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The Philippines a Century Hence

Article · January 2022

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 POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
STA. MESA, MANILA
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Department of Mechanical Engineering

BENAVIDES, JULIA MAREE E.

BSME 2-2
Prof. Jun Valila

Rethink how Rizal almost begged for reforms within the Spanish colonial set-up through this paper
and predicted correctly that the Americans would invade the country if Spain refuses to institute
reform.

The Philippines a Century Hence

By Jose Rizal

Jose Rizal, aside from being a great historian, is also a known writer, authored an article
titled "The Philippines a Century Ago". It is concerning the Philippines' future or what the
Philippines will be like in a century. Rizal wrote it trying to predict the future of his motherland. His
work foresaw the Philippines' future in a hundred years by formulating current situations and
circumstances in order to arrive at a vision of the Philippines' future.

Nonetheless, this essay serves as a reminder to Spain of their wrongdoings in the

Philippines, which have harmed historic customs, memories, and writings, as well as other Filipino
fields. He wanted to expose the evils of colonial rule that engulfed Philippine society at the time,
and to find a future solution to that evil.

Rizal outlined several scenarios for how the Philippines might evolve over the next
century, the first of which was that our country would remain a Spanish colony. Second, if Filipinos
continued to be exploited and abused, they would inevitably revolt against Spain. Finally, after
Spain's presence in the country is extinguished, the Philippines may be conquered by another
country. Aside from those predictions, Rizal also addressed several issues concerning our country
including human rights violations, a lack of press freedom, and a lack of representation in the
Spanish government.
 But then, there could also be possible reasons and personal agenda that Rizal might have
in writing this particular essay of his. One could be instilling fear in the current Spanish tyranny in
order for them to flee the country. Second, could be expressing sadness, that even if Spain
relinquishes control of the Philippines, other countries around the world will be ready to seize
control. Lastly, he was giving the Filipinos hope that, sooner or later, a great nation would liberate
their country from Spain's oppressive rule.

Rizal felt it was time to remind Spain that the circumstances that led to the French
Revolution could have repercussions in the Philippines. In that note, Rizal in his essay, which was
published in La Solidaridad, begins by examining the various causes of the Filipino people's
misery which are;

Spain's military policies – as a result of such laws, the Philippine population fell
dramatically. Poverty became more pervasive than ever, and farmlands were abandoned. The
family was neglected as a social unit, and every aspect of Filipino life was slowed.

Deterioration and extinction of indigenous Filipino culture – When Spain arrived with the
sword and the cross, it began the gradual annihilation of native Philippine culture. As a result,
Filipinos began to lose faith in their history and heritage, became skeptical of their current way of
life, and eventually gave up hope for the future and the survival of their race.

Passivity and submission to Spanish colonizers – the Spanish friars were one of the most
powerful forces influencing a culture of silence among the natives. Filipinos learned to submit to
the will of the foreigners as a result of the use of force.

Then again, Rizal knew that every Filipino, young, middle-aged, and old, would survive
such disasters as Spain did because they had to do something to protect and advance the
Philippines. Rizal had a transcendental vision of the Philippines' future. He envisioned a united
country that had made proper progress in education and democracy. He knew that one day the
government would be dependent on the people's choice because they are the heart of the
Philippines.

He then raises the question of whether Spain can truly stop the Philippines' progress: It
had failed to keep the people uneducated and ignorant. National consciousness had not yet been
reawakened, and great Filipino minds had yet to emerge from the ruins. It was also futile to keep
the people impoverished. On the contrary, living a life of perpetual poverty had enabled the
Filipinos to act on their desire for a change in their lifestyle. They began to look into other avenues
for advancement. Exterminating the people as a means of preventing progress also failed. The
Filipino people were able to survive wars and famines, and they grew even more numerous as a
result. To completely destroy the country, thousands of Spanish soldiers would have to be
sacrificed, which Spain would not allow.

As a result, Spain lacked the ability to halt the country's progress. What she needs to do
is change her colonial policies to reflect the needs of Philippine society and the people's rising
nationalism.

All in all, keeping the Filipinos uneducated and ignorant failed as the Spaniards were
focused on establishing Philippine dominance. The Filipinos awoke to a national consciousness,
allowing them to emerge from the ruins of Spain. Keeping the Filipinos poor also failed. The
Filipino people, who were living in poverty, decided to take action in order to change their situation.
Exterminating the Filipino race also failed because the Filipinos survived wars and famines.

History repeats itself, and it may have done so a hundred times by now but today's battle
was not the same as the one our forefathers fought before. It is now a message intended to serve
as a warning. The colonization of foreign minds by Spaniards, which began four centuries ago, is
now paralleled by the colonization of foreign minds by our own countrymen. Let us always use
our minds to consider the consequences of the Spaniards' wrongdoings against us. Embrace our
past may it be that damaged and wounded.

“The less you remember your history, the more likely you are to repeat your
mistakes over and over again” – Jose Rizal
 REFERENCES

Study Moose. (2017.) The Philippines a Century Hence. Retrieved January 5, 2022 from
https://studymoose.com/the-philippines-a-century-hence-essay

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