THE MARTYRDOM OF Gom-Bur-Za, instead of frightening the Filiino atriots, made them

More determined to !ght the e"ils of #anish Rule$ The illustrados, led %& Dr$'ose Ri(al, M$H$
del )ilar, and Gra*iano +oe( 'aena, organi(ed the )roaganda Mo"ement ,hi*h ,asa
ea*eful *rusade for reforms$ These )atriots ,ere *alled )roagandist %ea*ause the& ,aged
their mo"ement %& means of en and tongue to e-ose the defe*ts of #anish rule in the
)hiliines and the urgen*& of reforms to remed& them$ The )roaganda Mo"ement failed,%ut
the ideas of freedom and .usti*e ,hi*h it so,ed a"ed the ground for the )hiliine
Re"olution that the /atiunan and Andres Bonifa*io %egan in the hills of Balinta,a0 in August
1234$
After 1256, )hiliine *onditions ,ent from %ad to ,orse$ The deortation of Filiino leaders
to #anish enal *olonies, the erse*ution of the intelle*tuals, and the a%uses of the #anish
masters *ontinued una%ated$ The Filiino e-iles of 1256 and man& atrioti* students a%road
met in Hong /ong, #ingaore, Bar*elona, Madrid, )aris, +ondon, and other foreign *ities$
7nsired %& a *ommon *ause, the& %anded together and *onse*rated themsel"es to the ,or0
of romoting the ,elfare and hainess of their fatherland$ Aggressi"el& %ut ea*efull&, %&
means of their ,ritings and see*hes, the& *rusaded for reforms to re*tif& the e"ils of the
sanish *olonial s&stem$ The ea*eful *amaign for reforms ,as 0no,n in )hiliine histor&
as the 8)roaganda Mo"ement9$ 7t %egan in 1256, ,hen Gome(, Burgos and Zamora ,ere
e-e*uted at the +uneta and ended in 1234 ,hen Ri(al ,as e-iled to Daitan$
The )roaganda Mo"ement ,as not a re"olutionar& or seditious a:air$ The men ,ho led it
,ere lo&al to sain; the& as0ed merel& for reforms, not indeenden*e$ The reforms ,hi*h the&
as0ed ,ere as follo,s;
E<ualit& of Filiinos and #aniards %efore the la,s$
Assimilation of the )hiliines as a regular ro"in*e of #ain$
Restoration of )hiliine reresentation in the #anish =ortes$
Filiini(ation of the )hiliine arishes and e-ulsion of the friars$
Human rights for Filiinos, su*h as freedom of see*h, freedom of the ress, and freedom to
meet and etition for redredd of grie"an*es$
The )roagandists ,ere the s*ions of good families, highl& intelligent, edu*ated, atrioti*,
and *ourageous, ,ho s&m%oli(ed the >o,er of !liino manhood$ Of these roagandists, one
of the greatest ,as Mar*elo H$ del )ilar of Bula*an, la,&er and .ournalist, %elo"ed %& the
masses for his elo<uent Tagalog and fearless defense of the oor against friar a%uses $
Other Filiino roagandists ,orth& of mention ,re 'ose Ri(al, h&si*ian-no"elist and a man&-
slendored genius; Gra*iano +oe( 'aena, the greatest orator of the )roaganda Mo"ement;
Mariano )on*e, medi*al student and %iograhi*al ,riter; 'uan +una and feli- Ressurre**ion
Hidalgo, master of the %rush; Dr$ )edro A$ )aterno, la,&er and man of letters; Antonio +una,
)harma*ist and Essa&ist; )edro #errano +a0ta,, tea*her-tutor of )rin*e Alfonso de %ouron
?later 0ing Alfonso @777 of #ainA; 'ose Ma$ )angani%an, +inguists and Essa&ist; Fernando
=anon, Engineer and Musi*ian; 'ose Ale.andrino, Engineer and )oliti*al ,riter; 7sa%elo delos
Re&es, Fol0lorist, ne,s-)aerman, and s*holar; and Dominador Gome(, h&si*ian and orator$
The Filiino roagandists ,ere not alone in their *amaign for reforms, the& ,ere suorted
%& foreigners$ Foremost among them ,as Ferdinand Blumentritt,$ He raised Ri(alBs t,o
no"els ?Coli and FiliA and ,rote the 8)rologue9 to Ri(alBs annotated edition of MorgaBs #u*esos
de las 7slas Filiinas ?)aris, 123DA$
Among the li%eral #aniards ,ho aided the Filiino )roagandists ,as Don 'uan Ata&de$ 7n
#etem%er 1226 he founded a *i"i* asso*iation of #aniards and Filiinos in Madrid *alled
=ir*ullo Hisano-Filiino and u%lished the ne,saer Re"ista del =ir*ulo Hisano-Filiino$
Organi(ed %& the Filiino #tudents in Madrid$
Miguel Mora&ta , #tatesman, historian, .ournalist, and Ri(alBs rofessor at the =entral
Eni"ersit& of Madrid$
Fran*is*o )i & Margall, statesman and former )resident of the First #anish Reu%li* ?125F-
125GA
Emilio 'uno&, .ournalist and mem%er of the *ortes$
Msnuel Rui( Zorrilla, arliamentarin and leader of the #anish Reu%li*an )art&$
Miguel Mora&ta HD Fran*is*o )i & Margall
Manuel Rui( Zorrilla
On Mar*h 1, 1222, Manila ,as ro*0ed %& a tumultuous e"ent$ This ,as the anti-friar
demonstration of hundreds of Filiino atriots led %& the Manila atrioti* la,&er, Doroteo
=ortes, ,ith the se*ret assistan*e of M$ H$ del )ilar and 'ose A$ Ramos, a +ondon-edu*ated ri*h
mer*hant and leading Masoni* leader$
The demonstrators, in*luding man& go%ernador*illos of the to,ns around Manila, mar*hed
through the *it& streets to the A&untamiento ?=it& HallA and formall& su%mitted to a*ting =i"il
Go"ernor 'ose =enteno of Manila )ro"in*e an anti-friar manifesto addressed to Iueen Regent
Maria =ristina$ This manifesto, tittled 8+ong +i"e the IueenJ +ong +i"e the Arm&J Do,n ,ith
FriarsJ9
The 8Anti-Friar Manifesto of 12229 denoun*ed the anti-Filiino Ar*h%isho, )edro )a&o, and
the %ad friars for medding in the mo"ement, enri*hing themsel"es *ontrar& to their monasti*
"o, of o"ert&, oosing the tea*hing of #anish language to the Filiinos, and 0eeing the
)hiliines in o%s*uranism$ 7t re<uested the e-ulsion of the friars from the )hiliines$ As a
result of the anti-friar demonstration and manifesto of 1222, the o,erful friars a"enged
themsel"es %& erse*uting the leaders and signers of the manifesto, ha"ing them arrested
and thro,n into rison$ Fortunatel&, the #anish Iueen Regent issued an amnest& in 1223
ardoning the atrioti* demonstrators $
Gra*iano +oe( 'aena founded a fortnightl& ne,saer, +a #olidaridad, in Bar*elona on
Fe%ruar& 1G 1223$
to ortra& "i"idl& the deora%le *onditions of the )hiliines,
To ,or0 ea*efull& for oliti*al and so*ial forms
To *om%at the e"il for*es of medie"alism and rea*tion
To ad"o*ate li%eral ideas and rogress and
To *hamion the legimate asirations of the Filiino eole for demo*ra*& and hainess$
+a #olidaridad ,as rinted in Bar*elona from Fe%ruar& 1G to O*to%er F1, 1223 until last issue
on Co"em%er 1G, 123G$ On De*em%er 1223, M$H$ del )ilar rela*ed 'aena as its editor,
remaining as su*h until the demise of +a #olidaridad on Co"em%er 1G, 123G, after an
e-isten*e of se"en &ears$

Dr$ 'ose Ri(al ?+aan +aanA Mariano )on*e ?Caning, /aliula0o or Tig%alang A
Antonio +una ?Taga-7logA 'ose Ma$ )angani%an ?'omamaA
OthersK HD
Antonio Ma$ Regidor
Dr$ )edro A$ )aterno
7sa%elo de los Re&es
Eduardo de +ete
'ose Ale.andrino$$ Et*$$
7n the last issue of +a #olidaridad ?Co"em%er 1G, 123GA$ M$H$ del ilar ,rote his fare,ell
editorial sa&ing H 8Le are ersuaded that no sa*ri!*es are too little to ,in the rights and the
li%ert& of a nation that is oressed %& sla"er&$9
Desite its oliti*al sirit, the )roaganda Mo"ement rodu*ed *ertain meritorious literar&
,or0s ,hi*h *ontri%uted to the %lossoming of Filiino literature$ 7t ga"e %irth to the !rst
Filiino no"el, Cina&, ,hi*h ,as ,ritten %& Dr$ )edro A$ )aterno, do*tor of la,s and man-of-
letters, and u%lished at Madrid in 122G$ He also ,rote a "olume of melodious oems
#amaguitas ?Madrid, 122DA and a histori*al %oo0, +a Antigua =i"ili(a*ion Tagalog ?Madrid,
1225A
Gregorio #an*iang*o, e*onomist and also a do*tor of la,s, authored the %oo0 entitled El
)rogreso de Filiinas ?Madrid, 1221D, and a treatise on *olonial e*onomi*s and oliti*s in the
)hiliines$ M$H$ del )ilar, la,&er and .ournalist, e-*elled as oliti*al amhleteer$ His
amhletes ,ere *lassi*s of satire, nota%l& Dasalan at Tu0sohan ?122DA, +a #o%erania
Mona*al en Filiinas ?1222D, and +a Frailo*ra*ia Filiina ?1223A$ +oe( 'aena, the greastest
orator of the )roaganda, ,as also a gifted ,riter$ 7n his satiri*al no"elette, Fra& Botod ?Fat
FriarA$ He ridi*uled the #anish friars ,ho %e*ame "er& fat for eating too mu*h and li"ing in
lu-ur& at the e-ense of oor Filiinos, ,hom the& a%use$ 7n one of his arti*les u%lished in +a
#olidaridad entitled 8En Tinie%las9 ?7n Etter Dar0nessA, he lam%asted the %iased #anish
,riters for their a%surdities$
Antonio +una
,ho ,rote the %oo0, 7mresiones , a *olle*tion of essa&s des*ri%ing the *ustoms of the
saniards in Madrid$
'ose Ma$ )angani%an
author of the *ri*ti*al essa& 8+a Eni"ersidad de FiliinasH )lan de Estudios9 ?u%lished in +a
#olidaridadA ,hi*h e-osed the defe*ts of the =hur*h-dominated edu*ation in the )hiliines,
7sa%elo de los Re&es
fol0lorist and historians, ,ho authored El fol0-+ore Filiino ?1225A and Historia de 7lo*os
?123D, 6 "olumesA
Mariano )on*e
%iograher, ,ho ,ote the series 8=ele%res Filiinos9 in +a #olidaridad$
Dr$ 'ose Ri(al, of =ourse ,as the greatest ,riter of the )roaganda Mo"ement$ Aside from his
famous no"els ?Coli Me Tangere and El Fili%usterismoA he ,rote man& essa&s and oems of
literar& merit$ He ,as alsD a formida%le olemi*ist, as e"iden*ed %& his satiri*al relies to his
detra*tors, nota%l& +a Mision del Fre& Rodrigue( ?1223A , in ,hi*h he e-osed the stuidities
and im%e*ilities of Fre& 'ose Rodrigue(, !rst friar to atta*0 the Coli and )or Telefono ?1231A, in
,hi*h he lamoned Fra& #al"ador Front, ,ho ,rote the reort of the *ensorshi *ommission
%anning the Coli$
Masonr& la&ed a signi!*ant role in the )roaganda Mo"ement$ Man& Filiino atriots turned
Masons, in*luding Mar*elo H$ del )ilar, G$ +oe( 'aena, Ri(al, )on*e, and others, %e*ause the&
needed hel of the Masons in #ain and in other foreign *ountries in their !ght for reforms$
The !rst Filiino Masoni* lodge *alled Re"olution ,as founded %& +oe( .aena in Bar*elona
and ,as re*ogni(ed on Aril, 1223 %& the Grande Oriental Esanol headed %& Don Miguel
Mora&ta$
To,ards the end of 1231, M$H del )ilar, ,ith the *onsent of the Grande Oriente Esanol, sent
#errano +a0ta, to the )hiliines to esta%lish the First Filiino Masoni* lodge in Manila$ 7n
*omlian*e ,ith his mission, #errano +a0ta, founded in Manila on 'anuar& 4, 1236, +odge
Cilad, the !rst Filiino Masoni* lodge in the )hiliines$
The Filiino roagandists and their #anish friends organi(ed the Aso*ia*ion Hisano-Filiino
?Hisano-)hiliine Asso*iationA in Madrid in 'anuar& 16, 1223, for the urose of se*uring
reforms for the )hiliines$ The resident ,as Don Miguel Mora&ta , #anish rofessor at the
Eni"ersit& of Madrid$ The "i*e resident ,as General Felie da la =orte, ,ho had resided in
the )hiliines$ Dominador Gome( ,as the ser*retar&$ All Filiinos in Euroe ,ere *onsidered
a*ti"e mem%ers, and rominent s*holars and statesman of other nationalities ,ere made
honorar& mem%ers$
To fa*ilitate its ,or0, the asso*iation ,as di"ided into three se*tionsH
)oliti*al #e*tion headed %& M$H$ del )ilar
+iterar& #e*tion headed %& M$ )on*e
Re*reation #e*tion headed %& Tomas Are.ola
+iga Filiina$
Lhile li"ing in Hong/ong, Ri(al *on*ei"ed the idea of esta%lishing a *i"i* asso*iation
*omosed of Filiinos$ He *alled it the +iga Filiina ?)hiliine +eagueA$ He ,rote its
*onstitution ,ith the hel of 'ose Ma$ Basa, an e-ile of 1256$ After !nishing the *onstitution,
he returned to Manila$
#hortl& after arri"ing in Manila on 'une 64, 1236, Ri(al *onferred ,ith Go"ernor General
Desu.ol$ He su**eeded in o%taining a ardon for his famil&, %ut failed to se*ure san*tion for
his ro.e*t to esta%lish a Filiino *olon& in Borneo$
On the night of 'ul& F, 1236, Ri(al founded the +iga Filiina ?)hiliine +eagueA in a house at
7la&a #treet, Tondo$ A**ording to its *onstitution, the aims of the +eague ,ere the follo,ingH
Enion of the Ar*hielago into a *oma*t, "igorous and homogenous %od&$
Mutual )rote*tion in all *ases of ressing ne*essit&$
Defense against all "iolen*e and in.usti*e$
En*ouragement of edu*ation, agri*ulture and *ommer*e$
#tud& and ali*ation of reforms $
The motto of the +iga Filiina ,as Enus 7nstar Omnium$ The oN*ers ,ere as follo,sH Am%rosio
#al"ador, resident; Agustin de la Rosa, !s*al; Bonida*io Are"alo, treasurer and
DeodatoArellano, se*retar&$ Among the mem%ers ,ere Andres Bonifa*io, Aolinario Ma%ini,
Mamerito Cati"idad, Am%rosio Rian(ares Bautista, Moises #al"ador, 'ose A$ Di(on, Domingo
Fran*o, Timoteo )ae(, Ar*adio del Rosario, Cumeriano Andrano, Timoteo +anu(a and Doroteo
Ong.un*o$
Ri(alBs to Daitan ro"ed to %e the s,an song of the )roaganda Mo"ement$ The +iga Filiina
*ollased$ The radi*al Andres Bonifa*io and other radi*al mem%ers searated from it, for the&
,ere disen*hanted %& the ea*eful *amaign$ The *onser"ati"e +iga mem%ers, in*luding
Domingo Fran*o, Cumeriano Andriano, Am%rosio Rian(ares Bautista$ Timoteo )ae( and
Aolinario Ma%ini, organi(ed themsel"es into a ne, grou *alled +os =omromisaros %e*ause
ea*h mem%er ledged or romised to *ontri%ute mone& for the !nan*ial aid of the
)roaganda Mo"ement in #ain$
For some months, the =omromisarios sent funds to M$H del )ilar in Madrid for the *ontinued
rinting of +a #olidaridad$ But time *ame ,hen man& mem%ers of the =omromisarios
stoed a&ing their *ontri%utions so that the >o, of funds to sain *eased$ And for la*0 of
funds, +a #olidaridad died out after its last issue on Co"em%er 1G, 123G$
Lith the demise of +a #olidaridad , the )roaganda Mo"ement *ame to a futile end$
The Founding of the /atiunan $ Andres Bonifa*io, a mem%er of the +iga Filiina , did not .oin
the =omromisarios ,ho ,ere *onser"ati"e intelle*tuals and aOuent mer*hants %e*ause he
,as %oth oor and a man of a*tion and radi*al "ie,s$ He !rml& %elie"ed that the hainess
and ,elfare of the Filiino )eole *ould not %e a*hie"ed %& ea*eful re<uests for reforms, %ut
%& "iolent re"olution$