Isabelo de los Reyes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Isabelo de los Reyes
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Honorary Bishop Philippine Independent Church |
|
| In office 1929–1938 |
|
| Senator of the Philippines from the 1st district | |
| In office 1922–1928 Serving with Santiago Fonacier (1922-1925)
Elpidio Quirino (1925-1928) |
|
| Preceded by | Vicente Singson Encarnacion |
| Succeeded by | Melecio Arranz |
| Member of the Manila City Council | |
| In office 1912–1919 |
|
| President of the Union Obrera Democratica | |
| In office 1902–1902 |
|
| Succeeded by | Dominador Gómez |
| 5th Vice Mayor of Manila | |
| In office January 1, 1930 – December 31, 1931 |
|
| Mayor | Tomás Earnshaw |
| Preceded by | Juan Posadas Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Jorge B. Vargas |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Isabelo de los Reyes y Florentino
July 7, 1864 Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Captaincy General of the Philippines |
| Died | October 10, 1938 (aged 74) Manila, Philippine Commonwealth |
| Resting place | María Clara Parish Church, Santa Cruz, Manila |
| Political party | Nacionalista |
| Spouses | Josefa Sevilla María Ángeles López Montero Maria Lim |
| Children | 27, including Isabelo Jr. |
| Parents |
|
| Alma mater | Colegio de San Juan de Letran University of Santo Tomas |
| Occupation | Politician, labor leader, layperson, theologian |
| Profession | Writer, journalist |
| Known for | Proclaiming the establishment of the Philippine Independent Church (Iglesia Filipina Independiente) |
| Nickname | Don Belong |
Isabelo de los Reyes Sr. y Florentino, also known as Don Belong (born July 7, 1864 – died October 10, 1938), was an important Filipino leader. He was a politician, writer, journalist, and a strong supporter of workers' rights in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
He is famous for starting the Iglesia Filipina Independiente in 1902. This was a Filipino Christian church that was independent from the Roman Catholic Church. Today, he is often called the "Father of Philippine Folklore," the "Father of the Philippine Labor Movement," and the "Father of Filipino Socialism."
When he was young, Isabelo de los Reyes followed his mother's path and became a writer. His works were even shown in an exhibition in Madrid in 1887. Later, he worked as a journalist and publisher in Manila. He was put in jail in 1897 for his activities supporting the Philippine Revolution. He was sent to Spain and stayed in prison there until 1898. While living in Madrid, he learned about the ideas of European socialists.
He returned to the Philippines in 1901. In 1902, he started the country's first labor union federation, the Unión Obrera Democrática Filipina. He also worked hard for the Philippines to become independent from the United States. In the 1920s, he served in the Philippine Senate. After that, he focused on his personal life and religious writings. De los Reyes wrote many books and articles about history, folklore, languages, politics, and religion. He had 27 children with his three wives, all of whom he outlived.
Early Life and Education
Isabelo de los Reyes was born in Vigan, Ilocos Sur. His parents were Elías de los Reyes and Leona Florentino. He was baptized as a Roman Catholic. His mother, Leona Florentino, was a famous poet in the Philippines. She wrote in both Spanish and Ilocano.
Because his parents had problems in their marriage, Isabelo was sent to live with his wealthy relative, Don Marcelino Crisólogo, when he was six years old. Crisólogo was also a writer. Isabelo, who was called Beluco as a child, went to a grammar school run by Augustinian priests. He did not like their strict rules and often spoke out against them. Once, he even led a student protest against the priests. His time in Vigan helped him become very interested in Ilocano legends, music, and traditions.
In 1880, when he was 16, de los Reyes went to Manila without his uncle's permission. There, he earned his Bachiller en Artes degree from the Colegio de San Juan de Letran. After that, he studied law and other subjects like palaeography (the study of old writing) and anthropology (the study of human societies) at the University of Santo Tomas.
Early Career and Journalism
While studying at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Isabelo de los Reyes earned money by working in journalism. He helped set type for a newspaper called La Oceana Española and also wrote for other newspapers like Diario de Manila and El Comercio. In 1882, his article about the Chinese pirate Limahong won him a prize.
In 1886, he worked as a correspondent for a newspaper in Iloilo. However, he was replaced because his reports were seen as too liberal, meaning they had very open-minded ideas. His reputation as an independent writer grew. In 1887, another newspaper, La Opinion, hired him because of his strong, independent views.
As a teenager, de los Reyes became very interested in the new field of El saber popular, which means folklore. In 1884, a writer named Jose Felipe Del Pan encouraged him to contribute articles about folklore. De los Reyes submitted articles about the folklore of Ilocos and other areas. In 1887, when he was 23, his articles were compiled and sent to an exhibition in Madrid, where he won a silver medal. These articles later became his important book, El Folk-lore Filipino, published in 1889.
De los Reyes continued to be interested in folklore. He collected stories and wrote for newspapers. He even asked others to help collect and publish folklore. He saw folklore not just as stories, but as "popular knowledge relevant to all sciences." His book included sections on religion, customs, literature, and even articles about historical figures like Diego Silang.
In 1884, de los Reyes married Josefa Hizon Sevilla. She was the daughter of a local leader in Malabon. They tried to open a pawnshop and a bookstore, but these businesses did not succeed. Eventually, they made money as agents for products like rice and tobacco.
During this time, de los Reyes published many works quickly. These included Ilocandias (1887), Articulos Varios (1887), and the two-volume Historia de Ilocos (1890). These writings helped him gain recognition as a scholar. By 1889, he was a member of several important societies, including the Imperial y Real Sociedad Geografica de Vienna.
In 1889, he started El Ilocano, which is believed to be the first newspaper written entirely in a Philippine local language. De los Reyes said he started it to "serve [our] beloved pueblo Ilocos" and help its people. El Ilocano ran for seven years. By 1893, de los Reyes had his own printing press in his house in Binondo. He was proud that the printing press parts were made by artisans from Vigan, and he hired Ilocano people to work there.
Besides El Ilocano, he also published other newspapers like La Lectura Popular and El Minicipio Filipino.
Imprisonment and Exile
When the Philippine Revolution began in 1896, many people suspected of being involved were arrested by the Spanish government. Isabelo de los Reyes, who openly supported reforms and even suggested fighting the Spanish, was one of them.
De los Reyes was arrested on February 12, 1897, and taken to Bilibid Prison. He was accused of being part of La Liga Filipina, a political group started by José Rizal, and of knowing about the Katipunan. He denied these accusations. However, he had sold printing types to Emilio Jacinto for the Katipunan's printing press. He later said he also gave money to the Liga and offered to help the rebels.
While in Bilibid, de los Reyes wrote a document called Memorial sobre la revolution. This document was meant to gain sympathy for the rebels from the Governor-General, Fernando Primo de Rivera. In his Memoria, he argued that the Spanish friars were a cause of the colonial revolt in the Philippines.
While he was in prison, his wife, Josefa, died. When his son told him the news, de los Reyes cried. He was allowed to attend her funeral.
De los Reyes was pardoned on May 17, but he was arrested again soon after. He had complained about his unfair arrest and reminded the governor-general about his Memoria. In June 1897, de los Reyes was sent to Spain on a ship. He was held at the Montjuïc Castle in Barcelona for six months. He was released in 1898 as part of a peace agreement called the Pact of Biak-na-Bato.
Exile in Spain
While he was held at Montjuïc Castle, de los Reyes read books and newspapers by anarchists and syndicalists, which greatly influenced his ideas. A kind guard helped him get these books. De los Reyes also met Ramon Sempau, a Spanish poet and journalist who made a strong impression on him.
After his release in 1898, de los Reyes was not allowed to leave Spain. He moved around in Barcelona. During this time, he met radical thinkers like Francisco Ferrer and Alejandro Lerroux. He started reading the works of socialist thinkers like Pierre-Joseph Proudhon and Mikhail Bakunin. He also joined protests and was briefly jailed by the police. After his release, he had to move from Barcelona to Madrid.
In Madrid, he stayed with Doña Justa Jugo Vidal and met with other Filipinos to talk about the situation in the Philippines. He also met María Ángeles López Montero and married her on Christmas Eve in 1898. He published La Religion del Katipunan, which he had written while in Montjuïc. The British and Foreign Bible Society also asked him to translate the Bible into Iloko. De los Reyes later said this work helped him "liberalize dogmatic religion."
When the Spanish–American War began, de los Reyes worked as an advisor for the Spanish government's Ministry of the Colonies. He held this job until 1901. In this role, de los Reyes tried to get Filipinos to support Spain against the Americans. He thought this would help the Philippines gain independence. He believed that if the Americans were defeated, Spain would grant the Philippines self-rule. If Spain did not keep its promise, the armed Filipinos could then fight for their own freedom. He had received promises from Governor-General Basilio Augustín about self-rule. He and other Filipinos in Spain offered to return to the Philippines to organize groups to fight the Americans.
De los Reyes wrote articles against the Americans for various newspapers. On November 10, 1898, as Spain was about to lose the Philippines, he and Dominador Gómez published a newspaper called Filipinas ante Europa. Its motto was: "Against the Americans, no; against Imperialism, yes, until death!" This newspaper ran for many issues. After it closed, it briefly reappeared as El Defensor de Filipinas.
After Emilio Aguinaldo surrendered, de los Reyes was allowed to return to Manila on July 1, 1901. He had been promised by the American consul in Barcelona that he would not be bothered upon his arrival. He left Spain on September 14 and arrived in Manila on October 15, 1901.
Return to the Philippines
When he returned to the Philippines, de los Reyes quickly started several projects he had planned in Spain. On October 25, 1901, he asked the Philippine Commission for permission to publish his newspaper, Defensor de Filipinas, but was refused. On October 31, he appeared before the commission with Pedro Paterno and Pascual H. Poblete to ask permission to form a political party, the Partido Nacionalista. This was also denied. He wanted a party that would push for independence while the US was still in control. Eventually, Poblete managed to form the Partido Nacionalista, which de los Reyes joined and later became its leader.
Along with forming a political party, de los Reyes also began organizing a workers' movement in the Philippines. In 1901 and 1902, Hermenegildo Cruz and others from a publishing company asked de los Reyes for advice on forming a cooperative store for workers. This led to the creation of the Union Democratica de Litografos, Impresores, Encuadernadores y Otros Obreros, which became known as the labor union federation Union Obrera Democratica (UOD) on February 2, 1902. De los Reyes was its first president.
De los Reyes brought back books by socialists like Karl Marx and Mikhail Bakunin from Spain. The UOD was the first labor union federation in the Philippines. Soon, many other worker groups joined it, including those from Cavite, Quiapo, and San Miguel Brewery. At its peak in 1903, the UOD had about twenty thousand members.
De los Reyes believed the UOD should help workers and employers work together in friendship and respect. He also wanted to educate the common people to help the nation grow. To do this, he organized "educational and recreational evenings" where people could learn and discuss current events. He had seen similar clubs for workers in Europe. De los Reyes also published the UOD's official newspaper, La Redencion del Obrero.
De los Reyes spent his time helping to solve labor disputes and organize unions. Newspapers at the time compared him to famous Spanish labor leaders. On August 17, 1902, he was arrested on false charges that he ordered the assassination of workers who crossed picket lines during a strike. De los Reyes was released on January 30, 1903, by Governor William Howard Taft. He was told he should stay away from labor organizations. While in prison, de los Reyes resigned from the UOD, and Dominador Gómez took his place.
After leaving the UOD, de los Reyes tried to fix problems within the organization but was not successful. The UOD was eventually dissolved and replaced by the Unión del Trabajo de Filipinas, led by writer Lope K. Santos. After this, de los Reyes focused on his newspaper Redencion del Obrero and wrote for other papers. He supported causes like workers' rights, the right for everyone to vote, and equal treatment for Filipinos and Americans in government jobs.
Later Years and Death
In 1912, at 48 years old, de los Reyes was elected a councilor for the City of Manila. This marked the start of his political career. He was re-elected and served as councilor until 1919. He ran as a candidate for a labor-focused group called the Union Reformista. As a councilor, he worked on laws to help people, pushed for Filipinos to get more government jobs, and asked for the Philippines to become immediately and completely independent.
De los Reyes also met and married María Lim, who was 18 years old. She was of Chinese and Filipino descent from Tondo. They married in the independent Aglipayan Church, which de los Reyes had helped create. She died in childbirth in 1923. Before she died, she asked de los Reyes if they could be married in the Roman Catholic way, and he agreed.
In 1922, de los Reyes began his campaign for the Senate. In 1923, he won a Senate seat, representing the First Senatorial District. As a senator, he helped arrange projects and appointments for the people he represented. He was known for saying "Enough of this nonsense!" when he got frustrated during Senate debates.
De los Reyes retired from politics after a stroke left him paralyzed and unable to leave his bed on June 5, 1929. He spent his time putting together religious texts for the Aglipayan Church. He mostly stayed out of public view. His last attempt in politics was when he ran in the 1935 elections, but he lost badly.
De los Reyes died on October 10, 1938, in a Manila hospital. He left behind 15 of his children. There was a legal dispute among his children about his care in his last years. Some of his Roman Catholic daughters said he signed a document on September 14, 1936, saying he was leaving his Aglipayan faith. However, other family members strongly disagreed, saying he was not in full control of his mind at that time. It is still debated today whether he truly returned to the Catholic Church before he died. He had funeral blessings from both Gregorio Aglipay and according to Roman Catholic rites. His body was first buried in the Manila North Cemetery. Later, in 1944, his remains were moved to the former location of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente National Cathedral in Tondo, Manila. After World War II, his son, Isabelo Jr., ordered his remains to be permanently moved to the María Clara Parish Church of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente in Sta. Cruz, Manila.
Philippine Independent Church
De los Reyes was involved with Filipino priests who wanted to be independent from Rome as early as 1899. On January 22, 1899, de los Reyes visited the Pope's representative in Madrid. He told him that the Philippine government wanted the Pope to send someone to check on the conditions in the Philippines. However, de los Reyes felt that the Pope's representatives were more likely to listen to the Spanish friars. De los Reyes then wrote in his newspaper Filipinas Ante Europa:
Enough of Rome! Let us now form without hesitation our own congregation, a Filipino Church, keeping all that is good in the Roman Church and removing all the deceptions which the clever Romanists had introduced to corrupt the moral purity and sacredness of the teachings of Christ...
When he returned to the Philippines in 1901, de los Reyes campaigned for a Filipino Church to be established. On August 3, 1902, with the help of Pascual H. Poblete and members of the UOD, the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Philippine Independent Church) was formed. They proposed Gregorio Aglipay, a priest who had been excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church, as its leader. At that time, Aglipay was talking with Protestants and Jesuits to try to prevent a schism (a split in the church), but these talks did not work out. Aglipay at first did not want to join the new independent church, but then he realized it was pointless to stay out. In September 1902, he accepted de los Reyes' offer to become the Obispo Maximo (Supreme Bishop) and consecrated some bishops for the new church.
De los Reyes, who was also formally excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church, traveled all over the country to gather support for the new church. He also managed the Church's publications, Boletin de la Iglesia Filipina Independiente and La Iglesia Filipina Independente: Revista Catolica. He even turned his home into a temporary seminary (a school for training priests). In 1929, de los Reyes was made an honorary bishop, a position he held until his death. In this role, he wrote many religious texts, including the Biblia Filipina and Oficio Divino.
Marriage and Family Life
In 1884, at the age of 20, de los Reyes married Josefa Sevilla. She was the daughter of a local leader in Malabon. He and Josefa had ten children. His wife died from an illness in 1897 while he was in Bilibid prison.
In late December 1898, he married María Ángeles López Montero in Madrid. She was the daughter of a retired Spanish army colonel. She died in 1910 while giving birth to their ninth child.
De los Reyes' last marriage was in 1912 to 18-year-old María Lim. She was a mestiza de sangley (of mixed Chinese and Filipino descent) from Tondo. They married in the independent Aglipayan Church. They also had several children before María died in childbirth in 1923. Before her death, she asked to be married according to the Roman Catholic tradition, and de los Reyes agreed.
Isabelo de los Reyes had three wives and was widowed three times. He had a total of 27 children and outlived all his wives. He was understanding of different religious beliefs among his children. His son, Isabelo de los Reyes Jr. (1900–1971), from his second marriage, was baptized Roman Catholic but later became an Aglipayan priest. He served as the Obispo Máximo IV (Supreme Bishop) of the Church for 25 years and is known as the "Father of Ecumenism in the Philippines" (meaning he worked to bring different Christian churches closer together). Some of his daughters from his second and third marriages became nuns in the Roman Catholic Church.
Works and Writings
Throughout his life, Isabelo de los Reyes wrote and published many works on different topics. These included history, folklore, politics, and religion. He wrote in Spanish, Tagalog, and Ilokano. De los Reyes also published several newspapers.
He often wrote critically about the Spanish and American colonial governments in the Philippines.
Publications
- El Ilocano
- La Lectura Popular
- El Municipio Filipino
- Filipinas ante Europa
- El Defensor de Filipinas
- La Redencion del Obrero
- Boletin de la Iglesia Filipina Independiente
- La Iglesia Filipina Independente: Revista Catolica
Scholarly Works and Essays
- El Folk-lore Filipino
- La expedicion de Li-Ma-Hong contra Filipinas
- Ilocandias
- Articulos Varios
- Las Islas Visayas en la epoca de la conquista
- Historia de Filipinas
- Historia de Ilocos
- Memoria sobre la revolution
- Memoria de agravios de los Filipinos
- Kalendariong Maanghang
- La Religion Antigua de Filipinas
Novels and Stories
- Mariquit the Tramp
- Sing sing ni Diego
- Ang Singsing ng Dalagang Marmol (around 1905), a novel
Religious Texts
- Gregorio Aglipay y otros prelados de la Iglesia Filipina Independiente
- Biblia Filipina
- Oficio Divino
- Catequesis
- Plegarias
- Genesis Cientifico y Moderno
- Calendario Aglipayano
He also translated parts of the New Testament (the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles) into Iloko.
Contents |
See also
In Spanish: Isabelo de los Reyes para niños
