Fray Botod
by Graciano Lopez Jaena
The story Fray Botod, meaning Big-Bellied Friar, is a character sketch published in 1874 when Graciano Lopez Jaena was only eighteen years old. It depicts a bloated, hypocritical priest as a metaphor for the Catholic Church's abusses as part of Spanish rule in the Philippines. Jaena is a beloved figure in the Philippines to this day and regarded a dad of the revolution against Spanish rule. In this job, as abusive, cruel, lazy, indifferent, greedy and lustful, he caricatured the typical friar of the day. He especially disgusted the friars' abusses and greed that his first written work was against this group of individuals.
In this story the priest utilizes religion to exploit and oppress his topics. A man with vast and morally questionable appetites, he takes advantage of his place to pursue everything from drunkenness and gluttony to exploitative interactions with young girls.
By reading this story I can conclude that even before there are already people who are doing dirty actions even if they are part of religious groups or leaders. They are the people who abuses power and positions. Instead of helping and guiding their people, they are the cause of their sufferings especially those young girls who are used for their lustful actions.
Overall, I like the content of the story for you can still relate it in todays world so I would definitely recommend this story for everyone. You'll learn a lot about how powerful people before handles or rule the world.
