Filipino Clergy Revolution the And

...m ....n c... ~ ...~ riE SOCIAL SCIENCE I~ INFORMATION Philippine Social Science Council May be opened for postal inspection P.O. Box 655 Greenhills, Metro Manila, 3113 • !.U!.!lU.t.!I~I!.lllL,!;O;Yblo...l.JJ=t.UIo/,, HaUSE I" V . I IU I' U I.L f"'\ _ 2/PSSC SOCIAL SCIENCE INFORMATION editol'ial Towal'd mope quality peseapch RICARDO G. ABAD Discipline Representative for Sociology PSSC Executive Board 1980 Awards, it would seem, provide The task of institution-building, particularly in centers institutions the opportunity to pro outside Metropolitan Manila, requires a commitment to training claim their cherished values. The and resource development. Training scholars is critical in order dean's list champions academic excel to enlarge the pool of social scientists. 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(Page 14 please) OCTOBER-DECEMBER 1979/3 The Filipino Clergy and the Revolution JOHN N. SCHUMACHER, S.J. One of the stereotypes which has dominated the historiography of the Revolution of the new revolutionary rnovementfor is that of a struggle against the Spanish-dominated Catholic Church, as the chief opponent independence carried on through par of nationalist aspirations. Another is the myth of the Revolution as a Tagalog affair. liamentary methods under American tute Spaniards spoke scornfully of the rebelion tagala (even though they tortured men in the lage, the clergy would be relegated to the llocanc and Bicol provinces for alleged conspiracies). American historians like LeRoy or background and their earlier role for Taylor, though they recognized that the opposition to the Americans was not confined gotten. to the Tagalog provinces, generally attributed the resistance elsewhere to Tagalog emis saries or military commanders who stirred up or even coerced an indifferent population Fathers Pelaezand Gomez to refuse to accept American rule. And though Filipino historians have stressed the national character of the Revolution, as a matter of fact the standard histories of the The beginnings of nationalism can be revolution concentrate almost all their attention on the Malolos government and the traced back to 1850 when the Filipino forces directly under its control, w.ith only the barest details on the Revolution in other clergy first began to organize themselves, parts of the country. under the leadership of Fr. Pedro Pelaez A more recent stereotype has been the It is not the contention of this study in Manila, and Fr. Mariano Gomez in contention that the Revolution made by that all of the above stereotypes of the Cavite. The occasion was the move taken the proletariat (or alternatively, by the Revolution are totally false. All of them in 1849 by the Spanish government in lower middle class) was taken over by the do contain some greater or lesser portion response to the request of the Recoleto wealthy ilustrado elite, who then betrayed of the entire picture of the Revolution. procurator that parishes in Cavite be ad it to the Americans. This view, usually Rather, accepting what is valid in these judicated to his order. In reply the govern undergirded by some type of economic views, the study sees the nationalist clergy ment not only gave parishes to the Heco determinist theory, is in reality the con not merely as the victims of 1872, but as letos, but, unasked, bestowed four others verse of Taft's contention that "all the the ones who brought nationalism to on the Dominicans. In spite of the osten better class" or "all those who have any birth, nurtured it, and after they had had sible reasons alleged the purpose was thing to lose" were really in favor of to yield the leadership to others, con clear. To have the entire province of American rule, at least after an early stage tinued to support the Revolution, even Cavite in the hands of the Filipino secular in the fighting. when it was betrayed or abandoned by clergy was a danger to Spanish sovereignty, Finally, though the three priest-martyrs, many of its leaders. The Filipino clergy, to be defused by transferring key parishes Burgos, Gomez and Zamora, have always or at least a substantial number of them, into the hands of Spanish friars of whose occupied a place in the pantheon of na form the thread linking the nationalist loyalty to Spain there could be no ques tional heroes, their death has generally movement into a whole. But with the end tion. The unspoken accusation stirred up been more viewed as a striking example of revolutionary nationalism as a signif Pelaez and Gomez to vindicate their loyal of the Spanish oppression which gave rise icant force after 1902 and the emergence ty and to reclaim their rights by an appeal to the Revolution of 1896 than as an effort to crush an early stage of nationalism in substantial continuity with that which Fr. John N. Schumacher, S. J. is professor of history at the Ateneo de inspired the Katipunan.

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