THE INDOLENCE OF THE FILIPINOS

The indolence of the Filipinos is an exploratory essay written by the Philippine

national hero Dr. Jose Rizal to explain the alleged idleness of his people during the Spanish
colonization. The word indolence has been greatly misused in the sense of little love for work
and lack of energy, while ridicule has concealed the misuse.
>Rizal 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.
>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.
>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 is rampant. Many Filipinos have
also been sent abroad to fight wars for Spain or for expeditions. As a result, the population has
decreased in number. As 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.

>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. Moreover, since gambling was established and widely propagated during
those times, almost everyday there were cockfights, and during feast days, the government
officials and friars were the first to engage in all sorts of bets and gambles.
This situation is compounded by the Church's wrong doctrine or crooked system of
religion which holds that the rich will not go to heaven, thus engendering a wrong attitude
toward work. This also means that they preferred not to work and remain poor so that they could
easily enter heaven after they died. 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 Filipinos.
>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. There was a crooked system of education, if it was considered an
education. What was being taught in the schools were repetitive prayers and other things that
could not be used by the students to lead the country to progress. There were no courses in
Agriculture, Industry, etc., which were badly needed by the Philippines during those times.
The second factor is the lack of a national sentiment of unity among them. In the
absence of unity and oneness, the people did not have the power to fight the hostile attacks of the
government and the other forces of the society. There would also be no voice, no leader, to sow
progress and cultivate it, so that it may be reaped in due time. In such condition, the Philippines
remained a country that was lifeless, dead simply existing and not living. As Rizal stated in
conclusion A man in the Philippines is an individual; he is not merely a citizen of a country. In

addition, 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.