The story of the Philippines, for use in the schools of the Philippine Islands

The story of the colony at this time is a sad one. Bad management, dishonesty, and cruelty at last brought the country to such a pass that both Mexico and Spain were weary. The king even thought of giving up the colony, hopeless of ever receiving any benefit from it. The islands were a drain upon the treasury rather than a help to it, and it looked as if things would never be any better.

In the year 1653, however, a new beginning was planned. The country was to be given another chance. To this end a new governor-general and a new archbishop were sent out from Mexico. These two men, it was thought, could work peacefully together. It was hoped that they would bring better days to the islands. The governor-general, Sabinino Manrique de Lara (säbē nē´nō män´rēk dā lä´rä), was an honest, pious man. The new archbishop was wise and just, and seems to have had a sincere desire to help the country.

The archbishop was charged by the Pope with the task of cleansing the land from the evil acts that had made so much sorrow. When the ship reached Manila, before any one else was allowed to land, the archbishop went ashore. He landed alone, knelt at once, and blessed the soil. The governor-general then landed, and prayers were offered for the good of the country.

Some days afterwards, in the open air, outside the city walls, a solemn service was held. Archbishop Problete (prō blā´ tā) then went through the ceremony of purifying the land. He blessed the colony and declared it clean of all the evil done there. From that day peace and good-will were to be upon all the people.

After this, things went better for several years. There was peace and good understanding between Church and State, so that both worked for the good of the country. Governor-General Lara allowed the archbishop a voice in matters of State, and yielded to him in many ways. He even permitted him to veto, or forbid, orders which the governor-general himself approved. These privileges the Churchman seems not to have abused.

But more than mere words and public services were needed to cleanse the land. Evil and oppression had worked wrong that was not to be undone in any easy way. The rebellion of 1649 was not yet forgotten, nor were there lacking people ready to make trouble to gain their own ends. Here and there, every little while, conflict broke out anew, but always in a small way. It was never grave enough to cause fear in Manila. It was enough, however, to keep the people restless, and the Spanish soldiers on the alert.

The commander of the Spanish forces in the Visayas was Captain Gregorio de Castillo. Weary of putting down the frequent small revolts, he at last hit upon a plan to end the trouble. He issued a notice promising that all rebels who would come into camp and lay down their arms would be forgiven.

In spite of past lessons, many of the Filipinos trusted to this promise. A large number of them came and gave up their weapons. When too late they saw what a mistake they had made. They were taken to Manila as prisoners, and were not pardoned. Instead, most of them were punished. Some were put to death; others were sent to the galleys; only a few were set free.

We may be sure that the memory of this false dealing rankled in the hearts of the people. In 1660 rebellion broke out with fresh force. This time the Pampangans were in the uprising. This people had from the first been loyal to Spain. They were among the best of her native soldiers, and had always helped to keep her enemies out of the country. For reward the government set them, with many others, to cutting timber for the arsenal. This work all were compelled to do without pay.

From Pampanga the revolt swept through other provinces of Luzon. It took more definite shape than any other uprising had done, and gained strength. A Filipino named Malong was at the head of the movement. He was a real leader, and he at once began to raise an army. The Ilocans and Cacaygans joined him, and in a little while 40,000 men had been enrolled. They were not well armed, nor were they well supplied with food; but they marched through the country, making war on the Spanish.

Again, however, effort failed because it was not united. The tribes could not grasp the idea of real union. The people had no clear thought of a national life together. So they fought among themselves as well as against the common enemy, and their warfare came to naught. They could not long resist the trained Spanish troops, and in time the rebellion was put down. The army was scattered, and its leaders became outlaws in the mountains.

While Governor-General Lara was in office another Chinese invasion threatened. A Mongol chief named Koxinga (kox in´gä), who had been driven from his own country by the Tartars, was the leader of it. When the Tartars overran China, about the middle of the seventeenth century, Koxinga and many of his followers refused to submit. They went to Formosa, drove out the Dutch people, and settled there. Later Koxinga laid a plan to take the Philippine Islands and set up his kingdom there.

Koxinga’s chief adviser was an Italian friar named Riccio (rē´ chē ō). This friar he had made a high mandarin, or nobleman. He now sent him to Manila, dressed in the garb of his office, to demand tribute from the Philippine Government.

Naturally this demand caused amaze and alarm in Manila. The Spaniards were aghast at the idea of a Catholic priest demanding tribute from a Catholic country, in the name of a heathen ruler. Later the authorities at Rome called the friar to account for his conduct. At this time, however, the Spanish were at a loss how to act. They did not dare send the priest-mandarin away, nor could they give him any answer. They therefore kept him waiting in Manila while they made up their minds what to do.

As was usual, when trouble arose, the government thought that the Chinese in Manila were plotting to take the city. They felt sure that these men would be ready to help Koxinga when he came, so everything was made ready for another attack upon the Chinese in Luzon.

All government troops, both Spanish and native, were collected at Manila. The forts at Yligan (ē´lēgän), at Calamianes (cäl ä mē än´ēs), and at Zamboanga, were torn down and the soldiers brought to Luzon. Only the fort at Caraga, Mindanao, was left standing. This one they did not dare to give up; the soldiers there were all that kept the Moros from destroying the settlements on that coast.

When the Chinese saw the Spaniards making ready for war, they knew from past experience that it meant trouble for them. As usual, therefore, they began the trouble themselves. They attacked the Spanish, and the latter at once began fighting the Chinese wherever they found them.

This time the Spanish meant to kill every Chinaman in the country. They hunted out all who hid, and cut them down. Not one whom they caught was spared. Not one of all in the islands would have been spared if the country could have gotten along without them. Some one remembered, however, before it was too late, that if all the Chinese were killed there would be no one left to carry on the small trades of the country. Because bootmakers and tailors and small shopkeepers were needed, therefore about 5,000 Chinamen were spared, and these were permitted to remain in Manila.

After peace was made, Riccio was allowed to go back to Formosa, to tell Koxinga what had been done. He found the chieftain getting ready to come to Manila with an army to take the country, and Riccio told him what had happened.

Koxinga’s rage was great when he heard his mandarin’s story. He planned to go at once to the islands to punish this wicked cruelty to his countrymen. He fell ill, however, and died of fever before he could start. Thus Manila escaped the fate that must almost surely have fallen upon the city if the Chinese chief and his great army had reached the bay.

The foolish attack upon the Chinese took so many Spanish soldiers from the southern islands that the Moros now had free swing along the coasts of Mindanao and the Visayas. Other troubles came up in Manila, and soon evil and sorrow were as active and as real as though the islands had never been cleansed by book and ceremony. Not even these can stay the results of cruelty and evil in men’s lives.

Poor Governor-General Lara, in spite of his wish to be a good leader in the Philippines, made many enemies. These men began to accuse him of dishonesty in office. They charged him with disloyalty to the king, and he was put into prison. He was also made to pay a fine equal to $60,000, Mexican money. Afterwards he was set free, but he never got over the effects of his disgrace. Filled with sorrow and shame, he went back to Spain and became a friar.

In 1663 Diego Salcedo became governor-general. He was no sooner in office than the good understanding between the Church and the State came to an end. Salcedo treated Archbishop Problete very harshly, and took from him many of the privileges granted him by Lara. Great strife grew out of this, and the government was soon in as bad order as it had ever been.

At last the archbishop became ill and died. Salcedo then behaved in a very unseemly manner. He made a great feast, and would not allow the usual mourning services to be held for the archbishop. This conduct came to the ears of the authorities at home, and the governor-general was punished as he deserved. He was put into prison to await the sailing of the galleon that should take him to Mexico for further punishment. He was sent to Mexico later, but died at sea on his way there.

All this was a sad end to the new rule that was to have done so much good in the country. No good, however, can grow out of injustice and cruelty. These people may have meant well, but they did not do right. They had not set up rules of fairness and truthful dealing in the islands, so all their cleansing with words came to naught.

Summary.—In 1653 a new governor-general and a new archbishop were sent out to Manila. The land was blessed and pronounced clean of all the evil that had been done there. There was now to be a new state of things. For some years matters went better at Manila. There was peace between the Church and the State. Later, however, revolt broke out here and there in the Visayas. To quiet the natives they were promised forgiveness if they would come in and lay down their weapons. The Spanish general who made this promise broke his word. Those who came and surrendered were severely punished, and only a few were pardoned. After this the government tried to make the natives work without pay, cutting timber for the arsenal. This made trouble, and there was a rebellion which came near to being general, but which was finally put down. A threatened invasion by Koxinga, a Chinese chief from Formosa, led to a general slaughter by the Spanish of the Chinese in Manila. Only 5,000 Chinese were left alive in the islands. Governor-General Lara made enemies who accused him of dishonesty. He was put in prison and fined. He was set free later, but felt the disgrace so keenly that he went back to Spain and took holy orders. He was succeeded by Diego Salcedo, who soon quarreled with the archbishop. When the latter died, Salcedo behaved in a way so unseemly that he was sent out of the country in disgrace. He died at sea, on his way to Mexico.

Questions.—What great change was made in 1653? What did the new officials do? How did the new government succeed? What promise did Captain Gregorio de Castillo make to the rebels in the Visayas? How did he keep it? What led to the revolt of 1660? Give an account of this uprising. Who was Koxinga? What envoy did he send to Manila? How was this envoy received? What action did the Spanish take in regard to his demands?