Whatever might be said of the friar-missionary in Cagayan, it does not appear from our readings that he had been part of the much-resented 'frailocracia.' He may have been a stern father but he had more of father than of stern. In his Reminiscencias of the Philippine Revolution, Don Crescencio Alameda, a native of Aparri who had been secretary to Gen. Daniel Tirona, writes that the Cagayanos did not have much to resent in their missionaries, firstly, because there really were no friar lands in the province, and secondly, because the friar in Cagayan was not guilty of abuses attributed to his confreres in other parts of the country. It will come as a surprise to many that in the Brigada Tirona, there were two Dominican friars who served with the rank of 'Capitan de Infanteria,' Fray Jose Brugues who supervised the manufacture of gunpowder, and Fray Primo Calzada who trained and conducted the Brigade Band.

Among the many friars who had served in Cagayan through the years, we find a Beato Francisco Capillas who died as the pro-martyr of the faith in China, and a Beato Luis Flores, a Belgian, who also died as a martyr in Japan. Contributions to material development had been made by Fray Francisco Rojano who introduced modern agricultural methods and unsuccessfully tried to lay the foundation of silk industry; by Fray Antonio Lobato, planner of the town of Tuguegarao and builder of its cathedral, who trained the natives in carpentry and brick-laying; by Fray Julian Malumbres to whose efforts we owe the preservation of our history and culture. Many other missionaries have done well by the people and are gratefully remembered by these.