Excerpt

Something of consequence happened in 1885. On March 15 of that year, an open letter appeared in the Manila press, issued by a young Ilocano journalist named Isabelo de los Reyes. In his letter, Isabelo called on people to send to him and to publications in Manila manuscripts, documents, and all kinds of verbal or non-verbal materials relating to local folklore. The appeal seemed innocuous enough except for the ambition that was behind it. Proudly announcing that the “young science” (ciencia niña) of folk-lore was the “New School” (Nueva Escuela) in Europe, he urged his readers to form a movement he called folk-lore regional Filipino. […]