Part 8

During the first two decades of the seventeenth century, the coast of Bataan was more than once the scene of battles against the Dutch. The first of these encounters took place in 1600 off the coast of Mariveles. The Dutch were commanded by Admiral Van Noort, while the Spanish-Filipino army was led by the historian, Antonio de Morga, then an order of the Manila Real Audiencia. The Spanish-Filipino squadron suffered heavy losses, but the Dutch were nevertheless forced to retreat. Nine years later, the Dutch again appeared off the Mariveles coast. This time they were led by Admiral Wittert, against whom Governor Silva sent a hastily fitted out squadron of six small vessels manned by Spaniards and Filipinos. The Dutch were defeated. In spite of these reverses, the Dutch continued their hostile visits to the Philippines. In 1646, they bombarded Zamboanga, unsuccessfully attacked Cavite, and finally effected a landing in Abucay, Bataan. Here they committed depredations and massacred more than four hundred Filipino soldiers who had laid down their arms. They were not driven away until after a long siege.

[Mariveles]

The town of Mariveles and Mount Mariveles are the principal attractions. The town has an important harbor where the ships are detained and fumigated when necessary before entering or leaving Manila Bay. West of the town is a quarry of white stone called by the Spaniards, "mármol de Mariveles." This stone has served as material for the pedestal and column of the statue of Charles IV in Manila. A well near the quarry produces siliceous water.

There is a beautiful legend connected with the town of Mariveles. A Spanish girl by the name of Maria Velez, who was a nun in Santa Clara Convent, fell in love with a friar, with whom she later eloped to Kamaya, there to await a galleon on which they intended to secure passage for Acapulco. The elopement caused excitement in Manila, and the corregidor (magistrate) with a few men was sent to Kamaya in search of the refugees. It is said that in memory of the persons involved in this story Kamaya was given the name of Mariveles, the big island to the south was named Corregidor, the little island to the west was called Monja (nun) and another small island, off the Cavite coast, was called Fraile.

[Mount Mariveles]

Mount Mariveles rises in the midst of the whole peninsula of Bataan. It is about 4,700 feet in height and forms a conspicuous object from the city especially when illuminated by the brilliant hues of the sunset sky. Though once an active volcano its sides are now covered with vegetation and practically the whole of its slopes down to a very short distance off the shore are virgin tropical jungles. The ascent of the mountain can be conveniently made from a day and a half to two days from Lamao, where the Philippine Government maintains a scientific experimental farm. The trail up the mountain passes along a ridge with here and there steep but short slopes. As the ascent is made the trees become noticeably smaller and orchids, ferns, mosses and the like much more abundant. From the first peak 2,800 feet high, the traveler can obtain a view of what Agassiz termed the greatest wonders of nature--the sea, the mountains, and the tropical forests.

The view from the very top surpasses that from the first peak. To the east lies the bay, with Manila and Cavite in the distance; to the south nestles Corregidor Island with the surf beating its shores; beyond is the China Sea, dotted here and there with specks of vessels bound to and from Hongkong or the other islands; to the north and west is a semi-circle of forest-covered peaks, standing as sentinels guarding the amphitheater-like crater; and to the northeast lie the cultivated fields of rice and sugar cane, studded here and there with the church steeples that mark the sites of the towns.

ZAMBALES PROVINCE.--North of Bataan along the western coast of Luzon is the Province of Zambales. It has two important harbors that are well sheltered--Olongapo and Subic. Olongapo is a naval station which boasts of one of the largest floating dry docks in the world.

Zambales was also visited by the Dutch during the early part of the seventeenth century. It was in 1617 that Admiral Spielbergen, with a powerful fleet appeared off the coast of Playa Honda. The Government forces, under the command of Juan Ronquillo, sallied out and engaged the Dutch squadron. Spielbergen displayed much bravery, but was defeated.

[Naval Station]

The only points of particular interest are the Naval Station along the coast which is, however, practically abandoned, and the fortifications on Grande Island, at the entrance to the bay. To visit either of them permits from the military or naval authorities are necessary. The floating dry-dock Dewey whose voyage from the United States was a matter of much public interest in 1906 is now located here.

PANGASINAN PROVINCE is the second largest rice producing province in the archipelago. Tobacco and coconuts are also principal products. The swamp lands and the tide flats are sources of nipa thatches and alcohol. Mongo, cogon, sugar cane, and mangoes are also raised extensively.

[Salt Making and Industries]

Along the tidal flats, salt making is so universal that the province has been named "Pangasinan," meaning, "the place where there is salt." Large parts of these same tidal lands are converted into artificial fish ponds with suitable gates that admit water during high tide. Even as far south as Bayambang, the overflowed lands of the Agno River have been converted into similar ponds where quantities of fresh-water fish are obtained and shipped to Manila in large baskets containing water.

The famous Calasiao hat made from the leaf of the buri palm comes from Pangasinan. Mat-making is an industry in Bani and Bolinao. Lingayen uses the palm fiber for making sugar sacks and San Carlos for the "salacot" or native helmet. Calasiao, Mañgaldan, and San Carlos prepare the "tabo" or native cup from the coconut shell. Binmaley and Dagupan manufacture the "sueco" (wooden shoe), from the woods cut in the Zambales mountains. San Carlos, Binmaley, Santa Barbara, Malasiqui, and Bayambang have brickyards and manufactories of pottery. Mañgaldan is famous for its indigo blue and blue-black dyes.

[Historical Events]

Historically the province is important in that it was there that in 1574 the Chinese pirate Limahong after his repulse in Manila appeared with his vast army at the mouth of the Agno River and tried to found a settlement on its banks. This attempt, however, was a failure.

During the period from 1660 to about 1765, two important revolts occurred in Pangasinan. The first was in 1660 led by Andres Malong, who attempted to establish a great kingdom with Binalatoñgan as capital and comprising all of northern and western Luzon as far south as Zambales and Pampanga. The second revolt was led by the famous Pangasinan leader, Juan de la Cruz Palaris, often known as "Palaripar." It took place in 1762, caused by the injustices of the tribute. Its center was also at Binalatoñgan. It lasted over two years, ending with the capture and execution of Palaris in 1765.

MOUNTAIN PROVINCE.--The Mountain Province is the third largest province in the Philippines. It comprises the vast mountainous territory between the Provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, and the Ilocos. It is made up of several sub-provinces.

Bakun district in the sub-province of Amburayan has some of the most striking rice terraces thousands of feet high. It is a region surrounded by high precipices, so that parts of the trails to Bakun consist of ladders hundreds of feet high on the sides of the cliffs.

The sub-province of Apayao contains one of the richest virgin forests in the Philippines but because of the difficulty of transportation lumber is not cut on a commercial scale. There are also deposits of copper and ore as well as limestone but they are little explored.

The sub-province of Benguet is at present the most important gold-mining district in the Mountain Province. The Igorots had exploited the mines long before the coming of the Spaniards and it is said that because of the experience already acquired, the Igorots are today more skillful gold miners than those who use their knowledge of chemistry and mining engineering. Hot springs are found at Klondikes, Daklan, and Bungias. Coal deposits exist in Mount Kapangan.

The city of Baguio, the capital of Benguet, is situated in the southwestern part of the province. About 160 miles to the north of Manila, it is built high up among the Benguet mountains. It ranges in elevation from 4,500 to over 5,500 feet, and is surrounded practically on all sides by high mountains. The city at present is the summer capital of the Philippines. For a fuller description see page 61.

The sub-province of Bontok is exceedingly mountainous. Besides agriculture and pottery making, the principal industries consist of basket making, lumbering, weaving, and metal working. The women by means of their hand-looms weave a great deal of high colored cloth out of yarn which they get by barter from the people of Isabela and Abra. The men manufacture head-axes and knives.

[Ifugao Rice Terraces]

The sub-province of Ifugao is famous for the remarkable rice terraces along its mountain sides. Nowhere in the Philippines is irrigation developed to the point reached in this sub-province. There are approximately 100 square miles of irrigated rice terraces that are watered by great ditches several miles long. The terraces are all buttressed with stone walls which measure a total length of about 12,000 miles. These terraces have been built without any knowledge of engineering. It is believed that the construction of the present terraces and irrigation systems has taken from 1,200 to 1,500 years of time. Generation after generation had toiled on them patiently. The Ifugaos have so utilized every drop of available water supply that in most places no more ditches can be constructed for lack of water.

The terraces are built of stones mined near by, of which there are extensive areas. No animals are used for field work everything being done by hand. Salt springs and deposits of rock salts are also found in several places.

The sub-province of Lepanto is next to Ifugao in the number of rice terraces. Camotes, pineapples, sugar cane, and cotton are also raised. Lepanto and Benguet are the regions having the most minerals in Luzon. All the mountain ranges have millions of pesos worth of copper ore deposits. Mankayan is the center of the copper mining industry. Here the Spaniards found the natives using the Chinese method of mine smelting.

[Gold Mining and Industries]

Suyok is the gold mining center. Here is found one of the most striking features of the world. The whole side of a range of mountains, about 15 kilometers across, slides down to the valley, and on this slide, named the Palidan Slide, are found parts of gold veins which must have their connection somewhere else.

The household industries are well developed. Clay products, such as pots, jars, and pipes are made for export. The men are experts in metal-working. They make weapons, pots, and spoons out of copper which they mine and smelt by native process. They also manufacture iron or steel spears, bolos, knives, and tools of all sorts, which they sell to or barter with the natives of the lowlands. They also carve wood into images, bowls, ornaments, and other utensils.

The women make sufficient cloths for their own use and for sale. They spin, dye, and weave the cotton raised there.

LA UNION PROVINCE occupies a narrow strip of land immediately north of the Province of Pangasinan and west of the Mountain Province. Tobacco, rice, sisal, hemp, sugar, coconuts, corn, and cotton form the most important products. At the foot of Mount Bayabas is a hot salt spring. The Manila Railroad operates lines as far as Bauang. San Fernando, the capital, may be reached either by boat or by automobile from Bauang.

[Industries]

ILOCOS SUR PROVINCE.--Immediately north of La Union is the Province of Ilocos Sur, a region specially adapted to the cultivation of maguey the fiber of which constitutes the principal export. But because the soil will not support the population a great many persons have turned to manufacture and trade. This has given rise to industrial specialization in different towns. Those along the coast extract salt from the sea water and export it in great quantities to inland provinces. In San Esteban, there is a quarry of stone from which mortars and grindstones are made. San Vicente, Vigan, and San Ildefonso specialize in woodworking, the first in carved wooden boxes and images and the others in household furniture. Most of the wood used in these handicrafts is imported from Abra and Cagayan. Bantay is the home of skilled silversmiths. In the other towns saddles, harness, slippers, mats, pottery, and hats are made and exported to some extent. Sisal and hemp fiber extraction and weaving of cotton cloth are common household industries throughout the province.

The province embraces within its confines some of the oldest towns in the Philippines. Besides Vigan several other towns already existed in this region before the close of the sixteenth century; namely, Santa, Narvacan, Bantay, Candon, and Sinait.

Just above Narvacan, on the highway which runs along the beach is an ancient watch-tower and a stretch of road bordered by a curious brick retaining wall of Spanish construction. Numerous ancient shrines are also to be seen along the Ilocos roads where the pious prayed that Heavenly favor might be shown them in their journeys.

The towns of Paoay and Batac are noted for their magnificent churches which are worth traveling a long distance to see.

[Historical]

Two important uprisings are recorded in the history of Ilocos Sur--the Malong rebellion in 1660 and the Silang rebellion in 1763. Malong, who was trying to carve out a kingdom for himself in Pangasinan and the neighboring territory, sent his two able generals, "Count" Gumapos and Jacinto Macasiag to the north to effect the conquest of this region. Gumapos and Macasiag, however, proceeded only as far as Vigan, from which place they were recalled by Malong. Diego Silang, who led the great rebellion of 1762, dominated the greater part of Ilocos Sur. He fought pitched battles with the Spanish forces at Vigan and Cabugao and practically succeeded in establishing a government of his own in Ilocos Sur.

ILOCOS NORTE PROVINCE occupies the whole of the coastal plain in the northwestern corner of Luzon. This province is noted for the many revolts that occurred there, from the beginning of Spanish rule to the first decades of the nineteenth century. The two most important were those caused by the general discontent over the tobacco monopoly and over the wine monopoly, which occurred in 1788 and 1807 respectively.

The mountains surrounding the province are covered with fine timber trees. Resin, honey, and wax are also found on their slopes. A few grottos or caves are found in the interior. There are a number of stone quarries. Limestone is found in at least three places, while the beach supplies a great amount of coral for road building. There are also deposits of manganese and asbestos which are being exploited.

The weaving of textiles--towels, blankets, wearing apparel, and handkerchiefs--is the principal industry among women. Mat-making and the pottery industry are also well developed.

Laoag, the capital, has a population of about 40,000. It is entered from the south by crossing the longest bridge in the islands. Laoag plaza, on which the provincial buildings front, is well cared for and the ancient bell tower on the opposite side is said to resemble a famous Italian campanile.

Bangui is "farthest north" in Luzon where the highway ends. Its climate is cool resembling that of a California summer. Woolen clothes may be worn with comfort in the cold season. It is always swept by cool breezes. The view of sea and land from the crest of a hill just before Bangui is entered will hold the attention of even the most travelled tourist.

ABRA PROVINCE is south of Ilocos Norte. It is a beautiful mountainous region. It is considered to be the seismic center of Northern Luzon. It is drained by the voluminous Abra River which is the highway to the Province of Ilocos Sur. The valley drained by this river and its tributaries is covered with luxuriant vegetation. Corn, tobacco, and rice are the most important products. The mountains are covered with forests containing timber eminently suitable for construction. There is gold dust along the Binoñgan River in the town of Lacub. Of mineral springs that of the Iomin River is the most important. This has a temperature ranging from 70 degrees to 80 degrees Fahrenheit with a flow of 3 to 4 cubic centimeters per second.

[Cagayan River]

THE CAGAYAN VALLEY.--Adjoining the Mountain Province in the very northeastern corner of Luzon is the Province of Cagayan. Together with the neighboring Provinces of Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya to the south it forms what is known as the Cagayan Valley. Something of these great tobacco provinces can be seen by taking the steamer from Manila to Aparri and then sailing up the Cagayan River. This is a Mississippi, a Nile of a river, navigable by interisland steamers for twenty-five miles. Its chief importance lies in its periodical inundations, which, leaving their deposits of alluvial loam along the strips of lowland by the banks of the stream, make it the finest tobacco country of this part of the world. This crop has for a very long time been the staple source of wealth, though other plants can be cultivated with success. How great is the productivity of the soil, despite the exhausting effect of tobacco upon it, may be gathered from the following remark made in an official report. "The 'good land' was understood to be those parts fertilized annually by the overflow of the river.... The other land was not considered first class because it could only produce tobacco for ten or twelve years without enrichment, the subject of fertilizing never having received any attention from the planters of that region."

By small boats it is possible to reach Cauayan, Isabela. From there the road is so nearly completed that autos can be taken to Santa Fé, Nueva Vizcaya, where it divides, one branch, an automobile road, leading to San Jose, Nueva Ecija, and thence to Manila; the other a horseback trail to San Nicolas, Pangasinan, a short and easy stage to the railroad. Among the sights is a salt-incrusted mountain, a dazzling landmark for miles around in Nueva Vizcaya. The people thereabouts often place small objects, such as baskets, under the drip of the salt springs. These become coated with salt in such a manner that they appear to be of pure marble.

[Isabela and Palanan]

Like many other provinces Isabela Province was the scene of important uprisings. In 1763, for example, stirred by the influence of the Silang rebellion in Ilocos, the people of Isabela revolted, led on by Dabo and Juan Morayac. The centers of rebellion were Ilagan and Cabagan. Again in 1785, another revolt broke out. This time the rebellion was led by Labutao and Baladon. The rebellion was caused by the grievances of the people against the collection of tribute and the enforcement of the tobacco monopoly.

The historical spot of Isabela is the little town of Palanan on Palanan Bay, on the Pacific Coast. The bay is exposed to the weather and the anchorage is reefy, while the town is separated from the rest of the province by great mountains which make communication and travel difficult and dangerous. It was in this town that General Emilio Aguinaldo retreated and maintained his headquarters until his capture by General Funston by a ruse in March, 1901.

[Salinas Salt Springs]

NUEVA VIZCAYA PROVINCE is south of Cagayan on the Pacific Coast of Luzon. It contains vast areas of fertile public lands suitable for rice, tobacco, sugar, coconuts, beans, potatoes, coffee, and abaca, practically untouched, as well as virgin forests filled with all classes of valuable timber. The province is the gateway to and granary of the tobacco-producing provinces to the north. The climatic conditions of the province are unsurpassed. There are places the climate of which is similar to that of Baguio. There are also places of scenic beauty, such as Salinas, which are not inferior to world-famous objectives of tourist travel. The salt springs at Salinas have been from time immemorial the source of this essential food element to the peoples of even distant regions.

MINDORO PROVINCE is named after the Spanish phrase "mina de oro" or "gold mine," as mining is said to have once been a great source of wealth in the region. The province is co-extensive in territory with the Island of Mindoro, southwest of Luzon. Rice, copra, abacá, sugar, and corn are the principal products. Along the coast are extensive nipa swamps.

[Mineral Deposits]

Gold is found in the Rivers of Binabay, Baco, Bongabong, and Magasauan Tubig. Coal of good quality is found north and west of Bulalacao, white marbles northwest of Mount Halcon, slate deposits near the headquarters of Pagaban and other rivers of the western coast, sulphur, and gypsum on Lake Naujan, and south of Calapan, hot springs between the sea and the northwestern part of Lake Naujan, and salt springs in Damagan, Bulalacao. Guano deposits are found in the caves.

[Submarine Garden]

An interesting two-day trip from Manila is that to the landlocked harbor of Puerto Galera at the northern end of the island. The attraction of the place lies in the fine scenery along the coast and in the unusual transparency of the water, which permits visitors, especially if glass-bottomed boats are at hand, to inspect the varied life which teems in the depths below. There is here as on the coast of Batangas a marine garden of bewildering and exquisite beauty. Nature seems to have made special effort to crowd beneath a few acres of sea all of the most entrancing wonders of the deep. There is coral of every design, color, and variety. There are thousands of plants which present a wealthy and gorgeous harmony of color. There are myriads of wonderful fish which outrival the coral and the vegetation in variety and richness of hue. Some are as green as grass, others as gold as a guinea.

There are at present no regular boats making the trip and special arrangements will have to be made in order to be able to visit the place.

PALAWAN.--The province of Palawan occupies the long and narrow Island of Palawan situated between Mindoro on the north and Borneo on the south. Besides this long and narrow island the province includes about 200 other small islets. A great part of the island is still unexplored, the island itself not being accessible to the traveler. The chief industries of the people are fishing, gathering trepangs, sea-shells, and edible birds' nest on the limestone cliffs near the shore.

The proximity of the island with the Dutch East Indies and to Borneo puts it in a very advantageous position commercially. It is also favored by valleys of great fertility and by well protected harbors.

[Iwahig Penal Colony]