ISMAEL Z. SOLIZA Jr.

BSAB-2



Sobre La Indolencia De Los Filipinos


It is an essay written in La Solidaridad by Dr. Jose Rizal. On its first chapter it was said that Rizal on his part
acknowledges that indolence does be real among the Filipinos, but it cannot be credited 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. On the second chapter 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. Then on the next chapter 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.
On 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. Lastly, on 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.