Painting the Role of Priests in the Philippines:

A Primary Source Analysis of Put “Holy Water” in the Milk Sold (1898)

With a striking headline, the newspaper article entitled Put “Holy Water” in the
Milk Sold was published on July 1, 1898 by The American. From the date itself, the
topic of the Philippines was relatively new, considering the arrival of the Americans,
which occurred two months prior its publication. Its subheader, Priests Control the
Government, Commerce, Society and Religion of the Philippine Isles, squarely
illustrates the contents of the article–the supreme power held by the priests during
the Spanish colonization. This was done through an interview with Oologan Ozaota,
an European-educated Filipino residing in America, as he shares several anecdotes
about the role of priests in the Philippine society.

The K-12 curriculum requires readings of Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere, El

Filibusterismo, and the like wherein the topic of corruption amongst Roman Catholic
priests has been quite a familiar one; however, this article gives insight through the
lens of a Filipino who experienced firsthand the degree of power held by these
priests (“K to 12 Gabay Pangkurikulum FILIPINO” 2016). First, a quite wittily written
anecdote about a milk dealer who was accused of dilluting his milk. He initially
denied the charges, but he eventually caved in and confessed to allegations, for
which he claimed to dilute the milk with holy water from the church. Instead of
punishing the milk dealer, the priest intervened and insisted that the man be free as
he blessed everyone who drank the milk. This anecdote, funnily enough, is how the
header of this article came from, Put “Holy Water” in the Milk Sold–one would
wonder if the man actually placed holy water in his milk.

Interestingly, Ozaoro expounds on the priests’ power through the local

elections. It came to the point where each stakeholder, from board member, electoral
representative, and candidate had to be sanctioned by the priest. Thus, it is not
uncommon for priests to receive gifts and favors from aspiring electoral and
candidates. This, alongside several other instances, have been highlighted
throughout the newspaper article; the Spanish Catholic priests really do hold great
power amongst religious, social, and political affairs.
 From judicial decision-making intervention to electoral sanctions, the
involvement of the church in the affairs of the state evoked negative sentiments
amongst Americans. Considering that the soon-to-be colonizers arrived two months
prior the publication of this article, it is natural for the Americans to discover several
social and cultural differences in the Philippines. In the article, the priest supremacy
is perceived as something foreign and strange; this whole church and state
intertwinement contradicted their First Amendment, the separation of church and
state with emphasis on the freedom of speech and religion (“The Constitution | the
White House” 2021).

In the perspective of the author1, the purpose of this newspaper article, from
the term itself, is to efficiently convey “news” or relevant, current information to its
intended audience, which in this case, happens to be the common American. Given
the context of Put “Holy Water” in the Milk Sold, when it was published during the
discoverative nature of the Philippines, it seems like the author aimed to illustrate the
social and political landscape, specifically highlighting the strange oversaturation of
power amongst the church, stating the word “priest” over 32 times in the article. This
also led to the realization that these priests, despite being a mediator between man
and God, continued to be highly associated with Spain. All their education, training,
and initial service transpired in their mother country, “In consequence, the priest
becomes in this way the representative not only of the church but of the Spanish
Government.” Thus, this insight brings forth and supports conventional Philippine
history education wherein the authoritarian role of Roman Catholicism during the
Spanish occupation is being emphasized. It does not, however, take into account the
dominating role of Americans in the Philippines, one where concealed intentions are
later unraveled through acts of rivalry and bloodshed.

Whatever the author’s purpose for this 1898 article, whether it be to share this
seemingly foreign information, incite some sort of heroism persona to the Americans,
or even just a sharing of an interesting encounter to his readers, this newspaper
article strongly suggests that emancipation of the colonized had to begin with
resolving the aforementioned askewed power–that somehow, the path to freedom

1
It is to note this newspaper article did not include the name of the author; however, readers may
deduce that the author/s are Westerners, possibly Americans, “And therefore has to keep in touch
with what you Wastern people call ‘politics.’”
involved the detatchment of the priests and their overarching power over the
Filipinos. The Americans gradually detached this power through co-opting Spanish
priests with American and native priests (Pierard 1961). They also attempted to
introduce Christianity through educators and missionaries among the Filipinos, “as
our fellow-men for whom Christ also died” (Pierard 2008). Although the Roman
Catholic religion continues to prevail, with over 86 percent of the Philippine
population being Roman Catholic, the 1987 constitution declares the separation of
the church and state and the freedom of religion in the Philippines (“The Constitution
of the Republic of the Philippines | GOVPH” 2022). While this article may not have
any significant effect towards the aforementioned events, it serves as a support to
the prevailing news during that period; this helped the common American visualize
the extent of power held by the Roman Catholic priests, ultimately painting the role of
priests during the Spanish occupation.
 Bibliography

Pierard, Richard. 2008. “A Nation on a Mission.” Christian History | Learn the

History of Christianity & the Church. Christian History. August 8, 2008.
https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-99/nation-on-missi
on.html.

Pilapil, Vicente R. “Nineteenth-Century Philippines and the Friar-Problem.” The

Americas 18, no. 2 (1961): 127–48. https://doi.org/10.2307/979040.
‌
“K to 12 Gabay Pangkurikulum FILIPINO.” 2016.
https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Filipino-CG.pdf.

‌“Priests Control the Government, Commerce, Society, and Religion of the

Philippine Isles .” 1898. The American. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
lccn/2017270212/1898-07-01/ed-1/seq-2/

“The Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines | GOVPH.” 2022. Official

Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. 2022.
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/constitutions/1987-constitution/.

“The Constitution | the White House.” 2021. The White House. The White
House. January 20, 2021.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/our-government/the-c
onstitution/#:~:text=The%20First%20Amendment%20provides%20that,fo
r%20a%20redress%20of%20grievances..