Other great Filipino writer-revolutionaries, like Graciano Lopez-Jaena and Marcelo H. Del Pilar, did not use the formal/polite/non-confrontational Filipino writing style that Rizal often adapted, nor were they subtle in expressing their sentiments towards the Catholic church.
Lopez-Jaena was considered the greatest Filipino orator of his time. He came from a poor family and his mother, a devout Catholic, thought the priesthood would be a good career option for him. She sent him to a seminary to study to be a priest. But, no! At age 18, he would write Fray Botod (Brother Fatso) instead. His short story depicted the lecherous life and excesses of a priest, who invoked god's name to get his way. He also wrote La Hija del Fraile (The Priest's Daugher) and Esperanza (Hope).
Both Graciano Lopez-Jaena and Marcelo H. Del Pilar had to flee the philippines in fear of persecution by the Catholic church. They lived lives of abject poverty in Europe fighting for the rights of filipinos through La Solidarid. And both would die of tuberculosis, caused by hunger and enormous privation, one after the other, months before Rizal was executed and the outbreak of the Filipino revolution.
If you have copies of Graciano Lopez-Jaena's work, can you please post them in the Filipino boards? Preferably the Spanish original texts. I can translate it for everyone. Ilonggos should have copies of it as Fray Botod was distributed there before he ran off to Europe. It was also published in Spain.
Taken from the column of Rolly Espina and edited -
Anybody who has read Fray Botod, the satire by Graciano Lopez-Jaena may find similarities in Zamboanguita in Oriental Negros in Frs. Lyndon Zerna and Jay Enriquez, parish priest and assistant. A petition against them has been signed by 4,000 parishioners.
The practices denounced included the selection of children to be baptized, and the dead they were going to bless, and their homilies during wedding rites. And there was also the accusation that they refused to celebrate mass in barangays that did not support defeated mayoralty candidate Constantino Recto.
I wish to recount the tale of Fray Botod when he was asked by the sacristan to say the Requiem Mass with the body of a dead Christian in state.
The fray demands for P150, "second class funeral, with old silver cape."
Informed that his Filipino coadjutor, Fr. Marcelino, charges only fifty pesos for three priests and a first class funeral, Fr. Fray Botod answers - you and the coadjutor go to blazes; you're absurd; Fr. Marcelino is good for nothing."
Later, he tells the sacristan, "Bring the one hundred and fifty pesos; if you don't, the corpse will rot in your house."
