Summary of instructor in History II, Dr.

Heherson Angel

Retyped by: Cherry A. Dangani (Rizal College of Laguna)

Chapter 1

Indolence has been greatly misused in the sense of little love for work and lack of energy. Dr. Sanciano, in his Progreso
de Filipinas, has taken up the question on the indolence of the Filipinos. There is a need to study this question
thoroughly without sensitiveness, prejudice, and pessimism however bitter it is, as we can only serve our country by
telling the truth without impartiality. In examining the life of our country, indolence does exist. It is our predisposition,
however, it is not the cause but rather the effect of the troubles and backwardness of the country.

Nature has something to do with indolence. A hot climate requires a quite and rest, just as cold incites to labor and
action. An hour’s work under the burning sun is equal to a day’s work in a temperate climate. The Europeans who live in
the colonies were surrounded by numerous servants, ride themselves to get rich, with the hope of the future, free and
respected, while the poor colonists are badly nourished, have no hopes, toil for others, and work under force and
compulsion. Perhaps their (Europeans) reply to this will be that white men are not made to stand the severity of tropical
climate. A mistake! A man can live in any climate, if he will only adapt himself to its requirement condition. What kills
them in hot countries is the abuse of liquors and attempt to love according to the nature of their own country.
Europeans can also stand the Torrid Zone, if only they would get rid of their prejudices.

Chapter 2

Indolence in the Philippines is a chronic malady, but not a hereditary one. Before the arrival of the Europeans, the
Malayan Filipinos carried on an active trade, not only among themselves but also with all the neighboring countries.
They maintained relations as far as Siam (Thailand). China’s commercial relations with the islands were known for
honesty as their products were distributed to the people in the islands that they couldn’t remember but were paid upon
their return. Pigaffeta, the chronicler of Magellan in 1521, also noticed that Samar the courtesy and kindness of the
inhabitants who carried their commerce in their boats. Legazpi’s expedition (1565) met in Butuan various traders in
Luzon laden with many products and provisions for the southern islands. (Gaspar de San Agustin). The island of Cebu
was very populous with hundreds of thousands of people with a port frequented by many ships that came from the
islands and kingdoms near India (Antonio de Morga). Even though there were peacefully received, discord soon arose
(Colin). The city was taken by force and burned. Food supplies were destroyed and famine broke out but the neighboring
islands quickly relieved the need. It was extraordinary thing that fifty years before the arrival of the Spaniards in Luzon,
there were already natives there who understood Castillian.

The natives have forgotten much about farming, raising poultry, stock and cotton, weaving cloth after the country was
conquered (Morga). Not only Morga, Chirino, Colin, Argensola, de San Agustin and others agree in this matter, but
modern travelers assert the same thing.

Chapter 3

Man works for an object. Remove the object and reduce him in inaction. Wars, internal disorders, force labor greatly
reduced the number of Filipinos. Those natives who joined insurrections faced their deaths either during the skirmishes
or as result of their punishments. The invasions of Limahong and the Dutch, in continual wars of Spain to extend her
colonies in Borneo, Moluccas, and Indo-China plunged the inhabitants to a warthey are not a part of. The pirates from
Mindanao did great damage for their atrocities and murders because they believe that to preserve their independence it
was necessary to weaken the Spaniards by reducing the number of his subjects, or because of hatred against the
Christian Filipinos who, being their own race, served the stranger in order to deprive them of their precious liberty.
Some encomenderos also sold the natives so slavery to pay the taxes levied upon them. The Filipinos were also asked to
work in the shipyards either as shipbuilders, timber cutter, or rowers leaving their families and farms unattended
without receive pay. Aside from causing depopulation, those who joined the war of Spain and those who work in the
polo also abandoned their industry, agriculture and commerce.

Chapter 4

We deserve our fate. The Filipinos do not act freely and are not responsible for their own actions neither their
misfortunes nor woes. But they have also a large part in the continuation of such disorder. Why work? Asked many
natives. The curate says that the rich man will not go to heaven and is liable to all kinds of trouble in appointment to
government positions and all actions are being watched by the officers of justice. It is strange that the Philippines remain
poor in spite of its fertile soil. The countries most flourishing now date their development from the day of their liberty.
The most commercial and most industrious countries have been the freest countries like France, England, and the
United States. Hongkong has more commercial movement than the Philippines because it is free and as well governed.

The government treated the merchants from Borneo, Siam. Cambodia, and Japan with great mistrust and severity until
they finally ceased to come to the country. The only countries with which the Philippines continued to have relations
were China and Mexico (Nueva Espanya). From these trades, only China and a few private individuals in Manila got any
benefit. The coastwise trade that was active before also died out due to the piratical attacks of the Malays of the south.
The internal trade almost entirely disappeared due to the restrictions, passports, and other administrative requirements
of the government.

With the fear of uprisings and conspiracies from the natives, the government restricted the movement of people and
arms. Farmers cannot go to their farms without permission of the authorities. The Moro pirates disappeared and
outlaws infested the fields and held ransom to the farmers who were defenseless due to the banning of arms. Thus
farmers abandoned their farms and their works and took gambling as means of securing livelihood. The passion for
gambling is innate among the Malays. Pigaffeta writes that cock-fighting is heald in the island of Paragua. It was not
introduces by the Spaniards but they have fostered and perfected it and produced vice among the natives which breeds
dislike for steady and difficult toil by its promise of sudden wealth.

The lack of material inducement and apathy of the government toward commerce and agriculture forms unproductive
people. The monopoly of trade of the governor hindered the natives to engage in trade. The governor devoted himself
almost wholly to trade and monopolized all the business and thinks only of destroying all competition that may trouble
him or those who attempt to participates in his profits. Those Filipinos who tried to engage in trade encountered
difficulties to secure from the government a permit with the many documents they have to secure. They have to rely
upon the goodwill or the influence of the authorities on a good bribe in order for their application not to be pegion-hold.
There is no encouragement at all for the manufacturer or farmer. No aid when poor crop comes, when locusts or
cyclone destroy the fields.

The principal and most terrible reason of the misfortunes of the Filipinos is educations. Their training is brutalized,
depressive, and anti-human. The schools founded in the country are not enough, amounting to five to ten years, and
their effects are neutralized. The priest boldly proclaim that it is evil for the natives to know Castillan, that they should
not be separated from their carabaos, not to value aspirations, and so on. They placed the natives on a level with the
beast, depriving them on their dignity and self-esteem.

Chapter 5

Peoples and governments are correlated and complementary. The defects of training due to limited, tyrannical and
sterile educational system resulted to stagnation. Indolence is a corollary derived from the lack of stimulus and of
vitality.

The lack of national sentiment brings another evil, which is the absence of oppositions to measures prejudicial to the
people and the absences of any good initiative. No one protests until later the evils are felt. A man in the Philippines is
only an individual; he is not a member of a nation. He is forbidden and denied the right of association and therefore,
weak and sluggish.

We desire a policy that is sincere and consistent, highly civilizing, and for the sake of the good such as leaving the
government to native rulers, building roads, freedom of trade, foster industry by putting intelligent employees, just
judges, all well paid, and lay aside religious pretexts. This policy has the advantage in that while it may lull the instincts of
liberty wholly to sleep, yet the day when mother country loses her colonies she will at least have the gold amassed and
not the regret of having reared ungrateful children.