Reflection Paper On:

The Philippines Within a Century

This essay was written by Dr. Jose with the purpose of shedding light as to what could happen in
the Philippines in the next hundred years. He put forth his observations of the past and then-
present conditions of the country and predicted what could happen next. He observed that the
causes of the miseries of the people were as follows: the implementation of military policies
decreasing the population and increasing poverty, deterioration and disappearance of Filipino
indigenous culture because of Spanish influence, and the passivity and submissiveness to the
Spanish colonizers programmed by the friars. He also begins to point out that were beginning to
grow tired of such oppression and wanted change. If the government does not change its ways,
the people will revolt and Spain will either lose the country to the Filipinos or to other nations.
Reforms were slowly being implemented by the government, however they were not the reforms
the people wanted. For there to be a true reform, the Spanish government must first implement
reforms to grant freedom of the press and to institute Filipino delegates and also enact policies
where the rights of the people will be protected and a fair justice system be put in place.

“The existence of a foreign body within another endowed with strength and activity is contrary to
all natural and ethical laws. Science teaches us that it is either assimilated, destroys the organism,
is eliminated or becomes encysted.” Keeping the people uneducated, ignorant, impoverished
and exterminating them had failed to stop the people from progressing and developing a
national conscience. With the way that the Spanish had dealt with the Philippines for the past few
centuries, Spain was almost reaching the point where the people were ready to rise up against
them. What the government needed to do was to change their policies to address the needs of
Philippine society and the rising nationalism of the people, but because they did not, they
eventually lost the Philippines as a colony.

Progress is something that cannot be stopped. The only constant thing in the world is change.
During the Spanish era, people were kept uneducated, impoverished and were persecuted and
yet great minds still emerged who later on took the reins into leading the country to change. We
have certainly progressed but the question is, what will happen to us next? Although we are not
the backwater colony that we used to be, fundamental problems that existed in the past still exist
today. There is corruption in the government, poverty is still prevalent, justice and the law are not
applied fairly, and the rights of the people are still being neglected. An ideal scenario is that the
Philippines will progress, and along with it all the people – meaning, nobody should get left
behind. As elections are drawing near, we should keep in mind what type of country do we want
to have in the future and help put people that are capable of achieving such goals in power.
We need true Filipinos in the government – those who understand the people and are one with
them, because if those elected cannot even understand the plight of the citizens, then they are
like foreign organisms just like the Spanish were. The needs of the people must be addressed or
else discontent will brew and soon after, there will be chaos.