diced b Jos e S. Arc a, - non

times, the Jesuits 4, references to the Franciscans are found quite abundantly.Rizal recalls Saint Francis 14 times, San Diego de Alcala 11, the third Orderof Saint Francis 6, Santa Clara 6, Saint Anthony of Padua 5, Saint PaschalBaylon 3, and the Franciscans in general, either as individuals or as aninstitution, approximately 155 times. Such frequency would make onealmost say the novel, Noll me tangere, is a Franciscan novel, althoughunfortunately in a pejorative sense.But what Rizal thinks about the Franciscans, their reputation, their role inhis writings is more important than mere statistical data. To the national heroof the Philippines, who were the Franciscans? What did they represent? Whatideals moved them? What clic! the people think about them?In the opinion of the author of the Noll, the Franciscans were a group offriars extravagantly clothed, conspicuous for their fanaticism and ignorance,repulsive for their questionable morals—especially in matters of sex—richfrom exploiting the helpless poor of their parishes, accomplices in unheard ofcrimes, despised even by the other religious orders then in the Philippines.Their only positive quality perhaps may be a strong sense of identity whichdistinguished them from the rest and generated strong ties of solidarityamong themselves.This, in general strokes, is the depressing and frustrating image—better,repulsive caricature—of the Franciscans of the Philippines any impartialreader would have after reading the work of the Philippine national hero.El Filibusterismo, its sequel, will merely reproduce in its essential points thesame degrading picture of the Franciscans, although in a less strident tonesince, in his second work, Rizal, for obvious historical and circumstantialreasons, believed he had to shift his attacks and center them directly on theDominicans, relegating the Franciscans to the background.Rizal, however, will not stop with this Voltairean canvas of theFranciscans in his country. Three of the more important protagonists in hisworks, essential for the unfolding of the plot he had conceived, areFranciscans. Let us see the role this prolific Filipino writer has assigned toeach of them.1. Fray Damaso VerdolagasFray Damaso Verdolagas, parish priest of San Diego, is one of thefictional characters best drawn by Rizal and the most important person in theunfolding of his plot and theme. Fully identified with the town where he hadbeen assigned twenty years previously, he "couldn't have known each andevery one of them better if [he] had given them birth and suck [himself).'"' Of116