Volume 23 — Chapter XXIX

Of the second election of our father Fray Diego Alvarez

Father Fray Diego de Alvarez left so good an estimation of himself during the three years of his service as provincial, and governed with so great prudence, that so great a desire for his rule was aroused that, upon the arrival of the time assigned by our rules, the fathers did not wish to make any new trials of conditions which, although in appearance good, afterwards are found deceitful. They had had experience of the prudence of father Fray Diego Alvarez, and accordingly reelected him so that they might enjoy him for the second time; for in truth he had been a father to them. Hence he was elected unanimously, May 6, 1593. His election was very favorably received in the islands, for he was always much loved by his own and by others; and he always showed great judgment, preserving the province during his two trienniums in that flower and rigor of devotion which it had at first, and also glorifying the [293] province with the new inauguration of houses and convents.

The bishop of Sugbú, Don Fray Pedro de Agurto, bestowed the district of Salog upon the province, as I have said before. It is very near the port and fort of Ilong-ilong. It is an excellent port, and has now been improved through becoming the property of his Majesty. This convent has more than one thousand Indians in charge, and generally has two religious. Its chief center is on the coast, or rather, near the coast, on a fine river, and its visitas are inland.

In the island of Manila, that is, in the archbishopric of Manila, religious were established, in Caruyan and Quingua. Now these last two are vicariates, and do not have one thousand Indians. [297]

(To be concluded.)

Fray Miguel Coco—born at Zamora in 1860, and a resident in the Philippines during 1881–95—was editor of Medina’s Historia, on which he made copious annotations. Many of these we reproduce or synopsize, in English translation, all of which are signed by his name.

Bulletin No. 1, of Census of the Philippine Islands: 1903, “Population of the Philippines” (issued by the Bureau of the Census, of the Department of Commerce and Labor, Washington, 1904), gives the present population of Mactán, which is in the province of Cebú, as 17,540, all civilized.

The Philippine Islands are divided into provinces or comandancias, the latter meaning military district, and in which civil government has not yet been established. The province or comandancia is divided into municipalities and barrios. That barrio or ward in which the municipal government is located is called the población or centro. The census of the various municipalities has been returned for each barrio. See Bulletin No. 1, ut supra.

The population of the island of Cebú, according to the census of 1903 (see Bulletin No. I, ut supra), was 592,247; of the city of Cebú, 31,079; or, if the closer-built part of this municipality, which may properly be regarded as the city of Cebú, be considered, its population is 18,330.

The steady increase in the total population of the Philippines, as shown by various reports and sources, more or less authoritative and trustworthy, is seen in the following figures. At the time of the discovery by Magallanes in 1521, the total population is supposed to have numbered about 500,000. In 382 years, according to the census report of 1903, the population (now 7,635,426, slightly more than the 1900 census of New York State) has multiplied fifteen times. The increase during the past century was 1.5 per cent. Of the present population, 6,987,686 are civilized or partly so, and 647,740 are wild and uncivilized, although they have some knowledge of domestic arts. Of this latter number about 23,000 are Negritos, who are supposed to be the aborigines of the archipelago. Sources (ecclesiastical and governmental) give [147n] the census for various years as follows; they cannot all be taken as definite, although some are approximately so:

1735 837,182

1799 1,522,224

1805 1,741,234

1812 1,933,331

1815 2,502,994

1817 2,062,805

1818 2,026,230

1827 2,593,287

1833 3,153,290

1840 3,096,031

1845 3,434,007

1850 3,800,163

1862 4,734,533

1870 4,698,477

1876 5,567,685

1879 5,817,268

1887 5,984,727

1891 6,101,682

1896 6,261,339

That guesswork has figured to some extent in these figures is evident; but as a whole they represent tolerably well the growth of the islands. The figures for 1903 are to be relied on. See Bulletin No. 1, ut supra, and U.S. Gazetteer of the Philippine Islands, pp. 25–31.

The “Bulletin” above cited gives Panay (which comprises parts of Antique, Capiz, and Iloilo provinces) 743,646 people, of whom 14,933 are wild.

Manila Bay is one of the finest bays in the world and by far the best in the Far East. It will accommodate all the fleets of the world. Its greatest dimensions are from Tubutubu Island in the estuary of Orani, bay of Pampanga, in the northwest angle of the shore of the greater bay, to Las Piñas, thirty-five miles, near the boundary between Cavite and Rizal; and from the delta of the river Grande Pampanga, on the shores of Bulacán in the northeast, to Corregidor Island, southwest, thirty-one miles. It is one hundred and twenty miles in circumference. Five of the important rivers of the archipelago empty into it. See U.S. Gazetteer of the Philippine Islands, p. 186.

Bulletin No. 1 (ut supra) gives the present civilized population of Taal as 17,525. The chief industries of the people are agriculture, herding, fishing, and the coast trade. Lemery has 11,150 civilized inhabitants.

The Bulletin’s figures give Tanauan 18,263 civilized inhabitants; Lipa, 37,934; Bauang, 39,094; and Batangas, 33,131.

Bulletin No. 1 (ut supra) gives the present civilized population of Calumpit as 13,897.

Its present civilized population according to Bulletin No. 1 (ut supra) is 19,063.

Colin says (Labor evangélica, lib. i, cap. iv, sec. 30) that the tribes dwelling at the headwaters of the rivers in the various islands are known by almost as many different names—among these, as Zambales, Manguianes, etc. “It is understood that they are mestizos of the other tribes, the savage and the civilized; and that for this reason they rank between those two classes of peoples in color, dress, and customs.” He also describes their habits and mode of life (cap. vi, sec. 52), and says of them: “They are a simple, honest, temperate people,” and adds that, up to the time of writing his book, they had not been christianized, “save some six hundred in the district and visitas of Nauhan, who received baptism during the few years in which the Society of Jesus had charge of them.” [206n]

Murillo Velarde, S.J., states in his Historia de Philipinas (Manila, 1749), fol. 52, that “in 1631 the cura of Mindoro, who was a secular priest, ceded that ministry to the Society;... the superior lived at Nauhan in Mindoro, and Ours undertook to preach to and convert the Manguianes, heathen Indians of that island.” On fol. 63, verso, and folio 64 he gives some account of these labors, and of the customs of these people, under the date 1633.

Sawyer (Inhabitants of the Philippines, p. 206) describes the Manguianes as “probably a hybrid Negrito-Visaya race.” He mentions three varieties of these people, of whom “those residing near the western coast are much whiter, with lighter hair and full beards;” those of the southern part show evident signs of Chinese blood; and those in the center are darker and less intelligent. He praises the morality and honesty of the Manguianes, as also does Worcester (Philippine Islands, p. 413).

Bulletin No. 1 gives Bulacán 11,589 civilized inhabitants.

Bulletin No. 1 makes the present civilized population 11,783.

The civilized population now (see Bulletin No. 1, ut supra) is 14,405.

Its present population is 134,166, of whom 131,245 are civilized and 2,921 wild. The reports of population for several other years are as follows: 1818, 50,597; 1840, 48,333; 1850, 84,570; 1870, 108,855; 1887, 115,434. See Bulletin No. 1 (ut supra) and U.S. Gazetteer of the Philippine Islands.

Father Melo was born of a noble family in Corinchán, Portugal. Going to Mexico at an early age, he took the Augustinian habit in the convent of Puebla de los Angeles, June 28, 1578. After becoming a priest he went to the Philippines, where he learned the Tagál and Bisayan tongues, and ministered at Aclán, Cagayancilo, Batangas, and Tanauan. See Pérez’s Catálogo, p. 27.

The lay-brother, Fray Nicolás de San Agustín, a Japanese, converted by the above, professed in the Manila convent in 1594. Ibid., p. 69.

The present civilized population of Malolos (see Bulletin No. 1, ut supra) is 12,575; Barasoaín, 8,047; and of Santa Isabel, 6,403. The first named is the capital of Bulacán province.

Its present civilized population (see Bulletin No. 1, ut supra) is 21,304.

The letter mentioned in the preceding paragraph will be published later in this series.

This was the father master, Fray Alonso de la Vera-Cruz, one of those in Mexico to whom the bishop wrote. See San Agustín, ut supra, p. 395.

It is the capital of the province of Ilocos Sur, and has a civilized population of 14,945 (See U.S. Gazetteer of the Philippine Islands and Bulletin No. 1, ut supra); and from its position on the railroad from Manila it is a town of importance.

Balaoang is now in the province of La Unión, and has a civilized population of 10,008. See ut supra.

Ilocos Norte now contains 178,995 (2,210 wild) inhabitants, Ilocos Sur, 187,411 (13,611 wild); and La Unión, 137,839 (10,050 wild). The province of Abra contains 51,860 (14,037 wild) inhabitants; Benguet, 22,745 (21,828 wild); and Lepanto-Bontoc, 72,750 (70,283 wild). See Bulletin No. 1, ut supra.

Malate has now (see Bulletin No. 1, ut supra) a population of 8,855.

See ante, note 58.

Bulletin No. 1 (ut supra) shows the present civilized population to be 12,206.

Bulletin No. 1 (ut supra) gives the civilized population for 1903 as 20,964.

Also in Iloílo province and with a present civilized population of 12,129. See Bulletin No. 1, ut supra.

Also situated in the province of Iloílo, with a present civilized population of 6,700. See Bulletin No. 1, ut supra.

Its present civilized population is 14,464. See Bulletin No. 1, ut supra.

The civilized population in 1903 was 8,503. It is in the province of llocos Sur. See Bulletin No. 1, ut supra.

Also in llocos Sur, and with a civilized population of 18,828. See Bulletin No. 1, ut supra.

The present civilized population is 15,792. This village is situated in the province of Ilocos Norte. Narvacán (the Nalbacán of the text), in Ilocos Sur, has a present civilized population of 19,575. See Bulletin No. 1, ut supra.

These two villages have present civilized populations of 8,000 and 7,229, respectively. See Bulletin No. 1, ut supra.

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