THE FIRST VOYAGE AROUND THE WORLD - 1
his debt and he later found he had broken
• Important Persons in the Voyage
• How it Started?
• The Start of Great Voyage
• The Mutiny that Magellan Embraced by
Anger
• The Mar Pacifico
• The Encounter in the Philippines and the
Face Betrayal
• Magellan's Replacement
• Returning to Spain
FERDINAND MAGELLAN
• Was born in 1480 at Sabrosa, Portugal, to a
family of minor Portuguese nobility
• At age 12 Ferdinand Magellan and his
brother Diogo traveled to Lisbon to serve as
pages at Queen Leonora’s court
• While at the court Magellan being exposed
to the stories of the great Portuguese and
Spanish expedition and gain interest in
maritime discovery
• In 1505, Magellan and his brother were
assigned to a Portuguese fleet headed for
India
• Magellan was determined to be the first to
sail west from Europe to reach the other side
of the globe
• In 1517 he renounced his Portuguese
nationality and relocated to Spain to seek
royal support for his venture since his
petition to the king of Portugal to get a
support for his voyage for spice island is
being refused repeatedly
• He then arrived at Seville in October
1517and soon after, he married Beatriz
Barbosa and gave birth to their son Rodrigo
a year later
• The well-connected Barbosa family
introduced Magellan to officers responsible
for Spain’s maritime exploration, and soon
Magellan secured an appointment to meet
the king of Spain.
• In 1492, Just 18 years old at the time, King
Charles I granted his support to Columbus’
expedition to the New World and Magellan
promised immeasurable riches to Spain.
• He then eventually died after the encounter
in Mactan, Philippines in 1521
JUAN SEBASTIÁN ELCANO
• Spanish sailor born in Guetaria, Spain in
1476
• Sebastian was a fisherman since his teens
• Elcano and his brothers became seafarers,
learning navigation by ferrying contraband
goods to French ports before he became a
merchant
• As a young man he led a prodigal and
difficult life and always indebt
• He was being forced to sell his ship to cover
Spanish law
• He became part of the Magellan’s expedition
after asking forgiveness from the king
regarding to his case
• He became the ship’s master on board the
Concepción, one of five ships making up the
fleet
• In 1519 while their expedition being paused,
Elcano and the other crews planned a
mutiny by returning one of the ship to Spain,
Magellan eventually noticed the mutiny and
fired the ship using the flagship and many of
Magellan’s crew died though the ship
successfully returned to Spain
• Elcano is being pardoned by Magellan after
the mutiny, soon after, Magellan assigned
Elcano as a captain one of the ship under his
fleet because of his skill as ship’s master
and navigator
• After the death of Magellan, Elcano became
the second in command the Victoria, not
later than that Elcano replaced Carvalho as
captain of the Victoria
• By September 6, 1522 Elcano successfully
returned to Spain and King of Spain granted
him a coat of arms bearing a globe and the
Latin of Primus circumdedisti me, or “You
Went Around Me First.”
• In 1525 he became part of another
expedition which intended to retrace
Magellan’s route and establish a permanent
colony in the Spice Islands
• He later died on August 4, 1526 because of
malnutrition while in the voyage
ANTONIO PIGAFETTA
• Venetian scholar who was born in Vicenza,
Italy, around 1490 and was belong to a rich
family
• He studied astronomy, geography and
cartography in his youth
• He served the galleys of the Knights of
Rhodes, and accompanied the papal nuncio
at that time to Spain
• He later joined the expedition of Ferdinand
Magellan as assistant and kept an accurate
journal
• After Magellan’s death, his surviving journal
is the source for much of what is known
about Magellan and Elcano's voyage.
• One of the 18 people who successfully
returned to Spain
• His journal includes an early Western
description of the people and languages of
the Philippines
• He eventually died in 1534
HOW IT STARTED?
• Magellan proposed the expedition to the
King Manuel of Portugal but King Manuel
refused repeatedly
• Frustrated Magellan began to renounced his
Portuguese nationality and relocated to
Spain to seek royal support for his venture
• Spices in late 1400s were worth enough to
make a country rich
• European exploration began led by
Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian sailors,
however, by 1518, the route to the spice
Islands was dominated by Portugal by sailing
east
• Ferdinand Magellan a Portuguese sailor
which he spent most of his years sailing the
Indian Ocean wanted to explore around The
New World and reach the Spice Islands by
sailing west
• King Charles V of Spain granted his support
to Magellan who in turn promised the young
king that his westward sea voyage would
bring immeasurable riches to Spain
• Magellan and King Charles V assembled
270 crew and five ships named Trinidad the
lead ship, San Antonio, Conception, Victoria,
and Santiago
• King Charles V of Spain granted his support
to Magellan who in turn promised the young
king that his westward sea voyage would
bring immeasurable riches to Spain
• Magellan and King Charles V assembled
270 crew and five ships named Trinidad the
lead ship, San Antonio, Conception, Victoria,
and Santiago
• King Charles V encountered Juan Sebastián
Elcano asking for forgiveness for crime he
committed, King Charles V agreed, but on
the condition that the skilled sailor and
navigator serve with an expedition for a new
route to the Spice Islands, to complete the
fleet King Charles V assigned Antonio
Pigafetta as the assistant of Magellan
THE START OF GREAT VOYAGE
• Magellan's fleet departed from Seville on the
10th of August 1519 and commenced their
voyage from San Lucar to the Canary
Islands and crossed the stormy Atlantic
• They've reached Cape Saint Augustin(Cabo
de Santo Agostinho) and continued south-
east, while sailing, they've encountered a
river and name it Saint Christopher River
and sooner they successfuly entered Rio de
Janeiro
• While the men are in the Rio de Janeiro they
started trading goods with local tribes
• They eventually leave Rio de Janeiro on
26th of December 1519 and continued south
until winter storms which forced the fleet to
camp in Puerto San Julian for five months,
and this is where the mutiy of Spanish
officers started
THE MUTINY THAT MAGELLAN EMBRACED BY
ANGER
• On Easter Day in 1520 while camping at
Puerto San Julian, the other officers of the
ship talked that Magellan was leading them
to their doom and the other crew were
convinced including Elcano
• Elcano and others that ask for forgiveness
and were being pardoned by Magellan
• Few personnel reported the planned mutiny
to Magellan, and Magellan himself gave
order to his loyal crew to make an
investigation, right after Magellan knowing
that the planned mutiny is true, he sent his
crew to kill the ringleaders and beheaded the
other, other crew deserted
• Magellan sent the Santiago to explore the
route ahead of the strait, where it was
shipwrecked during a terrible storm,
fortunately the ship's crewmember were
saved
• Five months later the fleet decided to left
Port San Julian, Magellan's other crew were
continued to mistrust him and at that point
the ship San Antonio fled to get back to
Spain and leave the three remaining ship
which were the Trinidad, Victoria and
Conception
THE MAR PACIFICO
• Magellan's remaining crew saw the great
ocean after travelling across the strait and
eventually named it Mar Pacifico(Peaceful
Sea) or Pacific Ocean
• Their supplies ran out and forced to eat rat
and drink putrid water
• Magellan's crew waited till he say "Land, ho!"
a phrase used to say if there's spotted land
• in March 1521 the fleet reached the Pacific
island of Guam, where they finally
replenished their food stores
• Soon after the islanders from Guam stole
their boat and fight broke out. Magellan's
crew had to leave to avoid future liability and
continued to explore west
THE ENCOUNTER IN THE PHILIPPINES AND THE
FACE BETRAYAL
• In March 1521 Magellan's fleet arrived the
Philippines after leaving Guam a week later
• Magellan’s fleet was the first Europeans to
reach the Philippines and have feast of
bananas and coconuts
• Magellan's malays slave act as translator as
they travelled through Philippines and
arrived in Cebu
 • Magellan met Don Carlos whom he baptised
to be a Christian and swore allegiance to the
King of Spain
• Don Carlos convinced Magellan to attack a
rival chieftain for him which was Datu Lapu-
Lapu
• Magellan crossed to Mactan with 60 men
and superior weapons and armours, though
they were massively outnumbered
• As they tried to flee after burning the village,
Magellan himself was cut down by a poison
arrow and died on April 27, 1521
• Don Carlos betrayed the alliance and
butchered 30 of the original crew including
Duarte Barbosa and Juan Serrao who were
to be succeeded as the new captain
• The survivors fled with only enough men to
crew two ships and they moved the goods
and equipment from the Conception to the
other two ship and began to continue their
search for the Spice Islands
• Don Carlos convinced Magellan to attack a
rival chieftain for him which was Datu Lapu-
Lapu
• Magellan crossed to Mactan with 60 men
and superior weapons and armours, though
they were massively outnumbered
• As they tried to flee after burning the village,
Magellan himself was cut down by a poison
arrow and died on April 27, 1521
• Don Carlos betrayed the alliance and
butchered 30 of the original crew including
Duarte Barbosa and Juan Serrao who were
to be succeeded as the new captain
• The survivors fled with only enough men to
crew two ships and they moved the goods
and equipment from the Conception to the
other two ship and began to continue their
search for the Spice Islands
MAGELLAN'S REPLACEMENT
• Elcano was now second in command of the
Victoria, under Juan Caralho
• In July 1521 they travelled to the Muslim
Court of Brunei on Borneo
• In September 1521 with the help of local
guides and more than two years of sailing
they reached the Spice Islands or Maluku
Islands which is part of Indonesia
• They traded everything for all the cloves that
their ships could carryAbout this time, Elcano
replaced Carvalho as captain of the Victoria
• The Trinidad soon had to return to the Spice
Islands, however, as it was leaking badly
and eventually sank and many Trinidad’s
sailors were captured by the Portuguese
• The Victoria sailed on cautiously, as they
had gotten word that a Portuguese fleet was
looking for them
RETURNING TO SPAIN
• The Victoria, the last and smallest ship,
sailed west once again and captained by
Juan Sebastian Elcano
• It took 9 weeks to crossed the Indian Ocean
and other men of the crew began to starve
and died before they reach Cape Verde
• Elcando and the remaining crew
miraculously evaded the Portuguese the
Victoria back into Spain on September 6,
1522
• Just 18 of the original crew of 270 had made
it home
• The King of Spain received Elcano and
granted him a coat of arms bearing a globe
and the Latin phrase Primus circumdedisti
me, or “You Went Around Me First.”
• Pigafetta spread the accounts of great
people in their voyage and their discoveries
THE IMPORTANCE OF PIGAFETTA’S JOURNAL
• Showed various discovery and adventure
• Includes an early Western description of the
people and languages of the Philippines
• Expanded the map throughout their voyage
• Proved that the earth is round
WHERE DID THE FIRST CATHOLIC MASS OCCUR
IN THE PHILIPPINES - 2
Limasawa or Butuan?
SAAN BA TALAGA?
LIMASAWA
• An island and municipality in Southern Leyte,
is a small yet flourishing town being the site
of the FIRST CHRISTIAN MASS in the
country and in Asia
• The First Cross and the First Mass Shrine
are some of the frequently visited spots that
give tourists a rare experience of retracing
the historic footsteps of the Portuguese
explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 who
paved the way for the beginning of
Christianity of Christianity in the country.
• Mazaua is the original name of this
municipality.
Two assumptions how the municipality got
its name:
a. “Lima'y Asawa”
b. The Spanish men named it “Mazaua” for
the beauty of the place.
• Ferdinand Magellan befriended Rajah
Kulambu and asked for a “casi casi”
It was Easter Sunday, March 31, 1521, when
the first Mass in the Philippines was
celebrated by Pedro Valderama, a priest with
the Magellan expedition in Limasawa, an
islet at the southern tip of Leyte del Sur.
• Magellan took Colambu and his constituents
to a hilltop which they obliged unknowing
 that the erection of the cross was the
ritualistic subjugation of the Filipinos by
Spain through Capitan Fernando de
Magallanes formerly Fernao de Magalheas,
Admiral of Portugal.
• A law was passed by Congress on June 19,
1960 (Republic Act No. 2733), declaring the
site in Magallanes, Limasawa Island, Leyte,
as the national shrine to commemorate the
First Mass and hence “the birth of
Christianity” in the Philippines in that
location.
• The historical basis for locating the first
Easter Mass in Limasawa, Leyte, dates back
to the translation of Antonio Pigafetta's diary
of Magellan's expedition.
• In 1905, Robertson translated the Pigafetta
manuscript for “the Philippine Islands”, 1493-
1898, a 55-volume collection of documents
on Philippine history edited by Blair and
himself. In the translation, Robertson
provided several footnotes to clarify names
and terms in Pigafetta's diary. One of those
footnotes (no. 263) in volume 33 stated that
the place called “Mazaua” in Pigafetta's diary
was now called “the Island of Limasawa.”
• The commission concluded that the First
Mass was held in Limasawa after it found
that:
• The most complete and reliable account of
the Magellan expedition into Philippine
shores in 1521 is that of Antonio Pigafetta
which is deemed as the only credible primary
source of reports on the celebration of the
first Christian Mass on Philippine soil.
• James Robertson's English translation of the
original Italian manuscript of Pigafetta's
account is most reliable for being “faithful” to
the original text as duty certified by the
University of the Philippine's Department of
European Language.
• The position of Mazaua, as plotted by
Pigafetta, matched that of Limasawa,
Pigafetta's Mazaua, the site of the first
Christian Mass on Philippine soil, is an island
lying off the southwestern tip of Leyte while
Masao in Butuan is not an island but a
barangay of Butuan City.
• Magellan's fleet took a route from Homonhon
to Mazaua and from Mazaua to Cebu that
did not at any time touch Butuan or any other
part of Mindanao.
• Francisco Albo (pilot of Magellan's flagship)
does not mention the first mass but he writes
that they erected a cross on a mountain
which overlooked three islands the west and
the southwest.
• The evidence of Albo's Log-Book
• The evidence of Pigafetta
• a. Pigafetta's
testimony
regarding the
route;
• b. The evidence
of Pigafetta's
map;
• c. The two native
kings;
• d. The seven
days at
“Mazaua”;
• e. An argument
from omission.
• Summary of the evidence of Albo and
Pigafetta
• Confirmatory evidence from the Legazpi
expedition.
MASAO / BUTUAN
• Masao is a barangay in Butuan located at
Mindanao (Caraga Region XIII)
• A monument was erected in 1872 near the
mouth of Agusan River at a spot that was
then within the municipal bounderies of
Butuan, but which today belongs to the
separate municipality of Magallanes. The
monument was a brick pillar on which was a
slab marble that contained an inscription
which might be translated as follows:
• “To the Immortal Magellan: the People of
Butuan with their Parish Priest and the
Spaniards resident therein, to commemorate
his arrival and the celebration of the First
Mass on this site on the 8th of April 1521.
Erected in 1871, under the District Governor
Jose Ma. Carvallo.”
FATHER FRANCISCO COLIN S.J.
• Colin had obviously read some authentic
accounts of Magellan's voyage, for his
narration is accurate up to the landing in
Homonhon (Humunu). After that, Colin's
account becomes vague. He abruptly brings
Magellan to Butuan without explaining how
he got there. Then brings him to Limasawa
(which he mispells Dimasaua), and from
there the account becomes again accurate
and detailed.
FATHER FRANCISCO COMBES S.J.
• Only states that Magellan landed at Butuan
and there planted the cross in a solemn
ceremony.
• Combes does not mention the first Mass.
What he mentions are the other two events
which, from Pigafetta's account had occurred
on the same day as the first Mass, namely:
• a. The planting of
the cross
• b. The formal
claiming of the
Archipelago on
 behalf of the
Castillian Crown.
• These events, says, Combes, took place at
Butuan.
FATHER FRANCISCO COLIN S.J.
• Explicitly said that Magellan entered the
Philippine waters farther north namely, near
Samar, landing first at Homonhon. But
careless readers, seeing Colin's description
of eastern Mindanao, coupled with Combes's
statement that Magellan had “entered”
Philippine waters through Siargao Strait,
jumped to the conclusion that Magellan must
have come by the southern route as later
explorers did.
FATHER FRANCISCO COLIN S.J.
• Explicitly said that Magellan entered the
Philippine waters farther north namely, near
Samar, landing first at Homonhon. But
careless readers, seeing Colin's description
of eastern Mindanao, coupled with Combes's
statement that Magellan had “entered”
Philippine waters through Siargao Strait,
jumped to the conclusion that Magellan must
have come by the southern route as later
explorers did.
GIOVANNI FRANCESCO GEMELLI CARERI
• He stated that the first Mass took place on
“Whitsunday”
• The lord and king of Cebu were baptized
before the Mass.
• NOTE:
• Neither event took place on Whitesunday
• The first Mass occurred on Easter Sunday
• The baptism in Cebu took place two weeks
later
• The English translator of Careri was
mistaken in translating Easter as “Whit
Sunday” which probably means the Octave
of Easter.
• The first Mass was celebrated at “Masaua”
on Easter Sunday.
• Magellan arrived in Cebu on the Octave of
Easter (Whitsunday).
• The Cebuanos were baptized the following
Sunday.
FRAY JUAN DE LA CONCEPCION
• One of the major historians who made this
error (and whom in turn influenced later
writers).
• His 14-volume History of the Philippines was
published in Manila shortly after his death.
• “The General left the islands which he called
Las Velas Latinas or the Archipelago of San
Lazaro – a name they still retain although
they have also added the name of
Maraianas Islands.”
• “It was Easter Sunday. The General ordered
the construction on land of a shelter made of
branches. Then he ordered all his men to
disembark to hear Mass, which was
celebrated with great devosion by all,
thanking God for His blessings. And this was
the first mass offered in these Islands. He
the ordered a large cross to be set up on a
hill.”
• Fray Juan has misread his sources.
• He has mixed up several things.
• He seems to think that the islands called Las
Velas and the Marianas Islands and the
Archipelago of San Lazaro were all one and
the same thing.
• He has misconstrued Magellan's route,
depicting him as sighting the southeastern
tip of Mindanao and sailing northwards along
the Pacific coast if this island, and then
entering by the Siargao Strait into Limasawa
“which is at the entrance of that strait.”
FRAY JOAQUIN MARTINEZ DE ZUNIGA
• “On Eastern Sunday of the year 1521
Magellan was in Butuan. He ordered the
sacrifice of the Mass to be celebrated
ashore, and he planted a cross on a hillock
near the beach. The natives were present at
these ceremonies, and they also witnessed
that taking possession of the land in the
name of the Crown of Castille. These rites
over, Magellan proceeded to Cebu where
they killed him.”
JOHN FOREMAN
• “On the 16th of March 1521 the Ladrones
Islands were reached...After a bloody
combat...the fleet continued its course
westward. Coasting along the North of the
Island of Mindanao they arrived at the mouth
of Butuan River, where they supplied with
provisions by the chief. It was Easter Week
on this shore the first Mass was celebrated
in the Philippines.”
JOSE MONTERO Y VIDAL
• Had Magellan sailing to Cebu from
“Limasagua”, following the incredible route
between Leyte and Samar. By that route
Magellan should have ended up in the Bicol
Peninsula not in Cebu.
COLONIZATION OF THE PHILIPPINES AND
FILIPINO REACTION
“How one navigator changed the history of the entire
islands.”
Post – Magellan Period
• 1525- Spain sends an expedition led by Juan
Garcia de Loaysa to the Islands. The expedition failed
because they couldn’t find spices and gold; Loaysa
and his crew members also died in the Philippines.
 1526- Spain sends a third expedition to the
Philippines under the leadership of Juan Cabot. The
expedition failed because it never reached the islands
and that they instead land in South America for 3
years.
1527- The Fourth Expedition is sent by
Spain under Alvaro de Saadvera. It is the First
Spanish trip starting from Mexico. It Reaches
Mindanao but on the way to Cebu, Saadvera’s ship is
carried away by Strong Winds to the Mollucas islands.
1543- Spain sends a fifth expedition under
Ruy López de Villalobos to the Philippines. The
Expedition succeeds.
1565- Miguel Lopez de Legazpi arrives in the
Philippines.
Ruy López de Villalobos
López de Villalobos was commissioned in
1541 by the Viceroy of New Spain, Antonio de
Mendoza, who was the first colonial administrator in
the New World, to send an expedition to the Islas del
Poniente, meaning Islands of the West, now known
as the Philippines.
His fleet of six galleon ships, the Santiago,
San Jorge, San Antonio, San Cristóbal, San Martín,
and San Juan, left Barra de Navidad, Jalisco, Mexico
with 370 to 400 men on November 1, 1542.
Between January 6 to 23, 1543, the galleon
San Cristóbal piloted by Gines de Mafra, who was a
member of the crew of the Magellan expedition in
1519-1522, was separated from the fleet during a
severe storm.
This ship eventually reached the island of
Mazaua, a place were Magellan anchored in 1521.
On February 2, 1543, they entered Baganga
Bay, which they named Malaga on the eastern coast
of Mindanao.
López de Villalobos named Mindanao
"Caesarea Karoli" after the Holy Roman Emperor,
Charles V of Spain.
The fleet stayed there for 32 days; the entire
crew suffered extreme hunger. He ordered his men to
plant corn but it failed. On March 31, 1543, the fleet
left in search of Mazaua for food. Because of low-
winds they could not sail on. After several days of
struggle, they reached Sarangani.
The galleon San Cristóbal, which had been
driven ashore on Limasawa Island 2 months before,
appeared unexpectedly with a load of rice and other
foodstuffs for the commander. On August 4, 1543, the
San Juan, and San Cristóbal were sent back to Leyte
and Samar for more food, with the San Juan to stock
up for the Pacific crossing and to proceed to Mexico.
The San Juan left for Mexico on August 27,
1543, with Bernardo de la Torre as captain.
He departed to Abuyog, Leyte with his
remaining ships, the San Juan, and the San Cristóbal.
The fleet could not make headway because of
unfavorable winds.
He, and his crew members then made their
way to the islands of Samar, and Leyte, which he
named Las Islas Filipinas (The Philippine Islands) in
honour of the Prince of Spain, Philip II.
driven away by hostile natives, hunger, and
a shipwreck, López de Villalobos was forced to
abandon his settlements in the islands, and the
expedition. He, and his crew members sought refuge
in the Moluccas, where they quarrelled with the
Portuguese, who imprisoned them.
López de Villalobos died on April 4, 1544, in
his prison cell on the island of Amboyna, of a tropical
fever, or as the Portuguese said "of a broken heart".
Some 117 remaining crew members survived.
An account of the voyage based on the
recollections of a surviving Italian sailor, Juan
Gaetano, was published in 1550-1559 by Giovanni
Battista Ramusio, an Italian historian, in his
Navigationi et Viaggi ("Navigations and Travels"); a
collection of explorers' first-hand accounts of their
travels which also included accounts of Marco Polo,
Magellan, Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca and others.
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi
also known as El Adelantado (the Noble)
and El Viejo (The Elder).
a Spanish navigator and governor who
established the first Spanish settlement in the East
Indies when his expedition crossed the Pacific Ocean
from the Viceroyalty of New Spain in modern-day
Mexico, arrived in Cebu of the Philippine Islands,
1565.
He was the FIRST Governor-General of the
Spanish East Indies which included the Philippines
and other Pacific archipelagos, namely Guam and the
Marianas Islands.
After obtaining peace with various
indigenous nations and kingdoms, he made Cebu the
capital of the Spanish East Indies in 1565 and later
transferred to Manila in 1571.
The capital city of the province of Albay
bears his name.
Since none of the expedition after Magellan
from Loaisa to Villalobos had succeeded in taking
over the Philippines, King Charles I stopped sending
colonizers to the Islands.
However, when Philip II succeeded his
father to the throne in 1556, he instructed Luis de
Velasco, the viceroy of Mexico, to prepare a new
expedition – to be headed by Miguel Lopez de
Legazpi, who would be accompanied by Andres de
Urdaneta, a priest who had survived the Loaisa
mission.
On November 19 or 20, 1564, five ships and
500 soldiers, sailed from the port of Barra NB de
Navidad, New Spain (now Mexico).
other sources give the date as November 1,
1564, and mention 'four ships and 380 men’.
Members of the expedition included six
Augustinian missionaries, in addition to Fr. Andrés de
Urdaneta, who served as navigator and spiritual
adviser, Melchor de Legazpi (son of Adelanto de
Legazpi), Felipe de Salcedo (grandson of Miguel
López de Legazpi), and Guido de Lavezarez (a
survivor of the expedition of Ferdinand Magellan).
López de Legazpi and his men sailed the
Pacific Ocean for 93 days. In 1565, they landed in the
Mariana Islands, where they briefly anchored and
replenished their supplies.
A chief of Bohol island named Catunao gave
information to Miguel López about Cebu and
accompanied López as a guide. López de Legazpi's
expedition anchored off the Indianized Rajahnate of
Cebu on February 13, 1565, but did not put ashore
due to opposition from natives.
On February 22, 1565, the expedition
reached the island of Samar and made a blood
compact with Datu Urrao. The Spaniards then
proceeded to Limasawa and were received by Datu
Bankaw, then to Bohol, where they befriended Datu
Sikatuna as a sign of friendship. Legaspi was able to
obtain spices and gold in Bohol due to his friendship
with Sikatuna.
On March 16, 1565, López de Legazpi made
a blood compact with Datu Sikatuna.
On April 27, 1565, Legaspi returned to Cebu;
Rajah Tupas challenged the Spaniards, but was
overpowered. The Spaniards established a colony,
naming the settlements "Villa del Santisimo Nombre
de Jesús" (Town of the Most Holy Name of Jesus)
after an image of Sto. Niño in one of the native
houses.
On orders of the King Philip II, 2,100 men
arrived from Mexico.
They built the the port of Fuerza de San
Pedro which became the Spanish trading outpost and
stronghold for the region.
May 8, 1565- The Island of Cebu is
surrendered to Legazpi by its ruler King Tupas. 1569-
Legazpi moves the seat of government from Cebu to
Iloilo.
August 6, 1569- King Philip II of Spain,
through a royal decree, creates Cebu as the country's
first Spanish province; he also appoints Miguel Lopez
de Legazpi as governor and captain general of the
territory. By his order, TRIBUTES (taxes) are
collected from all Filipino males aged 19 to 60. it was
governed as a territory of the Viceroyalty of New
Spain.
1568- The Portuguese attacked Cebu and
blockaded its port.
1570- The Portuguese attacked the colony
again but failed. The series of attacks stems from
Portugal’s claim of territory under the TREATY OF
TORDISILLAS which their sphere of influences were
defined. The Portuguese BELIEVED THAT THE
PHILIPPINES FALLS WITHIN THEIR SPHERE.
In 1569, due to a scarcity of food provisions
in Cebu, López de Legazpi transferred to Panay town
on the island of Panay, where they were peacefully
welcomed by the people in the Kedatuan of Madja-as.
Subsequently, they founded a second settlement,
then named Capiz and now the city of Roxas in Capiz
province, located on the bank of the Panay River.
In 1570, López de Legazpi sent Juan de
Salcedo, his grandson who had arrived from Mexico
in 1567, to Mindoro to punish the Muslim Moro pirates
who had been plundering Panay villages.
Hearing of the riches of Manila, an
expedition of 300 men headed by Martin de Goiti left
Cebu for Manila.
Goiti arrived in Manila on May 8, 1570. At
first they were welcomed by the natives and formed
an alliance with Rajah Suliman, their Muslim king.
but as the locals sensed the true objectives
of the Spaniards, a battle between the troops of
Suliman and the Spaniards erupted.
Because the Spaniards are more heavily
armed, the Spaniards were able to conquer Manila.
Soon after Miguel Lopez de Legazpi arrived to join
Goiti in Manila.
Legaspi built alliances and made peace with
Rajahs Suliman, Lakandula and Matanda.
Both groups agreed to organize a city
council, consisting of two mayors, twelve councilors
and a secretary.
On June 24, 1571, Legaspi ordered the
construction of the walled city of Intramuros and
proclaimed it as the seat of government of the colony
and the capital of the islands, calling it “the
distinguished and ever loyal city.”
December 11, 1571- Provincehood of
Pampanga, first province in Luzon to be inaugurated
by the Spaniards.
López de Legazpi governed the Philippines
for a year before dying suddenly of a stroke in Manila
on August 20, 1572 after scolding an aide. He died
bankrupt, leaving a few pesos behind due to having
spent most of his personal fortune during the
conquest. He was laid to rest in San Agustin Church,
Intramuros.
By the time of López de Legazpi's death, the
parts of the Visayas had passed to Spanish rule. The
Spanish met strong resistance from Muslim
sultanates on the island of Mindanao, the Zambal
tribes of Zambales, and the Igorot of the Cordilleran
mountains, as well as some Wokou pirates from
China and Japan.
Guido de Lavezaris succeeds him as
Governor-General (1572–1575). Lavezaris extends
colonization to the Bicol Region.
For the next 333 years, from 1565 when
Spain first established a colony in the country until the
Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898, the
Philippines was a Spanish colony.
Post-Legazpi Period
November 7, 1574- Enslavement of Filipinos
is prohibited by a royal cedula from the Spanish king,
as a response to a protest against it a day earlier.
1575- Ciudad de Nueva Cáceres (later
renamed as Naga City) established by Captain Pedro
de Sanchez.
1579- Diocese of Manila is Established.
April 5, 1580- Establishment of Pangasinan
as a provincial unit.
June 26, 1783- An island group, which would
be named Batanes, is annexed to the Philippines by
the Spanish and is founded as a province called
Provincia de la Concepcion.
 Feb 2, 1818- A royal decree divides old
Ilocos province into Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur.
October 17, 1894- Sorsogon province was
separated from Albay province.
Las Islas Filipinas
Known as: Captaincy General of the
Philippines, Kingdom of the Philippines, Las Islas
Filipinas.
was an administrative district of the Spanish
Empire in Southeast Asia governed by a Governor-
General.
The Captaincy General encompassed the
Spanish East Indies, which included among others
the Philippine Islands and the Caroline Islands. It was
founded in 1565 with the first permanent Spanish
settlements.
the Captaincy had its capital in Cebu from
1565 to 1595, and in Manila from 1595 until 1898.
No. of Governor-Generals in the Philippines:
95 (not including the acting Gov-Gen).
First Gov-Gen: Miguel Lopez de Legazpi
Last Gov-Gen: Diego de los Rios
December 10, 1898- Spain ceded the
Philippine Islands, Guam to the United States via
Treaty of Paris and the payment of 20 million dollars
to Spain by the US.
Spain’s Colonization of the Philippines lasted
over 333 years. This resulted in Catholicism
becoming the dominant religion.
During the three centuries of Spanish Rule in
the Philippines, there were more than 100 revolts by
the Filipinos. They help to bring a little improvement in
the people’s lives; but the Filipinos were not happy
until they were free.
Spanish colonial rule of the Philippines was
constantly threatened by indigenous rebellions and
invasions from the Dutch, Chinese, Japanese and
British.
Philippines during the Spanish Era (Economical).
the Filipinos were compelled to pay tribute
called TRIBUTO, to the colonial government. The
tributo was imposed as a sign of the Filipinos loyalty
to the king of Spain.
Those who paid tribute were individuals
BETWEEN 16 TO 60 years old. Other forms of
payment include: Gold, Chickens, Textile, Cotton and
Rice.
The government imposed the BANDALA
system to increase the funds for wars against other
European explorers; the farmers are forced to sell
their harvest to the government.
Polo y servicio- forced labor; workers are
obligated to build churches, cut trees to make logs,
construct buildings.
MANILA-ACAPULCO TRADE:
Trading was done Between Manila And
Acapulco, Mexico.
This was a government monopoly that lasted
for 250 years.
The galleons carried spices, porcelain, ivory,
lacquerware, silk to be sold in Mexico.
The trip to Mexico lasted for 200 days; The
return trip lasted for 70 days.
Negative Effects include: Neglect of Local
Products, only Elites are benefitted, thus making the
Filipinos poorer.
Philippines during the Spanish Era (Socio-Political)
The Spanish accomplished little in the
Philippines. They introduced Catholicism, established
a Walled City in Manila but ultimately they were
disappointed because they couldn't find spices or gold
(gold was only discovered in large quantities after the
Americans arrived). The primary purpose of the
Philippines was to trade New World silver for Chinese
silk.
The Spanish were able to gain control of the
coastal areas of the northern and central islands, but
not the southern islands, where Islam was deeply
rooted, and the jungle interior and highlands, where
indigenous tribes, including headhunters, were able to
repel Spanish incursions. The most high-status and
affluent groups of people were Chinese
entrepreneurs, lured by business opportunities, and
Spanish officials. They intermarried with the local
population, producing a new and distinctive culture.
The Philippines was administered by the
Viceroyalty of New Spain in present-day Mexico but in
many ways the Philippines was ruled by Catholic
church. Most Filipinos had little contact with the
Spanish other than through the church. Their
acceptance of Christianity acted both to pacify the
population and bond them with the Spaniards. The
church also acted as an administrative body.
Other groups like the Igorot resisted. The
Spanish burned Igorot villages, destroyed their crops
and raped their women, yet in 333 years of Spanish
occupation the Igorot were never conquered.
The Spanish were not as harsh on the local
people of the Philippines as they were in Latin
America but they did make an effort to stamp out
traditions and customs they regarded as “works of the
devil.” Large Numbers of people were untouched by
the Spanish occupation.
GI The Spanish had initially hoped to turn the
Philippines into another Spice Island but they soon
found that the island’s soil, terrain and climate were
not suited for growing spices. Mining opportunities did
not present themselves as they did in Latin America.
Trade was stubbled upon sort of by accident.
The power of religious orders remained one
of the great constants, over the centuries, of Spanish
colonial rule. Even in the late nineteenth century, the
friars of the Augustinian, Dominican, and Franciscan
orders conducted many of the executive and control
functions of government on the local level.
Contrary to the principles of the church, they
allegedly used information gained in confession to
pinpoint troublemakers. Given the minuscule number
of Spanish living outside the capital even in the
nineteenth century, the friars were regarded as
indispensable instruments of Spanish rule that
contemporary critics labeled a "friarocracy"
(frialocracia).
Central to the friars' dominant position was
their monopoly of education at all levels and thus their
control over cultural and intellectual life.
The friars, however, were given the
responsibility of supervising the system both on the
local and the national levels. The Jesuits were given
control of the teacher-training colleges. Except for the
Jesuits, the religious orders were strongly opposed to
the teaching of modern foreign languages, including
Spanish, and scientific and technical subjects to the
huindios.
By the late nineteenth century, their attitude
was one of blatant racism. In the words of one friar,
responding to the challenge of the ilustrados, "the
only liberty the Indians want is the liberty of savages.
Leave them to their cock-fighting and their indolence,
and they will thank you more than if you load them
down with old and new rights."
Manila became the center of a major trade
network that funneled goods from Southeast Asia,
Japan, Indonesia, India and especially China to
Europe. Spain developed and maintained a monopoly
over the transpacific trade route. The trade became
the primary reason for the existence of the
Philippines. Development of the archipelago was
largely neglected.
Philippines during the Spanish Era(Muslim Mindanao)
Philippine Muslims regard themselves as
descendants of the Royal Sultanate of Sulu. The
Royal Sultanate of Sulu was an Islamic kingdom that
ruled the islands and seas in the southern Philippines
and northern Borneo long before the arrival of the
Spanish. The Muslim sultanate of Brunei was a very
powerful kingdom in the16th century. It ruled over all
of Sarawak, Sabah and Borneo as well as part of the
Sulu Islands and the Philippines.
Mindanao and other predominately Muslim
islands in the southern Philippines were never
conquered during 381 years of Spanish and American
rule. One Muslim told the Los Angeles Times, “We do
not consider ourselves Filipinos. Filipinos are those
who surrendered to the Spaniards. We never
surrendered.”
PHILIPPINE REVOLTS AND UPRISINGS AGAINST
SPAIN - 3
“The Revolutions before the Revolution.”
Why the Philippines was easily Conquered?
The best possible explanation is that the
natives lacked unity and a centralized form of
government. Although the barangays already
functioned as units of governance, each one existed
independently of the other, and the powers that each
Datu enjoyed were confined only to his own
barangay. No higher institution united the barangays,
and the Spaniards took advantage of this situation.
They used the barangays that were friendly to them in
order to subdue the barangays that were not.
Causes of Revolts, Uprisings and Rebellions
Freedom and Independence from Spanish
Colonial Rule.
Abuses of Spanish
encomenderos/encomiendas (Spanish labor system
consisted of a grant by the crown to a conquistador, a
soldier, an official, or others of a specified number of
“Indios” (Native Americans and, later, Filipinos living
in cfa particular area.)
Tribute (Residence Tax)
Forced Labor (Polo)
Land grabbing by the Friars.
Basi (wine) Monopoly
Religion
DagamimRevoltm(1565-1567)
was a revolt led by the Dagami family who
came from the island of Leyte in 1567.
Many locals were unhappy with the Spanish
colonizing the country. So, a party of 16 led by CHIEF
DAGAMI OF GABI planned to get rid of Miguel Lopez
de Legazpi.
The first incident took place on May 23,
1565 in Cebu where the group ambushed Pedro de
Arana, who was an aide to Miguel López de Legazpi,
the Spanish Governor of the Philippines.
Dagami led a series of attacks, which baffled
authorities for a time. By December 1566, Legazpi
finally summoned the local datus and forced them to
identify who the culprits were after two more
Spaniards died of poisoning. Dagami was captured
and executed where de Arana was killed.
The peace treaty of Cebu was signed 13
days later, on June 4 1565, marking the End of
Dagami Revolt.
Lakandula and Sulayman (1574)
also known as the Tagalog Revolt, was an
uprising in 1574 by Lakandula and Rajah Sulayman in
Tondo, Manila.
a pact of peace and friendship was made
with Adelantado Legazpi who promised that Spain
would recognize their patrimonial lands and treat their
people fairly and well.
But he died on August 20, 1572, his
successor, Governor Guido de Lavezaris, confiscated
their patrimonial land properties and allowed the
Spanish encomenderos to abuse and oppress their
people.
the revolt occurred in the same year as the
Chinese pirate Limahong attacked the palisaded yet
poorly defended enclosure of Intramuros.
This revolt was caused by losing Soliman
and Lakandula's kingdom when they were defeated
by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi to accept the Spanish
sovereignty on the promise that they would be well-
treated by the Spaniards and would still retain some
of their royal and political powers.
Father Martin convinced Lakandula and
Soliman to abort the revolt and promised to grant their
privileges. Nevertheless, Soliman continued his revolt
which was brutally crushed in 1574.
Pampanga Revolt (1585)
 was an uprising in 1585 by some native
Kapampangan leaders who resented the Spanish
landowners, or encomenderos who had deprived
them of their historical land inheritances as tribal
chiefs or Datus.
The revolt included a plot to storm
Intramuros, but the conspiracy was foiled before it
could begin after a Filipino woman married to a
Spanish soldier reported the plot to the Spanish
authorities.
Spanish and Filipino colonial troops were
sent by Governor-General Santiago de Vera, and the
leaders of the revolt were arrested and summarily
executed by Christian Cruz-Herrera.
Tondo Conspiracy (1587-1588)
Also known as “Conspiracy of the
Maharlikas”.
was a revolt planned by Tagalog nobles, led
by Agustin de Legazpi of Tondo and his cousin Martin
Panga, to overthrow the Spanish government situated
in the Philippines due to the injustices felt by the
Filipinos.
It was territorially one of the largest
conspiracies against the Spanish rule next to the
Katipunan. It ranged from provinces near Manila all
the way to Calamianes islands near Palawan.
Legazpi sought help from a Japanese sea
captain named Juan Gayo and asked for arms and
warriors to fight alongside them in exchange for one-
half of the tribute collected in the Philippines.
Also known as “Conspiracy of the
Maharlikas”.
was a revolt planned by Tagalog nobles, led
by Agustin de Legazpi of Tondo and his cousin Martin
Panga, to overthrow the Spanish government situated
in the Philippines due to the injustices felt by the
Filipinos.
It was territorially one of the largest
conspiracies against the Spanish rule next to the
Katipunan. It ranged from provinces near Manila all
the way to Calamianes islands near Palawan.
Legazpi sought help from a Japanese sea
captain named Juan Gayo and asked for arms and
warriors to fight alongside them in exchange for one-
half of the tribute collected in the Philippines.
The Tribute Revolt (1589)
Also known as The Cagayan and Dingras
Revolts Against the Tribute, occurred on Luzon in the
present-day provinces of Cagayan and Ilocos Norte in
1589.
Ilocanos, Ibanags and other Filipinos
revolted against alleged abuses by the tax collectors,
including the collection of high taxes.
It began when six tax collectors who had
arrived from Vigan were killed by the natives.
Governor-General Santiago de Vera sent Spanish
and Filipino colonial troops to pacify the rebels.
The rebels were eventually pardoned and
the Philippine tax system reformed.
Magalat Revolt (1596)
was an uprising in the Philippines in 1596,
led by Magalat, one of the few Filipino rebels from
Cagayan.
Cause: Resentment of the natives of the
payment of tribute and the implementation of the polo
y servcio
he had been arrested in Manila for inciting
rebellion against the Spanish, and after he was
released on the importunities of some Dominican
priests, he returned to Cagayan.
Together with his brother, he incited the
whole country to revolt. He was said to have
committed atrocities upon his fellow natives for
refusing to rise up against the Spaniards. He soon
controlled the countryside, and the Spanish eventually
found themselves besieged.
Upon learning of Magalat’s return to
rebellion, Governor-General Francisco de Tello de
Guzmán, sent Pedro de Chaves from Manila with
Spanish and Filipino colonial troops to stop the revolt.
They were able to defeat the rebels, and capture and
execute several leaders under Magalat.
Magalat was not killed by the Spanish but by
his own men in his head quarters after they had been
promised a reward from the Spaniards. His death
caused the failure of the revolt.
Igorot Revolt (1601)
was a religious revolt in 1601 against
Spanish attempts to Christianize the Igorot people of
northern Luzon.
The Spaniards were determined to convert
the Igorots to Christianity. They launched a crusade to
proselytize the highland natives of Luzon and to place
them under Spanish Authorities.
In Nov. 1601, Fray Esteban Marín, prior of
Laoag, Batac, and Bantay, was sent to pacify the
mountain settlements in eastern Pampanga. He was
martyred in the process.
A strong expedition under the command of
Lt. Aranda was then sent to stop the Igorot from
resisting colonial subjugation, and was ambushed by
3000 warriors.
The Spaniards were decimated and driven
back. Unable to conquer the Zambals, Tinguians, and
Igorots, the Spanish encouraged the Filipinos in
Pampanga and Pangasinan to fight the Igorots,
enslaving any that were captured.
The revolt was short-lived as Aranda made
use of extreme measures and executed them quickly
to dispel the revolt in the Cordillera region.
Agrarian Revolt (1745-1746)
Filipino Landowners in the four provinces of
Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite and Laguna revolted
against the Spanish rule. The revolt was due to the
land grabbing by Spaniards who took over their
ancestral lands.
The first spark of the revolt was at Lian and
Nasugbu in Batangas. The Filipinos demanded and
return of their lands occupied by the Spanish Friars.
The Filipinos looted and burned down the local
churches and Convents, and ruined the ranches of
the priests.
Soon, nearby towns and provinces also
sympathized with the revolt. Government troops were
sent to suppress the rebels. The leaders were either
shot or exiled. The other men were pardoned after
their surrender.
The case was eventually investigated by
Spanish officials and was even heard in the court of
Ferdinand VI in which he ordered the priests to return
the lands they seized. The priests were successfully
able to appeal the return of lands back to the natives,
which resulted in no land being returned to native
landowners.
Much later during the American rule, the
American authorities bought the lands owned by the
friars. Then the land were subdivided into smaller lots
and sold to Filipino Farmers.
DagohoymRebellionm(1744-1829)
considered as the longest rebellion in
Philippine history. Led by Francisco Dagohoy, also
known as Francisco Sendrijas, this rebellion took
place in the island of Bohol from 1744 to 1829,
roughly 85 years.
It was one of two significant revolts that
occurred in Bohol, Philippines during the Spanish Era.
The other one was the Tamblot Uprising in 1621 led
by Tamblot, a babaylan or native priest from Bohol
which was basically a religious conflict.
Dagohoy’s brother, a policeman in
Inabangan, was killed in a duel with a rebel. The
Catholic priest refused to give him a Christian burial
because dueling was a mortal sin.
Francisco Dagohoy got angry and led his
people into a Rebellion. They killed two priests in the
islands of Bohol. Soon, the Boholanos wanted to get
rid of all the Spaniards in their islands. They set up
their own rebel government in the mountains. They no
longer wanted to be under Spanish rule.
20 Spanish Governor Generals failed to stop
the rebellion. In 1827, Governor Manuel Ricafort
ordered 2200 Filipino-Spanish Troops to attack the
Bohol Patriots. But this strong offensive failed. In
1828-1829, another offensive was made by the
Spaniards against bohol. After years of fighting, the
Filipino patriots were finally defeated.
However, the Spaniards did not find
Dagohoy. Dagohoy died 2 years before the Filipino
Patriots were defeated. 19,000 survivors were
pardoned and allowed to live in a new villages.
(Batuan, Bililihan, Cabulao, Catigoian, Vilar.)
Dagohoy is an important figure Philippine
history, not only as due to his reputation as a good
brother and a heroic man, but also as a leader of the
longest Filipino insurrection on record. His revolt
lasted 85 years (1744–1829).
The town of Dagohoy, Bohol is named in his
honor. It was Vice President Carlos P. Garcia who
proposed the name "Dagohoy" in honor of Francisco
Sendrijas alias Dagohoy. The name Dagohoy is a
concatenation of the Bisayan phrase, Dagon sa
huyuhoy or talisman of the breeze in English.
The Dagohoy rebellion features in the Bohol
provincial flag as one of the two bolos or native
swords with handle and hand-guards on top. These
two bolos, which are reclining respectively towards
the left and right, depict the Dagohoy and Tamblot
revolts, symbolizing that "a true Boholano will rise and
fight if supervening factors embroil them into
something beyond reason or tolerance."
BRITISH OCCUPATION OF MANILA
BritishmManilam(1762-1764)
was an episode in Philippine colonial history
when the British Empire occupied the Spanish
colonial capital of Manila and the nearby principal port
of Cavite for twenty months between 1762 and 1764.
it is also known as “The Rape of Manila”.
The British invaded Spanish colonies,
including Manila in October 1762. The colony’s
lieutenant governor, Simon de Anda y Salazar,
transferred the seat of government to Bacolor, a town
far enough from Manila to make it out of reach for
British attack but not that far for Anda to stage a
counterattack.
The British wanted to use Manila as an
entrepôt for trade in the region, particularly with
China. In addition, a ransom for the city was delivered
to the British on the basis that the city would not
continue to be sacked or burnt.
The resistance from the provisional Spanish
colonial government established by members of the
Royal Audience of Manila led by Lieutenant Governor
Simón de Anda y Salazar and their Filipino allies
prevented British forces from taking control of territory
beyond the neighboring towns of Manila and Cavite.
The British occupation ended as part of the
peace settlement of the Seven Years' War.
Silang Revolt (1762-1763)
Arguably one of the most famous revolts in
Philippine history is the Silang Revolt from 1762 to
1763, led by the couple Diego Silang and Gabriela
Silang.
unlike the other revolts, this revolt took place
during the British invasion of Manila. On December
14, 1762, Diego Silang declared the independence of
Ilocandia, naming the state "Free Ilocos" and
proclaimed Vigan the capital of this newly
independent state. The British heard about this revolt
in Manila and even asked the help of Silang in fighting
the Spanish.
However, Silang was killed on May 28, 1763
by Miguel Vicos, a friend of Silang. The Spanish
authorities paid for his murder, leading to his death in
the arms of his wife, Gabriela. She continued her
husband's struggle, earning the title "Joan of Arc of
the Ilocos" because of her many victories in battle.
The battles of the Silang revolt are a prime
example of the use of divide et impera (divide and
conquer), since Spanish troops largely used
Kapampangan soldiers to fight the Ilocanos.
Eventually, the revolt ended with the defeat
of the Ilocanos. Gabriela Silang was executed by
Spanish authorities in Vigan on September 10, 1763.
Palaris Revolt (1762-1765)
 On November 3, 1762, with the Spanish at
war with Britain and a British invasion of the
Philippines in progress, a Pangasinense leader
named Juan de la Cruz Palaris (also known as
Pantaleon Perez) rebelled against Spanish imposition
of the tribute. The revolt lasted two years, spreading
across Pangasinan and affecting other provinces. The
report ended in 1764, when Spanish forces along with
some Ilocanos loyal to Spain led by Manuel de Azar
hunted Palaris down and executed him publicly.
The four two-headed eagles placed on each corner of
the flag do represent the four cardinal points: the
North , the South, the East and the West; the eagle
with two heads ,do represent the spiritual and
temporal power of the Dominican Order under
Pangasinan and other territories of the Archipelago.
The white color for the Dominican Friar is symbol of
purity and of charity, while the Black one, of
renunciation and penance.
Basi Revolt (1807)
also known as the Ambaristo Revolt, was a
revolt who started in September 16,1807. It was led
by Pedro Mateo and Salarogo Ambaristo and
developed in Piddig, Badoc and other towns of Ilocos
Norte. This revolt is unique as it revolves around the
Ilocanos' love for basi ( sugarcane wine) but last but
not least for Ilocanos love for freedom.
The most unusual revolt in Philippine
History.
In 1786, the Spanish colonial government
manufacture and sale of basi, effectively banning
private manufacture of the wine, which was done
before expropriation. Ilocanos were forced to buy from
government stores. However, wine-loving Ilocanos in
Piddig rose in revolt on September 16, 1807.Spanish
troops eventually quelled the revolt on September
28,1807, albeit with much force and loss of life on the
losing side.
A series of 14 paintings on the Basi Revolt
by Esteban Pichay Villanueva currently hangs at the
Ilocos Sur National Museum in Vigan City. The event
is immortalized and commemorated in the Basi Revolt
Monument located along the highway of Piddig.
Pule Revolt (1840-1841)
One of the most famous religious revolts is
the Pule Revolt, more formally known as the Religious
Revolt of Hermano Pule. Undertaken between June
1840 and November 1841, this revolt was led by
Apolinario de la Cruz, otherwise known as "Hermano
Pule".
In 1832, de la Cruz founded the Confradia
de San José (Confraternity of St. Joseph), composed
of indios in Lucban, located in the present-day
province of Quezon (then called Tayabas), in June
1840. However, there were two types of priests in the
Philippines then: secular priests, or parish priests,
which were usually Indio, and religious priests, or
convent priests, which were usually Spanish. He was
known to his followers as:" Hermano Pule". The
Filipino brotherhood fostered a practice of Christian
virtues. The Confradia prohibited Spaniards and
mestizos from joining without de la Cruz's permission.
Due to the concentration of Spanish religious
power and authority in the already-established
religious orders and the concept that Filipino priests
should only stay in the church and not the convent
and vice versa (although this was not always
followed), the Spanish government banned the new
order, especially due to its deviation from original
Catholic rituals and teachings, such as prayers and
rituals suited for Filipinos.
However, thousands of people in Tayabas,
Batangas, Laguna and even Manila already joined.
Authorities, including Spanish Governor-
General Marcelino Oraa and Roman Catholic
Archbishop Jose' Segui regarded the Confradia as
heresy and an abomination of universal Christian
values, ordering its dissolution. Despite its religious
prohibition, the Confradia's numbers continued to
grow.
Feeling an attack on their religious freedom
from Catholic authorities, Hermano Pule rallied about
4,000 followers at Barrio Isabang on the slope of
Mount Banahaw and was able to resist an attack by
Alcalde-mayor Juan Ortega and his 300 men on
October 23, 1841.However, reinforcements came on
November 1st, with Colonel Joaquin Huet who
annihilated the Cofradia forces, allegedly massacring
hundreds of old men, women and children who joined
Hermano Pule in Alitao in defying the Catholic leaders
of the Church.
After the attack Hermano Pule fled to Barrio
Ibanga but was captured by authorities the following
evening, and on November 4, 1841 he was executed
by a firing squad at the town of Tayabas. After he was
killed, the authorities cut off his head and placed it on
a stake.
A monument to Hermano Pule now stands
on the boundary of Tayabas and Lucena. His death
anniversary, November 4, is a holiday in Quezon.
Feeling an attack on their religious freedom
from Catholic authorities, Hermano Pule rallied about
4,000 followers at Barrio Isabang on the slope of
Mount Banahaw and was able to resist an attack by
Alcalde-mayor Juan Ortega and his 300 men on
October 23, 1841.However, reinforcements came on
November 1st, with Colonel Joaquin Huet who
annihilated the Cofradia forces, allegedly massacring
hundreds of old men, women and children who joined
Hermano Pule in Alitao in defying the Catholic leaders
of the Church.
Cavite Mutiny (1872)
The Cavite Mutiny of 1872 was an uprising
of military personnel of Fort San Felipe, the Spanish
arsenal in Cavite, Philippines on January 20, 1872.
Around 200 soldiers and laborers rose up in the belief
that it would elevate to a national uprising. The mutiny
was unsuccessful, and government soldiers executed
many of the participants and began to crack down on
a burgeoning nationalist movement.
The primary cause of the mutiny is believed
to be an order from Governor-General Rafael de
Izquierdo to subject the soldiers of the Engineering
and Artillery Corps to personal taxes, from which they
were previously exempt. The taxes required them to
pay a monetary sum as well as to perform forced
labor called, polo y servicio. The mutiny was sparked
on January 20, when the laborers received their pay
and realized the taxes as well as the falla, the fine
one paid to be exempt from forced labor, had been
deducted from their salaries.
It is a mutiny that is prelude to “The
Revolution.”
Many scholars believe that the Cavite
Mutiny of 1872 was the beginning of Filipino
nationalism that would eventually lead to the
Philippine Revolution of 1896.
GomBurZa (Feb 17, 1872)
refers to three Filipino Catholic priests
(Mariano Gomez, José Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora),
who were executed on February 17, 1872 at
Bagumbayan, Philippines by Spanish colonial
authorities on charges of subversion arising from the
1872 Cavite mutiny.
heir execution had a profound effect on
many late 19th-century Filipinos; José Rizal, later to
become the country's national hero, would dedicate
his novel El Filibusterismo to their memory.
The death of Gomburza awakened strong
feelings of anger and resentment among the Filipinos.
They questioned Spanish authorities and demanded
reforms. The martyrdom of the three priests
apparently helped to inspire the organization of the
Propaganda Movement, which aimed to pabuses of
its colonial government.
Why the Revolts have Failed?
The Filipinos were not United. Instead of
helping out each other, The Filipinos fought each
other.
There were no National Leaders who united
the people. The leaders of these revolts had only
influence in small area towns, a few provinces, and
some islands. There were no Rizal, Bonifacio, Del
Pilar, GomBurZa back then. These National Leaders
only came through 19th century.
Regional hostility.
Archipelagic nature of the Philippines
prevented a steady communication in the provinces.
Superiority of the Spanish arms.
The betrayals and assassinations of rebel
leaders.
There was no training and preparations for
warfare and/or revolt.
Filipinos are more loyal to the Spaniards, so
they helped the Spaniards rather than their fellow
Filipinos.
THE RETRACTION -4
Jose Protacio Rizal y Realonda
• José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso
Realonda or more popularly known as Jose Rizal was
born in Calamba, Laguna on June 19, 1861. His
parents Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado y
Alejandro and Teodora Alonso Realonda Alejandro de
Quintos had 11 children Jose was the 7th.
• He and his mother were very close they had
a very special bond. Jose was first schooled by his
mother. He learned the alphabet at the age of 3.
• At the age of 8 he was sent to Binan to have
his formal education. His teacher was Maestro
Justinaiano Aquino Cruz. Rizal was known to be a
very good student and continued his excellence in
school until his college days.
• He is known as the national hero of the
Philippines and was popularly known for his two
novel, "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo"
which tackled social issues of the Philippines during
the Spanish occupancy era.
• He was executed on December 30, 1896 at
Bagumbayan which is now called Rizal Park. His
excution was ordered by Spanish government due to
his rebellious acts
Did Dr. Jose Rizal Retract?
The Father Balaguer Testimony
The Cuerpo de Vigilancia Testimony
Retraction is to take back words, withdrawal of
statements, accusations or undertaking
THE TWO TESTIMONIES IN FAVOR OF RIZAL’S
RETRACTION
FATHER VICENTE BALAGUER’S TESTIMONY
A lot of debates have been held in order to
investigate the authenticity of the retraction of Rizal.
One of the leading contributions on the rise of
controversy was Fr. Vicente Balaguer.
He is believed to be the man who first
proclaimed that he has the original copy of the lost
retraction formula of Rizal.
It also states that Fr. Balaguer is the one
who convinced Rizal in writing his retraction letter.
Rizal requested for another copy of formula
to Fr. Balaguer and he gave him a shorter retraction
formula made by another Senior Jesuit Priest, Fr. Pio
Pi
In this testimony more questions, arguments
and doubts has arise for some says that the letter that
Fr. Balaguer released was not well written and
questionable because he did not state the name of
the witnesses but did it twenty years later after the
said released.
According to the testimony of Father
Balaguer, following the signing of the Retraction a
prayer book was offered to Rizal. “He took the prayer
book, read slowly those acts, accepted them, took the
pen and saying ‘Credo’ (I believe) he signed the acts
with his name in the book itself.”
It is said, that Fr. Balaguer performed the
marriage of Josephine Bracken and Jose Rizal.
There’s a lot of errors and conflict about Fr.
Balaguer’s testimony such as;
He claimed that Rizal was oblivious and was
asking for the formula of retraction. But it was contrary
to his last poem, “Mi Ultimo Adios” and to what his
sister and mother told that Rizal never mentioned
about the retraction.
In his account, Balaguer was totally unaware
that Rizal had written "Mi Último Adiós" on the eve of
his execution. Balaguer allowed no time for Rizal to
write the poem. The poem in its third stanza carries
the exact date and time when it was written.
According to Father Balaguer, Rizal’s family
visited on December 30; however, according to the
family, they were only allowed to visit on the 29th.
In his claim of having performed the
canonical marriage of Rizal and Josephine, Balaguer
said he performed it in front of one of Rizal's sisters
between 6 and 6:25 a.m. on December 30. But
according to Rizal’s sisters no one went to the fort
that morning.
And there’s no marriage certificate to proof
the said statement.
Also Fr. Balaguer and Fr. Pio Pi both fail to
certify that it was Rizal’s handwriting. Also another
point need to be taken note was that during the
hearing of the retraction Fr. Balaguers statements
were very doubtful.
He himself did not remember well whose handwriting
the original copy was.
THE CUERPO DE VIGILANCIA TESTIMONY
Also known as the Katipunan and Rizals
documents
It was headed by Federico Moreno
Another additional independent eyewitness
account.
According to the writings of Federico
Moreno, Rizal wrote a letter which is the retraction.
He also incudes the two Jesuit Father
namely, Fr. Jose Vilaclara and Fr. Estanislao March.
Joining them were Juan del Fresno and Eloy
Moure who visited Rizal on his last day before the
execution.
Rizal handed Fr. March the letter he had
written. Immediately the chief of the firing squad,
Señor del Fresno and Señor Maure were informed.
Fresno and Moure were the two persons
who signed the retraction letter alongside with Rizal.
According to the testimony of the agent of
the Cuerpo de Vigilancia, Josephine and Rizal were
married.
And also the most shocking part in the
statement of Moreno was that no Fr. Balaguer visited
Rizal.
The Cuerpo de Vigilancia statement was a
big contrary to what Fr. Vicente Balaguer have said.
Did Rizal retract? Or not?
To this day, the retraction is still raging like wild fire in
the forest of the night. There seems to have no
ending to this argument. However, the lack of
evidence and different statements by significant
people involved have only contributed to the
complications and uncertainty which envelope this
fiery argument.
POSSIBLE REASONS FOR RETRACTION
To save his family and town from further
persecution. Rizal may have been told that he faced
the dilemma of signing the retraction or of having his
relatives pursued by further persecutions.
To give Josephine a legal status as his wife.
Rizal, even though he for a time suspected Josephine
as a spy, seems to have become convinced that she
now loved him, and he may have desired to give her a
legal status in the eyes of the church, and so provide
for her future.
To secure reforms from the Spanish
government.
To help the church cut away from the
disease which harmed him. Rizal did not desire to
injure the Roman Catholic Church, but to remove the
cancer which ruined both church and state in the
Philippines -- friar control of land and domination by
the government.
The Four versions of Rizal’s Retraction Letter
The first text was published in La Voz
Española and Diario de Manila. It is said to be given
by Rizal’s sister. ( December 30, 1896 )
The second appeared in Barcelona, Spain in
the forthnightly magazine in La Juventud it came from
an anonymous writer who revealed himself 14 years
later as Fr. Balaguer. ( February 14, 1897)
The third one was the “original” text it was
discovered by Fr. Manuel Garcia in the archodiocesan
archives on May 18, 1935 after it disappered for 39
years.
Lastly, the fourth article surfaced and it
contains the short formula of Father Pi that believed
to be used by Rizal on his retraction. It was only later
by then that the discovered text was published by El
Imparcial on the day after Rizal’s execution. (
December 31, 1986)
Differences between the “original” and the Manila
newspapers text of the retraction on the one hand and
the text of the copies of Fr. Balaguer and Fr. Pio Pi on
the other hand.
 Instead of the words “mi cualidad” (with “u”)
which appeared in the original and the newspaper
texts, the Jesuists’ copies have “mi calidad” (without
“u”)
The Jesuists’ copies of the retraction omit
the word “catolica” after the first “iglesias” which are
found in the original and the newspaper texts.
The Jesuists’ copies of the retraction add
before the third “iglesias” the word “misma” which is
not found in the original and the newspaper texts of
retraction.
With regards to paragraphing which
immediately strikes the eye of the critical leader, Fr.
Balaguer’s text does not begin the second paragraph
until the fifth sentences while the original and the
newspaper copies start the second paragraph
immediately with the second sentences.
Whereas the texts of the Retraction in the original and
in the manila newspapers have only four commas, the
text of Fr. Balaguer’s copy has eleven commas.
The most important of all Fr. Balaguer’s copy
did not have the name of the witnesses from the texts
of the newspaper in Manila.
DID RIZAL RETRACT?
The first letter to surfaced, according to one
of the correspondence that, “A sister of Rizal gave
him the news about the conversion and retraction of
the glorious convict.”
The testimony of father Vicente Balaguer
and the Cuerpo de Vigilancia proves that Rizal did
really retract, even though there's a discrepancies
within the two.
Catholic friars claimed that before he was
executed Rizal retracted and asked for the
forgiveness of his sin against God and for the pardon
of his crime against the Filipino people.
That issue was claimed to be true by the
Roman Catholic defenders handwriting experts
concluded a long time ago that it is genuine.
Acts of Piety performed by Rizal during his
last hours as testified to by “witnesses.”
His “Roman Catholic Marriage” to Josephine
Bracken as attested to by “witnesses.” There could be
no marriage without a retraction.
Even the book of Rizal, “Jose Rizal; Life
Works, and Writings of Genius, Writer, Scientist, and
National Hero” clearly states that he really retracted
from all the things he did against the friars and the
government.
HE DID NOT RETRACT
Thirty-nine years later the original copy was
found in the archdiocesan archives. Ricardo Pascual
Ph. D who was given permission by the Archbishop
Nozaleda to examine the document and later
concluded in his book, “Rizal beyond the Grave” that
the documents presented was a forgery.
The Archbishop and Jesuits cannot do
anything to mitigate his penalty because the judicial
process involved was purely a military tribunal where
civilian or church interference was uncommon and not
allowed. Rizal was accused of participating in
filibusterous propaganda where the penalty as
provided by the Spanish Code is death. The same of
what happened to the three priests who were
garrotted years earlier, even though they were still a
part of the church; they were still treated as rebellious
and were also not given a proper burial.
Rizal was fixated of the thought that he
would die for the love of his country, he, himself had
coveted death a long time ago. His character speaks
so loud that even all of Rizal’s friends do not believe
that he have written a retraction.
Rizal’s Jesuit friends were not optimistic
about the hero’s change of attitude regarding his
religious ideas by noontime of December 29, 1896,
the day before his execution. He was adamant about
his religious beliefs and did not want to abjure
Masonry.
In his last poem the Mi Ultimo Adios, if Rizal
were really married to Jospehine why did he only
stated her as a sweet stranger instead of a sweet
wife.
Also according to his poem which expresses
“'Adiós', I go where there are no slaves, no hangmen
or oppressors, where faith does not kill” It is evident
that his referring to the Catholic Church, it is clear that
there is bitterness behind those phrases.
In fact, Rizal was not even given a proper
Catholic burial. His remains were just thrown in a little
corner in Paco Cemetery where heretics and infidels
were buried.
And the worst part is he was buried without a
coffin.
Just think about it, would Rizal just
simply abandon all his work of art that took most of
his time and hard work in just an exchange of a great
sum of money and an estate if he retract ?
The answer is NO, It would be like vomiting
of what you just had eaten and swallow it again. We
can see right through his works, Rizal is a man of one
word; he had never distorted his thoughts, and never
will be.
Finally, there is the “confession” of “the
forger.”
Antonio K. Abad tells how on August 13,
1901 at a party at his ancestral home in San Isidro,
Nueva Ecija a certain Roman Roque told how he was
employed by the Friars earlier that same year to make
several copies of a retraction document.
The document of Retraction was not made
public until 1935. Even members of the family did not
see it. It was said to be “lost.”
There is no marriage certificate or public
record of the marriage of Rizal with Josephine
Bracken.
Moreover, there were also discrepancies in
dates. Dr. Jose M. Fernandez had the retraction date
as 29 de Diciembre 1890; not 1896.
 The same thing happened with the Selected
Readings from Rizal, in 1959, by Ricardo C. Bassig;
also 1890, not 1896.
A pamphlet, "I abjure masonry" (attributed to
Rizal) was published in 1950 by San Beda College,
wherein the "0" in 1890 appeared as a capital letter C,
as in a half-moon.
There are also not a few people who believe
that the autobiography of Josephine Bracken, written
on February 22, 1897 is also forged and forged badly.
The document supposedly written by Josephine
herself supported the fact that they were married
under the Catholic rites. But upon closer look, there is
a glaring difference between the penmanship of the
document, and other letters written by Josephine to
Rizal.
No one really saw the original copy of the
retraction letter only the reproduction eeven the family
of Rizal saw the original document. For the document
is said to be almost eaten by termites and was kept
by the friars.

To conclude, whether or not Jose Rizal retracted, the

researchers believe that the retraction document was
more of Rizal taking a moral courage to recognize his
mistakes. Perhaps it may be true that he retracted
and reverted to his faith, but this does not diminish
Rizal’s stature as a great hero with such greatness. It
detracts nothing from his greatness as a Filipino.