SUMMARY OF Indolence of the Filipinos

Indolence of the Filipinos ( La Indolencia de los Filipinos)

The essay itself originally appeared in the Filipino forthrightly review, La Solidaridad, of
Madrid, in five installments, rnning from !ly "# to Septem$er "#, "%&'( It was a contination
of Ri)al*s campaign of edcation in which he soght $y $lnt trths to awa+en his contrymen to
their own falts at the same time that he was arosing the Spaniards to the defects in Spain*s
colonial system that cased and contined sch shortcomings( ,-raig, "&"./
PART 1
indolence 0 missed in the sense of little love for wor+ and lac+ of energy
indolence does e1ist among the Filipinos
e1amine the cases $ased on facts $efore proposing a remedy
climate 0 factor for $eing indolent
o A hot, climate requires of the individual quiet and rest, just as cold incites to labor
and action.
o A man can live in any climate, if he will only adapt himself to its requirements and
conditions.
2or+ing hors of Filipinos ,tenants/ vs( Spanish Official and 3andlords
Tendency to indolence is very natral
4ffect of misgovernment
PART 2
analogy of physician, friars, Spanish government/ , patient,5hilippines/, illness ,indolence/
indolence as a chronic illness
o Indolence in the hilippines is a chronic malady, but not a hereditary one
o 6efore the arrival of Spaniards, Malayan Filipinos raised on an active trade, not only
among themselves $t also with other neigh$oring contries !evidence that
"ilipinos were not indolent#
an illness will worsen if the wrong treatment is given
$ow is it that the "ilipino people, so fond of its customs as to border on routine, has %iven
up its ancient habits of wor&, of trade, of navi%ation, etc., even to the e'tent of completely
for%ettin% its past(
PART 3
enmerates several reasons that may have cased the Filipinos cltral and economic
corrption
wars7 conflict among Spaniards, natives and Moros
invasion of 5irates
o Reslts7 diminished nm$er of native Filipinos
forced la$or 7 Filipinos were sent a$road to fight for Spain or shipyards to constrct vessels
Some Filipinos hide in the forest and montains and a$andoned their farm lands ,$ecase of
fear/
Still they stru%%led a lon% time a%ainst indolence, yes) but their enemies were so numerous
that at last they %ave up*
PART 4
-t8off of trading
Monopoly
A$se of land lords ,ecnomenderos/
o 5ermission to la$or ,9ASAMA System/
A$sence of encoragement from the government
o no aid for poor crops
o does not see+ mar+et for its prodcts
2rong teaching7
o 2hy wor+: If the rich man will not go to heaven(
o False teaching of chrch
o ;am$ling 0 promise of sdden wealth
<iscrimination on edcation
Spaniards insisted to Filipinos7
o +he "ilipino is convinced that to %et happiness it is necessary for him to lay aside
his di%nity as a rational creature, to attend mass, to believe what is told him, to pay
what is demanded of him, to pay and forever to pay, to wor&, suffer and be silent,
without aspirin% to anythin%, without aspirin% to &now or even to understand
Spanish,without separatin% himself from his carabao, as the priests shamelessly say,
without protestin% a%ainst any injustice, a%ainst any arbitrary action, a%ainst an
assault, a%ainst an insult, that is, not to have heart, brain or spirit) a creature with
arms and a purse full of %old ............ there-s the ideal native*
Yet Filipinos still have inspirations, he thin+s and strive to rise
PART 5
cases of indolence can $e redced to two factors,emerged from the people/
limited training and edcation of Filipino native
developed inferiority
lac+ of a national sentiment of nity among them
=A man in the 5hilippines is only an individal> he is not a mem$er of a
nation(?
edcation and li$erty is the +ey to solve this isse
The Indolence of the Filipinos: !""a#$ and Anal$sis
3a Indolencia de los Filipinos, more poplarly +nown in its 4nglish version, @The Indolence of
the Filipinos,@ is a e1ploratory essay written $y 5hilippine national hero <r( !ose Ri)al, to
e1plain the alleged idleness of his people dring the Spanish coloni)ation(
SUMMARY
+he Indolence of the "ilipinos is a stdy of the cases why the people did not, as was
said, wor+ hard dring the Spanish regime( Ri)al pointed ot that long $efore the coming of the
Spaniards, the Filipinos were indstrios and hardwor+ing( The Spanish reign $roght a$ot a
decline in economic activities $ecase of certain cases7
First, the esta$lishment of the ;alleon Trade ct off all previos associations of
the 5hilippines with other contries in Asia and the Middle 4ast( As a reslt, $sinesswas only
condcted with Spain throgh Me1ico( 6ecase of this, the small $sinessesand handicraft
indstries that florished dring the pre8Spanish period gradally disappeared(
Second, Spain also e1tingished the nativesA love of wor+ $ecase of the implementation
of forced la$or( 6ecase of the wars $etween Spain and other contries in 4rope as well as the
Mslims in Mindanao, the Filipinos were compelled to wor+ in shipyards, roads, and other
p$lic wor+s, a$andoning agricltre, indstry, and commerce(
Third, Spain did not protect the people against foreign invaders and pirates( 2ith no
arms to defend themselves, the natives were +illed, their hoses $rned, and their lands
destroyed( As a reslt of this, the Filipinos were forced to $ecome nomads, lost interest in
cltivating their lands or in re$ilding the indstries that were sht down, and simply $ecame
s$missive to the mercy of ;od(
Forth, there was a croo+ed system of edcation, if it was to $e considered anedcation(
2hat was $eing taght in the schools were repetitive prayers and other things that cold not $e
sed $y the stdents to lead the contry to progress( There were no corses in Agricltre,
Indstry, etc(, which were $adly needed $y the5hilippines dring those times(
Fifth, the Spanish rlers were a $ad e1ample to despise manal la$or( The officials
reported to wor+ at noon and left early, all the while doing nothing in line with their dties( The
women were seen constantly followed $y servants who dressed them and fanned them 0 personal
things which they oght to have done for themselves(
Si1th, gam$ling was esta$lished and widely propagated dring those times( Almost
everyday there were coc+fights, and dring feast days, the government officials and friars were
the first to engange in all sorts of $ets and gam$les(
Seventh, there was a croo+ed system of religion( The friars taght the naBve Filipinos
that it was easier for a poor man to enter heaven, and so they preferred not to wor+ and remain
poor so that they cold easily enter heaven after they died(
3astly, the ta1es were e1tremely high, so mch so that a hge portion of what they
earned went to the government or to the friars( 2hen the o$Cect of their la$or was removed and
they were e1ploited, they were redced to inaction(
Ri)al admitted that the Filipinos did not wor+ so hard $ecase they were wise enogh to
adCst themselves to the warm, tropical climate( =An horAs wor+ nder that $rning sn, in the
midst of pernicios inflences springing from natre in activity, is eDal to a dayAs la$or in a
temperate climate(?
AEA3YSIS
It is important to note that indolence in the 5hilippines is a chronic malady, $t not a hereditary
one( Trth is, $efore the Spaniards arrived on these lands, the natives were indstriosly
condcting $siness with -hina, !apan, Ara$ia, Malaysia, and other contries in the Middle
4ast( The reasons for this said indolence were clearly stated in the essay, and were not $ased
only on presmptions, $t were gronded on fact ta+en from history(
Another thing that we might add that had cased this indolence, is the lac+ of nity among the
Filipino people( In the a$sence of nity and oneness, the people did not have the power to fight
the hostile attac+s of the government and of the other forces of society( There wold also $e no
voice, no leader, to sow progress and to cltivate it, so that it may $e reaped in de time( In sch
a condition, the 5hilippines remained a contry that was lifeless, dead, simply e1isting and not
living( As Ri)al stated in conclsion, =a man in the 5hilippines is an individal> he is not merely
a citi)en of a contry(?
It can clearly $e dedced from the writing that the case of the indolence attri$ted to or race is
Spain7 2hen the Filipinos wanted to stdy and learn, there were no schools, and if there were
any, they lac+ed sfficient resorces and did not present more sefl +nowledge> when the
Filipinos wanted to esta$lish their $sinesses, there wasnAt enogh capital nor protection from
the government> when the Filipinos tried to cltivate their lands and esta$lish varios indstries,
they were made to pay enormos ta1es and were e1ploited $y the foreign rlers(
It is not only the 5hilippines, $t also other contries, that may $e called indolent, depending on
the criteria pon which sch a la$el is $ased( Man cannot wor+ withot resting, and if in doing
so he is considered la)y, they we cold say that all men are indolent( One cannot $lame a
contry that was deprived of its dignity, to have lost its will to contine $ilding its fondation
pon the $ac+s of its people, especially when the frits of their la$or do not so mch as reach
their lips( 2hen we spend or entire lives worshipping sch a crel and inhmane society,
forced pon s $y aliens who do not even +now or motherland, we are destined to tire after a
while( 2e are not fools, we are not pppets who simply do as we are commanded 0 we are
hman $eings, who are motivated $y or will towards the accomplishment of or o$Cectives, and
who strive for the preservation of or race( 2hen this fndamental aspect of or e1istence is
denied of s, who can $lame s if we trn idle: