THE INDOLENCE OF THE FILIPINO

(“LA INDOLENCIA DE LOS FILIPINOS”)

Sobre la indolencia de los filipinos ("On the Indolence of the Filipinos" in
Spanish) is a socio-political essay published in La solidaridad in Madrid
in 1890. It was written by José Rizal as a response to the accusation of
Indio or Malay indolence. He admits the existence of indolence among
the Filipinos, but it could be attributed to a number of reasons.
chapter I
Rizal acknowledges the prior work of Gregorio Sancianco and
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
only on either denying or affirming, and never studying its causes in
depth. One must study the causes of indolence, Rizal says, before
curing it. He therefore enumerates the causes of indolence and
elaborates on the circumstances that have led to it. The hot
climate, he points out, is a reasonable predisposition for
indolence. Filipinos cannot be compared to Europeans, who live in
cold countries and who must exert much more effort at work. An
hour's work under the Philippine sun, he says, is equivalent to a
day's work in temperate regions.
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chapter II
Rizal says that an illness will worsen if the wrong treatment is given.
The same applies to indolence. People, however, should not lose
hope in fighting indolence. Even before the Spaniards arrived,
Rizal argues, the early Filipinos were already carrying out trade
within provinces and with other neighboring countries; they were
also engaged in agriculture and mining; some natives even spoke
Spanish. All this disproves the notion that Filipinos are by nature
indolent. Rizal ends by asking what then would have caused
Filipinos to forget their past.

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chapter III
Rizal enumerates several reasons that may have caused the
Filipinos' cultural and economic decadence.
• The frequent wars, insurrections, and invasions have brought
disorder to the communities. Chaos has been widespread, and
destruction rampant.
• Many Filipinos have also been sent abroad to fight wars for
Spain or for expeditions. Thus, the population has decreased in
number. Due to forced labor, many men have been sent to
shipyards to construct vessels.
• Meanwhile, natives who have had enough of abuse have gone
to the mountains. As a result, the farms have been neglected.
The so-called indolence of Filipinos definitely has deeply rooted
causes.

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 Destructive Wars

Forced Labor
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chapter IV
Filipinos, according to Rizal, are not responsible for their misfortunes,
as they are not their own masters. The Spanish government has not
encouraged labor and trade, which ceased after the government
treated the country's neighboring trade partners with great suspicion.
Trade has declined, furthermore, because of pirate attacks and the
many restrictions imposed by the government, which gives no aid for
crops and farmers. This and the abuse suffered under encomenderos
have caused many to abandon the fields. Businesses are
monopolized by many government officials, red tape and bribery
operate on a wide scale, rampant gambling is tolerated by the
government. This situation is compounded by the Church's wrong
doctrine which holds that the rich will not go to heaven, thus
engendering a wrong attitude toward work. There has also been
discrimination in education against natives. These are some of the
main reasons that Rizal cites as causing the deterioration of values
among the 7Filipinos.
chapter V
According to Rizal, all the causes of indolence can be reduced to
two factors.
The first factor is the limited training and education Filipino natives
receive. Segregated from Spaniards, Filipinos do not receive the
same opportunities that are available to the foreigners. They are
taught to be inferior.
The second factor is the lack of a national sentiment of unity among
them. Because Filipinos think they are inferior, they submit to the
foreign culture and do everything to imitate it.

The solution, according to Rizal, would be education and liberty.

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analysis of the essay
 It is important to note that indolence in the Philippines is a
chronic malady, but not a hereditary one. Truth is, before the
Spaniards arrived on these lands, the natives were
industriously conducting business with China, Japan, Arabia,
Malaysia, and other countries in the Middle East. The reasons
for this said indolence were clearly stated in the essay, and
were not based only on presumptions, but were grounded on
fact taken from history.

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 The Spanish brought about a decline in economic
activities because of certain causes:

Forced Labor Rampant Vices

Galleon Trade Cut-off
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 Destructive Wars

Can anyone mention more?

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Rizal admitted that the Filipinos did not work so hard because
they were wise enough to adjust themselves to the warm,
tropical climate. “An hour’s work under that burning sun, in the
midst of pernicious influences springing from nature in activity,
is equal to a day’s labor in a temperate climate.”

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Any Questions???

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JOSE RIZAL AND PHILIPPINE NATIONALISM
 WHAT IS NATIONALISM??

It is a belief, creed Nationalism is not a

or political ideology product of a sudden
that involves an outburst of
individual sentiment. It is
identifying with, or brought about by Any other
becoming attached certain factors that definition?
to, one’s nation. gradually develop.
It is like a seed
nourished by
common ideals and
aspiration for
national unity.
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 Philippine Nationalism
In the history of the Philippines, the birth of Nationalism went rather slowly due
to topography, language problems and colonial policy

Filipino nationalism began with an upsurge of patriotic sentiments and

nationalistic ideals in the 1800s Philippines that came as a consequence of
more than three centuries of Spanish rule.

This served as the backbone of the first nationalist revolution in Asia, the
Philippine Revolution of 1869, and continues up to this day.

An immediate outcome of the Filipino Propaganda Movement (mostly in

Europe) from 1872 to 1892
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 Factors that Contributed to the
development of Filipino Nationalism
1. Opening of Philippines to World Commerce
 Transformed Philippines as the center for World Trade
 Provincial ports were opened to foreign merchants
-- rice, sugar, abaca, tobacco and indigo

 Broke their dependency on the treasury of Mexico

 The economy of the Philippines rose rapidly and its local
industries developed

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 Factors that Contributed to the
development of Filipino Nationalism
1. Opening of Philippines to World Commerce
 Rise of the middle class
-- intelligentsia or ilustrado
-- comprised of the Spanish and Chinese mestizos
 Modernization of the Country
-- 1839 : Mail Service
-- 1852 : 1st paper money (Philippine Bank)
-- 1846 : 1st newspaper

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 Factors that Contributed to the
development of Filipino Nationalism
2. Influx of Liberal Ideas
 Due, primarily the opening of Philippines to world trade
 The possibility of applying Western thoughts as a means to
solve existing problems in the country.
 Also caused by the opening of Suez Canal – November 17,
1869

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 Factors that Contributed to the
development of Filipino Nationalism
2. Influx of Liberal Ideas
 The intellectuals of the country gained access to Western
political thought from the books and newspapers brought by
foreign travellers
-- Ideologies of the French and American Revolution
-- Voltaire, Rousseau, Locke, Montesquieu, Jefferson

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 Factors that Contributed to the
development of Filipino Nationalism
2. Influx of Liberal Ideas

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 Factors that Contributed to the
development of Filipino Nationalism

3. Secularization Movement

 Regular Priest and Secular Priest

-- Regular priest belonged to religious orders. Their main task was to
spread Christianity.
-- Secular priest were trained to run the parishes and were under the
supervision of the bishops.
 Conflict began when the bishops insisted on visiting the parishes that
were run by the regular priest.
 Secular priest must fill in the vacancy left by the regular clergy.
 The increase of number in Christian converts proved to be too much
compared to the number of clerics.
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 Factors that Contributed to the
development of Filipino Nationalism

3. Secularization Movement
 Due to lack of personnel, the various religious orders opened
membership to young native Filipinos. – 1698 : Francisco Baluyut – 1st
indio Priest
 Conflict mounted between the Spanish friars and Filipino Priest

Father Pedro Pelaez – defend the rights of the Filipino clergy

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 Factors that Contributed to the
development of Filipino Nationalism

4. Liberal Regime of De La Torre

 June 23, 1869 – he was welcomed by both Filipinos and Spaniards
 A liberal Spaniard who practiced liberal and democratic principles.
 He abolished flogging, relaxed media censorship, and began limited
secularization of education.
 Developed a close relationship with the illustrados
 The peaceful settlement of agrarian unrest in Cavite
-- Guisas de la Torre (Guardia Civil)
- Police force headed by Camerino, the leader of revolt

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 Factors that Contributed to the
development of Filipino Nationalism

4. Cavite Mutiny
 The liberal government established by Gov. Carlos Maria de la Torre
ended
-- Gen. Rafael Izquierdo maked end of the liberal policies
 200 Filipino soldiers (Cavite Arsenal)
-- abolition of exemption from polo y servicio and payment of
annual tribute
-- January 20, 1872 – the mutiny broke out under the leadership
of Sergeant La Madrid
-- January 27, 1872 – 41 mutineers were executed including
Camerino

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 Factors that Contributed to the
development of Filipino Nationalism

4. GOMBURZA Execution
 February 17, 1872 – executed by the Spanish colonizers on charges of
subversion.
 Their deaths awakened strong feelings of anger and resentment among
Filipinos
 The execution of GOMBURZA became a spark among the educated
ilustrados.
 Resulted to Propaganda Movement

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 Propaganda Movement

1. It was a literary and cultural organization formed in 1872 by Filipino

emigres who settled in Europe. Composed of Filipino liberals exiled in
1872 and students attending Europe’s universities, the organization aimed
to increase Spanish awareness of the needs of its colony, the relationship
between the colony and Spain.
2. Prime Movers:
Graciano Lopez Jaena
Marcelo H. Del Pilar
Mariano Ponce
Jose Rizal

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 Objectives Propaganda Movement

1. Representation of the Philippines in the Cortes Generales, the Spanish

parliament;
2. Secularization of the clery;
3. Legalization of Spanish and Filipino equality;
4. Creation of a public school system independent of the friars;
5. Abolition of the polo (labor service) and vandal (forced sale of local
products to the government);
6. Guarantee of basic freedoms of speech and association;
7. Equal opportunity for Filipinos and Spanish to enter government service.
8. Recognition of the Philippines as a province of Spain
9. Secularization of Philippine parishes
10. Recognition of human rights.
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 La Solidaridad

1. The vehicle of expansion of the Propaganda Movement

2. For more than 5 years of existence, it became a principal organ of the
movement. It existed from February 15, 1889 to November 15, 1895.
3. Graciano Lopez-Jaena – Founder and first editor of La Solidaridad.
Together with Jose Rizal and Marcelo H. del Pilar, he undertook
propaganda campaigns in Spain. But he was soon succeeded by
Marcelo H. del Pilar

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RIZAL IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF
NATIONALISM
 Jose Rizal and NAtionalism

Rizal showed interest in, and

exerted enough efforts to ignite Rizal created La
Filipinos’ interest in History. Liga Filipina

Rizal’s novels Noli Me Tangere and El

Filibusterismo became bibbles of the
Philippine Nationalism

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 Thank You!!

Any Questions???