History of the Filipino People (8th Edition)

The Birth of Filipino

Nationalism
By Teodoro A. Agoncillo
 I. Objectives
After going through this report, students are expected to:

Understand Learn
01 02 About the contributory factors
Nationalism and how it that gave birth to Filipino
works Nationalism
 II. Introduction
Definition of Nationalism

According to Louis L. Synder, it is a condition of mind,

feeling, or sentiment of a group of people living in a
well-defined geographical area, speaking a common
language, possessing literature in which the
aspirations of the nation have been expressed,
attached to common traditions, and in some cases,
having a common religion.

The term “Filipino nationalism” describes the

creation and promotion of a political identity
connected to the contemporary nation-state of the
Philippines, which sparked a broad movement for
political, social, and economic freedom.
 II. Introduction
There are six (6) factors that gave birth
to nationalism:

1. Opening of the Philippines to World

Commerce
2. Rise of the Clase Media
3. European Liberalism and Carlos Maria de la
Torre
4. Racial Discrimination
5. Regular-Secular Conflicts
6. La Algarada, Caviteña
III. Background
FILIPINO NATIONALISM: DECELERATORS & ACCELERATORS
Accelerators to Filipino nationalism include movements and revolutions to transform.
Meanwhile, decelerators to Filipino nationalism include religious prejudices and the belief
in keeping old traditions.

Decelerators: Accelerators:

1. Geographic barriers 1. Spanish colonialism

2. The lack of communication 2. The influx of liberal ideas
and transportation structures 3. Racial discrimination
3. Presence of travel passports 4. Rise of middle classes
(papeletas de permiso) and other 5. Secular and Regular conflicts
permits (caritas de radio) 6. The execution of the GomBurZa
4. Linguistic differences and absence of a
common language
5. 5. Spanish policy of divide et impera
(divide and rule)
III. Background
FILIPINO NATIONALISM: DECELATORS
❑ There was no national feeling during pre-colonial times
❑ The ideas of nationalism by the French Revolution in the 18th
century, filtered through the Philippines in the 19th century.
❑ During the Spanish rule, the archipelago was called Las Islas
Filipinas.
Filipinos – applied only to the Spaniards born in the
Philippines.
Indios – native of the Philippines
❑ “Indios” became “Filipino” only during the last years of the
Spanish Regime in the 1890s
❑ Divide et impera – divide and rule policy
Filipinos revolted against its colonizers during this time,
however foreign mercenaries also quelled the revolts.
Conquistadors utilized their military technology and
strategies such as the use of Mexican horses, better firing
projectile weapons, and even primitive and simple native
weaponry.
III. Background
FILIPINO NATIONALISM: ACCELERATORS
❑ In the 19th century, Filipino nationalism was catalyzed by the
filtering through of progressive ideologies and the transfer of
technology to the Philippines through liberal-minded men from
Europe and America, along with disenchantment with Madre
Espaha.

❑ The Filipinos, particularly the social elites, finally woke up to

the realization that he must change, saying that they are tired
of being “only an individual…and not a member of a nation.”
Stimulated by the opening of the Philippines to world
commerce, change finally came about with the attendant rise
of the clase media.

❑ Racial discrimination, the impacts of the secular-regular wars,

the Cavite Mutiny of 1872, the influence of European liberalism,
the administration of Carlos Maria de la Torre, and other various
factors all contributed to the emergence of Filipino nationalism.
DISCUSSION

A. The Philippines in World

Commerce (1834-1986)
IV. Discussion
A. The Philippines in World Commerce
(1834-1986)
❑ In 1834, tremendous socio-economic changes
happened as a result of Manila’s proper and
suburban areas developed by leaps and bounds
with the official and permanent opening of her
port to international trade.

❑ Ports were opened in different places in the

Philippines which led to greater demands for
exports, where Filipinos and Chinese mestizo
social elites profited highly.

❑ There was an improvement in the balance of

trade since 1810 when Manila was still close to
world trade.
IV. Discussion
A. The Philippines in World Commerce
(1834-1986)
❑ Banco Español-Filipino de Isabel II – was the
first Philippine bank that issued the first paper
money and two other British-owned banks in
1852.
❑ The first daily newspaper appeared in 1846.
❑ Establishments that usually relaxed men of
leisure:
Manila Jockey Club
Bullfighting in Paco
Theatro Filipino
Circo de Bilibid
Teatro Zorilla
Teatro de Colon
DISCUSSION

B. The Rise of Clase Media

IV. Discussion
B. Rise of the Clase Media
❑ As a result of the major economic
transformation in the lives of Filipinos, a
middle class (clase media) of Asian and
Eurasian mestizos arose in the Philippine
social pyramid.
❑ Principalia – an elite social group
composed of former gobernadorcillos and
minor native bureaucrats.
❑ In the 19th century, personal possessions,
as well as education, became indicators
of social status in a community.
IV. Discussion
B. Rise of the Clase Media
❑ The use of honorary titles such as “Don”
and “Doña” enhanced the social standing
of the social elites, as well as their
houses’ location in the town called calle
(main street).

❑ The rise of the clase media was highly

visible in the residential organization of
Manila society.
DISCUSSION

C. European
Liberalism
and
Carlos Maria
de la Torre
 IV. Discussion
C. European Liberalism and Carlos Maria de la
Torre

LIBERAL was the first political term used in

Spain and first inferred to the Spanish rebels of
1820.

IN 1863 , the ideas of liberalism in the

Philippines may be traced to the secondary and
tertiary education made available to the Filipinos.

IN 1870 , the rights of citizens and the duties

of Government were taught to Filipino students to
those courses in law, medicine, and theology.
 IV. Discussion
C. European Liberalism and Carlos Maria de la Torre
• Two philosophers of the Age of Reason that left
indelible marks on the Filipino intelligentsia of the
19th century:

John Locke – in his “Two Treatises on

Government (1689)” posited that the social contract
between the king, who did not exercise absolute
powers, and his subjects, means that if the king
failed to do his duty and did not respond to natural
rights, his subjects had the right to overthrow him.
 IV. Discussion
C. European Liberalism and Carlos Maria de la Torre
• Two philosophers of the Age of Reason that left
indelible marks on the Filipino intelligentsia of the
19th century:

Jean Jacques Rousseau – re-echoed the same

principle in “The Social Contract (1762)”, agreeing
that if a government did not satisfy its subjects, they
had all the reason to alter the government to
whatever they thought best.
 IV. Discussion
C. European Liberalism and Carlos Maria de la
Torre

Governor Carlos Maria de la Torre

❑ The Glorious September Revolution (1868)

❑ arrived in 1869. He is considered one of the
most beloved Spanish Governors-General
assigned to the Philippines.
❑ He applied democratic and liberal ideas.
❑ Avoided an extravagant life.
❑ Proved to be very unpopular with the Manila
Spaniards and Spanish regular clergy, who
overtly demonstrated their aversion for him.
DISCUSSION

D. Racial Discrimation
IV. Discussion
D. Racial Discrimination

19th Century
❑ During the Spanish period there is an abundance of
documentary proof of racism in the Philippines.

❑ The townspeople were obliged to remove their hats when a

Spaniard passed, and this was especially the case if he
occupied some official position.

❑ No Indian was allowed to sit at the same table with a

Spaniard, even though the Spaniard was a guest in the
Indian’s house.

❑ Spaniards addressed the Filipinos by the pronoun “thou”

and although many of the Spaniards married pure-blood
native women, the wives were always looked down on in
society as belonging to an inferior class.
IV. Discussion
D. Racial Discrimination
Anti-Filipino Writers
❑ “Las Islas Filipinos” Francisco Canamaque (Madrid, 1880)
- Hated the laziness and incapacity of Filipinos

❑ “Tandang Basio Macumat” Franciscan Fr. Miguel Lucio y Bustamante (Manila, 1885)
- Said that the Filipinos could never learn the Spanish language or be civilized.
- “The Spaniards will always be a Spaniards, and the indio will always be an indio, the
monkey will always be a monkey however you dress him in shirt and trousers, and will
always be a monkey and not human.

❑ Pablo Feced (Quioquiap)

- A journalist noted for his open hatred for Filipinos as shown in his Filipinas;
esbozos y pinceladas (Manila, 1888), describing the rural folks as “carabao herd” and
even quoting Fr. Gaspar de San Agustin, an Augustinian, who said that “God created
the indios together with the rattan,” meaning that the Filipinos “need beatings and the
rattan.”
DISCUSSION

E. Regular-Secular Conflicts
IV. Discussion
E. Regular-Secular Conflicts

The Cause of Regular-Secular Conflict

The conflict began when the bishops insisted on visiting the parishes that were
being run by regular priests. But the regular priests refused these visits, saying
that they were not under the bishop’s jurisdiction. They threatened to abandon
their parishes if the bishops persisted. And in 1774, Archbishop Basilio Santa
Justa decided to uphold the diocese’s authority over the parishes and accepted
the resignations of the regular priests. Then he assigned secular priests to take
their place.
IV. Discussion
E. Regular-Secular Conflicts
The Injustice Heightens
❑ In 1861, most of the secular-run parishes had been
relinquished and were given to the Recollects, as a
reparation for the Mindanao curacies to the Jesuit, who
returned in 1859. However, in the eyes of the Filipinos,
this was a deliberate Spanish government ploy to
dishearten and thwart the development of native clergy.
The conflict heightens during the Antipolo and San Rafael
parish-grabbing cases, left vacant by their secular priest
who died. Later on, the Recollects claimed the San
Rafael parish.
❑ Due to the conflicts that had occurred, Archbishop
Martinez of Manila was compelled to write an exposé to
a regent of Spain in 1870 explaining the growing enmity
between seculars and regulars. And in less than two
years the conflict resulted in a revolt named the Cavite
Mutiny of 1872.
DISCUSSION

F. La Algarada, Caviteña (1872)

 IV. Discussion
F. La Algarada, Caviteña (1872)
❑ The Cavite Mutiny broke out during the
tenure of Rafael de Izquierdo who had
dramatically said upon his arrival, “I shall
govern with a cross on one hand a sword
in the other.”

❑ Galvanized by discontent against the

Spaniards, some 200 Filipino soldiers,
joined in by some workers in the arsenal
of the artillery corps led by Sgt. La
Madrid, guard at Fort San Felipe, mutinied
on the night of January 1872.
 IV. Discussion
F. La Algarada, Caviteña (1872)
❑ Earlier in the morning of January 20, 1872, which was
payday for the Cavite Arsenal workers, they discovered
to their consternation that there was an unreasonable
deduction in their already measly wages caused by
the new imposition of tribute ordered by Izquierdo.

❑ On the same night, they revolted out of sympathy for

their kin and friends working in the artillery corps and
government shops, who had lost their exemption
privileges from tributes and polos y servicios
personales.

❑ Fr. Mariano Gomez of Bacoor, Cavite, Fr. Jose Burgos,

and Fr. Jacinto Zamora of the Manila Cathedral, were
unjustly accused as agitators of the anti-Spanish
movement.
On February 17, 1872, the three priest
were subsequently publicly executed.
This event sparks the Philippine
Revolution.
V. Analysis