When Fidel A. Reyes became the City Editor of El Renacimiento the paper was already known for its crusade for the oppressed, bravely investigating all forms of social injustice. The stories it published exposed the corruption and abuse of power of government officials, rural landlords, and members of the police force. The paper had already fought and won its first libel case after it had published several articles against the Philippine Constabulary.
It was the libel suit filed by a powerful American official in the colonial government, that would eventually force the paper to shut down. The editorial "Aves de Rapiña" exposed the variety of ways, Secretary of the Interior Dean C. Worcester used his position for his personal and financial gain. Without directly naming him in the editorial, it described his misuse of public funds and his interest in the vast amounts of gold found in the mountains provinces, home of the indigenous Igorot people of the Philippines.
The article, “A Journal of Crusaders” provides Fidel’s account of the circumstances in which he wrote and submitted the editorial about Secretary Worcester:
“Before the libel suit, Reyes had never had any direct dealings with Secretary of the Interior Worcester but had heard of his various activities and he had seen him on one or two occasions - “a very arrogant man, with a forbidding look on his face” is how Reyes describes him.
Not one to be intimidated by mere appearances, however, the satirist in Reyes had taken lightheartedly, almost mockingly, the formidable Worcester’s scientific posturings at measuring Igorot’s skulls, importing fish eggs and cutting up insects, and judged rather correctly, that they would make good material for a written caricature of the man. The resulting piece, in which he pictures Mr. Worcester as the typical example of big bluff, while he mentioned no names, sounded a little libelous, even to the author himself.
When he handed the copy to Editor Kalaw, Reyes admonished him, “I think this is a little too harsh, but see if you can use it anyway,” or words to that effect.”
It was the libel suit filed by a powerful American official in the colonial government, that would eventually force the paper to shut down. The editorial "Aves de Rapiña" exposed the variety of ways, Secretary of the Interior Dean C. Worcester used his position for his personal and financial gain. Without directly naming him in the editorial, it described his misuse of public funds and his interest in the vast amounts of gold found in the mountains provinces, home of the indigenous Igorot people of the Philippines.
The article, “A Journal of Crusaders” provides Fidel’s account of the circumstances in which he wrote and submitted the editorial about Secretary Worcester:
“Before the libel suit, Reyes had never had any direct dealings with Secretary of the Interior Worcester but had heard of his various activities and he had seen him on one or two occasions - “a very arrogant man, with a forbidding look on his face” is how Reyes describes him.
Not one to be intimidated by mere appearances, however, the satirist in Reyes had taken lightheartedly, almost mockingly, the formidable Worcester’s scientific posturings at measuring Igorot’s skulls, importing fish eggs and cutting up insects, and judged rather correctly, that they would make good material for a written caricature of the man. The resulting piece, in which he pictures Mr. Worcester as the typical example of big bluff, while he mentioned no names, sounded a little libelous, even to the author himself.
When he handed the copy to Editor Kalaw, Reyes admonished him, “I think this is a little too harsh, but see if you can use it anyway,” or words to that effect.”
On October 30, 1908, El Renacimiento published Fidel A. Reyes’ fateful editorial. Translated from the original Spanish text, “Aves de Rapiña” read:
Birds of PreyOn the surface of this globe, some people are born to eat and devour, others to be eaten and devoured.Now and then, the latter bestir themselves, endeavoring to rebel against an order of things which makes them prey to, and food of, the insatiable voracity of the former. Sometimes they are fortunate in successfully putting to flight the eaters and devourers; but in the majority cases, the latter only gain a new name or plumage.The situation is the same everywhere; the relationship existing between the one and the other is that dictated by a too keen appetite, the satisfaction of which must always be at another fellow-creature's expense.Among men, it is easy to observe the development of this daily phenomenon. And for some psychological reason, nations who believe themselves powerful take the fiercest and most harmful of creatures as their symbol. Such as the lion, or the eagle, or the serpent. Some have done this on a secret impulse of affinity; others, because it has served them as some sort of stimulant to an inflated vanity, the wish to make themselves appear that which they are not nor will ever be.The eagle, symbolizing liberty and strength, has found the most admirers. And men, collectively and individually, have ever desired to copy and imitate this most rapacious of birds in order to succeed in the plundering of their fellowmen.But there is a man who, besides being like the eagle, also has the characteristics of the vulture, the owl and the vampire.He ascends the mountains of Benguet ostensibly to classify and measure Igorot skulls, to study and civilize the Igorots; but, at the same time, he also espies during his flight, with the keen eye of the bird of prey, where the large deposits of gold are, the real prey concealed in the lonely mountains, and then he appropriates these all to himself afterwards, thanks to the legal facilities he can make and unmake at will, always, however, redounding to his own benefit.He authorizes, despite laws and ordinances to the contrary, the illegal slaughter of diseased cattle so as to make a profit from its infected and putrid meat, which he himself should have condemned in his official capacity.He presents himself on all occasions with the wrinkled brow of a scientist, who has spent his life deep in the mysteries of the laboratory of science; when in truth, his only scientific work has been the dissection of insects and the importation of fish eggs, as though fish in this country are of so little nourishment and savoriness that they deserve replacement by species from other climes.He gives laudable impetus to the search of rich lodes in Mindanao, in Mindoro, and in other virgin regions of the archipelago, a search undertaken with the people’s money, and with the excuse of its being for the public good; when, in strict truth, his purpose is to obtain data and discover the keys to the national wealth for his essentially personal benefit, as proved by the acquisition of immense properties registered under the names of others.He promotes through secret agents and partners, the sale to the city of worthless lands at fabulous prices, which the city fathers dare not refuse for fear of displeasing him.He sponsors concessions for hotels on filled-in lands, with the prospect of enormous profits at the expense of the people.Such are the characteristics of this man who is also an eagle, who surprises first and then later devours, a vulture who gorges himself on the dead and putrid meats, an owl who affects a petulant omniscience, and a vampire who silently sucks his victims bloodless.Birds of prey always triumph. Their flight and aim are never thwarted. For who can dare stop them?There are some who share in the booty and the plunder itself, but the rest are merely too weak to raise a voice of protest. Some die in the disheartening destruction of their own energies and interests. Yet, at the end, there shall appear, with terrifying clearness, that immortal warning of old: Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin
The editorial ended with a biblical warning "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin" (Mene: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; Tekel: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; Upharsin: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians). This script mysteriously appeared on a wall for King Belshazzar, the King of Babylon. The oracle was interpreted by the prophet Daniel as a sign of impending doom because of the ruler’s misdeeds. It was Editor-in-Chief Teodoro M. Kalaw who added the cryptic threat at the end of the editorial before handing it off to the chief printer.
On November 5, 1908, less than a week after the editorial was published, Fidel A. Reyes and Teodoro M. Kalaw, together heard the news of the libel case. Kalaw recalls the events that day in his book Aide-de-Camp to Freedom:
“One afternoon while taking my siesta, I was rudely awakened by someone and told that Fidel A. Reyes and I were wanted at the office immediately. Fidel, our city editor, and I boarded at the same place. We dressed up hurriedly and upon arrival, found the staff nervously talking together in the office. A formal notice of another libel suit had just been served upon us. The publisher, Don Martin Ocampo, Fidel, and I were being under arrest.”
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| Aves de Rapiña editorial published in El Renacimiento, October 30, 1908 |
On November 5, 1908, less than a week after the editorial was published, Fidel A. Reyes and Teodoro M. Kalaw, together heard the news of the libel case. Kalaw recalls the events that day in his book Aide-de-Camp to Freedom:
“One afternoon while taking my siesta, I was rudely awakened by someone and told that Fidel A. Reyes and I were wanted at the office immediately. Fidel, our city editor, and I boarded at the same place. We dressed up hurriedly and upon arrival, found the staff nervously talking together in the office. A formal notice of another libel suit had just been served upon us. The publisher, Don Martin Ocampo, Fidel, and I were being under arrest.”
Warrants of arrest were issued for the three, along with two staff members of the paper’s Tagalog counterpart Muling Pagsilang. An esteemed team of lawyers took on their case. with Felipe Agoncillo and Felix Ferrer assigned to Fidel’s defense. News of the libel case soon spread, and fellow journalists from around the world sent them telegrams of support and rallied for freedom of the Philippine press. There was strong public support for the accused, and the proceedings were well-attended, with a great majority of the spectators being students from universities in Manila.
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| Claro M. Recto's poem Himno al Volcan de Taal for Fidel A. Reyes, 1911 |
Secretary Worcester sued the El Renacimiento for all it was worth. In addition to the criminal libel case, he filed a civil suit against the editors, publishers and stockholders of the business asking P100,000 for moral damages. The Secretary took both cases very seriously as he had a growing reputation for winning against all those who would dare challenge him. He was punctual in attending each and every court hearing and summoned top government officials and prominent personalities to testify as his witnesses. The cases were almost impossible to win. Most of the motions of the defense were overruled from the Court of First Instance and onwards.
For the civil suit Worcester was awarded P25,000, which was a hefty amount during that time. The paper was forced to close and a series of court-ordered public auctions stripped their offices to cover the fine. Worcester was not satisfied with merely shutting the paper down. As cruel vengeance, he won the right to use the titles El Renacimiento and Muling Pagsilang during the auctions for P1,000. He also acquired personal property owned by the defendants such as the family home of one of the shareholders, for P7,000.
According to court documents, Fidel A. Reyes was sentenced in the Court of First Instance to six months imprisonment and a fine of P2,000 and one-fifth of the cost of the action. After appealing the case to the Supreme Court of the Philippines, the case against Fidel was dismissed but the decisions were affirmed for his editor-in-chief and publisher. Martin Ocampo was sentenced to six months in prison and a fine of period of six months and to pay a fine of P2,000, and to pay one-fifth part of the costs of the action in the lower court and one-third part of the costs in the Supreme Court. Teodoro M. Kalaw’s sentence was increased to prison sentence of twelve months, to pay a fine of P3,000, and one-fifth part of the costs of the action in the lower court, and one-third part of the costs in Supreme Court.
The decision was affirmed on May 25, 1914, after the case was brought to the United States Supreme Court. But after almost six years of legal battles, a new "pro-Filipino" Governor General Francis Burton Harrison granted them pardon. Sullivan’s Exemplar of Americanism: The Philippine Career of Dean C. Worcester, shares details on the recommendation for pardon sent by George A. Malcolm, who had previously served for the prosecution. In Malcolm’s letter “he cited the “drastic” Philippine libel laws, the “integrity and standing” of the defendants, and Worcester’s “controversial attitude”. He praised the editorial as “a masterpiece of polemic literature” in which the defendants attempted to perform their “patriotic duty.”
The men behind El Renacimiento were hailed as national heroes for their dedication to serving the country no matter what the cost. The paper continues to be one of the most important news publications in the history of the Philippines. According to Valenzuela’s History of Journalism in the Philippines, the El Renacimiento was a landmark in Philippine journalism:
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| Fidel A. Reyes, 1913 |
The men behind El Renacimiento were hailed as national heroes for their dedication to serving the country no matter what the cost. The paper continues to be one of the most important news publications in the history of the Philippines. According to Valenzuela’s History of Journalism in the Philippines, the El Renacimiento was a landmark in Philippine journalism:
“... it was a lonely figure standing head and shoulders among its contemporaries. Men become heroes because in supreme moments of crisis they stand steadfast by their principles and risk life minding not the sacrifice. As in men, so in newspapers; for newspapers are nothing more or less than children of men’s minds. El Renacimiento was justly a hero among Philippine newspapers.”
Fidel’s daring efforts as a journalist had paid off in the end, exposing the truth about the abuse and corruption of one of the most notorious government officials of his time. His editorial “Aves de Rapiña”, became an important topic in classrooms for generations. Acclaimed university professor Bienvenido Lumbera, would passionately teach his students about the editorial’s content and history. In an article “An Intellectual of Our Times” which was published when Lumbera received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication in 1993, author Edilberto Alegre recalls the effect of the editorial on Lumbrera, his former graduate class professor:
“In his classroom he displays no flamboyance, neither in dress nor in teaching style. When he spoke of “Aves de Rapiña”, however, his voice rose a note higher, and his delivery partook of the emberglow of his disposition. Nationalism was the constant fire in his mind that burned into the stodgy minds of most students in literature.”
“In his classroom he displays no flamboyance, neither in dress nor in teaching style. When he spoke of “Aves de Rapiña”, however, his voice rose a note higher, and his delivery partook of the emberglow of his disposition. Nationalism was the constant fire in his mind that burned into the stodgy minds of most students in literature.”
I did not have the opportunity to study the editorial in-depth in any of my courses. The “Aves de Rapiña” editorial was something I had not read until my grandmother handed me her personal copy. It is an important part of my family history and I cherish is it as a reminder from my own great grandfather to be courageous, defend the oppressed, and stay vigilant towards those in power.
During this time, my appreciation grew for the tireless work of journalists in the country. I had the privilege of having a seasoned investigative journalist as a professor who shared the same dedication Fidel A. Reyes did. It had been very timely for me to be in her class during the events of the EDSA 2 Revolution in the Philippines. She had been part of a group of journalists that exposed the corruption of the country's president.
At the beginning of my professor's course, I remember her lamenting over the lack of knowledge and interest of students about current events and important national issues, as well as our unthinking acceptance that everything being presented in mainstream media was true. By the end of the semester, the regime had changed and my attitude towards the news and my country had changed too.
It had become important to me to understand the issues facing the country with more depth and to watch the actions of those in power much more closely. My living room magazine rack no longer held my regular collection of fashion magazines. In their place, were the weekly political news magazines that came out after the EDSA 2 Revolution, with my journalism professor as one of its editors. I took in all that I could about social and political issues from those pages and more, keeping them as precious mementos from my period of rebirth.
It had become important to me to understand the issues facing the country with more depth and to watch the actions of those in power much more closely. My living room magazine rack no longer held my regular collection of fashion magazines. In their place, were the weekly political news magazines that came out after the EDSA 2 Revolution, with my journalism professor as one of its editors. I took in all that I could about social and political issues from those pages and more, keeping them as precious mementos from my period of rebirth.
