diced b Jos e S. Arc a, - non

with those defended by Joaquin de Coria in his writings, both published andstill in manuscript, and which lbarra, Elias, Tasio, and other characters in thenovel undertake to rebut.The basic ideas Coria expressed in his letters published in La Discusionand in his Memoria apologidca are summarized in the following:The Filipino is a believer. No one sins against faith there. Because of this faith, heis obedient and is willingly subjected: The day, (then, when ideas against faithwere to wrestle for the control of his soul, that would be the day when doubtwould begin, followed by fighting, then incredulity, and finally rebellion. It isnecessary, therefore, to keep the faith unharmed in order that our dominationmay continue invulnerable. It is therefore indispensable to block every meanswhich may lead his mind to this state, and that would not be easy once he learnedSpanish.°But maybe we have to read at length some of the more pregnantparagraphs in his Memoria to appreciate in all its crudity the manipulation ofthe faith by Coria for strictly and rigorously political ends, using them tomaintain the status quo of an unjust socio-political situation and preserve byall means the privileged economic and moral stability of a minority at theexpense of the most elementary human rights of the Filipino people.One of the postulates most insistently defended by Coria under the cloakof patriotism is the unconditional submission of the Filipino to the European,which, in the Franciscan's mind, is sustained by the religious idea of the dutyto obey one's superior—superiority understood in the intellectual, moral, andeven racial sense. "Drawing this veil," writes the Franciscan procurator,"attacking this custom, is to put them on the road to emancipation." Thanks tothe influence of the missionaries, "the Filipinos reject all ideas ofindependence."° Conclusion? It is necessary to preserve and protect theinfluence of the missionary if those dominions are to be kept.°In Coria's opinion, this explains why the friars stand out in all therebellions that have taken place in the Philippines. Every movement forautonomy or independence is destined to frustration as long as the mythicalimage of.the missionary and his almost boundless influence are kept beforethe indios. And after making a brief resume of the more important uprisingsin the Philippines, he states in cold blood (referring to Novales): " . asalways, however, the friars came to help and they prevailed, punishing theprincipal leaders, some with the capital sentence, others repatriating, them toEurope." In 1836, the anti-revolutionary work is carried out by the Francis-143