The islands between: Babuyanes

Located between the northern tip of Luzon and Taiwan and China mainland’s southern coast, the Dominicans saw the northern island groups of Babuyanes and Batanes as a convenient staging point for their dream of penetrating China, leading to its Christian conversion. But the process of settling and evangelizing the islands proved to be more difficult that imagined. Distance from the mainland, rough seas, and scarcity of resources forced the Dominicans to abandon the missions and then to take them up again.

Babuyanes’s first mention in colonial writing appears in Antonio Morga Sucesos de Islas Filipinas (1609). An oidor or alderman of the City of Manila, Morga launched an unsuccessful naval campaign against the Dutch fleet that threatened Manila in 1600. Engaging the Mauritius at sea off Fortune Island, the San Diego, which Morga captained sank to the briny depth, leaving questions about Morga’s naval experience and ability to command. Sucesos, a narrative of Spanish conquest of the Philippines, was probably written by Morga partly to exonerate himself from the debacle off Fortune Island. Despite the account’s intentions, it is valuable source of information about the Philippines, written by a layperson. In this book, Morga writes: "The Babuyanes consist of many but small islands, and they lie on the head or point of Cagayan Province inhabited by natives whose principal trade is to come to Cagayan in small vessels carrying pigs, chickens, provisions and ebony spears, to sell."

About two decades later (1619), the Babuyanes, which consisted of five large (Babuyan, Calayan, Dalupiri, Fuga and Camiguin) and many small islands were evangelized by the Dominicans. Fray Jerónimo Morer and Andrés Sanchéz are sent to the islands. They opened a mission dedicated to St. Ursula and the 10,000 virgins (Patroness of Cologne, Germany) which was accepted as a house of the order during this year (DNS 211).

Construction of the church and convent is attributed to Fr. Morer (Moder) the first Vicar or superior of the mission. The large convent intended as was a house for Dominicans intending to enter China. The convent also had a sanitarium for sickly missionaries. Stones and construction material are said to have come from Luzon.

Fr. Mateo Gonzales brought together the inhabitants of the neighboring islands to settled in Fuga in 1680. On 14 August 1685, An English frigate attacked the Babuyanes. Caught by surprise in the convent of St. Ursula were Frs. Jerónimo de Ulloa, vicar, Antonio de Seijas and Jacinto Sampar. The English pirates sacked the convent. Most of the inhabitants had sought refuge in the hills, but Fr. Ulloa was left behind. The pirates captured him, the other two Dominicans and some inhabitants who had remained in the settlement. The English demanded a ransom. Dominican writers do not say clearly who was responsible for the attack; later writers blame Koxinga or Dampier. However, Koxinga had died in 1661 in Formosa and the Dampier’s Cygnet did not enter Philippine waters until the following year.

The English attacked a second time after receiving the ransom but without releasing captives. Meanwhile, the Dominicans had been able to sent word to Cagayan for military assistance. Ultimately, the pirates tiring of the islands set free Fr. Seijas, who died shortly because of the pains inflicted on him during his captivity. Many years later, the Dominicans received word that Fr. Samper had been left by the English in Palawan (Paragua), where he died in the hand of other pirates.

In March 1686, the Cygnet under Capt. Swan with William Dampier on board set sail for the Philippines from Mexico. The Cygnet crossed the Pacific Ocean in a record time of seven weeks. By May , the Cygnet caught sight of Guam and dropped anchor to replenish food and water supply. In the years 1686 and 67, the Cygnet was in Philippine waters until it left in January 1688 for New Holland (Jakarta). Fom Dampier we find a description of the islands of Batanes and its inhabitants. The Cygnet had sailed south along to Mindoro and returned to the Bashee islands (i.e. Batanes). Then returning south, the Cygnet followed Luzon’s eastern coast and reache Mindanao, which it left in November 1687 (October, according to Dampier).

From the Babuyanes, the Dominicans in 1686, make a first attempt to evangelize the neighboring Batanes Islands. Fr. Mateo Gonzales traveled to Batanes to begin a mission but difficulties cause him to return to Babuyanes. Later, he brought Fr. Diego Piñero with him. Piñero stayed in Batanes and learnt the Ivatan language.

A congregation called by the Dominicans in 1688 decided, that despite setbacks they would Batanes. Once more Fr. Gonzales returned to Batanes accompanied by Fr. Gonzales and Rois, who succumb to illness. Fr. Piñero who has stayed all this time in Batanes left with a promise to return with more Dominicans.

By the early 1700s, Dominican presence in these northern island groups was firmly established. Fuga, Calayan and Batanes administered by small band of Dominicans who moved from island to island. In 1739, Frs. Manuel Yanes and Antonio Nuñez took charge of the Babuyanes. The believed it was to the advantage of the people that the residents of these islands to Cagayan in the mainland. In 1741and 42, residents of Babuyanes were transferred to an area between Iguig and Nassiping, at a town later called Amulung. Other settled in Camaliniugan, a few were scattered elsewhere in Cagayan Valley. Over time, many eventually returned to Fuga and Camiguin but at this time, the missions in the Babuyanes were apparently closed.

The closure of the Babuyanes mission and the house in Fuga is attributed to an epidemic that was decimating the population.

In 1719 and 1754, there were two more attempts to establish permanent missions in Batanes. Finally in 1783, the foundation of missions in Batanes and establishment of political rule in Batanes and the evangelization the northern islands, Babuyanes and Batanes, resumed. In the 17th and 18th centuries, these northern islands experienced sporadic attacks by Dutch, Chinese and southern raiders.

From 1896 to 98, during the Philippine Revolution, Dominican missionaries were forced to abandon their parishes. Babuyanes became a dependency of Appari and Claveria. In 1950, a separate diocese, Batanes-Babuyan, was created from Tuguegarao.