Parish

How Anda Became A Parish

The process which Anda underwent in becoming a parish was long and tedious indeed. It must be remembered that as early as January 5, 1875, the people of Quinale already petitioned not only for an independent town but a separate parish as well. However, this latter spiritual emancipation was not granted. But the Andahanons, inspired by their new as a town, never stopped dreaming.

The Provincial Governor’s Intervention

Eight years after the town was established, the formal documentary process petitioning Anda’s canonical erection began. The local principalia (aristocracy) of Anda sought the intervention of the governor of the province of Bohol. On February 28, 1883, Francisco Agusto Linares y Pombo, the Spanish politico-military governor of Bohol (February 1883 to December 10, 1889) wrote a letter to the Political-Military Governor of the Visayas, asking for the spiritual emancipation of Anda from its mother-parish of Guindulman, in the same way that it was granted temporal independence on March 12, 187540. The said letter somehow gives us a historical peek of Anda’s profile at that time.

The town of Anda had 623 tributos. As a unit of children. Somehow, it was equivalent to today’s household. But originally, a tribute was equivalent to three (3) persons. Hence, the least population of Anda in 1883 was only 1869. Today, Anda’s population has reached 14,696 (according to the CBRMS 2004 Survey) in a total of 3,388 households42.

A Tributo could also mean the tax or contribution that every household or inhabitant had to pay each year. Anyone unmarried paid one-half tribute. At the start, a tribute was equivalent to eight reales (or one peso), payable in money or in kind. In 1851, it was increased to twelve reales (or one peso and a half). It must be remembered that if Maestro Amboy got paid 10 pesos a month, then 1 peso tribute was equivalent to a teacher’s salary for three day’s work.

The tribute system was however abolished in 1884, and was replaced by the cedula tax44. Hence, when Anda became a parish in 1885, the tribute system was no longer in force.

Anda had public and parochial buildings. Records tell that Anda already had four major buildings, namely45:

(1)Property No. 1 (Finca No 1): A parish convent (una casa parroquia), under the street name/number, Sto Niño (Holy Infant), with Cura Parroco Fr. Meliton Martinez as registered proprietor

40 National Historical Archives, Ereccion de Peblos – Bohol: 1847 – 1890, p. 420-420b.
41 Pedro G. Galiende, Angels in Stone: Augustinian Churches in the Philippines. San Augustine Musseum, Manila, 1996, p. 398.
42 Arvin Rubillos, Bohol’s Little Paradise, Anda:2006 Anda Tourism Situationer, Anda, 2006, pp. 13-14
43 Sonia Zaide, The Philippines: A Unique Nation, 2nd ed., All-Nations Publishing Co., Inc.: Quezon City , 1999, p. 107-108.
44 Sonia Zaide, The Philippines: A Unique Nation, 2nd ed., All-Nations Publishing Co., Inc.: Quezon City , 1999, p. 108.
45 National Historical Archives, Fincas Urbanas-Bohol, Tomo I.

(2) Property No. 2 (Finca No2): A Church (una iglesia) under the street name/number, Sto. Niño (Holy Infant), with Cura Parroco Fr. Meliton Martinez as Registered proprietor;

(3) Property No. 3 (Finca No3): A tribunal house (casa tribunal) under the street name/number, Sto. Niño (Holy Infant), with Gobernadorcillo Don Benedicto Amper as registered proprietor;

(4) Property No. 4 (Finca No4): A residential house of the teacher (una casa habitation del maestro), under the street name/number, Sto. Niño (Holy Infant), with Maestro Don Pablo as registered proprietor.

All four structures were described as made of pampango wall and nipa roof (tabique pampanggo y techno di nipa)46. The so-called tabique pampango referred to walls constructed between giant tree-trunk posts called harigues or haligues. These walls were constructed by panels of woven bamboo or wooden strips finished with a coating of mortar, which was a mixture of sand, water and lime that became hard like stone. The tabique pampango is equivalent to the “wattle and daub” in European architectural parlance. It was thin but practical, and popular in places where there was not enough stone, manpower and financing. In the Philippines, the technique was called such, implying that the technology must have been first introduced in Pampanga47. Nipa, on the other hand, was and is still abundant in the locality.

Certainly, the church and parish convent refers to the letter were not the ones we have today. In, fact the governor’s letter made mention that the people of Anda have already gathered materials for the construction of another church which they wanted to be bigger and stronger, which the folks had promised to build immediately.

(c)The parish priest of Guindulman, Fr. Lorenzo Hernandez (1877-1897), was so desirous in supporting the petition due to difficulty in attending to the spiritual administration of Anda. The distance was a major factor. Anda was described as 14kilometers from Guindulman, and 25kilometers from Candijay, making it difficult for the parish priest of both towns to render spiritual assistance to its inhabitants.

(d) Anda was already known for its beauty because aside for mentioning the place as having a considerable population, the governor went on the described it as having an ideal topographical position and other beautiful circumstances that embellished it.

1. the Investigation conducted by the Bishop of Cebu

Bohol was then under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Diocese of Cebu, created by Pope Clement VIII in 1595. Cebu was a suffragan of the archdiocese of Manila. Its scope was so vast as to include the whole of Visayas and Northern Mindanao, even as far as the Marianas Islands, including Guam.

Having received the letter from Governor Linares, the Political Military Governor of the Visayas wrote to his Excellency most Rev. Fr. Benito de Madridejos, OFM, the Bishop of Cebu (1876-1885) on March 12, 1883, asking for his opinion regarding the petition to erect a new parish in Anda48.

46National Historic Archives, Fincas Urbanas-Bohol, Tomo I
47Regalado Trota Jose, Visita Iglesia Bohol: A Guide to historic Churches, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Manila, 2001 p.4.
48National Historic Archives, Errecion de Pueblos-Bohol: 1847-1890, p.421

On March 15, 1883, the bishop passed the matter to Don Felipe Redondo, the Fiscal Ecclesiastical, for his opinion. 49The fiscal ecclesiastical was changed with the public revenues for the support of the church. Hence, it was his look-out if a parish was truly viable or not, and his endorsement was crucial especially in obtaining Royal approval for the erection of Parishes. However, Don Redondo needed more field assessment of the case. Hence, he required that more consultation be made through the office of the Bishop.

On March 17, 1883, Bishop Madridejos sent an order to conduct a consultation from parishes nearest Anda, namely, Guindulman and Candijay. Their assessments would serve as bases for the Fiscal’s endorsement. In just a matter of one week, Fr. Dionisio Ruego, then parish priest of Candija, expeditiously sent his reply to the Bishop on March 24, 1883. 51 He expressed his positive opinion regarding the erection of a new parish in the town of Anda for two specific reasons, namely, (1) to facilitate the administration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass during feast day, the more frequent preaching of the Holy Word, as well as the reception of the Holy Sacraments of penance and communion; and (2) to cater to the spiritual advantage of the faithful in the observance of the precepts of Holy Mother of church.

On the part of the mother-town of Guindulman, it was Fr. Lorenzo Hernandez (1877-1897) who was the parish priest, but it was the parish priest, but it was Fr. Fidel de Blas, the Provincial Superior of the Augustinian Recollects, based on Manila, who wrote a letter-response to the Bishop of Cebu on April 11, 1883. 52He likewise expressed his conformity with the unanimous petition of the gobernadorcillo (local executive) and the principales (local aristocracy) of Anda for the erection of an independent parish. In his letter, he expressed the following:

1. That it was not just a matter of convenience but of necessity that Anda be made an independent parish.

2. That Anda, considering the number of household it had, was ready enough to provide for a decent financial support for the parish priest, as well as strong solid buildings to accommodate him;

3. That making Anda a separate parish would relieve the parish priest of Guindulman for his difficult duties which he obligingly discharged;

4. The appointment of a new pastor for Anda would satisfy the spiritual needs of faithful with utmost punctuality.

Having gathered all the needed inquiries, the Bishop of Cebu sent on April 20, 1883 all the pertinent documents for Ecclesiastical Fiscal’s perusal, opinion and most of all the much needed endorsement.53

2. final institutional endorsement

On April 26, 1883, the Ecclesiastical Fiscal, Felipe Redondo, wrote back to Bishop Madrijejos, specifying the following:54

49National Historical Archives, Ereccion de Pueblos -Bohol: 1847 – 1890, p. 422
50National Historical Archives, Ereccion de Pueblos- Bohol: 1847 – 1890 p.424b.
51National Historical Archives, Ereccion de Pueblos- Bohol: 1847 – 1890 p. 425-425b
52National Historical Archives, Ereccion de Pueblos- Bohol: 1847 – 1890 p.430-430b
53National Historical Archives, Ereccion de Pueblos- Bohol: 1847 – 1890 p. 431
54National Historical Archives, Ereccion de Pueblos- Bohol: 1847 – 1890 p.432-432b

1. He had considered all the reports from the Parish Priest and leaders of the town of Candijay, the community of leaders of Guindulman, as well as the opinion of the Father Provincial of the Recollects Fathers;

2. That despite having to release 623 households for the new parish, still a total of 1400 tributos would remain under the care of the mother-parish of Guindulman;

3. That he supported the evaluation gathered considering that the initiative would be “of great necessity for the better administration and progress of the town of Anda”.

4. That he would support the Bishop in his bid of obtaining Royal Approval for the erection of the new parish f Anda.

On April 27, 1883, the Bishop forwarded the petition to the Political Military Governor of Visayas in order to obtain Royal Approval.55

On May 1, 1883, the Political Military Governor of Visayan Islands transmitted the matter to the Director General of the Civil Administration, expressing his opinion that the petition be justly consider and attentively granted.56

On July 7, 1883, the Consejo de Administration (Council of Administration) of the Philippines Islands wrote a letter to Joaquin Jovellar, the Governor General of the Philippines (server from 1883-1885), the supreme Spanish Authority in the country. This Consejo de Administration was an advisory body, serving as Council of State, assisting the Governor General. Its members consisted of the Archbishop of Manila, the general second in command in the armed forces, the yntendente general de la hacienda (General Superintendent of the State) serving as head of the treasury department of the colony, the superiors of the religious orders, and other prominent people serving as advisers to the Governor General.57

The Consejo was evidently happy that the Royal regulations and institutional formalities had been fulfilled in the over-all process of consultation. Thus, an overwhelming support was expressed on the basis of the spiritual good of the faithful, claiming that the ultimate desire of the King of Spain was to make the Catholic religion the principal basis of the good of his governance.58

Therefore, without any doubt, Governor General Joaquin Jovellar, gave his full support and recommendation to the petition in his official letter No. 596, dated July 12, 1884 to the Ministerio de Ultramar (Ministry of the Overseas) in Spain, asking for the Royal Approval of his majesty, King Alfonso XII.59

Finally, the Ministry of the Colonies sent back to Governor General Joaquin Jovellar the final approval of the King in an official letter No. 228 dated January 6, 1885. After having ascertained the compliance of all the laws provided for in the Recopilacion de Leyes de las Indias (Compilation of the Laws of the Indies), particularly Rule no. 216, Title 6, Book V shich governed all the Spanish colonies, the King of Spain finally approved the petition endorsed by the Council of State gathered in plenum for the formal erection of the town of Anda as a new and independent parish. Copies of this letter were transmitted from the office of the Governor General in Manila, dated March 8, 1885 to the Bishop of Cebu, the Provincial of the Recollects, the Governor of Bohol among others.60

55 National historical Archives, Errecion de Pueblos-Bohol:1847-1890, p.433
56 National Historical Archives, Errecion de Pueblos-Bohol:1847-1890, p.434, 434b, 435.
57 Sonia Zaide, The Philippines: A Unique Nation, 2nd3d., All-Nations Publishing Co., Inc.: Quezon City, 1999, p. 204-205.
58 National Historical Archives, Errecion de Pueblos-Bohol:1847-1890, p.436,436b,437,437b.
59 National Historical Archives, Errecion de Pueblos-Bohol:1847-1890, p. 439-439b.
60 Sonia Zaide, The Philippines: A Unique Nation, 2nded., All-Nations Publishing Co., Inc.: Quezon City, 1999, p. 110,209.

3. final decree of canonical erection of Anda as a Parish

Owing to his proper authority over his ecclesiastical jurisdiction, Bishop Benito de Madridejos, OFM finally decreed on March 19, 1885 the formal canonical erection of Anda as a new independent parish. This Episcopal decree of canonical erection was transmitted to the Governor General Vice Royal Patron of the Philippine Islands, the general Superintendent of the estate as well as the Governor of the province of Bohol on March 23, 1885. 61 The said decree declared:

On this date I have decreed the following:

Having been approved by the Royal Order of July 12 [1884] and the concurrent superior decree of His Most Excellency the Governor General Vice Royal Patron of these islands regarding the actual creation of a parish in the town of Anda separating it from its mother-parish of Guindulman in the District of Bohol after investigation of the opportune petition requested by the interested parties and due to the necessity and convenience for which the said town is constituted into an independent parish, using the faculties vested upon us by the Sacred Canons and most especially by the Holy council of Trent in Chapter 4, Season 21 regarding reform which conforms with the Law No. 4, Title 6, Book 1 of the Compiled Laws of the Indies, we agree to erect and we canonically erect the town of Anda as an independent parish with the spiritual jurisdiction separating it from its mother-parish of Guindulman and assigning to this new parish the same boundaries that are followed civilly”.

I have the honor to transmit his to Your Excellency for your superior knowledge and consequent effects.

God be with Your Excellency from Cebu on this 19th day of March, 1885.

Bishop Benito

Anda’s Pioneer Spanish Priests

In every pueblo during the Spanish times, it was the cura parroco (parish priest) who was the real ruler, not the elected gobernadorcillo. He was the supercisor of local elections, the inspector of the schools, the arbiter of morals, and the censor of books and stage shows, and even the overseer of the local taxation. While some abusive Spanish friars gave Christianity and religion a bad name, called the frailocracia or the “rule of the friars”,62 many of them were real men of God, holy servants of the Church, and loyal legates of the Spanish crown.

61 National Historical Archives, Errecion de Pueblos-Bohol:1847-1890, p.440,440-b,441.
62 National Historical Archives, Errecion de Pueblos-Bohol:1847-1890, p.442,442b-443.

The first parish priest of Anda belonged to the religious congregation called the Augustinian-Recollects of the Recoletos.

The Recollects belong to the many and diverse groups following the rule of community life derived originally from the sermons and writings of Saint Augustine (354-430). In 256, Pope Alexander IV (Pope from 1254-1261) imposed the Augustinian rule on several religious communities in central Italy that lacked common rules. From the consolidation of these congregations arose the great order of mendicant friars called the Augustinian Friars or Augustinian Hermits, now popular called the order of St. Augustine (O.S.A). Augustinian Friars renounced possessions and lived by the aims they received. However, some Augustinian communities started to neglect the strict observance of their discipline at times; in consequence, the order was reformed. In 1588, a Portuguese friar at the order introduced a more severe rule, which included the discarding of shoes. Those congregations accepting this rule was called “discalced friars” or “barefoot friars”. This branch of Augustinian order was made a province in 1602v, and was declared an independent religious Order in 1912. Now, they are called the order of the Augustinian-Recollects (O.A.R).63

The first missionaries that began their stable work of evangelization in the Philippines were those of the order of St. Augustine. The Augustinian Fathers, led by Fray Andres de Urdaneta (1508-1568), built their first church in Cebu in 1565, during the first successful colonialization of the archipelago by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi.64 Following the Augustinians were the Franciscans in 1577, the Jesuits in 1581, the Dominicans in 1587, the Recollects in 1606, and the Benedictines in 1985.65

The Jesuits were the first missionaries to formally the Christianize Bohol in 1985. The Jesuits were members of the Society of Jesus Founded in 1534 by St. Ignatius of Loyola, and approved by Pope Paul III in 1540. They put up their missions in the twelve (12) towns of Baclayon, Tagbilaran, Loboc, Loon, Malabojoc (now Maribojoc), Jagna, Inabanga, Talibon, Dauis, Malabago, (now Cortes), Loay and Dimiao.66 However, Charles III, king of Spain (1759-1788), expelled the Jesuits from all the Spanish colonies. The Jesuits’ devotion to the papacy called the forth opposition from the nationalistic rulers, and their zeal for ecclesiastical reform antagonized the clergy. In fact, all other countries in Europe expelled them, and influenced Pope Clement XIV to issue a papal bull to suppress the order in 1773. The Society was restored internationally in 1814, but the Jesuits returned to the Philippines only in 1859.

So when the Jesuits were expelled from the Philippines in 1768, their territories in Bohol were turned over the Augustinian Recollects. The number of towns in Bohol increased from 12 during the Jesuit period to 33 under the administration of the recollects; and Anda was among latter. Because of the Philippine Revolution in 1898 against Spain, the Recollects left their parishes. Early in the 20th century, particularly in 1902, because of the persistent request from the Boholanos, the Bishops of Cebu sent the Recollects back to Bohol. Thus, the towns of Anda, Candijay, Clarin, Duero, Guindulman and the new town of Mabini were under the administration of the Recollects until 1937.67

63Matthew Bunson, ed, Our Sunday Visitor’s Catholic Almanac 2000, Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, Inc., Indiana, 2000, p.481
64Sonia Zaide, the Philippines: A Unique, 2nd ed, All Nations Publishing Co., Inc.: Quezon Cit, 1999,p.88
65Sonia Zaide, the Philippines: A Unique, 2nd ed, All Nations Publishing Co., Inc.: Quezon Cit, 1999,p.110
66Regalado Trota Jose, Visita Iglesia Bohol: A Guide to historic Churches, National Commission for culture and the Arts, Manila, 2001,p.1.

According to official records in extant baptismal registers, the following were the pioneering priest of Anda from its erection in 1885, up to time when all the Recollects left in 1937:

All in all, there were eighteen (18) Spanish priests in Anda from 1885 to 1937. There is no way to tell if they served in their capacity as duly appointed parish or not. Their names are here recorded because of the relative length of time they spent in the Parish.

Fr. Julian Cisneros was Anda’s first Parish Priest who served for more than three (3) years. Fr. Luis Lorente was the last recollect priest who served for almost three (3) years before the parish was finally turns over to the diocesan priest under the Diocese of Cebu. Fr. Carlos Ortuoste was the longest serving Spanish Pastor who served Anda for almost ten (10) years.

The post-hispanic parish priest under the Archdiocese of Cebu

In the year 1937, the Augustinian-Recollect Fathers turned over the reins of Anda to the diocesan clergy of the Diocese of Cebu, under the administration of most Rev. Fr. Gabriel Martelino Reyes, D.D. (bishop of Cebu from 1932-1950). In 1934, the diocese of Cebu was elevated into an archdiocese; hence Bishop Reyes was made an Archbishop. The following priest served Anda when it still belonged to the Diocese of Cebu:

Diocesan Parish Priest Under the Diocese of Tagbilaran

While Fr. Heruela was parish priest, the Diocese of Tagbilaran was created into a separate diocese from Cebu. On November 8, 1941, Pope Pius XVII, in his apostolic constitution In sublimi Petri Cathedra, divided the vast archdiocese of Cebu, creating the Diocese of Tagbilaran and making it a suffragan of the ecclesiastical province of Cebu. The first Bishop was Msgr. Julio R. Rosales (Bishop of Tagbilaran from 1946-1950) who was appointed only after the end of World War II. Henceforth, Boholano clergy administered the Parish Rev. Fr. Heruela stayed for two years more to his transitional administration. Ever since the Diocese of Tagbilaran was erected, the following priests served Anda:

Priest under the Diocese of Talibon

On January 9, 1986, the province of Bohol was divided into two (2) dioceses upon the creation of the new Diocese of Talibon by Pope John Paul II, with Initial 23 Parishes, including Anda. On September 6, 1986, the most Reverend Christian Vicente Fernandez Noel, D.D was designated as first bishop of Talibon up to this day. He was installed on December 3, 1986.

Fr. Jose Morata, who by birth was from Cortes – of the mother-diocese of Tagbilaran-opted to be a part of new Diocese of Talibon. Hence, Fr. Pepe, as he was fondly called, continued to serve Anda to earn the Honor as the longest serving pastor for almost eleven (11) years. The following have served Anda since the creation of the new Diocese of Talibon up to the present:

source: andabohol.gov.ph