[92.0]The Campaign for Reforms

• The Reform Movement in the Philippines began in 1882 and lasted until the early months of 1896
• The goal of the reform movement was to make the Philippines a province of Spain, allowing Filipinos to become Spanish citizens and be represented in the Spanish legislature, the Cortes
• The process of making the Philippines a province of Spain and making Filipinos Spanish citizens was called assimilation
• Key figures in the Filipino reform movement included Graciano Lopez Jaena, Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. Del Pilar, Jose Ma. Panganiban, Antonio Luna, Mariano Ponce, Eduardo de Lete, and others
• The demands of the reformists included:

  • Representation in the Spanish Cortes
  • The right to vote
  • Freedom of speech, assembly, and press
  • Freedom of commerce
  • Removal of the friars in the Philippines
  • Education of the people
  • Reforms in the jails
  • Abolition of the tithe consisting of 1/10 of the produce of the land
• Pro-Filipino societies were formed in Spain to introduce reforms in the Philippines, such as the Circulo Hispano-Filipino and the Asociacion Hispano-Filipina
• The Masons, including Rizal, Del Pilar, Lopez Jaena, and Antonio Luna, joined Masonry to gain support against the friars and promote anti-friar sentiments
• La Liga Filipina was founded in 1892 by Rizal and other patriotic Filipinos with aims to unite the archipelago, encourage agriculture, commerce, education, and defend against violence and injustice
• The Reform Movement ultimately failed due to reasons such as:

  • Spanish high officials in Spain being preoccupied with their own issues
  • Lack of financial means to make the campaign effective
  • Lack of unity among the reformists
  • Influence of the friars and their supporters in Spain