BIOGRAPHY, WRITINGS, AND LEGACIES OF OUR BAYANI 131

Chapter

THE PHILIPPINES A CENTURY

HENCE ("FILIPINAS DENTRO
DE CIEN ANOS")

Jose Rizal's "Filipinas Dentro De Cien Anos" (translated as "The Philippines

within One Hundred Years" or "The Philippines A Century Hence") was serialized on
September 30, October 31, December 15, 1889, and February 15, 1890 in the fortnightly
review La Solidaridad of Madrid. In the articles, Rizal estimated the future of the
Philippines in the span of a hundred years and foretold the catastrophic end of
Spanish rule in Asia.

Forecasting the future of the Philippines within a hundred

years, the essay reflected Rizal’s feeling that it was time to
remind Spain that the conditions that ushered in the French Revolution could
have a telling effect for her on the Philippine islands. Collectively, the articles
in many senses, supplemented Rizal's great novel Noli Me Tangere and its sequel El
Filibusterismo.

The essay also talked about the glorious past Of

the Philippines, recounted the deterioration

of the economy, and exposed the causes of the

natives sufferings under the cruel Spanish rule.

In the essay, he cautioned Spain as regards the

imminent downfall of its domination. Part of the

purpose in writing the essay was to awaken the minds and the hearts the
oppression of the Spaniards and encouraging them to fight for their
right.
 THE LIME AND WORKS

Causes of Sufferings and Deterioration

In Rizal's annotation of Antonio Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas
(also penned in 1889 to 1890), our national hero through great efforts proved
and discussed the glorious past of the Philippines. In "The Philippines a
Century Hence," he analyzed the deterioration of its economy and identified the
causes of locals' sufferings under the cruel Spanish rule.
The essay, thus, gave the following as the various causes of the sorrows suffered by the Philippine natives (as
enumerated in "The Philippines a Century Hence:
Summary and Analysis," n.d.):

(1.) Spain's implementation of its military

policies
Because of such decrees, the Philippine population decreased intensely. Poverty became more
widespread than ever as farmlands were left to wither. The people continued to suffer from hunger and
disease. The family as a unit of society was deserted, and generally, all facets of the life of the natives
became retarded.

(2.) Deterioration and disappearance of Filipino indigenous culture

The locals began forgetting who they were, what their valued beliefs, religion, songs, poetry, and the
other forms of their cultural heritage were. When Spain came with the sword and the cross,
it started this slow but continuing damage of the native Philippine culture. Impoverished and
retarded, the people began losing their sense of self-worth and their confidence in their past and their heritage.
Spirit-broken, they became confused and hesitant in their current lifestyle, disgusted with themselves, and
ultimately lost hope in the future and the preservation of their race.

(3.) Passivity and submissiveness to the Spanish colonizers

The essay attributed the passivity and submissiveness of our people

to the manner of governance by the colonists. The Spanish friars were
one of the most powerful forces that influenced a
culture of silence and lethargy among the locals.
Through their use of force and intimidation (unfairly using God's name),
the natives learned to fanatically submit themselves to the whims and
caprices of the strangers.
 BIOGRAPHY, WRITINGS, AND LEGACIES OF OUR BAYANI 133

The Inevitable Filipinos to

act on the
One of the main topics tackled by Rizal in the
desire for a
essay was whether Spain could indeed prevent the
change in
looming progress of the Philippines. Despite the
their way of
corruption and deterioration brought about by the
life. They
colonizers to Philippines, he was hopeful that the
began to
country's eventual improvement could not be
explore some
hindered. For this, he made the following points:
other horizons
(1.) Keeping the people uneducated and ignorant through which
failed. National consciousness had still they could
awakened, and great Filipino minds still move toward
emerged from the rubble progress.

(2.) Keeping the people impoverished also came

to no avail. On the contrary, living a life
of eternal destitution allowed the

(3.) 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
was something Spain would not allow ("The
Philippines a Century Hence: Summary and
Analysis," n.d.)

Rizal thus, concluded that Spain had no means to

stop the progress of the Philippines. What the
colonist had to do was to change its colonial
policies so that they would be suitable for the needs
of the Philippine society and to the increasing
nationalism of its people.
 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF JOSE RIZAL

Rizal’s ‘’Prophecies’’
Rizal expressed in the essay his confident prediction that something would
awaken the hearts and open the minds of the Filipino people as regards their
plight. He "prophesied" the Philippine people's revolution against Spain,
winning their independence, but later the Americans would come as the new
colonizer.
Eventually, the natives did recognize that the harassment and cruelty in
their society by foreign colonizers must no longer be tolerated. The natives,
thus, though
lacking arms and enough training, valiantly waged war against the
colonizers. Even the not-so-predictable element of Rizal's "prophecy"
true—the Americans in 1898 wrestled with Spain to win the Philippines,
and in due course took Over the country. Relatively, theirs was a reign
of liberty and democracy.

Some years after Rizal's death, the Philippines attained its brig-
awaited liberation and independence. Again, this appeared to be the
fulfillment of what he had written in the 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.

Feodor Jagor's Influence

Rizal's reference to America as a probable
factor in the Philippines' future is said to be
based upon the forecast of the German traveler
Feodor Jagor. In 1860, Jagor spent some months
on the Islands and later published his
observations, supplemented by ten years of
further study in European museums and libraries,
as Travels in the Philippines.

Rizal had read the Spanish version of

Jagor's book while a student at the Ateneo
de Manila from a copy supplied by his
brother Paciano. Jagor's prophecy is

said to furnish the explanation to Rizal's public life. His policy of

preparing his countrymen for commercial and industrial competition

 BIOGRAPHY, WRITINGS, AND LEGACIES OF OUR BAYANI 135

seemed to have had its inspiration in this reading done when he was a
youth.

While in Berlin, Rizal met Professor Jagor and so the renowned

geographer and his youthful but bright admirer became fast friends,
often discoursing on how the development of events was bringing true
the fortune for the Philippines. Proper knowledge of Philippine's
history and keen acquaintance with its then situation had enabled
Jagor and Rizal, both trained observers, to somewhat foretell the
country's future.

The Essay's Relevance Today

One way to properly interpret many of Rizal's writings is to
consider the hint he provided in his Noli Me Tangere: "I do not write
for this generation. I am writing for other ages. If this could read
me, they would burn my books, the work of my
whole life. On the other hand, the generation which interprets these
writings will be an educated generation; they will Understand me and say:
Not all were asleep in the night-time of our grandparents (by the
Philosopher Tasio)."

Indeed, his essays like "The Philippines Century Hence" are as relevant
today as they were when they were written over a century ago. As if talking
to us through the essay, Rizal appeared to be counseling us to focus on
strengthening the most important backbone of our country: our values,
outlooks, and all the views that have shaped our sense of national

identity.
The essay, moreover, serves to remind us that we, Filipinos, are
historically resolute and determined. In fact, all those efforts by
the colonizers to keep us uneducated and impoverished had failed.
Nationalism eventually thrived and the country became independent
after four centuries of tyrannical Spanish rule and five decades
under the Americans.

Challenges to the Filipinos

However, there are questions on whether we are really independent today.
Are we really free when our economy is dominantly controlled by an elite
 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF JOSE RIZAL

oligarchy, and there are huge social and income disparities between a small
favored economic and political elite and the rest of the Filipino
population? In fact, Rizal himself also forewarned about this when he wrote
in the El Filibusterismo, "Why independence if the slaves today become the
tyrants of tomorrow?"
Moreover, there are some flaws in our character that can get into the way
of attaining what Rizal envisioned about our country. These include
attitudes, like the lack of appreciation of the significance of adhering to
the rule of law and upholding high standards of excellence. Advocating
mediocrity, as signposted by puwede na and bahala na attitudes, is very
unbecoming of what Rizal visualized in his essay.
The challenges posed by the essay to the present Filipino families, and
especially to the government, include instilling national discipline and true
love of country; exercising full control of our national sovereignty;
assisting citizens connect with their communities; employing available
communication means (the Internet and mobile technologies) to connect groups,

to inform and educate, to enable Filipinos to discover the common ties we

share; meeting challenges of founding a more peaceful and stable social
order; forming a common bond with our brothers and sisters in marginalized
communities; and developing innovations that would improve dialogue and close
gaps between our fellow citizens the world outside; and preventing chaos and
the spread of malicious and destructive propagandas.

Ultimately Rizal's "The Philippines a Century Hence" legacy is its timeless

national message that establishing a fairer better society requires reminding
the Filipino people that our hope for survival relies on each of us taking

responsibility.

136

Other Related Writings

Jose Rizal composed several other brilliant writings, which also helped
awaken the Filipino patriotism and paved the way for Philippine
Revolution. Th following are his two other timeless writings:

"Sobre La Indolencia De Los Filipinos (The Indolence of the

Filipinos)

This logical essay is proof of the national herds historical scholarship.

The essay rationally countered the accusations by Spaniards that Philippine
 BIOGRAPHY, WRITINGS, AND LEGACIES OF OUR BAYANI 137

natives were indolent (lazy) during the Spanish reign. It was published in La
Solidaridad in five consecutive issues on July (15 and 31), August (1 and 31)
and September 1, 1890

In the articles, Rizal argued that Filipinos were innately hardworking

the rule of the Spaniards. What brought the decrease in the productive
activities of the natives was actually the Spanish colonization. Rizal
explained the alleged Filipino indolence by pointing to these factors:

(1.) The Galleon Trade destroyed the previous links of the Philippines With
the other countries in Asia and the Middle East, thereby eradicating
small local businesses and handicraft industries;

(2.) The Spanish forced labor compelled the Filipinos to work in shipyards,
roads, and some other public works, thus abandoning their agricultural
farms and industries;

(3.) Many Filipinos became landless and wanderers because Spain

did not defend them against pirates and foreign invaders;

(4.) The system of education offered by the colonizers was impractical as

it was mainly about repetitive prayers and had nothing to do with
agricultural and industrial technology;

(5.) The Spaniards were a bad example as negligent officials would

come in late and leave their offices early and Spanish women
were always followed by servants;
(6.) Gambling, like cockfights, was established, promoted, and explicitly
practiced by Spanish government officials and friars themselve s,
especially during feast days;

(7.) The crooked system of religion discouraged the natives from

working hard by teaching them that it was easier for Q poor man
to enter heaven and

137
(8.) The very high taxes were discouraging as big part of natives' earnings
would only go to the officials and friars.
Moreover, Rizal explained that Filipinos were just wise in their level of
work under a tropical climate. He explained, "violent work is not Q good
thing in tropical countries as it is would be parallel to death,
destruction, annihilation." Rizal, thus, concluded that natives' supposed
indolence was an end-product of the Spanish colonization.
 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF JOSE RIZAL

"Letter To The Young Women of Malolos"

Originally written in Tagalog, this famous letter directly
addressing to the women of Malolos, Bulacan was written by Rizal as a
response to Marcelo H. Del Pilar's request.

Rizal was greatly impressed by the bravery of the 20 young women of

Malolos who planned to establish a school where they could learn
Spanish despite the opposition of Felipe Garcia, Spanish parish priest
of Malolos. The letter expressed Rizal's yearning that women be
granted the same chances given to men in terms of education. In the
olden days, young women were not educated because of the principle
that they would soon be wives and their primary career would be to
take care of the home and children. Rizal, however, advocated women's
right to education.

Below are some of the points mentioned by Rizal in his letter to the young
women of Malolos:
(1.) The priests in the country that time did not embody the true spirit of

Christianity;

(2.) Private judgment should be used;

(3.) Mothers should be an epitome of an ideal woman who teaches her

children to love God, country, and fellowmen;

(4.) Mothers should rear children in the service of the state and set
standards of behavior for men around them;
(5.) Filipino women must be noble, decent, and dignified, and they
should be submissive, tender, and loving to their respective
husband; and

(6.) Young women must edify themselves, live the real Christian way with

good morals and manners, and should be intelligent in their choice

of a lifetime partner.