The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 22 of 55 / 1625-29 / 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

[Instructions: “Let the governor be again charged to observe what has been ordered him. May 11, 628.”]

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[1] This man undertook, as a work of charity, to rear and educate orphaned or poor Spanish boys, for which purpose he collected aims; and later he secured from the crown the aid for which these letters ask. Having spent his life in this work, Guerrero at his death (being then a Dominican friar) placed this school in charge of the Dominicans, who accepted it—on June 18, 1640, organizing it as the college of San Juan de Letran; it became a department of their university of Santo Tomás.

Royal Decrees

Ordering the correction of abuses by the Augustinians

The King. To Don Juan Niño de Tavora, member of my Council of War, my governor and captain-general of the Philipinas Islands, and president of the royal Audiencia therein: In a letter written to me by Don Fernando de Silva, in whose charge that government was ad interim, dated August four of the past year one thousand six hundred and twenty-five, he declares that there is not so great need anywhere else as in those islands for the governors to have authority to remove or promote religious teachers because of their unbridled or steady lives; and that the religious have come to lose respect, by their deeds, for the alcaldes-mayor, and pay no attention to the royal jurisdiction and patronage—especially the Augustinians who are more extravagant than the others. They are entirely masters of the wills of the Indians, and give out that in them consists the quietness or disobedience of the Indians. Inasmuch as the alcalde-mayor of Bayaban tried to moderate the excesses that were being committed, the religious entered his house, attacked him, and beat him. Another alcalde-mayor, who resides in Bulacan, having arrested two Indian seamen of my royal fleet so that they should go to serve in their places, the religious there took them from him; and every day more dangerous incidents are occurring, in which they need some intervention. It would therefore be advisable to send them the decree that was issued in the former year of six hundred and twenty-four for Nueva España, ordering that the heads of the religious, especially he of St. Augustine, order the religious to restrain themselves. Notwithstanding that the said decree has been sent already to those islands, and now goes in duplicate, I order you to summon the provincial of the Augustinians and tell him that it is greatly advisable to punish that religious; and that he shall accordingly do so. You are hereby advised that under no consideration shall a mission be granted to those religious who shall be guilty of such offenses, and you shall advise me of what you shall do. Madrid, June nineteen, one thousand six hundred and twenty-six.

I The King

Countersigned by Don Fernando Ruiz de Contreras, and signed by the members of the Council.

[Endorsed: “To the governor of Philipinas, ordering him to summon the provincial of the Augustinians, and command him to punish a certain religious, a missionary, for the excess of which he has been guilty; and that he see that those religious who should be guilty be not admitted to a mission.”]