● (1) Filipinos (Filipino: Mga Pilipino) are the people who are native to or identified with the

country of the Philippines. Filipinos come from various ethnolinguistic groups that are
native to the islands or migrants from various Asia-Pacific regions. Currently, there are
more than 175 ethnolinguistic groups, each with its own language, identity, culture and
history. The modern Filipino identity, with its Austronesian roots, was mainly influenced
by China, the United States, and Spain. Regular priests, or just regulars, is applied in the
Roman Catholic Church to clerics who follow a "rule" (Latin regula) in their life, those
who are members of religious institutes. Formerly, it meant those who were members of
Catholic religious orders, institutes in which at some least of the members made solemn
profession. It contrasts with secular clergy. And the Secularization Issue was issued on
November 9, 1774, which provided for the secularization of all parishes or the transfer of
parochial administration from the regular friars to the secular priests.

● (2) Two kinds of priests served the Catholic Church in the Philippines. These were the
regulars and the seculars. Regular priests belonged to religious orders. Their main task
was to spread Christianity. Examples were the Franciscans, Recollects, Dominicans,
and Augustinians. Secular priests did not belong to any religious order. They were
trained specifically to run the parishes and were under the supervision of the bishops.

● (3) The proven and tested formula of Spanish subjugation and colonization was
institutionalized in the doctrine of “divide et sempera” (divide and rule) seemed to be
invincible. The Spanish colonial authorities succeeded in quelling and suppressing the
budding ethnic and regionalistic rebellions and insurrections by pitting one ethnic group
against the other ethnic group. For instance, when the Ilokanos rebelled when their
beloved “basi” (sugarcane wine) was taxed heavily; the colonial masters send in the
Kapampangans to fight them. This pattern has to be repeated time and again until
sporadic rebellions were silenced and the indios were “pacified” with the whip, the sword
and the cross. However, as nothing remains forever on this earth, the long slumber of
Filipino nationalism is destined to be awaken. There were several events led to the
awakening of the Filipinos’ spirit of nationalism, The Secularization Issue.