Sabtang, Philippines

History

The Spanish missionary, Father Artiquez, first visited the island of Sabtang in 1786 after receiving an affirmative response from the islanders to learn about the Christian faith. The success of the first visit led to two more evangelical trips resulting in the baptism of 181 children and the study of catechism among the adult natives. The evangelization of Sabtang was cut short due to the failing health of the Spanish missionaries. For this, the inhabitants of Sabtang remained faithful to old traditions, especially in the administration of justice by vendetta and murder.

In 1791, the then most powerful chief in Sabtang named Aman Dangat showed defiance of the government of Governor Joaquin del Castillo by killing the Spanish soldiers who went to Sabtang to procure supplies. Lieutenant Tomas Nuñez led the troops to capture the rebels. Aman Dangat was put on trial and allegedly admitted to the crime. While a religious Spanish recorder later claimed that Aman Dangat asked to be baptized, there is no evidence to substantiate this assertion. The inhabitants of Sabtang were then forced to resettle in San Vicente and San Felix in Ivana to be better controlled by the Spanish colonizers.

From the History section of Sabtang on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.