CHAPTER IX

THE PHILIPPINES A CENTURY HENCE (“FILIPINAS DENTRO

DE CIEN AÑOS”)

Jose Rizal’s “Filipinas Dentro De Cien Años” (translated as “The Philippines within

One Hundred Years” or “The Philippines A Century Hence”) was serialized on

September 30, October 31, December 15, 1889, and February 15, 1890 in the fortnightly

review La Solidaridad of Madrid. In the articles, Rizal estimated the future of the

Philippines in the span of a hundred years and foretold the catastrophic end of Spanish

rule in Asia.

 Forecasting the future of the Philippines within a

hundred years, the essay reflected Rizal’s feeling

that it was time to remind Spain that the

conditions that ushered in the French Revolution

could have telling effect for her on the Philippine

islands.

 Collectively, the articles in many senses,

supplemented Rizal’s great novel Noli Me

Tangere and its sequel El Filibusterismo.

 The essay also talked about the glorious past of the Philippines, recounted the

deterioration of the economy, and exposed the causes of the natives’ sufferings

under the cruel Spanish rule.

 In the essay, he cautioned Spain as regards the imminent downfall of its

domination.

 Part of the purpose in writing the essay was to awaken the minds and the hearts of

the Filipinos concerning the oppression of the Spaniards and encouraging them to

fight for their right.

CAUSES OF SUFFERINGS AND DETERIORATION

 In Rizal’s annotation of Antonio Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (also

penned in 1889 to 1890), our national hero through great efforts proved and

discussed the glorious past of the Philippines.

 In “The Philippines a Century Hence”, he analyzed the deterioration of its

economy and identified causes of locals’ sufferings under the cruel Spanish rule.

The essay, thus, gave the following as the various cases of the sorrows suffered by the

Philippine natives (as enumerated in “The Philippines a Century Hence: Summary and

Analysis”, n.d.):

(1.) Spain’s implementation of its military policies

 Because of such decrees, the Philippine population decreased intensely.

Poverty became more widespread than ever as farmlands were left to wither.

The people continued to suffer from hunger and disease. The family as a unit

of society was deserted, and generally, all facets of the life of the natives

became retarted.

(2.) Deterioration and disappearance of Filipino indigenous culture

 The locals began forgetting who they were, what their valued beliefs, religion,

songs, poetry, and the other forms of their cultural heritage were. When Spain

came with sword and the cross, it started this slow but continuing damage of

the native Philippine culture. Impoverished and retarded, the people began

losing their sense of self-worth and their confidence in their past and their

heritage. Sprit-broken, they became confused and hesitant in their current

lifestyle, disgusted with themselves, and ultimately lost hope in the future and

the preservation of their race.

(3.) Passivity and submissive to the Spanish colonizers

 The essay attributed the passivity and submissiveness of our people to the

manner of governance by the colonists. The Spanish friars were one of the
 most powerful forces that influenced a culture of silence and lethargy among

the locals. Through their use of force and intimidation (unfairly using God’s

name), the natives learned to fanatically submit themselves to the whims and

caprices of the strangers.

THE INVETABLE

One of the main topics tackled by Rizal in the

essay was whether Spain could indeed prevent the

looming progress of the Philippines. Despite the

corruption and deterioration brought about by the

colonizers to Philippines, he was hopeful that the

country’s eventual improvement could not be hindered.

For this, he made the following points:

(1.) Keeping the people uneducated and ignorant

failed. National consciousness had still

awakened, and great Filipino minds still

emerged from the rubble.

(2.) Keeping the people impoverished also came to no avail. On the contrary, living a

life of eternal destitution allowed the Filipinos to act on the desire for a change in

their way of life. They began to explore some other horizons through which they

could move toward progress.

(3.)Exterminating the people as an alternative to hindering progress did not work

either. The Filipino race was able to survive amidst wars and famine, and became

even more numerous after such catastrophes. To wipe out the nation altogether

would require the sacrifice of thousand Spanish soldiers, and this was something

Spain would not allow (“The Philippines a Century Hence: Summary and

Analysis,” n.d.)
  Rizal, thus, concluded that Spain had no means to stop the progress of the

Philippines. What the colonist had to do was to change its colonial policies so

that they would be suitable for the needs of the Philippines society and to the

increasing nationalism of its people.

RIZAL’S “PHROPECIES”

 Rizal expressed in the essay his confident prediction that something would

awaken the hearts and open the minds of the Filipino people as regards their

plight.

 He “prophesied” the Philippine people’s revolution against Spain, winning their

independence, but later the Americans would come as the new colonizer.

 Eventually, the natives did recognize the harassment and cruelty in their society

foreign colonizers must no longer be tolerated

 The natives, thus, though lacking arms and enough training, valiantly waged war

against the colonizers.

 Even the not-so-predictable element of Rizal’s “prophecy” true---the Americans

in 1898 wrestled with Spain to win the Philippines, and in due course took over

the country. Relatively, theirs was a reign of liberty and democracy.

 Some years of Rizal’s death, the Philippines attained its long-awaited liberation

and independence.

 Again, this appeared to be the fulfillment of what he had written in the essay

“History does not record in its annals any lasting domination by one people over

another, of different races, of divert usages and customs, of opposite and divegent

ideas. One of the two had to yield and succumb.”

REFERENCES:

Life and Works of Jose Rizal: Biography, Writings, and Legacies of our Bayani Book