Lesson 2: Conditions in the

Philippines in the 19th Century

LESSON OBJECTIVES :
• Review the political and social changes that
occurred in Europe in the 19th century
• Analyze how the changes in Europe affected
an Asian colony (ex: the Philippines was a
colony of Spain, a western Europe country)
 Liberal stirrings from Europe reached the
Philippines. In the Ilocos, leading citizens
there, called Kailanes, refused to believe that
the Cadiz Constitution was abolished by King
Ferdinand and rose up in revolt. They were
crushed by troops from the other provinces.
• Cadiz Constitution- political constitution of
the Spanish monarchy, also known as the
Constitution of Cadiz and as La Pepa, was
the first constitutions of Spain and one of
the earliest constitutions in the world
history.
• 1826, Mexican soldiers led by Lt. Andres
Novales mutinied. They complained of
discrimination and unfair treatment from
peninsular officials following the
independence of Mexico from Spain. The
mutineers tried to rally the Filipinos to their
support and promise to fight for the
independence of the Philippines. The
mutiny, however, was crushed and the
rebels were executed.
• 1841-1842, Apolinario de la Cruz refused to
disband his religious organization, the Cofradia de
San Jose. De la Cruz aspired to be a priest but was
refused by the Spaniards because of his race.
Instead, he founded the Cofradia which gained
popularity among ordinary people and was seen
as a threat by the Catholic Church. After his
execution and his supression of the Cofradia,
members of the Tayabas Regiment of the Spanish
army, who turned out to be province-mates of de
la Cruz, multinied and almost took over Manila.
The arrival of native reinforcements saved the
Spanish colonizers from certain defeat.
• Cofradia - group/organization of Roman
Catholic Laymen in Mexico and Central
America responsible for the material care of
religious images, pilgrimages and
ceremonies.
• Demographically, the Spaniards were a
minority in the Philippines. Peninsular
officials of officials born in Spain were very
few consisting of the governor – general, a
few subalterns and the top church officials,
and the insular officials, the Spaniards born
in the Philippines who were also few in
comparison to the native population which
numbered around six million.
• In large towns, the Spanish officials were
only the parish priest and the head of the
local police. The colonial order was
maintained largely by native officials. Local
officials such as the gobernadorcillos, the
councilmen, and others were natives. The
policemen were also natives, and even the
composition of the local Spanish army and
civil guards was largely natives. Only the
officials down to the rank of sergeants were
Spaniards.
• The gobernadorcillos were afforded the titles
of capitan municipal, teniente, and cabeza.
Though their positions did not pay much, the
titles gave them an exalted position in native
society and were called principales or leading
citizens.
• There were also some material rewards in
serving the Spaniards. A number of the
pricipales descended from the loyal datus
who pledged their loyalty to the colonizers.
They were exempt from taxation and
community labor or prestacion personal.
They were also entitled to receive a portion
of their collection from the people.
• After serving their terms of office, former
officials were still eligible for reelection. It
was possible for former officials to be
reinstated into their former officers several
times. This explains why Spain controlled
the Philippines for more than 300 years.
• Spain controlled the natives through the
native leaders.
• Changes in the 19th century had profound
effects to the Philippines. Eve during the
previous century when it was forbidden for
the Philippines to trade with other countries
because of Spains’s monopolistic policy,
colonial officials ignored this instruction and
traded with other nations anyway because it
promised income for the Philippines.
• By 1834, this mercantilist policy of not
allowing the Philippines to trade with other
countries was scrapped with the opening of
Manila to world trade. Other ports in the
colony like Iloilo and Zamboanga later
followed.
• There was brisk demand for Philippine
products such as sugar, coffee, abaca,
tobacco, dyestuff, and rice. This created
economic opportunities as many families
began trading these products for the
international market.
• In the process, they became more affluent
and formed the nucleus of the middle –
class. The increased wealth allowed middle
– class families to have better homes and
send their children to colleges and
universities for higher education.
• During the early 19th century, the education
of choice was priesthood and many middle
– class families sent their sons to
seminaries in Manila. They obtained higher
education degrees which made them equal
with the Spaniards.
• Eventually, they became concerned with the
issues of equality including secularization.
By the time, Rizal’s birth in 1861, the cry for
equality was the cry of the times. It
influenced Rizal throughout his life and it
became his lifelong quest.
Lesson 3: Religious Front:
Secularization
LESSON OBJECTIVES :
• Define the word “secularization” and apply
this to the Philippine situation in the 19th
century;
• State a working definition of the word
“secularization”; and
• Differentiate a regular priest and a secular
priest.
• As early as 16th century, it was the wish of
the King of Spain and of the Pope to turn
over the country’s parishes to the secular
priests.
• At the beginning of the Spanish
colonization, the task of establishing and
administering the country’s parishes was
done by the regular priests who belong to
different religious orders. These were
Augustinians, Recollects, Jesuits,
Franciscans, and Dominicans.
• During the Spanish colonization, the
Spaniards in the Philippines who were born
and who grew up in Spain were called
peninsulares, while the Spaniards born in
the Philippines were called Filipinos. This
issue was between the Spanish regulars
versus the Filipino seculars.
• In the forefront of this struggle were Filipino
Priests like Fathers Pedro Pablo Pelaez,
Jacinto Zamora, Mariano Gomez, and Jose
Burgos who championed the cause of equal
rights with Spaniards and the reduction of
the influence of the Church in politics.
• The King of Spain and the Pope himself
gave instructions for the secularization of
the country’s parishes, but this was resisted
by orders of friars who contended that the
Filipino seculars were never ready to take
over.
• During the previous administration of the
liberal Governor – General Carlos Ma. de la
Torre, these Filipinos liberals and seculars
were allowed to voice their grievances.
Under Governor – General Izquierdo’s
regime, this right was suppressed.
• Filipinos struggled to defend their gains under
the old regime. They were already identified by
conservatives to eliminate the Filipino liberals.
• The Spanish forces arrested several known
liberals, among them were Jose Ma. Basa,
Antonio Ma. Regidor, Balbino Maurico, Joaquin
Pardo de Tavera, and Filipino secular priests
like Pedro Dandan and Toribio H. del Pilar, the
brother of propagandist Marcelo H. del Pilar.
• Father Gomez, Burgos and Zamora were
identified by a false witness named
Francisco Zaldua, who pointed out that the
three priests were indeed out to lead a
government that would overthrow the
Spaniards and install Father Burgos as the
future leader of the Philippines.
• Despite the protests and insufficient
evidence, the three priests were garroted as
Bagumabayan on February 17, 1872.
• Reinforcing Spanish domination in the
country were the Spanish clergymen.
• Through centuries of Spanish rule, they
performed an important role not only as
spreaders of the Christian faith but also as
representatives of the colonial government.
• Spanish religious officials acted as the eyes
and ears of the colonial government and in
many cases, they served or held positions in
the government.
• On the local level, Church operated parish
schools which were the primary schools
until the enactment of religious reforms in
1868.
• In the local level, the parish priest often
endorsed candidates for political positions.
• In the national level, religious officials acted
as advisers to the governor – general.
• Religious officials serve longer than the
governor – general whose average term
lasted around three years. Given this
condition, the religious officials were deeply
entrenched and it was difficult for a new
governor – general to enforce sweeping
reforms especially those that threaten the
supremacy of the religious officials.
• With the cries for reform, especially those
concerning secularization, the religious
orders strongly opposed the efforts.
Thank You!