Readings in Local History: The Ups and Downs of 17-18th Century PDF

# Readings in Local History ## The Ups and Downs of 17-18th Century ### Part 3 ## The Ups and Downs of the 17th to 18th Centuries - 17th century Spanish friar making improvements; cattle ranch in the mountains ### San Pablo de los Montes ## Over the Church Bells - **Prosperous Growth:** San P...

# Readings in Local History ## The Ups and Downs of 17-18th Century ### Part 3 ## The Ups and Downs of the 17th to 18th Centuries - 17th century Spanish friar making improvements; cattle ranch in the mountains ### San Pablo de los Montes ## Over the Church Bells - **Prosperous Growth:** San Pablo de los Montes was an Augustinian parish for over two centuries (1586-1793). - (See Appendix B for a List of Parish Priests of San Pablo). - There were always tears for the priest who left, and a festive welcome for the new arrival. - The missionaries had become essential to the community, and vice-versa. Those who left took with them valuable mementos of their stay, and the newly arrived brought new ideas to share with the parishioners. - San Pablo was fortunate in that most of the colonial Spanish friars assigned to it were dedicated and disciplined. - Amazingly, these friars almost single-handedly changed the faith and social culture of the native colonial society. - They dominated the hearts and minds of the natives in the parishes to which they were assigned. - Sometimes for life, and sometimes for a few years, they were the sole representatives of the Cross and the word of colonial Spain in their mission. - The first waves of Spanish monks who came on the discovery and conquistador ships were imbued with the spirit of the Counter-Reformation. - They were the most disciplined and evangelical-minded priests in Europe. - They were prepared for the rigors of missionary work, even to the point of giving up their lives. - Those who were assigned to pioneer to the belligerent tribe of the Zambals in Central Luzon certainly found that out. - But those assigned to San Pablo were fortunate in having (for the most part) peaceful and cooperative parishioners. - **Fray Mateo de Mendoza**, the first parish priest, did an excellent pioneering job in San Pablo. - Although alone, he carried out many of the reforms by the Spanish Crown (the conversion of the natives, the emancipation of slaves, and reform, the establishment of a central authority, the introduction of new crops and animals, etc.). The natives' situation improved due to these reforms. - The population increased, land cultivation expanded, food security was attained, tribal wars ceased, and so on. - The prosperity of the San Pablo mission brought in tithes and tributes which were more than enough for the local community, the colonial authorities, and the Augustinian mother house in Manila. The surplus wealth of the San Pablo parish came from its cattle ranch which now had several hundred heads of cattle. - Its rice farms supplied rice for the maintenance of workers during the construction of the new church of Guadalupe in Mexico. - The rice was brought to Mexico by the galleons that regularly plied the Manila-Acapulco trade. - San Pablo also shared its rice harvest of 200 cavans with other parishes, such as the parish of Bae, 50 cavans; Pasig, 50; and Taguig, 10. - In 1620, the parish of San Pablo de los Montes was listed among the sixty-two houses administered by the Augustinians when the Provincial Chapter conference was held in Manila. - In fact, San Pablo helped in the establishment of chapels in nearby communities, like Tiaong (Quezon). - Tiaong eventually became an independent parish in 1686 with *Fray Jose de Salduendo, OSA*, as the first church prior. - The latter was the parish priest of San Pablo before he was transferred to Tiaong, to insure a good start for the newly-established parish. - **Outstanding Parish Priest: Hernando Cabrera.** For a decade (1618-29), *Fray Hernando Cabrera*, another outstanding Augustinian missionary, was assigned to San Pablo. - Unlike the rather uncouth and insignificant church priors before him, *Fray Cabrera* appeared a polished and dignified gentleman. He came from Cordova, Spain, the cultural center under the Moors. - Dignified and historically inclined, he was the most erudite priest ever assigned to this upland realm. - The first act of *Fray Cabrera* was to improve education. - He formed a group of supervisors (fiscales) to organize and supervise catechism and other classes. He was clever enough to appoint old cabezas de barangay who exerted much influence in the villages. - Sunday schools were held regularly at the village church and in outlying visitas. Eventually, the brighter students were asked to teach the other children. - The children of the chieftains were encouraged to board for at least a year in the church house where they were given a more intensive education. Apart from Catholic dogma, they were taught the Spanish language, reading, writing, and music. The aim of the new church school was to train a new generation of upper-class natives in the Spanish culture and the Catholic religion. - An important personage in the community, the fiscal served as an intermediary between the clergy and the parishioners. Among his other duties were those of organizing the religious fiestas of patron saints, arranging for the ornamentation of the church, and cajoling, if not compelling, the people to attend mass and catechism classes. - *Fray Cabrera* also organized a new leadership called the principalia, composed of the council of incumbent chieftains. - But the principalia included only the cabezas who had been in service at least ten years, unless others also chose to include him. - **A Valuable Protégé.** Among the San Pablo commoners, *Fray Cabrera* found a unique artisan named *Juan de los Santos*, a Christian name given him by the priest. - He was an illiterate native artist, but he was teachable and versatile. Juan was able to interpret *Fray Cabrera's* ideas into art-forms of magnificent beauty. - He was an imaginative and inspired artist who could draw or sculpt. His works showed a great power of feeling. For instance, his angels were ideals of purity and grace. - While the images brought by *Fray Mendoza* evoked the mysteries of Christianity, the new artwork of *Fray Cabrera* brought healing and inspiration to the parish. - *Juan* found his inspiration in the natural environment. To him, "art may err, but nature cannot mess" (as John Dryden once said). - The priest made *Juan* his overall chief assistant. He became the head of all the fiscales, whom he supervised; the choir leader; the vocal and instrumental soloist; the chief goldsmith, and even the herbal doctor to the priest. - Just as *Gat Paguil* was helpful to the first parish priest *Fray Mendoza*; *Juan de los Santos* was helpful to *Fray Cabrera*. - While *Gat Paguil* furnished only village leadership, *Juan* was a many-faceted personality. - While *Fray Mendoza* had a rare pioneering zeal and self-sacrificing devotion to his postolate, *Fray Cabrera* had a rich imagination, talent, and erudition. - *Fray Mendoza* was rugged, but kind and always smiling; *Fr. Cabrera* was delicately built, aloof and stern. But both had a sincere desire to serve the community. - **Sitios Renamed.** *Fray Cabrera* decided to have other communities named after saints to increase the number of patron saint fiestas. - He renamed the sitio of *Balatwin* as *Santa Monica*, in honor of *St. Augustine's* pious mother. - *Tikew* was renamed *San Marcos* (St. Mark the Apostle) in recognition of the villagers' many acts of charity and sincere humility. - *Bulaho* was renamed *Son Bortolome* because of the *inbobitonta...* and simplicity of heart. - *Malinaw*, the home of *Juan de los Santos*, the most valuable assistant (and herbalist), was renamed *San Lucas* (after *St. Luke the physician*). - Then, *Fray Cabrera* assigned a fiscal for each of these places to organize its patron saint's fiesta. In this way, he encouraged rural communities to appeal to the parish priest to also rename their place after a saint, so that they, too, might hold a patron fiesta. - He realized that the natives relished the pageantry of fiestas more than the religious significance of their new patron saint. - **Church Music.** Music was an integral part of their religious activities, and *Fray Cabrera* was the most musically-inclined of his predecessors. He was able to do much more than *Fray Mendoza*. - *Fray Cabrera* knew the musical traditions of Cordova and introduced new instruments and musical styles. - Ever conscious of the power of music, he brought the lute, a guitar with a rounded body; a keyboard pneumatic instrument; and the virginal, a small harpsichord. - His favorite musical form was the accompanied solo song. The parishioners liked to hear his expressive and dramatic cantatas at mass. - He introduced the madrigal, a secular love song, from the traditions of Islamic Europe, which became very popular as a courtship song with the village swains and lasses. - **New Church Ornaments.** *Fray Cabrera* gave instructions to the effect that tributes, fees, and donations should now be paid in gold dust, or objects made of gold, silver, and other metals. He wanted the gold melted down and fashioned into ornate ecclesiastical art, like a monstrance (a vessel for displaying the communion host), a cross, candlesticks, incensory, and chalice. This enabled *Fray Cabrera* to accumulate much wealth for what would be his grand ambition - a new stone church for San Pablo. - **New Church of Brick and Stone.** A native hut of wood, bamboo, and flimsy native materials could not have sufficed forever as a church. - The magnificent obsession of *Fray Cabrera* was to construct a bigger, more grandiose church made of brick and stone to replace the shabby wooden church built two decades ago. - A new stone church would give full expression to his artistic nature. Moreover, a prospering barangay like San Pablo de los Montes deserved a more impressive house of God. - *Fray Cabrera* had the funds at his disposal. - Besides the income from tithes, the church had the big cattle ranch in Lumbangan, the extensive rice field in Balagbag, and a fruit orchard behind the sacristy. - On top of all that, there were the donations of land and jewelry in the wills and testaments of the faithful, and only the priest could notarize them. - But *Fray Cabrera* also got involved in the construction of the first cemetery in San Pablo. - The construction work on the two projects, as well as his other chores, must have tired him out tremendously. While he designed and started the construction of the new church, he did not finish it. In 1629, he became seriously ill and had to return to Spain. He died on the voyage home and was buried at sea. - Hence, there seems to be some historical dispute as to who exactly was responsible for the beautiful new stone church of San Pablo. - The eminent Augustinian chronicler *Gaspar San Agustin* credited *Fray Cabrera* for the new church. Others credit his successors. Of course, no one knows about *Juan de los Santos*, the native of San Pablo who sculpted not only the main altar of the local church, but also those of *San Agustin Church* in Manila and other Augustinian churches. - He, likewise, carved the images and bas-relief of the saints for Augustinian churches. - As a metal smith, *Juan* fashioned utensils and ornaments of gold and silver like a monstrance, lectern, chalice... - What did the new church of brick and stone look like? *Fray Pedro Andres de Castro*, after visiting the town, described the size of the stone church as having "walls of two yards thick; the height, sixty-six yards; and the width, twenty yards. " - *Fray Gaspar de San Agustin* wrote: "This convent has a very good house and church made of brick, one of the best outside Manila. It has also many utensils made of silver for the service and worship in the church, and which are all due to the zeal and care of *Fray Hernando Cabrera*, who was prior of this convent for many years, and who left this convent very much aggrandized. It is worthwhile to give special mention to the beautiful retablos [religious carvings] made with the best carved and sculptured work that have been damaged already by the high humidity of the place. The sacristy was embellished with silver to such an extent that there are many cathedrals in Spain with less silver than this church. When he left the mother house in Manila, [Fray Cabrera] took one of the ternos [priestly robes] which they now use during the most important feasts. " - It is too bad that there is no marker commemorating the completion and credits for the stone church and beautiful interior of the San Pablo Catholic Church [before it became a cathedral]. The 17th century stone church was certainly a living heritage of the town and its people. ### The Community - **Grid Plan of the Town.** Early in its overseas colonization, the Spanish Crown ordered colonial officials (military and religious) to make a grid plan of the location, shape and measurements of their new communities. These specific orders were applied to San Pablo de los Montes from the very beginning of its life as a Spanish colony. - At every center of a town, there was to be a square plaza. Adjacent to the plaza was the Catholic Church, the convent house, and a government hall or casa real. The upper class people or principalia would live close to the town plaza. Proper spacing would be observed to allow for trade, festivals, and military operations, as well as the passage of horses and carriages. The physical layout of San Pablo followed the so-called "gridiron pattern," with a square central plaza and rectangular street blocks. - The grid-like town plan organized the native populations in more manageable units for purposes of religion, taxation, colonial education, and military efficiency. *Hernando Cortes* was the first conquistador to implement these town laws in South America. He got the system from the Aztecs and the Mayas of Central America. Since the Philippines was colonized from Mexico up to 1821, the Spanish officials who first came applied the same grid design to their Philippine towns. Hence, the center (or cabecera) of San Pablo followed the Spanish grid-like town plan. - The plan of the principalia's houses had to be changed as well. The planning order specified the manner in which colonial houses were to be built, as follows: "The building lots and structures erected thereon are to be so situated that in the living rooms one can enjoy air from the south and from the north, which are the best. All town homes are to be so planned that they can serve as a defense or fortress against those who might attempt to create disturbances or occupy the town. Each house is to be so constructed that horses and household animals can be kept [in a stable], the courtyards and stockyards being as large as possible to insure health and cleanliness. " - *Fray Cabrera* was amused when he saw a crude bahay kubo (nipa hut) for the first time. The kitchen fireplace consisted of a rectangular wooden frame filled with a thick layer of earth and ashes, upon which fire could be lit for cooking without setting the house on fire. He was attracted to the balanan, which he called terraza. But he was disturbed by the absence of a latrine and the improper manner of garbage disposal. - The natives, responding to the call of nature, merely chose the densest part at the back of the house to deposit their human waste. They left garbage in the streets to be scavenged by stray animals and birds. - The problem of hygiene had to be solved, and *Fray Cabrera* issued instructions to the effect that every household should dig a pit for their garbage and clean waste and always cover it. Non-compliance meant a fine or more work in community or church projects. As you will read, these orders were not always followed. - *Fray Cabrera* was even more distressed to learn that there was no cemetery to bury the dead. As per native custom, the dead were usually buried under the house of the bereaved family, or in the backyard a little distance from the house. He caused the construction of the first cemetery a hundred meters at the southeast side of the church. A small chapel with a stone veranda was built inside the cemetery. - The new cemetery was available only for those baptized in the new faith, which was another incentive for conversion. - **Agriculture.** Finally, *Fray Cabrera* improved agriculture; and hence, food security and livelihood of the inhabitants of San Pablo de los Montes. - In addition to rice, *Fray Mendoza* encouraged the villagers to plant more tubers (camotes and gabi) as well as such pre-hispanic palms and other trees, like betel, sago coconut, orange, lemon, lime and banana. - He also encouraged them to produce wine from sugar cane, rice, or nipa palm. The local wine (lambanog) served for festivities, and, of course, the mass. - *Fray Cabrera* introduced the native kapok or cotton tree which provided materials for pillows and mattresses, and the dita trees, the bark of which could be used to allay fever. His favorite fruits were mango, that delicious fruit gathered from the strikingly majestic arbor; the banana, especially the lakatan and the bungulan; the papaya, a good dessert for persons with weak digestive system. - A fruit lover, he also suggested the planting of pomelo, chico, guava, santol, and lanzones trees. - **Arboreal Favorites.** *Fray Cabrera* predicted that in the years to come, the community's principal sources of income would be derived from coconut, bamboo, and lanzones. He encouraged the villagers to continue planting and taking good care of them. - The villagers cultivated the coconut principally for the purpose of extracting oil from the nuts. Every dwelling of rich and poor alike consumed a certain amount of oil nightly for lighting. They also used it for cooking. A Chinese family in the village used coconut oil in making soap and candles, to the amazement of the villagers. The hard shell of the nut served as cups and a variety of domestic utensils for the poor. The coir was used for the manufacture of brushes, matting, rope, etc. The leaves were made into rough brooms. Passingly, it is a wonderful thing to be like a coconut; for it dies when it is at its peak. - A picturesquely charming and useful adorment of nature, the bamboo impressed *Fray Cabrera* so much that he had many planted behind the sacristy. - Growing in thick tufts in the woods and along river banks, it had become of great value to the villagers who built their huts almost entirely of bamboo, and with nipa-palm leaves or cogon grass for thatching. The natives used bamboo also for making furniture, fishing traps, fencing, bridges, rafts, cups, water pipes, and poles for various purposes. - The lanzones was the "queen of jungle fruits," and not found in Mexico or Spain. Hence, the missionaries (who came from Mexico) were amazed with this seasonal delight. - With an agreeably sweet and sour flavor, the lanzones was a curious kind of fruit. Its fruit burst from the tree trunk (not from the branches) in golden clusters of loveliness when ripened. - Itinerant merchants, especially those coming from Manila, bought the fruit aplenty because of the attractive price they commanded in the capital city. - **The Cattle Ranch.** In 1606, twenty years after the first shipment of cattle from Mexico, San Pablo de los Montes had one of the most productive of the twenty-four ranches owned by the Archbishop in Manila. - Because the beef mostly served the Spaniards, the San Pablo cattle farm became strategically important to the Spaniards. - The cattle farm was situated in Lumbangan. *Fray Cabrera* introduced another breed of cattle in a separate area of the ranch. - Coming from India, this new breed represented the gayal family and was a little shorter than the Indian gaur. He also introduced goat-raising; but the goat proved unpopular because of its destructive habits. The goats ate and destroyed everything. - Then a new problem arose. The new animals also brought new insects and vermin which spread widely. The pests persisted for some time. - **Relics of the Pagan Past Destroyed.** *Fray Cabrera's* last act before he left San Pablo was the destruction of pagan relics, a feat which previous curas did not have the guts to do. There were no temples to demolish, but there were hundreds of pagan idols or figures made of wood or stone. - Every home had at least one or more. - The destruction of these pagan idols proved very debilitating for both *Fray Cabrera* and the community. - Some claim that, the natives only fully complied after his departure and death. Ironically, they missed him and it took his death to shock the natives out of their lethargy. They relinquished the last of their pagan relics when they learned that their beloved friar had died. - There was mourning for him for several days, and they decided to burn and demolish their remaining pagan idols. - **The Pioneering Missionaries.** The colonization of San Pablo de los Montes was accomplished not by conquistadores and Spanish military officials, but by a succession of intrepid church priors who lived, prayed, and worked (ora et labora) in the native communities. They boldly crossed mountains, forded streams, and waded into jungles. - These pioneering Spanish missionaries, by their heroic exploits, and religious zeal transformed the precolonial societies into more advanced civilizations than the West then offered. ### The Chinese Revolts - **First Chinese Revolt (1603).** The Chinese, by their industriousness and patience, were an indispensable minority of the colonial economy, whether in the cities or in the rural areas. Then, as now, they were outstanding people in their crafts, trade, and also in their merchandise stores, and eateries. Every day, the natives mingled with them, and so for the most part, did the Spanish folks. It was not unusual for the "Sangleys" (as the Chinese were then called) to eat together at noodle stalls with the natives and civilian Spaniards. - But the Spanish colonial officials were suspicious of the Chinese, because imperial China was then the greatest power in Asia, even more powerful than the Europeans. - Spanish colonial discrimination and political injustices drove the Chinese minority to desperation, and armed protests broke out in some parts of the colony. - On May 23, 1603, three mandarins from China arrived in Manila to see what they said was a "mountain of gold" in Cavite. - The Spanish officials were flabbergasted, but allowed them to see for themselves that no such thing existed in the area. - Upon their departure, *Governor-general Pedro Bravo de Acuña* ordered war preparations because he regarded the three mandarins as an advance spy party, so China could attack them. - However, the Chinese residents of the Parian, the Chinese enclave in Intramuros, Manila, panicked. - They thought the Spanish soldiers were preparing to massacre them. - Their leader, *Eng Kang*, ordered all Chinese men to arm and get ready to fight. - Each man was asked to give him a needle if they were ready to fight, and the total amounted to 22,150 armed men. - Although *Eng Kang* was arrested, the Chinese war party proceeded with their bloody revolt on October 3, 1603. - They attacked Tondo and Quiapo, setting fire to houses and committing terrible slaughters. - Inspired by their initial victory, the Chinese rebels assaulted the walled city of Intramuros. - Had it not been for the arrival of 4,000 native reinforcements from Pampanga, the walled city would have fallen. - The Macabebe militia, led by *Captain Luis de Velasco*, marched to the rescue of the capital, and tipped the scales of battle in favor of Spain. - The Chinese retreated to the mountains of Laguna and Batangas, and made their last stand in the mountains of San Pablo on October 20, 1603. - They stood against the Filipino-Spanish colonial forces of 200 Spaniards, 100 Japanese, and 2,000 Pampangans, of whom 1500 were arquebusiers and musketeers, and the rest archers and lancers. - Realizing their defeat after several days of fighting, the Chinese rebels found refuge in the mountain range of Kalisungan at the westside of San Pablo de los Montes. - They were pursued by *Captain Velasco* and his Forces. - Meantime, *Fray Luis Farjan* and *Fray Luis Ruiz Brito*, the two parish priests of San Pablo, started recruiting volunteers to defend their Village, for they had heard of the horrible atrocities committed by the Chinese in Manila. - As the Chinese entered the sitios of *Imok* and *Tikew*, killing and pillaging, *Fray Brito* rushed to the area with one hundred and fifty men armed with bows and arrows and wooden lances. - *Fray Farjan* was left behind with fifty volunteers who rounded up the Chinese in the village and incarcerated them inside the church. - The Chinese rebels were sandwiched between *Captain Velasco's* army coming from the west and *Fray Brito's* men approaching from the east. They fought a desperate battle but were eventually annihilated. - The rebels dispersed with many fleeing to Batangas. It was in this encounter that *Capt. Luis de Velasco* unfortunately was killed. - *Governor-General Acuña* took over the command, and decided for himself to go up to San Pablo to finish the revolt. - The sight of the local Chinese confined in the church so infuriated *Acuña* and his men that they herded them into the churchyard and started a killing rampage. All the local Chinese would have been killed had it not been for the pleadings of the two Augustinian priests. - Alas, these local Chinese were not involved in the revolt at all. - Most of the Sampableño natives were saddened by the cold-blooded murder of the innocent Chinese locals. - The Chinese in San Pablo had been peaceful and contributed to the material prosperity of the community. - *Antonio de Morga* wrote at the close of the 16th century: "It is true the town cannot exist without the Chinese, as they were workers in all trades and business, and very industrious, and work for small wages." - Meanwhile, on November 14, 1603, **Governor Acuña** and his forces returned to Manila in triumph with their Chinese captives, the spoils of war, and the banners captured from the rebels. - Spanish chroniclers claim that about 23,000 Chinese perished in the revolt. - **Second Chinese Revolt (1639-1640).** Three decades later, the second Chinese revolt flared up because of the abuses of the tribute collectors and the harsh order of *Governor-general Hurtado de Corcuera*, assigning the Chinese to harsh forced labor in Calamba, Laguna. - Exasperated by the aggressive behavior of a certain Spanish doctor *Luis Arias de Mora* and the alcalde mayor of Laguna province, some 30,000 Chinese workers rose in open rebellion. On November 19, 1639, the oppressed Chinese started an armed insurrection in Calamba. - In the succeeding days, the disturbance spread to other towns in the province, as well as to distant places as Batangas, Makati, Tondo, the Parian, Cavite, and Bulacan. - The Chinese rebels continued warfare for nearly a year. They went on a rampage, burning houses and churches, and killing some town officials and parish priests, which caused an edict to be published ordering all Chinese nationals in Laguna province to be slain. - In San Pablo, *Fray Andres Verdugo*, the new parish priest, quickly armed more than a hundred volunteers to defend the village in case the rebels came again, as they did decades ago. - Again, the local Chinese did not participate in the revolt and were incarcerated inside the church, which must have made them extremely nervous. *Fray Verdugo* was assisted by three cabezas in the recruitment and training of the volunteers - *Bartolome Maghayin* of Sampalok and grandson of *Gat Paguil*; *Cristobal Somangalit* of Labasin and son of the successor of *Gat Pulintan*, and *Bernabe Pindan*, overseer of the church's cattle ranch in Lumbangan. - Highly esteemed because of their valor and skill in the use of many kinds of native weaponry, the three cabezas did not find difficulty in recruiting volunteers to defend their homes and loved ones. - As becoming his name, *Fray Verdugo*, who must have been a soldier before becoming a priest, seemed familiar with battle formations and tactics. He had the town volunteers advance in close-ranked formation, armed with spears, marching to the beat of drums. Behind them was another group armed with bows and arrows, and whose eerie shouts were meant to strike the enemy with dread. - Thrice the Chinese rebels tried to invade San Pablo de los Montes, and thrice they were repulsed. On their third attempt, *Fray Verdugo* and his men took the offensive and chased the invaders down to the big town of Bae. The grateful ones in the beleaguered town united forces with the mpablefios and succeeded in dispersing the Chinese rebels. It was a dramatic instance of the hillock barrio coming to the rescue of the town owners. - Some rebels fled to the remote recesses of other towns, and others grabbed fishing boats to escape through Laguna Lake. *Fray Verdugo* granted his two cabeza lieutenants the Spanish titles of "Don" (a privilege then) as appreciation for the valor they had manifested under fire. - Meanwhile, *Governor Corcuera* hunted down the remaining rebels, with the help of Cagayan and Pampangan archers. - The last battles were at the foothills of the Sierra Madre in Cavinti and Lumban. - In February, 1640, famished and disheartened, the last Chinese rebels surrendered at *Lingsan, Laguna*. - According to Spanish reports, about 300 Filipinos and 45 Spaniards perished during the revolt, while the number of Chinese killed was between 22,000 to 24,000. - **Disgruntled Natives.** The people of San Pablo relished their victory and expected a reward from the colonial authorities. But in 1640, news came that *Los Baños* was made an independent township, but San Pablo did not make it. - San Pablo de los Montes remained appended as a barrio to Los Baños. - The entire community was upset. The three veterans of the war against the Chinese rebels resigned as cabezas de barangay, and discarded not only the title of "Don" but their Christian names as well. - Henceforth, they announced that they should be addressed as "Gat Maghayin," "Gat Somangalit," and "Gat Pindan." - They swore that they would have nothing more to do with the church and colonial affairs. - They withdrew to their respective family farms with a warning that they should not be molested by the guardia civil or else they and their followers would fight back. - This show of early "People Power" was promptly followed by the other natives as well. - They boycotted church services and delayed their payment of taxes. During the general strike, the natives of San Pablo became indifferent to matters pertaining to the church and the crown. - *Tay Verdugo* tried hard to make representations on behalf of the local community. Having failed in all his efforts, he requested for transfer to another parish. # A Town is Born - **San Pablo Becomes a Town (Poblacion).** In late 1647, eight years after the second Chinese revolt, the barrio of San Pablo finally became a town (poblacion), separate from Bae. - Much to the delight of the people, the "Dons" came back in fashion, and San Pablo was revived. - The cabesas looked forward to who would be appointed among them as the first native executive of their new town. A town executive was then called a gobernadorcillo (little governor). He was popularly called a "capitan" (captain). - *Don Bartolome Maghayin* was appointed as the first town gobernadorcillo or capitan; *Don Cristobal Somangalit*, the second, and *Don Bernabe Pindan* the third. The three barrio cabesas ("barrio chiefs") were at first hesitant to become the "little governors" of the others. But through the appeal of their fellow townmates, they finally accepted the position, provided they would hold office only for a one-year term and would not accept reappointment. - Thus, San Pablo graduated through various stages of growth-from a sitio to a barrio, and now, from a barrio to a poblacion. It was a shift that was both ecclesiastical and civil. The town acquired a new level of prestige. While the Spanish colonial officials exercised the final say in the election of local officials, the native elite enjoyed some prestige in being town leaders. - During the 17th century, the colonial policy in choosing the town executive was that all married males would nominate three candidates for the post of capitan (gobernadorcillo). From among these nominees, a representative of the Crown would select the winning candidate to serve as capitan for a term of one year. The alcalde mayor of the province was supposed to be a joint representative, but he usually appointed the parish priest to choose the town capitan. Hence, the parish priest exerted a tremendous power in the election of the town executive. - Under *Governor-general Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera* (1642) and *Governor-general Fausto Cruzat y Gongora* (1696), the power to choose the gobernadorcillos was made somewhat more democratic involving the barrio chiefs (cabesas) of the town. In the presence of the retiring capitan and the parish priest, the senior cabesas nominated three candidates at the annual election. Then the provincial alcalde mayor (not the parish priest) chose the next town executive from among the nominees. This did not last long, however, and the parish priest again had the last say on who would be the town executive. ### Limited Power of the Native Gobernadorcillo - The powers of government during the Spanish colonial era were really concentrated in the hands of the foreign colonial officials, namely, the Spanish governors-general and the Spanish friars. - The highest a Filipino native could expect to rise to the position of town executive, the gobernadorcillo (capitan). Even so, his powers were limited to what the colonial officials ordered or tolerated. The Spanish parish priest could have him removed anytime. The gobernadorcillo served for a one-year term, but could be reappointed. ### The Privileged Class - During the Spanish colonial era, all those in the service of the church, the town, and the military constituted the privileged class of Philippine society, thus replacing the precolonial classes you read about earlier. - The Spanish parish priest, the gobernadorcillo, the cabesas, and the newly appointed lesser officials were the new aristocracy of Philippine colonial society. - The appointed lesser officials consisted of the fiscales (sacristans), the cantores of the church choir, the inspectors of palms, the inspector of the fields, etc. - Those in the privileged class were exempted from paying the tribute and rendering forced labor (polo). The gobernadorcillo and the cabesas were entitled to the title of the Spanish "Don." Their spouses were entitled to be called "Doña." The parish priest was addressed as "Fray," or "Padre". ### Distressed Gobernadorcillos - However, becoming the nominal big man in town was not the same as being the top man in town. During the latter half of the 17th century, the people of San Pablo desperately needed a leader to serve as their rallying point. - But neither the Spanish parish priest nor the town capitan furnished the much-needed leadership. - Many colonial orders from higher crown officials were inimical to the interests of the local community. - But in the late 17th century, local officials lacked political will to question or to defy instructions from higher up which at variance with the best interests of the local townsfolk. - For example, the colonial government insisted on the full collection of tribute, even if the local people could not pay. If he could not reach his quota, the town gobernadorcillo had to cover the needed sum himself. - The position of town leader was looked upon as a dead beat, rather than one of honor, and one of possible imprisonment for not paying to the colonial treasury. - Many gobernadorcillos declined to serve another term because they could not afford it. - Even if they could meet the tribute quota, a gobernadorcillo could come into financial ruin in holding the position. He was expected to entertain and provide supplies for colonial officials and their guests who were merely passing through as tourists