«In the meanwhile the committee of propaganda was not inactive. It created delegations throughout the archipelago, and by their means introduced the La Solidaridad and all kinds of revolutionary printed matter into the utmost corners of the archipelago.
The «Liga Filipina»
«Rizal, magnanimously pardoned by His Excellency the Captain General of the Archipelago, D. Eulogio Despujol ([42]), after the making of a thousand and one lying protests of repentance, reached this capital in May 1892, being received by his countrymen with extraordinary proofs of enthusiasm and rejoicing; and converting himself into an apostle of filibusterism, commenced a campaign of scandalous propaganda.
«Three days after his arrival he convoked a large reunion ([43]) in the house of the Chinese half-caste Ongjungco in Tondo, and under his presidentship there gathered Franco, property owner; Flores, Lieutenant of Infantry; Rianzares, lawyer; Zulueta, government employee; Adriano, notary; Reyes, tailor; Paez, business agent; Francisco, industrial; Serrano, school-teacher; A. Salvador, contractor; Salazar, industrial; Mariano, property owner; Legaspi, industrial; José, property owner; Bonifacio, warehouse porter; Plata, curial; Villareal, tailor; Rosa, book-keeper; Arellano, military employee; M. Salvador, industrial; Arévalo, dentist; Rosario, merchant; Santillán, industrial; Ramos, industrial; Joven, property owner; Villaruel, merchant; Mabini, lawyer; Nacpil, silversmith; and many other Filipinos well known by their ideas. To this assembly Rizal made known the motive which had inspired him to call it together, which was no other than the creation of a secret society to be known as the «Liga Filipina», founded for the purpose of fomenting the advancement and culture of the country and the attaining, later on, of emancipation from Spain ([44]). He read out a list of provisional regulations drawn up by himself; these regulations were unanimously approved; a commission formed of Ambrosio Salvador and Deodato Arellano as president and secretary respectively, was at once nominated for the studying and development of Rizal’s project, and the reunion was dissolved till it should be again convoked.
«The opportune deportation of Rizal ([45]), Cortes and Salvador, upset the plans of the «oath bound» conspirators and the panic thus brought about dispersed them for the moment. In the beginning of the year 1893 they re-assumed the work ([46]), sometimes in the house of Domingo Franco, and at others in that of Deodato Arellano; and after it had been agreed that they should be ruled by the regulations of Rizal, and votes having been cast, the Supreme Council of the «Liga» was constituted in the following form:
| President | Franco. | |
| Secretary & Treasurer | Arellano. | |
| Fiscal | Francisco. | |
| Councillors |  | Zulueta. |
| Legaspi. | ||
| Paez. | ||
| Bonifacio. | ||
| Nacpil. | ||
| Adriano. | ||
| Mabini. | ||
| Rianzares. | ||
| Flores. |
«Before continuing, and in order that the facts which follow may be better understood, I will give some idea of the «Liga» according to the mentioned regulations. Its determined ends ([47]), were the independence of the islands; its means, the propaganda of advanced political ideas ([48]), availing themselves of conferences, books, pamphlets and the paper «La Solidaridad» which was declared the official organ of the association; the culture of the country by means of study, and its material advancement by stimulating the creation of large enterprises and industries; and, as a final means, armed rebellion ([49]). The catechised or initiated submitted themselves to a solemn oath before a human skull, which they afterwards kissed, signing with their own blood ([50]) a compromising document, after making the corresponding incision in one of their arms.
«All those initiated incurred the duty of making propaganda ([51]) by all means in their power, and of increasing the number of the associates, of preserving under severest penalties, the most impenetrable silence on all matters relating to the «Liga» and blind obedience to their superiors. The association was governed by a Supreme Council with residence in Manila, and composed of a President, a Treasurer, a Fiscal, a Secretary and twelve Councillors; for the Peninsular and Hong-Kong, the delegations composed of Marcelo del Pilar and Ildefonso Laurel[6].
“In each province was formed a provincial council with the same organizations as the Supreme Council, but with only six councillors, who, in their turn, had under their orders as many popular councils as there should be pueblos in the province in which the council should be constituted. The popular councils with analogous organization to the provincial councils, had jurisdiction within the demarcation of a pueblo; they depended directly upon the respective provincial council and the provincial upon the Supreme.