A Historical Sketch

Filipino Resistance Against American Colonization

The First Philippine Republic, which was the rightful goal of the Revolution against Spain, was
inaugurated in January 23, 1899. Less than two weeks later, the infant Republic became involved
in the Filipino-American War. America, which came projecting itself as an ally was exposed in
the Treaty of Paris for having entered into an agreement with Spain that nullified the gains of the
Filipinos. This treaty became America’s legal claim for sovereignty in the islands.
A longer and bloodier war ensued for more than three years. This is glaring evidence that the
infant Republic enjoyed the full support of the populace. The invaders minimized this into a
Philippine Insurrection against the United States. Part of the strategy to minimize Filipino
resistance was the establishment of a civil government in the pacified areas. Positions in the
provincial and municipal government lured many of the leaders to collaborate with the
Americans. The Philippine Commission, established by the Americans as the civil counterpart of
the invading military, legislated the Sedition Law in 1901. This prohibited the advocacy of
independence in the occupied areas. Superior forces and discipline of the enemy led to the
surrender of Aguinaldo two years later. Some Filipino generals continued the fight but by May of
the next year, Miguel Malvar who was the last leader with official links to the Republic also
surrendered.
The end of the Filipino-American War as officially proclaimed by US President Theodore
Roosevelt on July 4, 1902 did not mean the end of Filipino resistance or in a more positive
manner, the Filipino desire for liberty. The laws passed by the Philippine Commission (which
was the sole legislative body until the establishment of the Philippine Assembly in 1907) could
be seen as evidence of continuing Filipino aspirations for liberty. Three of these would be the
Sedition Law (1901) which forbade advocacy of independence even through peaceful means;
Brigandage Act (1902) which classified all armed resistance as pure banditry; and the
Reconcentration Act (1903) which gave legal justification for hamletting to deny the guerrilla’s
support from the populace. A later one was the Flag Law (1907), which prohibited the display of
the Flag (used in the Proclamation of Independence on June 12, 1898) and the playing of the
Philippine National Anthem (Marcha Nacional at that time). The Filipinos’ expression of their
desire for liberty was varied and these laws could be seen as curtailing such a struggle.
Resistance in many forms characterized the first decade of the 20th century. In the urban centers
most particularly in Manila and Cebu, journalists and writers like Aurelio Tolentino, Juan
Matapang Cruz, Juan Abad, Vicente Sotto and others, continued to write in symbolism. Some of
their writings were judged as seditious. Various groups continued the armed struggle. The
Brigandage Act branded as bandits many of the revolutionaries who continued the struggle for
liberty like Macario Sakay and the lieutenants of Vibora (the Viper who was Artemio Ricarte).
Even millenarian movements joined the fray or even if they did not, they were suspected as such,
and therefore suffered persecutions.
In this period of continuing resistance when the institutional and missionary churches were
cooperating (explicitly or otherwise) with the newly established American colonial government,
the Iglesia Filipina Independiente was born and grew rapidly.
The Founding of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente
It was Sunday, August 3, 1902 when in a meeting of the General Council of the Union Obrera
Democratica (UOD), its head, Isabelo de los Reyes, Sr., popularly known as Don Belong,
proclaimed the establishment of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente. To give shape to this Church,
he proposed the creation of two councils to operate in one equal level: the Executive to be
composed of lay people and the Doctrinal to be composed by clergy who were nominated as
bishops of the dioceses. Fr. Gregorio Aglipay was proposed as the head with the title of Obispo
Maximo (Supreme Bishop). To give credence to this movement, prominent Filipinos were
nominated and the civil governor, William Howard Taft, Emilio Aguinaldo and Pardo de Tavera
were proposed as honorary presidents.
In the following two weeks, many protested such move in the press. Except for Aguinaldo, all
the lay people rejected their nominations and denied involvement. Fathers Manuel Roxas,
Mariano Dakanay, Jorge Barlin, Adriano Garces, Praxedes Magalona, and several others
privately requested Don Belong to exclude their names. The most telling blow came from Fr.
Gregorio Aglipay whose circular to the Filipino clergy dated August 16 and was published on
August 20 called for a meeting assuring them that “he had not approved the declaration of any
schism before all means of reaching an understanding with Rome should be exhausted.” The
Manila American published the following day a derisive article picturing the IFI as “the church
that died before it was born.”
Nevertheless, one year afterwards, the IFI can count, if not claim, one and a half million
members roughly one fourth or 25% of the population. The start of the swelling membership can
be gleaned from two articles in the first official organ of the church, the La Iglesia Filipina
Independiente Revista Catolica (LIFIRC). The first article explains:
Therefore, Isabelo de los Reyes, deeply offended by the rebuffs of his own friends formed an
Executive Committee from the Staff of the Democratic Labor Union and began to print circulars
and the first two Fundamental Epistles, which were later approved by the Supreme Council of
Bishops.
The people, on the other hand, aligned themselves behind Señor Reyes from the beginning,
many popular organizations and Protestants joining the Filipino Church, as indicated by the
testimonies which the press kept publishing which we will reproduce in the next number. The
Ecclesiastical Governor of Ilocos Norte, the singularly praiseworthy Pedro Brillantes, today, the
most notable Bishop of that diocese, as head of the Clergy, accepted and solemnly joined our
Holy Church, and this gave great impetus to the religious movement.
The second article listed the First Adherents of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente. First among
the numerous groups were 63 residents of Navotas (first on the list was a woman’s name –
Saturnina Bunda). Other groupings included priests, seminarians, faithful from several
municipalities, guilds and other labor groups, local committees and even expatriates.
On October 1, 1902, Pedro Brillantes took possession of his diocese and proclaimed Bacarra as
his episcopal seat. In his Acta de Posesion, he made it clear that he had been “canonically chosen
and elected Bishop according to the ancient usage of the Church” and that he was chosen by the
“clergy and the laity belonging to various political parties in and Manila, ” and that this election
was confirmed by the faithful of Ilocos Norte province. Priests consecrated him on October 20 in
accordance with the First Epistle, which justified the consecration of bishops.
Documents also show that on October 1, Bishop Gregorio Aglipay headed the signatories of the
short-lived 1902 Constitution of the Philippine Independent Church. The titles attached to the
other signatories also showed that they had accepted their nominations as bishops in the August
3 proclamation.
The following day, the Second Fundamental Epistle was issued as a reply to Bishop Alcocer’s
denunciation of the Church separation. The members were exhorted not to render evil for evil.
More importantly, this epistle laid down the IFI’s belief that revolutions are in accordance with
the will of God as its first paragraph says:
Neither the leaf of a tree nor a single bird falls to the earth without the will of our Heavenly
Father (Mt. 10:29). Revolutions, therefore, are perfectly providential, and despite their causing
us momentary disasters, they ultimately bring us far-reaching redemption and result in benefits
that will bless many generations to come. They are like typhoons which, in the twinkling of an
eye, destroy and erase secular vices and abuses, and their social upheavals, moreover, have this
time been used by Divine Providence to castigate the errors of an enthroned frailocracy, errors
over which we now wish to draw the veil of merciful oblivion.
The first that was formally signed by Bishop Aglipay was the Third Fundamental Epistle entitled
Declaration of Principles which was issued on October 17. This was publicly read during the
inauguration through a Solemn Pontifical Mass on October 26 officiated by Bishop Aglipay. It
was held in an open field in the corner of Lemery and Azcarraga Streets before a congregation of
several thousands. Three days later, the Fourth Fundamental Epistle that further laid down the
organizational structure of the Church was issued. This epistle also prescribed the curriculum for
theological education and some immediate steps to remedy the need for more priests.
On November 2, in a public announcement, Bishop Aglipay set aside this date for a special
commemorative service for the heroes of the Philippine Revolution – Rizal, Burgos, Gomez and
Zamora, and other heroes and for all insurgents who died in the struggle for freedom. On that
day an incident took place which led to the takeover of the church in Paco, Pandacan and
Sampaloc Churches by the Aglipayans. On the ninth, the Municipal Council of Lagonoy with
some of the prominent citizens passed a resolution that declared themselves and their parish
priest as members of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente renouncing their allegiance to the
Catholic Church of Rome. The following day, William Howard Taft, the Civil Governor of the
Philippines submitted his official report concerning the situation of the country. Taft mentioned
the Aglipayan movement could have “have an important bearing upon future conditions and
which may perhaps add much to the labor of maintaining of peace and order in the archipelago”
On the 16th, Bishop Aglipay issued a manifesto due to the rapid growth of the national Filipino
Church and the necessity of an authoritative outline of the Church that all may know its object.
The manifesto contained statements that expressed much of the rationale of the newly founded
Church. At one point, for instance, it declared “The time has come for a Filipino National
Church for the Filipino people, ministered by the Filipino clergy. Years of friar oppression made
this imperative. The liberty of worship and conscience and the separation of Church and State
could make it contemptible for us to give spiritual allegiance to the Italian in Rome claiming
temporal power whose recognition from government by all means known to masters of
deception.”
On December 8, Epistle V was published in protest against the Quae Mari Sinico, the papal
constitution giving the Holy See’s answer to the religious turmoil in the Islands. It became a
rallying point for the IFI against the Holy See.
Year 1903 – 1945
Struggle for National Freedom, Independence and Abundant Life
The Iglesia Filipina Independiente was founded by the people of our country. This is the product
of their desire for liberty, religiously, politically and socially. I was only one of the instruments
of its expression.
Gregorio L. Aglipay
The new year was started by the concerned civil and religious authorities agreeing that the four
religious orders should be withdrawn in two years and that only secular and non-Spanish
members of the regulars should act as parish priests as part of the contract on the sale of friar
lands. On the 18th of January, the Bishops of Isabela, Cagayan, Pangasinan, Abra, Nueva Ecija,
Cavite and Manila consecrated Bishop Aglipay. A newspaper of the IFI, the La Verdad came out
with its first issue on the 21st.
In the month of February, Aurelio Tolentino delivered speeches before two IFI Congregations,
Guagua and Mexico Pampanga. In his speeches can be found the first reference to the IFI as one,
which rose from the ashes of the revolution.
In May 14, Bishop Aglipay submitted to Taft’s office copies of the royal and papal decrees
substantiating his claim to the Cathedral of Manila and all the properties stating that they
belonged to the Spanish government and not to the Church, and that therefore the same should be
the property of the insular government of the US.
The Sixth and last Fundamental Epistle was issued on August 17. This Epistle is very explicit in
dealing with liberty. Though it was intended as an exhortation for the Filipinos, its publication in
the official organ of the church can be seen as scathing remarks for the Americans. More
importantly, it laid down the principle that it is in accordance to the will of God and the nature of
man that humankind enjoys liberty:
Ah Liberty! Its worth is understood only when it is lost; it can only be loved in the ‘saddest
darkness of prison cells.’
A free man is a complete man, dignified, honorable, of lofty sentiments, attended by all his rights
and by his unavoidable duties as well; but a man who becomes a slave of his own free will is a
man with a vile heart, a deceitful, abject psychopath – a person, in short, deserving of pity.
We are born with the right to think freely and express our thoughts according to the light of
reason which the Divinity has given us; we are born with the right to associate freely with those
we choose for the purpose of our own perfection and needs; we are born with the right to govern
our own persons, our families, home and birthplace; we are born in short, with the right to do
freely whatever is our own pleasure so long as we do not violate the liberty and rights of others.
On the 17th of September, The IFI formally canonized the four Filipino heroes, Rizal, Burgos,
Gomez and Zamora. They were to be regarded as saints but not with idolatrous intent of
rendering them with divine honors. No veneration would be accorded to them. Instead, emulation
for their exemplary courage and heroism was encouraged. This expressed the nationalistic spirit
of the new church. On October 11, Don Belong returned from Japan and began the Church
publication La Iglesia Filipina Independiente Revista Catolica (LIFIRC).
On October 28, the IFI adopted the Doctrina y Reglas Constitucionales (DRC) that replaced the
Fundamental Epistles as the doctrinal foundation and governing rules of the Church until 1947
with only slight revisions in 1918 and 1940. On August 5, 1947, the IFI adopted a new
Constitution and Canons as well as a Declaration of Faith and Articles of Religion. In its opening
paragraph, the DRC declared:
The object of the founding of the Philippine Independent Church is principally to respond to the
imperative need to restore the worship of the one true God in all its splendor and the purity of his
most holy Word which, under the reign of obscurantism, has been diluted and distorted in a most
disheartening manner for any Christian of even moderate education.
On December 1, Bishop Edward Herzog of the Swiss Independent Church of Berne, Switzerland
wrote in recognition to the new Church that “we conserve the Catholic Faith, Catholic
Sacraments, the Catholic Liturgy and the Catholic Constitution but added that they are
independent of the Pope and especially denied the decree of the Vatican.”
February 21, 1904 saw the start of the serialization of the Lecturas de Cuaresma in the La Iglesia
Filipina Independiente: Revista Catolica. The last of the series was on May 1, 1904. The whole
series was published in Barcelona in 1906. Achutegui and Bernad wrote that this book is one of
those that stated that the IFI is the most rationalistic religion based on the Bible.
On June 26, Bishop Aglipay accepted the invitation to attend the Provincial Synod of Manila
convoked by the Apostolic Delegate, John Baptiste Guidi to be held in August 7, 1904. Bishop
Aglipay’s letter also expressed gratitude to this conciliatory gesture especially since it did not
contain the usual fulmination and menacing phrases. However, he wanted to know if the synod
would be willing to discuss the motives, which had driven the Filipinos to that painful
separation.
On July 24, 1905, the Philippine Commission enacted a special law to decide the controversy
between the Roman Catholic Church and the Philippine Independent Church. This was the
Philippine Commission Act No. 1376 and entitled “An Act Providing for the Speedy Disposition
as to the Right of Administration or Possession of the Churches, convents, cemeteries and other
Church Properties and as to Ownership and Title Thereto by Vesting in the Supreme Court of the
Philippine Islands original jurisdiction to decide such controversies and for other purposes”.
On November 30, 1906, the Supreme Court handed down a momentous decision that in effect
ordered the IFI to return all properties it had seized and occupied from the Roman Catholic
Church. The US Supreme Court upheld the decision in 1909.
A more important event for this year was the publication in Barcelona of the Oficio Divino by
Isabelo de los Reyes, Sr. This book was officially adopted on June 10, 1907 and thus became the
official Prayer Book and Ritual for the IFI until 1947 when a new Declaration of Faith and
Articles of Religion was adopted by the General Assembly. However, it was only in 1960 that it
ceased usage with the adoption of the two official Liturgical Books, the Filipino Missal and the
Filipino Ritual. Between 1924 and 1932, there were promulgations of Bishop Aglipay to amplify
Unitarian reforms he wished to bring about in the IFI. The majority of the people especially the
clergy however did not accept these promulgations.
Translations into the different Filipino dialects ensued, some in parts, and some in whole. That
this happened could be proven by the two letters of Don Belong from Barcelona published in El
Renacimiento in the February and April issues of 1908. In the first, Don Belong was urging
Bishop Aglipay and the IFI authorities to translate the Oficio Divino into the major Philippine
languages. The second was an apology after knowing that Bishop Aglipay and the IFI authorities
were doing their jobs seriously. Another evidence is the 1921 publication of Fr. Sabino Rigor’s
compilation, Mga Panalanging Hinango sa Oficio Divino ng IFI, translated by Fr. Ceferino
Ramirez.
On May 21, 1909, the Philippine Assembly approved a resolution approving the constant desire
of the Filipinos to attain independence. The IFI had this theme in its regular and special liturgical
occasions. In 1910, the church started the yearly celebration of the Misang Parangal sa Mga
Bayani ng Himagsikan. Its Preface soon became the oft-repeated Preface in the Sunday Eucharist
and special celebrations in the IFI. Its most celebrated phrase that brought tears to many
members of the congregation is the phrase that contains the explicit succor for national freedom,
independence and abundant life (kalayaan, pagsasarili at kaginhawaan). These terms in the
Prefacio are especially reminiscent of the words of the Kartilya ng Katipunan. On June 4, 1910
the first Celebration of the Feast Day of Maulawin took place in Sta. Cruz, Laguna.
In 1911, there was the composition and speedy dissemination of the Hiligaynon hymn,
Ambahanon sang Himaya (Song/Hymn of Adoration) composed by Fr. Jose Javellana an IFI
priest in Antique. This hymn has a Tagalog version included as Hymn 89 in the Imnaryong
Pilipino published by the Diocese of Cavite in 1990.
On September 28, 1924, the Maria Clara Christ’s Church was inaugurated. The best-known
religious statue is the Birhen ng Balintawak (Our Lady of Balintawak). There are actually two
images in the statue: the Virgin, in a gown designed after the Philippine flag, symbolizing the
mother country; and a young boy, garbed as a Katipunan guerrilla representing the struggle of
the Filipino people. In the original statue, an inscription is written: Ama ko, sumilang (or
sumikat) nawa ang aming pagsasarili (Our Father, may the day of our joyful independence rise).
In the following year, Bishop Aglipay’s Pagsisiyam ng Birhen sa Balintawak, translated by Juan
Evangelista, was published.
Such liturgical celebrations advocating Philippine Independence saw other complementing
activities in the church. On February 26, 1930, the First Independence Congress organized by
Bishop Aglipay unanimously adopted the desire of the Filipinos to be free and independent. In
the ensuing years until the institution of the Commonwealth, Bishop Aglipay issued statements
exhorting the priests and faithful to join in the activities that spearhead or advocate
independence. He also issued a statement justifying the participation of the clergy in such kind of
politics since “beneath their robes, they are Filipinos.”
On March 28, 1931, Bishop Aglipay with Bishops Isabelo de los Reyes, Jr. and Santiago
Fonacier left the Philippines for Boston to attend the Annual Convention of the Unitarian
Association. The party was feted in almost every large city of America by various local groups
of Unitarians. The Unitarian Convention passed resolutions for Philippine Independence and
admitted the IFI to the International Association of Liberal Christianity. Bishop Aglipay was also
given an honorary degree by Meadville Theological School in Chicago. In 1939, Dr. Louis C.
Cornish of the American Unitarian Association visited the Philippines and was made Honorary
President of the IFI. This seemingly tied the two bodies. However the closeness of these two
bodies remained at the level of the national hierarchy, the rank and file of the clergy and laity
remained Trinitarians in belief and Bishop Aglipay’s stand was regarded to be contrary to the
majority.
On October 10, 1938, Don Belong died. There are claims that he retracted and returned to the
Roman Catholic Church but his son, Isabelo de los Reyes, Jr. who later became Obispo Maximo
vehemently opposed said claim.
On August 30, 1940, Bishop Fonacier, after having been informed by Bishop Jamnias, went to
see Bishop Aglipay who was lying motionless after a stroke. Bishop Fonacier immediately called
up Dr. Arzaga, Bishop de los Reyes and others. After making the calls, he returned to the side of
the Supreme Bishop who finally was able to speak two words which turned out to be his last –
Gracias Que. When Dr. Arzaga, Bishop de los Reyes and others arrived, the Supreme Bishop
was already in coma and they decided to bring him to the clinic of Dr. Arzaga.
On September 1, Bishop Gregorio Aglipay, one of the founding fathers and the first Obispo
Maximo of the IFI died at the age of 80. As an old guerrilla fighter and patriot, he was given an
impressive funeral to which the President of the Commonwealth, his Cabinet, and the most of the
highest state officials came to pay their respect. Newspapers bade farewell to the Martin Luther
of the Philippines. His remains are now kept at the Aglipay Shrine in Batac, Ilocos Norte.
On October 14, Bishop Fonacier, an ex Senator from Ilocos Sur was elected Obispo Maximo of
the Church for a period of three years by a General Assembly. In said election, Bishop Servando
Castro withdrew in favor of Bishop Fonacier with the agreement that the Church shall respect
and implement the “Bacarra Formula”. Bishop Isabelo de los Reyes, Jr. was also elected as the
General Secretary, a position that was provided for in the revision of the DRC. The new Obispo
Maximo was installed in a solemn ceremony attended by some high government officials as
among the sponsors on November 21.
Year 1945-1969
A Mellowing Nationalism
On September of 1961 the General Convention of the American Episcopal church in one of its
great moments, approved a Concordat of Full Communion with the Iglesia Filipina
Independiente. By such historic action the American Church has laid down a bridge of
recognition between the America and Filipino Churches that shall assuredly promote a healthy
trade of spiritual riches between the Christians of America and the Philippines. Through this
Concordat the Filipino Church has strengthen its roots and has been welcomed into the open road
that leads towards the reservation of its own identity and independence while simultaneously
assuring for its clergy and laity a gradual increase of living contacts with the national Churches
of the Anglican Communion…We rejoice, beyond the power of words to express, at the
termination of our half-century of isolation and no longer feel ourselves the orphans of the
Pacific. And while we are pledge to carry on our revolt and prove worthy of the Concordat but in
terms of all our nothing, but adopting the principle of moderation and love for truth that, in the
words of Albert Camus, is the main characteristic of all proper revolutions.
Supreme Bishop Isabelo de los Reyes, Jr.
On the Cross Roads
During the Japanese occupation, the church leaders fought for their convictions as they had done
through the years. Good relations with the Japanese authorities enabled the clergy to obtain
passes and therefore mobility to serve the people. The Japanese authorities attempting to obtain
cooperation of the Filipino people however befriended the church leadership. The political crisis
constrained the hierarchy of the Church to cooperate with Japan. The Obispo Maximo and the
General Secretary were made to broadcast favorable accounts of Japanese occupation of the
Philippines as part of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. However, a deviating opinion
started to be articulated by the General Secretary when he started proclaiming that true
nationalism means unity of all Filipinos in defending their nation from all forms of foreign
invasion.
The post-war period ushered in a new episode in the history of the Filipino people. It was the
time when the campaign for ‘nation building’ infected the air, being the normal consequence, not
so much the result of the Japanese invasion, but rather with the American bombings of Manila.
In September 1945, after the surrender of the Japanese, government was turned over to the
Commonwealth under President Osmeña. Trouble started in the new Church when Fonacier
asked Bp. Remollino to transfer from the Diocese of Cavite to Cebu. Events that followed led to
a Supreme Council of Bishops meeting on December 4. The Obispo Maximo was charged with
violating the Constitution in consecrating bishops, removing the church headquarters to another
town and failure to give an accounting of church funds.
On January 21 and 22, 1946, the Supreme Council of Bishops met upon the summons of Bishop
Aguilar, and removed Bishop Fonacier from office and elected Bishop Gerardo Bayaca as his
successor. The General Assembly that met on September 1, 1946 duly elected Bishop Isabelo de
los Reyes, Jr. as the Obispo Maximo.
Thus, a rift befell the Iglesia Filipina Independiente. On May 17 1950, the Court declared Bishop
Isabelo de los Reyes, Jr. as the sole and legitimate bishop of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente
and ordered Bishop Fonacier to render an accounting of his administration of the properties and
funds of the church. On May 20, 1950, Judge Felix Martinez of the Court of First Instance,
Manila handed down a decision in which Bishop de los Reyes, Jr. was declared the legal head of
the IFI. On January 28, 1955, the Supreme Court of the Philippines declared Bishop Isabelo de
los Reyes, Jr. as the legitimate incumbent Obispo Maximo of the IFI. Bishop Fonacier eventually
formed the Independent Church of Filipino Christians (ICFC) and seceded from the Iglesia
Filipina Independiente.
Earlier applauding the US granting of independence to the Philippines and enticed by the neo-
colonial spell of ‘participation in nation building’, Bishop de los Reyes transmuted the
revolutionary nationalism of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente into ‘sentimental philippinism’
that was coupled with a passionate pursuit for ecumenism. Likewise, the rationalism and
socialism of Bishop Aglipay and De los Reyes Sr. were abrogated and affiliation with
revolutionary movements were severed. Observably, in contrast with the figure of Bishop
Aglipay, the hierarchy withdrew itself from any significant participation in the revolutionary
struggle.
On August 4 1947, the IFI General Assembly petitioned the House of Bishops of the Episcopal
Church to bestow the Iglesia Filipina Independiente the gift of Apostolic Succession. The
following day, the Declaration of Faith and Articles of Religion (DFAR) and a new Constitution
and Canons were approved.
The House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church of the USA granted the IFI petition during their
meeting on November 4-7 1947. On April 7, 1948, in a service, held at the St. Luke’s Pro-
Cathedral in Manila, three bishops of the IFI – Isabelo de los Reyes, Jr., Gerardo Bayaca and
Manuel Aguilar, received the gift of apostolic succession from the hands of Norman Binsted,
Bishop of Missionary District of the Philippines, acting for the Presiding Bishop of the ECUSA,
Robert Franklin Wilner, Suffragan Bishop of the Missionary District of the Philippines, and
Harry Scherbourne Kennedy, Bishop of the Missionary District of Honolulu.
On September 2, 1957, the General Assembly of the IFI ratified the proposed amendments to the
1947 Constitution extending the term of office for the Obispo Maximo to four years. During the
General Assembly of the IFI on May 8, 1961, the major amendment was the “supplication” of
the Oficio Divino by the Filipino Missal and the Filipino Ritual. The two books became the
official books of worship and administration of the Sacraments in the IFI. The English
translation of the Luwalhati stripped its meaning and the Bendicion was totally deleted. The
Prefacio was also revised in such a way that the petition for independence, freedom and abundant
life for the nation was deleted. In many instances, however, the Prefacio was be revised in such a
way that the petition was changed into succor for the maintenance of the Independence which
was already granted.
On one hand, these liturgical revisions were primarily responsible for the watering down of the
nationalism in the IFI. On a more positive note, these actions paved the way for broader
international and interdenominational relations.
On August 8, 1958, the Iglesia Filipina Independiente became an active member of the World
Council of Churches. On August 21, 1958, the WCC unanimously welcomed the IFI as a regular
member. In 1961, the Church participated in the Third Assembly of the WCC held in New Delhi,
India where Bishop Macario V. Ga was elected member of the Central Committee for a term of
seven years. Bishop Ga was elected for another term during the Fourth Assembly held in
Uppsala, Sweden, in 1968.
On May 8, 1960, when the Church celebrated the first Centenary of the birth anniversary of
Bishop Gregorio Aglipay, Churches around the world sent messages during the celebrations.
During the occasion, the SCB and General Assembly unanimously voted on the proposal for the
Church to enter into a concordat with PECUSA. The House of Bishops received the proposal and
recommended that such concordat be entered. When the concordat relation was approved in
1961, a Joint Council was created to concretize the relations between the two churches.
Shortly after that historic concordat signing, similar Concordat of Full Communion was
established by the IFI with the following: Province of the West Indies, September 1, 1962;
Church of the Province of Central Africa, November 12, 1962; The Church of the Province of
West Africa, 1962; The Church of the Province of East Africa, 1962; The Church of India,
Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon, January 18, 1963; The Nippon Sei Ko Kai, March 15, 1963; The
Church of Ireland, third week of May, 1963; The Lusitanian Church, October 9, 1963; The
Church of England, October 16, 1963; The Episcopal Church in Scotland, December 5, 1963;
The Anglican Church of Canada, 1963; The Church of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, 1963;
Spanish Reformed Church, 1963; The Church of the Province of South Africa, February 17,
1964; The Church of the Province of New Zealand, April 29, 1964. Catholic Church of Austria;
The Old Catholic Church of Czechoslovakia; The Old Catholic Church of Germany; The Old
Catholic Church of Holland; The Old Catholic Church of Switzerland; The Polish National
Catholic Church of America; The Old Catholic Church of Yugoslavia; The Episcopal Church of
Brazil.
The PIC-PECUSA Joint Council formed a Student Work Program inside the UP campus, which
eventually gave birth to the UP-Philippine Independent Church Student Association (UPPICSA).
The UPPICSA played a crucial role in the radical transformation of the church youth
organization into a socially conscious organization of students and young people by facilitating
educational activities that sought to revive the nationalism of church youth.
While the young people of the Church were further organizing and consolidating their ranks, the
national leadership continued to forge solidarity with the provinces of the Anglican Communion
in Asia. On January 18, 1963, the Concordat between the IFI and the Churches of India, Burma,
Pakistan and Sri Lanka was established. It was the first concordat of full communion established
between and among Asian Churches. On the other hand, on October 8, 1963, the Convocation of
Canterbury received the Report of the Commission appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury
to examine the Faith and Order of the IFI. The Convocation agreed to the establishment of Full
Communion between the Church of England and the IFI on the basis of mutual acceptance. The
IFI has been co-opted member of the CCEA from 1964 because of its Concordat relation with
PECUSA. CCEA is mainly composed of the churches within the Anglican Communion in East
Asia.
On November 7, 1963, the Inaugural Assembly and First General Convention of the National
Council of Churches in the Philippines took place at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Mary and St.
John, Quezon City. Bishop de los Reyes, Jr. was elected as the first Chairman of the Council.
On April 1964, the IFI established its first contact with the Orthodox Churches of the East.
Bishop de los Reyes and Bishop Pasco, at the invitation of Bishop Arthur Michael Ramsey of
Canterbury, attended the first meeting of the wider Episcopal Fellowship. On February 25, 1966,
the Presiding Bishop of ECUSA, the Most Rev. John E. Hines, on behalf of the Domestic and
Foreign Society of the PECUSA, transferred and conveyed to the IFI the possession of the 3,500
sq. m. residential lot at the corner of Taft Avenue, Manila.
On September 22, 1966, the Solemn Commemoration of the Fifth Anniversary of the Concordat
of the IFI and ECUSA was held. On November 2, 1967, the Concordat of Full Communion
between the Church of the Province of East Africa and the IFI was ratified.
In 1968, Bishop Soliman Ganno and Fr. Vic Esclamado represented the IFI in the fourth
Regional Assembly of the East Asia Christian Conference (EACC) formerly called Asian
Council Ecumenical Missions (ACEM). In 1963 when the IFI became a member of NCCP, it
also became its regular member, beginning from the third EACC assembly in Bangkok. In 1973,
EACC was renamed as Christian Conference in Asia (CCA) during the Fifth Regional Assembly
in Singapore.
The IFI as she participated in the ecumenical life abroad has been overwhelmed with those
successes. Unfortunately, however, her victories led the IFI to seemingly forget her revolutionary
or nationalist heritage. The IFI even produced church leaders that propagated reactionary ideas
though these “reactionary tendencies of the Church were not left unchallenged. In 1968, IFI
students and some IFI seminarians at St. Andrew’s Theological Seminary who were drawn by
the wave of the Second Propaganda Movement started to question the direction and orientation
of the IFI. Some youth leaders from UPPICSA who were exposed to the World Council of
Churches Youth Assembly in Uppsala, Sweden, paved the way for the young people to be
engaged in the ecumenical youth movement. The UPPICSA and the IFI were caught in the
vortex of political unrest against the much-hated US-Marcos dictatorship. The rising nationalist
current and restlessness of the militant students and mentors swept the universities and colleges.
Worker and peasant movements in the countryside have been mounting and intensifying. The
revolutionary fervor has inevitably challenged the IFI to look back to its origin and define its
present task amidst the escalating social upheavals.
Recognizing the Role of the Lay People
The organization of the lay sectors into a national level was also taken care of. First to be
organized was the Women’s Auxiliary of the Philippine Independent Church. The first national
convention of the women was held at St. Andrew’s Theological Seminary (SATS) on May 10-
11, 1957. The first set of permanent officers was elected with Miss Ella Cabreza as the first
President of the Women’s Auxiliary of the Philippine Independent Church.
Permission to become a national organization was granted to the men even earlier in June 18,
1956 by the Supreme Council of Bishops in its session held at the Pro-Cathedral Church in Paco,
Manila. The first election of officers was held only on September 2, 1957 when the laymen
delegates to the Church’s General Assembly of September 1 convened to elect the first set of
national officers. Mr. Apolonio Pisig was elected President. Notions for an organization of the
Youth surfaced later. In 1960, the Philippine Independent Church Regional Youth Movement
was organized with Atty. Raymundo Beltran of Cavite as the first President. A national
movement of the youth came into being only in 1969.
The intended purposes of the national organizations would be where the energies of the IFI were
concentrated up to that year however. This was the construction of a National Cathedral to
supplant the Cathedral in Tondo that was destroyed during the War. In 1957, it was made clear in
the Constitution of the National Laymen’s Commission that one of its primary purposes would
be the construction of a national cathedral. The fourth Obispo Maximo later deputized this body
to take charge of such project. However, until 1960 nothing had been done and so another
commission composed of multi-sectoral representatives was created with a Bishop as Chairman.
Three years later, the Obispo Maximo took over the helm. It took another six agonizing years
before this project was realized. The National Cathedral of the Holy Child of the Iglesia Filipina
Independiente was consecrated during the celebration of the 109th Birthday of Bishop Gregorio
Aglipay on May 8, 1969.
The fourth Obispo Maximo appealed for the next project which was the construction of the
national offices. However, the members of the church especially the youth who on this year
would organize themselves into a national movement, issued another call
Year 1969-Present
Journeying with the People’s Continuing Struggle
I have said this again and again to brothers in the ministry and to friends, and I dare express it
again: that the stirring spirit that gave birth to our Church is seen to be totally paled by time and
circumstances if we forever hold our peace before the unfolding drama of the whole Filipino
people. The IFI has a place under the sun only if she can recapture once again that spirit of an
outer-oriented movement – a movement that wholeheartedly embraces the aspirations of the poor
who make up the vast majority of our people. After all, she started with her twin sister, La Union
Obrera Democratica, the fortress of the Filipino workingman. And to state proudly, the
“wretched of the earth” were her pristine company. Fr. Jerry Aquino, Letter to the IFI from
Prison, 1980
The Church and Youth Activism
The twilight years of the 1960s witnessed the spirited movements of church youth that resulted
in the first ever National Youth Assembly in 1969. Bishop de los Reyes realized the potential of
the youth and led the church into recognizing their rank as a dynamic sector in the decision
making process of the church. Militancy characterized the assembly with the youth condemning
the semi-feudal and semi-colonial conditions of the Philippine society, challenging the church to
make clear its stand on this matter.
The assembly gave birth to the National Youth Movement of the PIC (NYV-PIC) and elected
Ms. Carmencita Karagdag as its chairperson. NYV-PIC later changed its name to KILUSANG
PAMBANSA NG KABATAAN ng Iglesia Filipina Independiente (KPK-IFI) to hold true to its
nationalist character. This event signaled the consolidation of the youth sector and the national
level geared towards reclaiming the nationalist heritage of the IFI. The youth since then
unwrapped itself into becoming a more progressive and militant segment in the church, with the
KPK-IFI playing the vanguard role in uniting the youth of the IFI, asserting their role in the
church and promoting ecumenism among the young people of the various churches.
The KPK-IFI held their Second National Assembly on April 28 to May 1, 1972 at UP Los
Baños, Laguna with the theme: “PIC Youth Face the Challenge of the 70’s”. The assembly
denounced and opposed the unholy trinity of imperialism, bureaucrat capitalism, and feudalism,
and issued a direct challenge to the conservative, opportunists and reactionary elements of the
church on its open collaboration with the ruling regime. The same demanded reforms in the
church and the restoration of the genuine teachings and history of the church.”
When the First Quarter Storm erupted, the KPK-IFI joined the student protestations on the
streets. When Marcos declared Martial Law on September 21 1972, members of the KPK-IFI
were included in those who were arrested and detained. The situation compelled the KPK-IFI to
disappear as a sectoral organization, branded as subscribing to communist ideology. Nonetheless,
the highly politically conscious members of the organization strove underground thus preserving
a core group of militant leaders in the church who would resurface by the late 1970s.
In April 1976, a National Youth Consultation was held from at SATS. Seventy youth
representatives from the thirty dioceses came to the consultation and expressed the need to
restructure the National Youth Organization and adopt a National Constitution and By-laws. The
consultation also came up with several recommendations addressed to the Supreme Council of
Bishops expressing demands for concrete reforms in the church, the democratization of the
church and deeper lay participation in the life of the IFI. The consultation also called for the
creation of a National Youth Office and representation in the General Assembly of the church.
This clamor of the youth sector was realized when at the National Consultative Assembly held
on October 21-24, 1976 at the National Cathedral; the youth of the Church was for the first time,
formally represented.
The National Youth Assembly was held in April 1977 at the Parish of Our Lady of Peace and
Good Voyage, La Paz, Iloilo City. Mr. Fructuoso Sabug Jr. was elected president of the NYM. A
Constitution and By-Laws of the National Youth Movement was also approved and adapted.
Reawakening of the Nationalist Heritage
When the young people of the church, especially the students began criticizing the complacency
of church leaders in the late 1960s, Bishop de los Reyes made the prudent gesture of welcoming
them as consistent to the nationalist tradition of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente. However
sincere Bishop de los Reyes’ action maybe in recognizing the youth’s clamor, it certainly led to
the consequent formation of the Kilusang Pambansa ng mga Kabataan ng Iglesia Filipina
Independiente (KPK-IFI) in 1969 marking the reawakening of the revolutionary nationalism and
re-politicization of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente.
Paradoxically, when martial law was imposed in 1972, barely a year after Bishop Macario Ga
succeeded Bishop de los Reyes, the latter along with other leaders of the Roman Catholic and
Protestant churches, were fettered to collaborate with the status quo, critically or otherwise.
Interestingly, and quite ironically, the attitude taken by the hierarchy did not permeate the whole
Iglesia Filipina Independiente as the rank and file of the clergy along with a significant number
of the laity rejected such position. The generation of young clergy and progressive youth of the
church registered their opposition to the perfidy of supporting the anti-muslim and anti-
communism crusade and new society ideology of Marcos, rightfully seeing them as
demonstrations of unveiling state fascism
Bishop Ga continued to staunchly support Marcos while both the Roman Catholic and Protestant
leaders were gradually and openly becoming critical of the despotic leader. The hierarchy
willingly made the church a cultural apparatus for the moral justification of the strongman’s
garnering of absolute political power. Eventually, the clergy, seriously disturbed by the
hierarchy’s politicking, started to openly criticize its unapprised gesture of condoning the
dictatorship. Irritations started to grow between the hierarchy and a number of bishops, and the
progressive clergy and laity. The tension was increased when the latter mounted a criticism on
the anomalous practices of some bishops and the hierarchy and with their crusade to clean up the
church bureaucracy.
Albeit the suspicion of an antagonistic and an increasingly apprehensive hierarchy, the clergy
organized themselves under the National Priest Organization in 1978 determined to work for the
renewal of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente and to recapture its legacy of revolutionary
nationalism. Undoubtedly, the formation of the NPO increasingly sharpened the contrast
between the conservative pro-martial law hierarchy and the progressive young priests, who were
now labeled as subversives, and further widened the gulf that separated them.
The hierarchy anathematized its own clergy and laity that were involving themselves with
peoples’ organization while the national leadership cast the pretension of having the whole of the
Iglesia Filipina Independiente one with the Obispo Maximo in supporting President Marcos.
Many priests and youth were put under military surveillance, while some others were arrested
and incarcerated as political detainees. The incident that occurred in 1981, with Bishop Ga
congratulating the constabulary unit that apprehended Fr. Jeremias Aquino while on his way to
join the revolutionary movement in the Cordilleras, was an evidence of the heightening conflict
between the two groups.
Collaborating with a number of sympathetic bishops and laity, these progressive priests rallying
under the banner of the NPO, effected the election of Bishop Abdias de la Cruz as Obispo
Maximo in the General Assembly in 1981. Bishop Ga thereupon filed a petition with the
Securities and Exchange Commission in an attempt to nullify the election of Bishop de la Cruz.
When the Court of Appeals executed the decision in favor of Bishop de la Cruz in 1987, Bishop
Ga, with his followers of bishops and priests, thereafter formed the Iglesia Catolica Filipina
Independiente (ICFI).
Bishop de la Cruz, cognizant of the organizational significance of the NPO in consolidating the
rank and file of clergy from the various regions and in campaigning for church programs,
established a close working relationship with its leaders. Consultations between bishops and
priests were conducted and continuing theological education seminars were held enthusiastically
to bring about relevant renewal in the church and recapturing its revolutionary nationalism.
The National Consultative Assembly of 1976
From October 21-24, 1976, the National Consultative Assembly was held at the National
Cathedral of the Holy Child. Bishops, priests and lay people were all represented in the
consultation with the purpose of assessing the mission of the church, particularly in the light of
the growing demand for greater participation of the laity in the governance and administration of
the church. The assembly gave birth to two vital documents – the final draft of the 1977
Constitution and Canons (to be confirmed in the 1977 National Assembly), and the Statement on
Church Mission.
The first General assembly under the 1977 Constitution and Canons was held on May 8, 1981
attended by 232 bishops, priests and lay people. The assembly overwhelmingly elected Bishop
Abdias de la Cruz, the former Secretary General, as the sixth Obispo Maximo, against Bishop
Macario Ga. The overwhelming victory of Bishop de la Cruz reflected the clamor of Aglipayans
for change and paved the way for younger blood to take significant positions in the national
leadership of the church.
On May 9, 1977 the General Assembly approved the new Constitution of the Church. The new
constitution radically changed the structures of the Church and mandated the creation of a
national organization of priests.
Bishop Ga filed a petition at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) a week later to
restrain Bishop de la Cruz and other officers elected from performing their functions. The SEC
denied Bishop Ga’s petition for a Writ of Preliminary Injunction the following May 30.
Immediately, Bishop Ga filed a motion for reconsideration. On August 27 1985, the SEC handed
down the decision declaring Bishop de la Cruz as the validly elected Supreme Bishop, Bishop
Ga, with his bishops and priests, thereafter formed the Iglesia Catolica Filipina Independiente
(ICFI).
While the legal battle was in the court of law, the paralegal battles took a violent form with the
Central Office taken over by the camp of Bishop Ga. Only with the resolute action of Bishop
Alberto Ramento, leading a group of seminarians, priests and lay people, to eject the former. The
sympathizers of Bishop Ga followed suit by taking over some parishes, most violent were the
taking over and retaking of the church in Pandacan, Manila, as well as in Bacoor, Cavite.
While these upheavals were occurring, the NPO provided support and counsel to the new church
leadership, and kept vigil over the decisions and actions of the Obispo Maximo. However, when
the NPO learned of the decision of the SCB to consecrate twelve priests to the episcopacy, the
organization immediately registered its violent objection and refused to comply when asked by
the Obispo Maximo to endorse those who were elected, fearing such would only complicate the
situation. Hitherto began the indifference between the organization and the church leadership
that would not be over for more than a decade.
Rediscovering the Revolutionary Heritage of the Church
A progressive and perceptive impulse for the Church to become a socially and politically
relevant institution became evident in the election of Bishop Soliman Ganno as Obispo Maximo
on May 8 1987. The Supreme Council of Bishops (SCB) published two consecutive pastoral
letters in May of 1988 (Our Heritage, Our Response) and 1989 (Witnessing: Sharing in the
Pilgrimage) respectively that contain an articulation and elucidation of the nationalist heritage of
the Church. In the two pastoral letters, the Church also reiterated its advocacy to the people’s
agenda, support to nationalist industrialization and genuine land reform, and boldly condemned
foreign intervention in the political governance of the country.
It was during Bishop Ganno’s term that the Statement on Development was issued on July 30
1987. The statement laid down the agenda of the church for renewal on the various aspects of its
organizational and institutional life. The statement likewise reflected the continuous and
conscious effort of Aglipayans to recapture the church’s historical heritage by offering herself to
witness for and in behalf of the people who were socially and politically marginalized by the
system, and to work for the integral transformation of society’. However, Bishop Ganno did live
come to witness the fruits of this labor as he passed away on May 26 1989 after two years of
fruitful leadership. A Special General Assembly convened on June 22 and elected Bishop Tito
Pasco, General Secretary of the Church, to serve the unfinished term of the late Bishop Ganno.
Bishop Pasco pursued the agenda set forth by his predecessor and initiated concrete programs
towards self-reliance. He is the author of the Three-Year Vision Program that was aimed to
enhance stewardship and education in the Church to achieve a self-reliance, self-governance and
self-propagation status within three years. The Three-Year Vision of the Church was launched at
the National Cathedral on October 6 1990.
An important document appeared in May 1990 entitled “Peace Building Mission of the Iglesia
Filipina Independiente”, signed by the SCB. The document addressed the situation of violence in
the country brought about by the inequitable sharing of economic wealth among the people, the
fragmentation of the social system, military-political factionalism, and the proliferation of
fundamentalist religious groups supporting the status quo. In here the church declared the
opening of its institutions as sanctuaries of the people and peace zones, to negotiate peace talks
among the warring parties in the country, and to provide help to those victimized by the situation
of war.
The militancy of church leaders penetrated the sectoral organizations, especially the youth
organization. Even the Kababaihan ng Pambansang Katedral – IFI issued a resolution n October
27 1991 asking the clergy to desist from conducting marriages of Filipinas with foreigners that
are pre-arranged by travel or marriage agencies, when the issue of mail-order bride was exposed.
Bishop Pasco led the Church in launching the Centennial Decade Celebration at the Folk Arts
Theater on August 3 1992 to mark the beginning of a ten-year celebration prior to the centennial
anniversary of the Church on 2002. It was in the same occasion that the Decade Agenda was
presented to the people of the IFI. The succeeding celebrations were held at in Ilocos Norte
(1993), Cagayan de Oro (1994), Iloilo City (1995), Cavite City (1996), Rosales, Pangasinan,
(1997), Oroquieta (1998), Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte (1999), and Dumaguete (2000). The
99th year anniversary celebration was celebrated in the local dioceses.
Late in 1991 the Supreme Council of Bishops issued a letter to the Aquino government and the
NDF to renew the peace negotiations between them. The unrelenting call for peace was rewarded
when peace negotiations began to take place under the Ramos government in 1998. The social
importance of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente as an institution, is demonstrated when Bishop
Ramento was recommended by the National Democratic Front to be a member of the monitoring
committee on the observance of the CARHRIHL along with Bishop Roman Tiples, then NCCP
General Secretary, and to constitute the third party depository of documents for the peace
negotiations. A year later, Jose Maria Sison, Bishops Ramento and Tiples then jointly signed a
Communique of Dialogue.
The national leadership of the Church has also played a significant role in negotiating for the safe
release of prisoners of war held by the New Peoples Army. During the period of intensified
armed offensives of the NPA against the military and paramilitary groups in 1997, Bishop
Ramento and Bishop Tiples, along with other international organizations, facilitated the release
of a number of prisoners of war.
When Estrada was elected president, the IFI immediately issued a statement “Calling the Estrada
Administration to Resume the Formal Peace Negotiation” on February 27 1999. On April 26,
1999, the IFI issued a statement concerning her commitment to peace-building ministry entitled,
“On Being Peace Maker.” However, the NDFP-GRP peace talks collapsed after the Estrada
regime refused to carry out the CAR-HRIHL, imposed new conditions on the agreed principles
of the negotiations and ratified the VFA.
Military encounters resumed and hostilities intensified between the AFP and NPA soon after
Estrada suspended the peace talks. Between March and April 1999, the NPA released captured
military elements, including a brigadier general of the Philippine Army, in Davao and Laguna
provinces. Bishop Ramento, Bishop Roman Tiples, Bishop Calang and Bishop Millamena helped
facilitate the releases of the prisoners of war in these provinces.
Again, on January 9 2000, Bishop Millamena left for Utrecht, The Netherlands with Senator
Loren Legarda and Bishop Jesus Varela of the Roman Catholic Church, to appeal to the
leadership of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) for the release of NPA
captives Major Noel Buan and PNP Chief Inspector Abelardo Martin. On April 6 2001, Bishop
Millamena, together with some clergy and staff of the Central Office joined with peace
advocates in Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro to welcome the release of prisoner of war, Major Noel
Buan.
When the Arroyo administration declared its willingness to resume the peace talks in January
2001, and released political detainees to display her sincerity, the Church acclaimed the
resumption of the peace negotiations. On April 8 2001, a group of IFI members lead by Bishop
Millamena, along with members of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines and
other people’s organizations, welcomed the arrival of the NDF negotiating panel at the
Philippines. Ten days later, a number of clergy and laity of the Church attended the Conference
for Genuine and Lasting Peace, hosted by the National Council of Churches in the Philippines
(NCCP) and Catholic Bishops Conference in the Philippines (CBCP).
On April 27 Bishop Millamena joined with the GRP-NDFP Negotiating Panels in Oslo, Norway
to mark the resumption of the Peace Talks.
The election of Bishop Ramento as Obispo Maximo in May 1993 corresponded with an
increasing recognition of the Church of her prophetic role in the building of a just society.
Though internal renewal remained to be a priority for the leadership of the Church, the context
and conditions of society required an inevitable response.
Bishop Ramento was instrumental in facilitating the release of many prisoners of war held by the
revolutionary movement. He represented the prophetic role of the Church as peacemaker when
he was endorsed by the NDF as member of the monitoring committee on the peace process in
1998. A gradual yet definite and decisive steps were taken by the SCB to articulate the
revolutionary heritage of the Church.
On the occasion of the 93rd Proclamation Anniversary the SCB issued a statement entitled
“Remembering and Continuing the Unfinished Revolution”, which declared the struggle of the
progressive movements in the country to be the continuation of the 1896 national democratic
revolution. The theme for the 98th celebration, “Pagsamba at Pakikibaka: Ang Ating Buhay na
Pamana”, unveiled the success of the endeavor began by the pre-martial law youth whose
militancy set the clergy aflame for recapturing the revolutionary tradition of the Church.
The Church embarked on a theological articulation of her nationalist heritage. The SCB adopted
the documents of Towards a Common Vision of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente and the
Statement on Aglipayan Spirituality in May 1998. These documents speak clearly of the
historical heritage of the Church of being Pro Deo Et Patria. The Bishops-Priests Consultation
the following October elaborated on the theological framework of the two documents and
affirmed the national and democratic heritage in the manuscript of the Statement on Ministry.
The NPO, on their part, designed a curriculum for education to include courses on IFI Heritage
and Aglipayan Spirituality in 1999. The courses, facilitated in the regional organizations, were
met with appreciation of both bishops, priests and laity of the Church.
Recapturing the historical heritage of the Church was, however, proven to be precarious. In July
1999 Bishop Millamena, the newly elected Obispo Maximo, exposed the recruitment attempt on
clergy by the military. In August 1999, Bishop Emer Foja testified that high-ranking military
officers were persuading him to enroll himself and his clergy as enlisted reservists in the
Philippine Army.
In advocating for the people’s struggle, many bishops and priests of the Church were placed
under surveillance and harassment by the military. The Rev. Noel Dacuycuy and Rev. Emelyn
Gasco-Dacuycuy were issued a warrant of arrest for the murder of Fr. Conrado Balweg of the
CPLA, along with other twelve peasants on December 1999. Another lay church-worker, Lorna
Rivera-Baba, was abducted by the military and detained for months on the accusation of being an
NPA. There were even reports that a number of bishops and other priests were listed in the order
of battle of the military in their counter-insurgency operations. These prompted the Executive
Commission of the Church to condemn the Estrada government for the unprincipled conduct of
the military in harassing the clergy in September 1999.