Father Agustin de la Peña was the acting Ecclesiastical Governor of the Diocese of Jaro (Iloilo) in 1899-1900. He was detained by the Americans for being a financier of the revolution, and water-cured by Company D 26th Infantry USV. A primary evidence found on his cossack was a letter to parish priests authorizing them to contribute church money to Gen. Martin Delgado y Bermejo who he said was residing in Cabatuan, Iloilo (see below). He succumbed to the water cure on the night of December 8, 1900, and was buried immediately in the parade ground in Banate. The news of his death reached the U.S. Senate in 1902, and an official investigation was made (see below).
LETTER OF FATHER AGUSTIN DE LA PEÑA TO PARISH PRIESTS
DUMANGAS,
In view of the grave reasons and causes as stated by Martin Delgado, the politico-military governor residing in Cabatuan, general in chief of the army of Panay, and bearing in mind the great responsibility before God of the alienation of the revenues of the church which are entrusted to our care—for you are aware of the canons relating to the same — nevertheless, depending on the benignity of the church, and desiring to avoid the unhappy contingencies that may arise for these pueblos, and believing that you are of the same opinion, I authorize each of you, at the request of the politico-military governor of this province, to turn over to him as a loan the sum of 80 pesos, except the parishes of Zarraga, Leganes, Mina, Banate, Anilao, Barotac Viejo, and Mandurriao, which will, in the case of each, turn over 50 pesos. These sums will be deducted from the revenues of the churches that you administer, and will be turned over to the said politico-military governor, Martin Delgado. You will enter in an account book the amount so delivered, and you will be given, when the opportunity offers, a receipt for the same.
Please circulate this with all precautions to prevent its loss, after copying the same.
May God guard you many years.
PADRE AUGUSTIN DE LA PEÑA.
Entered and copied.
Santa Barbara, November 10, 1899.
PADRE PRAXEDES MAGALONA.
Entered and copied.
Zarraga, November 11, 1899.
PADRE APURA.
Entered and copied. Sent to San Miguel.
Paria2, November 12, 1899.
PADRE MANSUETO ZABALA.
Entered and copied. Although this small church finds itself without funds, I send 20 pesos of my own to General Delgado, as the petty income does not even cover the most necesssary expenses. Sent to Alimodian.
San Miguel, November 13, 1899.
PADRE TOMAS PALMES.
Entered and copied. Although this church finds itself without funds, I sent 25 pesos of my own to General Delgado, as the petty income does not even cover the most necessary expenses.
Alimodian, November 14, 1899.
PADRE RAMON AMPARO.
Entered and copied in the book per orders. I will send to the honorable general in chief, politico-military governor of Panay, the sum of 40 pesos, all that this church at present possesses, promising to remit the balance of 80 pesos in small installments as this church finds itself in funds.
Maasin, November 14, 1898.
PADRE MARCELO ESPINOSA.
1 This should be November 8, 1899 as indicated by the sequence of the receipts which were Nov 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14, 1899.
1 The correct date, November 8, 1899, is mentioned in smith-1902dec11.
2 Must be Pavia, Iloilo.
ACTING BISHOP, JARO (ILOILO) DIOCESE
FROM TAYLOR, VOLUME II
In Panay, material aid was given to the insurgent cause by the native priests.
By the fall of 1898 the Spanish priests in Panay had fled or been captured, and their native coadjutors and assistants had succeeded to their places and endeavored to exercise the same influence over the conduct of temporal affairs which their predecessors had been able to maintain. They hoped to maintain unimpaired every power and every prerogative which the men whose places they had taken had ever exercised. Whatever they did so or not, depended largely on the ability of the priest. If he was a strong man he kept his influence over the people; if not, he probably lost power very rapidly.
The Spanish bishop of Jaro, in Iloilo Province, had taken refuge in Manila, leaving a native priest named Agustin de la Peña as administrator of the diocese. The correspondence of the bishop with him (P. I. R., 1120.1) shows the desire of this able native priest to rule, and rule alone, but without breaking with the church. He saw that he had to be on good terms with the insurgents whose success meant his continuance in power and influence, while to maintain his status of legality in the Roman Catholic Church, he had to remain on good terms with his bishop. The bishop, on his side, had to remain content with a mere shadow of control; for, conditions being what they were, he must have feared to strain to the breaking point the weakened bonds of ecclesiastical discipline. The letters of the bishop of Jaro to his administrator are full of complaints that the priests were abandoning their work, that they were working for personal advantage and for political supremacy rather than for the good of the souls entrusted to their care. His administrator tried to be on good terms with all parties; but although toward the end he went over more openly to the insurgent cause, it was not found safe to dispossess him of his ecclesiastical dignity. All of his influence was exerted against the return of his ecclesiastical superior from Manila, a return which would have reduced him to a subordinate position, and which would have forced an open rupture which he was capable enough to foresee and to desire to avoid.
Signing as ecclesiastical governor of the province, Father Agustin appointed parish priests, and informed the heads of the pueblos that they were to show them the honor and grant then the preeminence which were due them. On November 10, 1899 he asked General Smith, the military governor for the United States in the island of Negros, to release a priest whom he has ordered into confinement. He stated that he, the ecclesiastical administrator of the diocese of Jaro, well knew that ecclesiastic should take no part whatever in political matters; he had charge the priests under his control to steadfastly adhere to this rule
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of action as he did himself, and closed his letter by informing General Smith that as the confinement of the priest was doubtless due to his having violated this precept, he would, himself, impose the just punishment upon him (P. I. R., 1120.2).
It is not probable that General Smith released this priest to him; if he did, the punishment he gave him for this offense could not have been a heavy one. An interesting light upon the character and methods of this ecclesiastic and of his clergy, is cast by contemporary documents. In October, 1899 (P. I. R., 1010.4), the people of the town of Leon petitioned General Delgado, commanding in Panay, to send them a religious and patriotic priest as the incumbent of the parish, Gervasio Gallofin, a secular priest, undoubtedly a native, was engaging in commercial transactions, would not hear confessions, overcharged his parishioners for the performance of the rites of the church, kept a mistress who belonged to an objectionable family, refused to permit the tolling of the bell when men were dying, and was in the habit of raping young girls in his parish house. Delgado referred the matter to Agustin de la Peña, ecclesiastical administrator of the diocese of Jaro, for him to decide what should be done in the matter. Of course the man may not have been guilty, but such charges are not made lightly against a priest in that country. Father Agustin's reply is contained in his letter-sent book (P. I. R., 1120.2). It was:
To the priest serving at Alimodian:In many places the priests acted as spies for the guerrillas. They lived in towns occupied by American detachments and their official character was such that they were not interferred with except for grave reasons. They found out more quickly than other men what the American plans were, and could send, and according to the record they did sometimes send, warning of the approaching departure of a small body from the town, and designated a suitable place for ambushing them. In November, 1899, the priest of Calinog directed that drugged "tuba," a native drink, should be given to three American soldiers, stragglers from a column. Under its influence they became unconscious and their arms were taken. When they awoke and started to look for them they were murdered (P. I. R., 1010.2).
In punishment of the disobedience of the presidente of Leon and of the other signers of the document submitted to our authority by the same, a document directed against the Priest Don Gervasio Gallofin, it is forbidden to celebrate religious services in the church of Leon without our knowledge.
God keep you many years.
THE ECCLESIASTICAL GOVERNOR.
DUMANGAS, November 3, 1899.
Being men of peace and of great influence in the community, their most important aid to the insurrection was given as collectors of funds and supplies for the army, a duty to which they were appointed in July, 1899 (P. I. R, 1010.1) . But although they were willing to use their influence to persuade other men to contribute
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largely from their possessions, they had no desire to use the church funds for this purpose, and in Panay, as elsewhere, an interminable controversy went on concerning them.
In July, 1899, Agustin de la Peña issued a circular letter to the priests of his diocese warning them that they must resist the attempt of many revolutionary leaders to take possession of the church property and of the registers of marriages and births kept in the sacristies. These things, he said, belonged to the church absolutely and were under the charge of the bishop, for although civil officials were bound to act as protectors of the church, they had no right to interfere in its administration. The penalty for taking possession of such things was excommunication, and men who did it rendered themselves liable to that punishment. But in spite of this, and in spite of the orders of Aguinaldo dated Malolos, October 26, 1898, stating that church fund should remain in the hands of the parish priests, they were seized by the local presidentes and turned over to the military commanders to be used for expenses of the war. Finally the administrator of the diocese of Jaro changed his mind, and in November, 1899, ordered (P. I. R., 1120.4) that at least a part of the funds of nine churches under his control should be delivered to Martin Delgado, military governor for the insurgents, to meet the expense of maintaining his troops, In December, 1899, he wrote to the bishop of Jaro that the funds of certain churches of the diocese had been made away with, which was true; but he did not mention that the responsible person was himself. Later he had blanks prepared to be used by insurgent leaders in receipting for church funds —
loaned to them under directions of Agustin de la Peña, ecclesiastical administrator of the diocese of Jaro (P.I.R., 1010.9).taylor-07-panay.html#405
