Ciudad Fernandina de Vigan: July 2008

CIUDAD FERNANDINA O' VIGAN

by Damaso King

1990 is a great event in Vigan history for it coincides with the Centennial Celebrations of the birth anniversary of one of his illustrious son, the late President Elpidio Quirino , born on November 16, 1890 at the ?Carcel Publica? to the spouses Don Mariano Q. Quirino, warden of the carcel publica and Doña Gregoria Rivera.

Four hundred eighteen years ago, Don Juan Salcedo, the last and youngest among all the conquistadors, presented himself to his grandfather, Don Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, the then Governor General of the Philippines, with the request to explore Northern Luzon. His intention was to find the limits of the place and to discover a shorter passage to Mexico. He sailed from Manila on May 20, 1572 with 45 soldiers on eight armed boats (Navios).

On June 12, 1572, at nightfall, he arrived at Caoayan. The following day June 13, 1572, Salcedo entered the mouth of Mestizo River called ?El Mestizo? and proceeded towards Vigan. The inhabitants gave a little resistance but soon found out that the weapons of the Spaniards were stronger and can ?spit fires? as they exclaimed. The men retreated to their hideout in Bantay, leaving the children, the old women and men. Salcedo upon seeing this, ordered his men not to harm them, limiting themselves only to obtain the necessary provisions.

The natives of Vigan upon sensing that the Spaniards were not hostile, returned from their hideout in Bantay and presented themselves to Salcedo who received them courteously and cordially. Peace was then forged between two sides. The great conquistador Salcedo did not forget the love, loyalty and affection of the people of Vigan. Upon his arrival as Encomiendero and Justica Mayor of Ilocos, he rushed back to Vigan where the people received him cordially and established a Spanish city, for the purpose of controlling the neighboring country. Vigan became the capital of the Ilocos Province which was then composed of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra , La Union and some parts of the Mountain Province.

March 11, 1576, was unpropitious to the Spaniards in the Philippines for they have the misfortune of losing of Juan de Salcedo who died on this day. While in Ilocos he was seized with fever that when he drank some cold water that had worked powerfully on his intestines, he died in three hours. The commander was only 27 years old. Vigan, in the 18th century, erected a monument in his honor, the father and founder of Villa Fernandina de Vigan. It is purportedly the first historical monument in Ilocos. It is a stone monument with a cup on top with a serpent. He is now resting side by side with his grandfather Capitan General Don Miguel Lopez de Legaspi in the crypt of San Agustin church in Intramuros, Manila. On August 15, 1613, Don Diego de Soria, the second Archbishop of Nueva Segovia reported that Vigan has a population of 2,000 souls while Bantay has 5,000 souls.

The oldest records of the parish house of Vigan found in its Archives is a ?Libro de Casamiento?. In 1645-1660, Vigan was already divided into Barangays. There were 21 Cavezas de Barangay mentioned in this book of entry. Separated from the naturales, the chinese have their own place of settlement called pariancillo, ?Los Sangleyes del parian? Furthermore, the Spaniards were residents in a Villa, called ?Los Españoles de la Villa?.

In another document entitled as ?Relacion de los Alzamientos dela Ciudad De Vigan, cavesera dela provincia de Ilocos Sur en los años 1762 y 1763, ?Father Pedro de Vivar mentioned that there were 21 sitios in Vigan. Written in 1764, a year after the Diego Silang uprising, de Vivar enumerates them as follows: Anunang, Ballo Barangobong, Bongtolan, Bulala, Pantoc, Paoa, Pong-ol, Caoayan, Cotta, Guadalupe, Manangat, Manquit, Pagbantayan, Salindeg, San Julian, San Sebastian, San Vicente, Santo Tomas, Santa Catalina and Tamag. There were a total of 21 barrios in all. Vivar called the barrios as Rancheras, while the parish book spoke of sitios and barrio without distinction. Vivar complained that the secular priest of Vigan permitted too many settlements too far away from the bells of the church. The towns of Caoayan, Sta. Catalina and San Vicente were former barrios of Vigan. San Vicente and Santa Catalina were separated from Vigan in 1793 and Caoayan in 1825.

In 1803, Ciudad Fernandina has a population of 10,585 souls with 1,966 paying tributes. The natives were working on agricultural land and the mestizos engaged in business with other provinces including Manila. The mestizos played a very important role in the progress and prosperity of the city of Vigan. The Chinese in Vigan settled in a place called ?PARIANCILLO? while in Manila they were in ?Parian?. The Chinese migration to the Philippines came from Fookien Province with its different districts such as: Tangua, Oasay, Chiocboy-Only few came from Canton.

With the talent and knowledge in business as well as their skills and mastery of the art of manufacturing, the Chinese became rich and powerful in society. They opened business in the heart of Vigan, employed the naturales, Intermarried with the natives and mestizos of Vigan and as time passed, they rose into the class of the elite. They triggered a business boom in the community and engaged in trade with the provinces of Caoayan, Pangasinan and including the city of Manila. They have been involved not only in domestic trade but also in foreign trade. They exported Indigo, lime, maguey, basi, jars, tobacco, woven cloth and other local products of Europe, China, Borneo and Malaysia. As a consequence of this business boom, there was a mark change in the lifestyle of the inhabitants.

The rich and influential mestizos of Vigan, constructed their own residential houses-these mestizos were as follows: Singson, (there are two Singson clans but not related, the marriage of Don Manuel Singson and Doña Nieves Singson brought the two families to relationship) Angco, Florendo, (there are three Florendos but not related: they are Bonifacio Florendo Juan Florendo and Benigno Florendo) Florentino, de Leon, Encarnacion (there are also two Encarnacion clans but not related) Sy-Quia, Tongson, Acosta, Feril, Quema, Villanueva, delos Reyes, Sales, Figer and Sebastian. Up to this day, their residential houses still stand and are mostly inhabited.

It was only in Vigan, that there were two Gobernadorcillos-One for the Gremio de mestizos which embraces the eastern part of Vigan and the Gremio de naturales which embraces the western portion of the town. The demarcation point is at present Rizal St.; all eastern portions of Rizal St., belong to the mestizo and all western portions belong to the naturales during the early days. In Vigan, the mestizos? surname begin with the letter ?F?, and the naturales with the letter ?A? as according to the decree of Gov. Gen. Narciso Claveria in 1847 changing all the surnames of the people of the Philippines.

Found in the Philippine Archives in Manila is a report in 1870 describing Vigan, the place. West of the cathedral is the Casa Real and the monument of Salcedo, north of the cathedral is the Episcopal Palace and the Catholic cemetery, west of the Episcopal Palace is a small house, south of the cathedral is the Seminary. West of the Seminary were the hacienda publica, barracks of the Carabineros and the Ayuntamiento Municipal. Vigan has the most number of brick houses numbering around 80 in all which stand up to this day.

The barangays of Vigan thrive in various kinds of industry. Most of them producing in agriculture, corn, tugui, rice, onions, sugar cane, balatong, vegetables and others. Some have their household or Industries such as cattocong making or salakot, weaving, pottery making as well as blacksmithing. Vigan at present is awaiting for its inclusion in the World Heritage. List of the Unites Nations.

References:

Philippine Archives, Manila
Historia de los Ylocos por Don Isabelo de los Reyes
Records of Entry at Vigan Convent Archives

* Damaso Q. King, mestizo de sangley, researcher and consultant, Vigan Nomination to the World Heritage List.*

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Gobernadorcillos de Vigan

The History of Vigan by Damaso King

Calle Crisologo

Vigan NanChong School

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