Part VII of "History of Mindanao" is an excerpt from "The History of Sulu" (Manila:Bureau of Printing) (1908) by Najeeb Mitry Saleeby. Dr.Saleeby was a Maronite Christian from an area of Syria now comprising Lebanon. At the tail end of the 19th Century he immigrated to the US and eventually ended up working for the American Government in Manila. Though Saleeby had a rather wide range of focus that included tribes from Northern Luzon he is best knowm today for his work on Filipino Muslims. The book excerpted here was the first of two books on Filipino Muslim History and Culture. In Parts 1, 2, and 3 I focused on geography, admittedly a boring pursuit to most though nevertheless extremely important if one hopes to truly understand the region OR its people.
Governor General de Sande had just led a successful campaign against Brunei though the Spanish Colony in the Philippines being what it was, he had no supplies or even a logistical system in place with which to consolidate his control of Northern Borneo. Wanting to capitalise on his positive momentum, in 1578 he deployed Captain de Figueroa to bring Sulu into the fold. Though he was ordered to use minimal force his orders were clear, do whatever is neccessary to take possession of the Sultanate of Sulu. There were seven lesser objectives laying heavy on de Sande's mind:
I) A Portugese galley had been captured by Muslims who sailed south by way of Jolo Island. On Jolo the Sultan of Sulu had had its artillery and heavy iron impounded. This was mostly a case of honour but also represented a military liability in that IF the Spanish were seen to be unconcerned with recovery of rightful, or presumed rightful possessions they would be devoured by Muslim marauders from the southern isles.
II) For some unknown reason de Sande absolutely had to have a pair of elephants, preferrably trained. Nearly 200 years before a Sultan in Central Java had gifted the Sultan of Sulu with some elephants. On Jolo Island the creatures had gone feral and a small population roamed the hinterlands. By the 18th Century these elephants, the only wild population in the Philippines, would sadly be extinct. For the moment though they were there and de Sande badly wanted a pair.
III) Kidnap a child of the Sultan in order to ensure that the Sultan would travel to Brunei in February of 1579 where Governor General de Sande expected to sit in power.
IV) Free any Filipino slaves being held on Jolo, especially those already converted to Christianity.
V) Gain intelligence as to what seafaring capabilities Sulu may have and seize war vessels.
VI) Neutralise the rampant piracy in and around Jolo Island and convince the islanders to stick to agricultural pursuits.
VII) Develop the extant pearl industry and secure an annual tribute in the form of pearls.
After accomplishing this he was to do the same with the Sultanate of Maguindanao in Central Mindanao. The latter had repelled the previous Spanish foray and was a constant reminder of Spain's impotence in Southeast Asia. As the Portugese and Dutch made rapid progress Spain had spread itself far too thin. The Philippines were ruled with Mexico as a single unit. This required time consuming and expencive logistics that greatly impeded Spanish designs in Asia.
Mindinao, or to be more exact, Maguindanao in Central Mindanao was to be approached quite differently than Sulu. Captain de Figueroa was ordered not to broach the issue of annual tribute but otherwise was ordered to accomplish most of the same tasks as in Sulu with three exceptions, one of which was incredibly important:
I) There was no pearl industry in Maguindanao, an inland settlement 3 kilometers up the Pulangi River (Rio Grande del Mindanao).
II) Aggressively neutralise Islam and its hold on Maguindanao. Islam had only been introduced less than 40 years before this campaign but with the influences of what is now Malaysia and Indonesia, most of which claimed an Islamic presence of up to 300 years was incredibly influential in Maguindanao. de Sande to his credit seems to have primarily associated Islam on Mindanao with Bruneian influence, ergo a political threat as opposed to a "battle for souls" though as a Spaniard of the 16th Century he was compelled to couch his views in the Politically Correct language of fervent Catholicism.
III) A focus on developing what little portion of the Spice Trade existed on Mindanao, particularly cinnamon.
Chapter III "Figueroa's Expedition Against Sulu"
The sixth Sultan was Mohammedul Halim Pangiran Buddiman. During his reign Governor Sande equipped and directed a large expedition to Borneo and Sulu. The armada sent to Sulu was commanded by Captain Esteban Rodriguez de Figueroa and reached the town of Jolo in June of 1578. It is asserted that Rodriguez defeated Pangiran and exacted tribute from the Sulus. Rodriguez however did not occupy Jolo and no permanent advantage was derived from his victory.
This invasion marked the beginning of a state of of war between Sulu and the Philippines which covered a period of 300 years and caused considerable devastation and loss of life. It caused Spain an immense loss of men and money and finally brought on the decline of Sulu and its end as an independent state. The magnitude of this strife, its far-reaching effects, and its bearing on the Spanish and American occupation of Sulu invites special attention to the causes of the war and the Sulu character which it depicts.
This expedition of Jolo formed part of and immediately followed the expedition which was directed by Governor de Sande against Borneo. There is no doubt that, besides the reasons de Sande gave for the expedition to Borneo, he was really actuated by jealousy of the Portigese, whose influence had reached Brunei and the Molluccas, and by a strong desire to conquer Borneo, Sulu, Mindanao, and the Molluccas. His reasons for sending the expedition against Sulu are best given in his letter of instructions given to Captain Rodriguez de Figueroa which is extremely interesting and is herein quoted in full:
"That which you Captain Esteban Rodriguez de Figueroa , shall observe on the expedition which you are about to make , God our Lord helping is as follows:
From this city and island of Borneo , God willing, you shall go to the Island of Sulu, where you shall endeavour to reduce that chief and his people to the obedience of his Majesty. You shall bargain with them as to what tribute they shall pay, which shall be in pearls, as they are won't to give the King of Brunei. You shall exercise great care and if possible, much mildness, for it is of importance that those islands should not become depopulated; therefore, in case that they receive you peacably, you shall treat them well. And in addition to the above, you must order that besides the tribute that they are to pay in pearls, they shall obtain as many of them as possible, so that we, the Spaniards or Castillians, may buy them, that they must trade with us from now on; that every year we Castillians will go to their lands with cloths and merchandise from China, of whatever they shall declare that they may need. You shall inform yourself of their needs; and if they wish to come to our settlements you shall give them permission to go freely to Manila and to come to Borneo, although not to steal.
Item: You shall find out from them the whereabouts of the artillery and anchors of a ship lost there some three years ago; you shall seek it and see that it be brought to you with all haste. You shall keep close watch over the artillery, ammunition, vessels, the sails, and other like things pertaining to the armed fleet; and you shall deprive them of those supplies; for it is notorious that those people are common marauders.
Because the chief that calls himself lord at Sulu is a Bornean and owns houses in this city of Brunei, that he fought against us in the naval battle and that he fled to Sulu where he is now and since I am told that he took two galleys, three small vessels, artillery, and ammunition, you shall exercise the utmost despatch to obtain the said galleys, vessels, artillery and ammunition. If he acquiesce, you shall give him a passport. You shall see whether he has any children; and if so, you shall take one, and tell him that he must come to see me in Brunei in February.
And, as I have said, this must be done if possibly gently, in order that no people may be killed. You shall tell him that it will be to their advantage to be vassals of his Majesty and our allies. If they do not act respectfully, and it shall be necessary to punish them in another manner, you shall do so. And insomuch as the Sulus as is well known, are open pirates, whose only ambition is to steal and to assault men in order to sell them elsewhere- especially as they go annualy for plunder among all the Pintado's islands, which are under his Majesty's dominion- you shall try to ascertain the Pintados slaves among them, in order to return such to their homes, especially such that are Christians. And, as I have said, you shall deprive them of such vessels as seem to be used for raids, leaving them their fishing vessels, so that if the said lord of Sulu so desire, he can come to confer reasonably with me. Thus you shall ascertain who has vessels, and who can inflict injuries and you shall command them expressly to settle down on their land, and to cultivate, to sow, and harvest, and develop the pearl industry and cease to be pirates. You shall order them to raise fowls and cattle. You shall try to ascertain their number, and to bring it to me in writing, in order that I may see it together with the distance from these islands to the Sulu islands, information regarding food, water, and healthfulness of the land and other things that may occur to you. And you shall tell the people in my name that they shall tame for me a couple of elephants, and that I shall send for those animals and pay for them.
After having finished affairs in Sulu, if time permits, you shall, God willing, go to the island of Mindanao. There you shall try, by the most convenient methods, and with friendliness, to reduce the chief of the river of Mindanao and other chiefs of that island, and those nearby, to the obedience of his Majesty, giving him to understand that they will gain in becoming his Majesty's vassals and our allies, and in having trade with us.
And in order that the tribute may not prevent them from making peace with us you shall not ask them for any tribute; but you shall take what they give freely, and nothing more, and in such form as they are willing to give. Then you shall suit their convenience in everything pertaining to them to understand the great expences of his Majesty in this land. You shall also tell them that the gain therefrom affects them chiefly, since we came to teach them our civilisation and most of all the services of God, our Lord, who created and redeemed them, and if whom they are ignorant, and how to live in accord with natural law, as is their obligation. For this purpose you shall tell them that you are going to their land for teo principal reasons:
The first is that they should cease to be pirates who rob and harry the weak and enslave wherever and whomever they can, selling their captives outside of their own island, and separate them from their wives and children; that they must cease to commit other like cruelties and thefts and must become good and virtuous men, who shall grow to merit the second principal reason for going to their lands. You shall give them to understand that they are ignorant of God, our Lord, who created and redeemed them, so that when they know him they may serve him and become good. It is quite evident that they will gain very much in these things, and therefore it is right that they aid us and give us something. This shall be at their own will, as above said.
Item: You shall order them not to admit any more preachers of the doctrine of Mohammed, since it is evil and false, and that of the Christians alone is good. And because we have been in these regions so short a time, the lord of Mindanao has been deceived by the preachers of Brunei, and the people have become Moros. You shall tell them that our object is that he be converted and that he must allow us freely to preach the law of the Christians, and the natives must be allowed to go hear the preaching and to be converted without receiving any harm from the chiefs.
You shall try to ascertain who are the preachers of the sect of Mohammed and shall seize and bring them here before me and you shall burn or destroy the house where that accursed doctrine has been preached and you shall order that it not be rebuilt.
Item: You shall order that the Indians shall not go outside of their island to trade. And you shall seize the vessels used for plundering excursions, leaving them those which, in your judgement, are used for trade and fishing. You shall take also what artillery and ammunition they have.
You shall ascertain the harvest seasons and products of the land; the gold mines and the plaves where they wash gold; the number of habitacions and settlements and their customs. You must especially secure information regarding cinnamon in order to ascertain if it is found along the river, or if one must go to Cavite for it; and why it is not as good as that which the Portugese take to Castilla. You shall ascertain how they cut and strip it from the tree and if it be of importance that it dry on the tree, or in what other manner it should be treated, for I have been told that that obtained from these districts in the past has not been good and has not a good sale in Spain.
Since it might happen that people might not make peace, and may offer fight, and show disrespect, then you shall punish them as you deem best, taking special care not to trust them: for it is evident that before all else they will if possible, commit some treachery: you must not await such an occasion for we know already their treachery against his Majesty's fleet commanded by Villalobos certain of whose men they killed under assurances of safety; and they seized a boat. In that treachery all the inhabitants of the islands were participants; for four or five thousand of the said natives attacked one small boat, which carried four or five Spaniards. Likewise many people took part in the killing of the said Villalobos' Master-of-Camp, and other soldiers in that same year. You shall remind them of these things and warn them; for from now on, we shall destroy them and their generation.
Since it might happen that, without any occasion of war or peace said natives flee to the mountains, you shall order that some of the said natives summon them; and when they have come, you shall discuss the matter with them. If they refuse to come you shall in conformity with your order, remain there a given time. And if they continue to refuse to come down, you shall leave them and shall return without permitting their houses to be burned or their palm trees to be cut down. Neither shall anything be stolem from them, but you shall take only what is absolutely necessary for food, and other things necessary to provision your vessels for their return trip.
You shall try to secure information of the island of Linboton, as well as of Batochina and Celebes, so as to advise me thereof; you shall do this in accord with the limit I have set for you to make this exploration and you shall observe the same rules as in that of Mindanao. In order that we may a lot ecomiendas whatever people are found in these districts, you shall bring me a signed notarial writ, thus as these lands have no other owner, the natives thereof may be reduced to the obedience of his Majesty, according to his will- and by war, if the natives begin it, so that war on our part may be just and that the same justice may continue, so that we can compel them to obey and impose tributes upon them. You shall exercise much dilligence in this and see to it that these orders be carried out carefully and intelligently.
God willing, I should be in Brunei by the end of the month of January next- or at the latest, by the 8th of February- with the fleet- all the necessaries that must be brought from Manila and that which is here. And at that time your grace shall come to Brunei with the fleet that you have and with all the people that you have, or shall have in the Pintados, so that we may do here whatever is proper for the services of his Majesty, to which we are bound.. These instructions must not be disregarded in any point, unless I advise you to the contrary by letter. And to this end you shall see that all who live and dwell there be commissioned for the above in addition to their own duties.
Given at Brunei, May 23rd, 1578.
If the natives of Mindanao or any other place shall give tribute according to the above, you shall act according to the usual custom of these islands- the other half shall be distributed among the soldiers. Given ut supra, Dr.Francisco de Sande-Notary: Alonso Beltran
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