FILIPINAS DENTRO DE CIEN, AÑOS

The Philippines A Century Hence

 English translation by Charles E. Derbyshire. This famous of Rizal entitled “Filipinas dentro de cien, años” was first
published in La Solidaridad, Madrid, September 30, 1809 – February 1, 1890.
 Consists of four chapters
 Written by Rizal to predict the future of the Philippines in a hundred years.
CHAPTER I

 Rizal started the essay by addressing the fact that criticizing and facing head on the issues the country is facing poses
a definite threat to whoever greets it.
 Purpose of the essay: Predict the future of the Philippines
In order to predict the future, Rizal recalls the past and reinstates the future of the Filipinos.
PAST
a. Serve and fought the wars of Spain
b. Philippines was depopulated, impoverished and retarded.
c. Defeatism attitude
d. Forgot their own culture to learn doctrines they can’t understand, ethics, and tastes
unnatural to them.
PRESENT
a. Continuous maltreatment of Filipinos
b. Denial of “every virtue, every human characteristic”
c. Denial of capacity for virtue and vice to natives promoted by priests and writers.

 Rizal aims to foretell the future of the Philippines, specifically its fate regarding the following questions:
1. Will the Philippine Islands continue to be a Spanish colony, and if so, what kind of colony?
2. Will they become a province of Spain, with or without autonomy?
3. And to reach this stage, what kind of sacrifices will have to be made?
4. Will they be separated from the mother country to live independently, to fall into the hands of other
nations, or to ally themselves with neighboring powers?
CHAPTER II

 Chapter I states the objective of Rizal in writing the essay – try to forecast future events. Chapter II specifically gives
his general statement a timeframe – what will happen to the Philippines in a century.
“What will become of the Philippines within a century? Will they continue to be a Spanish colony?

 Once again recalls the past of Filipinos, this time making it specific – puts the period three centuries ago dating back to
the Precolonial Philippines. He imagines how different groups of people would answer the question. Malayan Filipinos
after Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, Kagayanes with the spirit of Magalats, descendants of Gat Pulintang and Gat Salakab
of Batangas – independence was unquestionable. But to those who witness the hardships of the lower classes, and
disorganized upper class, what can be assured was only defeat.

“…only one answer presented itself, and it was: extend his hands to the chains, bow his neck beneath the yoke and
accept the future with the resignation of an invalid who watches the leaves fall and foresees a long winter amid whose
snows he discerns the outlines of his grave.”

 As Rizal finishes his pointers on how Filipinos become accustomed to the rule of the Spaniards, Rizal pulls the essay
back to the present.
“Now then, are the Philippines in the same condition they were three centuries ago?”
 At present, there are three perspectives as to how the Filipino people have progressed. For the liberal Spaniards, the
ethics of people remains the same, instigating that native Filipinos have not advanced. For the friars and their followers,
the people have been redeemed from savagery. For many Filipinos, ethics, spirit and customs have decayed because of
slavery.

 Parallelism of the Political Landscape of the past and present. Disregard the perspective that Spain gained the favor of
Filipinos for 300 years.
PAST
Land:
a. Low manpower (300-500 soldiers);
b. Local (internal tribes) and international (Mohammedans in the south, against the
British and Dutch, or harassed by Japanese, Chinese) wars;
c. Slow communication with Mexico and Spain
d. Frequent and violent disturbances among the ruling powers in the Islands
e. Bankrupt treasury
f. One ship that handles Chinese trade
Sea:
a. Pirates
b. Weak defense by impoverished fleet
c. Unfaithful crews (rude adventurers, foreigners, enemies)
d. Mutiny of Chinese rowers to Gomez Peres Dasmariñas.
PRESENT
a. Stable colonies
b. Improved fleet
c. More organized civil and military affairs
d. Better communication with the sovereign
e. No enemies abroad
f. Desensitized colonies
 The true reason why Spain reigned over the Philippines for 300 years: the sentimentality of Filipinos. According
to Rizal, the people remained faithful during three centuries dazzled by the promised Paradise (religious aspect),
friendship of the noble, superiority of arms, and peacemaking of Spaniards.

“Orientals and the Malays, in particular, are a sensitive people: delicacy of sentiment is predominant with them.”

“…in spite of contact with the Occidental nations, who have ideas different from his, we see the Malayan Filipino
sacrifice everything – liberty, ease, welfare, name for the sake of an aspiration or a conceit sometimes scientific,
or of some other nature but at the least word which wounds his self-love he forgets all his sacrifices…”

 Parallelism of the Ethical Landscape of the past and present.

PAST
a. Filipinos gained high ranks in the military;
b. Establishment of Encomenderos and generals;
c. No insulting and ridiculous epithets;
d. No racial discrimination in public or in the written works (discriminatory works by
Augustinian Gaspar de San Agustin and the Jesuit Velarde remain as secret and
unpublished as they were bribed with miters and high ranks); and
e. Priests hear out the people, wrote their complaints to the Throne, and done journeys
as representatives of the country.
PRESENT
 a. Racial discrimination through jest and banter;
b. Holy residencia has disappeared;
c. Jealousy of the successor of Governor-General lie La Torre;
d. Abusive officers;
e. Increase of obligations and taxes without the increase of rights;
f. The country becomes poor without holding the higher offices accountable; and
g. Establishment of faulty Penal Code.

 The reason behind the discontent and revolution of the Filipinos is due to the much heavier weight of the ethical
landscape of the present compared to the achieved material stability of the colony.

 Rizal justifies the apparent revolution of Filipinos as he answers his third question, what kind of sacrifices will have
to be made in the process of revolution? By which he answers that the natives has almost nothing to lose as they
would prefer death instead of the discontent that they get from their lives. Pioneer insurrections have failed as they
were organized by fanatics and discontented soldiers who lead revolts for their own interests. As people realized
they were tricked, they reorganized themselves for better initiatives.
 Rizal predicts a future according to a certain present, and that is if the system continues to alienate the goodwill of
the natives, the Filipinos would rise in occasion to modify the present state of affairs.

“There now exists a factor which was formerly lacking – the spirit of the nation has been aroused and a common
misfortune, a common debasement has united all the inhabitants of the Islands.”

 In predicting the future, Rizal also reflects from the current state of informed and educated Filipinos, the very
circumstance that he was in. He says that the enlightened class become gradually better as the mistreatment forced
them to go outside the country, garnering more knowledge and at the same time in constant communication with
the rest of the Islands. He states that as their number increases, it will continue to do so in a few years until their
accumulated knowledge will manifest into revolutionary actions.

 In defense of the progress of Filipinos, Rizal enumerated various ways that Spain had at its disposal:

1. Brutalization of the masses through a caste addicted to the government;

2. Impoverishment of the country;
3. Gradual extermination of the inhabitants; and
4. Fostering feuds among races.

 To which Filipinos have various ways to combat them:

1. Enlightenment is spreading and the persecution it suffers quickens it;

2. Poverty inspires the desire to change things and a poor colony would be a disadvantage to its mother
country;
3. Philippine races, like all the Malays lives and thrives in every clime;
4. Better communication from innovations create mutual understanding within provinces.

 Therefore as a way to answer the first question, “Will the Philippine Islands continue to be a Spanish colony, and
if so, what kind of colony?” Rizal answers that it can be either the Philippines remain under Spanish domination
but with more law and greater liberty, or declare themselves independent after fighting for their country to death.

“Mutatis muntandis. For new men, a new social order.”

CHAPTER III

 Revolves around the forms of peaceful evolution the Islands may remain subjected to the Spanish authority, with
the very least detriment to the rights, interests and dignity of both parties.
  These are predicted proofs by Rizal stating that if changes were to be implemented by the upper class, the results
would be peaceful and fruitful. Otherwise, transformations from the ranks of the people will be violent and fatal.

 Reference: Sancho Panza in his Barataria Island by Miguel de Cervantes. Pedro Rezio, a physician does not allow
Sancho to eat as he must not eat except according to the usage and custom of other islands where there are governors.
The story and the country has mirror images whereas long suffering Sancho, or the Philippines, misses his liberty,
rejects all government and ends up by rebelling against his quack physician.

 According to Rizal, the Philippines would remain under Spanish domination only if the following conditions were
met:
1. Declaring the press in the Philippines free; and
2. Instituting Filipino delegates.

 The severity of needing a free press depends on the position of the government relative to its governed country:
1. Rules a country from a great distance: need for a free press more so than the government of the
home country;
2. Governs in a country: may even dispense with the press (if it can);
3. Governs from afar: absolutely needs free press for the truth and facts reach its knowledge by every
possible channel. This is especially notable to Rizal as the natives have different language from the
authorities.
 A mutual understanding could be attained through free press despite the risk of it being dangerous. For according
to history, uprising and revolutions have occurred when human thought and the human heart have been forced to
remain silent. And if the free press incapacitate the prestige of rulers, Rizal answers that the prestige of nation is
preferable to that of a few individuals.

 On the other hand, in instituting Filipino delegates, government has three cases against them: Either that they will
prove unruly, become political trimmers, or act properly.
 The Spanish majority can oppose separatist intentions by the representatives and confinement of issues within
representatives of the government within itself is far better than bloodbath in revolts and battles.
 Racial discrimination such as odor and appearance as parameters to object to Filipino representatives to the Cortes
of the nation were also addressed by Rizal with which conclude his arguments with:
“Law has no skin nor reason nostrils.”

 Rizal admits that having a representative does not ensure serving the best interest of the country. It is also in this
chapter that Rizal does not view the Filipinos as incapable to commit faults, he emphasizes how during this time,
Filipinos only want to exercise their rights and to represent different groups to express their dilemmas in their own
terms. If even this fails, the Filipinos take the blame.

“If after so just, as well as necessary, a measure has been introduced, the Filipino people are so stupid and weak
that they are treacherous to their own interests, then let the responsibility fall upon them, let them suffer all
consequences. Every country gets the fate it deserves and the government can say that it has done its duty.”
 The fear for independence that may come through from these resolutions were for naught. Rizal argues that the free
press will keep the government in touch with public opinion and the representatives, if they are, as they might to
be, the best from among the sons of the Philippines, will be their hostages.
“Then, if the native does not shake off his indolence he cannot complain when he sees all the offices filled by
Castillas.”
 In the pursuit of a good relationship with Spain, we would be yielding to the most absurd pessimism and admit the
insult, great for the Philippines but still greater for Spain.
CHAPTER IV
 This chapter expounds on the fate of the Philippines when it would resolve to revolts and revolutions within the
colony.
 It also answers Rizal’s fifth question, will they be separated from the mother country to live independently, to fall
into the hands of other nations, or to ally themselves with neighboring powers?
 Rizal’s knowledge on physiology is apparent as to his remark on how the existence of a foreign body can only be
dealt with in three ways: assimilation, destroys the organism, is eliminated or become encysted.
“Encystment of a conquering people is possible, for it signifies complete isolation absolute inertia, debility in the
conquering element. Encystment thus means the tomb of the foreign invader.”

 Potential colonizers and reasons why they would leave the Philippines alone:
England, Germany, Frances, and Holland will not take up a colony that Spain failed to hold.
1. England – has enough colonies of the orient, have Indian Empire, and holds Singapore,
Hongkong and Shanghai
2. Germany – will not risk to scatter its forces in the presence of war in other countries.
Germany avoids foreign complications.
3. France – sees future in Tongking and Chona and does not shine in zeal for colonization
4. Holland – will be content to keep Moluccas and Java, also, Sumatra offers a greater future for
Dutch expeditions.
5. China – already vulnerable to European powers colonizing the continent of Asia
6. Japan – watched by Russia in the north, and by England in the South
7. American Republic – possible colonization but there might be complications that the Panama
is closed and colonization is contrary to her traditions.