Philippine History: The Propaganda Movement and Dr. Jose Rizal

The Propaganda Movement and La Solidaridad

• The Propaganda Movement was the first Filipino nationalist movement, spanning from 1872 to 1892.
• It was led by a Filipino elite, mostly in exile abroad, and inspired by the pro-nationalist activism of people like the GomBurZa after their execution.
• The members were called propagandists, and majority were mestizos or of Spanish-descent whose well-to-do families could finance their studies in Madrid and Barcelona.
• The movement was influenced by the Enlightenment thought, individual rights, constitutionalism, and anti-clericalism.
• The main goals of the Propaganda Movement were:
  • To create reforms in the Philippines.
  • To increase Spanish awareness of the needs of its colony.
  • To make the Philippines a province of Spain, not merely a colony.
  • To expel the Spanish friars from the Philippines and secularize the Philippine parishes.
  • To promote equal opportunities for Filipinos and Spaniards to enter government service.
  • To abolish the polo (labor service) and vandala (forced sale of local products to the government).
  • To demonstrate the intellectual sophistication of the young Filipino elite through writing and the arts.
  • To create a school system independent of the friars.
  • To guarantee basic freedoms of speech and association and recognition of human rights.
  • To restore the Philippine representation in the Cortes.

Notable Members of the Propaganda Movement

• Jose Rizal – wrote for La Solidaridad under the name “Laon Laan” and was a renowned physician-novelist.
• Graciano Lopez Jaena – publisher of La Solidaridad and the greatest orator of the propaganda movement.
• Marcelo H. del Pilar – the editor and co-publisher of La Solidaridad; wrote under the pen name “Plaridel” and was a lawyer; eloquent in Tagalog.
• Juan Luna – painter and sculptor.
• Antonio Luna – wrote under the pen name “Taga-Ilog” for La Solidaridad and was an essayist.
• Pedro Paterno – a lawyer and a man of letters.
• Jose Maria Panganiban – wrote for La Solidaridad under the name “Jomapa” and was a linguist.
• Mariano Ponce – wrote for La Solidaridad under the name “Tikbalang” and was a medical student, as well as a biographical writer.

Foreign Supporters of the Propaganda Movement

• Ferdinand Blumentritt – an Austrian professor and scholar; known to be Rizal’s best friend.
• Don Juan Atayde – a Spanish liberal who aided the Filipino Propagandists; founded the Circulo Hispano-Filipino in September 1882.
• Miguel Morayta – Rizal’s professor at the Central University of Madrid.

La Solidaridad

• A newspaper written in Spanish and founded by Graciano Lopez Jaena.
• Became the voice of the Propaganda Movement.
• Published every other week and was first printed in Barcelona, Spain, and later transferred to Madrid.
• Purpose of La Solidaridad:
  • To voice out to the Spanish government the plight of the Philippines, including the abusiveness of the friars.
  • To advocate liberal ideas and progress.
  • To champion the legitimate aspirations of the Filipino people for democracy.

The Return, Exile, Trial, and Death of Dr. Jose Rizal

• Rizal returned to the Philippines, but was met with opposition from the Spanish authorities.
• He was exiled to Dapitan, North Zamboanga, where he spent four years.
• He was arrested and tried on the charges of rebellion, sedition, and illegal association.
• He was found guilty and was sentenced to death by firing squad on December 30, 1896.### Characters and Symbolisms
• Crisostomo Ibarra: symbolized the idealism of the privileged youth, main character of the novel, and love interest of Maria Clara
• Padre Damaso and Padre Salvi: embodied the rotten state of the clergy
• Maria Clara and Sisa: symbolized the country's condition - from beauty to madness
• Doña Victorina de Espadaña: represented colonial mentality
• Don Tiburcio: a caricature of the ignorant Spaniards who took advantage of the poor
• Filipinos in the provinces
• Elias: represented the common Filipino who was aware of the injustice and wished to exact revenge
• Crispin: the innocents who have been wrongly accused of a crime they did not commit
• Pilosopo Tasyo: symbolized the learner Filipinos who had once embraced the Spaniards but eventually became disenchanted

Chapter Summaries

Early Chapters

• Chapter 1: A Social Gathering - Capitan Tiago hosts a dinner, introducing some characters
• Chapter 2: Crisostomo Ibarra - Ibarra is introduced to the guests, and Padre Damaso denies being a friend of the late Don Rafael Ibarra
• Chapter 3: The Dinner - conversations center on Crisostomo's travels, which Padre Damaso belittles
• Chapter 4: Heretic and Filibuster - Lieutenant Guevarra explains what happened to Ibarra's father, who was imprisoned and branded a heretic and filibuster

Middle Chapters

• Chapter 5: A Star in a Dark Night - Ibarra is haunted by visions of his father's unjust imprisonment and death
• Chapter 6: Capitan Tiago - described as one of the richest landowners in Binondo, Pampanga, and Laguna
• Chapter 7: An Idyll on an Azotea - Crisostomo visits Maria Clara, and they talk about the years they have not seen each other
• Chapter 8: Recollections - Ibarra mulls over the unchanged state of his country

Later Chapters

• Chapter 9: Local Affairs - Padre Damaso wants to stop the marriage planned for Crisostomo and Maria Clara
• Chapter 10: The Town - describing the beauty and history of San Diego
• Chapter 11: The Rulers - the town is ruled by two persons: Padre Salvi and the Alferez
• Chapter 12: All Saints - a gravedigger recollects how he was ordered to dig up a body to be reburied in the Chinese cemetery

Plot Development

• Chapter 13: Signs of Storm - Crisostomo learns about what happened to his father's body and attacks Padre Salvi
• Chapter 14: Tasio: Lunatic or Sage - Tasio discusses with Don Filipo that purgatory does not exist
• Chapter 15: The Sacristans - Crispin and Basilio are worried about being accused of stealing two gold coins
• Chapter 16: Sisa - Sisa prepares a meal, but her husband arrives and eats all the food

Themes

• Abuse of Power
• Family Devotion
• Self-Sacrifice
• Patriotism
• Education vs Radicalism

Interesting Facts

• The novel was originally written in Spanish
• Rizal began writing this novel in October 1887 and made revisions while he was in London, Paris, Madrid, and Brussels
• The novel is also known by its English alternate title "The Reign of Greed"### El Filibusterismo
• Written by Dr. Jose Rizal and completed on March 29, 1891, in Biarritz
• Published in Ghent, same year
• Partly dedicated to the GOMBURZA (Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, Jacinto Zamora)
• Addressed to the "Filipino people and their Government" in the foreword

Characters

• Simoun:
  • Crisostomo Ibarra disguised as a wealthy jeweler
  • Left for dead at the end of Noli Me Tangere
  • Described as sporting a beard, blue-tinted glasses, and a revolver
  • Secretly plans a revolution to seek revenge against those who wronged him
• Basilio:
  • Son of Sisa
  • A graduating medical student
  • Became a servant of Kapitan Tiago
  • Girlfriend is Juli
• Isagani:
  • Basilio's friend
  • One of the students who planned to set up a new school
  • A poet portrayed as emotional and idealistic
  • Girlfriend was the rich and beautiful Paulita Gomez
  • Sabotaged Simoun's plans
• Kabesang Tales:
  • Telesforo Juan de Dios, a former cabeza de barangay who resurfaced as the feared Luzon bandit Matanglawin
  • Son of Tandang Selo and the father of Juli and Tano
  • Symbolized the situation of the Calamba farmers
• Paulita Gomez:
  • Niece of Doña Victorina
  • Ex-girlfriend of Isagani
  • Dumps Isagani because she believes she has no future if she marries him
  • Ends up marrying Juanito Pelaez
• Macaraig:
  • One of Isagani's classmates at the University of Santo Tomas
  • A rich student
  • Serves as the leader of the students who want to build the Academia de Castellano
• Father Florentino:
  • Isagani's godfather and a secular priest
  • Chose priesthood over marriage
  • Chose to be assigned to a remote place, living in solitude
• Juanito Pelaez:
  • A favorite student of the professors
  • Belongs to a noble Spanish ancestry
  • Became the new boyfriend of Paulita Gomez and eventually married her
• Don Custodio:
  • Custodio de Salazar y Sanchez de Monteredondo
  • A famous journalist who was asked by the students about his decision for the Academia de Castellano
  • Married a rich woman to be a member of Manila's high society
• Juliana de Dios/Juli:
  • Girlfriend of Basilio
  • Youngest daughter of Kabesang Tales
• Ben Zayb:
  • Abraham Ibañez
  • A journalist who thinks he is the only one thinking in the Philippines
• Placido Penitente:
  • A student of the University of Santo Tomas
  • Considered to be so smart that the parish priests called him a subversive
• Father Camora:
  • Parish priest of Tiani (San Diego)
  • Depicted as fond of women
  • Raped Juli, which caused her to commit suicide

Chapter Summaries

• Chapter 1: On the Upper Deck - Introduces characters, including Simoun, Doña Victorina, Don Custodio, Ben Zayb, and the priests
• Chapter 2: On the Lower Deck - Basilio and Isagani converse with a Don about the students' plan to establish a Spanish academy
• ...
• Chapter 39: Conclusion - Simoun, wounded and exhausted, goes to Father Florentino's house to hide from the Guardia Civil and reveals his true identity as Juan Crisostomo Ibarra

Themes

• Vengeance
• Socio-political change
• Hypocrisy and Cruelty
• Education, Patriotism, and Social Reform
• "Violence is Not the Answer"
• Redemption

Test your knowledge of the Propaganda Movement and its key members, as well as the life and struggles of Dr. Jose Rizal, a prominent figure in Philippine history.