I, Geronimo de Alcaras, secretary of the chapter of this holy
metropolitan church of Manila, and notary-public of the ecclesiastical
jurisdiction, give witness and true testimony that, by the books
wherein are recorded the decrees and other matters having to do with
the government thereof, which are issued in this archbishopric, and
which books are in my possession, it appears that on the twenty-first
of August of the past year one thousand five hundred and eighty-seven,
Don Fray Domingo de Salasar, who was the first bishop of these
islands, gave permission and license to the religious of the Order
of St. Dominic to found a church and convent in this said city of
Manila. Likewise on the twenty-ninth of August of the year one thousand
five hundred and ninety, the said bishop gave the said permission to
the religious of the Order of St. Augustine to establish missions in
the tingues of Pas, the encomienda of Tome de la Ysla. [24] On the
same day he also gave permission for the villages of Araya and Pinpin,
of the jurisdiction of Candava. Likewise on the third day of the month
of February of the year one thousand five hundred and ninety-five,
Fray Christoval de Salvatierra, then director of this archbishopric,
gave the said permission to the religious of the Order of St. Francis
to establish a mission in the tingues of Cavite, on the encomienda of
Diego Jorge. On the twenty-fifth of September of the year one thousand
five hundred and ninety-six the dean and chapter of this said holy
church, _sede vacante_, gave the said permission to the religious of
the Society of Jesus, for the whole of the island of Mindanao. On
the twelfth of February of the year one thousand five hundred and
ninety-eight, the said dean and chapter gave the said permission to
the said religious of the Society of Jesus for the mission village
[_doctrina_] of Taytay. On the eighth of May of this present year of
ninety-nine, the said dean and chapter gave the said permission to
the said religious of the Society of Jesus for the village of Silan
in the tingues of Cavite, because the religious of St. Francis had
resigned that mission. Although I have examined with particular care
the said books, I find in none of them that there has been given thus
far permission for more houses than those above mentioned, all of
which appears and is evident by the said books to which I refer. That
this may be evident, at the command of the said dean and chapter I
give this present, dated at Manila, on the twenty-eighth day of the
month of June of the year one thousand five hundred and ninety-nine.
_Geronimo de Alcaraz_
The notaries who have below signed their names certify and bear
witness, to whomsoever may see the present paper, that Jeronimo de
Alcaras, by whom this report is signed in this other part, is secretary
of the chapter, acting as vicar-general, and is master of school and
licentiate, and as such entire faith and credit, in and out of court,
is given to the reports and other papers which have passed and shall
pass before him. That this may be apparent, we have given this present
in Manila, on the twenty-eighth of June of the year ninety-nine.
_Francisco de Olavide_, notary to his Majesty.
_Francisco de Valencia_, notary public.
_Joan Paz Dessotomayor_, notary royal.
[_Endorsed_: "Testimony regarding the occasions upon which the
ordinary of the Filipinas Islands has given his permission to the
mendicant religious to found churches and instruct the natives of
those islands."]