The Indolence of the Filipinos

Introduction
• The title: The Indolence of the Filipinos
• The author: José Rizal
• Overview:
The Indolence of the Filipinos is defense of the alleged indolence of the Filipinos. It is a
critical study of the causes why the Filipinos did not work hard during the Spanish regime.

• Response:
The essay explains and made me realize it’s not really the Filipinos’ fault if they are
indolence or idle during the Spanish regimen. They are not even allowed to go to their
farms without permission of the governor. They are not even free to act during those times.

Summary
Before the Spaniards came to the Philippines, Filipinos have been engaged in different
economic activities such as agriculture and trade.Rizal defends the Filipinos that they are not
indolent.Not only that, but he also said that the Filipino is indolence because of hot climate,
wrong governance, abuse and discrimination, inaction of the government, rampant corruption
and red tape, wrong doctrines of the church and wrong examples from some Spaniards who
lead lives of indolence which ultimately led to the deterioration of Filipino values. Rizal sums up
the main causes of indolence are lack of training and education Filipino natives receive and to
the lack of national sentiment and unity among them.

Conclusion and Discussion

Education and liberty, according to Rizal, would be the cure to Filipino indolence.