Chapter 2: The Frailocracy

Arrest of Teodora Alonso

● Teodora’s cousin, Jose Alberto found out that his wife left him; he decided that he must
divorce her
● Teodora intervened due to her religious and moral beliefs, and the wife came to hate her
● The wife accused her husband of trying to poison her and named Teodora as an
accomplice
● The alcalde ordered the arrest of Teodora without any kind of hearing
● She was made to walk all the way to the prison, 20 miles away
● This showed that unknown to the Rizal family, the Spanish authorities had been
suspicious of them for a considerable time
Power of the Spanish Friars
● The alcalde, who was responsible for the charge, was a known ally and servitor of the
Spanish friars
● The friars practically controlled the religious and educational life of the country, as well
as other fields
● In every parish was a friar curate, who was in effect the local inspector of taxes and
schools, chairman of the boards of charity, health, public works, statistics, urban
taxation, census taking, and cedulas
● In addition, Filipinos were religious people; Sunday Mass was the central point of
community life
● Sunday Mass also served as a way for the friars to check on suspicious people
● The confessional was used as a means of obtaining the information required to maintain
the Spanish rule
Effect of Teodora Alonso’s arrest on the young Jose Rizal
● The young Jose was upset, knowing the privations his mother was being subjected to
● He was shocked by the ingratitude of the people responsible, who once ate at his
parents’ table and were treated as guests
● Jose Rizal became aware of human duplicity; he realized that extreme caution was
necessary before anyone could be trusted because anyone, Spanish or Filipino, could
be an informer
Jose Burgos
● One of the reasons the friars kept an eye on the Rizals was Paciano, Jose’s older
brother
● Paciano was the favorite pupil of Father Jose Burgos, who was the principal spokesman
of the Filipino clergy’s claim to the right to be appointed as parish priests
● The claim had strong political undertones of what in effect amounted to a form of self-
rule
● The friars and Spaniards had the conviction that anyone who supported the Filipino
clergy was an enemy of Spain
First liberal Governor-General
● Carlos Maria de la Torre arrived on 1869
● Censorship of press was abolished
 ● De la Torre took a liking to Burgos and asked him to ride beside him in the carriage
procession, in the place which should have been taken by the archbishop
● To the Filipinos, this was a gesture that establish de la Torre as a friend, but the
opposite was true for the friars and Spaniards
● In 1871, through the friars’ efforts, de la Torre was replaced
● The friars prepared measures to take care of the intellectuals who expressed their views
too freely in the liberal atmosphere of de la Torre’s administration
Cavite Mutiny of 1872
● In 1872, a mutiny occurred in Cavite but it was quickly suppressed
● The Spanish authorities claimed that they discovered proofs that there was a conspiracy
against the government
Execution of Burgos
● Father Jose Burgos, Father Mariano Gomez, an elderly Filipino priest who published
many of Burgos’ writings, and Father Jacinto Zamora, who the friars mistrusted, were
accused of involvement in the Cavite mutiny
● They were publicly garroted soon after an unfair trial, in which they were found guilty and
were sentenced to death
● Due to the power and influence of the friars, there was no public reaction
● Many believed that the priests were in some way connected to the mutiny, but those
close to the event such as Paciano, the truth was clear
● The Fathers were arrested because they were leaders of the Filipino clergy, not because
of the Cavite mutiny
Opinions
● No one could be trusted at the time, not even fellow Filipinos. Anything which could be
perceived as against the friars should not be uttered
● The power of the Spanish friars gave them a hold on every aspect of their area, which
allowed them to take care of anyone they were suspicious of