Tuao

When the early Spanish missionaries were busy laying the foundation of a church late in the 16th century at a site about six kilometers from the present town of Tuao, a big bird came circling over them and then alighted on the wooden cross erected to mark the place where the cornerstone was laid. It flapped its wings noisily, cried “battuao, battuao, battuao” and then flew away.

The native laborers in the construction stopped working and refused to continue telling the priests that the site had not been well chosen. They insisted that a party should find out where the bird had flown to.

To humor the pagan natives, one of the priests allowed himself to be led by a party of natives to look for the mysterious bird. To his surprise, they found the bird serenely perched on top of a tall tree on the edge of a wide clearing ideal for a town site. He sent one of the natives to call for the other priests, who, on their arrival, found the place much to their liking. And so the first church of Tuao was constructed on the site where the present edifice now stands.

The town of Tuao was founded by the Spanish Civil Government in 1604. At the height of the Christianization drive of the Spanish Missionaries in Luzon, one of the early settlements they came up as they moved northward was a small settlement close to the south bank of the Chico river named “Teja” which later on, as the settlement enlarged, became a sitio of barrio “Gurengad”, much later renamed San Luis after the of the original land owner, a descesdant of the early inhabitants of the town belonging to the Baligod family as they are known today on the municipality. The missionaries stayed for a while at Teja which they planned to be the town site. The next proposed church selected by the Spaniards was in barrio Battung. There, one can see a piece of cylindrical masonry, 3 meters high above the ground. It is made of brick, lime, and sand. Still the missionaries crossed the Chico River, proceeded northward and stumbled on a large expanse of settlement where they found a great number of inhabitants who were friendly and better settled in houses made of bamboo and cogon with sturdy wooden posts. The inhabitants owned domesticated animals and fowls. Being dependent on agriculture for livelihood, the inhabitants mainly planted crops, rice, corn and tubers and variety of vegetables. Having found the conditions favorable and the easy conversion of the inhabitants to the Christian Faith, the religious started to establish the pueblo with the construction of a permanent church.

In 1718, the natives together with the people from Malaueg, now Rizal, revolted against the missionaries. They were led by the Matangaga and Tomas Sinigingan of Cato, Tuao, Cagayan. The revolt was put down by Captain Juan Pablo de Urduna, a spaniard and the rebels were punished. The revolt delayed the Apostolic labors of the missionaries. Many of the inhabitants were fled to the mountains. Their mission had to be moved from Tuga to Tuao in 1722.

Certainly Tuao had its share of the grandeur and romance of the days for the Conquistadores. Today, Tuaoenos, despite the fact that they are handicapped by the adversities of time, work in silent diligence. Most of them use their brow to make a living. They are independent. It is really worth the trip to be among these friendly, hospitable people who, although quite different is some ways, give you feeling that they are the backbone of the young Philippines.