diced b Jos e S. Arc a, - non

paper which will provide a more consistent and biting tone to the debate, butit is not the first time it will be concerned with the clergy in the Philippines.And his concern in the matter was anterior to the publications of Barrantes.Op 19 November 1868, the first chapter of a series titled "PublicEducation in the Philippines," signed by Rafael Garcia Lopez, a formergovernor of Cagayan, appeared.10' From this date until 7 October 1869 (thedate of the last issue of this paper which we were able to consult), GarciaLopez signed no less than 14 articles or letters on Philippine issues, many ofthem on the clergy or those referring to them. Let us examine just a few ofthem.In the issue of 20 November 1868, which published a brief resume of theCollege of San Jose under the administration of three native priests, it alreadymade sufficiently harsh judgments on the secular clergy. On the 25th of thesame month, together with its fervid criticism of the regular clergy, it issuedthis denouncement of the secular (i.e., native-born) clergy. From theUniversity of Santo Tomas, it said, came the priests who slowly formed "acenter of subversion in the capital," "the major plague" of the Philippines isthe "big number of so-called bachelors who poured out yearly into all theislands, coming from the royal and pontifical university of Manila," the"factory of theologians with buyo and morisqueta, of petty lawyers who burnthe midnight oil (arden en un tittloy)."Three days later, on 28 November, in reference to the needed reform ofthe University of Santo Tomas, it editorialized that what ought to be donewas issue a. communication clear and evident to their Reverences to move out within 24hours, and if they fail to do so a company of grenadiers can take over, and thematter is closed.On 22 December, after unambiguously stating its clear opposition toextend universal suffrage to the Philippines, as proposed by El Puente deAlcolea, the paper went on to denounce the continuing separatist activitiesand some of their instigators, concretely, Don Juan Francisco Lecaroz107 andhis... very close confrtre and friend, the mestizo from Bacoor, province of Cavite[Fr. Mariano Gomez?], repeatedly tried for insurgency, but who to our face freelymade his boasts one night in his parish residence.162