Week 13 - Indolence of The Filipinos

INDOLENCE OF
THE FILIPINOS
SUMMARY AND
ANALYSIS
LA INDOLENCIA DE LOS
FILIPINOS
• Essay
• Published in La Solidaridad
• Madrid, Spain (July 15, 1890
–September 15, 1890)
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INDOLENT
• Idle
• Lazy
• Little love for work
• Lack of activity
• La Indolencia de los Filipinos, more
popularly known in its English
version, "The Indolence of the
Filipinos," is an exploratory essay
written by Philippine national hero
Dr. Jose Rizal, to explain the
alleged idleness of his people
during the Spanish colonization.
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• The Indolence of the Filipinos is a
study of the causes why the people did
not, as was said, work hard during the
Spanish regime. Rizal pointed out that
long before the coming of the
Spaniards, the Filipinos were
industrious and hardworking.
• The Spanish reign brought about a
decline in economic activities because
of certain causes:
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• First, the establishment of the Galleon
Trade cut off all previous associations of
the Philippines with other countries in Asia
and the Middle East. As a result, business
was only conducted with Spain through
Mexico. Because of this, the small
businesses and handicraft industries that
flourished during the pre-Spanish period
gradually disappeared.
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• Second, Spain also extinguished the
natives’ love of work because of the
implementation of forced labor.
Because of the wars between Spain
and other countries in Europe as well
as the Muslims in Mindanao, the
Filipinos were compelled to work in
shipyards, roads, and other public
works, abandoning agriculture,
industry, and commerce.
• Third, Spain did not protect the people
against foreign invaders and pirates.
With no arms to defend themselves, the
natives were killed, their houses burned,
and their lands destroyed. As a result of
this, the Filipinos were forced to become
nomads, lost interest in cultivating their
lands or in rebuilding the industries that
were shut down, and simply became
submissive to the mercy of God.

• Fourth, there was a crooked system of
education, if it was to be considered
an education. What was being taught
in the schools were repetitive prayers
and other things that could not be
used by the students to lead the
country to progress. There were no
courses in Agriculture, Industry, etc.,
which were badly needed by the
Philippines during those times.
• Fifth, the Spanish rulers were a bad
example to despise manual labor. The
officials reported to work at noon and
left early, all the while doing nothing in
line with their duties. The women were
seen constantly followed by servants
who dressed them and fanned them –
personal things which they ought to
have done for themselves.

• Sixth, gambling was established
and widely propagated during
those times. Almost every day
there were cockfights, and during
feast days, the government officials
and friars were the first to engage
in all sorts of bets and gambles.

• Seventh, there was a crooked
system of religion. The friars
taught the naïve Filipinos that it
was easier for a poor man to enter
heaven, and so they preferred not
to work and remain poor so that
they could easily enter heaven
after they died.

• Lastly, the taxes were extremely
high, so much so that a huge
portion of what they earned
went to the government or to
the friars. When the object of
their labor was removed and
they were exploited, they were
reduced to inaction.
• Rizal admitted that the Filipinos did
not work so hard because they
were wise enough to adjust
themselves to the warm, tropical
climate. “An hour’s work under that
burning sun, in the midst of
pernicious influences springing
from nature in activity, is equal to a
day’s labor in a temperate climate.”
CAUSES
OF THE
INDOLENCE OF
THE FILIPINOS
1. Wars
• the inhabitants of the Philippines were
dragged to maintain the honor of Spain
(thousands and thousands of Filipinos
were sent but nothing was said if they
ever returned to their homes.)
• great diminution of the natives
because the governors got them as
crews for the vessels they sent out.
2. Pirate Attacks
• Devastation of the terrible pirates
• Reduced more and more the number of
inhabitants of the Philippines
• Burned down the towns, captured and
enslaved men
• Disarmed and subjected to tributes so
that they were left without the means to
defend themselves
3. ATTITUDE OF THE FRIARS
• At that time, the friars advised
their poor parishioners:
• to stop work in the mines,
• to abandon their industries,
• to destroy their looms and
pointing them that heaven is
their sole hope
3. ATTITUDE OF THE FRIARS
• The friars told them that it is
easier for a poor man to enter
heaven than for a rich man

4.LESSENING ENCOURAGEMENT
TO LABOR
• Trade contact or relations
between the Borneans,
Siamese, Cambodians and
Japanese nations were being
cut off
• The coast wide trade which was
flourishing before disappeared
5. MISERLY RETURN FOR
ONE’S LABOR
• Because of selfish, greedy, mean
Encomenderos who:
• reduced many to slavery
• compelled Filipinos to work for their benefit
• Made them sell their products at an
insignificant price or for nothing or cheated
them with false measures
• Treated them like slaves

6. GAMBLING
• The local word sugal (from the
Spanish word jugar, means to
gamble) indicates that gambling
was unknown in the Philippines
before the Spaniards arrived
• Balasa – from the Spanish word
barajar, the introduction of playing
cards
7. FIESTAS
• Gave their contribution to large
number of fiestas, lengthy
masses, novenae, processions,
rosaries
• Filipinos were much less lazy
before the word miracle was
introduced into their language
8. CURTAILMENT OF
INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY
• Curtail means to cut off, to cut short
• Individual liberty is being cut off
• Accused of being a filibustero
(rebel) or a suspect
• Lack of confidence in the future
• Uncertainty of reaping the fruits of
their labor
9. APATHY OF THE
GOVERNMENT
• No encouragement, aid pertaining to commerce
or agriculture
• The products coming from the Philippines were
burdened with imposts and duties and have no
free entry in the ports of the mother country and
the consumption of the products are not
encouraged
• Due to the fraudulent (dishonest, deceitful)
manipulations of the Chinese, the Filipino
industries were dying.
10. OWNERSHIP OF THE BIG
ESTATES BY THE FRIARS
• The best estates, the best tracts of
land in some provinces were in the
hands of the religious corporations
• The friars have deceived many by
making them believe that those
estates were prospering because
those were under their supervision
11. LACK OF MORAL
SUPPORT
• Absence of moral support
• Absence of help from the
government
• Chemist (competitive examination)
• Young man won a prize in a literary
contest
• Education of the Filipino
12. DEPRIVATION OF HUMAN
DIGNITY
• The students have to contend with the
daily preaching that lowers human dignity,
gradually or brutally killing their self-
respect
• Priests who boldly declared that it is evil for
the Filipinos to know Castilian, that the
Filipinos should not be separated from his
carabao, and that he should not have any
further ambition.
13. FEELING OF INFERIORITY
• Constant plucking (pulling,
removing) of the soul
•  Deadens the energy
•  Paralyzes all tendency
towards advancement

14. VICIOUS DRESSING OF
THE INTELLIGENCE AND WILL
• “You can’t do more than old So and So!-
• Don’t aspire to be greater than the curate!
You belong to an inferior race! You haven’t
any energy.”
• They say this to the child; and as it is
repeated so often, it has inevitably engraved
in his mind and thence it seals and shapes
all his actions.
• Ridicules with cruel sarcasm
15. LACK OF AN IDEAL FOR A
GOOD WORKER
• The Filipinos’ spirits were transformed
according to the taste of the nation that
imposed upon them its God and its laws
• INSTEAD:
• Ideal and prototype tanned and muscular
laborer (who should have brought along with
him the useful iron implements and the hoes
to till the fields)

15. LACK OF AN IDEAL FOR A
GOOD WORKER
• BUT IT WAS AN:
• Aristocratic lord who brought along with
• him stamped papers, crucifixes, bulls and
• prayer books
• AS A RESULT:
• The imitative people became clerks, devout,
prayer-loving, acquired ideas of luxurious
and ostentatious living without improving
correspondingly their means of subsistence.
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16. LACK OF NATIONAL
SENTIMENT
• (expression of emotional ideas, feelings,
etc.)
• Scarcity of any opposition to the measures
that are prejudicial to the people and the
absence of any initiative that will redound to
their welfare
• Deprived of the right of association,
therefore they were weak and inert (inactive,
unmotivated, passive)
Thank You!!!!!

Week 13 - Indolence of The Filipinos

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