Module 6 (Weeks 11-12): Rizal, Morga, and the
Future
1. Rizal's Annotations of Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas
Filipinas
The Context of Early Philippine History
● During the Spanish colonial period, Philippine history was primarily written by Spaniards.
● While early Spanish writers took note of the natives' appearance and lifestyle, many of
these histories were biased. They often depicted Filipinos in negative terms.
● Rizal's annotation of Morga's work was an attempt to redress this biased view.
● His work is credited as the first Philippine history to be written from the viewpoint of a
Filipino.
Antonio Morga and Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (1609)
Who Antonio Morga Was:
● A Spanish administrator who served in the Philippines in the late sixteenth century.
● He was born in Seville in 1559 and began government work in 1580.
● He held the powerful position of Lieutenant-Governor in the Philippines.
● He also served as a judge of the Audiencia in 1598.
● He later moved to Mexico, where he served as the president of the Audiencia.
● He was investigated for corruption and found guilty.
● He died in 1636 before he could be sent to the gallows.
Significance of Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas:
● Published in 1609 in Mexico.
● Sucesos means "the work of an honest observer, a versatile bureaucrat, who knew the
workings of the administration from the inside".
● Las Islas Filipinas means "The Philippine Island" (sic) and was named for King Philip II of
Spain.
● The book consisted of eight chapters.
○ The first seven chapters covered the terms of governors-general from Miguel Lopez
de Legazpi (1565) to Pedro de Acuna (1606).
○ The last chapter, "An account of the Philippine Islands," provided descriptions of
early Filipinos upon the Spaniards' arrival.
● It discusses the political, social, and economic aspects of the colonizer and the
colonized country.
● The book covers events from 1493 to 1603.
● Its content is based on documentary research, observation, and Morga's personal
experience.
Rizal’s Discovery and Annotation (1889)
● Rizal found a first-edition copy of Morga's Sucesos at the British Museum in late 1889.
● He began copying the text by hand and annotating it along the way.
● His intention was to create a critical work on the history of the Philippines.
● He initially hoped for help from Antonio Regidor but ended up with no publisher.
● By September 1889, Rizal decided to publish the annotations himself, using the Garnier
Hermanos printing press in Paris.
Reasons for Choosing Morga’s Work
Rizal specifically chose Morga's Sucesos for several reasons:
1. Rarity: The original Spanish edition was rare; it had never been reprinted in full until
Rizal's 1889 version.
2. Secular View: Unlike chronicles written by ecclesiastics (friars), Morga was a civil
administrator. This provided a secular view of events.
3. Credibility: Rizal believed this secular account was more credible than those written by
religious missionaries.
4. Sympathetic Tone: The work was considered more sympathetic towards the natives
compared to the biased accounts by friars.
5. Eyewitness Account: Morga was an eyewitness to the historical events he described
during the early Spanish colonization period.
Purpose of Rizal’s Annotations
Rizal's work was a key part of the Propaganda Movement and aimed to build a national identity.
His specific goals were:
● To awaken the consciousness of the Filipinos regarding their glorious ways of the past.
● To correct what has been distorted about the Philippines due to the Spanish conquest.
● To prove that Filipinos were civilized and advanced even before the coming of the
Spaniards.
● To assert Filipino identity within an oppressive colonial framework.
● To counter the Spanish chronicles that depicted Filipinos as barbarians by showing that
early Filipino culture was rich and flourishing.
Rizal's annotations completed his linear view of history:
● The Past: Annotations of Sucesos
● The Present: Noli Me Tangere
● The Future: El Filibusterismo and "The Philippines a Century Hence"
Highlights of Rizal's Annotations (Pre-Colonial Philippines)
Rizal's notes highlighted that pre-colonial Filipinos possessed:
● Early Government: A working judicial and legislative system.
● Advanced Artillery: Ancestors were proficient in the art of war, using swords, spears,
and also knowing how to use artillery.
● Self-Sufficiency: They did not suffer from a lack of food. The resource-rich country
provided enough for themselves and their families.
● High Literacy Rate: They used the baybayin script. Rizal noted that Spanish
missionaries exploited this script, learning and using it to translate their own goals.
● Smooth Foreign Relations: They had already established trading and diplomatic
relations with other countries.
● Advance Civilization: They had a complex working society and a culture "replete with
works of art and literature".
Examples of Rizal’s Clarifications
Rizal directly corrected Morga’s Eurocentric observations: | Morga's Observation | Rizal’s
Annotation/Correction | | :--- | :--- | | "Their regular daily food is rice...They prefer meat and fish,
saltfish which begin to decompose and smell." | "This is another preoccupation of the Spaniards
who... loathe that to which they are not accustomed...". Rizal clarifies this fish is bagoong, and
states "all those who have eaten it... know that it is not or ought not to be rotten." He compares
this to Spaniards eating snails or the English being horrified by it. | | Natives "fear and respect
[crocodiles] to the degree of veneration, as if they were somehow superior to them." | "Perhaps
for the same reason, other nations have great esteem for lion and bear, putting them on their
shields...". Rizal suggests the crocodile's "mysterious life," "enormous size," and
"voraciousness" must have "influenced greatly the imagination of the Malayan Filipinos". |
2. The Philippines: A Century Hence (Essay)
Reasons Rizal Wrote the Essay
● It was an essay written to forecast the future of the country within a hundred years.
● It was published in La Solidaridad, starting on September 30, 1889.
● Rizal wanted to remind Spain that the circumstances which led to the French Revolution
could also happen to her in the Philippines.
● He underscored the need for a new political relationship between Spain and the
Philippines, otherwise, a "total break-up" would occur.
● His main point was "Using the past to understand the present thus predicting the future".
Effects of Spanish Colonization on Filipinos
Rizal analyzed the "miseries" suffered by the Filipino people, which included:
● Spain’s Military Policies: This led to a dramatic decrease in the Philippine population.
Poverty became rampant, farmlands were left to wither, the family unit was neglected, and
all aspects of Filipino life were retarded.
● Loss of Indigenous Culture: The "sword and the cross" began the gradual destruction of
native Philippine culture.
● Decline in Filipino Spirit (Loss of Identity):
○ Filipinos started losing confidence in their past and heritage.
○ They became doubtful of their present lifestyle.
○ They "lost hope in the future" and the preservation of their race.
○ The "Filipino spirit was broken".
● Passivity and Submissiveness:
○ Spanish friars were a powerful force in creating a "culture of silence".
○ Through the use of force, Filipinos learned to submit to the will of foreigners.
○ Filipinos had seen the Spaniards as protectors but soon realized they were
"exploiters and executioners".
● The Awakening: Eventually, the natives realized that such oppression must no longer be
tolerated. Enlightenment was spreading, and persecution only quickened it.
Could Spain Continue to Hold the Philippines?
Rizal argued that Spain had no means to stop the progress of the country. He explained why
Spain's methods to hinder progress had all failed:
1. Keeping the people ignorant: This had failed. National consciousness had still
awakened, and "great Filipino minds still emerged".
2. Keeping the people impoverished: This also failed. Living in "eternal destitution" had
allowed Filipinos to act on their desire for change and explore other horizons for progress.
3. Exterminating the people: This did not work either. The Filipino race survived wars and
famine and "became even more numerous". To wipe out the nation would require
sacrificing thousands of Spanish soldiers, which Spain would not allow.
Rizal's Predictions for the Philippines
In his essay (1889) and a later memorandum (1896), Rizal made several predictions:
● The Philippines will one day declare herself independent.
● The "great American Republic with interests in the Pacific... may one day think of
acquiring possessions beyond the seas". This was also phrased as America being "the
next conquerors".
● The Philippines will defend their liberty "with indescribable ardor... bought at the cost of
so much blood and sacrifice".
● He also predicted "Japan will swallow us".
● Once liberated, the Philippines will perhaps establish a federal republic.
● The Philippines "will, perhaps, enter openly the wide road of progress" and work to
strengthen the "Mother Country".
Rizal's vision proved true: in 1898, the Americans took over from Spain, and five decades after
his death, the Philippines gained independence.
Importance of Free Press and Reforms
● Rizal emphasized the importance of a free press.
● This was needed so the people could voice out their complaints and suggestions for
reformation.
● It would also keep the government "in touch with public opinion".
● Rizal argued that the Philippines would remain under Spain only if Spain implemented
reforms, specifically:
1. Freedom of the press.
2. Filipino representation in the Spanish Cortes.
The Inevitability of Change
● Rizal presented two possible outcomes for the future:
1. The Philippines will remain under Spanish domination, but "with more law and
greater liberty."
2. They will "declare themselves independent."
● He warned that if the government "doesn’t change its acts, a revolution will occur".
● He used a scientific analogy: "The existence of a foreign body w/in another... is contrary to
all natural and ethical laws... it is either assimilated, destroys the organism, is eliminated
or becomes encysted".
● He quoted: "History does not record in its annals any lasting domination by one people
over another, of different races... One of the two had to yield and succumb".