TAGOLOAN Community College MODULE WEEK NO.

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College of Arts and Sciences

GEC 9: The Life and Works of Rizal
Semester of A.Y. 2020-2021

Introduction

To fully appreciate the details of Rizal’s life related in the previous chapter, one needs to locate him
within the wider context of the Philippines in the nineteenth century. This chapter will discuss the
changing landscape of Philippine economy in the nineteenth century and how these developments had
an impact on the society in which Rizal grew up, matured, and eventually was martyred. It will begin by
looking at the tremendous economic development starting in the late eighteenth century as a product of
multiple factors.

Rationale

The chapter will then map the effects of economic developments on Spanish policies on
education, social life, and the people of the Philippines. The role of an important
population, the Chinese Mestizos, in Philippine life and economy will also be noted. These
Chinese mestizos will be located in the context of the changing social stratification in the
Philippines.

Intended Learning Outcomes

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At the end of this module, the students should be able to:

- Locate Rizal’s life in the Philippines within the wider context of the developments in
the nineteenth century.
- Explain the important role of the Chinese mestizos and their ranks within the
changing Philippines economy and society.
- Discuss the interplay of several factors that contributed to the changing landscape
of Philippine society and economy.

Discussion

The Changing Landscape of Philippine Economy and Society

Many scholars consider the 19th century as an era of profound change in the Philippines.
During this period, vast economic, political, social, and cultural currents were felt. By the
late 18th century, the monarchy in Spain experienced a dynastic shift from the Habsburgs to
the Bourbons. Under the new leadership, Spain recalibrated colonial policies that would
have an effect on the Philippines. With the goal of invigorating the probability of the
colonies like the Philippines, Bourbon policies and reform were carried out. The first
governor-general to the Philippines under the Bourbon mandate was Jose de Basco y
Vargas who arrived in the Philippines in 1778.

By the time Basco arrived, the Galleon Trade, the main economic institution existing in the
Philippines, was already a losing enterprise. As Spain sought ways to salvage the dwindling
economy of the empire, the global wave of industrialization became a silver lining. As
many imperial powers in Europe and the West were undergoing industrialization, an
increased demand for raw materials presented an opportunity to look into the agricultural
potential of the Philippines. Thus, it was viewed that the transformation of the economy
towards being export-oriented, harnessing the agricultural products that could be yielded

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from the archipelago, was the way to go.

To better facilitate the envisioned reorientation of the economy, Basco established the
Royal Philippine Company in 1785 to finance agricultural projects and manage the new
trade being established between the Philippines and Spain (and Europe) as well as other
Asian markets. These changes, however, were met with lukewarm reception. Resistance
also came from various sectors like the Catholic Church that was not receptive of the labor
realignments entailed by the planned reforms, and traders that were still holding on to the
Galleon Trade. It also did not help that the Royal Philippine Company was fraught with
issues of mismanagement and corruption. As Basco pushed for the reforms, he lifted a ban
on Chinese merchants that reinvigorated internal trade; initialized the development of cash
crop farms; relaxed certain policies that allow the gradual opening of Manila to foreign
markets; and established the Tobacco Monopoly to maximize the production of this export
goods.

Global events continued to affect the Philippines at the beginning of the 19 th century. By
1810, the Mexican war of Independence rattled the Spanish empire, as it would eventually
lead to the loss of the precious Latin America colonies. With this came the eventual end of
the Galleon Trade which became a concern in the Philippines. As the Philippine economy
hung in the balance, policies were recalibrated and with the eventual closing of the Royal
Philippine Company, Manila was opened to world trade by 1834. As a result, foreign
merchants and traders came and eventually resided in Manila and took over the role of
financing and facilitating the burgeoning agricultural cash crop, export oriented,
economy. Some of the major investments came from the British and American traders that
set up merchant houses in Manila.

The rapid development of the economy began to flow in the Philippines through cash
crop. By the first half of the 19 th century, majority of the exports of the Philippines came from
cash crop like Tobacco, Sugar, Cotton, Indigo, Abaca, and Coffee.

The importance of the land became more evident as cash crops became major source of
revenue in the colony. As the provinces shifted to cultivating cash crops, land ownership

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and management began to be a concern. The farmers felt the pressure of the economy
while the hacederos grabbed the opportunity. For example, when a small land owner
needed capital money, he would engage in a pacto de retroventa, an agreement of sale
guaranteeing that he could buy the land at the same price at which it was sold. However,
it became difficult to buy back land given the continuously increasing demand of the
economy and the renewals of the sale, which further buried the farmers to indebtedness.
Eventually, they would forfeit the land and would be force to become tenant farmers, or
Kasama. Aside from this mode’ land acquisitions also came in the form of land-grabbing.
As the growing required better management of lands, Inquilinos emerged, renting land to
sublet it to smaller farmers. These factors would bring change to the social stratification in
the countryside that, as the next chapter will show, did not continue without tension and
contestations.

The Chinese and Chinese Mestizos

the sectors that greatly benefited from the changing economy were the Chinese and the
Chinese Mestizos. Since the pre-colonial times, the natives of the Philippines had had trade
relations with the Chines. During the height of the Galleon Trad, it was also Chinese
products that comprised most the goods being traded. The influx of the Chinese
settlements in the Philippines made the Spaniards suspicious of the Chinese. This feeling led
to stringent state policies towards the sangley ranging from taxes, restrictions of movement
with the establishment of the Chinese enclave (the Parian), to actual policies of expulsion.

The Chinese, however, proved to be “necessary outsiders” in the Philippine colonial

economy and society. Although the Spaniards were wary of the Chinese, they realized the
importance that the latter played in sustaining the economy. From the goods loaded on
the galleon to the development of retail trade, the Chinese enlivened the economy.
Eventually and gradually, they became integrated into colonial society, giving rise to
intermarriages with the indios that gave birth to Chinese mestizos. The Chinese mestizos
assumed an important role in the economy all throughout the Spanish colonial period. They
influenced the changing economy in the 19 th century by purchasing land, accumulating
wealth and influence.

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Impact on the life in the Colony

The economic developments, as mentioned, precipitated social, political, and cultural

developments as well. For example, the new economy demanded a more literate
population to the rising need for a more professionalized workforce to man the trading
activities in Manila and other centers. This demand compelled the issuance of the colonial
government order in 1836 that required all towns to set up primary schools to teach the
population how to read and write. It eventually led to the passage of an education decree
in 1863 that mandated free primary education. Eventually, the 19 th century also gave birth
to many schools that addressed the growing demand for more professionals. School like
Ateneo Municipal were established during this time. The complex nature of the developing
economy also allowed the government to intensify bureaucratization and to streamline
colonial governance.

As manila became a trading center, it became viable destination for people seeking
better opportunities or those wanting to escape the worsening conditions in the farmlands.
The increased rate of internal migration raised several concerns. One, people flocked the
centers like Manila. Overcrowding implied issues in living quarters, sanitation and public
health, and increase in criminality. Two, continuous of people made tax collection extra
difficult. In order to mitigate these concerns, one measure implemented was the 1849
decree of Governor-General Narciso Claveria that urged the people in the colony to
adopt surnames. With the catalogo de apellidos drawn up, the colonial government
assigned surnames to people and forbade changing names at will. Together with more
politics like the registration and possession of Cedula personal bearing one’s name and
residence, the colonial government sought to have a better surveillance mechanism. To
held carry out policies better, the guardia civil was eventually established. As the new
economy afforded the colonial state new opportunities, it also prompted the state to be
more regulatory and to assert its authority.

Renegotiating Social Stratification

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The Philippines society felt the impact of the developing economy. As a result, social
relations underwent redefinitions and the and the changing dynamics brought about a
renegotiation of social stratification with the growing relevance of the mestizo population,
new lines were drawn with the following social strata:

1. Peninsular – Pure blooded Spaniard born in the Iberian Peninsula

2. Insular – Pure blooded Spaniard born in the Philippines
3. Mestizo – Born of mixed parentage, a mestizo can be:
Spanish mestizo – one parent is Spanish, the other is a native or
Chinese mestizo – one parent is Chinese, the other is a native
4. Principalia – Wealthy pure-blooded native supposedly descended from the
Kadatoan class
5. Indio – Pure-blooded native of the Philippines
6. Chino Infiel – Non-Catholic pure-blooded Chinese

As the Spaniard lost economic power in the 19th century, they asserted dominance by
virtue of their race. This issue brought complications with the rising principalia and mestizo
populations who realized their indispensable position in society as movers and facilitators of
the economy. The renegotiation continued throughout the century as the mestizos and
principalia elite eventually demanded social recognition that pure-blooded Spaniards had
consistently denied them.

These wealthy mestizos and members of the Principalia continued to amass economic and
cultural capital. They also availed themselves of the opportunity to obtain higher degres of
education not only in the Philippines but also in Europe. These activities augmented their
relevance in society as it was from these ranks that articulation of nationalism would merge.

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Exercises

Name: ________________________________
Section : _______________________________

Create a worksheet containing the table illustrated bellow. Write the changes and
developments that were felt in the 19th century Philippines. After listing the changes, plot
them within Rizal’s Biography (Module 4) and write which aspects you think had a direct or
indirect impact on Rizal while citing events in his life.

Change and Development Relation to Rizal’s Life

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Economic

Political

Socio - Cultural