Biography of Graciano López

Jaena (1856-1896)
Journalist, writer and intellectual filipino, born in Jaro (Iloilo, Panay Island) on
December 20, 1856 and died in Madrid on 20 January 1896, who founded the
solidarity newspaper and was one of the main members of the Group of
Filipino intellectuals known as propagandists.

Coming from a very humble although cultivated family, Graciano López Jaena
was formed at San Vicente Ferrer Seminary in order to comply with the
maternal desire to perform the priestly career; at the same time he/she was
working for one of his uncles, then Portuguese Vice-Consul in Iloilo. After
ruling out studies religious moved to Manila and tried to enroll in the
University of Santo Tomas to study medicine, but could not not have

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validated the subject of art. After working for a time as an apprentice at the

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San Juan de Dios hospital in the Philippine capital, economic difficulties

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forced him to return to his native island, where it continued as the medical
profession. Contact with the poorest people of the rural areas made him

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aware of the unjust social situation in relation to abuses of the religious
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orders; result of this wrote Fray Botod, a satirical statement against the
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hypocrisy of the Spanish friars who made him suspicious element in the eyes
of the ecclesiastical hierarchy of the archipelago.
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In 1879 he/she travelled to Spain to escape the climate of oppression of the

Islands and also meet his medical vocation studying such a career at the
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universities of Valencia, first, and Central de Madrid, then; However, it did

other students arrived in the Philippine archipelago in the context of the birth
of the propaganda movement, which also formed part of José Rizal, Marcelo
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Hilario del Pilar and Mariano Ponce, among others. Propagandists aspired to
reform the colonial status of the Islands through the complaint in the media
of public opinion of the unjust social situation, especially in relation to the
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power of the orders. In order to facilitate the broadcaster work of the

reformist ideas of this group, López Jaena the biweekly founded on February
15, 1889 in Barcelona solidarity, of which he/she became director. This
included financial aid lawyer Pablo Rianzares and some liberal supporters
Spanish politicians grant to the Philippines the same rights as other
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territories of the country.At the end of 1889 he/she resigned from the post of
director of the newspaper, being replaced by Marcelo Hilario de el Pilar.
Apparently, Jaena was desirous to engage in professional politics, not well
seen goal among his classmates. Thereafter he/she distanced himself from
the propaganda movement and almost completely disappeared from public
life, dying of tuberculosis in absolute poverty.

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Graciano López Jaena
by Dr. Robert L. Yoder, FAPC

On December 18, 1856, saw the birth of Graciano 
López Jaena in Jaro, Iloilo to Placido López and 
Maria Jacoba Jaena. His parents were poor, as his 
mother was a seamstress and his father, a general 
repairman. His father, however, had been to school 

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and his mother was quite religious. At the age of six, 

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young Graciano was placed under the watch of 

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Father Francisco
Jayme who noted his

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rs e intellectual promise,
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especially his gift of
speech.
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His mother, feeling
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that the priesthood
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was the most noble of
occupations and sent
him to the Seminario
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de San Vicente Ferrer
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in Jaro which had
been opened under
the brief liberal administration of Governor General 
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Carlos de la Torre. Here again, his talents were 
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noted. While studying at this seminary, López Jaena 
served as a secretary to an uncle, Claudio López who
was honorary vice consul of Portugal in Iloilo. He 
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even took charge of some minor matters that were 
brought to that office.

Despite his mother's desires, it was Graciano’s 

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ambition to be a physician and he finally convinced 
his mother that this was the better course of action. 
He sought enrollment at the University to Santo 
Thomas but was denied admission because the 
required Bachelor of Arts degree was not offered at 
the seminary in Jaro. However he was directed to the 
San Juan de Dios Hospital as an apprentice. 
Unfortunately, financial backing ran out and his poor
parents could not afford to keep him in Manila. He 
returned to Iloilo and practiced medicine in outlying 
communities with such knowledge as he had.

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During this time his visits with the poor and the 

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common people began to stir deep feelings about the 

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injustices that were common. At the age of 18 he had
the audacity to write the story "Fray Botod" which 

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rs e depicted a fat and lecherous priest. Botod’s false 
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piety "always [had] the Virgin and God on his lips no
matter how unjust and underhanded his acts are." 
This naturally incurred the fury of the friars who 
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knew that the story depicted them. Although it was 
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not published a copy circulated in the region but the 
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Friars could not prove that López Jaena was the 
author. However he got into trouble for refusing to 
testify that certain prisoners died of natural causes 
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when it was obvious that they had died at the hands 
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of the mayor of Pototan. López Jaena continued to 
agitate for justice and finally left for Spain when 
threats were made on his life.
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López Jaena sailed for Spain. There he was to 
become a leading literary and oratorical spokesman 
for the cause of Filipino freedom. Historians regard 
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López Jaena, along with Marcelo del Pilar and José 
Rizal, as the triumvirate of Filipino propagandists. Of
these three López Jaena was the first to arrive and 
may be said the Genesis of the Propaganda 

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movement.

He pursued his medical studies at the school of 
medicine at the University of Valencia but did not 
finish the course. Once Rizal reproached Lopéz Jaena
for not finishing his medical studies. Graciano 
replied, "On the shoulders of slaves should not rest a 
doctor's cape." Rizal countermanded, "The shoulders 
do not honor the doctor's cape, but the doctor's cape 
honors the shoulders."

He then moved to the field of journalism. It must be 

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said that López Jaena had his faults. Often careless 
and, indeed, lazy, he perhaps enjoyed the café life of 

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Barcelona and Madrid a bit too much. However, his 

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friends would forgive him these indiscretions due to 
rs e his appeal with words and oratory. Mariano Ponce 
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who was another of the Filipino propagandists in 
Spain observed, "... a deafening ovation followed the 
close of the peroration, the ladies waved their 
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kerchiefs wildly, and the men applauded frantically 
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as they stood up from their seats in order to embrace 
the speaker."
Rizal noted, "His great love is politics and literature. 
I do not know for sure whether he loves politics in 
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order to deliver speeches or he loves literature to be a
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politician."

In addition he is remembered for his literary 
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contributions to the propaganda movement. He 
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founded the fortnightly newspaper, La 
Solidaridad (Solidarity). When the publication office
moved from Barcelona to Madrid the editorship went
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to Marcelo H. del Pilar. A student will discover his 
talent in the publication Discursos y Artículos 
Varios (Speeches and Various Articles).

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Unfortunately, López Jaena died of tuberculosis on 
January 20, 1896. His death was followed on July 4th
by Marcelo H. del Pilar and on December 30th of 
José Rizal by firing squad, thus ending the great 
triumvirate of propagandists. He died in poverty just 
shy of his fortieth birthday and two and a half years 
before the declaration of independence from Spain 
by Emilio Aguinaldo. Had he lived longer, his 
accomplishments would have doubtless been greater.

See also by the same author:
"Philippine Heroines of the Revolution: Maria Clara 

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they were not" and "Mabini: Wounded Hero"

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