THE DISCOVERY OF SANTA MARIA, ILOCOS SUR

long the western coast of Luzon in the Ilocos  Region is the town of Santa Maria. It is one of the towns a visitor to the north reaches before he arrives at Vigan, the capital of the province of Ilocos Sur. It is bounded on the north by the municipality of Narvacan; San Esteban on the south; the cordilleras on the east; and the wide expanse of the China Sea in the west. Santa Maria is like any of her sister towns in the Ilocos Region. It lies on a plain with a climate that is warm but tempered by the sea and land breezes that blow over the community during the day and nighttime. During the stormy months of June to September or sometimes in the months following, the area is drenched by heavy downpours which are brought by the rain-carrying cloud’s and the strong winds.

The community of Santa Maria must have been already an organized settlement along before the Spaniards came to the Philippines. When Juan De Salcedo conquered the Ilocos in 1572, they found out that the people were already engaged in a brisk trade and commerce with the Japanese and the Chinese. The people’s main industries were fishing and farming and to some extent weaving of cotton cloth and pottery. The people were noted for their religiosity. They worshipped the anitos, spirits and local Gods. Although the conquest of the Ilocos Region was a slow and painful process – for the inhabitants resisted, they were later conquered through the use of the sword and hand in hand with the Cross. It was the religious nature of the people that the friars greatly exploited to convert the Ilocanos to the new faith – Christianity.

In 1572, Juan De Salcedo established an encomienda in Vigan as more places fell under the control of the Spaniards, more visitas and parishes were set up in place which could be easily serviced by the ecclesiastical and military officials. When Narvacan was created as a definitory by the Augustinians on April 25, 1567, its visitas were Santa Maria, San Esteban and Santiago. It is recorded that Narvacan was an encomienda of Don Nicolas de Figeroa in 1589; and left vacant on 1610. During this time, or a period later, Fr. Diego de Soria who later became bishop expanded the mission or religious control to the hinterlands- extending as far as Pangasinan and to the Cagayan Valley.

According to Reyes, Santa Maria was erected canonically in 1768; 1765 by Galende; 1760 as it appears in the Catholic Directory of the Philippines; 1765 by Font; and 1769 by Buzeta and Bravo and Medina. Usually a parish before becoming an independent parish or ministry, it must have a regular minister. If this is true, then Santa Maria was already a ministry in 1760. It is probable that the records of the Augustinians who were the early missionaries in this area, are authentic enough to shed light on the foundation of the town reverted to a visita of Narvacan. In 1769, it was made again as an independent ministry. In 1800, its visitas were San Esteban and Santiago. From then on, Santa Maria progressed. Fr. Bernardo Lago made it a center and converted thousands of its inhabitants to Chjristians. As a result, New Coveta, now Burgos, was founded in 1831. Another priest by the name Fr. Juan Cordaßno built the irrigation by digging a canal to divert the river and water the ricefields. The people, however, must have decided to have the foundation of Santa Maria in 1767 by basing their contention of the records that are still extent in Santa Maria. So that in 1967, the Santa Maria populace celebrated the 200^th Anniversary of her Christianization.

In the second half of the eighteenth century, vigorous and active missions or “expeditions” were launched by the missionaries toward the hinterlands. The Pilar District in Abra was a place where commercial dealings with the natives took place. Occasionally, the people went down to the town of Santa Maria to market and in most visita, they were instructed in the faith; baptized or received the Holy Sacraments. Until the later part of 1846, Pilar District was a part of Ilocos Sur. It was created as a politico-military district later.

The following Augustinian missionaries are certain to have stayed in Santa Maria”; Fr. Jose Laboza – 1769; Fr. Diego Sayar – 1773; Fr. Agustin Gomez- 1779; Fr. Manuel Silva- 1783-1785; (and who died there), Fr. Manuel Aparico – 1887; Fr. Exequiel Ortiz Lanzagorta – 1791 and who was secretary of the bishop of Nueva Segovia; and Fr. Alejandro Peyrona in 1786.

Santa Maria’s progress can be discerned from the growth of her population. In 1793, it had 834 inhabitants and ranked fifteenth as one of the most densely populated towns in the Ilocos. In 1803, it had 7,893 people. Because of the rapid progress of the Ilocos, the region was divided into Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur provinces, pursuant to the Real Cedula as of February 2, 1818. The population of Santa Maria decreased in 1820 due to the cholera epidemic. Except for periods when cholera or other natural calamities affected Santa Maria, its progress took an upward trend.

In 1845, it had a population of 10,908; 11,900 in 1850; 12,059 in 1865; and 15,152 in 1880. The epidemics of cholera in 1881, 1883, and 1889 reduced greatly her population to 11,426 in 1892. Then the outbreak of the revolution in 1896-1901, further attributed to the decline of her inhabitants to 10,030 in 1901. Many of the people after this period migrated to the Central Plains of Luzon, Mindanao and to Hawaii and California in the United States of America.

Santa Maria had enjoyed progress and prosperity. It also experienced hardships due to wars and other events. In 1638, the Chinese burnt the town and ten years later in 1660-1661, during the Andres Malong  Revolt, the Zambals ransacked and looted at the same time killed some of the inhabitants of the town. Much of the Church properties were carried away by the rebels. In 1762, the forces of Diego Silang, the leader of the Ilocos Revolt of 1762-1763 during the British Occupation, controlled the town of Santa maria until he (Silang) was assassinated in Bantay by Marcos Vicos, a meztizo and close friend, in 1763.

In 1850, Buzeta and Bravo describes the town of Santa Maria, which follows:

In 1850, the town had some 1,983 houses constructed like most Philippine houses, some made of wood, most of bamboo and cogon grass. The more notable edifices were the tribunal, tile roofed and made of stone, on whose ground floor is the prison. This building is located in the plaza near the market place, where vegetables, eggs, meat and fish are sold. Sometimes itinerant mestizos sold merchandize there.

Infront of the tribunal stood three private houses, also tile-roofed and made of stones, as well as two others, of the same material about to be finished. The town has a primary school maintained by the coffers of the town. Moreover, there are private schools for boys and girls.

The Church and  Tower are made of stone, and the sacristy, of stone and bricks. Near the house, atop a hill, is the convent of the parish house, which is equally imposing building. Down below, and 200 meters away, is the cemetery with its well-ventilated chapel, but which was destroyed by earthquake not long ago.

In Santa Maria, mail is received from the North (from Narvacan) every Tuesday morning and those from Manila, through Santiago every Thursday noon. The town consists of the barrios of Patac (Pacak), in the south, and those of San Gelacio, San Gregorio, and San Francisco which are close to the church (bajo de campana); farther away Tanggapan, Silas, Minorio, Bitalag, Gusing, Subsubosob, Dingtan, and Cabaritan, separated by wide fields but each of these barrios have only a few huts where the natives stay during harvest time.

The town has two ports: one in the west capable of handling big ships, the other in the north, which only handle smaller boats because of its narrow entrance but it can be widened to accommodate  bigger ships as it did sometime in the past, when two full-rigged boats were constructed there.

The land is quite fertile, most of whish is irrigated; thanks to the zeal of Fr. Juna Cardaño, present (1850) parish priest who, with the help of the colonial government was able to realize any improvements of the town, including the construction of the irrigation system, after six years of work. In 1804, when Cardaño took over the parish, the harvest were always in the danger of being lost due to the lack of irrigation, thus only 994 tributes (were paid); now 1850, 2,595 do so.

Their most important products are rice, wheat, cane and corn. Corn is abundant that it is exported to Santa, Bantay, Santa Catalina, San Vicente and many others. Oranges, santol and many kinds of bananas, pineapple, cacao are also grown in abundance

In the mountains nearby, are different kinds of wood, like narra, molave, banaba, panurapin, bulala and others. Also found there, are chickens, deer and various varieties of birds. There is a gold mine in Pinsal, which is still to be exploited.

The inhabitants engaged in agriculture, lumbering and the women in weaving cotton cloth; some of which are sold in other places.

In 1813 when the construction of the canal for the irrigation system was started, the inhabitants felt embittered at  the enforced labor. In 1817, the town of Santa Maria was fenced under the direction of Fr. Cardaño who finished the work through use of forced labor on the inhabitants. Then men were sent to cut lumber for the ship building industry. In 1881, embittered at the Spanish authorities due to the harsh treatment given them, the people stoned the tribunal and they “ almost rose in arms against the Spaniards. During the great renovation of the convent in 1895, many of the inhabitants migrated to Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija where they established a new community.

There was a drought in 1878 followed by devastations of the fields by locusts and insects. Famine set in. In 1902, the epidemic of cholera existed; typhoid in 1909; and floods and typhoons added to the sufferings of the people in 1911 and 1913. These calamities greatly reduced the population and hindered the progress of Santa Maria.

In 1898, the members of the Philippine Independent Church took over the churches. This was an offshoot of the abuses of the friars and effect of the Philippine Revolution. The Catholic churches were, however returned later to the Roman Catholic Church by the enactment  of the Philippine Commission No. 1376 as of June 24, 1906. By the decision of the  Supreme Court on the Barlin-Ramirez Case as of November 24, 1906, as a precedent, the church of Santa Maria and other churches  held by the PIC  priests were returned to the administration of the Roman Catholic Church. But in spite of this major decision, the members of the Philippine Independent Church is still a force to reckon with especially in the Ilocos  Region today.

Santa Maria folks can still claim and be proud of their community inspite the vicissitudes that marred her progress, for in 1846, the town was visited by Governor General Narciso Claveria y Zaldua and General Primo de Rivera in 1879.

During the revolution, its first elected president was Julian Directo, in September 1898. When civil government was restored in Ilocos Sur in 1901, Sinfroso Tamayo was its first president. In 1932, President Manuel Quezon also visited Santa Maria on the occasion of his tour of Northern Luzon before the Commonwealth. According to some records, William Cameron Forbes also visited Santa Maria in 1901. A report in 1902 describes Santa Maria as pueblo along the coast of Ilocos Sur, Luzon, (with) several cart roads that led to the interior; a beautiful city that built and by way of historical note, adds that on December 3, 1900, 2,150 insurrectos surrendered here, (and) took oath of allegiance to the United States. Many of the foreigners who travelled to the north and saw the church were much impressed and called the church as a Cathedral Henry Savage Landor who visited the Philippines in 1900 says:

At Santa Maria a most picturesque church is to be found, reached on an imposing flight of steps. An enormous convent stands beside the church, upon a terrace some 80 feet above the plaza. There are a number of brick buildings, schoolhouses and office, which must have been very handsome but are tumbling down, the streets being in the absolute possession of sheeps, goats and hogs. A great expanse of level land. was now well-cultivated into paddy fields and across it is a beautiful road fifteen feet wide, well-metalled and with a sandy surface. Barrios and homes were scattered all around the plain.

The conditions in Santa Maria, however, has greatly changed fifty years later. The American Occupation had some beneficial effects as then roads, schools and better ways of farming were introduced in Santa Maria. A new generation became prominent who became new leaders in the present town of Santa Maria. After World War II, new buildings were built and churches were erected by the different religious as well as commercial and tourist spots developed.