London
Rizal is glad of the publication of La Solidaridad – The excessive Ilocanism of Isabelo de los – Reyes apropos the question of Diego Silang – Testimony of historians – Italian manuscripts about the Philippines – One of the Filipinos at Barcelona should study Italian – Rizal is presently studying Dutch.
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37 Chalcot Crescent, Primrose Hill N.W.
London
4 February 1889
Jose Rizal
My dear Friend Plaridel,
I thank you very much for your photograph. In truth I did not recognize you at first glance for you have all the airs of a European – God grant that it may not go beyond that. I am sorry that I cannot send you mine now because I have promised myself not to have my picture taken until after the publication of another book, there being already too many existing photographs of mine. But rest assured that as soon as I have my picture taken you will have a large-size one.
I am very glad of the publication of the periodical La Solidaridad. You may count on me for everything. I want to be where you are, and above all professing as you do ideas that seem to me most just. They say that in Madrid Mr. Dominador Gomez made the “eloquent statement” that “this very day it is not possible to make any political reform in the Philippines”!!! I don’t know if this is true, but find it out and see that this absurdity is corrected. For the present, I reject that declaration and I believe that the newspaper has interpreted wrongly the words of Dominador Gomez.
Blumentritt writes me praising your article: “Administrative Relaxations.” Regidor has also found it magnificent. The articles in La Publicidad are also very good; only when you cite Filipino names you have forgotten many that are more worthy, like those of Pelaez, Burgos, Garcia, Jugo, etc.
Now let us go to the question of Diego Silang. Congratulating myself and everyone having a countryman as well informed, intelligent, and active as Mr. Isabelo de los Reyes, I have nevertheless to deplore his excessive Ilocanism, which as you suspect, can one day chop us, as an argument against us. Though he may have first-rate works, on the other hand, some seem to be written by Spaniards – so superficial, light, and of little discernment. One of these is where he speaks of Catapusan.
On this question of Diego Silang, the only historian that I have been able to consult is Mas,[1] besides Zuñiga,[2] for neither Concepcion[3] nor Aduarte[4] mentions him and the rest copied from one another. You can use these data against his influence as well as in the question of Apolinario, Cavite, etc. etc.
I will quote here some paragraphs of Mas who studied the matter in some Augustinian manuscripts:
Silang, proud of this action, sent agents to the north who enticed all the plebeians to rise… and they persecuted the principal citizens and some Augustinian friars, whom they said were to blame for the failure of the reserved tribute to arrive…. Within a few days he became master of the whole province and he appointed as its captain Jesus Nazareno and he gave himself the title of chief commander for the defense of religion… he asked the priests to pay a tribute of one hundred pesos each… influenced by the Augustinian friars, who did not wish to absolve the rebels, many where withdrawing from Silang, especially in the towns of the north, which led to the taking of some priests as prisoners who were conducted to Bigaa, etc. etc.
Despite the ardent desire of the Augustinians – like all the friars – to exaggerate always and to put themselves in the forefront in all the Philippine questions, in the question of Silang they appear in the fourth or fifth line. I am with you and you can defend it very well that Silang’s uprising had a fanatical character though Silang himself was not so, because he seemed to be a grand politician, but a rogue without honor or civic virtues. For which reason he failed. You are correct in supposing and believing that he gave the command to Jesus Nazareno, as Isabelo says. First. In the Philippines, the name Jesus is never or almost never again given as a baptismal name and it is not known that the surname Nazareno had ever existed. It is moreover a great deal of coincidence to be called Jesus Nazareno and then have the command without pain or merit. Second. Silang was an ambitious man and he would not give the command to another man but he could give to God the nominal command while he retained the real power; this is in conformity with his prayers, Masses, etc. etc. Third. Nothing was said again about Jesus Nazareno and it is not known whether he had done anything or had been hanged or impaled by Azza, which makes us suppose that this Jesus Nazareno was Christ and not one Jesus Nazareno, as Isabelo supposes. You can be sure of this and when you write Isabelo call his attention to it.
Without Captain Buecbuec, and without the assassination of Silang, committed by Vicos, this uprising would not have been extinguished, not even with all the belts that are found in the convents, nor even supposing that the skins of the friars were made into belts and their greasy habits into scapulars. The importance that the friars give themselves in all uprising should be interpreted with a grain of salt; they are prayers pro domo sua.[5]
The pseudonym Dimas Alang or Dimasalang seems to me very good, for both are meaningful. I yield the ownership of this little book[6] to La Solidaridad and I only ask for 20 or 30 copies for myself.
Make one of the Filipinos there learn Italian because I have here Italian manuscripts that deal with the first coming of the Spaniards in the Philippines. They are written by a companion of Magellan [Pigafetta]. As I have no time to translate them on account of my numerous chores, it would be advisable that a countryman of ours translate them into Tagalog or Spanish so that it may be known how we were in 1520 [1521]. Italian is easy. In one month it can be learned with the Method of Ahn. Now I am studying Dutch.
I shall send articles to La Solidaridad.
Wishing you all kinds of success, I bid you farewell for now,
Yours,
Rizal
Send me the Diario de Manila of 16 December so that I can refute it.
Dear Naning,[7]
Enclosed is the corrected page. Please send me some 20 or 30 copies. There should be placed a line separating the text from the footnote.
Greet Laktaw and friends Sandico and Reyes for me. I shall write more another day.
Laong Laan.
02-357 [Blumentritt V.1]
[1] Sinebaldo de Mas, informe sobre el estado de las Islas Filipinas en 1842 , Madrid 1843.
[2] Joaquin Martinez de Zuniga, Historia de las Islas Filipinas .
[3] Juan de la Concepcion, Historia general de Filipinas . Manila 1788.
[4] Diego de Aduarte, Historia de la Provincia del Santo Rosario de la Orden de Predicadores en Filipinas, Japon, y China , 1640
[5] Literally, for one’s house; that is, to plead for one’s own cause. From Cicero’s harangue upon his return from exile, pleading for the return of his property confiscated by the patrician Clodius during his absence.
[6] La vision de Fr. Rodriguez .
[7] Mariano Ponce.