The Spaniards and Portuguese in Cebu - Part 2

‘Glimpses in History of Early Cebu’ written by Professor Lina Quimat, published in 1980, gives a narrative of the dynamics of the Spaniards and Portuguese in their interaction with the Cebuanos:

“The Portuguese presence in Cebu was also a threat to the Spaniards. As reported by Fernando Riquel to the king of Spain, Felipe II, the Portuguese showed they were protecting a possession. Riquel’s report said: “In the island and town of Cubu in the Western Filipinas islands, on the twenty-first of October, one thousand five hundred and seventy, the very illustrious Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, governor and captain-general for his Majesty the king, don Felipe, our lord, and of his troops and royal fleet for the exploration of the said islands, in the presence of me, Fernando Riquel, chief government notary, and of the undersigned witnesses: he declared that, whereas the day before yesterday, the nineteenth of this present month, while he was building some gabions on the river of Cubu, for the defense of certain pieces of artillery, which he ordered to be mounted then, Gonzalo Pereira, captain-general of the Portuguese fleet which is anchored in this port, wrote to him that he must stop work on those gabions which were being made on the said river. To please him, the said governor, although the gabions were for the defense of the said artillery, yesterday (the twentieth of the said month) ordered the men to stop work. In the morning said captain general wrote to him again, ordering him to demolish the said gabions, as it seemed to him that they were being made as a menace to him and his fleet, and that he should reply to him what he intended to do in this matter, for, whether he answered or not, it will be held as if answered. At the same time when the Portuguese sent the above letter, the said governor had written to the said governor-general, and had sent to him the factor Andres de Mirandaola, and myself, the said Fernando Riquel, with an answer to a requisition which said captain-general had sent him the day before. Whereupon, the captain-general again sent word that he must order the said gabions to be destroyed; because, if they were not destroyed between that time and the evening of that day, he would take it for granted that war was declared. This said day, after dinner, the aforesaid persons having returned with this message of reply to the said governor, they told him how the galleys and small boats of the Portuguese fleet were coming ashore… began to batter down the said gabions with a great number of guns; and they continued this almost until sunset…”

“The Spanish settlement on Cebu was regarded with great jealousy by the Portuguese established in the Moluccas, and they sent an armed expedition (1568) to break it up.” (To be continued)