Bridging the Gap
The first Spanish settlements in Panay
Due to the Portuguese threat in Cebu, Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, leader of the Spanish expedition to the Philippines in 1565, transferred his stronghold to Panay in the latter part of 1569. He believed that resistance against the Portuguese could be better in Panay than in Cebu. He foresaw that the enemy could easily block the entrance to the port of Cebu and starve the Spanish soldiers in it. In Panay, the situation was different. The Spaniards had a better chance of defending themselves or of fleeing from the enemy. Easy access to the interior part of the island made it a dependable hideout for the Spaniards in case of an attack. Besides, there was plenty of food in Panay compared to Cebu where they experienced starvation.
When the Spaniards first arrived in Panay, they were met by the natives with apparent hostility. With the assistance of the Spanish Augustinian missionaries, F. Martin de Rada and Fr. Juan de Alva, they explained to the natives that they had come as friends, not as enemies. The Spaniards were able to befriend the inhabitants who later accepted the presence of the former in their communities. The Spaniards then established what is claimed as the first Spanish settlement in Panay--the town of Pan-ay--and the second in the Philippines after San Miguel, Cebu (There are scholars who believe that Oton or Ogtong might be the first Spanish settlement in Panay).
Nevertheless, the Portuguese still were able to trace the whereabouts of the Spaniards in Panay. In fact, they were able to demolish with their artillery the garrisons put up by the Spaniards for their defense along the coast of the island. Pereira, the Portuguese commander, then blockaded the entrance to the settlement of the Spaniards in an attempt to starve the Spaniards whom they accused of theft and robbery of that which rightfully belonged to the king of Portugal. The Portuguese laid siege in Panay for nearly three months. At the end of the period, they lifted the blockade and left.
After the Portuguese had left, the Spaniards pushed into the interior of the island by following the course of the Pan-ay River. In this way, they were able to obtain a supply of rice that was sufficient for their needs. They also reached some unexplored sections of the Capiz area officially recognizing settlements in Dumarao, Dumalag, Ibahay and Batan (Batang). On its part, Kalibo (now the capital of the province of Aklan) was established by Fr. Andres de Aguirre, an Augustinian missionary and a contemporary of Legaspi.
Eventually, Panay was divided into different encomiendas or politico-economic administrative units. To each one was assigned a Spaniard known as encomendero who was tasked "to protect and educate the natives under his charge, to safeguard their welfare and happiness, and to aid the missionaries in the propagation of Christianity" (Zaide, 1950). The seat of the Spanish colonial government in Panay was in Oton in Iloilo but was later transferred to Arevalo, Iloilo, and eventually, to the town of Iloilo due to the Moro and Dutch attacks.
The encomiendas were supposed to be provided with facilities necessary for the maintenance of the general health and welfare of the people. However, in many cases, these encomiendas became as easy excuse for the encomenderos to enrich themselves at the expense of the people and to abuse the latter. The encomiendas, in the end became synonymous with the scandalous neglect of the well-being of the people. In fact, in the final analysis, the encomienda system introduced by the Spaniards in the Philippines was one of the root causes of various uprisings that culminated in the armed revolution of 1896.