CHAPTER 1: and the one who sought its sponsorship

to accuse the oppositions as

communist action.
THE RIZAL LAW,
LITERATURE, AND THE Catholic churches argued that such Bill defied the
SOCIETY freedom of religion, encouraging as many
supporters as they could get to stop the
OVERVIEW reproduction and reading of Rizal's novels Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Believers of
“How is this man relevant today?" and "Why do I need Catholic faith were advised to produce and send
to study Rizal?"The answers to these questions can be written documentaries to their representatives and
summed up in two points: senators stating unfavorable views about the
1. It is mandated by law. Rizal Bill.

2. The life and works of Dr. Jose Rizal

comprise a lesson in nation-building that can
foster the development of the Filipino youth in
Crusades took place, and tension between the
all aspects of citizenship supporters of Rizal and the Catholic Church
emerged. Symposiums promoting the
HISTORY OF RIZAL LAW eradication of the bill were organized.

 RIZAL LAW  One symposium with Fr. Jesus Cavanna, as guest

o Educational institutions in the o rendered a message that Rizal's works in
view of the past injustices would corrupt
Philippines are mandated to
the present setup of Catholic churches in
include Rizal's life and writings in the country.
their curriculum.  Nevertheless, Jesus Paredes, a radio
o The Act obliged all public and commentator,
private schools, colleges and o argued that Catholics were not deprived of
their right to decline reading Rizal's
universities nationwide to
novels if they felt like they could threaten
educate students about Rizal's their salvation
views which were greatly depicted  As a response, Archbishop Rufino Santos of
in his famous writings like the Manila
Noli Me Tangere and El o asserted that Catholic students would
Filibusterismo. be affected if the mandatory reading of
uncensored writings of Rizal would
Rizal's firmness toward the abuses of the prevail.
Spaniards and the role played by the Catholic o In his pastoral letter, he added that
Church to promote such misconduct during those many versions of Rizal's writings would
be read.
days were condemned by numerous Catholic
o The reading of the circular containing
Church. Thus, Rizal Law was viewed as an act of
the clear opposition of the Archbishop
degradation to the Catholic beliefs. The Roman led to Manila Mayor Arsenio Lacson's
Catholic Church in the Philippine strongly to walking out of the mass. The Mayor
opposed the printing and distribution of had always been a supporter of the Rizal
Rizal's works because they would corrupt the Bill.
Catholic faith of the new generation.
 During those days, support groups of the
Catholic churches,
1955 Senate election
o like the Catholic Action of the
Philippines,
 making then Senator Claro M. Recto, o the Congregation of the Mission, the
the main proponent of the Rizal Bill, Knights of Columbus,
 o and the Catholic Teachers Guild,  This threat created a counterattack from Recto,
collaborated to block such bill. saying that if such dilemma in the educational
sector happened, schools would be
 However, a countermovement was also nationalized.
organized by
The words of Recto made an impact that led Catholic
 Veteranos de la Revolucion (Spirit of schools to punish legislators who supported the Rizal bill
1896), by not supporting them in the next election.
 Alagad ni Rizal, Furthermore, Recto argued that the people who
 the Freemasons, eliminated Rizal's writings from schools buried his
 and the Knights of Rizal. memories as national hero. He added that this was
not a fight against Recto but a fight against Rizal
 In addition, a bill cowritten by both José P. (Abinales & Amoroso, 2005).
Laurel and Recto was sponsored by the
Senate Committee on Education, which was APPROVAL
opposed by
The Chairman of the Committee of Education catered to
o Francisco Soc Rodrigo,
the views of the Catholic Church and made adjustments
o Mariano Jesús Cuenco, and
to compromise the opposition and the approbation of the
o Decoroso Rosales
supporters of the Rizal Bill.

 Furthermore, Cuenco argued that  On May 12, 1956, the inserted compromise
o Rizal directly attacked the practices, [contents] on the bill, which specified that only
beliefs, and creeds of the Church. college (university) students would have the
o Rizal's views were not limited to the option of reading unexpurgated versions of
abuses of the friars during his days but clerically contested reading materials, such as
it was a total disbelief of the Bible and Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, was
the Catholic faith. approved unanimously.
o Rizal did not believe in the existence of  The bill was enacted on June 12, 1956
the purgatory, and that Moses and
HONORING FILIPINO NATIONAL HEROES
Jesus Christ were not mentioned in the
Bible. The Philippines recognized the significant contribution of
o The argument that Rizal refrained from certain personalities to the growth of Filipino minds, the
doubting the dogmas of the Catholic acquisition of independence, and their participation in
Church was fallacious and misleading. the molding of Philippine history.
o His denial of a purgatory has opposed
the beliefs of the majority of the  Nonetheless, there was no law nor, executive
members of the Chamber of the Senate order nor proclamation issued officially to
Committee, including that of Domocao proclaim a Filipino historical icon as a national
Alonto, senator of Sulu; hero.
o thus, the senator bluntly exposed his  Even Jose Rizal, despite his enormous
opposition to Filipinos who viewed Rizal contribution to Philippine history, was not
as their national hero, and he despised clearly proclaimed as a National Hero. There
his writings. were laws enacted honoring significant
o He viewed Rizal as a saint worshipped historical persons and their heroic acts that
by many so that his writings became a molded history.
Bible of Indonesian in quest of their
Jose Rizal's position in Philippine History is a tribute to
independence.
the continued respect or acclamation of the people
 However, such views of Alonto were countered in recognition of his contribution to the significant social
by a supporter of the Rizal Bill, namely, Pedro transformations that took place in our country.
Lopez, a Cebuano like Cuenco, saying that the
essence of the independence movement  Jose Rizal was not the only one who was
began in their province when Lapu-Lapu fought recognized as a hero;
Ferdinand Magellan  Bonifacio also acquired a spotlight in heroism.
 The tension brought by the Rizal bill, led to the o He remained an inspiring icon who did
threatening of various Catholic schools to his best to acquire knowledge and fight
close down if the bill was passed. against the Spanish Colonizers.
 o He received an indirect acknowledgment who define and contribute to a system or life
of his heroic deeds, by being recognized of freedom; `
as a national hero and his day of birth o (b) and order for a nation; and
was made a national holiday. o (c) heroes are those who contribute to the
quality of life and destiny of a nation
Rizal and Bonifacio were great men who
contributed to the acquisition of the Philippine Rizal's written masterpieces, the Noli Me Tangere and
independence from the Spanish regime and abuses. its sequel El Filibusterismo are considered constant
Despite the absence of a formal declaration proclaiming and inspiring sources of patriotism and nationalism
them as national heroes, Philippine history applauded for the youth during their formative years.
these men and had kept their contributions passed on to
generations.  The Rizal Bill showed the existence of a
corrective space, an ensemble of discourses and
As historian argues, that heroes must not be practices creating the field of literary education
legislated, the acclamation for heroes would be in the Philippines.
recognition enough. Also, their recognition is better  It is a written work, which shows the life of
executed in the academe, where the stories about their Filipinos from the past and is a good source
contributions to our country's history would be relived. of learning the value of education.
 The novels portrayed the Filipino people whose
 To recognize important personalities in our
national character had been shaped by literary
history, the Government promulgated
works and the reading of these works;
programs and committees that would keep an
 the Bill gave Rizal and his novels not only a
eye on remarkable icons from the past. Thus,
central place in the state's nationalist project,
on March 28, 1983, then President Fidel V.
but also a recognition of their vital role in
Ramos issued Executive Order No. 75 titled
enabling Filipinos to grasp the ideals of
"Creating the National Heroes Committee
freedom and nationalism
under the Office of the President."
o The said Committee was created to Rizal was equipped with extraordinary literary skills.
learn, assess, and suggest national Such was seen in his masterpieces the Noli Me Tangere
personalities in recognition of the (1887) and El Filibusterismo (1891).
impact that such people made on
Philippine history.  The Noli dealt with the country's present, and
 the Fili pointed to its future.
It was the Committee's duty to make sure that just  Meanwhile Rizal's remarks of
recognition be given to heroes for their authentic Morga (Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas) traced
character and extraordinary triumphs for the country. the lineaments of the country's past.

 Writing had become his tool for reforms to

HONORING FILIPINO NATIONAL HEROES awaken the Filipinos from abuses that the
colonizers had been doing for centuries in the
In compliance, the National Heroes Committee
country.
submitted criteria for national heroes.

 The Technical committee of the National Heroes  Literature gives importance to nationalism;
Committee held a series of meetings on June 3, thus, Rizal viewed it as something essential.
1993, August 19, 1993, September 12, 1994, and  Literature has always been reliant on history,
November 15, 1995, bringing people back to the past where social,
o defining, discoursing, and deliberating psychological, and linguistic resources portray
upon the merits of the various definitions old events that impact the present time. Two
and criteria of a hero. presuppositions exist in the vitality on
nationalism accorded to literary works and vice
 The committee adopted the following criteria as versa:
basis for historical researchers in determining who
among the great Filipinos would be officially the ability of literature to honestly present
proclaimed as national heroes: history and to intervene in history.
o (a) heroes are those who have a concept of
nation and thereafter aspire and struggle  Literature opens the door leading to significant
for the nations freedom, heroes are those events, which describe certain setups,
 behaviors and the current image of society
today.  Rizal has written a Tagalog novel after the
 Literature can be a good basis of history and appearance of Fili. In 1891-1892, he wrote his
taking a glance of the past attributes of third novel, "Makamisa.”
Filipinos. Nevertheless, literature has its
intervening function, taking a look at Rizal's o This novel was written for the Tagalog
novels; it was artefactual: a mixture of reality readers and not for the European
best portrayed by fiction characters, which readers.
represent certain people back then. o At the time he had written such novel he
was on his way back to the Philippines,
 It's a result of all the observations and and the propaganda movement was
experiences of Jose Rizal in Philippine society. starting to shift. At home when Rizal
Literature was his way of showcasing society's embarked on his third novel, he was
creative hard work and ambitions. Hence, also assisting his brother Paciano in
Filipinos back then were able to acquire, translating the Noli to Tagalog. Making
preserve, and reshape their culture through Tagalog novels was Rizal's way of
literature, which was rooted in their ancestors' speaking to his fellow Filipinos. Rizal
days. This shows the intertwined relationship of was also motivated to write a novel with
literature and Philippine nationalism, a modern sense of the world, an artistic
strengthened by the idea that literature and literary novel.
embodies and creates culture. o Rizal's third motive was to write a novel
 Furthermore, literature is a good driving tool that would deal exclusively with the
to execute authority and command one's usages, virtues, and defects of the
country. Rizal argues that Tagalog literature is Tagalogs.
living and vigorous. Through writing people can o To achieve his motives Rizal wrote
exercise authority; hence, Filipinos ought to be Makamisa, which he admitted to have
participative in the literary field, especially in given him a hard time in Tagalog.
matters affecting the country as a whole. Though it was aborted, Rizal's "turn to
 Literature allows people to speak and change the native" was not in vain, if taken as
the future; it's an execution of dominance in a sign of the desire for a literature more
one's literary work. deeply anchored in the realities of home
 Nevertheless, literature assumed an
intervening function precisely because Rizal's
novels served as artefactual, concrete examples
of a "Filipino culture" that was conceived as the
sum total of all the products of a society's
creative labor and aspirations. At the same
time, these works were the means by which any
other Filipino could acquire, preserve, and
reshape such a culture.
 In this manner, the relationship between
literature and Philippine nationalism was
cemented through the paradoxical notion that
literary works both embodied culture and
helped create that culture.

 Also, literature must not only demonstrate that

it has a past to show but also a future to
touch.

 Thus, Rizal asserted that Tagalog literature is

living and dynamic. Likewise, he also
recognized that writing is an exercise in
authority, and in the contest over authority
Filipinos must not only be active participants,
they must-particularly in matters pertaining to
their country-exercise command
 Thus, the powerless remained helpless, and the rich
CHAPTER 2: increased in power. The social structure left the indios
powerless in their own native land.
SOCIOPOLITICAL AND POLITICAL SYSTEM
ECONOMIC CONDITION OF
Philippine government in the 19th century revolved
THE PHILIPPINES around the dominion of the Spanish colonizers.
 The relationship between the individual and The Spanish monarch held the
society is interlinked. Society cannot exist  executive,
without the individual; at the same time, the  legislative,
individual is molded by the social structures in  judicial, and
which he or she is a part. The 19th century was  religious power.
a period of social change.
 This was the era that Dr. Jose Rizal thrived in.  Such power was executed in the Philippines
This chapter will discuss the social structures through the Ministro De Ultramar (Ministry
in 19th century Philippines to place Rizal in the of the Colonies) established in Madrid in 1863.
context of his time. Through the Ministro De Ultramar, the
Philippine affairs were governed in accordance
SOCIAL STRUCTURE with the will of the Spanish monarch. Also it
 The product of Spanish colonization which was the Ministro De Ultramar's duty to report
upheld the landholding system brought by the to the King of Spain.
arrival of the conquistador, made the
Philippines feudalistic in setup. Dominion As the commander-in-chief of the armed forces,
toward the land owned was practiced wherein  he held the civil guards, and all government
the authority and power resided in the hands of officials in the Philippines submitted to him.
the wealthy few. Hence, there was a huge gap
between the landlords and their tenants. In addition, the governor- general
 It resulted in a PYRAMID STRUCTURE OF  held the supreme authority in the economic
SOCIAL DIVISION. and financial dealings of the country. In 1784,
o Spaniards dominated the peak of the he acquired a portion of the Intendant-
pyramid structure of the social system General's power.
of the Philippines in the 19th century.  The executive power resided in the governor-
SPANISH OFFICIALS, general, with the central government structure
PENINSULARES, AND FRIARS highly reliant on his decisions.
comprised the topmost part of the  The governor-general's power extended up to
pyramid. the legislative processes. He had the power to
o The middle part is composed of the suspend local laws or any decree coming from
favored natives, mestizos or the half- Spain if he found it ineffective in the setup of
breeds, the Philippine-born Spaniards the Philippines.
and the criollos. This group was called  The governor-general led the Royal Audiencia,
the MIDDLE CLASS that enjoyed also known as the Supreme Court, during the
second priority in the social strata. Spanish era, which lasted until 1861. He
o The LANDLESS INDIOS were degraded enjoyed the judicial power in some point.
and enslaved by society, allowing them  The superiority of the governor-general was also
to occupy the lowest part of the depicted in the field of religion. He was given the
pyramid. privilege to select a priest who would occupy
 Spanish occupation shaped the social structure a certain position in the church and society
of the Philippines. It made the Philippine  The Philippines' centralized system put
embrace the "master-slave" relationship governance in the hands of one person, the
allowing the elites to hold the indios captive. governor-general, who moved in accordance
Exploitation was rampant and the Spaniards' with the mandate of the Spanish government.
tax and mandatory contribution dragged the  was responsible for all government and
poor down. religious activities, which included the
administration of justice. He had disciplinary
powers, which were often weak because of
biases and decisions made through impulse.
 board composed of the members of the
 During the Spanish era, the Philippine town principalia.
government had already existed, but it was o The principalia consisted of old or
ruled and it functioned under the control of former cabeza de barangay or people of
the King of Spain. The Philippines back then high standing in the community. In
had its own form of government. The country addition, there was the
functioned under a unified government  CABEZA DE BARANGAY,
system, which moved in accordance with the o the leader of the smallest unit of
demands of the Spanish government. government, the barangay or barrio.
 The power within the country revolved around o controlled the barangay, and such title
one person, the governador-general. He took was usually given to Mestizo or Filipino
action in line with the will of Spain. Chinese people who were responsible for
levying taxes and maintaining peace in
Having almost all powers in the country, he could the barangay
discipline or punish any person based on his impulsive  The Courts
judgment. The governor-general was responsible for o were ruled by the Royal Audiencia,
dealing with the nation's political matters and religious o the acting judicial body and the
dealings in the church. highest court that litigated cases and
was composed of Spaniards.
 The Lieutenant-General or general Segundo  In each town, an Alferez or second lieutenant
Cabo o headed the corps of guardia civil.
o assisted the governador-general with o Peace and order in the country was
regard to the matters of the nation. upheld by the guardia civil or
o The Board of Authorities advised the cuardrilleros who served as the peace
governor- general on matters raised to forces that did police duties.
them, and with regard to the
administrative agenda, it was the  The Royal Audiencia
Council of Administration whose voice o also acted as auditor of the finances of
was heard. In 1874, the the government.
 Secretariat of the Central Government o The governor-general of the Royal
o was made to further assist the governor- Audiencia, acting separately or together,
general and his growing power in the occasionally made laws for the country
nation. called autos acordados. These laws
o Also, the central government was later covered very broad fields, ranging from
on introduced to a bigger body of tribute collection to the control of
administrative advisers, the corruption in the provincial
Directorate of the Civil government.
Administration.
 Philippine government had no official body in
 The national or central government was charge of the enactment of laws. Laws that were
then followed by the operating hierarchy of applied in the Philippines during the Spanish
governance starting at the top, colonization emanated from various sources.
 ALCADIA  An example of the Philippine law during the
o which was the provincial government, Spanish era was the Laws of the Indies or
o run by the alcalde mayor or the civil Leyes.
governors. o were royal decrees issued several times
 CABILDO OR AYUNTAMIENTO, by the King of Spain intended for
o Next in line was the city government call Spanish colonies.
o which was under the administration of o Several laws promulgated in Spain were
two alcaldes ordinarios or the mayor also adopted in the Philippines. The
and vice mayor. Laws were Codigo Comercio, Codigo
 GOBERNADORCILLO Penal, Codigo Civil, Las Siete
o fondly called capitan. Partidas, and Las Leyes de Toro.
o The capitan served as the chief o Numerous groups of laws were made by
executive and judge of the towns he ran. the Spanish rulers intended only for the
o Attaining such position demanded a Philippines.
yearly winning vote coming from the
 o The laws did not seek equality and oOpened its doors to Filipino students
fairness, but they were made to hold the four decades before the end of the
Philippines captive under the mandates Spanish rule up to the end of the
of Spain. Spanish regime
 GOVERNOR MANUEL CRESPO Y CEBRIAN
For three brief periods, the Philippines was o Organized a commission to study and
represented in the Spanish Cortes (Spanish recommend remedial measures to
legislature): from 1810 to 1813, 1820 to 1823, and improve elementary education in the
from 1834 to 1837. The Filipinos and their Spanish Philippines
sympathizers failed to restore our representation to the o Such measures were put into action
Spanish law-making body after 1837. when the Educational Decree of
December 20, 1863 was issued. The
EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM said Decree obliged all major towns in
 Pitiable and limited to the wealthy few the Philippines to establish one primary
 Only for middle class people school for boys and girls.
 Censored by the friars for fear that the o Educators of the primary schools
knowledge would expose the injustices of the were trained at a normal school for men
country opened in 1865. Spanish was the
 FRIARS--- medium of instruction in the school
o resulted in an overemphasis on which that was placed under the
religious matters supervision of the Jesuits. This school
o outdated teaching methods started as the Escuela Normal
o poor classroom facilities Elemental, and by 1893 it was training
o limited curriculum male teachers for work in the secondary
o lack of teaching materials schools
o absence of academic freedom
The Decree of 1863
Corruption in education existed to maintain control  was a breakthrough in the educational
over the Philippine territory. There was inadequate history of the Philippines under Spain.
educational system in the country for almost three  Such Decree asked, for government
centuries. Government intervention in schools was supervision in public schools, as well as a
nonexistent; hence, schools could freely add or omit training school for teachers.
topics in their curricula. Back then, schools were mostly  Absurdly, the friars assigned to implement
run by friars, embracing their teachings and the educational decree from Spain were
manipulations. The fear of God was emphasized and among the most vocal and were against the
obedience to the friars was instilled in the minds of teaching of Spanish to the Philippines.
the people.  For them, teaching the indios the native
language of the Spaniards would increase
Indios remained inferior, in the belief that they were their knowledge and encourage the people
incapable of growth and acquiring a higher status in to clash with the Spanish rule. An
society because of their race. Obedience to the friars enlightened people could not be kept long in
was preached as the gateway to being close to God; subjugation.
thus, the natives remained under the control of the friars
(de Tavera, 1905). Keeping the Filipinos under the Spanish control
demanded for intellectual isolation and extreme
The Philippine educational system was a mirror of dogmatic manipulation by the friars. This was to keep
Spain's outdated educational system. Students the Filipinos away from the ideas of freedom and
memorized and repeated the contents of books, which independence (Ganzon, 1967). The government's
they did not understand. In most cases, knowledge was support was comprehensible because the interests of
measured in terms of the ability of the students to Spain and the Spaniards were at stake.
memorize, largely hampering intellectual progress.
Safeguarding the interest of Spain called for the
 COLLEGE OF SAN JUAN DE LETRAN friars' opposition to all initiatives that offered growth
o Only official secondary school in the for the Philipine educational system.
Philippines  The measure undertaken by the friars to protect
 UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS the Spaniards' interest was the censorship of
books and teaching materials that might
 defy the church and the Spanish Trading centers and cities flourished, and
government. people enjoyed material and economic
 Friars blocked the enforcement of the Madrid prosperity, better standards of living, better
orders regarding education. A case in point was education, and social opportunities.
the Moret Decree in 1870, which intended to  The usage of metal-base equipment to
secularize higher education in the colony. reproduce goods; the discovery of oil, gasoline,
The friars strongly opposed the idea of electricity as basic sources of power and
government control over higher education in industrial energy; and the invention of the
the Philippines. This bitter opposition, coupled internal combustion engine heralded the
with the political developments in Spain, made advent of the motorized age. It became a
the implementation of the Moret Decree contributing factor for more businessmen to
impossible (Alzona, 1932). engage in their quest for business expansion.
 Industrialization was man's application of
Such corrupt conditions in education urged Rizal and science in the practical problems of lighting,
some of his fellow ilustrados to continue their transportation, communication, and any other
studies abroad. forms of transmissions and tractions. Thus,
 Students fought for their right to freedom of man was able to conquer time and distance
education and for equality in the educational  Engineering was at its best, and the
system between the Spaniards and the construction of bridges, and more factories, and
Filipinos as regards quality of learning. the opening of Suez Canal made trading more
 The biases in the educational system convenient. Also, a safer, faster, and more
encouraged the students to petition in 1870 comfortable means of transportation, such as
led by Felipe Buencamino at the University of railways and steamships, was constructed.
Santo Tomas. Inspired by the Moret Decree,  Faster means of communication, such as the
the students circulated anonymous letters telephone, telegraph, and cable facilities,
that criticized the Dominican methods of enabled people to have a better contact for
instruction, demanded better professors, and business and trade. Closer communication
government control of the university, and between the Philippines and Spain and between
suggested keeping the university updated on Europe and Asia was now feasible.
academic developments in Spain. Authorities  In 1834, routes for trade opened doors for
considered such petition as an act of rebellion Filipinos who got a glimpse of the rapid
against the King of Spain, amd petitioners were development in the European continent. Back
sought, but nobody was hurt during the heat then, the high demands for more goods also
of such issue. When the social, political, and increased the need for more raw materials.
intellectual dissatisfaction became widespread  The Philippines is a country rich in raw
in the Philippines, Spain could not initiate the materials; thus, trade opened in the country,
much-needed reforms because she was allowing Filipino businessmen to interact with
harassed by her own impassive resistance to some other traders. The struggle for the
the developing economic and industrial recognition of the farmer and the worker was
progress of the other European countries. now imminent.
 Contact with the political and socioeconomic
CHALLENGE OF INDUSTRIALIZATION developments in Europe opened the minds of
 Mankind's advancement in the field of science, the educated few who sought changes to bring
technology, physics, and chemistry resulted in what they saw and learned abroad to the
the creation of a community embracing a life of Philippines.
ease caused by technology.
 The massive usage of new machineries was the CHALLENGE OF INDUSTRIALIZATION
trademark of industrialization. NEGATIVES
 Production of goods and commodities was made
easier, less expensive, and faster because of the  On the other hand, the development and fast
state-of-the-art inventions of numerous growth brought by industrialization increased
scientists in the European continent. the tension within the community.
 Industrialization mechanized production,  It widened the gap between the rich and the
which in turn, increased the demand for raw poor, creating a division based on the status
materials and markets for finished products. quo in Europe.
 It encouraged free-trade policies that hastened
the development of the international commerce.
  The clash between the bourgeoisie, a rich, XIII without surrendering the doctrines
powerful, and influential class in western of the church.
society, and the proletariat or the modern o He came to terms with Bismarck and
working class that was largely illiterate and accepted Protestant hegemony in
landless began. Germany.
 The emerging conflict was then heated up when o Five years before he ascended the papal
numerous philosophers inflicted their views on throne, the Italian Parliament curtailed
the increasing injustice in society. the papal sovereign authority in the
 Exploitation of workers was visible, and Vatican through a series of laws in
competition among capitalists prevailed. 1871.
 Workers organized unions to allow their voices o The former Pope did not protest nor
to be heard, and the essence of freedom resided question the decision of the Italian
in the proletariat and people who had been government, which showcased an act of
exploited. Before 1848, the idea of socialism recognition of the authority of the Italian
started to attract many supporters. government.
 Such economic ideology demanded an
equitable distribution of the fruits of On the verge of the eradication of the church power
production. One of the socialist philosophers from the government, Pope Leo XIII issued the Rerum
was Karl Marx (1818-1883), who brilliantly Novarum on May 15, 1891, which defined the modern
expounded on the philosophy of socialism, now position of the church on social questions.
known as Marxism, which has become the most o The Rerum Novarum called for just
influential concept among labor circles. treatment within the labor sector but
condemned Marxism and promoted
ALTERED POSITION OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH social justice, which was in line with the
IN THE 19TH CENTURY church's doctrines. The church in Europe
 Europe's most influencial institution was the made adjustments to cope with the fast-
Church. The Roman Catholic Church back then changing demands of the people brought
was an ally of the monarch and aristocrats. The about by their request for reforms.
Church uplifted the monarchical rule so as not  Rizal, together with his fellow patriots,
to destroy the tradition within Europe. o made an effort to open the minds of the
 Thus, in the battle between the republican and Filipino people to adapt the changes that
the monarchical forms of govenment, the were emerging in the Western states. He
Church was in favor of the monarch. and his comrades crafted a framework for
 The Church became an opponent of the reforms in the Philippines.
republican state; the French viewed the Church o The sight of the strengthening of the
a threat to their newly established republican bourgeoisie, the emerging power of the
state, and Bismarck of Germany considered the proletariat, the battle for democracy and the
Church as a threat to the new unified German nationalistic ideas of great thinkers, and the
Empire. flexibility of churches allowed Rizal to
stipulate ideas of reform to attain a more
 Pope Leo XIII opposed the unification of liberals
in Italy. Meanwhile, in Spain, the liberals livable Philippines open for changes and
enjoying freedom in the aspect of social,
considered the Church an enemy of the
reforms. In addition, other countries were also economic, and political matters. His
thought encouraged the new breed of
determined to break the Church's tie in political
middle class to join his battle for reforms.
and state matters. This movement was called
"anticlericalism" (Burns and Ralph, 1964).
Anticlericalism became a hot topic in the 19th  Spain abandoned the mercantilism viewpoint and
century because of the increase in people's reluctantly opened the Philippines to world
materialistic views brought about by economic trade.
prosperity and the desire for freedom. o Such action was the result of economic
liberalism in Europe and the United States.
To protect the leadership of Pope Leo XIII, he o Spain opened Philippine ports to foreign
accepted the changes in France and Germany to trade starting with Manila in 1834, followed
maintain what was left of the church's power and by Sual, Iloilo, and Zamboanga in 1855,
influence. Cebu in 1860, and Legazpi and Tacloban in
o The democratic state of France and its 1873.
demands was considered by Pope Leo
 CHAPTER 3:
o These ports became accessible to European
vessels. The Philippines was drawn once
again within the orbit of world trade.

 Foreign trade and contact with some other RIZAL AND THE
THEORY OF
businessmen, made agriculture in the country
become more advanced.
o The introduction of agricultural machinery
and increased banking facilities that NATIONALISM
extended crop loans encouraged the
opening of new farm areas. Improved Nationalism is a concept that has a very broad and
methods of cultivation and preparation of vague meaning. It is a concept where the meaning lies
crops for the market increased the volume on how people interpret it on the basis of their
of local exports. experiences and preconceived beliefs. Ideally, it is
o Trading and commerce were made easy understood as the feeling of belongingness, which
because of the construction of better roads, uplifts the spirit of oneness to fellow countrymen and,
and railroads and bridges enhanced at the same time, looking up to a common goal for the
transportation and communication. nation's development. In short, nationalism is viewed
o Also, steam navigation and such facilities as a basic building block in the attainment of national
for speedy communication as the telegraph, unity and progress (Funtecha, 2009).
the telephone, and the cable gave added
impetus to economic progress. OVERVIEW

Do you want to know who you are as a Filipino?

These developments encouraged social mobility and Although Dr. Jose Rizal was formed by the
interaction among the people, thus, facilitating closer events of his time, his thoughts and actions
understanding and unity. These developments raised were rooted in his family and cultural origins.
the people's awareness of what was going on around Tracing Rizal's roots will help you understand
them, and experiencing a little bit of life of ease, they why Rizal was the way he was.
continued to seek more freedom than before. The
essence of democracy also reached the minds of the This chapter will discuss Rizal's origins and
natives, and the seed of reform continued to take root influences. At the same time, being a Filipino
and grow. millennial, you will also get to know yourself
through your cultural origin.

OBJECTIVES

1. By the end of this lesson, you should be able

to: Explain what "nation" means and
differentiate this from the concept of
"nationalism":
2. Discuss Rizal's foundation of nationalism
as traced by his cultural roots and 3.
Explain how Rizal's work relate to
Philippine nationalism

Acquiring a better understanding of Rizal's life

demands a deeper and more profound analysis
of his life and writings. His firm beliefs were the
results of what he had seen and experienced
during his European days. Thus, to clear up
vague thoughts about him requires a glimpse
into his past.

Rizal was one of the elites who demanded

changes in the Philippine government during
the Spanish colonization. Together with his
other ilustrado friends, Rizal voiced the
inclusion of Filipinos as representatives in the
 Cortes. Filipinization in churches and equal schoolhouses to educate those who are worthy of it.
rights were among the requests made by Rizal But in the chapter "Chase on the Lake," Elias suddenly
to the Spanish government. Rizal fought for had a change of heart; he believed in reforms while
equality with the Spaniards; he wanted that he Ibarra became a filibuster, initiating revolution. This
and his fellow ilustrados acquired the same change of heart in Ibarra was a product of hardships
education and wealth as the Spanish students and the desire to attain personal vengeance. This trend
and families in the Philippines. of vagueness continued in the novel El Filibusterismo,
where Rizal was reflected in the characters of Simoun.
Jose Rizal came from a family belonging to the middle Basilio, and Padre Florentino. In the chapter "Simoun"
class. His father owned lands. One of their most Simoun, who was Ibarra in disguise, again being
profitable goods was sugar cane, and the family lived a adamant for a revolution, and Basilio was being like
good life compared with the common Filipinos during Ibarra initially in the Noli when he proclaimed his belief
those times. Well provided and was sustained in his in education as a tool for equality and freedom. In the
studies, Rizal had a family that belonged to the wealthy conclusion of the Fili, Rizal has implied his resolution
few. the ilustrados. The fortune of his family was well when in the story, he killed Simoun, the promoter of
used; he was sent to schools run by Dominicans and revolution, and made Padre Florentino, an advocate of
Jesuits. Rizal was able to acquire his education from peace, prevail. In real life, Rizal reiterated his stand
Spanish schools, allowing him to nurture his skills and regarding this issue in his December 15 Manifesto
talents. He excelled in almost all aspects of his studies. when he declared that he was against the revolution,
He was good in language, spelling, and science, and he and he favored the reform programs, especially that
was able to master numerous foreign languages. His regarding education. The portrayals of Rizal in the
skills grew as he increased his acquisition of various different characters of his novels depicted how his
courses. Rizal was good in Spanish, making it mind struggled on whether to fight for revolution or
advantageous for him to interact in a class dominated reform. His mind was open as he saw the plight of his
by Spaniards. Education led Rizal to a deeper fellowmen who suffered under the oppressive hands of
understanding of equality and order in society. Rizal's Spain. With this, he allowed himself to be a realist as
urge to learn also increased his desires for reforms. he understood why there was a need for revolution. But
Education opened his eyes to biases in the Philippines his initial concept of thinking dominated his mind, as
and the abuses of the Spaniards against the Filipinos. he believed in an orderly and peaceful environment
wherein he did not want to see blood shed nor people
hurt. This side of Rizal being an idealist was stronger
The unheard cries of the natives and the increasing than his small portion of being a realist because he
fame of Rizal fueled revolts in the country. The natives wanted to have freedom through peaceful means. In
organized groups and continued to engage in bloody addition to being an idealist who did not want to see
battles to acquire reforms and democracy. Rizal's the ugly face of society, Rizal also expressed his
writings made a huge impact on the minds of the gratitude to Spain since he did not want to fight against
natives who wished to break free from the abuses of the it. Since Spain was also like a mother country to him,
Spaniards. Thus, when Rizal was imprisoned, it justified why Rizal, as a child of Spain, did not want
numerous plans to break him of out jail were initiated to stab his own mother. But Rizal also loved his own
by the revolting group. Nevertheless, none of them nation, so in the process of making circumstances
prospered as Rizal preferred to engage in a bloodless favorable for both, his appeal was for reforms and
battle for independence. education. However, his plea for education and some
other reforms was impossible during those times, and
those were not what the people then currently needed.
The dilemma that Rizal faced was depicted in his two What would liberate the people was the massive
famous novels, the Noli Me Tangere and El movement of the natives united against the oppressors.
Filibusterismo. In Noli Me Tangere, Rizal was
represented by both Elias and Ibarra. In the chapter,
"Voice of the Hunted," Elias believed in the need for Rizal was very idealistic; he wanted to set the Filipinos
radical reforms in the armed forces, priesthood, and free from their hardships from the hands of the
administrative justice system. Meanwhile, Ibarra did Spaniards, yet he did not want to separate from Spain
not agree with the reforms Elias wanted and believed too, so he failed to see what the true demand of the
in the power of the authorities and the need for natives was: to totally break free from the colonizers.
necessary evil. In the chapter, "Elias' Story," Elias saw
the need for an armed struggle and resistance against
the opposing forces while Ibarra disagreed and believed
that education was the key to make the people Rizal's dream to set his fellowmen free from the wrath
liberated, so he encouraged the building of of the tyrant Spaniards prevailed until the day he died.
He was a victim of the abuses of the Spaniards. When difficult but significant periods of Western colonization,
he died, the natives were able to push through their culminating in the eventual inauguration of the
freedom with their strong nationalism that had been Philippine Republic in 1946.
heated up and strengthened by his artistic and realistic
viewpoints in his writings. He had influenced
numerous natives to fight for independence. The result Foundation of Our Indigenous Culture. According to
of independence was very sweet for the Filipinos who archeologists and historians, the origin of our culture
fought and died for it, and it was a regret feel that Rizal was hypothesized based on the following: (a) our
was not able to see that the revolution that he did not indigenous culture began to develop in the prehistoric
favor was what liberated his people. and pre-Christian eras; (b) these early cultures ranged
from the crude Old Stone Age to the Metal Age with
organized community life; and (c) the early settlers
Nationalism usually springs from the consciousness of came from Borneo, Indo-China, South China, and
a national identity of being one people. It is that all some other parts of Southeast Asia. It is believed that
pervading spirit that binds together men of diverse 25,000 years ago, the Negritos arrived in the
castes and creeds, clans and colors, and unites them Philippines and were considered the first people who
into one people, one family, one nation with common arrived here. The early occupants of the Philippine
aspirations and ideals (Anderson, 1983). islands were believed to have reached the arcas
through of a land bridge connecting Malaysia and
China.
There were many things that built up nationalism in
the Filipinos: the abuse of the Spanish people, the
opening of international trade, the influence of liberal Studies show that the Malays, one of the early settlers
thoughts in the Philippines, the revolution in Cavite, in the country, migrated around 300 to 200 B.C. They
the death of GOMBURZA, the rise of new middle class, brought with them their skills in mining and smelting
the secularization movement, and most of all, the death of iron tools, weapons, utensils, and ornaments. Also,
of Dr. Jose P. Rizal. These events developed they developed irrigation for agriculture; cultivated
nationalism in the Philippines. They did not let the fruit trees, spices, fiber, ornamental plants, and some
other nationality rule the Philippines. The Filipinos other agricultural products; used carabaos and horses
believed that nationalism was the only thing that would as working animals; and used technology in the
make them prove that they were really Filipinos and for manufacture of ornamented pottery and glass beads
which they were willing to fight until the last breath of and in the art of weaving. They started the development
their life. of our indigenous culture.

The nationalistic ideas of Rizal inspired the realization The second wave of Malay immigrants brought with
of the Filipino people of their sense of dignity, them the system of writing called the syllabarics
conviction in their country, and understanding of their system. They arrived around 13th century, the
true identity. The profuse declaration that Filipinos beginning of the Christian era. In the latter half of the
were "indios" by the Spaniards and their other 14th century and through the 15th century, the
demoralizing assertions caused the Filipino people to Muslim Malays, the last group of Malays i migrate to
lose their pride and self- respect, so they became blind the Philippines cames, and it marked the foundation
to the ills around them. All these were reversed when and development of Islam in Mindanao and Sulu.
Rizal unceasingly defended his people through his
writings, texts that were powerful enough to restore The existence of the writing system on the islands, the
pride and nationalism in the hearts of the Filipinos and use of metal and the absence of human sacrifices and
influence a revolution. cannibalism were the results of the country's contacts
with the Arabs, Chinese, and Malay traders in the 9th
century, the pre-Christian to the pre- colonial era. As
time passed by, numerous cultural migrations were
RIZAL'S NATIONALISM AS TRACED BY ITS experienced by the Filipinos. The combination of
CULTURAL ROOTS numerous bloodlines coming from Asian migrants
assimilated so well to produce the Filipino people and
our indigenous culture. Until the Spaniards came, the
The Philippine experience in the formation of settlers in the Philippines had established a certain
consciousness of a national identity had its roots in the culture and agricultural technology of their own. They
pre-Hispanic period and developed through two had their own traditions, which had been altered by the
numerous traditions and cultures of the colonizers. close relationship among the members. The father is
Trade relations with the other Asian neighbors the head of the family while the mother is its light.
continued even before the arrival of the Spaniards, and
the settlers developed religious and social norms of Respect for elders. Parents always remind their
their own. During this period, the settlers already had children and say, "Respect your elders." It is very
a shared language, system of writing, literature, and offending not to hear the words "po" and "opo" when
political and judicial systems based on the accepted the young address older persons. Filipinos consider
standards of the period. this practice as a sign of good parenting. Another one
is showing parents power over their children, such as
consulting them on important matters and not talking
back.
Remote areas in the Philippines were inhabited by the
earliest descendants of the early settlers of the island, Fatalistic. Fatalism in Filipinos is best symbolized in
the Negritos. The numerous historical influences made the phrase "Bahala na." It is a phrase that defies
the Filipinos a mixture of various ethnicity. Despite the translation but which may be rendered loosely as
countless similarities of the early Filipino tribes and "come what may." Filipinos' fatalistic nature is caused
inhabitants, unity was hard to attain in the country as by their reliance on fate. Such belief has been firm
a whole. Regardless of the shared territory, racial despite explanations of facts and science; no logical
characteristics and beliefs, the Filipinos remained viewpoint could ever bend such belief that all things
disunited and were broken into different political are in line with fate.
factions during the precolonial era. Their lack of unity
and identity made it easier for the colonizers to conquer oyalty. This refers to the faithfulness and
the Philippines. The country was divided into small trustworthiness to a close companion or friend. Loyalty
independent political groups called barangays, which is best portrayed through helping one another not only
were constantly fighting for survival. However, it is the benefactor but also his family. For Filipinos,
firmly established that these groups of people molded friendship is sanctified, and a small help and favor will
our identity as a people and gave us a heritage that always be remembered until the reciever's last daw of
Western colonization could not uproot in four life.
centuries.

The People. Filipinos, belong to a mixture of races. Jealousy. A man, strongly dislikes a woman who flirts
Centuries of contact with the Western and Asian with several men. For him what is "his is his" and what
countries through of trade and colonization made the is "yours is yours." What is meant for him is only for
Filipino race very complex. A Filipino is a combination him and even his closest friend cannot kiss his wife
of the East and West, so the character exhibits curious even as a brotherly kiss. In short, Filipinos are
contradictions that foreigners find hard to understand. territorial.
Common Traits. It is difficult, if not impossible, to
define what a Filipino is. Common traits of Filipinos are
difficult to depict the existence of numerous races, Sense of "pakikisama". Filipinos are able to fit in with
practices, and beliefs have been developed and other people and set aside their selfish wants. They
preserved with the passing of time. All that can be done have an inherit sense of camaraderie, setting aside
is to pick out some traits common to the average individuality and welcoming collaboration. It is a trait
Filipinos and to separate those that are obviously of honest acceptance of the differences among people,
Spanish or American. creating an environment suitable for everyone.

Hospitality. Hospitability is part of the Filipino culture,

and it is naturally felt and seen in every household
The identified traits have become an identity of
whenever visitors come or even strangers pass by. Even
Filipinos. Like all men the world over, the Filipino has
a poor Filipino would offer what he has, such as food,
the weaknesses of the fallen Adam, but he, too, has his
shelter, and accommodation to the extent that the
strengths that he uses to become an asset to his family
owner would sleep on the floor just to make the visitor
and the society in which he belongs.
or stranger feel at home.

Close family ties. Family, the most basic unit of society

where interaction starts and simple negotiations Phelan (1957) attributes the survival of our indigenous
among its members are held, may consist of culture thus: This indigenous culture was practiced on
grandparents, parents, and siblings. Filipinos are the islands. Under Spain's jusrisdiction, there was a
family-centered; they have always viewed blood to be blending of significant elements in the old culture coming
thicker than water. The family comes first, creating a up with a new society. For the Filipinos, their identity
remained while absorbing the cultural influences of the
Spaniards. Whatever damage they experienced, either
psychologically or materially, they survived. Phelan
analyzed the factors that sustained the native culture in
its survival and he considered the inward cohesiveness
of native Philippine society as the most important.
 CHAPTER 4:  Ang estate na kanyang tinitirhan ay binili gamit
ang pera na naiwan sa Mexico ng mga
relihiyosong kastila.
RIZAL'S SOCIAL ORIGIN  Mayo 26, 1771-nagpakasal siya sa isang
mestisang Tsino na si Cirila Bernacha
AND HISTORICAL  Noong 1783, siya naging alcalde o punong
opisyal ng bayan ng Biñan at pumanaw noong
CONTEXT 
1801.
Nagkaroon sila ng dalawang anak na lalaki, si
ANG NINUNONG TSINO NI RIZAL Juan at Clemente

Don Dominggo Lamco Juan Mercado

 isang tsinong mangangalakal Orihinal na  Ang panganay nila Francisco Mercado at Cirilia
nagmula sa Chinchew, China Bernacha,
 Napadpad sa Maynila noong 1960  Sa edad na dalawapu't dalawa (22) ay nakipag
 Siya ay nabawtismuhan asawa kay Cirila Alejandra sa Tubigan
 Sa edad na 35, siya ay nabawtismohan sa  Tatlong beses naging punong opisyal ng Biñan
Parian taong 1808,1813,1815.
 simbahan ng San Gabriel, isang linggo noong  Nagkaroon sila ng labing tatlong anak ni Cirila
Hunyo ng 1697. Noong araw ding iyon, kinuha Alejandra at ang kanilang bunso ay si Franciso
niya ang pangalang "Dominggo". (Sunday in Mercado.(Ama ni Pepe)
Spanish) Francisco Mercado (Rizal) – LUNTIANG KABUKIRAN
Inez Dela Rosa  Siya ang pinakabata sa labintatlong anak nina
 Asawa ni Don Dominggo Lam-co Cirila Alejandro at Juan Mercado.
 Nagmula rin sa Chinchow  naulila sa maagang edad na walo (8) kung saan
 1741- namatayan sila ng anak na babae ni ang kanyang nakatatandang kapatid na si
Dominggo na si Josepha Didnio Potencia at ang kanyang ina ang kasama para
sa paglaki.
Francisco Mercado  Lumipat sila sa Calamba, Laguna matapos
mamatay ang kanilang ina
 Nag-iisang anak ni Don Dominggo at Inez Dela
 Nag-aral siya ng Latin at pilosopiya sa Colegio
rosa
de San Jose sa Manila at dito niya nakilala ang
 Lolo sa tuhod ni Rizal kanyang asawa, si Teodora Alonso Realonda na
ANG PAGPAPALIT NG APELYIDONG LAM-CO doon din nag-aral.
 Sa kabila ng kabataan ni Francisco Mercado
 Sa lugar ng Laguna naging isang Chinese siya ay nangungupahan ng mga ari-arian.
Community Leader Taong 1948 pinakasalan ni Francisco Mercado
 Nakaranas ng diskriminasyon dahil sa si Teodora Alonzo, isang katutubong taga-
apilyedong instsik na "Lam-co" Maynila, na sa loob ng maraming taon ay
 1849, pinalitan ni Don Dominggo ang kanyang naninirahan sa kanyang ina sa Calamba.
apelyido ng kastilang "Mercado" -Alin sunod rin
sa utos ng Gobernador Heneral na si Heneral Lorenzo Alberto Alonzo
Narciso Claveria Bautista  Ama ni Teodora Alonzo
 "Mercado"-nabagay sa kanilang pagiging  Isang kapitan-munisipal ng Biñan, Laguna,
negosyante na ang kahulugan ay "palengke". isang kinatawan Espanyol Cortes
PAGPAPALAYA SA NAMAMANANG IMPLUWENSIYA  Anak nina Maria Florentina isang meztisang
instsik at Kapitan Mariano Alejandro
Francisco Mercado
Brijida de Quintos 1
 Namuhay kasama ng mga "cajas ablertas" (mga
nadestiyero) at ang kanilang mga paraan.  Ina ni Teodora Alonzo
 Nakatira sa isang kalapit na hacienda ni San  Siya ay isa sa mga anak ni Regina Ochoa, na
Juan Bautista ng Calamba. may Kastila, Tsino at Tagalog na mga ninuno at
Atty. Manuel de Quintos, isang tanyag na
abogado sa Lingayen.
  San Pedro Macati sa panahon ng pag-aalsa ni o Ang mestiza na nagpakasal sa isang
Kapitan Novales indio ay magiging isang indio pati na
ang kanyang mga anak
MESTIZONG TSINO  Ang implikasyon ng ganitong sistema ay
 Ang dugong Tsino ni Rizal ay parehong galing nagtagal hanggang ang lehislasyon ay
sa mga pamilya ng kanyang ina at ama. napanatili at laging may maraming populasyon
 Manuel de Quintos ang mga mestizo
o Ama ng ina ni Rizal  Nasa Ikalimang henerasyon ng mestizo Tsino si
o Mestizo Tsinong na kilalang abogado sa Rizal dahil sa kanyang ninuno mula sa
Maynila kanyang ama na si Domingo Lam-co hanggang
 Domingo Lam-co sa ama ni Rizal ay nag-asawa ng mga mestiza.
o masipag at matalinong Tsino na  Sa pagdating ng mga espanyol noong 1521,7
mangangalakal umusbong na ang naging tungkulin ng mga
o lolo sa tuhod ng ama ni Rizal Tsino sa ekonomiya ng bansa.
o Ang tanging anak niya na si Francisco  Ang mga Tsinong mangangalakal ay nagpatuloy
na may matalas na isip at liberal na hanggang sa mayamang pangangalakal sa
binata ay naging kapitan ng municipal pagitan ng Maynila at Tsina at ipamahagi ang
ng Biñan noong 1783 mga naangkat mula Tsina sa gitnang Luzon.
 Simula ng ika-15 siglo ay mayroon ng mga  Nanatili ang mga Tsino malapit sa pamayanan
mestizo Tsinong na nagtatag sa rehiyon ng mga Espanyol at pinagsisilbihan sila sa
partikular na sa Luzon. iba't-ibang paraan tulad ng pagbibigay ng
 Ang mga Tsino ay direktang kasangkot sa pagkain, bilang mangangalakal ng tingian at
ekonomiya at lipunan ng Pilipinas.os bilang manggagawa ng Espanyol.
 Sa pagdating ng mga Espanyol noong 1560 ay  Nakilala ang Binondo bilang bayan ng mgs
nakita ito bilang bagong oportunidad ng mga Tsino noong 1697.
Tsino.  Isang maharlikang isang maharlikang utos ang
 Taong 1603-20,000 na populasyon ng mga ipinasa para sa pagpapatalsik ng mga Tsino
Tsino ang naitala na mas marami kumpara sa ngunit napagtanto ni Gobernardor Dasmarinas
1,000 na populasyon ng mga Espanyol. na kailangang panatilihin ang mga Tsino sa
 Hinati ng gobyerno ng mga Espanyol sa Maynila para sa ekonomiya.
Pilipinas sa apat na kategorya:  Bumili ng lupain ang Gobernador upang ibigay
o Espanyol at mga Espanyol na Mestizo - Ito sa mga prominenteng Tsino para sa mga
walang binabayaran mangangalakal at mga manggagawa.
o Indios mga malay na dati nang nakatira  Walang kinalaman ang mga katanungang"
sa Pilipinas na siyang mga Pilipino na pangrelihiyon at pangkultura, ngunit kalaunan
ngayon ay ginawa ito ng mga Dominikano na isang
o Tsino – purong Tsino komunidad ng mga may-asawang Katolikong
o Mestizong Tsino – Tsino na may halong Tsino.
ibang lahi  Sa kabilang banda naman ay ang mga hindi
 Ang huling tatlong grupo ay may binabayarang katoliko ay nag-proselytize, nagbinyag
pagpupugay ngunit nakabase sa kategorya ang nagpakasal, at nadagdag sa komunidad ng mga
kanilang binabayad at serbisyo. kasal na Katoliko, na umabot sa limang daan o
 Pinapanatili ng lehislasyon ng Espanyang mga higit pang 1600.
kategoryang ito  Walang binabayarang buwis at hindi
 Ang estado ng mga magulang ang siyang nahahaluan ng hindi Tsino o mestizo ang mga
batayan lalo na ang estado ng ama Tsino sa Binondo na may kaakibat na mga
 Hindi na magbabago ang estadong mestizo pribilehiyong pamamahala sa sarili.
Tsino ng lalaki hanggang sa susunod pa na  Noong ika-17 siglo ay na dapat na maging
henerasyon panirahan na ng mga Tsino at kanilang mga
 Ang anak ng Tsinong ama at indio o mestizang susunod na henerasyon ang Binondo ngunit
ina ay isang mestizo Tsino ang mga indios ay nagsimula naman na
manirahan doon at kalaunan ay dumami na rin
 Nakabatay naman sa pagpapakasal ang estado
ang populasyon nila sa Binondo,
ng isang babae
o Ang mestiza na nagpakasal sa isang  Ang naging resulta ay ang pagbuo nga
Tsino o mestizo ay magiging mestiza magkakahiwalay na pamayanan ng mestizo at
Tsina indio sa loob ng Binondo.
 Taong 1741, ang mga mestizong Tsino ay
kinilala bilang isang natatanging elemento sa
lipunang Pilipino, sapat na marami upang
organisahin at iuri ng hiwalay.
 Sila ay pinakamarami sa mga probinsya sa
gitnang Luzon ng Tondo, Bulacan, at
Pampanga, na binubuo ng 60% ng mga mestizo
sa ang Pilipinas. 90% sa Luzon at 10% sa ibang
bahagi ng Pilipinas

 Sa kalagitnaan ng ika-19 na siglo, matatag na
naitatag ang posisyon ng mestisong Tsino sa
ekonomiya at lipunan ng Pilipinas,
 1750-1850 na nagdala ng interesanteng
pagbabago sa kanilang heograpikong
pamamahagi. Nagsimula silang mapansin sa
mas malayong Luzon - Abra, at lalo na sa Nueva
Ecija. Sa Visayas, ang pinakamalaking grupo
ng mestizo noon ay nasa Cebu, ngunit
pagkatapos ay marami na sila sa Antique. Sa
Mindanao, napansin na sila sa silangang
bahagi ng isla (probinsya ng Caraga) at sa
Misamis.
 Sa paglipas ng panahon ay talagang lumakas
pa ang kanilang posisyon sa ekonomiya ng
Pilipinas.
 Nagkaroon din sila ng malakas na interes sa
monopolyo ng panloob na kalakalan na ang
mga gobernador ng probinsya lamang ang
kanilang mga katunggali,
 Ang retail commerce ng Maynila ay
eksklusibong pinangangasiwaan ng mestisong
Tsino at mga Tsino. Sila rin ang may hawak sa
karamihan ng mga tindahan ng mga
manggagawa at aktibo sa panlungsod na
wholesaling.
 Inilarawan pa nga sila ni Bowring, isang
kilalang mananalaysay, sa kanyang pagbisita
sa Pilipinas, bilang ang pinakamasipag,
mapangalagaan, at matipid na elemento sa
populasyon ng Pilipinas.
 Ang mga mestiza ang nagpayaman sa lungsod
ng Cebu.
 Mula sa Cebu, ipinadala ng mga mestizo ang
kanilang mga ahente sa pamimili patungong
silangan sa Leyte at Samar, patimog sa Caraga
at Misamis, at pakanluran sa Negros at Panay
upang bumili ng mga lokal na produkto para
ibenta sa mga dayuhang mangangalakal sa
Maynila.
 CHAPTER 4: o Domingo Lam-co was influential in building
Tubigan barrio, one of the richest parts of the

RIZAL'S SOCIAL ORIGIN great estate. In name and appearance, it

recalled the fertile plains that surrounded his
AND HISTORICAL native, Chinchew, "the city of springs." His
neighbors were mainly Chinchew men; his wife

CONTEXT was also from Chinchew. She was Inez de la

Rosa. They were married in the Parian church
by the same priest, who over 30 years before,
OVERVIEW
had baptized Domingo.
The Filipino-Chinese mestizos were an
important element of 19th century Philippines. o Lam-co and his wife suffered a great loss in
They were the Filipino middle class in those 1741 when their baby daughter, Josepha
times, and they played a significant role in the Didnio, lived only for five (5) days. They had at
agitation for reforms, in the revolution, and in that time one other child, a boy of ten,
the formation of Filipino nationality. Francisco Mercado, whose Christian name was
given partly because he had an uncle of the
This chapter will discuss Dr. Jose Rizal's same name.
ancestry, starting from his Chinese ancestor
who moved to the Philippines from China. This o Among the Chinese, the significance of a name
chapter will also discuss how Rizal's ancestors counts much, and it is always safe to seek a
established themselves as a well-to-do Filipino- reason for the choice of a name. T Lam-co
Chinese family amid Spanish governance. family was not given to the practice of taking
OBJECTIVES the names of their god - parents. "Mercado"
recalls an honest Spanish encomendero.
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to: "Mercado" and "Merchant" mean much the
same; Francisco, therefore, set out in life with a
1. Trace Rizal's ancestry; surname that would free him from the prejudice
2. Discuss the important role of Filipino- that followed those with Chinese names
Chinese mestizos in nation-building during the reminding of his Chinese ancestry (Wickberg.
19th century; and 2000).

3. Explain the Cavite Mutiny and the LIBERALIZING HEREDITARY INFLUENCE

GOMBURZA Execution. o Francisco Mercado lived near enough to hear of
RIZAL'S CHINESE ANCESTRY the "cajas abiertas" (exiles) and their ways. He
did not live in a Jesuit parish but in the
o Within the walls of Intramuros lived the neighboring hacienda of St. John the Baptist of
Spanish rulers and few other persons who the Calamba. Everybody in his neighborhood knew
fear and jealousy of the Spaniards allowed to that the estate had been purchased with money
come in. Some were Filipinos who ministered to left in Mexico by pious Spaniards who wanted
the needs of the Spaniards, but a greater to see Christianity spread in the Philippines,
numbers were the Sangleys or Chinese, the and it seemed to them sacrilege that the
mechanics in all trades and excellent workmen. government should take such property for its
own secular uses. Francisco Mercado was a
o Domingo Lam-co was a native of the Chinchew bachelor, therefore, more free to visit Manila
district, where the Jesuits first, and later the and Cavite, and he was possibly the more likely
Dominicans, had a mission, and he perhaps to be interested in political matters. He married
knew something of Christianity before leaving on May 26, 1771 Bernarda Monicha, a Chinese
China. One church account indicated his home mestiza of the neighboring hacienda of San
definitely, for it specified Siongque, an Pedro Tunasan (Craig, 2005 pp. 59-62)
agricultural community near the great city. He
was baptized in the Parian church of San o Mr. and Mrs. Francisco Mercado had two
Gabriel on a Sunday in June of 1697. Following children, both boys, Juan and Clemente. In
the customs of the other converts on the same 1783, he was an alcalde or chief officer of the
occasion, Lam-co took the name Domingo, the town, and he lived till 1801. His name appears
Spanish for Sunday, in honor of the day. so often as godfather in the registers of
 baptisms and weddings that he must have been branch, the family of the maternal
a good natured, liberal, and popular man. Mrs. grandmother, for all the archives (church, land,
Francisco survived her husband by a number and court) disappeared during the late-
of years and helped to nurse through his baby disturbed conditions of which Cavite was the
ailments a grandson also named Francisco, the center (Craig, p. 70-71).
Father of Jose Rizal. Francisco Mercado's eldest o Regina Ochoa, who became the wife of attorney
son, Juan, built a fine house in the center of Manuel de Quintos, was of Spanish, Chinese,
Biñan. and Tagalog ancestry. Manuel de Quintos was
an attorney of Lingayen and an uncle was the
o At 22, Juan married a girl of Tubigan, who was leader of the Chinese mestizos in a protest they
two (2) years his senior, Cirila Alejandra, had made against the arbitrariness of their
daughter of Domingo Lam-co's Chinese godson, provincial governor. The home of the Quintoses
Siong-co. Cirila's father's silken garments were was in San Pedro Macati at the time of Captain
preserved by the family within living memory, Novales's uprising, the so-called American
and this is likely because Jose Rizal was, Siong- revolt, a protest against the Peninsulars sent
co's great grandson (Craig. 68-73). Juan out to supersede the Mexican offers that had
Mercado was three times chief officer of Biñan remained loyal to Spain. All the branches of
in 1808, 1813, and 1815 (Craig. 68-73). Mrs. Rizal's family were much richer than the
relatives of her husband; there were numerous
o Young Francisco was only eight (8) years old lawyers and priests among them, the old-time
when his father died, but his mother and sister proofs of social standing, and they were
Potenciana looked after him well. First he influential in the country. To recall relatives of
attended a Biñan Latin school, and later he Mrs. Rizal who were in the professions would
seemed to have studied Latin and Philosophy at help to an understanding of the prominence of
the College of San Jose in Manila. A sister, the family. Felix Florentino, an uncle, was the
Petrona, for some years was a dress goods first clerk of the Nueva Segovia (Vigan) court. A
merchant in nearby Calamba. There, she later cousin - germane, Jose Florentino, was a
married and shortly after became widowed. Philippine deputy in the Spanish cortes, and a
Probably upon their mother's death, Potenciana lawyer of note, as was also his brother, Manuel.
and Francisco moved to Calamba. The priest of Rosario, Vicar of Batangas
Province, Father Leyva, was a half-blood
o Francisco, in spite of his youth, became a relation, and another priestly relative was Mrs.
tenant of the estate. The landlords early Rizal's paternal uncle, Father Alonzo (Craig, pp.
recognized the agricultural skill of the 72-73).
Mercados by further allotments, as they could
bring more land under cultivation. A year after o Mrs. Rizal was baptized in Santa Cruz, Manila
his sister Potenciana's death. Francisco on November 18, 1827, as Teodora Morales
Mercado married Teodora Alonzo, a native of Alonzo. She was given an exceptionally good
Manila, who for several years had been residing fundamental education by her gifted mother
with her mother in Calamba. Her father, and completed her training at Santa Rosa
Lorenzo Alberto, was is said to have been very College, Manila, which was in charge of Filipino
Chinese in appearance. He had a brother who sisters.
was a priest, and a sister, Isabel, who was quite
wealthy. Their mother. Maria Florentina was on THE CHINESE MESTIZO
her mother's side, of the famous Florentina o Jose Rizal's Chinese descent came from his
family of Chinese mestizo originating from maternal grandfather, Manuel de Quintos, a
Baliwag. Bulacan, and her father was Captain Chinese mestizo who had been a well-known
Mariano Alejandro of Biñan. Lorenzo Alberto lawyer in Manila. Both Don Lorenzo and his
was the municipal captain of Biñan in 1824. father, Don Cipriano, had been mayors of
The grandfather, Captain Gregorio Alonzo, was Bifiang. On the other hand, Jose descended
a native of Quiotan barrio, and he was from an industrious and intelligent Chinese
municipal captain twice, in 1763 and again in merchant, Domingo Lam-co, who married a
1768. Captain Lorenzo was educated to be a Chinese mestiza, Ines dela Rosa. From the
surveyor. He was wealthy and had invested a Parian the family migrated to Biñan and
considerable sum of money with the American became tenants in the Dominican estate. Lam-
Manila shipping firms of Peele, Hubbell and Co, co's only son, Francisco who was to be Rizal's
and Russell Sturgis and Co. The most obscure great grandfather, was a keen-witted and liberal
part of the Rizal's family tree was the Ochoa
 young man. He became quite well-to-do and o Purely in terms of his ancestry, Rizal might be
popular enough to be appointed municipal considered a fifth-generation Chinese mestizo.
captain of Biñan in 1783. His paternal ancestor, a Catholic Chinese
named Domingo Lam-co, married a Chinese
o Early in the 15th century, Chinese mestizos mestiza. Their son and grandson both married
were already established in the region, Chinese mestizas. This grandson, having
particularly in Luzon. The Chinese had been achieved wealth and status in his locality, was
significantly involved in the economic and able to have his family transferred from the
social affairs of the Philippines. Direct contact mestizo pardor.or tax census register, to that of
between China and the Philippines existed from the indios. Thus, Rizal's father and Rizal
at least the Sung Period (960-1279). Through himself were considered an indio (Craig. p. 41).
the junk trade several points in the Philippines
enjoyed regular commercial and cultural o The development of Chinese mestizo in the
contacts with the Chinese. Philippines can be understood by first
considering briefly certain features of the
o The arrivals of the Spanish conquerors in the history of the Chinese in the Philippines. When
Philippines in the 1560s meant new the Spaniards arrived in 1521, the Chinese
opportunities for the Chinese. By 1603, barely moved into an important economic position.
32 years after the founding of Manila as a Chinese merchants carried on a rich trade
Spanish settlement, the Chinese population between Manila and the China coast and
there was estimated at 20,000 in contrast to distributed the imports from China to the area
perhaps 1,000 Spaniards. They were classified of Central Luzon, to the immediate north of
separately into four categories by the Spanish Manila. The Chinese established themselves at
government in the Philippines: those who did or near Spanish settlements, serving them in
not pay any tribute (which included Spaniards various ways: as provisionary of food, as retail
and Spanish mestizos), indios (Malayan traders. and as artisans (Wickerberg, 1964. pp.
inhabitants of the archipelago who are now 3-5).
called Filipinos), Chinese, and Chinese o Binondo was founded as a Chinese town in
mestizos. The last three of these groups were 1594. A royal order was passed for the
considered tribute-paying classes, but the expulsion of all Chinese from the Philippines;
amount of their tribute-payments and the however, Governor Dasmarinas realized that
services demanded of them varied. Normally, the city of Manila, the largest Spanish
the indio paid the lowest. The Chinese mestizo- settlement, needed to retain at least a small
paid double the tribute paid by the indio. The group of Chinese for its economic services.
maintenance of these categories in orderly Therefore, he purchased a tract of land across
fashion was provided by the Spanish the river from the walled city and gave it to a
legislation. Legal status as Chinese, mestizo, group of prominent Chinese merchants and
indio - by the terms of its legislation, was not artisans as the basis for a new Chinese
ordinarily a matter of personal choice or settlement. In the beginning. religious and
orientation. Rather, it was the status of the cultural questions were not involved, but the
parents, particularly the father, that was the missionary enterprise of Spanish Dominican
most important. Thus, the son of a Chinese fathers soon made Binondo a kind of
father and an india or mestiza mother was acculturation laboratory where the Dominicans
classified as a Chinese mestizo. Subsequent made it a community of married Catholic
male descendants were inalterably Chinese Chinese. On the other hand, non-Catholics in
mestizos. The status of female descendants was areas within Binondo were proselytized,
determined by their marriages. A mestiza baptized, married, and added to the community
marrying a Chinese or mestizo remained in the of married Catholics, reaching five hundred or
mestizo classification, as did her children. But more in 1600. The Chinese had founded
by marrying an indio, she and her children Binondo on the basis of Dasmarinas' land grant
became in that classification. Thus, females of to be tax free and inalienable to non-Chinese
the mestizo group could change status, but and non mestizos. The grant was accompanied
males could not. The implications of this by limited self-governing privileges. Thus,
system were that so long as legislation during the 17th century, Binondo was intended
remained constant there would always be a to be a settlement for Catholic Chinese and
sizeable group of people legally classified as their mestizo descendants. However, Indios
mestizos (Wickerberg, 1964, pp. 64-66). began to settle in Binondo. The eventual result
was the formation of the separate communities,
 mestizos, and indios within Binondo. Later, mother-of-pearls, cacao, coconut oil, coffee,
when the mestizo population grew and became and wax, among some other precious native
the leading element in Binondo, they broke products. Mestizos in the other parts in the
away from the Chinese forming their own Visayas had their own ships and had invested
Gremio de Mestizo de Binondo in 1741. By in the trade. It was even noted that the
1741, the Chinese mestizos had been mestizo's strength in these engaging economic
recognized as a distinct element in Philippine activities made the Philippines known to some
society. sufficiently numerous to be organized other parts of the world. Products were
and classified separately, and they were bulked exported to overseas markets. Philippine
in three central Luzon provinces of Tondo, products, like the hemp and sugar, had already
Bulacan, and Pampanga, comprising 60% of been exported in quantity while the products of
the mestizos in the Philippines. The province of European factory industry, particularly the
Tondo alone accounted for almost 30% of the English textiles, began to find markets in the
mestizo population in the Philippines. But away Philippines.
from Central Luzon, there were no large
concentrations of mestizos. Some mestizos are o The rise of the mestizo to economic importance
in some other parts of Luzon but in the Visayas was paralleled by a rise in social prominence.
and Mindanao, very few were accounted for. Indeed, the mestizo's wealth and the way they
Indeed, 90% lived in Luzon while the 10% were spent it made them, in a sense, the arbiters of
spread in few spots on the other islands - fashion in Manila and in the other large
notably the provinces of Cebu, Iloilo, Samar, settlements. Although they built up their
and Capiz. By the middle of the 19th century. savings, sometimes into real fortunes, the
the position of the Chinese mestizo in Chinese mestizos were fond of gambling and
Philippine economy and society was firmly ostentation, especially in dress. Besides
established, 1750-1850 which brought some entertaining friends and others with
interesting changes in their geographic sumptuous feasts, mestizo families often
distribution. Though they were still numerous expended great sums of money on feast days.
in Central Luzon they began to be noticed in Hence, a great prestige came to be attached to
farther Luzon - Abra, and especially in Nueva the name mestizo. Indeed, there were some
Ecija. In the Visayas, the largest group of places in Central Luzon where everyone in the
mestizo before was in Cebu, but afterward there region claimed to be mestizo. The best
were a number of them in Antique. In illustration of this kind of mestizo-craze
Mindanao, they were already noticed in the attitude might be found in the character of
eastern part of of the island (Caraga province) Capitan Tiago in Rizal's novel. Capitan Tiago is
and in Misamis (Wickerberg, 1964). an excellent example of an indio cacique of m
means who wished to be regarded as a Chinese
o In terms of economic position, it became mestizo and was able to purchase for himself a
stronger than ever. Not only did they have place in the wealthy and famous Cremio de
substantial land interests, but they were well Mestizos de Binondo (Wickerberg, 1964).
on the way to monopolizing internal trading
with only the provincial governors as their o However, not all indios admire the mestizos.
competitors. Manila's retail commerce was Because of this lack of admiration, there were a
handled exclusively by the Chinese mestizo and number of petty disputes between the mestizo
the Chinese. They also had the majority of and indio gremios and their litigation dragged
artisan's shops and were active in urban on over the decades. With the rise of the
wholesaling. They were even described by mestizos to a position of affluence and prestige,
Bowring, a noted historian, upon his visit to the their relations with the indios became a matter
Philippines, as being the most industrious, of increasing concern to the Spaniards. It was
preserving, and economical element in the from this time - the middle of the 19 century -
Philippine population. that we began to find the "divide and rule"
theme in Spanish writings. The indios and
o It was the mestizos who made Cebu wealthy. mestizo must be kept separated. The brains
From Cebu, the mestizos sent their purchasing and money of the mestizos must not be allowed
agents eastward to Leyte and Samar, to become allied to the numerical strength of
southward to Caraga and Misamis, and the indios. The separate gremios should be
westward to Negros and Panay to buy up local maintained and their rivalries encouraged
products for sale to foreign merchants in wherever possible. From this time onward,
Manila. They bought up tobacco, sea slugs and Spanish conservatives were haunted by fears of
 an indio revolution led by the mestizos. The last o Among the four religious orders, the
half of the 19 century was a so-called period of Dominicans owned ten estates, thus, calling
occupational rearrangement and social them the largest landlords in the region,
Filipinization. To a large extent, these two followed by the Augustinians with seven, the
phenomena were the results of changes in Order of St John with the large Hacienda
Spanish policy in the middle and late 19th Buenavista in Bulacan and the Recollects,
century. Free enterprise was to be given an owners of two valuable and intensively
opportunity to make the Philippines a profitable cultivated estates in Cavite. The archdiocese of
colony for Spain. As part of this general policy, Manila owned the remaining estate-the
in 1844, the Spanish government revoked the Hacienda of Dinalupihan in Bataan Province.
indulto de comercio and henceforth forbade The haciendas ranged in size from the
Spanish officials to involve themselves in Augustinians' mini estate of Binagliag (294)
trading. This measure eliminated the last hectares) in Angat, Bulacan. There, hacienda
obstacle of the mestizo in their dominance in boundaries conformed very closely to the
international trade. Furthermore, Spanish municipal boundaries, which had been
policy also pushed aside the barriers to Chinese established as administrative and pastoral
immigration and residence. Thus, the Chinese units. The close correspondence of town and
could come to the Philippines without any hacienda seemed to lie in the fact that in Cavite
restriction as to number, and with little, if any, and Laguna all of the haciendas formed a
restriction as to where in the archipelago they compact and contiguous group From
might reside. By the 1880s, the Chinese Muntinlupa in the north and Calamba in the
population had soared to almost 100,000; the south, Laguna de Bay in the east and Naic in
Chinese were found in every corner of the the west, there stretched an unbroken expanse
Philippines (Wickerberg, 1964). of friar lands (Roth, 1982).

AGRARIAN RELATION AND THE FRIAR LANDS o Hacienda towns in the Philippines during the
o It was until the 20th century that monastic 19th century were arranged in the following:
haciendas were the dominant form of land they had a municipal center (municipio) with a
tenure in the region surrounding Manila. centrally located plaza where the parish
Throughout most of the 333 years of Spanish church, a government building, and perhaps a
colonization in the Philippines, ecclesiastical jail usually would be found. The residence of
estates occupied nearly 40% of the surface area the friar administrators (the casa hacienda) and
in the four Tagalog-speaking provinces, namely, a granary were the only visible evidences
Bulacan, Tondo (now known as Rizal), Cavite, marking the presence of a friar estate. The
and Laguna de Bay. An understanding of the municipio was the home for the wealthier
history of the friar lands within the Tagalog citizens of the town - the traders, artisans, and
region would help us understand the many tenants who leased but did not actually till the
revolts and eventually the Philippine Revolution land. Outside the municipio were the barrios
of 1896 that happened in history. Some where the peasants lived near the fields they
American officials noted that the estates cultivated as sharecroppers and agricultural
somehow served as an overriding source of the laborers
revolt. According to documents, on the eve of ORIGIN OF THE ESTATES
the Philippine Revolution of 1896, four religious
orders owned at least 21 haciendas in the o The historical beginnings of these estates were
provinces surrounding Manila. Seven years traced to the land grants which were made to
later, 1903, the American colonial government, the early Spanish conquistadores. During the
fearful of further outbreaks of agrarian unrest late 16 and early 175 centuries, approximately
if friar land-ownership continued, bought 17 of 120 Spaniards received grants within a 100-
these estates for division and sale to the kilometers radius of Manila. This land grant
Filipinos while four (4) of them remained. Three consisted of a large unit of land known as a sitio
decades later they were to become principals in de gagado, mayor (equivalent to 1,742 hectares)
the Sakdal uprising of 1936. Over the next few and several smaller units called caballerias
years, the Church sold the last remaining (42.5 hectares) while the larger grants
estates largely to the Philippine government measured two or three sitios and may have
(Roth, 1982). included a sitio de gagado menor (774
hectares).
 o The Spanish hacienderos were quick to show suppliers of agricultural products for the
their unwillingness and inability to exploit their Spaniards in Manila, Biñan, and Santa Rosa.
lands. By 1612 the original land grants were The estates grew and prospered as a result of
consolidated into 34 estancias (ranches). The the liberal policy of exemption, which the
Spanish landowners sold their lands to some government had adopted for them, so they
other Spaniards who in turn mortgaged or quickly became the Dominican's most
donated their estates to the religious orders. profitable properties. The exemption, however,
Spanish success in owning lands in other parts had its negative side, particularly on the side,
of the empire poses the question of their failure of the Filipinos. More exemptions meant that
in the Philippines. more Filipinos were siphoned off from the non
hacienda villages, which then had to fill their
o The religious orders acquired their estates in a labor quotas from diminishing population
variety of ways. Several of the largest haciendas bases. Consequently, the burden of forced labor
were donated to the orders by Spaniards grew increasingly heavy on the Filipinos living
seeking spiritual benefit while some lands were outside the estates. But because of the
purchased directly from their Spanish owners. inadequacy of government supervision. many
Filipino donors and sellers also contributed hacienderos exceeded their quotas of
directly to the formation of the religious estates, exemption. Thus, the 17 and 18 centuries were
though to a lesser extent than the Spaniards. filled with complaints and petitions from
Former Filipino chiefs and headmen were Filipinos outside the haciendas who felt they
invariably the ones who sold or donated the were being discriminated against and who
land. Collectively known as principales by the wanted relief from excessive labor obligations.
Spaniards, they were converted into village and When the agrarian revolt of 1745 broke out, one
town by officials of the colonial government. of the grievances of the rebels was the
institution of exempted labor and the abuses
EARLY PERIOD OF SPANISH COLONIZATION that resulted from it.
o The Spaniards brought with them to the
Philippines their ideas of landownership and o In 1745, five provinces near Manila upted in an
their experiences from the New world where agrarian revolt, which directly expressed
they met people of different cultural orientation Filipino anger with the estates. The basic issues
and confronted new ecological and economic in the revolt were land usurpation by the
conditions. Thus the late 16th and early 17th haciendas and the closing of the haciendas'
centuries was a time of experimentation on the land to common use for pasturage and forage."
estates. Most of the estates catered is cattle
ranching overshadowing rice, sugar, and o The flashpoint of the rebellion was a dispute
tropical fruits. The economically sophisticated between the Hacienda of Biñan and the
Jesuits devoted more of their lands to sugar neighboring town of Silang, Cavite. It was in
although their operations were small compared 1740 that the Dominicans began formal
to the sugar culture. proceedings to gain control of the land. Three
years later a fraudulent survey was conducted,
o The transfer of estates from unsuccessful which included the disputed land within the
Spanish landowners to the monastic orders was boundaries of the hacienda. The results of the
accomplished with relative ease. Their survey were then hastily ratified by the Royal
transformation into profitable enterprises was Audencia which had failed to adequately
more difficult, however. To make them evaluate the facts of the case and overlooked
productive, the religious orders invested the grossly incorrect units of areal measure
thousands of pesos in the improvement of their used by the surveyors. The errors, which
estates. Dams and irrigation works were built permeated all aspects of the decision, gave the
on a large scale and money was advanced to citizens of Silang ample reason to believe that
prospective tenants and laborers to entice them money rather than justice had been the arbiter.
onto the estates. In addition, they called upon Thus, the Dominicans took possession of the
the help of the colonial government in supplying land in early 1745 and began to expel the
their labor needs. people of Silang and replace them with tenants
in Biñan. It also happened to nearby estates,
o The institution of exempted labor largely- like the town of San Mateo in Tondo and a
accomplished its main purpose of populating contiguous Augustinian hacienda, and the
the estates and making them dependable Recollects requested that the survey be made of
their hacienda in Imus.
 death of the three priests, the concern of
o The revolt of 1745 by a few years became a Burgos for the equality of Filipinos with
turning point in the socio-economic history of Spaniards and for justice to all remained at the
the friar estates. The Filipinos who reacted core of the nationalist aspirations and
against the estates and the system of exemption representations.
underscored excesses, which became part of
the hacienderos search for land and labor. On o These ideals and aspirations had taken root in
the other hand, the attempt to close the the course of the dispute over the rights of
haciendas commons showed that new ideas of Filipino secular priests to the parishes, an
landownership were in the air and intra-church dispute. Yet, even though the
foreshadowed the economic forces. movement was increasingly nationalist by the
1870s, the campaign was still carried on within
THE CAVITE MUTINY AND THE GOMBURZA the framework of the long-standing dispute in
EXECUTION the Philippine church between regular and
o The futile insurrection had been followed by secular clergy.
terrible reprisals and a hardening everywhere of
the articulated tyranny, terrorism, and o So how did the controversy start? The roots of
espionage with which the Spanish government controversy went far back in the history of the
ruled in the 16 and 19 century. Such from the church in the Philippines, even to its
beginning had been its practice in the long and foundation and fundamental structure. They
uninspiring record of the Spanish occupation in are to be found particularly in three elements in
the Philippines: sore oppression leading to the that history - the structure of the patronato
inevitable revolt and then savage vengeance. real, the visitation controversy, and the late and
With the rest of these victims of insensate rage, erratic development of a native clergy. With the
marched on the morning of February 28, 1872, grant of the patronato real, the Spanish crown
three beloved priests and servants of God, received the most complete control over the
whowere put to death by the Spanish church in the Indies, including the Philippines,
authorities (Schumacher, 1972). in exchange for its commitment to financially
support the missionary enterprise. Their
o Their death marked a turning point in the influence increases at the passing of time: the
history of Filipino nationalism, a catalyst that clergy came increasingly to be considered as
brought together the liberal reformist elements employees of the state, and religion as a means
in Philippine society with the growing self- of government. With the dissolution of the
awareness of a people into a movement that religious orders in the peninsula in 18365 and
before long would be directed at independent the confiscation of much of church property,
nationhood. Jose Rizal himself looked back to the continued existence of the religious orders
that date, as decisive in his own development in the Philippines was totally dependent on
as a nationalist, in a letter to his fellow Filipinos their political usefulness to a government that
in Barcelona in 1889: To quote had little faith in their religious mission. The
age-old visitation controversy was the second
"Without 1872 there would not now be a Plaridel, element at the root of the movement of the
a Jaena, a Sanciano, nor would the brave and secularization of the parishes. It was a struggle
generous Filipino colonies exist in Europe. of the religious orders or regular clergy to
Without 1872, Rizal would now be Jesuit and maintain the corporate freedom of action and
instead of writing the Noli me Tangere, would unity against the desire of the bishops to
have written the contrary. At the sight of those exercise the authority of their office in the
injustices and cruelties, though still a child, my governance of their diocese. With the
imagination awoke, and I swore to dedicate establishment of a hierarchy, almost every new
myself to avenge one day so many victims. With bishop attempted to exercise the right and duty
this idea, I have gone on studying, and this can of his office to conduct visitation of inspection
be read in all my works and writings. God will in the parishes of his diocese. The religious,
grant me one day to fulfill my promise." anxious to preserve their corporate structure
and their subordination to their own superiors,
o Their death witnessed the long struggle of the resisted such visitation, basing themselves on
Filipino priests in the aspect of religion. their papal privileges. When pushed to the wall,
Although the struggle for the rights of the they responded by threatening to abandon all
Filipino clergy suffered an eclipse with the the parishes, a threat more than once
temporarily carried out (Schumacher, 1972).
 Madrid of the Philippine Franciscans,
o The long failure of the bishops to enforce their published a series of articles in defense of the
rights to visitation was closely linked to the work of the friars evidently making use of
third factor, the failure of the Spanish odious comparisons at the expense of the
missionaries to encourage the development of a Filipino clergy to extol the works of the friars.
native Filipino clergy. Accounts were made that Because of opening his identity in criticizing the
there were no native Filipino, or indio, priests friars and defending the clergy, Fr. Burgos
ordained before 1698. The only first serious temporarily ruptured his friendship with the
efforts in the direction of the Filipino clergy were Jesuits. Fr. Pedro Bertran, the Jesuit superior,
taken at the end of the 17th century. upbraided him for bringing ecclesiastical
questions into the public press, above all in
o The resistance of the native Filipino priests was anticlerical publications, such as La Discusion.
under the leadership of Fr. Pedro Pelaez, The anticlerical activities of the Filipino clergy
seconded by Fr. Mariano Gomez. With the were supported by the Filipino liberals in
tragic death of the former, the latter was being Madrid. They had their own press organ in
passed on the leadership until his execution in Madrid to defend their interests and promote
1872 signaled the failure of the Filipino priests their aspirations. The chief contact, at least of
to obtain their rights. In the process of the priests, was Manuel Regidor, a colleague of
resistance, however, the ecclesiastical dispute the republican politician Rafael M. Labra, who
was to become an overtly nationalist question, was publishing the newspaper El Correo. At
as the Filipino clergy replied to racial about the same time, a newspaper devoted
discrimination with a firm and ringing assertion totally to the Philippines, El Eco Filipino, begun
of their equality as priests in the one Catholic to be published in Madrid by Fr. Federico
Church (Schumacher, 1972). Lerena, a peninsular who was brother-in- law
to Jose Ma. Basa. It survived until the time of
o During the term of Governor-General Carlos the Cavite Mutiny. Meanwhile, the policy of
Maria Dela Torre (1869-1821), he showed that vigilance and suspicion on the part of De La
he was democratic in his sympathies and Torre was replaced by one of the active
quickly named a series of reform committees for repressions. With the change of government in
every aspect of government in the Philippines. Spain, a new governor-general, Rafael de
However, documents proved that he was Izquerdo (18-71-1873), had been sent to
suspicious of the Filipino liberals, particularly replace De la Torre. His ideas on the governance
of the Filipino clergy and of their intention. of a colony were in no way influenced by
Within months after his arrival, numerous liberalism; thus, the tentative liberalization was
Filipinos accused of anti-Spanish sentiments quickly abolished. It was in this atmosphere
were placed under surveillance, and their mails that the outbreak of January 20, 1872 took
subjected to government inspection. Though he place in the arsenal of Cavite. Its exact nature
remained intent on reforms within the and the extent to which it was instigated and
government, De la Torre did not intend to allow supported from sources outside the workers
any liberalization, which might endanger and troops who took part in it are still hidden
Spanish rule in the Philippines. One prominent from us and must probably remain so until the
example was when a group of university proceedings of the courts martial become
students under the leadership of Felipe available. According to the official version that
Buencamino began to agitate against the survives, the revolt on the part of the garrison
university administration and circulate which took place was only part of a much larger
anonymous leaflets calling for changes in the revolt, carried out not only by the army but also
system. Not long after Buencamino found by the naval forces directed from Manila with
himself in prison, from which he emerged four accomplices in the provinces as well. The
months later. purpose was to put to death all Spaniards and
to proclaim a provisional government under Fr.
o Meanwhile, Fr. Burgos challenged openly the Burgos, to prepare the way for a more
religious sector by writing articles in the Madrid permanent government. The principal
newspaper La Discusion. La Discusion was a organizers in Cavite itself were sergeant
frankly republican and anti- clerical Lamadrid and Francisco Zaldua (executed
newspaper, and appeard to have been the together with GOMBURZA) who were in contact
vehicle for a series of attacks on the continued with the junta headed by Burgos, Pardo de
existence of the friars in the Philippines. In Tavera, Regidor, and some other lawyers and
retaliation, Fr. Joaquin de Coria, procurator in priests (Schumacher, 1972).
 CHAPTER 5:
o Progress had only begun at the end of the 1880s
wherein there was a renewal of Spain's
university life. By this time Filipino students

RIZAL IN EUROPE
began to arrive in Spain and were able to
acquire deeper knowledge about the Spanish
ways. It was in the 1880s and 1890s when
OVERVIEW Spain opened its doors to Filipinos. Being able
to know Spain at that time, Filipino students
o Dr. Jose Rizal's experiences as a student at the were able to understand the dealings of Spain's
University of Santo Tomas was unpleasant, so laws and policies in the Philippine. They were
much so that after his fourth year at UST, Rizal able to interact more than when they were in
decided to study in Spain because he was fed the Philippines. Ideas became free-flowing.
up with the bigotry that prevailed in the said Rejection and evaluation of the abuses of the
school. This chapter will discuss Rizal's higher church and state in the Philippines were
education and life abroad. You will also learn opened in class, and proclamation of liberty
about the Propaganda Movement, Rizal's burned the desires of Filipino students who
growth as a propagandist, and his relationship were awakened to the truth of the Spanish
with the other Propagandists. ruling. Hence, the aspiration for independence
and Philippine liberty strengthened and
OBJECTIVES
numerous church dogmas were rejected
o By the end of this lesson, you should be able to: (Schumacher, 1997).

1. Discuss student activism in Spain; LUNA AND HIDALGO'S ACHIEVEMENT

2. Explain the Propaganda Movement and how o Filipino artists, namely, Juan Luna Y Novicio
it inspired nationalism; and and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo, rose to fame in
the year 1884. Two painters won prizes at the
3. Explain how the Noli Me Tangere contributed Exposicion de Bellas Artes in Madrid. Juan
to Filipino national consciousness. Luna Y Novicio's Spoliarium received a gold
STUDENT ACTIVITIES IN SPAIN medal of the first class while Felix Resurreccion
Hidalgo received a medal of the second class for
o A huge portion of Europe was illiterate in his Las Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al
1880s, education was poor, and its quality was Populacho or Christian Virgin to the Populace.
very low. Though improvements were blooming As fellow countrymen, they were proud of their
in Europe, the educational system was awful. achievements. Furthermore, Pedro Paterno
Primary and secondary schools were stuck in made efforts to organize a banquet in honor of
their old and ineffective ways of teaching. the two Filipino painters. Such event and
Students were forced to be bookish rather than triumph was made known to the media and
be enthusiastic, all was dependent on journalist in Madrid. A liberal newspaper, El
memorization alone. Numerous professors of Imparcial, covered the masterpiece of the two
universities had two jobs and were far more Filipino painters, which showed the various
focused in their political career than in forces at work in the Flipino movement. Such
teaching. In general. universities in 1867 to attracted the of attention the people in Madrid
1868 and 1875 were behind, and few people (National Centenial Commission, 1999).
could afford to send their child to school.
THE PROPAGANDA MOVEMENT
Churches back then made efforts to exclude
irreligious teachings from schools. Hence, o The extreme abuses of the Spanish government
educational advancement was hard to attain. caused Filipinos to initiate revolts to throw the
Also, the churches held a tantamount amount Spanish forces out of the Philippines. Seeking
of power and were influential, leaving Spanish Independence from Spain, Filipinos were
universities stagnant and old style. This enraged by the tyranny of the Spaniards. The
prevented students from acquiring greater public execution of the three priest known as
knowledge than the parishes, which somehow GOMBURZA marked the beginning of the
lessened the chances of revolts and questioning propaganda movement intended to attain
of the mandates of the Church and its defective independence from Spain. Such movement
ruling. called for reforms in the political, social, and
economic setup of the country. Marcelo H. Del
Pilar, a lawyer, mason, and pamphleteer, was
 one of the voices and leaders of the peaceful THE LA SOLIDARIDAD
reform movement. With his brother Fr. Toribio
del Pilar exiled to Guam in 1872, he desired to o On December 31, 1888, an organization called
uplift the welfare of his countrymen through "La Solidaridad" was founded. This was led by
preaching work and self-dignity in public Galicano Apacible and Graciano Lopez Jaena.
places. As a radical thinker, his ways were At that time, Jose Rizal was in England, and he
condemned by the Spanish government, and he was the honorary president of the organization.
was forced to flee to Spain where he The reform movement was sustained by the
collaborated with the other reformist there. former Spanish minister, Dr. Miguel Morayta,
Marcelo H. Del Pilar took over the editorship of and a professor and Austrian ethnologist,
La Solidaridad after Graciano Lopez Jaena. Ferdinand Blumentritt. La Solidaridad was its
official newspaper.
o Graciano Lopez Jaena, another prominent o
leader of the reform movement, mocked the o The La Solidaridad was the organ of the
friars' corrupt practices through his work Fray patriotic society established by Filipino
Batod. Through this literary masterpiece he expatriates in Barcelona (La Solidaridad,
humiliated the power hungry friars and their (1889). The aims of this fortnightly organ in
immoral conducts. It was this reason he was Philippine opinion were:
arrested. As time went by, the number of o To work peacefully for political and
reformists increased and was later on joined by social reforms;
Filipino reformists coming from Spain, namely, o To portray the deplorable conditions of
Jose Rizal in 1882, Felix Ressurrection Hidalgo, the Philippines and for Spain to
Eduardo de Lete, Mariano Ponce, Jose o remedy them; To oppose the evil forces
Alejandrino, Edilberto Evanglista, Galicano of reaction and medievalism;
Apacible, Antonio and Juan Luna, 'and' many o To advocate liberal ideas and progress;
more. In addition, Antonio Ma. Regidor and and
Joaquin Pardo de Tavera, who were exiled in o To champion the legitimate aspirations
Europe, also became part of the reformist of the Filipino people to life, democracy,
movement. Later on, the La Solidaridad was and happiness
established in 1889. It was achieved through
the help of Pablo Rianzares. It became the o Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo were
newspaper of the reformists in Spain. Jose Rizal written by Jose Rizal to awaken the nationalism
wrote under pseudonyms Dimas- alang and and awareness of Filipinos toward the tyranny
Laong Laan, Marcelo H. Del Pilar as Plaridel; of the Spaniards. Thus, the novels attacked
Antonio Luna, Taga-ilog. and Mariano Ponce, corrupt, immoral, and abusive friars. The friars,
Kalipulako, Naning, and Tikbalang The other in defense, banned the books, importation and
reformists were Jose Ma. Panganiban, Isabelo distribution. Also, Rizal annotated the Sucesos
de los Reyes, Pedro Serrano Laktaw, Jose de las Islas Filipinas, a book written by Dr.
Alejandrino Laktaw, and some others. They Antonio Morga.
were contrbutors to the said propaganda. FAILURE OF THE PROPAGANDA MOVEMENT

o According to Agoncillo (1990), the following o According to Bernard (1974), the failure of the
were among the main demands of the reformists' Propaganda Movement was caused
reformists: by numerous reasons. For instance, Spain's
o Fairness among Filipinos before the internal problems left them without ears to
law, listen to the propagandist platforms and
o Assimilation of Philippines as a regular request, which were published in La
province of Spain; Solidaridad. Also, the parishes blocked all
o Restoration of the Philippine outbreaks of the reformists through the
representation in the Cortes Philippine newspaper owned by the friars' La
o Filipinization of the Philippine Politica de España en Filipinas.The existence of
churches; and disunity also hindered the success of the
o Granting of individual liberties, such as reformists, quarrels on who should lead and
freedom of speech, of the press, and of conflicting ideas. Lastly, unavailability of funds
association and redress of grievances limited the movement of the propaganda
activities in Europe, which led to its failure.
 o At some point the propaganda movement government that seemed to be abusive to
achieved some success in promulgating ideas natives in the Philippines. Del Pilar exerted
used in its battle for reforms. The enormous effort to further make La Solidaridad
propagandists served as the voice of the many more effective in encouraging reforms in the
voiceless Filipinos who suffered from the Philippines. He studied and evaluated the
cruelty of Spaniards. They succeeded in Spanish political setup to invite more Filipinos
expressing the extreme emotions felt by the to join the propaganda.
abused Filipinos, and such was done by putting
experiences into words. The propagandists o Del Pilar worked hard to keep the eyes of the
used their skills and talents to promote the masses focused on the propaganda movement
rights that Filipinos should have, which were and to keep La Solidaridad running. On April 2
long deprived from them by the colonizers. The 1889, the Masonic lodge "Revolucion,"
movement had also touched men and women to organized by the Filipinos of Barcelona,
rise up and carry firearms to defend themselves petitioned Miguel Morayta, grand master of the
from countless abuses. At some point, such Gran Oriente Espanol, for affiliation of their
effort of the propaganda movement brought lodge with his federation. Del Pilar had several
unity to Filipinos. meetings with Morayta after two weeks. Del
Pilar was able to make alliances with the
o As time passed by, the word revolt knocked on Spanish Masons to support La Solidaridad's
the hearts of Filipino reformists. They later goal of taking reformation to the next level.
became revolutionaries who totally sought to
overthrow the Spanish regime. Followers of the THE NOLI ME TANGERE
regime, like Andress Bonifacio, Emilio o Noli Me Tangere, which means "touch me not"
Aguinaldo, Apolinario Mabini, Emilio Jacinto, has brought Jose Rizal both fame and
and some other leaders were greatly drawn oppositions at the same time. In 1887, Jose
toward revolts to attain reforms (Agoncillo, Rizal's literary distinction rose; the Novel was
1990). very influential, especially to reformist and
MARCELO H. DEL PILAR AS DELEGATE IN new-generation revolutionaries. It contained
BARCELONA OF THE PROPAGANDA MOVEMENT Rizal's strong conviction for patriotism and
liberty. It was total impeachment of the
o As an official delegate to Spain of the Comite de Philippine political and religious regime
Propaganda de Manila, Marcelo H. del Pilar controlled by Spaniards. It was a declaration of
carried with him the two stages of the the Filipino nationalism, encouraging Filipinos
committee's plans. The first strategy of the to join their fight toward reform and
committee was to use legal and peaceful independence. In the dedication of the book "mi
campaign to win the heart of Spain and provide patria", Rizal exposed the malignance, which
a seat for the Philippines in the Cortes to was consuming away the essence of Philippine
advance their desired reforms for the country. society. Exposing such disease leds to a way of
Publications and propagandas were made to finding cure for it. Curing the disease of the
fuel such plan. Also, such action paved the way Philippine society called for nationalism and
for their second strategy, which was to awaken educating Filipinos (Schumacher, 1997).
the consciousness of Filipinos in the
Philippines and encourage them to join the
movement that later on paved the way for
revolt. An account of a revolt, which supported
such strategy was the May 1889 struggle for
Philippine independence. The second stage
included the expulsion of friars in the
Philippines (Schumacher, 1997).

o La Solidaridad was an effective propaganda,

which influenced numerous Spanish politicians
and a good tool in going against the friars'
prominence in the Philippines. Such
propaganda of La Solidaridad gained support
from numerous natives and had gone deeper
toward political dealings of the Spanish