The survivors of the galleon, Espiritu Santo, were stranded in Batalay, a native "balangay" located at the southern tip of the town of Bato, Catanduanes.
They were given shelter and provisions by the ruling Datu.
The native people previously had some contact a group of Spanish conqustadores led by Juan de Salcedo two years earlier in 1573.
But the unexpected arrival of the survivors of the wrecked galleon, Espiritu Santo, was the first time that the Christian faith was offered to them.
Led by Herrera, the members of the Order of Saint Augustine began preaching the Christian Faith to the "indios," and to introduce new methods of agriculture and better ways of living.
The "indios" accepted everything except the religion, which they considered was hostile to the faith of their ancestors.
The Christian religion became the major source of conflict between the Spanish and the native people.
The indios moved away, and lived in the nearby forest. As a result, the Spaniards found themselves close to starvation.
This prompted them to set out in search of the natives, in order to bring them back to Batalay.
Sporadic encounters then ensued between the Spaniards and the natives. The indios had the great advantage of knowing the terrain.
One night when it was raining, the indios attacked Batalay, and this led to the violent deaths of the new arrivals. All who had survived the destruction of the galleon, Espiritu Santo, were killed.
The only exception was a man from Spain named Geronimo Alvis (or Galvez), who knew the local tongue of Visayans.
Diego de Herrera O.S.A. also spoke to the natives in the Visayan dialect, but they paid no attention and killed him.
Alvez buried the dead and placed a wooden cross on the grave of Diego de Herrera O.S.A.
In recent years there has been some sentiment in Catanduanes for undertaking the process of having Diego de Herrera official declared a saint of the church, but nothing formal in this regard has been commenced.
It was to be another twenty years before the Christian religion was again offered to the people of Catanduanes, and this time successfully.
The biography of Diego de Herrera O.S.A. which was written by Isacio Rodriguez O.S.A. and Jesus Fernandez O.S.A. in Spanish less than fifty years ago has not been translated into English.
Is there somebody who will do this? Salamat!
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