Indolence of theFilipinos

Introduction
Article published in La Solidaridad in 1891
Translated from Spanish by Charles Derbyshire
It is a self-defense against the hatred and calumnies (lies) of the Spanish oppressors
who brand the Indios/Filipinos as inert, unresponsive and useless; the workers as
unskilled, untrained, misguided, irresponsibly haughty (self-important), intoxicated
with show, romp and glory, and unconcerned with the intrinsic value of work
 Chapter 1
Rizal admits that indolence
does exist among the
Filipinos, but it cannot be
attributed to the troubles
and backwardness of the
country; rather, it is the
effect of the backwardness
and troubles experienced
by the country
According to Rizal, one
must study the causes of
indolence before curing
it. Therefore, causes of
indolence and
elaboration on the
circumstancesthat led to
it must be dealt with.

 I. Admitting he Existence of Indolence
A. “The word indolence is greatly misused
in the sense of little love for work and
lack of energy.
B. “In the Middle Ages, and even in some
Catholic countries now, the devil is blamed
for everything that superstitious folk
cannot understand. And just as in the Middle
Ages, he who sought the explanation of
phenomena outside of infernal influences
was persecuted, so in the Philippines, worse
happens to him who seeks the origin of the
trouble outside of accepted beliefs.
C. “The consequence of this misuse is that there are some
who are interested in stating it as a dogma and others
in combating it as a ridiculous superstition, if not a
punishable delusion. Yet it is not to be inferred from the
misuse of a thing that it does not exist.
D. “It is true that one has to work and struggle against
climate, nature and men.
E. “We must confess that indolence does actually and
positively exist there; only that, instead of holding it to
be the cause of the backwardness and the trouble, we
regard it as the effect of the trouble and the
backwardness, by fostering the development of a
lamentable predisposition.
 II. Causes of Indolence
A. CLIMATE AND NATURE
1. “A hot climate requires of
the individual quiet and rest,
just as cold incites to labor
and action. Level of indolence
(from most to least)
Spanish>Frenchman>German
2. “White men are not made
to stand in the severity of
the climate—a Mistake.”
3. “A man can live in 4. “We, the inhabitants of
any climate, if he will hot countries, live well in
only adapt himself to
its requirements and northern Europe
conditions. What kills whenever we take the
Europeans in hot precautions the people
countries is the abuse
of liquors, the attempt there do. Europeans can
to live according to also stand the torrid
the nature of his own
zone, if only they would
country under
another sky and get rid of their
another sun. prejudices.
5. “Nature knows this and like a just mother
has therefore made the earth more fertile,
more productive, as a compensation.

6. “An hour’s work under the burning sun, in the

midst of pernicious influences springing from
nature in activity, is equal to a day’s work in a
temperate climate.
 II. Causes of Indolence—Climate and Nature
7. “What wonder then that the inhabitants of tropical countries, worn out and with
his blood thinned by the continuous and excessive heat, is reduced to inaction.”
•*Who is the indolent one in the Manila offices? Is it the poor clerk who comes in a
eight in the morning and leaves at One in the afternoon with only his parasol, who
copies and writes and works for himself and for his chief, or is it the chief, who
comes in a carriage at ten o’clock, leaves before twelve, reads his newspaper while
smoking and with his feet cocked up on a chair or a table, or gossiping about all his
friends? Which is indolent, the native coadjutor, poorly paid and badly treated, who
has to visit all the indigent sick living in the country, or the friar curate who gets
fabulously rich, goes about in a carriage, eats and drinks well, and does not put
himself to any trouble without collecting excessive fees?
 II. Causes of Indolence—Climate and Nature

8. “Filipinos are different from Chinamen in that they

move out of their country to earn in a foreign lands
through commerce, or in other countries, they till the
soil for a while and then stop. The Filipinos do not give up
on agriculture.

Chapter 2
Rizal says that an illness will worsen if the wrong
treatment is given.
The same applies to indolence. People, however, should
not lose hope in fighting indolence.
Even before the Spaniards came, Rizal argues, the
early Filipinos were already carrying out trade within
provinces and with other neighboring countries; they
were also engaged in agriculture and mining; some
natives even spoke Spanish. All these disprove the
notion that Filipinos are, by nature, indolent. Rizal ends
by asking what then would have caused Filipinos to
forget their past.
 Chapter 2—Indolence as Chronic Illness
“When in consequence of a long, chronic illness, the condition of
the patient is examined, the question may arise whether the
weakening of the fibers and the debility of the organs are the
cause of the malady’s continuing or the effect of the bad
treatment that prolongs its action. The attending physician
attributes the entire failure of his skill to the poor constitution
of the patient, to the climate, to the surroundings, and so on. On
the other hand, the patient attributes the aggravation of the
evil to the system of treatment followed.
 Chapter 2—Indolence as Chronic Illness
Rizal made an analogy of
Only the common crowd, Analogy: the influence of the
the inquisitive populace, Physician=Government Spaniards o blood
shakes its head and cannot (friars included); transfusion. “It’s nothing,
reach a decision.”
Patient=Philippines; only the patient has eight
Malady=Indolence a million indolent red
subheading corpuscles: some new white
corpuscles in the form of an
agricultural colony will get
us out of the trouble.”
 Chapter 2—Early Trade Relations
Before the Europeans arrived, the Malayan
Filipinos already engaged in active trade;
not just among themselves but also with
neighboring countries (i.e., China)
Pigafetta, the historian whom Magellan brought with
him in his long voyage, stated that the people of Samar
(the first island that they set foot on) were courteous
and kind.
Junks, paraus, barangays, vintas, vessels swift as
shuttles, so large that they could maintain a hundred
rowers on a side, traversed the seas. Commerce,
industry and agriculture were carried on board these
vessels.
 Chapter 2—Capture of the King of Paraguas/Palawan

The same survivors will later capture a

The survivors of the vessel, plunder it and take prisoner the
expedition of Magellan were chief of the island (Tuan Mahamud), his
well received and son (Tuan Mahamed), and the chieftain’s
provisioned by the brother, Guantil, for 400 measures
inhabitants of Paragua (cavanes) of rice, 20 pigs, 20 goats, and
(Palawan). 450 chickens. The chief voluntarily
added coconuts, bananas, and palm wine.
This demonstrates how abundant the
resources are on the island.
Chapter 2—Industrial Activities of the Natives

A. Before the arrival of the Spaniards in Luzon in 1571, there

were already natives who understood Castillan (Spanish).
B. Legazpi’s expedition met it Butuan wih boats laden with
iron and porcelain.
C. A town in the island of Cebu was taken by force and
burned, destroying food supplies that affected 100,000
natives.
D. “All the histories of those first years, in short, abound in long
accounts about the industry and agriculture of the natives: mines,
gold-washings, looms, farms, barter, naval construction, raising of
poultry and stock, weaving of silk and cotton, distilleries,
manufactures of arms, pearl fisheries, the civet industry, the horn
and hide industry, etc., are things encountered at every step, and,
considering the time and the conditions in the islands, prove that
there was life, activity, movement.”
Chapter 2—Cultural and Economic Decadence
A. According to former Lt.-Gen. of Manila,
Antonio de Morga, “the natives have even
forgotten much about farming, raising poultry,
stock and cotton, and weaving cloth that they
used to do in their paganism.”

B. The Filipinos, in spite of the climate and

in spite of the few needs, were not the
indolent creatures of that time.
Chapter 3—Wars, Insurrections and Invasion

“The Spaniards wanted to expand their territory to

as far as Borneo, Moluccas and Indochina wanting to
repel the Dutch; expeditions that were costly in
terms of resources and lives—from 50,000 families
to 14,000 tributaries in a little over half a century
since the young Filipinos were the ones sent to the
expeditions
 Chapter 3—Attacks of the Pirates

Pirates from the south pillaged ocean vessels.

These pirates were instigated and encouraged by
the government to suppress the natives to ease
their capture and enslavement.

Chapter 3—Labor for Shipbuilding

A. Due to the rough attacks involved in encounters in the
seas, it was necessary o construct new and large ships. The
timbers needed to build the ships were scarce; 600
natives hauled the masts of Galleons seven leagues over
broken mountains and were not even given food.
B. They were cutting and hauling instead of tilling their own
fertile land.
 Chapter 3—Deeply-Rooted Causes of Indolence

A. “Man works for an object. C. After 32 years of the system,

Remove the object and you as said, “the natives have even
reduce him to inaction.”
forgotten much about farming,
raising poultry, stock and cotton,
B. Instead of tilling the land that is and weaving cloth that they
very time-consuming, the laborer
would rather drop his plow and become
used to do in their paganism.
a pirate.
Chapter 4
Filipinos, according to Rizal, are not responsible for their misfortunes, as they are not their
own masters. The Spanish government has not encouraged labor and trade, which ceased
after the government treated the country’s neighboring trade partners with great
suspicion. Trade has declined, furthermore, because of pirate attacks and the many
restrictions imposed by the government, which gives no aid for crops and farmers. This and
the abuses suffered under encomenderos have caused many to abandon the fields. Businesse
are monopolized by many government officials, red tape and bribery operate on wide scale,
rampant gambling is tolerated by the government. This situation is compounded by the
Church’s wrong doctrine which holds that the rich will not go to heaven, thus engendering a
wrong attitude toward work. There has also been discrimination in education against
natives.
 Chapter 4—Insidious Examples of the Spaniards

The Spaniards despise manual and corporal labor.

The Wrong Doctrine”
–“The curate says that the rich will not go to heaven.”
–“A proverb of his says that the pig is cooked in his own lard, and as among his bad
qualities, he has the good one of applying to himself all the criticisms and censures, he
prefers to live miserable and indolent, rather than play the part of the wretched beast
of burden.”
Insidious Examples of Spaniards
Gambling
A. Cockfighting was already observed even before the Spaniards came.

B. “Excepting two Tagalog words, sabong (cockfighting) and tari (gaff), the rest
are of Spanish origin: soltada (setting the cock to fight, then the fight itself),
presto (apuesta—bet), logro (winnings), pago ( payment), sentenciador (referee),
case (to cover the bets), etc. We say the same about gambling: the word sugar
(jugar—to gamble), like kumpisal (confesar, to confess to a priest), indicates that
gambling was unknown in the Philippines before the Spaniards came. The word
laro (Tagalog—to play) is not the equivalent of the word sunni. The word balasa
(baraja, playing card) was not due to the Chinese, who have a kind of playing
cards also, because in that case, they would have taken Chinese name.
 Insidious Examples of the Spaniards-Gambling

The word taya (taltar, to bet), paris-paris (Spanish pares,

pairs of cards), politana (napolitana, a winning sequence of
cards), sapore (to stack the cards), kapote( to slam), monte,
and so on, all prove the foreign origin of this terrible
plant, which only produces vice, and which has found in
the character of the native a fit soil, cultivated by
circumstances. The Spaniards were the ones who influenced
us to engage in betting, sweepstakes, lotto and the like.”
 Insidious Examples of the Spaniards—Belief
in Miracles
A. “The doctrines of his religion teach
him to irrigate his fields in the dry
season, not by means of canals but with
masses and prayers; to preserve his
stock during an epizootic with holy
water, exorcisms and benedictions that
cost five dollars an animal.’
B. “We have noticed that the countries
which believe most in miracles are the
laziest, just as spoiled children are the
most ill-mannered. Whether they
believe in miracles to palliate their
laziness or they are lazy because they
believe in miracles, we cannot say, but
the fact is the Filipinos were much less
lazy before the word miracle was
introduced into their language.
 Restrictions of Individual Liberty
With that lack of confidence in the future, that uncertainty of
reaping the reward of labor, as in a city stricken with the plague,
everybody yields to fate, shuts himself in his house or goes about
amusing himself in the attempt to spend the few days that remain to
him in the least disagreeable way possible.
 Absence of Encouragement from the
Government
The apathy of the government itself towards everything in
commerce and agriculture contributes not a little to foster indolence.
There is no encouragement at all for the manufacturer or for the
farmer; the government furnishes no aid either when poor crop
comes, when locusts sweep over the fields, or when cyclone destroys
in its passage the wealth of the soil; nor does it take any trouble to
seek a market for the products of its colonies.
 Lands Belonging to Religious Orders
The best plantations, The towns which
the best tracts of land
belong to the
in some provinces, those friars are
that from their easy comparatively
access are more richer than those
profitable than others,
which do not
are in the hands of the
belong to them.
religious corporations.
For some reason to get
possession of the best
tracts of land, their
plantations, like Bauan and
Lian are inferior to Taal,
Balayan and Lipa, regions
cultivated entirely by the
natives without any
monkish interference
whatsoever.
Other Insidious Practices
Discrimination
Education of the natives—while some priests like the Jesuits and some
Dominicans like Fr. Benavides have done a great deal by founding

colleges, schools of primary instruction and the like; many priests

proclaim that it is an evil for the natives to known Castillan and that

the natives should not be separated from his carabao and that he

should not have any further aspirations.

 Retrogression of the Natives
Chirino, Morga and Colin described the natives having level of
intelligence and pleasant manners with aptitude for music,
drama, dancing and singing but contemporary writers describe
the natives as something more than a monkey but much less
than a man, an anthropoid, dull-witted, stupid, timid, dirty,
cringing, grinning, ill-clothed, indolent, lazy, brainless, immoral,
etc.
 Chapter 5
According to Rizal, all the causes of indolence can be
reduced to two factors: limited training and education
Filipino natives receive; and the lack of a national
sentiment of unity among them.

The solution, according to Rizal, would be

education and liberty.
 Limited Training and Education of the
Natives
B. “The very limited
A. “Peoples and training in the home, the
government are tyrannical and sterile
education of the rare
C. “Indolence is a
corollary derived D. Malady
correlated
complementary:
and
a centers of learning, that
blind subordination of the
from the lack of
stimulus and of
of “crab
fatuous government
would be an anomaly
youth to one of greater
age, influence the mind so
vitality. mentality.”
among righteous people, that a man may not aspire
just as a corrupt people to excel those who
cannot exist under just preceded him but must
rulers and wise laws.” merely be content to go
along with or march
behind them. Stagnation
forcibly results from this.”
 Lack of National Sentiment
A. The Filipino allows himself to be guided by his fancy and his
self-love. It is sufficient that the foreigner praise to him the
imported merchandise (or that, at present, a Filipino gets the
acclaim of the Americans, without which, any acclaim has no
value.)
B. He even changed his religion
C. “It acquired ideas of luxury and ostentation, without thereby
improving the means of its subsistence to a corresponding
degree.”
The Way to Reform
All attempt is useless that does not spring from a profound
study of the evil that afflicts us.
“We are reminded of the gardener who tried to raise a tree planted in
a small flower pot. The gardener spent his days tending and watering
the handful of earth, he trimmed the plant frequently; pulled at it to
lengthen it and hasten its growth; he grafted on it cedars and oaks,
until one day the little tree died, leaving the man convinced that it
belonged to a degenerate specie, attributing the failure of his
experiment to everything except the lack of soil and his own
ineffable folly. Without education and liberty, that soil and that sun
of mankind, no reform is possible, no measure can give.”
 The Way to Reform
“What we wish is that obstacle
be not put in his way, that they
many of his climate and the
situation of the islands afford
be not augmented, that
instruction be not begrudged
him for fear that when he
becomes intelligent, he may
separate from the colonizing
nation or ask for the rights of
which he makes himself worthy.
“We desire that the policy be at once
This policy has the
frank and consistent, that is, highly
civilizing, without sordid advantage in that while it
reservations, without distrust, may not lull the instincts
without fear or jealousy, wishing for
the good for the sake of the good, of liberty wholly to sleep,
civilization for the sake of yet the day when the
civilization, without ulterior
mother country loses her
thoughts of gratitude, or else boldly
colonies, she will at least,
exploiting, tyrannical and selfish
without hypocrisy or deception, with have the gold amassed and
a whole system well planned and
studied out for dominating by not the regret of having
compelling obedience, for reared ungrateful
commanding to get rich, for getting
children.
rich to be happy.”
The Philippine a Century
Hence
Filipinas dentro de cien años
This essay , published in La
Solidaridad starts byanalyzing the
various causes of the miseries
suffered bythe filipino people. Dr.
Rizal wrote this to forecast
thefuture of the country within a
hundred years.
Key Points of this Essay
Lack of Freefom of Speech
Abuse of Human Rights
Lack of Representation in the Spanish
Cortes
Historical events
This essay starts with an analysis of
the causes of themiseries of the
people. One of the cuases identified
in thisarticle was Spains
implementation of her military
policies.
A second cause of this misery was
deterioration anddisoppearance of
filipino indigenous culture.
A third cause of this
miserable condition of
the people wastheir
passivity and
submissiveness to the
spanishcolonizers.
THE PHILIPPINES A CENTURY HENCE

WILL THE PHILIPPINE ISLAND CONTINUE TO BE A SAPANISH

COLONY,IF SO WHAT KIND OF COLONY?

WILL THEY BECAME A PROVINCE OF SPAIN, WITH OR

WITHOUTAUTONOMY?

AND TO REACH THIS STAGE , WHAT SACRIFICES WILL HAVE TO

BEMADE?

WILL THEY BE SEPARATED FROM THE MOTHER COUNTRY TO LIVE

Part 3
If the Philippine will remain under the
control of Spain, transformation will
eventually happen and will affect the
people. In this case some governors have
been trying to introduce needed reforms.
But it produced scanty result for the government as well as
to the country. with this, our country is most likely
reminded to Sancho Panza in Barataria island where he too

his seat on appointed table covered with fruits and variety

of food but when Pedro Rezio interposed Sancho was as

hungry as ever.
That he should not eat except according to the usage and
custom of other island. Philippines is like Sancho reforms
are the dishes, Rezio are those persons interested in not
having the dishes touched.
The result is the long suffering of Sancho(Philippines)
misses his liberty and ends up rebelling. In this manner as
long as the Philippines have no liberty of press all the
efforts of the colonial ministers will meet the fake like
the dishes in Barataria Island.
The minister who wants his reforms be
reforms must begin by declaring the press in
the Philippines free and by instituting
Filipino delegates.
A government that governs in a country may
even dispense with the press because it is on
the ground has eyes and ears, and directly
observes what is rules and administers.
 QUESTIONS RIZAL RAISED IN THE ESSAY
But a government that governs a far

requires that the truth and facts reach

its knowledge by every possible channel
that it may weigh and estimate them
better, and this need increases when a
country like Philippines is concerned.

A risk does the government see in them?

One of the three things either that they
will prove unruly, become political
trimmers, or act properly.
Supposing that we should yield to the most
absurd pessimism and admit the insult.
Great for the Philippines but still greater for
Spain, certainly the Spanish people does
not spare its blood were patriotism is
concern but would not a struggle of
principles in parliament be preferable to
the exchange of lands.
Because the Spanish parliament especially abounds
in oratorical paladins invincible in debate.
“Law has no skin, reason has no nostrils”
So we see no serious reason why Philippines may
not have representatives. We know that the lack of
enlightenment, the indolence, the egotism may
convert reform into a harmful instrument.
When the laws and the acts of officials are
kept under surveillance the word justice
may cease to be a colonial just the things
that makes the
English must respected in their possessions
is their strict and speedy justice so that the
inhabitants repose entire confidence in the
judges justice is the foremost.
Virtue of the civilized races we could add other
minor reforms touching commerce, agriculture,
security of individual and of property education and
others.
To recapitulate: The Philippines will remains Spanish
if they enter upon the life of law and civilization, if
the rights of their inhabitants are respected, if the
other rights due them are granted, if the liberal
policy of the government is carried out without false
interpretation.
Otherwise, if an attempt is made to see in the islands a love to be
exploited, a resource to satisfy ambitious, however great may be
the loyalty of Filipinos and it will be impossible to hinder the
operations of the laws of history.

Close indeed are the bonds that unite us to Spain. Two peoples do
not live for three centuries in continual contract, sharing a same
lot, holding their same belief, worshipping the same GOD but that
ties are formed between them stronger than those engendered by
We who today are struggling by the legal and peaceful means
of debate so understand it without going beyond the pale of
the law, but if violence first silences us we have to misfortune
to fall then we do not know what course will be taken that will
rush in to occupy the places that we leave vacant.

In contemplating such an unfortunate eventually we must

turn away in horror, and so instead of closing our eyes we will
face what the future may bring.
Part IV is possibly best described by this paragraph:

"The existence of a foreign body within another

endowed with strength and activity is contrary to all
natural and ethical laws. Science teaches us that it is
either assimilated, destroys the organism, is
eliminated or becomes
 The "foreign body" is Spain.
The "within another" is Filipinas
(Philippines).

 Dr. Rizal says that there are 3 possible outcomes:

The assimilation of Filipinas

into Espanya (become a
province of Spain with
The The elimination
Filipinos having full rights and
destruction of Spain (the
privileges as accorded
PeninsularesSpaniards or of Filipinas; foreign body)
Spaniards born on the Iberian
Peninsula in Europe);
from Filipinas
Dr. Jose Rizal then discusses the
likelihood of each option in the
Philippines and of course the last
seems to be the most likely.
The question then arises as to what had
awakened the hearts and opened the
minds of the Filipino people with regards
to their plight. Eventually, the natives
realized that such oppression in their
society by foreign colonizers must no
longer be tolerated.
One question Rizal raises in this essay
is whether or not Spain can indeed
prevent the progress of the
Philippines:
1. Keeping the people uneducated and ignorant had failed. National
consciousness had still awakened, and great Filipino minds still
emerged from the rubble.

2. Keeping the people impoverished also came to no avail. On the

contrary, living a life of eternal destitution had allowed the Filipinos
to act on the desire for a change in their way of life. They began to
explore other horizons through which they could move towards
progress.
 t e r n a ti ve t o h in de r in g
g th e p e op le a s a n a l
3. Extermin a t i n a s a b le to
e r. T h e F il ip in o r a c e w
n o t w or k e i t h
progress did n d b e ca m e e v e n m o r e
t w a r s a n d f a m in e, a
survive am id s t h e n at io n
st r op h e s. T o w ip e ou t
a f t er s uc h ca t a
numerous r if ic e o f t h ou s an d s o f
o u ld r eq u ir e t h e s a c
altogether w n o t a ll o w .
so m e th i n g S p a in w o u ld
ld ie r s, a n d t h is is
Spanish so
Spain, therefore, had no means to stop
the progress of the country. What it
needs to do is to change its colonial
policies so that they are in keeping
with the needs of the Philippine
society and to the rising nationalism of
the people.
What Rizal had envisioned in his
essay came true. In 1898, the
Americans wrestled with Spain to
win the Philippines, and eventually
took over the country. Theirs was a
reign of democracy and liberty.
Five decades after Rizal's death, the
Philippines gained her long-
awaited independence. This was in
fulfillmer of what he had written
in his essay:
"History does not record in its annals any
lasting domination by one people over
another, of different races, of diverse
usages and customs, of opposite and
divergent ideas. One of the two had to
yield and succumb."
Thank You
for listening!