Bridging the Gap
The 2nd coming of the Spaniards to the Visayas
When Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, commanding Spanish fleet, arrived in Samar on February 13, 1565, he immediately took possession of it and of the adjacent islands. He readily sent Juan de la Isla to scour the northern shores of Samar for anchorage but they were ambushed by the natives and one Spanish soldier was killed (Blair & Robertson, 1903-1909).
Due to the rejection in Samar, the Spaniards moved to Leyte and foraged for food. Then, they went to Limasawa expecting to be welcomed there only to find the place deserted except for one native who burned his hut and shouted defiance for the foreigners. From there, they sailed to Bohol and had a blood compact with Rajah Katuna. They proceeded to Camiguin where they were fired at by Moro traders. Then they decided to drop anchor off Cebu on April 27, 1565 (McCarthy, 1943).
In Cebu, Legaspi made a declaration of pardon for those who killed Fernao Magalhaes (Magellan) and his men in 1521. Cebu's chieftain, Rajah Tupas, however put armed resistance and the Spaniards burned their village. In one of the houses, a Spaniard found the image of the Holy Child Jesus. This image was earlier given by Magalhaes to Rajah Humabon and his wife after they were baptized in the Catholic faith. A church was then built by the Spaniards in honor of the image (Rodriguez, 1965). Together with the church, Legaspi established a Spanish town. On it was built a triangular shaped fort or casa fuerte and a few houses for living quarters. It was formally constituted on May 8, 1565 and was called San Miguel by the Spaniards (McCarthy, 1943).
Meanwhile, Rajah Tupas, after sending peace feelers to the Spaniards finally came to the Spanish camp in June 1565. Speaking through a Spaniard who knew Malay and a Moro who spoke Malay and Cebuano, Rajah Tupas and Legaspi drew and ratified an agreement between them. The main points of of the treaty were Legaspi forgave what the Cebuanos did in the past to Magalhaes and his men, and, in return, the Cebuanos were to recognize Spanish sovereignty and to pay a small tribute for the protection which the Spaniards would provide to the town and its people. Tupas and other members of his family were also converted to Catholicism (Blair & Robertson, 1903-09).
The main problem of the Spaniards from the very first time they set foot in Cebu was food. The master-of-camp, Mateo del Saz, sailed from island to island to trade and get as much food as they could. Almost always there was not enough. In 1566, however, he came to Panay where they were able to get plenty of rice (McCarthy, 1943). They happily went back to Cebu and informed their companions about the place.
All the time that they were in Cebu, the Spaniards had been worried about the Portuguese. There were rumors about their presence around the vicinity of Cebu and Legaspi had began to be apprehensive about their movement. Finally, the Portuguese fleet came to Cebu in November 1566 (Blair and Robertson, 1903-09). Then they warned the Spaniards not to stay in Cebu or anywhere else in the Philippines. The Portuguese then initiated a long blockade of Cebu, determined to starve the Spaniards out.
When the Portuguese finally lifted their siege in January 1569, they left many threats to the Spaniards. The long siege inflicted on the Spanish camp made them to decide to move to a place of safety. It was done with the utmost secrecy (Rodriguez, 1965). No mention was made of it in writing until after it was an accomplished fact. The transfer to Panay was done in the early part of 1569 and it was just not for safety or refuge. More than anything else it was because Panay had plenty of food than the other islands of the Visayas.