BRIDGING THE GAP
Early Baptist workers in Western Visayas
Before the first official ordination of Philippine Baptist pastors in 1906, there was already a great number of Filipino and Filipina Baptists who were active in cultivating the Protestant faith, especially in Western Visayas. Among those who had already carved a name for themselves in the evangelical mission were Braulio Manikan, the first Filipino preacher who was from Capiz; a certain Piementel, a Tagalog who lived in Barotac; Ambrosio Velasco, a haciendero from Negros Occidental; Vicente Doronila, a former prisoner at Fort San Pedro in Iloilo City; Hilario Castillo; Pascual Araneta; and a good number of women workers known as "Bible Women".
The "Bible Women" became active in the Protestant proselytization in various ways. According to Rev. H.W. Munger (1990), they were serving both as teachers and evangelists. Their tasks included house to house visitation and personal evangelism, as well as Christian education. They organized Sunday Schools in rural communities and zealously taught children about Jesus and the Bible. Despite open prejudices against them by the Catholic majority, they preached in public areas, such as the plazas and the markets. They also taught other women in the rural areas how to read the Bible that was translated into Hiligaynon and simple cottage industries.
As a whole, the "Bible Women" turned out to be more earnest, faithful, and diligent in their work than their male counterparts, according to Munger. Perhaps, this can be attributed to the fact that they were trained earlier than men in missionary training school beginning in 1904. Thus, they were, in effect, also considered as pastors and contributed greatly to the growth of local Baptist churches by their zeal in teaching young people and in their enthusiasm in inviting others to attend church services.
The early Filipino Baptist pastors, often referred to as "native preachers" by the American missionaries, were principally responsible in the propagation of the gospel, church planting, and in translating the English Bible into Hiligaynon. They involved themselves in preaching the gospel even in places outside the church, such as the streets and the market places. They also served as interpreters when they traveled with the American missionaries in visiting places.
It was noted that the early Philippine Baptist pastors were skillful in organizing people and in expounding on the Scriptures (Jalando-on, 2003). within a short period of time they had planted several churches solely on the financial support and initiative of the local inhabitants. These churches became known to American missionaries and were later visited by them and who were generally surprised to see that Baptist churches had already grown without their involvement and financial assistance. They also distributed Hiligaynon Bibles as well as religious tracts and hymnals in remote places not reached by the American missionaries.
As a recognition of their invaluable contribution and their admirable zeal in spreading the Gospel in Western Visayas, the first batch of Filipino pastors were ordained in 1906. This was after six years of Baptist Mission in the Philippines. The American missionaries decided to ordain eight Filipino Baptist pastors in Panay and Negros based on character and performance such as successful preaching and teaching of the Gospel. However, the recommendation in the same year to ordain Filipina workers was rejected by the Baptist Board in the United States. Women, at that point of time, were considered not qualified for ordination (Briggs, 1907).
The original batch of ordained Filipino Baptist pastors was later on followed by more qualified individuals. Although these "native preachers" and "splendid workers" were well regarded by the American missionaries, it is sad to note that their complete names and address could not be found in American printed documents.