LUKBAN ORDER, AUGUST 28, 1900

Exhibit 1334.

[Original in Spanish. Unsigned document. P.I.R., 973.4.]

AUGUST 28, 1900.

Vicente Lukban y Rilles, Politico-Military Governor of this province of Samar, Philippines and General-in-chief of the same.

In order to prevent suffering from hunger among the inhabitants of the pueblos on the sea coast, due to the circumstances through which we are passing - war and the locust plague - and also due to the failure of some people to plant their fields and lands, whence they might maintain themselves, I have on this date ordered the following:

1st. Traffic in abaca, copra and other articles is hereby permitted from the pueblo of Oras to Basey, 2nd and 3rd districts of your jurisdiction.

2nd. In case defenseless vessels, laden with these articles, should be pursued by any of the enemy's warships within the waters of this province, they may take refuge in any pueblo, whose inhabitants are obliged to render aid to them in the way of defense in order to avoid the loss of said articles or prevent personal misfortune.

3rd. In case that the enemy should return to your coast you will suspend this traffic, as has heretofore been voluntarily done, and all the pueblos will unite in going to the field in order to expel the enemy as has also heretofore been done.

4th. For the same reason by which traffic in abaca is permitted to the above-mentioned pueblos, the latter are also obliged to devote themselves to the cultivation of the land by planting palay, corn, "gave," sweet potatoes and other tubers, but principally palay - the kind that can be harvested within one hundred days - in order that, in case of suspension of the traffic of abaca, by reason of the circumstances of war, they may not complain because then they will have their creps which will support them for a long time. The popular junta of each pueblo may try any person for laziness and make a report thereof to this government.

5th. All the inhabitants of your district are hereby informed that abaca, copra and other articles should be taken as a secondary consideration when the enemy appears, and that traffic therein Rhould be suspended, and consequently it is imperative that all should give preference to the planting of palay - particularly the kind that produces within one hundred days from planting.

6th. In order that energy may be displayed in the cultivation of the above the delegate of revenues of each pueblo shall put himself at the head of this work, and shall make out a list of all those who may have their lands planted, making a report thereof to this government which shall be countersigned by the local chief.

7th. The inhabitants who are not engaged in active warfare, and who do not own any land which they could cultivate, shall be obliged to seek level pieces of land in the forests of the state which they shall plough in such a way that they can plant therein palay and secure crops therefrom in due time.

8th. Those who may have worked and ploughed these lands shall be considered as owners thereof and no one can disturb their ownership or possession, which will be applied for to this government through the respective juntas of each pueblo by the same parties concerned who may have done the ploughing, in order that they may be given provisional title pending the supreme decision.

9th. In order that in the future this province may not have to import grains or articles of prime necessity from any other province or from any merchant, but on the contrary that these articles shall be exported, it is hereby charged and ordered that all the local chiefs of the province shall strictly comply with these provisions and that they shall require from the delegates of revenues a list of the lands or forests under cultivation with the names of the owners thereof, which shall be countersigned by the local chiefs and forwarded to this government for its information.

Given in Matuguinao, August 28, 1900.

(Unsigned)
Governor-General.