SOCIO-POLITICAL &

ECONOMIC CONDITION
OF THE PHILIPPINES
(THE PHILIPPINES IN THE 19TH
CENTURY)

Reference: MAGHUYOP, ET.AL.(2018).The Life and Works of Jose Rizal.Mutya Publishing House,Inc.
DESIRED LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

 Explain the Social & Political structure of 19th century

Philippines
 Analyze the significant problems that the Filipinos
experienced in Rizal’s time
 Internalize the challenges of the 19th century
INTRODUCTION
 19th century-the era of growth and innovation
 Industrialization-most popular idea during this period; embraced by
many countries esp. in Europe & US
 Philippines remained primitive despite of the emerging marks of growth
noted in some sectors
 The Government remained deaf and blind to the people’s cry of injustice
and sufferings
 The social and economic systems remained reliant on the feudalistic
patterns, which fueled racial discrimination and division based on status
quo
INTRODUCTION
 The foreign encounter of some educated middle class contributed a lot
to the country’s development
 They imported to the medieval Philippines the idea of liberalism from the
West and promoted innovation in how the Filipino viewed the country as
a whole.
 It fueled patriotism among the Filipino
Philippines in the 19th Century: SOCIAL STRUCTURE

 The product of Spanish colonization which upheld the landholding

system brought by the arrival of the conquistador, made the Philippines
feudalistic in setup
 Dominion toward the land owned was practiced wherein the authority
and power resided in the hands of the wealthy few.
 There was a huge gap between the landlords and their tenants; resulted
in a pyramid structure of social divisions
 Pyramid SPANISH OFFICIALS,
Structure of PENINSULARES, & FRIARS
Social Divisions
FAVORED NATIVES,
MESTIZOS (HALF-BREEDS,
PHILIPPINE-BORN
SPANIARDS, & THE
CRIOLLOS

LANDLESS INDIOS
Philippines in the 19th Century: SOCIAL STRUCTURE

 Spanish occupation shaped the social structure of the Philippines

 It made them embrace the “master-slave” relationship allowing the
elites to hold the indios captive
 Exploitation was rampant
 Spaniards’ tax and mandatory contribution dragged the poor down
 The powerless reclaimed helpless and the rich increased in power
Philippines in the 19th Century: POLITICAL SYSTEM

 The Spanish Monarch held the executive, legislative, judicial, and

religious power
 Such power was executed in the Philippines through the Ministro De
Ultramar (Ministry of the Colonies) established in Madrid in 1863.
 Through Ministro De Ultramar , the Philippine affairs were governed in
accordance with the will of the Spanish monarch; its duty also was to
report to the King of Spain
 As commander-in-chief of the armed forces, he held the civil guards and
all government officials in the Philippines
Philippines in the 19th Century: POLITICAL SYSTEM
Governor-General held the following:
 Supreme authority in the economic and financial dealings of the
country
 In 1784, acquired a portion of the Intendant-General’s power
 Executive & Judicial power; Extended up to the legislative
processes
 Had power to suspend local laws or any decree coming from the
Spain
 Led the Royal Audiencia, known as Supreme Court, which last until
1861
 Depicted also in the field of religion; given the privilege to select a
priest who would occupy a certain position in the church and society
 Administration of Justice; Disciplinary powers which were often weak
because of biases and decisions made through impulse
Philippines in the 19th Century: POLITICAL SYSTEM

 The Philippines’ centralized system put governance in the hands of one

person, the governor-general, who moved in accordance with the
mandate of the Spanish government
 Lieutenant-General or General Segundo Cabo- assisted the
governador-general with regard to the matters of the nation
 In 1874, the Secretariat of the Central Government- was made to further
assist the governor-general and his growing power
 Board of Authorities advised the governor-general on matter raised to
them
 Council of Administration was being heard with regard to the
administrative agenda
Philippines in the 19th Century: POLITICAL SYSTEM

 Secretariat of the Council of Government was made to further assist

the governor-general in 1874
 Directorate of the Civil Administration was being introduced by the
central government later on with a bigger body of administrative
advisers.
 The national or central government was followed by the operating
hierarchy of governance starting at the top, which was the Provincial
Government, known as Alcadia
PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT-Alcalde Mayor/Civil Governors

• CITY GOVERNMENT (known as Cabildo or Ayuntamiento)- 2 Alcaldes:Mayor

and Vice Mayor
GOBERNADORCILLO (fondly called Capitan)
Serve as the chief executive and judge of the towns he ran
Attaining such position demanded a yearly winning vote coming from the
board: members of the town principalia: former cabeza de barangay or
people of high standing in the community
• BARRIO OR BARANGAY
• CABEZA DE BARANGAY-The leader of the smallest unit of government
• Usually given to Mestizo or Filipino Chinese people who were responsible for
levying taxes and maintaining peace in the barangay
Philippines in the 19th Century: POLITICAL SYSTEM

 The Courts were ruled by the Royal Audiencia- the acting judicial body
and the highest court that litigated cases and was composed of
Spaniards
 Royal Audiencia also acted as auditor of the finances of the
government
 Governor-general of the Royal Audiencia, acting separately or together,
occasionally made laws for the country called autos acordados
 In each town, an Alferez or second lieutenant headed the corps of
guardia civil
 Peace and order in the country was upheld by the guardia civil or
cuardrilleros who served as the peace forces that did police duties
Philippines in the 19th Century: POLITICAL SYSTEM
 Philippines government had no official body in charge of the enactment
of laws.
 Laws that were applied in the Philippines during the Spanish
colonization emanated from various sources
 The Laws did not seek equality and fairness, but they were made to
hold the Philippines captive under the mandates of Spain (Videl, 1904)
 Examples:
 Laws of the Indies or Leyes- were royal decrees issued several times by the King
of the Spain intended for Spanish colonies
 Codigo Comercio
 Codigo Penal
 Codigo Civil
 Las Siete Partidas
 Las Leyte de Toro
Philippines in the 19th Century: EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

 The Philippine educational system during those times was pitiable and
limited to the wealthy few.
 Intellectual growth can be seen in the middle class and was always
censored by the friars for fear that the knowledge would expose the
injustices that had been going on in the country
 Having friars take hold of the educational system resulted in an
overemphasis on religious matters, outdated teaching methods, poor
classroom facilities, limited curriculum, and lack of teaching materials,
such as books
 There was negligence in the promotion of primary schools resulting from
the absence of academic freedom
 Corruption in education existed to maintain control over the Philippines
territory
Philippines in the 19th Century: EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

 There was inadequate educational system in the country for almost

three centuries
 Government intervention in schools was nonexistent; hence, schools
could freely add or omit topics in their curricula
 Indios remained inferior, in the belief that they were incapable of
growth and acquiring a higher status in society because of their
race.
 Obedience to the friars was preached as the gateway to being close to
God, thus the natives remained under the control of the friars (de
Tavera, 1905)
Philippines in the 19th Century: EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

 The Philippine educational system was a mirror of Spain’s outdated

educational system.
 Students memorized and repeated the contents of books, which they did
not understand.
 In most cases, knowledge was measured in terms of the ability of the
students to memorize, largely hampering intellectual progress
 Middle class Filipinos were humiliated in class by Spaniard classmates and
their teachers.
 Despite of the fact that they could level up with the Spanish students, still they
were belittled because of their race
 The natives never have the chance to prove themselves worthy of education,
like the Spaniards
Philippines in the 19th Century: EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

 At the end of Spanish period, the College of San Juan de Letran was
the only official secondary school in the Philippines although secondary
education was also offered at the Ateneo de Manila
 Initially established solely for Spaniards and mestizos, the University
of Santo Tomas opened its doors to Filipino students four decades
before the end of the Spanish rule up to the end of their regime
 It was the only institution of university level in Manila ( Reports of
the Philippine Commission, 1900)
Philippines in the 19th Century: EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

 Public Schools in the Philippines were welcomed in the year 1855,

when the government of Spain recognized the need to educate indios in
primary education
 In that year, Gov. Manuel Crespoy Cebrian (1854-1856) organized a
commission to study and recommend remedial measures to improve
elementary education in the Philippines.
 The commission completed its work after 6 years and in 1861 the report
was forwarded to Spain.
 Such measure were put into action when the Educational Decree of
December 20, 1863 was issued.
 The decree obliged all major towns in the Philippines to establish
one primary school for boys and girls
Philippines in the 19th Century: EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
 Educators of Primary schools were trained at a normal school for
men opened in 1865.
 Spanish was the medium of instruction in the school which that was
placed under the supervision of the Jesuits
 This school started as the Escuela Normal Elemental, and by 1893 it
was training male teachers for work in the secondary schools
 Such decree asked, for government supervision in public schools, as
well as a training school for teachers.
 Absurdly, the friars assigned to implement the educational decree from
Spain were among the most vocal and were against the teaching of
Spanish to the Philippines.
Philippines in the 19th Century: EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

 For them teaching the indios the native language of the Spaniards
would increase their knowledge and encourage the people to clash
with the Spanish rule
 Friars blocked the enforcement of the Madrid orders regarding
education.
 A case in point was the Moret Decree in 1870, which intended to
secularize higher education in the colony
 The friars strongly opposed the idea of government control over
higher education in the Philippines
 Such corrupt conditions in education urged Rizal and some of his
fellow ilustrados to continue their studies abroad.
Philippines in the 19th Century: EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
 Students fought for their right to freedom of education and for equality of
learning
 The biases in the Educational system encouraged the students to
petition in 1870 led by Felipe Buencamino at the University of
Santo Tomas
 Inspired by the Moret Decree, the students circulated anonymous
letter that criticized the Dominican methods of instruction, demanded
better professors, and government control of the university, and
suggested keeping the university updated on academic developments in
Spain.
 Authorities considered such petition as an act of rebellion against
the King of Spain, and the petitioners were sought, but nobody was hurt
during the heat of such issue
SOURCES OF ABUSE IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM

 The reason for the Philippine’s weak administration system was the
inadequacy of the people seated in the position
 People who ran the country lacked of qualifications, skills, and leadership
traits
 The government in the administrative level was occupied by appointed
people who held office in accordance with their selfish motives
 The results of such actions were injustices, lack of coordination among
officials, and increased financial abuses
 The courts rendered poor judgment caused by biased and discrimination
 The principal officials of the administrative system gained their positions by
royal appointment while the rest of the positions were either filled by the
governor-general himself or sold to the highest bidder (Corpuz, 1980)
SOURCES OF ABUSE IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM:

 The King’s appointees in the Philippine has a tenure of office

based on the King’s impulse
 He preferred to appoint people who were ignorant of the Philippines
and transferred them casually to prevent attachment to the Indio’s
way of life
 The distance of the colony, the inadequate administrative
supervision, and the overlapping of powers and privileges of these
officials, contributed to the perpetuation of anomalies in the
government
 Many officials exploited their office and its wide powers to recover their
expenses and enrich themselves
SOURCES OF ABUSE IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM:

 Officials who sought to advance their own self-interest did so by

collecting higher taxes than the usual
 The alcalde received a salary of 25 pesos and liberal allowances; the
most fraudulent official
 Discontented of their salaries and allowances, such officials increased
contributions and financially abused the Filipino hacienderos
 Rampant abuses and exploitation prevailed within a monopolized
trading setup; trading were one of the highest sources of financial
abuses
 Those who wished to participate in such activity needed to pay a very
high price just to get a license; such payment was called indulto
para comerciar
SOURCES OF ABUSE IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM:

 Goods produced by the natives were brought for a very low price and
sold back to them expensively
 The alcalde who was also provincial judge controlled a court loaded
with biases in favor of the mischievous deeds of the Spaniards
 This led to the closure of the numerous businesses owned by some
natives, increasing the number of the poor in the country
 Complaints increased as the abuses continued
 Natives had sought assistance and help from more responsible officials
in Spain led to the promulgation of two decrees intended to end
corruption
SOURCES OF ABUSE IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM:

 2 Decrees:
1. Issued in 1844- which provided a fix salary of P1,500 or P1,600
according to the rank for provincial governors & imposed specific
qualifications that only lawyers or persons with two years of legal
experience in some law-related offices could become a provincial
governor; the decree also abolished the participation of provincial
governors in the trading sectors
2. Issued in 1866- disjoined the judicial and executive duties of provincial
governors; this led to the creation of appointed official called Civil
Governors who assumed administrative duties (De Mas, 1904)
SOURCES OF ABUSE IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM:

 Total eradication of corruption was unlikely.

 Natives were limited in their participation in the government
 They were located in the lowest portions of the administrative hierarchy,
known as the gobernadorcillo of the town and the cabeza de
barangay of the barrio
 These officials were massively abused, acquiring numerous
responsibilities but receiving a small amount of honorarium
 Responsibilities of the harassed officials were usually the following:
 Responsible for the municipal building
 The care of the town prisoners
 Purchased of desks, paper and inks
 Construction of the tow bridges
SOURCES OF ABUSE IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM:

 Their responsibilities were not compensated adequately and this led to

the poor performance of their jobs
 Collected money from the other natives was not used to improve a
certain province they ran, but it was gained for the self-betterment of the
officials
 This existence of dishonest gobernadorcillos of prosperous town made
the position attractive to some men
 The negligence of the central government to aid towns increased the
people’s taxes based on the amounts arbitrarily decided by the
Spaniards.
SOURCES OF ABUSE IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM:

 Injustices prevailed as:

 Homes of the natives were search without warrants;
 People were convicted and exiled for being filibusteros
 Books, magazines, and any other written materials could not be
published and introduced in the country without the prior approval of
the Board of Censors
 Organized assemblies and any other political meetings initiated by
the indios were curtailed
 Incompetent judge comprised the judicial courts, which legal
proceedings highly expensive and biased; the poor were often
declared guilty without any due process of law; Merits of cases were
simply based on money, race, and link with influential people (Videl,
1904)
CHALLENGES OF THE 19TH CENTURY:

 Important changes of the century:

 The struggle for nationalism
 The gradual spread of democracy
 The modernization of living through the Industrial Revolution
 The advance of science
 The march of imperialism
 The new current in the movement of thought and growing confidence
on progress
ACTIVITY: ROLE PLAY

 Topics:
 Corrupt Officials
 Racial Discrimination
 Maladministration of Justice (Dona Teodora’s Case, mother of Jose
Rizal)
 Human Rights denied to Filipinos
 No equality before the law
 Forced labor
 Hacienda owned by the friars
 THANK YOU!
The End of Chapter 2