CAPITULO II.

First battles with the Malay-Mohammedan pirates. —Goiti defeats a squadron

of these. —The Sultan of Borneo arrives in Manila to demand help to
recover his kingdom. —Expedition of the governor of the Philippines to
Borneo.—Defeat of the usurper and recognition of vassalage to Spain
by the sultan and his subjects. —Expedition against Mindanao and Joló.
—New dethronement of the Sultan of Borneo. —Expedition to restore
him to his throne. Granting of the island of Mindanao to Captain
Rodríguez de Figueroa. —He's going to said island. —Treason of the
Moors. —Death of Figueroa. —His qualities. —He takes over command
and! field master Juan de la Jara. —Conduct of this one. —Ronquillo
Expedition. —Great defeat of the Mohammedans. —Peace with these.
—Imprudent retreat by Ronquillo. —-Establishment of a fort in the port
of Caldera. —Going from Ronquillo to Manila. —Submitted to a council
he is acquitted. —Going of the governor of La Caldera to Joló. —He is
defeated and killed. —Abandonment of the Caldera. —Terrible
incursions of the Malay-Mohammedans along the coasts of Visayas. —
Audacity and death of the governor of Iloilo. —Gallinato expedition
against the Jüloans.

From the beginning of Spanish domination in the Philippines, when the

power of Legazpi only extended over a part of the Visayas Islands, the Malay-
Mohammedan pirates began the war that, with hardly any truce or rest, has
lasted until the moment when that we drew these lines, that is, for more than
three centuries.

In fact, already in iSóg the indigenous people of Borneo and Joló,

pirating with 20 boats along the coasts
 IN MINDANAO, JOLO AND BORNEO 137

of Visayas, they had a combat with the field master D. Martín de Goiti, who from
Cebu went out to defeat them with nine small ships, managing to capture four
of the enemy vessels and their crew members, whose spoils he distributed to
the troops that accompanied on the day
In 1578, while Dr. D. Francisco de Sande was governing the islands, the
sultan of Borneo, Sirela, or Malaela, according to other writings, arrived in
Manila in demand of help to recover his throne, of which his brother had
dispossessed him. , offering to make himself and his kingdom tributary to the
king of Spain
Sande received him ostentatiously and acceded to his wishes. He had
40 boats assembled, manned by 400 Spaniards, 1.5oo indigenous people from
the Philippines and 3oo from Borneo, who had remained faithful to their
sovereign. These forces were commanded by captains D. Esteban Rodríguez
de Figueroa, D. Juan de Morones, D. Antonio Saavedra and D. Amador de
Arriarán, under the supreme direction of Sande, who wanted to go in person to
carry out such an undertaking. After thirty days of sailing, the squadron entered
the capital's river, anchoring in front of the usurper's palace. He presented his
troops in battle, but was defeated and fled to the mountains, with which Sirela
was restored to his throne. Sande took solemn possession of Borneo in the
name of Spain, which act was recorded by a testimony that is original in the
Simancas Archive. (1578).
As a result of the Joloans having captured a boat that was going from
Manila to Cebu, manned mostly by Spaniards, of whom they made slaves,
Sande ordered, as soon as he returned to Manila, that it leave
138 HISTORY OF PIRACY

an expedition against Mindanao and Joló. Captain Rodríguez de Figueroa, who

commanded it, did not encounter great resistance among the Mohammedans,
who offered him submission and vassalage; but he had to retreat because he
did not gather enough forces to garrison such extensive territories
Sirela's brother, aided by the Portuguese captain Antonio Brito, once
again dispossessed him of his dominions in i58i. Sirela once again requested
the help of the governor of the Philippines, and D. Gonzalo Ronquillo arranged
for the sending of an expedition under the orders of Captain Gabriel de Rivera,
who satisfactorily fulfilled his task, leaving the sovereign of Borneo enthroned
for the second time.
In the year of 1596, Captain Esteban Rodríguez de Figueroa received
the title of governor of Mindanao, whose island the King donated to him for two
lives, to reduce it to his coast and govern it, as requested in the time of Das
Marinas.
He undertook his conquest in April, leaving Otón (Iloilo) with 214
Spaniards, divided into several ships of different sizes, taking with him the
religious of the Company of Jesus Juan del Campo, the layman Gaspar Gómez
and many Indians as auxiliaries. . The first Malayo-Mohammedan populations
that he found, called Tampacan and Lumaguan, welcomed him because they
were enemies of the brave Bouhayenes, and many indigenous people joined
him to fight under his command against them. He then traveled 24 miles along
the Rio Grande de Mindanao, reaching without difficulty Buhayen, whose
region, Silonga, having heard of the arrival of the Spanish, had fortified itself,
determined to defend itself, together with the chiefs Malaria and Bu-
 IN MINDANAO, JOLO AND BORNEO 139

hisan. Figueroa ordered the field master Juan de la Jara to reconnoiter the
terrain with some troops; But not only did he disembark more than necessary,
but he also went too far inland. The chief, impatient, wanted to find out for
himself the cause of his delay, and went ashore followed by the Spaniards
Hernando Ballesteros and Jerónimo Alves, Father Campo and a Cebuano
servant. Suddenly a Moor emerged from among some cogonals brandishing
his campilán, with which he dealt a strong blow to Figueroa. He parried the
blow, and, lunging with his sword, pierced the Moor from side to side. Figueroa
turned to the Jesuit, saying: "Father Juan, like this everyone;" But, as soon as
he finished the sentence, he felt mortally wounded by the blow of another Moor,
who broke his head because he was not wearing his helmet. In the act, the
Cebuano stabbed the traitor Moor with his spear, who apparently was the uncle
of the sultan of Buhayen, and was called Obal, while Ballesteros and Alves
picked up the dying general. A group of Mohammedans then appeared, and in
the fight they had Ballesteros died and Alves was seriously injured. At this point,
La Jara arrived with his men and the Moors fled, and the ill-fated chief was able
to be transported to the galley, where he died six hours after receiving his
wound.
Figueroa was a native of the Spanish possessions in Africa, of
Portuguese parents. Being very young he went to New Spain and from there to
the Philippines in the company of Legazpi. Both for his courage and for his very
important services, he was awarded two orders of 1,000 tributes, one in Iloilo
(Panay) and the other in Camarines (Luzón). A very wealthy brother of his,
residing in Mexico, helped him with his money to carry out his companies.
140 HISTORY OF PIRACY

Before leaving Iloilo, he made a will, endowing €2,000 pesos in income

to the Jesuit college of Manila, and providing that, if his daughters died, he
would pass the inheritance to the college of San José, whose foundation was
decreed.
The layman Gómez took charge of the body, and taken to Manila, he
was buried in the main chapel of the Company as its main protector.
The people of Figueroa, whose command was assumed by the field
master Juan de la Jara, returned to Tampacan and entrenched themselves at
this point, at the entrance to the Rio Grande, founding Jara, in memory of their
homeland, the city of Murcia, to whose defense he had a fort built of harigues
and palms
The new chief tried to continue the conquest for his benefit, without
realizing that, having granted that island to Figueroa for two lives, and the
expedition was carried out at his own expense, it was up to his heirs to continue
it.
Through letters sent by Brother Gómez, Jara informed the governor of
the events reported and of his provisions already mentioned, indicating his
intention to settle in Tampacan, for which purpose he requested some
assistance. The superior chief of the islands understood that Jara had
exceeded his powers by proceeding independently of his authority and to the
detriment of Figueroa's heirs, and in order to remedy it, he sent Captain Toribio
de Miranda with dispatches to that

(l) To avoid this, he went to Iloilo and proposed to Figueroa's widow, Doña
Ana Oseguera, to marry him; But his claim was rejected, and he was subject to a trial
because the governor general had disapproved of his conduct, and he was taken to
Manila, where he died while his case was being heard.
 IN MINDANAO, JOLO AND BORNEO 141

was considered the leader of the detachment. Recognizing, at the same time,
the usefulness of dominating all of Mindanao, since Spanish prisons already
existed in Butuan, Caraga and Dapitan (O, he also decided, taking into account
that Rodríguez de Figueroa had been forced to carry out the conquest on his
own) , that it should be continued by his heirs. Their guardian did not agree to
such an obligation, based on the fact that Figueroa's death exempted his
children from such an undertaking, and the matter was submitted to the courts
of justice. In view of this , and in order not to waste time, the authority resolved
to continue the conquest of Mindanao on behalf of the public treasury, without
prejudice to the corresponding reimbursement by the heirs of Figueroa, if this
was justified in justice, entrusting its execution to the field master D Juan
Ronquillo, under whose command there were z chiefs, 5 officers and 400
soldiers. In place of Father Campo, victim of malignant fever four months into
his stay in Mindanao, the Jesuit Father Juan de Sanlúcar went with Ronquillo.
Ronquillo, upon his arrival, confirmed the friendship and good relations
established with the residents of Tampacan and Lumaguan. He then made
some excursions to the buhayenes' territory, without great success; Because
they knew how to defend themselves with ardor, favored by the excessively
swampy terrain, which greatly fatigued the Spanish troops.
The scarcity of resources, the difficulty of communications in the event
of a setback, and the tenacity of the Moors who did not stop besieging the
Spanish,

(1) Presidio, in its military meaning, is equivalent to a city or fortress that can
be garrisoned with soldiers.
142 HISTORY OF PIRACY

no longer happy with the company, determined that Ronquillo should explain to
Manila his critical situation and the convenience of withdrawing from the
Mindanao River, establishing a fortress in a nearby port; and asked for
permission to return to the capital with the rest of the expedition, once that
fortress was in a state of defense.
The ruler of Mindanao, Buhisan, not considering himself strong enough
since the arrival of Ronquillo, marched to Ternate in demand of relief. His allies
provided him with seven boats of the so-called joangas (O), well-armed, and
with over 600 men. Surprised upon his return in Illana Bay by Sergeant Major
García Guerrero, who commanded two galleys, a formidable combat took place
between both squadrons, and they perished stabbed to death. Buhisan's 600
auxiliaries; he managed to save himself by swimming. Our soldiers, numbering
116, were led by captains González de Arellano, Cristóbal de Villagra and
Alonso de la Palma, who conducted themselves on this day with admirable
courage.
The Buhayenes, affected by their defeat, requested peace, which was
granted.
They also asked to return to the friendship of the Tampacans; and to
demonstrate their good faith, they agreed to marry the ruler of Buhayen,
Silonga, with the daughter of Dongonlibor, ruler of Tampacan. With this the war
ceased; There was an abundance of supplies, and the Spaniards roamed freely
through the territory of Buhayen, without being bothered in the slightest by the
Moors. In view of the different aspect that the events presented
(1) Vessels with 20 to 24 rows, provided with a deck and armed with some
pinzotes.
 IN MINDANAO, JOLO AND BORNEO 143

of Mindanao, Ronquillo informed the governor of the news, asking him for
orders
The ascendancy of the Spanish forces reached such a point that the
Joloans, whose island belonged to Don Pedro de Oseguera, went to pay his
son and successor of the same name the light tribute they owed them
When Ronquillo's urgent dispatch arrived in Manila asking for
authorization to withdraw from the Mindanao River, the governor replied that if
it was absolutely impossible to hold the land and continue the campaign
profitably, they should abandon it, after a supreme effort to defeat the Moors.
He warned him that in that case he should burn the fort and population of the
Spanish, moving with all his troops and ships to the Caldera, where he should
leave a prison and fortress with the necessary artillery, supplies and boats; and
that he would make the Tampacan allies understand that the Spaniards would
soon return with greater forces, and once this was done, they would be able to
return to Manila.
Ronquillo, as soon as he received this communication, instead of waiting
for the new orders that surely had to be communicated to him, with a view to
his second office, and of taking advantage of his advantageous situation,
awaiting the happy consequences of the reduction of the Mindanaos, who
submitted so decisively that the main dattos gave their daughters in marriage
to our soldiers, were content with what had been done and, shielded by the
authorization to abandon the island, fortified themselves at another point that,
as a resolution to their first consultation, they gave The governor general
summoned the rulers of Buhayen, Tampacan and Lumaguan, notifying them
that in compliance with superior orders he was returning.
144 HISTORY OF PIRACY

went with his troops to Manila. It produced such an unexpected novelty, hidden
joy to the former and deep regret to the latter, who bitterly lamented the
abandonment of the Spaniards, since now less than ever would the buhayenes
forgive having to compromise with them, their revenge being certain.
Ronquillo consoled the faithful allies by telling them that in the port of La
Caldera there were Spanish troops ready to defend them in the unlikely event,
due to the tight peace and existing good harmony, that their fears were realized,
and that furthermore, relief would soon arrive from Manila (').
The troops burned the fort and the Spanish population of Tampacan,
and left the Rio Grande de Mindanao, proceeding to build a fort in the port of
Caldera, two and a half kilometers from Zamboanga.
Many Tampacan friends or relatives of the Spaniards, by virtue of the
aforementioned marriages, went in their company to the new establishment,
renouncing their homeland and the interests they left in it. At this came the
resolution of the governor of Phil-
(l) "But the reason that had to stop them from leaving lost what had cost so
much, and in conditions of war what ensured peace, rushed them at their risk, making
them understand the deceitful and effeminate desires of the comforts with which the
vicious Manila offered them that everything was already assured, and that they could
not diminish their darings against peace, fearful and despondent of our weapons. As if
in barbarians there were to be found more faith than what they persuade them to do.
its conveniences, nor any more denial than that which maintains fear 6 executes force.
1667, lib. 11, page 83.)
 IN MINDANAO, JOLO AND BORNEO 145

sent to Ronquillo's second office, warning him that under no circumstances

should he comply with his previous ruling and that he remain in Mindanao,
where all kinds of aid would shortly go out, not sending them of course in order
for these orders to reach into his power as soon as possible.
Ronquillo replied stating that he was already in the Caldera and that it
was impossible for him to return to the towns of the Río Grande. And without
waiting any longer, he entrusted the command of the fort to Captain Juan
Pacho, leaving him ICO soldiers, boats and some artillery and supplies, and
returned to Manila, an inconvenient decision to which the infinite wars that have
since occurred must be attributed. to recover that point, whose abandonment
was a regrettable error and rather an unworthy crime, due to the selfish desire
to return to Manila.
Ronquillo stopped in Otón, and as soon as the governor found out about
his bad behavior, he ordered him arrested on the way, subjecting him to a court
martial; But he defended himself with a private letter that the governor
accompanied with his first dispatch, telling him that in any case he should go to
Manila with the people, because he needed them for other needs of the islands,
to which he attributed his determination. . With this he was released.
The new governor of La Caldera, desirous of renown, committed the
imprudence of heading to Joló, with the intention of carrying out his conquest,
for which he did not have enough forces. The Moors, recovered from their
temporary fear at the departure of the Spaniards from Mindanao, prepared for
the fight with such good fortune that, when a very heavy downpour occurred, it
wet the gunpowder and rendered the harquebuses useless, leaving their
opponents in disarray. very difficult situation. The Joloans did in ours
146 HISTORY OF PIRACY

bloody carnage. Pacho, a victim of his bravery, was left in pieces on the sand.
The consequences of this defeat were, as could not be expected, very
sensitive. Upon Pacho's death, Captain Villagra (iSgS) took command of the
Caldera. The forces that garrisoned the fortress were scarce and the supplies
even scarcer, which is why he asked Manila for help or authorization to
abandon the fort.
At the time, the islands were governed by Mr. Francisco Tello de Guzmán, a
native of Seville, a knight of the habit of Santiago and treasurer of the contract
of the Indies, who arrived in Manila on June 1, 1930. He consulted the case
with the Court, and despite its opinion, favorable to the sending of relief and the
conservation of the fort, he gave the order that it be demolished and its garrison
returned to Manila, which order was immediately carried out. The natives of
Buhayen, Mindanao, Joló and Even the Tampacans, so supportive of the
Spanish, upon seeing the abandonment of the fort, confederated, placing
themselves under the orders of the Moorish leaders Silongay Salí, and
gathering 50 caracoas, manned by about 3,000 perfectly armed men, They
invaded the coasts of Cebu, Negros and Panay in the month of July 15,
committing all kinds of abuses and deaths and captivating 800 people. The
authorities and the Indians, terrified, fled to the mountains, from where it took a
lot of work to make to go out to these, because an old soothsayer or priestess,
called Dupungay, predicted to them that the Spaniards were in agreement with
the Moors for their complete extermination. The Moors returned to their country
loaded with loot and captives.
This pirate invasion was repeated the following year on a larger scale, as 8,000
men were raised to
 IN MINDANAO, JOLO AND BORNEO 147

that made it up, divided into 70 boats, falling on the town of Arévalo (Iloilo),
created by Ronquillo. The mayor, D. Juan García de Sierra, brought together
all the Spaniards of said province, who numbered 70, and 1,000 Indian archers,
and fortified themselves in a fort. The Moors arrive, disembark and a
tremendous fight ensues, in which in the end they are defeated, having to
retreat with considerable losses. The mayor, Sierra, with brave spirit, set out in
pursuit of the pirates; But he advanced more than was convenient, the enemies
surrounded him, and he paid with his life for his burning.
In view of such horrible attacks, Tello ordered the departure of an
expedition under the command of Juan Juárez Gallinato, who in February 1602
arrived in Joló, followed by 200 Spaniards. They fought bizarrely, causing the
Moors considerable losses, but without managing to take possession of their
forts. The scarcity of resources made them return to Manila, with which the
Joloans gained greater vigor, which soon translated into new pirate excursions.