The Philippines in

the 19 Century as
th

Rizal’s Context

James Wilfred D. Gonzales
Jhezarie D. Abamonga
 The World and the Philippines
of Rizal’s Time

During the times of Rizal, the sinister
shadows of Spain’s decadence darkened
Philippine skies. The Filipino people agonized
beneath the yoke of Spanish misrule, for they
were unfortunate victims of the evils of an
unjust, bigoted, and deteriorating colonial
power.
Evils of the unjust, bigoted, and deteriorating
colonial power:
 Instability of Colonial Administration
 Corrupt Colonial Officials
 Philippines Representation in Spanish
Cortes
 Human Rights Denied to Filipinos
 No Equality before the Law
 Maladministration of Justice
 Racial Discrimination
 Frailocracy
 Haciendas Owned by the Friars
 The Guardia Civil
 Instability of Colonial
Administration

The instability of Spanish politics since the
turbulent reign of King Ferdinand VII marked the
beginning of political chaos in Spain. The political
turmoil that Spain experienced during that time was of
great effect to administer its colonized countries. It
brought frequent periodic shifts in colonial policies and
periodic rigodon of colonial officials. Hardly had one
governor-general begun his administration when he
was soon replaced by his successor.
 King Ferdinand VII
King Ferdinand VII was a King of Spain during the early 19th century. He
reigned briefly in 1808 and then again from 1813 to his death in 1833.
Ferdinand VII failed to used his considerable political capital to regenerate
the monarchy and rest it on constitutional foundation.
 Corrupt Colonial Officials

With the few exceptions, the colonial officials
sent by Spain in the 19th century were a far cry from
their able and dedicated predecessors of the 16th, 17th,
and 18th centuries. They were highly corrupt,
incompetent, cruel, or venal. Apparently, they
symbolized the decadent Spain of the 19th century – not
Spain of Siglo de Oro (Golden Age) which produced
Miguel Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Calderon de la Barca,
El Greco, Velasquez, St. Theresa da Avila, and other
glories of the Hispanic nation.
 General Rafael de Izquierdo (1871-1873)
A boastful and ruthless governor general, aroused the anger of Filipinos
by executing the innocent Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and
Jacinto Zamora, the “Martyrs of 1872”.
 Admiral Jose Malcampo (1874-1877)
Successor of General Rafael, was a good Moro fighter, but was an inept
and weak administrator.
 General Fernando Primo de River
Governor general (1880-1883 and 1897-1898), enriched himself by
accepting bribes from gambling casinos in Manila which he scandalously
permitted to operate.
 General Valeriano Weyler 1888-1891
A cruel and corrupt governor general of Hispanic-German ancestry, arrived in
Manila as a poor man and returned to Spain millionaire. He received huge bribes
and gifts for his wife from wealthy Chinese who evaded the Anti-Chinese law. He is
a ‘tyrant’ for Filipinos because of brutal persecution of Calamba tenants, particularly
the family of Rizal. Cubans also called him ‘the butcher’ for his ruthless
reconcentration that caused death of thousand of Cubans.
 General Camilo de Polavieja (1896-1897)
An able militarist but heartless governor general, was widely detested by
the Filipino people for executing Dr. Jose Rizal.
 Philippines Representation in
Spanish Cortes

The first Philippine representation was fruitful
with beneficent results for the welfare of the economy. It
was represented by Ventura de los Reyes who took active
part to represent concerns and issues to the Cortes. In his
representation, he also managed to speak about galleon
trade. However, the second period of representation and
the third was less fruitful. And it was not represented by a
Filipino oriented leader. Unfortunately, the representation
of the overseas colonies in the Spanish Cortes was
abolished in 1837. From there, Filipinos had no way to
expose the anomalies penetrated by the colonial officials.
 Ventura de los Reyes
A wealthy merchant from Vigan and a member of the Royal Corps of
Artillery of Manila who once took part in the Ilocos revolt of 1762 led by
Diego Silang.
 Human Rights Denied to Filipinos


Since the adoption of the Spanish Constitution of
1812 and other constitutions in succeeding years, the
people of Spain enjoyed the freedom of speech,
freedom of press, and freedom of association, and other
human rights. Strangely enough, the Spanish
authorities who cherished human rights or
constitutional liberties in Spain denied them to the
Filipinos in Asia. Such inconsistency was lamented by
Sinabaldo de Mas, Spanish economist and diplomat.
 Sinibaldo de Mas
Spanish diplomat to Asia during the 19th century. An adventurer and a
poet, he introduced photography in the Philippines in1841. He was also a
Spanish ambassador to Macau and a supporter of Iberian federalism.
 No Equality before the Law

The Spanish missionaries, who introduced
Christianity into the Philippines as early in the 16th
century, taught that all men, irrespective of color and
race, are children of God and as much as they are
brothers, they are equal before God. And that’s why
Filipinos are convinced and became Christians. However,
Spanish colonial authorities who were Christians also,
did not implement Christ’s percepts of the brotherhood
of all men under the fatherhood of God. Filipinos were
abused, brutalized, persecuted, and slandered by their
Spanish masters. And could not even appeal to the law of
justice for law is only for white Spaniards.
 Spanish Missionaries
Spanish Missionaries educated the natives and converted Indigenous
populations to the Christianity.
 Maladministration of Justice

The courts of justice in the Philippines during
Rizal’s time were notoriously corrupt. Verily, they were
courts of “injustice”, as far as the brown Filipinos were
concerned. The Spanish judges, fiscals, and other court
officials were inept, venal, and oftentimes ignorant of
the law. Justice was costly, partial, and slow.
 Racial Discrimination

Racial prejudice was prevalent everywhere. Many
Spaniards and their mestizo satellites derisively called
the brown-skinned and flat-nosed Filipinos “indios”
(Indians). In retaliation, the Filipinos jealousy dubbed
their pale-complexioned detractors with the disparaging
terms “bangus” (milkfish). During Rizal’s time, a white
skin, high nose, and Castilian lineage were a badge of
vaunted superiority. Hence, a Spaniards or a mestizo, no
matter how stupid or mongrel-born he always enjoyed
political and social prestige in the community.
 Frailocracy

Owing to the Spanish political philosophy of
union of Church and State, there arose a unique form of
government in Hispanic Philippines called “frailocracy”,
so named because it was a “government of friars”. The
friars practically ruled the Philippines through the façade
of civil government. The colonial authorities, from the
governor general down to alcaldes mayores, were under
the control of friars. Almost every town in archipelago,
except in unspecified Islamic Mindanao, and Sulu and in
the pagan hinterlands, was ruled by a friar curate.
 Forced Labor

Known as the ‘’polo y servicio”, it was the
compulsory labor imposed by the Spanish colonial
authorities on adult Filipino males. The well-to-do
Filipinos were able to escape this manual labor by
paying the “falla”, which was a sum of money paid to
the government to be exempted from rendering
services.
 Polo Y Servicio
Forced labor for 40 days of men ranging from 16 to 60 years of age who
were obligated to give personal services to community projects.
 Haciendas Owned by Friars

Spanish friars belonging to different religious
orders were the richest landlords, for they owned the
best haciendas. The rural folks who had been living in
these haciendas and cultivating it for generation after
generation became tenants. No wonder these haciendas
became hotbeds of revolts. In as much as the Filipino
tenants regarded the friar owners as usurpers of their
ancestral lands.
 Rizal whose
family and relatives
were tenants of the
Dominican Estate of
Calamba, tried to
initiate Agrarian
Reforms in 1887, but it
was put in vain. His
advocacy ignited the
wrath of the Dominican
friars, who retaliated
by raising the rentals of
lands leased by his
family and other
Calamba tenants.
 The Guardia Civil

The last hated symbol of Spanish tyranny was
the Guardia Civil. While it is true that the Guardia Civil
had rendered meritorious services in suppressing the
bandits in the provinces, they later became infamous
for their rampant abuses. Rizal witnessed the atrocities
committed by the Guardia Civil on the Calamba folks.
He himself and his mother had been victims of the
brutalities of the lieutenant of the Guardia Civil.
 Guardia Civil
Created by the Royal Decree of February 12, 1852, as amended by the
Royal Decree of March 24, 1888.
THANK YOU

James Wilfred D. Gonzales