UNIT II.

THE PHILIPPINES IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY AS RIZAL’S CONTEXT

LESSON 1: ECONOMIC CONTEXT
There are four historical elements compose the economic context of the era in which Jose
Rizal was born: A. the end of the Galleon Trade, B. the opening of the Suez Canal, C. the rise
of the export of the crop economy, and D. the established monopolies in the Philippines.
OBJECTIVES:

1. Appraise the link between the individual and Society

2. Describe and analyze the various economic changes that occurred in the nineteenth century.
3. Recognize the efforts of Jose Rizal in the context of his times

The 19th century is commonly the start of modern life and the birth of the state in the
world. The century also is a period of political changes in Europe and Spain that greatly
affected its colonies like the Philippines. It is also the era where the power and glory of
Spain started to decline resulting in the independence of its different colonies.
Topics in the 19th century Philippines as Rizal’s context are divided into e 3 aspects: the
economic, social, and political which cover the major historical events or issues, which
characterized the country during that era.
A. End of the Galleon Trade
Before the era of colonization, the Philippines had already engaged in
trading with our neighboring countries like China, Japan, Thailand,
India, Borneo, and the Moluccas Island. In the year 1565, the Spanish
Government closed the ports of Manila to start a new route of trade
called the Manila-Acapulco Trade, or known as the Galleon trade
(Mañebog et al., 2018).
The Galleon trade flourished through its trans-pacific trade from 1565
to 1815 through the Galleon ship going back and forth between
Manila, Cebu, and Acapulco. This 250-year-old trade became a central income-generating
business for the Spanish Government in the Philippines and created an intercultural
exchange between Asia, Spanish America, Africa, and Europe.

Products from the Philippines to Mexico: Products from Mexico to the Philippines:
Mango de Manila Avocado
Tamarind Papaya
Rice Pineapple
Carabao Horses and Cattle
Cockfighting
Chinese Tea and textiles
Fireworks Display
Tuba (Coconut wine)
Because of the galleon trade, Manila became a trading hub where China India, Japan, and
Southeast Asian countries sent their goods to be consolidated for shipping. Chinese
migrants doubled in numbers bringing goods and a workforce to run the hub. With the huge
migration of Chinese, the Spanish Citizens living in the Philippines were outnumbered
creating fear for the Spanish authorities that resulted in massacres in the 17th century until
the Spaniards and the Chinese learned to live with each other in the next few centuries
(Mañebog et al., 2018).
The Manila Galleon Trade did not only open the Philippines to world trade, but it allowed
modern political and liberal ideas to enter the country that gradually inspired Filipinos to
fight for Philippine independence. On September 14, 1815, the Galleon trade finally ended
when Mexico gained its independence from Spain.
B. Opening of the Suez Canal
The Suez Canal is an artificial waterway
that connects the Red Sea and the
Mediterranean Sea that is found in the
country of Egypt. The Suez Canal was
started in 1859 and officially opened on
November 17, 1869, with the leadership of
a French National Ferdinand De Lesseps.
The opening of the Suez Canal made
Europe closer to Asia (the Philippines and Spain) and decreased the travel time from 3
months to 32-40 days which became an advantage to commercial and enterprises. The Suez
Canal also furthered the importation of books, magazines, and newspapers coming from
Europe and America which opened the minds of Filipino reformists like Jose Rizal.
The availability of the Suez Canal stimulated more interaction between liberal thinkers of
Europe with local reformers and encourage the illustrados, especially Jose Rizal to travel and
pursue their studies and learn scientific and liberal ideas in European academic institutions
which influenced their thoughts on nationhood, politics, and government (Mañebog et al.,
2018).
C. Rise of the Export of crop Economy and Monopolies
Years after the end of the Galleon Trade, between 1820 and 1870, the Philippines was well
developing an export crop economy. Products like Manila hemp and coffee were Exported
to foreign markets while European imported goods find their way to the Philippine markets.
These economic activities provided opportunities for Chinese migrants to move to the
hemp-producing provinces of south-eastern Luzon and the eastern Visayas, sugar-producing
areas of Western Visayas and tobacco provinces of Northern Luzon.
Another main source of wealth during the post-galleon era was monopoly contracting. After
1850, government monopoly contracts for the collection of different revenues were opened
to foreigners for the first time. The Chinese instantly took advantage of this commercial
opportunity and thus, for the rest of the 19th century, enjoyed a pre-eminent position in
monopoly contracting in the Philippines.
Monopolized Products:

A. Opium Monopoly

It was legalized in 1840 by the Spanish Government if it was only limited to Chinese
businessmen and a government monopoly of opium importation and sales was established.
Although Spaniards sometimes provided some of the capital, most contracts were held by
the Chinese.

The lucrative nature of opium contracting suggests clearly from the record that opium
contracting was one of the major sources of wealth for those Chinese who already had
other business interests and had amassed or could acquire funds for this kind of investment
(Wickrberg, 1962)
B. Tobacco Monopoly

The Tobacco monopoly started on March 1, 1782; Governor General Jose Basco placed the
Philippine tobacco industry under government control. Under this decree, it ordered the
provinces of Cagayan Valley, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Isabela, Abra, Nueva Ecija,
and Marinduque to produce tobacco.
These provinces planted nothing but tobacco and sold all their products only to the
government at a fixed price, leaving little or no profit for the local farmers. Fines and/or
physical punishments were sanctioned to anyone who would transgress any of the decrees
under the system. The colonial government exported the tobacco outside the country and
to the cigarette factories of Manila which positively contributed to the revenues of the
Philippines making Philippine tobacco a prominent product in Asia and parts of Europe.
(Mañebog et al., 2018).
The monopoly also brought a negative impact on the people, it brought food shortages
since the planting of basic crops like rice was somewhat neglected and abandoned. By the
1860s the Philippines were nearly bankrupt, and the government began to pay tobacco
growers in promissory notes. This led to charges that the monopoly was a system of forced
labor. By the 1870s, even government officials of high rank were calling for the abolition of
the monopoly. These hardships and injustices prompted the Filipinos to seek freedom from
the colonial bandage (Pelzer n.d.).
 LESSON 2: THE SOCIAL BACKGROUND

The social background of the 19th-century Philippines focused on the following topics: A.
Education B. the rise of Chinese Mestizo, and C. the rise of the inquilinos.

OBJECTIVES:

1. Describe and analyze the various social changes that occurred in the nineteenth century.
2. Develop a greater awareness of the historical conditions that led to the emergence of
Chinese mestizos as an important element in Philippine society.

A. Education in the 19th century

The Spanish King Philip II is the first king to mandate the government in the Philippines to educate
and teach the natives how to read and write the Spanish language. The first formal school to be
established are parochial schools by the roman catholic missionaries in the Philippines such as the
Jesuits, Franciscans, Augustinians, and Dominicans. Aside from reading and writing, the native
children were taught arithmetic, vocational, and practical art subjects including religious doctrines
through strict disciplines, such as applying corporal punishment.

Later, colleges (the equivalent of our high schools today) were then opened as boys’ and girls’ study
separately and offered the following subjects: History, Latin, Geography, Mathematics, and
Philosophy. It was during the 17th century when universities were opened for Spanish citizens and
Spanish Mestizos but later in the 19th century these schools were then opened for Filipino natives
and the center of the curriculum is on religion not on science and mathematics.

Finally, in 1863, a Royal decree instituted the establishment of public school systems in the
Philippines to accommodate more students from different social stratification like Spanish Citizens,
mestizos, and Filipino natives. However, these public schools only accommodated the sons of
wealthy Filipino natives.

As a result, the growing numbers of educated Filipino natives give birth to a new social class called
illustrados. But despite their education and wealth still they suffer from racial discrimination coming
from the Spanish citizens. With the opening of the Suez Canal, these illustrados were attracted to
seek higher education in Europe. There, nationalism bloomed in the liberal atmosphere that would
later lead the illustrado class to seek reforms and Philippine independence through the propaganda
movement.

B. Rise of Chinese Mestizo

The development of commercial agriculture in the archipelago resulted -in the presence of a
new class. Alongside the landholdings of the church and the rice estates of the pre-Spanish
nobility, there emerged haciendas of sugar, coffee, and hemp, typically owned by
enterprising Chinese-Filipino mestizos. Some of the families which attained reputation in the
19th century have continued to play a vital role in the country's economics and politics.
From a larger perspective, the fast rhythm of economic progress in the Philippines during
the 19th century expedited by some mentioned factors resulted in the rise of a new breed
of rich and influential Filipino middle class. Non-existent in earlier centuries, this class,
composed of Spanish and Chinese mestizos ascended to a position of power in the
Philippine society and due course became leaders in education and finance. This middle class
includes: (Mañebog et al., 2018). “The ilustrados who belonged to the landed gentry and who were
highly respected in their respective pueblos or towns, though regarded as filibusteros or rebels by
the friars. The relative prosperity of the period enabled them to send their sons to Spain and Europe
for higher studies. Most of them later became members of freemasonry and were active in the
Propaganda Movement. Some of them sensed the failure of reformism and turned to radicalism and
looked up to Rizal as their leader." (Vallano, n.d.)

C. The Rise of the Inquilinos The term inquilino in the system is the same as the tenancy in the
western world which gives the right to the inquilino or the tenant to use the land for farming or
production in exchange for rent. This system started in the Philippines after the end of the Galleon
trade and the opening of the Suez Canal which requires intensive cultivation of the land for the mass
production of crops.

HIERARCHY IN THE INQUILINO SYSTEM

Farmland in the Philippines is mostly owned by friars and Secular Spanish

The estate management was granted to an administrator who is a Spanish mestizo or Filipino lay
brother. The administrator collects the rent of the inquilinos and remits it to the estate owners.

Inquilinos paid a fixed rent, and the amount was determined by the size and quality of the land being
worked on. Some inquilinos would make innumerable and irrational demands from farm workers.

With the expansion of land owned by missionary congregations, the proportions of farmlands leased
to inquilinos also increased allowing many of them to sub-lease parcels of their land to
sharecroppers or kasamas.

The hacienda structure consisted of three strata: the estate owner: the leaseholder or inquilino and
the tenant-sharecropper: Between the owner and the inquilino, however: was the administrator
who often demanded a share of the produce, over and above the stipulated land rent. Each year at
harvest time, the inquilino paid the land rent, separated the seed, and divided the remaining crop
equally between the sharecropper and himself since the sharecropper was at the bottom rung of the
hierarchy, he suffered most abuses and demands of the two non-producing sectors above him
(Sobritchea, 1980).

Consequently, there were instances of peasants taking arms to protest the alleged abuses and
usurpation of their lands by the Jesuits, Dominicans, Augustinians, and the Recollects. The relative
freedom, that the inquilinos acquired by sub-leasing their farms provided them a tactical advantage
for arranging and leading these peasant protest movements (Mañebog et al., 2018).
 LESSON 3: THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE
The Political landscape in the 19th century greatly affected the people of the Philippines, particularly
Jose Rizal. This political landscape that affected the Philippines is the following: A. Liberalism, B. The
impact of the bourbon reforms, and C. the Cadiz constitution.

OBJECTIVES:

1. Describe and analyze the political changes in the Philippines that occurred in the nineteenth
century.
2. Explain comprehensively the impact of Liberalism, Bourbon reforms, and the Cadiz constitution
on the lives of Filipinos.

A. Liberalism

Liberalism is a worldview founded on ideas of freedom and equality. It includes a wide range of
political philosophies that consider individual liberty to be the most significant political goal and
underscore individual rights and equality of opportunity. Liberals normally believe that government
is necessary to protect individuals from being abused by others though they are also aware that
government itself can pose a threat to liberty (Mañebog et al., 2018).

The French revolution (1789-1799) started a political revolution in Europe and in some parts of the
world. With the overthrow of monarchical rule, and democratic principles of Liberty, Equality, and
Fraternity--the battle cry of the French Revolution started to spread in Europe and around the world.
This revolution is a period of political and social upheaval and radical change in the history of France
during which the French governmental structure was transformed from absolute monarchy with
feudal privileges for the rich and clergy to a more democratic government form based on the
principles of citizenship and inalienable rights. (Vallano, n.d.)

Later, the French revolution storms a century of political disturbances in Spain forcing changes in its
parliament and constitutions, the Peninsular war, and the loss of Spanish colonies in South America.
The anti-clericalism gained some strength because the Liberals in Spain considered the church as an
enemy of reforms and limits its influence in education and politics.

The opening of the Philippines into world trade and the opening of the Suez Canal created an
economic and political change. The liberal ideas from Europe and America penetrated the country
thus affecting the lives of Filipinos like Jose Rizal. The political thoughts of known liberal thinkers
such as Jean Jacques Rousseau (Social Contract), John Locke (Two Treatises of Government), Thomas
Paine (Common Sense), Thomas Jefferson, Montesquieu, and Voltaire, had also reached the country
through the importation of books which eventually give an impact to Filipino reformist.

The Philippines’ experience of liberalism came when queen Isabela II was ousted through a mutiny in
1868. When the new government was formed, reforms in the Spanish Colonies were implemented
which eventually affected the country. The governor general in the Philippines who instituted these
changes was Gov. Gen Carlos Maria De la Torre. His two-year rule was essential in the national
consciousness of the natives like Jose Rizal.

De la Torre’s term as a Governor General, he recognized the freedom of speech and the press and
the abolition of censorship, and because of his tolerance policy Filipino priest like Jose Burgos was
encouraged to fight for the secularization of Parishes in the Philippines. His peaceful solution to the
Cavite agrarian problem was one of his best achievements when he solved the problem without any
bloodshed.

B. Impact of the bourbon reforms

Bourbon Reforms were a set of economic and political legislation promulgated by the Spanish Crown
under various kings of the House of Bourbon: King Philip V (1700-1746), Ferdinand VI (r. 1746-1759),
Charles III (r. 1759-1788), and Charles IV (r. 1788-180) in the 18th century. The strengthening of the
crown's power with clear lines of authority to officials contrasted with the complex system of
government that evolved under the Habsburg monarchs. In particular, the crown pursued state
supremacy over the Catholic Church, resulting in the suppression of the Society of Jesus in 1767 as
well as an attempt to abolish ecclesiastical privilege (Ariola, 2018).

The impact of the bourbon reforms gave deep consequences of colonial policy innovations in areas,
such as Mexico, while in some other regions, such as the Philippines, Chile, and New Granada, the
reforms had a much more limited impact. But its impact at least is that it gave people, especially the
natives in the Philippines, the idea that colonization could be done without much intervention from
the Catholic Church (Mañebog et al., 2018).

C. The Cadiz Constitution

on March 18-19, 1812, A group of 300 deputies from Spanish America and the Philippines
promulgated a liberal constitution called the Cadiz Constitution in the Mediterranean port of Cadiz
having Pedro Perez De Tagle and Jose Manuel Coretto as the first delegates from the Philippines.
The Cadiz constitution declared that "sovereignty resides the nation, which the exclusive right to
establish its fundamental laws”. The establishment of universal male suffrage, national sovereignty,
constitutional monarchy, freedom of the press, land reform, free enterprise, and granting all its
colonies representation as provinces in the Spanish Cortes (Pedrosa, n.d.).

The first election of deputies in the Spanish Cortes was during the term of Governor Manuel
Gonzales de Aguilar which resulted in the selection of Ventura de los Reyes, 71 years of age, born in
1739 into a wealthy family in Ilocos. His father was Santiago de los Reyes Cardona, a merchant who
was born in Barcelona, and his mother was Vicenta Sánchez, a Filipina of mestizo parentage. He
formed part of the Royal Artillery Corps before becoming a prosperous merchant in the business of
indigo and other plant dyes (Elizalde, 2013).

However, the Cadiz constitution did not last when king Fernando VII became a King of Spain
declaring the constitution invalid and restoring absolutism. Still, the constitution became a
breakthrough for the Filipinos because they were exempted and paid taxes or tributes, rendering
public services based on the equality clause, sovereignty in the people, equality of men, liberty, and
right to suffrage.