Pasyon and Revolution

By: R. Lleto

The PHL creatively evolved its own brand of folk Christianity from which was drawn much of the
language of anti-colonialism in the late 19th century. Understanding the
Philippine Society "go beyond the subject of the masses and their participation in the revolution."

It is the elite, particularly the middle class, that puts its imprint on everything - from culture to
national development.

The Philippine society as patron-client oriented.

The current shape of our society is triangular, with a wealthy and educated fraction of the
population at the apex. CONCLUSION The pasyon was a reaction of the Filipinos to Spanish
colonialism which resulted in a revolution. It grew within the context of the fanatic religiosity of
the masses. The pasyon became an impetus for local uprisings and an expedient for change as
exemplified by such groups as the Katipunan, Cofradia de San Jose, Colorum Society, Macario
Sakay’s Katipunan, Santa Iglesia and other local movements.

Instead of glorifying the Ilustrados, Ileto succeeded on his goal to show the revolution on the
perspectives of the peasants.

Ileto also succeeded on giving importance to the role of the peasants in the Philippine revolution
under the Spanish and American regimes.

"Without the masses’ experiences of the pasyon, the revolution against Spain would have taken a
much different form.” PASYON AND REVOLUTION: Popular Movements in the Philippines, 1840-
1910 Professor Reynaldo C. Ileto is a leading scholar of the Philippine revolution, Southeast Asia's
first anti-colonial and pro-independence conflict. He has developed an interdisciplinary field of
research that incorporates history with literature, religion, and cultural studies. "...to rectify the
tendency of the historians before him to regard the revolution as the handiwork of the upper class,
Hispanized natives.” GREAT TRADITION "Rational" and Realistic" goals

LITTLE  TRADITION "...the peasant-based, religious oriented challenges to the republic were anti-
nationalist, irrational and doomed to fail" "Rational" and Realistic" goals "genuine vehicles for the
expression of the people's dream of national liberation and economic amelioration." Two
Contradictory functions of Pasyon in the Society They were used by the Spanish Colonizers to
inculcate among the Indios loyalty to Spain and Church
It provided lowland Philippine society with with a language for articulating its own values, ideals,
and even hopes of liberation. Casaysayan ng Pasion Mahal ni Jesucristong Panginoon Natin
Incoherence, faulty scholarship, repetitiveness, and clumsy, inaccurate use of language.

The social epic of the 19th century

The inclusion of episodes relating to the Creation of the World, the Fall of Man, and the Last
Judgment makes the Pasyon Pilapil an image of universal history, the beginning and end of tim,
rather than a simple gospel story. Power and Anting-Anting These amulets or special powers
played a significant role in the thinking and motivation of peasant rebels, bandits, soldiers and
even generals of the revolutionary army. Katipunan Manifestos deals with the formation of the
Katipunan and how it was very well connected to the people's belief in the "Pasyon" and "liwang
ng loob." The author tried to show that different manifestos by Katipunan, printed in Kalayaan,
were actually inspired by the Pasyon. Initiation Rites Earlier authors pointed out that the initiation
rites of Katipunan was borrowed from the Mason rites but analyzing the words and phrases used by
the Katipuneros, Ileto revealed its connection to the events in the Pasyon. Return of King Bernardo
Carpio The Bernardo Carpio story appears to have been appropriated by the peasants as a one way
of imaging their hopes for a better life, free from oppression and foreign rule.

Bernardo Carpio is considered the savior of the Filipinos against national oppression and
enslavement Lakaran of the Sons In this part of the book, Ileto examined a poem credited to
Andres Bonifacio's brother, Procopio. 

"The poem can be understood only if the revolution itself is viewed not merely as the overthrowing
of a foreign power but as a transition between two world" and separation of a child (the
Philippines) from its mother (Spain) just like the separation of Mary and her son Jesus as depicted
in the Pasyon.

The poem also depicts that the Filipinos are upon to embark upon the struggle, which is imaged as
every man's lakaran. The struggle was seen as similar to Jesus' emotional and painful separation
from his mother.