Hurdles in conversion

The mission to attract pagans to Catholicism was hampered by realities on the ground. The natives of Samal, for instance, opposed the plan to pay tribute to the Church. Invoking the 1848 promise made by Don Jose Oyanguren exempting them from tithes, they left the villages and fled to the hills. The defiance was due also to other factors, such as the lack of means to pay tribute and their unhampered movement, which they enjoyed without submitting to the Spanish king.

In a report addressed to the Governor General in Manila on Sept. 30, 1882, Fr. Juan Ricart, SJ, voiced his concern regarding the demand of Davao converts, asking exemption for life from paying tribute, doing man-service and serving in the military.

Reluctance to join the settlements was also an issue. The natives thought the transfer of residence in areas detached from farms would affect their livelihood. To encourage them to stay in organized villages, the priests had to buy their produce as a sign of support. The vulnerability of the reductions to Moro incursions and pagan attacks, meanwhile, raised doubt whether the villages were appropriately planned out to repel extraneous threats. With the new communities being far from the farms, living in a clustered neighborhood was not attractive for the converts.

The shortage of clerics also created uncertainty among converts who were unsure if the villages could survive without permanently assigned priests. The catechumens knew the presence of the missionaries was temporary, and this affected the conversion efforts. Due to lack of spiritual directors, the communities remained classified as stations or visitas.

Moro depredations also sowed fear in the hearts of natives who were willing to leave their pagan worship for a better life but only if their safety was assured. The raids conducted in coastal settlements strengthened the resolve of natives to keep away from the reductions. Even the missionaries were cautious in entering tribal areas occasionally used by Moro intruders as hideouts.

Later, the determined effort of the government to militarily confront the Moros to account for their abuses in Christian villages became ominous. The natives were afraid that by resisting the overtures of the missionaries, the authorities would equate defiance with insubordination. Using armed might to force pagans to embrace Catholicism was also viewed as repulsive.

The aversion the natives exhibited towards Christianity was in part due to their attachment to old beliefs. In areas where tribal chiefs resisted the priests, tribesmen played it safe by following the wishes of their datu. The most successful stories of conversion occurred mainly in areas where chieftains, later appointed as kapitanes, were cooperative.

The arrogance of some lay leaders, on the other hand, drew retort from the residents. Natives, who were threatened with harm and beheading if they did not form new settlements, did not look kindly at the warning but viewed it as an intimidation. Though appropriate remedies were instituted to calm down the hostility, the damage done would persist and made the work of conversion even more difficult.

Abuses committed by authorities were also a major concern. An incident of significance was the 1881 visit of the new Davao governor in the Samal reduction founded by Fr. Domingo Bove, SJ. Finding himself apathetically welcomed, the governor threw into prison the local leader who was absent during his visit. Only the priest’s intercession saved the chief from prison. The act, as a consequence, resulted in the emptying of the village.

Similar incidents transpired a few more times and these nearly cost the parish priest’s patience and the abandonment of the mission. To appease the natives, the local superior of the mission decided to loosen the control over the island and allowed those who remained in settlements to be visited regularly by the priests. This gesture echoes the thinking of Fr. Saturnino C. Urios, SJ, who said that in conversion, pagans and Moros must be humanized, then Christianized. (8)