Topic-3-GE-9
Topic-3-GE-9
Topic-3-GE-9
Course Description
It deals with the Life, Works & Writings of Dr. Jose Rizal whose primary aim is to provide
students a deeper appreciation of Rizal’s contribution to the development of a Filipino
nation. This course provides students the avenue how to explain in proper perspective the
contribution of the Rizal to Filipino nationhood, and fully understands the relevant events
and experiences that helped shape the kind of nationalism developed by the said hero. It also
involves the critical and analytical discussion of the works of Rizal and other heroes in
relation to the significance on the life of the Filipino nation.
Learning Objectives:
1. Review the political and social changes that occurred in Europe in the 19th century;
and
2. And analyze how the changes in Europe affected an Asian colony (e.g., the
Philippines).
L
iberal stirrings from Europe reached the Philippines. in the Ilokos,
leading citizens there, called Kailanes , refused to believe that the Cadiz
Constitution was abolished by King Ferdinand and rose up in revolt.
They were crushed by troops from the other provinces. In 1826, Mexican soldiers led
by Lt. Andres Novales mutinied. They complained of discrimination and unfair
treatment from peninsular officials following the independence of Mexico from
Spain. The mutineers tried to rally the Filipinos to gain their support and promised
to fight for the independence of the Philippines. The mutiny, however, was crushed
and the rebels were executed.
The last series of revolts took place in 1841-1842 when Apolinario de la Cruz
refused to disband his religious organization, the Cofradia de San Jose. De la Cruz
aspired to be a priest but was refused by the Spaniards because of his race. Instead,
he founded the Cofradia which gained popularity among ordinary people and was
seen as a threat by the Catholic Church. After his execution and the suppression of
the Cofradia, members of the Tayabas Regiment of the Spanish army, who turned
out to be province-mates of de la Cruz, mutinied and almost took over Manila. The
arrival of native reinforcements saved the Spanish colonizers from the defeat.
The defeats of native revolts demonstrated that the Philippines was disunited
because of lack of a national identity. The Spaniards used this disunity to divide and
rule the country. Demographically, the Spaniards were a minority in the Philippines.
The peninsulares, or Spaniards born in Spain but at that time were working in the
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Philippines, were very few, consisting of the goveror-general, some officials and
priests, and the insulares, Spaniards born in the Philippines who were also few in
comparison to the native population. In large towns, the parish priest and the head
of local police were the only Spaniards. The colonial order was maintained largely by
native officials. Local officials such as the gobernadocillos, the councilmen, and the
Principalia. The policemen were also natives, and even the composition of the local
Spanish army and civil guards was largely natives. Only the officials with the rank
of sergeants were Spaniards. The Spaniards, despite their inferior number, managed
to retain the loyalty of the native officials by giving them certain privileges that kept
them separated from the rest of the population. The gobernadorcillos were afforded
the titles of capitan municipal, teniente, and cabeza. Though their positions did not pay
much, the titles gave them an exalted position in native society and were called
principales or leading citizens. There were also some material rewards in serving the
Spaniards. A number of the principales descended from the loyal datus who pledged
their loyalty to the colonizers. They were exempt from taxation and community labor
or prestacion personal. They were also entitled to receive a portion of their collection
from the people. After serving their terms of office, former officials were still eligible
for re-election. It was possible for former officials to be reinstated into their former
offices several times. This explains why Spain controlled the Philippines for more
than 300 years. Spain controlled the natives through the native leaders.
Changes in the 19th century had profound effects to the Philippines. During
the previous centuries, it was forbidden for the Philippines to trade with other
countries because of Spain’s monopolistic policy, but colonial officials ignored this
instruction and traded with other nations. By 1834, this mercantilist policy of not
allowing the Philippines to trade with other countries was scrapped with the opening
of Manila to world trade. Other ports in the colony like Iloilo; Cebu; Sual, Pangasinan;
and Zamboanga followed. There were brisk demand for Philippine products such as
sugar, coffee, abaca, tobacco, dyestuff, and rice. This created economic opportunities
as many families began trading these products for the international market. These
families were mostly mestizos consisting of Spanish and Chinese families. They
intermarried with natives who were farmers that became traders. In the process, they
became more affluent and formed the nucleus of the middle class. The increased
wealth allowed middle-class families to have better houses and sent their children to
colleges and universities for tertiary education. They obtained higher education
degrees which they thought made them equal with the Spaniards. Eventually, they
became concerned with issues of equality including secularization. By the time of
Rizal’s youth, the quest for equality was the cry of the times. It influenced Rizal
throughout his life and it became his lifelong quest. (end)
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Lesson Objectives:
1. Define the word “secularization” and apply this to the Philippine situation in the
19th century;
2. Differentiate a regular priest and a secular priest.
Aside from the need to secure political and social reforms, there was also the
persisting issue of the secularization of the Philippine Church. This was a matter
involving the Catholic clergy in the Philippines. In this 16th century, the Council of
Trent of the Vatican specified the division of the regular and secular priests. At the
beginning of the Spanish colonization, the establishing and administering the
country’s parishes was done by the regular priests who belong to different religious
orders. In the Philippines. these were the Augustinians, Recollects, Jesuits,
Franciscans, and Dominicans. Originally, they came as missionaries to the
Philippines. During the course of Spanish rule, there were demands by the seculars
[native or Filipino priests - mine] to implement the royal and papal orders. For a
time, this was actually implemented but turned out to be failures, as the secular
priests, who were mostly composed of Filipino priests, were found to be wanting and
deemed to be unready to head the parishes. The expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767
created opportunities for seculars to occupy vacated parishes, when the Jesuits were
allowed to return in 1858, parishes held by the seculars were given back to the
regulars once the secular priest priest holding the post died. What happened was a
reverse secularization of the churches, where the parishes held by the seculars were
reverted to the regulars [friars – mine]. The issue pitted the Filipino seculars against
the Spanish regular clergy, the secularization issue became a race issue. During the
Spanish colonization, the Spaniards in the Philippines who were born and grew up
in Spain were called, peninsulares, while the Spaniards born in the Philippines were
called Filipinos. This issue was between the Spanish regulars versus the Filipino
seculars. In the forefront of this struggle were Filipino priests like Fathers Pedro
Pelaez, Jacinto Zamora, Mariano Gomez, and Jose Burgos who championed the cause
of equal rights with Spaniards and the reduction of the influence of the Church in
politics. Also among the suspects were the leaders of the Filipino secular clergy who
fought for secularization of the Philippine Catholic Church. The King of Spain and
the Pope himself gave instructions for the secularization of the country’s parishes,
but this was resisted by the [religious] orders of friars who contented that the Filipino
seculars were not ready to take over.
During the previous administration of the liberal Governor-General Carlos
Ma. De la Torre, these Filipino liberals and seculars were allowed to voice their
greivances. Under Governor-General Izquierdo’s regime, this right was suppressed.
The Filipinos, on the other hand, struggled to defend their gains under the old
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regime. They were already identified by the conservative Spaniards for elimination.
The Cavite Mutiny provided the pretext for the conservatives to eliminate the
Filipino liberals. The Spanish forces arrested known liberals, among them were Jose
Ma. Basa, Antonio Ma. Regidor, Balbino Mauricio, Joaquin Pardo de Tavera, and
Filipino secular priests like Pedro Dandan and Toribio H. Del Pilar, the brother of
propagandist Marcelo H. Del Pilar.
Fathers Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora were identified by a false witness named
Francisco Zaldua, who pointed out that the three priests were indeed out to lead a
government that would overthrow the Spaniards and install Father Burgos as the
future leader of the Philippines. Despite the protests and insufficient evidence, the
three priests were garroted at Bagumbayan on February 17, 1872. The others who
were identified as sympathizers of the secularization issue also underwent trial and
were found guilty. They were sentenced with deportation to Guam in the Marianas
and were never allowed to return as long as Spain ruled in the Philippines.
Reinforcing Spanish domination in the country were the Spanish clergymen.
At the beginning of the Spanish rule, they helped establish the country’s parishes and
even several towns in the course of their evangelization. Through centuries of
Spanish rule, they performed an important role not only as spreaders of the Christian
faith but also as representatives of the colonial government. Very often, the Spanish
religious officials acted as the eyes and ears of the colonial government, and in many
cases, they served or held positions in the government. They also controlled
education in the country as the country’s educational institutions were controlled by
the religious orders. In the local level, the Church operated parish schools which were
the primary schools until the enactment of religious reforms in 1868. Religious
officials were also guardians of public morals as they sat on bodies such as those
concerning censorship. In the local level, the parish priest often endorsed candidates
for political positions. This gave him a political role [function] in addition to a
religious role. In the national level, religious officials acted as advisers to the
governor-general. Many of these officials belong to the regular orders such as the
friar orders. More often than not, religious officials served longer than the governor-
general whose average term lasted around three years. Given this condition, the
religious officials were deeply entrenched and it was difficult for a new governor-
general to enforce sweeping reforms especially those that threaten the supremacy of
the religious officials. With the cries for reform, especially those concerning
secularization, the religious orders strongly opposed the efforts. [end]
Activity: (Equivalent to Recitation, 10% of your Final grade) Write a two-page essay
based on the questions stated below. Follow this requirements: Send you essay via
email; here is my email add: sarrealsoquino@outlook.ph. Use short bond paper size
as page layout, font style is Book Antigua; font size is 12; spacing is 1.5; paginated;
and with cover page which contains the title of your essay, your full name,
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descriptive title of the Rizal course; and the my full name as your instructor/teacher.
My full name is Mr. Sarreal D. Soquiño.
end