Provenance: Jose P. Santos Estate

ABOUT THE WORK

The leader of the Propaganda Movement during the 1880s was Marcelo H. Del Pilar, a fiery, aggressive, politically experienced writer. In 1888, ”¿Hangang Cailan Pa?” manifesto written by Marcelo H. Del Pilar, was distributed during the first mass rally on the streets of Manila by 810 Filipinos led by Ishikawa and Emilio Jacinto. This pioneer protest leaflet was featured and fully illustrated on page 28 of the special issue “Part I: The Revolution of ‘96” of June 8, 1969 in The Sunday Times Magazine. The caption under the picture reads: “Reproduction of a propaganda pamphlet bears the byline of Gregoria de Luna, but Filipino historian Teodoro Agoncillo is quite sure that it is the pen name of Marcelo H. del Pilar because of the incisive style.” Hunted by the Guardia Civil in Manila, Del Pilar went abroad. After being compelled to leave the country, he dedicated himself to masterful attacks on reactionary Spaniards. As a leading Tagalog poet, he wrote and published several small pamphlets in 1888 for distribution to the public in churches during Mass, like Hibik ng Filipinas sa Ynang Espana or plea of the Philippines to Mother Spain, and the serialized Banal na Kasulatan, a satire directed against the abuses of the Catholic clergy. These same literary works were published in the 1998 Philippine Centennial coffee table book Visions of the Possible Legacies of Philippine Freedom by Felice Prudente Sta. Maria (Makati City: page 20). While in Europe, Del Pilar founded La Solidaridad newspaper and wrote several anti-cleric articles, which he compiled into a book La Soberania Monacal (published in Manila in 1898 after he died). Also included in this lot is an original sepia photograph and a manuscript letter with Del Pilar’s original signature dated Madrid May 24, 1893. This letter is illustrated and published in Epistolario de Marcelo H. Del Pilar (Manila: Imprenta Del Gobierno, Tomo II, 1958) as under the care and private ownership of Jose P. Santos (which is not part of the collection of the National Library of the Philippines).