DON Isabelo de los Reyes was one of the pillars of the Filipino struggle for freedom. Don Belong (as he was fondly called by his kin and friends) pursued steadfastly the ideals of Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora (Gomburza), Dr. Jose P. Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar, and the rest of his “generation of 1896.’’
Like his compatriots, Don Belong fought the enemies of Filipino freedom. The struggles he waged were not on the battlefield but in the arena of ideas. He used the mighty power of the pen to advance the Filipino cause here and abroad. From his pen flowed many books manifesting Filipino competence and capacity for self-government.
The demise of the Filipino government’s newspaper, the
El Heraldo de Revolucion, led Don Belong to publish his own newspaper, the Filipinas Ante Europa, and later El Defensor de Filipino. When he returned to the Philippines in 1901, he founded the first pro-labor newspaper, the La Redencion del Obrero in 1902. Sensacional Memoria Sobre la Revolucion de 1896, La Religion del Katipunan, Independencia y Revolucion are some of the books he wrote espousing the Filipino cause. Truly, he deserved to be called the "Historian of the Philippine Revolution.’’
The demise of the Filipino republic in July 1902 did not mean the end of Don Belong’s patriotic labors. He was equally tireless in the struggle to end monastic dominance in the Philippines. Thus, on October, 1902, he co-founded the
Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Philippine Independent Church), thus hoping to realize the dream of the three martyred priests, Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora for religious freedom to reign in the country. Most of the literature and Biblia Filipina of this Filipino-run church was written by Don Belong.
Don Belong was equally active in the political struggle for his people during the American period. He was councilor of Manila from 1912 to 1919 and senator from 1922 to 1928.
Don Isabelo de los Reyes was born on July 7, 1864, and died on October 10, 1938. Nationalist, patriot, labor leader, author, editor, publisher, and staunch advocate of Philippine freedom, he is one of our country paladins of freedom. May Filipino youth emulate this sterling patriot who tirelessly labored for our country and people.
