Calamba
Abuses of the administrator of the Hacienda — Persecution of his sister Lucía — Cheerless town feast — Need for reforms in local government — Need for a book written in Tagalog — La España Oriental, new bilingual periodical — “It is impossible to live in peace so long as there are friars.”
* * *
Calamba, Laguna
12 January 1889
RIZAL,
In my previous letter I told you to abstain from minding the case of the Hacienda; but now, in view of the plan to harass the town seemingly by plunging it into poverty, I change my opinion and I say that it is necessary to work actively to obtain from the Government guarantees for the security of the home and the means of subsistence and for the rights of property for those who have.
At the present time there are thirteen or sixty tenants [?] sued in the court of the justice of the peace by the administrator of the Hacienda. If they lose the case, they will be expelled, and the warehouse, the sugar-mill, and everything above ground, they say, will be demolished. And as on one hand the judge confesses that he cannot go against the interests of the Dominican Corporation, because he was a servant of the former syndic, and on the other the majority of the tenants have no money to defray the cost of litigation, you can imagine what is going to happen to these unfortunate men. They are suing Lucía at the court of Laguna, the accusation being that she is constructing a new house in another’s lot, asking that the work be suspended and the construction demolished. In fact the work has been suspended by a judicial order, summoning the parties concerned to a hearing. The origin of this question was a stone warehouse beside the town hall that she had inherited from her grandparents and because of its old age it was in such a bad condition that its proof was falling to pieces. About November or December last, Marianito ordered the roof to be demolished in order to rebuild it over the old walls (this was about January or February), adding new walls along the street side, but within the fence, all of which within sight of the Hacienda, which kept silent. Things were in this state when his death came. In view of the materials already bought and the money advanced to the workers, the widow decided to continue the work left by her husband. Seeing that the interrupted work was being resumed, the Hacienda sent word to the widow to stop the work, otherwise it would be demolished at her expense. As she did not heed this, the Hacienda complained to the judge, resulting in the suspension of the work. Here as you will see the widow, as the trustee of her children, was not erecting a new structure but continuing the work left by her husband. The silence of the Hacienda during his lifetime was as good as tacit consent. Besides, if he was a debtor this year and last year, the canon is already paid as they have confiscated his irrigated lands. I am communicating these details to you so that you may have all the data you may need. Here we have little hope in favor of Lucía, who has debts to pay.
In his inspection of the Hacienda, the syndic scolded the people, censured the gobernadorcillo for not having met him at the next town with the principalía and the cuadrilleros[1] with flags, for in his capacity as delegate of the General of the Dominican Order, he had the category of a governor, that his title was not signed by the king, like that of others, but by the Pope, that his form of address is Grandísimo, that he has gone through seven provinces in which he was received according to his rank, even in the towns of the Igorots, and that Calamba, not having received him properly, is worse than those. In short, that God does not sleep and he prophesied that in the not distant day there will be a tremendous punishment. To all this philippic, the gobernadorcillo replied that [since] he has had not received an order from his chief he did not believe it his duty to act like those of Cabuyao. This reply put him in such bad humor that the following day he went to Sta. Cruz to get from the governor an order to meet him and conduct him with the principalía and cuadrilleros. Evil tongues say that this order cost him a great deal. The order was given by telegraph on the same day the syndic was embarking for Calamba, but with such bad luck that when he disembarked he did not see even an ugly constable. As he must have been sorry to have spent and worked to no purpose, he waited on the bank a long time in case some would come; but as he was getting hungry and there was cholera then, the instinct of preservation prevailed upon him and he took a carriage sighing. The gobernadorcillo with some heads of barangay went to pay their respects to him at the Hacienda. The rake wanted to take revenge. He announced that he was leaving that afternoon and the principalía and the cuadrilleros went there. He made them wait in the ante-room two long hours at the end of which he announced that he had postponed his departure to the next day, as in fact he did. The syndic who was overjoyed gave a peseta to each cuadrillero.
The feast this year was celebrated very cheerlessly. Two music bands, a Chinese show, firecrackers, and the church bells made all the noise that, heard at the same time, was too much for one [who] wishes to enjoy himself. There were few people, but on the other hand there were much search done by the civil guard and vigilance by the cuadrilleros. The first, they say, was looking for gambling, and the latter for the rumors that were circulating that a little boat had unloaded at midnight arms which were deposited at the convent and the same was done in Sta. Rosa. The arms were intended for an infamous purpose, taking advantage of the Calamba feast. At the Hacienda there were many callers, the majority 40 religious, and inside they lighted many firecrackers after which they dispersed. These rumors considered singly signify nothing, but collectively and bearing in mind the prophecy of the syndic, these vague rumors acquire a certain reality. They say that those arms are no longer in Los Baños and Sta. Rosa but at the Calamba Hacienda. With regard to the new gobernadorcillo of this town, I will quote the order of the governor:
GOBERNADORCILLO OF CALAMBA
On the 1st July at eight o’clock in the morning you will appear here with a committee of principales and the gobernadorcilio-elect, Mr. M. Belarmino, in order for him to take his oath of’ office as gobernadorcillo to which he has appointed.
Execute and return.
Santa Cruz, 26 July 89 – Juan Mompeon
GOBERNADORCILLO OF CALAMBA
The General Government in a communication of 22 July has appointed Mr. Eusebio Elefaño gobernadorcillo of that town, second place.
Sta. Cruz, 27 July 89 — Juan Mompeon.
As you will understand, in these cases, the later order annuls the former, so that we now have Sebio for gobernadorcillo and the syndic congratulates himself on his triumph.
They say that in the elections and the approval of the records of this biennial there had been more artful doings this year than in all previous years put together since the conquest. You should write advocating the abolition of the ternaries and with those will disappear secret accusations, the bribes, and the cruelties of the parties. If unfortunately the electors should elect a bad one, for that case we have the penal code which will not be a dead letter, if it is so desired. Why is not the election of deputies there done by ternary and reports?
The book that is very much needed today in my opinion is one written in Tagalog for the uneducated ones who are still in darkness.
I am sending you a fragment of a document that must have disappeared or may be found in the archives of the Audiencia or archbishopric. It may be of some use to you. The curate of Los Baños advised a person that he can sell it to anyone except to our family. This means that on the lands of the Hacienda, as well as on one’s own, it is impossible to live in peace while there are friars. For that reason it is necessary to work hard if one wants to return and for the good of all.
Do not forget the case of Lucía.
I advise you that the imprisoned gobernadorcillos came out on the 13th of this month having been pardoned for the crime of unlawful assembly, without prejudice of being prosecuted for the crimes of injury and falsification. This is all for now and I suppose that you will receive issues of the new bilingual periodical La España Oriental. Attack there in the newspapers the case of the gunboat Filipinas whose [fate] is still unknown. Poor taxpayers!
We are all well. The two boys, Aristeo and César, are in Manila and are studying under a private teacher, paying two pesos a month.
I wish you good health and long life and the prompt publication of your work.
LUDOBA (SILVESTRE UBALDO)
02-348 [Blumentritt V.1]
[1] Rural Police.