SOCSC 005 Life and Works of Rizal

Looking at the Filipino Past , Indolence or Industry , El Filibusterismo : Context and Content
5.1 Looking at the Filipino Past ➢ Consist of 8 Chapters
➢ Discuss the political, social and economical aspects of a
Vocabulary: colonizer and the colonized country.
• the Royal Audencia or the royal court of ➢ The content of the book is based on documentary research,
Audencia
justice in Spain and its colonies observation and personal experience of Morga.
Ecclesistics • the religious missionaries ➢ Rizal is a secondary source of the book due to his Annotations.
• having ideas and attitudes not determined by ➢ Antonio de Morga Spanish lawyer and official in the Philippines
secular
any religious bias during the 17th century.
Introduction ➢ The Philippines was named in honor of King Philip II of Spain.
• During the Spanish colonial period, Philippines history was primarily EVENTS, HAPPENINGS, OCCURRENCE
written by the Spaniards. Early Spanish historians took note of the • The Sucesos is the work of an honest observer, a versatile
native’s appearance and the way of life. Jose Rizal annotation of bureaucrat, who knew the workings of the administration from the
Antonio Morga’s work, Sucesos de las Filipinas, was an attempt inside.
to redress this biased view of the Filipinos. Although Rizal’s Rizal’s Objectives
annotations have been “largely disregarded.” His work has been 1. To awaken the consciousness of the Filipinos regarding their
credited as the first Philippine history to be written from the glorious ways of the past
viewpoint of a Pilipino. 2. To correct what has been distorted about the Philippines due to
Presentation Spanish conquest
• Antonio de Morga Sánchez Garay was born in Seville. He 3. To prove that Filipinos are civilized even before the coming of the
graduated from the University of Salamanca in 1574 and in 1578 Spaniards
received a doctorate in canon law. He taught briefly in Osuna, and • Blumentritt’s Influence on Rizal Ferdinand Blumentritt has
then returned to Salamanca to study civil law. In 1580 he joined the encouraged Rizal to write about the Philippines’ pre-colonial History.
government service as a lawyer. Among other positions in Spain, ON RIZAL’s ANNOTATION
he held that of auditor general of the galleys. In 1582 he was serving THE FIRST OBJECTIVE
as mayor of Baracaldo in Vizcaya when he first married, to Juana • The Early Filipino Pride
de Briviesca de Munotones. Rizal strove to establish that the Filipinos could be proud of their
• In August 1593 he was notified that he had been selected as pre-conquest past.
Lieutenant to the Governor-General of the Philippines, starting what THE SECOND OBJECTIVE
would become 43 years of colonial service. He traveled • History as a Propaganda Weapon
accompanied by his family, 14 servants, three black slaves and his • Rizal aimed to use history as a propaganda weapon.
collection of books. Following the route of that time, he sailed from • EARLY GOVERNMENT
Cadiz in February 1594, arriving in Mexico in May. During the Our forefathers in the pre-colonial Philippines already possessed a
following period of preparation for the Pacific voyage, he heard two working judicial and legislative system
important cases, and supervised the supplying of the two ships to • HIGH LITERACY RATE
be used. He also recruited 200 soldiers for the garrison in Manila. The Spanish missionaries exploited the baybayin for their own ends,
They departed Acapulco on March 22, 1595, reaching Manila on learning and using it to translate their goals
June 11, 1595. He had the second-most powerful position in the • EARLY ARTILLERY
colony. Our ancestors were very proficient in the art of war. Aside from
• He first served under Governor-General Luis Pérez Dasmariñas, wielding swords and spears, they also knew how to make and fire
who was interim after his father's death. Francisco Tello de guns and cannons.
Guzmán soon succeeded him, and Morga reported to him during • SMOOTH FOREIGN RELATIONS
most of his time in the colony. In his account of the colonial The pre-colonial Filipinos had already established trading and
Philippines published in 1609, Morga noted the miserable condition diplomatic relations with countries as far away as the Middle East
suffered by many of the Spanish/Mexican soldiers, who were young, • SELF- SUFFICIENT
ill-paid and suffered in that unfamiliar environment. Few wanted to In terms of food, our forefathers did not suffer from any lack thereof.
settle in Manila, and higher-level government officials also sought to Blessed with such a resource-rich country, they had enough for
leave the colony in a few years. His first two reports to the Crown themselves and their families
covered a wide variety of topics, mentioning Japan, Mindanao, and • ADVANCED CIVILIZATION
China, in addition to civil, military and ecclesiastical activities within Our ancestors possessed a complex working society and a culture
the colony. replete with works of arts and literature
• He issued regulations for administrative reform, known as the • IMPORTANT POINTS
Ordenzas. Among his reforms was to restore the audencia. In 1598 ➢ Sucesos De Las Islas Filipinas is the first book to tackle the
he resigned as lieutenant governor to assume the office of oidor, or Philippine history.
judge, in the newly re-established Audiencia of Manila. The position ➢ The book discusses the political, social and economical
required his removal from much public life. aspects of a colonizer and the colonized country.
• SUCESOS DE LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS - An account of Spanish ➢ The book that describes the events inside and outside of the
observations about the Filipinos and the Philippines. country from 1493 to 1603, including the history of the
Background information/ Important information about Sucesos de Philippines.
las Islas Filipinas ➢ The pre-colonial Philippines already possessed a working
➢ Antonio De Morga - Author of Sucesos de las islas Filipinas judicial and legislative system
➢ This is one of the first books ever to tackle Philippine history. ➢ Spanish missionaries put an end to the baybayin written
➢ Book that describes the events inside and outside of the system of the Philippines to translate their goals
country from 1493 to 1603, including the history of the ➢ Our ancestors possessed a complex society and culture filled
Philippines. with arts and literature
SOCSC 005 Life and Works of Rizal
Looking at the Filipino Past , Indolence or Industry , El Filibusterismo : Context and Content
RIZAL’s Annotations natives was a view commonly held by foreigners who came to the
1. Philippines was NOT DESERTED and was actually HABITABLE. Philippines as evident in the conversation narrated above. Rizal and
2. Spaniards, like any other nation, treat food to which they are not the other propagandists, however, felt that this view was misguided
accustomed or is unknown to them with disgust. This fish that Morga and made efforts for its rectification. One such attempt was through
mentions is bagoong (salted & fermented fish) Rizal’s essay, “Sobre la Indolencia de los Filipinas” ( On the
Morga’s Sucesos Indolence of the Filipinos), which will serve as the topic of this chapter.
1. Philippines was DESERTED and INHABITABLE. Presentation
2. Beef and fish they know it best when it has started to rot and stink • a term used by the Spaniards to refer to the
Rizal’s Annotations vs. De Morga’s Sucesos ... indio native Filipinos; occasionally used in a
RIZAL’S 3 PROPOSITIONS derogatory manner
1. The people of the Philippines have a culture on their own, before • a series of raids in several Philippine towns
the coming of the Spaniards committed by Muslims from Mindanao during
Moro piracy
2. Filipinos were decimated, demoralized, exploited, and ruined by the the seventeenth to eighteenth
Spanish colonization centuries
3. The present state of the Philippines was not necessarily superior to
its past Indolence or Industry Sobre la Indolencia de los Filipinos ("On the
JOSE RIZAL AS PHILIPPINES’ NATIONAL HERO Indolence of the Filipinos" in Spanish) is a socio-political essay published
• Rizal gave us freedom by using goodness. in La Solidaridad in Madrid in 1890. It was written by José Rizal as a
• Jose Rizal became the Philippines’ National Hero because he response to the accusation of Indio or Malay indolence. Before the
fought for freedom in a silent but powerful way. Spaniards came, we were active and honest in trading; we use our abilities
and resources for our country’s benefits, and we never corrupt. Besides
• He expressed his love for the Philippines through his novels, essays
that, we are industrious and passionate, independent, value nature, and
and articles rather than through the use of force or aggression. protective and defensive of our territory. When the Spaniards came we
“To foretell the destiny of a nation, it is necessary to open the became gamblers, dependent, powerless, corrupt, amnesiacs
books that tell of her past.” - Rizal (makakalimutin), disloyal to our “identity”, and indolent. Being discontent,
IMPORTANCE OF RIZAL’S ANNOTATIONS TO THE PRESENT having continual wars and tolerance, due to slavery, getting deceits from
GENERATION the Spaniards, allowing pirates from the south (Mindanao Muslim pirates),
1. To awaken in the Filipinos the consciousness of our past and lacking unity, the Filipinos became indolent.
2. To devote ourselves to studying the future CHAPTER 1 SUMMARY:
3. To first lay bare the past, in order to better judge the present and to Rizal admits that indolence does exist among the Filipinos, but it cannot
survey the road trodden during three centuries be attributed to the troubles and backwardness of the country; rather it is
4. To prove Filipinos had a culture of their own, prior to colonization, the effect of the backwardness and troubles experienced by the country.
that the Filipinos were NOT inferior to the white man Past writings on indolence revolve only on either denying or affirming, and
5. To shatter the myth of the so-called “Indolence of the Filipinos” never studying its causes in depth. One must study the causes of
6. To reduce those Filipinos who denied their native tongue into rotten indolence, Rizal says, before curing it. He therefore enumerates the
causes of indolence and elaborates on the circumstances that have led to
fish
it. The hot climate, he points out, is a reasonable predisposition for
7. To seriously study Tagalog and produce a comprehensive Tagalog
indolence. Filipinos cannot be compared to Europeans, who live in cold
dictionary countries and who must exert much more effort at work. An hour's work
8. To embrace the generic term “Indio”, or in today’s case, Filipino, with under the Philippine sun, he says, is equivalent to a day's work in
all its negative connotations, and turn it into one of dignity and temperate region
nobility
CHAPTER 2 SUMMARY:
Summary Rizal says that an illness will worsen if the wrong treatment is given. The
• Rizal's annotations of Sucesos de Las Islas Filipinas may be same applies to indolence. People, however, should not lose hope in
considered an attempt to write Philippine history from the point of fighting indolence. Even before the Spaniards arrived, Rizal argues, the
view of a Filipino . With the publication of this work, Rizal provided early Filipinos were already carrying out trade within provinces and with
a linear view of history with Noli Me Tangere showing a view of the other neighboring countries; they were also engaged in agriculture and
present, El Filibusterismo and "The Philippines a Century Hence" mining; some natives even spoke Spanish. All this disproves the notion
illustrating a view of the future, and the annotations clarifying a view that Filipinos are by nature indolent. Rizal ends by asking what then would
of the past. have caused Filipinos to forget their past.
• In addition, Rizal's annotations should also be understood within the CHAPTER 3 SUMMARY:
context of propaganda work that Filipinos in Spain were engaged in. Rizal enumerates several reasons that may have caused the Filipinos'
The annotations explored the possibilities of creating a Filipino cultural and economic decadence. The frequent wars, insurrections, and
identity anchored clearly on a pre-Spanish past. invasions have brought disorder to the communities. Chaos has been
widespread, and destruction rampant. Many Filipinos have also been sent
5.2 Indolence or Industry
abroad to fight wars for Spain or for expeditions. Thus, the population has
Introduction decreased in number. Due to forced labor, many men have been sent to
In the opening scene of Noli Me Tangere, a social gathering in the shipyards to construct vessels. Meanwhile, natives who have had enough
house of Kapitan Tiago serves as a venue for guests to mingle and of abuse have gone to the mountains. As a result, the farms have been
converse. In one such occasions, Father Damaso explicitly states his neglected. The so-called indolence of Filipinos definitely has deeply rooted
opinion of the indio.While speaking to a young man about the native causes.
Filipinos, Damaso exclaims, “ As I believe in the Gospel! The Indian is CHAPTER 4 SUMMARY:
so indolent!” To this young man poses the question, Does this Filipinos, according to Rizal, are not responsible for their misfortunes,
indolence actually, naturally, exist among the natives or is there some as they are not their own masters. The Spanish government has not
truth in what a foreign traveler says that with indolence we excuse our encouraged labor and trade, which ceased after the government
own, as well backwardness and our colonial system?” Indolence in the treated the country's neighboring trade partners with great suspicion.
Trade has declined, furthermore, because of pirate attacks and the
SOCSC 005 Life and Works of Rizal
Looking at the Filipino Past , Indolence or Industry , El Filibusterismo : Context and Content
many restrictions imposed by the government, which gives no aid for 5.3 El Filibusterismo : Context and Content
crops and farmers. This and the abuse suffered under encomenderos
have caused many to abandon the fields. Businesses are monopolized Vocabulary:
by many government officials, red tape and bribery operate on a wide • (nineteenth century context) translated as
scale, and rampant gambling is tolerated by the government. This filibustero "subversive", a patriot who was usually
situation is compounded by the Church's wrong doctrine which holds associated with revolutionary activities
that the rich will not go to heaven, thus engendering a wrong attitude • police/military force assigned by the colonial
guardia civil
toward work. There has also been discrimination in education against government to maintain peace and order
natives. These are some of the main reasons that Rizal cites as cabeza de • head of the barangay
causing the deterioration of values among the Filipinos. barangay
CHAPTER 5 SUMMARY: Introduction
According to Rizal, all the causes of indolence can be reduced to two • Rizal's second novel, El Filibusterismo, is a story set in twilight years
factors. The first factor is the limited training and education Filipino natives of the Spanish colonial government in the Philippines . It was first
receive. Segregated from Spaniards, Filipinos do not receive the same translated into English by Charles Derbyshire in 1912 under the title,
opportunities that are available to the foreigners. They are taught to be Reign of Greed. The book according to the translator " represents
inferior. The second factor is the lack of a national sentiment of unity Rizal's more mature judgment on political and social conditions in
among them. Because Filipinos think they are inferior, they submit to the the islands, and in its graver and less hopeful tone reflects the
foreign culture and do everything to imitate it. The solution, according to disappointments and discouragements which he had encountered
Rizal, would be education and liberty. in his efforts to lead the way to reform.
ISSUES AND CAUSES OF INDOLENCE: Presentation
• First, the establishment of the Galleon Trade cut off all previous El filibusterismo - Rizal second novel sequel to the Noli Me Tangere.
associations of the Philippines with other countries in Asia and the The Reign of Greed - traslated into english by Charles Derbyshire in
Middle East. As a result, business was only conducted with Spain 1912.
through Mexico. Because of this, the small businesses and handicraft
HISTORY AND CONTEXT
industries that flourished during the pre-Spanish period gradually
THE PRINTING
disappeared.
• Second, Spain also extinguished the natives’ love of work because of • February 1888 - Rizal continued working on his novel and made
the implementation of forced labor. Because of the wars between Spain some revisions while he was in London.
and other countries in Europe as well as the Muslims in Mindanao, the • March 29, 1891 - complete the novel after three years in biarittz
Filipinos were compelled to work in shipyards, roads, and other public france.
works, abandoning agriculture, industry, and commerce. • September 18, 1891 - book published in Ghent with the help of his
• Third, Spain did not protect the people against foreign invaders and friend Valentin Ventura.
pirates. With no arms to defend themselves, the natives were killed, • Rizal sent 2 copies to Hongkong one for Basa and the other to Sixto
their houses burned, and their lands destroyed. As a result of this, the Lopez. The original manuscript and a printed copy gave to Valentin
Filipinos were forced to become nomads, lost interest in cultivating their Ventura with his autograph.
lands or in rebuilding the industries that were shut down, and simply • El Fili - is dedicated to Gomburza, the three priest accused of being
became submissive to the mercy of God. filibusters in 1872.
• Fourth, there was a crooked system of education, if it was to be • Gomburza - Don Mariano Gomez - died 73 years old.- Don Jose
considered an education. What were being taught in the schools were Burgos - died 35 years old.-Don Jacinto Zamora - died 37 years old.
repetitive prayers and other things that could not be used by the
• February 17, 1872 - gomburza publicly executed by garrote in
students to lead the country to progress. There were no courses in
Agriculture, Industry, etc., which were badly needed by the Philippines
Bagumbayan on the early morning.
during those times. Themes that can be seen in the story "El Fili begins where the
• Fifth, the Spanish rulers were a bad example to despise manual labor. Noli leaves off where:
The officials reported to work at noon and left early, all the while doing NOLI EL FILI
nothing in line with their duties. The women were seen constantly • Love • Hatred
followed by servants who dressed them and fanned them – personal • Romance • Pain
things which they ought to have done for themselves. • Aspiration • Bitterness
• Sixth, gambling was established and widely propagated during those • Heroism • Anger
times. Almost every day there were cockfights, and during feast days, • Mercy • Disillusionment
the government officials and friars were the first to engage in all sorts • Idealism • Vengeance
of bets and gambles.
• Seventh, there was a crooked system of religion. The friars taught the • In 1890, Wenceslao Retana wrote about the “filibuster” and
naïve Filipinos that it was easier for a poor man to enter heaven, and described the term as the one who, eager for the independence of
so they preferred not to work and remain poor so that they could easily the country, resorts to various extralegal proceedings in order to
enter heaven after they died. Lastly, the taxes were extremely high, so reach the objectives that he pursues’ (Aguilar, 2011)
much so that a huge portion of what they earned went to the • By the end of the nineteenth century, the Spanish colonial
government or to the friars. When the object of their labor was removed government defined” filibuster: as “someone who works for the
and they were exploited, they were reduced to inaction. separation of our overseas provinces”
Summary SYNOPSIS
• Rizal's essay, "On the Indolence of the Filipinos," provided a compelling Plot
argument about the trait foreigners criticized the Filipinos for - laziness. • The story of El Filibusterismo revolved around the main character,
Rather than accept the view that indolence was an inherent Simoun, who was the rich jeweller. Simoun was actually Crisostomo
characteristics among Filipinos, Rizal presented a persuasive view of Ibarra of the Noli whom everyone thought was killed by the guardia
the circumstances that brought about the Filipino's indolence and the civil at the Laguna de Bay thirteen years ago. He was able to escape
factors that might have maintained it. In the end, Rizal contended that and fled to Cuba. He became wealthy and was able to establish
the Filipino's predisposition through education and freedom.
SOCSC 005 Life and Works of Rizal
Looking at the Filipino Past , Indolence or Industry , El Filibusterismo : Context and Content
connections with prominent Spaniards officials. Upon his return to the main character Simoun who changed from being a moderate
the Philippines, Simoun became very influential being the consultant ilustrado to a revolutionary jeweler and planned to launch a
of the governor general. revolution against the colonial government. Through this novel, one
• Simoun came back with his grand plan to exact revenge on Spanish could see how a victim of oppression and injustice could turn into
officials and to rescue Maria Clara who entered the convent after an influential revolutionary.
learning the news of Ibbara’s death. He planned to launch a
revolution. Planting a bomb at the wedding ceremony which he
started by smuggling arms and recruiting followers, mainly from the
exploited and abused natives. One of his recruits was Basilio, the
son of Sisa. With the help of Capitan Tiago, Basilio was able to study
medicine in Manila. Simoun also began to establish an alliance with
Kabesang Tales and his revolutionary group. Kabesang Tales was
a former cabeza de barangay who was maltreated by the friars.
Using his position, Simoun encouraged corruption and more
oppressive government policies to enrage the people and thus
provoke them to revolt.
• Simoun’s plans of revolution failed twice. In his first attempt, he
decided not to give signal for the outbreak of the uprising upon
hearing the news of Maria Clara’s death. Basilio and the other
students were the arrested for allegedly forming a seditious
organization. Simoun arranged the release of Basilio who became
bitter and vengeful. However, he was very grateful to Simoun and
offered his full support for the revolution. The second attempt at
starting a revolution entailed the planting of a bomb at wedding
reception of Paulita Gomez and Juanito Pelaez. Illustrious guests at
the mansion included Padre Salvi and the governor general. In
Simouns’s plan, the revolution would be triggered by his gift to the
couple, a kerosene lamp with an explosive. When the lamp starts
flickering and someone turns the wick, there would be an explosion,
signaling the revolutionaries to attack all government buildings in
Manila.
• As planned, Simoun gave the lamp during the reception. Before
leaving the venue, he left a note with a message: “You will die
tonight,” signed by Crisostomo Ibarra. Meanwhile, when Basilo saw
all the people at the venue, his conscience bothered him. He saw
his friend Isagani, who was secretly watching his love, Paulita,
celebrating her wedding. Basilio told Isagani about the explosive
and asked him to leave the place.
• When Padre Salvi confirmed Ibarra’s handwriting, the guess began
to panic. The lamp flickered and Padre Irene tried to turn the wick.
But Isagani, wanting to save Paulita, ran into the house, grabbed
the lamp, and threw it into the river where it exploded.
• Simoun took refuge in the house of a kind Filipino preist, Padre
Florentino. The guardias civiles, however, learned about the
whereabouts of the fugitive, and informed the priest that they would
come in the evening to arrest Simoun.
• Instead of surrending to the authorities, Simoun poisoned himself.
As the poison started to take effect on his body, he confessed to
Padre Florentino his true identity and his plans for revenge. After
the long and redius confession, the priest told Simoun that his plans
might have failed because of the unjust means that were used. He
assured Simoun that there was still hope for the freedom of the
country.
• The story ended with Padre Florentino throwing Simouns’s jewels
into the sea so that they would not be used by the greedy. He also
prayed that when the right time comes, the treasure would be
recovered and used for a noble purpose.
Summary
• This topic traced the history of the term filibustero and how the
Filipinos defined the concept during Rizal's time. For the Spaniards,
a filibustero was someone who reveled against the government
while for the indios, he was a patriot who fought for the country's
freedom. Compared to Noli Me Tangere, El Filibusterismo showed
how Rizal matured as a writer. This transformation could be seen in