The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 23 of 55 / 1629-30 / 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

Chapter XXVIII

Of the election of our fathet Fray Juan de Valderrama

When the time for the election came, namely, May 22, 1590, all the capitulars, who were now coming from all parts, assembled. They came from the Bisayas in their caracoas, and from llocos, some by land and some by sea, for the election. Those among the Tagáls and in Pampanga were living nearer, and accordingly, without being absent over Lent from their missions, they came at the critical moment and entered Manila at the time set by our rules. Finally, all assembled, and considered and consulted in regard to the person most suitable, in their opinion, for the good and welfare of the province. That, to my way of thinking, is what the religious always take by the horns, as men who place the common welfare before the spiritual (or rather, private) good. Finally, they thought that father Fray Juan de Henao (or rather, Valderrama) was the man most suitable for that occasion. Accordingly, they elected him, and his election was a most fortunate event, for he was very religious and very devoted to his institution. Hence he governed with great prudence and devotion.

During his term some new priorates were established, which seemed advisable for the good government and administration of the Indians. Among them was that of Arayat, located in the farthest corner of Pampanga. It had a goodly population at the beginning, but now the population has dwindled to less than one hundred Indians;[132] for on one side the Zambales, and on the other the conscriptions, have been consuming them, as is seen at present in other districts. He also established religious and visited the provinces very carefully, and provided in all things quite in accordance with the obligation of our calling.

At this time happened a wonderful miracle in the province of llocos, whose memory endures unto today. It was as follows. Among the religious who were going to Filipinas quite ordinarily, in great numbers, went father Fray Pedro de la Cruz,[133] to whom our Lord gave much of His spirit, and who was called commonly “the Apostle of the Filipinas;” and for him the Lord worked many wonderful miracles. The province of Pangasinan—which as we said above we gave to the religious fathers of our father St. Dominic (perhaps from this fact, the latter have taken occasion to write that he was their religious; but the trick matters not; only it is not right to take him from those to whom he belongs, for the stones which shine with more luster in religion are those in whom our Lord shows more of His piety and mercy)—fell to this religious and holy man. This servant of God, then, being in a village of that province called Bagnotan, saw an Indian woman carrying a baby, to whom she had but recently given birth. The religious was doubtless moved by the spirit of heaven in his question. The Indian woman answered that she was taking the baby to bury it alive, for it had been born blind. When he asked her for her reason, she said that they had the custom of immediately burying alive any child born who was incapable of serving its parents, for in such case the latter had no interest or hope in its living. For it was an arduous task to give them being, to bear them in travail, to rear them through childhood and support them all their lives, since such children could not requite so many benefits. No arguments availed to persuade the Indian woman of the contrary, until the holy man made an agreement with her, namely, that she should give him the child, and that he would rear her and support her as his own daughter. With this agreement, the mother gave the child to Father Pedro de la Cruz, and he entered his convent with his new daughter. He got a woman to nurse her at the price of four reals per month, and then with his right as father, set about baptizing her. He did so, and it was our Lord’s pleasure, for the credit of His servant, the value of holy baptism, and His own glory, and likewise so that that devilish custom should cease, that, as soon as the infant received the water of holy baptism, she gained her sight, although she had indeed been born blind....