CONDITIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES DURING 19TH CENTURY | 1

CONDITIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES DURING 19TH CENTURY

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Appraise the link between the individual and society

2. Analyze the various social, political, economic, and cultural changes that occurred
in the nineteenth century
3. State the concept of liberal ideas as opposed to the conservative ideas
4. Point out the countries where its people tried to change the political and social
situations of those countries
5. Understand Jose Rizal in the context of his times and discuss the direction of the
changes.

“Though the origins and development of Filipino nationalism cannot be understood

simply by studying Rizal and his nationalist thought, neither can it be understood without
giving him central attention.”
- J. Schumacher, 1991
The Spanish Colonial Government Organizational Structure

swhistlesoft.com
 CONDITIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES DURING 19TH CENTURY | 2

Throughout Philippine history, the name Dr. Jose Rizal occupied a permanent place
in the lives of every Filipino. His life and his works had brought great impact in the making
of our country’s own history and eventually to the formation of our national identity. His
writings, particularly his novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo were viewed by
many historians as the guiding force which united the Filipinos towards a common cause.
At the young age of 35 he was shot dead in Bagumbayan, a martyr act that later on placed
him in a pedestal and made him deserved all kinds of veneration. For the Filipinos, his
martyrdom in 1896 is something that no one should forget, making him the national hero
through a “consensus” decision. But who could have thought that a sickly boy born in
Calamba, Laguna and raised from a well-educated and distinguished family will turn to be
the most celebrated Filipino hero?
Many history writers and biographers agreed that Jose Rizal could have the
necessary traits in becoming a hero. He is a versatile genius with innate talents in every
field. If to describe Rizal’s abilities, a long list will tell that he was an architect, artists,
businessman, cartoonist, educator, economist, ethnologist, scientific farmer, historian,
inventor, journalist, linguist who able to master 22 languages and other native dialects,
musician, mythologist, nationalist, naturalist, novelist, ophthalmic surgeon, poet,
propagandist, psychologist, scientist, sculptor, sociologist, and theologian. With all these
incredible talents on him, we may wonder how his genomic features are formed. His
parents, Don Francisco and Donya Teodora may possibly have the best genes to contribute.
His uncles Gregorio, Manuel and Jose Alberto could be really supportive that they
influenced the young Rizal in honing his skills in arts and sports and ought him developed
a habit of reading, while his brother Paciano turned to be an effective social influencer.
While Rizal may have been molded into an excellent human
being, his experiences as a child in Calamba, as a student in
Manila and Madrid and a foreigner living in Europe for years
had pushed him to hold his pen and used this for a
greater cause. Rizal lived in the later part of 19th century, a time
when the idea of “freedom” was prohibited and which was
something to be fought for. When he was 11 years old, he heard
about the three Filipino priests who were sentenced to death,
charged them of a crime they never did. His mother Donya
Teodora was imprisoned for two years in the town of Sta. Cruz
in Laguna for a crime she also never did. When he was a student
in the University of Santo Tomas, he saw how the Dominican
Rizal Monument in Sta. Cruz, priests discriminated Filipino students. He then saw how
Laguna, one of the tallest Rizal
monuments in the world. Filipinos were being treated as slaves in their own land and he
never thought that men could really be free until he went to
Madrid. Rizal’s hope for the Filipinos during his time was to also experience the form of
 CONDITIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES DURING 19TH CENTURY | 3

freedom and liberty he had seen while in Europe. These experiences had made his eyes
more open and could have inspired him to even dedicate his own life for his fellowmen.
Rizal became an icon of heroism among the Filipinos and immortalizing him in
books and literatures were deemed necessary to pay respect and express gratitude for all
his contributions and sacrifices. As a Filipino, maybe the least that we can do is to read
Rizal, his life and his works, and learn, be inspired and lived from all the lessons we could
get from it. Though, in able to do this we should have a better grasp of Rizal’s life and to
have a better appreciation of him, we should also consider and understand how he had
lived his life. How did Rizal become the hero we knew? What forces made him involved
himself in the national struggle? To answer these queries, we should understand first the
period when Rizal had lived.
In a sociological point of view, to understand human behavior and to find out why
people do what they do, we should look at the social location, the corners in life that people
occupy because of where they are located in a society. Sociologist C. Wright Mills (1959)
put it this way: “The sociological imagination enables us to grasp the connection between
history and biography.” By history, Mills meant that each society is located in a broad
stream of events. By biography, Mills referred to our experiences, which give us
orientations to life. In short, people don’t do what they do because they inherited some
internal mechanism, such as instincts. Rather, external influences—our experiences
become part of our thinking and motivation. In short, the societies in which we grow up,
and our particular location in that society, lie at the center of what we do and how we think
(Henslin, 2010).
“One of the ironies of the cult rendered to Rizal as a national hero is that often his
words, rather than his thoughts, have been invoked without any consideration of the
historical context in which they were spoken or of the issues they addressed. Without an
understanding of that milieu one can scarcely understand Rizal’s enduring importance to
the Filipino people or the relevance of his ideas and ideals today” (Schumacher, 1991).
Borrowing a phrase used by Renato Constantino in a different context, it has often been
“veneration without understanding,” hence, no veneration at all.
In this chapter, we will discuss the nineteenth century
Philippines under Rizal’s context as explained by John Schumacher
in his essay “Rizal in the Context of the 19th Century Philippines.”
This essay was included in Schumacher’s collection of writings, The
Making of a Nation: Essays on Nineteenth Century Filipino
Nationalism published in 1991by the Ateneo de Manila University
Press. Essays collected in this book were centered on the emergence
of the Filipino national consciousness in the second half of 19th
century and the process underwent on how Filipinos were formed into
a nation. Moreover, the purpose of the discussion is to single out
some major economic, political, cultural and religious developments
of the nineteenth century that influenced Rizal’s growth as a nationalist and conditioned
the evolution of his thought. These varied aspects of development will be discussed
 CONDITIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES DURING 19TH CENTURY | 4

separately elucidating our country’s historical conditions during the last years of Spanish
colonization.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
As stated in Schumacher’s essay, the highpoint of the nationalist movement in the
late 19th century could hardly be possible without the economic growth which took place
in 19th century Philippines, particularly after 1830.
The Philippine foreign trade
from year 1825 to 1895 had
risen significantly with the
total trade (combined exports
and imports) amounting to
2,800,000 pesos in 1825 and
rose to 62,000,000 pesos in
1895. The growth of an export
economy in those years
Figures for Philippine foreign trade for the beginning, middle and end of 19th
brought increasing prosperity
century. Source: Schumacher, p.17 to the Filipino middle and
upper classes as well as to the
Western merchants who are chiefly British and American who organized it. This brought
to the Philippines both the machinery and the consumer goods which the industrialized
economies of the West could supply.
The prosperity which the new export economy had brought to some may be
illustrated by the case of Rizal’s Chinese ancestor Domingo Lam-co. When he had come
to the Binan hacienda in mid-18th century, the average holding of an inquilino was 2.9
hectares; after Rizal’s father had moved to the Calamba hacienda, the Rizal family in the
1890s rented from the hacienda over 390 hectares.
Philippine exports were agricultural products. Those who controlled large rice,
sugar and abaca growing lands in Central Luzon, Batangas, parts of the Bikol region,
Negros and Panay profited the most. These included not only the Filipino hacenderos and
the friar orders owning large haciendas but also the inquilinos of the friar haciendas. Many
of these inquilinos were equivalently hacenderos in their own right, passing on from one
generation to the next the lands they rented from the friar hacienda, and farming them by
means of their share-tenants or kasama.
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But rising prosperity on haciendas ownership had

brought friction between inquilinos and owners of
haciendas as lands grew in value and rents were
raised. A combination of traditional methods and
modernizing efficiency led to disputes arguing who
should reap the larger part of the fruits of the economic
boom. Eventually, this would lead to a questioning of
the friar’s rights to the haciendas. In this case, it would
The Hacienda de Calamba, one of the haciendas not be the kasama or the share-tenants who would
acquired by the Dominicans in 1833. challenge friar ownership during this time, but the
Source: haciendadecalamba.blogspot.com
prosperous inquilinos. Their motive would be as much
political as economic—to weaken the friars’ influence in Philippine political life.

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
Modernizing Filipinos saw the colonial policies of Spain as not only the causes of
the existing economic prosperity, but increasingly as positive hindrances preventing further
progress and even threatening what had already been achieved. Schumacher described how
the instability of the Spanish government and the tendency of corruption and incompetency
of the Spanish officials during the 19th century had affected colonial governance especially
in the Philippines.
In Spain, the Liberals succeeded Conservatives at irregular intervals as one or the
other proved incapable of coping with the problems of governing the nation. The
unsteadiness of these governments made it impossible to develop any inconsistent policy
for the overseas colonies. Worse, both parties used the Philippines as a handy dumping
ground to reward party hangers-on with jobs. Hence, each change of government brought
another whole new mob of job-seekers to the Philippines, ready to line their pockets with
Filipino money before they would be replaced by still others. Filipinos were then deprived
of those few positions they had formerly held in the bureaucracy while the vast majority of
Spanish bureaucrats had no interest in, or even knowledge of, the country they were
supposed to be governing.
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Governor-Generals of the Philippines from 1850-1898: Observed how often the transition occurred within 5 years. From 1895-1898,
the country was ran by 6 Governor-Generals. Source: https://wiki2.org/en/Governor-General_of_the_Philippines
 CONDITIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES DURING 19TH CENTURY | 7

Far worse in many ways than the corruption of the

government was its inability to provide for basic needs of
public works, schools, peace and order, and other
prerequisites to even a semi-modern economy. Created to rid
the provinces of the bands of tulisanes, the Guardia Civil not
only failed to achieve this end but became an oppressive
force in the provinces, harassing farmers and using their
position for personal profit, as Rizal depicts so vividly in his
novels. The antiquated system of taxation in effect actually
penalized modernization, and the taxes never found their
way into the roads, bridges, and other public works needed
for agricultural progress.
With this recurring system that was both
exploitative and incapable of producing benefits for the Cover of Noli Me Tangere: A helmet of
colony, liberal nationalists and even conservative upper- Guardia Civil is drawn near the legs and
below Rizal’s signature. Beside the helmet
class Filipinos increasingly no longer found any compelling is a whip. Could these be Rizal’s
motive for maintaining the Spanish colonial regime, as it representation in his novel of the abuses
and cruelties of those in authority during
became more and more clear that reforms would not be his time?
forthcoming.
CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
Another key factor in the emergence of nationalism in the late 19th century as
explained by Schumacher was the cultural development following the rapid spread of
education from about 1860. Here he described how secondary schools run by the Jesuits
and universities able to convey to their students without direct intention the ideas of
patriotism. He also mentioned how the experiences of Filipino students in Spain able to
stirred the needs in reform and action. Interestingly, Schumacher also explained the
importance of history and heritage in the propagation of nationalist thoughts as viewed by
Rizal.
The Return of the Jesuits and What We Owe from Them
It has become a commonplace to speak of the role of ideas learned by the European
educated ilustrados in the emergence of the nationalist movement. But in many respects,
the spread of higher education among middle and lower –middle class Filipinos who could
not afford to go abroad was more important for propagating the liberal and progressive
ideas written about from Europe by Rizal or Del Pilar.
One of the major influences on the educational developments of the 19th century
was the return of the Jesuits. This was recognized by Rizal as he wrote in his novel a line
from Filosofo Tasio’s character in which “the Philippines owes the Jesuits the beginnings
of the Natural Sciences, soul of the 19th century.”
Jesuits are members of the Society of Jesus (S.J.), a Roman Catholic order of
religious men founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola, noted for its educational, missionary and
 CONDITIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES DURING 19TH CENTURY | 8

charitable works. The Jesuits were expelled from the Philippines and the rest of the Spanish
empire in 1768 and they finally returned in 1859 to take charge of the evangelization of
Mindanao with ideas and methods new to the Philippine educational system.
The Jesuits opened the Escuela Normal de Maestros in 1865 to provide Spanish-
speaking teachers for the new primary school system. The Escuela Normal represented a
hope of progress in the minds of many Filipinos, just as it would be opposed by those for
whom modern education for Filipinos posed a danger to the continuance of Spanish rule.
In effect graduates of the Normal School met opposition from many parish priests.

The Jesuits were also tasked by the

Ayuntamiento or city council to take over
the municipal primary school in 1859.
They renamed it Ateneo Municipal and
opened it to Filipino students as well as
the Spaniards for whom it had been
founded. By 1865 it had been
transformed into a secondary school that
offered a level of instruction beyond the
The Ateneo Municipal de Manila and the Saint Ignacio’s Church in official requirements and more
Intramuros during the time of Rizal (back view).
Source: ateneo.edu
approximated today’s college than
highschool.

It was in the secondary schools that the ideas of nationalism were to awake, even
among those who had never gone to Europe. Rizal wrote in his Memorias that through his
studies of literature, science and philosophy “the eyes of my intelligence opened a little,
and my heart began to cherish nobler sentiments.” Also, during his fifth year at the Ateneo,
he mentioned that through these studies “my patriotic sentiments greatly developed.”
It was not that the Ateneo taught
nationalism or the liberal principles of progress
but in imparting to its students a humanistic
education in literature, science, and philosophy,
in inculcating principles of human dignity and
justice and the equality of all men, it effectively
undermined the foundations of the Spanish
colonial regime, even without the Spanish Jesuits
wishing to do so. As early as 1843, the Spanish
A class in session at the old-style classroom at the
official Juan de la Matta had proposed the closing Ateneo Municipal. Source: philippinestudies.net
of these institutions as being “nurseries… of
subversive ideas.” Though the accusation of subversion was often rashly bestowed on
Filipinos, it is clear that the university was communicating something that stirred up the
sparks of nationalism.
 CONDITIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES DURING 19TH CENTURY | 9

Filipino Students in Spain

Nonetheless, a major factor in giving
nationalism the form it actually took was the
experience of Filipino students in Spain. Seeing
the liberties enjoyed in the Peninsula, they
became all the more conscious of the servitude
which their people suffered. On the other hand,
the more perceptive saw the backwardness of
Spain in comparison with other European
countries, the corruption and futility of the
Spanish political system, and the system’s
Jose Rizal at the center beside Marcelo del Pilar in Madrid, inability to promote even the welfare of Spain,
Spain. Source: news.abs-cbn.com much less that of her colonies.
Many who came to Europe still in hope of reform and modernization in the
Philippines came to realize that this could never be achieved under Spanish rule and that
the Filipinos must look to themselves. As Rizal would say, “umasa sa sariling lakas,”
turning his back on Europe and returning to his own country to carry on the struggle here.

History and Heritage as Tools in the Realization of Nationalist Ideals

One final cultural factor involved in the rise of nationalism was the interest in the
Filipino past, largely inspired by the European, especially German, preoccupation with
history and ethnology. In the German universities of the 19th century, modern historical
method was examining the origins not only of the European nations themselves, but of
other peoples as well.
Rizal was the principal though the only Filipino who see the importance of such
historical investigation for the creation of a national consciousness among his countrymen.
Father Jose Burgos had already emphasized the need for Filipinos to look to their heritage,
and it was from him that Rizal had learned that concern.
In his edition of Antonio de Morga’s Sucesos de las
Islas Filipinas, Rizal outlined the process by which
he had come to seek a foundation for his nationalism
in the historical past and emphasizes the importance
of history to the national task. In his annotations to
the book, Rizal seeks out all the evidence of a
Filipino civilization before the coming of the
Spaniards and tries to show how the intervening
Jose Rizal, Annotating Antonio de Morga's Sucesos three centuries have meant decline rather than
de las Islas Filipinas. This first edition of Rizal's Morga progress. At the same time, he emphasizes Filipino
is being offered at a Philippine auction in September
2014. Source: salcedoauctions.com values, contrasting them with the Spanish and
extolling the accomplishments of his people. If from
 CONDITIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES DURING 19TH CENTURY | 10

a scientific historical point of view, Rizal proves too much and veers toward the opposite
distortion from that of friars who had denied all civilization to the pre-Hispanic Filipinos,
he did lay a historical foundation in his Morga and other essays for a national consciousness
and pride in the race which was to prove important for the future. Rizal’s annotation of
Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas will be discussed and analyzed in the succeeding
chapters.

RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT
Schumacher mentioned in his essay the influence of both friar priest and Filipino
clergy in the development of nationalist thoughts during this period. Though they had
played completely different roles in the pursuit of national identity, their presence
stimulated the demand for equality and justice among the Filipinos. Also, Schumacher
asserted how the Filipino clergy and liberal reformists able to inspire the Propaganda
Movement in its initiative to carry the ideals of national identity and rights during their
time.
The growth of education was producing an
ilustrado class, not to be completely identified with
the wealthy, as the examples of Mabini and Jacinto
show. These ilustrados were increasingly anti-friar
at times even anticlerical or anti-Catholic. The
reason for this attitude among the ilustrados is to
be sought from the intermingling of the political
and the religious, a characteristic of the Spanish
Glorification of the Immaculate by Francisco Antonio Patronato Real most especially in the latter half of
Vallejo: Representation of the two powers, church and
state, symbolized by the altar and the throne. the 19th century.
Source: artsandculture.google.com

The Spanish Friars in Maintaining Spain’s Colonial Power

The Spanish friars of Dominican Order 1875-
1880. Source: thepinoywarrior.com
As Spain became less and less willing or able to promote
the happiness and prosperity of the Philippines, the
Spanish colonial government leaned more heavily on
what had always been a mainstay of Spanish rule—the
devotion of Filipinos to their Catholic faith. Governor
Valeriano Weyler then said, “Religion can and should
be in Luzon and the Bisayas a means of government
which is to be taken advantage of, and which justifies the
necessity of the religious orders.” For this reason, even
the most anticlerical of Spanish governors maintained
that it was necessary to support the friars by every
means. Former governor generals Izquierdo and
Alaminos, who were both appointed in 1870s, had also
their own thoughts on this:
 CONDITIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES DURING 19TH CENTURY | 11

Gov. Rafael Izquierdo: “The religious orders have their defects, their vices
and their difficulties, but in the Philippines, they have two qualities which from
the political point of view are so great and so important that they oblige us
to prescind from whatever may be alleged against them. One of these
qualities is their unshakeable devotion to Spain; the other is their influence
on the natives, which even in the weakened state in which it is today, is still
sufficiently great to consider it a preserving factor.
Gov. Juan Alaminos: “No one, he felt, could deny their patriotism, “which
verges on fanaticism, and they make the Indio believe that only in loving the
Spaniards can he save his soul on the next life.”
One can see the paradox of Philippine Catholicism at the end of 19th century. On the one
hand, the ordinary Filipino who had not gone to Manila or abroad for higher education
remained in the traditional religious practices and beliefs of his forefathers and continued
to look up to his friar parish priest as father of his people and protector against oppressive
government officials. On the other hand, the Filipino ilustrado educated in Europe found
the Catholic practice of his day childish and incompatible with modern ideas. For the
nationalists, religion had come to signify a means to perpetuate the status quo, to maintain
Spanish power in the Philippines.
This undeniable influence of friar parish priest had on the ordinary Filipino could
explain why the friars inevitably became the main target of the Filipino nationalists
including Rizal.
Rizal then wrote to Blumentritt:
“I wanted to hit the friars since the friars are always making use of religion,
not only as shield but also as a weapon, protection, citadel, fortress,
armor etc. I was therefore forced to attack their false and superstitious
religion in order to combat the enemy who hid behind this religion… God
must not serve as shield and protection of abuses, nor must religion.”

Jose Burgos and the Filipino Clergy

The picture of the religious environment in which 19th century nationalism came
to maturity would be incomplete without the Filipino clergy. Just as one cannot understand
Bonifacio without knowing Rizal, whose thoughts he imbibed and rephrased in more
popular language, so one cannot understand Rizal without knowing the influence of Burgos
on him. This was supported by Rizal’s brother Paciano as he mentioned how Jose Burgos
had influenced his younger brother:
“the man who had opened the eyes of his intelligence, and had made him
understand the good and the just, giving him only a handful of ideas, yet these
not commonplaces but convictions that had stood up well under the glare of
all that he had learned later..."
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What heritage had Burgos passed on to the next generation?

He transformed the century-old dispute between the Spanish friars and the Filipino
secular clergy from an intramural ecclesiastical controversy into a clear assertion of
Filipino equality with the Spaniard, into a demand for justice to the Filipino.
The lack of friars at the beginning of the 19th century led to
turning over many parishes to the Filipino priests. But once the
number of friars began to increase again after 1825, a series of
moves to deprive the Filipinos of the parishes once more
succeeded each other for the next fifty years. Fr. Pedro Pelaez
attempted to disprove the age-old accusations against the Filipino
clergy by showing that they were equal in ability to the friars.
When Fr. Pelaez died in the earthquake of 1863, his role in
fighting for the rights of the Filipino clergy was taken over by
one of his young disciples, Jose Burgos, who published an
anonymous pamphlet defending the memory of Pelaez and Father Jose Burgos
Source: xiaochua.net
calling for justice to the Filipino clergy.
With Burgos we see the first articulation of national feeling, of a sense of national
identity. In spite of the accusations made against him, there is no evidence that Burgos ever
aimed at separation of the Philippines from Spain. Rather, his was the first step, the
expression of a sense of those born in the Philippines being one people, with a national
identity and national rights, even under the sovereignty of Spain. From this initial
articulation of national feeling, Rizal and others would move toward what they had come
to see was the only way of maintaining that identity and obtaining those rights—separation
from Spain; if need be, by means of a revolution.

The Propaganda Movement as “heirs” of Early Allied Movements

The Propaganda Movement would be the heir of
the movement of the Filipino clergy, and would
carry the ideas of national identity articulated by
Burgos to their next step and their logical
conclusion. The movement which lasted from 1880
to 1895, campaigned for reforms and specifically
aimed for the recognition of the Philippines as a
province of Spain, provision of Spanish citizenship
to Filipinos, guarantee of basic freedoms and equal
opportunity for Filipinos. Prominent propagandists
Members of the Propaganda Movement. Photographed included Jose Rizal, Graciano Lopez-Jaena,
in Madrid, Spain in 1890. Source: xiaochua.net
Mariano Ponce and Marcelo H. del Pilar.
 CONDITIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES DURING 19TH CENTURY | 13

The Propagandists would also be heirs to another allied movement—the liberal

reformists of the 1860s. These were the “modernizers,” men who desired to bring to the
Philippines economic progress, a modern legal system and the “modern liberties’—
freedom of the press, of association, of speech, and of worship. Most of the men who appear
prominently among the liberal reformists in 1869-72 were criollos, Spaniards born in the
Philippines. These criollos had little or no desire to see the Philippines separated from
Spain, but rather wished to see the liberties that had been introduced into the Peninsula also
extended to Spanish Philippines.

When finally, the opportunity came with the

Fr. Mariano Gomes, Fr. Jacinto Zamora and Fr. Jose Burgos
Source: xiaochua.net
outbreak of what was to all evidence a merely
local mutiny over local grievances in the
garrison of Cavite, within hours all had been
arrested. Before the month was over three
priests had gone to their death by the garrote,
while their colleagues and their reformist allies
were on their way to exile in Guam, despite their
political influences in Madrid. It is noteworthy
that it was the three priests, who were executed,
not the reformists, lawyers and merchants.

Since the Propaganda Movement was also heir to the liberal reformist tradition, the degree
to which the Propagandists were truly nationalists or merely liberal reformists would only
be made clear once war had broken out with the Americans and the latter were offering the
reforms which had been sought in vain from Spain. To the reformists, the American offer
would be enough; it was what they had really been looking for all along. For the
nationalists, the struggle would go on till it became hopeless. Faced with a new colonial
power, the clergy continued to play its role in the rise of nationalism. Though the initiative
in the nationalist movement had passed from the Filipino priests to the young ilustrados in
Europe and Manila in the 1880s, the clergy remained a powerful force in the Revolution
and the major factor in keeping the masses loyal.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Schumacher’s essay led us to reflect the conditions of our country especially in the
latter part of 19th century. Economic progress, political reforms, anti-friar sentiments and
modernization were pursued and became a struggle for many Filipinos during this time.
The experiences of abuse, oppression, inequality and cries of freedom created this period’s
reformists, liberals, anticlerical and nationalists.
Rizal favored reforms in Philippine society. He opposed the influence of the friars,
for he saw them as an obstacle to freedom and to progress. He was devoted to the
modernization of his country, so that, as he put it, “she might take her place among the
 CONDITIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES DURING 19TH CENTURY | 14

proud nations of Europe.” But what he sought above all was that his country should be free,
free from tyrants from abroad or at home, a country where there would not be any tyrants
because Filipinos would not allow themselves to be slaves. It was the growth of a free
people, proud of its past, working for its future, united in a common set of ideals. This
vision made him the center of the nationalist movement of his day and the principal
inspiration of the Revolution.
We should also not forget the people who had lived and died to influence and
inspire Rizal. Borrowing Paulo Coelho’s famous thought from his novel The Alchemist,
the universe had possibly conspired for us to have a Jose Rizal. The heartbreaks he felt as
a child, his disappointment as a student in Manila and his hardships while in Europe could
turn him as the “alay” of his time. So, given a chance to time travel and experience what
had Rizal been through, will you make yourself an “alay” too?

Let us determine how much you have learned from

the lesson.

TRUE/FALSE Directions: Read each statement carefully. Write T on the space

provided before each number if you think the statement is correct and F if you think
the statement is false.
_____1. The Chinese played the role agents who could distribute imports in the interior
and buy up goods for export during the development of the export crop industry in the
Philippines
______2. A world Socialism view founded on ideas of freedom and equality.
______3. The 19th century was commonly depicted as the birth of modern life, as well
as the birth of many nation-states around the world
______4. The ship trade going back and forth between Manila and Acapulco, Mexico
called Galleon Trade.
______5. This Manila become the trading hub where China, India, Japan and Southeast
Asians countries sent their goods to be consolidate for shipping.
______6. The strict discipline used by Spanish friars for the locals to learn fast called
Whip and Slash.
______7. Jose Rizal was the most prominent of the illustrados who inspired the craving
for freedom and independence with his novels written in Spanish.
______8. The mestizos are highly respected in their respective pueblos or towns,
though regarded as filibusteros or rebels by the friars.
______9. Peninsular officials were very few consisting of the governor-general, a few
subalterns and top church officials.
______10. The encomienda system of tenancy or the right to use land in exchange for
rent.
 CONDITIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES DURING 19TH CENTURY | 15

Take time to breath, digest, reflect and analyze before

answering.

1. Make a graphic organizer/ table mapping of the changes in the nineteenth- century
Philippines, categorizing social, political, economic, cultural changes
2. Watch the film: “Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon?” directed by Eddie
Romero (1976). Make a reflection paper about the film with the following guide
questions:
a. Describe the nineteenth- century Philippines as represented in the film
b. Based on your reading and class discussion, what can you say about the
film’s representation of the nineteenth century?
c. What is the main question that the film seeks to answer? What is your own
reflection based on the film and your understanding?

REFERENCES:
Abbott, W. M. (2014). Demise of Fr John N Schumacher SJ. Retrieved August 03, 2020, from
http://ateneo.edu/news/demise-fr-john-n-schumacher-sj

C. Wright Mills, “The Promise,” The Sociological Imagination Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1959.

Nelson, Gloria Luz. “Mga Pananaw Hinggil sa Ugnayan ng Talambuhay at Lipunan,” in Diestro, D. et al. Si
Heneral Paciano Rizal sa Kasaysayang Pilipino. Los Banos: UPLB Sentro ng Wikang Filipino, 206.

P. Sztompka. “Great Individuals as Agencies of Change” in The Sociology of Social Change. Wiley, 1993.

Film: “Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon?” directed by Eddie Romero (1976)

Schumacher, John. “Rizal in the Context of the 19th Century Philippines” in The Making of a Nation: Essays
on Nineteenth-Century Filipino Nationalism. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1991.
 CONDITIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES DURING 19TH CENTURY | 16

NAME:___________________________________ DATE:__________________
COURESE/ YEAR/SECTION:________________ EXPLORE IT OUT 2

COMO ESTA, FELIPINAS?

Using the readings on the Philippines in the 19th century. List down one relevant
insights/concepts and analyze/explain these changes that occurred in the Philippines under
the following aspects: Political, Economic, Educational, Religious and Socio-Cultural
Aspect. Write your answer on the columns provided.
Example:
Socio-cultural Aspect
a. Urbanidad (use of fine manners)
Indios which was also derogatory remark among the natives where taught that
using barehands while eating is barbaric and they should use ‘kubyertos’, eat
and chew slowly without sound. Fine manners is also observed through
appropriate clothes worn for different occasion…(expound as much as
possible)
Needs
Exemplary Quality Adequate
Improvement
4 pts 3 pts 2 pts
1 pt
Content Answers are Answers are Answers are not Answers are
4 pts comprehensive, accurate and comprehensive or partial or
accurate and complete. complete. Key completely stated. incomplete. Key
Key ideas are clearly points are stated and Key points are points are not
stated, explained, and supported. addressed, but not clear. Question not
well supported. well supported. adequately
answered.
Organization Well organized, Organization is Inadequate Organization and
4 pts coherently developed, mostly clear and organization or structure detract
and easy to follow. easy to follow. development. from the answer.
Structure of the
answer is not easy
to follow.
Political Economic Educational Religious Socio-Cultural Aspect
CONDITIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES DURING 19TH CENTURY | 17