The Uyangurens of Samal

In Samal, there’s a clan that carries the surname Uyanguren. The family name, however, has no genealogic relations to Don Jose Oyanguren, the conqueror of Davao City but ac-quired as a result of baptism assigned and entered in church records as official surname of the person converted to Catholicism. Converts, chiefly indigenous peoples, eventually adopted the surnames in school and official transactions.

The first islander to adopt the Spanish surname in honor of Davao’s conqueror was Diego Uyanguren, a Mandaya leader. He was one of those who welcomed the Jesuits when they first visited the island in 1868. Three weeks later, on October 19, the Jesuits returned to the island accompanied by the district governor, the naval station commander, and the troops.

The visit was well attended, and the authorities and the Jesuits greeted warmly. Before the islanders, the priests conveyed their intention to the people, explaining that the reason for their coming was to ‘defend them from their enemies, show them how to raise crops, and teach them the true religion’ and encouraging them to build houses on allocated lots, open roads, build a church, and erect a presbyter that would serve as the residence of the priests assigned in the area.

Without any dissent from those present, the party left for Davao. But the Jesuits, for their part, returned to the island three weeks later only to find that the church and the residence of the clergy were still incomplete. Fortunately, Uyanguren volunteered his house as temporary dwelling of the priests and helped convincing the islanders to go down to the lowlands to organize villages. Not too long after, five communities were formed but the naval commander recommended that the settlers be congregated within a large community.

All was fine until the district governor demanded that the settlers pay their tribute, even setting a date for the first installment. This did not sit well with the settlers who thought all the while that the promise of Don Jose Oyanguren, Davao’s conqueror, to exempt them from any form of tribute in exchange for their help to conquer the Moro chief of Davao River, would be honored.

When the district governor returned to collect the tributes, he found the islanders unwilling to fulfill their fiscal obligation. What further irritated him was the absence of Uyanguren to welcome him. When the Mandaya datu showed up late, the governor ordered his deten-tion. But Fr. Domingo, the local Jesuit superior, was not amenable to the order; he brokered his release.

Fr. Bove thought at first that his favorable gesture and his meeting with the islanders to accept baptism, cultivate crops, and pay tribute, especially that the patronal feast was just around the corner, would be appreciated. But Uyanguren asked instead his members to return to the hills to plant crops. Despite the reminder of the priest to be present during the fiesta, the islanders opted to remain and settle in the knolls.

When the missionary heard the news that the Mandayas were not returning, he took upon himself to mount a horse and start finding them. On the way up, he found sharp bamboo tips imbedded on the trails, purposely planted to discourage anybody from passing the hills.

But his persistence eventually paid off when he managed to meet the Mandayas and explained once more the advantages of living in organized communities with other islanders. Persuasion and humility eventually led the tribe of Uyanguren to accede to the priest’s re-quest and started returning to the lowlands.

The significance of this development cannot be underestimated because this was the litmus test that paved the way to the founding of San Jose de Samal, the first Christian settle-ment in the island. With Uyanguren as head of the township, the community evolved into a flourishing community. Today, his descendants continue to grow in number, although the hilly lands once belonging to them have slowly changed hands. (14)