Lesson 10 - THE DESTINY OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE Learning Objectives: At the end of this PDF

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GEC 9: The Life and Works of Rizal Chapter: 10THE DESTINY OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLELearning Objectives: At the end of this chapter, the students should be able to:  summarize in their own words Rizal's essay, "The Philippines a Century Hence";  present Rizal's arguments on what the Philippines will b...

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GEC 9: The Life and Works of Rizal Chapter: 10 THE DESTINY OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE Learning Objectives: At the end of this chapter, the students should be able to:  summarize in their own words Rizal's essay, "The Philippines a Century Hence";  present Rizal's arguments on what the Philippines will be like in the future; and  construct their own arguments on what the Philippines at present will be like after fifty years. Rizal's essay titled "The Philippines a Century Hence" presents compelling arguments on what the state of the country will be like in the future. However, in order to be forward looking, one must, at first, be able to look back at the country's past. In Rizal's words, "In order to read the destiny of a people, it is necessary to open the book of its past." The first part of Rizal's essay does this by illustrating that with the arrival of the Spaniards, the Filipinos were forced to accept and subject themselves to a new and foreign culture. Time passed while Spaniards attempted to subjugate the Filipinos completely, but Rizal argues that the continued oppression only resulted in the gradual awakening of the Filipinos. By the nineteenth century, economic conditions had become better in the Philippines and Rizal recognized this. However, beyond the material prosperity, he points out that the Filipinos remain brutalized and oppressed. Since advancement or progress is clearly inevitable, Rizal poses the question on whether the Philippines will remain a colony of Spain despite all the changes. To this question, his answer is straightforward. He states that the Philippines will remain a colony of Spain if the mother country implements reforms such as freedom of the press and representation in the Cortes. Rizal also concedes that if Spain does not grant these reforms, the Filipino will likely become independent after a violent and bloody revolution. The final part of Rizal's work presents another interesting point of discussion since he attempts to look into the future of the country. He argues that if the Philippines becomes free in the future, this independence will be short-lived since the United States of America will probably acquire and colonize the country as one of their own territories. In the end, Rizal makes a strong assertion that it is imperative for Spain to grant the Filipinos reform, for as he eloquently states, "It is better to keep pace with the desire of a people than to give way before them; the former begets sympathy and love, the latter contempt and anger."

Reference: Rhodalyn O. et al. (2018) The Life and Works of Rizal. Quezon City. C&E Publishing, Inc.

Alvin H. Vallaran 1st AY. 2021-2022

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