THE REFORM MOVEMENT
■ Ten peaceful years elapsed after the
execution of Gomez, Burgos and
Zamora.
■ It was a peaceful period on the
surface because the Filipinos were
crowded into silence by the Spanish
authorities.
■ There were threats of persecution for
those who would oppose or criticize
Spanish Rule.
■ As a result, the educated and the
wealthy left for Spain where there
was freedom.
■ There, they studied and worked for
the introduction of reforms in the
Philippines.
■ The reform movement, also called
Propaganda Movement, began in
1882.
■ It lasted up to the early months of
1892.
■ Rizal, who founded the La Liga
Filipina.
■ The reform movement which they
starter included the idea to assimilate
the Philippines would be represented
in the Spanish law making body
called the Cortes.
■ The Filipinos would become Spanish
citizens.
■ This move to make the Philippines a
province of Spain and the granting of
Spanish citizenship to Filipinos was
called Assimilation.
■ Assimilition of the Philippines would
allow the Indios to be finally called
“Filipinos”.
■ Important Filipino Reformists
GRACIANO LOPEZ JAENA
■ Graciano Lopez Jaena
■ Born in Jaro, now a part of Iloilo
City, on 17 December 1856.
■ His parents were Placido Lopez and
Maria Jacobo Jaena.
■ He studied at the Seminary of Jaro,
in order to be a priest, but later on he
changed His mind and wanted to be a
physician.
■ He wrote a long story about a certain
friar named Fray Botod.
■ He secretly sailed for Europe in
1880.
■ He studied medicine in Spain but
later in gave it up and devoted his
time and energy to writing articles.
■ HE WAS THE GREAT ORATOR
LA SOLIDARIDAD
■ Solidarity
■ He became its first editor.
■ A newspaper which became the
propaganda arm of the Filipino
Reformists in Spain.
■ “Pearl of the Orient”
■ Aims of La Solidaridad
■ To fight reaction
■ To stop all the steps tending to make
the Philippines a backward country.
■ To extol liberal ideas
■ To defend progress
He expressed the demands of the Filipino
Reformists.
1. representation in the Spanish Cortes;
2. the right to vote;
3. freedom of speech of assembly, and
of the press;
4. freedom of commerce;
 5. the removal of the friars from the
philippines because they were an
obstacle to progress;
6. the education of the people;
7. reforms in the jails of the country;
8. the abolition of the diezmos prediales
or the tithe consisting of one-tenth of
the produce of the land.
■ Lopez Jaena suffered from hunger
and illness
■ Died in Barcelona, Spain on January
20, 1896.
José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso
Realonda
■ JOSE RIZAL
■ He was born in Calamba, Laguna, on
June 19, 1861.
■ He studied at the Ateneo de
municipal and, later, in the
University of Santo Tomas.
■ In 1882, he wen to spain with the
help of his elder brother and uncle.
■ JOSE RIZAL
■ He is known for his two novels Noli
Mi Tangere and El Filibusterismo
■ He founded the La Liga Filipina
■ HE IS THE GREAT THINKER
AND WRITER
MARCELO H. DEL PILAR
■ “Greatest Journalist produced by the
purely Filipino Race”
■ Born in the barrio of Kupang,
Bulakan. Bulacan, on August 30,
1850
■ He studied at the College of San Jose
and later at the University of Santo
Tomas where he finished his law
studies in 1880.
■ In 1882, he founded the Tagalog-
Spanish Newspaper Diariong
Tagalog which published
suggestions the administration of the
country.
■ In 1888, the spanish friars of bulakan
persuaded the Spanish officials to
arrest Del Pilar.
■ He became the editor of La
Solidaridad
■ La Soberania Monacal en Filipinas
(Friar Sovereignity in the
Philippines)
■ La Frailocracia Filipina (The Friars
in the Philippines)
■ He died on July 4, 1896
■ THE GREAT POLITICAL
ANALYST AND JOURNALIST
THE PRO-FILIPINO SOCIETIES
■ In 1882, they organized the Circulo
Hispano-Filipino (the spanish-
filipino Circle)
■ Revista del Circulo Hispano-Filipino
(journal of the Spanish-Filipino
Circle)
■ Association Hispano-Filipina that
was inaugurated in 1889.
■ Their aspiration was “to work for the
material and moral improvement of
the Philippines”.
FREEMASONRY AND IT’S ROLE
■ Masonry was popular in Europe,
even in Spain.
■ Lopez Jaena was very active in
Mansory
■ He founded the lodge of Revolucion
in Barcelona in 1899
■ The following year another lodge La
Solidaridad was founded in Madrid
■ FREEMASONRY AND IT’S ROLE
AIMS
1. to work for freedom and prosperity of the
Philippines
2. To work for good environment
3. to ask for representation to the Spanish
Cortes.
4. To establish the Philippines as a province
of Spain
35 Masonic Lodge
9 in Manila
Women’s Masonic Lodge - Walan
LA LIGA FILIPINA
July 3, 1892 – Rizal and a group of patriotic
filipinos, including Andres Bonifacio
founded the society, La Liga Filipina.
AIMS
1. To unite the whole archipelago into
one strong body;
2. To give mutual protection of all
members in case of necessity;
3. To encourage agriculture, commerce,
and education
4. To defend membranes against any
kind of violence and injustice;
5. To study and apply reforms.
The members of the society was to be used
for the following purposes;
1. To support a member or his son
without financial means but with
enough ability and industry.
2. To support the poor against the rich
and the powerful
3. To give financial help to any
member who suffered losses
4. To open stores and shops which
would sell goods to members at low
prices
5. To introduce machines in order to
promote industries
REFORM MOVEMENT FAILED
■ Spanish high officials in spain were
too busy with their own problems to
listen to the collective voice of the
reformists
■ The reformists in spain and in the
philippines did not have the
necessary financial means with
which to make their campaign
effective
■ Reform movement failed
■ The reformists themselves were not
united
■ THE FRIARS IN THE
PHILPPINES HAD
INFLUENTIAL FRIENDS AND
SUPPORTERS IN SPAIN
The Katipunan is born
Andres Bonifacio was also a member of La
Liga Filipina, although he soon lost hope in
gaining reforms though peaceful means.
This feeling was especially heightened when
Jose Rizal was exiled to
Dapitan. Bonifacio became convinced that
the only way the Philippines could gain
independence was through a revolution.
Bonifacio then founded the “Katastaasang
Kagalanggalangang Katipuanan ng mga
Anak ng Bayan” (KKK) on July 7, 1892 in a
house on Azcarraga street (now Claro M.
Recto), in Tondo Manila.
The Katipunan had colorful beginnings. As a
symbol of the member’s loyalty, they
performed the solemn rite
of sanduguan (blood compact), wherein
each one signed his name with his own
blood..
The members agreed to recruit more people
using the “triangle system” of enlistment.
Each original member would recruit tow
new members who were not related to each
other. Each new member would do the same
thing, and so on down the line. Members
were also asked to contribute
one Real (about 25 centavos) each month in
order to raise funds for the association.
The KKK members agreed on the
following objectives:
▪ The political goal was to completely
separate the Philippines from Spain after
declaring the country’s independence.
▪ The moral goal was to teach the Filipinos
good manners, cleanliness, hygiene, fine
morals, and how to guard themselves against
religious fanaticism..
▪ The civic goal was to encourage Filipinos
to help themselves and to defend the poor
oppressed.
The “Kataastaasang Sanggunian” (supreme
council) was the highest governing body of
the Katipunan. It was headed by a supremo,
or president. Each province had a
“Sangguaniang Bayan” (Provincial Council)
and each town had a “Sangguniang
Balangay” (Popular Council).
The Leaders of the Katipunan:
▪ Deodato Arellano -Supremo
▪ Ladislao Diwa -Fiscal
▪ Teodora Plata -Secretary
▪ Valentine Diaz -treasurer
▪ Andres Bonifacio -controller
Jose Rizal and the Katipunan
Jose Rizal never became involved in the
organization and activities of the Katipunan;
but the Katipuneros still looked up to him as
a leader. In fact, Rizal’s name was used as a
password among the society’s highest-
ranking members, who were called bayani.
Andres Bonifacio had already known Rizal
during his La Liga Filipina days, although
Rizal did not know Bonifacio personally
Nevertheless, Bonifacio so respected Rizal’s
intelligence and talent that in June 1896, he
sent Dr. Pio Valenzuela to Dapitan to seek
Rizal’s advice on the planned revolution.
Rizal told Valenzuela that the timing was
not right for a revolution. The people were
not yet ready and they did not have enough
weapons. He suggested that the Katipunan
obtain the support of wealthy and influential
Filipinos first, in order to gain financial
assistance. He also recommended Antonio
Luna as commander of its armed forces,
since Luna had much knowledge and
expertise in military tactics.
Valenzuela returned to Manila on June 26
and relayed Rizal’s advice to Bonifacio, who
admitted that it would indeed be fatal for the
Filipinos to fight without enough weapons.
However, there was no stopping the
Revolution. Bonifacio ordered his men to
prepare for battle. He directed them to store
enough food and other supplies. Battle plans
were made with the help of Emilio Jacinto.
It was suggested that the revolutionary
headquarters be located near the seas or
mountains to provide for an easy retreat, if
necessary.

The Katipunan is Discovered

Rumors about a secret revolutionary

society had long been in circulation,
although no solid evidence could be found to
support them. The big break as far as the
Spanish authorities was concerned, came on
August 19, 1896 when a KKK member,
Teodoro Patiño told his sister Honoria about
the existence of the Katipunan. Patiño was a
worker in the printing press of Diario de
Manila. Honoria was then living with nuns
in a Mandaluyong orphanage.

The information upset Honoria so much that

she told the orphanage’s Mother Superior,
Sor Teresa de Jesus, what her brother had
revealed. Sor Teresa suggested they seek the
advice of Father Mariano Gil, the parish
priest of Tondo.

After hearing Patiño’s revelations, Father

Mariano Gil-accompanied by several
Guardias Civiles immediately searched the
premises of Diario de Manila and found
evidence of the Katipunan’s existence. The
governor general was quickly informed. The
printing press was padlocked and hundreds
of suspected KKK members were arrested.