19th Century Philipines as Rizal's Context:

SOCIALCULTURAL
CONTEXT
 SOCIOCULTURAL CONTEXT
– related to the different groups of people in
society and their habits, traditions, and beliefs.
 SOCIAL CLASSES
The Filipinos in the 19th century had suffered from
feudalistic and master slave relationship by the Spaniards.
Ilustrados
- Are also called the “Enlightened ones”
- Are a group of wealthy groups of individuals born in the
Philippines and where able to study abroad. (where Jose
Rizal may be classified as)

Mestizos
- Are Philippines resident born and raised from different
racial background (Spanish, pinoy,
Chinese, etc.)
- Are effectively middleclass citizen as being
economically well enough in Spanish colonial era
Sangley
- Chinese immigrants in the Philippines
- Are not entirely full blood chines but are a mix of
Arab, Iranian and Tanka traders
- Had more control in the Philippines due to
generation of intermarriages with the Indios.

Indio
- Are the native people of the Philippines, this
includes tribes of filipinos that are the ancestors
ofmany native tribes that are untouched by Spanish
influence
- Are full blooded Filipinos
PHILIPPINE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
DURING SPANISH TIME

• 1855
- the year Spain realized the need of
establishing a system of
public education for the indios.

- this was also the year that Gov. Gen

Crespo organized a Commission
and recommended remedial measures to
improve elementary
education.
• 1861 – the year Commission completed its report and forwarded it to Spain.
• 1863 – the year that the Educational Decree of 1863 was issued.
PROVISIONS OF EDUCATIONAL DECREE OF
1863

1. Establishments of Teacher Training School.

2. Government supervises the public school system.
3. Use of Spanish as medium of instruction in all
schools.
4. Establishment of one primary schools for boys and for
girls in each of major town
DEFECTS OF EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM DURING SPANISH TIME

1. Emphasis on Religion
• Fear of God was emphasized.
• Obedience to friars was instilled in the mind of the people.
• Indios were constantly reminded that they have inferior intelligence and were fit for
manual labor only.
• Will of God was also emphasized
DEFECTS OF EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM DURING SPANISH TIME

2. Absence of Academic Freedom

• Most schools were not opened to the natives.
• Students were not allowed to express their opinion.

3. Racial Discrimination
• prior to the educational decree of 1863, schools were not opened to the
natives.
• Spaniards hesitated to consider the Indios as educable as themselves.

4. Limited curriculum
• Education was limited to the 3Rs, that is, Reading, Writing and
• Arithmetic
 The Philippines of Rizal's Time
• During the time of Rizal, the sinister shadow of Spain’s
decadence darkened the Philippine skies. The Filipino
agonized beneath the yoke of Spanish misrule, for they were
unfortunate victims of the evils of an unjust, bigoted, and
deteriorating colonial power. Among these evils were as
follows:
• Evil of the Unjust Colonial Power
• instability of colonial administration.
• The instability of Spanish politics in the Philippines began with King
Ferdinand VII's turbulent reign (1808–1833), which marked the
beginning of political upheaval in Spain.
• During the Spanish colonial era, Governor Generals were constantly
changing positions three to four months after being appointed.
• From 1835 to 1897, the Philippines was ruled by 50 governors-general,
each serving an average term of barely one year and three months, as a
result of the struggle between liberalism and despotism.
2. Corrupt Colonial Official
• Following the loss of Mexico, Guatemala, Chile, Argentina, and other
LatinAmerican colonies, a large number of job seekers and poor
Spanish sycophants fled to the Philippines, where they became judges,
provincial executives, and army officers.
• During the Spanish colonial era, the Philippines did not have much stricter laws,
which enabled Spanish officials to sail away to the country to earn money and
material items.
• They also forcibly married heiresses from wealthy Filipino families to
quickly build a reputation for themselves and acquire their wealth.
• Governor-general Primo de Rivera is anexample of this, as he operated a casino and
accepted bribes, among otherthings, to acquire massive amounts of money.
• Friars also used the word of God to collect and steal people's offerings, and they
were considered powerful during this period
3. No Philippine Representation in Spanish Cortes
• To gain the support of her overseas colonies during the Napoleonic invasion, Spain
granted them representation in the Cortes (Spanish parliament).
• As a result, the Philippines had its first period of representation in the Cortes from 1810 to
1813.
• Ventura de los Reyes was the first Philippine delegate to actively participate
in the framing of the 1812 Constitution. Another accomplishment was the abolition
of the Galleon Trade.
• Unfortunately, therepresentation of the overseas colonies in the Spanish Cortes was
abolished
in 1837 to cover the corruption and abuse happening in the Philippines, therefore
our country was poorly represented and resulted in countlessatrocities committed
by the Spanish colonizers.
 4. Human Rights Denied to the Filipinos

• The people of Spain enjoyed the freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of
association, and other human rights (except freedom of religion).
• The Spanish government, which valued these human rights or in Spain, denied them to
Filipinos in Asia.

• The symbolic "Cry of Pugad Lawin" was a way to prove the Spaniard's oppression.
4. Human Rights Denied to the Filipinos

• La Solidaridad is another example of this. It was established to express the

goal of the Propaganda Movement towards achieving assimilation with
Spain.
5. No Equality before the Law
• Spanish missionaries thought that all men, regardless of color or race, are God's
children and, as such, they are brothers, equal before God but not before the law
and not in practice.
• Most Filipinos (except those in the hinterlands) became Christians after being
fascinated by this noble concept of human relations and convinced by the
realities of the Christian faith.
• In practice, Christian Spanish colonial authorities did not follow Christ's precept of
the brotherhood of all men under the fatherhood of God.

• The Spanish Penal Code, which was enforced in the Philippines, imposed tougher
penalties on Native Filipinos or mestizos and light penalties on white-
complexioned Spaniards.
• The Spanish masters abused, brutalized,persecuted, and slandered Filipinos.
6. Maladministration of Justice
• During Rizal's time, the courts of justice in the Philippines were
notoriouslycorrupt. Because of the inequitable treatment of Filipinos in
court, justice was often denied because "Justice Delayed is Justice
Denied."
• Justice was nearly impossible to grip because it was costly, partial, and
slow.
• Filipinos also did not have access to it because they could not afford the
high costs of litigation
• .The majority of the judges were ignorant and incompetent.
• Wealth, social prestige, and skin color were all important factors in
winning a case in court. Spaniards were able to get away with their crimes,
whereas Filipinos faced penalties
7. Racial Discrimination
• Racism was common during the Spanish colonial era.
• Brown-skinned and flat-nosed Filipinos were called "Indios"
(Indians), and they were also considered to be the lowest
ranking in the social hierarchy, uneducated, and treated
indifferently.
• In retaliation, the Filipinos dubbed their pale-skinned detractor
with the term "bangus" (milkfish). Havinga white complexion,
a high nose, and Castilian lineage was a symbol of
vaunted superiority during Rizal's time.
• There is also a lack of opportunities for educated young Filipinos
to rise in the service of God and country.
• Filipinos were considered by Spaniards as inferior beings
who were infinitely undeserving of the rights and privileges
enjoyed by white Spaniards
8. Frailocracy
• It is also known as a government of friars.
• Friars had a great deal of powerthroughout the
Spanish colonization. The Friars
(Augustinians, Dominicans,and Franciscans)
dominated the religious and educational
life of the Philippines, and later in the 19th
century, they acquired enormous political
power, influence, and wealth.
• They took advantage of this and developed
theircorrupt methods of manipulating people
into their abusive treatment.
• A friar curate ruled almost every town in the
archipelago, excluding Islamic Mindanao and
Suluand the Pagan hinterlands
9. Forced Labor
• Forced Labor, also known as Polo y Servicio was imposed
upon 16-60 years old Filipinos.
• It is a form of forced labor imposed by Spanish colonial
authorities on adult Filipino males in the construction of
churches, schools, hospitals, roads and bridges, ships, and
other public works.
• They were forced to work for 40 days a year and were only
paid 50 centavos and worse, nothing at all.
• It was then revised from 18 to 60 years old, with 15-day
service. Not only native Filipinos, but even male Spanish
residents, are recruited to do forced labor, but this is never
implemented.
• Only dark-skinned Filipinos did the dirty job.
• The privileged were able to escape labor by paying a huge
sum of money. Valeriano Weyler, widely known as the
butcher, mistreated andabused Filipino laborers for his
gain, showing how horrible polo was in thater.
10. Hacienda's owned by Friars
• Friars were among the wealthiest landlords in history because they
owned the best agricultural tracts of land.
• The rural residents who had been living on the property became
tenants.
• Friars were acknowledged as legal owners on those lands after
acquiring royal titles of ownership from the Spanish crown. In
1887, Rizal attempted to launch agrarian reform but failed,
provoking the wrath of the Dominican Friars, who retaliated by
raising land rentals. In his "Indolence of the Filipinos," Rizal
opined that the Friars' ownership of the best agricultural
tract of landcontributes to the economy's stagnation.
11. Guardia Civil
• The Guardia Civil was established by royal decree to ensure peace and order.
• They later became infamous for their rampant abuses, such as maltreating innocent people, looting
their carabaos, chicken, and valuable belongings,and raping helpless women
• . In contrast to the Guardia Civil in Spain, which is respected and well-liked by the populace,
both officers and men in the Philippines were ill-trained and undisciplined