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Chinese History in the Philippines • A policy that limited the number of Chinese
• The Chinese were already in the Philippines in the
16th century
• Historians said however it was during pre-colonial
that the Chinese arrived as merchants between the
coasts of Manila and China
• Still, it was only during the Spanish colonial period
that Chinese immigrants became prominent in PH
• 1954 – the Spanish Governor Luiz Perez
Dasmarinas created Binondo as a permanent
settlement for Chinese mestizos who converted to
Catholicism
• In Binondo, Chinese merchants and traders were free
to do their business. It is also the place of
intermarriages between Chinese immigrants and
Filipino natives, thus the emergence of Chinese
mestizo
• Spaniard saw Chinese as a threat as their population
increased. They feared that the Chinese would be less
loyal than the indios
• Chinese became pivotal to the Spanish colonial rule
because they provided valuable capital to Manila.
Governor Dasmarinas realized that Manila needs the
Chinese for economic reasons
• Chinese mestizo communities continue to emerge in
the archipelago such as Sta. Cruz and Tondo in
Manila
• 100 Chinese individuals were married to native
Filipinos in Iloilo, Pampanga and Cebu in the early
17th century
• In Northern Luzon, Chinese mestizos could be
found in Pangasinan, Benguet, and Mountain
Province.
• From the beginning of the Spanish Colonial period
until 1740, the inhabitants of the Philippines were
classified into three:
o Spaniards
o Indios and;
o Chinese
• It was only 1741 that the legal status of Chinese
mestizos was officially established when the whole
population of the Philippine was reclassified into four
according to tax payment or tribute. These classes are:
o Spaniards and Spanish mestizos
o Indios
o Chinese
o Chinese mestizos
• Spaniard and Spanish mestizos were not required to
pay taxes depending on their income
individuals who could reside in the Philippines and
restricted their area of settlement was implemented
• There were almost 500,000 Chinese mestizos in the
Philippines with 46,000 living in Manila at the end of
the 19th century
• A Chinese mestizo was:
o Any person born of a Chinese father and
indio mother
o A Spanish mestiza and a Chinese mestizo
o A child of a Spanish mestiza and a Chinese
mestizo
• But a Chinese mestiza and an indio were listed as
Indios
Significance of Chinese Mestizo
• The expulsion of Chinese immigrants in the
Philippines enabled the Chinese mestizos to take
over in the markets that the former previously
controlled.
• Chinese mestizos became prominent and influential
figures in the areas of industry, commerce, and
business during the Spanish colonial period. They
carried on a lucrative by collecting goods from the
north and selling them to Manila and nearby
provinces. They monopolized the internal trading in
the Philippines while the Spanish mestizos were
concerned with foreign trade.
• The entrepreneurial power of the Chinese mestizos
gave way to the emergence of the Philippine middle
class described as “more active and enterprising,
more prudent and pioneering, more oriented to trade
and commerce than the Indios” (Bowring, 1963).
• They shared economic powers in terms of exports and
imports. They became landholders, wholesalers,
retailers, and owners of the majority of the artisan
shops.
• Chinese mestizos played a significant role in the
Philippine society on the formation of the Filipino
identity. This was evident during the latter part of the
19th century when they became clearly influential in
the economy of the Philippines as a Spanish colony.
• This caused the Spaniards to be concerned with the
ability of the Chinese mestizos to cause discord in
society
• By 1800s, Chinese mestizos in the provinces began to
form opinions regarding the Spanish colonial rule. It
was also difficult to separate the Indios from
Chinese mestizos since they identified themselves
with each other socially and culturally
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• Chinese mestizos shared grievances with the Indios
about the harsh conditions under the Spanish rule
• Spaniards feared that the independent mindset and
liberalism of Chinese mestizos might influence the
political consciousness of Indios.
• Evidently, this emergent middle class, the Chinese
mestizos, rekindled and intensified the growing
national opposition to colonial abuses and demanded
sweeping social reforms.
• The most vivid manifestation of the budding sense of
Filipino nationalism appeared in the late 1870s in the
writings of Pedro Paterno and Gregorio Sancianco,
who were both Chinese mestizos.
• Paterno and Sancianco wrote about the essence of
being a Filipino, defended the dignity of the Filipinos,
and explained the supposed indolence of the Indios.
• Their writings were nurtured by Jose Rizal, a known
pride of the Malay race but also a chinese mestizo.
Rizal descended from a pure Chinese ancestor and
a long line of Chinese mestizos and mestizas.
• The significant role of Chinese mestizos in the
making of the nation was highly evident as the turn of
the century. Their involvement in the armed revolt
against the colonizers showed that they recognized
Spain as the enemy-the oppressor.
• The Philippine Revolution of 1869 to 1898 was the
act of determination on the part of Filipinos-Indios
and Chinese mestizos alike-to claim for themselves
and for the future generations the incomparable
birthright of nationhood.
Rizal and the Chinese Mestizos
• Rizal is a fifth-generation Chinese mestizo.
However, he and his father were considered as Indios
• Some documents and scholarly papers noted that
Rizal dislike being called Chinese mestizo or Tsinoy
• Rizal exposed the abuses and corruption of the
Spanish authorities, condemned the oppression of the
people by the colonizers, and ridiculed the hypocrisy
and overbearing attitude of the Spanish friars in his
novels Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo
• Rizal manifested his anti-Christian feelings in his
writings, as well as his correspondence with family
and friends
• Chinese mestizo or not, Rizal is a nationalist and a
Filipino
Rizal’s Family
• Rizal was born to a wealthy family in Calamba,
Laguna
• Jose Rizal was born on June 19, 1861 on Wednesday
evening. He was baptized three day later, June 22 by
the parish priest of the Catholic Church in his town
Fr. Rufino Collantes from Batangas
• He was the 7th among the 11 children of Francisco
Mercado Rizal and Teodora Alonzo Realonda.
• Paciano, the second to the eldest child in the family,
was the only brother of Jose.
• His other siblings were Saturnina, Narcisa, Olimpia,
Lucia, Maria, Concepcion, Josefa, Trinidad, and
Soledad. (SPNOLMJCJTS)
• Jose had a Chinese ancestor from his father’s side,
Domingo Lam-Co who married a Chinese mestiza,
Ines de la Rosa
• He also had a Japanese, Spanish, and Malay blood
Rizal’s Childhood
• At an early age, Jose was already seen as a welcome
companion by many adults because he was very
respectful and polite
• Rizal spent many of his childhood days in their family
garden
• He was frail and sickly
• His father built him a nipa hut where he could play
during the day
• In his childhood, Jose was very curious about the
stories that his mother told him which made him
interested in legends and folklore
• Rizal was very religious. His mother Teodora made
sure to teach Jose all the important prayer especially
the Angelus which he recites daily with his sibling
and parents
• He was exposed to Catholic teachings and values
Rizal’s Education
• Jose Rizal’s first teacher was his mother
• He was able to recite the alphabet at three years old
• In his journal, he wrote, “My mother taught me how
to read and to say haltingly the humble prayers which
I raised fervently to God’
• Leon Monroy was Rizal’s private tutor who taught
him the rudiments of Latin
• He was also taught by his Uncle Manuel Alberto and
Uncle Gregorio
• Uncle Manuel Alberto was concerned with Rizal’s
physical development and instilled in him the love
for nature while Uncle Gregorio taught him the
value of education
• Jose had his early education in Calamba and Bifian
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• His education was focused on reading, writing,
arithmetic, and religion.
• Instruction was imposed very rigidly and strictly.
Teachers made use of whips to force knowledge into
the minds of the students
• Despite the shortcomings of the Spanish system of
basic education, Rizal was able to acquire the
necessary skills to prepare him for higher education
in Manila.
• Jose’s first teacher in Bifian was Maestro Justiniano
Aquino Cruz whi he described as tall, thin, long-
necked, sharp-nosed, and with a body slightly bent
forward
• In Bifian, Jose regularly attended mass, went to
orchard, went to class at 10:00 am and ate lunch,
arrived home at 5:00pm and consistently studied and
drew.
• He also prayed daily before going to bed
• Jose was the most outstanding among all his
classmates. He surpassed them all in Spanish, Latin,
and other subjects
• This made his older classmates jealous of him. They
told lies about Jose to teachers just to discredit him.
Although he was not quarrelsome, Jose never ever
backed out from a fight.
Rizal’s Influence
• Jose Rizal grew up surrounded by influences that
have contributed to the development of his nationalist
sensibilities
• From his father, Francisco, Rizal learned the value of
self-respect, love for work, and independent thinking.
• His greatest influence was his mother, Teodora. It
was from her that Jose got his religiosity, a high sense
of self-sacrifice, and love for the arts.
• His love for freedom and justice wasinculcated in him
by Paciano while his sisters taught him to be
respectful and kind to women.
• He got his love for books and his being hardworking
from his Uncle Gregorio.
• His Uncle Jose encouraged him to develop his skills
in painting, sketching, and sculpting.
• An equally important influence on the character of
Rizal was the environment he grew up in. As
mentioned, he spent his childhood in Calamba, in a
family that nurtured his mind and soul.
• The Rizal family had a beautiful garden which helped
Rizal appreciate nature. These things stimulated the
young hero's innate artistic and literary talents.
History of the Friar Lands
• The existence of friar lands in the Philippines can be
traced back to the early Spanish colonial period when
Spanish conquistadors were awarded lands in the
form of haciendas for their loyalty to the Spanish
crown.
• Approximately 120 Spaniards were granted either
large tracts of land called sitio de ganado mayor or
smaller tracts called caballerias.
• However, the hacienderos, those who owned the
haciendas, failed to develop their lands.
• The Spaniards were not expected to permanently stay
in the Philippines. Many of them returned to Spain
once they were done serving in the country.
• The livestock market during this time was still small.
Thus, the Galleon Trade based in Manila, appealed
more to the Spaniards because it offered better
economic opportunities.
• The Spanish friars were able to acquire land through
whatever means available to them.
• According to sources, lands were donated to the friars
in exchange for spiritual favors.
• Many Filipinos believed that the friars had no titles to
the lands they owned because they acquired them
through usurpation and other dubious means.
• When the export of agricultural crops started to
blossom in the 18th century, the inquilinato system
was put into place. In this system, one who rented
land for a fixed annual amount, an inquilino, was
expected to give personal services to the landlords. If
he or she failed to do so, he or she would be expelled
from the land.
• The inquilinos could also lease the land they were
renting from the landlord to a kasama or sharecropper
who would then be responsible for cultivating the
land.
• The inquilinato system functioned as a three-layered
system with the landlords on top, the inquilinos in the
middle, and the kasamas at the bottom.
Hacienda de Calamba Dispute
• The Hacienda de Calamba was originally owned by a
Spaniard who donated the land to Jesuit friars to allow
him to permanently stay in the Jesuit monastery.
• However, since the Jesuits were expelled from the
Philippines, the hacienda went to the possession of the
Spanish colonial government.
• In 1803, the land was sold to Don Clemente de
Azansa.
• After his death, it was eventually sold to the
Dominicans who claimed ownership of the hacienda
until late 19th century.
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• Rizal's family became one of the principal inquilinos

of the hacienda. They rented one of the largest leased
parcel of land measuring approximately 380 hectares.
• The main crop was sugarcane since it was the most
in-demand in the world market then.
• The Rizal family got their income mainly from the
land they rented. However, when conflicts on land
ownership in the hacienda arose in 1883, the family
evidently suffered.