IMAGINING A NATION

Vocabulary:
Cortes - the legislative or lawmaking body of the Spanish government.

Creole - a Spaniard born in the Philippines.

Mestizo - an individual born of mixed ancestry; may refer to Spanish mestizo or a Chinese mestizo.

Propaganda - information used to promote or publicize a particular cause or point of view.

Restoration - refers to the Spanish Restoration; a period in Spanish history spanning the years 1874-1931 that saw
the restoration of the monarchy under Alfonso XII together with the establishment of a bicameral legislature.
The Propaganda Movement
➔ Circulo Hispano-Filipino
◆ An organization under the leadership of a creole, Juan Atayde. It was the first attempt to unite the
Filipinos studying in Spain.
◆ Published a bi-weekly newspaper titled Revista del Circulo Hispano-Filipino in 1882 but lasted only
until 1883 along with the organization itself.

➔ Los Dos Mundos - a periodical which came out with the intention of demanding for the overseas Hispanic
colonies equal rights and equal opportunities for progress.
◆ It was not really determined whether the newspaper was a Filipino project or not but some Filipinos
were involved with the periodical namely:
● As staff members: Graciano Lopez Jaena and Pedro Govantes y Azcarraga
● As article contributors about the socio-political and economic reforms in the Philippines: Jose
Rizal and Eduardo de Lete

➔ Noli me Tangere - Rizal’s first novel which came out in 1887 which described the perceived inequities of the
Spanish Catholic friars and the ruling government.

➔ España en Filipinas - a newspaper began its publication with the support of Filipinos, creoles and Mestizos
in Madrid. The newspaper did not last long because of glaring differences and internal feuding among its staff.
La Solidaridad
➔ La Solidaridad
◆ A new periodical published on January 1889 and released its first issue on February 15,1889.
◆ Among the early supporters who helped with the finances and editing were:
● Mariano Ponce
● Pablo Rianzares
● Marcelo H. del Pilar
● Graciano Lopez Jaena
◆ Often ran articles dealing with Spanish politics, attacks on friars, and reforms for the Philippines.
◆ Aside from the political and economic content, the periodical also gave space for the publication of
literary works as well.
◆ Support for the newspaper grew and gradually increased its roster of writers. Among those who
eventually contributed articles were:
● Jose Rizal
● Dominador Gomez
● Jose Maria Panganiban
● Antonio Luna
● Ferdinand Blumentritt
La Solidaridad

➔ Marcelo H. del Pilar

◆ Gradually took the active role of running the paper and took the paper with him by the time he decided to move
to Madrid.
◆ The first issue printed in Madrid came out on November 15, 1889.
◆ Though Manuel Lopez Jaena was the editor in name, he spent most of his times in cafes and was known to be
incapable of sustained work.
◆ A month later, the periodical announced its change of editorship with del Pilar now taking the helm.
➔ By 1890, two of the most prominent members of the Filipino community in Spain began to increasingly show
differences in stance with regards to Philippine affairs:
◆ Jose Rizal - always held the opinion that to serve the country better, one had to bring the issues closer to home.
◆ Marcelo H. del Pilar - was a skillful politician who felt that efforts of persuading the Spanish leaders and
officials needed to be continued and this was the best way to achieve the reforms the Filipinos were seeking.
La Solidaridad

➔ In 1891, at a New Year’s eve banquet, the Filipinos in Madrid proposed that they elect a leader to unite their
community. Rizal agreed with the proposal while del Pilar expressed initial misgivings.
➔ The voting took place resulting in three consecutive ballots on the first day and two more inconclusive ballots
the next day.
➔ Rizal won the position as the Filipino leader but only through the manipulation of Mariano Ponce.
➔ Rizal felt this triumph was shallow and left Madrid a few weeks later. From this point onwards, Rizal stopped
contributing articles to La Solidaridad and focused instead on the writing of his novels.
➔ The Periodical continued to publish only until 1895 due to lack of funds and internal feuding and released the
final issue on November 15, 1895.
➔ In its final issue, its editor, del Pilar had written, “ We are persuaded that no sacrifices are too little to win
the rights and the liberty of a nation that is oppressed by slavery.”