Anarchy and socialism, Philippine style

Banaag at Sikat,” the monumental novel that Lope K. Santos published in 1906, is the first great proletariat novel in Asia. Its two main characters, Delfin and Felipe, represent the twin poles of socialism and anarchy; the novel swung between these twin poles. I have translated this novel as “Radiance and Sunrise,” which will be published this December by Penguin Random House as part of their South East Asian Classics series.

In the chapter called “Darkness and Light,” the characters have just buried the rich and greedy old man, Don Ramon, who is the father of Meni, the wife of Delfin. The two men are left behind in the cemetery.

Felipe said, “Shouldn’t we memorialize all of Don Ramon’s evils, his greed, his carnal ways, his oppression of the poor? I have always hated the hypocrisy of our old ways. Upon a rich man’s death, his life should be an open book where all his wrongdoings are exposed, so that no one will follow in his footsteps.”

“I don’t agree with you, Felipe. On the contrary, exposing a man’s wickedness would only awaken the evil that lies dormant in others. But I see the benefit in extracting socialist teachings from the life of Don Ramon, for our country can learn a great deal from the death of a wealthy man.”

“Yes. The death of a man like Don Ramon should mean freedom for the oppressed, not the death of one’s source of livelihood.”

“And even with the death of the likes of Don Ramon and your father, Captain Loloy, the cycle of oppression will remain unbroken so long as the agency of inheritance is in place. It’s just money and authority changing hands.”

“But when will that day of change come? Will it ever happen?”

“I’m just as tired of waiting. But we must be patient and let things run their natural course. Nations and their people, like everything else, evolve over time.”

“But we can take action now, Delfin.” Felipe’s eyes glared. “We certainly can bring about change through revolution!”

“Yes, Felipe, but a revolution cannot take place before an evolution. A nation will only rise up in arms if it can no longer stand to be oppressed. A revolution has to gather steam first before it can explode.”

“That is why I say it is high time we should take up arms. The oppressed masses are already desperate.”

“I don’t think now is the right time. Look at them, they are not part of an organized movement just yet. They are not lashing out. They won’t move without a leader or a martyr to rally them to action. The revolutionary movement should come from below if we are to bring down oppression.”

“Let’s not forget the government,” Felipe added. “We may succeed in bringing down capitalism, but it will be for naught if there is no change in our local government. We must also prevent the transfer of wealth and power to the oligarchs in government.”

“I assure you, Felipe, the rise of the revolutionary system will also bring about the ascension to power of the socialist republic that will look after the common welfare.”

“But what good will it do to have an alternative ruling system? We will still be placing the power to rule in the hands of a few. We should abolish any form of government altogether and allow a self-governing system to flourish instead.”

Delfin stood transfixed as he waited for Felipe to speak. “It’s true that our lives are still dictated by religious beliefs, but that will soon change. We’re taking our first steps into the age of revolutionary heroes. We’ve seen the likes of Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio stir the revolutionary sentiments of our masses, and we have come to fashion our ideals after them. They’ve already changed the course of our history. But I believe that we need more heroes to rouse our masses from their sleep. Only then can we say that we have progressed well into the second phase. And then we can move on to the third phase, which is when a true social revolution can take place.“

“And then, what comes next, Delfin?”

“Then, we’ll achieve a true egalitarian state. The time will come when we no longer subscribe to the notion of a Supreme Being as the be-all and end-all of things, when we no longer worship individuals but instead regard every member of society as our equal.”

“I believe in what the anarchist Grave said about socialist revolutions. He underscored the importance of disseminating socialist ideas beyond geographic borders. Respect for human rights has to be universal, which means that the same socialist ideals should also be upheld in other countries. Twentieth-century western civilization has already seen the dawn of socialist reformation.”

Felipe was exhilarated. “Yes, thanks to the martyrs of anarchism, we now have the instrument to oppose the ruling class and dethrone the false kings.”

“You speak of means that can only lead to bloodshed, Felipe. We can’t achieve peace and harmony through violent means.”

“Not if it means cutting loose the oppressed masses.”

“Even so. We’re talking about lives at stake...”

“Lives! What about the lives of those martyred by the ruling class? What about the millions whose blood they’ve shed?”

“I get where you’re coming from. But that doesn’t mean we should be just as cruel.”

“Yes. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Only death can put an end to abuse of power.”

Delfin pleaded his case. “But what you’re saying is unlikely to happen in the future, especially in our country. What will become of humankind if you get rid of the government?”

“To your first point I say, why not? To the second, after tilling the land, the harvest will be bountiful, and the riches can be equally distributed among our people.”

“We need to start somewhere. The seeds have been sown, thanks to the revolutionary movement of the Katipunan in 1896. We need to set up our own ways of governing our affairs. Once those are in place, then we can work on establishing a socialist state. I’m an optimist. The future of our society lies in the hands of heroes and in our country. But we can’t force the hand of destiny. We need to be patient and allow things to run their course. The wheel of fate will inevitably turn. The old regime will die, and its place will rise a new regime that will be as bright as day.”

Radiance, sunrise, and a new day are recurring images in this redemptive novel of hope.