THE

INDOLENCE OF
THE FILIPINO
WHAT IS THE INDOLENCE OF THE
FILIPINO ALL ABOUT?
 La Indolencia de los Filipinos, more popularly
known in its English version, "The Indolence of
the Filipinos," is a exploratory essay written by
Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, to explain
the alleged idleness of his people during the
Spanish colonization.
 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
WHAT IS THE INDOLENCE OF THE
FILIPINO ALL ABOUT?

“Sobre la Indolencia de los Filipinos”

Essay
Published in La Solidaridad Madrid, Spain
(July 15, 1890) - (September 15, 1890)

Why did Rizal wrote this essay?

Rizal wrote this essay to defend the Filipinos
from the charge that they were born indolent.
CAUSES OF THE
INDOLENCE OF
THE FILIPINOS
 At that time, the friars advised
their poor parishioners:
 To stop work in the mines
 To abandon their industries
 To destroy their looms and  Trade contact or relations between the Borneans,
pointing them that heaven is their Siamese, Cambodians and Japanese nations were
sole hope being cut off
 The friars told them that it is easier  The coast wide trade which was flourishing
for a poor man to enter heaven than before disappeared
for a rich man

 Devastation of the terrible

 The inhabitants of the pirates  Burned the
Philippines were  Reduced more and more the towns, captured
dragged to maintain number of the inhabitants of the and enslaved
the honor of Spain Philippines men
 Disarmed and

 Great diminution
PIRATICAL subjected to
tributes
of the natives ATTACKS
  The sugal (from the Spanish
 Selfish, greedy, mean word jugar, to gamble)
 Encomenderos indicates that gambling was
• Reduced many to slavery unknown in the Philippines
• Compelled Filipinos to work for their benefit before the Spaniards
• Made them sell their products at an insignificant  Balasa - from the Spanish
price or for nothing or cheated them with false word Barajar, the
measures introduction of playing cards
• Treated them like slaves

 to cut off, to cut short,  Uncertainty of

 Gave their contribution to reaping the
large number of fiestas, doubtful
 Individual liberty is being fruits of their
lengthy masses, novenas, labor
processions and rosaries cut off
 Accused od being a  Lack of
 Filipinos were much less lazy confidence in
before the word miracle was filibustero (rebel) or a
suspect the future
introduced into their language
 No encouragement, aid pertaining to
commerce or agriculture
 The friars have
 The products coming from the  The best estates, deceived may by
Philippines were burdened with the best tracts of making them
imposts and duties and have no free land in some believe that those
entry in the ports of the mother
country and the consumption of the
provinces were estates were
in the hands of prospering
products are not encouraged
the religious because those
 Due to the fraudulent manipulations of
corporations. were under their
the Chinese, the Filipino industries
supe5vision
were dying.

 Absence of help from the government  Constant plucking of the soul

 Chemist (competitive examination)  Deadens the energy
 Young man won prize in a literacy contest  Paralyzes all tendency towards
 Education of the Filipino advancement
 The students have to contend with the daily preaching
that lowers human dignity, gradually or brutally
killing their self-respect
 Priest who badly 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.
 “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
 The Filipinos’ spirit 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
BUT IW 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.
 Scarcity of any opposition to the measures that are
prejudicial to the people and the absence of any initiative
that will rebound to their welfare
 Deprived of the right of association, therefore they were
weak and inert.



 The indolence is the effect
of backwardness and
“A hot climate require
of individualtroubles
quiet of experience by
the
and rest as cold country. The hot climate
incite
to labor and action,
 is reasonable
they work for
predisposition
themselves to get rich for
indolence.
with hope of future,
free and respected.

The Filipino is the

most active in the
world will doubtless
not repudiate that
there work and
struggles against the
climate and nature and
against men.
 
“That clearly doesn’t show
that we are contented what
we are way of living, the
illness will worsen if the
wrong treatment isEarly Filipinos were already
given.”
carrying outside: they were into
agriculture and mining, which show “Tropical country
we are hardworking and dependent violent work is not a
group of people. good thing. Nature
The Europeans have cold climate thus they knows this and like a
need to move around more cooperated with just mother made the
their climate, so they make more food for
storages in case of calamity, strikes and
earth more fertile, more
produces of more work. productive.”


 It is important to note that indolence in the Philippines is a chronic malady, but
not a hereditary one. Truth is, before the Spaniards arrived on these lands, the
natives were industriously conducting business with China, Japan, Arabia,
Malaysia, and other countries in the Middle East. The reasons for this said


indolence were clearly stated in the essay, and were not based only on
presumptions, but were grounded on fact taken from history.

 Another thing that we might add has caused his indolence is the lack of unity
and oneness, the people did not have the power to fight the hostile attacks of
the government and of the other forces of society, there would also be no voice,
no leader, to sow progress and to cultivate it so that it may be reaped in due
time. In such a condition, the Philippines remained a country that was lifeless,
dead, simply existing and not living. As Rizal sated in conclusion, “ a man in
the Philippines in an individual; he is not merely a citizen of a country.

 It can clearly be deduced from the writing that the cause of the indolence
attribute to our race is Spanish: When the Filipinos wanted to study and learn
there were no schools, and if there were any, they lacked sufficient resources
and did not present more useful knowledge, when the Filipinos wanted to
establish their businesses, there were wasn’t enough capital nor protection from
the government; when the Filipinos tired to cultivate their lands and establish
various industries, they were made to pay enormous taxes and were exploited
by the foreign rules.
 
 It is not only the Philippines, but also other countries, that may be called
indolent, depending on the criteria upon which such a label is based. Man
cannot work without resting, and if in doing so he is considered lazy, they we
could say that all in men are indolent. Once cannot blame a country that was
deprived of its dignity, to have lost its will continue building its foundation
upon the backs of its people, especially when the fruits of their labor do not
so much as reach their lips.

 Filipino long before the Spanish conquest was open already for trade and
commerce for its neighboring country. The Spaniards discovered the island
of Samar and Cebu and recognized their custom and culture .

 Similarly, the Filipinos are also engage in the trade with neighboring towns
and province.

 The problem during the Spanish rule is the way they treat the Filipinos as
Indio or second class citizen.


First came the  Gaspar de San  With the Ω Padre Fernando de
wars the Agustin says: invention of los Rios colonel
internal disorder “Although the pirates who fought in this
which the new anciently there from Sulu and wars and later


change of were in this town turned priest
Mindanao
affairs naturally of Dumangas needed was
brought with it. many people in Padre Gaspar scarcely to be
the course of the de San Agustin found in the forest.
Add to this time they have has been
conditions of very greatly greatly Ω Thus understood
disorder the diminished reduced that sad
invention of Li- because the because they discouragement
Mahong and natives are the which we find in the
easily
continual war best sailors.” friar writers of the
into which the captured the 17th century of
inhabitants of  Philippines in the people. provinces and town
the Philippines first year after depopulated
were plunged to the discovery in  The hostile leading the families
maintain the the time of their Sulus did great exterminated.
honor of Spain. first bishop that is damage in this
ten year leagzpi. Ω Even were Filipinos
island in 1608
To extend the Philip II said that not a man like the
sway of her flag they had been leaving it rest even to
in Borneo in reduce to less almost suppose that zeal in
Moluccas and in than two birds. depopulated. him for essential
Indio-China. movement.


 Filipino, according to Rizal are not responsible for their
misfortune, as they are their own masters.

 The Spanish government has not encouraged labor and trade.


Which ceased after the governmnet treated the country's
neighboring trade partners with great suspicion.

 Trade decline, furthermore, because of pirate attacks ant the

many restrictions imposed by the governmnet, which gives no
aid to for crops and farmers. This and the abuse of the
encomenderos have cased many to abandon the fields.

 Businesses are monopolized by many governmnet officials, red

tape and bribery operate on a wide scale, and rampant gambling
is tolerated by the government. This situation is compounded by
the Church’s wrong doctrine which holds that the rich will not
go to heaven, thus engendering a wrong attitude toward work.

 There has also been discrimination in education against natives.

These are some of the main reason that Rizal cites as causing the
deterioration of values among the Filipinos.




The causes of Spanish
reign that brought a
decline in economic
activities
 The causes of Spanish reign that
brought a decline in economic activities
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.
 The causes of Spanish reign that
brought a decline in economic activities
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.
 The causes of Spanish reign that
brought a decline in economic activities
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.
 The causes of Spanish reign that
brought a decline in economic activities
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.
 The causes of Spanish reign that
brought a decline in economic activities
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.
 The causes of Spanish reign that
brought a decline in economic activities
Sixth, gambling was established and
widely propagated during those times.
Almost everyday there were cockfights, and
during feast days, the government officials
and friars were the first to engage in all sorts
of bets and gambles.
 The causes of Spanish reign that
brought a decline in economic activities
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.
 The causes of Spanish reign that
brought a decline in economic activities
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.”
SOME OF THE ATTITUDES
OF THE FILIPINOS TODAY
THAT WERE CITED IN
RIZAL’S ESSAY
 POSITIVE SIDE
• People are genuinely trying their best to survive, maybe
some have twisted and unconventional methods , but
everyone is trying to survive.

NEGATIVE SIDE
SOME
• settle for less, they never strive and they stay idle.
• they have dreams but they don’t work for it.
• they don’t have the desire to become learned and wealthier
because they don’t improvise ways to uplift the standards
of their living.
ANALYSIS
 ANALYSIS
It is important to note that indolence in the
Philippines is a chronic malady, but not a
hereditary one. Truth is, before the Spaniards
arrived on these lands, the natives were
industriously conducting business with China,
Japan, Arabia, Malaysia, and other countries in
the Middle East. The reasons for this said
indolence were clearly stated in the essay, and
were not based only on presumptions, but were
grounded on fact taken from history.
 ANALYSIS
Another thing that we might add that had caused
this indolence, is the lack of unity among the Filipino
people. In the absence of unity and oneness, the people
did not have the power to fight the hostile attacks of the
government and of the other forces of society. There
would also be no voice, no leader, to sow progress and
to cultivate it, so that it may be reaped in due time. In
such a condition, the Philippines remained a country that
was lifeless, dead, simply existing and not living. As
Rizal stated in conclusion, “a man in the Philippines is an
individual; he is not merely a citizen of a country.”
 ANALYSIS
It can clearly be deduced from the writing that
the cause of the indolence attributed to our race is
Spain: When the Filipinos wanted to study and learn,
there were no schools, and if there were any, they
lacked sufficient resources and did not present more
useful knowledge; when the Filipinos wanted to
establish their businesses, there wasn’t enough
capital nor protection from the government; when the
Filipinos tried to cultivate their lands and establish
various industries, they were made to pay enormous
taxes and were exploited by the foreign rulers.
 ANALYSIS
It is not only the Philippines, but also other
countries, that may be called indolent, depending
on the criteria upon which such a label is based.
Man cannot work without resting, and if in doing
so he is considered lazy, they we could say that
all men are indolent. One cannot blame a country
that was deprived of its dignity, to have lost its will
to continue building its foundation upon the backs
of its people, especially when the fruits of their
labor do not so much as reach their lips.
 ANALYSIS
When we spend our entire lives worshipping such
a cruel and inhumane society, forced upon us by
aliens who do not even know our motherland, we
are destined to tire after a while. We are not
fools, we are not puppets who simply do as we
are commanded – we are human beings, who are
motivated by our will towards the accomplishment
of our objectives, and who strive for the
preservation of our race
KHAYE
• Sobre la indolencia de los filipinos ("On
the Indolence of the Filipinos" in Spanish)
is a socio-political essay published in La
Solidaridad in Madrid in 1890.

• It was written by José Rizal as a response

to the accusation of Indio or Malay
indolence.
• He admits the existence of indolence
among the Filipinos, but it could be
attributed to a number of reasons.

• He traces its causes to factors such as the

climate and social disorders.
• He defends the Filipinos by saying that
they are by nature not indolent, because
in fact, even before the arrival of
Spaniards, Filipinos have been engaged in
economic activities such as agriculture
and trade.

• Indolence therefore has more deeply

rooted causes such as abuse and
discrimination.
CHAPTER 1

• Rizal acknowledges the prior work of

[Gregorio Del Pilar] and admits that
indolence does exist among the Filipinos,
but it cannot be attributed to the troubles
and backwardness of the country; rather
it is the effect of the backwardness and
troubles experienced by the country.
CHAPTER 1
• Past writings on indolence revolve only on
either denying or affirming, and never
studying its causes in depth.
• One must study the causes of indolence,
Rizal says, before curing it.

• He therefore enumerates the causes of

indolence and elaborates on the
circumstances that have led to it.
CHAPTER 1
• The hot climate, he points out, is a
reasonable predisposition for indolence.
• Filipinos cannot be compared to
Europeans, who live in cold countries and
who must exert much more effort at
work.
• An hour's work under the Philippine sun,
he says, is equivalent to a day's work in
temperate regions.
CHAPTER 2
• Rizal says that an illness will worsen if the
wrong treatment is given.

• The same applies to indolence. People,

however, should not lose hope in fighting
indolence.
CHAPTER 2
• Even before the Spaniards arrived, Rizal
argues, the early Filipinos were already
carrying out trade within provinces and
with other neighboring countries; they
were also engaged in agriculture and
mining; some natives even spoke Spanish.
All this disproves the notion that Filipinos
are by nature indolent.
• Rizal ends by asking what then would have
caused Filipinos to forget their past.
CHAPTER 3
• Rizal enumerates several reasons that may
have caused the Filipinos' cultural and
economic decadence.

• The frequent wars, insurrections, and

invasions have brought disorder to the
communities.
CHAPTER 3
• Chaos has been widespread, and
destruction rampant.

• Many Filipinos have also been sent abroad

to fight wars for Spain or for expeditions.

• Thus, the population has decreased in

number.
CHAPTER 3
• Due to forced labor, many men have been
sent to shipyards to construct vessels.

• Meanwhile, natives who have had enough

of abuse have gone to the mountains.

• As a result, the farms have been

neglected. The so-called indolence of
Filipinos definitely has deeply rooted
causes.
CHAPTER 4
• Filipinos, according to Rizal, are not
responsible for their misfortunes, as they
are not their own masters.

• The Spanish government has not

encouraged labor and trade, which ceased
after the government treated the
country's neighboring trade partners with
great suspicion.
CHAPTER 4
• Trade has declined, furthermore, because
of pirate attacks and the many restrictions
imposed by the government, which gives
no aid for crops and farmers.
• This and the abuse suffered under
encomenderos have caused many to
abandon the fields. Businesses are
monopolized by many government
officials, red tape and bribery operate on a
wide scale, rampant gambling is tolerated
by the government.
CHAPTER 4
• This situation is compounded by the
Church's wrong doctrine which holds that
the rich will not go to heaven, thus
engendering a wrong attitude toward work.

• There has also been discrimination in

education against natives. These are some
of the main reasons that Rizal cites as
causing the deterioration of values among
the Filipinos.
CHAPTER 5
• According to Rizal, all the causes of
indolence can be reduced to two factors.

• The first factor is the limited training and

education Filipino natives receive.

• Segregated from Spaniards, Filipinos do not

receive the same opportunities that are
available to the foreigners.
CHAPTER 5
• They are taught to be inferior.
• The second factor is the lack of a national
sentiment of unity among them.
• Because Filipinos think they are inferior,
they submit to the foreign culture and do
everything to imitate it.
• The solution, according to Rizal, would be
education and liberty.
An essay published in La Solidaridad
Madrid, Spain (July 15, 1890 –
September 15, 1890)

Why did Rizal write this essay?

Rizal wrote this essay to defend
the Filipinos from the charge that
they were born indolent.
 Idle
 Lazy
 Littlelove for work
 Lack of activity
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 or decrease of the

natives because the governors got them
as crews for the vessels they send out.
2. Piratical 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
 Atthat 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

 Thefriars 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
 (selfish, greedy, mean)
Encomenderos
 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

 Thesugal (from the Spanish word jugar,

to gamble) indicates that gambling was
unknown in the Philippines before the
Spaniards

 Balasa– from the Spanish word barajar,

the introduction of playing cards
7. Fiestas
 Gavetheir contribution to large
number of fiestas, lengthy masses,
novenas, processions, rosaries

 Filipinos
were much less lazy before
the word miracle was introduced into
their language
8. Curtailment of individual
liberty
 (to cut off, to cut short, doubtful)
 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
 Thebest estates, the best tracts of
land in some provinces were in the
hands of the religious corporations

 Thefriars 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
 Education of the Filipino
12. Deprivation of human
dignity
 Thestudents have to contend with the daily
preaching that lowers human dignity,
gradually or brutally killing their self-respect

 Priestswho 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)
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.
16. Lack of national sentiment
 (expression of emotional ideas, feelings,
etc.)

 Scarcityof 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!!!
KHAYE
Katamaran ng mga pilipino
Katamaran ng mga pilipino
 La Indolencia de los Filipinos

 Published in La Solidaridad

 July 15 to September 15, 1890

Katamaran ng mga pilipino
 Written by Dr. Jose Rizal as a
response to the accusation of Filipino
indolence
 He admits the existence of indolence
among the Filipinos, but it could be
attributed to a number of reasons
 He traces its causes to factors such as
the climate and social disorders.
Katamaran ng mga pilipino
 He defends the Filipinos by saying that
they are by nature not indolent,
because in fact, even before the arrival
of Spaniards, Filipinos have been
engaged in economic activities such as
agriculture and trade.
Katamaran ng mga pilipino
 In the end, Rizal sums up the main
causes of indolence to the limited
training and education Filipino natives
receive and to the lack of national
sentiment and unity among them.
 Education and liberty, according to
Rizal, would be the cure to Filipino
indolence.
Katamaran ng mga pilipino
 Indolence therefore has more deeply
rooted causes such as abuse and
discrimination, inaction of the
government, rampant corruption and
red tape, wrong doctrines of the church
and wrong examples from some
Spaniards who lead lives of indolence
which ultimately led to the deterioration
of Filipinos values.
Unang Kabanata
 Dr. Sancianco in his Progreso de
Filipinas
 Past writings on indolence revolve only
on either denying or affirming. One
must study the causes of indolence
before curing it.
 The hot climate, he points out, is a
reasonable predisposition for indolence.
Unang Kabanata
 An hour's work under the Philippine
sun, he says, is equivalent to a day's
work in temperate regions.
Ikalawang Kabanata
 Rizal treated indolence as an illness and
says that an illness will worsen if the
wrong treatment is given.
 Even before the Spaniards arrived the
early Filipinos were already carrying out
trade within provinces and with other
neighboring countries
Ikalawang Kabanata
 They were also engaged in agriculture
and mining.
 Some natives even spoke Spanish.
 All this disproves the notion that
Filipinos are by nature indolent.
 Rizal ends by asking what then would
have caused Filipinos to forget their
past.
Ikatlong Kabanata
 Rizal enumerates several reasons that
may have caused the Filipinos' cultural
and economic decadence.
 The frequent wars, insurrections, and
invasions have brought disorder to the
communities.
Ikatlong Kabanata
 Many Filipinos have also been sent
abroad to fight wars for Spain or for
expeditions.
 Due to forced labor, many men have
been sent to shipyards to construct
vessels. Meanwhile, natives who have
had enough of abuse have gone to the
mountains.
Ikatlong Kabanata

 Thus population deceased in number,

thus farms have been neglected.
Ikaapat na kabanata
 The Spanish government has not
encouraged labor and trade
 Trade has declined because of pirate
attacks and the many restrictions
imposed by the government
 Which gives no aid for crops and
farmers.
Ikaapat na kabanata
 The abuse suffered under
encomenderos have caused many to
abandon the fields.
 Businesses are monopolized by many
government officials, red tape and
bribery operate on a wide scale,
rampant gambling is tolerated by the
government.
Ikaapat na kabanata
 This situation is compounded by the
Church's wrong doctrine which holds
that the rich will not go to heaven, thus
engendering a wrong attitude toward
work.
 There has also been discrimination in
education against natives.
Ikalimang kabanata
 All the causes of indolence can be
reduced to two factors.
 The first factor is the limited training
and education Filipino natives receive.
Segregated from Spaniards, Filipinos do
not receive the same opportunities that
are available to the foreigners. They are
taught to be inferior.
Ikalimang kabanata
 The second factor is the lack of a
national sentiment of unity among
them. Because Filipinos think they are
inferior, they submit to the foreign
culture and do everything to imitate it.
 The solution, according to Rizal, would
be education and liberty.
Pinag-ugatan ng katamaran
ng mga pilipino
 maraming labanan at gyerang
naranasan ang mga Pilipino kung kaya’t
natatakot silang magtrabaho dahilsa
kanilang seguridad.
 Hindi tinutulungan ng gobyerno ang
mga Pilipino.
 Ang mga sugal at bisyo ay lumaganap
Pinag-ugatan ng katamaran
ng mga pilipino
 Walang sapat na kasanayan
at edukasyon ang mga Pilipino
 Hindi binabayaran ang mga Pilipino
kung sila ay nagtatrabaho sa gobyerno.
 Malaki ang binabayarang buwis ng mga
Pilipino
KHAYE
 RL-56
5629
ASSIGNMENT NO. 2 RODRIGUEZ, Luzille, A.
April 14, 2016 2nd year BS Accountancy

Los Escritos de Rizal

“La Indolencia de los Filipinos”
The Indolence of the Filipinos

What Indolence means?

 it is the inclination to laziness; sloth
What is it?

 It is a socio-political essay published in La solidaridad in Madrid in 1890.

 It was written by José Rizal as a response to the accusation
of Indio or Malay indolence.
 It’s an exploratory essay that explains the alleged idleness of his people
during the Spanish colonization.
 It is a study of the causes why the people did not, as was said, work hard
during the Spanish regime

What is its content?

Rizal says that an illness will worsen if the wrong treatment is given. The past
writings on indolence revolve only on either denying or affirming, and never
studying its causes in depth. Some writings even implies a notion that Filipinos are
by nature indolent. He argued through his essay that even before the Spaniards
arrived the early Filipinos were already carrying out trade within provinces and
with other neighboring countries; they were also engaged in agriculture and
mining; some natives even spoke Spanish. All this disproves the notion that
Filipinos are by nature indolent. Rizal ends by asking what then would have caused
Filipinos to forget their past

 The hot climate: Filipinos cannot be compared to Europeans who live in

cold countries. Filipinos must exert much more effort at work because of this
climate. An hour's work under the Philippine sun, he says, is equivalent to a
day's work in temperate regions.
 The establishment of the Galleon Trade cut off all previous associations
of thePhilippines 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.
 Spain 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.
 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.
 There was a crooked system of 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.
 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.
 Gambling was established and widely propagated during those
times. Almost everyday there were cockfights, and during feast days, the
government officials and friars were the first to engange in all sorts of bets
and gambles.
 There was a crooked system of religion. The friars taught the natïve
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.
 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.
  Lack of a national sentiment of unity among the Filipinos
“A man in the Philippines is only an individual; he is not a member of a
nation.”
Analysis

In such a condition, the Philippines remained a country that was lifeless, dead,
simply existing and not living. As Rizal stated in conclusion, “a man in
the Philippines is an individual; he is not merely a citizen of a country.”

It can clearly be deduced from the writing that the cause of the indolence attributed
to our race is Spain: When the Filipinos wanted to study and learn, there were no
schools, and if there were any, they lacked sufficient resources and did not present
more useful knowledge; when the Filipinos wanted to establish their businesses,
there wasn’t enough capital nor protection from the government; when the
Filipinos tried to cultivate their lands and establish various industries, they were
made to pay enormous taxes and were exploited by the foreign rulers.

It is not only the Philippines, but also other countries, that may be called indolent,
depending on the criteria upon which such a label is based. Man cannot work
without resting, and if in doing so he is considered lazy, then we could say that all
men are indolent. One cannot blame a country that was deprived of its dignity, to
have lost its will to continue building its foundation upon the backs of its people,
especially when the fruits of their labor do not so much as reach their lips. When
we spend our entire lives worshipping such a cruel and inhumane society, forced
upon us by aliens who do not even know our motherland, we are destined to tire
after a while. We are not fools, we are not puppets who simply do as we are
commanded – we are human beings, who are motivated by our will towards the
accomplishment of our objectives, and who strive for the preservation of our
race. When this fundamental aspect of our existence is denied of us, who can
blame us if we turn idle?

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sobre_la_indolencia_de_los_filipinos
http://thelifeandworksofrizal.blogspot.com/2011/08/indolence-of-filipinos-
summary-and.html
KHAYE
 Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa
(University of the City of Muntinlupa)
NBP Reservation, Muntinlupa City 1776

College of Teacher Education

Group 6
THE INDOLENCE OF THE FILIPINOS
(Sobre la Indolencia de los Filipinos )

Fajardo, May Liza Rose Samulde, Camille

Sadia, Fatima Zaira Sibal, Ma. Cecilia

Salipot, Shiela Mhay

Professor Darwin Carmelina BSE 2G T/TH 10:00-11:30 AM

 Is an exploratory essay published in La
solidaridad in Madrid in 1890.
 It was written by José Rizal as a response to
the accusation of Indio or Malay indolence.
 It has five installments through the La
Solidaridad, the official newspaper of the
Philippine ilustrados.
 From July 15 to September 15 , 1890
 indolence does exist among the Filipinos
 someone must study the causes of indolence
before curing it
 an hour work under the Philippine sun is
equivalent to a day’s work in temperate
regions.
 any man can live in any climate, if he will
only adapt
an illness will worsen if
the wrong treatment is
given
Filipinos are indolent by
nature
 enumerates several reasons that may
have caused the Filipinos cultural and
economic corruption
 Filipinos were sent abroad to fight for
Spain or shipyards to construct vessels
– forced labor
 Absence of encouragement from the
government.
 Absue of ecnomenderos.
 Monopoly of government officials.
 Wrong doctrine
 Discrimination and education of
the natives.
 causes of indolence can be reduced to
two factors
 limited training and education
Filipino native receive
 lack of a national sentiment of unity
among them