DISS 12 Name___________________________________ Score ____________ Prefinals

MODULE
3 Filipino Approaches in the Social Science

During the latter part of the 19th century, educated Filipinos began to emerge in the society and many of them called for the
implementation of immediate reforms to improve the lot of their fellow Filipinos. The great thinkers of the so-called Reform
Movement, such as Jose Rizal, Marcelo del Pilar and Graciano-Lopez Jaena, advocated for the assimilation of the Philippines to
become part of Spain so that laws in homeland Spain can be applied equally to the colony and the natives.
From Indio to Filipino
The phrase “From Indio to Filipino” was borrowed form the classic Philippine history book entitled History of the Filipino
People by the eminent Filipino historian Teodoro Agoncillo. The term indio was derogatory term used by the Spaniards to denote
the natives living in the archipelago. Initially, the term Filipino was given to those Spaniards born in the Philippines, or the
insulares, as opposed to those born in Spain called peninsulares. The lowly natives were oftentimes depicted in Spanish works as
indolent and backward.
Incidentally, the natives were eventually called “Filipinos” only in 1898 when the Spanish governor general Basilio
Augustin tried to win back the indios to support Spanish troops in their fights against impending American onslaught who are not
beginning to occupy Manila during those tumultuous time.
Despite being divided on many issues, all propagandists advocated for reforms and assimilation or the application of
Spanish laws and rights in the colony so that all residents would be equally treated as Spanish citizens. They also wanted
representations in the Spanish parliament, the secularization of the clergy, and the abolition of polo y servicios.
Social Ideas of Filipino Thinkers
The rise of Filipino nationalism in the 19 th century also brought about the production of local knowledge necessary in
redefining the Philippines as a nation an in putting into perspective the more than 300-year rule of Spanish colonialists in the
archipelago. Meanwhile, the Filipino educated class, also called the ilustrados or the “enlightened ones,” expanded during this
century and created numerous opportunities for their professional and personal growth.

Several of these educated Filipinos engaged themselves in writing about early Philippine culture and in recovering native
that have been long forgotten in the past. These people attempted to indigenize the Western models of the social sciences and apply
these concepts within the context of Philippine society of their time.
Isabelo de los Reyes
A prolific Filipino journalist and eventual politician, was born on July 7, 1864 in Vigan, Ilocos Sur. He had been
undertaking historical and ethnographical researches to establish Filipino identity long before Jose Rizal made his own. Some of his
works include El Folk-Lore Filipino, Las Islas Visayas en la eopca de la Conquista, Historia de Filipinas. These books were
initially published as newspaper articles aimed at going back to Filipino roots, in establishing the Filipino identity, and in
indigenizing social ideas.
He is considered as one of the “brains of the nation,” along with Pedro Paterno and Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, because of
his contribution in the formation of local knowledge. He would examine Spanish discourse about the Philippine and write about the
history of the Philippines despite the unscientific background and limited academic training of the author.
In his work Las Islas Visayas en al epoca de la Conquista, he states that when the Spaniards arrived in the Visayan islands,
the place already has a population, natural resources, and foreign trade. He would go on to explain the barangays as the basic
political unit of the islands, how the natives call the local chieftains, and other cultural traits of the people.
By far his most important contribution to Philippine studies is El Folk-Lore Filipino published in 1889 that contains stories
on local folklores, such as legends, fables, and superstitions. By documenting folk stories, de los Reyes was basically contributing
to the growing literature of Filipino culture studies and history.
Pedro Paterno
Pedro Paterno was born on February 27, 1858 in Santa Cruz, Manila an affluent family. He was another intellectual who
had great interest in early Filipinos and their culture. A poet and novelist, he wrote Sampaguita y Poesias Varias, the first Filipino
collection of poems, and Ninay, the first Filipino novel. For one, Ninay embodies spirit of early nationalism against a backdrop of
racism because of Paterno’s narration on the uniqueness of Filipino culture and the dynamism of Philippine history with infusions
of foreign civilizations. Much later, he became the mediator between the Spanish colonial government and the revolutionary
government of Emilio Aguinaldo that led to the signing of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato in December 1897 temporarily ending the first
phase of the Philippine Revolution.
While in Spain as part of the Propaganda Movement, Paterno wrote numerous dissertations on Filipino culture that include
Antigua Civilizacion Tagalog, Los Itas, La Familia Tagalog en la Historia Universial, El Barangay, and El Individuo Tagalo y su
Arte en la Exposicion Historico-Americana.
Meanwhile, in El Cristianismo en la Antigua Civilizacion Tagalog, Paterno explained that Christian doctrines can already
be seen in the ancient religion of the natives, called bathalismo or the worship of Bathala as the supreme being. This is the reason,
Paterno added, why the Spaniards were able to easily convert the native to the Catholic religion because of the apparent parallelisms
between the two beliefs.
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Unfortunately, most contemporaries of Paterno, such as Rizal and de los Reyes, give little or no importance to the works of
Paterno because of their absurdity and irrationality. However, despite their insignificant scholarly value and innumerable flaws,
Paterno’s works emphasized that Filipinos had culture and identity long before the arrival of the Spaniards in the archipelago.
Jose Rizal
Jose Rizal was born on June 19, 1861 at Calamba, Laguna. He was a writer, poet, teacher, ophthalmologist, novelist, and
sculptor. A genuine scholar and one of the great Filipin thinkers of all time, Rizal had numerous works that reflected his ideas on
society, education, women, history, culture, language, colonialism, and revolution. A prolific writer at such a young age, Rizal
wrote A La Juventud Filipina (To the Filipino Youth), and El Consejo de los Dioses (The Council of the Gods) that won him top
honors in a competition while still studying at University of Santo Tomas. In A La Juventud Filipina, Rizal extolled the Filipino
youth and their contribution to the society, especially that the hope of the nation lies on them. Education is of prime importance to
Rizal if the Filipinos wanted to aspire for a nationhood as reflected in most of his works.
The ills of the society as a result of deteriorating colonial rule are reflected in two of his major works, the Noli Me Tangere,
and El Filibusterimo. In Noli Me Tangre, Rizal pointed out the various weaknesses of Philippine society as a result of oppressive
colonial policies and the lack of reforms to address the pressing needs of the time.

FT1. Identify the following.

______________1. The Filipino educated class before were called as
ILUSTRADOS
______________2. A labor activist and a co-founder of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Philippine Independent Church)
ISABELO DE LOS REYES
______________3. A genuine scholar and one of the great Filipino thinkers of all time
JOSE RIZAL
______________4. He became the mediator between the Spanish colonial government and the revolutionary government of
Aguinaldo that led to the signing of the Piak-na-Bato
PEDRO PATERNO
______________5. A writing of Rizal extolled the Filipino youth and their contribution to the society
A LA JUVENTUD FILIPINO
______________6. The sequel to the Noli Me Tangere
EL FILIBUSTERISMO
______________7. A movement advocating for the eventual transfer of ministries established or administered by Spanish
regular clergy to the secular priests
SECULARIZATION
______________8. The most important contribution of Isabelo de los Reyes to the Philippine studies
EL FOLK-LORE FILIPINO
______________9. The first Filipino novel
NINAY
______________10. Christian doctrines can already be seen in the ancient religion of the natives is called ______.
BATHALISMO
FT2. Determine the journalist of the following writings.
__________________1. El Folk-Lore Filipino __________________6. La Familia Tagalog
__________________2. Ninay __________________7. Los Itos
__________________3. A La Juventad Filipina __________________8. Historia de Filipinas
__________________4. El Barangay __________________9. Sampaguitas y Poesias Varias
__________________5. Antigua Civilizacion Tagalog __________________10. El Consejo de los Dioses
ANSWERS:
1. Isabelo de los Reyes 6. Pedro Paterno
2. Pedro Paterno 7. Pedro Paterno
3. Jose Rizal 8. Isabelo de Los Reyes
4. Pedro Paterno 9. Pedro Paterno
5. Pedro Paterno 10. Jose Rizal
FT3. Discuss the terms below.
1. Secularization
2. Trial-by-ordeal
3. Amulets
4. clase media
5. Indio
FT4. Research and discuss the content of these books.
Title Content
El Folk-Lore Filipino
Las Islas Visayas en la epoca de la
 Conquista
Historia de Filipinas
Sampaguita y Poesias Varias
Ninay
Antigua Civilazacion Tagalog
Los Itas
A La Juventud Filipna
El Consejo de los Dioses
ISABELO DE LOS REYES
El Folk- Lore Filipino- it is revisionary and revolutionary in intent, a compendium of local fables, customs, and traditions set off
against Spanish colonialism.
Las Islas Visayas en la eopca de la Conquista- states the visayan social life and customs, including islands found in Visayas and
the history of the country.
Historia de Filipinas- talks about the prehistoric people and their system in the Philippines. Ethnology, history, and antiquities were
also discussed.
PEDRO PATERNO
Sampaguita y Poesias Varias- the first book of poetry published by a Filipino in Europe, The book contains poems that are
religious, filial, and about love.
Ninay- the first Filipino novel because it fell under the literacy classification of the novel, meaning Ninay portrayed the
contemporary life of human beings, in this case the Filipno and their customs during the 1880s. 
Antigua Civilizacion Tagalog- explained that Christian doctrines can already be seen in the ancient religion of the natives, called
bathalismo or the worship of Bathala as the Supreme Being
Los Itas- focused on the ethnology of Philippines which includes the negritos and the lumads as the first people in the country.
JOSE RIZAL
A la Juventud Filipina- an inspiring poem that states that the Filipino youth are capable of great heights. It urges the Filipino youth
to reach their potential by harnessing their skills and talents for the betterment of our countrymen. In order to do this, we must
harness talents and skills that we have.
El Consejo de los Dioses- El Consejo de los Dioses was written by Rizal when he was only nineteen years old, and reveals the
humanistic education of the Philippines at the time and his answer to scholasticism. The play exposes how an Asian teenager look
unto the cultural elements of the Western humanistic tradition, overcoming not only its formalism, but at the same time laying the
foundations for an effort toward self-knowledge.

FT5. Answer the following briefly.

1. What are the factors that gave rise to Filipino nationalism in the 19th century?

2. How did the Propaganda or Reform Movement push for reforms in the Philippines during the Spanish period?

END