<figure class="image-550">
<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-28/our-lady-of-antipolo.webp" alt="Enshrined wooden statue of Our Lady of Antipolo with a dark complexion, wearing an ornate white and blue embroidered vestment and a crown, holding a scepter, set against a golden altar backdrop with a base of yellow and white lilies." loading="lazy" />
<figcaption>
The revered, centuries-old image of <b>Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje</b> (Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage) enshrined in its golden niche at the Antipolo Cathedral, beautifully adorned with fresh lilies.
</figcaption>
</figure>

<p>
Yet, while Tabora arrived to wield political and military power, history remembers June 29 just as much for what he carried ashore in his hands: a dark wooden statue of the Virgin Mary carved in Mexico, destined to become Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje (Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage) - the celebrated Virgin of Antipolo.
</p>
<h2>
The Perilous Voyage of the El Almirante
</h2>
<p>
Tabora's journey to his new assignment was an ordeal that set the stage for the statue's miraculous reputation. Nominated by King Philip IV, Tabora departed from Acapulco, Mexico, on March 25, 1626, aboard the trade galleon El Almirante.
</p>
<p>
During the grueling three-month crossing of the Pacific, the vessel faced a series of near-catastrophes:
</p>
<ul class="k-list">
<li>
<b>Fierce Pacific Storms:</b> Severe weather repeatedly threatened to rip the ship's sails, break its masts, and capsize the vessel.
</li>
<li>
<b>A Shipboard Fire:</b> A sudden fire broke out near the ship's hold. Had the flames reached the powder magazine, the entire ship would have blown apart instantly. Mysteriously, the fire was brought under control with only minor scorching.
</li>
</ul>

<p>
The crew and passengers attributed their survival entirely to the wooden Marian statue Tabora had brought on board. Upon dropping anchor in Manila on June 29, Tabora ordered a grand, pomp-filled procession to welcome the image into the colony, initially placing it in the San Ignacio Church within <a href="/articles/3008/the-history-of-intramuros-the-walled-city-manila" class="news_link">Intramuros</a>.
</p>



<h2>
The Administration of Juan Niño de Tabora (1626–1632)
</h2>
<p>
Tabora was a seasoned military strategist who had cut his teeth in the Habsburg Netherlands serving in the elite Army of Flanders. He utilized this background to aggressively secure the Philippine colony during his six-year tenure.
</p>
<h3 class="my-h3">
Geopolitical Defenses and the Dutch Conflict
</h3>
<p>
The Dutch East India Company was the primary existential threat to Spanish Manila at the time. To counter them, Tabora launched a vital expedition in 1627 to resupply and fortify the Spanish outpost in Formosa (modern-day Taiwan). Sailing aboard the flagship San Yldefonso, his fleet successfully delivered a year's worth of food and ammunition to the starving garrison, solidifying the Spanish presence against Dutch fleets. Tabora also managed complex diplomatic maneuvers with Japan and Siam (Thailand) to keep regional trade lanes open.
</p>
<h3 class="my-h3">
The Mounting Fiscal Crisis
</h3>
<p>
Defending a global empire was staggeringly expensive, a reality Tabora laid bare in an explicit August 4, 1628, letter to the King. The colony's finances were deeply in the red:
</p>

<div class="table-wrapper">
  <table>
    <caption>Table 4: Revenue and expenditure profile of the Philippine colonial administration, 1627–1628.</caption>
    <thead>
      <tr>
        <th>Revenue Sources (1627–1628)</th>
        <th>Amount</th>
      </tr>
    </thead>
    <tbody>
      <tr>
        <td>Subsidy from New Spain (Mexico)</td>
        <td>180,000 pesos</td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td>Chinese Resident Licenses & Taxes</td>
        <td>90,000 pesos</td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td>Customs Duties & Official Position Sales</td>
        <td>50,000 pesos</td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td><strong>Total Annual Income</strong></td>
        <td><strong>320,000 pesos</strong></td>
      </tr>
      <tr>
        <td><strong>Total Annual Expenses (Military, Church, Ternate/Formosa defense)</strong></td>
        <td><strong>Over 500,000 pesos</strong></td>
      </tr>
    </tbody>
  </table>
</div>

<h3 class="my-h3">
Labor Reforms and the Parián Fire
</h3>
<p>
Tabora was sensitive to the domestic cracks in the colony. When a catastrophic fire completely leveled the Parián (the designated neighborhood for Chinese merchants outside Manila's walls) in early 1628, he managed the economic fallout while restructuring local governance.
</p>
<p>
Crucially, he instituted new protections for indigenous Filipinos. He created strict decrees ensuring that native workers drafted for public infrastructure projects and exhausting shipyard labor were fully and fairly paid, aiming to curb the rampant corruption and physical exploitation of the era.
</p>



June 29, 1626: Governor Tabora Arrives with the Virgin of Antipolo