Lesson 2: The Philippines in the 19th Century as Rizal’s Context

The World and the Philippines of Rizal's Time

In the 19th century, there were massive changes in the world, particularly in Europe, Spain, and the
Philippines. In this century, Rizal was born and exposed to varying political, economic, and socio-cultural
realities. Rizal witnessed the effects brought by the Industrial Revolution, benefited from the opening of the
Suez Canal, gained education in Europe, became an ilustrado, and took part in the Propaganda Movement.
Political Context
The 19th century was marked for its tremendous social change. Europe prospered like never before and
England led the way as the growing imperialist power. In 1858-1863, France conquered Vietnam, Cambodia
and Laos. Later, the Dutch colonized Netherland East Indies (Indonesia). Other countries soon followed
Britain's imperialists' examples. However, while the nineteenth century was hailed for its massive social
changes, it was not for all imperialists. While England, France and the Dutch enjoyed the fruits of their colonial
activities, Spain stagnated. Spain never learned a lesson from the loss of her colonies (Zaide, 1999). From
being considered the "mistress of the world", Spain continued despotic colonial rule in its remaining colonies-
Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. During this time, Rizal witnessed the flowering of Western imperialism
and the downfall of the Spanish colonial rule.
In the context of the Philippines, the country suffered from different social issues as a result of the Spanish
despotic colonial rule. The Filipino people were exposed to the evils of colonial rule such as maladministration
of justice, no equality before the law, racial prejudice, forced labor, frailocracy and lack of representation in
the Spanish Cortes. Internally, Spain was suffering from frequent constitutional and governmental changes
that led to colonial instability. In a short span of 28 years (1834-1862), it adopted four constitutions, elected
28 parliaments, and installed 529 ministers. It also suffered from internal party strife, revolutions and other
political upheavals (Zaide, 1999).
Due to the instability of Spain as a govemment, it directly affected the Philippines as one of its colonies. One
example is given by Zalde (1999) in his book "Jose Rizal Life, Works, and Writings":
There was this Spanish Judge who was appointed to the Royale Audencia of Manila (the Supreme
Court). He left Madrid with his whole family and went cruising at soo along the long route via Cape
of Good Hope. After a leisurely voyage of about six months, they arrived in Manila. To his dismay,
he found out that he was out of a job. Another judge had arrived earlier to fill up his position. During
the six months when he was cruising at the sea, the Spanish Government fell in Madrid and the new
Goverment sent his successor. The second judge took the shorter route via the Suez Canal and
reached Manila ahead of him.
The constant shift of these political policies also disrupted the way Spain govered the Philippines. First, there
was maladministration in the delivery of justice. In usual disputes that involved a Spanish or a Filipino, the
court would often favor a Spaniard. Usually, an influential Spaniard got the most favorable court decision.
Most Filipinos have to suffer from the costly, unfair and partial trial. This condition could be attributed to their
skin color, political affluence and economic affluence in society. Second, there was no equality before the
law. In the Philippine context in the 19th century, the native nobles and pure-bred Spaniards enjoyed legal
preference (Zaide, 1999) both in law and social duties. In law, the Spanish Penal Code imposed heavier
penalties on Filipinos. In social responsibilities, the Filipinos were tasked to render forced labor and paid
tributo or taxes to the colonial Government. However, most Spaniards were exempted either from rendering
forced labor or paying tribute. This unequal social divide became the root of resentment to most Filipinos.
Third, racial prejudice against native Filipinos became prevalent. As evident by the words of Father Burgos,
who is known for taking an active part in the Secularization Movement, he provided unequivocal evidence of
how racial discrimination was prevalent even among the native clergies (Schumacher, 1999).
The Filipino by his nature, by his character, by the influence of the climate or the race, is not good
for undertaking lofty offices. It is a common saying that the Tagalog is an excellent soldier, an
ordinary corporal, a'bad sergeant, cannot discharge the post of an officer at all, because he is unfit
for it. In the same way, the Filipino who is consecrated to the service of the altar ordinarily carries
out well the discharge of the routine offices in the church, but he never succeeds in excelling when
he is found possessing the priesthood...
From the wordings of Fr. Burgos himself, no matter how a native Filipino would exert his best efforts, he
would never succeed. Not because he was unfit or unable to carry out the role but because preference was
given to Spaniards. The said racial prejudice was happening everywhere-in school, in the church hierarchy,
in public offices and, as previously mentioned, even in the legal system.
Fourth, the mandatory exercise of forced labor oppressed the Filipinos further Also known as polo y servicio,
all Filipino males with ages ranging from 16-60 were required to render forced labor by the Spanish
Government. The workers were called polistas, while mandatory labor itself was called polo. They were
tasked to perform general public and building works by constructing churches, schools, roads, bridges and
even ships. Some people in the community were exempted from rendering forced labor such as the
aristocracy or principalia, well-off Filipinos, govemment officials like the gobernadorcillos or cabeza de
barangay and school teachers. The well-off Filipinos and principalia shall be exempted by paying the falls,
amounting to seven pesos. Moreover, the government officials and teachers were considered legally exempt
due to their services to the community. Therefore, poor and uninfluential Filipinos had no choice but to render
forced labor.
Fifth, the existence of frailocracy or the "govemment rule of the friars." In the 19 th century, there was no
separation between the Church and the state. The friars became so powerful that it resulted to the abuse of
Filipinos. These friars contributed to the rise of agrarian unrest, the secularization movement and Filipino
abuses in many forms. Since these friars are Spaniards and can communicate pretty well with the Spanish
Government through their native language, they were tasked to report whatever is happening in their parishes
and friar-estates. In short, they were supposed to act as a mediators between the Spanish Government and
the Filipino people. However, instead of reporting the deplorable conditions of the Filipinos, they chose to
close their eyes, cover their ears, and open their purse. Such was the sad reality of the Spanish colonial
policy in the Philippines.
Lastly, the Philippines suffered from a lack of representation in the Spanish Cortes. Ideally, the colonial
government should open its parliament to colonial representation. This is one way of hearing and improving
the conditions of its colonies. It was on year 1811 that the Philippines was represented by a 71-year old
Filipino-Spanish merchant named Ventura de los Reyes. However, his diligent representation was one
reason why the galleon trade was abolished for its reported abuses. These examples are proof of how
representation would benefit the country by communicating the needs of the colony. Despite its emerging
advantages, it was only short-lived. Thus, social injustices continually oppressed and marginalized the
Filipinos during the 19th century Philippines.
Economic Context
The second half of the 19th century was a period of rapid economic growth. In Europe, the use of increasingly
expensive, powerful and productive steam engines resulted in the use of machinery in the manufacturing
sector in the cities of Europe (Odense, 2006). The benefits arising from these technological innovations paved
the way for efficient production. With more products in place, the countries are looking for more places to
trade. The invention of tools, ships, and other types of machinery brought trade, governments, and people
closer to each other. To remove these external barriers, the Suez Canal was constructed. The Suez Canal
is a waterway that connects Europe to Asia by creating a direct shipping route without having to
circumnavigate the African continent. This new infrastructure brought about by the economic developments
in Europe brought Spain closer to the Philippines.
The opening of the Suez Canal also brought several advantages to the Philippines. First, the distance of
travel between Europe and the Philippines was significantly shortened. Second, and it brought the country
closer to Spain. Before the canal's opening, the travel from Spain to the Philippines would take more than
two months. However, upon the opening of the Suez Canal, it was significantly reduced to 30 days. What is
then the implication of the Suez Canal to the Filipinos during that time?
It is a fact that the outstanding economic developments brought by industrialization then enabled the
construction of the Suez Canal. With travel significantly shortened, the Filipino ilustrados were able to send
their children to universities in Europe. The education gained by these ilustrados opened their minds to the
opposing conditions that are happening in the colony (Philippines) and the mother country (Spain). Being
enrolled in prestigious universities in Europe, these Filipino Ilustrados witnessed how the mother country
enjoyed freedom, free from biases, injustices and racial discrimination. On the other hand, while Spain
enjoyed freedom and rights, the colony suffered from the maladministration of justice committed by its
incompetent and corrupt government officials.
On this notion, the call for reforms had been constantly waged by the ilustrados abroad like Rizal. They
organized the Propaganda Movement that aimed to expose the deplorable conditions of the Filipinos in the
Philippines so that Spain may remedy them.
Socio-Cultural Context
The 19th century also brought socio-cultural changes in Spain and the Philippines. First, there came the rise
of the enlightenment period, where people began to rely on human reason rather than faith and religion. In
the Philippines, Information through books and print media began to spread across the seas. The opening of
the Suez Canal made these pieces of information readily available to the Filipinos by mail or hand-carried by
travelers. The political and social developments of other countries also reached the Philippines. Knowing
how the French took part in their political revolution and how the Americans engaged in the civil war became
an inspring lesson to the Filipinos, especially the ilustrados. The desire for freedom and independence
continued to grow among them.
Next, the 19 century Philippines saw the rise of middle-class, the principalias. With the increasing demand
for abaca and other crops in Europe, there was a need for more Fillipino people to cultivate lands. Manila
became a free port in 1834 primarily to European traders. After several months, provincial ports in the
Philippines were also opened to world trade. The increasing trade resulted to its gradual increase that can
be attested to by these numbers (Majul, 1978):
"In 1831, hemp exports amounted to only about 346 tons. In 1837, it rose to 2,585 fons and in 1858,
it rose up to 27,500 tons-two-thirds going to the United States. Also, in 1782, about 30,000 piculs of
sugar were exported. This increased to 146,661 in 1840. It became 566,371 in 1854 and, in 1857,
the amount rose to 714,059. 18 With an increase of exports (including tobacco, copra, coffee, and
rice), many Spaniards and affluent natives began to invest in many of the foreign commercial firms."
To further the economic gain of Spain, the Spanish officials recommended the exploitation and cultivation of
the Philippine resources to expand its trade relationship with Asia and Europe. To enhance their trading
capacities, Spain implemented the following measures (Majul, 1978):
1. Reformation of the Galleon Trade:
2. Settlement of the Spaniards in the provinces for agricultural and trade purposes; and
3. Government expropriation of the landed estates of the friar corporations.
With these measures, the Spanish Government was now duty-bound to allow Filipinos to rent and cultivate
agricultural lands. To achieve this, more families had to engage in farming. Among those principalia families
who benefited from leasing the land owned by the Dominican estate was the family of Rizal. The primary
source of income of the family came from leasing and cultivating this wealthy friar estate. They planted crops
like abaca, corn, sugarcane and others. They also domesticated animals like turkeys. Out of the Rizal family's
Income from the land, they could afford to send Rizal for western education.
However, despite these social developments, agricultural unrest continued to grow. Friars who owned the
land exploited the tenants through flimsily increasing land rentals and taxes. This resulted in several agrarian
unrest and dissatisfaction with the living conditions of the Filipinos under the friar-owned estates. Most of the
lands rented by the Filipinos from these friar estates were reduced due to several factors such as: land
reform, church donations, inheritance, revolt, or misfortune (Zaide, 1999). Rizal fought heavily alongside the
farmers. They contended that the corrupt motives of the friars heavily oppressed the social conditions of the
Filipinos.
Understanding Rizal in the Context of the 19th Century Philippines
The political, economic, and social conditions of the 19 century shaped the kind of Rizal that we know today
in history. Without an understanding of that milieu, one can scarcely understand Rizal's enduring importance
to the Filipino people nor the relevance of his ideas and ideals today (Schumacher, 1991). To know why Rizal
fought for reforms, one must look into the political conditions of the 19th century to understand the political
struggles of the Filipinos. To know why Rizal fought against the Spaniards, one must assess how the Spanish
Government exploited the Filipinos through their economic policies. To determine why Rizal attacked the
friars in his novels, one must understand the social realities of the Filipinos during his time.
For this reason, this Chapter seeks to answer how the political, economic and socio-cultural events of the
19th century shaped Rizal's ideals for nationalism and Filipino identity.
First, Rizal is a product of the 19th century. Would Rizal be who he is today if the Philippine context in the
19" century were different? Definitely, yes. The kind of Rizal that we know today is a product of his own time.
He was at the right time, with the right people, and with the right context to campaign for nationalism. We
cannot seemingly imagine a 19th century Philippines without someone like Rizal on it. His life, works, and
writings helped shaped our history. He used his knowledge for the betterment of the Filipino people and the
Philippines.
Next, Rizal responded to the needs of the time. The Filipinos' deplorable political and social conditions paved
the way for Rizal to rise against the Spaniards and call out inefficiency, injustice and racial discrimination. He
took an active role through the Propaganda Movement so that Spain may remedy them. From his study
abroad and observance of the European laws, ways and cultures, he realized that the Philippines could be a
better place if only Spain would take proactive steps in protecting its colony. He did not hesitate to write the
Noli Me Tangere and the El Filibusterismo to showcase the political conditions of the Philippines under the
hands of the corrupt friars and inefficient Spanish officials. Therefore, Rizal came out at a time when he was
most needed. He took an active role in achieving true Filipino identity.
Lastly, Rizal's idea of a Filipino nation would not be possible without the events of the 19th century. In the
overview of this Chapter, we discussed that the facts of contemporary history were also facts about the
success and the failure of individual men and women (Wright Mills, 1959). Therefore, the success of Rizal
and other Filipino people to achieve independence was a response to fulfill their growing desire for justice,
equality and freedom. The world and the Philippine context of the 19 century molded the environment that
Rizal lived. He responded to what the people needed and used his capabilities to achieve Filipino identity.
The independence that we have today is the result of how Rizal, together with other Filipino heroes in history,
fought hard to achieve the blessings of independence and democracy.
Source:
Schumacher, J. (1991). Rizal in the context of the 19th century Philippines. The making of a nation: Essays
on nineteenth-century filipino nationalism. QuezonCity: ADMU Press.