Contracting Colonialism

Colonizing Mindanao

SPAIN HAD CONSOLIDATED ITS RULE IN Luzon and the entire Visayan chain of islands in 1572, but its presence in Mindanao was barely noticeable. Reducciones that centered around a church or convencio (refectory) existed in northern and western Mindanao, but these were few and far between.

The spirit of adventure and the thrill of discovery spurred Spain to further explore Mindanao for all it was worth: vast lands for the taking, dense populations awaiting the spread of Christianity, and unlimited trade and commercial possibilities.

Caraga

In eastern Mindanao, one of the first municipios (municipalities) to be organized was Caraga. On an expedition to Surigao Province, Philippine Governor General Rafael Maria de Aguilar, went on to explore beyond the Commandancia of Bislig and organize municipios in places with a good number of inhabitants. He explored Cateel, Dapnan, Baganga and Caraga in 1805.

The expedition entered Caraga River to replenish its dwindling provisions and supply of water. Native Christians Raymundo Palma Gil, Vicente Palmera, Eusebio Pichon, Benedicto Binugtuan, and Mandaya baganis (warriors) Tagabulog, Tagalilong, Suligao and Salilongan met the newcomers and informed them of the presence of  quite a large number of inhabitants in the valley. The natives were told to organize their local government and elect their officials. They were assured that once the municipio was established, the government would assign a guardiacosta (Coast Guard) to patrol the eastern shores and protect them from Moro raiders.

The Carageños were further told that for administration and tax collection purposes, the municipio would be under the direct control of the Commandancia of Bislig. The townspeople then organized themselves into a municipio with Vicente Palmera as primero teniente (first lieutenant) and Eusebio Pichon, Benedicto Binugtuan, Tagabulog, Tagalilong, Salilongan and Suligao as cabezas de barangay (barangay captains).

Caraga town may be said to have been officially organized in 1805 under the direct auspices of Gov. Aguilar.

Moro Migrants

      The proud Moros of Davao Gulf were believed to be subjects of either the Sultan of Buayan or of Maguindanao. The territory was supposedly part of the domain of Sultan Dipatwan Qudarat of Maguindanao (1619-1671) at the height of his rule.n Some of the Muslim inhabitants are believed to have come directly from southern islands of Java, the Celebes, Sumatra or Jolo after the fall of the Madjapahit empire in early 15^th century (Mastura 1979). It is probable that these people had intermarried with those who came from the adjacent sultanates, and some must have participated in the raids against Christian settlements along the east coast and further north. Some of them may have been refugees from some Spanish expeditions who found relative safety in coming to Davao Gulf to be away from the intermittent Spanish punitive incursions in Maguindanao or Buayan.

Davao Gulf Territory

      The territory that held the most interest for the Spaniards, especially the traders of the east coast, was that of Davao Gulf (also known as Tagloc Bay and Seno de Davao). Predominantly settled by Moros especially along the mouths of rivers, the Davao Gulf area was a promising trading post. Christians from the east coast had time and again ventured to trade with the infieles on the eastern side of Davao Gulf, especially Pundaguitan up to Surup (later Sigaboy), the territory of the Manobos. The place had abundant forest products for trade – especially almaciga (a tree variety that yields resin for manufacture of paint.)

Trade –offs

Trading was also enhanced by the movement of Christians who drifted down the east coast in search of better job opportunities or sometimes to escape conscription for pola (military service or free labor). The movement of these people fostered the development of trading contracts from one village to the other, including contracts with natives who had greater access to forest products for trade. As time marched along, trading grew among isolated villages, bringing ancillary effects, such as building friendships, sharing confidence and information, and promoting culture in varied aspects.

These pioneer Christian traders were particularly interested in the supply of gutta-percha or resin, lumbang nuts, beeswax, honey, and even gold dust gathered by the natives along the coast from Pundaguitan (Sigaboy) up north to Quinquin (Kingking) where the river swept down gold, which they panned.

Small – scale trading was the base from which commerce developed. Indigenous inhabitants supplied products from the sweat of their brow at prices dictated by the traders. Profits were enormous when these products for local use or manufacture were marketed in large population centers, such as Manila and especially Europe.

The world was becoming smaller with the advent of steam- powered transportation. Auguring well for the growth of mercantilism were the people’s rising standard of living and their concurrent ability to pay for goods of commerce. The world of commerce had become more intensive as colonial possessions matured. This was the time to exploit the colonies, its people and material resources.

Trading conducted by the Christians of the Davao east coast was animated: Butuan, Surigao, Tandag and Bislig were in the route of Christian trading vessels from ports in the Visayan Islands as well as those from Manila. Shipping, though irregular, posed not much of a problem because the products for trade were not perishable and could stay in the bodegas (warehouses) for long periods until the next trip.

The shortage of transportation vessels to trade monopoly. Spanish officials were their encouraged to go into business to enhance production among their inhabitants and improve income for the government. The local governors, the commandancia officers and the affluent “white” private entrepreneurs dominated the conduct of business and its various benefits.

Among these privates entrepreneurs numbered the Basques, people from the northwestern districts of the Spanish mainland. Noted for their liberal inclinations and dislike for the monarchial rule in Spain, they had opted to come to the Philippines to engage mainly in private ventures because they did not like the government bureaucracy.

Monarchial loyalists and liberal elements who had a chance to be in power usually brought their individual biases, and that included the matter of appointment of officials to the Philippine colony. The character of leadership in the country depended on the direction the winds of power in mainland Spain blew.

Don Jose Oyanguren y Cruz

One of these Basque entrepreneurs, Don Jose Oyanguren y Cruz, had stayed in Tandag and Bislig along Davao’s east coast to find himself a viable venture. Realizing, however, that the high officials in the province and the commandancias practically dominated the commercial operations in these parts, he left Mindanao and transferred to the Calamianes (Palawan) to survey business prospects in that region.

In time, Oyanguren sailed to Manila where he enrolled in the newly opened Faculty of Law (1835) at the University of Santo Tomas. Later he served as a juez de letrado (judge) in Tondo.

Claveria, Claveria

Governor General Narciso Claveria y Zaldua, the forward-looking politico who authorized Oyanguren to conquer the Davao Gulf area, was a man of many talents. He decreed the adoption of Spanish surnames for Filipinos and introduced the Social Security System, for which he was lauded by the Queen of Spain by Royal Order.

He spurred the formation of the Union Hispano-Filipino to promote agriculture, commerce and navigation. He established a school of painting; minimized vagrancy by conscripting able-bodied and idle men for public works projects for a month and returning them to be enrolled in their communities.

With the concurrence of the Archbishop of Manila, he corrected the calendar used in the Philippines by suppressing one day – 31 December 1844 – to adjust the one-day difference of the European calendar.

Engrossed in the task of suppressing Moro piracy in the islands, Claveria effected treaty after peace treaty with the rulers of Basilan and the reigning Sultan of Maguindanao Qudarat Funda. Those he couldn’t pacify, he attempted to conquer with the help of steamships. Recognized as a hero of the Moro Wars in the Sulu Archipelago during his term of office (1841-1949), Claveria was awarded a jeweled sword and conferred the titles of Conde de Manila and Vizconde de Claveria when he returned to Spain on 25 December 1849.

These honors will have to make up for the ignominy with which the Davao City Street named in his honor has been changed to C.M. Recto some years ago.

The district at the time encompassed what may be compared now to the entire Metro Manila jurisdiction.

Governor General Narciso Claveria y Zaldua arrived in Manila aboard a British ship on 13 July 1844. He assumed office by 16 October, succeeding Governor General Francisco de Paula Alcala de la Torre. Claveria’s instruction from Spain were to exert utmost efforts to preserve Spanish sovereignty; adopt measures to retain the Filipino’s confidence, esteem and respect for the Spaniards, and accordingly keep his conduct deserving of that respect; and defend the lawful interest of the Catholic religion, allowing no manifestation of other religious creeds.

Claveria, described as fair, honest and enterprising, endeavored to deserve his trust in discharging his office during his five-year term. One of his significant actions, which influenced the history of Davao, was his acquisition of steamships, which he employed in the campaign against those Moros who refused to recognized Spanish sovereignty. The expedition to use those steam-powered vessels took place, coincidentally enough, at about the time that a colonizing expedition to Davao Gulf territory was already sent on a siege along the mouth of Davao River against the fort of Datu Mama Bago, located less than 2 kilometers upriver.

Reforms and consequent changes in officialdom in the home government, invariably affected appointments of officials in the Philippines. The appointment of Claveria affected Oyanguren: his name no longer appeared in the list of judges in Manila. He was technically eased out of service. It was at this time that he heard of a deplorable of which he had some knowledge and friends.

Moros Attack San Rufo

Trading vessels were loaded with cargoes for specific consignees, mail matters and supplies for the military outposts as well as considerable goods for trade. In every port where these vessels stopped, the greater part of their transactions pertained to the selling or bartering of the cargo from Manila with those available in the provincial ports. Considerable time was lost as the boat owners or investors in the trading business made sure that their enterprise took precedence over the delivery of goods to consignees. These coastwise traders played a vital role in filling the inhabitants’ needs, and in a larger view, promoting economic growth.

The vessels or panco as the people in the Visayas called them, were driven by sail, quite expertly made by craftsman to withstand big waves. The people of Masbate during those times were admired for their craft in making such boats.

The veteran vessel, San Rufo, plied the trading posts of eastern Mindanao. Its owner was based in Tandag, bur he had an Italian partner from Manila who represented several; business houses there and like the boat owner, usually came with the vessel to conduct business and supervise the crew. The extent of San Rufo’s business coverage expanded little by little from Surigao to Tandag and Bislig, plus other communities along its route, until it reached Sigaboy where it loaded a good quantity of forest products bartered from Manobos for the Manila Market.

The experience was an eye-opener to these traders. The abundance of products for trade in the Davao Gulf coast must have kept them yearning for more opportunities to come to Davao Gulf to expand their business. In Manila, they heard of the treaty by which the renowned Sultan of Maguindanao had ceded the Davao Gulf territory to Spanish control and the invitation to the Spaniards to open a trading house in the capital town of the sultanate in Tamontaca.

With the proper connections, The San Rufo traders in time had a letter from the Sultan to the Chief Datu of Davao Gulf, the elderly Datu Mama Bago, sometimes called Sultan by his vassals. His chief assistant and heir-apparent was his eldest son, Datu Malano Bago, who often took upon himself some decisions and responsibilities, which to his mind did not necessitate his father’s approval. The old man had elephantiasis, and he must not be bothered so much.

Such was the case when San Rufo arrived at the mouth of Davao River with the intentions of establishing friendly trading relations as promoted by Sultan Qudarat of Maguindanao.

An account of the contact between the traders and the men of Datu Bago follows:

                                                                                         

…San Rufo, which had been loaded with merchandise, by one of the commercial houses in Manila, came to Davao in 1845. The captain and second officer of the sail boat were Spaniards … they were accompanied by an Italian who was a private trader. They had a letter of recommendation from the Sultan of Maguindanao for the datus to receive those of the San Rufo as friends.

The Davao Gulf Moros pretended to respect the letter of the Sultan and accepted the Spaniard’s proposition to trade, offering them friendship and a considerable quantity of wax in exchange for their goods. Under this seemingly friendly reception and unwary of the Moros’ plot, the majority of the crew left their ship to go fishing in their ship’s skiff (bote in the vernacular) while some went ashore.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, a good number of Moros, led by one Datu Ongay, presented themselves with bundles of wax and other trade products in which they concealed their weapons.

The ship’s interpreter, seeing so many Moros arriving at a time when there were hardly any men left on board, became suspicious of their intentions. The captain said he did not fear the Moros. The pilot remonstrated saying it would not do any harm to take a few precautions.

The captain then ordered a sentinel posted with musket ready; one of the Europeans and the interpreter prepared their arms also. Still, more and more Moros arrived. They contrived to isolate the Europeans and separate them from one another. When they were most busily engaged in examining and weighing the wax, the Moros drew their kris at a given signal. Two reports rang out and two Moros fell dead, but in a few moments the heads of the Europeans were severed and rolling on the deck.

Only two men were left alive: the captain’s and the Italian’s servants, retained to be the Moros’ slaves. Two days later, the two seized a baroto (small boat) and escaped in it, making their way to Pundaguitan then to Surigao where they related what occurred on the San Rufo. The men who made good their escape had no knowledge of the fate of their companions who went out fishing prior to the time of the attack. The presumption was they must have been killed also.

The crew who went fishing had their own story to tell when they reached the safety of the ancient Fort Linao in the Agusan Monkayo territory. They related that they noticed what was happening on the San Rufo so they lost no time in rowing their bote towards the head of Davao Gulf, at Hijo and from there took to the forests northward until they reached Fort Linao.

News of the horrible fate that befell the San Rufo reached Manila: how the cargoes were pillaged and the ship burned how the traders and the crew were killed. This created a furor for vengeance. Don Jose Oyanguren in Manila became aware of the public clamor and came down to Davao to get updated information concerning the situation and Datu Bago’s following and armaments.

Oyanguren Secures Colonizing Rights

In Davao, Oyanguren learned that the Maguindanao Sultan Qudarat Funda had disclaimed any responsibility with regard to the attack of the Moros of Davao Gulf, stating they were not his subjects because they had disobeyed his instructions.

Claveria sent Brigadier General Agustin Bocalan, together with Zamboanga Governor Cayetano Figueroa, to confront the Sultan about the San Rufo pillage. Unable to provide a satisfactory explanation for Datu Bago’s act, the embarrassed Maguindanao leader consented to the signing of another treaty, this time ceding the Davao Gulf territory to Spanish control.

This opportunistic document foisted on the Sultan gave a free hand to Spanish authorities to deal with the Davao issue whatever way they saw fit. The Sultan, however, felt it was the only way to prevent open warfare with his relatives who were interested in taking over the seat of power. For as long as Spain was on his side. Sultan Qudarat felt confident about holding on to his sultanate.

With his legal background, Oyanguren readily discerned the implication of the treaty of cession. He now felt a sense of relief in the thought that should any belligerent action take place with the Moros of Davao Gulf; the Sultan would not interfere or support these Moros. He saw in this a chance to bring about, without great risk, his cherished desire to secure control of the trading opportunities that the rich Davao Gulf territory had in store.

Oyanguren lost no time in getting together his friends and others interested in investing in his venture. Then he sought an audience with Gov. Claveria to present his project proposal:

to conquer and subdue the entire gulf district; expel or pacify the Moros there; and establish the Christian religion, if he were given supplies and equipment rights of trade therein.

Gov. Claveria appeared supportive towards Oyanguren’s preposition because it ran along Madrid’s instructions to Claveria when he came to the Philippines. Oyanguren’s requirements for supplies and armaments were readily met, but the terms of office and authority he sought once the Davao Gulf district came under his control were objected to by certain members of the Royal Audiencia (equivalent to the ombudsman). This was because Claveria’s liberal concessions to Oyanguren appeared to be much like the privileges of the encomienda (land grant), which had been abolished in 1697.

The final terms of Oyanguren’s contract with the government, however, were specified in a 27 February 1847 decree promulgated by Claveria. Salient provisions gave Oyanguren command of the District of Davao for ten years and exclusive rights of trade for six years following its conquest. He was given a brigantine and three sloops with artillery, muskets and ammunition as well as permission to raise a company of soldiers and take with him volunteer settlers who may have their own vessels to join the expedition.

Journeying to Davao Gulf

Oyanguren’s expedition left Manila in February 1845 to take advantage of favorable winds. He estimated that by the time he would reach Mindanao, the seas of the east coast would be calmer, a fact he knew only too well through experience. He had sailed the rough and dangerous coast and had been warned about the many ships dashed against the rocky shores by strong winds and huge waves.

Oyanguren and company had to stop every now and then in the ports along the way to get more volunteers. Oyanguren had not much time in Manila to recruit the crew, especially soldiers who could help him in his colonizing venture. He was able to persuade some recidivists and parolees who saw in Oyanguren’s venture a chance for a kind of freedom in a faraway land.

To Oyanguren, Claveria’s encouragement was too good an opportunity to delay further. It was imperative that the undertaking for such a long and hazardous voyage be made while the weather was fine; otherwise there would be a waiting period of several months for the next favorable weather. Oyanguren found his volunteers in Surigao, Siargao, Tandag, Bislig and Carga. Here he spent a couple of days in the sheltered bay of Santiago, Caraga, waiting for additional families and a helmsman familiar with the Davao Gulf area, especially the dangerous, whirling sea currents at Cape San Agustin.

Oyanguren’s expedition finally arrived at a narrow channel in Samal Island. He dropped anchor at Maripanao (now called Malipanao) in March 1848, with 70 people in all, including his wife and other women.


Updated on April 13, 2017@7:48pm by Rhey Mark H. Diaz