The friarocracy seems to have had more…

The friarocracy seems to have had more than its share of personal irregularities, and the priestly vow of chastity often was honored in the breach.

In the eyes of educated Filipino priests and laymen, however, most inexcusable is the friars' open attitude of contempt toward the people.

By the late nineteenth century, their attitude is one of blatant racism.

In the words of one friar, responding to the challenge of the ilustrados, "the only liberty the Indians want is the liberty of savages. Leave them to their cockfighting and their indolence, and they will thank you more than if you load them down with old and new rights."