Brief historical background of Bontoc

(First of 3 parts from historical archives)

Despite its superiority in arms, the Spanish garrison of Bontoc was the target of attacks launched by defiant Igorots wanting to maintain their independence. Governor General Primo de Rivera a decreed an ultimatum to all independent tribes to submit to Spain before April 1, 1891, which resulted in an uprising staged by villagers of Bontoc on May 9 of the same year. Armed only with bolos, spears, head axes and shields the Bontoc warriors beset the garrison killed nine Spanish soldiers, and wounded many more. After setting fire to the buildings, the warriors fled to the mountains with enemy heads and other spoils to celebrate their victory despite the loss of some 70 lives among their own men. A bigger uprising in December 1884 in protest of new tribute regulations was aborted by the Commandancia using paid spies among the Bontocs.
    In August 13, 1898, the Americans defeated the Spaniards in Manila. The Bontoc garrison, which became a refuge for retreating Spanish soldiers and missionaries, was finally taken over by Bontoc warriors on September 3, 1898, aided by the revolutionary forces of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo who himself was seeking refuge in the Cordillera from the American troops. However, that victory was short-lived due to the immediate setup of the U.S. military government under Gen. Arthur MacArthur as governor general and occupied the archipelago including the Cordillera driving Aguinaldo to Ifugao and finally to Palanan, Isabela where he was captured on March 23, 1901.
Bontoc was part of the Lepanto-Bontoc administrative province in 1903, which was later divided in 1918 into three sub provinces of Bontoc, Lepanto and Amburayan. Each sub province was headed by a governor.
    During the U.S. occupation, the Philippine Commission passed Act No. 1870 in 1920, which organized the Mountain Province. The new province consisted of seven former commandancias as sub provinces, with Bontoc as its capital.
    During World War 11, the Japanese occupied Bontoc on June 1942 until the end of the war in September 1945. During the occupation, Dr. Hilary Clapp, one of the first educated Igorots was appointed governor. Bontoc suffered heavily during the retaking of the U.S. troops.
Pre-Spanish and Spanish Period
    The Spaniards came to colonize the Philippines and taught Christianity among the people. Most of their activities were concentrated in Manila, Central Luzon and in Visayas. The discovery of the settlements in this mountain region was because of the search for gold by these colonizers. Spanish colonists launched their first expedition in 1574 to survey the gold deposits of Northern Luzon. They failed in their expedition but because of their desire for gold, it kept them coming back in spite of their fierce reception of the native settlers.
    In 1620, Captain Garcia de Aldana Cabrera led a troop to offer the Igorots reconciliation and friendship in exchange for the Igorots submission to Spanish rule acceptance of Christianity, and payment of one-fifth of all the gold they mined sent to the King of Spain (Scott 1974). However, the Igorots declined Cabrera’s proposal saying they did not need any of what they offered. Intimidated at discovering what kind of fighters the Igorots were, and after three months of staying in the mountain, he failed in his attempt to appease with his terms so he hopelessly went back to the lowlands with every little gold in his possession.
    An expedition followed in February-July, 1624 composed of 1,748 Spaniards, Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese, Mexicans, and 500 Ilocanos. This was led by Captain Alonzo Martin Quirante. His group was able to return with 5.6 tons of ore which were sent to Mexico for gold concentration testing. Due to high cost of the project and the casualties, the projects have done the Royal Audencia proposed to abolish the project and the Spanish forces were thereafter pulled.
    After 17 years, (1641) two Spanish missionaries reached the Igorot region but again failed to establish a settlement. In 1663, another military expedition was sent to explore but it only reached as far as Benguet. In 1667, an expedition led by the Governor-General himself Diego de Salcedo was able to arrive in Kayan in Lepanto where the Spanish troops camped. They continued exploring 150 other villages including Mainit, where most of the operations were made. Kayan and other villages were deserted by the Spaniards after two years of unproductive explorations and no subsequent expeditions were ever launched in the Cordilleras for the same purpose in the next mm200 years.
    In 1831, A Spanish explorer Guillermo Galvez wanted to visit the Lepanto-Bontoc area for the first time after 200 years as this was not fully penetrated by the earlier expeditions. He launched an expedition in January 1-8, 1835 to the “Ibusaos” and “Guinanes”. He followed the Abra River in trail from Candon reaching as far as Mainit and back to the coast via Piddigan and Narvacan.
    Again in 1850, Guillermo Galvez and Antonio Hernandez, a mine engineer was sent back to Mountain Province and this time, they went into the territories of Lepanto, Bontoc and Kiangan. Some of the missionaries who went with the group remained in Bontoc and Lepanto trying to convert the hostile tribes but later left the mission due to overwhelming obstacles.
    The priest from neighboring Ilocos region made frequent visits to the mission. In 1852, Bontoc and Kambulo were the first generation to suffer the implementation of new 19th century policy of outright conquest and occupation to establish and re-establish Spanish authority or actually to collect tribute. In their formal expedition, people were intimidated by the display of arms and exploratory and exploratory expedition as well as smaller actions which have left their only traces in dull bureaucratic account in Manila. In 1857, a series of Commandancia Politico-Military were extended to the heights of the Cordillera and one was established in Bontoc.
    In June 24, 1858, the Bontoc District was established as an independent military command by virtue of a Royal Decree. At that time, there were already 10 Politico Military Commandancias in the Cordillera.
In 1859, the hostile people of these interior regions; Western Ifugao and Southern Kalinga were finally subdued and a commandancia was established in Bontoc with a Spanish Garrison. With the trade relations between the Igorots and the Lowlanders, many Ilocanos came to Bontoc to settle their families. Among the early immigrants were Vicente Galo, Juan Balagtas, Miguel Balinag and others. Some of them intermarried with the Bontocs.
    In February-March, 1868 joint military forces under Commandant Juan Alvarez, Montero, and Gonzales-Montero of Bontoc, Lepanto and Isabela respectively spent 40 days subjugating Kiangan, Hapaom, Mayoyao, Bunhian, AhinSilipan(Alimit) and Banaue. In June 30, 1875, the Civil Guards in Bontoc waged an expedition towards the Kalinga border of Bontoc. In December of the same year, all commandants admitted the need for the missionary work in the taming the pagans so a Royal Decree was issued for the purpose of evaluating the local condition in the colony.
    The Bontoc Commandant assaulted Barlig in 1886 due to the killing of a Talubin man and Samoki woman. However, the commandant’s troops were wiped out and only three were saved. Lieutenant Mendicota followed after with a larger force only to come back with only seven heads from hid troops remaining.
    A royal decree was issued by Governor General Primo de Rivera in January 14, 1881 requiring all independents tribes to submit to the Spanish Government by April 1 of the same year. This decree was first enforced to the Bontoc area hence, 6,000 Bontoc were already paying an annual vassalage fee of 12   centavo voluntarily and with out pressure.
    On February 3, 1881, Father Rufino Redondo arrived from Lepanto. He handed out free clothing and held a mass for the first time in Bontoc. He explained the Royal Decree that provided, “The Mountaineers live in town proper”. It further required that “Whenever the natives visits their official centers, they must appear in breeches and coats”. This decree caused vigorous protest not only from the Bontoc Igorots but also from the neighboring towns. Not long after, an uprising was led by the people of Sagada and was joined by their neighboring towns.
In anger, the Igorots killed the Spanish soldiers, burned and destroyed their garrison and properties. Because of this, the government sent more Spanish troops whom were better armed and burned the town with the help of tribal enemies of Bontoc.
    When the Bontoc people learned of the enforced submission of the people to Spanish sovereignty, they attacked local allies in May 9, 1881, where they lured the troops on duty and burning a lowlander’s house, then killed four (4) of them outright and wounded many. Five died afterwards, and they seized the Remington rifles, 80 cows and all the bacon and liquor in the store house.
    They put fire in all the buildings and took to the hills the four heads to celebrate in spite of some 70 people lost on their side. On May 1886, an expedition was sent by the Spaniards to punish the Bontoc for assaulting Lepanto. They were however pardoned.
     The town name of Bontoc, Mountain Province in the Philippines was not known during the Spanish regime until 1887 when it was established as the seat of the district. Bontoc was made headquarters of the Commandancia Politico-Militar de Bontoc, subordinate to Politico Military District of Lepanto in January 1857. A Royal Order issued on June 24, 1858 created the District of Bontoc as an independent military command. It was one of the ten politico-military commandancias established in the Cordillera between 1847 and 1891 by the Spanish colonial government to gain political control over the independent tribes of the Igorots. Since its establishment in 1857 up to the withdrawal of the last commandant Commandante Xandaro in 1898, the Bontoc-based military command led or participated in at least ten punitive expeditions against the Spanish government.