Evolution Of Philippine Nationalism

685 Words3 Pages
The Growth and Development of Philippine Nationalism During the Spanish colonial period Similar to the revolts and uprisings was the Secularization and Filipinization of parishes but to a sectoral level. Since the Filipinos were animists and pagans long before Spanish conquistadors arrived, it was a necessity moreover a responsibility for Spain to convert them through the regular priests more commonly known as friars. One particular precedent about the Roman Catholic episcopacy in the Philippines was the limited number of Spanish clergymen throughout the Philippine Islands, and due to the Philippine’s vast distance from Spain’s empire in the new world as well as from the mainland, the innate limited Spanish priests in the archipelago remained small. As a result of this, the Archbishopric of Manila allowed the ordainment of half-baked Filipino priests to join the clergy and the missionaries in spearheading the Catholicization of the islands in the south and in the Visayas. This form of relationship, a form of empowerment of the Filipino, led to understanding of many Filipino parishioners that in a way the Filipino were equal to the Spaniards because even Filipinos could become priests. Unbeknownst to the Spanish that by allowing Filipinos to become priests was a way of empowering the people, to the Filipino people, it was an indirect statement from the Spanish that the Filipinos were indeed equal to the perceived ‘superior’ Spaniard. This definitely was a key and pivotal pillar in aiding the development of Filipino nationalist discourse in later years. Because some parishes were having vast amounts of income compared to others, Peninsulars who were in control of them never gave it up to secular priests who was supposed to be the “Kura Parocco”. Thus the control of most parishes was in the hands of the Peninsular friars while
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