Module 5: Looking at the Filipino Past, Indolence of Industry, El account of the colonial Philippines published in 1609, Morga

Filibusterismo: Context and Content noted the miserable condition suffered by many of the
Spanish/Mexican soldiers, who were young, ill-paid and
suffered in that unfamiliar environment. Few wanted to settle in
5.1 Looking at the Filipino Past -3 Manila, and higher-level government officials also sought to
leave the colony in a few years. His first two reports to the
Crown covered a wide variety of topics, mentioning Japan,
Mindanao, and China, in addition to civil, military and
Vocabulary ecclesiastical activities within the colony.
1. Audencia - the Royal Audencia or the royal court of He issued regulations for administrative reform, known as the
justice in Spain and its colonies Ordenzas. Among his reforms was to restore the audencia. In
2. Ecclesistics - the religious missionaries 1598 he resigned as lieutenant governor to assume the office
3. Secular - having ideas and attitudes not determined of oidor, or judge, in the newly re-established Audiencia of
by any religious bias  Manila. The position required his removal from much public
Introduction life.

During the Spanish colonial period, Philippines history SUCESOS DE LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS - An account of Spanish
was primarily written by the Spaniards. Early Spanish observations about the Filipinos and the Philippines.
historians took note of the native’s appearance and the way of
life. Jose Rizal annotation of Antonio Morga’s work, Sucesos
de las Filipinas, was an attempt to redress this biased view of Background information/ Important information about Sucesos
the Filipinos. Although Rizal’s annotations have been “largely de las Islas Filipinas
disregarded.” His work has been credited as the first Philippine
 Antonio De Morga - Author of Sucesos de las islas
history to be written from the viewpoint of a Pilipino.
Filipinas
 This is one of the first books ever to tackle Philippine
history.
Antonio de Morga Sánchez Garay was born in Seville. He  Book that describes the events inside and outside of
graduated from the University of Salamanca in 1574 and in the country from 1493 to 1603, including the history of
1578 received a doctorate in canon law. He taught briefly in the Philippines.
Osuna, and then returned to Salamanca to study civil law. In  Consist of 8 Chapters
1580 he joined the government service as a lawyer. Among  Discuss the political, social and economic aspects of
other positions in Spain, he held that of auditor general of the a colonizer and the colonized country.
galleys. In 1582 he was serving as mayor of Baracaldo in  The content of the book is based on documentary
Vizcaya when he first married, to Juana de Briviesca de research, observation and personal experience of
Munotones. Morga.
In August 1593 he was notified that he had been selected as  Rizal is a secondary source of the book due to his
Lieutenant to the Governor-General of the Philippines, starting Annotations.
what would become 43 years of colonial service. He traveled  Antonio de Morga Spanish lawyer and official in the
accompanied by his family, 14 servants, three black slaves and Philippines during the 17th century.
his collection of books. Following the route of that time, he  The Philippines was named in honor of King Philip II
sailed from Cadiz in February 1594, arriving in Mexico in May. of Spain.
During the following period of preparation for the Pacific EVENTS, HAPPENINGS, OCCURRENCE
voyage, he heard two important cases, and supervised the
supplying of the two ships to be used. He also recruited 200 The Sucesos is the work of an honest observer, a versatile
soldiers for the garrison in Manila. They departed Acapulco on bureaucrat, who knew the workings of the administration from
March 22, 1595, reaching Manila on June 11, 1595. He had the inside.
the second-most powerful position in the colony.
Rizal’s Objectives
He first served under Governor-General Luis Pérez
1. To awaken the consciousness of the Filipinos
Dasmariñas, who was interim after his father's death.
regarding their glorious ways of the past
Francisco Tello de Guzmán soon succeeded him, and Morga
reported to him during most of his time in the colony. In his
 2. To correct what has been distorted about the  The book discusses the political, social, and
Philippines due to Spanish conquest economic aspects of a colonizer and the colonized
3. To prove that Filipinos are civilized even before the country.
coming of the Spaniards  The book that describes the events inside and outside
of the country from 1493 to 1603, including the history
Blumentritt’s Influence on Rizal: Ferdinand Blumentritt has
of the Philippines.
encouraged Rizal to write about the Philippines’ pre-colonial
 The pre-colonial Philippines already possessed a
History.
working judicial and legislative system
ON RIZAL’s ANNOTATION  Spanish missionaries put an end to the baybayin
written system of the Philippines to translate their
1. THE FIRST OBJECTIVE goals
 The Early Filipino Pride  Our ancestors possessed a complex society and
 Rizal strove to establish that the Filipinos could be culture filled with arts and literature
proud of their pre-conquest past.
2. THE SECOND OBJECTIVE RIZAL’s Annotations
 History as a Propaganda Weapon
 Philippines was NOT DESERTED and was actually
 Rizal aimed to use history as a propaganda weapon.
HABITABLE.
EARLY GOVERNMENT  Spaniards, like any other nation, treat food to which
they are not accustomed or is unknown to them with
Our forefathers in the pre-colonial Philippines already disgust. This fish that Morga mentions is bagoong
possessed a working judicial and legislative system (salted & fermented fish)
HIGH LITERACY RATE Morga’s Sucesos
The Spanish missionaries exploited the baybayin for their own  Philippines was DESERTED and INHABITABLE.
ends, learning and using it to translate their goals  Beef and fish, they know it best when it has started to
EARLY ARTILLERY rot and stink Rizal’s Annotations vs. De Morga’s
Sucesos ...
Our ancestors were very proficient in the art of war. Aside from
wielding swords and spears, they also knew how to make and RIZAL’S 3 PROPOSITIONS
fire guns and cannons.  The people of the Philippines have a culture on their
SMOOTH FOREIGN RELATIONS own, before the coming of the Spaniards
 Filipinos were decimated, demoralized, exploited, and
The pre-colonial Filipinos had already established trading and ruined by the Spanish colonization
diplomatic relations with countries as far away as the Middle  The present state of the Philippines was not
East necessarily superior to its past
SELF- SUFFICIENT JOSE RIZAL AS PHILIPPINES’ NATIONAL HERO
In terms of food, our forefathers did not suffer from any lack  Rizal gave us freedom by using goodness.
thereof. Blessed with such a resource-rich country, they had  Jose Rizal became the Philippines’ National Hero
enough for themselves and their families because he fought for freedom in a silent but powerful
way.
ADVANCED CIVILIZATION
 He expressed his love for the Philippines through his
Our ancestors possessed a complex working society and a novels, essays and articles rather than through the
culture replete with works of arts and literature use of force or aggression.
“To foretell the destiny of a nation, it is necessary to open the
books that tell of her past.” - Rizal
IMPORTANT POINTS
IMPORTANCE OF RIZAL’S ANNOTATIONS TO THE
 Sucesos De Las Islas Filipinas is the first book to PRESENT GENERATION
tackle the Philippine history.
1. To awaken in the Filipinos the consciousness of our
past
 2. To devote ourselves to studying the future Indolence of the Filipinos), which will serve as the topic of this
3. To first lay bare the past, in order to better judge the chapter.
present and to survey the road trodden during three
Presentation
centuries
4. To prove Filipinos had a culture of their own, prior to 1. Indio - a term used by the Spaniards to refer to the
colonization, that the Filipinos were NOT inferior to native Filipinos; occasionally used in a derogatory
the white man manner
5. To shatter the myth of the so-called “Indolence of the 2. Moro piracy – a series of raids in several Philippine
Filipinos” towns committed by Muslims from Mindanao during
6. To reduce those Filipinos who denied their native the seventeenth to eighteenth centuries
tongue into rotten fish
7. To seriously study Tagalog and produce a
comprehensive Tagalog dictionary Indolence or Industry Sobre la Indolencia de los Filipinos ("On
8. To embrace the generic term “Indio”, or in today’s the Indolence of the Filipinos" in Spanish) is a socio-political
case, Filipino, with all its negative connotations, and essay published in La Solidaridad in Madrid in 1890. It was
turn it into one of dignity and nobility written by José Rizal as a response to the accusation of Indio
Summary or Malay indolence. Before the Spaniards came, we were
active and honest in trading; we use our abilities and resources
Rizal's annotations of Sucesos de Las Islas Filipinas may be for our country’s benefits, and we never corrupt. Besides that,
considered an attempt to write Philippine history from the we are industrious and passionate, independent, value nature,
point of view of a Filipino. With the publication of this work, and protective and defensive of our territory. When the
Rizal provided a linear view of history with Noli Me Tangere Spaniards came, we became gamblers, dependent, powerless,
showing a view of the present, El Filibusterismo and "The corrupt, amnesiacs (makakalimutin), disloyal to our “identity”,
Philippines a Century Hence" illustrating a view of the future, and indolent. Being discontent, having continual wars and
and the annotations clarifying a view of the past. tolerance, due to slavery, getting deceits from the Spaniards,
allowing pirates from the south (Mindanao Muslim pirates), and
In addition, Rizal's annotations should also be understood
lacking unity, the Filipinos became indolent.
within the context of propaganda work that Filipinos in Spain
were engaged in. The annotations explored the possibilities of CHAPTER 1 SUMMARY:
creating a Filipino identity anchored clearly on a pre-Spanish
past.  Rizal admits that indolence does exist among the Filipinos, but
it cannot be attributed to the troubles and backwardness of the
country; rather it is the effect of the backwardness and troubles
experienced by the country. Past writings on indolence revolve
5.2 Indolence or Industry -3 only on either denying or affirming, and never studying its
causes in depth. One must study the causes of indolence,
Introduction
Rizal says, before curing it. He therefore enumerates the
In the opening scene of Noli Me Tangere, a social gathering in causes of indolence and elaborates on the circumstances that
the house of Kapitan Tiago serves as a venue for guests to have led to it. The hot climate, he points out, is a reasonable
mingle and converse. In one such occasions, Father Damaso predisposition for indolence. Filipinos cannot be compared to
explicitly states his opinion of the Indio. While speaking to a Europeans, who live in cold countries and who must exert
young man about the native Filipinos, Damaso exclaims, “As I much more effort at work. An hour's work under the Philippine
believe in the Gospel! The Indian is so indolent!” To this young sun, he says, is equivalent to a day's work in temperate
man poses the question, does this indolence actually, regions
naturally, exist among the natives or is there some truth in
CHAPTER 2 SUMMARY:
what a foreign traveler says that with indolence we excuse our
own, as well backwardness and our colonial system?” Rizal says that an illness will worsen if the wrong treatment is
Indolence in the natives was a view commonly held by given. The same applies to indolence. People, however,
foreigners who came to the Philippines as evident in the should not lose hope in fighting indolence. Even before the
conversation narrated above. Rizal and the other Spaniards arrived, Rizal argues, the early Filipinos were
propagandists, however, felt that this view was misguided and already carrying out trade within provinces and with other
made efforts for its rectification. One such attempt was through neighboring countries; they were also engaged in agriculture
Rizal’s essay, “Sobre la Indolencia de los Filipinas” (On the and mining; some natives even spoke Spanish. All this
disproves the notion that Filipinos are by nature indolent. Rizal Asia and the Middle East. As a result, business was only
ends by asking what then would have caused Filipinos to conducted with Spain through Mexico. Because of this, the
forget their past. small businesses and handicraft industries that flourished
during the pre-Spanish period gradually disappeared.
CHAPTER 3 SUMMARY:
Second, Spain also extinguished the natives’ love of work
Rizal enumerates several reasons that may have caused the
because of the implementation of forced labor. Because of the
Filipinos' cultural and economic decadence. The frequent wars,
wars between Spain and other countries in Europe as well as
insurrections, and invasions have brought disorder to the
the Muslims in Mindanao, the Filipinos were compelled to work
communities. Chaos has been widespread, and destruction
in shipyards, roads, and other public works, abandoning
rampant. Many Filipinos have also been sent abroad to fight
agriculture, industry, and commerce.
wars for Spain or for expeditions. Thus, the population has
decreased in number. Due to forced labor, many men have Third, Spain did not protect the people against foreign invaders
been sent to shipyards to construct vessels. Meanwhile, and pirates. With no arms to defend themselves, the natives
natives who have had enough of abuse have gone to the were killed, their houses burned, and their lands destroyed. As
mountains. As a result, the farms have been neglected. The a result of this, the Filipinos were forced to become nomads,
so-called indolence of Filipinos definitely has deeply rooted lost interest in cultivating their lands or in rebuilding the
causes. industries that were shut down, and simply became submissive
to the mercy of God.
CHAPTER 4 SUMMARY:
Fourth, there was a crooked system of education, if it was to
Filipinos, according to Rizal, are not responsible for their
be considered an education. What were being taught in the
misfortunes, as they are not their own masters. The Spanish
schools were repetitive prayers and other things that could not
government has not encouraged labor and trade, which
be used by the students to lead the country to progress. There
ceased after the government treated the country's neighboring
were no courses in Agriculture, Industry, etc., which were badly
trade partners with great suspicion. Trade has declined,
needed by the Philippines during those times.
furthermore, because of pirate attacks and the many
restrictions imposed by the government, which gives no aid for Fifth, the Spanish rulers were a bad example to despise
crops and farmers. This and the abuse suffered under manual labor. The officials reported to work at noon and left
encomenderos have caused many to abandon the fields. early, all the while doing nothing in line with their duties. The
Businesses are monopolized by many government officials, women were seen constantly followed by servants who
red tape and bribery operate on a wide scale, and rampant dressed them and fanned them – personal things which they
gambling is tolerated by the government. This situation is ought to have done for themselves.
compounded by the Church's wrong doctrine which holds that
Sixth, gambling was established and widely propagated during
the rich will not go to heaven, thus engendering a wrong
those times. Almost every day there were cockfights, and
attitude toward work. There has also been discrimination in
during feast days, the government officials and friars were the
education against natives. These are some of the main
first to engage in all sorts of bets and gambles.
reasons that Rizal cites as causing the deterioration of values
among the Filipinos. Seventh, there was a crooked system of religion. The friars
taught the naïve Filipinos that it was easier for a poor man to
CHAPTER 5 SUMMARY:
enter heaven, and so they preferred not to work and remain
According to Rizal, all the causes of indolence can be reduced poor so that they could easily enter heaven after they
to two factors. The first factor is the limited training and died. Lastly, the taxes were extremely high, so much so that a
education Filipino natives receive. Segregated from Spaniards, huge portion of what they earned went to the government or to
Filipinos do not receive the same opportunities that are the friars. When the object of their labor was removed and they
available to the foreigners. They are taught to be inferior. The were exploited, they were reduced to inaction.
second factor is the lack of a national sentiment of unity among
Summary
them. Because Filipinos think they are inferior, they submit to
the foreign culture and do everything to imitate it. The solution, Rizal's essay, "On the Indolence of the Filipinos,"
according to Rizal, would be education and liberty. provided a compelling argument about the trait foreigners
criticized the Filipinos for - laziness. Rather than accept the
ISSUES AND CAUSES OF INDOLENCE:
view that indolence was an inherent characteristic among
First, the establishment of the Galleon Trade cut off all Filipinos, Rizal presented a persuasive view of the
previous associations of the Philippines with other countries in circumstances that brought about the Filipino's indolence and
the factors that might have maintained it. In the end, Rizal El Fili - is dedicated to Gomburza, the three priest accused of
contended that the Filipino's predisposition through education being filibusters in 1872.
and freedom.
Gomburza - Don Mariano Gomez - died 73 years old. - Don
Jose Burgos - died 35 years old. - Don Jacinto Zamora - died
37 years old.
5.3 El Filibusterismo : Context and Content
February 17, 1872 - gomburza publicly executed by garrote in
Bagumbayan on the early morning.

Vocabulary NOLI

1. Filibustero - (nineteenth century context) - translated Themes that can be seen in the story "El Fili begins where the
as "subversive", a patriot who was usually associated Noli leaves off where:
with revolutionary activities
 Love
2. Guardia civil - police/military force assigned by the
 Romance
colonial government to maintain peace and order
 Aspiration
3. Cabeza de barangay - head of the barangay
 Heroism
Introduction   Mercy
 Idealism
Rizal's second novel, El Filibusterismo, is a story set in twilight
years of the Spanish colonial government in the Philippines. It EL FILI
was first translated into English by Charles Derbyshire in 1912
 Turns to:
under the title, Reign of Greed. The book according to the
 Hatred
translator "represents Rizal's more mature judgment on
 Pain
political and social conditions in the islands, and in its
 Bitterness
graver and less hopeful tone reflects the disappointments and
 Anger
discouragements which he had encountered in his efforts to
 Disillusionment
lead the way to reform. 
 Vengeance
Presentation
In 1890, Wenceslao Retana wrote about the “filibuster” and
1. El Filibusterismo - Rizal second novel sequel to the described the term as “the one who, eager for the
Noli Me Tangere. independence of the country, resorts to various extralegal
2. The Reign of Greed - traslated into english by Charles proceedings in order to reach the objectives that he pursues’
Derbyshire in 1912. (Aguilar, 2011)
3. Filibustero - a patriot who was usually associated with
By the end of the nineteenth century, the Spanish colonial
revolutionary activities.
government defined ”filibuster: as “someone who works for the
separation of our overseas provinces”

HISTORY AND CONTEXT SYNOPSIS

THE PRINTING Plot

February 1888 - Rizal continued working on his novel and The story of El Filibusterismo revolved around the main
made some revisions while he was in London. character, Simoun, who was the rich jeweller. Simoun was
actually Crisostomo Ibarra of the Noli whom everyone thought
March 29, 1891 - complete the novel after three years in was killed by the guardia civil at the Laguna de Bay thirteen
Biarritz, France. years ago. He was able to escape and fled to Cuba. He
September 18, 1891 - book published in Ghent with the help of became wealthy and was able to establish connections with
his friend Valentin Ventura. prominent Spaniards officials. Upon his return to the
Philippines, Simoun became very influential being the
Rizal sent 2 copies to Hongkong one for Basa and the other to consultant of the governor general.
Sixto Lopez. The original manuscript and a printed copy gave
to Valentin Ventura with his autograph. Simoun came back with his grand plan to exact revenge on
Spanish officials and to rescue Maria Clara who entered the
convent after learning the news of Ibbara’s death. He planned means that were used. He assured Simoun that there was still
to launch a revolution. Planting a bomb at the wedding hope for the freedom of the country.
ceremony which he started by smuggling arms and recruiting
The story ended with Padre Florentino throwing Simouns’s
followers, mainly from the exploited and abused natives. One
jewels into the sea so that they would not be used by the
of his recruits was Basilio, the son of Sisa. With the help of
greedy. He also prayed that when the right time comes, the
Capitan Tiago, Basilio was able to study medicine in Manila.
treasure would be recovered and used for a noble purpose.
Simoun also began to establish an alliance with Kabesang
Tales and his revolutionary group. Kabesang Tales was a Summary
former cabeza de barangay who was maltreated by the friars.
Using his position, Simoun encouraged corruption and more   This topic traced the history of the term filibustero and how
oppressive government policies to enrage the people and thus the Filipinos defined the concept during Rizal's time. For the
provoke them to revolt. Spaniards, a filibustero was someone who reveled against the
government while for the indios, he was a patriot who fought
Simoun’s plans of revolution failed twice. In his first attempt, he for the country's freedom. Compared to Noli Me Tangere, El
decided not to give signal for the outbreak of the uprising upon Filibusterismo showed how Rizal matured as a writer. This
hearing the news of Maria Clara’s death. Basilio and the other transformation could be seen in the main character Simoun
students were the arrested for allegedly forming a seditious who changed from being a moderate ilustrado to a
organization. Simoun arranged the release of Basilio who revolutionary jeweler and planned to launch a revolution
became bitter and vengeful. However, he was very grateful to against the colonial government. Through this novel, one could
Simoun and offered his full support for the revolution. The see how a victim of oppression and injustice could turn into an
second attempt at starting a revolution entailed the planting of influential revolutionary. 
a bomb at wedding reception of Paulita Gomez and Juanito
Pelaez. Illustrious guests at the mansion included Padre Salvi Module 5 Summary-2
and the governor general. In Simouns’s plan, the revolution
would be triggered by his gift to the couple, a kerosene lamp Rizal's annotations of Sucesos de Las Islas Filipinas
with an explosive. When the lamp starts flickering and may be considered an attempt to write Philippine history from
someone turns the wick, there would be an explosion, the point of view of a Filipino. With the publication of this work,
signaling the revolutionaries to attack all government buildings rizal provided a linear view of history with Noli Me Tangere
in Manila. showing a view of the present, El Filibusterismo and "The
Philippines a Century Hence" illustrating a view of the future,
As planned, Simoun gave the lamp during the reception. and the annotations clarifying a view of the past.
Before leaving the venue, he left a note with a message: “You
will die tonight,” signed by Crisostomo Ibarra. Meanwhile, when In addition, Rizal's annotations should also be
Basilo saw all the people at the venue, his conscience understood within the context of propaganda work that
bothered him. He saw his friend Isagani, who was secretly Filipinos in Spain were engaged in. The annotations explored
watching his love, Paulita, celebrating her wedding. Basilio told the possibilities of creating a Filipino identity anchored clearly
Isagani about the explosive and asked him to leave the place. on a pre-Spanish past. 

When Padre Salvi confirmed Ibarra’s handwriting, the guess Rizal's essay, "On the Indolence of the Filipinos,"
began to panic. The lamp flickered and Padre Irene tried to provided a compelling argument about the trait foreigners
turn the wick. But Isagani, wanting to save Paulita, ran into the criticized the Filipinos for - laziness. Rather than accept the
house, grabbed the lamp, and threw it into the river where it view that indolence was an inherent characteristic among
exploded. Filipinos, Rizal presented a persuasive view of the
circumstances that brought about the Filipino's indolence and
Simoun took refuge in the house of a kind Filipino preist, Padre the factors that might have maintained it. In the end, Rizal
Florentino. The guardias civiles, however, learned about the contended that the Filipino's predisposition through education
whereabouts of the fugitive, and informed the priest that they and freedom.
would come in the evening to arrest Simoun.
This topic traced the history of the term filibustero and
Instead of surrending to the authorities, Simoun poisoned how the Filipinos defined the concept during Rizal's time. For
himself. As the poison started to take effect on his body, he the Spaniards, a filibustero was someone who reveled against
confessed to Padre Florentino his true identity and his plans for the government while for the indios, he was a patriot who
revenge. After the long and redius confession, the priest told fought for the country's freedom. Compared to Noli Me
Simoun that his plans might have failed because of the unjust Tangere, El Filibusterismo showed how Rizal matured as a
writer. This transformation could be seen in the main character
Simoun who changed from being a moderate ilustrado to a
revolutionary jeweler and planned to launch a revolution
against the colonial government. Through this novel, one could
see how a victim of oppression and injustice could turn into an
influential revolutionary.