History of Philippine press / Carson Taylor.

History of the Philippine Press

9

This was followed by a sermon copied from El Amante
de la Constitucion, a paper published in Madrid, expressing
opposite ideas to those of Fr. Genoves with an editorial note
to "Our dear readers, read and judge for yourselves." Retana says this was the first frankly constitutional paper and
it was therefor hated by the reactionaries. Its activities
apparently resulted in the birth of five or more opposition
papers, as all the numbers from the fifth to the twelfth were
largely devoted to answering its critics. The last number,
published, June 24, 1821, was devoted principally to the discussion of a new law pertaining to the "Liberty of the
Press."
The first of the opposition papers mentioned by the
Ramillette Patriotica was Latigazo. Retana states that "The
publication of Ramillete Patriotico with its audacious ideas
aroused the hate of the reactionary elements of Manila,
which were composed of the religious orders and many
other Spaniards who were naturally enemies of the constitutional regime. Among them was one Sefior F. V.
who opposed the liberal Ramillete and its publishers.
Latigazo, with no regular publication date, was dedicated exclusively to the refutation of the Ramillete Patriotico. It is believed that only six numbers appeared."
The only record of the second opposition paper, which was
called El Filipino Agraviado, is a sarcastic reference in
number seven of Ramillete Patriotico, dated May 13, 1821,
in which it is mentioned as "A paper published at the end of
last week, dated April 30, without the name of the publisher,
impugning the article inserted in Ramillete on the 29th concerning the sermon of Padre Genoves. As the author appears devoted to new institutions we would remind him in a
friendly spirit that Sefior Don Fernando VII, is not the
sovereign but the Constitutional King of the Spains and that
sovereignty is vested essentially in the nation."
Retana reminds us that El Filipino Agraviado should
not be confused with El Indio Agraviado. (At that time
Spaniards who were born here, and possibly including those
of long residence, were called Filipinos, while the natives were
called Indios or Indians.)
Number 8 of Ramillete, May 20, 1821, contains a reference to El Filipino, a weekly first published May 13, 1821,
intimating that it was a continuation of El Filipino Agraviado as the name of the publisher or the printer was not
disclosed, and ridiculing the paper by sarcastically commending it to "Fathers of families and teachers as a model