Rizal and His Times

The Philippines' sky was shadowed by the menacing shadows of Spanish decadence during Rizal's time.
The Filipino people suffered under the weight of Spanish misrule because they were the unlucky targets
of an oppressive, prejudiced, and collapsing colonial authority. Among these evils were as follows:

3 Instability of Colonial Administration:

This political unrest in Spain had a negative impact on Philippine affairs because it led to regular
rigodons of colonial officials and frequent alterations in colonial policies. For instance, 50 governor
generals controlled the Philippines from 1835 and 1897, with each one holding office for an average of
one year and three months. There were four governors-general in office at one time, from December
1853 to November 1854, a span of less than a year.

1 Corrupt Colonial Officials:

The colonial authorities (governor-general, judges, executives, etc.) dispatched by Spain to the
Philippines in the 19th century were, with very few exceptions, a far cry from their capable and devoted
forebears of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. They were either incredibly dishonest, inept, brutal, or
venal. They appeared to represent the decadent Spain of the 19th century rather than the Spain of the
Siglo de Oro (Golden Age), which gave rise to great Hispanic nationalists like Miguel Cervantes, Lope de
Vega, Calderon de la Barca, El Greco, Velasquez, St. Theresa da Avila, and others.

General Rafael de Izquierdo (1871- 73)

Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, the "Martyrs of 1872," were innocent men
who were executed by an arrogant and brutal governor general, inciting the wrath of the Filipino
people.

His successor, Admiral Jose Malcampo (1874-77)

was a good Moro fighter, but was an inept and weak administrator.

General Fernando Primo de River, governor general (1880-83 and 1897- 98)

enriched himself by accepting bribes from gambling casinos in Manila which he scandalously permitted
to operate.

General Valeriano Weyler (1888-91)

A harsh and dishonest governor general with German Hispanic descent arrived in Manila indigent and
left Manila with a million dollars. He received significant bribes from affluent Chinese who disregarded
the anti-Chinese law, as well as gifts of jewels for his wife. Because of his brutal persecution of the
Calamba tenants, particularly the Rizal family, the Filipinos mockingly referred to him as a "tyrant."
Because of his ruthless reconcentration policy, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of Cubans
during his brief governorship in Cuba in 1896, the Cubans mockingly called him "The Bucher."

General Camilo de Polavieja (1896- 97)

The Filipino people had a strong dislike for the heartless but able military governor general who
executed Dr. Rizal.
2 Philippines Representation in Spanish Cortes:

Thus, the first period of Philippine representation in the Spanish Cortes was fruitful and produced
favorable outcomes for the colony's welfare. The Philippine delegates were not as engaged and active in
parliamentary work as De los Reyes, which led to less success during the second and third terms of
representation. Unfortunately, in 1837 the Spanish Cortes abolished the representation of the overseas
colonies, including the Philippines. Since then, the situation in the Philippines has gotten worse because
the Filipinos lack the means to call attention to the wrongdoing committed by the colonial authorities.
Many brave Filipino patriots fervently argued in favor of the country's return to the Cortes. We want
representation in the legislative chamber so that our aspirations may be known to the mother country
and its government, the silver-tongued Graciano Lopez Jaena pleaded in sonorous Castilian on October
12, 1883, during the 391st anniversary of Columbus' discovery of America in Madrid. Regrettably Spain
ignored the fervent plea of Lopez Jaena and his compatriots. The Spanish Constitution of 1876 gave
Cuba and Puerto Rico representation in the Cortes, which aggravated their grievance. The Philippines
did not regain representation in the Cortes until the end of Spanish rule in 1898.

4 Human Rights Denied to Filipinos:

The Spanish people have had access to various constitutions and other human rights since the
introduction of the Spanish Constitution of 1812 and other constitutions in subsequent years (except
freedom of religion). No Spanish king dared to eliminate these liberties because the Spaniards fiercely
protected them. The Filipinos in Asia were not granted the same human rights or constitutional liberties
that Spanish authorities prized in Spain. Sinabaldo de Mas, a Spanish economist and diplomat,
bemoaned this inconsistency in his 1843 essay, asking: "Why do we fall into anomaly, such as combining
our claim for liberty for ourselves with our wish to impose our law on distant people? Why do we refuse
to give others what we want for our country?”

5 No Equality before the Law:

Spanish missionaries who brought Christianity to the Philippines as early as the 16th century preached
that all people, regardless of race or color, are equal before God and that they are brothers in the same
way that they are brothers among human beings. Most Filipinos converted to Christianity because they
were intrigued by this admirable idea of human interactions and persuaded by the Christian faith's
veracity.

Although they were Christians, the Spanish colonial authorities did not actually uphold Christ's teachings
regarding the equality of all men under the fatherhood of God. They arrogantly viewed the brown-
skinned Filipinos as inferior beings, not their Christian brothers to be protected but rather as their
majesty's subjects to be exploited, especially during the last decades of Hispanic rule. As a result, the
Filipinos suffered from the abuse, brutality, persecution, and slander of their Spanish overlords. Because
the law was being administered by Spaniards and was only for the white Spaniards, they were unable to
appeal to it for justice.
7 Maladministration of Justice:

In the Philippines during Rizal's time, the justice system was infamously dishonest. Indeed, in the eyes of
the dark Filipinos, they were "unjust" tribunals. Spanish judges, fiscals (prosecutors), and other court
employees frequently lacked legal knowledge and were incompetent and corrupt. Justice was pricy,
sluggish, and incomplete. Due to their inability to pay the high costs of litigation, the poorest Filipinos
were denied access to the courts. The likelihood of success in court depended heavily on one's wealth,
social standing, and skin tone. Regardless of the strength of the evidence, a wealthy man or a Spaniard
with white skin easily won any court case.

A legal dispute was seen as a catastrophe by the majority of Filipinos. Even a straightforward lawsuit
frequently results in costs that are greater than the value of the asset in question, leaving the parties
impoverished after a protracted legal battle. Criminal cases dragged on for many years, during which
time either the offenders fled or the paperwork disappeared.

8 Racial Discrimination:

Everywhere there was racial discrimination, including in the military, the armed services, social circles,
educational institutions, and the hierarchy of the church order. The brown-skinned and flat-nosed
Filipinos were mockingly referred to as "indios" by many Spaniards and their mestizo satellites (Indians).
The resentful Filipinos called their fair-skinned opponents "bangus" in retribution for their insults
(milkfish). A high nose, white skin, and Castilian ancestry were considered signs of supremacy during
Rizal's time. Therefore, regardless of how stupid or mestizo he was born, a Spaniard or mestizo always
enjoyed political and social prestige in the community.

6 Frailocracy:

A distinctive form of government known as "frailocracy," named because it was "a government by
friars," emerged in the Hispanic Philippines as a result of the Spanish political philosophy of union of
Church and State. History reveals that the friars—Augustinians, Dominicans, and Franciscans—
controlled the Philippines' religious and educational life from the time of the Spanish conquest until the
late 19th century, when they amassed enormous political power, influence, and wealth. Through a guise
of civil administration, the friars effectively controlled the Philippines. The friars had influence over the
colonial government, which included the governor general and alcaldes mayores. Except for the
unrestrained Muslim areas of Mindanao and Sulu and the pre-Christian hinterlands, almost every town
in the archipelago was governed by a friar curate. In addition to performing his priestly duties, the friar
was also responsible for overseeing local elections, inspecting schools and taxes, judging morality,
censoring books and comedias (stage plays), supervising public works projects, and maintaining peace
and order. His political clout was so tremendous that the governor general and the representatives from
the provinces followed his recommendations. He might imprison a Filipino patriot, brand him a
filibustero (traitors), and order his exile or execution as an enemy of God and Spain.
11 Forced Labor:

A distinctive form of governance known as "frailocracy," named because it was "a government by friars,"
emerged in the Hispanic Philippines as a result of the Spanish political theory of union of Church and
State. History reveals that the friars—Augustinians, Dominicans, and Franciscans—controlled the
Philippines' religious and educational life from the time of the Spanish conquest until the late 19th
century, when they amassed enormous political power, influence, and wealth. Through a guise of civil
administration, the friars effectively controlled the Philippines. The friars had influence over the colonial
government, which included the governor general and alcaldes mayores. Except for the unrestrained
Muslim areas of Mindanao and Sulu and the pre-Christian hinterlands, almost every town in the
archipelago was governed by a friar curate. In addition to performing his priestly responsibilities, the
friar was also responsible for overseeing local elections, inspecting schools and taxes, judging morality,
censoring publications and comedias (stage plays), supervising public works projects, and maintaining
peace and order. His political clout was so tremendous that the governor general and the
representatives from the provinces followed his recommendations. He might imprison a Filipino patriot,
brand him a filibustero (traitors), and order his exile or execution as an enemy of God and Spain.

9 Haciendas Owned by the Friars:

The richest landowners during Rizal's day were Spanish friars from various religious orders who owned
the best haciendas in the Philippines. The rural residents who had been cultivating and residing in these
haciendas for generations became renters. Naturally, they were upset over losing the estates that had
belonged to them since before the Spanish conquest; nevertheless, legally, the friars were regarded as
the rightful proprietors of those territories because they had received royal titles of possession from the
Spanish monarchy. Given that the Filipino tenants saw the Franciscan proprietors as usurpers of their
ancestral lands, it is understandable why these friars' haciendas became hotbeds of agrarian revolts. The
agrarian upheaval in 1745–1746 was one of these bloody agrarian uprisings.

10 The Guardian Civil:

The richest landowners during Rizal's day were Spanish friars from various religious orders who owned
the best haciendas in the Philippines. The rural residents who had been cultivating and residing in these
haciendas for generations became renters. Naturally, they were upset over losing the estates that had
belonged to them since before the Spanish conquest; nevertheless, legally, the friars were regarded as
the rightful proprietors of those territories because they had received royal titles of possession from the
Spanish monarchy. Given that the Filipino tenants saw the friar proprietors as usurpers of their ancestral
lands, it is understandable why these friar haciendas were hotbeds of agrarian revolts. The agricultural
unrest in 1745–1746 was one of many deadly agrarian uprisings.