IDEOLOGY IN THE

PROSE
GROUP 6
 Key points of the
Discussion
•El Amor Propio
•Letters to the Women of Malolos
• The Indolence of the Filipinos
•The Philippines: A Century Hence
 EL AMOR PATRIO (Love for
KEY POINTS: Country)
•Rizal wrote this essay when he was in Barcelona days after
he arrived in June 1882.
•Laong Laan- Rizal’s pen name
•Published in Diariong Tagalog on August 20,1882
•Basilio Teodoro Moran is the publisher of the Diariong
Tagalog
•The tagalong translation was written by Marcelo H. del
Pilar
 •It inspired a plebeian Manileno, Andres Bonifacio,
to write a poem faithfully echoing this essay entitled
Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa which was published
in the Katipunan newspaper Kalayaan in its first
issue dated January 18,1896.
•Publisher Basilio Teodoro Moran was deeply
impressed by Amor Patrio, he congratulated Rizal and
requested for more articles. Rizal wrote the second
article entitled “Los Viajes”(Travels). His third
article, “Revista De Madrid”(Review of Madrid),
which was written in Madrid on November
29,1882 was returned on him because the Diariong
 LETTERS TO THE WOMEN
OF MALOLOS
This essay was written by Rizal on the 17th
of February, 1889 when he was in London, in
response to the request of Marcelo H. Del Pilar. His
legacy to Filipino women is embodied in this essay
where he addresses all kinds of women – mothers,
wives, the unmarried, etc. and expresses
everything that he wishes them to keep in mind.
This essay was originally written in Tagalog.
•The rejection of the spiritual authority of the friars –
not all of the priests in the country that time
embodied the true spirit of Christ and His Church.
Most of them were corrupted by worldly desires and
used worldly methods to effect change and force
discipline among the people.
• The defense of private judgment
•Qualities Filipino mothers need to possess – as
evidenced by this portion of his letter, Rizal is greatly
concerned of the welfare of the Filipino children and
the homes they grow up in.
•Duties and responsibilities of Filipino mothers
to their children
•Duties and responsibilities of a wife to her
husband – Filipino women are known to be
submissive, tender, and loving. Rizal states in
this portion of his letter how Filipino women
ought to be as wives, in order to preserve
the identity of the race.
•Counsel to young women on their choice of a
 Summarization:

• Addressed to 20 courageous young women of

Malolos for their perseverance to pursue the
establishment of a night school where they can
study Spanish.
“On 12 December 1888, 20 young women from
Malolos petitioned Governor- General Weyler
for the establishment of a “night school” to
study Spanish under Teodoro Sandiko, a professor
of Latin. However, Fr. Felipe Garcia, the Spanish
parish priest, objected to the petition, prompting
the governor-general to dismiss the petition.
Unperturbed, the young women continued with
their clamor (for the establishment of the school)
1st condition: The women were required to fund the
school themselves since the government refused to.
2nd condition: Their teacher would be Guadalupe
Reyes rather than Sandico, who had been blacklisted
by the friar-curate of Malolos.
3rd condition: The classes would have to be held in
the day and not at night, probably due to the
association of night time gatherings with subversive
meetings. The school remained open for three months
•Jose Rizal was greatly impressed by the fighting spirit
that the young women of Malolos had shown. In his
letter, he expresses great joy and satisfaction over the
battle they had fought. In this portion of Rizal’s letter,
it is obvious that his ultimate desire was for women to
be offered the same opportunities as those received by
men in terms of education. During those days young
girls were not sent to school because of the universal
notion that they would soon only be taken as wives and
stay at home with the children. Rizal, however,
emphasizes on freedom of thought and the right to
 THE INDOLENCE OF THE
FILIPINOS
La Indolencia de los Filipinos,
more popularly known in its English
version, "The Indolence of the
Filipinos," is an exploratory essay written
by Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal,
to explain the alleged idleness of his
people during the Spanish
 Summarization:
• The Indolence of the Filipinos is a study of
the causes why the people did not, as was said,
work hard during the Spanish regime. Rizal
pointed out that long before the coming of the
Spaniards, the Filipinos were industrious and
hardworking. The Spanish reign brought about a
decline in economic activities because of certain
causes:
First cause: The establishment of the Galleon Trade
cut off all previous associations of the Philippines with
other countries in Asia and the Middle East. As a result,
business was only conducted with Spain through
Mexico. Because of this, the small businesses and
handicraft industries that flourished during the pre-
Spanish period gradually disappeared.
Second cause: Spain also extinguished the natives’
love of work because of the implementation of forced
labor. Because of the wars between Spain and other
countries in Europe as well as the Muslims in Mindanao,
the Filipinos were compelled to work in shipyards,
roads, and other public works, abandoning agriculture,
industry, and commerce.
Third cause: Spain did not protect the people against
foreign invaders and pirates. With no arms to defend
themselves, the natives were killed, their houses
burned, and their lands destroyed. As a result of this,
the Filipinos were forced to become nomads, lost
interest in cultivating their lands or in rebuilding the
industries that were shut down, and simply became
submissive to the mercy of God.
Third cause: Spain did not protect the people against
foreign invaders and pirates. With no arms to defend
themselves, the natives were killed, their houses
burned, and their lands destroyed. As a result of this,
the Filipinos were forced to become nomads, lost
interest in cultivating their lands or in rebuilding the
industries that were shut down, and simply became
submissive to the mercy of God.
Fourth cause: there was a crooked system of
education, if it was to be considered an education.
What was being taught in the schools were repetitive
prayers and other things that could not be used
by the students to lead the country to progress.
There were no courses in Agriculture, Industry, etc.,
which were badly needed by the Philippines during
those times.
Fifth cause: The Spanish rulers were a bad
example to despise manual labor. The officials
reported to work at noon and left early, all the
while doing nothing in line with their duties. The
women were seen constantly followed by servants
who dressed them and fanned them – personal
things which they ought to have done for
themselves
Sixth cause: Gambling was
established and widely propagated
during those times. Almost everyday
there were cockfights, and during feast
days, the government officials and
friars were the first to engange in all
sorts of bets and gambles.
Seventh cause: There was a crooked
system of religion. The friars taught the
naïve Filipinos that it was easier for a poor
man to enter heaven, and so they
preferred not to work and remain poor so
that they could easily enter heaven after
they died.
Lastly, the taxes were extremely high,
so much so that a huge portion of
what they earned went to the
government or to the friars. When the
object of their labor was removed and they
were exploited, they were reduced to
inaction.
Rizal admitted that the Filipinos did not
work so hard because they were wise
enough to adjust themselves to the warm,
tropical climate. “An hour’s work under
that burning sun, in the midst of
pernicious influences springing from
nature in activity, is equal to a day’s
labor in a temperate climate.”
Analysis of Rizal's work:
•The reasons for this said indolence were
clearly stated in the essay, and were not
based only on presumptions, but were
grounded on fact taken from history.
•Another thing that we might add that had
caused this indolence, is the lack of unity
among the Filipino people.
 THE PHILIPPINES A
CENTURY
This famous essay ofHENCE
Rizal entitled
"Filipinas de cien años" was first
published in La Solidaridad, Madrid,
between September 30, 1889, and
February 1, 1890.
 Summarization:
• Spain’s implementation of her military
policies– because of such laws, the Philippine
population decreased dramatically. Poverty
became more rampant than ever, and farmlands
were left to wither. The family as a unit of society
was neglected, and overall, every aspect of the life
of the Filipino was retarded.
• Deterioration and disappearance of
Filipino indigenous culture – when
Spain came with the sword and the cross,
it began the gradual destruction of the
native Philippine culture. Because of this,
the Filipinos started losing confidence in
their past and their heritage, became
doubtful of their present lifestyle, and
eventually lost hope in the future and the
•Passivity and submissiveness to the
Spanish colonizers– one of the most
powerful forces that influenced a culture of
silence among the natives were the
Spanish friars. Because of the use of
force, the Filipinos learned to submit
themselves to the will of the foreigners.
The question then arises as to what had
awakened the hearts and opened the
minds of the Filipino people with regards to
their plight. Eventually, the natives
realized that such oppression in their
society by foreign colonizers must no
longer be tolerated.
One question Rizal raises in this essay is
whether or not Spain can indeed prevent
the progress of the Philippines:

•Keeping the people uneducated and

ignorant had failed. National
consciousness had still awakened, and
great Filipino minds still emerged from the
rubble.
• Keeping the people impoverished also
came to no avail. On the contrary, living a
life of eternal destitution had allowed the
Filipinos to act on the desire for a change
in their way of life. They began to explore
other horizons through which they could
move towards progress.
• Exterminating the people as an
alternative to hindering progress did not
work either. The Filipino race was able to
survive amidst wars and famine, and
became even more numerous after such
catastrophes. To wipe out the nation
altogether would require the sacrifice of
thousands of Spanish soldiers, and this is
Spain, therefore, had no means to stop the
progress of the country. What she needs
to do is to change her colonial policies so
that they are in keeping with the needs of
the Philippine society and to the rising
nationalism of the people.
What Rizal had envisioned in his essay
came true. In 1898, the Americans
wrestled with Spain to win the Philippines,
and eventually took over the country.
Theirs was a reign of democracy and
liberty. Five decades after Rizal’s death,
the Philippines gained her long-awaited
independence.
 This was in fulfillment of what he had.”
written in his essay: “History does not
record in its annals any lasting
domination by one people over
another, of different races, of diverse
usages and customs, of opposite and
divergent ideas. One of the two had
to yield and succumb.”
Thank you,
Beyoncé!