by: Justin Brylle Namuco
Journalism in Spain
(Caption: Ilustrados)
Rizal, like other Filipinos in Spain who were pursuing reform, took part in creating articles that argued towards this objective. The nature of the demand for reform brought the Filipino colony in Spain closer to republican partisans, whose ideology naturally gave provisions towards reformation of government, granting rights to the populace, and opposing monarchism and other similar forms of rule. Nonetheless, there were still monarchists who were sympathetic to Filipino demands for reform. In this course of action, Rizal had the opportunity to consolidate connections that could help in publishing pieces and arguments to the Spanish public and authorities. One such connection came in the form of Miguel Morayta Sagrario, a republican politician, close associate of posibilista republican leader Emilio Castelar, president of the Liga Anticlerical, a holder of high positions in the Masonry, and a professor of history in the University of Madrid who taught many Filipinos including Rizal. He served as a Spanish guest in the banquet for Hidalgo and Luna, where he was impressed by Rizal. In Barcelona, while Rizal was on the way to France, Morayta introduced Rizal to Eusebio Corominas, owner of the posibilista republican newspaper La Publicidad. Here Rizal was able to occasionally write articles.
(Caption: Madrid, 1884)
This literary activity would also involve other newspapers. Rizal and Graciano Lopez Jaena wrote in the radical republican daily newspaper El Progreso which was a strong critic of the monarchic Spanish government. The republicans were more willing to present reforms towards the welfare of the colonies, giving the Filipino colony in Spain a reason to express support towards their ideals and platform. In this newspaper, there is also an article attributed to Rizal in 1884 that explains that the disturbances in Pangasinan were caused by a great provocation on the part of the colonial government rather than simply by filibusterismo or subversion. This is due to the tame and accommodating nature of many of the peasants. It can be seen here that Rizal was bringing an accurate and insightful description of the Philippine situation to the knowledge of the Spanish public, being one from the Philippines himself.
The Katipunan
(Caption: Katipunan Flag, earliest design)
The Katipunan (Most Respectable and Supreme Assembly of the Sons of the Nation) was founded on 7 July 1892 by Deodato Arrellano, Teodoro Plata, Valentin Diaz, Ladislao Diwa, Andres Bonifacio, and Jose Dizon. Bonifacio had been a founding member of the La Liga Filipina for about 4 days before this new foundation of an organization. The La Liga Filipina is an organization led by Rizal that sought the support of educated and concerned Filipinos alike towards diplomatic reform of governance in the Philippines. The Katipunan on the other hand sought the use of force and violence towards total reformation and usurpation of governance from the Spaniards, with inspirations from the French Revolution. Bonifacio did not believe that diplomatic reform was preferable or likely due to the extent of corrupt handling of power and severe maltreatment of the native Filipinos, while Rizal held on to his witnessing of the possibility of liberal or republican changes or reformation in Spain so that the colony could still be reformed through peaceful means.
In 17 July 1892, Rizal was exiled in Dapitan due to charges of supporting revolution due to his pursuance of reform. June 1896, about a month before Rizal was released from exile, Bonifacio sent Pio Valenzuela to Rizal, who was in exile, to convince Rizal to support the revolution being planned by the Katipunan. Rizal did not agree with the proposition, maintaining his initial principles of avoiding violence or use of force, but Valenzuela was able to leave an influence in the area by giving rise to an early detachment of Katipunan sympathizers. Valenzuela carried out this mission 6 months before Rizal was to be tried and executed in Manila. Rizal offered help as a doctor to the Spanish forces in Cuba during the ongoing revolution there and Governor-General Ramon Blanco gave him permission and granted his request. Thus, he was released from exile and allowed to travel as intended. It is considered today whether Rizal did this out of pure loyalty to Spain, or to study the ways in which a revolution was carried out in Cuba.
(Caption: Katipunan)
The armed struggle in the Philippine Revolution started on 24 August 1896, after a friar’s discovery of the Katipunan through a genuine Catholic confession of a connected person on 19 August 1896. Besides earlier histories of republican or peasant revolutions, in Europe or anywhere else, the Katipunan were also much inspired by Rizal’s empathetic depictions of the Philippine situation in his two novels. They recognized Rizal’s noble intentions and wanted to impart this same love of country to their less-informed but equally-suffering compatriots. For this reason, the Katipunan took Rizal’s image and identity as symbols of their love for their country and as examples to follow. Due to this more explicit suggestion of a connection between Katipunan and Rizal, the colonial government capitalized on suspicions of being pro-revolution on the part of Rizal. Rizal was arrested in Montjuic, Barcelona, Spain on 6 October 1896. He was sent to Manila, jailed, and tried in December 1896. He was ultimately executed on 30 December 1896, enraging the revolutionaries and confirming their lack of hope towards civil and diplomatic reform.
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