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philippine studies Ateneo de Manila University • Loyola Heights, Quezon City • 1108 Philippines More Documents on Burgos Carlos Quirino Philippine Studies vol. 18, no. 1 (1970): 161–178 Copyright © Ateneo de Manila University Philippine Studies is published by the Ateneo de Manila University. Contents may not be copied or sent via email or other means to multiple sites and posted to a listserv without the copyright holder’s written permission. Users may download and print articles for individual, noncom- mercial use only. However, unless prior permission has been obtained, you may not download an entire issue of a journal, or download multiple copies of articles. Please contact the publisher for any further use of this work at [email protected]. http://www.philippinestudies.net Fri June 30 13:30:20 2008 Texts and Documents More Documents on Burgos Prior to his appointment as acting Magistral Canon of the Manlla Cathedral, Father J& Burgos held the position of eccleeiastical fiscal or attorney in the archbishopric of Manila. His duties in the latter position can be gathered from an indorsement that he made in April 1869 concerning the petition of a wealthy landowner named Jbse Bonifacio Roxas to establish a chaplaincy in the barrio of Loot, Na- sugbu, Batangae. The papere on this case were taken from the Ayala Archives in Makati, which had copied them from the archives of the archbishopric in Intramuroe. As a matter of fact, an examination of the latter would undoubtedly yield other documents on Burgoe still unknown to local historians. The second series of documents in this article were taken from the Archivo del Servicio Hist6rico Militar located at No. 9 Martinez de Alcall in Madrid some six years ago when the author last visited Spain in search of documents on Father Burgos. These documents supplement those published earlier by the two Jesuits, Rev. John N. Schumacher and Nicholas P. Cushner in Philippine Studien.1 Don Jod Bonifacio Rolas was one of the leading businessmen of the country during the second half of the last century. His father, Domingo Roxas, an opulent creole who was persecuted by the adminis- tration for his libertarian ideas, was suspected of complicity in the abortive revolt of And& Novales in 1823, in the uprising of Apolinario de la Cruz in 1841, and in the subsequent mutiny of the Tayabas regiment in Manila two years later. As a dthe perished from an illness while incarcerated in the dungeons of Fort Santiago. Don Domingo had purcha~edthe Calatagan and Nasugbu estats in Batangas, and the former was ceded to hi daughter, Margarita who married Antonio de Ayala, and the latter to Don Pepe, as Jod Bonifacio was called by his friends. A third child, Mariano, inherited other properties located in Laguna. Don Pepe possessed his father's business acumen, hut wisely shied away from politics. He developed the hacienda in Nasugbu. improved the sugar mill by importing the latest machineries from England and France, and subsequently purchased the former Jesuit hacienda in Makati, which has become the flourishing business-residential com- munity of today. Part of the Nasugbu hacienda was the barrio of Looc, near the Cavite boundary, which could be reached only over mountain trails or by banca around the Punta de Fucgo. As a good Catholic, he wanted the residents of Looc to enjoy the benefits of religion. Thus, on Sept. 8, 1868, he petitioned the church authorities for the establishment of a parish chaplaincy in that barrio, promising to build a house for the priest with stipend of NO pesos a year. The parish priest of Nasugbu, Father Melecio Zalvidea, ind~rsedthe petition favorably but added that a suitable chapel with all religious imple- ments, a cemetery, and a salary of 360 pesos a year should be given. Rev. Pedro Leyba, the Forane Vicar, concurred and the case was referred to Father Burgos for final recommendation. Burgos sub- stantially agreed with the parish priest, although he toned down the conditions and reduced the stipend to 300 pesos. Don Pepe agreed to Burgos' terms, but on condition that once the number of tributes in Looc increased from 240 to 500, his financial obligation would cease, and that the 300 pesos he would give annually would be reduced by whatever sum the state would give the chaplain. Archbishop Gregorio Molit6n Martinez objected to the terms of Don Pepe, and as a result the latter on October 6, 1869, withdrew his petition. Thus did the inhabitants of Looc fail to get a chapel and a priest for their spiritual needs. The indorsement of Father Burgos follows: Government Stamped Paper Years 1868 and 1869 Indigents Your Illustrious Excellency: The undersigned fiscal, in compliance with the preceding request of Y.I.E.,has the honor to submit his report as follows: QUIRZNO: DOCUMENTS ON BURGOS 163 Don Jose Bonifacio Rojas, owner of Hacienda Looc, a barrio in the town of Nasugbu, Batangas, in his respectful and reasonable request dated September 18, 1868, which is the subject of this case, makes known to Y.I.E. the need of providing the inhabitants of that barrio - which presently consists of 240 double tributes - with a ~cularchaplain who will administer to their spiritual needs, especially during the last moments of life. The number of residents therein, the great difficulties that have to be met in order to bring to that barrio the solace of religion - whether by land or by sea - all form valid rea- sons that have obliged Mr. Rojas to direct to Y.I.E. the said petition. And to influence your generous feelings in favor of his petition, this gentleman has promised to give the said chaplain an endowment of 240 pesos annually besides a house to live in. The petition has been forwarded to the learned parish priest of Nasugbu, who found it in line with his own desires after relating extensively the obstacles and difficulties in com- munications between Looc and the mother town, and he has pleaded with Y.I.E. for a chaplain in Looc in the same manner as that now done in the hacienda of Calatagan. I am forwarding to Y.I.E. the requirements which he believes should be met before granting the petition; conditions which the undersigned fiscal will take up later. This petition has been referred to the Vical Forane, who has expressed his own opinion, in view of the reasons advanced by Mr. Rojas and the parish priest, agreeing that the 20 pesos monthly the petitioner has promised to give are not sufficient for a decent living. In view of these recommendations, and knowing of the tremendous distances t.hat separate barrios from their mother towns, the difficulties in communications because of wide rivers or poor and rugged roads making it impossible to reach destinations at certain times of the year, - not only by hear- say but having actually accompanied Y.I.E, in diocesan visits 164 PHZLIPPZNE STUDIES the undersigned fiscal is of the belief that Y.I.E. can accede to the pious desires of Don J& Bonifacio Rojas by placing in the barrio of Looc a priest with permanent residence; be- cause as Mr. Rojas says it takes four hours on horse from Nasugbu, and that the trip is highly hazardous and difficult, according to the learned parish priest. But we raise the question as to whether said cleric would be a coadjutor of the parish priest of Nasugbu or a curate chaplain independent of the latter, without being canonically separate but vested with the necessary powers for the proper spiritual administration, as if he were tending his own parish. It would be more convenient to place in Looc a pastm in the role of a curate chaplain independent of the parish of Nasugbu, and not a simple coadjutor subordinated to the latter. The reason for this, as Y.I.E. knows, is that there are many barrios in the same situation as Low which for even more compelling reasons could ask for a pastor to administer to their spiritual needs, and there would be no alternative except to grant their request. Nevatheless, to give in to their demands would be impossible, because the insufficiency of priests would not permit to have one in each of these barrios, nor is it possible for the coadjutors in towns to reside in Ihe barrios: practically all the towns have six or wven times more inhabitants than the barrios, towns which m a few cases are lucky enough to have three assistants to each parish priest. Nevertheless, without touching these inconveniences, Y.I.E. could name a curate chaplain; that is, a cleric who wouId not be a parish priest but who wouId have the powers for the cure of souls. The reaeon for this is very simple. For such appoint- ments certain requirements have to be met, which are for greater p& impossible for the barrios to fulfill; with the result that it would be doubly difficult to accede to one but not to others who would sometimes have greater reasons for granting their requests resulting in injustices and favoritism. QUIRINO: DOCUMENTS ON BURGOS 165 The institution of curate chaplaincies in the category indicated is furthermore based on a law of the Indies. Law 11, Book I, Title I of the Laws of the Indies states: "Provided our Viceroys and Governors believe that the natives working at the textile and sugar mills lack religious instruction, and that by reason of distance to have them go elsewhere for such instruction is an inadequate remedial measure; and it being deemed convenient that their religious knowledge be regulated; and provided further that their prelate is in agreement, we hereby command that an order be issued stating that said instruction be given them at the expense of the grantee-owners of such mills." It is true that this law speaks only of the sites of textile and sugar mills; however, considering that the preceding Law 10 - which states generally that in distributed areas and dwelling places of natives and other places without in- come, a priest should be installed in accordance with the royal patronage, and that the Christian doctrine be taught cannot be interpreted so literally so as to exclude areas where land is cultivated, or land which nowadays is devoted to other industries, since the purpose of the law was to encourage natives to work by granting them the immense advantage of not having to travel to distant places for the spiritual benefits of religion.