The Philippines a Century Hence: Summary and Analysis

“The Philippines a Century Hence” is an essay written by Philippine national hero Jose Rizal to forecast the future of
the country within a hundred years. Rizal felt that it was time to remind Spain that the circumstances that ushered
in the French Revolution could have a telling effect for her in the Philippines.

This essay, published in La Solidaridad starts by analyzing the various causes of the miseries suffered by the Filipino
people:

1. Spain’s implementation of her military policies – because of such laws, the Philippine population decreased
dramatically. Poverty became more rampant than ever, and farmlands were left to wither. The family as a
unit of society was neglected, and overall, every aspect of the life of the Filipino was retarded.
2. Deterioration and disappearance of Filipino indigenous culture – when Spain came with the sword and the
cross, it began the gradual destruction of the native Philippine culture. Because of this, the Filipinos started
losing confidence in their past and their heritage, became doubtful of their present lifestyle, and eventually
lost hope in the future and the preservation of their race.
3. Passivity and submissiveness to the Spanish colonizers – one of the most powerful forces that influenced a
culture of silence among the natives were the Spanish friars. Because of the use of force, the Filipinos
learned to submit themselves to the will of the foreigners.

The question then arises as to what had awakened the hearts and opened the minds of the Filipino people with
regards to their plight. Eventually, the natives realized that such oppression in their society by foreign colonizers
must no longer be tolerated.

One question Rizal raises in this essay is whether or not Spain can indeed prevent the progress of the Philippines:

1. Keeping the people uneducated and ignorant had failed. National consciousness had still awakened, and
great Filipino minds still emerged from the rubble.
2. Keeping he people impoverished also came to no avail. On the contrary, living a life of eternal destitution
had allowed the Filipinos to act on the desire for a change in their way of life. They began to explore other
horizons through which they could move towards progress.
3. Exterminating the people as an alternative to hindering progress did not work either. The Filipino race was
able to survive amidst wars and famine, and became even more numerous after such catastrophes. To
wipe out the nation altogether would require the sacrifice of thousands of Spanish soldiers, and this is
something Spain would not allow.

Spain, therefore, had no means to stop the progress of the country. What she needs to do is to change her colonial
policies so that they are in keeping with the needs of the Philippine society and to the rising nationalism of the
people.

What Rizal had envisioned in his essay came true. In 1898, the Americans wrestled with Spain to win the
Philippines, and eventually took over the country. Theirs was a reign of democracy and liberty. Five decades after
Rizal’s death, the Philippines gained her long-awaited independence. This was in fulfillment of what he had written
in his essay: “History does not record in its annals any lasting domination by one people over another, of different
races, of diverse usages and customs, of opposite and divergent ideas. One of the two had to yield and succumb.”
Sobre la indolencia de los filipinos
Sobre la indolencia de los filipinos ("On the Indolence of the Filipinos" in Spanish) is a socio-political essay published
in La solidaridad in Madrid in 1890. It was written by José Rizal as a response to the accusation
of Indio or Malay indolence. He admits the existence of indolence among the Filipinos, but it could be attributed to
a number of reasons. He traces its causes to factors such as the climate and social disorders. He defends the
Filipinos by saying that they are by nature not indolent, because in fact, even before the arrival of Spaniards,
Filipinos have been engaged in economic activities such as agriculture and trade. Indolence therefore has more
deeply rooted causes such as abuse and discrimination.
Summary
Chapter 1
Rizal acknowledges the prior work of Gregorio Sancianco and 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.

Chapter 2
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.

Chapter 3
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 rampant. Many Filipinos have also been sent abroad to fight wars for Spain or for expeditions.
Thus, the population has decreased in number. Due to 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.

Chapter 4
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. This situation is compounded by the Church's wrong doctrine which holds that the rich will not go to
heaven, thus engendering a wrong attitude toward work. 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.

Chapter 5
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. The second factor is the lack of a national
sentiment of unity among them. 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.