Presbyterian Protestantism in the City and Province of Cebu from 1901-1938 P Emelio S. Pascual Abstract Claiming that the acquisition of the Philippines by the United States wasa sign from God, the different Protestant groups, without delay, organized evangelical missions to the Islands. To prevent competition among themselves, the different American denominations in the Philippines signed a Comity Agreement and divided the Philippine provinces according to particular mis- sionary fields. Together with the Baptists, the Presbyterians were assigned to work in the Visayas. Deciding to concentrate on the Island of Cebu, Presbyterianism then became the main form of American Protestantism introduced to the Cebuanos before the outbreak of World War IL. Initially concentrating their activities within the City of Cebu, the Presbyterian missionary work eventually fanned throughout the entire Island. At the close of 1938, almost every town in the Island had a congregation and a chapel with the biggest number of churches and congregations in the city. Besides the direct methods of introducing the gospel to the local popu- lace, the Presbyterians employed various approaches, like medi- cal missions, training Cebuano speaking pastors, establishing student dormitories and student centers, as well as working with the ethnic minorities (Chinese and Europeans) of Cebuano so- ciety. After more the three decades of missionary work in the City and Island of Cebu, the Presbyterian missionaries have made a permanent imprint in the religious landscape of Cebu. Never-276 The Journal of History - Volume XLIX Numbers 1-4 + January — December 2003 theless, the number of Presbyterian Protestants remained a mere 0.06% of the entire population in Cebu in 1938. The Presbyte- rian congregations and churches have endured the test of time, therefore making them one among the more tangible results of American colonialism in Cebu. Introduction The onset of American colonial rule signaled the beginning of a new era in the Philippines. The nearly halfa century of American colo- nial rule brought about changes in a-society that was once predomi- nated by Hispanic and Catholic ways. Among these were the introduc- tion of the American government and political system and the estab- lishment of a public school system. And then, the Filipinos were also initiated to a variant of Christianity, American Protestantism. As soon as the Philippines became part of the American body of geographic knowledge, the American Protestant churches lost no time in plotting out moves to start missionary work in what was formerly the exclusive bastion of the Spanish Catholic Church. For them it was imperative to accept the missionary challenge, fulfill their nation’s manifest destiny, and purify the Christian beliefs of the Filipinos. The pioneer groups of missionaries arrived in the Philippines in 1899, Among them were, the Baptists, the United Brethren in Christ, the Disciples of Christ, the Episcopalians, the Congregationalists, the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the Seventh Day Adventists, and the Presbyterians. To achieve unity of action in spreading the gospel, the various denominations organized spheres of influence to avoid the overlapping of jurisdiction. In this Comity Agreement among the different missionary groups, the Visayan Islands were assigned to both the Presbyterians and the Baptists. The Island of Cebu eventually fell under the jurisdiction of the Presbyterians. At the time Presbyterian missionary activities began in Cebu, Spanish Catholicism was well entrenched in the Island. Since 1565, the Augustinians, Jesuits, and the Recollects had worked vigorously to make Cebu a hub of the Roman faith. Cebu was a primary a reli-Pascual | Presbyterian Protestantism in Cebu from 1901-1938 277 gious center since Pope Clement VIII created the Diocese of Cebu in 1592. The Diocese, which included the whole Visayan region, Chris- tian Mindanao, Palawan, the Carolines, Marianas and Palau islands, was the largest in the country until 1865. At the close of the 19th century, there were 54 parishes all over the Island. More than that, the organization was not disturbed by any of the anti-clericalism or anti-friar sentiments, which were stronger in Manila and the Tagalog region. Cebu was not exactly an iJustrado center, and there was none of the intramural conflict between the regular clergy and the secular clergy. Proof to this is the case of Bishop Martin Garcia Alcocer, the last of the Spanish Bishops in Cebu. When the Spanish forces left Cebu for Zamboanga at the close of December, 1898, he stayed be- hind and felt safe about it. The American conquest of the key Visayan Islands and cities dur- ing the early stage of the Filipino-American hostilities cleared the way for missionary activities. A year later, the Iloilo mission station was opened by Reverend and Mrs. David S. Hibbard D. D. and Reverend and Mrs. J. Andrew Hall M.D. The mission station in Dumaguete later followed as soon as arrangements were finalized for the pur- chase of the land where a Trade and Agricultural school (now Silliman University) was to be built. In this way, the three-fold approach of Presbyterian missionary work was inaugurated ~ evangelism, medi- cal, and student work. The other mission fields or stations of the Pres- byterians, in due course, followed this system. The arrival of more missionaries and volunteers eventually in- tensified Presbyterian missionary activities in other parts of the ar- chipelago. Cebu was opened in1902, Leyte and Albay in 1903, Tayabas in 1905, and Bohol in 1909, Immediately, the Presbyterian missionaries began their soul-win- ning activities. The initial impact was not encouraging, as the major- ity of Cebuanos remained Roman Catholic. But, undaunted, their endeavor continued with increasing intensity. In time, their efforts were gradually rewarded as Cebuanos joined the new flock in rela- tively greater numbers. Presbyterian Protestantism, like the educa- tional system, is one of the most tangible results of the American presence in the Philippines.278 The Journal of History - Volume XLIX Numbers 1 - 4 - January — December 2003 This account of the establishment and growth of Presbyterian Prot- estantism in the City and Island of Cebu is limited to the period from 1902 to 1938. This was the time when the pioneer missionaries broke ground. The work of the other American Protestant denominations is not considered here for the reason that their work in the Island of Cebu occurred later, and intensified only after the Second World War. Presbyterian Protestantism in the City and province of Cebu The opening of the Cebu Mission Station by the Board of Foreign Missions of the United States of America in 1902 began amid the con- troversy and conflict of interest between the Presbyterians and the Northern Baptist Philippine Mission regarding the territorial divi- sion of the Visayan Islands. A year before the Evangelical Union was created and the Comity Agreement was signed, both Presbyterians and Baptists had opened stations in the Island of Panay. The former in January of 1900 and the latter on May 3 of the same year with the arrival of the first missionary to the Philippines, Reverend Eric Lund. For three long years, a tug-of-war existed between the Presbyterians and the Baptists. The Comity Agreement of 1901 did not necessarily resolve the conflict as it failed to designate the proper areas in the Visayan Islands for both Mission Boards to occupy. There was an unwritten and standing agreement among the missionaries themselves regarding the division of territory in Panay and Negros. The Baptist missionaries established themselves in Jaro, while the Presbyterians remained in Iloilo. The Island of Negros was also divided. The west- ern half went to the Baptists while the south went to the Presbyteri- ans. This, however, was not sanctioned by The Board of Foreign Mis- sions of the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America. The insistence of the Baptists to remain in Panay all the more convinced the Presbyterian Foreign Mission Board to occupy Cebu as well as Bohol, or else any pre-emption might make them lose an- other mission field. Unilaterally, the Philippine Mission was given instructions to occupy Cebu and Bohol. In the third quarter of 1902, Dr. J. Andrew Hall, M.D., of the Presbyterian Mission in Iloilo started preliminary work in Cebu andPascual | Presbyterian Protestantism in Cebu from 1901-1938 279 he was able to make arrangements with Mr. Colin Campbell, an En- glishman resident of Cebu to look after the Cebuano service until the regular missionaries arrived. However, Dr. Andrew Hall was not the first American Protestant missionary to enter Cebu. Mr. And Mrs. Stauton, American public school teachers who also served as mis- sionaries of the Episcopalian Church had begun work in the Island of Cebu as early as 1901. On the 13 day of September 1902, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Frederick Jansen arrived in Cebu City. The Jansens were the first official mis- sionary couple sent by the Philippine Mission to Cebu to open the Presbyterian Mission Station. The East Liberty Church in Pittsburgh sponsored the Cebu Mission Station. In the next fifteen years, the Jansens, with the aid of the other missionaries, would lay the founda- tions of Presbyterian Protestantism in the Island of Cebu. The Jansens were no doubt the most important moving force in the evangelical efforts of the Presbyterian Church. Angel Sotto, among one of the earliest converts and a Cebuano minister, referred later on to the couple as the “El Puente de Amor,” ( The Fountain of Love) and as the “Ang Taytayan sa Gugma’” (The Bridge of Love). The first regularly appointed missionary and ordained minister assigned to the Cebu Station was Reverend Alexander A. Pieters and his wife, who arrived in Manila in September 1902, and immediately sailed to Cebu to follow the Jansens. A Russian by birth, Pieters was assigned to the fourth mission station of the Presbyterians in the Phil- ippines to work primarily on the Cebuano dialect and translate por- tions of the New Testament. Previous to his Philippine assignment, Pieters had taught at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. Pieters, however, had no missionary experience before this. The start of the Presbyterian missionary work in the City and Island of Cebu was fraught with difficulties that often characterized the experience of any Protestant missionary in the Philippines. There was the difficulty in finding a proper house at a suitable location. Unable to get any house in the city proper, the Jansens and the Pieters were able to secure a house in the suburbs of San Nicolas. The house was rented from the heirs of Pascual Cala. Health problems also hin- dered missionaries from their work when Mr. Jansen was struck with280 The Journal of History - Volume XLIX Numbers 1 - 4 January — December 2003 dengue fever and Mrs. Pieters of typhoid fever after their arrival in Cebu. It was six weeks after their arrival until they were able to begin their missionary work proper. The first evangelical service for the Cebuanos was held near the end of October 1902 at the basement of the missionaries’ residence with five local residents in attendance. The services were held here till the second quarter of 1903. Three services were held weekly and the attendance was low and varied from twenty to forty. When the Protestants arrived in Cebu, they found a strong Catholic community conservative in their religious beliefs and, as one of the Protestant missionaries remarked, awed by the Catholic priesthood. In order for the missionary work to make any progress, drastic steps had to be taken to effect positive results. The missionaries admitted the difficulties that confronted them were intense. As Jansen described the Cebu situation: It is generally conceded that Cebu is the most intensely Catholic city in the archipelago; it has the seminary for the education of priests, another for nuns, two Jesuit colleges for young men and women, besides a number of parochial schools for children. We have never anywhere seen a people so absolutely awed by the priesthood as the Cebuanos, Pieters was of the same opinion who said that Catholicism is prob- ably stronger in Cebu than anywhere else in the Islands. There are three large churches here, a college with several boys and girls, a theological seminary, a printing press, a hospital, and the Bishop's palace. Jansen and Pieters also encountered strongly devout community officials of the Catholic Church who were determined to fend off any in-roads of anti-Catholic elements into the City, Island and Diocese of Cebu. The burden of defending Catholicism before the arrival of Bishop Alcocer's successor fell on Monsignor Pablo Singson, then Vicar General, and the Secretary of the Diocese, Monsignor Juan Gorordo.Pascual | Presbyterian Protestantism in Cebu from 1901-1938 281 Ever since the revolutionary upheaval of 1896, Singson had been the most vocal figure against the atrocities committed against the Catho- lic Church. He denounced the expulsion move against the friars, the confiscation and sequestration of church properties, and the indiffer- ence of the American authorities towards the plight of the church. The Catholic Church was in a fighting stance when the Presbyterians arrived. The church was seemingly prepared to repel any advance of Protestantism. In 1901, a group of Cebuano clergy, together with the Vincentian Rector of the Seminario de San Carlos, put out a Catholic newspaper Ang Kamatuoran. Obviously, its objectives were to offset the American Protestants and the Filipinistas. ‘The Cebuano Catholics were not only forewarned of Protestant- ism by the church officials but also by the revolutionary leader, Arcadio Maxilom. In his letter of appeal to the Cebuanos against the acceptance of American rule, he warned the people that the “children will not receive the Christian education which is found in the Philip- pines,” and that Protestantism would lead to the continuance of the corruption of Christian customs. Thus, the missionaries found themselves subjected to many forms of harassment. At the outset, there was the difficulty of renting a house or a hall to use for evangelical meetings. Either the rentals were too high or the place was not available for rent at all. This was a problem that was to hound the Presbyterian Mission Station in Cebu until they were able to put up their own buildings in 1913. Neighbors, family, relatives, and friends intimidated any citizen who appeared hospitable or open to collaboration with the Protestant missionar- ies. The forms of persecution included the stoning of the homes of the known Protestants. Some converts could not buy provisions from stores or shops. Protestant owners of stores lost their customers. Some were disowned and disinherited by their families. The missionary work took a major step forward when the Presby- terian Missionary was able to secure a public hall in a more accessible street at the center of the city. Before this, their moves were checked and they were under constant surveillance. The Cebuanos were suspi- cious of their activities. Landlords either said no or when the mission- aries were able to make initial arrangement to rent the place, the282 The Journal of History - Volume XLIX Numbers 1 - 4 - January — December 2003 landlords would renege on their agreements. They encountered the same problem in the rented hall. After signing a lease for one year and paying three months advance rent, the landlady offered to revoke the lease and return the advance in full plus two hundred pesos (P200.00) bonus. The Presbyterians refused the offer. It seemed obvious to the missionaries that the Roman Catholic authorities were responsible for this problem. With a temporary base for operations, the Cebu Station was able to go into full swing. Evangelical meetings were held everyday, except Mondays. The number of Cebuanos who attended the services and meetings increased steadily. About 40 members regularly attended Sunday school and two Christian Endeavor Societies were organized. Most promising among the converts were the women who took an active role in the open-air meetings, despite the constant threat of being stoned and other forms of harassment. Elizabeth Jansen re- ported that their doing so “lent courage to the men and aroused them to the right effort in the work.” As the simple evangelistic approach of Jansen and Pieters made very little progress, a new dimension to the missionary work was added — evangelism through medical services. On the 15" day of August 1903, Dr. and Mrs. Francis J. Purcell, M.D., arrived in Cebu to rein- force the Presbyterian Mission Station. The Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions in New York had approved the application of Dr. Purcell as a mission worker in Cebu even though he was a Baptist by affiliation. The Board of Foreign Missions believed that the presence of Dr. Purcell in Cebu could give a boost to missionary objectives through his medical services. Furthermore, he was familiar with the Island of Cebu as he once served as a surgeon of the U. S. Army's Medical Corps in Cebu. Dr. Purcell also took over the work of Rever- end Pieters who, since May 1903, had been transferred to the Dumaguete Mission Station. Dr. Purcell rented a room in a building in the center of the city for his dispensary where he treated patients. Copies of translated Bibles and tracts were distributed in the waiting room and a mission worker was always present to attract the interest of the patients. Doctor Purcell was successful in gaining the friendship of the people. Purcell'sPascual | Presbyterian Protestantism in Cebu from 1901-1938 283 dispensary also served as a chapel for Sunday services. III health com- pelled Doctor Purcell to resign after only nine months’ service. But his work at the Cebu Station was an immense help and gave the idea to the Presbyterians that medical work might do much for their mis- sion objective. In the roster of the ‘early Cebuano converts, there were two who figured most prominently as mission workers. One was a Spanish- mestizo by the name of Ricardo Alonzo. Not much is known about the early life of Alonzo, except that he came from an elite family, educated, and was a fiery and eloquent public speaker. Alonzo turned out to be the most outstanding Cebuano Presbyterian convert, evan- gelist, ordained minister and, later, prodigal son. Another was Angel Sotto, a cousin of Vicente Sotto. Only 17 years old, he worked for his cousin, Vicente Sotto, in the publication of Ang Suga. He would later transfer to a new publication, Ang Kaluwasan, published by another cousin, Filemon Sotto. Here he met a Tagalog colleague, Antonio Buenaventura, who invited him to attend a Protestant service in a house somewhere in San Nicolas. Angel Sotto attended Sunday evening service and heard Mrs. Jansen deliver a sermon in Spanish. He at- tended the service the following Sunday, with Mr. Jansen preaching and Vicente Sotto acting as interpreter. Eventually, Sotto became an active Presbyterian Protestant. Together with Alonzo, he was trained extensively and was given daily Bible instructions. Sotto and Alonzo proved to be invaluable to the Presbyterian Mission Station in Cebu. The early endeavors of Jansen and Pieters in the City of Cebu were also aided by the active collaboration of Vicente Sotto. Initially, Sotto manifested interest in the Presbyterian movement. He served as Jansen’s interpreter during the Sunday services and, together with his staff in the newspaper, translated portions of the New Testament and religious tracts into Spanish or Cebuano. Sotto also gave exposure to the work of Presbyterian missionaries in his newspapers and the clubs of which he was a member. Later Sotto began to lose interest and gradually withdrew his active support. This led Reverend Pieters to conclude that Sotto did not see any “political advantage” for him. Nevertheless, Sotto contributed considerably to the beginnings of the Presbyterianism in Cebu.284 The Journal of History - Volume XLIX Numbers 1 - 4+ January - December 2003 The work outside of Cebu also commenced at this time as Jansen began to follow-up some of those who attended the meetings in the city. Often accompanied by Ricardo Alonzo who served as interpreter, evangelistic work was done in the neighboring towns of Talisay, Mabolo, Compostela, and Dumanjug on the opposite side of the is- land. There were also converts from other towns who had not been visited but these converts regularly came to Cebu City to attend the services, if not to get a supply of tracts and Bibles for distribution. In November 1903, Frederick Paul Jansen was ordained as a min- ister of the newly established Presbytery of Manila, organized at the Annual Meeting of the Philippine Mission Station held in Dumaguete. Earlier in July 1903, the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyte- tian Church of the United States of America had approved the appli- cation and testimonials of Mr. and Mrs. Jansen and they had been absorbed as full members of the Philippine Mission. This develop- ment served not only as an inspiration for the Jansens; it also meant he would be receiving the regular salary ofa married missionary which ended their financial difficulties. Until 1907 Jansen was the only or- dained minister who did full time work in the Cebu Mission Station. Through Jansen’s recommendation, Sotto and Alonzo became certified evangelists in December 1903. The duo would be the first Cebuanos given the license to preach by the Manila Presbytery. Sotto and Alonzo were then assigned specific areas of work. Alonzo was assigned to the towns while Sotto concentrated on the city proper. This arrangement expanded the evangelical activities and opportuni- ties of the Mission Station. In 1905, Doctor and Mrs. James A. Graham M.D., joined the Cebu Mission Station. The Grahams were sent by the Philippine Mis- sion to continue the medical missionary work given up by the Purcells. Graham and his wife took charge of the congregations in the city while Jansen continued his work in the provincial towns. On January 13, 1907, at the Annual Meeting of the Philippine Mission held in Dumaguete, Doctor James A, Graham was ordained as a full-fledged minister of the Manila Presbytery.Pascual | Presbyterian Protestantism in Cebu from 1901-1938 285 On the-same occasion, the first Cebuano Minister, Ricardo Alonzo, was also ordained. Reverend Alonzo had been the right hand man of Jansen for sometime in Cebu. Alonzo’s ordination was a major devel- opment in the Presbyterian mission in the Island of Cebu. At the same time, it was a manifestation of the American Presbyterian Mission to facilitate the growth and maturation of the local community. In 1907, a crucial move was made through the purchase of a piece of land near the site of Fuente Osmefia in the newly developed suburb of the city. At the time of its purchase, it was a wise move as the city of Cebu had continued to expand toward this direction. The land was part of the former Banilad Estate owned by the Augustinians. This was bought from the government in the name of Mr. Colin Campbell, then the treasurer of the Cebu Mission Station. Envisioned to rise on the property was a missionary compound that would include a church building, cottages for the missionaries, and dormitories for students. Eventually the Presbyterians realized the value of their purchase when the Bureau of Health in 1909 made an offer to buy a portion of the property on one side of the road where a government hospital was to be constructed. After the negotiations were finalized, the Presbyte- tians were left with seven and a half acres. Still there was more than enough space for the Cebu Mission Station to develop the area. As Reverend Jansen began to concentrate on the work outside Cebu City, he and Mrs. Jansen temporarily transferred their base of operation to Oslob near the southern tip of the island, where there was a growing local church. Shuffling from one town to another was made easier for the Jansens with the acquisition of a launch ( motor- boat ) christened “El Heraldo Christiano,’ a gift from the newspaper The Christian Herald in New York. The Grahams continued with their work at the dispensary and the services in the city proper until they left on furlough in October 1907. Dunlap remained stationed in Dumaguete and continued to look after the congregations in the west- ern towns of Cebu. Meanwhile, Reverend Alonzo carried out the evan- gelical work in the city, particularly in the district of San Nicolas. More Cebuano evangelists were trained and hired by the Mission Station. Most of them moved to the different towns of the province. So did colporteurs and Bible women.286 The Journal of History - Volume XLIX Numbers 1 - 4+ January — December 2003 In the countryside, the reception of Protestantism was less an- tagonistic. The missionaries and the mission workers, particularly Jansen and Alonzo, became familiar figures in the towns and moun- tain villages where they had gained the trust and confidence of people. Jansen did a lot of work with the mountain refugees displaced by the revolutionary war and was partly responsible for persuading some of the rebels to accept the amnesty offered by the military government. He was also instrumental in quelling the fears of the people about smallpox vaccination. The number of conversions was not overwhelm- ing but anywhere Jansen or any other missionary went, they were able to leave behind a small congregation of new converts. Harass- ment and persecution was minimal with only the Santander incident in Southern Cebu as an extremely exceptional case. During the inau- guration of the Santander chapel in 1907, lunch was served at the house of a Protestant convert, Balbino Lozano. In the middle of the banquet, a group led by Fr. Silverio Perez, a Spanish friar and parish priest, attacked the Protestants. It was alleged that the parish priest carried a gun in one hand and a sword in the other and encouraged his group to kill the Protestants, especially Ricardo Alonzo. Those present in the banquet ran for their lives but were pursued by the Catholic vigilantes three miles away from the banquet scene. Alonzo fled towards Oslob and would have died if not for the help of his assistants. Lozano did not make it. He sustained multiple stab wounds and died. During the attack, children were reported missing and lost. The Santander Protestant chapel was ransacked and the furniture destroyed presumably by the same group of Fr. Silverio Perez. After a decade of Presbyterian missionary work in Cebu City, the accomplishments were barely moderate and progress was rather slow. The situation could be traced to a number of factors, among them the lack of personnel and inadequate equipment for effective evangeliza- tion. At the start of 1913, the prospects seemed better for the mission workers. Donations poured in for the construction of the needed buildings at the mission compound on Calle Juan Luna and the mis- sionary thrust was expanded to include work among the growing student population in the city with the opening of dormitories and a Student Center. The missionary facilities were augmented by the open- ing of a mission hall in the city proper, the publication of a newsletter, and the acquisition of a public address system.Pascual | Presbyterian Protestantism in Cebu from 1901-1938 287 The evangelical force in the city was strengthened with the arrival of more missionaries and the emergence of better trained and better educated Cebuano evangelists and preachers. Work among the stu- dent population also produced many tireless student evangelists who carried out their work in the city and the suburbs. As a result there emerged five church communities: three were Cebuano speaking churches; one English church and one Chinese church, plus two jun- ior churches. Properly guided, the churches in the city achieved a higher level of maturity as they were able to achieve the aims they set out accomplish. Filipinization and Defection In the Presbyterian context the basis used to determine the growth and maturity of a church was the achievement of a self-supporting, self-propagating and self-governing status. The Visayan Church in Cebu City had achieved this status in a short span of time as demon- strated by the increase in the Church membership. As the member- ship increased so did the collections on Sundays. The Visayan Church was able to increase its capacity for self-propagation as a result of the success of student work. It was in the area of self-government that the Visayan Church had made little progress. The City Church did not have a local pastor of their own and remained dependent on ordained missionaries of the Cebu Mission Station. The ordained Cebuano ministers were few and were assigned to the outlying towns and points in the island where they were most needed. Certain developments between 1913 and 1917 eventually hastened the achievement of a self-governing status and the Filipinization process of the city’s church leadership. These devel- opments were the formation of the Cebu Presbytery, the organiza- tion of the Philippine Synod, and the defection of some Cebuano Presbyterians to the Filipinista Church led by the first Cebuano or- dained minister, Reverend Ricardo Alonzo. The Cebu Presbytery was established by the Philippine Missions in 1914 in a meeting that was held in Manila. The expansion of the Presbyterian missionary work in the Visayas necessitated the division288 The Journal of History » Volume XLIX Numbers 1 — 4 « January ~ December 2003 of the area into two Presbyteries. The Dumaguete Presbytery held jurisdiction over the Western Visayas provinces while the Cebu Presbytery administered the provinces in the Central and Eastern Visayan Islands. The formation of the Cebu Presbytery in effect gave the churches within the district a level of autonomy and indepen- dence from the Philippine Missions. In 1914, the Presbyterian Missions in the Philippines took steps to remove any appearances of foreign denomination. This was triggered by the breakaway of four churches in Cavite caused by an erroneous report about James Rodgers’ anti-Philippine Independence stand. Nationalism caused the breakaway of the Cavite Churches, which seceded from the Philippine Synod and called themselves the La Iglesia de los Cristianos Filipinos. To prevent any more schism, the Philippine Mission Station enforced the policy of forming a Synod, which would be truly an independent Filipino body. The Philippine Mission Station held the last of its annual Meet- ings in Cebu City in October 1914. On the same occasion, The Evan- gelical Church of the Philippine Islands (Independent Presbyterian) was established. This independent National Church was no longer under the jurisdiction of the American Church. A Filipino minister, Jose Moleta, was elected as its moderator. This, however, did not mean the termination of the work of the American missionaries or the end of the financial support of the Board of Foreign Missions. The or- dained missionaries withdrew their membership from the Presbyte- rian Church of the United States of America and became associate members of the Philippine Church. The missionaries worked closely with the churches and presbyteries and helped in the development of the churches and the new missionary fields. In consonance with this development, Jorge Patalinjug, who was Dunlap’s evangelist assistant, was groomed to become the first Cebuano pastor of the City Church. Patalinjug was sent to the Silliman Institute for further studies and training, In 1916, he was ordained and appointed as Assistant Pastor of the Visayan Church. Two years later Reverend Patalinjug was installed as the Pastor of the Visayan Church.Pascual | Presbyterian Protestantism in Cebu from 1901-1938 289 The full Filipinization of the Visayan Church in Cebu City could have also been a response to the defection of Reverend Ricardo Alonzo. In the later part of 1916, Alonzo, together with some one hundred and fifty of his followers broke away from the Presbyterian Church and joined the Filipinista Church. Influenced by nationalist politics, Alonzo pushed for a truly independent Filipino Church and govern- ment. He questioned the sincerity of the American missionaries to grant complete independence to the Filipino Church. The appoint- ment of Reverend Patalinjug put to an end a controversy that might have emerged as a result of Alonzo’s agitation. Patalinjug remained pastor of the Visayan Church until 1938. He effectively carried out his duties and helped in strengthening the in- fluence of the City Church. All the missionaries who worked with Patalinjug spoke well of him and his value as a minister and mission worker. The Presbyterian Mission after Four Decades After four decades of Presbyterian presence in Cebu City, there were already visible effects of the missionary work. There were three regular Cebuano speaking Churches namely: the Visayan Church of the Bradford Memorial Chapel, the Labangon Church, and Grace Church. In addition, there were two Churches that met at the Sneed Dormitory and at the Student Christian Center. There also existed a Chinese Church called the Cebu Christian Church and the church for English speaking foreign residents called the Union Church. The Student Ministry continued with the Student Christian Cen- ter, The Sneed and Emerson Dormitories continued to serve the stu- dent population of Cebu City. The Dormitory program though suf- fered setbacks with the competition of other dormitory facilities that emerged in the city. The Sneed Dormitory was the worst to be af- fected. It had to be closed for a number of years. It reopened only in 1938. The Emerson Dormitory for Girls also had a low occupancy with only thirty boarders out of its one hundred-bed capacity at the close of 1938.290 The Journal of History - Volume XLIX Numbers 1 — 4 - January - December 2003 By 1939, all the pioneer missionaries that started the Cebu Mis- sion Station had left and new arrivals took over their place. Jansen left in 1917, Dunlap in 1935, Rath resigned in 1934, and Dunlop left be- fore the end of 1939, There were only two missionaries who continued the work in Cebu City. They were Reverend William Smith who stayed for a year more and Reverend Frederic G. Appleton who carried on with the work until the Japanese Occupation. While the Presbyterian missions in Cebu City made progress through the acquisition of better facilities and a variation of mission- ary thrust and emphasis, the work in the towns, mountain, and coastal villages was mainly through preaching. The evangelical work outside the city started slowly and made slow progress. But after more than three decades of persistent work, the Presbyterian mission workers and the missionaries were able to make tremendous improvements. Principal credit should be given to Reverend and Mrs. Jansen, Rever- end George Dunlap, Reverend Charles Rath and Reverend John Dunlop for laying down the foundations of Presbyterianism in the Island of Cebu. At the close of the fourth decade of mission work, the teachings of Presbyterian Protestantism had spread all around the islands. Churches and Congregations were organized in all the towns of Cebu except Boljoon. The mission goal was achieved in part yet Presbyterianism was unable to shake down the strong influence of the Catholic Church in the Island of Cebu. The census figures of 1938 clearly show the limited the success of the Protestant missionaries. Of the total population of 1,068,078, 1,039,055 were reported as Roman Catholics, or 97.28%. The num- ber of Protestants were counted as 7,243 or 0.6%. Even so, this was an improvement over the 1918 report of 0.3 % Of the total number of Protestants counted in Cebu, 41% (2971) were from Cebu City. Among the bigger congregations in the rest of the Island were the ones in Asturias, Badian, Balamban, Carcar, Compostela, Consolacion, Medellin, Naga, Opon, Oslob, Pinamungahan, and Toledo.Pascual | Presbyterian Protestantism in Cebu from 1901-1938 291 _ SEER Total Roman Municipality Population Catholics Aglipayans Protestants Alcantara Alcoy Alegria Aloguinsan ‘Argao Astu Badian Balamban Bantayan Barili Bogo Boljoon Borbon Carear Carmen Catmon Cebu City Compostela Consolacion Cordoba DaanBantayan Dalaguete Danao Dumanjug Ginatilan Liloan Madridejos Malabuyoc Mandaue City Medellin Minglanilla Moalboal Naga Opon Oslob Pilar Pinamungajan Poro Ronda Samboan San Fernando San Francisco San Remegio Santa Fe Santander Sibonga Sogod Tabogon Talisay Toledo Tuburan Tudela 5,754, 6,443 13,303 13,040 37,331 25,468 17,817 31,385 18,805 29,247 27,517 10,087 16,680 36,308 11,801 11,738 146,817 9,441 9,213 6,677 24,198 27,284 28,387 20,973 8,690 13,662 8,647 13,855 17,431 18,637 15,295 14,868 25,850 33,426 13,473 8,142 22,327 11,520 11,936 11,062 17,562 16,980. 21,232 7,836 6,507 21,803, 14,479 20,201 20,077 34,413, 45,750 6,703 3,621 6,432 13,278 13,028 37,296 24,947 17,403 30,977 18,613 29,202 21,365 9,975 16,586 36,111 11,781 11,605 137,555 9,286 9,029 6,657 23,863, 21,272 28,293 20,889 8,582 13,600 8,171 13,848 17,340 18,347 15,232 14,835 25,639 32,392 13,074 7,838 21,706 11,476 11,820 11,003 17,503 16,871 19,387 204 6,404 21,744 14,357 20,124 18,090 30,037 43,536 5,829 2,121 No Data ‘No Data No Data No Data al 18 13, 104 10 4 50 9 7 No Data No Data 297) 5 5 21 9 15 416 372 352 15 7 98 No Data 102 20 18 2,139 140 179 i 125 831 388 35 237 24 67 4 30 9 92 66 94 32 6 35 3 358 75 nR The Number of Roman Catholics, Aglipayans and Protestants in the City and Province of Cebit (1938 Census).292 The Journal of History» Volume XLIX Numbers 1 — 4 « January — December 2003 Senta Fe x Madridgjose, (86) O Santayan “ow 1 o 5 ® g S @ & seam Baia manepsey | to Ome Tuburan £ i FE ence s sur mvcmsateepsrmunicpater Asturias Piramungajan : Ore Mandate [223 a Ge Se Sebu City aga Spon (2831) ‘alisay —" ~Cordova (28) SS haingtenita carat ed Bibliography Primary Sources Ang Suga, Vicente Sotto, ed. 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Annual and Personal Reports, of Annual Meetings. 5 vols.294 The Journal of History « Volume XLIX Numbers 1 - 4 + January ~ December 2003 ¢ held at Iloilo, January 21-28, 1902 e held at Manila, December 8, 1902 ° held at Dumaguete, November 23,1903 ¢ held at Manila, November 7, 1904 ¢ held at Cebu, October 3-10, 1914, ° held at Iloilo, October 9-16, 1917 ¢ held at Dumaguete, October 5-12, 1918 ¢ held at Manila, October 27-November 11, 1919 e held at Manila, October 6-14, 1923 * held at Manila, October 6-14, 1924 ° held at Legaspi, October, 1938 Philippine Presbyterian Mission (Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A. Philippine Mission). Station and Personal Reports of a meeting held at Cebu City, October 3-10, 1914. Dumaguete: Silliman Press, 1914. Rodgers, James B. Forty Years in the Philippines. New York: Board of Foreign Missions, 1940. Rodgers, James B. Twenty Years of Presbyterian Work in the Philippines, Minutes and Reports. New York: Board of Foreign Missions, 1920. Sotto, Angel. 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