05 eLMS Task 2: Essay Dropbox – ARG

Jeremy Y. Auditor

BSHM-4A

Questions:

1. Why did the Spaniards brand us as indolent?

2. How did Rizal and the other Filipino scholars defend the Filipinos against this labeling
from Spain? Why?

Answers:

1. Due to their repeated observations of Filipinos not working and their belief that they
would prefer to gamble with their money than to toil on a farm, Spaniards accuse
Filipinos of being lazy. However, considering the Philippines is near a tropical region, it
can be difficult for people to work there due to the heat. This is one of the reasons why
Spaniards accuse Filipinos of being lazy. Furthermore, deeper-rooted factors—such as
discrimination and abuse, government incompetence, widespread corruption, false church
doctrines, and negative models from some complacent Spaniards were cited by Dr. Jose
Rizal as contributing to the Philippines' eventual decline. The education system was
corrupted; students were taught repeated prayers and other ideas that would not help them
lead the nation; there were no courses in industry, agriculture, or other fields that the
Philippines desperately needed at the time. Earlier to the arrival of the Spaniards, Rizal
observed that the Filipino people were hardworking and devoted.
2. They defend Filipinos by claiming that they have long engaged in economic pursuits like
farming and trade before to the arrival of the Spanish and that they are not naturally
indolent. But the causes of indolence run deeper: mistreatment and discrimination,
passivity on the part of the government, institutionalized corruption and bureaucracy,
erroneous religious convictions, and subpar behavior on the part of some slothful
Spaniards who have weakened Filipino ideals. According to Rizal, the primary reasons
for indolence among naive Filipinos are their inadequate training and education, as well
as the lack of unity and national sense among them. Rizal believed that the Filipino
people's laziness could be treated with freedom and education. Nobody deserves our
judgment, especially if we are unfamiliar with their culture.