The Philippines in Distress

Graciano Lopez Jaena

I. BACKGROUND OF THE AUTHOR

Graciano Lopez Jaena (1856-

1896)
Great Orator and Propagandist &
Prince of Filipino Orators

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 I. BACKGROUND OF THE AUTHOR

✣ Graciano López Jaena was born in Jaro, Iloilo on

December 18, 1856. His parents were Plácido López
and María Jacobe Jaena. Feeling that the priesthood
was the most noble profession, his mother sent him to
study at the St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary in Jaro.
While there, he served as a secretary to his uncle,
Claudio López, who was the honorary vice consul of
Portugal in Iloilo.
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✣ Despite his mother wanting him to become a priest,
Jaena's true ambition was to become a physician. After
convincing his parents, he sought enrollment at the
University of Santo Tomas but was denied admission
because the required Bachelor of Arts degree was not
offered at the seminary in Jaro. Instead, he was
appointed to the San Juan de Dios Hospital as an
apprentice. Unfortunately, due to financial problems, he
dropped out and returned to Iloilo to practice medicine.
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✣ During this period, his visits with the poor began to stir
feelings about the injustices that were common. At the
age of 18 he wrote the satirical story Fray Botod which
depicted a fat and lecherous friar. Botod’s false piety
"always had the Virgin and God on his lips no matter
how unjust and underhanded his acts are." This incurred
the fury of the friars. Although the story was not
published, a copy circulated in Iloilo but the friars could
not prove that Jaena was the author.
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✣ He got into trouble for refusing to testify that certain
prisoners died of natural causes when it was obvious
that they had died at the hands of the mayor of
Pototan. Jaena continued to agitate for justice and
finally went to Spain when threats were made on his
life. Jaena sailed for Spain in 1880. There he became a
leading writer and speaker for Philippine reform.

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✣ Jaena pursued his medical studies at the University of
Valencia but did not finish. He then moved to the
field of journalism. Losing interest in politics and
academic life, he soon enjoyed his life in Barcelona
and Madrid.

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✣ In addition he is remembered for his literary
contributions to the propaganda movement. López
Jaena founded the fortnightly newspaper, La
Solidaridad. When the publication office moved
from Barcelona to Madrid, the editorship was
succeeded to Marcelo H. del Pilar. His talent can
be seen in the publication Discursos y Artículos
Varios (Speeches and Various Articles).

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✣ Graciano López Jaena died of tuberculosis on
January 20, 1896 in Barcelona, eleven months
short of his 40th birthday. The following day, he
was buried in a mass grave at the Montjuïc
Cemetery of Barcelona. He died in poverty and
his remains have not been brought back to the
Philippines.

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 II. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF
THE DOCUMENT

✣ The Philippine in Distress (La situación aflictiva de

Filipinas) an excerpt of a book “Discursos y artículos
varios”
✣ Originally published in Spanish in 1891
✣ Lopez Jaena wrote many articles and speeches which he
compiled into a book
✣ In 1974, it was translated and annonated by Encarnacion
Alzona with additional annotations by Teodora A. Agoncillo
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 III. SUMMARY OF THE DOCUMENT

✣ During that time, Graciano Lopez Jaena used to

describe the state of the Philippines as “distress”.
✣ The unpredictability of the administration and the
misadventures and anomalies leads to the lack of
commerce during those times.
✣ He said that the cause of the situation is because
of the ineptitude of the Government of the
Philippines.
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✣ He discussed that the General Directorate of Civil
Administration neither administers nor promotes nor
civilizes; he just sleeps in its files. While the General
Government which is always occupied by an Army
General, spends its time reviewing troops and organizing
the country militarily, even in a normal state of peace and
order, always seems to be in an exceptional situation,
without constitutional guarantees; any confusion,
bureaucracy, causes alarm to the Government, it always
sees in it a conspiracy.
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✣ Bureaucracy and intolerance, causes of a
country's decline and hence of the crises of its trade,
industry, and agriculture. On closer inspection, are
cause of the prostration of a people, as well as its
antinomy.
✣ Freedom is the producer of all the progress of a
nation.

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 IV. CONTENT ANALYSIS

I see biases in terms of;

✣ The Discursos y artículos varios wrote in
Spanish and published in Spain
✣ He wrote the articles while in Spain

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 V. CONCLUSION

✣ Graciano Lopez Jaena used the article to open

the eyes of the Filipinos what is the true state
of the Philippines in the hands of the Spanish
government. According to him, Bureaucracy
and intolerance of the administration is the
cause of the distress situation. Freedom is the
key of the nation to progress

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