CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE SPANISH MISSIONARIES TO PHILIPPINE DEVELOPMENT

>The missionaries took the lead in spreading the Spanish culture. The early Spanish missionaries were not only preachers of the gospel, but also pioneers of western civilizations.
1. FOUNDERS OF TOWNS
>The missionaries founded many towns and cities in the Philippines. Our modern towns grew out
of these early Spanish settlements. The Spaniards wanted the Filipinos within hearing the church
bells and so, towns and villages formed rectangular buildings, residential houses, and
rectangular stret blocks. The scattered houses of the early Filipinos were replaced by the orderly
communities, with roads and street names. The Catholic church became the most beautiful
building, and the center of town life.
2. ENGINEERS OF INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
>The Spanish missionaries were skillful in building roads, bridges, forts, and irrigation dams.
3. AGRICULTURISTS
>The missionaries were also responsible for the introduction of new plants and animals in the
Philippines. These new food plants came from Mexico and Europe, such as corn, coffee, cacao,
tomato, squash, lima beans, achuete, guavas, peanuts, chico, papaya, potatoes, cincamas,
cabbage, eggplant, pineapple, sugar cane, and wheat. They also brought plants like cotton and
indigo. Filipinos learned to eat bread and drink coffee or chocclate. Other new foods introduced
by Spain were beef, sausages, ham, and Spanish sardines. In addition, from other parts of
Europe came iported canned goods like chorizo de Bilbao, olive oil, and pickles. Spain also
brought into the country new animals like goats, carabaos,cattle, horses, pigeons, swans,
ducks, geese, and better breeds of chickens and roosters.
4. INDUSTRIALISTS
>The Spanish missionaries taught the Filipinos new industries. They introduced new methods of
fishing, weaving, mining, farming, and metal-work which increased productivity; cattle-raising; the
cultivationof corn and bananas, fish and salt drying, iron and copper mining; weaving of hats and
mats. The people learned to make silk, candles, and soap; quarry adobe stones; print and bind
books; and extracted dyes such as indigo from tropical plants. In addition, they introduced the
manufacture of lime and tiles for building purposes, and th construction of stone houses and
churches. Products manufactured from hemp, sugar, coconut, and tobacco plants, which we
began to grow in large quantities, now became major industries that were started by the
Spaniards.
5. ARCHITECHS
Many beautiful churches with Bynzantine, Baroque, Ionian, Doric, Corinthian, Graeco-Roman, and Gothic architechtural designs were built in the Philippines during the Spanish era. They were among he greatest legacies of Spain to the country. These churches were not only houses of worship but they were also outstanding works of art. Famous churches built by the religious orders are the San Agustin church and the Manila Cathedral in Manila; Morong church in Rizal ; Barasoain Church in Malolos; San Fernando and Bauan Churches in La Union; and the Vigan Church in Ilocos Sur, among others.
6. SOCIAL WORKERS
Due TO the good influence of Christianity, the religious orders showed concern for the welfare of the sick, the orphaned, and abandoned children. These people received good care during the Spanish era. In 1578, the first hospital was founded in Manila by the Franciscan priests, and was called the Hospitalito De Anne. It later became the Hospital of San Juan De Dios and the San Lazaro Hospital, two of the oldest existing hospitals in Asia. There were other hospitals established in Manila, Los Banos, Cavite, Cebu, and Laoag. The first hospital in the Philippines came 173 years ahead of the first hospital in the United States. Asylums and orphanages were also built to provide homes for orphans, abandoned, and homeless children. The Real Hospicio de San Jose was the first orphanage for girls and boys founded in Manila in 1810. In 1885, the Asylum of San Vicente de Paul was founded in Manila by the sisters of Charity. Both of these institutions still exist today.
7. EDUCATORS
The first school and colleges in the Philippines were established by the different religious orders. The Spanish missionaries served as our first teachers and school administrators. They introduced the western system of education with different levels: elementery, secondary, and tertiary. Separate schools were established around the country for boys and girls. In addition, good manners and proper conduct were also taught in these schools, with Latin and Spanish as the medium of instruction. Our native dialects, in fact, contain many words of Spanish origin like mesa, silla, horas, campana, azucar, ventana and others. The first Spanish scholl for young boys was the Colegio Maximo de San Ignacio, established in 1589. It was followed by the Colegio de San Ildefonsoin Cebu in 1595. In the year 1817, the Escuela de Pia was established for the Filipino boys. This later became the Ateneo Municipal de Manila in 1859, and is now known as the Ateneo de Manila University. The oldest existing university in the Philippines is the University of Santo Tomas, founded by the Dominicans in 1611. For the young Filipino women, the first school established was the Colegio de Santa Potenciana in 1591. It is followed by the Colegio de Santa Isabel in 1632, which stands as the oldest school for girls in the Philippines, and the Beaterio de la Compana de Jesus in 1684. The Assumption Convent School, on the other hand, appeared in 1892, and it is also administered the Escuela Normal Superior de Maestras. It was a school that prepared women teachers for elementary school teaching.
8. SCIENTISTS
During the stay of the Spanish missionaries in the country, they conducted many studies in the field of chemistry, physics, botany, zoology, herbal medicine, cartography and meteorology and wrote many books on these subjects. They also trained some Filipinos to be doctors, chemists, pharmacists, and scientists like Dr. Jose Rizal who graduated from University of Santo Tomas. The Observatory of Manila is the oldest weather station in Asia, founded by the Jesuit priests in 1865. Its first director was Fr. Federico Faura. He also invented the barometer.
9. THE OBRAS PIAS
The Obras Pias were the first financial group in Manila. These were the funds donated by rich individuals in society to various religious orders. The obras pias served as banks which were run by the Spanish missionaries. They loaned money to businessmen who wanted to engage in the galleon-trade, and charged interests ranging from 20% to 50%. The profits and interests earned from this venture were donated to charity.
10. WRITERS
The Spanish friars were also noted linguists, grammarians, writers, playwrights, historians, poets, chroniclers, novelists, essayists, and biographers. They studied our native languages, and taught Filipinos in the local tongues, which helped in the preservation and development of native dialects like Tagalog, Ilocano, Cebuano and others. They even wrote books on religion, biographies, philisophy, literature, education, economics, grammar, history and the sciences, as well as dictionaries and books on early Filipino culture and languages.
11. PRINTERS
Filipinos learned the art of printing from the Spanish missionaries. The first printing press in the Philippines was introduced by the Dominican friars in Manila, in the year 1593. The first Filipino printer was Tomas Pinpin who, along with other Filipinos, trained under the Dominican printer, Fr. Francisco Blancas de San Jose in the art of printing. The first book printed in the Philippines was the Doctrina Christiana En Lengua Espanola y Tagala. It was published in Manila in 1593 by the Dominican friars.
12. LIBRARIANS and CURATORS
The first libraries and museums in the country were placed under the supervision of the missionaries, while our oldest existing museum was established at the University of Santo Tomas.


13. MUSICIANS
Many of the missionaries were artistically and musically inclined. Some of them taught music, and composed religious hymns for the church’s religious rights, The most famous musician was Fr. Diego Cerra, a Recollect priest who built the world famous Bamboo organ of Las Pinas in 1824. Today, it still exists as one of the oldest wonders of the world.
14. ARTISTS
Much of our knowledge in the sciences, arts, and letters came from Spain. European sculpture and painting were introduced in the Philippines by the early Spanish missionaries. During those days, our culture was highly influenced by religion, and this was often shown in different art forms like painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and in various kinds of plays.