Joseph VelasquezFA171.2

Print and Publication DesignSir Lech Velasco

HW - Profile of a National Hero

A LOOK AT THE LIFE OF GRACIANO LOPEZ JAENA,(THE MAN BEHIND THIS NEWSPAPER)

December 17, 1856 - January 20, 1896

WRITERORATOR

REFORMISTEDITOR

NATIONAL HERO

Graciano Lopez Jaena was born in Jaro, Iloilo, on December 17, 1856, the son of Placido Lopez and Maria Jacobo. As a boy, he was already an independent thinker and has seen the sad state of the country. Early on in his life he had already took to writing, producing the tale Fray Botod, which dealt with the immoralities of a certain friar named Botod. Its circulation was soon discovered and Jaena found him-self the object of a manhunt. The only option for Jaena was to leave the country, and he did so, by secretly heading for Spain in 1880. There he studied at the University of Valencia then later transferred to Madrid, where he soon distinguished himself as an outstanding orator in social and political clubs. It was al-most always a given that his speeches would deal with the condition of the

Philippines or a defense of his coun-trymen against the malignant charges of Spanish hacks. He denounced the role of friars in introducing and maintaining obscurantism in the Phil-ippines and in obstructing progress. Soon he gained fame for his powerful orations. In 1889, Jaena, together with Filipino reformists seeking to promote the interests of the Philippines and the Filipinos, founded the newspaper La Solidaridad. Jaena served as editor of the newspaper, which published not only news but also essays and articles about the Philippines. In 1891, Jaena also collected his speeches and ar-ticles in book form entitled Discursos y Articulos Varios. As editor of the Sol (as the news-paper was referred to by the reform-ists), Jaena did not receive any salary,

with his only compensation being free lodging, meals, clothing, and a little pocket money for trivial expenses. To make him write, the Filipinos would refuse to give him food. In the café where he spent most of his waking hours, he would sit idly, order cups of wine, and magnificently allow others to spend for him. phere in the café, his friends would give him sheets of paper on which to write his pieces, and surprisingly enough he wrote with ease when his head was full of spirits. Unfortunately, such a mode of living, with such mental vigor, dan-gerously little rest, and equally scarce nutriment took its toll on his health. Tuberculosis stepped in and chal-lenged his oratory to drive it out of his lungs. Graciano Lopez Jaena, too weak to reply effectively, passed away on January 20, 1896.

THE MAN

taken from Conrado de Quiros’ book, History of the Filipino People