The Indolence of the Filipinos

* "The Indolence of the Filipinos" or La Indolencia de los Filipinos is a study

of the causes of the people's not working hard during the Spanish regime.

*it is an essay written by Dr. Jose Rizal published in La Solidaridad in

Madrid in 1890

*it deals with the sociopolitical matters or setup of the Filipinos in defense
of the accusation that the Indios or Malays were indolent or lazy people

*Dr Jose Rizal in this essay did admit the presence of indolence among
Filipinos.

*Rizal cited factors that contribute to Filipino indolence, such as abuses,

discrimination, passive governance, corruption.,red tape, baseless dogma
of the church, and wrong illustration from some Spaniards

*Rizal believe that to find cure to indolence one must admit having such
dilemma, thus, he agreed with the prior writing of Gregorio Sanciano, which
depicted indolence among Filipinos

*a cure existed when one studied what caused indolence in the first place.
Rizal, therefore enumerated the factors that caused indolence, first, was
the climate and second, Filipinos had been doing trade within the region
and neighbor countries.

*According to Rizal, the decrease in the economic engagement of the

natives was due to the following reasons:
- Establishment of the Galleon trade
- Forced labor
 - Lack of Goverment Protection Against
pirates
- Twisted educational system
- Spaniards wrong idea toward work
- Rampant gambling
- wrong religious belief
- extremely high taxes

*Rizal argued that the main cause of indolence was spain.

The Filipino farmers

*during the Spain regime, farming was a risky occupation.

*farmers bask then had to deal with the lack of laborers caused by forced
labors of the Spaniards.
*there was instance when farmers had to face the wrath of an official of the
court or provincial government simply for an unjust reason, like not giving
bribes or an official's personal grudge.
*Filipino farmers or capitalist were pushed into embracing bribery to win the
tulisanes or bandits.
*the case of a citizen of the province of La Laguna who owned of extensive
lands planted to sugar cane, coffe, and abaca.
*Captain Francsico de San Juan, declared war in the name of Spain
against the English in 1762 and was able to save a large amount of
government money from falling in the hands of invaders.
For this reason he had to abandon his farms, losing his abaca crops.

Many called the attention of the Minister of the colonies to make effort to
confront issues regarding bandits.
Those who were on top put the blame on indios indolence. Higher official
washed their hands of blames having a backwards government caused by
their irresponsibility
Bandits and criminal dwelt in the idea that the government would not run
after them since it was too busy abusing the just citizens of the country
The propagandists saw the struggles of farmers, so they sought reforms
regarding the granting of licenses for the use of arms.
*it should not be granted without unanimity. Such manner would lessen the
wasted effort of farmers, lessen inconvenience, and save time and energy.
The ilustrados view of climate in the 19 century

In the 19th century, the Philippines was exposed to chaotic setup.

lustrados like Jose Rizal, Marcelo del Pilar, Graciano Lopez Jaena, and
Antonio Luna were prominent Filipino in Europe.

El Demonio De Las Comparaciones

After Rizal published his novel Noli Me Tangere in 1897, he anticipated

numerous events and situation, which he might encounter on his return to
manila from Europe.
Ilustrados who bravely pushed for reforms in the European location Jose
Rizal, as well as Del Pilar, Lopez Jaena, and Antonio Luna had a promising
politial career
The ilustrados’ desire for Philippines reforms began to have color
They had feeling of uplifting the Filipinos by integrating foreign ideas and
ways into the Philippines

ROMANCING NATURE IN RIZAL’S BRINDIS

The Rizal's speech known as Brindis earned him the title of filubustero.
(Content dayun)
Filibuster ---- meaning ?
He had interpreted the success of Hidalgo and Luna, an act of optimism of
what might lie ahead and glance of the past.
Note: Rizal found genius everywhere
According to Rizal as quoted, "genius has no country, genius sprouts
everywhere; genius is like the light and air, the heritage of everyone-
cosmopolitan like space, like life, and like God."
THE RIZAL’S ABANDONMENT OF ASSIMILATION
In the 19th century, there are two myths about Rizal’s standing about the
Philippine nationalist.
First Myth- Rizal was one of the middleclass men who sought reforms by
means of opposing the Revolution in 1986 had encouraged the absorption
of Philippines to Spain. Hispanization of the Filipino was one of Rizal’s
desires and not to set the Philippines free from its colonizers.
Note: Hispan--- definition
Second Myth- Rizal’s contradiction to the ways of the Katipunero led by
Bonifacio & it was shown in Rizal’s La Liga Filipina.
=== unsa nacontent sa la liga Filipina na nagcontradict si rizal
NOTE: CONTRADICTED BONIFACIOS IDEOLOGIES. This argued that
Bonifacio was a pitiable & illiterate laborer according to Rizal. Also, the
Katipunan was an organization of the “uneducated and unfortunate”
people.

The two myths contribute to CONFUSION & DIVIDED BELIEFS in the

young Filipinos about the history of the Philippines.
NOTE: HISTORY WOULD THEN BE LEFT HANGING & LOADED W/
LOOPHOLES
The celebration of centennial of the Bonifacio-led Revolution & Rizal’s
martyrdom demanded clarification of the myths. Hence, such myths ought
to be critically evaluated through historiographical evidences.
Note: Critical examination of -----
Rizal’s correspondence, 1887-1892, could better explain the first myth.
-Highlight the Rizal’s eagerness to attain independence from the hands of
the cruel Spaniards by means of a peaceful struggle.
1887- Two letters were wrote by Rizal to his friend and mentor, the German
scholar Ferdinand Blumentritt, …, diminishing the idea of having the
Filipino assimilated to Spain.
February 21, 1887- “The Filipinos had long wished for Hispanization and
they were wrong in aspiring for it. It is Spain and not the Philippines who
ought to wish for the assimilation of the country” (Rizal-Bluementritt, 52).
January 26, 1887- A peaceful struggle shall always –

Note: Rizal’s two letters must be ---

Numerous scholars today undermine the value of such letters. Many have
intentionally revised it, giving favorable consideration that Rizal truly
wanted Philippine assimilation to Spain and not Philippine independence.

Ruth Roland (1969:58-59), an American author, misquoted three lines of

Rizal’s letters.

A letter dated January 26, 1887; he cleverly omitted the first sentence.
“A peaceful struggle will always be a dream, for Spain will never learn…” –
and the crucial word “But” [Aber in the German original] in ---”But, under the
present circumstances we do not want separation” ---to prove that Rizal
was an assimilationist.
He also omitted the very important Latin line “quos vult perdere Jupiter,
prius dementat” [whom Jupiter would destroy, He first makes mad].
Romancing ---

----------------------------
Del Pilar made it clear that Jose Rizal did not have any illusions about the
Reform Movement; however, he appreciated its strategic worth.
Note: evident
Rizal's letter to Del Pilar in April 1890
Parliamentary representation will be a burden on the Philippines for a long
time. If our countrymen felt otherwise than they do, we should reject any
offer of such representation but, the way we are, with our countrymen
indifferent, representation is good. It is better to be tied by the ankles than
elbow to elbow. What can we do! (Guerrero, 1963:287)
Rizal had been consistent with this perspective, judging from his
correspondence from 1887-1892.

Note: unsay goal sa la solidaridad --- propaganda?

April 4, 1890
Another letter to Del Pilar which contained Rizal’s abandonment of the
propaganda La Solidaridad for no longer fit into Rizal’s desires for the
Philippines. He also cut his connection with the reformist n Madrid. Such
action was exposed in his surviving fragment of a letter, dated October
1891.
If our countrymen hope in us here in Europe, they are certainly mistaken…
The help we can give them is our lives in our own country. The error all
make in thinking we can help here, far away is a great mistake indeed. The
medicine must be brought near to the sick man. Had I not been unwilling to
shorten the lives of my parents, I would not have left the Philippines, no
matter what happened. Those five months I stayed there were a model life,
a book even better than the Noli Me Tangere.[The field of battle
Philippines; there is where we should be.]

Letter to Ferdinand Blementritt

Life in the Philippines has become impossible: without courtesy, without
virtue, without justice! That is why I think La Solidaridad is no longer place
to give battle; this is a new fight. I should like to follow your wishes but I
believe that it will be in vain; the fight is no longer in Madrid. It is all waste
of time. (Guerrero’s translation)
But many historians had disregarded such letters and relied solely on one
document and that was a document Rizal had written in his prison cell.
Rizal’s so-called December 15, 1896 manifesto, a statement he issued to
the Spanish court which contained his denial as the mastermind of the
revolution.

His denial condemned Bonifacio’s premature uprising as an act of

ridiculous barbarism. It also encouraged the Katipuneros to surrender.
Nevertheless, the military court rejected Rizal’s manifesto.

Mi Ultimo Adios was Rizals testament- it is a literary masterpiece that

contained his in depth views of the Revolution.
Poem- made an impact on the Filipinos minds because it was distributed by
Bonifacio
Second stanza of poem was about intertwined connection between Rizal's
martyrdom & Revolution.
Austin Coates' translation- observing the translation that took place, Rizal's
phrase in the second line which was "sin dudas sin please" was translated
by Coates into "without hesitation or thought for the consequence."
Coates's translation from Nick Joaquin's
Joaquin's translation- shows a closer similarity to Rizal's Spanish writing.
"without doubts, without gloom" -- captures the beauty of the poem and it's
essence, as interpreted and read by the revolutionaries.
• This shows the different motive and views of the writers who interpreted
Rizal masterpiece.
Coates's translation was misleading - without hesitation or thought for the
consequence"
His translation contains his personal opinion about Rizal and his ideologies.
Using his skills stylistic and artistic literary skill. He was able to deliver a
self-made lecture on Rizal's standpoint on Revolution.
Coates' action was showcased in a lecture on Rizal's last poem given
during the celebration of Rizal day.
Coates made emphasis on Rizal’s ambivalent attitude to the revolution.
Using Nick Joaquin’s translation- He leaves Coates without space to inflict
his own ideas.
He would not be able to make the claim that “Rizal did not entirely agree”
with what the revolutionaries were doing.
Rizal’s Spanish text and Nick Joaquin’s translation both approved in the
Philippine literature, edited by Bienvenido Lumbrea.
Meanwhile, Austin Coates’ version appeared in Rizal: Philippine Nationalist
and Martyr (1968) and in his Rizal Lecture (1977).
Last Poem of Jose Rizal- was distributed to the revolutionaries by Bonifacio
using his own vernacular translation. It was the first Tagalog version of the
poem. It has a happy translation that empowers revolutionaries more.
Walang agam-agam – is equivalent to Joaquin’s English version of “without
doubts”, but the maluwag sa dibdib by Bonifacio’s translation means a
whole hearted acceptance, sans misgiving or reservations. Bonifacio goes
further than the English version of Joaquin which is “without gloom”.
Adding more controversy and interest to Bonifacio’s translation of the last
untitled poem of Rizal was his added phrase “matamis sa puso at di
ikahapis” which means joy of the heart that knows no pain.
The writings and Trial of Andres Bonifacio edited by Teodoro Agoncillo in
1963.
The Agony of the Garden sketch was given to his family, and to Josephine
he left Kempi’s La Imitacion del Cristo.
The words “Consumatum est!” - Jesus’ last words were heard from Rizal
lips.
The aftermath of Rizal death led to the uprising of his supporters. Rizal died
as a martyr for his countrymen to be awakened and continue the battle of
independence.
A leading intellectual in Aguinaldo’s cabinet remembered Rizal’s happy
face before his death.
Mabini viewed Rizal as a brave soul who chose to face by the time he took
the bumpy path of exposing the abuses that the Spaniards had done to his
country.
Unlike GOMBURZA, who died in tears, Rizal faced a happy death knowing
that he had made an impact on the nation’s viewpoint and was confident
that after his death, the natives would continue the battle for liberty.
He was a martyr who loved his countrymen; his actions were enough to
fuel revolutionaries to continue the fight for independence.
Martyrdom is a struggle par excellence.

THE VISCERAL STRANGENESS OF SPAIN

The Illustrados’ extreme and idealistic desire for the tropics or for a tropical
climate showed their feeling of longing for their homeland, the tropical
environment where they were raised during their younger years. The
visceral experience of the ilustrados, namely, Rizal, Luna, & Del Pilar, gave
them an unsatisfactory, strange, and alienating feeling toward Spain. It had
also marked the ilustrados’ political estrangement and disappointment
toward the Spanish life that lowered the image of Spain and heightened the
ilustradors’ growing desire to set their homeland free from tyranny and to
spread equality (Livingstone, 2002).
OCCLUDING CALAMITIES
A hindrance to the ilustrados’ longing for tropical climate was the possibility
of encountering human suffering because of natural calamities at home.
Nevertheless, the wealthy illustrados did not allow such calamities to hinder
their desire for tropical climate.

HOMOGENIZED TROPICS, COSMOPOLITAN CLIMATE

Ilustrados included in their writings the territoriality of climate and did not
limit their views to the national weather.
The nineteenth century was loaded with territorial assumption to acquire
vast amounts natural resources.
The ilustrados’ longing for the tropical lands was a mark of increased
political perspective, a perspective to overturn the Spanish regime from the
tropics.
The desires of Rizal for the tropics ceased when he was faced with the
great prejudice coming from the Spaniards that he exposed in his writings
the Noli Me Tangere. ).
Rizal had seen that it was the colonial rule that made the Filipinos indolent
or lazy. In comparison to the climate colonialism was viewed by Rizal as a
far greater calamity than that of a real storm (Aguilar, 2016).