Historical and biographical review of some of the main figures of the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine of the Order of Augustinian Recollects from its foundation to the present day.
A native of Paracuellos de la Ribera, Zaragoza, Spain, where he was born in 1824, he was 25 years old when he travelled to the Philippines. In 1850, he was appointed parish priest of Minuluan—today’s Talisay City—in Negros Occidental and scarcely left the place until his death in March 1902.
The Recollects had recently been entrusted with the entirety of Negros Island, a region in a clear state of economic, social, and religious stagnation. Cuenca was instrumental in its economic transformation: in less than forty years, it progressed from obscurity to prominence in foreign trade. By 1892, its sugar accounted for 20% of the total value of Philippine exports.
Cuenca emerged as the driving force behind this progress. He was intimately familiar with the toils and anxieties of the people of Negros. Alongside other Recollect parish priests, he actively cooperated with the authorities. The population surged, new towns were established, and communication channels were opened.
Cuenca travelled across the northern and eastern regions of the island, laying the foundations of villages and towns that would evolve into many of today’s cities. He engaged with the upland dwellers, persuading them to settle in designated areas and promising them support and production, all while respecting their social hierarchy. Years later, he estimated that six thousand families, or a congregation of twenty thousand souls, had embraced his plan. His ingenuity and amiable nature made this possible.
His next initiative was to facilitate communication and encourage the cultivation of sugarcane. He devised the hydraulic press, constructed it, and applied it to enhance sugarcane production. The first hydraulic press was installed in 1873. Later, in the 1880s, he cautioned against the reliance on a single crop and the fierce competition posed by sugar beet, advocating for the cultivation of diverse crops such as abaca, coffee, and other root crops.
In response to serious health issues—since the first medical doctor did not arrive in Negros until 1867—he provided care at his parish residence for many people and his religious brethren, utilizing his knowledge of hydrotherapy.
The profound respect everyone held for him was evident in 1898 during the Revolution; he was left untroubled. However, he did experience bitterness and disillusionment when he observed the intense animosity directed against the religious. He passed away in Talisay on March 28, 1902.
