A Report Concerning the Filipinas Islands, which it is Advisable to
Settle and Pacify; and other Matters
Most potent Sire:
Fray Francisco de Ortega [18] of the order of St. Augustine,
visitor-general of the province of the Philipinas, and prior of the
convent of the city of Manila, with desire and zeal for the service of
God our Lord, and of your Highness, in order to inform you concerning
the nature of the Philipinas Islands, which have rendered obedience
to your Highness, and of what is advisable for their welfare and
increase, and for the relief of your Highness's royal conscience,
makes the following declaration.
1. That it will be of much import for your Highness to order the island
of Mindanao, which is four hundred leguas in circuit, to be pacified
and settled. It is said that there are many people there who, when
pacified, will need, according to the report made, at least eighty
ministers for the conversion of those natives. This said island lies
to the south. It produces a great quantity of cinnamon, which, if
cultivated, will prove a source of great profit to the royal exchequer
of your Highness. This island is quite near those of Maluco, and the
occupation of it will be very advantageous, because of what is said
of the trade and commerce of the said Malucas Islands, of which we
would thus gain practical knowledge.
2. The island of Leyte lies in the same southern region. It is sixty
leguas in circumference. It is apportioned to eight encomenderos,
who have about five thousand Indians as tributarios. The latter have
up to this day never seen ministers of the gospel, and they have been
paying tribute for over twenty years. It is advisable, for the relief
of the conscience of those encomenderos and the royal conscience of
your Highness, that ministers be furnished. For the conversion of those
natives, ten ministers will be needed, counting one minister to each
five hundred tributarios. These latter will amount to ten thousand
souls, but more rather than less, counting the women and children.
3. The island called Negros, which has been so called by the Spaniards
because in this island there are more than the usual proportion of
a race called Negrillos; they are not, however, as black as those of
Guinea. They live separate from the natives of the island, which is
something like one hundred leguas in circumference. Four thousand
five hundred Indians pay tribute in this island, which is allotted
to eight encomenderos. These, as well as the encomenderos of Leyte,
above mentioned, have repartimientos of Indians in other places. For
the conversion of these natives, nine or ten more ministers of the
gospel will be needed. According to the above report, there are some
twenty thousand souls there.
4. The island of Panay has twenty-five thousand Indians as tributarios,
or about one hundred thousand souls, rather more than less. It is one
hundred leguas in circumference, and has sixteen encomenderos, and
fourteen religious of the order of St. Augustine, in six monasteries
founded there--one on the river of Panay, which is in the royal crown
lands of your Highness, and the other five monasteries in villages of
the encomenderos. All the other villages of this island, which is the
best in that land, after Luzon, are without ministers. To comply with
the obligation and relief [of the conscience] of the encomenderos,
thirty-six ministers are needed, in addition to the aforesaid; for the
island, as I have said, contains about one hundred thousand people,
great and small, requiring the ministry of instruction.
5. The island of Cubu, which was the first in this archipelago to
render obedience to your Highness, and where the first settlement of
Spaniards was established, is one hundred leguas in circumference,
or thereabouts. The number of Indians in the southern part, is not
known with accuracy, because it has not been visited. Four thousand
Indians pay tribute to eight encomenderos. It has no ministers of
the gospel, but there is a monastery of the order of St. Augustine,
established in the city of Santisimo Nombre de Jesus, and they have
in charge a village of the natives near by, with about one thousand
two hundred inhabitants. All the rest are without instruction. Six
ministers, besides the three in the said monastery, are needed for
the conversion of those natives.
6. The island of Bool is twenty-four leguas in circuit, with one
thousand Indian tributarios, or about four thousand souls. They
have never had, nor have they now, any instruction, and they have
paid tribute for eighteen years. They need two ministers for their
conversion.
7. The island of Cuyo is twelve leguas in circumference. It has one
thousand Indians paying tribute, but, for want of ministers, none
of it is christianized; for they have never had them and have not
now. They have been paying tribute as long as those of the island of
Bool. Two ministers are needed for the instruction of these natives.
8. The island of Mindoro is eighty leguas or so in circuit, and lies
to the south. It is but scantily populated; although much of it has
not been visited, in the known parts there are about two thousand
Indian tributarios. The chief village of this island, which belongs
to your Highness, has one minister. There is need of six ministers
of the gospel, counting the one priest that it has.
9. And further, the said father Fray Francisco de Ortega says that,
in addition to the islands named above, are other small islands,
whose names follow. Ybabao is twelve leguas in circuit, has eight
hundred tributarios, and is an encomienda. Samal has three thousand
Indian tributarios, or something above ten thousand souls, and a
circuit of about fifteen leguas. Capul is ten leguas in circuit, and
has three hundred and fifty tributarios. The island of Maripipe has
a like number, and is fifteen leguas in circumference. Camanguian,
ten leguas in circuit, and one hundred and fifty tributarios;
Cubuyan, eighteen leguas in circuit, and two hundred and fifty
tributarios; the island of Cabras, a like number, and is eight
leguas in circuit. Vanton is about ten leguas in circumference,
and has about three hundred tributarios. That of Marinducq is thirty
leguas in circuit, and has eight hundred Indian tributarios; Romblon,
eight leguas in circuit, and one hundred and fifty Indian tributarios;
Tablas, eighteen leguas and two hundred and fifty tributarios. The
island of Ambil is five leguas in circuit, and has one hundred and
fifty Indian tributarios; Buracay, six leguas, and two hundred and
fifty tributarios. That of Helin is about eight leguas in circuit,
and has three hundred Indian tributarios; Calamianes, sixty leguas
in circuit, or thereabout, and thus far is known to have six hundred
tributarios; Caguayanes, eighteen leguas in circumference, and about
five hundred Indians; Mazbate, twenty-five leguas and five hundred
and fifty tributarios. The island of Fuegos is nine leguas in circuit,
and has two hundred tributarios; Ymaras, fourteen leguas in circuit,
and three hundred and fifty tributarios.
10. All the above islands, and four other small ones, each of about
eighty or one hundred Indians at the most, have no ministers of
the gospel, nor are there any Christians in them, although all are
apportioned into encomiendas. One encomendero holds five or six islands
as an encomienda; and, because they are not easily accessible, these
natives are almost without possibility of ever having ministers, or of
attaining to a knowledge of God our Lord. However, if they should have
ministers, and if these dwelt in some of the best populated islands,
they could visit the others, since they are near one another. By this
means, those souls might be helped.
11. The island of Catanduanes, which lies north, near the island
of Luçon, is about thirty leguas in circuit, and has four thousand
Indian tributarios. It is apportioned to four encomenderos. Eight
ministers of the gospel are needed for the conversion of those people,
who number about sixteen thousand souls.
12. The island of Luzon, whereon is located the city of Manila,
is the best and most thickly populated, most abundant in food and
richest in gold mines. It is three hundred leguas in circumference,
and is all apportioned among encomenderos. The villages in the chief
places of the provinces belong to your Highness's royal crown. In
this and other parts, your Highness has thirty thousand tributarios or
thereabout. Although they all pay tribute in the villages under charge
of encomenderos, many of them have no instruction; and they have paid,
and there has been collected from them, tribute for more than sixteen
years. That this may be quite evident to your Majesty, he says that,
in the province of Camarines, located eighty leguas from the city of
Manila in the said island, in the vicinity of the volcano of Albay, are
four encomenderos, who collect more than three thousand tributes, and
there are no ministers of the gospel. This means twelve thousand souls
to be converted, for not one of them is a Christian, for the reason
given above. For their conversion, six ministers will be necessary.
13. Further in the above province are four other encomenderos, who
collect tribute from the island of Capul (which lies four leguas
away), and from the bay of Ybalon. They collect almost three thousand
tributes, and they likewise have no minister of the gospel. There
are some two [19] thousand souls, and they will need six ministers
for their conversion.
14. In the above province is an islet of about two or three leguas
in circuit. It is apportioned to two encomenderos, who collect one
thousand two hundred tributes. This means four thousand souls, and
will require two ministers.
15. _Item_: In the said province, near the volcano of Albay, is
a village called Yguey, with seven hundred Indian tributarios,
and not one a Christian, for lack of ministers. It belongs to one
encomendero. There are about three thousand souls, more or less,
who need two ministers of the gospel for their conversion.
16. In the same island of Luzon, toward the north, in the province of
Cagayan, are some allotted Indians, who, although they pay tribute,
are not baptized for lack of ministers. Their encomenderos are twelve
in number, and the Indians in their encomiendas, ten thousand four
hundred, or more than forty thousand souls. In proportion to the
others, they will need twenty ministers for their conversion.
17. In the same island of Luzon, in the provinces of Ylocos and
Pangasinan are twelve encomenderos, with sixteen thousand Indians
paying tribute, which means about seventy thousand souls. Very few of
these, not eight thousand, are baptized. They need thirty ministers
for their conversion and instruction.
18. Besides the above, in the same island, another thickly-inhabited
province in this region, one week's journey from Manila, was explored
two years ago, by order of Governor Gomez Perez Dasmarinas. According
to the report given to the said Fray Francisco de Ortega by friars of
his order, at least forty ministers are needed there for the welfare,
assistance, and conversion of those natives. Thus, all together, two
hundred ministers of the gospel are necessary for the administration
and conversion of the natives of those islands--which are under the
protection and dominion of your Highness, to whom they have rendered
obedience and whom they recognize as king and sovereign. This number is
in addition to those who are there now, reckoning among these latter
the descalced fathers of the order of St. Francis, who sailed in the
fleet now on the way for Nueva España, in order to go to the said
islands. And in order that your Highness may consider as excellently
employed all that you have spent from your royal exchequer in the
furtherance of this apostolic and sovereign work of conversion, he
[Ortega] gives a report as to the monasteries of religious and the
ministers of the three orders there, and the great results produced
by the preaching of the gospel among those natives. This is to the
great merit of your Highness, since they [the monasteries] have been
the chief instrument of the relief and salvation of the Indians.
19. There is one monastery with four religious of his order of
St. Augustine, in the island of Cubu. They have baptized about six
thousand, large and small, of the Indians in their charge there.
20. There is another monastery of the same order in another small
island, called Batayan. It has two religious, who have baptized three
thousand souls.
21. In the island of Panay, the best island after that of Luzon, are
six monasteries of his order. The island has sixteen ministers, who
have baptized more than thirty thousand persons, large and small. Each
day the conversion extends farther and it is through lack of ministers
that more are not baptized.
22. In the island of Luzon, where the city of Manila is located, in
a province called Pampanga, in a territory of eighteen leguas, are
twelve monasteries of his order. These have twenty-nine religious,
all priests. This district has twenty-three thousand five hundred
tributarios, or ninety thousand souls--more, rather than less--for
they are a people who multiply rapidly. Of all this number, there
are but few unbaptized.
23. In the same province (I mean island) of Luzon, is another
province, called Ylocos, and another, Pangasinan, where his order
of St. Augustine has eleven monasteries; and another in a Spanish
settlement on the Cagayah River, where there are twenty-eight
religious, all priests. In all this territory are twenty thousand
tributarios, or about eighty thousand souls, of whom fifty-five
thousand are baptized, while the rest are daily becoming converted.
24. In another province, called Bombon, where there are two large
lakes, the shores of which are all settled, within a territory twenty
leguas from the city of Manila are established eleven monasteries
of his order of St. Augustine. Here there are nineteen thousand five
hundred tributarios, or more than eighty thousand souls. Of these more
than sixty thousand are baptized, while the rest are regularly being
converted. The said monasteries have twenty-six religious, all priests.
25. The monasteries belonging to the order of St. Augustine in those
islands in the villages of the Indians number forty-three, with one
hundred and five ministers, who have in their charge, as reported,
two hundred and eighty-nine thousand souls, of whom two hundred and
forty-four thousand are baptized, while the remaining forty-five
thousand are being converted daily. In addition there is another
monastery in the city of Manila, with twenty-five ministers--ten
of them priests, and the others without sacerdotal orders. This
is in addition to novices, of whom there are usually some in the
monastery. The members of the convent have in charge certain Indians
near the city along the seacoast. Thus there are forty-four monasteries
with one hundred and thirty ministers.
26. The monasteries of the order of St. Francis in Indian villages in
those islands, number twenty-three. They have forty-nine ministers
in these; and in the city of Manila they have another monastery of
their order, with fifteen religious--priests and brethren, laymen and
choristers. He [Ortega] does not know the exact number of Indians in
their charge, although he thinks that they have baptized something
like thirty thousand persons.
There are four monasteries of the order of St. Dominic in Indian
villages, and two in Manila--one among the Chinese settled there,
and the other among the Spaniards. All six convents have eighteen
ministers, and he thinks they have baptized something like fourteen
thousand souls.
Fray Francisco de Ortega presents this report to your Highness, as
one who has an experience of twenty-four years in those islands, and
what remains from thirty-nine years in Nueva España. He presents
the report with all sincerity, so that your Highness may have
detailed information, and may deem yourself to be well served by
his order. His hope is that the necessity of ministers--both for
preaching to the natives already converted, and for the conversion of
so vast a multitude of people still to be converted--being evident,
your Highness, with your royal and usual kindness, may have a great
number of ministers of the gospel sent; since God is sending the
remedy that is drawing this people from their blindness, by the hands
of your Highness, for whom He is keeping the reward of so noble and
sovereign a work as this of converting a new world to the knowledge
of God our Lord.
[_Endorsed:_ "Fray Francisco de Ortega of the order of St. Augustine."]