The Philippines

in the
19 Century
th
As stated in the chapter about the
Rizaliana batch of biographers, the
history of the Philippines during the
19th century, was divided into three
institutions namely:
 Political
Institutions
*The Political set-up of the
Philippines during those times
was headed by the Governor-
General.
Governor-General
appointed by the King of Spain for an
“indefinite” period of time as loyalty was one
of the major qualifications of the
government officials
MIGUEL LOPEZ DE LEGAZPI
First Governor-General of the Philippines.

Appointed by King Philip II

Dual Functions of the Governor-
General:
A.POLITICAL
Manages the internal affairs of the state as
well as the executer of the laws of the land.
Serves as the chief of Real Audiencia or the Spanish
Supreme Court in the Philippines where cases were elevated
after the failure of cases in local courts

Commanding officer of the armed forces

particularly the navy and army
A.ECCLESIASTICAL
to settle Church matter because there was Union of
Church and State
Residencia
are permanent officials who will scrutinize the
performance of the out-going Gov-Gen. The incoming
Gov.Gen.
Visitadores
on the other hand will check the
performance of the Gov.-Gen and they
were temporary and different from the
residencia.
Local Set-up Heads
1.Provinces
 were led by the alcalde-mayor

2.Ayuntamiento (Cities)
 headed by a petty governor known as the “governadorcillo

3.Pueblos
 Economic
Institution
ENCOMIENDA SYSTEM
or the leasehold system became one of
the main economic programs of Spain in
thePhilippines.
MONOPOLY SYSTEM

or known as bandala system where

the Spaniards monopolized the buying and
selling of raw materials and middlemen sold
them at a higher cost.
Social Institution
The social institution which was
imposed by Spain in the
Philippines was divided
into social strata wit;
 RIZAL AS
PRODUCT OF
HIS TIMES
1.Divine Intervention
 Rizal’s vast knowledge and social consciousness
are God’s gifts to him.

 he was-versed in letters and language

 possessed a lot of talents and he used his literary and writing

ability to fight the Spanish tyranny
2. Environmental Awareness
 The 19th century was the Age of Enlightenment and
Rizal was the product of that time
He witnessed the execution of the triumvirate priests
(GomBurZa) at a young age of 11 which awakened his
awareness of the social injustices of the Spanish authorities.
He believed that “tyranny” has no room in a free society
which he envisioned for the country
3. Educational Factors

Rizal became a young professional who gained his

expertise in Ateneo (as surveyor), University of Santo
Tomas (as a medical student) and in Universidad Central de
Madrid (continuing his medical studies).
His expertise became in demand as a barrio doctor serving
his less privileged compatriots. His literary knowledge and
observations in the Philippines and his travels abroad were
his inspirations when he wrote his two novels- Noli Me
Tengere and El Filibusterismo.
4. Family Orientation
The Mercado family along with other “middle class families”
were Rizal’s first teachers.
His family was his source of strength in his flight for social
justice from evil society of that
time. Paciano, his brother was his closest adviser and supporter
during his stay in Europe. Rizal’s family has influenced him a lot in
inculcating and developing nationalism in hi consciousness.
Political, economic, social life, and
institution of the Philippines during
the 19th century that were imposed by
Spain:
1. Instability of Colonial Administration
2. Corrupt officialdom
3. No Philippine representation in the Spanish Cortes
4. Human rights are denied to Filipinos
5. No equality before the law
6. Maladministration of justice
7. Racial discrimination
8. Frailocracy
9. Forced Labor
10. Haciendas owned by the friars
11. Guardia Civil