Crusader of Cagayan - The story of Fray Agustin de San Pedro
When I was in Junior High School, before I became a traditionalist, I would always complain to my mother about studying in ''Catholic'' (Novus Ordo) schools because she homeschooled me. For me, I felt that studying in so called Catholic schools would make me more Catholic, and that I will learn many Catholic heroes there. Turns out I was wrong. In fact, I would learn many Catholic heroes at home through websites like Tradition In Action, and that the ''heroes'' promoted in Catholic schools here in Cebu and the Philippines were Marxists and ''human rights defenders'' promoted by the communists in the Philippines. When I saw that Catholic schools were supporting Marxists, I felt guilty of wanting to study there and it reminded me of the Catholic victims of commie regimes.
Back to the good side, about the Catholic heroes, I later realized that Philippines had its own set of Catholic heroes as opposed to those commie ''human rights defenders'' promoted in Catholic schools. One of them was the military priest of Cebu, Fray Julian Bermejo and the topic of this article, Fray Agustin de San Pedro, OAR, the El Padre Capitan of Cagayan de Oro.
Fray Agustin was born in 1599 in Braganza, Portugal (The House of Braganza royal family of Portugal is named after this town) at the time when the King of Spain was also the King of Portugal. He studied military science in the University of Salamanca and later entered the Augustinian Recollect convent in Valladolid. In 1619, he was ordained a priest.
In 1622, he went to the town of Butuan where he not only preached the gospel, but also taught the natives basic European warfare of the time. There, Fray Agustin built his first fort.
In 1624, he went to Himologan per the request of a chieftain named Datu Salangsang who beseeched the help of Fray Agustin to fight off the troops of Sultan Kudarat. It was Salangsang's grandmother who asked the help of Fray Agustin. As Himologan was located in a hilly area prone to raids by Kudarat, the territory was transferred to what is now Cagayan de Oro. With six Spanish soldiers and 100 native soldiers, the forces of Fray Agustin and Datu Salangsang fought off the men of Sultan Kudarat. Fray Agustin was on horseback carrying a musket. Salangsang was so overwhelmed by the Spanish and requested baptism. The friar then later ordered Salangsang to destroy their pagan idols. However, the Maranao people raided the town of Cagayan and pillaged its inhabitants. In 1639, Fray Agustin de San Pedro led a campaign to Lanao, but failed. In 1649, the people of Cagayan declared Saint Augustine of Hippo, the namesake of Fray Agustin as their patron saint. Fray Agustin died in 1653 or 1660. He was later credited for later miracles like a victory against the Americans in the late 19th century and was even have said to appear to guerillas advising them during the fight against the Japanese during WW2. However since the Vatican II council, his legacy was reduced to a remnant after Vatican II dumped the militancy of the church.
Fray Agustin de San Pedro and Datu Salangsang should be a role models for Catholics, especially when we fight the enemies of the church like modernism and progressivism. While many Filipino youth are compromised and instead focus on worldly K-pop stars, and Marxist ''human rights defenders'', I take Fray Agustin as my role model in being a crusader.
