Philippines Economic Conditions PDF

Lesson 2: The Condition of the Philippines in the Advent of Jose Rizal 2.1 Economic Conditions Tremml-Werner (2015) posited that the Manila-centered triangular relations involving Japan, China, and Spain during the latter part of the 16th and mid-17th centuries made a great economic and polit...

Lesson 2: The Condition of the Philippines in the Advent of Jose Rizal 2.1 Economic Conditions Tremml-Werner (2015) posited that the Manila-centered triangular relations involving Japan, China, and Spain during the latter part of the 16th and mid-17th centuries made a great economic and political impact on the Philippines. Manila as an "open zone" cuddled influences on culture, language, and communication. Manila was alluring to immigrants such as the Chinese who had overgrown, starting in Binondo (Manila). Tracing back to Philippine history, it was the time of the Galleon Trade (1565-1815). The colonization of the Philippines resulted in the development of three economic systems (Western, native, and Chinese). In the early part of the Spanish regime, there were only a few Chinese on the islands. The Chinese were required to pay high taxes. Restrictions were imposed on them. They could not freely travel to other parts of the islands. However, being baptized into Catholicism and marrying a native woman allowed the Chinese to enjoy some incentives and privileges. The Chinese took this opportunity, resulting in the birth of "mestizos." The Chinese mestizos are the offspring of a Chinese father and an Indio mother. Subsequently, the population of Chinese mestizos in the Philippines was more than 200,000 in the late 19th century (Wickberg 1964), and the commercial activities in the islands were practically controlled by Chinese traders. This posed an alarm to the government and prompted them to employ taxation, control, and conversion in order to protect their own interests. In the late 1760s, Chinese traders were prohibited from staying in the Philippines because of their support for the British, who occupied Manila from 1762 to 1764. This gave way for the Chinese mestizos to take their place and their markets. Contributory to becoming economically independent middle-class entrepreneurs was the shift from domestic to export agricultural production during the mid-I'9th century. It enabled them to send their children to higher educational institutions, like Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Colegio de San Jose de Manila (a school for boys), the University of Santo Tomas, or even in Spain. The strategy used by the mestizos proved effective and brought economic fortune to their families. Spanish businessmen could not keep up with their enterprises. They tried to expatriate all Chinese back to their country. However, this proved to be a troublesome strategy. The opening of Manila port in 1840 lured Chinese traders to return to the Philippines, resulting in heightened immigration from 6,000 in 1847 to 100,000 by the 1880s. The mestizos, just like their Chinese ancestors, were proficient merchants. They established a strong retail connection in cities and provinces. The abolition of the Galleon Trade provided an opportunity for the mestizos to expand their trading activities. Schumacher (1991) viewed the emergence of the export economy that started in the 1830s as opening opportunities for the Filipino middle and upper classes for gainful profit, as well as the influx of machinery and consumer goods from Western countries. Philippine exports consist of agricultural products like rice, sugar, and abaca, produced in Negros, Central Luzon, Panay, Batangas, and Bicol.  The hacienderos and friars, including the inquilinos (managers/leaseholders of friar estates), enjoyed such prosperity. Ferdinand de Lesseps founded the Suez Canal Company with the primary purpose of building a canal that took him 10 years to finish. The canal was launched on November 17, 1869. The Suez Canal route propelled the trading activities. It shortened the travel time to Europe from three months, formerly, to one month, It also allowed the influx of liberal ideas from Europe to the Philippines in the form of reading materials and from the education attained and experienced by privileged Filipinos. The Chinese mestizos continued to dominate the race, and from their ranks ascended a hero, Jose Rizal. Antonio S. Tan (1986) enumerated famous Chinese mestizos. The list included former Presidents Sergio Osmeöa, Jose P. Laurel, Elpidio Quirino, Ramon Magsaysay, Ferdinand Marcos, and prestigious people, like Cesar Virata, Carlos P. Romulo, Roberto Ongpin, Arturo Tanco, Jesus Tanchanco, Serafin Quiason, and Claudio Teehankee. 2.2 Political Conditions European political developments during the 19th century greatly influenced the Philippine political landscape. One of them was the creation of the Cadiz Constitution in 1812. It was a landmark event that was participated by delegates who came from the Philippines. Known to be the earliest Constitution of Spain, it embraced the principles of freethinking and equality of all the citizens. In 1814, it was revoked by King Ferdinand Vll, but it was restored by his daughter, Queen Isabel Il, in 1833. Ventura de los Reyes y de la Serena, a representative of the Philippines in the Cadiz assembly, raised concerns about improving the conditions in the archipelago. He asserted reforms that would serve the interests of all the inhabitants of the Philippines. The Indios and the Spanish Creoles (children of Spanish parents born and living in the Philippines) must be treated equally with the Spaniards. They must enjoy the same rights and opportunities. This event opened a new chapter in Philippine politics. It opened the door for the birth of a political movement that would later unite Filipinos. It sparked the fire that stimulated their desire to be free and independent. Liberalism in Europe also brought about a significant change in the Philippines. The intense political struggle between the liberals and the conservatives inspired the natives and creoles to claim equality with the Spaniards. During this period, Filipinos witnessed the fragility of Spanish friars and government officials. This experience helped in the gradual awakening of nationalistic sentiments among Filipinos. The conflict in the Spanish monarchy was aggravated by incompetent governance and amplified corruption in the colonial territories. This condition brought about political and economic setbacks in the Philippines. Members of the Spanish clergy who were critical of the liberals were sent away to the Philippines by the government. The clergy claimed to take charge of the parishes. Thus, their presence created a conflict between the friars and the secular priests.  The refusal of the secular priests to give up control of the local parishes solicited rage from the Spanish clergy. The dispute paved the way for the execution of the three Filipino martyr priests, namely Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, who sparked inspiration for our hero, Jose Rizal, to continue his struggle for the Filipino people. The opening of the Suez Canal also brought about changes in the political atmosphere in the Philippines. The reduced travel time resulted in easier and speedy passages between Spain and the Philippines. The Spanish bureaucrats were able to stay longer to enrich themselves. Apart from their corrupt practices, Spanish officials failed to provide needed infrastructure, educational support, and public safety. The guardia civil also became oppressive. They took advantage of their authority to extort and bully the farmers. For the Indios, it was no longer worthwhile for them to continue to be under Spain. The colonizers were incapable of giving benefits and reforms to their colony. 2.3 Sociocultural Conditions The economic development in the 19th century led to the formation of a new social class. The native elite and their families were able to maintain their prestige and recognition in the community. They were called principalia, which primarily belonged to the middle class. This class was also composed of the mestizos, who were usually elected as gobernadorcillos (mayors) in their towns. The financial and political capability of middle-class families provided their children with the opportunity to study in universities both in the Philippines and Europe. Due to their knowledge and experience, they were called ilustrados. Tan (1986) mentioned in his article the important roles of Chinese mestizos in the ascent of middle-class Filipinos. They were influential in promoting reforms. Their exploits led to the 1898 revolution that resulted in the founding of the Filipino nation. Among his enumerations were: (1) they became a significant element in society because of their number, which reached 240,000 in the mid-19th century; (2) they readily embraced the native society; and (3) they played important roles in economic, social, and political affairs. The liberal outlook of the middle class is far opposite to that of the other native group, the lower class. The members of the lower class were the laborers and workers in the fields. Mostly, those coming from this class were poorly educated. They were rather reserved and loyal to their masters. Although the middle class and the lower class had far different economic and political statuses, they were bound by a common aspiration. As Chinese mestizos assimilated with the Indios, gradually the former came to embrace the native culture and think of themselves as the same. It can be attributed to the influence of an Indio parent. They were also becoming financially and mentally independent. It alarmed the Spaniards, who had thought that they might gain control and dominate public opinion, which later led the Indios toward a revolution (Wickberg 1964). The Spaniards set out on a plan to destabilize the Chinese mestizos and the 'native class. But they failed, for the mestizos had already acculturated to the Indios' social and cultural ways. Their knowledge and experience abroad made them confident and resolute. Their freethinking led them to demand reforms. Another important contributing factor to the emergence of national consciousness was the cultural development that provided access to education among middle-class Indios. Those families who could not afford to send their children abroad acquired education from schools within the country. Moreover, a remarkable contribution to education and, consequently, to the acceleration of national consciousness among the natives was the return of the Jesuits. They established their evangelization and opened a school in Mindanao, the Ateneo Municipal, Ideas, methods, and a new educational system were introduced. By chance, the Jesuit priests were able to promote nationalism through humanistic education in literature, science, and philosophy and instill' the principles of human dignity, justice, and equality for all men (Schumacher 1991). Source: Ponferrada et al. (2023). “A Course Module for Jose Rizal: Life and Works”. First Edition (pgs. 15- 19). REX Book Store.