Rizal in the Eyes of the Filipino Youth

CHAPTER 5. PRESENT
REALTIES
 Dr. Jose Rizal is generally known to most Filipinos as the
Philippines’ national hero, a genius with many talents,
who died a martyr in the hands of the Spaniards while
defending the rights of his countrymen. A constant
repetition of the historical account of his life, works and
writings, and martyrdom, from their elementary days to
their high school days, has made many Filipino students
feel that they are already experts on Rizalian studies and
that there is nothing more to learn while taking up the
mandatory Rizal course in college.

 Since the young needs both novelty and depth, getting to

know Dr. Rizal better through different means has
become necessary.
Seatwork activity:
Things to bring :
 1 Scissor (for whole section)
 1 glue( for whole section)
 1 short bond paper (each student)
 1 Magazine/Newspaper complete pages
(local or foreign 90’s era)

 Sharing of ativity individually (graded)

 The Nineteenth Century Philippine
Economy, Society, and the Chinese
Mestizos
Cash crop- crops cultivated for export
Decree- an order issued by legal authority; a policy pronouncement
Galleon trade- from 1565-1815, this was the form of trade between
Philippines and Mexico. The galleons would sail to Mexico loaded with
goods and return to the Philippines carrying the payment in silver.
Insulares- pure-blooded Spanish born in the Philippines
Mestizo- a person with mixed ancestry- one parent is Chinese or Spanish
and the other is native; an important sector of the population the nineteenth
century Philippines.
Merchant houses- firms established in Manila and other cities by foreign
traders
Pacto de retroventa- an agreement that allowed a landowner to sell his/her
land with the guarantee that he/she could buy the land back at the same
price
Parian- Chinese enclave established in 1581 outside
the walls of Intramuros. The Chinese were forced to
live there
Peninsulares- pure blooded Spanish born in Spain
Principalia- wealthy pure-blooded natives said to
have descended from the kadatoan class.
Sangley- a term that proliferated in the Spanish
Philippines to refer to people of pure Chines descent;
came from the Hokkien word “seng-li” meaning
business.
Social stratification- a way by which people in a
society are categorized based on socio-economic as
well as political standards.
The Changing Landscape of
Philippine Economy and Society
During this period, vast economic, political, social, and
cultural currents were felt. Change, however, had its
initial ripples in the previous century. By the late
eighteenth century, the monarchy in Spain experienced a
dynastic shift from the Habsburgs to the Bourbons.
Under the new leadership, Spain recalibrated colonial
policies that would have an effect on the Philippines.
With the goal of invigorating the profitability of the
colonies like the Philippines, Bourbon policies and
reforms were carried out. The first governor-general to
the Philippines under theBourbon mandate was José de
Basco y Vargas who arrived in the Philippines in 1778.
 By the time Basco arrived, the Galleon Trade is the
main economic institution existing in the Philippines,
was already a losing enterprise. As Spain sought
ways to salvage the dwindling economy of the
empire, the global wave of industrialization became a
silver Iining.
 As many imperial powers in Europe and the west
were undergoing industrialization, an increased
demand for raw materials presented an opportunity to
look into the agricultural potential of the Philippines.
Thus, it was viewed that the transformation of the
economy towards being export oriented, harnessing
the agricultural products that could be yielded from
the archipelago, was the way to go.
 To better facilitate the envisioned reorientation of the
economy, Basco established the Royal Philippine Company
in 1785 to finance agricultural projects and manage the new
trade being established between the Philippines and Spain
(and Europe) as well as other Asian markets. These changes,
however, were met with lukewarm reception.
 Resistance also came from various sectors like the Catholic
Church that was not receptive of the labor realignments
entailed by the planned reforms, and traders that were still
holding on to the Galleon Trade. It also did not help that the
Royal Philippine Company was fraught with issues of
mismanagement and corruption.
 As Basco pushed for the reforms, he lifted a ban on Chinese
merchants that reinvigorated internal trade; initialized the
development of cash crop farms; relaxed certain policies that
allowed the gradual opening of Manila to foreign markets; and
established the Tobacco Monopoly to maximize the
production of this export good.
 Global events continued to affect the Philippines at the
beginning of the nineteenth century. By 1810, the Mexican
War of Independence rattled the Spanish empire, as it
would eventually lead to the loss of the precious Latin
American colonies. With this came the eventual end of the
Galleon Trade which became a concern in the Philippines.
As the Philippine economy hung in the balance, policies
were recalibrated and with the eventual closing of the
Royal Philippine Company,

 Manila was opened to world trade by 1834. As a result,

foreign merchants and traders came and eventually
resided in Manila and took over the role of financing and
facilitating the burgeoning agricultural cash crop, export-
oriented, economy. Some of the major investments came
from British and American traders that set up merchant
houses in Manila.
 The rapid development of the economy began to flow in the Philippines
through cash crops. By the first half of the nineteenth century, majority of
the exports of the Philippines came from cash crops like tobacco, sugar,
cotton, indigo, abaca, and coffee.
 The importance of land became more evident as cash crops became the
major source of revenue in the colony. As the provinces shifted to
cultivating cash crops, land ownership and management began to be a
concern. The farmers felt the pressure of the economy while the
hacienderos grabbed the opportunity. For example, when a small
landowner needed capital and money he would engage in a pacto de
retroventa, an agreement of sale guaranteeing that he could buy the land
back at the same price at which it was sold. However, it became difficult to
buy back land given the continuously increasing demand of the economy
and the renewals of the sale, which further buried the farmers to
indebtedness. Eventually, they would forfeit the land and would be forced
to become tenant farmers, or kasamá. Aside from this mode, land
acquisition also came in the form of land-grabbing.

 As the growing economy required better management of lands, inquilinos

emerged, renting land to sublet it to smaller farmers. These factors would
bring change to the social stratification in the countryside that, as the next
chapter will show, did not continue without tensions and contestations.
 The Chinese and Chinese

Mestizos
The sectors that greatly benefited from the changing economy were the
Chinese and the Chinese mestizos. Since pre-colonial times, the natives
of the Philippines had had trade relations with the Chinese. During the
height of the Galleon Trade, it was also Chinese products that comprised
most the goods being traded. The influx of Chinese settlements in the
Philippines made the Spaniards suspicious of the Chinese. These
feelings led to stringent state policies towards the sangley ranging from
higher taxes, the restriction of movement with the establishment of the
Chinese enclave (the Parian), to actual policies of expulsion.

 The Chinese, however, proved to be "necessary outsiders" in Philippine

colonial economy and society. Although the Spaniards were wary of the
Chinese, they realized the importance that the latter played in sustaining
the economy. From the goods loaded on the galleons to the development
of retail trade, the Chinese enlivened the economy. Eventually and
gradually, they became integrated into colonial society, giving rise to
intermarriages with indios that gave birth to Chinese mestizos. The
Chinese mestizos assumed an important role in the economy in the
nineteenth century by purchasing land, accumulating wealth, and
influence.
Impact on Life in the
Colony
The economic developments, as mentioned, precipitated social,
political, and cultural developments as well. For example the
new economy demanded a more literate population to address
the rising need for a more professionalized workforce to man the
trading activities in Manila and other centers. This demand
compelled the issuance of the colonial government order in
1836 that required all towns to set up primary schools to teach
the population how to read and write.
 It eventually led to the passage of an education decree in 1863
that mandated free primary education. Eventually, the
nineteenth century also gave birth to many sch0ols that
addressed the growing demand for more professionals. Schools
like Ateneo Municipal were established during this time. The
complex nature of the developing economy also allowed the
government to intensify bureaucratization and to streamline
colonial governance.
 As Manila became a trading center, it became a viable destination
for people seeking better opportunities or those wanting to escape
the worsening conditions in the farmlands.
 The increased rate of internal migration raised several concerns.
One, people flocked the centers of trade like Manila. Overcrowding
implied issues in living quarters, sanitation and public health, and
increase in criminality. Two, the continuous movement of people
made tax collection extra difficult. In order to mitigate these
concerns, one measure implemented was the 1849 decree of
Governor-General Narciso Claveria that urged the people in the
colony to adopt surnames.
 With the catalogo de apellidos drawn up, the colonial government
assigned surnames to people and forbade changing names at will.
Together with more policies like the registration and possession of a
cedula personal bearing one's name and residence, the colonial
government ought to have a better surveillance mechanism. To help
carry out policies better, the guardia civil was eventually established.
As the new economy afforded the colonial state new opportunities, it
also prompted the state to be more regulatory and to assert its
authority.
Renegotiating Social
Stratification
 The Philippine society felt the impact of
the developing economy. As a result,
social relations underwent redefinitions
and the changing dynamics brought
about a renegotiation of social
stratification. With the growing relevance
of the mestizo population, new lines
were drawn with the following social
strata
 Social Stratification during 19th Century
Peninsular Pure-blooded Spaniard born in the Iberian
Peninsula (i,e. Spain)

Insular Pure-blooded Spaniard born in the Philippines

Mestizo Born of mixed parentage, one parent is Spanish and

other is native or Chinese mestizo- one parent is
Chinese and other is native

Principalia Wealthy pure-blooded native

Indio Pure-blooded native of the Philippine

Chino infiel Non-Catholic pure blooded Chinese

 As the Spaniards lost economic power in the nineteenth century,
they asserted dominance by virtue of their race. This issue brought
complications with the rising principalia and mestizo populations
who realized their indispensable position in society as movers and
facilitators of the economy.
 The renegotiation continued throughout the century as the mestizos
and principalia elite eventually demanded social recognition the
pure-blooded Spaniards had consistently denied them.
 These wealthy mestizos and members of the princibol: a continued
to amass economic and cultural capital. They also availed
themselves of the opportunity to obtain higher degrees of education
not only in the Philippines but also in Europe. These activities
augmented their relevance in society as it was from these ranks that
articulations of nationalism would emerge.