PERIOD OF CONQUEST AND SETTLEMENT, 1565-1600.
Cause of Settlement and Conquest of the Philippines.--The previous
Spanish expeditions whose misfortunes have been narrated, seemed
to have proved to the Court of Spain that they could not drive the
Portuguese from the Moluccas. But to the east of the Moluccas lay
great unexplored archipelagoes, which might lie within the Spanish
demarcation and which might yield spices and other valuable articles
of trade; and as the Portuguese had made no effective occupation of
the Philippines, the minds of Spanish conquerors turned to this group
also as a coveted field of conquest, even though it was pretty well
understood that they lay in the latitude of the Moluccas, and so were
denied by treaty to Spain.
In 1559 the Spanish king, Felipe II., commanded the viceroy of Mexico
to undertake again the discovery of the islands lying "toward the
Moluccas," but the rights of Portugal to islands within her demarcation
were to be respected. Five years passed before ships and equipments
could be prepared, and during these years the objects of the expedition
received considerable discussion and underwent some change.
The king invited Andres de Urdaneta, who years before had been a
captain in the expedition of Loaisa, to accompany the expedition as
a guide and director. Urdaneta, after his return from the previous
expedition, had renounced military life and had become an Augustinian
friar. He was known to be a man of wise judgment, with good knowledge
of cosmography, and as a missionary he was able to give to the
expedition that religious strength which characterized all Spanish
undertakings.
It was Urdaneta's plan to colonize, not the Philippines, but New
Guinea; but the Audiencia of Mexico, which had charge of fitting
out the expedition, charged it in minute instructions to reach
and if possible colonize the Philippines, to trade for spices
and to discover the return sailing route back across the Pacific
to New Spain. The natives of the islands were to be converted to
Christianity, and missionaries were to accompany the expedition. In
the quaint language of Fray Gaspar de San Augustin, there were sent
"holy guides to unfurl and wave the banners of Christ, even to the
remotest portions of the islands, and to drive the devil from the
tyrannical possession, which he had held for so many ages, usurping
to himself the adoration of those peoples." [25]
The Third Expedition to the Philippines.--The expedition sailed from
the port of Natividad, Mexico, November 21, 1564, under the command
of Miguel Lopez de Legaspi. The ships followed for a part of the
way a course further south than was necessary, and touched at some
inhabited islands of Micronesia. About the 22d of January they reached
the Ladrones and had some trouble with the natives. They reached the
southern end of Samar about February the 13th. Possession of Samar
was taken by Legaspi in the name of the king, and small parties were
sent both north and south to look for villages of the Filipinos.
A few days later they rounded the southern part of Samar, crossed the
strait to the coast of southern Leyte, and the field-marshal, Goyti,
discovered the town of Cabalian, and on the 5th of March the fleet
sailed to this town. Provisions were scarce on the Spanish vessels,
and great difficulty was experienced in getting food from the few
natives met in boats or in the small settlements discovered.
Legaspi at Bohol.--About the middle of March the fleet arrived at
Bohol, doubtless the southern or eastern shore. While near here Goyti
in a small boat captured a Moro prao from Borneo and after a hard
fight brought back the Moros as prisoners to Legaspi. There proved
to be quite a trade existing between the Moros from Borneo and the
natives of Bohol and Mindanao.
Here on Bohol they were able to make friendly terms with the natives,
and with Sicatuna, the dato of Bohol, Legaspi performed the ceremony
of blood covenant. The Spanish leader and the Filipino chief each
made a small cut in his own arm or breast and drank the blood of the
other. According to Gaspar de San Augustin, the blood was mixed with
a little wine or water and drunk from a goblet. [26] This custom was
the most sacred bond of friendship among the Filipinos, and friendship
so pledged was usually kept with great fidelity.
Legaspi in Cebu.--On the 27th of April, 1565, Legaspi's fleet reached
Cebu. Here, in this beautiful strait and fine anchoring-ground,
Magellan's ships had lingered until the death of their leader
forty-four years before. A splendid native settlement lined the
shore, so Father Chirino tells us, for a distance of more than a
league. The natives of Cebu were fearful and greatly agitated, and
seemed determined to resist the landing of the Spaniards. But at the
first discharge of the guns of the ships, the natives abandoned the
shore, and, setting fire to the town, retreated into the jungles and
hills. Without loss of life the Spaniards landed, and occupied the
harbor and town.
Finding of "the Holy Child of Cebu."--The Spanish soldiers found in
one of the houses of the natives a small wooden image of the Child
Jesus. A similar image, Pigafetta tells us, he had himself given to
a native while in the island with Magellan. It had been preserved by
the natives and was regarded by them as an object of veneration. To
the pious Spaniards the discovery of this sacred object was hailed
as an event of great good fortune. It was taken by the monks, and
carried to a shrine especially erected for it. It still rests in the
church of the Augustinians, an object of great devotion.
Settlement Made at Cebu.--In honor of this image this first settlement
of the Spaniards in the Philippines received the name of "City of
the Most Holy Name of Jesus." Here Legaspi established himself, and,
by great tact and skill, gradually won the confidence and friendship
of the inhabitants. A formal peace was at last concluded in which the
dato, Tupas, recognized the sovereignty of Spain; and the people of
Cebu and the Spaniards bound themselves to assist each other against
the enemies of either.
They had some difficulty in understanding one another, but the
Spaniards had with them a Mohammedan Malay of Borneo, called Cid-Hamal,
who had been taken from the East Indies to the Peninsula and thence
to Mexico and Legaspi's expedition. The languages of Malaysia and
the Philippines are so closely related that this man was able to
interpret. Almost immediately, however, the missionaries began the
study of the native dialect, and Padre Chirino tells us that Friar
Martin Herrada made here the first Filipino vocabulary, and was soon
preaching the Gospel to the natives in their own language.
The great difficulty experienced by Legaspi was to procure sufficient
food for his expedition. At different times he sent a ship to the
nearest islands, and twice his ship went south to Mindanao to procure
a cargo of cinnamon to be sent back to New Spain.
Thus month by month the Spaniards gained acquaintance with the
beautiful island sea of the archipelago, with its green islands
and brilliant sheets of water, its safe harbors and picturesque
settlements.
The Bisayans.--In 1569, Legaspi discovered the great island of
Panay. Here they were fortunate in securing a great abundance
of supplies and the friendship of the natives, who received them
well. These beautiful central islands of the Philippines are inhabited
by Bisaya. The Spaniards found this tribe tattooing their bodies
with ornamental designs, a practice widespread throughout Oceanica,
and which still is common among the tribes of northern Luzon. This
practice caused the Spaniards to give to the Bisayas the title of
"Islas de los Pintados" (the Islands of the Painted).
Discovery of the Northern Return Route across the Pacific.--Before
the arrival of the expedition in the Philippines, the captain of one
of Legaspi's ships, inspired by ungenerous ambition and the hopes
of getting a reward, outsailed the rest of the fleet. Having arrived
first in the islands, he started at once upon the return voyage. Unlike
preceding captains who had tried to return to New Spain by sailing
eastward from the islands against both wind and ocean current, this
captain sailed northward beyond the trades into the more favorable
westerly winds, and found his way back to America and New Spain.
Soon after arriving in the Philippines, Legaspi's instructions
required him to dispatch at least one vessel on the return voyage to
New Spain. Accordingly on June 1st the San Pablo set sail, carrying
about two hundred men, including Urdenata and another friar. This
vessel also followed the northern route across the Pacific, and
after a voyage of great hardship, occupying three and a half months,
it reached the coast of North America at California and followed it
southward to Acapulco.
The discovery made by these captains of a favorable route for vessels
returning from the islands to New Spain safe from capture by the
Portuguese, completed the plans of the Spanish for the occupation
of the Philippines. In 1567 another vessel was dispatched by Legaspi
and made this voyage successfully.
The sailing of these vessels left Legaspi in Cebu with a colony
of only one hundred and fifty Spaniards, poorly provided with
resources, to commence the conquest of the Philippines. But he won the
friendship and respect of the inhabitants, and in 1568 two galleons
with reinforcements arrived from Acapulco. From this time on nearly
yearly communication was maintained, fresh troops with munitions and
supplies arriving with each expedition.
The First Expedition against the Moro Pirates.--Pirates of
Mindoro.--The Spaniards found the Straits of San Bernardino and the
Mindoro Sea swarming with the fleets of Mohammedan Malays from Borneo
and the Jolo Archipelago. To a race living so continuously upon the
water, piracy has always possessed irresistible attractions. In the
days of Legaspi, the island of Mindoro had been partially settled by
Malays from the south, and many of these settlements were devoted
to piracy, preying especially upon the towns on the north coast of
Panay. In January, 1570, Legaspi dispatched his grandson, Juan de
Salcedo, to punish these marauders. [27]
Capture of Pirate Strongholds.--Salcedo had a force of forty Spaniards
and a large number of Bisaya. He landed on the western coast of
Mindoro and took the pirate town of Mamburao. The main stronghold of
the Moros he found to be on the small island of Lubang, northwest of
Mindanao. Here they had three strong forts with high walls, on which
were mounted small brass cannon, or "lantakas." Two of these forts
were surrounded by moats. There were several days of fighting before
Lubang was conquered. The possession of Lubang brought the Spaniards
almost to the entrance of Manila Bay, Meanwhile, a captain, Enriquez
de Guzman, had discovered Masbate, Burias, and Ticao, and had landed
on Luzon in the neighborhood of Albay, called then, "Italon."
Conquest of the Moro City of Manila.--Expedition from Panay.--Reports
had come to Legaspi of an important Mohammedan settlement named
"May-nila," on the shore of a great bay, and a Mohammedan chieftain,
called Maomat, was procured to guide the Spaniards on their conquest
of this region. [28] For this purpose Legaspi sent his field-marshal,
Martin de Goiti, with Salcedo, one hundred and twenty Spanish soldiers,
and fourteen or fifteen boats filled with Bisayan allies. They left
Panay early in May, and, after stopping at Mindoro, came to anchor
in Manila Bay, off the mouth of the Pasig River.
The Mohammedan City.--On the south bank of the river was the fortified
town of the Mohammedan chieftain, Raja Soliman; on the north bank was
the town of Tondo, under the Raja Alcandora, or Lacandola. Morga [29]
tells us that these Mohammedan settlers from the island of Borneo had
commenced to arrive on the island only a few years before the coming
of the Spaniards. They had settled and married among the Filipino
population already occupying Manila Bay, and had introduced some of the
forms and practices of the Mohammedan religion. The city of Manila was
defended by a fort, apparently on the exact sight of the present fort
of Santiago. It was built of the trunks of palms, and had embrasures
where were mounted a considerable number of cannon, or lantakas.
Capture of the City.--The natives received the foreigners at first
with a show of friendliness, but after they had landed on the banks of
the Pasig, Soliman, with a large force, assaulted them. The impetuous
Spaniards charged, and carried the fortifications, and the natives
fled, setting fire to their settlement. When the fight was over the
Spaniards found among the dead the body of a Portuguese artillerist,
who had directed the defense. Doubtless he was one who had deserted
from the Portuguese garrison far south in the Indian archipelago
to cast in his fortunes with the Malays. It being the commencement
of the season of rains and typhoons, the Spaniards decided to defer
the occupation of Manila, and, after exploring Cavite harbor, they
returned to Panay.
A year was spent in strengthening their hold on the Bisayas and in
arranging for their conquest of Luzon. On Masbate was placed a friar
and six soldiers, so small was the number that could be spared.
Founding of the Spanish City of Manila.--With a force of 280 men
Legaspi returned in the spring of 1571 to the conquest of Luzon. It was
a bloodless victory. The Filipino rajas declared themselves vassals
of the Spanish king, and in the months of May and June the Spaniards
established themselves in the present site of the city.
At once Legaspi gave orders for the reconstruction of the fort, the
building of a palace, a convent for the Augustinian monks, a church,
and 150 houses. The boundaries of this city followed closely the
outlines of the Tagalog city "Maynila," and it seems probable that the
location of buildings then established have been adhered to until the
present time. This settlement appeared so desirable to Legaspi that
he at once designated it as the capital of the archipelago. Almost
immediately he organized its governing assembly, or ayuntamiento.
The First Battle on Manila Bay.--In spite of their ready submission,
the rajas, Soliman and Lacandola, did not yield their sovereignty
without a struggle. They were able to secure assistance in the Tagalog
and Pampanga settlements of Macabebe and Hagonoy. A great fleet of
forty war-praos gathered in palm-lined estuaries on the north shore
of Manila Bay, and came sweeping down the shallow coast to drive the
Spaniards from the island. Against them were sent Goiti and fifty
men. The protective mail armor, the heavy swords and lances, the
horrible firearms, coupled with the persistent courage and fierce
resolution of the Spanish soldier of the sixteenth century, swept
back this native armament. The chieftain Soliman was killed.
The Conquest of Central Luzon.--Goiti continued his marching and
conquering northward until nearly the whole great plain of central
Luzon, that stretches from Manila Bay to the Gulf of Lingayen,
lay submissive before him. A little later the raja Lacandola died,
having accepted Christian baptism, and the only powerful resistance
on the island of Luzon was ended.
Goiti was sent back to the Bisayas, and the command of the army of
Luzon fell to Salcedo, the brilliant and daring grandson of Legaspi,
at this time only twenty-two years of age. This young knight led
his command up the Pasig River. Cainta and Taytay, at that time
important Tagalog towns, were conquered, and then the country south
of Laguna de Bay. The town of Cainta was fortified and defended by
small cannon, and although Salcedo spent three days in negotiations,
it was only taken by storm, in which four hundred Filipino men and
women perished. [30] From here Salcedo marched over the mountains to
the Pacific coast and south into the Camarines, where he discovered
the gold mines of Paracale and Mamburao.
At about this time the Spaniards conquered the Cuyos and Calamianes
islands and the northern part of Paragua.
Exploration of the Coast of Northern Luzon.--In 1572, Salcedo, with a
force of only forty-five men, sailed northward from Manila, landed in
Zambales and Pangasinan, and on the long and rich Ilocos coast effected
a permanent submission of the inhabitants. He also visited the coast
farther north, where the great and fertile valley of the Cagayan,
the largest river of the archipelago, reaches to the sea. From here he
continued his adventurous journey down the Pacific coast of Luzon to
the island of Polillo, and returned by way of Laguna de Bay to Manila.
Death of Legaspi.--He arrived in September, 1572, to find that his
grandfather and commander, Legaspi, had died a month before (August 20,
1572). After seven years of labor the conqueror of difficulties was
dead, but almost the entire archipelago had been added to the crown
of Spain. Three hundred years of Spanish dominion secured little
more territory than that traversed and pacified by the conquerors
of those early years. In spite of their slender forces, the daring
of the Spaniards induced them to follow a policy of widely extending
their power, effecting settlements, and enforcing submission wherever
rich coasts and the gathering of population attracted them.
Within a single year's time most of the coast country of Luzon had
been traversed, important positions seized, and the inhabitants
portioned out in encomiendas. On the death of Legaspi, the command
fell to Guido de Lavezares.
Reasons for this Easy Conquest of the Philippines.--The explanation of
how so small a number of Europeans could so rapidly and successfully
reduce to subjection the inhabitants of a territory like the
Philippines, separated into so many different islands, is to be found
in several things.
First.--The expedition had a great leader, one of those knights
combining sagacity with resolution, who glorify the brief period when
Spanish prestige was highest. No policy could ever be successful in the
Philippines which did not depend for its strength upon giving a measure
of satisfaction to the Filipino people. Legaspi did this. He appears
to have won the native datos, treating them with consideration, and
holding out to them the expectations of a better and more prosperous
era, which the sovereignty of the Spaniard would bring. Almost from
the beginning, the natives of an island already reduced flocked to
his standard to assist in the conquest of another. The small forces
of the Spanish soldiers were augmented by hundreds of Filipino allies.
Second.--Another reason is found in the wonderful courage and great
fighting power of the Spanish soldier. Each man, splendidly armored
and weaponed, deadly with either sword or spear, carrying in addition
the arquebus, the most efficient firearm of the time, was equal in
combat to many natives who might press upon him with their naked
bodies and inferior weapons.
Third.--Legaspi was extremely fortunate in his captains, who included
such old campaigners as the field-marshal Martin de Goiti, who had
been to the Philippines before with Villalobos, and such gallant
youths as Salcedo, one of the most attractive military figures in
all Spanish history.
Fourth.--In considering this Spanish conquest, we must understand
that the islands were far more sparsely inhabited than they are
to-day. The Bisayan islands, the rich Camarines, the island of Luzon,
had, in Legaspi's time, only a small fraction of their present great
populations. This population was not only small, but it was also
extremely disunited. Not only were the great tribes separated by
the differences of language, but, as we have already seen, each tiny
community was practically independent, and the power of a dato very
limited. There were no great princes, with large forces of fighting
retainers whom they could call to arms, such as the Portuguese had
encountered among the Malays south in the Moluccas.
Fifth.--But certainly one of the greatest factors in the yielding
of the Filipino to the Spaniard was the preaching of the missionary
friars. No man is so strong with an unenlightened and barbarous race as
he who claims power from God. And the preaching of the Catholic faith,
with its impressive and dramatic services, its holy sacraments, its
power to arrest the attention and to admit at once the rude mind into
the circle of its ministry, won the heart of the Filipino. Without
doubt he was ready and eager for a loftier and truer religious belief
and ceremonial. There was no powerful native priesthood to oppose
the introduction of Christianity. The preaching of the faith and the
baptism of converts proceeded almost as rapidly as the marching of
Salcedo's soldiers.
The Dangers of the Spanish Occupation.--Such conditions assured the
success of the Spanish occupation, provided the small colony could
be protected from outside attacks. But even from the beginning the
position of this little band of conquerors was perilous. Their numbers
were small and of necessity much scattered, and their only source
of succor lay thousands of miles away, across the greatest body of
water on the earth, in a land itself a colony newly wrested from
the hand of the Indian. Across the narrow waters of the China Sea,
only a few days' distant, even in the slow-sailing junks, lay the
teeming shores of the most populous country in the world, in those
days not averse to foreign conquest.
Attempt of the Chinese under Limahong to Capture Manila.--Activity of
the Southern Chinese.--It was from the Chinese that the first heavy
blow fell. The southeastern coast of China, comprising the provinces of
Kwangtung and Fukien, has always exhibited a restlessness and passion
for emigration not displayed by other parts of the country. From these
two provinces, through the ports of Amoy and Canton, have gone those
Chinese traders and coolies to be found in every part of the East
and many other countries of the world. Two hundred years before the
arrival of the Spaniards, Chinese junks traversed the straits and
seas and visited regularly the coast of Mindanao.
Limahong's Expedition to the Philippines.--This coast of China has
always been notorious for its piracy. The distance of the capital at
Peking and the weakness of the provincial viceroys have made impossible
its suppression. It was one of these bold filibusters of the China Sea,
called Limahong, who two years after the death of Legaspi attempted
the conquest of the Philippines. The stronghold of this corsair was the
island of Pehon, where he fortified himself and developed his power.
Here, reports of the prosperous condition of Manila reached him,
and he prepared a fleet of sixty-two war-junks, with four thousand
soldiers and sailors. The accounts even state that a large number of
women and artisans were taken on board to form the nucleus of the
settlement, as soon as the Spaniards should be destroyed. In the
latter part of November, 1574, this powerful fleet came sweeping
down the western coast of Luzon and on the 29th gathered in the
little harbor of Mariveles, at the entrance to Manila Bay. Eight
miles south of Manila is the town of Paranaque, on an estuary which
affords a good landing-place for boats entering from the bay. Here
on the night following, Limahong put ashore six hundred men, under
one of his generals, Sioco, who was a Japanese.
The Attack upon Manila.--From here they marched rapidly up the beach
and fell furiously upon the city. Almost their first victim was the
field-marshal Goiti. The fort of Manila was at this date a weak affair,
without ditches or escarpment, and it was here that the struggle took
place. The Spaniards, although greatly outnumbered, were able to
drive back the Chinese; but they themselves lost heavily. Limahong
now sent ashore heavy reinforcements, and prepared to overwhelm the
garrison. The Spaniards were saved from defeat by the timely arrival
of Salcedo with fifty musketeers. From his station at Vigan he had
seen the sails of Limahong's fleet, cruising southward along the Luzon
coast, and, suspecting that so great an expedition could have no other
purpose than the capture of Manila, he embarked in seven small boats,
and reached the city in six days, just in time to participate in the
furious battle between the Spaniards and the entire forces of the
Chinese pirate. The result was the complete defeat of the Chinese,
who were driven back upon their boats at Paranaque.
The Result of Limahong's Expedition.--Although defeated in his attack
on Manila, Limahong was yet determined on a settlement in Luzon, and,
sailing northward, he landed in Pangasinan and began constructing
fortifications at the mouth of the river Lingayen. The Spaniards
did not wait for him to strengthen himself and to dispute with them
afresh for the possession of the island, but organized in March an
expedition of two hundred and fifty Spaniards and fifteen hundred
Filipinos under Salcedo. They landed suddenly in the Gulf of Lingayen,
burned the entire fleet of the Chinese, and scattered a part of the
forces in the surrounding mountains. The rest, though hemmed in by
the Spaniards, were able to construct small boats, in which they
escaped from the islands.
Thus ended this formidable attack, which threatened for a time to
overthrow the power of Spain in the East. It was the beginning,
however, of important relations with China. Before Limahong's escape
a junk arrived from the viceroy of Fukien, petitioning for the
delivery of the Chinese pirate. Two Augustinian friars accompanied
his junk back to China, eager for such great fields of missionary
conquest. They carried letters from Lavezares inviting Chinese
friendship and intercourse.
Beginning of a New Period of Conquest.--In the spring of 1576, Salcedo
died at Vigan, at the age of twenty-seven. With his death may be said
to close the first period of the history in the Philippines,--that of
the Conquest, extending from 1565 to 1576. For the next twenty-five
years the ambitions of the Spaniards were not content with the
exploration of this archipelago, but there were greater and more
striking conquests, to which the minds of both soldier and priest
aspired.
Despite the settlement with Portugal, the rich Spice Islands to the
south still attracted them, and there were soon revealed the fertile
coasts of Siam and Cambodia, the great empire of China, the beautiful
island of Formosa, and the Japanese archipelago. These, with their
great populations and wealth, were more alluring fields than the poor
and sparsely populated coasts of the Philippines. So, for the next
quarter of a century, the policy of the Spaniards in the Philippines
was not so much to develop these islands themselves, as to make them
a center for the commercial and spiritual conquest of the Orient. [31]
A Treaty with the Chinese.--The new governor arrived in the Islands
in August, 1575. He was Dr. Francisco La-Sande. In October there
returned the ambassadors who had been sent to China by Lavezares. The
viceroy of Fukien had received them with much ceremony. He had not
permitted the friars to remain, but had forwarded the governor's
letter to the Chinese emperor. In February following came a Chinese
embassy, granting a port of the empire with which the Spaniards could
trade. This port, probably, was Amoy, which continued to be the chief
port of communication with China to the present day.
It was undoubtedly commerce and not the missionaries that the Chinese
desired. Two Augustinians attempted to return with this embassy to
China, but the Chinese on leaving the harbor of Manila landed on
the coast of Zambales, where they whipped the missionaries, killed
their servants and interpreter, and left the friars bound to trees,
whence they were rescued by a small party of Spaniards who happened
to pass that way.
Sir Francis Drake's Noted Voyage.--The year 1577 is notable for the
appearance in the East of the great English sea-captain, freebooter,
and naval hero, Francis Drake. England and Spain, at this moment, while
not actually at war, were rapidly approaching the conflict which made
them for centuries traditional enemies. Spain was the champion of Roman
ecclesiasticism. Her king, Philip the Second, was not only a cruel
bigot, but a politician of sweeping ambition. His schemes included the
conquest of France and England, the extermination of Protestantism,
and the subjection of Europe to his own and the Roman authority.
The English people scented the danger from afar, and while the two
courts nominally maintained peace, the daring seamen of British Devon
were quietly putting to sea in their swift and terrible vessels,
for the crippling of the Spanish power. The history of naval warfare
records no more reckless adventures than those of the English mariners
during this period. Audacity could not rise higher.
Drake's is the most famous and romantic figure of them all. In the
year 1577, he sailed from England with the avowed purpose of sweeping
the Spanish Main. He passed the Straits of Magellan, and came up the
western coast of South America, despoiling the Spanish shipping from
Valparaiso to Panama. Thence he came on across the Pacific, touched
the coast of Mindanao, and turned south to the Moluccas.
The Portuguese had nominally annexed the Moluccas in 1522, but at
the time of Drake's visit they had been driven from Ternate, though
still holding Tidor. Drake entered into friendly relations with the
sultan of Ternate, and secured a cargo of cloves. From here he sailed
boldly homeward, daring the Portuguese fleets, as he had defied the
Spanish, and by way of Good Hope returned to England, his fleet the
first after Magellan's to circumnavigate the globe.
A Spanish Expedition to Borneo.--The appearance of Drake in the
Moluccas roused La-Sande to ambitious action. The attraction of
the southern archipelagoes was overpowering, and at this moment the
opportunity seemed to open to the governor to force southward his
power. One of the Malay kings of Borneo, Sirela, arrived in Manila,
petitioning aid against his brother, and promising to acknowledge the
sovereignty of the king of Spain over the island of Borneo. La-Sande
went in person to restore this chieftain to power. He had a fleet of
galleys and frigates, and, according to Padre Gaspar de San Augustin,
more than fifteen hundred Filipino bowmen from Pangasinan, Cagayan,
and the Bisayas accompanied the expedition. He landed on the coast
of Borneo, destroyed the fleet of praos and the city of the usurper,
and endeavored to secure Sirela in his principality. Sickness among
his fleet and the lack of provisions forced him to return to Manila.
The First Attack upon the Moros of Jolo.--On his return he sent an
officer against the island of Jolo. This officer forced the Joloanos
to recognize his power, and from there he passed to the island of
Mindanao, where he further enforced obedience upon the natives. This
was the beginning of the Spanish expeditions against the Moros, which
had the effect of arousing in these Mohammedan pirates such terrible
retaliatory vengeance. Under La-Sande the conquest of the Camarines was
completed by Captain Juan Chaves and the city of Nueva Caceres founded.
The Appointment of Governor Ronquillo.--It was the uniform policy of
the Spanish government to limit the term of office of the governor
to a short period of years. This was one of the futile provisions by
which Spain attempted to control both the ambition and the avarice
of her colonial captains. But Don Gonzalo Ronquillo had granted to
him the governorship of the Philippines for life, on the condition of
his raising and equipping a force of six hundred in Spain, largely at
his own expense, for the better protection and pacification of the
archipelago. This Ronquillo did, bringing his expedition by way of
Panama. He arrived in April, 1580, and although he died at the end
of three years, his rule came at an important time.
The Spanish and the Portuguese Colonies Combined.--In 1580, Philip
II, conquered and annexed to Spain the kingdom of Portugal, and with
Portugal came necessarily to the Spanish crown those rich eastern
colonies which the valor of Da Gama and Albuquerque had won. Portugal
rewon her independence in 1640, but for years Manila was the capital
of a colonial empire, extending from Goa in India to Formosa.
Events of Ronquillo's Rule.--Ronquillo, under orders from the crown,
entered into correspondence with the captain of the Portuguese
fortress on the island of Tidor, and the captain of Tidor petitioned
Ronquillo for assistance in reconquering the tempting island of
Ternate. Ronquillo sent south a considerable expedition, but after
arriving in the Moluccas the disease of beri-beri in the Spanish
camp defeated the undertaking. Ronquillo also sent a small armada to
the coasts of Borneo and Malacca, where a limited amount of pepper
was obtained.
The few years of Ronquillo's reign were in other ways important. A
colony of Spaniards was established at Oton, on the island of Panay,
which was given the name of Arevalo (Iloilo). And under Ronquillo
was pacified for the first time the great valley of the Cagayan. At
the mouth of the river a Japanese adventurer, Tayfusa, or Tayzufu,
had established himself and was attempting the subjugation of this
important part of northern Luzon. Ronquillo sent against him Captain
Carreon, who expelled the intruder and established on the present
site of Lao-lo the city of Nueva Segovia. Two friars accompanied
this expedition and the occupation of this valley by the Spaniards
was made permanent.
The First Conflicts between the Church and the State.--In March, 1581,
there arrived the first Bishop of Manila, Domingo de Salazar. Almost
immediately began those conflicts between the spiritual and civil
authorities, and between bishop and the regular orders, which have
filled to such an extent the history of the islands. The bishop
was one of those authoritative, ambitious, and arrogant characters,
so typical in the history of the Church. It was largely due to his
protests against the autocratic power of the governor that the king
was induced to appoint the first Audiencia. The character and power
of these courts have already been explained. The president and judges
arrived the year following the death of Ronquillo, and the president,
Dr. Santiago de Vera, became acting governor during the succeeding
five years.
In 1587, the first Dominicans, fifteen in number, arrived, and founded
their celebrated mission, La Provincia del Santisimo Rosario.
Increasing Strength of the Malays.--De Vera continued the policy of
his predecessors and another fruitless attack was made on Ternate
in 1585. The power of the Malay people was increasing, while that of
the Europeans was decreasing. The sultans had expelled their foreign
masters, and neither Spaniard nor Portuguese were able to effect
the conquest of the Moluccas. There were uprisings of the natives in
Manila and in Cagayan and Ilocos.
The Decree of 1589.--Affairs in the Islands did not yet, however,
suit Bishop Salazar, and as the representative of both governor and
bishop, the Jesuit, Alonso Sanchez, was dispatched in 1586 to lay the
needs of the colony before the king. Philip was apparently impressed
with the necessity of putting the government of the Islands upon a
better administrative basis. To this end he published the important
decree of 1589.
The governor now became a paid officer of the crown, at a salary of
ten thousand ducats. For the proper protection of the colony and the
conquest of the Moluccas, a regular force of four hundred soldiers
accompanied the governor. His powers were extended to those of an
actual viceregent of the king, and the Audiencia was abolished. The man
selected to occupy this important post was Don Gomez Perez Dasmarinas,
who arrived with the new constitution in May, 1590. So great was
the chagrin of the bishop at the abolition of the Audiencia and the
increase of the governor's power, that he himself set out for Spain
to lay his wishes before the court.
The Missionary Efforts of the Friars.--Twenty-four Franciscans came
with Dasmarinas and the presence of the three orders necessitated the
partition of the Islands among them. The keenest rivalry and jealousy
existed among them over the prosecution of missions in still more
foreign lands. To the missionaries of this age it seemed a possible
thing to convert the great and conservative nations of China and
Japan to the Western religion.
In the month of Dasmarinas' arrival, a company of Dominicans attempted
to found a mission in China, and, an embassy coming from Japan to
demand vassalage from the Philippines, four of the newly arrived
Franciscans accompanied the Japanese on their return.
A year later, in 1592, another embassy from the king of Cambodia
arrived, bringing gifts that included two elephants, and petitioning
for succor against the king of Siam. This was the beginning of an
alliance between Cambodia and the Philippines which lasted for many
years, and which occasioned frequent military aid and many efforts
to convert that country.
Death of Dasmarinas.--But the center of Dasmarinas' ambitions was the
effective conquest of the East Indies and the extension of Spanish
power and his own rule through the Moluccas. With this end in view,
for three years he made preparations. For months the shores were lined
with the yards of the shipbuilders, and the great forests of Bulacan
fell before the axes of the Indians. More than two hundred vessels,
"galeras," "galeotas," and "virrayes," were built, and assembled
at Cavite.
In the fall of 1593, the expedition, consisting of over nine
hundred Spaniards, Filipino bowmen and rowers, was ready. Many of the
Filipinos, procured to row these boats, were said to have been slaves,
purchased through the Indian chiefs by the Spanish encomenderos. The
governor sent forward this great fleet under the command of his son,
Don Luis, and in the month of October he himself set sail in a galley
with Chinese rowers. But on the night of the second day, while off the
island of Maricaban, the Chinese oarsmen rose against the Spaniards,
of whom there were about forty on the ship, and killed almost the
entire number, including the governor. They then escaped in the boat
to the Ilocos coast and thence to China.
The murder of this active and illustrious general was a determining
blow to the ambitious projects for the conquest of the East
Indies. Among other papers which Dasmarinas brought from Spain was a
royal cedula giving him power to nominate his successor, who proved to
be his son, Don Luis, who after some difficulty succeeded temporarily
to his father's position.
Arrival of the Jesuits.--In June, 1595, there arrived Don Antonio de
Morga, who had been appointed assessor and lieutenant-governor of
the Islands, to succeed Don Luis. With Morga came the first Jesuit
missionaries. He was also the bearer of an order granting to the
Jesuits the exclusive privilege of conducting missions in China and
Japan. The other orders were forbidden to pass outside the Islands.
An attempt to Colonize Mindanao.--In the year 1596, the Captain
Rodriguez de Figueroa received the title of governor of Mindanao,
with exclusive right to colonize the island for "the space of
two lives." He left Iloilo in April with 214 Spaniards, two Jesuit
priests, and many natives. They landed in the Rio Grande of Mindanao,
where the defiant dato, Silonga, fortified himself and resisted
them. Almost immediately Figueroa rashly ventured on shore and was
killed by Moros. Reinforcements were sent under Don Juan Ronquillo,
who, after nearly bringing the datos to submission, abandoned all he
had gained. The Spaniards burned their forts on the Rio Grande and
retired to Caldera, near Zamboanga, where they built a presidio.
Death of Franciscans in Japan.--The new governor, Don Francisco
Tello de Guzman, arrived on June 1, 1596. He had previously been
treasurer of the Casa de Contratacion in Seville. Soon after his
arrival an important and serious tragedy occurred in Japan. The ship
for Acapulco went ashore on the Japanese coast and its rich cargo was
seized by the feudal prince where the vessel sought assistance. The
Franciscans had already missions in these islands, and a quarrel
existed between them and the Portuguese Jesuits over this missionary
field. The latter succeeded in prejudicing the Japanese court against
the Franciscans, and when they injudiciously pressed for the return
of the property of the wrecked galleon, "San Felipe," the emperor,
greedy for the rich plunder, and exasperated by their preaching,
met their petitions with the sentence of death. They were horribly
crucified at the port of Nagasaki, February 5, 1597. This emperor was
the proud and cruel ruler, Taycosama. He was planning the conquest
of the Philippines themselves, when death ended his plans.
The First Archbishop in the Philippines.--Meanwhile the efforts of
Salazar at the Spanish court had effected further important changes
for the Islands. The reestablishment of the Royal Audiencia was
ordered, and his own position was elevated to that of archbishop,
with the three episcopal sees of Ilocos, Cebu, and the Camarines. He
did not live to assume this office, and the first archbishop of the
Philippines was Ignacio Santibanez, who also died three months after
his arrival, on May 28, 1598.
Reestablishment of the Audiencia.--The Audiencia was reestablished with
great pomp and ceremony. The royal seal was borne on a magnificently
caparisoned horse to the cathedral, where a Te Deum was chanted,
and then to the Casas Reales, where was inaugurated the famous court
that continued without interruption down to the end of Spanish
rule. Dr. Morga was one of the first oidores, and the earliest
judicial record which can now be found in the archives of this court
is a sentence bearing his signature.
The Rise of Moro Piracy.--The last years of De Guzman's governorship
were filled with troubles ominous for the future of the Islands. The
presidio of Caldera was destroyed by the Moros. Following this
victory, in the year 1599, the Moros of Jolo and Maguindanao equipped
a piratical fleet of fifty caracoas, and swept the coasts of the
Bisayas. Cebu, Negros, and Panay were ravaged, their towns burned,
and their inhabitants carried off as slaves.
The following year saw the return of a larger and still more dreadful
expedition. The people of Panay abandoned their towns and fled into
the mountains, under the belief that these terrible attacks had been
inspired by the Spaniards. To check these pirates, Juan Gallinato,
with a force of two hundred Spaniards, was sent against Jolo,
but, like so many expeditions that followed his, he accomplished
nothing. The inability of the Spaniards was now revealed and the
era of Moro piracy had begun. "From this time until the present day"
(about the year 1800), wrote Zuniga, "these Moros have not ceased to
infest our colonies; innumerable are the Indians they have captured,
the towns they have looted, the rancherias they have destroyed, the
vessels they have taken. It seems as if God has preserved them for
vengeance on the Spaniards that they have not been able to subject
them in two hundred years, in spite of the expeditions sent against
them, the armaments sent almost very year to pursue them. In a very
little while we conquered all the islands of the Philippines; but the
little island of Jolo, a part of Mindanao, and other islands near by
we have not been able to subjugate to this day." [32]
Battle at Mariveles with the Dutch.--In October, 1600, two Dutch
vessels appeared in the Islands; it was the famous expedition of
the Dutch admiral, Van Noort. They had come through the Straits of
Magellan, on a voyage around the world. The Dutch were in great need of
provisions. As they were in their great enemy's colony, they captured
and sunk several boats, Spanish and Chinese, bound for Manila with
rice, poultry, palm-wine, and other stores of food. At Mariveles,
a Japanese vessel from Japan was overhauled. Meanwhile in Manila
great excitement and activity prevailed. The Spaniards fitted up two
galleons and the "Oidor" Morga himself took command with a large crew
of fighting men.
On November 14, they attacked the Dutch, whose crews were greatly
reduced to only eighty men on both ships. The vessel commanded by
Morga ran down the flagship of Van Noort, and for hours the ships lay
side by side while a hand-to-hand fight raged on the deck and in the
hold. The ships taking fire, Morga disengaged his ship, which was so
badly shattered that it sank, with great loss of life; but Morga and
some others reached the little island of Fortuna. Van Noort was able
to extinguish the fire on his vessel, and escape from the Islands. He
eventually reached Holland. His smaller vessel was captured with its
crew of twenty-five men, who were all hung at Cavite. [33]
Other Troubles of the Spanish.--In the year 1600, two ships sailed
for Acapulco, but one went down off the Catanduanes and the other was
shipwrecked on the Ladrones. "On top of all other misfortunes, Manila
suffered, in the last months of this government, a terrible earthquake,
which destroyed many houses and the church of the Jesuits." [34]
The Moros, the Dutch, anxieties and losses by sea, the visitations
of God,--how much of the history of the seventeenth century in the
Philippines is filled with these four things!