Arvin Miles C.

Macasa
Did the industrialization bring economic progress to the local inhabitants of the island? In what
aspects that changes it?

Industrialization is the globally wise step to develop the economic progress of the country, for
instance, agrarian to mass production, this helps the country to create more product in a short period.
Even there is economic progress, the Philippines remains primitive ─ the lowest level of civilization or
what we called an old style of living ─ during the era of growth and innovation, the industrialization is
popular during the 19th century especially in Europe and the United States because the government
of western country thinks of the improvement of their country but in the Philippines, the Spanish
government was occupied by a self-indulgent people that do not think the improvement of the
country.

The Philippines had a prosperous economy even before they were colonized by the Spaniards
because the Philippines had an abundance of rice, wines as well as great numbers of carabaos, goat,
and wild boars but when the Spanish Colonize the Philippines, the economy of the Philippines was
radically improved when the Spanish government inaugurates the Galleon Trade, Galleon Trade has
two ships that sail across the pacific ocean from Manila to Acapulco and vice versa that caries
cultural goods on one another country.

The Philippines was a mercantilist economy this was applied strict government regulation, maximizing
exports, and minimizing imports, All the goods of the Philippines were sent to Spain to sell at a higher
price so that kingdom of Spain can benefit from the profit of Filipino goods. There was a big change
that happened in the 19th century in the Philippines. The economy of the Philippines changed from
Mercantilism to Free Trade economy ─ no restriction of import and export ─ the Philippines opened
their port to world trade, Philippines economy improved rapidly and there are many opportunities that
people see because of the world trade. Agriculture in the Philippines during the 19th century is the
biggest contributor to the economy because the Philippines is the largest supplier of coffee and
tobacco in Asia. The rise of export in the Philippines was happened after opening the world trade,
many poor Tagalogs are forced to work because of the increased demands of the specific product in
order to obtain a decent supply.

The economic development of the local inhabitants improved when the industrialization happened but
sad to say the improvement of the economic development of the Philippines was biased because all
of the beneficiaries of the economic development were only the higher class and middle class.
Education is only for the higher class and middle-class people; the lower class does not allow to
access education because friars are preventing Indios to see the corruption and the atrocity the
Spanish government towards Indios.

According to Fradera, (2004) “From the mid-1830s, the government in Spain sought to benefit from
the successful tobacco monopoly, based on the quality and apparent very elastic supply of tobacco
for both local and international markets. Encouraged by the flagging public finances in the metropolis,
it began to demand increasing supplies of tobacco from the colony for sale for the benefit of the
government in Spain. In the 1870s, it became clear that the tobacco monopoly was inefficient,
corruption-ridden, a burden on the rural population, and a source of popular discontent.”

With the success of Tabaco exporting in the Philippines during the 19th century, the Spanish
government was the biggest beneficiary of the revenue of Tabaco exporting in the Philippines, The
demand for Tabaco increases rapidly so the colony needs the make more supply of Tabaco to sell it
in the international and local market so that the Spanish Government can benefit the income of
Tabaco. Tabaco monopoly was arranged by Governor Basco Vargas, This monopoly was
unacceptable to tobacco farmers because you don’t have the right to raise or sell a single leaf of
Tabaco without having permission from the government.

According to Jacinto, (No Date) “During the 19th century, the Philippines’ economic condition gave
rise to Haciendas or the “cash-crop economy”. Where large parts of lands would be used for crops
considered as cash-crop. Some cash-crops are Sugar, Tobacco, Abaca, and Coffee. Being open to
world trade and having these products abundant in the Philippines, the Philippines became a major
exporter for these products and became well-known in other parts of the world. During the 19th
century, it can be seen that the Philippines was one of the wealthiest countries in those times. Being
a country abundant in cash-crops, it mostly controlled the supply in world trade; and having this
control, the Philippines was considered technologically advanced during those times by having to
railroads, steamships, and advance communication system.”

The Philippines was the major exporter of sugar, tobacco, abaca, and coffee when the port in the
Philippines was opened to foreign trade that is the time the Philippines economy improved because
the Philippines become a Free Trade economy, the demand of the local products increased, so the
poor Tagalogs during the pre-colonial period are forced to work in order to increase the supply. The
Philippines is one of the richest countries in the 19th century because of the abundance of cash-crop,
for instance, coffee, sugar, tobacco, and abaca and lastly the Philippines was advanced during the
19th century for having a railroad, steamships, and advance communication system.

During the 19th century Philippines remain primitive during an era of growth and innovation. The
Philippines has been successful when it comes to trading, Trade is the most important over the
industrialization, Even the Philippines remain primitive the Philippines economy improved because of
the trade. Agriculture in the Philippines is one of the major contributors to the economic development
of the Philippines during the 19th century, the Philippines is the major exporter of tobacco, sugar, and
coffee this cash-crop product helped the country's economy. Filipino was oppressed by the Spanish
government because they don’t the freedom, for instance, Filipino farmers cannot plant tobacco,
because they need the permission of the government so that the government can benefits their farm.
References

Fradera. (2004, November). THE HISTORICAL ORIGINS OF THE PHILIPPINE . Retrieved from
Online Library: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1467-8446.2004.00124.x
Jacinto. (No Date). 19TH CENTURY PHILIPPINES: A BLAST FROM THE PAST. Retrieved from
Word Press: https://pjacintoblog.wordpress.com/portfolio/19th-century-philippines-a-blast-from-
the-past/