Father Dámaso
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Father Dámaso or Padre Dámaso is one of the notorious, if not the memorable, characters in the novel Noli Me Tangere. The novel was written by José Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines. Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not or "Social Cancer") is a controversial and anticlerical novel that exposed the abuses of the Spanish Friars (belonging to the Roman Catholic Church) and the Spanish elite during colonial Philippines in the 1800s.
The novel, according to the author, represented the state of Phililppine society under Spanish colonial rule. The novel was intended as a liberal-nationalist wake-up call for the people of the Philippines. While natives of the Philippines (indios) were trained to become secular clergy, ethnic Spanish priests in the powerful religious orders were given preferential treatment in the assignment to parishes.
[edit] Plot summary
Father Dámaso, a Franciscan Spain priest, is the former curate of the town of San Diego. His secret past is revealed when Father Salvi discloses to Maria Clara that Father Dámaso is her true father.
"Anak ni Padre Dámaso" meaning "child of Father Dámaso" has become a stereotype or classic cliché in the Philippines to refer to a Caucasian or half-Caucasian child whose father is unknown. It can also refer to a child whose father was (or who was suspected to be) an ethnic Spanish clergyman.
