FILIPINAS DENTRO DE CIEN, AÑOS (The Philippines A Century Hence )

 English translation by Charles E. Derbyshire.

 Was first published in La Solidaridad, Madrid, September 30, 1809 – February 1, 1890.
 A socio-political essay written in four parts
 It is one of the most significant political works of the movement in Spain, Rizal tracing the
circumstances that brought about the awakening of the Filipino and consequently the birth of
the Filipino spirit of a nation.
 He underscores the need to establish a new kind of political relationship between Spain and the
Philippines if the former does not wish a total break-up with the latter. Spain is being given a
sort of ultimatum: reform or independence.
 Written by Rizal to predict the future of the Philippines in a hundred years.
 Rizal wrote this essay because he felt that he needed to remind Spain that the circumstances
that ushered in the French Revolution, could have an effect for her in the Philippines.
 The Philippines A Century Hence explains an analysis on how Jose Rizal based his prediction in
the future.
 He based his prediction on what is in the past and used it to analyze what might happen in the
future.

Chapter 1

• 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

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 neighbouring powers?

Chapter 2

 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.
 As Rizal finishes his pointers on how Filipinos become accustomed to the rule of the Spaniards,
Rizal pulls the essay back to the present.
 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 peace
making of Spaniards.
 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.

 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.
 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.