Republic of the Philippines

Tarlac State University

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION
CENTER OF DEVELOPMENT
Lucinda Campus, Tarlac City
Tel. No. (045) 493-0182; Fax No. (045) 982-0110
Accredited Level III by the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges
and Universities of the Philippines

WRITTEN REPORT

in

SS 5: Life and Works of Rizal

Prepared by:

Jennifer E. Cotillon
BTLE IA-4A

Prepared to:

Dr. Rebecca M. Mercado

Professor
 CHAPTER II

19TH CENTURY PHILIPPINES AS RIZAL’S CONTEXT

THE SOCIAL BACKGROUND

Concerning the social picture of the 19th century Philippines, at least three topics are

needed to be discussed: (a) education, (b) the rise of Chinese Mestizo, and (c) the rise of

the inquilinos.

EDUCATION IN THE 19TH CENTURY

 During the early years of Spanish colonization, education was mostly run by

the Church. Spanish friars and missionaries educated the natives and converted

indigenous populations to the Catholic faith.

 King Philip II's Leyes de Indias (Laws of the Indies)

mandated Spanish authorities in the Philippines to educate

the natives, to teach them how to read and write in the

Spanish language. However, the latter objective was

difficult given the realities of the time. The early friars

learned the local languages to better communicate with the

locals. In order to teach the Spanish language to the native population, the friars

learned the local languages first, which also made possible the teaching of

the Christian faith.

 The Spanish missionaries established schools soon after reaching the islands and a

few decades into the Spanish period, there was no Christian village without its

school, with most children attending.

 Less than one-fifth of those who went to school could read and write Spanish.
 The Augustinians opened a school immediately upon arriving in Cebú in 1565.

The Franciscans arrived in 1577, and they, too, immediately taught the people

how to read and write, besides imparting to them important industrial and

agricultural techniques. The Jesuits who arrived in 1581 also concentrated on

teaching the young. When the Dominicans arrived in 1587, they did the same

thing in their first mission in Bataan.

 The native children were taught reading, writing, and arithmetic, and some

vocational and practical arts subjects.

 Latin was also taught to the students instead of Spanish.

 The Spanish Friars applying corporal punishment.

 Colleges (which were the equivalent of our high school today) were established

for boys and girls.

 Separate school for boys and girls.

 Subject taught to college students included History, Latin, Geography,

Mathematics and Philosophy.

 17th century – University opened in the country to the Spanish.

 19th century – these universities started accepting native Filipinos.

 1863- royal decree called for the establishment of a public school system in the

Philippines.

 Formerly run totally by religious authorities administered by the government

during the last half of the 19th century.

 As a result of increasing the number of educated Filipinos a new social class

raised, which came to be known as the Ilustrados.

 Furthermore, with the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 travel to Spain become

quicker, easier and more affordable, and many Filipinos took advantage of it to

continue higher education in Spain and Europe, mostly in Madrid and Barcelona.

This new enlightened class of Filipinos would later lead the Philippine

independence movement, using the Spanish language as their main

 communication method.

 Out of this talented group of students from the Philippines arose what came to be

known as the Propaganda Movement.

Some Filipino Ilustrados in Madrid: Rizal is in the second row, fifth from right.

 The most prominent of the Ilustrados was José Rizal, who inspired the desire for

independence with his novels written in Spanish.

THE RISE OF CHINESE MESTIZO

A Group Picture of Chinese Mestizos

 At the beginning of the 19th century, economic and political changes in Europe

were finally starting to affect Spain and, consequently the Philippines.

 Broader trade was the gradual abolition of the monopoly enjoyed by the Manila-

Acapulco Galleon.

 Demand for Philippine sugar, abaca (hemp)

 Amount of export increased of European countries.

 Opening of Suez Canal in 1869.

  The development of commercial agriculture in the archipelago resulted in the

presence of a new class.

 Alongside the landholdings of the church and the rice estates of the pre-Spanish

nobility, there emerged haciendas of sugar, coffee, and hemp.

 The fast rhythm of economic progress in the Philippines during the 19 th century

expedited.

THE RISE OF THE INQUILINOS

 At least in modern Spanish, the term inquilino has the same meaning as the

English “tenant.”

 Contextually, the 19th Century inquilino system in the Philippines is better

understood as a qualified system of tenancy, or the right to use land in exchange

for rent.

 The elimination of the Galleon Trade and opening of the Suez Canal gave way for

more extensive rice cultivation and production.

 Many states turned progressively to the inquilino system of land tenure

 During harvest time, the administration would collect the rent of the inquilinos

 This system became very profitable.

  As friar estates enlarged, the boundaries that separated between estates and

communal lands became a common cause of conflict.

 Disputes over communal woodcutting and grazing areas occurred regularly

between villages and estates, with the later denying to the former their traditional

communal community.

 In Bulacan, for instance the villagers once complained that the friars took illegal

possession of their land and to compound this crime, they even denied the use of

rivers for fishing and the forest for collecting firewood and wild fruits.

 In Cavite and Laguna, the Dominicans and Tagalogs frequently fought over

border lands.

 Consequently, there were instances of peasants taking arm to protest the alleged

abuses and usurpation of their lands by the Jesuits, Dominicans, Augustinians,

and the Recollects.

 The relative freedom, which the inquilino acquired by sub-leasing their farms

provided them a tactical advantage for arranging and leading these peasant protest

movements.

REFERENCES:

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_the_Philippines_during_Spanish_rule