Spain and the Philippines in the 19th Century PDF

Spain and the Philippines in the 19th Century Submitted to: Mr. Argienel Villalobos Submitted by: Angeles, Denzel J. Benamer, Rainiel G. Masil, Ella Mae T. Ona, Darren O....

Spain and the Philippines in the 19th Century Submitted to: Mr. Argienel Villalobos Submitted by: Angeles, Denzel J. Benamer, Rainiel G. Masil, Ella Mae T. Ona, Darren O. Salosa, Shyra Joy J. SEPTEMBER 14, 2024 INTRODUCTION To fully comprehend the role Dr. Jose Rizal played in shaping the Filipino nationalism there is a need for us to look in the developments in the 19 th century. So we will try to look back on the condition of the Philippines when it comes to political, social, educational, and economic situation. To complete the understanding of the era Rizal lived, there is a need for us to look at the Spain and the Philippines during the 19th century. This is vital in helping us appreciate Rizal’s leadership in working for the country’s freedom. CONTENT Spain in the 19th Century The Philippines during Rizal’s Time Administrative Organization Political Structure during Spanish Colonial Period The Governor- General Frailocracia Guardia Civil The Social Structure of Filipino Society Education System Economic Situation SPAIN IN THE 19TH CENTURY Political Instability in Spain in the 19th Century was a turbulent century of politics in Spanish history. It was a period of political instability owing to the frequent rise and fall of ministries and constitutions. To save the country from political disunity, the Spanish crown works out the Canovite system or Rotativism. Canovite System or Rotativism- under this policy, the liberals and conservatives in Spain took turns in administering the affairs of the country. Abandonment of Mercantilism. The 19th century was also a period when Spain abandoned the policy of mercantilism and adopted the laissez- faire policy to follow the trend of economic development in Europe and, at the same time, speed up the growth of their commerce and trade. Mercantilism, an economic doctrine based on the idea that a country's wealth and power can be measured in terms of its stock of gold and silver. Laissez-faire Policy- Government's non-interference in the conduct of trade and business. Manila-Acapulao trade in 1873. This directly led the opening of the Philippines to world commerce. The opening of the country to foreign commerce and trade, not only ended the economic isolation of the Philippines from the rest of the world. It created a middle class imbued with civic courage and persona independence, which started questioning the abuses of the Spanish Regime. It was also this class, which started clamoring reforms in the Philippines from 1872 to 1892. THE PHILIPPINES DURING RIZAL’S TIME As a result of the Spanish conquest of the Philippines, the Filipinos lost their ancestral lands on account of Spain’s institution of the encomienda system ( a formal system of forced labor in Spanish colonies in Latin America and the Philippines, intended to encourage conquest and colonization). They were forced by the Spanish colonizers to accept Spanish culture and religion. This change in the administrative organization of the country, social and educational system and the economic situation of the Philippines in the 19th century. ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION The Philippines was governed directly by the Spanish crown, through the Ministry of Colonies in the 19th century. The Spanish colonial government in the Philippines ran indirectly through the viceroy of the Spain in Mexico. POLITICAL STURCUTURE DURING SPANISH COLONIAL PERIOD THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL The head of the Spanish colonial government in the country that is appointed by the Spanish monarch. The most powerful official in the Philippines. He is the Vice Royal Patron; he could nominate priests for ecclesiastical administration of the parishes. He was also the commander in chief of the colonial army.  Even though there’s no lawmaking body in the country then, he had legislative powers. The laws enacted by the governor-general were called actors acordados ( Maguidad, 2000). FRAILOCRACIA It was a term coined by Lopez Jaena. It refers to the situation that friars ( Augustinians, Dominicans and Franciscans) became more powerful and influential that even civil authorities feared them The rise in power and influence of the friars can be attributed to frequent changes in the top colonial administration in the country from 1849 to 1895. GUARDIA CIVIL Aside from the friars, guardia civil is one of the institutions that is feared in the Philippines. Guardia civil was organized in 1867 as a corps of native police under the leadership of Spanish officers for the purpose of dealing with outlaws and renegade. In 1880, it was the most feared instrument of summary arrests of individuals identified by the friars as filibusteros or enemies of the government and erehes or enemies of the church. On the whole, Spanish colonial government was corrupt and inefficient because of the distance of the Philippines from Spain, the governor-general exercised absolute powers. He could rewards positions in the bureaucracy to his favorites who were unqualified and unfit for government service. Although the Spanish crown had instituted the: Residencia, the trial of an outgoing governor-general to account for his acts during his tenure of office. Visitador or investigating officer to probe on the complaints against the governor-general. Royal Audiencia, a court established to administer royal justice. THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF FILIPINO SOCIETY Philippines society then was feudalistic as a consequence of the encomienda system imposed by the colonizers ( Romero et al., 1978). They imposed and collected all forms of taxes and tributes from the Filipinos and even required the natives to render polo y servicio or forced labor to the government and the Catholic Church. The social structure implemented by Spain was pyramidal due to the colonizer’s adherence to the doctrine of liempeza de sangre or purity of blood (Maguigad, 2000). SPANISH AND CHINESE MESTIZOS Mestizo means mix In the mid-19th century, there was 240,000 Chinese mestizos, but only about 7,000 to 10,000 Spanish mestizos. Secondly, the Chinese mestizos were readily assimilated into the fabric of the native society. The Chinese mestizos were an important element of Philippine society in the 19th century. They played a significant role in the formation of the Filipino middle class, in the agitation for reforms, in the 1898 revolution, and in the formation of what is now known as the Filipino nationality. INDIOS Indios were defined as the native indigenous peoples in all the Spanish American and Asian possessions. In the Spanish racial hierarchy, indios were the lowest-ranked group. The order was peninsulares, criollos, mestizos, Filipinos and indios. SOCIAL TENSION OR RACIAL DISCRIMINATION The social structure in 19th century Philippines was highly stratified, with Spaniards and clergy at the top ruling over native Filipinos. Politically, the Spaniards exploited the Filipinos by imposing high taxes and forcing them into slave labor. EDUCATION SYSTEM Education was limited, religion-oriented and aimed at promoting Spanish culture. While the 1863 decree expanded access, schools remained inadequate and under friar control. INDOCTRINATION The process of teaching a person or group to accept a set of beliefs uncritically. Not until 1863 was there public education in the Philippines, and even then the church controlled the curriculum. Less than one-fifth of those who went to school could read and write Spanish, and far fewer could speak it properly. UST The University of Santo Tomas (UST) is the oldest existing university in Asia. It was founded on April 28, 1611, by the third Archbishop of Manila, Miguel de Benavides, together with Domingo de Nieva and Bernardo de Santa Catalina. The curriculum at UST during José Rizal’s time included a broad education in the humanities and sciences, with a focus on medicine, philosophy, literature, and languages. Rizal’s studies and extracurricular activities at UST played a significant role in shaping his intellectual and cultural development. THE EDUCATIONAL DECREE OF 1863 The Educational Decree of 1863 mandated the establishment of public elementary schools for boys and girls in each town and a normal school for teacher training. Spanish became the medium of instruction in all schools, taught by Jesuits. TEACHING OF SPANISH LANGUAGE Friars opposed the teaching of Spanish to Filipinos, fearing it would lead to political and social awareness and a desire for independence. WEAKNESSES OF THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM over-emphasized on religion limited curriculum outdated facilities inadequate materials lacked academic freedom racial prejudice ECONOMIC SITUATION The Philippines opened to foreign trade in the late 18th century, leading to the growth of foreign firms and increased agricultural exports. Growing prosperity facilitated trade, increased Filipino contacts with foreigners, and allowed some families to send their children abroad for education.