Rediscovering the Roots of the Philippine Restoration Movement
THE UNBROKEN CHAIN
By Dr. Eusebio A. Tanicala (Compiled for Word Ministry)
Introduction: The Missing Link Discovered
For decades, the history of the Church of Christ in the Philippines was bifurcated. The post-war era—characterized by rapid growth, the establishment of Bible colleges, and widespread evangelism—was well documented. However, the pre-war era of the 1920s and 30s remained what many historians referred to as a "dim past." Records were destroyed during the Japanese occupation, memories faded, and American missionaries were repatriated, leaving the genealogical and spiritual lines connecting the pioneers to the modern church seemingly broken.
This historical obscurity persisted until September 1999, when a pastoral visit changed the understanding of our spiritual heritage. Dr. Eusebio A. Tanicala was visiting the family of Domingo and Veny Camaganacan in Talaibon, Ibaan, Batangas. There, he met Mrs. Cleotilde Villanueva, Sister Veny’s elderly mother, whose memory bridged a seventy-year gap.
Mrs. Villanueva revealed two stunning facts: first, she had been baptized in 1928 by the American missionary Henry G. Cassell; and second, she personally knew Pedro Asada. Asada was known as a pioneer, but his movements had been lost to history. She explained that Asada had moved his family from Calapan, Mindoro, to the wilds of Mindanao before World War II, but he had left one daughter, Aurora, behind in Mindoro because she was already married.
"Her name was Aurora," Mrs. Villanueva explained. "She is the mother of Eliseo A. Sikat."
The revelation was profound. Eliseo Sikat was Dr. Tanicala’s classmate at Philippine Bible College in 1964. They had studied and ministered together, unaware that Eliseo was the grandson of Pedro Asada—the very man who had helped clarify the doctrines they held dear. The "Missing Link" had been found, revealing an unbroken chain of faith stretching back to the earliest days of the movement.
The American Catalysts: Providence and Vision
The story begins not in a seminary, but with a businessman's vision. In the 1920s, George Pepperdine, founder of Western Auto Supply, visited Manila during a trip to the Orient. He worshipped with the "Christian Mission" (Disciples of Christ) at Cruzada Street in Quiapo but saw the potential for a work aligned more closely with the non-instrumental, conservative tradition of the Churches of Christ.
Meanwhile, in 1927, George Benson, a missionary in China, was forced to evacuate due to civil unrest. Following advice Pepperdine had previously given him, Benson diverted to the Philippines. He landed at Pulasahi, Mindoro, where he broke ground for the movement. Though his stay was an "interregnum" before returning to China, Benson planted the initial seeds of the gospel in Tagalog soil.
To continue this work, the Southwest Church of Christ in Los Angeles sent Henry G. Cassell. Cassell arrived with a mandate to build on Benson’s foundation, but the harsh tropical climate of Mindoro devastated his family's health, forcing him to relocate his base of operations to Manila.
The Manila Nexus and the Mobile Seminary
In Manila, Cassell found himself at a strategic crossroads. He associated with the "Samahang Tagapagpalaganap ng Ebanghelio" (Society for the Propagation of the Gospel), a group of Filipino evangelists connected to the Manila Bible Seminary founded by Leslie Wolfe. It was here that Cassell met Pedro Asada, a zealous young Tagalog preacher with roots in the Unida church in Cavite.
Cassell hired Asada as his interpreter for preaching trips back to Mindoro. This relationship evolved into a "mobile seminary." As they traveled by boat and carabao sled, Cassell patiently clarified doctrinal distinctions, specifically regarding the non-use of instrumental music in worship, the prohibition of eating blood, and the restoration of New Testament simplicity. Convinced by the Scriptures, Asada embraced the "Restored" gospel, transitioning from an interpreter to a convicted apostle of the message.
The Mindoro Beachhead
From 1928 to 1941, the Cassell-Asada team established the church's presence in Oriental Mindoro, pushing northward from Benson’s original work in Pulasahi to Calapan and Naujan. Their success was anchored in the conversion of key families who became pillars of the faith: the Villanuevas of Calapan, the Sikats (into which Asada’s daughter married), and the Lomanangs of Naujan.
The Lomanang family history offers a vivid glimpse into this era. Carlos Lomanang was converted in Naujan, and his son, Timoteo Lomanang, preserved the oral history of the Cassell-Asada partnership. Timoteo’s own life reflected the turbulence of the times; he served as a young guerilla during the Pacific War. Years later, he became a classmate of Eusebio Tanicala in advanced subjects at the Philippine Bible College in Baguio in the early 1970s.
"That is why we shared many stories," Dr. Tanicala recalls. "We were also companions in weekend preaching back then."
Timoteo revealed that his family had migrated to Mindoro from Umingan, Pangasinan. The spiritual lineage continued through his brother, Ballige Lomanang, who was also Dr. Tanicala’s student. This network of families—migrants, farmers, and guerillas—formed the resilient backbone of the Mindoro church.
The Southern Frontier: A Second Reformation
In the late 1930s, the "Land of Promise" beckoned. Pedro Asada joined the wave of migration to Mindanao, settling in a farm homestead in the wilderness of Cotabato. This move created the historical gap that confused historians for decades.
In Cotabato, near the town of Pinaring, Asada reconnected with Antonio Villanueva. Unlike the Calapan Villanuevas, Antonio was originally from Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, the son of Simprosio Villanueva. He had migrated to Cotabato when the government offered free land to settlers.
Antonio Villanueva and Pedro Asada shared a deep history; they had been close friends and roommates during the "Samahan" seminars in Manila years prior. In fact, it was Villanueva who later confided to Dr. Tanicala that he believed Asada originally hailed from Cavite.
In 1939, Asada, accompanied by Cassell, visited the Pinaring group led by Villanueva. The group was still practicing the traditions of the Christian Mission. A theological dialogue ensued, leading to a "reformation within a reformation." While Antonio Villanueva hesitated, leaders like Cornelio Alegre and Laureano Belo were convinced by the "Restored" message. The Pinaring church aligned itself with the non-instrumental Church of Christ, effectively birthing the conservative movement in Mindanao.
The Crucible of War
The outbreak of the Pacific War in 1941 brought the American missionary efforts to a violent halt. Henry G. Cassell and his wife were declared "enemy aliens" by the Japanese Imperial Army. While early accounts often placed them at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Internment Camp, records indicate they were also among those incarcerated at the University of the Philippines, Los Baños campus, where they endured starvation and disease until their liberation in 1945.
Meanwhile, the indigenous church went underground. Cut off from support, the believers in Mindanao demonstrated remarkable ingenuity and faithfulness. To observe the Lord’s Supper, they baked bread from rice or cassava flour between banana leaves heated by charcoal irons. For the fruit of the vine, they boiled rosel (hibiscus) fruit to create a red juice symbolizing the blood of Christ.
Conclusion: The Chain Remains
The liberation of 1945 saw the repatriation of the broken-health missionaries, severing the physical link with the American churches. But the spiritual seed had been planted deep. It took fifty years for the full picture to emerge, but the chain of faith is now clear: from the vision of George Pepperdine and the groundwork of George Benson, to the teaching of Henry G. Cassell and the faithful transmission by Pedro Asada, down to the families of Sikat, Villanueva, and Lomanang.
Dr. Tanicala’s "Personal Encounter with History" was more than a genealogical discovery; it was a validation of the Philippine church's heritage. The "Missing Link" is no longer missing—it is the anchor that holds the movement to its apostolic foundations.
Works Cited:
Churches of Christ in Mindanao: A History - The Christian Mission, https://edmaq.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/churches-of-christ-in-mindanao-31.pdf
Churches of Christ in the Philippines: A History - The Christian Mission, https://edmaq.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/churches-of-christ-in-mindanao-1.pdf
Full text of "Iglesia Ni Cristo A Study In Independent Church Dynamics" - Internet Archive,( https://archive.org/stream/IglesiaNiCristoAStudyInIndependentChurchDynamics/Iglesia%20ni%20Cristo%20-%20A%20Study%20in%20Independent%20Church%20Dynamics_djvu.txt )
The Philippine Mission and The Restoration Movement: A History - Christian Standard, https://christianstandard.com/2025/11/the-philippine-mission-and-the-restoration-movement-a-history/
Churches of Christ in Mindanao (2) - The Christian Mission, https://edmaq.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/churches-of-christ-in-mindanao-31.pdf
Churches of Christ in Mindanao: A History (1), https://edmaq.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/churches-of-christ-in-mindanao-1.pdf
Antonio Villanueva / Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, https://edmaq.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/churches-of-christ-in-mindanao-1.pdf
Pedro Asada / Samahang Tagapagpalaganap, https://edmaq.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/churches-of-christ-in-mindanao-21.pdf
The Philippine Mission and The Restoration Movement (Los Baños), https://christianstandard.com/2025/11/the-philippine-mission-and-the-restoration-movement-a-history/
Los Baños Internment Roster,(http://www.mansell.com/pow_resources/camplists/philippines/PHI-CIV-02_Los-Banos_roster_1944-12-25_RG389Bx2070.pdf)