Most postcards about Bikol would often show the belfry of the Cagsawa Church ruins with a blankly inscrutable Mayon Volcano in the background. A visit to Bikol or Albay particularly will hardly be complete without the obligatory stop at the Cagsawa National Park. Cagsawa and Mayon seem able to mysteriously cast a gripping enchantment on whoever even simply utters their names or simply catches a glimpse of their shadows. They seem to hole up some spectral or supernal mystery. They have haunting ways with one’s curiosity.
Much remain to be told about Mayon Volcano in its periods of repose and antsiness. So with Cagsawa Church and what remains of it today. But whatever has been told about Cagsawa would be incomplete if there would be no mention of the saint who walked on its grounds and with its people and who, in fact, founded it as a progressive Christian settlement: San Pedro Bautista y Blasquez.
Cagsawa started as a duluhan (locality or village) of scattered native huts. In 1587, Franciscan friars arrived and earnestly began their “reduccion” and evangelization. Their records mark March 26, 1587 as a most memorable date for on that day twelve-year old Pedro Tabao would become Cagsawa’s first Christian after receiving the purifying water of baptism from Fray Pedro Bautista y Blasquez, OFM, who would later be martyred in Japan and later canonized as a Saint. The father of Pedro Tabao was Calipig Tabao, and his mother was Nolmog. The young Tabao’s Christian name was given by the priest, taken from the latter’s first name, Pedro.
Fray Pedro Bautista arrived in the country in 1584 with the fourth group of Franciscan Missionaries. He was 42 years old then. In Bikol, he would be the moving spirit in the foundation of many towns, among them being Cagsawa, Oas, Quipayo, Baao, Libmanan, and Buhi. On May 30, 1593, Fray Pedro Bautista and his companions sailed for Japan and eventually to their martyrdom.
He worked in the Philippines for only nine years; during that time, he showed himself as a virtuous Christian, a perfect religious, a fearless and eloquent preacher, and a champion of the ordinary people. Cagsawa would become his first area of assignment. It was then an outreach village of Camalig until 1605 when it became more populous, progressive, and transformed into a town with Fray Alfonso Jadrague, OFM, as its first Parish Priest. To signify its township, a wooden church was built under the patronage of James the Apostle. In July 1636, during a celebration of the feast of its patron saint, Dutch battle fleets sailed to the Albay Gulf, landed and sacked Albay town, proceeded to Cagsawa, devastated, and set it on fire. Long inured to cyclical calamities, the people of Cagsawa proceeded to rebuild what the Dutch destroyed. In 1675, they built a new wooden church.
In 1724, a stone church and convent were erected under the supervision of Fray Francisco Blanco, OFM. A tribunal house made of both wood and stone was also built. The building would also serve as a primary school house with two teachers paid out of public funds. In the 1750’s and 1770’s Cagsawa was subjected to fearsome and destructive raids from Maguindanaos, Iranum, and Camucones. In 1754, Moro pirates raided the town at a time when the principales and their governadorcillo were discussing the construction of a watch tower to bolster their defense at Putiao, Cagsawa’s southern port.
In 1771, Mayon Volcano’s threat to the town’s existence was perceived. Not only were the eruptions feared but more so the lahar flows, which could be triggered by the north easterlies that blow with full force and trigger rains from September to April. Thus, the thoughts of transferring the town site came to be. On June 5, 1772, Cagsawa’s Alcalde Mayor and its Parish Priest endorsed the transfer to Daraga. A week later, the Superior Government authorized the transfer. Preparations to move out were made. The construction of a stone church in Daraga was commenced. But the transfer would not just push through. Alcade Mayor Fermin Zaldivar ordered the founding of Budiao as a new town instead of transferring to Daraga. Budiao lies north of Cagsawa. Zaldivar ordered the construction of a stone church, a convent and a town hall. The new town was named San Carlos de Budiao. He enticed the people to go to Budiao by offering exemptions from obligations to the church in Cagsawa and from construction work in Daraga.
In 1773 Zaldivar ordered the inhabitants of Budiao freed from work in Daraga. In 1775 the town of Cagsawa was ordered divided into three parts, the first would be Cagsawa, the second, the visita of Budiao, the third, Daraga. The inhabitants were prevented from transferring from one part to another. Consequently, work in the Daraga church stopped.
Zaldivar believed that the transfer to Daraga would not remedy problems foreseen in Cagsawa. He argued that the past relationship between Daraga and Albay was not healthy; Budiao’s number of tributes; the large number of cacao trees and abaca; the elevated terrain of Budiao; the wide range of detection of Moro marauders; the advantages for its defense; and many things conducive to the people’s spiritual welfare and efficacious service to King and God. Moreover, on September 28, 1775, Zaldivar ordered the total suspension of work in Daraga. These were some of the major reasons why the transfer to Daraga failed to take effect sooner.
On the other hand, Bishop Domingo Collantes, O.P., of Nueva Caceres wanted to issue a mandatory letter on the Cagsawa-Daraga affair. But he decided to be clarified first by ordering the Parish Priest of Cagsawa to summon, in the Bishop’s name, the Parish Priests of Guinobatan, Camalig, Albay, Tabaco, Malinao, and Budiao to deliberate on the merits and demerits of the transfer. Fray Pedro Licup, OFM, of Albay was named in-charge of the sessions.
On March 23, 1801, Fray Licup wrote his own view, which he claimed was a résumé of the opinions of the others who unanimously adopted it and affixed their signatures. The decision was that it will be imprudent to transfer to Daraga and that it will be impossible to realize it. At 8:30 in the morning of February 1, 1814, Mayon Volcano started to erupt furiously that would soon flood Cagsawa and Budiao with lahar, leaving behind their stone churches in ruins as grim reminders. The details of that horrifying event in Bikol history were described in the eyewitness accounts of Fray Francisco Aragoneses, OFM, and Fray Francisco de Tubino, OFM, Parish Priests of Cagsawa and Guinobatan, respectively.
The header is an edited version of a 1928 photo showing the remains of the church of Cagsawa which was buried by the eruption of Mt Mayon in 1814. Mt Mayon can be seen in the background.(credit: Fabulous Philippines blog and Photo Art Studio Legazpi)
About the author:
RAFFI BANZUELA (Rafael A. Banzuela Jr.) is an essayist, fictionist, poet, translator, historian. He studied at the Divine Word College and Aquinas University of Legazpi; taught at the Bicol University and Aquinas University; and did stints in government work, journalism, and radio broadcasting. His radio program “Satuya Ini” (This Is Ours) was named the Best Program Promoting Culture and the Arts, Radio Provincial Area category, at the 8th KBP Golden Dove Awards.
His published works also include: Selebra (Celebrate), 2011, a collection of poems, and Albay Viejo (Old Albay), 2010, a collection of prose works on Albay. His recent book for Bansay Bikolnon is a mini biography of Potenciano V. Gregorio Sr., the composer of the song Sarong Banggi. He also edited works by known Bikol poets and an anthology by young writers. He was honored with these awards: Outstanding Albayano Artist (Literary Arts) in 2013; the NCCA Writers’ Prize in 2013; Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas in 2015 by the Unyon ng nga Manunulat ng Pikipinas; and Gawad Kampeon ng Wika by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino in 2017.
Fellow Bicol writers look up to Banzuela as living proof that writing in Bicol can persevere. His writing, rooted in his love for Bicol, is notable for his rich vocabulary and blend of reminiscence, folktale, history, and essay, sharpened by untiring historical research.