THE PHILIPPINES A CENTURY HENCE

REPORT IN SOCIAL SCIENCE

This article he wrote in La Solidaridad  was pondering: Is this true? Is this the article that, predicted the future of the Philippines from time? Is this Rizal’s precious intellect, to be our national hero, more of a human being that he was.

The heavy title summarizes what may the whole thing is all about. The article is less excitement but more on historical sense. The sentence of what he wrote that “in order to read the destiny of a people, it is necessary to open the book of it’s past”. It was a strong argument, and needed a logical point of view.  As much was said, the Philippines was a battleground of the clash of cultures, of blending of races and of pitiful bloodshed. Rizal in his own words painted the picture of our past clearly; the depth of his writings was proof of much grief and much work.

He could have overreacted in telling his stories, but the next generation Filipinos understood the hardships of their forefathers. It can be considered that the people had enough war, that they longed peace, and that they never stopped hoping for happiness and the right to live in their own contentment.

What supplied Rizal of the heart for passion for his country became his primary mission to save from the terror and tyranny of the cruel Spaniards. His allusion of the past Philippines and reading gave the spark of idea to Rizal that he is not actually prophesying; instead, he was telling in his article was but an analysis.

Something which was not commonly done in his time, for the patterns he used were commonly for science experiments, where intelligent guesses were made from observation. He just carefully observed the present and past situation of our dear Motherland, and from then “predicted” our future. He fearlessly told the public of the plans of domination of other countries. These expositions were Rizal’s own expression of three things:

installing fear on the current regime of Spanish tyranny for them to fly away from the country; expressing sadness and failure, that even if Spain let loose hold of the Philippines, there will be other countries in the world that are ready to take hold of our country; or maybe Rizal was even giving a hint of hope to the Filipinos that sooner or later, a great nation will save their country from the oppressive rule of Spain.

Part 3

The Philippine Century Hence

If the Philippine will remain under the control of Spain, transformation will eventually happen and will affect the people. In this case some governors have been trying to introduce needed reforms.

But it produced scanty result for the government as well as to the country. with this, our country is most likely reminded to Sancho Panza in Barataria island where he took his seat on appointed table covered with fruits and variety of food but when Pedro Rezio interposed Sancho was as hungry as ever.

That he should not eat except according to the usage and custom of other island. Philippines is like Sancho reforms are the dishes, Rezio are those persons interested in not having the dishes touched.

The result is the long suffering of Sancho(Philippines) misses his liberty and ends up rebelling. In this manner as long as the Philippines have no liberty of press all the efforts of the colonial ministers will meet the fake like the dishes in Barataria Island.

The minister who wants his reforms be reforms must begin by declaring the press in the Philippines free and by instituting Filipino delegates.

A government that governs in a country may even dispense with the press because it is on the ground has eyes and ears, and directly observes what is rules and administers.

But a government that governs a far requires that the truth and facts reach its knowledge by every possible channel that it may weigh and estimate them better, and this need increases when a country like Philippines is concerned.

A risk does the government see in them? One of the three things either that they will prove unruly, become political trimmers, or act properly.

Supposing that we should yield to the most absurd pessimism and admit the insult.

Great for the Philippines but still greater for Spain, certainly the Spanish people does not spare its blood were patriotism is concern but would not a struggle of principles in parliament be preferable to the exchange of lands.

Because the Spanish parliament especially abounds in oratorical paladins invisible in debate.

So we see no serious reason why Philippines may not have representatives. We know that the lack of enlightenment, the indolence, the egotism may convert reform into a harmful instrument.

When the laws and the acts of officials are kept under surveillance the word justice may cease to be a colonial just the things that makes the English must respected in their possessions is their strict and speedy justice so that the inhabitants repose entire confidence in the judges justice is the foremost.

Virtue of the civilized races we could add other minor reforms touching commerce, agriculture, security of individual and of property education and others.

To recapitulate: The Philippines will remains Spanish if they enter upon the life of law and civilization, if the rights of their inhabitants are respected, if the other rights due them are granted, if the liberal policy of the government is carried out without false interpretation.

Otherwise, if an attempt is made to see in the islands a love to be exploited, a resource to satisfy ambitious, however great may be the loyalty of Filipinos and it will be impossible to hinder the operations of the laws of history.

Close indeed are the bonds that unite us to Spain. Two peoples do not live for three centuries in continual contract, sharing a same lot, holding their same belief, worshipping the same GOD but that ties are formed between them stronger than those engendered by affection.

We who today are struggling by the legal and peaceful means of debate so understand it without going beyond the pale of the law, but if violence first silences us we have to misfortune to fall then we do not know what course will be taken that will rush in to occupy the places that we leave vacant.

In contemplating such an unfortunate eventually we must turn away in horror, and so instead of closing our eyes we will face what the future may bring.

MARKRON M. TEANDRELYN C. BACABAC

IV - BPW

Part IV

The Philippines a Century Hence

(Filipinas de cien años)

"The existence of a foreign body within

another endowed with strength and

activity is contrary to all natural and

ethical laws. Science teaches us that it is

either assimilated, destroys the organism,

is eliminated or becomes encysted."

Part IV is possibly best described by this paragraph:

The "foreign body" is Spain.

The "within another" is Filipinas (Philippines).

1) The assimilation of Filipinas into Espanya

(become a province of Spain with Filipinos

having full rights and privileges as accorded

Peninsulares Spaniards or Spaniards born on

the Iberian Peninsula in Europe);

2) The destruction of Filipinas;

Dr. Rizal says that there are 3 possible outcomes:

3) The elimination of Spain (the foreign body)

from Filipinas.

Dr. Jose Rizal then discusses the

likelihood of each option in the

Philippines and of course the last

seems to be the most likely.

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 the 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 it

needs to do is to change its 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. 

“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.”

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:

Submitted by:

Wilfredo A. Baldoza IV-BPW

Submitted to:

Prof. Julie Salcedo

-End-