The Philippines a Century Hence

Final Presentation Format: Game (Celebrity Bluff)

Game Mechanics: There will be six rounds of the game. One group would play for each round, all they
have to do is to determine whether the statement assigned to them is a FACT or a BLUFF, and which of
the succeeding statements is the correct justification for the right answer. If the group’s answer is correct,
they will be awarded one point, else the point will be given to the other groups. The group with the most
points at the end of the rounds wins.

The Philippines a Century Hence is an essay written by Jose Rizal that was published in La
Solidaridad in 1889. In this essay, Rizal forecasts the events in the Philippines within a hundred years.

Questions and Answers

1. According to the essay, Spanish colonialism had resulted to innumerable miseries of the natives,
however, if it had one positive effect, it was the growth and propagation of the Filipino
indigenous culture. BLUFF
a. Fact yan kasi… Rizal wrote that the Filipinos became enlightened and had progressed
when they had been redeemed from savagery through Christianity. This progress enabled
them to preserve their original culture and traditions.
b. Bluff yan kasi… Rizal wrote that colonialism had caused the deterioration and decay of
the Philippine indigenous culture. According to him, as the Filipinos were lowered in
their own eyes, they became ashamed of their own culture and had adapted the
customs introduced by foreign invaders.
c. Bluff yan kasi… the essay never mentioned anything about the culture and traditions in
the Philippines, only the colonial situation of the country.

**Rizal argued that Spanish colonialism caused the deterioration and decay to Philippine
indigenous culture. With Christianity, the Filipinos embraced the customs that the Spaniards
introduced, and abandoned their original traditions.

2. In the essay, reforms were discussed at length by Rizal, for he did not consider the possibility of
a revolution by the Filipinos against their Spanish colonizers within a hundred years. BLUFF
a. Bluff yan kasi… Rizal had predicted in the essay that if more injustices to Filipinos were
committed, if they were insulted and abused even more, the Philippines would declare
itself independent through a bloody revolution.
b. Fact yan kasi… According to the essay, the Filipinos had all adapted to the colonial way of
life and looked highly upon their colonial masters. Hence it was impossible that they
would ever rise in arms against Spain. Thus, in the essay, he had instead written at length
about the reforms that Spain needed to implement.
 c. Fact yan kasi… Rizal was a reformist until the end of his life. None of his writings
entertained the idea of a revolution.

**Rizal wrote, “The Philippines, then, will remain under Spanish domination, but with
more law and greater liberty, or they will declare themselves independent after steeping
themselves and the mother country in blood.” Thus, he believed that the Filipinos were
capable of staging a revolution to gain independence from Spain unless reforms were
implemented.

3. Rizal claimed that the progress of the Philippines cannot be prevented by Spain. FACT
a. Fact yan kasi… Rizal said in his essay that even though Spain had succeeded in keeping
ALL Filipinos blinded by controlling the education in the country, Philippine progress could
not be prevented, because the Filipinos embrace civilization and can thrive in any clime.
b. Bluff yan kasi… Rizal stated in the essay that keeping Filipinos impoverished had
succeeded in preventing their progress. Through poverty, Filipinos became more passive
and submissive, loved more their colonial masters, and became more adapted to colonial
rule.
c. Fact yan kasi… Rizal said that there was no way for Spain to prevent Philippine progress.
It was impossible to brutalize and exterminate the Filipinos, and keeping them
impoverished was counter-productive.

**According to Rizal, Spain would not be able to prevent the progress of the Philippines.
The number of Filipino intellectuals proved that Spain could not keep the natives
unenlightened. Poverty had only inspired in Filipinos dangerous ideas and desires for a
new way of life. Lastly, Filipinos could not be exterminated; they could survive any
catastrophe.

4. Though Rizal campaigned for representation as a reform, he was also convinced of two reasons
on why the Philippines may not be allowed representation in the Cortes. BLUFF
a. Bluff yan kasi… In his essay, Rizal proved that there was NO reason that the Philippines
would not be allowed to have a representative. On the contrary, he argued of its benefit
to Spain.
b. Fact yan kasi… One of those reasons which Rizal agreed with is that majority of the
inhabitants had an imperfect culture, and that they were weak and ignorant. Thus, it was
a possibility that the representation would not be effective.
c. Fact yan kasi… One of those reasons which he agreed with is that the Philippine
Representatives would be defeated in debates by the Spanish Parliament, thus, no
program in favor of the Philippines might be approved anyway.

**Rizal proved that there was no reason that the Philippines may not have a
representative. If the Spaniards feared that the representatives would be separatists and
would advance only separatist agenda, they would be defeated in the debates anyway.
The brown skin and flat nostrils of Filipinos were not indicative of their inferiority; law and
reason is not biased with external appearance. Besides, with representation, the
 malcontents of the people would be silenced or directed to the representative, which is
a benefit for Spain.

5. According to Rizal, only through reforms would Spain be able to retain the Philippines as a colony,
and among these reforms are the representation in the Spanish Cortes and the liberty of the press
in the Philippines. FACT
a. Bluff yan kasi… In his essay, Rizal pushed for a Filipino representative in the Spanish
Cortes but not for a free press, because even he admitted that freedom of the press is
dangerous for any government.
b. Fact yan kasi… Rizal mentioned that if Spain wishes to rule rightly and fitly, free press
is necessary since Spain, which rules the Philippines from a great distance, has
absolute need that the truth and facts reach its knowledge.
c. Bluff yan kasi… Rizal wrote The Philippines a Century Hence in 1889 after the Calamba
Hacienda Case which developed in him a radical perspective in his struggle for
independence. Thus, it is impossible that he would campaign for reforms in this essay.

**Along with representation, the liberty of the press was one reform that Rizal had
advocated to the Spanish government, for he believed that in order to rule rightly and
fitly, Spain must be informed of the true situations of its colony. He said that to govern
in any other way may also be called governing, but it is to govern badly.

6. One of the predictions that Rizal made is that the country would be colonized by another after
Spain. This country which was most likely to take over the Philippines was Japan. BLUFF
a. Bluff yan kasi sabi ni Rizal… America would colonize the Philippines since it had no
colony in Africa and it had interests in the Pacific region. Moreover, it was not an
impossible proposition, because the accumulation of colonies by other countries was
an example that America might follow.
b. Fact yan kasi… Rizal noted that Japan was under diplomatic pressures from Europe.
However, once freed from it, it was highly probable that more than Korea, Japan would
try to colonize the Philippines.
c. Bluff yan kasi… Rizal predicted that the American republic would later colonize the
Philippines, for it would not look kindly upon the independence of the Philippines due to
its interests in the commerce within the islands.

**Rizal predicted that the American Republic would take over the Philippines after Spain.
Like the other countries, it might attempt to acquire a colony in the Pacific region. Japan,
however, was more likely to colonize Korea than the Philippines.