Almazan, Gneiss Louie Gem PI 100 Y

The Unworthy Filipino

It is inevitable that growing up in the upper echelons of the socio-economic strata will
breed a sense of superiority over the lower rungs of the ladder. To the Filipino, especially at the
time of Rizal, the illustrado class is the highest possible class a Filipino can be born into.
Statistically, the illustrado class are more likely to be educated and this is why they were also
known as the intelligentsia. The fact that the illustrado are educated and are financially well-off,
is basically why they believe Filipinos are not yet ready for independence, with emphasis on the
former.

The education that illustrado class is the most prominent factor why they believe that
Filipinos are not yet ready for independence, since during that time education, as in formal
education and education in terms of political awareness and international diplomacy. At the time,
education, especially that received by the illustrado class, was not accessible to all and thus
Filipinos had no inkling of what might happen should they shake off the shackles of the Spanish.
Basically, to the illustrado class, the common folk were unlearned and unintelligent, and trusting
self-governance to people who such people is a terrible idea, as it is a terrible idea to let a child
cook with a flame without proper knowledge about fire and cutlery safety.

The other reason would be the fact that Rizal points out, there is no concept of Filipino
yet at that time. The concept of a Filipino nation was not yet widely known by the Filipino. The
only factions that were present over a large geographical area at that time were ethnolinguistic
groups and even these have internal strife. The Ilocanos only cared for themselves, as did the
Tagalogs and the Bisaya. As previously mentioned in the class, even Tagalogs have their internal
conflicts, most notably showcased by the Manila and southern Tagalog rivalry.

There is also the off chance that with a new government that is instated by a plebeian’s
revolution is an overhaul of distribution of power, and thus a possibility that the illustrado class
would be dispossessed of power and prestige, which eventually they would lose with the coming
of the Americans.