Carlism and the Philippines (1872)

Nobody personifies Carlism better in the Philippines than Carlos Maria de la Torre--Photographed here when he was an officer in the Carlist Army.

In hindsight: The burgeoning Manila colonial society of the 1850s was becoming more inclined to declare similitude than the terms of specifics. The Catholic church of course lurked mighty in the background. But recent happenings in Mother Spain then had indicated that a number of Carlist politicians and army officers were in the defense of Spain's traditional faith--So the colony was in a situation of a limbo--With citizens, specially the so called (or labeled) Peninsulares deciphering more the loyalty of their fellow Spaniards in the colonial administration--Whether they are sympathetic to the Carlist cause.

Meanwhile the other classes, the mestizos (of Chinese or other Eurasians) were more keen on establishing a stable economic base. Land and education were foremost in their drive. Land holdings, renting and operating friar lands became a common endeavor of this new burgeoning class. Sending their children to study abroad was a prevalent fad among the nouveau riche .

The flow of liberal ideas actually came from two directions. From the Americas came the ideals of the Enlightenment, revolutions, and the rights of each man. It was mainly brought by the waning influence of the once magnificent trade that stretch to the Pacific. It is not a surprised that some of the early manifestations of freedom and independence in the island were inspired by creoles and Spaniards of Mexican birth who established themselves in Manila in the early 19th century.

Finally, after the independence of many Latin American colonies and the subsequent opening of the Suez Canal, the flow of liberal ideas came in the direction of the old continent. During this time Spain was caught in a string of turmoil--The Peninsular War, and of course the Carlist War.

When Carlos de la Torre arrived in the the Philippines to take post of Governor General, everything seems to be rightly in placed for development or for disaster-- In the end it was actually both.

Spain during the Peninsular War had staged the biggest "PR" stunt for the colonies--The crown granted each citizens of the empire, regardless of color or race, an instant Spanish citizenship-But what is citizenship in paper? The cynical colonial society had first aired their reservation upon hearing a liberal government had been installed, but when de la Torre started to spin his magic--It was then that both development and disaster arrived.

Development in the sense that with the new liberal air, the Filipino psyche had started to assert itself-- What it is to be called a Filipino.

Disaster in the sense the innocent lives like that of the GOMBUZA and many more had to pay when the "Restoration" in Spain happened.

It took another quarter of a century until the great Carlist experiment in las Islas Filipinas manifested its result. By then it had also become entangled with a new philosophy for the Filipino nation. (That is my next topic)

I always wonder if there are streets named in the country after Carlos Maria de la Torre?