana [65] considered him
one of the possible authors of the present Doctrina. This friar
reached the Philippines in 1571, accompanied Rada on his second
expedition to China in 1576, was elected provincial in 1578, and died
in 1580. However, there is no early record saying that Alburquerque
wrote any linguistic work. The statement was not made until the 19th
century, and in contradiction Juan de Medina, who wrote in 1630,
said that Juan de Quiñones "made a grammar and lexicon of the Tagal
language, which was the first to make a start in the rules of its
mode of speech." [66] Furthermore, in the official acts [67] of the
Augustinian province we find that on August 20, 1578 Alburquerque
as provincial of the order commissioned Quiñones to write a grammar,
dictionary and confessionary in the Tagalog language. The conclusions
of Santiago de Vela [68] are that it is doubtful that Alburquerque
wrote any linguistic works, and if he did they were liable to have
been rough preliminary studies [69] upon which the texts of Quiñones
were based. In view of the lack of positive contemporary evidence
[70] we believe that Alburquerque may be eliminated except as the
instigator of such works, and we return again to Juan de Quiñones.
In so far as Quiñones [71] was the author of a grammar and dictionary
claimed to have been printed at Manila in 1581, we have shown what
various writers have said, and though we must conclude that the work
was probably not printed, it is certain that he wrote in the Tagalog
language. Agustin Maria de Castro [72] said, although no earlier
writers support it, that Quiñones actually presented a grammar,
dictionary and Doctrina in Tagalog at the Synod of 1582 for its
approval. Our total information about this Augustinian linguist boils
down to these essentials: that he did write a grammar and dictionary
of Tagalog about 1578-81, which may have been the earliest written
in the Philippines; that he may have presented these and a Doctrina
at the Synod of 1582 which approved Juan de Plasencia's works; that
there is no concrete evidence that any of these works were printed;
and that Quiñones' works which were extant in manuscript in 1593
might have been consulted in the preparation of the present Doctrina.
Another member of the Order of St. Augustine who might have been
able to participate in the editing of the 1593 Doctrinas was Diego
Muñoz. Muñoz came to the islands in 1578, and died in 1594. Of him
San Agustin writes:
"Moreover in this year [1581] the ministry for the Sangleys
was founded in the convent of Tondo, and P. Fr. Diego Muñoz
was named as its special minister. He devoted particular
zeal to the study of the Chinese language, and preached in
it with much elegance. And all the Sangleys who were going
to be baptized, and there were many, had recourse to this
ministry, and the teaching was continued with much vigilance
and care. And there never lacked a religious of our order
to apply himself to such holy work, from the time we came to
this land, as our original records of the province prove." [73]
To him is also attributed [74] a volume of manuscript panegyric sermons
in Tagalog, and because of this and his work at Tondo he may have
been consulted by the Dominicans. We also mention Lorenzo de León,
[75] who arrived in 1582, spent twelve years in the provinces, wrote
a book called the _Estrella del mar_ in Tagalog, and died in 1623,
and might also have helped.