THE AMERICAN OCCUPATION OF ORIENTAL NEGROS AS REVEALED IN

THE PAGES OF THE SILLIMAN TRUTH: (1903 – 1920 )

By: Earl Jude Paul L. Cleope

INTRODUCTION

Why was Silliman Institute placed in a small backwater town in a beautiful

but blighted rural province? Needless to say there had been no feasibility studies,
no exhaustive explorations of other possible locations. Placing it in Dumaguete
was pretty much due to the enthusiasm of one person, David Hibbard, a young,
inexperienced missionary pastor who had been in the Philippines barely four
months.1

The Silliman story began one day early in 1899 in New York City. A retired
business executive, Horace B. Silliman showed up on the doorstep of the
Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions on Fifth Avenue with a strange proposal.
He wanted to establish a trade and agricultural school for Filipino boys and was
prepared to put up $10,000 to get the project started. Dr. Silliman took the
Mission executives by surprise. The United States had only come into possession
of the Philippine islands two months before and as yet the Presbyterians did not
even have missionaries there. Thinking that establishing a school was decidedly
premature, the board tried to advise Dr. Silliman to perhaps consider supporting
a school in some other country. But the visitor persisted; it was in the Philippines
or nothing.

In his 75th year, Horace Silliman had enjoyed a successful business career
and had amassed a modest fortune. He was known as a generous
philanthropist, supporting a number of American schools and colleges, among
other causes. Somehow the Philippines had captured his imagination upon the
encouragement of his wife, and in a small way he wanted to have a part in
America’s new colonial venture. Moreover, he had been impressed by the
success of the Hampton Institute in Virginia in training rural black young people
for skilled occupations, and in his mind’s eye he saw another Hampton Institute
blossoming in the islands.

Actually in its eagerness to take advantage of the new opening in the

Philippine islands to spread the evangelical faith, the Presbyterian Board lost no
time in recruiting missionaries. Dr. and Mrs. James Rodgers were hurriedly
transferred from Brazil, and a promising young couple, David and Laura Hibbard,
was commissioned. The Rodgers arrived in April, 1899 and the Hibbards a month
later. Dr. F. F. Ellinwood, senior secretary of the Presbyterian Board in a series of
letters to the newly arrived recruits outlined possibilities for an industrial school
to be funded by Silliman and directed them to seek a location on the islands
south of Manila.
 2

In October 1899 Hibbard set out on a voyage to the south. He had

planned to visit Cebu, Zamboanga, and Iloilo. But in Cebu someone suggested
that he take a side trip to Dumaguete, on the neighboring island of Negros.
Taking an overnight steamer, he arrived on the shore of Dumaguete in early
morning. Hibbard wrote that he was captivated by the “unsurpassed drama of a
Dumaguete morning from the sea.” 2 He was not only overwhelmed by the
beauty of the place, but the warmth of the welcome he received. Captain Byrnes,
the commander of the U.S. Army unit and the Chaplain, John Randolph, received
him and introduced him to the “presidente” or Mayor Meliton Larena and to his
brother, Don Demetrio Larena, the governor. It must be noted that Dr. Hibbard
was indeed surprised because at this time the Filipinos where still at war with the
Americans,3 and being warmly welcomed by local officials was a big factor in
future things to come. Eventually, everyone expressed eagerness to have an
English school in Dumaguete.

After making stopovers in the Visayas and Mindanao, Hibbard returned to

Manila fully convinced that Dumaguete should be the location for a new mission
station and a school. Actually, Dumaguete though considered remote from the
major urban centers had a number of things going for it. It was in the
geographical center of the Visayas Island region with a total population of close
to 3 million; Negros Occidental and Panay to the west; and Cebu, Bohol, Leyte,
and Samar to the east. Also, Dumaguete was on the major steamship lines route
connecting Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, and Zamboanga thus making the place
accessible if only a permanent port would be constructed.

The question arises – why was Dr. David Hibbard given such an exuberant
welcome in Dumaguete? After all many Filipinos were incensed about the
American invasion and a bloody battle was being waged between American and
Filipino military forces on other islands. There was widespread resentment and
anger that the United States was threatening the Filipinos’ chance for
independence. In most places in the Philippines the idea of an American colonial
guest would have been met with hostility

To begin with, Oriental Negros had not been on the forefront of the
Revolution against Spain. There was general support for the aims of the
revolution but it was only in the final months of the war against Spain that
General Aguinaldo commissioned Don Diego de la Viña to be Commander of the
revolutionary army in Negros Oriental. By that time the Spanish military and
government officials were making plans to depart with Admiral Dewey’s
annihilation of the Spanish Armada in Manila Bay on May 1, 1898. Subsequently,
when the expected Spanish reinforcements did not arrive, the Spaniards saw that
their days in the Philippines were numbered.4
 3

Another reason why Hibbard was accorded such a friendly welcome was
that he was not greeted by Roman Catholics. Larena and his family were
members of the Philippine Independent Church – the church which had broken
away from Catholics under the leadership of Gregorio Aglipay who was to
become Supreme Bishop of the new church. With the departures of the Spanish
friars from Negros Oriental,5 the parish churches of the province which had never
been spiritually robust were left without priests. The Aglipayans quickly moved to
the leadership vacuum and eventually usurped the church leadership. Since the
Independent church had become the church of the revolution, it is easy to
understand why Larena and other political leaders decided to belong to the new
Independent church.

After due deliberation back in New York and Manila, David Hibbard’s
strong recommendation was approved and Dumaguete was chosen as the site of
what was to be called Silliman Institute following the nomenclature used for
Hampton Institute. Early in 1900, James Rodgers and a new medical missionary
stationed in Iloilo, A. J. Hall, moved to purchase land for the new school. They
paid 350.00 pesos ($128) for a 1.2 hectare waterfront lot in which Silliman Hall
now stands.

The Hibbards arrived in Dumaguete on August 12, 1901. They were able
to rent a beautiful Spanish style house facing the ocean which had been the
former residence of the Spanish governors. The ground floor of the 2-storey
building had thick walls made of coral. The second floor had a fine-looking
hardwood floor. The Hibbards took residence on the second floor and the ground
floor was converted to two classrooms.

The Hibbards did not lose any time opening the school. On august 28,
1901, 15 6 of what he described as “hatless, barefoot boys” – appeared for class.
The ages of the boys ranged from 12 to 16. By the end of September the
enrollment had reached 35 and the age range had stretched further from 7 to
24. There were no lesson guides so the Hibbards were thrown on their own
ingenuity to devise a flexible curriculum that would meet the individual needs of
such a disparate group.

The ultimate success of Silliman Institute was largely due to the out going
personality and positive human relation traits of the Hibbards. David Hibbard was
a young man of 33 in 1901 and Laura Hibbard was in her twenties. Their
physical chemistry and out going personalities enabled them to quickly become
popular additions to Dumaguete society in which they fully participated. They
were frequents guests in Dumaguete home. Through their efforts, Silliman
Institute became an enthusiastic participant in community activities and
 4

celebrations. Until the first unit of Silliman Hall was completed in 1903, the
Gonzales house7 which the Hibbards rented included the Hibbard living quarters,
student dormitory, classroom, study room, and chapel.

In 1903 Hibbard purchased a small printing press then employed a few

students to work on the publication of the Silliman Truth which came out in
that year. The newspaper was the first newspaper in the province published in
English, Spanish and Cebuano. It covered health, campus, and it served as the
community newspaper as well. Specifically, the community news are found in the
column entitled “General Items.”

The Silliman Truth offers us a glimpse into how the American

occupation made an impact on the social, economic, educational and cultural life
of the Negrenses.

Health Conditions

It can be gleaned from the pages of the periodical that most of the earlier
issues dealt with health. It is hard to exaggerate the pestilence and devastation
which the province endured during those years. There was a province wide
scourge of reindeer pest – an acute infectious disease which killed thousands of
carabaos. Then there was small pox, typhoid fever, TB, Malaria, and Cholera
epidemic. Clearly, the intention was to solve the problem of health and
sanitation. In 1908 with an impending cholera outbreak in San Carlos, it was
announced in the Silliman Truth that every ounce of precaution should be made
to prevent the entry of the disease into the province. It further stressed that
everyone should be on their guard by being careful of what they drink and eat.
Moreover, it warned the inhabitants that “the worst sources of the diseases (sic)
were the dirty and never cleaned tuba bamboo tube containers making the
tuba drinkers easy victims.”8

Interestingly, it must be noted that one of the principal aim of the

Americans and the local authorities was to erase the practices and superstitious
beliefs related to the knowledge of hygiene and sanitation. Hence, the
reappearance of cholera in the province revived the old belief that certain
persons were poisoning the wells. For months all wells from Bacong to Sibulan
were guarded at night and the continual blowing of the conch shells ( budjong)
by these guards had a weird effect and kept many people awake. 9

Similarly, deaths due to complications of pneumonia and bronchitis swept

the province. Locally called trancaso, (Spanish Influenza) for instance in 1918 it
 5

had caused the temporary closure of 88 schools since 124 teachers and 8,611
pupils got sick. The provincial athletic meet that was scheduled to take place in
Tanjay during the Thanksgiving holidays, last week of November, was postponed
until December 18 on account of the trancaso epidemic.10

The issues of the periodical in its last two years of existence would yield
news items that show an improved sanitary and health conditions. Clearly, the
accomplishments in these areas were caused by the establishment of the
Dumaguete Mission Hospital of Silliman Institute.

Education

It is without doubt that the English language became the cultural

ammunition being used by the Americans in their colonization efforts. As such
news articles that would boost its usage were always in the front pages. As a
community paper, it also prints major speeches of politicians about the need to
study the language. Thus in 1907 it quoted Governor Larena saying “ the
program made in the teaching of the English language is everyday greater, I
believe in a few years this language will be in general use.” Likewise in the same
issue was featured a remark by Joseph L. Travis, a correspondent of Manila Daily
Bulletin who visited Dumaguete in 1907 that the English language was more
universally adopted by the people of Dumaguete than by the inhabitants of any
other town in the archipelago.11

The latter issues of the paper too would suggest that the policy of the
public education system has resulted in the increase enrollment, construction of
school buildings, and libraries. Thus, an issue in 1919 stressed that “nearly all
the central schools in the Oriental Negros division had libraries. 12

Clearly, the availability of good teachers was the result of the

establishment of Silliman Institute which was recognized by the government in
1910. Soon, most of the graduates of the institute would be employed in the
public education system. The pages of the periodical would show that the close
relationship between Silliman Institute and the Provincial High School fostered
exchange programs and athletic meets.

Religious Conflict

The religious vacuum caused by the Philippine Revolution and the conflict
between the Aglipayan Church, Roman Catholic Church, and the new Protestant
Church was also covered in the issues of the Silliman Truth. As a paper of a
protestant missionary educational institution, incidents of persecution against
protestant workers abound.
 6

It is on this note that Dumaguete City has an interesting history being the
host of the oldest Private American School and the oldest St. Paul School in the
Philippines. Indeed, in 1904, seven French Sisters of the order of St. Paul de
Chartres arrived in Dumaguete upon the invitation by the bishop of Jaro to
establish an academy for girls. Fascinatingly, the Paulinian school for girls was a
counter measure for a Silliman protestant school for boys.

Economic Conditions

When the periodical had its maiden issue in 1903, it described the
horrendous effects of the locusts attack in 1901, rinderpest epidemic in 1902,
and the long drought in 1903. As such there was scarcity of corn, the staple crop
for most of the Oriental Negrense and they had been forced to buy rice imported
by Chinese merchants\

In terms of industries and manufacturing activities, most of the

commodities were home made. Traditional weaving was carried out and mostly
this was for family use only. By 1908 a soap factory was established in Bais and
two Chinese merchants operated soap making ventures in Dumaguete. In 1910 a
kapok cleaning mill that removed seeds from kapok and a machine used to
manufacture bonot (coconut husk) was established by an American, Henry
Fleischer.

Trading for hemp and copra was also carried out in Negros. The periodical
mentioned that two Americans were major players in the business and in 1916 a
former Governor of the Mountain Province and Palawan, Mr. Dietrich was hired
to manage the coconut plantation in Tanjay. Eventually, his wife became an
English teacher in the provincial high school.13

As for the sugar industry, the need to construct a sugar mill in the
province got a boost during the American period when American capital was
secured for its construction in 1916 which was eventually finished in 1919 known
as the Central Azucarrera de Bais.

By 1904 there were 78 stores in the province owned by Chinese, three by

Americans, two by Spaniards and half a dozen “unimportant stores”14 kept by
Filipinos. Three American stores and the two Spanish stores sold only groceries,
beverages and stationeries. The American stores were owned by Clyde V. Powers
and T. S. Dodd, a postmaster and druggist at the same time. The other American
storeowner was W.M. Baugh from Tennessee, a volunteer in the Spanish-
American war who also sold dry goods.15
 7

Subsequently, trade and commerce in the province during the American

occupation was still controlled by the Chinese who were also responsible for the
trading of large amounts of opium which even the natives have learned to
patronize.16 Trading was hampered because Dumaguete port was not a port of
entry for foreign shipping. Yet, there were two steamers that had a weekly route
from Iloilo and a daily trip to Cebu. A few came from Manila but these steamers
had an irregular schedule that sometimes travel gap was for twenty days. In
1908 a newly built steamer, Germania, made Dumaguete one of her ports of call
from Cebu to the south, and the steamer Mayon made weekly trips from Iloilo to
Guihulngan and Dumaguete and then returned. In one month fifteen steamers
called on the Dumaguete port.17

Public Works

When the Americans came, the road condition in the province was such in
a sorry state that they were described as foot-paths with mud holes with weeds
growing on both sides that were impassable during rainy days and difficult to
pass during the dry season.18 Soon American contractors were hired to do public
work projects and by 1905 some sizable progress was made. An American
Engineer W. C. Cole had built 8 miles of roads besides building 28 bridges and
culverts. Other Americans like Mr. McVey and the contractor called Lambert and
Company built bridges by reinforced concrete which solved the problem of
wooden bridges that lasted only for a year. Similarly, roads were extended and in
general the municipalities had greatly improved their roads and bridges.

As Silliman Institute became popular, many students from other islands

came. To come to Dumaguete by boat, they had to be carried over the shoulders
by porters from the boat to the shore to avoid being wet. It was common
knowledge that even Pres. Hibbard helped in carrying some of these students.
Hence the need to improve the port and the breakwater became an issue in the
periodical in 1908. It reported that Dumaguete needed a new breakwater and to
extend the port was an urgent need. As a result, the construction of a boulevard
parallel to the seashore at Dumaguete started and work for the improvement
and extension of the Dumaguete port commenced in 1926. Along with the
improvement of the port was the construction of other ports and wharves in the
other parts of the province

Other important projects that were featured in the periodical was the 1 st
use of acetylene gas as lighting for Silliman Institute in 1908 and the setting up
of telephone poles in the province in the same year. By 1916 a company known
as the “La Electrica” established an electric plant in Dumaguete which resulted to
the setting up of an ice plant. In that same year, an American Charles W. Carson
 8

was granted a franchise to maintain and operate a telephone and telegraph

system.

Life and Leisure

Consequently, the last issue of the periodical before it was being replaced
by a new name called the The Sillimanian , was the news about the
establishment of the 1st cinema or movie spot in Dumaguete in 1920. This was a
silent movie with pictures similar to the nickelodeons in the U.S. It was named
“Cine Illusion” and had three shows a week. The place was described as a
remodeled cockpit with a dirt floor and a bamboo fence was used to separate the
general admission from the 1st class.

Concluding Notes

At the outset, the Silliman Truth was a publication that was designed to
showcase the activities of the American missionaries and the activities of the
institute. However, it is a fact too, that one can find in its pages the vivid
description of the daily happenings in the area. It is also important to underscore
that these articles were written by Filipino students. Nevertheless, the pages
would offer a fresh perspective on the American period as it tries to reason out
why things happened the way they did.

The construction of roads, bridges, school buildings, and public buildings

resulted to more jobs and economic repercussions. The radical change from the
‘polo’ days of the Spanish regime to the paid labor system of the Americans
resulted to a positive attitude of the Filipinos to the Americans. Moreover, the
economic impact of the native pupils who later became teachers and were
therefore paid created a tremendous moral booster for these people. More so,
with the easy flow of goods due to the newly created road network.

On the cultural scene, Filipinos were now introduced to the American way
of life. They now have to go to school because parents were required to send
their children to school. Students had to speak English to be understood by their
teachers in order to pass and ultimately to be a ‘paid civil servant’ or a
professional someday. They now understand that their “nipa hut is very small;
planting rice is never fun; and clean little hands are good to see.”

Finally, a glowing quotation from the pages of the Silliman Truth is

deemed appropriate to be the last part of this paper. This article was written by
Eduardo Montenegro in 1906 when the Institute was celebrating its 5 th foundation
day on August 28 and this was a tribute to the founder who had never been able
to visit Silliman University:
 9

Dr. Silliman is the first American who has turned his

attention to the Filipinos and for the welfare of the young men. We
are proud to say Dr. Silliman has done most for the advancement
of the Filipino people; for he has established this college not with
the selfish desire of taking from these Islands what he can, but with
earnest desire of doing good to the Filipinos.

This college has been founded in order to introduce to these

Islands a Christian education, to satisfy the intellectual necessities
of this country and to teach the young men a more in corrupt idea
of what Christianity really is, for be it known unto you, gentlemen,
that this college has not been made to be a rendezvous of
deserters from other churches and to fight them, but it has been
founded with the most earnest desire of preparing young men for
the future that lies before them.19

ENDNOTES
1
This introductory text was adapted from the handwritten manuscript of the late Dr. Paul Lauby who was writing a book
about the History of Silliman. As research consultant this text was deciphered, encoded, and edited by the author as part of
the book about Silliman University which is currently being done by. Dr. Proceso Udarbe.
2
Hibbard, David. The First Quarter. (Manila: Philippine Education Co., Inc. 1926)

3
Cleope, Earl Jude Paul L. Negros Oriental in the Context of the Philippine Revolution. Silliman Journal vol. 39
no. 1 (Silliman University, 1998)
4
Cleope, 1998.
5
Except Fr. Pedro Bengoa who continued to become parish priest of Dumaguete
6
There are conflicting figures as to the number of original students. The figure here was given by Hibbard himself.
7
The exact location is where the Bethel Guest House now stands.
8
Silliman Truth, Dumaguete, Oriental Negros, P.I., Vol. V, No. 24, November 15, 1908, p. 1. Silliman Truth was the name
of the school paper of Silliman Institute from 1903 to 1919. This is also cited in Rodriguez, Caridad. Negros Oriental: From
American Rule to the Present: A History. Vol. II part l (Dumaguete City: Toyota Foundation, 1989) p.109.
9
Vol. XV, No. 17, September 1, 1916, p. 4.
10
Vol. XVII, No. 24, December 15, 1918, p. 1.
11
Vol. V, No. 20, October 15, 1907, p. 1.
12
Vol. XVIII, no. 19, October 1, 1919, p. 4.
13
Vol. XV, No. 16, August 15, 1916, p. 1.
14
Emphasis mine
15
Vol. VI, No. 20, October 15, 1907, p. 1.
16
VII, No. 16, August 15, 1908, p. 2.
17
Vol. VII, No. 16, August 15, 1908, p. 2.
18
This was contained in the annual report of Gov. Demetrio Larena in the Philippine Commission Report, 1902, Vol. I Part
2, p.1 as cited in Rodriguez, p. 85.
19
Carson, Arthur L. Silliman University (New York: UBCHEA,1965) p. 52.