Letter to the Women of Malolos

A Brief Introduction

• This famous letter was written by Rizal in Tagalog, while he was annotating Morga’s book in London, upon the request of M. H. Del Pilar and was sent on February 22, 1889 for transmittal to Malolos.

• It would eventually be published on La Solidaridad.

The Story Behind the Letter

• On December 12, 1888, a group of twenty young women of Malolos petitioned Gov.-Gen. Weyler for permission to open a “night school” so that they might study Spanish under Teodoro Sandiko. The Spanish parish priest, Felipe Garcia, objected so that the Gov.-Gen. Turned down the petition. However, the young women in defiance of the friar’s wrath, bravely continued their agitation for the school – a thing unheard of in the Philippines on those times.

Historical Background

• During the Spanish colonial period, education was for the most part in deplorable state, especially for women. The friars, who exerted power over both the Filipinos and the Spanish government officials, considered the education of the natives threat to the Church, as scientific knowledge and free thinking could cause them to abandon the blind faith and obedience that the Church preached.

Historical Background• Schools for girls particularly focused on turning out graduates who are

pious, chaste, modest, and industrious. The principal aim of these schools was to turn their students into meek wives and mothers.

• The teaching of Spanish language was especially lacking, not just for women but Filipinos in general. The friars feared that proficiency in the Spanish language would give the natives the ability to communicate directly with the Spanish government officials and would expose them to liberal and progressive ideas them emerging in Europe. As the friar-curates spend many years with the natives, they were able to learn the native language while the government officials were assigned to the Philippines for a mere three years. The friars then served as the bridge between the natives and the Spanish officials, and were thus able to exert strong influence on both. The friars contented that teaching the Filipinos the Spanish language would encourage subversion among them since they would understand political matters.

Historical Background

• Malolos is a prosperous town where a number of the principal residents took their own initiative to build private schools. On 186, Teodoro Sandico, a graduate of the University of Santo Tomas, opened a private school there with the help of the prominent town members. On such clan is where Rufina Tansojoy-Santos belong.

• While Sandico sought to legitimize the school, the government turned down his proposal to open private school for men and women on the grounds that it might be a threat to Spanish rule.

Historical Background• Gov.-Gen. Valeriano Weyler, who began his term in the Philippines

on June 5, 1888, was known to have liberal leanings taking interest in education in the country, uplifting the state of teachers and opening 106 schools before his term ended in 1891.

• During his visit to Malolos, Weyler set aside time to hold an audience with townsfolk. Upon hearing the news, Sandico wrote a letter in Spanish and asked the women he had been teaching to sign the letter. Signed by 20 women, the letter was handed to Weyler b Alberta Uitangcoy. The women waited around for a response compelling the Gov.-Gen. to read it on the spot. The friars in the convent relentlessly questioned the women as to the content of the letter but the women refused to reveal its contents and spoke and behaved to the friars in such a way that showed Weyler that the friars were no longer revered by the people of Malolos. Weyler promised that he would soon reply to the letter , then left.

Historical Background

• The Gov.-Gen. initially denied the women’s request but the women continued to appeal for the school with the help of reformist Doroteo Cortes and school-teacher Guadalupe Reyes. Rufina Tansojoy-Santos and other helped pay for the women’s expenses when they traveled to Manila to follow up on their request. In sympathy with the women, the Spanish Minister of Colonies, Manuel Becerra, a friend of del Pilar’s, sent Weyler a letter of instruction on January 29, 1889 which reminded Weyler that he must strictly enforce the teaching of Spanish in all Philippine schools.

Historical Background

• On February 20, 1889, the women finally received permission to open their school on certain conditions:– Women petitioners have to fund the school;– Their teacher would be Guadalupe Reyes rather

that Sandico who had been blacklisted by the friar-curate of Malolos;

– Classes would have to be held in the day and not at night probably due to the association of night time gatherings with subversive meetings.

Historical Background

• The school was immediately opened in the home of one of the women, Rufina T. Reyes while Tansojoy-Santos took care of most of the expenses.

• Some of the women had already learned to read, write and speak Spanish in a college in Manila but they took interest in the classes since the discussions included political issues that concerned them. While in the school, the women read the first issue of La Solidaridad, where they were significantly featured with the letter of Rizal which was sent to them in March 1889.

Rizal’s Major Message in His Letter

1. Filipino mothers should teach her children about love of God and fatherland/motherland:

- “Awaken and prepare the will of your children towards all that is honorable, judged by proper standards, to all that is sincere and firm of purpose clear judgment, clean procedure, honesty in act and deed, love for the fellowmen and respect for God.”

- Women are the first to influence the consciousness of man. Since it is the woman who gives birth to an offspring, it is but normal that she takes the greatest influence over the child. It is the same woman who cuddles the child to sleep, offers her breasts for milk and raises the child to be the adult that he is.

Rizal’s Message

• “The duties that women has to perform in order to deliver the people from suffering are of no little importance, but be they as they may, they will not be beyond the strength and stamina of the Filipino people. The power and good judgment of the woman of the Philippines are well known, and it is because of this that she has been hoodwinked, and tied, and rendered pusillanimous, and now her enslavers rest at peace, because so long as they can keep the Filipina mother a slave, so long they be able to make slaves of her children.

Rizal’s Message2. Filipino mothers should be glad like the Spartan mothers to offer her sons in

defense of the fatherland. Rizal cited as example stories from Sparta:- “When a mother handed the shield to her son as he was marching to battle, she said nothing to him but this, “Return with it, or on it,” which meant come back victorious or dead, because it was customary with the routed warrior to throw away his shield, while the dead warrior was carried home on his shield.”-”A mother received word that her son had been killed in battle and the army routed. She did not say a word, but expressed her thankfulness that her son had been saved from disgrace. However, when her son returned alive, the mother put on mourning.”-”One of the mothers who went out to meet the warriors returning from battle was told by one that her three sons had fallen. “I do no ask you that,” said the mother, “but whether we have been victorious or not.” “We have been victorious,” said the warrior. “If that is so, then let us thank God,” and she went to the temple.

Rizal’s Message• “Once upon a time, a king of theirs, who had been defeated, hid

in the temple because he had feared popular wrath. The Spartans resolved to shut him up there and starve him to death. When they were blocking the door, the king’s mother was the first to bring stones. These things were in accordance with the custom there, and all Greece admired the Spartan women. Of all women – a woman said jestingly – only you Spartans have power over men. Quite natural – they replied – of all women, only we give birth to men. Man, the Spartan women said ,was not born to live for himself alone, but for his native land. So long as this way of thinking prevailed and they had that kind of women in Sparta, no enemy was able to put his foot upon her soil, nor was there a woman in Sparta who ever saw a hostile army.”

Third Part of the Message

• A Filipino woman should protect her dignity and honor.– Rizal also shared his experience and the stories

that he hears about Filipino women as well as remarks made by friars and the Spaniard who have been able to visit the Philippines.

On Woman’s Protection of Her Dignity and Honor

“Nevertheless, the returning Spaniards and friars, talkative and fond of gossip, can hardly find time enough to brag and bawl, amidst guffaws and insulting remarks, that a certain woman who thus; that she behaved thus at the convent and conducted herself thus with the Spaniard who on one occasion was her guest, and other things that set your teeth on edge when you think of them which, in the majority of cases, were fault due to candor, excessive kindness, meekness, or perhaps, ignorance, and were all the work of the defamer himself.”

Woman’s dignity and Honor“There is a Spaniard, now in high office, who had sat at our table and enjoyed

our hospitality, in his wanderings through the Philippines, and who, upon his return to Spain, rushed forthwith into print and related on one occasion in Pampanga, he demanded hostility and ate, and slept at a house, and the lady of the house conducted herself in such and such a manner with him; this is how he repaid the lay for her supreme hospitality! Similar insinuations are made by the friars the chance visitor from Spain concerning their very obedient confesandas, hand-kissers, etc., accompanied by smiles and very significant winkings of the eye. In a book published by D. Sinibaldo de Mas and in other friar sketches, sins are related of which women accused themselves in the confessional and of which the friars made no secret in talking to their Spanish visitors seasoning them, at the best, with idiotic and shameless tales not worthy of credence. I cannot repeat here the shameless stories that a friar told Mas and to which Mas attributed to value whatever. Every time we hear or read anything of this kind, we ask each other. Are the Spanish women all cut after the pattern of the Holy Virgin Mary and the Filipinas all reprobates? I believe that if we were to balance accounts in this delicate question, perhaps.

Women’s Honor and Dignity

• Rizal had criticized the Spaniards and friars for taking advantage of the Filipina’s good nature. He then advises women of Malolos to protect their name and dignity. And of course, this could definitely be done by starting to educate themselves and be more aware of them being taken advantaged and played like idiots.

4th Message: A Filipino woman should educate herself aside from retaining her own nature values

• Aside from criticizing the Spaniards for blatantly being abusive of the hospitality and even ignorance while badmouthing them, Rizal pointed out how it is also the responsibility of the women to enlighten her own ignorance and free herself of what Rizal emphasized as BLIND OBEDIENCE. He had made sure to point out that women should not only kiss the hands of the friars in reverence of the mighty God and do whatever is being asked of them. Filipino women should have more informed choices and if this information is not given or presented to them readily, they must without fail, seek it and get hold of it.

4th Message

• “You know that the will of God is different from that of the priest; that religiousness does not consist of long periods spent on your knees, nor in endless prayers, big rosaries, and grimy scapularies, but in a spotless conduct, firm intention and upright judgment. You also know that prudence does not consist of blindly obeying any whim of the little tin god, but in obeying only that which is reasonable and just, because blind obedience is itself the cause and origin of those whims, and those guilty of it are readily to be blamed.”

5th Message: Faith is real living the Christian Way

• Lastly, in his letter, he has raised a question of that Christianity is all about, the concept of God and how a true Christian must live his life, contrary to those that the friars have taught the Filipinos. He had reminded the woman of Malolos to take into heart the teachings of the Church and open their eyes to the inconsistencies of the friars towards what they preach.

Living the Christian Way

• “The deceiver is fond of using the saying that ‘it is presumptuous to rely on one’s own judgment,’ but in my opinion, it is more presumptuous for a person to put his judgment above that of the others and try to make it over theirs. It is more presumptuous for a man to constitute himself into an idol and pretend to be in communication of thought with God, and it is more presumptuous and even blasphemous for a person to attribute every movement of his lips to God, to represent every whim of his as the will of God, and to brand his own enemy as an enemy of God.”

Living the Christian Way• “Saintliness consists in the first place in obeying the dictates of

reason, happen what may. ‘It is acts and not words that I want of you,’ said Christ. ‘Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven.’ Saintliness does not consist in abjectness, nor is the successor of Christ to be recognized by the fact that he gives his hand to be kissed. He did not cater to the rich and vain’ He did not mention scapularies , nor did He make rosaries, or solicit offerings for the sacrifice of the mass or exact payment for His prayers. Saint John did not demand a fee on the River Jordan, nor did Christ teach for gain. Why, then, do the friars now refuse to stir a foot unless paid in advance?”

Things that the Women of Malolos Should Reflect Upon

• “I do not pretend to be looked upon as an idiot or fetish and to be believed and listened to with the eyes closed, the head bowed, and the arms crossed over the breast; what I ask of all is to reflect on what I tell them, think it over and sift it carefully through the sieve of reason.”

Reflect Upon That:

1. Tyranny of some is possible only through cowardice and negligence on the part of others

2. What makes one contemptible is lack of dignity and abject fear of him who holds one in contempt.

3. Ignorance is servitude, because as a man thinks, so he is; a man who does not think for himself and allowed himself to be guided by the thought of another is like the beast led by the halter.

4. He who loves his independence must first aid his fellow man, because he who refuses protection to others will find himself without it.

Reflect Upon That:

5. If the Filipina will not change her mode of being, let her rear no more children, let her merely give birth to them. She must cease to be the mistress of the home otherwise, she will unconsciously betray the husband, child, native land, and all.

6. All men are born equal, naked, without bond. God did not create man to be a slave, nor did he endow him with intelligence to have him hoodwinked, or adorn him with reason to have him deceived by others.

7. Consider well what kind of religion they are teaching you.