Also known as the Propaganda Movement, the Reform Movement occurred during the 1880s. There are many reasons why the movement failed. One reason is that Spain had too many problems of their own. These problems prevented them from having time to worry about the issues of the colonies. Another reason why it failed was that the Philippines didn't have enough money.
The lack of funds stopped their ability to reach their goals. The last reason why it failed was because of the division between the propagandists. Their pettiness and jealousy prevented them from being united and able to focus on the movement.
The failure of the reform stemmed from the fact that the friars were not able to do counter attacks. They were also so preoccupied with their own problems that they did not give a lot of attention to other things that mattered. There are a lot of reform movements that have also failed because of different reasons.
There are times when the reform lacked the right people in order to lead. There are also some that failed because they did not have enough budget. In other cases, people were not passionate enough. There are some reform movements that have also failed because they did not have the right equipment, tools, and firearms to stave off the enemies.