A Review of Fray Botod

    Fray Botod is a satire that portrays a bloated, cruel priest as a symbol for the abuses of the Catholic Church as part of the colonization of Spain in the Philippines. It was written by Graciano Lopez Jaena as his first work when he was only 18 years old. Reading his piece made me see how brutal the Spaniards were when they colonized our country. 

   Fray Botod came from Aragon, son of unknown parents. He was raised by a muleteer but chose to leave his foster parents. He was found by Augustinian Fathers and soon entered the convent. He was sent to the Philippines at the age of 21. Fray Botod was not his biological name. He was named Ano, after the feast of Sta. Ana, but he preferred to be called Botod, which meant big-bellied.

   I saw the symbolism of his name. it only means that he was a priest that only cared for himself, a lazy man who was a well-fed pig. He sleeps and thinks of nothing but to satisfy his appetite. He was a priest only by position, but not by actions. He took young girls and made them slaves for his own pleasure. These girls were called canding-canding. They were voluntarily given to Fray Botod by their parents in exchange for a promise of a better future, which was not even true.  It depicted how these priests took advantage of Filipinos, knowing they were not that aware of their hidden agendas. He had no justice, no sympathy, no empathy for the people around him. He was self-centered, just like any Spaniard during the 333 years of colonization. 

   As a caricature oppressing the Catholic Church, Jaena was closely punished for exile from his own country. Here, I could imagine how boastful and possessive Spain was. They wanted the Philippines to be their own, which became an inspiration for Filipinos to raise a propaganda movement.

   Fray Botod is one of the works of Filipino people that made their patriotism be awakened, and hope rose because of revolution. It symbolizes the bravery and the eager to save our country from colonizers. It only shows that we do not accept defeat. We will fight until we get our freedom, and we will not let anyone rule us again.

  Spaniards may have the longest period of colonization, but the Philippines is not just an ordinary country that can be easily controlled by power. Filipinos have their own minds, minds to think that they should not be imprisoned to some hypocrite empire. They should raise freedom, they should fight for democracy.