| Fr. Martin Baluyot Panlasigui: The First Filipino Diocesan Secretary |
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| Written by Nigelio L. Fabular |
| Tuesday, 25 May 2010 16:31 |
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Fr. Panlasigui was a virtuous and obedient priest during the early 1700 in the Philippine Church. According to L.P.R. Santiago’s The Hidden Light, Fr. Panlasigui was not only a patient man but a talented priest as well. He hailed from the historical province of Pampanga where his direct ancestors were the primary leaders of the 1660 Revolution. No records of his parents and siblings are available as of now but he is more likely a very close relative of the first Filipino priests who has the same family names. There are also no available records about his early education but Dr. L.P.R. Santiago’s research suggests that he was educated, together with the first group of Filipino priests, under the guidance of Archbishop Diego Camacho, the present Archbishop of Manila during his time. Fr. Martin did not stay at Pampanga nor in Manila for his priestly formation. For some reason, he was assigned to the distant diocese of Nueva Caceres in Bicol. He was ordained by the bishop of Caceres, Bishop Andres Gonzales, OP in 1705 and became the first Indio priest of the diocese of Nueva Caceres. In the later part of 1705, he was nominated to become the parish priest of a remote place of Abuyon in the Bondoc Peninsula, province of Quezon, which was then part of Nueva Caceres. Governor General Domingo Zabalbaru, the reigning governor of the Philippines during those times, confirmed him to the position thus he became the first Indio to be appointed as parish priest in the diocese of Nueva Caceres. But for unknown reasons, Bishop Gonzales changed his mind and denied the title to Fr. Panlasigui and instead sent him, like an exile, to a very remote island in Bicol known as Caramoan as its acting pastor. In April 18, 1708, Bishop Gonzales nominated a Spanish priest, Fr. Joseph de Mercado, as a new priest for the curacy of Abuyon. Governor Zabalbaru immediately refused to honor the nomination since he had already appointed Fr. Panlasigui for such position. However, Bishop Gonzales disregarded the governor’s opposition and continued with the appointment of Mercado based on the ground that interim appointments did not need the approval of the governor. This confusion and irregularity continued until the death of Bishop Gonzales on February 14, 1709 at the age of 77. When Msgr. Juan Gonzales de Guzman, the acting administrator of Caceres, arrived on April 24, 1710, the problem was immediately addressed. Msgr. De Guzman brought the situation to Archbishop Cuesta of Manila. Archbishop Cuesta swiftly acted on the case and “rectified the situation in favor of Panlasigui on May 30, 1710. According to Dr. Santiago’s account, it took quite some time to remove Mercado from Abuyon. Fr. Panlasigui was able to take the place in the late April 1711, a little over five years after his official appointment. This story would suggest Fr. Panlasigui’s exceptional patience and strength of character. But far from these attributes, he was also described by Dr. Santiago as a talented individual. Bishop Domingo de Valencia, the new bishop of Caceres was quick to recognize the special ability of Fr. Panlasigui thus he appointed the later as the diocesan secretary of Nueva Caceres, a post reserved only for a Spanish priest. Thus Fr. Panlasigui became the first Filipino diocesan secretary during the early life of the Philippine Church. The very last data about Fr. Panlasigui’s life was the report he had made for Archbishop Cuesta about the state of the local clergy of Caceres and the great need for more priests in the diocese. Based on Dr. Santiago’s work, he must have retired or died in 1718 by the fact that by January of 1719, Fr. Bartolomeo Saguinsin took over as the new secretary of Nueva Caceres. |
| Last Updated on Tuesday, 25 May 2010 16:32 |