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later Madrid, that espoused the relatively liberal views of the Filipino Propaganda
Movement, which sought reform in the Spanish colony of the Philippines. The group
was made up of a coalition of Filipino exiles and university students who
had matriculated at European universities. The first issue of the biweekly newspaper
was published in 1889 and La Solidaridad remained a major public arm of the
movement until its final issue in 1895. The paper sought to put political pressure on the
Spanish government, and, though not initially revolutionary, it helped spawn a united
front for Filipino independence.
The Spanish colonial period in the Philippines began in 1521 when Ferdinand
Magellan claimed the islands as a Spanish possession. For centuries Spanish dominance
was exerted mostly through the aegis of the Roman Catholic Church and
the Augustinian, Dominican, and Franciscan friars who controlled most aspects of
Filipino public life and were the largest landowners outside Manila. Through a mix of
structural racism and administrative negligence, the Spanish constructed a massive gap
in access to basic amenities that existed not only between the Spanish colonists and
Filipinos but also between the rich and poor Filipinos themselves. A clear indicator of
the colonial caste system was the lack of Spanish-language education for most Filipinos,
which denied them access to the levers of power. By the middle of the 19th century, less
than one-fifth of Filipino students could speak and write Castilian Spanish. However,
the sons of wealthy Filipinos were sent to be educated or live abroad in Europe, mostly
in Spain. It was these affluent expatriates, known as Ilustrados (Spanish: “enlightened
ones”), who founded the Propaganda Movement, and later, La Solidaridad.
With regard to the Philippines, since she needs the most help, not being represented in the
Cortes, we shall pay particular attention to the defense of her democratic rights, the
accomplishment of which is our patriotic duty.
The Propagandists’ desire for assimilation and not independence would result in a break
between them and more revolution-minded political figures back home. Some historians
ascribe the Propaganda Movement’s lack of revolutionary ambition to its members’ wish
to protect their class-based privilege.
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La Solidaridad was buoyed in no small part by the concurrent reform efforts of Rizal,
who was one of the paper’s most frequent and potent contributors. He was wildly
popular, and his writings were widely circulated in both Spain and the Philippines.
Threatened by the power of his influence, the Spanish government sought to undermine
him. In 1892, near the height of La Solidaridad’s popularity, Rizal returned to the
Philippines and founded the reform-minded society Liga Filipina (Philippine League).
Soon after this, Rizal was arrested and deported to a remote island of the Philippines.
Without his involvement, La Solidaridad lost its funding and it went out of business in
November 1895. A year later, its editors, del Pilar and Lopez Jaena, died in poverty in
Barcelona. Rizal would be executed the same year, a martyr to the cause of Filipino
independence from Spain, which would be achieved in 1898.
Roland Martin