SUBJECT: LIFE AND WORKS OF JOSE RIZAL (GE9)

UNITS: 3

CHAPTER 2: 19TH Century Philippines as Rizal’s Context

Learning Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Appraise the link between the individual and society;
2. Analyze the various social, political, economic, and cultural changes that occurred
in the 19th century;
3. Understand Jose Rizal in the context of his times.

The Philippine Setting in the 19th Century

To fully appreciate the details of Rizal’s life, we need to place him within the larger
context of the Philippines in the 19th century. Knowing the background of the changing
landscape of the Philippine economy during this century is fundamental, as well as
recognizing how these developments had an impact on the society in which Rizal grew up,
became mature, and eventually was martyred.

The 19th century was a dynamic and creative age, particularly in Europe and the
United States. Industrialism, democracy, and nationalism fueled revolutionary changes in
economics, science, technology, and politics during this century. These changes allowed
men to achieve the pinnacles of prosperity and dignity.

Although 19th century Philippines was largely behind the times, traces of progress
were noted in some sectors. However, its social and economic structure was based on the
outmoded feudalistic patterns of exploitation and abuse of the indios. Racial
discriminatory practices were harsh and oppressive. Intellectual depravity prevailed and
government practices did not respect the needs of the people. This influenced how Rizal
became a nationalist and a patriot for his country.

Economic Setting

The rise of the nationalist movement in the late 19th century could hardly be
possible without the economic growth which took place in 19th century Philippines,
specifically after about 1830. The economic growth in those years led to an increasing
prosperity to the Filipino middle and upper classes as well as to the British and American
merchants who organized it. It also brought into the Philippines both the equipment and
the consumer goods which the Western industrialized economies could supply (that Spain
could not or would not).

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 End of the Galleon Trade
• Spanish government closed the ports of Manila to all countries except Mexico, thus
giving birth to the Manila-Acapulco Trade, popularly known as the Galleon Trade.
• The Galleon Trade (1565-1815) was a ship trade going back and forth between
Manila and Acapulco, Mexico. It started when Andres de Urdaneta, in convoy under
Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, discovered a return route from Cebu to Mexico in 1565.
This served as the central income-generating business for Spanish colonists in the
Philippines.
• The mango de Manila, tamarind, rice, carabao, cockfighting, Chinese tea and
textiles, fireworks display, and tuba making (coconut wine making) went to Mexico
through Trans-Pacific Trade. The return voyage, on the other hand, brought
numerous and valuable flora and fauna into the Philippines, including avocado,
guava, papaya, pineapple, horses and cattle.
• Other outcomes of this 250-year trade are intercultural exchanges between Asia.
Manila became a trading hub where China, India, Japan and Southeast Asian
countries sent their goods to be consolidated for shipping.
• The people who ran the hub and did most of the work were Chinese. Bringing goods
and workforce with the huge migration of Chinese in the Philippines because of the
Galleon Trade brought fear to the Spaniards. Thus, they taxed them, and when the
tension rose, the Spaniards massacred the Chinese workers. Eventually in the 17th
century and in the next few centuries, the Spaniard and Chinese learned to live with
each other.
• The Galleon Trade led modern, liberal ideas to enter the Philippines, gradually
inspiring the movement for independence from Spain.
• On September 14, 1815, the Galleon Trade came to an end with Mexico’s war on
independence.

Opening of the Suez Canal

• Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt that connects the
Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez.
• It was constructed by the Suez Canal Company between 1859 and 1869. Under the
French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps, Suez Canal was officially opened on
November 17, 1869.
• With the opening of the canal, travel between Europe and the Philippines was
considerably lessened. Previously, they had to sail around Cape of Good Hope to
reach Manila, which lasted for more than 3 months. The Suez Canal shortened it to
just 32-40 days.
• Immediately after its opening, it had a substantial impact on world trade as goods
were transported around the world in record time. The inauguration of the canal
became a big advantage on commercial enterprises particularly between Europe and
East Asia. This also positively affected the development of agricultural exports in
the Philippines, which brought economic prosperity to native indios and ilustrados.
More importantly, it became a major factor that allowed growth of nationalistic
desires of Jose Rizal and other Filipino ilustrados.
• It also accelerated the importation not only of commercial products but also of
newspapers, books, and magazines with liberal ideas from America and Europe,
which ultimately influenced the minds of Rizal and other Filipino reformists. • The
opening of the Suez Canal also invigorated the ilustrados, especially Jose Rizal, to

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 pursue education abroad and grasp scientific and liberal ideals in European
academic institutions. The reformists’ social dealings with liberals in the West had
a big influence on their thoughts on politics, government, and nationhood. Higher
and better education was situated typically in Madrid and Barcelona, Spain which
allowed the reformists to use Spanish as their key means of communication. Out of
this brilliant group of students from the Philippines arose what came to be known
as the “Propaganda Movement.”

Opening of Port to World Trade

• The opening of the Philippine port to world trade means that the goods from the
Philippines could be shipped out to any of the countries abroad and goods from
other countries could directly enter the Philippines.
• Governor General Felix Berenguer de Marquina recommended to the King of Spain
to open Manila to world commerce. In a royal decree issued on September 6, 1834,
the port of Manila was opened to world trade.
• Because Manila was an impressive harbor as the shape of its bay protected trade
board from tough waters, it turned out to be one of the best cities to trade with,
attracting American, British and other European and Asian merchants to its shores.
• State-of-the-art methods of production and transportation such as sugar mills and
steamships opened the Philippines for economic development. British, Dutch,
French, and North American traders began to demand Philippine agricultural
products including cigars, sugar and Manila hemp (abaca). Sugar became the top
export crop, leading Spain to lift restrictions on trade between foreign nations and
the Philippines.
• One impact of the opening of the Philippine port to world trade was that the economy
rose rapidly as its local industries developed to fulfill the rising demands of an
industrializing Europe. Manila expanded and more people came to settle in the city
and grew rich through profit from trade.

Rise of the Export Crop Economy and Monopolies

• Philippines was well on its way of forming an export crop economy. Products like
sugar, abaca, and coffee were produced for foreign markets.
• The development of the export crop industry in the Philippines was motivated by the
commercial undertakings of North European and North American merchants. They
provided capital, organization and access to foreign markets and sources of imports.
But since they based their operations in port cities especially Manila, they needed
agents who could distribute imports in the interior and buy up goods for export. The
role was assumed primarily by the Chinese.
• Another major source of wealth during the post-galleon era was monopoly.
• The Chinese took advantage of this commercial prospect for the rest of the 19th
century, along with the Spaniards. The opium monopoly was specifically a profitable
one. The use of opium was legalized by the Spanish government but only limited to
the Chinese people. A government monopoly of opium importation and sales was
created and the majority of contracts was held by the Chinese.
• Even before 1850, monopolies on certain products had been formed which was
controlled by the colonial government. This includes special crops and items such
as spirituous liquors, betel nut, tobacco, and explosives.

GE 9 LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL | LWLZ

 • In 1782, the tobacco industry was placed under government control, thereby
establishing the tobacco monopoly. Among the products that are monopolized,
tobacco was the most notorious and the most oppressive. During the first fifty years
of its presence, from 1782 to around 1832, this monopoly was intended to obtain
maximum return from the sale of tobacco by preserving a state monopoly in the
marketing of tobacco in the domestic market of the Philippines. Later on, the
colonial government exported the tobacco to other countries and to factories in
Manila.
• Widespread cultivation of tobacco was in the provinces of Cagayan Valley, Ilocos
Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Isabela, Abra, Nueva Ecija & Marinduque. These
provinces planted nothing but tobacco and sold their produce only to the
government at a pre-designated price, leaving little to no profit for the local farmers.
• After a century, it was abolished in 1882. One hundred years of social injustice and
hardship caused by the tobacco monopoly provoked Filipinos to strive for freedom
from colonial bondage.

Social Setting

Philippine society was primarily feudalistic, which is the result of the Spanish
landholding system enforced upon the country with the arrival of the colonizers. An elite
class exploited the masses, fueled by the “master-slave” relationship between the
Spaniards and the Filipinos. The Spaniards demanded all types of taxes and tributes, and
enlisted the natives for manual labor. As a result, the poor became poorer and the rich,
richer.

The pyramidal structure of the 19th century Philippine society favored the
Spaniards. The Spanish colonization in the Philippines paved the way to the establishment
of the new social stratification.

• The top of the pyramid was occupied by Spanish officials, the Peninsulares, and the
Friars. The Peninsulares are Spaniards born in Spain and settled in the country.
They occupied the highest class in the society and highest positions in government.
Friars are members of the Roman Catholic orders (Augustinians, Jesuits,
Dominicans, Franciscans, and Recoletos).
• The Insulares or the Spaniards born in the Philippines and the Creoles or Spaniards
born in the colonies of Spain were below the Peninsulares, but like the Peninsulares,
the Insulares also enjoyed the luxuries in the Philippines. The middle class included
the Mestizos which generally refers to those of mixed race, such as Spanish and
native (Mestizo de Español) and Chinese and native (Mestizo de Sangley). Jose Rizal
and other ilustrados who sought reform in the society during the Spanish
colonization belonged to the middle class, but Rizal asked to be classified as an
indio.
• Its base, by the Filipino majority, are the indios or the masses. This included
laborers, commoners and peasants. They only enjoyed a few civil rights and
privileges. The members of the Katipunan, a secret organization that would trigger
the revolution, mainly consisted of the masses.

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 • Racial discrimination was widespread as the Spanish-born peninsulares were given
the topmost offices and positions in society. The insulares, creoles, and the mestizos
enjoyed second priority, while the natives or indios were looked down.

For almost three centuries since the Spaniards established the first settlement in the
Philippines, there was no systematic government supervision of schools. The schools were
permitted to dispense their own curricula and set the qualifications of their teachers.
Schools were established and run by Catholic missionaries aiming to convert the natives
to Catholic faith and make them obedient.

• The lack of academic freedom in Spain’s educational system was extended to schools
founded in the Philippines. Learning in every level was essentially by rote. The
students memorized and imitated the contents of books without having an
understanding of what is written.
• The friars had a main and leading position in the Philippine educational system as
religion was the primary subject in schools. Fear of God was given emphasis as well
as obedience to the friars. Indios were relentlessly reminded that they had inferior
intelligence and they only fit for manual labor. These practices led to lack of personal
confidence and a development of inferiority complex of the natives.
• The most serious criticisms against the Spanish educational system were the
overemphasis on religious content, outdated teaching methods, limited curriculum,
obsolete classroom facilities, neglect of primary school, absence of teaching
materials such as books in primary and secondary school, absence of academic
freedom (the implementation of the Moret Decree of 1870 which aims to secularize
higher education in the Philippines was opposed by the friars), the prejudice against
Filipinos in the schools of higher learning, and the friar’s control over the system.
• Educational Decree 1863 declared that each major town in the colony was to
establish at least one elementary school for boys and another one for girls. Books
and other materials have to pass rigid censorship by the Church and civil
authorities.
• Colegio de San Juan de Letran was the only official secondary school in the
Philippines for boys. Secondary education was also offered at the Ateneo de Manila.
• Seven provinces had private colleges and Latin schools for general studies. • The
schools for secondary education for girls in Manila were Santa Isabel, La Concordia,
Santa Rosa, Asilo de Lookan, and Santa Catalina.
• Theological seminaries were established in Manila, Cebu, Jaro (Iloilo), Nueva
Caceres (Naga) and Nueva Segovia (Vigan).
• Up to the end of the Spanish regime, University of Santo Tomas was the only
institution in the university level in Manila. It was initially established solely for
Spaniards and mestizos. It opened its doors to Filipino students decades before the
end of the Spanish rule.
• The Ilustrados were considered to be the new enlightened class in the country, but
despite their wealth and education, they were still deemed by the Spaniards as
inferior. One of their aims was to be in the same level as the Spaniards, but those
who were highly respected in their towns were regarded as filibusteros or rebels by
the friars. The most prominent is Jose Rizal who inspired thirst for freedom and
independence with his novels written in Spanish.

GE 9 LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL | LWLZ

 Rise of the Mestizos
• Outside the Philippines, the Spanish word mestizo is typically used to pertain to
individuals of mixed European and non-European ancestry. However, the lower
number of European mestizos in the Philippines made the term mestizo come to
mean mestizo de sangley. Although mestizo de sangley literally means "mixed-race
person of business," it suggests a "mixed-race person of Chinese and native (Filipino)
descent" since a lot of Chinese immigrants were traders and married local women.
• The Chinese Mestizo population in the Philippines exceeded 200,000 by the late
19th century. Chinese mestizo rose to prominence between 1741 and 1898,
primarily as a landholder and a middleman wholesaler of local produce and foreign
imports. They established themselves in Central Luzon, Cebu, Iloilo, Vigan, Taal,
Balayan, Batangas, Albay, Nueva Caceres, Molo and Jaro, dealing with sugar, coffee
and hemp products.
• The renewal of Chinese immigration to the Philippines resulted in the diversion of
mestizo energies away from commerce. Chinese mestizo in the Philippines
possessed a unique combination of cultural characteristics. Thus, during the late
19th century, because of cultural, economic and social changes, the mestizos
increasingly identified themselves with indios in a new kind of “Filipino” cultural
and national concerns.

Rise of the Inquilinos

• In modern Spanish, the term inquilino has the same meaning as the English word
tenant. The 19th century inquilino system in the Philippines is better understood
as a qualified system of tenancy or the right use to use land in exchange for rent.
• The elimination of the Galleon Trade and opening of the Suez Cana gave way for
more extensive rice cultivation and production. Many states turned progressively
to the inquilino system of land tenure, as this system was very profitable. During
harvest time, the administration would collect the rent of the inquilinos. As friar
estates enlarged, the boundaries that divided estates and communal lands became
a common cause of conflict.

Political Setting
The Philippines was governed by Spain through the Ministro de Ultramar based in Madrid.
It established a centralized colonial government that was composed of a national
government and local governments that led the provinces, cities, towns and municipalities.
The national government maintain peace and order, collected taxes and built schools and
other public works. The central government was made of the executive branch (led by the
governor general) and the judicial branch:
• Governor General – The King of Spain’s representative and the highest-ranking
official in the Philippines. The governor general had great powers. He had the power
to appoint and dismiss public officials, except those personally chosen by the King.
He was the commander-in-chief of the colonial armed forces. He was also the
president of the Royal Audencia (similar to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
today).
• Royal Audencia – This was the highest court of the colony and headed the judicial
system. It served as an advisory body to the Governor General. It had the power to
check and report the Governor General’s abuses. It also served as the auditor of

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 the government finances and a high council to which government affairs were
referred.
• Residencia – This was a special judicial court that investigates the performance of
a Governor General who was about to be replaced. The Residencia, of which the
incoming Governor General was a member, submits a report of its findings to the
King.
• Visitador General – Sent by the Council of the Indies in Spain to observe the
conditions in the colony. The Visitador General reports the findings directly to the
King.

The Spanish created local government units (LGUs) for the provinces. Although they were
paid a small salary, they enjoyed privileges such as indulto de comercio or the right to
participate in the Galleon Trade. The provincial government was made of:
• Alcalde Mayor: Also known as civil governor leading the alcaldia (province)
• Gobernadorcillos – They were known as little governors and headed several pueblos
(towns). Their main roles included efficient governance and tax collection. They had
small salaries but were exempted from paying taxes. (Emilio Aguinaldo was a
gobernadorcillo). Four lieutenants aided the gobernadorcillos:
- Teniente Mayor (chief lieutenant)
- Teniente de Policia (police lieutenant)
- Teniente de Sementeras (lieutenant of the fields)
- Teniente de Ganados (lieutenant of the livestock)
• Cabeza de Barangay: They were responsible for the peace and order of the barangays
or barrios and were recruited for public works. They collected taxes and tributes
from their constituents. They were required to be literate in Spanish and with good
moral character. Cabezas who served for 25 years were exempted from forced labor.
The municipal government was made of:
- Corrigimiento: Led the corregidor
• The larger towns became cities called ayuntamiento. It became the center of trade
and industry. Ayuntamiento had a city council called the cabildo. The city
government was made of: • Alcalde – The Mayor • Regidores – The Councilors •
Alguacil Mayor – The Police Chief • Escribando – The Secretary The colonial
government also included: • Guardia Civil: Organized in 1867, they were the corps
of native police led by Spanish officers. In 1880’s they engaged in summary arrest
of any persons denounced by the friars and considered filibusteros.

PREPARED BY:

ELLA MAE G. DAGSAAN, LPT

Subject Instructor/Facilitator

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