LESSONS (1834-1862), it adopted four constitutions, elected 28

parliaments, and installed 529

One lesson is Rizal’s life is education. You have to be
educated (not just schooled). And it is good to you if ministers. It also suffered from internal party strite,
you have some education abroad. Spain is good then revolutions and other political
and now. Or the United States. Most of Pinas
nomenklatura have studied abroad, not just in Asia. Try upheavals (Zaide, 1999).
Madrid, London or norte america. There are
scholarships, try succeed get one.

Another is not to take too seriously the good of your

people if the mindset of the people is not yet ripe for it. Economic Context
If you will try to lift the mental age of people, you are in
for heartaches. Let the people be; let them live and The second half of the 19th century was a period of
pass on and die. And if in your generation the people’s rapid economic growth.
mind is ripe for a change, then ride the crest of that
In Europe, the use of increasingly expensive, powerful
change. Or die facing the firing squad. or Jail a la
and productive steam engines
Ninoy.
resulted in the use of machinery in the manufacturing
Have money or resources. If you have none, you are a
sector in the cities of Europe
goner, no matter what wisdom you mouth to your
people; they are dusts in the wind. Words must be (Odense, 2006). The benefits arising from these
backed by a bank account. technological innovations paved the
And mind your self-interests. If the interests of others way for efficient production. With more products in
jibed with yours, fine. If not, leave them and let them place, the countries are looking
be. Mind your interests first, second and last. This Rizal
failed to hammer in the minds of the youth. for more places to trade. The invention of tools, ships,
and other types of machinery
Take that from one who read Rizal’s life, and Mabini’s
and the rest of the heroic brotherhood of the 1890s. brought trade, governments, and people closer to each
other. To remove these

external barriers, the Suez Canal was constructed. The

Suez Canal is a waterway

that connects Europe to Asia by creating a direct

shipping route without having to

circumnavigate the African continent. This new

infrastructure brought about by the
POLITICAL CONTEXT
economic developments in Europe brought Spain
In the context of the Philippines, the country suffered closer to the Philippines.
from different social
The opening of the Suez Canal also brought several
issues as a result of the Spanish despotic colonial rule. advantages to the
The Filipino people were
Philippines. First, the distance of travel between
exposed to the evils of colonial rule such as Europe and the Philippines was
maladministration of justice, no equality
significantly shortened. Second, and it brought the
before the law, racial prejudice, forced labor, trailocracy country closer to Spain. Before the
and lack ot representation
canal's opening, the travel from Spain to the
in the Spanish Cortes. Internally, Spain was suffering Philippines would take more than two
from frequent constitutional
months. However, upon the opening of the Suez Canal,
and govemmental changes that led to colonial it was significantly reduced
instability. In a short span of 28 years
to 30 days,
 2. Settlement of the Spaniards in the provinces for
agricultural and trade

purposes; and
SocioCultural Context
3.Government expropriation of the landed estates of
The 19' century also brought socio-cultural changes in the friar corporations.
Spain and the

Philippines. First, there came the rise of the

enlightenment period, where people

began to rely on human reason rather than faith and

religion. in the Philippines, information through books
and print media began to spread across the seas. The Spanish goverment:

opening of the Suez Canal made these pieces of

information readily available to the
led to the decline of pre- existing and often prosperous
Filipinos by mail or hand-carried by travelers, The economic and political centers in the Philippines, due
political and social developments to lack of any real incentives for the “Indios”

of other countries also reached the Philippines.

Knowing how the French took part in

their political revolution and how the Arnericans

engaged in the civil war became an

inspring lesson to the Flipinos, especially the lustrados.

The desire for freedom and

independence continued to grow among them.

Next, the 19" century Philippines saw the rise of

middle-class, the principalias.

With the increasing demand for abaca and other crops

in Europe, there was a need

for more Filipino people to cultivate lands. Manila

became a free port in 1834 primarily

to European traders. After several months, provincial

ports in the Philippines were

also opened to world trade. The increasing trade

resulted to its gradual increase that

can be attested to by these numbers (Majul, 1978):

To further the economic gain of Spain, the Spanish

officials recommended the

exploitation and cultivation of the Philippine resources

to expand its trade relationship

with Asia and Europe. To enhance their trading

capacities, Spain implemented the

following measures (Majul, 1978):

1. Reformation of the Galleon Trade: