The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 38, 1674-1683: 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
History
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 38, 1674-1683: 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
Demarcation line of Alexander VI; Missions -- Philippines; Philippines -- Discovery and exploration; Philippines -- History -- Sources
The armada was despatched as promptly as possible by the commandant
[of Zamboanga]. Sargento-mayor Pedro Duran, with two captains in active
service--as chief, Captain Juan Muñoz, who was commander of the armada;
and as second in command Captain Juan de Ulloa--with the most choice
and distinguished soldiers of the Lutaos. As leader of these, since he
was the military chief of that people, was sent General Don Francisco
Ugbo (whom I have previously mentioned), with the master-of-camp,
sargento-mayor, and captains of the tribe, and as many as four
hundred of its men. Father Francisco Martinez had then arrived at
Samboangan, to act as rector of the new [Jesuit] college there--of
which the official recognition from our father general came in this
same year--a religious who deserved well of those Christian churches,
for he had sustained them in their earliest infancy, having labored in
the arduous beginnings of [the missions in] Joló and Samboangan. By
this [departure of the Lutaos] Father Alexandro Lopez found his
occupation gone, and was therefore able to embark with the armada,
which needed his presence and aid, as it was going for so important
an enterprise--on the fortunate result of which, as many thought,
depended the fidelity of all the provinces of Pintados. All fortified
themselves with the holy sacraments, as solicitously as Christians
of very long standing could do; and, as if they were such, on all
occasions which arose in the voyage and in the battle itself they
made evident, by their reverence for their holy name [of Christians]
and appreciation of the danger, how they felt these obligations in
their hearts. The sargento-mayor of the tribe (who belonged to its
highest nobility) encountered a temptation to his own perdition; but
he put it behind him by saying that he was going to war, and could
not at that time discuss a matter which would work injury to his soul.
Great was the rejoicing which this armada caused in all the towns
where it landed, notably in the city of Cebú, where the Lutaos were
known (and most of them, especially those who commanded the joangas,
had the reputation of being pirates), at seeing them, now Christians,
repair to the churches with so much devotion and attend divine worship
with such reverence--those very people who had ravaged the islands
with fire, and damaged nearly all the churches of Bisayas with their
outrages and robberies; those who yesterday were enemies, but today
bearing arms in our aid; and those who yesterday were cruel enemies to
God, now the avengers of insults to Him. Tears sprang to [the eyes of]
all, and they did not cease to give a thousand thanks to the fathers
for their labors, so effectual--not only in the conversion of that
Moro people, but for the benefit of these Christian communities,
removing their terror and turning their dread and mistrust of the
Moro arms into joy and expectation of success.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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