ESSAY:

PHILIPPINES A
CENTURY HENCE
FILIPINAS DENTRO DE CIEN AÑOS

vThe Philippines A Century Hence

ØThis essay, published in La Solidaridad
starts by analyzing the various causes of the
miseries suffered by the Filipino people.
ØDr. Jose Rizal wrote this to forecast the
future of the country within a hundred
years.
FILIPINAS DENTRO DE CIEN AÑOS

v Rizal had a prediction, he tried to respond to the ff.

questions:

üWhat would be the situation of the

Philippines within 100 years?
üWould the Philippines remain a colony
of Spain?
üWould it become independent?
üWould it be a colony of another nation?
THE PHILIPPINES A CENTURY HENCE

ØThis essay starts with an analysis of the causes

of the miseries of the people.
üOne of the causes identified in this article was
Spain’s implementation of her military policies.
üA second cause of the misery was deterioration
and disappearance of Filipino indigenous culture.
üA third cause of this miserable condition of the
people was their passivity and submissiveness to
the Spanish colonizers.
THE PHILIPPINES A CENTURY HENCE

ØWhat then had made the

people realize their sad
situation under Spanish rule?
THE PHILIPPINES A CENTURY HENCE

ØCould Spain prevent the progress of the

Philippines? If Spain decide to do so,
what could she possibly do:

Ø1. Keep the people ignorant?

Ø2. Keep the people in poverty?
Ø3. Exterminate the Filipino race?
THE PHILIPPINES A CENTURY HENCE

ØKeeping the people ignorant failed.

Why?

vAwakening of national consciousness

among the people united them.
vWith the spread of enlightenment, the
ilustrado class arose.
THE PHILIPPINES A CENTURY HENCE

ØRecourse to impoverishment also

failed. Why?

vKeeping the people in poverty

created in the Filipinos the desire to
change things.
THE PHILIPPINES A CENTURY HENCE

ØExtermination of the people as an

alternative to hindering progress was
an impossibility according to Rizal. Why?

vThe people had survived in spite of the

wars they had engaged in and the epidemics
that had plagued society.
THE PHILIPPINES A CENTURY HENCE

ØCan the divide et impera or divide and

rule policy still work to foster enmity
between and among the natives?

vTo Rizal, this would no longer be effective

owing to the ease of movement in the
archipelago brought about by improved
means of transportation.
THE PHILIPPINES A CENTURY HENCE

ØTherefore, Spain has no way

of blocking reforms and
progress of the Philippines.
THE PHILIPPINES A CENTURY HENCE
ØRizal’s essay centered on the reforms and political changes
needed for the Philippines to remain under the Spanish rule.
ØNevertheless, he stressed that reforms have to be initiated
by the government for them to be peaceful and effective.
ØThese reforms were the following:
üfreedom of the press in the country;
ürepresentation of the Filipinos in the Spanish Cortes;
ügranting of Spanish citizenship to the people;
üfilling of government positions through competitive
examinations; and reforms in commerce, agriculture and
education; and
ügreater security for the individual and other reforms.
THE PHILIPPINES A CENTURY HENCE
ØWhich colonizing power will replace Spain?
Will it be a European power or an Asian power?
ØIf Spain will not be replaced either a European
or an Asian power, which country then will be
interested in what Spain has to give up? To
Rizal, this country is none other than the
United States of America.
ØWhat Rizal envisioned in this essay came true.
ØThe Americans entered the Philippines and
wrestled from Spain the control of the
Philippines.