HISTORICAL CONTEXT

&
RIZAL’S FORMATION

A picture is worth a thousand words

 01 Philippines During Rizal’s Table Of Contents
Time
Contents
02 The Rizal Family

Rizal’s Formative Years and

03 Education
04 Rizal’s Nationalism

A picture is worth a thousand words

Part 01
The Philippines
During Rizal’s Time

A picture is worth a thousand words

 Instability of Colonial Administration
Political chaos in spain Started during the reign
of King Ferdinand VII (1803-1833)
marked thebeginning of political chaos in Spain.

Frequent changes of Spanish gov’t owing to 01 02

bitter struggles between the forced of
Despotism and Liberalism.
 Instability of Colonial Administration
Liberalism is a political and moral
philosophy based on the rights of the individual,
liberty, consent of the government and equality
before the law.

01 02
Despotism- the exercise of absolute power,
especially in a cruel and oppressive way.
 Instability of Colonial Administration
This political instability in Spain adversely affected Philippine affairs and brought
about:
• frequent periodic shifts in colonial policies
• periodic rigodon of colonial officials

For instance, from 1835 to 1897, the Philippines was ruled by 50 governors general,
each serving an average term of only one year and three months.
 Instability of Colonial Administration
The frequent change of colonial officials hampered the political and economic
development of thePhilippines, such as,

• Many Spanish officials in the Philippines were jobseekers and tried to enrich
themselvesand later retired to enjoy their wealth by appointment, created mal
administration, graftand corruption, and bribery.
• While the mother chamber is doing good and experiencing liberalism, the colony
issuffering.
Corrupt Collonial Officials

 With a handful exception,colonial

officials sent by Spain to watch over the
progress of the Island were corrupt,
incompetent, and cruel 01 02
representing the decadence of the
Spanish culture in the 19th century,
 No Philippine Representation in the Spanish Cortes

 Spain granted each colony a representation in the Spanish

Cortes (Spanish Parliament) to winthe support of
the overseas colonies during the Napoleonic invasion.

 Ventura de los Reyes - first delegate who took active

01 02
part to represent issues and different concerns to the Cortez
and helped in framing Spain’s first democratic constitution.
 No Philippine Representation in the Spanish Cortes

 Unfortunately, the representation was abolished in

1837 which resulted into growing abuse of power
because Filipinos could not expose the true
situation of the Philippines.
01 02
 Human Rights Denied to Filipinos

 Spanish Constitution of 1812 and in succeeding years,

the Spanish people enjoyed freedom of speech, of the
press, of association and other human rights except
religion.
 The Spanish authorities in the Philippines denied 01 02

them to the Filipinos that even speaking ill to the

government and to the church was punishable by
death.
 No Equality Before the Law

 Spaniards regarded the brown race as inferior

beings, thus denying them the equality of rights.

 The idea that the law should be applied equally

regardless of race, religion, status etc. did not 01 02

apply before.
 Maladministration of Justice

 The Spanish judges, fiscals (prosecuting

attorneys), and other court officials were
incompetent, corrupt and ignorant of the law.

 Riches, race, and status are the determining 01 02

factors for winning the case and not basing on

evidence presented.
 Racial Discrimination

 Spaniards regarded the Filipinos as inferior and

they as superior, thus denying the Filipinos the
rights they well deserved. They even called the
Filipinos as “Indios” with flat noses and
brown skin. 01 02
 Frailocracy
 frailocracy- which means a government of friars
considered to be a unique form of government in Hispanic
Philippines.
 The different Orders of the Church (Augustinians,

Franciscans and Dominicans) controlled the

religious and educational aspects of the people. 01 02

 In 1979, angry at an attempted civil undermining of their

control, they assassinated the Spanish governor of the

archipelago, Fernando Bustamante, which

signaled a warning to future civil administrators.
 Forced Labor
 polo y servicio- a compulsory labor imposed by
Spanish authorities on adult Filipino malesfrom 18 to 60 years
old in the construction of churches, schools, hospitals, buildings
and repair of roads and bridges, of ships and shipyards and
other public works.

01 02
 falla- a sum of money paid to the government to be exempted
from the polo.
 Haciendas Owned by the Friars
 Spanish friars coming from various religious orders were the
richest landlords,owning large and best producing agricultural
lands in the Philippines.

 Rizal’s family relatives were tenants in the Dominican estate of

Calamba, tried to initiate agrarian reforms.
01 02

 His advocacy was considered a threat in which the friars

retaliated by increasing the rentals of the lands by his family and
other calamba tenants.
 Guardia Civil
 The most hated Spanish symbol of tyranny in the
Philippines was the Guardia Civil.
• became infamous for their rampant abuses
• Officers were ill- trained and undisciplined

01 02
The time of Rizal saw the emerging Western
imperialism. While the imperialist powers were
enjoying the fruits of their colonial ventures and
achieving prestige, Spain became stagnant as a world
power.