The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 09 of 55 / 1593-1597 / Explorations by Early Navigators, Descriptions of the Islands and Their Peoples, Their History and Records of the Catholic Missions, as Related in Contemporaneous Books and Manuscripts, Showing the Political, Economic, Commercial and Religious Conditions of Those Islands from Their Earliest Relations with European Nations to the Close of the Nineteenth Century

by Unknown

A Report Concerning the Filipinas Islands, which it is Advisable to Settle and Pacify; and other Matters

Most potent Sire:

Fray Francisco de Ortega[1] 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 Page 88hundred 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 Page 89encomenderos. 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 Page 90inhabitants. 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. Page 91Camanguian, 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 Page 92others, 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 Page 93tributes, and they likewise have no minister of the gospel. There are some two[2] 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 Page 94to 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 Page 95than 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 Page 96ministers, 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 Page 97yourself 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.”]