These missionaries acted as community development workers, educators, engineers, agriculturalists, printers, librarians, writers, social workers, musicians, scientists, architects, and artists.
1. Founders of Towns
The missionaries founded many towns and cities in the Philippines. Our modern towns grew out of these early Spanish settlements. The Spaniards wanted the Filipino within hearing distance of church bells, and so, towns and villages formed rectangular buildings, residential houses, and rectangular street blocks. Gone were the scattered dwellings of the early Filipinos, and in its place arose the orderly communities, with roads and street names. The Catholic Church became the most beautiful building, and the center of town life.
2. Engineers Of Infrastructure Projects
The Spanish missionaries were skillful in building roads, bridges, forts, and irrigation dams.
3. Agriculturists
The missionaries were also responsible for the introduction of new plants and animals in the Philippines. These new food plants came from Mexico and Europe, such as corn, coffee, cacao, tomatoes, squash, lima beans, achuete, guavas, peanuts, chico, papaya, potatoes, cincamas, cabbage, eggplant, pineapple, sugarcane, and wheat. They also brought plants like cotton and indigo. Filipinos learned to eat bread and drink coffee or chocolate. Other new foods introduced by Spain were beef(from cattle), sausages(longaniza), ham(jamon), and Spanish sardines. In addition, from other parts of Europe came imported canned goods like chorizo de Bilbao, olive oil, and pickles. Spain also brought into the country new animals like goats, carabaos, cattle, horses, pigeons, and etc.
4. Industrialists
The Spanish missionaries taught the Filipinos new industries. They introduced new methods in fishing, weaving, mining, farming, and metal-work which increase productivity; cattle raising, the cultivation of corn and bananas, fish and salt drying, iron and copper mining;and weaving of hats and mats. The people learned to make silk, candles, and soap; quarry adobe stones; as indigo from tropical plants. In addition, they introduced the manufacture of lime and tiles for building purposes, and the construction of stone houses and churches. Moreover, products manufactured from hemp, sugar, coconut, and tobacco plants, which we began to grow in large quantities, now became major industries that were started by the Spaniards.
5. Architects
Many beautiful churches with Byzantine, Baroque, Ionian, Doric, Corinthian, Graeco-Roman, and Gothic architectural designs were built in the Philippines during the Spanish era. They were among the greatest legacies of Spain to the country. These stone churches were not only houses of worship but they were also outstanding works of art. Famous churches built by the religious orders are the San Agustin Church and the Manila Cathedral in Manila; Morong Church in Rizal; Barasoain Church in Malolos: San Fernando and Bauan Churches in La Union; and the Vigan Church in Ilocus Sur, among others.
6. The Obras Pias
Before the first banks were established in the country, there were obras pias. These were funds donated to various religious orders by rich persons in society. These were then loaned by the friars to businessman who needed money, and the interests earned were used for charitable works.
7.
