Chapter 1: The Historical Background (Philippines, PDF)

CHAPTER 1 THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Objectives: 1. Realize and relate the social conditions in the past and the present time. 2. Appreciate the Philippine Heritage through an analysis on the lives of the Ancient Fili...

CHAPTER 1 THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Objectives: 1. Realize and relate the social conditions in the past and the present time. 2. Appreciate the Philippine Heritage through an analysis on the lives of the Ancient Filipinos Philippines in the Spanish Colonization Era The situations are considered the background of understanding how the country and Filipino people suffered and experienced the difficulties of life. During the colonization period, the time when Rizal was born, a lot of difficult conditions and practices from the Spanish government, authorities and Catholic religion were imposed to Filipinos without considering human emotions and their well being. The basis of prowess in the society before was color and wealth. However, no matter how wealthy a person if he was not a Spanish or white in color means he did not belong to the superior order. It is not skeptical that outside of the said color means that one’s future is already without assurance of success in any endeavor in life. For 333 years of colonization, the created negative, unpleasant and annoying image and practices, irregularities, unfairness, inequalities and injustice are the best images imbibed to people in which until this times similar description to Filipinos are being seen as part of their daily living. Let us look at the following actuations and situations in the society by the Spanish to “Indios” called for Filipinos. The following situations are based or adopted on Gregorio Zaide’s stories: Instability of Spanish Politics After which the end of Napoleonic invasion to Spain, the country was plagued by several changes in the government system. These changes in the Spanish government had great impacts in the Philippines because the sudden changes of its officials would mean another adjustment to changes in the country. Developments depended on the officials assigned by the Spanish government to the Philippines as a colony. That if an official had started a good plan but when suddenly replaced, and then his plans were not pushed through instead, there were new plans based on the likings of the new set of officers to manage the colony. 5 Corrupt Officials Several officials being assigned by the Spanish government to serve in the Philippines were not really knowledgeable on their assigned post and did not even really have the “know how” in performing their duties. In worst situations, there were officers who were ignorant to the law. Some were said to be good in fighting the moros but did not possess the leadership capabilities. Some just accepted it because they wanted to have a better life. Several leaders became rich instantly because of corrupt practices like allowing some gambling and the like in any form to happen freely for so long as they pay some portion to the officers involved. Some officers like Rafael de Izquierdo (1871-1873) was a boastful and ruthless governor general who had immediately commanded the execution through garrote to the three Filipino priest namely Gomez, Burgos and Zamora without trial or hearing. After him was Admiral Jose Mal Campo, a good moro fighter but a weak administrator. Another, Valeriano Weyler, was also a corrupt and cruel officer. He instantly became rich as millionaires by receiving huge bribes and gift of diamonds for his wife from wealthy Chinese who evaded the law. He was known to Filipinos as “Tyrant” because of his brutal acts particularly the ordering of the persecution of tenants in Calamba which included the family of Rizal. Camilo Polovieja was also a ruthless governor general who approved the execution of Rizal without any strong evidence. Other officials who were of similar rude and brutal attitudes and practices were those that came from other colonies of Spain like Cuba, Mexico and Guatemala after it lost these colonies. Some of these people were misplaced, penniless, sycophants who came to the Philippines as executives, judges, army officers and government employees. They were either relatives or friends of civil officials and friars. Removal of Philippine Representatives from Cortes In order to have a contact to the different colonies of Spain, a representative to the Cortes was assigned in order to report happenings and developments of every colony. The first representative was Ventura de los Reyes who successfully took active part in framing the Constitution in 1812. Unfortunately, the representation of the overseas colonies including the Philippines was abolished. In this case, there was no way that irregularities be discovered or reported to Spain head authority. Several Filipinos through Graciano Lopez Jaena asked for reconsideration to having a representation but the Spanish government ignored the plea. This also provided more bitter emotions since other colonies like Cuba and Puerto Rico had their representatives but only the Philippines was dropped from the list colonies. Human Rights Denial and Inequalities to Law There is no doubt that this happened. The Spanish enjoyed freedom of expression, press, association, and other rights in which Spaniards carefully watch that no monarch would abolish such law granting them. 6  The Spanish missionaries introduced the principle of Christianity that all men are equal in God’s eyes irrespective of race or color. In later part these teachings were not the real thing but rather the other part of reality. The Filipinos were enlightened so they were baptized and accepted it as Christians for the concept of brotherhood was also used to introduce the Catholic religion. During the Spanish rule, they regarded the brown or dark Filipinos as inferior being not to be defended as brother but rather as slaves to be subjected to exploitation. Filipinos were abused, brutalized, persecuted, and slandered by Spanish masters. They were not able to appeal for justice because the known justice if for Spanish was being white in complexion. The Spanish Penal Code provides stringent punishment and heavier penalties to the native Filipinos and mestizos while lighter to the white Spanish. Certain provision on the code states that whoever that is not born to be white in color is a criminal. In this statement it is clear that it favors Spanish not Filipinos. Injustices and Racial Discrimination Judges during those times were notoriously corrupt. Justice had a monetary value. Some of them were not even lawyers or had a knowledge on law but rather ignorant to law. The Justice system was not systematic and very slow in process. Filipinos were always losers even in a slight case because they cannot afford the expensive payment for litigation. Several discriminations were done to Filipinos. Education was just for the rich and Spanish. The Filipinos who could avail entered but experienced several insults and slander from their teachers or professors. Justice were just for white and rich. Denied human rights, no equality. Since the adoption of the Spanish Constitution of 1812 and other constitution in succeeding years; the Spanish Penal Code enforced in the Philippines imposed heavier penalties on brown-skinned Filipinos, mestizos but lighter penalties on white- complexioned Spaniards which signified that every person not born white is in fact a latent criminal. The Spaniards enjoyed freedom of speech, press, association and other human rights but not for the dark skinned Filipinos, who were treated inferior, abused, brutalized, persecuted and slandered by their Spanish masters. Frailocracy After the Spanish ruled the Philippines, all important aspects of life were under the control of the friars or priest which was called Frailocracia government. Education and life were under the control of the Spanish friars. Every recommendation they made regardless if it was right or not was almost always granted by the governor general much that one of their jobs was the supervision of elections. The Agustinian and Dominican priests had used their powerful influences to confiscate the lands of Filipinos like in Calamba and made the owners as tenants of their own lands. 7 Force Labor Filipinos were forced to work in the different parts of the country to build churches, hospitals, roads and other infrastructures. The forced labor known as polo allowed exemptions so long as one pays a corresponding amount called falla. Male Filipinos were obliged to render service from age 16-60 for 40 days a year. Later, there was a change in a promulgation of the new regulations by the council of state which changed the labor age from 16-18 and from 40 days to 15 days in a year. This provision is applied not only to natives but also to Spanish people but this was not implemented in the Philippines. In this case, only Filipinos were demanded to work while some Spanish paid the falla to avoid it. A lot more pain particularly when the government promised to give two pesetas (50centavos) as payment of one’s labor but was not given or some received only half of it and others had nothing. Several Filipinos suffered because their works were affected and leave their families just to perform their yearly force labor in any part of the country. Guardia Civil (Civil Guards) This is one of the most hated symbols of Spanish occupation. This was created in a certain decree to promote peace and stability of order in the country but it was abused by authorities in power. The earlier batches of Gurdia Sibil were known to be good and they had done their works in upright principle. The succeeding compositions were already too different because they were the law breakers. They were even known for rape, extortion of money and other forms of irregularity. Realization of the Past and Moving for Change It is believed that past is past but then without it, there would be no bases for the present and the future happenings. It is essential then that lessons of the past should also reflect better changes. The following should be realized: 1. It is believed and observed that what is happening today in our government and also to its citizens are reflections of the past historical experiences passed down from generation to generation. Now that we are already learning, it is then with great courage to realize every situation to widen the thinking and the rationality of mentality as Filipinos to develop the sense of national pride and patriotism. 2. It was inculcated to Filipinos the erroneous changes in terms of total existence, attitude, culture, traditions, mannerisms and others. Until now, these changes that influenced our lives are difficult to unlearn. It is indeed a challenge to anyone to make possible changes by executing changes in one’s life for the better. 3. Some psychological and sociological impacts to Filipino people are the results of irregularities, unlawful acts, obvious harassment made by the Spaniards which hamper 8 better thinking. The effects could be devastating but it should be changed to courage and to develop positive views for better changes. 4. Force labor was seen to be one of the most difficult symbols of Spanish tyranny. It is believed that until today several people are enslaved because of their inability to protect themselves and because some people are used to having slaves. We should change our Hispanic style and remember that everyone is free. No matter what status one has: a master, parent or boss, believe in freedom and equality for a change since this is the basic law of the entire human creation. 5. Become better citizens by acclaiming and affirming love and do away with discrimination regardless of ethnic origin, color, physical outlook and others. Let us help our countrymen even in simple ways. Develop sense of patriotism, nationalism and promote Philippine national pride corresponding to global solidarity. The Philippines before Rizal: Some Salient Documents: (Anton Postma 1992), The Laguna Copperplate Inscription Literacy dictates the advancement and social condition of a society and a nation. Contrary to the common misconception, when the Spaniards arrived in the islands they found more than just a loose collection of backward and belligerent tribes. They found a civilization that was very different from their own. The ability to read and write is the mark of any civilization and according to many early Spanish accounts, the Tagalogs had already been writing with the Baybayin for at least a century. This script was just beginning to spread throughout the islands at that time. 9  The culture that the Spaniards found in the Philippines was unique in that the art of reading and writing was in the hands of “This language of ours is like everybody. This document is any other, it once had an another piece of evidence to show that Filipinos has early alphabet and its own letters writings and has a sense of that vanished as though a accountability and most of all tempest had set upon a boat learned and not ignorant. This copperplate inscription is a on a lake in a time now long document about a Namwaran’s gone” release from his debts including "To My Fellow Children” his family. Places indicated in Attributed to Jose Rizal, 1869 English translation by P. Morrow this document are still traceable to existing places to this time Spanish accounts. When Legazpi came to Manila in 1571 he observed that the inhabitants knew how to read and write. This was documented by Pedro Chirino, a Jesuit historian, who wrote in his 1604 Relacion de las Islas Filipinas, “All these islanders are much given to reading and writing, and there is hardly a man, much less a woman, who does not read and write.” Chirino was not alone in his observation. Many other historians had similar conclusions, including Dr. Antonio Morga, Senior Judge Advocate of the High Court of Justice and commander of the ill-fated galleon-turned-warship San Diego that was sunk by the Dutch Admiral Van Noort. Morga wrote in his 1609 Succesos de las Islas Filipinas, “Almost all the natives, both men and women, write in this language. There are very few who do not write it excellently and correctly.” The Spaniards found the people in Manila and other places writing on bamboo and specially prepared palm leaves using knives and styli. They were using the ancient Tagalog script which had 17 basic symbols. It was a simple and elegant system that was called Baybayin. In 1914, the newer term Alibata was introduced by Dean Paul Versoza of the University of Manila in place of Baybayin. Accounts of the use of writing in the Philippines indicate that they were not used to record history and tradition but simply for personal communication and writing poetry. To take advantage of the native's literacy, religious authorities published several books containing Baybayin text. The first of these was the Doctrina Christiana, en Lengua Española y Tagala printed in 1593. The Tagalog text was based mainly on a manuscript written by Fr. Juan de Placencia. Friars Domingo de Nieva and Juan de San Pedro Martyr supervised the preparation and printing of the book, which was carried out by a Chinese artisan. 10  Sinister Shadows of Spain. The Filipino people agonized beneath the yoke of Spanish misrule, for they were unfortunate victims of the evils of an unjust colonialism. Among these evils were as follows: (1) Instability of colonial administration (2) corrupt officialdom, (3) no Philippine representation in the Spanish Cortes, (4) human rights denied to Filipinos, (5) no equality before the law (6) maladministration of justice, (7) racial discrimination, (8) frailocracy, (9) forced labor (10) haciendas owned by the friars, and (11) Cruel Guardia Civil. The instability of Spanish politics adversely affected the Philippine affairs because it brought about frequent periodic shifts in colonial policies and fast turnover of offices which lead to corrupted officials, who mostly came penniless to the Philippines and became rich by marrying the heiresses of rich Filipino families, which hampered the political and economic development of the Philippines. To win the support of overseas colonies, Spain granted a colony representative to the Spain might have been spared “Spanish Parliament”. The Philippines of Doctor Rizal’s terrible but true experienced her first period of representation in indictment that She retarded the Cortes from 1810-1813 through Ventura de los Philippine progress, kept the Islands Reyes, who took active part in the framing of the Constitution of 1812 including the abolition of miserably ruled for 333 years and in galleon trade. The second (1820-23) and third the last days of the nineteenth century (1834-1837) representation were less fruitful until was still permitting medieval the colony representation was abolished in 1837 malpractices. Rizal did not believe that and was never restored even after much pleading from Filipino intellectuals. Since then, the his country was able to stand alone as Philippine conditions worsened because there a separate government. He therefore was no means for the Filipino people to expose desired to preserve the Spanish the anomalies perpetrated by the colonial officials. sovereignty in the Philippines, but he desired also to bring about reforms and conditions conducive to advancement (Craig, 2005). 11