Gaddi, Gerald Ronniel B.

PS3A
RIZAL101
Philippine century hence

Summary:

“The Philippines a century hence” is an essay written by our national hero, Dr. Jose
Rizal. This essay was published in La Solidaridad in Madrid between September 30, 1889
and February 1, 1890, it starts by analyzing the various causes of miseries suffered by
the Filipino people. He shares us insights into our culture and why we must focus on
strengthening the most important backbone of our country, our values, mindset, and all
our beliefs that had shaped our sense of national identity. He wrote it to forecast the future
of the country within a hundred years. The essay is as relevant today as it was when it
was written over a century ago.

Dr. Jose Rizal presented a clear idea of how our motherland will end up centuries
later proposing that our country will end up in either of the three ways. First, the
Philippines will remain to be a colony of Spain but will be in good terms with its captors.
Second, the Philippines will try to cut ties from our captors through violent means, and
Lastly, our country will be colonized by another country.

The essay starts by analyzing the various causes of the miseries suffered by the
Filipino people. Spain’s implementation of its military policies, because of such laws, the
Philippine population decreased dramatically. Poverty became more rampant than ever,
and farmlands were left to wither. The family as a unit of society was neglected, and
overall, every aspect of life was restrained. Deterioration and disappearance of Filipino
indigenous culture. When Spain came with the sword and cross, it began the gradual
destruction of the native Philippine culture. Because of this, the Filipinos started losing
confidence in their past and their heritage, became doubtful of their present lifestyle, and
eventually lost hope in the future and the preservation of their race. Passivity and
submissiveness to the Spanish colonizers. One of the most powerful forces that
influenced a culture of silence among the natives were the Spanish friars. Because of the
use of force, the Filipinos learned to submit themselves to the will of the foreigners.
Eventually, the natives realized that such oppression in their society by foreign colonizers
must no longer be tolerated. Keeping the people uneducated and ignorant had failed.
National consciousness had still awakened, and great Filipino minds still emerged from
the ruins.

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. Exterminating the people as an alternative to hindering progress did not work
either. The Filipino race was able to survive amidst war 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. The key points or several issues in Dr. Jose Rizal’s essay that concerns our country
are Abuse of human rights, Lack of freedom of speech, and lack of representation in the
Spanish courts.

The lessons learned from those years of colonization were that all those efforts to
keep people uneducated and impoverished, had failed. Nationalism eventually thrived
and many of the predictions of Rizal came true. Our country became independent after
four centuries of abusive Spanish rule and five decades under Americans. There is
however some questioning on whether we are truly independent. The continuing control
of our economy by an elite oligarch is an example of such dependency. Just like what
Rizal said in El Filibusterismo, I quote “Why independence if the slaves today become the
tyrants of tomorrow?”