GED0102 Life and Works of Rizal

MODULE 2

PROLOGUE: Reading Assignment on Rizal and his times (19 th Century) Introduction pp
1-9
Three (3) important things I realized from the reading (elaborate)
1. The Philippines suffered a lot for a long time. Many Filipinos didn’t experience freedom
during the Spaniard Colonization. One of the things I realized from the readings is that
having the courage to speak up or stand up for what is right is important to achieve
freedom. It is important not to be blind when it comes to the wrongdoings and evil acts of
the people in power. It is also important for the Filipino people to have perseverance that
no matter how hard the process and how difficult the situation is, they must stay
determined and steadfast to achieve well-deserved freedom. Our heroes like Dr. Jose
Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, the three martyred priests (GOMBURZA), other members of La
Liga Filipina, Propaganda Movement, other members of the Kataastaasan, Kagalang-
galangang Katipunan (KKK), and other Filipino who fought against the Spanish
Government, sacrificed their own lives to achieve the desired freedom for the Philippines.

2. Another thing I realized from the readings is that fairness has a very important role in the
lives of people. During the 19th century, many Filipinos are victims of unfair treatment,
injustices, discrimination, social disparity, class inequalities, brutality, abuses, and many
more. They suffered cruel and violent treatment from the Spaniards. Filipinos don’t
deserve to be treated unfairly. Every Filipino deserves to have equal rights in terms of
civil, political, social, and cultural aspects of life. For Dr. Jose Rizal, human beings,
without distinction of any kind, must be born equal and free in dignity and rights.

3. And lastly, I realized the importance of learning history by reading. It’s like going into a
different time, without actually leaving. It’s like going to a certain period of time without
using any time machine. By reading history, you’ll get to understand what are the
situations and experiences of the people in the past; you’ll get to know what are the
challenges they faced during the most difficult time of their lives; you’ll get to know
where you came from, and you’ll get a better understanding as to what we are today. Our
history serves as a mirror, we should reflect on the experiences and happenings from the
past as awareness to prevent making the same mistakes and to avoid repeating past
tragedies. There are so many lessons that we can learn from history. And by learning and
knowing history let’s be the light or guide for those people who think that the situation is
hopeless.
EPILOGUE: Assessment on Rizal and his times (19th Century) Introduction pp 1-9
My assessment of Rizal and 19th Century setting

1. What are the prevalent themes and situations during 19th century? Explain.

The 19th century is a war for independence throughout the world. Invasions and
colonization occurred across the world. And the Philippines is not an exemption from the
occupation of the Spaniards. For 333 years, the Spanish ruled the country. The 19th
century is considered as one of the dark eras or periods of the Philippines. There are
major changes that happened in the country, one is the changes in the economic trade, the
rise of the middle class resulting from the growth of commercial agriculture, the middle
class are the Chinese Mestizos, and the Christianity introduced by the Spanish to the
Philippines and many Filipino people became Christians. The State and the Church were
linked during the 19th century. But the wickedness, corruption, and immorality of the
Spaniards towards the Filipino people prevailed during those times. Hence, nationalism
was born because of people’s passion for reform and their desire for freedom from the
abuse, unfair treatment, discrimination, and many evil acts of the Spanish regime. Dr.
Jose Rizal led the Filipinos, through his novels and writings, to start a revolution against
the Spanish government to attain freedom and gain control of the country.

2. Agree/Disagree: 19th century is a challenging period. Why/Why not?

The 19th century is a challenging period for the development of the Philippines. Because
of the instability of the Spanish Administration, particularly the frequent change of
officials, the political and economic development of the Philippines was hindered. During
the Spanish colonization, there was a union of Church and State. Aside from spreading
Christianism, the friars also controlled and ruled the Philippines. Even though there are
friars who were good men and gave beneficent influences and introduced the European
civilization to the Philippines, it is still undeniable that there are friars who made living in
the Philippines difficult. The 19th century is a challenging period, especially for the
Filipinos. It is not easy for them to live a peaceful life during the Spanish regime.
Filipinos were treated like slaves in their own homeland; they were abused and some
were killed; they were treated violently; they were forced to work in harsh conditions;
they were still enslaved even though they paid their taxes; they were deprived of life and
liberty. Frailocracy is also one of the things that made the lives of many Filipino difficult.
 3. Prove: 19th century Philippines have semblances to 21st century Philippines.
There are circumstances that happened in the 19th century that is still happening in the 21 st
century. Some of these are:

a. The endless and countless corruption made by the people in power. The
personal interests of the Spanish officials prevailed over their job to lead.
They accepted bribes from gambling, and they even received huge sums of
money from those who evaded the law. They collected tax for their own
benefit and not for the needs and demands of society. They arrived in the
Philippines as a poor man and they returned to Spain as millionaires.
Unfortunately, in the 21st century, there are still people who are corrupt and
incompetent just like the officials during the 19 th century. They became rich
by illegal means. I think the 21st century Filipinos don’t learn from the past,
because they still vote and appoint officials, who are incompetent and have a
background of corruption, to have a position in the government.

b. The maladministration of Justice. During Rizal’s time, the courts of justice

were ruled by Spanish judges, fiscals, and other court officials who are
corrupt, unjust, incompetent, and ignorant of the law. The poor Filipinos had
no access to the courts because it is costly. Justice was favorable to those
people who are wealthy and white-skinned. Many people are also victims of
injustices. They are jailed without due process of law, they were accused
without concrete evidence against them, and some were arrested unjustly. Just
like the three martyr priests, Father Mariano Gomez, Father Jose Burgos, and
Father Jacinto Zamora, they were victims of maladministration of justice, they
were beheaded without investigation and proper trial.

Up until the 21st century, the Philippines’ justice system cannot be accessed
easily. Justice is only for those who are in power and those who have money.
The ‘palakasan-system” always prevails. And just like in the 19 th century, the
judicial procedure was slow and so it was always delayed. If the poor were
involved in a case, the process is slow. And so “Justice delayed is justice
denied”. The justice system is biased and corrupt.

c. No equality between the people. Many Spanish authorities who were

Christians had an unchristian attitude, especially toward the Filipino people.
The Spanish regarded them as inferior beings who were undeserving of rights.
The white-skinned and high-nosed people were the superiors and the brown-
skinned and flat-nosed Filipinos were Indios. Enslaved Filipinos were abused
 by their Spanish masters but they can’t do anything about it because the Law
was only for the white Spaniards. In terms of labor, the brown Filipinos did all
the dirty jobs, like the construction of buildings and repairing public roads,
while some were paying a sum of money to escape or to be exempted from
manual labor. Racial discrimination, social disparity, and social inequalities
are still prevalent in the 21st century. Aspects of society such as politics, the
justice system, access to quality education, and access to quality healthcare
systems are always in favor of the rich and wealthy.

d. The abuse of power. The Guardia Civil in the 19th century and the Police in
the 21st century have the same purpose: to maintain peace and order in the
Philippines. But both of them don’t serve their purpose. Guardia Civil abused
and maltreated innocent people, and raped helpless women. They were ill-
trained and undisciplined. And now in the 21 st century, there are cases that
show the misuse of the position of the Police to the people. There are also
cases that show how the Police abuse their power, some people were tortured
and killed by the authorities. Their purpose is to serve and protect the people
not harm and kill them.

4. Create a list of the pressing problems and challenges of the 19th century. Discuss.

a. Maladministration of Justice/Injustice is one of the pressing problems and

challenges faced by Filipinos during the 19 th century. The law was only for the
white-skinned and wealthy. Filipinos were deprived of their rights to justice and
freedom.

b. No equality/Discrimination is also one of the prevalent problems during the 19 th

century. Many Filipinos became slaves to Spaniards, they were abused and
maltreated. They are treated unfairly because of their skin color, the height of
their nose, and even the color of their hair. They don’t have opportunities and
privileges like the Spaniards.

c. Authorities abusing their power is also one of the problems that need to be dealt
with immediately. It is very dangerous if the people who have power abuse their
power because they have nothing to fear. They use their power or authority to
physically abuse and harm the people they govern.
5. Find practical solutions or possible remedies to present day problems from experiences in
the 19th century setting.

One of the practical solutions or remedies to those authorities who abused their
power is that the government should be strict in selecting policemen, they should choose
good men who are educated, honest, and have good principles and moral values,
conscious of the limitations of their power and knows the responsibilities given to them.
Another solution for the corrupt officials is that Filipinos should not be
submissive to those people in power, always remember that we are the ones who put
them in the position, and we should always demand transparency and accountability from
them. Let’s not be blinded by their sweet talks. Let’s open our eyes to their unjust and
unfair actions. Speak and stand. If no one wants to act then be the change. Our heroes
didn’t sacrifice their lives just for us to repeat what happened in the past.

References:
Aspinwall, N. (2021). Police Killings Leads to Calls for Reform in the Philippines.
Retrieved from https://thediplomat.com/2021/06/police-killing-leads-to-calls-for-reform-
in-the-philippines/.
Borlaza, G., Cullinane, M., Hernandez, C. (2022). Philippines. Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/place/Philippines/The-19th-century
Kepplinger, H. (2019). Philippines in the 19th Century. Retrieved from
https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/university-of-manila/psychology/philippines-in-
the-19th/10718157.
Man, J. (2021). Disparity Definition: A Problem in our Society. Retrieved from
https://diversity.social/disparity-definition/#:~:text=Social%20Disparity%20refers%20to
%20disparities,institutions%2C%20as%20well%20as%20politics.
Pago, A. (2020). Access to PH Justice System Suffers Amid the Lockdown. Retrieved
from https://pcij.org/article/4090/covid-19-worsens-already-limited-access-to-justice.
Vitangcol, A. (2019). Unpredictable, biased, corrupt, and slow justice system. Retrieved
from https://www.manilatimes.net/2019/05/04/opinion/columnists/unpredictable-biased-
corrupt-and-slow-justice-system/549323.
Zaide, G., Zaide, S. (1998). Jose Rizal: Life, Works, and Writings of a Genius, Writer,
Scientist, and National Hero. (2nd ed., pp. 1-9).