Liberalism in the Philippines

Liberalism in the Philippines emerged during the Philippine Revolution, when Filipino revolutionary José Rizal hinted at liberalism in his works. The ideology emerged more during the creation of the Liberal Party of the Philippines, one of the oldest parties in the Philippines. The ideology slowly died out during the 2000s, with the rule of Rodrigo Duterte and other outside ideologies, including authoritarianism and populism. The ideology currently sits in a low position, submerged by other popular ideologies.

History

Spanish tenure

José Rizal was a prominent liberal thinker whose ideas were adopted by both the national movement and American authorities.

The 19th century saw the rise of liberalism in Spain, culminating in the Spanish Constitution of 1812. This constitution even included the representation of the Philippines within the Cortes of Cádiz. However, this representation was short-lived. The promises of liberalism in Spain were never fully implemented in the Philippines, where the powers of the state and church increased rather than decreased. The promise of equality under the law for all Spanish citizens in particular was never achieved, with non-peninsulares not being granted equality with native Spaniards in a racially segmented Spanish Empire.

Luis Rodríguez-Varela, a writer in the Philippines of European descent, sometimes known as "El Conde Filipino", began releasing books espousing a liberal view in 1799. These views were inspired by the French Revolution, and Varela later became a supporter of the 1812 constitution. He sought its full implementation of the constitution in the Philippines, along with representation for the Philippines in the Spanish Cortes. He also called for a school system independent of the church. Varela's views circulated among others of Spanish descent living in Manila, and the spread of these views eventually led to the creation of the Comite de Reformadores of 1869, the first Liberal political party in the country. Famous members include José Burgos, while the youth wing in the University of Santo Tomas included Felipe Buencamino and Paciano Rizal. The party was suppressed by the government following the 1872 Cavite mutiny. Some members went on to become members of the ilustrado, the liberal ideas were revived through the Propaganda Movement.

Members of the Ilustrado, including those in the Propaganda Movement, sought reform of the governance of the Philippines and a curtailing of Catholic power. In particular, they called for an end to racial discrimination, and thus the full application of Spanish law in the Philippines, which would provide full rights to those in the Philippines as Spanish citizens with full representation in the Spanish Cortes.

The most prominent ilustrado was José Rizal. Rizal's novel Noli Me Tángere features a figure named Elias, whose espoused secular and liberal beliefs that conflicted with reactionary beliefs regarding overbearing civil and religious authorities. Rizal remained more religious than many liberal thinkers in Spain proper, treating liberal freedom's as natural results of God's justice.

Liberal thought represented a powerful challenge to the conservative colonial governing structures. The ilustrado were Spanish-speaking and university educated, who desired assimilation into the mainstream of Spanish society. These political aspirations caused conflict with the influential friars in the Philippines, and the state generally sided with the religious authorities. Rizal wrote that "modern ideas" were "asphyxiated upon touching the shores of Manila". Liberal thought thus formed the core of a nascent nationalist movement, with the ideas of Rizal and other ilustrado being espoused by the nationalist Katipunan group.

American tenure

During the American tenure, Liberalism became the main ideology, which helped state-building. Compared to the prominence in Filipino politics, the ideology never caught on to society; while the leaders saw themselves as Liberal, the rest of the country did not. Rizal's legacy was adopted by American authorities, who positioned him as espousing peaceful reforms that Americal rule had brought. 20th-century Filipino critics such as Renato Constantino and Jose Maria Sison viewed Rizal's writings as elite and bourgeoisie, believing his ideas of reform were unambitious compared to nationalist figures with whom Rizal disagreed. The ideology of liberalism increased when the idea of de-colonization from the Americans was introduced.

Martial law

The first challenge of Filipino liberalism was the rule of 10th president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Marcos stated that his actions constituted a “democratic revolution from the center". His rule also fought against the Marxism–Leninism ideology and Oligarchic families. The Liberal Party later became the main opposition of the Marcos regime. A revolution, named the People Power Revolution, ended the Marcos regime and set a Liberal, Corazon Aquino, as president. The revolution itself was considered Liberalist.

Duterte regime

During the 2016 Philippine presidential election, two favored candidates were foreseen: Liberalist Grace Poe and Populist Rodrigo Duterte. The election eventually ended, placing Duterte as the 16th president. Duterte's presidency, called "Dutertismo", was opposed by Liberalists and Catholic priests; the regime was also opposed following allegations of mass murder. Some sources also say that Duterte criticized the Liberalist ideology and disrespected the press.

Relations

Philippine liberalism, more than other things, is related to the ideology of debating. Most of the popular Filipino liberalists are debaters, including educator Camilo Osías and diplomat Carlos Romulo.

Sources

• de Llobet, Ruth (2018). "Luis Rodríguez Varela: literatura panfletaria criollista en los albores del liberalismo en Filipinas, 1790-1824". Revista de crítica literaria latinoamericana (in Spanish). 44 (88): 131–154. ISSN 0252-8843.