diced b Jos e S. Arc a, - non

Jose Rizal would also defend the same—or, at least, similar—theses inhis novel Noll me tangere. It is very probable, as we have tried to show in acompanion essay, he knew and even used one or more issues of thisfortnightly when writing his book. And we can suppose he was acquaintedwith all its issues. However, it is also possible that, the explanation of thecauses of the Cavite mutiny he accepted may have come to him through otherchannels, for example, letters or individual exchanges with persons officiallyimplicated in the case, as Antonio Ma. Regidor, Jose Ma. Basa, etc.Once Rizal's novel appeared in public, his ideas 'on the Cavite mutinywere accepted as not unproven facts. For example, on 27 January 1888, thegobernadorcillos and principales of Navotas included in a manifestosubmitted to the Governor of the Philippines that they were presenting... a communication from a friar published in his party's organ, Altar y Trono,which will finally convince Your Excellency of their [the friars' aversion for theSpaniards. For they speak so ill of the latter, as of the papers which here publicizethe wisdom, in particular of the priest Jose Burgos who fought the friars on thematter of the parishes and, as they say, occasioned the issuance of royal ordersremoving the friars from their parishes and confiscating of their property."In the manifesto of gobemadorcillos, principales, and residents of thesuburbs of Manila, likewise submitted to the Governor General a month later(28 February), their authors, besides demanding the ouster of ArchbishopPedro Payo of Manila for alleged non-compliance and disregard of the ordersfrom the Metropolitan Government, also asked for the expulsion of the friars.Among their reasons was the latter's opposition to de la Torre who wanted toforcibly secularize the parishes and confiscate their properties, ". . . until,Governor Izquierdo, being caught unawares, they succeeded in bringing tothe scaffold many innocent persons, especially the learned and virtuouspriest, Don Jose Burgos."5'The same idea reappears in a manifesto presented by the propertyowners,merchants, industrialists, lawyers, and residents of the Philippines tothe Queen Regent and dated Manila, 10 March 1888. After briefly reviewingdisturbances that had taken place in the past in , _e Philippines, they statedthat the most serious consequence was the Cavite mutiny, whose genesis issynthesized in this manner:The celebrated issue on the provision of curacies for the Filipino clergy continuedunresolved. Led by Dr. Jose Burgos, the secular priests clamored for theimplementation of the Council of Trent which declared the friars to be absolutelyincapable of any benefice of a secular curacy .... The friars undertook a vigorous139