Enlightenment in the Philippines

Enlightenment in the Philippines began with the "Ilustrado", which is a Spanish and Filipino word that means the "enlightened one". Philippine "Ilustrados" were the Filipino elite during the Spanish colonial period in the late 19th century. They were the middle-class who were educated and exposed to European liberal and nationalist ideals. The Filipino "Ilustrados" sought reform through “a more equitable arrangement of both political and economic power” under Spanish tutelage. Stanley Karnow, in his "In Our
intelligentsia” because many were the children of wealthy landowners. They promoted nationalism in the Philippines. [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/philippines/ph_glos.html Glossary: Philippines, Area Handbook Series, Country Studies, Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, LOC.gov (undated)] , retrieved on: July 30, 2007] [http://people.cohums.ohio-state.edu/grimsley1/milhis/phil.htm Grimsley, Mark. The Philippine War: 1899-1902, Ohio-State.edu, 1993, 1996] , retrieved on: August 1, 2007] Karnow, Stanley. "In Our
March 3 1990, 536 pages, page 15. - ISBN 0-345-32816-7] [http://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/28063.html The Rise of the Philippine Middle Class (Ilustrados), Mega Essays LLC, MegaEssays.com, 2007] , retrieved on: August 1, 2007] [http://www.britannica.com/ebi/article-206427 Philippines: The Spanish Colony, Student Encyclopedia Article, Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., Britannica.com] , retrieved on: August 1, 2007] [http://www.philippineembassy-usa.org/about/history.htm History of the Philippines, Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines, Department of Foreign Affairs, PhilippineEmbassy-USA.org (undated)] , retrieved on: August 1, 2007]

Ilustrado

The most prominent "Ilustrados" were Graciano López Jaena, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Mariano Ponce, Antonio Luna and José Rizal, the Philippine national hero. Rizal’s novels "Noli Me Tangere" (Touch Me Not) and "El Filibusterismo" (The Subversive) “exposed to the world the injustices imposed on Filipinos under the Spanish colonial regime”. [http://www.sspxasia.com/Newsletters/2002/Jan-Mar/Liberalism_in_the_Philippines.htm Salvador, Fr. Emerson, Liberalism in the Philippines, The Revolution of 1898: The Main Facts, Newsletter of the District of Asia, Society of St. Pius X, District of Asia, January - March 2002] , retrieved on: August 1, 2007]

In the beginning, Rizal and his fellow "Ilustrados" preferred not to win independence from Spain, instead they yearned legal equality for both Spaniards and Filipinos in the colony. Among the political, religious and economic reforms demanded by the "Ilustrados" were that “the Philippines be represented in the Cortes and be considered as a province of Spain” and “the secularization of the parishes”.

However, in 1872, nationalist sentiment grew strongest, when three Filipino priests, “charged with leading a military mutiny at an arsenal in Cavite, near Manila”, were executed by the Spanish authorities. The event and “other repressive acts outraged the "Ilustrados". Because of his writings and activities, Rizal was executed by the Spaniards on December 30, 1896. Rizal’s execution propelled the "Ilustrados" to revolt against Spain. This also prompted unity among the "Ilustrados" and Andres Bonifacio’s "Katipunan" members.

Philippine policies by the United States reinforced the dominant position of the "Ilustrados" within Filipino society. Friar estates were sold to the "Ilustrados" and most government positions were offered to them.

Key figures of the Enlightenment in the Philippines

* Marcelo H. del Pilar (1850-1896)
* Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo
* Graciano López Jaena (1856-1896)
* Antonio Luna (1866-1899)
* Juan Luna (1857-1899)
* Mariano Ponce (1863-1918)
* José Rizal (1861-1896)

ee also

*Spanish language in the Philippines
*Philippine Literature in Spanish
*Fernando María Guerrero
*The Thomasites

References

pecific

General

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* [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-9118(197211)32%3A1%3C224%3ACCSITP%3E2.0.CO%3B2-F Owen, Norman G., Compadre Colonialism: Studies in the Philippines Under American Rule, A Review by Theodore Friend, The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 32, No. 1 (Nov., 1972), pp. 224-226, JSTOR.org, 2007] , retrieved on: August 1, 2007
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* [http://www.columbia.edu/cu/asiaweb/v11n1Rossabi.htm Rossabi, Amy. The Colonial Roots of Civil Procedure in the Philippines, Volume 11, Number 1, Fall 1997, The Journal of Asian Law, Columbia.edu] , retrieved on: August 1, 2007
* [http://www.angelfire.com/ca/doodz/philippines3.html Filipino Nationalism, AngelFire.com (undated)] , retrieved on: August 1, 2007
* [http://www.geocities.com/centerforbulacanstudies/barasoain.html Veneracion, Jaime B., Ph. D. (Professor of History, University of the Philippines and Visiting Professor, BSU), Rizal's Madrid: The Roots of the Ilustrado Concept of Autonomy, Diyaryo Bulakenya, Bahay Saliksikan ng Bulakan (Center for Bulacan Studies), Geocities.com, April 4, 2003] , retrieved on: August 1, 2007
* [http://www.philippinechildrensfoundation.org/history.shtml Philippine History, Philippine Children's Foundation, PhilippineChildrensFoundation.org, 2005] , retrieved on: August 1, 2007