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The Life and Works of Jose Rizal
LESSON 3: CONDITIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES IN THE 19TH
CENTURY
At the end of this chapter, the students should be able to:
a. Appraise the link between the individual and society;
b. Analyze the various social, political, economic, and cultural changes
that occurred in the 19th century; and
c. Analyze Jose Rizal in the context of his times.
The 19th century is known to be the Age of Enlightenment in Philippine
history which can be described as a colourful part of our history.
Conservatism vs Liberalism
Liberal stirrings from Europe reached the Philippines.
Kailanes
In the Ilocos, leading citizens there, called Kailanes, refused to believe
that the Cadiz Constitution was abolished by King Ferdinand and rose up in revolt.
They were crushed by troops from the other provinces.
Lt. Andres Novales (Manila, 1800–1823)
He was a Creole captain in the Spanish Army in the Philippines. His
discontentment with the treatment of creole soldiers led him to start a revolt that
inspired even the ranks of José Rizal. He successfully captured Intramuros and
was proclaimed Emperor by his followers. The mutineers tried to rally the
Filipinos to gain their support and promised to fight for the independence of the
Philippines. The mutiny, however, was crushed and the rebels were executed.
Apolinario de la Cruz(Hermano Pule)
The last of the series of revolts took place in 1841-1842 when Apolinario
de la Cruz refused to disband his religious organization, the Cofradia de San Jose.
De la Cruz aspired to be a priest but was refused by the Spaniards because of his
Filipino race. Instead, he founded the Cofradia which gained popularity among
ordinary people and was seen as a threat by the Catholic Church. After his
execution and the suppression of the Cofradia, members of the Tayabas
Regiment of the Spanish army, who turned out to be province-mates of de la
Cruz, mutinied and almost took over Manila. The arrival of native reinforcements
saved the Spanish colonizers from certain defeat.
Disunity
The defeats of native revolts demonstrated that the Philippines was
disunited because of lack of a national identity. The Spaniards used this disunity
to divide and rule the country. Demographically, the Spaniards were in the
Philippines. The Peninsulares, or Spaniards born in Spain but at that time were
working in the Philippines, were very few, consisting of the governor-general,
some officials and priests, and the Insulares, Spaniards born in the Philippines
who were also few in comparison to the native population.
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 The governor-general performs dual functions- political and ecclesiastical. His
Spaniards Filipino Natives political powers include being the chief executive head of the colony- managing
Parish priest Colonial Order was largely controlled the internal affairs of the state as well as the executor of the laws of the land.
Head of Local Police Policemen He was also the chief of Real Audiencia or the Spanish Supreme Court in the
Sergeants Local Spanish Army and Civil Guards Philippines where cases were elevated after the failure of cases in local courts
were largely natives He was also the commanding officer of the armed forces particularly the navy
Gobernadorcillos, Councilmen, and the army.
Principalia His ecclesiastical power then was to settle Church matters because there was
Union of Church and State.
The Spaniards, despite their inferior number, managed to retain the
loyalty of the native officials by giving them certain privileges that kept them
Alcalde Cabeza de
separated from the rest of the population. The gobernadorcillos were afforded the Residencia Visitador Gobernadorcillo
mayor barangay
titles of capitan municipal, teniente, and cabeza. Though their positions did not
In order to check the powers Local officials
pay much, the titles gave them an exalted position in native society and were
of the Governor-General then
called principales or leading citizens. There were also some material rewards
there were officials being sent
in serving the Spaniards. A number of the principales descended from the loyal
by the King
datus who pledged their loyalty to the colonizers. They were exempt from
They were They will Executive of Cities were barangays
taxation and community labor or prestacion personal. They were also entitled to
permanent check the the the called, were headed
receive a portion of their collection from the people. After serving their terms of
officials who performance provinces Ayuntamiento by a chief
office, former officials were still eligible for re-election. It was possible for former
will scrutinize of the that were headed known as the
officials to be reinstated into their former offices several times. This explains why
the Governor- by a petty cabeza de
Spain controlled the Philippines for more than 300 years. Spain controlled the
performance General and governor known barangay and
natives through the native leaders.
of the out- they were as the they served
going temporary "gobernadorcillo". as tax
The Philippines during the 19th Century
Governor- and different collectors of
As stated in the chapter about the Rizaliana batch of biographers, the General. The from the their
history of the Philippines during the 19th century, was divided into three incoming residencia. constituents.
institutions namely: Governor-
General would
a.) Political Institutions be probably
coming from
Governador-Heneral (Captain Heneral) the
residencia.
Highest Official
He was appointed by the King of Spain for an "indefinite" period of time as loyalty
was one of the major qualifications of government officials

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b.) Economic Institutions

The encomienda system or the leasehold system became one of the main
economic programs of Spain in the Philippines. This system however, was abused
by the Spaniards. The 70-30 percentage crop sharing became the most abused
practice to uneducated farmers because it was usurious. Another form of abuse
was the monopoly system or known as bandala system where the Spaniards
monopolized the buying and selling of raw materials and middlemen sold them at NOTE: Chart not proportionally reflective of actual demographic s of period. The
a higher cost. The Galleon Trade was another economic activity at that time Indio Section of Population was and still much larger than reflected here
where "boletas" or tickets were used to purchase goods from the ships though
there were instances when ships never returned due to typhoons or man-made Figure 3
accidents at sea. Social Strata in the Philippines during Spanish Period (Source from Choose
Philippines Archives)
c.) Social Institution

The social institution which was imposed by Spain in the Philippines was
dividied into social strata to wit;
Peninsulares. Full-Blooded Spaniards Born in
Spain
Americano person or Creole (Either Pure
Spanish blood or mostly) Caztizo (1/4 native
American, ¾ Spanish or Meztizo) or Meztizo (1/2
Spanish, ½ native American decent born in
Spanish America (From America)
Insulares. Full-blooded Spaniards born in the PH
Tornatras. Person or mixed Spanish, Chinese, and
Austronesian Descent
Meztizo de Espanol. Person of mixed Spanish,
and Austronesian Descent
Meztizo de Sangley. Person of mixed Chinese
and Austronesian Ancestry
Sangley. Ful- Blooded Chinese
Indio: Full-Blooded Austronesian
The figure above shows the social strata which puts the principalia (the
rich and opulent class) or the peninsulares and insulares at the apex of the
triangle. The lower portion of the apex is composed of mixed races (Spaniard,
Chinese and Austronesian ancestry). The rising middle class or the ilustrados
(composed of the educated class) including Rizal's family and other propagandists
are not presented in the figure. Almost 60% of the population is ' 'Indio" which
belongs to the lower class and uneducated Filipinos. . iiL i Religious impositions
were very strong at that time where Filipinos are subjects under the Spanish
friars. Marcelo H. Del Pilar, known to be one of the main propagandists coined the
term, "frailocracy" which prevailed in the Philippines.
Rizal as a product of his times
Rizal was the the product of his times and he was also one of the
eyewitnesses of the execution of the triumvirate priests, (Gome;, Burgos and
Zamora who were executed on February 17, 1 872 after the Cavite Mutiny on
Januray 20, 1872 which was led by Sargeant La Madrid. Rizal, being an
eyewitness of the execution, reckoned his historical thoughts in his letters as
revealed by his early biographers, On the other hand some points to be
considered, to wit;

Negrito: Full Blooded Aeta, Batak or Mamanwa

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 1. Divine Intervention References:
Rizal's vast knowledge and social consciousness are God's gifts to him. As a
Valenzuela & Calayag (2019). Rizal’s Life and Woks: Towards Social Awareness
reformer, he was well-versed in letters and language. It is a fact that Jose Rizal
and Nationalism. Great Books Trading. Quezon City
possessed a lot of talents and he used his literary and writing ability to fight the
Spanish tyranny. He believed that "the pen is mightier than the sword".
De Viana et al (2018). Jose Rizal: Social Reformer and Patriot. A study of His Life
2. Environmental Awareness and Times. Rex Book Store, Inc. Sampaloc, Manila

The 19th century was the Age of Enlightenment and Rizal was the product of
that time. His environment might be one of the very reasons why he fought the
Spanish authorities as he was surrounded by several names who became his
advisers and mentors. He witnessed the execution of the triumvirate priests
(GomBurZa) at a young age of 11 which awakened his awareness of the social
injustices of the Spanish authorities. He believed that "tyranny" has no room in a
free society which he envisioned for the country.

3. Educational Factors

Rizal became a young professional who gained his expertise in Ateneo (as
surveyor), University of Santo Tomas (as a medical student) and in Universidad
Central de Madrid (continuing his medical studies). His expertise became in
demand as a barrio doctor serving his less priviledged compatriots. His literary
knowledge and observations in the Philippines and his travels abroad were his
inspirations when he wrote his two novels- Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

4. Family Orientation

The Mercado family along with other "middle class families" were Rizal's first
teachers. Belonging to the ilustrado class, Rizal was sent abroad to continue his
medical studies though there were some objections from his mother. His family
was his source of strength in his fight for social jusice from the evil society of that
time. Paciano, his brother was his closest adviser and supporter during his stay in
Europe. Rizal's family has influenced him a lot in inculcating and developing
nationalism in his consciousness.

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