Republic of the Philippines

COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION

Region V
POLANGUI COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Polangui, Albay

Course Code: GE 09
Course Title: The Life and Works of Rizal
Course Type: GEC
Course Credits: 3 units
Duration: Second Semester 2020-2021
Instructor: ROCHELLE M. BACONG, LPT
Contact Information: rochellebacong22@gmail.com/ 0935-474-0232

Module 2-3
Rizal in the 19 Century Philippines & Theory of Nationalism
th

I. Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, the students should be able to:

1. Identify the social context within which Rizal was situated
2. Analyze various social, political, economic, and cultural changes that occurred in the 19 th century
3. Explain how these changes affected and influenced Jose Rizal
4. Explain the concept of nationalism
5. Determine how Rizal’s works embody the concept of nationalism
6. Assess the different views regarding Rizal and his work

II. Introduction

This module presents the different social, political, economic and cultural contexts of 19 th-Century Philippines in
which Rizal was situated. To better understand the different aspects of 19 th-century Philippines, a brief discussion of the
Spanish Colonization is also included in this lesson. It also covers The Theory of Nationalism which focuses on the
concept of nation and nationalism. This lesson introduces the concept of nationalism in the Philippine context. It
discusses the nation as an “imagined community” in connection with Rizal and the popular nationalism. It also explains
the theory of nationalism in relation to the enactment of the Rizal Law.

III. Eliciting Concepts/Vocabularies

Give the meaning of the following words:

a. Peninsulares e. Frailocracy h. Industrial Revolution

b. Insulares f. Suez Canal i. Mutiny
c. Mestizo g. Encomienda J. Nationalism

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 IV. Learning Content

RIZAL IN THE 19TH CENTURY PHILIPPINES

Social Structure

The Filipinos in the 19th century had suffered from feudalistic and master slave relationship by the
Spaniards. Their social structure is ranked into three groups:
Highest class – the people that belong in this class include the Spaniards, peninsulares and the friars. They
have the power and authority to rule over the Filipinos. They enjoyed their positions and do what they want.

a. The Peninsulares (Spaniards who were born in Spain). They held the most important government jobs,
and made up the smallest number of the population.
b. The Friars are members of any of certain religious orders of men, especially the four mendicant orders
(Augustinians, Carmelites, Dominicans, and Franciscans).
c. Middle Class – the people that belongs into this class includes the natives, mestizos and the criollos.
d. Lowest class – this class includes the Filipinos only.
e. Natives – the pure Filipinos
f. The Mestizos  are the Filipinos of mixed indigenous Filipino or European or Chinese ancestry.
g. The Indio's are the poor people having pure blood Filipin which ruled by the Spaniards
h. Political System and the Sources of Abuses in the Administrative System
i. The Spaniards ruled the Filipinos in the 19th century. The Filipinos became the Spaniard’s slave. The
Spaniards claimed their taxes and they worked under the power of the Spaniards. 
Sources of Abuses in the Administrative System:

1. There was an appointment of officials with inferior qualifications, without dedication of duty and moral strength to resist
corruption for material advancement. Through the power and authority the Spaniards possess, they collected and wasted
the money of the Filipinos.
2. There were too complicated functions to the unions of the church and the state.
3. Manner of obtaining the position. Through the power that the Spaniards possess, they had the right to appoint the
different positions. The appointment of positions is obtained by the highest bidder which is the Governor-general of the
country.
4. Term of office- Term of office or term in office is the length of time a person (usually a politician) serves in a particular
office is dependent on the desire of the King of the country.
5. Distance of the colony- The Spanish officials traveled to various places and the needs of the Philippines were ignored.
They did not put too much attention to the needs of the other people. There were inadequate administrative supervisions,
they were unable to face and solve the problems regarding to the Philippines. There were also overlapping of powers and
privileges of officials which made them competitive.
6. Personal interest over the welfare of the State
7. They were corrupt during the 19th century and the Alcaldias/Alcalde is considered as the most corrupt over the other
corrupts. The Alcaldias/Alcalde includes the administrators, judges and military commandants. They usually have P25/mo
liberal allowances and privileges to take a certain percentage of money from the total amount of taxes. There were also
monopoly trades or business practices known as indulto para comerciar.

Educational System
There are lots of criticisms received in the educational system of the Philippines in the late 19th century. Below are the
following:
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1. Overemphasis on religious matters
The power of religious orders remained one of the great constants, over the centuries, of Spanish colonial rule. The friars of
the Augustinian, Dominican, and Franciscan orders conducted many of the executive and control functions of government
on the local level. They were responsible for education and health measures. These missionaries emphasized the teachings
of the Catholic religion starting from the primary level to the tertiary level of education.
2. Obsolete teaching methods
Their methods are out-dated.
3. Limited curriculum
The students in the primary level were taught the Christian Doctrines, the reading of Spanish books and a little of the
natives’ language. Science and Mathematics were not very much taught to the students even in the universities. Aside from
the Christian Doctrines taught, Latin was also taught to the students instead of Spanish.
4. Poor classroom facilities
5. Absence of teaching materials
6. Primary education was neglected
7. Absence of academic freedom
The absence of academic freedom in Spain’s educational system was extended to the schools that Spaniards established
in the Philippines. Learning in every level was largely by rote. Students memorized and repeated the contents of book which
they did not understand. In most cases knowledge was measured in the ability of the students to memorize, largely
hampering intellectual progress.
8. Prejudice against Filipinos in the schools of higher learning
In entirety, education during the Spanish regime was privileged only to Spanish students. The supposed Philippine
education was only a means to remain in the Philippines as colonizers. For this reason, the Filipinos became followers to
the Spaniards in their own country. Even auspicious Filipinos became cronies, to the extent that even their life styles were
patterned from the Spaniards.
9. Friar control over the system
The friars controlled the educational system during the Spanish times. They owned different schools, ranging from the
primary level to the tertiary levels of education. The missionaries took charge in teaching, controlling and maintaining the
rules and regulations imposed to the students.

Economic Development and the Rise of Filipino Nationalism

- The country was opened to foreign trade at the end of the 18th century which resulted in the rapid rise of foreign
firms in Manila. This stimulated agricultural production and export of sugar, rice hemp and tobacco. The number of
families which prospered from foreign commerce and trade were able to send their sons for an education in
Europe. Filipinos who were educated abroad were able to absorb the intellectual development in Europe.

Factors Contributed to the Development of Filipino Nationalism:

1. Opening of the Philippines to International Trade and the Rise of the Middle Class
Manila was opened to foreign trade which brought prosperity to the Filipinos and Chinese mestizo resulting to the
existence of middle class.

2. Influx of European Liberalism

Ideas of the enlightened philosophers like John Locke and Jean Jacques Rosseau, masonry and the French
Revolution reached the Philippines. Liberty, religious freedom, democracy, human rights such as suffrage, freedom
of speech, press and form associations and assemblies.

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 3. Opening of the Suez Canal on November 17, 1869 Connects Mediterranean and red sea; shortened distance
between Europe and Orient

Results: (a) Philippines became closer to Europe and Spain (b) encouraged European travelers to come to our
country (c) exodus of literal ideas from Europe to the Philippines (d) more educated and young Filipinos were able
to study abroad

4. Spanish Revolution of 1868 and the Liberal Regime of Carlos Maria Dela Torre(1869-1871)
- Glorious September Revolution of 1868: Queen Isabela II was overthrown resulting to the rise of liberalism in
Spain. Generals Juan Prim and Francisco Serrano appointed dela Torre as the governor-general in the Philippines
(true democrat). Most liberal governor-general walked the streets in civilian clothes and dismissed his alabaderos
(halberdiers) – the governor’s security guards – and went unescorted.

Accomplishments:

(1) abolished censorship of the press and allowed unlimited discussions of political problems and proclaimed
freedom of speech
(2) abolished flogging as a punishment
(3) curtailed abuses particularly the tribute and the polo
(4) allowed secular priests to be assigned to vacant parishes or seminaries and created an office which would
prevent abuses by members of the regular religious orders
(5) reformed the Royal Audiencia to bring about speedier administration of justice
(6) decreed educational reforms, ordered the setting up of medical, pharmacy, and vocational schools
(7) created the Council of the Philippines on December 4, 1870 which was a consultative body to study Philippine
problems and propose solutions to them.
(5). Rafael de Izquierdo (1871-1873), the Cavite Mutiny of 1872 and the Execution of GomBurZa (February 17,
1872)
Monarchy was restored in Spain (Prince Amadeo of Savoy, son of Victor Emmanuel I) ascended the throne in 1870.
April 4, 1871: Isquierdo became the governor-general; “with crucifix in one hand and a sword in the other”  restored
press censorship (b) prohibited all talk on political matters and secularization of the parishes (c) disapproved the
establishment of arts and trades in Manila (d) dismissed natives and mestizos in the civil and military service.
(6). Cavite Mutiny (January 20, 1872)- About 200 Filipino soldiers and workers in Fort San Felipe mutinied, under
the leadership of Sgt La Madrid; caused by Izquierdo’s abolition of the exemption of the Filipino workers from polo
and paying tributes; mutineers were able to kill the fort commander and some soldiers; mutiny leaders and
participants were arrested and shot to death.
( 7). GomBurZa (fought for the Filipinization of parishes and champions of liberalism and humanitarianism)
They were charged of sedition and rebellion due to the false testimony of Francisco Zaldua (former Bicolano
soldier and was bribed by the Spanish prosecutors to implicate them as the masterminds of the mutiny).  Military
Court: three priests guilty and sentenced them to die by garrote.
The Theory of Nationalism

 Nationalism is a set of systems- political, social, and economic- characterized by the promotion of the interests of
one nation anchored on the aim to achieve and maintain self- governance or total sovereignity. It holds that a
particular nation should be free from external interference. Another important facet of nationalism is that it is
oriented towards developing and maintaining a national identity bsed on shared characteristics such as culture,
language, race, and religion. It seeks to preserve and reshape a nation’s culture. The concept of nationalism is

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 essentially modern. While people have historically been attached to the families, community and native land, the
concept of nationalism only gained recognition in the late 18 th century. The conceptualization of nationalism in a
distinctively modern sense was tied to the political awakening of the lower classes. Nationalist movements have
been invariably populist in outlook and sought to induct lower classes into political life. The five basic elements of
nationalism are culture, history, language, religion and territory.
 Nationalism is best understood by first looking into the term nation. Benedict Anderson, a prominent historian and
political scientist who explored the origins of nationalism, defined the nation as a fabrication, a bond between
people who did not actually exist prior to its own recognition. For him, the nation “is an imagined community- and
imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign” (2006). Anderson argues that the nation is imagined as a
community because regardless of the actual inequalities that prevail, the nation is always conceived as a deep,
horizontal comradeship. It is imagined because it exists in the figment of the people’s collective imagination.
According to Anderson, nation-ness is a cultural artifact that is felt as having existed since time immemorial but is
objectively modern as it first emerged toward the end of the 18 th century.
 Following this conceptualization by Anderson, the Philippine nation is an imagined community because one who
identifies himself or herself as a Filipino will never meet all the other Filipinos around the world, yet he or she is
convinced that they exist and he or she is related to them. Anderson also presents the concept of homogenous
empty time, borrowed from the ideas of Walter Benjamin, which replaced the idea of simultaneity-along-time which
referred to the medieval conception of time as situating events in the past, present and future simultaneously.
Homogenous empty time suggests that a nation can be imagined as a unit, moving through time.

Rizal’s Work and Nationalism:

 Anderson points out that Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere conjured an imagined community as if the readers and the author
were familiar to and intimate with each other, with the characters and readers being situated in the same context of
time and space. The novel provided the means of representing the nation as an imagined community that operated
on empty time enabling the reader to be omniscient to see a delimited society and the actuations of key people in it.
 Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo emerged as the founding texts of Philippine nationalism. These novels
exposed the ills of the Spanish colonial government and the evils prevailing in the Philippine society by presenting a
narrative that contextualizes the country in terms of politics, economy and culture. Rizal was able to go against the
colonizers and show how literature can be used to arouse people to be catalysts of social change. In both this
novels, Rizal was able to portray the Filipino in different dimensions, from those who had colonial mentality, to those
who willingly fought for the country at all costs.
 Through his novels, Rizal emphasized the values of nationalism and loving one’s country. The scathing national
narrative Rizal presented became the inspiration for strengthening the anti-colonial movement.

V. Learning Experiential Activities

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 Lesson/s Synchronous Asynchronous
Google Meeting Individual Activity 1: 19th Century Woes
Lesson 1: Rizal In the 19th Instructions: Discuss how the following
Century - Discussion of the topic: Rizal in the contributed to the growth of Filipino
19th Century nationalism and decline of the Spanish
rule. Choose two.
Google Jamboard:
1.Opening of the Suez Canal;
- Enumerate the social, political, 2.Cavite Mutiny and the GomBurZa
economic, and cultural changes martyrdom
occurred in your community during 3. Abuses and immoralities of the friars
the last five (5) years. 4. Racial discrimination

Powerpoint Presentation (google slides) Activity 2:

 Choose one of the most significant
changes and discuss how it affected
you as a:
1. Student
2. Teenager
3. Citizen of the Philippines
Answer the following questions:
1. Is Rizal’s nationalist idea still applicable
to the Philippine situation today? Why or
Why not?
2. Like Rizal during the 19th Century, what
would you do today to address our
country’s problem on corruption and abuse
of power?

Activity 3:

Retracing the past (fishbone)

 Enumerate the
1.social,
2.political,
3.economic
4.cultural
changes that occurred in your community
during the last five years.

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 Lesson 2: The Theory of Google Meeting
Nationalism - Discussion of the Topic: The Theory
of Nationalism
Google Jamboard
- In your own words, define
Nationalism.
- As a student what can you do to show Activity 3: Find a popular song (either
your love for the country?
Activity 1:
- Make an acrostic name for the
word N-A-T-IO-N-A-L-I-S-M
Activity 2: Create your own concept map of
Nationalism.
English or Filipino) with lines and stanzas
that illustrate nationalism. Illustrate the
song’s message on nationalism in a
COLLAGE.

Assessment

Activity 1:

Instructions: Explain in a form of an ESSAY how society (and everything that happens within) impacts the character and
being of a person. Be guided by the rubric below in writing your essay.

Rubric for Grading the Essay

Criteria 5 4 3 2 1
Introduction: The introduction is inviting, states a clear thesis
statement, and previews the structure of the paper. There is
one clear, well-focused thesis statement
Supporting details: Relevant, telling, quality details give the
reader important information that goes beyond the obvious or
predictable
Organization: ideas flow together smoothly and form coherent
arguments
Grammar and Spelling: no errors in grammar or spelling that
distract the reader from the content

Activity 2:

A. The World during Rizal’s Time

Instructions: Identify at least five (5) events that took place in the mid-19th century outside the Philippines that might
have influenced the young Jose Rizal in charting the course of his ideals, missions, and aspirations for the
Philippines. Describe these events in a form of a paragraph.

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Activity 3: Resolving a Dispute

Instructions:

With the different conceptualization of nationalism in mind, research on a dispute that is currently happening
between countries (you can choose a dispute between the Philippines and other countries or between other countries,
including the Philippines).

1. What the dispute is about?

2. What led to the dispute?
3. What the government officials from the disputing countries are doing to address the problem?
4. How the concept and sense of nationalism is observed in the different measures to address the dispute?

REFERENCES:

 Agoncillo, T. (1990). History of the Filipino people. Quezon City, Philippines: Garotech Publishing
 Dela Costa, H. (1965). Readings in Philippine History. Manila, Philippines: Bookmark
 Maguigad, R. & Muhi E. (2001). Brief History of the Filipino People. Manila, Philippines: V. Valencia
Enterprise
 Romero, M. (1978). Rizal and the Development of National Consciousness. Quezon City, Philippines: JMC
Press, Inc.
 Schumacher, J (1997). The Propaganda Movement 1880-1895. Quezon city, Philippines: Ateneo de Manila
University Press
 Zaide, S. (1999). The Philippines, a Unique Nation. Quezon City, Philippines: All Nations Publishing Co.
Inc.
 Anderson, B. (2006). Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origins and Spread of Nationalism
(Revised Ed.). London, UK: Verso
 Finkel, M. (2016). Theories of nationalism: A Brief Comparison of Realist and Constructivist Ideas of the
Nation. Retrieved from http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1460/theories-of-nationalism-a-brief-
comparison-of-realist-and-constructivist-ideas-of-the-nation

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