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Pasyon and Revolution: Popular Movements in the Philippines, 1840-1910
Pasyon and Revolution, unlike earlier Philippine historical writings that use largely the Filipino educated elite's categories of meaning, seeks to interpret Philippine popular movements in terms of perceptions of the masses themselves. Ileto submits to varied kinds of analyses standard documents as well as such previously ignored sources as folk songs, poems, and religious traditions, in order to articulate hidden or suppressed features of the thinking of the masses. Paramount among the conclusions of the book is that the pasyon, or native account of Christ's life, death and resurrection, provided the cultural framework of movements for change. The book places the Philippine revolution in the context of native traditions, and explains the persistence of radial peasant brotherhoods in this century. Seen as continuous attempts by the masses to transform the world in their terms are the various movements that the book analyzes - Apolinario de la Cruz's Cofradia de San Jose, Andres Bonifacio's Katipunan, Macario Sakay's Katipunan, Felipe Salvador's Santa Iglesia, the Colorum Society, and other popular movements during the Spanish, revolutionary, and American colonial periods.
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280 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
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October 6, 2012
Ileto’s classic book on revolutionary movements in the Philippines was published in 1979 and it is now into its 8th printing. Although it was first published 33 years ago, the continued appeal of the book lies in its original approach to popular resistance movements in the Philippines.
Ileto’s approach was novel because it tried to show the meaning of the resistance movements from the point of the view of the participants themselves. This was a departure from the works of most Filipino scholars, who tended to view these movements from the point of the Westernised elite, the Ilustrados. Ileto also wanted to efface the American colonial imprint on Filipino history, which recast Filipino history with a predominantly Rizalist stance, to serve American colonial interests. Jose Rizal was promoted as the rational face of the Filipino Revolution and more importantly, Jose Rizal did not even have the chance to be anti-American, as he was already executed by the Spanish. He saw the need to rehabilitate Filipino figures like Andres Bonifacio and Macario Sakay. He was also questioning the teleological framework which had been applied to Filipino resistance movements in David Reeves Sturtevant’s “Popular Uprisings in the Philippines, 1840-1940”, which had been published in 1976 by Cornell University Press, three years before the publication of “Pasyon and Revolution”. On the other hand, he was also wary of the excessive nationalist stance of Filipino historians like Teodoro Agoncillo. Ileto wanted the participants of these movements to speak for themselves, without colouring their stories with a particular ideological standpoint. Ileto’s work allows the reader to try and understand the motivations for the Filipino resistance movements as it finally gives voice to the subaltern classes, who have been rendered silent in the colonial and official records.
A historian by training, Ileto worked carefully with a wide range of primary sources including both Spanish and American archives. He also worked on sources in Tagalog; this is an important point to note as a great part of his hypothesis is based on these Tagalog sources.
Ileto’s book demonstrates that the Filipino resistance movements, with its religious and political roots, cannot be simply classified as millenarian movements. His work attempts to explain the genesis of these movements, as located in Filipino society and the Filipino psyche. The Philippines distinguishes itself in South East Asia, along with Timor Leste, as one of the few countries where the religion of the colonial power became the dominant religious faith of the colonised people. However, the Philippines did not become a carbon copy of a European or Latin American Catholic nation. He shows that Roman Catholicism did not eradicate indigenous Filipino culture and he explains how the Christian message was completely localised and integrated in the Filipino psyche. Christianity permeated into the fabric of Filipino life but in ways that were unintended by the Spanish colonisers. While the Catholic Church was co-opted by the Spanish colonial powers as part of the oppressive machinery of the colonial state, the same faith promulgated by the Catholic church ironically gave the Filipino a template for resistance against the colonial oppressor. This is the crux of Ileto’s hypothesis.
In Chapter One, Ileto explains that the key to understanding this internalisation of the Christian message and its transformation into a mode of resistance lies in the Pasyon Ni Kristo or the Passion of Christ. He is referring to the translations of the Passion of Christ into the local languages in the Philippines. Some of these works did not have tacit ecclesiastical approval and they re-emphasised and re-worked parts of the story of the Passion of Christ. This did not detract from their authenticity; rather they served to increase the authenticity of the Pasyon as it had now assumed a locally meaningful form. The Iberian colonisers already had a particular emphasis on the Passion of Christ but this focus on the suffering of Christ found resonance with the oppressed Filipino peasants. Spanish censorship meant that not many forms of approved literature were available and the Pasyon became the local “epic”, in the way that the Ramayana and the Mahabharata became epic stories for most of Southeast Asia.
Chapter Two deals with the movement of Apolinario de la Cruz and the transformation of his Cofradia de San Jose into a resistance movement. Chapter Three examines the Colorum Society, the Katipunan and the myth of Bernardo Carpio, and its localisation in the Philippines. Chapter Three discusses the Philippine revolution and the Malolos republic. Chapter Four discusses the continued resistance to the new American invaders with focus on Macario Sakay while Chapter Five deals with the Santa Iglesia movement. This is followed by the Epilog.
In these chapters, Ileto shows how the Pasyon becomes a subversive work. It was not merely a story about God, incarnate as Man, who had to suffer to open the gates of the Kingdom for all. The suffering Christ became an example par excellence for the Filipino who wanted to resist. This is evident in Ileto’s studies of Apolinario de la Cruz, Januario Labios, Sebastian Caneo and Salvador Caneo. They saw parallels between their own poverty and simplicity with that of Jesus Christ. This confirmed their election as chosen ones of God, who were not merely seeking a Kingdom of God in the hereafter, but who were seeking to establish an earthly Kingdom of God, in imitation of the heavenly model. Religion did not become an opiate to numb suffering by promising paradise in the hereafter, it had become an active instrument to eradicate earthly suffering. Just as the struggle and crucifixion of Christ would culminate eventually in his resurrection and eternal liberation from death, the struggle against the Spanish was seen by the Katipunan as a spiritual journey of Inang Bayan, the Mother Country from the darkness to light. The revolutionary movement saw this suffering as a necessary element before they could be liberated. It was this belief that gave them spiritual sustenance.
Ileto has tried to show how the masses viewed these resistance movements by trying to reconstruct their thoughts from the creative use of alternative materials such as awits, which is a form of Filipino poetry, prayers and the Pasyon itself, especially the “Casaysayan nang Pasiong Mahal ni Jesucristong Panginoon Natin”, written in Tagalog. Arguably, this is probably the only way to construct a subaltern history. However, the use of such sources has been critiqued because it lends to a certain amount of conjecture. On the other hand, Ileto’s familiarity with Filipino, especially Tagalog culture, means that he is able to penetrate the minds of the masses. It is up to the reader to be decide whether he is convinced by Ileto.
Ileto’s work show how even Catholicism, a religion which developed primarily in the West, could be successfully localised and transformed into a mode of resistance in Southeast Asia. His work suggests a need to study resistance movements among Christian groups like the Chins, Kachins and Karens in Myanmar and the Timorese of Timor Leste to see if localised Christianity has also lent a language of resistance to these groups.
Ileto’s approach was novel because it tried to show the meaning of the resistance movements from the point of the view of the participants themselves. This was a departure from the works of most Filipino scholars, who tended to view these movements from the point of the Westernised elite, the Ilustrados. Ileto also wanted to efface the American colonial imprint on Filipino history, which recast Filipino history with a predominantly Rizalist stance, to serve American colonial interests. Jose Rizal was promoted as the rational face of the Filipino Revolution and more importantly, Jose Rizal did not even have the chance to be anti-American, as he was already executed by the Spanish. He saw the need to rehabilitate Filipino figures like Andres Bonifacio and Macario Sakay. He was also questioning the teleological framework which had been applied to Filipino resistance movements in David Reeves Sturtevant’s “Popular Uprisings in the Philippines, 1840-1940”, which had been published in 1976 by Cornell University Press, three years before the publication of “Pasyon and Revolution”. On the other hand, he was also wary of the excessive nationalist stance of Filipino historians like Teodoro Agoncillo. Ileto wanted the participants of these movements to speak for themselves, without colouring their stories with a particular ideological standpoint. Ileto’s work allows the reader to try and understand the motivations for the Filipino resistance movements as it finally gives voice to the subaltern classes, who have been rendered silent in the colonial and official records.
A historian by training, Ileto worked carefully with a wide range of primary sources including both Spanish and American archives. He also worked on sources in Tagalog; this is an important point to note as a great part of his hypothesis is based on these Tagalog sources.
Ileto’s book demonstrates that the Filipino resistance movements, with its religious and political roots, cannot be simply classified as millenarian movements. His work attempts to explain the genesis of these movements, as located in Filipino society and the Filipino psyche. The Philippines distinguishes itself in South East Asia, along with Timor Leste, as one of the few countries where the religion of the colonial power became the dominant religious faith of the colonised people. However, the Philippines did not become a carbon copy of a European or Latin American Catholic nation. He shows that Roman Catholicism did not eradicate indigenous Filipino culture and he explains how the Christian message was completely localised and integrated in the Filipino psyche. Christianity permeated into the fabric of Filipino life but in ways that were unintended by the Spanish colonisers. While the Catholic Church was co-opted by the Spanish colonial powers as part of the oppressive machinery of the colonial state, the same faith promulgated by the Catholic church ironically gave the Filipino a template for resistance against the colonial oppressor. This is the crux of Ileto’s hypothesis.
In Chapter One, Ileto explains that the key to understanding this internalisation of the Christian message and its transformation into a mode of resistance lies in the Pasyon Ni Kristo or the Passion of Christ. He is referring to the translations of the Passion of Christ into the local languages in the Philippines. Some of these works did not have tacit ecclesiastical approval and they re-emphasised and re-worked parts of the story of the Passion of Christ. This did not detract from their authenticity; rather they served to increase the authenticity of the Pasyon as it had now assumed a locally meaningful form. The Iberian colonisers already had a particular emphasis on the Passion of Christ but this focus on the suffering of Christ found resonance with the oppressed Filipino peasants. Spanish censorship meant that not many forms of approved literature were available and the Pasyon became the local “epic”, in the way that the Ramayana and the Mahabharata became epic stories for most of Southeast Asia.
Chapter Two deals with the movement of Apolinario de la Cruz and the transformation of his Cofradia de San Jose into a resistance movement. Chapter Three examines the Colorum Society, the Katipunan and the myth of Bernardo Carpio, and its localisation in the Philippines. Chapter Three discusses the Philippine revolution and the Malolos republic. Chapter Four discusses the continued resistance to the new American invaders with focus on Macario Sakay while Chapter Five deals with the Santa Iglesia movement. This is followed by the Epilog.
In these chapters, Ileto shows how the Pasyon becomes a subversive work. It was not merely a story about God, incarnate as Man, who had to suffer to open the gates of the Kingdom for all. The suffering Christ became an example par excellence for the Filipino who wanted to resist. This is evident in Ileto’s studies of Apolinario de la Cruz, Januario Labios, Sebastian Caneo and Salvador Caneo. They saw parallels between their own poverty and simplicity with that of Jesus Christ. This confirmed their election as chosen ones of God, who were not merely seeking a Kingdom of God in the hereafter, but who were seeking to establish an earthly Kingdom of God, in imitation of the heavenly model. Religion did not become an opiate to numb suffering by promising paradise in the hereafter, it had become an active instrument to eradicate earthly suffering. Just as the struggle and crucifixion of Christ would culminate eventually in his resurrection and eternal liberation from death, the struggle against the Spanish was seen by the Katipunan as a spiritual journey of Inang Bayan, the Mother Country from the darkness to light. The revolutionary movement saw this suffering as a necessary element before they could be liberated. It was this belief that gave them spiritual sustenance.
Ileto has tried to show how the masses viewed these resistance movements by trying to reconstruct their thoughts from the creative use of alternative materials such as awits, which is a form of Filipino poetry, prayers and the Pasyon itself, especially the “Casaysayan nang Pasiong Mahal ni Jesucristong Panginoon Natin”, written in Tagalog. Arguably, this is probably the only way to construct a subaltern history. However, the use of such sources has been critiqued because it lends to a certain amount of conjecture. On the other hand, Ileto’s familiarity with Filipino, especially Tagalog culture, means that he is able to penetrate the minds of the masses. It is up to the reader to be decide whether he is convinced by Ileto.
Ileto’s work show how even Catholicism, a religion which developed primarily in the West, could be successfully localised and transformed into a mode of resistance in Southeast Asia. His work suggests a need to study resistance movements among Christian groups like the Chins, Kachins and Karens in Myanmar and the Timorese of Timor Leste to see if localised Christianity has also lent a language of resistance to these groups.
August 17, 2015
such a brilliant way of magnifying the voices of the marginalized people through prayers and other undocumented evidences.
March 30, 2024
"Katipunan is kalayaan in that it is a recovery of the country's pre-Spanish condition of wholeness, bliss and contentment, a condition that is experienced as layaw by the individual, who is thus able to leap from the 'familial' to the 'national.'"
In PASYON AND REVOLUTION, historian Reynaldo Ileto explores the rich history of the Philippine struggle for independence through the lens of religion as practiced by the masses.
Ileto traces the Philippine revolution against Spanish and American rule – from Hermano Pule's Confradia, Andres Bonifacio's Katipunan and its reiteration after his death, to even Felipe Salvador's Santa Iglesia – and how these reflect the belief system of Filipinos. But while the Ilustrados held on to their Western education, the ordinary Filipinos had the Pasyon, the poetic narration of Christ's life and death (and resurrection).
This book presents an alternative to how we should view our history, that the revolution was fueled not by the elite but were run by the desire of the masses to reflect the passion of Christ. It posits that the revolution was definitely homegrown, aided by the concept of "kalooban" or the realization of one's desire to be whole.
It was very interesting how the use of language took centerstage in Ileto's analysis of the history of Philippine revolution. Like how he dissects the "narration" of Felipe Salvador, or the part where discusses how the word "kalayaan" – as it meant to the Katipunan – came to be, and how different it was to what the Ilustrados thought of. Focusing on language is very important in the conduct of assessing our past, since the use of words and style are often deliberate thus reflect the motivation of the speaker.
I've read parts of this book in my undergraduate classes in university, but never as a whole. I'm glad I did this though as Ileto strings together similar elements from the different movements during the Spanish rule. It was interesting to see where they differ and overlap, where one move succeeded for the other but was a recipe for disaster for another, etc.
This book was first published in 1979, but very much resonate these days. Definitely a recommended read for anyone who wants to understand our history a little bit better! And maybe also understand the social (and religious) movements that exist now.
In PASYON AND REVOLUTION, historian Reynaldo Ileto explores the rich history of the Philippine struggle for independence through the lens of religion as practiced by the masses.
Ileto traces the Philippine revolution against Spanish and American rule – from Hermano Pule's Confradia, Andres Bonifacio's Katipunan and its reiteration after his death, to even Felipe Salvador's Santa Iglesia – and how these reflect the belief system of Filipinos. But while the Ilustrados held on to their Western education, the ordinary Filipinos had the Pasyon, the poetic narration of Christ's life and death (and resurrection).
This book presents an alternative to how we should view our history, that the revolution was fueled not by the elite but were run by the desire of the masses to reflect the passion of Christ. It posits that the revolution was definitely homegrown, aided by the concept of "kalooban" or the realization of one's desire to be whole.
It was very interesting how the use of language took centerstage in Ileto's analysis of the history of Philippine revolution. Like how he dissects the "narration" of Felipe Salvador, or the part where discusses how the word "kalayaan" – as it meant to the Katipunan – came to be, and how different it was to what the Ilustrados thought of. Focusing on language is very important in the conduct of assessing our past, since the use of words and style are often deliberate thus reflect the motivation of the speaker.
I've read parts of this book in my undergraduate classes in university, but never as a whole. I'm glad I did this though as Ileto strings together similar elements from the different movements during the Spanish rule. It was interesting to see where they differ and overlap, where one move succeeded for the other but was a recipe for disaster for another, etc.
This book was first published in 1979, but very much resonate these days. Definitely a recommended read for anyone who wants to understand our history a little bit better! And maybe also understand the social (and religious) movements that exist now.
September 3, 2025
History from below.
Bago ang metodong ginamit ni Ileto sa Pasyon kung ikukumpara sa mga naunang akdang pangkasaysayan sa panahon bago mailimbag ito. Hindi gaya sa ibang akda na nakatuon ang naratibo mula sa mga dokumento, ang Pasyon ni Ileto ay mahusay na gumamit ng ibang batis gaya ng pasyon, folklore, awit, oral accounts, dasal, at talaarawan (diary). Tunay na sa paggamit ng ganitong uri ng mga batis ay umiibabaw ang mga naratibong pangkasaysayan na nagmumula sa ilalim (history from below) na hindi gaanong nabibigyang pansin ng mga batis gaya ng mga dokumento.
Bago ang metodong ginamit ni Ileto sa Pasyon kung ikukumpara sa mga naunang akdang pangkasaysayan sa panahon bago mailimbag ito. Hindi gaya sa ibang akda na nakatuon ang naratibo mula sa mga dokumento, ang Pasyon ni Ileto ay mahusay na gumamit ng ibang batis gaya ng pasyon, folklore, awit, oral accounts, dasal, at talaarawan (diary). Tunay na sa paggamit ng ganitong uri ng mga batis ay umiibabaw ang mga naratibong pangkasaysayan na nagmumula sa ilalim (history from below) na hindi gaanong nabibigyang pansin ng mga batis gaya ng mga dokumento.
August 24, 2012
A new lens of looking at how our revolution started. Not the usual Revolution led by the Elite Propagandists but how the likes of Hermano Pule and the different uprisings started. By using the known "text"- bastardized version of pasyon and how the masses got hold of their own situation.
A must read for us Filipinos who want to understand our rich tradition and question how victors wrote our history. :)
A must read for us Filipinos who want to understand our rich tradition and question how victors wrote our history. :)
August 15, 2007
sino kaya sa ating mga bagong halal na pulitiko ang "pure loob"? hmmm...
December 27, 2009
An invaluable reference for History 1: Philippine History and Institutions under Prof. Mary Jane B. Rodriguez, Second Semester 1994-95, UP College Baguio.
July 29, 2017
an interesting work, novel for its time, in spite of its many limitations and mistaken conclusions (esp class analysis of Katipunan and blurring of distinctions of 19th century social movements).
May 27, 2025
Pasyon and Revolution is a historical presentation of how the peasant movement in the Philippines contributed to the revolution during the colonial period. It highlights the important aspect of the peasant movement in defining Filipino nationalism in the midst of colonial rule during the Spanish and American periods. Ileto observes the movement organized by the peasants in promoting independence from colonial rule. He focused on Felipe Salvador's Santa Iglesia, the Confradía de San José led by Apolinario de la Cruz, and the Katipunan. What he observed and noticed was that these peasant movements were guided by the pasyon and resembled religious groups, in which the concept of loob is important in creating an ideology toward independence and self-determination.
However, the state and the status quo in which they were situated considered them anti-revolutionary or a threat to the nationalism of the country. The elite and the ilustrados during that time led the definition of them as colorum, because they threatened the status quo that benefited the elite and ilustrados. The goal of these movements was to revive the principles of the Katipunan in achieving independence from colonial rule, in which they treated Kalayaan as a religion—far from the Western ideals of freedom that heavily influenced the ilustrados who studied in Europe.
After reading the book, it is also nice to read the critique published by Joseph Scalice (2018). Scalice's critique of Ileto's work provided a comprehensive point of view on how the book did not cover sufficient material in the presentation of the "masses" resistance to colonial rule. For Scalice, Pasyon and Revolution observed the pasyon as a text and not as a performance, wherein it reinforces the existing hierarchy and privilege in Philippine society. In other words, pasyon is not merely a representation of lower-class struggles but a reinforcement of existing inequality. At the same time, it is also interesting that Scalice highlighted the importance of looking at the current economic crises in the Philippines that led people to join banditry and uprisings. Ileto's work may provide us a lens by an elite looking at how the "masses" produce meaning in their struggle.
Reference:
Scalice, J. (2018). Reynaldo Ileto’s Pasyon and Revolution Revisited, a Critique. Sojourn: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia, 33(1), 29–58. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26529796
However, the state and the status quo in which they were situated considered them anti-revolutionary or a threat to the nationalism of the country. The elite and the ilustrados during that time led the definition of them as colorum, because they threatened the status quo that benefited the elite and ilustrados. The goal of these movements was to revive the principles of the Katipunan in achieving independence from colonial rule, in which they treated Kalayaan as a religion—far from the Western ideals of freedom that heavily influenced the ilustrados who studied in Europe.
After reading the book, it is also nice to read the critique published by Joseph Scalice (2018). Scalice's critique of Ileto's work provided a comprehensive point of view on how the book did not cover sufficient material in the presentation of the "masses" resistance to colonial rule. For Scalice, Pasyon and Revolution observed the pasyon as a text and not as a performance, wherein it reinforces the existing hierarchy and privilege in Philippine society. In other words, pasyon is not merely a representation of lower-class struggles but a reinforcement of existing inequality. At the same time, it is also interesting that Scalice highlighted the importance of looking at the current economic crises in the Philippines that led people to join banditry and uprisings. Ileto's work may provide us a lens by an elite looking at how the "masses" produce meaning in their struggle.
Reference:
Scalice, J. (2018). Reynaldo Ileto’s Pasyon and Revolution Revisited, a Critique. Sojourn: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia, 33(1), 29–58. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26529796
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March 3, 2025As a student of literature, Reynaldo Ileto’s project in Pasyon and Revolution is theoretically admirable. It pairs generous chunks of close readings of a nineteenth century literature of the masses with their lived realities thus attempting to foreground millenarian peasant uprisings previously uncelebrated by history. More specifically, Ileto unearths and provides, with Spivakian contours, extended explications of how the passion of Christ, indigenised/localised as the pasyon provides “invisible structure to history in which suffering, death, and redemption give everyday struggles a profound significance serious connection to the Katipunan or to the Philippine Revolution,” (33). As someone mostly unfamiliar with the slew of figures in Philippine history however, reading Joseph Scalice’s 2018 critique of Ileto was very helpful as he problematises the blind spots in Ileto’s endeavour to represent a subaltern group. Scalice hits the nail on the head with his description of how “The italicized words flew fast and thick and gave the portentous feeling of significance. They attained a magical status, academic anting-anting rendering Pasyon and Revolution bulletproof against scholarly criticism,” (41). It is clear to readers that recurring terms such as awit, loob and kalayaan are central to Ileto’s argument but at times it does feel like the depth and breadth of meaning is perhaps taken for granted, even for non-native readers. It appears that this extends to the larger population of the Philippines as well as Scalice takes issue with how the public singing of the pasyon or the pabasa was “traditionally sponsored by prominent families [and that] these performances reinforced local hierarchy,” (42). Therein perhaps lies the of the pitfalls of Pasyon as mere text (or at least not sufficiently holistic enough) and not, in the case of both the pasyon and awit as performance too. The politics of language and legibility it seems, rears its head again.`
January 31, 2022
Pasyon and Revolution, Popular Movements in the Philippines, 1840-1910, by Reynaldo Ileto
If you've ever spent Holy Week in any Philippine province, you've probably heard the Pasyon: a recounting of Jesus' life and death in old Tagalog poetry, often sung in a haunting, strange manner (this style of singing is called "tagulaylay"). While you and I probably listened to no more than a few stanzas before losing interest, 19th century Filipinos had a far more intimate relationship with the Pasyon.
Ileto's thesis can be summarized as follows: the Pasyon so permeated 19th century Filipino consciousness that Filipinos saw their history, current state under Spanish rule, and future, in Pasyon terms.
Viewing our history with this lens, we begin to see why Jose Rizal's life and death resonated with the masses, despite the fact that majority of them probably weren't even able to read the Noli and the Fili. We begin to see why Andres Bonifacio's Katipunan rapidly gained following, and why Bonifacio chose a tedious and elaborate initiation process for Katipunan recruits.
We also see why the masses viewed Emilio Aguinaldo, and eventually the likes of Manuel Quezon and Manuel Roxas, with suspicion, and why the likes of Macario Sakay and Felipe Salvador continued resisting American rule despite Aguinaldo's call to surrender.
Pasyon is probably the most important book on the Katipunan and early 20th century Filipino resistance against Spain and the United States ever written, because unlike its predecessors, it attempts to make sense of events from how the "poor and uneducated" saw them, through their poetry, songs, prayers, and belief systems. I recommend this book to every Filipino who wants to understand where we came from, and how we got here.
If you've ever spent Holy Week in any Philippine province, you've probably heard the Pasyon: a recounting of Jesus' life and death in old Tagalog poetry, often sung in a haunting, strange manner (this style of singing is called "tagulaylay"). While you and I probably listened to no more than a few stanzas before losing interest, 19th century Filipinos had a far more intimate relationship with the Pasyon.
Ileto's thesis can be summarized as follows: the Pasyon so permeated 19th century Filipino consciousness that Filipinos saw their history, current state under Spanish rule, and future, in Pasyon terms.
Viewing our history with this lens, we begin to see why Jose Rizal's life and death resonated with the masses, despite the fact that majority of them probably weren't even able to read the Noli and the Fili. We begin to see why Andres Bonifacio's Katipunan rapidly gained following, and why Bonifacio chose a tedious and elaborate initiation process for Katipunan recruits.
We also see why the masses viewed Emilio Aguinaldo, and eventually the likes of Manuel Quezon and Manuel Roxas, with suspicion, and why the likes of Macario Sakay and Felipe Salvador continued resisting American rule despite Aguinaldo's call to surrender.
Pasyon is probably the most important book on the Katipunan and early 20th century Filipino resistance against Spain and the United States ever written, because unlike its predecessors, it attempts to make sense of events from how the "poor and uneducated" saw them, through their poetry, songs, prayers, and belief systems. I recommend this book to every Filipino who wants to understand where we came from, and how we got here.
December 18, 2019
This book is an eye-opener and can completely change one’s outlook at how history is created and defined. Most recorded histories are written by those who have the means to get published, which is a small percentage of the populace at a given time. In this book, Ileto attempts to map how the Filipino peasantry looks at the unfolding events during the revolutions against the Spaniards and Americans.
The book follows the Pasyon as a key structure at how the Filipino masses perceive and create meanings in what was happening in the society. It also shows how revolutionary leaders made use of the Pasyon as a means of foretelling the outcome of the revolution, while being a platform at which the farmers can understand the motives of their actions at the spiritual level.
What I appreciate the most about this book is how Ileto defines each Tagalog word-concept and make use of them all throughout the book. For example, he mentions how “kalayaan” is very different from its Western counterpart “independence” and uses “kalayaan” whenever it fits the context better than “independence.”
The book follows the Pasyon as a key structure at how the Filipino masses perceive and create meanings in what was happening in the society. It also shows how revolutionary leaders made use of the Pasyon as a means of foretelling the outcome of the revolution, while being a platform at which the farmers can understand the motives of their actions at the spiritual level.
What I appreciate the most about this book is how Ileto defines each Tagalog word-concept and make use of them all throughout the book. For example, he mentions how “kalayaan” is very different from its Western counterpart “independence” and uses “kalayaan” whenever it fits the context better than “independence.”
December 18, 2017
Actually, I was quite surprised with the book's premise. I always thought that the nation's conception and struggle for independence was influenced greatly by the ilustrados and European ideas. Here, Ileto argues that it has been developed at home. What is the inspiration of these nationalistic movements? The pasyon. Since it was a staple for the folkpeople, Ileto believes that the story of the passion of Christ and the redemption of His people captured the hearts of the oppressed Filipinos. One could see many similarities in liberation theology but the author did not explore on its theological aspect. He is more interested on asking how it played a role in early uprisings and eventually in the rise of the Katipunan revolution. His masterful survey of pertinent documents and interwoven accounts brought force to the solidity of his case. Lovers of Filipino history should pick up this book.
August 10, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
"Pasyon and Revolution: Popular Movements in the Philippines, 1840-1910" by Reynaldo Ileto
"Pasyon and Revolution" is an important Philippine History book about the many uprisings, revolutions and anecdotal writing of many revolutionary leaders. Ileto offers a broader perspective on the many revolutions which have led to succeeding in our nation's independence.
MY THOUGHTS:
I read this book nearly 9 months ago and I should say that this work is a great read! This book is a testament to how bleak Philippine history is because of the lack of good governance in our nation from the very start, as well as the lacking of moral compass of many of our fellow Filipinos.
Macario Sakay's chapters were my favorites because I got to learn his last words which are painful. Also, the 1912 occultist uprising was a bizarre chapter. The 270 paged book was a great read.
"Pasyon and Revolution: Popular Movements in the Philippines, 1840-1910" by Reynaldo Ileto
"Pasyon and Revolution" is an important Philippine History book about the many uprisings, revolutions and anecdotal writing of many revolutionary leaders. Ileto offers a broader perspective on the many revolutions which have led to succeeding in our nation's independence.
MY THOUGHTS:
I read this book nearly 9 months ago and I should say that this work is a great read! This book is a testament to how bleak Philippine history is because of the lack of good governance in our nation from the very start, as well as the lacking of moral compass of many of our fellow Filipinos.
Macario Sakay's chapters were my favorites because I got to learn his last words which are painful. Also, the 1912 occultist uprising was a bizarre chapter. The 270 paged book was a great read.
April 5, 2021
3.5. I have a whole lot of respect for this book and its ambitions, but it was very difficult for me to accept a lot of its methods and conclusions because I was never convinced that its many implicit assumptions and rigid lenses used to frame its “narrative arc” of sorts were empirically valid. As a book in itself it’s well formulated and it all ties together at the end, but overall feels more like a lesson in rhetoric than a lesson of history.
Still, I understand why this book is quite important given the more prevalent (at the time) narratives on our national history, and if you are someone who accepts its main thesis, you’ll probably enjoy this book a whole lot more than I did.
The figures discussed were interesting though, I just wish another method was used to explore their lives.
Still, I understand why this book is quite important given the more prevalent (at the time) narratives on our national history, and if you are someone who accepts its main thesis, you’ll probably enjoy this book a whole lot more than I did.
The figures discussed were interesting though, I just wish another method was used to explore their lives.
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October 10, 2022The book was interesting as it gives a new perspective on the genealogy of the PH revolution, which the concepts were stemmed from the Filipinos reading of the Christian pasyon. It was a bold move of Ileto to use unconventional sources to create new interpretation of the revolution. Although there were some mistakes and somewhat the interpretations were not really solidly based on written documents, the book was enjoyable to read. Moreover, it could not be denied how influential this book is on the development of the writing of PH history.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2022
Pasyon and Revolution: Popular Movements in the Philippines, 1840-1910, by Reynaldo Clemeña Ileto
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challenging informative slow-paced
3.0
Quite a new perspective when it comes to the discussion on the Philippine Revolution. While it was for uni, it didn't really read as a chore/a requirement. While I do have my own thoughts on the author's interpretation, it is pretty well written and thoroughly researched.
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challenging informative slow-paced
3.0
Quite a new perspective when it comes to the discussion on the Philippine Revolution. While it was for uni, it didn't really read as a chore/a requirement. While I do have my own thoughts on the author's interpretation, it is pretty well written and thoroughly researched.
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September 10, 2019i want to read this book. for educational purposes
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2019
Recommended by a friend. Definitely worth reading if you have an interest in Philippine history or just enjoy alternate approaches and revisionist history.
July 28, 2020
Provides a history-from-below narrative of the Philippine Revolution and Filipino struggle for independence. A must-read for students of Philippine history.
June 12, 2025
ngl Ileto's hard to read but very very insightful, really helps in historical reality construction & collective identity formation (not what he said but what i got from it so really it's up to you)
September 1, 2016
Focusing on what Ileto calls as the “history from below,” Pasyon and Revolution narrates the events of the Philippine Revolution (1840 - 1910) from the point of view of how it was richly understood by the masses. Given such task, Ileto centrally claims that it was in pasyon, the book that recounts the life and passion of Christ and universal history of mankind (from creation up to last judgment), where the common people were able to give sense to the series of events transpired during those times.
The pasyon, although primarily intended as a friar’s evangelical tool, provided the “lowland Philippine society” the language through which their “values, ideals, and even hopes for liberation” were articulated.(p.14) Its influence was evident in the movement Confradia leaded by Hermano Pule, and then further continued to the other mass based movements such as: the Colorum groups, Santa Iglesia leaded by Felipe Salvador, and more importantly, to the Katipunan of Andres Bonifacio and Macario Sakay. As Ileto analyzes their documents, these organizations’ orientation was not only formed to fight the Spaniards, evidences suggest that they were not just simple militias who just wanted independence from colonial rule. Members were rather committed to a holistic task of purifying oneself: a religious task to live the prayers and imagery of pasyon as part of their everyday lives as they struggle from darkness to light.
Ileto thus shows that pasyon did not only provide an image of universal history (i.e. from the creation, fall, incarnation, and the end of the times), which could answer one’s existential questions. More than that, pasyon’s narration of Jesus’ life—his passion, death, and resurrection—presented powerful images that spoke concretely to the colonial oppression Filipinos were experiencing. The poor and the oppressed were moved by Christ, whose images were not identified with the upper class but with the common masses of peasants and carpenters. As the masses hoped for a better future, they were inspired by a God who after suffering was reborn again, conveying the image of transition from one state to another: from “ignorance to knowledge,” from “despair to hope,” from “misery to salvation,” from “death to life,” from “darkness to light,” and most of all, from suffering of the lowly class to their liberation. (p. 14)
These rich religious images of pasyon, which inadvertently contained anti-colonial connotations, shaped the brotherhood of the Filipinos desirous for independence and ready for uprising. The people were able to make sense of the colonial injustices: this made them saw the events as part of a whole cosmic drama where they have an important role to play. For the people, the events were divine history waiting to be unfolded in time. The time where justice was waiting to reign: where evil would perish and the good should prevail.
What Ileto shows is that the people were not ignorant as they were conceived (as always) by the elites. They were not just passive agents being controlled; in fact, they had their own understanding of what revolution and their situation was. Yes, the masses did not articulate their situation using the educated class’ language of equality, justice, and liberty, but Pasyon and Revolution (which is sensed by the juxtaposition of the terms in the title) shows that it was in the framework of religious thinking, rooted primarily in the pasyon where people found the language that best articulated their situation and their revolution. The narrative might not be secular, as with the common political jargon, but this provided them a deep sense of connection about their condition and their goal.
By making people's understanding central, Pasyon and Revolution accomplishes a unique scholarly task and brand of history writing. The text is reacting against the kind of history perceived always from the point of view of the ilustrados: a history where ilustrados’ are the heroes and their ideas of nationalism, independence, and revolution are perceived to represent the whole Filipino consciousness. As a result, the participation of the masses and their perceptions about revolution have been clouded, and worst marginalized.
Ileto rather moves away from this kind of history writing (which mostly comes from a colonial historian or an elite mestizo). Instead, what he places centrally are the Filipino people. What he engages are not the commentaries of the elite and colonial spectators, but the bodies of writings, activities, and popular objects. He accesses the native experience through the rich meaning emanating from anting-anting, rites and rituals, folk songs, stage plays, poetry, and most especially through pasyon, which are all reflective of what is a common Filipino during those times.
April 18, 2016
This book gives new light to the religious nature of Philippine revolutions, and the religious personalities that led the movements in parallel with the life of Jesus in the Pasyon. Though depicting popular movements from 1840 to 1910, the book remains relevant up to this time. And it will be ever relevant until we have attained the paradise/kalayaan that our heroes have fought for - living in unity of loob, damay or true brotherhood, prosperity and love of God.
Having already attained political sovereignty, we have never been more divided in an electoral process. My voice is one with the masses` cry for change - and i hope that this coming election, just like what the book says in its epilogue, “as we move forward on the path to kalayaan, we can hardly ignore the voices from below.”
Having already attained political sovereignty, we have never been more divided in an electoral process. My voice is one with the masses` cry for change - and i hope that this coming election, just like what the book says in its epilogue, “as we move forward on the path to kalayaan, we can hardly ignore the voices from below.”
December 28, 2012
sobrang relate ako dito syempre. todo dala pa ako ng anting anting and prayer book sa school. XDD
medyo masakit nga lang sa bangs lalim ng "Filipino" pero sapat lang. It has something todo with Kaluluwa and ginhawa plus kaliwanagan and kalayaan. XDDD
medyo masakit nga lang sa bangs lalim ng "Filipino" pero sapat lang. It has something todo with Kaluluwa and ginhawa plus kaliwanagan and kalayaan. XDDD
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February 3, 2016i need to read this for my history subject
December 3, 2016
si bonifacio at bernardo carpio ay parehong hinahanap, naghahanap
Want to read
March 19, 2015didn't read it yet
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June 25, 2016Sana mabasa ko to
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