Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Indolence
Indolence
SECTIONS
Thursday, January 9, 2020
search
TODAY'S PAPER
insert_drive_file
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
NEWS OPINION SPORTS LIFESTYLE ENTERTAINMENT BUS
INESS TECHNOLOGY GLOBAL NATION
COLUMNISTS
•
LOOKING BACK
Using his notes gathered from the British Library from 1888 to
1889 while at work on his annotated edition of Antonio de
Morga’s 1609 “Sucesos de las islas Filipinas (Events of the
Philippine Islands),” Rizal presented early accounts like the
“Zhu Fan Zhi,” published by Chau Ju-kua in 1225, which
described the industry and honesty of the Filipinos before the
Spanish conquest; and Antonio Pigafetta’s chronicle of the
Magellan expedition, regarding the capture and ransom of the
Chief of Paragua. Wielding history as a weapon, Rizal asked
sarcastically: “How did the industrious infidel become indolent
centuries later when he was Christianized? Why did they forget
their proud past and become indolent?”
Rizal also blamed the sorry state of the colony. The galleon trade
had cut off existing trade between the Philippines and China and
Southeast Asia, the trade monopoly running Filipino traders and
artisans out of business. Furthermore, the lure of the galleon
trade led to the neglect of commerce and agriculture. People
were conscripted to work in the shipyards, forced to build roads
and buildings with little or no pay, decimating the population
and killing their natural love for work. Their goods and services
were taken by force, such that they simply refused to work more
only to have their products taken for free, paid cheaply, or so
heavily taxed that these ended up not worth the trouble.
Rizal did not just rant, he provided a solution: education and the
formation of what he called a “national sentiment.” Rizal left us
with 25 volumes of writings to instruct and inspire, but alas, he
wrote a lot for a nation that does not read him. It took a
foreigner, Syed Hussein Alatas, to build on Rizal’s essay and
publish “The Myth of the Lazy Native” (1977), disproving as
myth the laziness of the Malays, Filipinos and Javanese in
colonial times.
READ NEXT
Emulating a neighbor
• 00:50
• Trending Articles
• 02:16
• 00:50
• Trending Articles
• 02:08
• 04:58
• 02:05
• Pangulong Duterte, Prayoridad Ang Paglikas Ng Mga Filipino Sa Iran At Iraq | Jan Escosio
• 01:39
• Mandatory Repatriation Ng Mga Pinoy Sa Mga Bansang Apektado Ng Tensyon Sa Middle East,
Plantsado Na
• 02:25
• 02:19
• Robredo Refuses ‘Unfair’ Tag; Asks Critics To Read Her Drug War Report
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer &
other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am
& share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
Recommended by
NEWSINFO
300k devotees join ‘Walk with Jesus’ to start Cebu’s Sto Niño celebration
JANUARY 09, 2020 02:06 PM
NEWSINFO
Palace: Public teachers, nurses to benefit most from 2019 SSL
JANUARY 09, 2020 01:46 PM
NEWSINFO
P6.5M machines for fake cigarettes destroyed in Cauayan City
JANUARY 09, 2020 01:44 PM
GLOBALNATION
Iran ‘standing down’? Good news but evacuation of Filipinos continues — Palace
JANUARY 09, 2020 01:42 PM
NEWSINFO
China believes new virus behind mystery pneumonia outbreak
JANUARY 09, 2020 01:35 PM
•
•
Pitt, Tarantino, Waller-Bridge win at 77th Golden Globes
•
•
Cesar’s close encounters with Hollywood stars
•
•
Drake and Future tease new collaborative project
Recommended by
Disclaimer: Comments do not represent the views of INQUIRER.net. We reserve the right to
exclude comments which are inconsistent with our editorial standards. FULL DISCLAIMER
©
Co
pyr
igh
t
199
7-2
020
IN
QU
IR
ER
.net
|
All
Rig
hts
Res
erv
ed
We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By
continuing, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. To find out more, please
click this link.
I Agree
Read more: https://opinion.inquirer.net/120136/the-indolence-of-the-filipino#ixzz6AVxqC21d
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook