Manalo, Gerine Karla S.

BSA 1-3
Pilipinas sa Loob ng Sandaang Taon
As an individual speaks for the future, one must be able to know what is happening in the
past and at the present. To think that this article was published on the newspaper of an organization,
formed by the Ilustrados, La Solidaridad, it must have occurred that there is something that needs
to be said on what is happening in the Philippines. Jose Rizal centralizes on the idea of what the
Spanish has done and what may have done to the country as of that time. During the time that it
was published (September 1889-1890), it was evident that the country was still under the Spanish
Occupation, experiencing the terrors of colonialism. Rizal acted on how the Filipinos may or
should have perceived the scenario and what may be done. However, as the propagandists are
acting, the revolution started to brew.
To give a brief explanation on what is in the text, there can be seen 4 parts wherein Rizal
tackles on the topic differently according to the chronological order of the happenings.
First part talks on the past of the Philippines, the pre-occupation of the Spanish. It has been
said that it is a need to be able to look back on the past before seeing the future. The past may be
described as the lost treasure of the Philippines as majority of the knowledge we may acquire from
the past has been lost. Not only this knowledge was lost but also the foundation of who the
Filipinos are, the culture, traditions, and beliefs. Filipinos open-heartedly welcomed the foreigners
and allowed them to corrupt their minds as to perceive that the outsiders know more than of the
natives. It is true that they know more of what is from outside the Philippines, however, it must be
established in the minds that the Filipinos will know more of their own blood rather than those of
the outsiders. No one will know more of thy self than themself.
The Spanish used religion as a mean of having influence over the Filipinos. It demonized
the animistic beliefs of pre-colonial Philippines and tortured those who are devout practitioners of
such rituals. Without having to do this, it would cause the Spanish to not fluctuate the growth of
their influence as those who practice, called the Babaylan, are seen to be able to heal the sick
without the need of a proper education on medication. Filipinos were treated in an inhumane way
as well as how Rizal would iterate it, ‘itinuring na parang hayop’ as if they were mindless and
emotionless. Despite the openness and the glory felt by the aliens, they are the ones who alienated
the natives of the land.
This point can be related as to how Filipinos are when there are foreigners to be welcomed.
Filipinos are known to be hospital despite the circumstances. Visitors are not allowed unless there
are food to serve as it is the pride of a household to be able to serve anything to the visitor. However,
this being seen from the past selves of the country, it was deeply abused and was taken for granted.
Despite the hundreds of years long of interval, it can still be seen that the culture of treating those
to be seen as mindless and/or powerless, in a heartless manner.
After some time, the condition between the Filipinos and the Spanish remained the same
despite the long period of time. There may have been changes such as the quality of education as
in the pre-colonial times, only the necessities for living are taught. At this time, education was
allowed to some privileged ones. This enabled the other Filipinos to acquire knowledge and even
get to the European countries to be educated on the more complex subjects. Enlightenment gave
way for the thought of freedom to the minds of the Filipinos. Nonetheless, the Filipinos were not
able to be as one since it is not enough for just an individual to fight against the whole flawed
system.
To take these into consideration, the individuals aspired to have an uprising as a whole
town to acquire a more substantial reform. However, seeing that these acts of bravery are of a
crime and leads to discriminatory punishment. Even acts of just in the government are seen to be
an act of absurdity. The love of freedom of the Filipinos became the source of their strength and
did not let the aliens hinder them from experiencing what has been suppressed. The Spanish took
these patriotic movement as burdensome and labeled the Filipinos to be of savagery and imbecilic.
As how Rizal wrote this, it summarizes the cruelty of the Spanish to these Filipinos and
how these may be compared to the familiar situations portrayed in another setting. He provided
the ways on how and why things would not work out. From the comparisons, it enabled the readers
to understand what may happen in light of the ways how Rizal delivered it to the audience.
In the latter part of the article, Rizal explained that the primary source of the strength that
enables someone to take action is the ‘need’. Many people are persevering to experience a calm
and peaceful life. However, the privileged, despite being able to acquire the most basic needs,
would seek for more of their wants, labelling their wants as needs for themselves. Those who are
leading the Philippines at this time are, obviously, the privileged ones and would eventually abuse
their power and seek for more. Regardless of the Spanish as the “Inang bayan” to the “Bayang
Sinakop” (the Philippines), it still deprived the Philippines to experience the comfort of being able
to learn more on the needs of the humans, hence, urging the abused to fight back. One must be
able to stand firm on their point as they fight since both parties cannot conform to the ideals and
motives of the other side. It should only occur that one’s view will remain so there may be a
conclusion to what may follow. The primary motivator for the Filipinos to fight where divided into
two (2): using their anger and hatred towards the unjust treatment that they experience as fuel for
their fight. Another speaks from their love for the nation and thirst for freedom. Filipinos would
prefer to thrive for the betterment of the nation and allow the self-expression of the love for their
own.
It is agreeable that if there is a point to be proven between two sides, one must remain
standing and the other must stand down. It will take long if both will remain strong, and nothing
will happen if none withholds till the end. Provided that there are other countries who experienced
the same with those who have colonialized their nation, they were able to decipher to whether to
stand firm for their own freedom or remain under the leadership of another.
On the last note, asking if Spain was aware of the situation and pretending to be deaf of the
situations happening or was not able to identify the problems as Philippines is a country far from
the Europeans. Both may have been correct yet it still doesn’t justify why and how it was
implemented for 300 years. If it would remain the same after another 100 years, it would be
unsurprisingly disappointing. The fact that there is a movement and many has tried and seek for
this revolt to be successful, why must it be in vain by enduring for more than 300 years of the
abuse? How can humans be inhumane?
After everything has been said, Rizal may have expected the readers to be enlightened,
fueled by thirst for freedom, guided by the experiences, able to act by love.