COURSE CODE: RIZAL/LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL

Module 2

Week 2: FEBRUARY 14- 18,2022| 2ND SEMESTER/S.Y. 2021-2022

Introduction

As mandated by Republic Act 1425, this course covers the life and works of
the country’s national hero, Jose Rizal. Among the topics covered are Rizal’s
biography and his writings, particularly the novels of Noli Me Tangere and El
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Filibusterismo, some of his essays and various correspondences.

Intended Learning Outcomes

1. Describe the importance of Rizal Law
th
2. Explain the circumstance of Jose Rizal’s life in the context of the 19
Century
3. Relate the context of Rizal’s various works in literature and
society.

Topic 2.
• 19th Century Philippine as Rizal’sContext
• The Economic Context
• The Social Back-ground
• The Political Landscape
• Seeing Rizal’s Life in His Society

Contextualization aids comprehension. Generally, to contextualization

something is to place it within its proper and larger setting in which it presents
its true and complete meaning. As Jose Rizal was born and grew up in the 19th
century, to contextualize him-so as to properly understand his life, thoughts,
works-is to understand the social and political context of that century.
Nineteenth century is commonly depicted as the birth of modern social
life, as well as the birth of many nation-states around the globe. The century
was also a period of massive changes in Europe, Spain, and consequently in the
Philippines. It was during this era that the power and the glory of the Spain,
the Philippines’ colonizer, had waned both in its colonies an in the world.
Discussions on the 19th century Philippines as Rizal’s context are
hereby divided into three (3) aspects: the economic, social, and political. Under
these main headings are major historical events or issues, which characterized
the country during the era.

The Economic Context

At least four historical elements basically compose the economic context of

the era in which Jose Rizal was born:
(a) The end of the Galleon Trade.
(b) The opening of the Suez Canal.
 (c) The rise of the export of the crop economy.
(d) The established monopolies in the Philippines.
(e) Encomienda
(f) Forced Labor
(g) Taxation
(h) Indolto de Commercio

END OF GALLEON TRADE

Our locals were already trading with

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China. Japan Siam (now Thailand), India.

Cambodia. Borneo, and the Moluccas
(Spice Islands) when the Spanish
colonizers came to the Philippines. In
1565, the Spanish government closed
the ports of Manila to all countries
except Mexico, thereby giving birth to
the Manila- Acapulco Trade, popularly
known as the 'Galleon Trade.‘
The Galleon Trade (1565 – 1815) was a ship (galleon) trade going back and forth
between Manila (which actually landed first in Cebu) and Acapulco. Mexico. It
started when Andres de Urdaneta, in convoy under Miguel Lopez de Legaspi,
discovered a return route from Cebu to Mexico in 1565. The trade served as
the central income-generating business for Spanish colonists in the Philippines.
Through this trans-Pacific trade, the mango de Manila, tamarind and rice, the
carabao (known in Mexico by 1737), cockfighting, Chinese tea and textiles,
fireworks display, tuba (coconut wine) making went to Mexico. The return
voyage, on the other hand, brought numerous and valuable flora and fauna into
Philippines, including papaya, guava, pineapple, horses and cattle.
Because of the galleon trade. Manila became a trading hub where China, lndia,
Japan, and Southeast Asian countries sent their goods to be consolidated for
shipping.
The Manila Galleon trade allowed modern, liberal ideas to enter the Philippines,
eventually and gradually inspiring the movement for independence from Spain.
On September 14, 1815, the Galleon Trade ended with Mexico's war of
independence.
 OPENING OF THE SUEZ CANAL

An artificial sea-level waterway in

Egypt, the Suez Canal connects the
Mediterranean Sea to the Red' Sea
through the isthmus of Suez
Constructed by the Suez Canal
Company between 1859 and 1869
under the leadership of French
diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps, it was
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officially opened on November 17,

1869.
With the opening of the canal, the
distance of travel between Europe
and the Philippines was considerably
abbreviated and thus virtually brought the country closer to Spain. Before the
opening of the canal, a steamer from Barcelona had to sail around the Cape of
Good Hope to reach Manila after a menacing journey of more than three
months. With the Suez Canal, the voyage was lessened to only 32 to 40 days.
The opening of the Suez Canal became a huge advantage in commercial
enterprises especially between Europe and East Asia. More importantly, it
served as a significant factor that enabled the growth of nationalistic desires
of Jose Rizal and other Filipino illustrados.
The Suez Canal expedited the importation not only of commercial products but
also of books, magazines and newspapers with liberal ideas from America and
Europe, which ultimately affected the minds of Rizal and other Filipino
reformists. The political views of Western liberal thinkers entered the
Philippines. Furthermore, the reduced route stimulated more and more
Spaniards and Europeans with liberal ideas to come to the country and interact
with local reformists.

The availability of the Suez Canal has also encouraged the illustrados,
especially Jose Rizal to pursue education abroad and learn scientific and liberal
in European academic institutions. Their social dealings with liberals in the
West have influenced their thoughts on nationhood, politics and government.

RISE OF THE EXPORT OF CROP ECONOMY

During the Galleon Trade, most of the Spaniards in the Philippines were
engrossed in maritime trading undertakings between Manila and Mexico. The
exploitation of the Philippines’ natural resources and the progress of an export
crop economy were phenomena of the nineteenth century, not of the Spanish
rule’s early period.

Some years after end of the Galleon Trade, between 1820 and 1870, the
Philippines was well on its way of developing on export crop economy. Products
such as sugar, Manila hemp, and coffee were produced for foreign markets
while imported goods of the European factory industry found their way into
many parts of the Philippines.
 The development of the export crop industry in the Philippines was motivated
by the commercial undertakings of North European and North American
merchants, who provided capital, organization, and access to foreign markets
and sources of imports. But since they based their operations in port cities,
especially Manila, they needed agents who could distribute imports in the
interior and buy up goods for exports. This role was assumed primarily by the
Chinese.

MONOPOLIES
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Another main source of wealth during the post-galleon era was monopoly
contracting. After 1850, government monopoly contracts for the collection of
different revenues were opened to foreigners for the first time. The Chinese"
instantly took advantage of this commercial opportunity and thus, for the rest
of the 19th century, enjoyed a preeminent position in monopoly contracting in
the Philippines.
The opium monopoly was specifically a profitable one. During the 1840's, the
Spanish government had legalized the use of opium (provided it was limited to
Chinese) and a government monopoly of opium importation and sales was
created. The majority of contracts in the monopoly were held by the Chinese.

On March 1. 1782. Governor General Jose Basco placed the Philippine tobacco
industry under government control, thereby establishing the tobacco monopoly.
It aimed to increase government revenue since the annual subsidy coming from
Mexico was no longer sufficient to maintain the colony. An order was thus
issued for the widespread cultivation of tobacco in the provinces of Cagayan
Valley. Ilocos Norte. Ilocos Sur. La Union. lsabela. Abra. Nueva Ecija, and
Marinduque.

These provinces planted nothing but tobacco and sold their produce only to the
government at a pre-designated price; leaving little or no profit for the local
farmers. The system set the required number of tobacco plants that must be
sold to them by each family. Nobody was allowed to keep even a few tobacco
leaves for personal use thereby forcing the local farmers to buy the tobacco
they themselves planted from the government. Fines and/or physical
punishments were sanctioned to anyone who would transgress any of the
decrees under the system.

The colonial government exported the tobacco to other countries and to the
cigarette factories in Manila. The tobacco monopoly positively raised revenues
for the government and made Philippine tobacco prominent all over Asia and
some parts in Europe. Negatively though the monopoly brought about food
shortages since the planting of basic crops like rice was somewhat neglected
and abandoned.

The tobacco monopoly was finally abolished in 1882. (Some references state
that the tobacco monopoly in the Philippines was from 1781 to 1881. not 1782
to 1882 although most authors agree that it lasted for exactly 100 years.) A
 century of hardship and social injustice caused by the tobacco monopoly
prompted Filipinos in general and Nova Ecijanos in particular to seek freedom
from colonial bondage.

Encomienda to hacienda
A grant that a conquistador or a Spanish soldier may receive if he had proved
his loyalty and efforts to the glory of Spain.

Forced Labor (polo y servicio)

Forcing to labor with no pay all Filipino males from 16 to 60 years and was
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changed to age until 40 years old because of the declining number of males.
You can be exempted in this rule as long as you will pay an exemption tax called
falla .

Taxation

Tribute/ buwis
Also known as direct tax or rent given to the landlord a resident is under. It
may be in cash or in kind such as gold, rice, blanket, harvest, etc. If in cash,
the resident must pay 8 reales and was changed to 15 reales.
Bandala
A kind of indirect tax and residents are forced to sell their goods in a smaller
amount of its original price.
Santorum
A tax to support church.

Indolto de Commercio
A privilege given to provincial governors to enage in monopolizing the trade and
business. One of the example is Gov-Gen Jose D. Basco who monopolized the
tobacco company.

THE SOCIAL BACKGROUND

Concerning the social picture of the 19th century Philippines, at least three
topics are needed to be discussed:
(a) social class
(b) education
(c) the rise of Chinese Mestizo
(d) The rise of the Inquilinos.

Social Class
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• Peninsulares- full blooded Spanish and was born in Europe or Spain

• Insulares- full blooded Spanish but was born and grew up in Philippines
• Illustrados- constituted the Filipino educated middle class
• Mestizo- halfblooded Chines Filipino/ Spanish Filipino
• Indio- full blooded or an indigenous Filipino

EDUCATION IN THE 19TH CENTURY

With the coming of Spanish colonizers, the European system of education was
somewhat introduced to the archipelago. Schools were established and run by
Catholic missionaries. Aiming to convert the natives to the Catholic faith and
make them obedient, the colonial government and the Catholic Church made
religion a compulsory subjects at all levels.
King Philip ll‘s Leyes de lndias (Laws of the indies) mandated Spanish
authorities in the Philippines to educate the locals to teach them how to read
and write and to learn Spanish. The Spanish missionaries thus established
schools somewhat educated the natives, but did not seriously teach them the
Spanish language, fearing that the lndios would become so knowledgeable and
turn out to be their co-equal. Less than one-fifth of those who went to school
could read and write Spanish and far fewer could speak the language properly.
The first formal schools in the land were the parochial schools opened in their
parishes by the missionaries such as the Augustinians, Franciscans, and
Jesuits and Dominicans. Aside from religion the native children were taught
reading, writing, arithmetic and some vocational and practical arts subjects.
Aside from the Christian Doctrines, Latin (the official language of the Catholic
Church) was also taught to the students instead of Spanish. The Spanish friars
believed that the natives would not be able to match their skills and so one way
for the locals to learn fast was to use strict discipline such as applying corporal
punishment.

University education was opened in the country during the early part of the
17th century. Initially the colleges and universities were open only to the
Spaniards and those with Spanish blood (mestizos). It was only in the 19th
century that these universities started accepting native Filipinos. Still giving
emphasis on religion, universities then did not earnestly teach science and
mathematics.

In 1863, a royal decree called for the establishment of a public school system
in the Philippines. Formerly run totally by religious authorities the education in
 the colony was thus finally administered by the government during the last half
of the 19'h century though even then the church controlled its curriculum.
Previously exclusive for Spaniards and Spanish mestizos, universities became
open to natives though they limited their accommodations to the sons of
wealthy India families.

Nonetheless, as a result of the growing number of educated natives, a new

social class in the country emerged which came to be known as the Illustrados.
But despite their wealth and education, the illustrados were still deemed
by the Spaniards as inferior. One of the aims of the illustrados was to be in
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the same level with the proud Spaniards.

With the opening of the Suez Canal which made the travel to Europe faster,
easier and more affordable, many locals took advantage of the chance to
pursue higher and better education in that continent, typically in Madrid and
Barcelona. There nationalism and the thirst for reform bloomed in the liberal
atmosphere. The new enlightened class in Philippine society would later lead
the Philippine independence movement, using the Spanish language as their key
means of communication. Out of this talented group of students from the
Philippines arose what came to be known as the Propaganda Movement. The
most prominent of the Illustrados was Jose Rizal, who inspired the craving for
freedom and independence with his novels written in Spanish.

THE RISE OF CHINESE MESTIZO

At the beginning of the 19th century, economic and political changes in Europe
were finally starting to affect Spain and consequently the Philippines.
Significant as an impetus to broader trade was the gradual abolition of the
monopoly enjoyed by the Manila-Acapulco Galleon. Upon the elimination of the
galleon trade. Manila became open to foreign merchants almost without
restriction by the mid-1830s.

The demand for Philippine sugar and abaca (hemp) grew swiftly and the amount
of exports to European countries increased even more after the opening of the
Suez Canal in 1869.

The development of commercial agriculture in the archipelago resulted in the

presence of a new class. Alongside the landholdings of the church and the rice
estates of the pre-Spanish nobility, there emerged haciendas of sugar, coffee.
and hemp, typically owned by enterprising Chinese-Filipino mestizos. In fact,
some of the families which attained reputation in the 19th century have
continued to play a vital role in the country‘s economics and politics.

In a larger perspective, the fast rhythm of economic progress in the Philippines

during the 19th century expedited by some mentioned factors resulted in the
rise of a new breed of rich and influential Filipino middle class. Non-existent
in earlier centuries, this class composed of Spanish and Chinese mestizos
ascended to a position of power in the Philippine society and in due course
became leaders in education and finance. This middle class included:
 “..The illustrados who belonged to the landed
gentry and who were highly respected in their
respective pueblos or towns, though regarded as
filibusteros or rebels by the friars. The relative
prosperity of the period has enabled them to
send their sons to Spain and Europe for higher
studies. Most of them later became members of
freemasonry and active in the Propaganda
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Movement. Some of them sensed the failure of

reformism and turned to radicalism, and
looked to Rizal as their leader.” (Vallano, n.d.)

THE RISE OF THE INQUILINOS

At least in modern Spanish, the term inquilino has the same meaning as the
English “tenant”, the 19th Century inquilino system in the Philippines is better
understood as a qualified system of tenancy, or the right to use land in
exchange for rent.

As earlier explained, the elimination of the Galleon Trade and the opening of
the Suez Canal gave way for more intensive rice cultivation and production of
crops, such as sugar cane and tobacco. Consequently, many estates turned
progressively to the inquilino system of land tenure. But since the friars
and secular Spanish were normally absentee landlords, estate management
was granted to an administrator who was typically a lay Spanish mestizo or
Filipino lay brother. During harvest time, the administrator would collect the
rent of the inquilinos, organize the delivery of the harvests to the local market
or to Manila, and remit the income from sales and rents to the estate owners.
In some estates though, these farm duties were consigned to trusted
inquilinos. Acting as overlords, some inquilinos would make innumerable and
irrational demands from farm workers.

lnquilinos paid a fixed rent and the amount was determined by the size and
quality of the land being worked on. But with the expansion of land owned by
missionary congregations (friar estates), the proportions of farmlands leased
to inquilinos also increased allowing many of them to sub-lease parcels of
their land to sharecroppers or kasamas. This system eventually became very
profitable that some inquilinos acquired lands of their own and entered
in other gainful commercial ventures. Some inquilinos even ceased becoming
farmers and relegated the job completely to their sub-tenants.

As friar estates enlarged, outlining the boundaries that separated these

estates from communal lands became a common cause of conflict:
Disputes over communal woodcutting and grazing areas occurred regularly
between villages and estates with the latter denying to the former their
traditional communal privileges.
 There were also conflicts between estate owners and workers. These stemmed
from collection of excessive taxes and land rent, the decline of sharing
agreements, extreme demands for labor services and capricious fixing of crop
prices:

“The hacienda structure consisted of three strata: the estate owner, the
leaseholder or inquilino and the tenant-share cropper. Between the owner and
the inquilino, however: was the administrator who often demanded a share of
the produce, over and above the stipulated land rent. Each year at harvest
time, the inquilino paid the land rent, separated the seed and divided the
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remaining crop equally between the sharecropper and himself. Since the
sharecropper was at the bottom rung of the hierarchy, he suffered most
abuses and demands of the two non-producing sectors above him.”(Sobritchea,
n.d.)

The Political Landscape

The so-called political influences affecting the 19‘h century-Philippines largely
impacted the locals, particularly Jose Rizal. Under these political influences.
Worthy of mention are:
(a) Liberalism
(b) The French Revolution
(c) Political system

Liberalism is a worldview founded on ideas of freedom and equality. It includes

a wide range of political philosophies that consider individual liberty to be the
most significant political goal and underscore individual rights and equality of
opportunity. Liberals normally believe that government is necessary to protect
individuals from being abused by others though they are also aware that
government itself can pose a threat to liberty.

The French revolution (1739-1799) started a political revolution in Europe and

consequently m some other parts of the globe. “Having ‘Liberty’, Equality, and
Fraternity” as its battle cry, this revolution became a period of fundamental
change m the political history of France as the French governmental structure
was changed from absolute monarchy (with feudal privileges for the rich and
clergy) into a more liberal government system founded on the principles of
citizenship and inalienable rights.

When the Philippines was opened to world trade in the 19th century ideas from
America carried by ships and people from foreign ports started to penetrate
the country and sway the illustrados. These political thoughts included the
ideologies of the American and French Revolutions.

Furthermore, the opening of the Suez Canal eased the importation of books
magazines, and newspapers with liberal ideas from the West, which eventually
impacted the thoughts of local reformists, such as Jose Rizal.

The valuable canal also encouraged more and more liberal Spaniards and
Europeans to come to the country and intermingle with the natives. The
 abbreviated route has also stimulated the illustrados like Rizal to pursue
higher studies abroad and learn liberal ideas in European universities. For sure,
their social interaction with liberals in foreign lands had affected their
beliefs on politics and nationhood Philippines:

Actual experience of liberalism came from the

role modeling of the “first liberal governor-
general in the Philippines,” Governor-General
Carlos Maria De la Torre. After the liberals in
Spain had deposed Queen Isabela ll in the 1868
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mutiny, a provisional government was formed and

the new government extended to Spain's
colonies the reforms they implemented in the
motherland. The liberal General Carlos Maria De
la Torre was appointed by the provisional
government as Governor-General of the
Philippines. He held the position from 1869 to
1871, and is widely considered to be the most
beloved of the Spanish Governors-General ever assigned in the country.
General De la Torre's rule was essential in the dawn of national consciousness
of the locals in the 19th century. His liberal and democratic governance had
provided Jose Rizal and the others a preview of a democratic rule and way of
life.

Political System

1. Gobernador y capitan-general:
Was the representative of the King of Spain in the Islands, also the
commander-in-chief of the army and navy, president of the Real
Audiencia or the Supreme Court, and the vice-real patron who appoints
someone over ecclesiastical position. The Intramuros was the seat of
government, religion, and economy.
2. Alcalde mayores :
Headed the provinces.
3. Gobernadorcillo:
Was the counterpart of today’s municipal mayor.
4. Cabeza de barangay:
 Was then part of kadatuan and was a tax and contributions collector
for the gobernadorcillo.
The Filipinos only held the gobernadorcillo and cabeza de barangay
positions.

Seeing Rizal’s Life in His Society

In various social sciences, it is a widely accepted

principle that we see the life of an individual in
his/her society, and society in the life of an
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individual. This is precisely the reason that the

19th century Philippines, as Rizal’s society, is
discussed here as a preliminary in studying the
hero’s life and works.
One unique feature of Rizal, nonetheless, is that
he did not only know the valuable information
about his society but also had a quality of mind
that helped him use the information in a way that
he could think about what was going on in the world
and of what might be happening within himself.
Sociologist call this quality of mind the
“sociological imagination.”
Having this sociological imagination, people can view their inner life and career
in terms of larger historical forces. Those who possess this quality of mind can
understand their own experiences by locating themselves in history; they can
recognize the responses available to them by becoming aware of all of the
individuals who share the same situation as themselves.
People who cannot locate their lives in history are unlikely to know how to
respond effectively to a world in which the lives of people around the globe
are interconnected and in which one society’s problem around are part of the
larger global problems.

Activities:

Activity 1:
Using graphic organizer or table mapping, categorize and list down the
economic, political, and socio-cultural changes in the Philippines that happened
during the 19th century.

CRITERIA FOR SCORING (Graphic Organizer or Table Mapping)

CONTENT: 15PTS
ORGANIZATION: 10PTS
CREATIVITY: 5PTS
30PTS
 Activity 2:
(Reflection Paper)
1. Watch Eddie Romero’s 1976 film “Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon”.
Then, make a
(1) Page reflection paper about the film.
Guide questions:
Describe the 19th century Philippines as represented in the film.
Based on your reading and class discussion what can you say about film’s
representation of the 19th century?
What is the main question that the film seeks to answer?
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What is your own reflection based on the film and your understanding?

2.Here is the link of the film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyBRhxAPiR0\

Additional Learning Material:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTiSUwaYNBs
19th Century Philippines as Rizals Context | Liberalism | Philippines
(scribd.com)

References:

• WEEK 3 - The Philippines in the 19th CentUry as RiZal's Context

RepUblic of the Philippines CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY TaNZa Trece
Martires City Gen Trias City – StUDocU