The Philippines in the 19th Century as ➢ Constructed between 1859 and

Rizal Context 1869 under the leadership of

French diplomat Ferdinand de
→The Economic, Social, and Political.
Lesseps, it was officially opened on
Discussed herewith are the historical
November 17, 1869.
events which characterized the country
➢ expedited the importation not only
during that period.
of products but also of books,
Objectives: magazines, and newspapers with
❑ To Analyze the various social, political, liberal ideas from America and
and economic changes that occurred in the Europe, which ultimately affected
19th century, the minds of Rizal and other
❑ To interpret Jose Rizal in the context of Filipino reformists.
his times, and
3. The rise of the export of the crop
❑ To appraise finally the link between the
economy
individual and society.
➢ The exploitation of the Philippines’
natural resources and the progress
Economic Context
of an export crop between 1820
and 1870
1. The end of the Galleon Trade
➢ Products such as sugar, hemp
➢ started when Andres de Urdaneta,
(abaka), and coffee
in convoy under Miguel Lopez de
➢ Many opportunities for the
Legaspi discovered a return route
expanding Chinese population.
from Cebu to Mexico in 1565
➢ Export crops: the hemp- producing
➢ 1564 to September 14, 1815 (250
areas of southeastern Luzon and
years) Trade from Mexican trader:
the eastern Visayas, the sugar
mango, buffalo, tea, and tuba, and
areas of the Western Visayas, and
from Filipino trader: avocado,
the tobacco provinces of
guava, pineapple, papaya, horse,
northeastern Luzon.
and cow.
➢ Intercultural exchanges between
4. Monopolies in the Philippines
Asia (especially Philippines),
Spanish America, and onward to
➢ The opium monopoly (1840’s the
Europe and Africa.
Spanish government had legalized
➢ Liberal ideas to enter the
the use of opium (provided it was
Philippines,
limited to Chinese
➢ Special crops and items, such as
2. The opening of the Canal Suez
spirituous liquors (1712-1864),
➢ An artificial sea-level waterway in
tobacco (1782-1882), and
Egypt that connects the
explosives (1805-1864).
Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea
➢ The tobacco monopoly ( March 1,
through the Isthmus of Suez
1782, Governor General Jose
➢ Lessened the travel time from
Basco) to increase government
Spain to the country to 40 days,
revenue since the annual subsidy
made this more convenient.
coming from Mexico was no longer
sufficient to maintain the colony.

➢ Widespread cultivation of tobacco
in the provinces of Cagayan Valley,
Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union,
Isabela, Abra, Nueva Ecija, and
Marinduque.
Social Context
1. Education
➢ Schools were established and run
by Catholic missionaries.
➢ Aiming to convert the natives to
the Catholic faith and make them
obedient, the colonial government
and the Catholic Church made
religion a compulsory subject at all
levels.
➢ King Philip II’s Leyes de Indias (Laws
of the Indies) mandated Spanish
authorities in the Philippines to
educate the locals, to teach them
how to read and write and to learn
Spanish
➢ The first formal schools were the
parochial schools opened in their
parishes by the missionaries, such
as the Agustinians, Franciscans,
Jesuits, and Dominicans
2. The Rise of Chinese Mestizo,
➢ The development of commercial
agriculture in the archipelago
resulted in the presence of a new
class.
➢ Alongside the landholdings of the
church and the rice estates of the
pre-Spanish nobility, there
emerged haciendas of sugar,
coffee, and hemp, typically owned
by enterprising Chinese-Filipino
mestizos.
➢ In fact, some of the families which
attained reputation in the
➢ 19th century have continued to
play a vital role in the country’s
economics and politics.
3. The rise of the Inquilinos
➢ Qualified system of tenancy, or the
right to use land in exchange of
rent
➢ During harvest time, the
administrator would collect the
rent of the inquilinos, organize the
delivery of the harvests to the local
market or to Manila, and remit the
income from sales and rents to the
estate owners.
➢ With the expansion of land owned
by missionary congregations (friar
eatates), the proportions of
farmlands leased to inquilinos also
increased allowing many of them
to sub-lease parcels of their land to
sharecropper or kasamas.
➢ This system eventually became
very profitable that some
inquilinos acquired lands of their
own and entered in other gainful
commercial ventures. Some
inquilinos even ceased becoming
farmers and relegated the job
completely to their sub-tenants.
Political Context
1. Liberalism
➢ A worldview founded on ideas of
freedom and equality which
includes a wide range of political
philosophies that consider
individual liberty to be the most
significant political goal, and
underscore individual rights and
equality of opportunity.
➢ Liberals normally believe that
government is necessary to protect
individuals from being abused by
 others though they are also aware Monarchy still under control of the
that government itself can pose a Spanish Crown
threat to liberty. ➢ the first constitution in Europe to
➢ The French revolution (1789-1799) deal with national sovereignty,
started a political revolution in recognizing sovereignty as coming
Europe and consequently in some from the people and not from the
other parts of the globe. King.
➢ The Cadiz Constitution, which was
2. The impact of the Bourbon reforms formally implemented in Manila
➢ When the Spanish Bourbon King V. soon after, established the
(b.1700-1746) assented to the principles of universal male
throne, he and his successors, suffrage, national sovereignty,
Ferdinand VI (r.1745-1759), Charles constitutional monarchy, and
III (r.1759-1788), and Charles IV freedom of the press, and
(r.1788-1807), advocated a advocated land reform and free
century-long effort to reform and enterprise.
modify the Spanish empire. ➢ Dealing with policies on Spain’s
➢ These policy changes, known colonies including the Philippines,
jointly as the Bourbon Reforms, the constitution issued a decree
endeavored to curtail contraband “granting all its colonies
commerce, reclaim control over representation as province in the
transatlantic trade, restrict the Spanish Cortes through deputies
church’s power, reform state chosen by the various capital cities
finances to fill dwindling royal
coffers, and found tighter
administrative and political control
within the empire.
➢ Ideally, the Bourbon reform
policies were advantageous to the
Philippines, which was under Spain
from 1565 to 1898. However since
the Philippines was practically far
from Spain, and so it was hard for
Bourbon advocates to check if
reform policies were properly
implemented in Spain’s colony in
the Far East.

3. The Cadiz Constitution

➢ During the Napoleonic occupation
of Spain, a liberal constitution was
promulgated in Cadiz in March
1812. It was drafted by elected
representatives, the Cadiz
Constitution was put in practice in
almost all the areas of the Hispanic
The Philippines in the Nineteenth Century
as Rizal’s Context
Introduction
To understand Rizal’s life, thoughts,
and work, we must understand first the
economic, social, and political aspect of the
time when he was born, grew up and
became the Rizal that we knew. The 19th
century Philippines as Rizal’s context will be
further discussed into 3 aspects, namely,
economic, social, and political. The
economic aspect will focus on end of the
galleon trade, opening of the Suez Canal,
opening of ports to world trade, rise of the
export crop economy, and monopolies. The
social aspect will include education, the rise
of the Chinese mestizos and the rise of the
inquilino. On the other hand, the political
aspect will concentrate on Liberalism,
impact of the bourbon reforms and the
Cadiz constitution.
The Philippines in the Nineteenth Century
as Rizal’s Context
Jose Rizal was born in the 19th
century where the Philippines is still under
the colonization of Spain. Much of Spain’s
colonies have gained its independence
except the Philippines, Cuba, Puerto Rico
and the Spanish Sahara. Philippines was the
richest in terms of natural resources and
trade potential (de Viana, 2014). Filipinos
during those times are unfortunate victims
of the Spaniards where human rights are
denied to Filipinos, there is no equality
before the law, there is maladministration
of justice, discrimination, frailocracy, and
forced labor and Philippines has no
representation in the Spanish Cortes.
19th century was also a century of
change. It is commonly depicted as the
birth of modern life, as well as the birth of
many nation-states around the globe. The
century was also a period massive changes
in Europe, Spain and consequently in the
Philippines. It was during this era that the
power and glory of Spain, the Philippines’
colonizer waned both in its colonies and in
the world (Manego, J.,Paragas, R.,
Barrientos, M. A, & Francisco, R, 2018).
Economic Aspect
The end of the galleon trade.
A galleon is a ship carrying goods.
The Galleon Trade is a ship trade. Prior to
the coming of the Spaniards in the
Philippines, Filipinos are already trading
with its neighboring countries such as
China, Japan, Siam, India, Cambodia,
Borneo, and the Moluccas. When the
Spaniards came, the trade relations to
these countries were continued and made
Manila known as the center of commerce
in the
East.
In 1565, the Spanish government
closed the ports of Manila to all countries
except, Mexico, thereby giving birth to the
Manila – Acapulco Trade, popularly known
as the “Galleon Trade”. The Manila Galleon
Trade allowed modern, liberal ideas to
enter the Philippines, eventually and
gradually inspiring the movement for
independence from Spain. It was in 1815
when the Galleon Trade ended with
Mexico’s war of Independence (Manego,
et. al., 2018).
Opening of the Suez Canal.
The Suez Canal connects the
Mediterranean and the Red Seas. It was the
work of Ferdinand de Lesseps, a French
diplomat, under the Suez Canal Company. It
opened on November 17, 1869. With the
use of steamships, it lessened the travel
time from Philippines to Spain in just 32 to
40 days compared to more than 3 months
before. Products are now exported and
imported fast including books, magazines,
and newspapers. People can travel in a
shorter time. It encouraged the ilustrados,
including Jose Rizal, to study abroad.
Opening of Manila ports to world trade.
The growing numbers of foreign
merchants in Manila spurred the
integration of the Philippines into an
international commercial system linking
industrialized Europe and North America
with sources of raw materials and markets
in the Americas and Asia. In principle, non-
Spanish Europeans were not allowed to
reside in Manila or elsewhere in the islands,
but in fact British, American, French, and
other foreign merchants circumvented this
prohibition by flying the flags of Asian
states or conniving with local officials. In
1834 the crown abolished the Royal
Company of the Philippines and formally
recognized free trade, opening the port of
Manila to unrestricted foreign commerce
(Dolan, R., 1991 as stated by Ariola, M.,
2018).
Rise of the export crop economy.
The rapid development of the
economy began to flow in the Philippines
through cash crops. By the first half of the
nineteenth century, majority of the exports
of the Philippines came from cash crops like
tobacco, sugar, cotton, indigo, abaca, and
coffee (Wani – Obias R., Mallari, A., &
Reguindin-Estella J., 2018). British and
Americans were predominant in the foreign
trade. The Chinese occupied the position of
intermediaries between foreign western
merchants and the domestic market.
Despite the dominant presence of
foreigners in the Philippine economy “a
native middle class was rising.” (Legarda, B.,
1999; Giraldez A., 2001).
Monopolies.
The development of fiscal
monopolies was the fundamental condition
for the continuity of Spanish colonial power
in the Philippines and it was primarily the
revenues from tobacco that guaranteed the
fiscal resources necessary to sustain the
Spanish presence after the transoceanic
system collapsed during 1810–15. From
then until 1882, the fiscal monopolies
sustained the administration of the colonial
state, but now outside the imperial context
in which it had been embedded for more
than two centuries (Fradera, 2004.)
For the first time ever, the
Philippines ceased to be an economic drag
to the royal treasury. The Government still
has 1 320 656 pesos even after the overdue
accounts had been paid. The Philippines
became known globally as the largest
Tobacco – producing country in Asia.
Filipinos were offered jobs in cigar and
cigarette factories. Thus, more Filipinos
became employed. It triggered internal
trade (Ariola, M., 2018).
The Social Aspect
Education.
The economic developments
precipitated social, political, and cultural
developments. For example, the new
economy demanded a more literate
population to address the rising need for a
more professionalized workforce to man
the trading activities in Manila and other
centers. This demand compelled the
issuance of colonial government order in
1863 that required all towns to set up
primary schools to teach the population
how to read and write (Wani-Obias, et.al,
2018).
Finally, after 300 years under
Spanish rule, the reformed educational
system gave Filipinos the opportunity to
pursue higher learning, study liberal
western ideas and develop valuable
leadership skills. This gave birth to select
group of enlightened individuals who call
themselves as Ilustrados. The Ilustrados
played a major role in the Philippine
revolution against Spain. Prominent
Ilustrados were Graciano Lopez Jaena,
Mariano Ponce, Marcelo H. del Pilar,
Antonio Luna and the Philippine National
Hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal (Dacumos, 2015).
The rise of the Chinese mestizos.
Since the pre-colonial times,
Filipinos had trade relations with the
Chinese. A time came when the influx of
Chinese settlements made the Spaniards
suspicious that led to stringent state polices
towards them such as higher taxes,
restriction of movement with the
establishment of the Chinese enclave
(Parian), to actual policies expulsion. But
the Chinese proved to be “necessary
outsiders”. Eventually and gradually, they
became integrated into colonial society,
giving rise to intermarriages with Indios
that gave birth to Chinese mestizo (Wani –
Obias, 2018).
By the late nineteenth century,
prominent mestizo families were noted for
their wealth and formed the major
component of a Filipino elite. As the export
economy grew and foreign contact
increased, the mestizos and other
members of this Filipino elite, known
collectively as ilustrados, obtained higher
education (in some cases abroad), entered
professions such as law or medicine, and
were particularly receptive to the liberal
and democratic ideas that were beginning
to reach the Philippines despite the efforts
of the generally reactionary--and friar-
dominated--Spanish establishment (Dolan,
1991).
The rise of the inquilino.
An inquilino is a tenant who rents
lands from the landlords (friars) then
subleases the land to a sharecropper or
kasama. The Inquilino System is a three-
tiered system composed of the Spanish
religious hacenderos at the topmost part
who has direct authority, followed by the
Inquilinos or lessee. They pay a fixed annual
amount. The bottom part is the
sharecroppers or the kasama.
This system became very profitable
that some inquilinos acquired lands of their
own and entered in other gainful
commercial ventures. Some inquilinos
ceased becoming farmers and relegated
the job completely to their sub- tenants
(Manebog, et.al., 2018).
Political aspect
Liberalism
The principal ideas of liberalism –
liberty and equality – were first realized
successfully in the American Revolution
and then achieved in part in the French
Revolution. This political and social
Philosophy challenged conservatism in the
European continent. Liberalism demanded
representative government as opposed to
autocratic monarchy, equality before the
law as opposed to legally separate classes.
The idea of liberty also meant specific
individual freedoms: freedom of the press;
freedom of speech; freedom of assembly;
and freedom from arbitrary arrest (Garcia,
C., De Viana, A. & Cruz, C., 2015).
 The Philippines’ actual experience
of liberalism came from the role modeling
of the “First liberal governor-general in the
Philippines,” Governor – General Carlos
Maria Dela Torre. He held the position from
1869 to 1871 and is widely considered to be
the most beloved of the Spanish Governor
– General ever assigned in the country. His
rule was essential in the dawn of national
consciousness of the locals in the 19th
century. His liberal and democratic
governance had provided Jose Rizal and the
other a preview of a democratic rule and
way of life (Manebog, et.al., 2018).
Impact of the bourbon reforms.
The Bourbon Reforms were a set of
economic and political laws promulgated
by the Spanish Crown and under the orders
of several kings of the House of Bourbon,
mainly in the eighteenth century. The
strengthening of the power of the crown
with clear lines of authority for
functionaries contrasted with the complex
system of government that developed
under the Habsburg monarchs. In
particular, the crown pursued state
supremacy over the Catholic Church,
resulting in the suppression of the Society
of Jesus in 1767, as well as the attempt to
abolish ecclesiastical privilege (Briceno,
2019).
The Bourbon Reforms consisted of
changes in economic, political, and
administrative matters in the peninsular
territories including its colonies such as the
Philippines to gain positive impact on the
economy of Spain.
The Bourbon Reforms should be
advantageous to how Spanish
administrators run the Philippines but to
some extent only. The impact is limited
because the Philippine is far from Spain,
and it was hard for the bourbon advocates
to check if reform policies were properly
implemented. Moreover, there were
questionable matters as regards the
effectiveness of the Bourbon Reform
project. The reform process was also seen
as so complex that Spanish reformers
sometimes promoted distinctly different
kinds of policies for provinces in its diverse
empire. While historians are questioning
the overall timing, impact and effectiveness
of the Bourbon Reforms, its impact at least
is that it gave people, especially the native
Philippines, the idea that colonization could
be done without much intervention from
the Catholic Church (Manebog, et.al.,
2018).
Cadiz constitution.
The Cadiz Constitution of 1812
mandated the transformation of the
Spanish government from monarchy to
constitutional monarchy, the parliamentary
system in the creation of law, division of
power in the government, equality, free
trade, competition, and divestment of
properties held in mortmain or the
properties from the church and other
institution (De Pedro, 2005 as stated by
Francisco, V. & Francisco P., 2018).
The changes made by the
adaptation of the new constitution brought
confusion to the Spanish people and the
majority of the population wanted the old
system of the government because their
perspective in the new system was just a
new version of the absolutism in France.
The social and political transformation in
Spain paved way to the rise of different
groups which later on affected the political
situation in the Philippines and influenced
the Illustrados (the Enlightened Ones)
including Jose Rizal as he ventured to Spain
to pursue his studies and do his mission.
 Key Points:
Key point:
The Philippines in the Nineteenth Century
as Rizal’s Context is divided into 3 aspects,
namely:
1. Economic
2. Social
3. Political
Key point 01: Jose Rizal was born in the 19th
century under the colonization of Spain.
Key point 02: 19th century is considered a
century of change. It is commonly depicted
as the birth of modern life, as well as the
birth of many nation-states around the
globe
Key point 03: The Manila – Acapulco Trade
is popularly known as the “Galleon Trade”.
Key point 04: Ferdinand de Lesseps was the
person behind the construction of the Suez
Canal.
Key point 05: The construction of the Suez
Canal lessened the travel time from
Philippines to Spain in just 32 to 40 days
compared to more than 3 months before.
Key point 06: Cash crops includes tobacco,
sugar, cotton, indigo, abaca, and coffee. The
Philippines became known globally as the
largest Tobacco – producing country in Asia
Key point 07: Government order in1863
required all towns to set up primary schools
to teach the population on how to read and
write.
Key point 08: The Ilustrados or the
Enlightened ones played a major role in the
Philippine revolution against Spain
Key point 09: By the late nineteenth
century, prominent mestizo families were
noted for their wealth and formed the
major component of a Filipino elite.
Key point 10: The Inquilino System is a
three-tiered system composed of the
Spanish religious hacenderos at the
topmost part, followed by the inquilino,
then the kasama or sharecropper.
Key point 11: The principal ideas of
liberalism – liberty and equality – were first
realized successfully in the American
Revolution.
Key point 12: The “First liberal governor-
general of the Philippines” is Governor –
General Carlos Maria Dela Torre.
Key point 13: The Bourbon Reforms were a
set of economic and political laws
promulgated by the Spanish Crown and
under the orders of several kings of the
House of Bourbon, mainly in the eighteenth
century.
Key point 14: The Bourbon Reforms gave
the Filipinos the idea that colonization
could be done without much intervention
from the Catholic Church.
Key point 15: The Cadiz Constitution of
1812 mandated the transformation of the
Spanish government from monarchy to
constitutional monarchy.
Definition of Terms
Monopolies. It is a market structure where
there is exclusive control or power of one
party to sell goods and services.
Galleon Trade. It means a ship trade.
Liberalism. It is a doctrine based on liberty
and equality.
Nationalism. It is loyalty or devotion
towards one’s own nation or country
because of shared beliefs, culture,
interests, etc.
Patriotism. It’s a feeling of attachment to
one’s country.
Chinese Mestizo. He/she is a person with
mixed ancestry, one parent is Chinese the
other is a native.
Inquilino. He is a tenant who rents lands
and subleases the lands to a sharecropper.
Sharecropper. It is also known as kasama
who rents a land from an inquilino.

Revolution. It is a drastic, sudden, and Liberal and democratic ideas. These are
radical change. concepts of equality, justice, and freedom.

Galleon. It is a ship carrying goods. Autocratic monarchy. It is a form of

Frailocracy. It means rule of the friars.
Spanish Cortes. It means the national
assembly of Spain consisting of the nobles
and representatives of the nation.
monarchy where the monarch usually a
king or a queen holds a supreme autocratic
authority.
Insulares. He/she is a Spanish born in the
Philippines.

Industrialized. It means developed due to Mortmain. This is the inalienable

having a lot of industries. possession of property or land by the friars
or any religious or ecclesiastical
Steamships. It is a steam powered vessel corporation.
propelled by a steam engine.

Circumvented. It means to avoid

something by outwitting.

Intermediaries. It means middleman or link

between two parties.

Internal trade. It is the buying and selling of

goods and services within the Philippines
only.

Precipitated. It means something

happened suddenly or unexpectedly

Literate. It means educated or can read and

write.

Enlightened. It means persons who were

freed from ignorance and misinformation.