It is fully proved that freemasonry has been the principal factor
for the development in these islands, not only of advanced (2)
and anti-religious ideas, but chiefly for the foundation of secret
societies, possessing a character especially separatist (3). This
conviction I have come to after the examination of a countless number
of documents, and the much correspondence this Corps (4) fell in with,
after laborious work and investigations, in the possession of several
well known filibusters (5) who are at the present time prisoners;
these documents and parcels of correspondence were included in the
military suit tried before Colonel D. Francisco Olive (6).
"Some 20 years ago, there was installed in this country, a lodge
dependent upon the Gr. Or. Espanol (7): a lodge which was inoffensive
in its beginning because it was composed of peninsular Spaniards, with
the absolute exclusion of the native element of the Archipelago. In
this form it developed languidly until the year 1890.
"During this epoch, the Filipino colony resident in Madrid, Hong-Kong
and Paris, in the which figured as exalted separatists Jose Rizal (8),
Marcelo H. del Pilar (9), Graciano Lopez, Mariano Ponce, Eduardo Lete,
Antonio and Juan Luna (10), Julio Llorente, Salvador V. del Rosario,
Doroteo Cortes (11), Jose Baza, Pedro Serrano (12), Moises Salvador,
Galicano Apacible and many others, who were in communication with
the seditious elements of Manila, strove hard to influence don Miguel
Morayta (13), (Grand master of the Oriente Espanol), in Madrid, and
with whom they sustained close relations, to the end that the statutes
should be reformed so that the native element might be affiliated,
and even more, that lodges of a character exclusively Tagalog (14),
might be created in the Archipelago. Conferences, general gatherings,
and finally compromises of certain magnitude decided in the favor
of the Filipinos, Morayta thus, unconsciously sowing the seed, the
fruit of which we are to-day gathering.
"D. Alejandro Roji, resident in this capital, Captain of Engineers, was
nominated general delegate to direct the works, and with ample powers
from Morayta, came the native school-teacher Pedro Serrano, who enjoyed
in Manila the confidence and protection of the said Colonel, assisted
by the Flores, lieutenants of Infantry, Numeriano Adriano, Ambrosio
Rianzares, Juan Zulueta, Faustino Villaruel (15), Agustin de la Rosa,
Ambrosio Salvador, Andres Bonifacio (16), Apolinario Mabini (17),
Estanislao Legaspi Domingo Franco (18), Roman Basa, Deodato Arellano,
Antonio Salazar, Felipe Zamora, Nazario Constantino, Bonifacio Arevalo,
Pedro Casimiro, Dionisio Ferraz, Timoteo Paez and a thousand others,
all indians, but having a career or a comfortable social position;
they commenced a silent and tenacious propaganda which resulted in
180 Tagalog lodges, extended throughout the territory of Luzon and
part of the Bisayas, being constituted in 5 years. The character of
the native (19), so propitious to all the mysterious and symbolic,
easily accustomed itself to the ridiculous practices of freemasonry:
the initiations (20), the proofs (21), the oaths (22), attributes,
signs and pass words, and the pseudonyms, all and everything surrounded
by shade and mystery, appealed to the native and served him as an
educative ladder which prepared his mind for his entry into other
associations of graver transcendencies, according as the initiators
and apostles of filibusterism, Rizal, Pilar, Lopez, Cortes and Zulueta
had forseen, as can be proved by that correspondence which has come
to my hands.
"In order to direct the organization of the lodges dependant upon the
Gran Oriente Espanol, there was constituted by Morayta, a Gran Consejo
Regional (23) which received its instructions from him, and which was
presided over by Ambrosio Flores (h. Muza), and formed of Adriano,
Villaruel, Flores (A), Mabini, Paez, Zamora, Mariano and Salazar. The
newspaper La Solidaridad (24) which, in the previous year had been
founded in Barcelona by M. Pilar, as a delegate of the propaganda of
Manila, and the publishing centre of which was later on translated to
Madrid, was declared the official organ of all Filipino masonry; and
in its collaboration, all the Filipinos of a medium culture resident
in the capital, took a hand, under the auspices and direction of its
new proprietor, the oft-mentioned and ill-starred Morayta.
"In 1893 the Gran Oriente Nacional, of which the Grand Master
is Sr. Pantoja, reporter of the highest tribunal of justice,
conceded powers to the lieutenant military councillor Sr. Lacasa,
and the sergeant of Infantry, Jose Martin, to carry on propaganda
in these islands among the native element, and in competition with
the other Oriente. The result did not correspond to the efforts of
the propagandists, who only succeeded in creating some few lodges
in the Capital, in Cavite, Cagayan, Iloilo and Negros. How could it
be expected to prosper, when the Gran Oriente Espanol had already
catechized the masses of the country!
"It must be declared, although it makes one blush to do so, that many
peninsular Spaniards, and among them some holding important official
positions in the country, have contributed to this propaganda,
scandalous, and from all points of view, aimed at the integrity of
the nation (25). Only candor can exculpate them. May the country
pardon them.
"From the first moments, both in the organ of Filipino freemasonry,
La Solidaridad, and in the circulars which the Gran Oriente sent to
Spain for the information of the brethren there resident, was commenced
a coarse and shameless campaign against the Monastic Orders (26), and
of scoffing and ridicule of religion. Later on, this campaign acquired
a political character, attacking the government of the metropolis,
and the authorities of the archipelago, demanding liberal reforms
for the country, such as representation in the Cortes, the colonial
Camara, municipal autonomy, increase of individual rights etc. etc.,
Let anyone with half an eye examine carefully the collections of the
cited paper, and he will certainly meet with something contrary to
the national unity, artfully and modestly hidden. Let him read the
almost countless number of documents (27) pertaining to the Tagalog
lodges, and sent by me to the judge, Senor Olive, which were united
to the charges, and the most incredulous will be convinced that the
lodges and their aids and abettors devoted themselves to something
more than the propaganda of freemasonry. There is not a single one
of the chiefs and organizers of the filibuster organizations up to
this time discovered, who is not a freemason."
"LA PROPAGANDA" AND THE "ASOCIACION HISPANO-FILIPINA."
At the end of the year 1888, Marcelo del Pilar, a lawyer of Bulacan,
and a frenetic filibuster, considering himself in peril of deportation
in consequence of juridical proceedings formed against him in
the said province, decided to translate his residence to Spain,
under the shelter of a certain element of the country (28). In those
days was created in Manila a committee of propaganda (29) formed by
Doroteo Cortes, Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, Pedro Serrano and Deodato
Arellano, under the presidency of the first named, its mission being
the gathering from among the better class and more wealthy element,
funds for the propagation throughout the Archipelago, of all classes
of pamphlets and proclamations written to depreciate and cast slurs
upon the Monastic Orders (30), and upon Religion; and likewise
for the implantation in the country democratic doctrines; finally
the nomination was agreed to of a delegation which should depend
directly upon the committee recently constituted, and which should
have its residence in Barcelona, its duty being to make overtures
to the public authorities for the concession to the Archipelago of
greater liberties and of representation in the Cortes in the first
place. And in order to sustain and defend these ideals together with
some few more, the foundation was authorized of a bi-monthly newspaper.
"The committee of propaganda fully fulfilled its mission; it overcame
all the wealthy element of Luzon (31), gathered grand quantities,
and Marcelo del Pilar set off for the Peninsular, installing himself
comfortably in the "Ciudad Condal" [2] at the expense of his
countrymen (32).
"In January 1889, he commenced the campaign in union with his companion
of the delegation Mariano Ponce. They founded the paper La Solidaridad
and constituted the Hispano-Filipino association, into which were
drawn a large number of the native students residing in Barcelona
[3]. The committee made great progress in Manila, added to the number
of its followers and collected funds in return for subscriptions to
La Solidaridad which, day by day, had more readers; it distributed
books, pamphlets and proclamations of the worst class, for which a
good price was collected.
"The association had increased hand over hand; its aspirations (33)
were most radical; and considering its action limited in Barcelona,
it determined to translate its headquarters to Madrid, where it
would have a wider field for its pretensions. About this same time
Serrano, Rizal, Luna, Lopez etc., were united to the delegation and
they succeeded in implanting Tagalog masonry in their country (34),
and from this precise moment, commenced their relations with Morayta.
"In January 1890 the "Asociacion Hispano-Filipina," [4] the delegation,
and the paper La Solidaridad were installed in Madrid. Morayta
accepted the presidency of the Association and became proprietor of
the newspaper from which such good results were expected, it counting
with an increased output to supply enforced subscriptions among masons
and their associates at the rate of a peso a head.
"From that moment Morayta was made the idol of the turbulent indians,
who considered him as their redeemer; no one is ignorant of the
labors undertaken by the said personage in Spain, both in the realms
of journalism and around and about the powers that be, on behalf of
the securing representation in the Cortes, the liberty of association
(35) and that of the press, municipal autonomy and even under a hidden
guise, of that of the colony; in the memory of all is preserved
the remembrance of the banquet given by the Filipinos inspired by
Morayta, to Sr. Labra, the autonomist deputy for Cuba, and no one has
forgotten the proposition presented to the Congress by Sr. Junoy, the
republican deputy, also inspired by the Association and the delegation
presided over and protected by Morayta. And who finally, does not
feel indignation upon calling to mind the articles published in La
Solidaridad by the Filipinos Kalipulako (M. Ponce), Jaena (G. Lopez),
Dimas-Alang (Jose Rizal), Eduardo Lete, Taga-Ilog (Antonio Luna),
Juan Totoo (J. Zulueta) and Kupang or Maitalaga (M. del Pilar)?
"What Spaniard is not fired to anger, upon reading the books and
pamphlets written by Rizal, Luna and Lopez and the infinite number of
printed libels which circulate here full of falsities and loathsome
calumnies against the most sacred and venerated, the Fatherland? Have
we forgotten, perhaps, Dr. Blumentritt (36) who repaid our most
generous hospitality by making common cause with our enemies? Do
we not call to mind, peradventure, that all the filipino colony in
Spain and a good portion of that here resident, sympathised with that
ungrateful man, conferring upon him the honor of banqueting him and
extending to him their congratulations?
"Fortunately these labors obtained no practical result in the peninsula
(37), but they caused the native element of some amount of culture
to harbor imaginary ills and want of confidence in the Metropolis,
covert discontent with the authorities of the islands (38), and
finally, sowed the seed of aspirations which could never be realized
[5]. but a seed which is to-day, unfortunately, bearing fruit.
"A casino of recreation known as the Centro Filipino, was also
organized in Madrid: a revolutionary club was the only thing to
which that center could be compared. There Spain was discussed,
criticized and slandered under the shelter of the law of association
which prevails in the Peninsula, and shielded by the hypocrisy and
deception so proper of cowards.
"Personal rivalries and the want of morality in the administration of
the funds (39) remitted from Manila by the committee of propaganda,
gave rise to a grave disagreement between the two apostles of filipino
filibusterism, Rizal and Pilar; with the former sided the young
and impetuous element; with the latter the mature and thoughtful
(40). Both elaborated the same material, but each using a different
process; the one boldly insolent and hostile, the other masked with
hypocrisy and calm. Both being ambitious, each found the world too
small to contain him. This state of things ceased with the coming
of Rizal to these islands in 1892 (41), Pilar remaining the absolute
possessor of the field at Madrid.
"In the meanwhile the committee of propaganda was not inactive. It
created delegations throughout the archipelago, and by their means
introduced the La Solidaridad and all kinds of revolutionary printed
matter into the utmost corners of the archipelago.