The Life and Works of Rizal

Module 2: Rizal’s Cultural Roots

This module recalls the life of Jose Rizal through the written works of various historians and writers. It
also represents Rizal’s background, his roots, and the events that were significant in the formation of his
character. Section 1, The Ascendance of the Chinese Mestizo focuses on the cultural roots of Rizal’s family and
the significance of the Chinese in Philippine history and civilization. Section 2, Family, Childhood, and Early
Education of Rizal discusses the hero’s family background, childhood experiences, and notable achievements
during his early education. Section 3, Agrarian Relations and the Friar Lands present the issues on land
ownership during the Spanish colonial period.

Module 1 Section 1: The Ascendance of the Chinese Mestizo

This section presents the significant roles of Chines mestizos in Philippine history, governance, and
economy. It also shows how the Chinese mestizos influenced the character of Rizal who has Chinese roots.

Intended Learning Outcomes: at the end of this section, the students should be able to:

1. Explain the role of the Chinese mestizo in Philippine society; and

2. Discuss the relationship of Filipinos and Chinese then and now.

Diagnostics

21st Century Chinese in the Philippines

Instructions: In groups of four, interview and individual in your community who is of Chinese descent. Find out
his or her:

1. Family background (percentage of Chinese blood)

2. Business (if any)
3. Beliefs and values
4. Thoughts about being a Tsinoy

Philippine history is not complete as basis for understanding contemporary society unless it includes the
contributions of the Chinese mestizos to the development of the Philippines as a nation. They played a
significant role in the formation of the Filipino middle class, in the call for reforms, in the 1898 revolution, and
in the formation of Filipino nationalism.

Chinese History in the Philippines

As early as the 16th century, the Chinese were already in the Philippine archipelago. However, some
historians asserted that it was during the pre-colonial period that the Chinese first arrived in the country as
merchants between the coasts of Manila and China. Still, it was only during the Spanish colonial period that
Chinese immigrants became prominent in the Philippine society. In 1594, the Spanish Governor Luiz Perez
Dasmariñas created Binondo as a permanent settlement for Chinese mestizos who converted to Catholicism. In
this part of Manila, Chinese merchants and traders were free to do their business. Binondo also became the
place of intermarriages between Chinese mestizos. As the Chinese population increased, the Spaniards saw
them as a threat to their own rule. They feared that the Chinese would be far less loyal to the Spanish regime
than the indios. Nevertheless, one fact that the Spaniards could not discount then was that the Chinese became
pivotal to their colonial rule because they provided valuable capital to Manila. Thus, despite orders of expelling
all Chinese from the Philippines, Governor Dasmariñas realized that Manila needed the Chinese for economic
reasons.

Chinese mestizo communities, aside from Binondo, emerged in many other parts of the archipelago. In
Manila, notable communities were Santa Cruz and Tondo. In the early 17th century, more than 100 Chinese
individuals were married to native Filipinos in Iloilo, Pampanga, and Cebu. In northern Luzon, Chinese
mestizos could be found in Pangasinan, Benguet, and Mountain Province.

From the beginning of the Spanish colonial period until 1740, the inhabitants of the Philippines were
classified into three: Spaniards, Indios, and Chinese. As the Chinese mestizo population grew, questions
regarding the legal status as inhabitants of the country arose. It was only in 1741 that their legal status was
officially established when the whole population of the Philippines was reclassified into four according to tax
payment or tribute. These classes are the (1) Spaniards and Spanish mestizos, (2) Indios, (3) Chinese, and (4)
The Life and Works of Rizal
Module 2: Rizal’s Cultural Roots
Chinese Mestizos. Spaniards and Spanish mestizos were not required to pay tribute or tax, whereas the three
other classes were required to pay taxes depending on their income. More so, a policy that limited the number
of Chinese individuals who could reside in the Philippines and restricted their area of settlement was
implemented. At the end of the 19th century, there were almost 500,000 Chinese mestizos in the Philippines with
46,000 living in Manila.

A Chinese mestizo then was:

 Any person born of a Chinese father and indio mother;

 A Spanish mestiza who married a Chinese mestizo; or
 A child of a Spanish mestiza and an Indio were listed as Indios.

Significance of the Chinese Mestizo

The expulsion of Chinese immigrants in the Philippines enabled the Chinese mestizos to take over the
markets that the former previously controlled. Chinese mestizos became prominent and influential figures in the
are of industry, commerce, and business during the Spanish colonial period. They carried on a lucrative
commerce by collecting goods from the north and selling them to Manila and nearby provinces. They
monopolized the internal trading in the Philippines while the Spanish mestizos were concerned with foreign
trade. The entrepreneurial power of the Chinese mestizos gave way to the emergence of the Philippine middle
class described as “more active and enterprising, more prudent and pioneering, more oriented to trade and
commerce than the Indios” (Bowring, 1963). They shared economic power in terms of exports and imports.
They became landholders, wholesalers, retailers, and owners of the majority of the artisan shops.

Aside from contributing to economic stability, another significant role that Chinese mestizos played in
the Philippine society was the formation of the Filipino identity. This was evident during the latter part of the
19th century when they became clearly influential in the economy of the Philippines as a Spanish colony. This
caused the Spaniards to be concerned with the ability of the Chinese mestizos to cause discord in society. By
1800s, Chinese mestizos in the provinces began to form opinions regarding the Spanish colonial rule. It was
also difficult to separate the Indios from the Chinese mestizos since they identified themselves with each other
socially and culturally. Chinese mestizos shared grievances with the Indios about the harsh conditions under the
Spanish rule. Spaniards feared that the independent mindset and liberalism of Chinese mestizos might influence
the political consciousness of the Indios. Evidently, this emergent middle class, the Chinese mestizos, rekindled
and intensified the growing national opposition to colonial abuses and demanded sweeping social reforms.

The most vivid manifestation of the budding sense of Filipino nationalism appeared in the late 1870s in
the writings of Pedro Paterno and Gregorio Sanciano, who were both Chinese mestizos. Paterno and Sanciano
wrote about the essence of being a Filipino, defended the dignity of the Filipinos, and explained the supposed
indolence of the Indios. Their writings were nurtured by Jose Rizal, a known pride of the Malay race but also a
Chinese mestizo. Rizal descended from a pure Chinese ancestor and a long line of Chinese mestizos and
mestizas.

The significant role of the Chinese mestizos in the making of the nation was highly evident at the turn of
the century. Their involvement in the armed revolt against the colonizers showed that they recognized Spain as
the enemy – the oppressor. The Philippine Revolution in 1896 to 1898 was the act of determination on the part
of Filipinos – Indios and Chinese mestizos alike – to claim for themselves and for future generations the
incomparable birthright of nationhood.

Rizal and the Chinese Mestizos

Rizal is a fifth general Chinese mestizo. However, he and his father were considered as Indios. Some
documents and scholarly papers noted that Rizal disliked being called Chinese mestizo or Tsinoy (in the modern
sense) and dissociated himself from any Chinese relations.

Through his novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, Rizal exposed the abuses and corruption of
the Spanish authorities, condemned the oppression of the people by the colonizers, and ridiculed the hyprocrisy
and overbearing attitude of the Spanish friars. He also depicted the bloody revolution that sparked people’s fury
and eventually led them to revolt. At the same time, as a sign of his contempt towards Chinese immigrants in
the Philippines, his novels brimmed with insults and scorn for them.
The Life and Works of Rizal
Module 2: Rizal’s Cultural Roots

Rizal clearly manifested his anti-Chinese feelings in his writings, as well as his correspondence with
family and friends. By virtue of his lineage, Rizal could have had a special connection with the Chinese, but
such was not the case.

The concern on whether Rizal’s disdain over his Chinese lineage made him less of a hero is not
something to argue about. Chinese mestizo or not, Rizal is a nationalist and a Filipino.

Clemente, Janet Espina and Geoffrey Rhoel C. Cruz. 2019. The life and works of Rizal. Quezon City: C & E
Publishing, Inc. pp. 41 – 46