Kedatuan of Dapitan

In the 12th century, a tribe of warriors from the Lutao nation of Mindanao arrived by Balangay at the Tagbilaran Strait between mainland Bohol and Panglao Island.[6] They built stilt houses above the seawaters of the strait and many houses along the shorelines of present-day Tagbilaran to Baclayon and from Totolan to Biking, Dauis in Panglao Island. They eventually established the kingdom of Dapitan, from the Visayan word Dapitan which means place of rendezvous or meeting-place based the writings of national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal while on his exile in Dapitan.[7] Jesuit historian Fr. Francisco Ignacio Alcina (1610 – 1674) dubbed the kingdom the Venice of the East.[8]

Kedatuan of Dapitan regularly received ambassadors from neighboring sultanates and kingdoms since the beginning of maritime trade in 12th century.[9] During that time, Bohol already had open trade with Moluccas, Borneo, Java, Malacca, India, and China.[10] One such embassy was from the Sultanate of Ternate in Moluccas, Indonesia. One day, it was learned that the ambassador of Ternate made advances to one of the concubines of Datu Dailisan, losing respect to the ruling family. As punishment, the ears and noses of the ambassador and his men were cut off, and they were sent back to Ternate. Upon learning the incident, Sultan Hairun of Ternate was furious. Wary of the Boholanos' military skill, the Ternatans devised a plan with the help of the heavily armed Portuguese. Hairun sent series of juanga over six months to Bool Kingdom, pretending to be spice traders. In 1563, after gathering enough resources, they attacked and defeated the kingdom which caught unprepared. Datu Dailisan was killed in the fray[11] and Datu Sikatuna was heavily wounded.[12] The remains of Dailisan were buried at their royal burial ground at Mt. Dayo (now Dayo Hill) in the present-day Macayabac, Dauis together with his entire ship and treasures.[6] Meanwhile, Sikatuna was brought by Datu Sigala in Himilian, Loboc to recuperate.[12]

After the fall of Bool Kingdom, Datu Pagbuaya together with 1,000 families of freemen, his subjects, unmarried men and slaves fled to the present-day Dapitan in the island of Mindanao. Families of Lutao also elected to joined Pagbuaya in Mindanao.[13] However, Datu Sigala and Sikatuna chose to remain in Bohol.[4]

On April 1, 1606, the fallen kingdom later made vengeance to Ternate when the Spaniards led by Governor-General Pedro Bravo de Acuña invaded Moluccas, with the aid of Datu Pagbuaya's nephew Laria[13] as one of their allies. Sultan Saidi Berkat of Ternate managed to escape to Halmahera, but later captured and brought including his family and other nobles to Manila as hostages on May 31, 1606.[14]

Datu Pagbuaya with his son Datu Manook, and his men arrived in Mindanao in 1563 and re-established the kingdom of Dapitan on the island. It was previously occupied by Subanen tribe which were driven out and settled in the highlands as they submitted to their new king. Pagbuaya named their new settlement as Dapitan after the Cebuano word Dapit which means to invite, as the subjects of ancient kingdom of Bool were invited to join him in Dakung Yuta (big land), or Mindanao.[15] Some Eskaya follower of Pagbuaya moved upstream of the Dapitan river and settled in Ilaya.[16] Pagbuaya died in 1564.

As they occupied the Dapitan, the king of Borneo consequently sent their ambassadors with two juangas as a sign of friendship.[13] Exchange of goods between neighboring islands flourished as the place was abundant of timber, honey, beeswax, and exotic animals for trade.[17]

During the early days of Dapitan, nearby sultanates including Sultanate of Sulu and Maguindanao already had a strong trade connection with the kingdom. Doña Maria Uray is a daughter of Manooc who had lived in pious life. At once, the Sultan of Jolo had visited the settlement and mesmerized with the beauty of Maria Uray. He frequently went to Dapitan to ask for the hands of the princess from Manooc. Another story also revealed that Sultan Buisan of Maguindanao, father of Sultan Kudarat also pursued Maria Uray thrice to marry her.[5] However, being a devout Christian, Maria Uray refused to marry either of the sultans. Depressed with failure, the sultans sent their fleets to capture Uray. Upon learning the threat, Manooc hid the princess in the hinterlands of Dapitan with help of his warrior cousin, Kantolan. Maria Uray managed to escape and later resided at Mt. Malasimbo in Magallanes, Sorsogon.[5] The great Dapitan overcame sultans' men and eventually in return, cut their ties with Sulu and Maguindanao.[16] In her later life, Maria Uray went back and settled in Dapitan until her death, with her remains possibly buried at Ilihan Hill (formerly Maria Uray Hill).[5]

On November 21, 1564, Governor-General Miguel Lopez de Legaspi sailed from Barra de Navidad, Mexico to search for gold, silver and spices, and as well to Christianize the natives of the scattered islands of the Pacific. Fr. Andrés de Urdaneta, also a known navigator served as spiritual adviser and with 6 Augustinian missionaries accompanied Legaspi.[18]

Dapitan is already a thriving community when Legaspi arrived in 1595 and welcomed by Manook, the son of Datu Pagbuaya. Consequently, Manook with his sister Madalena, cousin Laria, and daughter Uray were baptized. Missionaries gave Christian names — Pedro Manuel Manooc to Manook; Magdalena Bacuya to Madalena;, and Maria Uray to Uray.[19] Missionaries were also able to reach hinterlands of Dapitan, baptizing Kantolan, Pagbuaya's cousin including local Subanon chiefs Gomoray, Iknan, and Mialen.[16]

Kingdom of Dapitan became the earliest Christian settlements in Mindanao as it pledged loyalty as they formed a strong alliance with Spain.[20] For Europeans, Dapitan was the most respected among the villages for its nobility, valor, fidelity, military prowess, and their faith. It was also the most densely populated settlement in Mindanao during that time.[13] In 1656, it was recorded that Dapitan has a Christian population of more than 7,000.[21]

Dapitans also worked as guides and guards for missionaries as they make their activities — to minister and evangelize natives from Zamboanga to Iligan.[13]

Kingdom of Dapitan had been integral to the spread of Spanish conquest and control in the Philippines. The conquest of Philippines would have been impossible without the allegiance and help from several hundred of indigenous troops, including Visayan soldiers, who joined the Spanish cause to go to war.[22]

Don Pedro Manuel Manooc, known for military and navigation skills aided the Spaniards in invasion of Manila on May 24, 1570[13] and Bicol (started from Camarines) on July 1573.[23] In 1667, chronicler Fr. Francisco Combés, S.J described Manooc as Fiero, hombre que facilmente se embravece which means the one who gets easily heated like iron.[11]

For sometime, during the conquest of Bicol, Manooc together with his kinsmen founded and settled in the villages of Bacon, Bulusan, Gubat and Magallanes, Sorsogon, protecting these coastal settlements from barbaric Moro pirates and paving the way for evangelical missions of the Franciscans.[24][5] Nearly two hundred years later, on June 13, 1764, Manooc's great-grandson named Don Pedro Manook became the first gobernadorcillo of Gubat when it became an independent town.[25]

Manooc also supported Spanish campaigns in Cebu, Mindanao, Caraga, and Jolo. On one recorded event, Manooc defeated the Sultan of Jolo escaping as a fugitive, who had a fleet of 12 joangas and eventually captured the its flagship. [13] In 1595, Manooc reached Lanao, defeating the Maranaos which then under protection of the Sultanate of Maguindanao, eventually capturing the village of Bayug, a sitio in the present-day barangay Hinaplanon, and founded Iligan as one of the earliest Christian settlements in the country.[26]

Manooc's daughter Doña Maria Uray later married warrior Gonzalo Maglinti. Manooc died and his remains were buried in front of the main altar of the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, a distinguished honor given for supporting the Spanish empire. After Manooc's death, son-in-law Maglinti and grandson Pedro Cabili (or Cabilin) defended Christian settlements opposing savages of Maranao and Maguindanao fleets from Sirawai, Zamboanga towards the ends of Iligan and Panguil Bay. Maglinti was also known for watching over the islands and dispatches information to established settlements in Cebu and Iloilo amid the threats from Moro pirates.[19]

Pedro Cabili started as young as 7-years old when he joined his father Maglinti in the conquest and was also known as a fierce warrior perfectly skilled with hand-to-hand combat. In the 18th to the 19th century, the family dominated the politics in Dapitan and Iligan. During this time, Spanish used Dapitan as a military outpost for their operations against Moros. Spain constructed a number of forts along the north-western coast, in Dapitan, Iligan and Ozamis, supported by the Cabili family.[20] Eventually, Cabili became the ancestor of future assemblyman, senator, and Defense secretary Tomas Cabili and Iligan gobernadorcillo Remigio Cabili; and mayors Brod[27] and Camilo Cabili. Camilo Cabili also became a congressman of Iligan from 1984–1986 during the Regular Batasang Pambansa.

Captain Laria, cousin of Manooc served Spain in the conquest of Moluccas in 1606.[14]

Manooc's sister, Doña Madalena Baluyot (or Bacuya) was known to be pacifier and peacemaker of warying factions of Subanon tribe which earned respect from its chiefs.[13]In 1596, Doña Baluyot mediated between locals and missionaries; supporting Jesuits missions in Eastern Mindanao, eventually converting Datu Silongan (baptized as Felipe Silongan), ruler of Butuan that further lead to evangelization of Caraga and Davao Oriental.

In 1622, Datu Salangsang, Baluyot's grandson and ruler of present-day Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental through her intervention allowed Augustinian Recollects missions to the province.[19] Salangsang's seat of government was in Huluga, at the present day sitio Taguanao in southern barangay of Indahag but later transferred to and founded the present-day Cagayan de Oro upon the recommendation of Fr. Agustin de San Pedro (also known as El Padre Capitan) in 1627, securing the settlement amid the threats from Maranaos and Sultan Kudarat.[28]