RIZAL’S CHANGE

IN PERSPECTIVE
ON THE SPANISH
SECTION 1

INDOLENCE AND THE SPANISH COLONIAL RULE

This section presents the other works of Rizal written after the publication of his first novel, Noli
Me Tangere. This section specifically focuses on his two articles in La Solidaridad, the Sobre La
Indolencia de los Filipinos and Los Agricultores Filpinos.
Shortly after Rizal published his first novel, Noli Me Tangere, he
became an active contributor to the biweekly newspaper, La
Solidaridad. Two of his essays published on the newspaper were Sobre
La Indolencia de los Filipinos (1890) and Los Agricultores Filipinos
(1889).

In Sobre La Indolencia de los Filipinos, Rizal acknowledged Gregorio

Sancianco’s El Progreso de Filipinas (1881). There were the economic
policies implemented by the spaniards that required Filipinos to pay
unreasonable taxes or tributo and render polo y servicio that mandated
forced labor on Filipino males 16 to 60 years old for a 40-day period.

In Los Agricultores Filipinos, Rizal commended the intention of the

Spanish colonizers to develop agriculture in the Philippines as a
means to social and economic advancement.
SECTION 2

RIZAL’S ABANDONMENT OF ASSIMILATION

This section presents the circumstances that prompted Rizal to
consider other means of campaigning for reforms for the
Philippines.
THE NEW CALAMBA
COMMUNITY
In January 1892, Rizal prepared an agreement
which was to govern a Filipino colony in Sabah.
The North Borneo company offered permanent
settlement for the emigrants and the sale or lease
of lands for 999 years.

Graciano Lopez Jaena and Jose Rizal’s withdrawal

from La Solidaridad was caused by disagreement
and differences in ideals and aspirations. This left
Marcelo H. Del Pilar to manage the newspaper
single-handedly. One of the predominant reforms
lobbied by Filipinos was representation in the
Spanish Cortes.
The situation become more complicated for Rizal after
his mother and sister were arrested in Manila. After
several days of imprisonment they were asked to go
back to the courts in their province on foot before they
were finally released. In a letter sent in 1891, Rizal
wrote, “if our countrymen hope in us here in Europe,
they are certainly mistaken… The field of battle is the
Philippines; there is where we should be.”
 SECTION 3

EL FILIBUSTERISMO
DEDICATING IT TO
THEM
After Jose Rizal published Noli Me Tangere in 1887, he returned
to the Philippines to see how it was received by the public. To
counter Noli Me Tangere’s hopeful and romantic atmosphere,
Rizal followed it up with Filibusterismo. Rizal started writing El
Filibusterismo in 1888 and finished it in 1889.