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

Report of Appointments Made by Governor Tavora

Sire:

Proceeding in conformity with what your Majesty orders me by royal decree, dated at Madrid on the twentieth of January, one thousand six hundred and twenty-five, and countersigned by Señor Don Fernando Ruiz de Contreras, directing that I should send a relation of the places, offices, encomiendas, gratuities, incomes, allowances, additional pay, and whatsoever other advantages I might confer, making a special record for this; after having complied with this, and sent an account in the ships which left this island for Nueva España in the year six hundred and twenty-seven, I have thus far made appointments to the following encomiendas, places, and offices:

Captain Blas Lopez Baltadano was granted, in the name of your Majesty, the encomienda of natives at Agonoc and its dependencies in the province of Camarines, which was left vacant by the demise and death of Don Diego Arias Xiron; it contains four hundred and sixty tributary Indians, each one of them paying every year ten reals, two for the royal revenue, and the rest for the encomendero. Four reals of the latter are paid in kind—a hundred and ten gantas of rice in the husk, fit for sowing and cooking; and two fowls for one real; the rest being in money, of which two reals are paid to the minister who instructs them. This grant was extended to him in conformity with the law of succession, for services which he has rendered your Majesty during the twenty-eight years past while he has been in these islands, at first as a soldier in the company of Captain Juan de Laxara. He was in the expedition for the discovery of the province of Tuy, as an adventurer and head of the veteran soldiers. He was corregidor of Butuan, and afterward went to the coast of Caraga, against the natives of Mindanao, as commander of a caracoa which belonged to him; and likewise in other parts of Mindanao, where he burned six caracoas and protected and defended the natives of his jurisdiction. Later, while corregidor of Ybalon, he attended to furnishing provisions for the galleys which were sent there to await the ships from Nueva España, as the Dutch were there again. He spent therein a great deal of labor, as he was obliged to bring the supplies from another jurisdiction, since there were not sufficient in his own. Twice he was alcalde-mayor of Pangasinan, where he brought about the reduction of the rebellious Indians, through the wise counsels of war which he gave. A few of them were executed, and they surrendered and sued for peace. He was in the expedition which Governor Don Luis Perez das Marinas made to Camboxa, holding a captaincy and paying his own expenses. In the port of Pinal he performed great labors in seeking supplies and money for the troops of another fleet. At that time he was appointed royal alférez, and came out wounded in his left arm from an encounter which he had with the Portuguese of Macan, in attempting to capture their commander. After his arrival at this city, he was made captain of Spanish infantry in the said province of Pangasinan, and twice their commander-in-chief, beside being alcalde-mayor and corregidor of Butuan at two other times. During this time he performed other services, as appears from the documents which he presented before me. On the said encomienda there was levied and exacted from him fifty pesos of pension, each year, which are to be given and paid to Alférez Juan Gomez, these being a part of the hundred which he holds from the encomienda of Yguey and its dependencies, belonging to Captain Juan Bautista Perez de Helquera, in the said province of Camarines, by a grant which was made of that sum to the said Alferez Juan Gomez by the royal Audiencia of these islands, when their government was in its charge through the death of Governor Juan de Silva. The said fifty pesos are taken away from the said encomienda of Yguey that it may be free from them, as it has few tributarios; and I have imposed them upon this said encomienda so that the said Alférez Juan Gomez may enjoy them, comformably to the grant which was made him. The said Captain Baltadano must secure a confirmation of this grant from your Majesty inside of four years, reckoned from the day of sailing of the first ships which are despatched from these and the other islands for Nueva España—as is ordered by the royal decrees of the twelfth of October, six hundred and twelve, and the twelfth of July, six hundred and twenty-five, under the penalties therein provided. He must likewise send a special power of attorney to petition for the said confirmation, in the form which is provided by another decree dated at Madrid, the twenty-eighth of May, one thousand six hundred and twenty-five; and he must send and remit to that court

Captain Francisco de la Haya was granted the encomienda of natives at Lobo and Galban, and their dependencies, in the province of Balayan, which was vacated by the demise and death of Don Joseph Arnalte. It has three hundred and eighty-three tributarios, each one paying every year ten reals, two for the royal revenue, and eight for the encomendero. Four reals of these are in kind—sixty gantas of rice in the husk, fit for sowing and cooking; and one fowl for one real; and the other three reals in money, two of which are given to the minister who instructs them. If they are paid in white cotton blankets, of the ordinary size of three baras and a half in length and three quarters of a bara in width, these are to be counted at two reals apiece; and if they are of soyol, which are fine, at four reals; and if hand-worked for altar cloths, at five reals. The grant was made him in conformity with the law of succession, on account of his meritorious acts and services which he has rendered to your Majesty during the twenty-five years past, having enlisted as a soldier in those kingdoms, in the company of Captain Don Fernando de Silva. In that company he came to these islands, where he continued to serve, being present in such occasions for service as occurred. In particular he was present at the battle which was fought by Governor Don Juan de Silva against the Dutch enemy in Playa Honda, in the year six hundred and ten, where he received a wound, a musket-ball traversing his right thigh. Afterward he accompanied the said governor in the fleet which he took to the ports of Terrenate. He was at the capture of Sabugo.[1] He was alférez in the company of Captain Antonio de Morga. He was present with Governor Don Juan de Silva in the fleet which the latter took to the strait of Sincapura; and afterward was likewise in that of General Don Juan Ronquillo, who fought against the said Dutch at the said Playa Honda, he being present on the admiral’s galley. He was a second time made alférez in this camp, and resigned from service in the infantry to embark in the fleet which Governor Don Alonso Fajardo prepared to oppose that of the Dutch, in the year six hundred and nineteen, where he served as a soldier in the company of Master-of-camp Don Geronimo de Silva. The next year he was in the fleet of General Don Luis Fajardo, for the protection of these coasts; and in the said position of soldier he served three years, one hundred and eighty-four days, until he was advanced to fill the place of adjutant sargento-mayor of this camp. Serving in this capacity, he went in the fleet which left in the year six hundred and twenty-five to oppose the Dutch who were upon this coast, having as commander the said Master-of-camp Don Hieronimo de Silva. Finally he was captain of infantry in this camp, and during this time has rendered other services, as appeared more at length by his papers which he presented before me. On the said encomienda there was levied and exacted from him fifty pesos of pension each year which were to be paid to Alférez Juan Gomez, which are a part of the hundred which he holds as a pension from the encomienda of Yguey and its dependencies, belonging to Captain Juan Baptista Perez de Helquerra, by a grant which was made to the said Alférez Juan Gomez by the royal Audiencia of these islands, while the government was in its charge through the death of the said Governor Don Juan de Silva. I have taken the said fifty pesos from the encomienda of Yguey, so that the said Captain Bautista Perez may be free therefrom, as the tributarios which he has are few; and I have imposed it upon this said encomienda so that the said Alférez Juan Gomez may enjoy it, comformably to the grant which was made him. The said Captain Francisco de la Haya is bound to secure a confirmation thereof from your Majesty inside of four years reckoned from the day of sailing of the first vessels which are despatched from the islands for Nueva España, as is ordered by the said two royal decrees cited, and under the penalties there provided; and likewise he must send special power of attorney to petition for and secure the said confirmation; and when he shall send for it he must remit to that court the amount of his monthly income, failing which the said confirmation will not be given him, as is provided in the said royal decrees cited. I sent him the commission on the twenty-ninth of October, one thousand six hundred and twenty-seven, having previously posted edicts in public places in this city for a reasonable length of time, for the benefit of those who may have claims on the said encomienda, as is ordered by another said royal decree cited. I have ascertained by investigation that it does not come under the provisions for the appointment to encomiendas and offices in the form therein provided.

Captain Pedro de Navarrete was granted the encomienda of natives in the villages of Tabuco and its subjects, in the province of La Laguna de Vay, which was vacated by the death of Captain Don Luis Enrriquez de Guzman. There are five hundred and two tributarios, each one of them paying every year ten reals, two for the royal treasury and eight for the encomendero. Four of these are paid in kind—fifty-five gantas of rice in the husk, half of which is cleaned for sowing and cooking; and one fowl at one real; and the other three in money. Of this the minister who teaches them is paid each year at the rate of a hundred pesos of eight reals, a hundred fanegas of rice in the husk, and one arroba of wine for the celebration of mass, for every five hundred tributarios to whom they minister. This grant was made to him for his merits, and the services which he has rendered your Majesty during more than twenty-five years since he came over to these islands with Governor Don Pedro de Acuña, in the capacity of a soldier in the company of Don Thomas Bravo de Acuña. He served in the said employment in this camp, and afterward went to the province of Zibu, in the Pintados, where he remained more than four years, connected with the company which was in Zibu, going out on all the armed expeditions which occurred—namely, six times, against the enemy from Mindanao, Caraga, and the Sanguiles, who were robbing and harrying those regions, causing much damage, death, and pillage. He was present at the taking of the fort of Sagao and the islands of Caraga, when the natives there rebelled, and refused obedience to the king. He was one of the soldiers who distinguished themselves, and climbed to the crest of the ridge, until it surrendered, and many Indians were captured, bringing the rebels back to the royal obedience. On this occasion he received a wound in the head, from the many stones which they threw. He served at his own expense and voluntarily, on the said occasions; and in the said garrison of Zibu he performed watch and sentinel duty with the other soldiers. He was present at the rebellion of the Japanese against this city outside of its walls, and was one of those who went out to fight against them in the year six hundred and eight, and in that of six hundred and sixteen. He was alférez of a Spanish company in this camp, and served in that capacity in the post at Cavite, for its protection and defense, when the Dutch had come with six ships to the harbor mouth of Mariveles, intending to enter the bay, at the time when Governor Don Juan de Silva had gone with his royal fleet to the strait of Sincapura. He was personally present on the rampart of the curtains of the said fort, which were breached at four points. He expended much of his property, maintaining therewith a number of soldiers of his company on account of the poverty of the royal treasury. In the year six hundred and eighteen, he was made captain of infantry of the company which was in garrison in the said fort of Cavite; and the next year he was made a second time captain of another company of this camp, where he served until it was disbanded. On many occasions when the royal treasury was embarrassed, he has lent it a great quantity of money. He is married to Doña Augustina de Morales, legitimate daughter of Captain Pedro Navarro and Doña Luisa de Morales, and granddaughter of Captain Gaspar Ruiz de Morales, one of the first conquerors and settlers of these islands, prominent people of rank. During this time he has rendered other services to your Majesty, all of which appears more at length from his papers which he has presented before me. Beside this, command is given by a royal decree dated at Madrid on the nineteenth of June, six hundred and twenty-six, countersigned by Señor Don Fernando Rruiz de Contreras, to the effect that in every possible way should be furthered the work for the protection and aid of orphan children and those lacking support, which was administered and managed by Brother Juan Geronimo Guerrero in this city, as that is so pious and charitable a cause, and it is so necessary to secure its perpetuity and the support of the said children, whose fathers have died in these islands in the royal service. As means were to be sought for this, since they could not come from the royal treasury, the said Captain Pedro de Navarrete, as one of the benefactors of the said work, offered and bound himself to give as alms five thousand pesos of eight reals at the coming of the ships which were expected from Nueva España this present year; that sum is to be distributed and expended in the said work, and to erect a building for the orphans, as that which they have is in danger of falling. He bound himself to deliver the said amount to the person who should be designated by myself. In consideration of all which has been recounted, I have extended to him this grant, charging him to secure a confirmation thereof from your Majesty within four years reckoned from the day of sailing of the first ships from these islands for Nueva España, and to send a special power of attorney to petition for the said confirmation in that court. Likewise he must remit there the amount of his monthly income when he sends for the said confirmation, as is ordered and commanded by the royal decrees cited, and under the penalties therein provided. I had previously posted notices in public places of this city for those who might have claims to the said encomienda, a reasonable time before, as is ordered by the said royal decree cited, which treats of this matter. I have found by investigation that this is not included in the provisions for the order of appointments to encomiendas and offices, as is therein provided. I sent him the commission on the fourth of December, one thousand six hundred and twenty-seven.

Appointments to offices of justice and war

I have appointed Sergeant Pedro Diaz Barroso as corregidor of the island of Mariveles and its jurisdiction, as he is a man with the qualifications which that office seems to require, and has served your Majesty in these islands for a long time. He has a yearly salary of one hundred and fifty pesos, which is the same as was enjoyed by his predecessor. I sent the commission on the sixth of August, one thousand six hundred and twenty-seven.

I appointed Alférez Geronimo Banegas, a citizen of this island, as corregidor of the Negros Islands and their jurisdiction, and as military commander there; for he is a person of the qualifications which this position demands, and an old settler in this country who has served your Majesty here. He has a salary of a hundred and fifty pesos of common gold per year, and with that is to serve both offices, which is the same as his predecessors have had. I sent his commission on the third of August of one thousand six hundred and twenty-seven.

I have appointed Alférez Andres Martin as corregidor of the island of Mindoro and its jurisdiction, and as military commander there; for he is a person of the qualifications which the place demands. He has served your Majesty more than twenty years in these islands and those of Terrenate, and been present at the various battles which have occurred. He has a salary of a hundred pesos of common gold per year, for which he serves both offices. I sent him the commission on the fifth of August of one thousand six hundred and twenty-seven.