POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE OF TABACO

100, PANAL TABACO CITY

A. Y 2020-2021

COURSE CODE: Rizal

MODULE NO.: 2
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Life and Works of Rizal MODULE TITLE: Rizal and His Times
CREDIT/UNITS: 3
SEMESTER: 1st Semester
INSTRUCTOR: Bermundo, Nelrose Mae B.
CONSULTATION TIME:
CONSULTATION VENUE:

INTRODUCTION:
To appreciate and understand the life of Dr. Jose Rizal, it is necessary to know the historical
background of the world and of the Philippines during his times. The 19th century when he lived was a
century of ferment caused by the blowing winds of history. In Asia, Europe, and the Americas, events
surged inexorably like sea tides, significantly affecting the lives and fortunes of mankind.

Learning Objectives:
1. Analyze the various social, political, economic and cultural changes that occurred in
the nineteenth century
2. Understand Jose Rizal in the context of his times.
3. Appreciate the influence of the social context to the life and writings of Jose Rizal.

RIZAL AND HIS TIMES

The World of Rizal’s Time

February 19, 1861

 Liberal Czar Alexander II (1855-61), appease the rising discontent of the Russian masses, issued a
proclamation emancipating 22,500,000 serfs.
American Civil War(1861-65)
 was raging furiously in the United States over the issue of N3egro slavery, which erupted on April 12,
1861, and compelled President Lincoln to issue his Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1863,
freeing the Negro slaves
June 1, 1861
 A full-blooded Zapotec Indian was elected President of Mexico.
April 1862
 Emperor Napoleon III of the Second French Empire, in his imperialistic desire to secure colonial stake
in Latin America, sent French Troops, invaded and conquered Mexico.
June 12, 1864
 Emperor Napoleon III installed Archduke Maximilian of Austria as puppet emperor of Mexico, to
consolidate his occupation of Mexico.
May 15, 1867
 After the end of American Civil War, Juarez, with the U.S support, defeated Maximilian’s French forces
in the Battle of Queretaro
June 19, 1867
 Execution of Emperor Maximilian.
January 18, 1871
 The Prussians led by Otto von Bismarck. The “Iron Chancellor”, defeated France in the Fanco-Prussian
War, with King Wilhelm of Prussia as first Kaiser of the German Empire
 Third French Republic arose, with Adolph Theirs as first President.
ENGLAND- emerged as the world’s leading imperialist power
-was able to conquer many countries throughout the world.
-was able to established a global colonial empire.
-The British people during the glorious reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901) proudly asserted
“Britinnia rules the waves”
- 1840-1842: England won the First Opium War against the tottering Chinese Empire under the
Manchu Dynasty, she acquired the Island of Hong Kong(Fragrant Harbor)
- 1856-1861: Second Opium War
-1824-26, 1852, 1885: Anglo-Burmeese Wars
-1859: Queen Victoria imposed her raj (rule) the the subcontinent of India

FRANCE- 1858-1863:With the help of filipino troops under Spanish officers, they conquered Vietnam;
annexed Cambodia(1893) and Laos (1893), and merged all these Countries into a federated colony under the
name of French Indochina

CZARIST RUSSIA- was unable to expand westward to Europe, turned Eastward to Asia. (1865-1884)

JULY 8,1853- an American squadron under the command of Commodore Matthew C. Perry re-opened
Japan to the world, which ended Japan’s 214-year isolation.

August 25, 1885- A German warship, the Ilities, entered the Harbor of Yap(an island in Carolines)
- The German seizure of Yap island endangered Spain, who claimed sovereignty over Carolines and Palaus
by right of discovery. It should be noted that the island of Yap was discovered by a Manila Galleon Pilot,
Francisco Lezcano, who named it “Carolina in honor of King Charles II of Spain. To avert actual clash of
arms, Spain and Germany submitted the Carolina Question to Pope Leo XIII for arbitration.
October 22,1885- the Holy Father, recognized Spain’s sovereignty over the Carolines and Palaus, after a
careful study of pertinent documents submitted by both parties, but granting two concessions to Germany- (1)
the right to trade in the disputed archipelagos and (2) the right to establish a coaling station in Yap for the
German navy. Both parties accepted the Papal decision, so that the Hispano-German War was aborted.

 Spain, once upon a time was the “mistress of the world”-the world power, but due to its despotic rule
Spain lost her colonies in Latin America, Central American countries, including the Philippines.

The Philippines of Rizal’s Time

During the times of Rizal, the sinister shadow of Spain’s decadence darkened Philippine skies. The
Filipino people agonized beneath the yoke of Spanish misrule, for they were unfortunate victims of the
evils of an unjust, bigoted an deteriorating colonial power. Among this evils are as follows:

INSTABILITY OF COLONIAL ADMINISTRATION

 The instability of Spanish politics since the turbulent reign of King Ferdinand VII marked the beginning
of Political Chaos in Spain. The Spanish government underwent frequent changes owing to bitter
struggles between the forces of despotism and liberalism and the explosions of the Carlist Wars.
 The political instability of Spain adversely affected Phlippine affairs because it brought frequent
periodic shifts in colonial policies and a periodic rigodon of colonial officials. For instance, from
1835-1897, the Philippines was ruled by 50 governor generals, each serving only one year and three
months. At one time -from November 1853-November 1854- a period of less than a year, there were
four governor generals
 The frequent change of colonial officials hampered the political and economic development of the
Philippines .
CORRUPT COLONIAL OFFICIALS
 With few exceptions, the colonial officials (governors-generals, judges,provincial excutives, etc.) Sent
by Spain to the Philippines in 19th century were far cry from their able and dedicated predecessors of the
16th,17th , and 18th, centuries. They were either highly corrupt, incompetent, cruel, or venal.
 General Rafael de Izquierdo (1871-73),
 Admiral Jose Malcampo (1874-77),
 Primo de Rivera, (1897-98),
 General Valriano Weyler (1888-91),
 General Camilo de Polavieja (1896-97),

PHILIPINE Repsentation in Spanish Cortes.

 Philippines experienced her first period of representation in the Cortes from 1810 to 1813. History
demonstrates that the first Philippine delegate, Ventura de los Reyes, took active part in the framing of
the Constitutions of 1812, Spain’s first democratic constitution, and was one of its 184 signers. This
Contitution was extendedto the Philippines. Another achievement of Delegate De los Reyes was the
abolition of the galleon trade. The first period of the Philippine representation in the Spanish Cortes
(1810-1813) was thus fruitful with beneficent results for the welfare of the colony.However, hte second
period of representation (1820-23) and the third period (1834-37) were less fruitful because the
Philippine delegates were not as energetic and devoted in parliamentary work as De los
Reyes.Unfornately, the representation of the overseas colonies in the Spanish Cortes was abolished in
1837. Philippine conditions worsened because there was no means by which the Filipino people could
expose the anomalies perpetrated by the colonial officials.

Human Rights Denied to Filipinos

 Since the adoption of the Spanish Constitutions of 1812 and other constitutions in succeeding years, the
people of Spain enjoyed freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of association, and other
human rights (except freedom of religion). The Spaniards ardently guarded these rights so that no
Spanish monarch dared abolish them.
 Strangely enough, the Spanish authorities who cherished these human rights or constitutional liberties in
Spain denied them to the Filipinos in Asia. Such inconsistency was lamented by Sinibaldo de Mas,
Spanish economist and diplomat, who wrote in 1843: “Why do we fall into an anomaly, such as
combining our claim for liberty for ourselves, and our wish to impose our law on remote peoples? Why
do we deny to others the benefit which we desire for our fatherland?”

NO Equality Before the law

 Spanish missionaries, who introduced Christianity into Philippines as early as in the 16th century,taught
that all men, irrespective of color and race, are children of God and as such they are brothers, equal
before God. Fascinated by this noble concept of human relations and convinced by the truths of the
Christian faith, most Filipinos (except those in the hinterland sa Luzon and the Visayas and in Mindanao
Sulu) became Christians.
 Spanish colonial authorities, who were Christians, did not implement Christ’s precept of the
brother-hood of all men under the fatherhood of God. They arrogantly regarded the brown-skinned
Filipinos as inferior beings, not their Christian brother imperialist way of thinking, brown Filipinos and
white Spaniards may be equal before God, but not before the law and certainly not in practice.
 Leyes de Indias (Laws of the Indies) were promulgated by the Christian Monarchs of Spain to protect
the rights of the natives in Spain’s overseas colonies an to promote their welfare.
 Filipinos were abused, brutalized, persecuted and slandered by their Spanish masters. They could not
appeal to the law for justice because the law, being dispensed by Spaniards, was only for white
Spaniards.

Maladmistration of justice
 The courts of Justice in the Philippines during Rizal’s time were notoriously corrupt.
 Justice was costly, partial and slow. Poor Filipinos had no access to the courts because they could not
afford the heavy expenses of litigation,
 Wealth, social prestige, and the color of skin were preponderant factors in winning a case in court.
Irrespective to the weight of evidence, a rich man or a Spaniard, whose skin was white, easily achieved
victory in litigation.

Racial Discrimination
 Many Spaniards and their mestizo satellites diversely called the brown-skinned and flat-nosed Filipinos,
“Indios” (indians. In retaliation, the Filipinos jealously dubbed their pale-complexioned detractors with
the disparaging term “bangus” (milkfish).
 During Rizal’s Time, a white skin, a high nose , and a Castilian lineage were a badge of vaunted
superiority. Hence, a Spaniard or a Mestizo, no matter how stupid or mongrel-born he was . always
enjoyed political and social prestige in the community.

Frailocracy
 Owing to the Spanish political philosophy of union of church and stat, there arose a unique form of
government in Hispanic Philippines, called frailocracy (frailocracia), so named because it was “a
government of friars”
 The friars practically ruled the Philippines through a facade of civil government. This colonial
authorities, from the governor general down to the alcaldes mayores, were under the control of friars.
 Almost every town in the archipelago, except in pacified Islamic Mindanao and Sulu and in the pagan
hinter lands, was ruled by a friar curate.
 Rizal, M.H del Pilar, G. Lopez Jaena and other Filipino reformist assailed frailocracy, blaming it for the
prevailing policy of obscurantism, fanaticism, and oppression in the country. Rizal for instance
denounced the friars as the enemies of liberal reforms and modern progress in the Philippines.

Forced Labor
 Known as the polo
 It was the compulsory labor imposed by the Spanish colonial authorities on adult Filipino males in the
construction of churches, schools,hospitals:buildings and repair of roads and bridges; the building of
ships in the shipyards; and other public works.
 All male Spanish residents from 18 years old must render forced labor, actually the brown Filipinos did
the dirty job of building or repairing the public works. The well-to-do among them were able to escape
this manual labor by paying the falla, which was a sum of money paid to the government to be
exempted by fro the polo.

Haciendas owned by the friar

 During Rizal’s times the Spanish friars belonging to different religious orders were the richest landlords,
for they owned the best haciendas(agricultural lands) in the Philippines.

The Guardia Civil
 The symbol of Spanish misrule.

Assessment:
(DISCCUSION QUESTIONS)
︒ Answers could be handwritten or encoded (Times New Roman 12)
︒ Answers could be submitted through my gmail account, nelmaebemundo@gmail.com ,through
facebook messenger or at school

1. After gaining some information about the Philippines during Rizal’s time, what do you think motivated
Rizal, for him to fight for the nation?
2. Compare the situation of the 19th-century-Philippines to an object and explain how the object closely
resembles the situation.
General Instructions:
1. READ, READ, and READ
2. Open indicated links (if there’s any) to help you explore the topics.
3. Answer all activities needed for each topic.
4. Take down notes, so that you can go back whenever you need information.
5. If you have any questions and clarifications you may reach me through my gmail account
nelmaebermundo@gmail.com or through my facebook messenger.
6. Submit all required activities on or before the due date.

References
Zaide, Gregorio Ph.D, et.al. “Jose Rizal:Life, Works and Writings of a Genius, Writer, Scientist and
National Hero”. Quezon City:All Nations Publishing Co.,Inc,1999. p.xvii-xxxii.