Reflection #11 The Philippines: A Century Hence PDF

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Lozano, Mary Joyce C.The Philippines: A Century HenceThe Philippines: A Century Hence was written by Philippine National hero, Jose Rizal to forecast the country's future in a hundred years. Rizal felt it was time to remind Spain that the circumstances that ushered in the French Revolution could hav...

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Lozano, Mary Joyce C. The Philippines: A Century Hence The Philippines: A Century Hence was written by Philippine National hero, Jose Rizal to forecast the country's future in a hundred years. Rizal felt it was time to remind Spain that the circumstances that ushered in the French Revolution could have a significant impact on her in the Philippines. This was published in La Solidaridad and begins by analyzing the various causes of the Filipino people's misery: Spain's military policies – as a result of such laws, the Philippine population shrank dramatically. Poverty became more pervasive than ever, and farmlands were abandoned to rot. The family as a social unit was neglected, and in general, every aspect of Filipino life was slowed. Deterioration and extinction of indigenous Filipino culture – When Spain arrived with the sword and the cross, it began the gradual annihilation of indigenous Philippine culture. As a result, Filipinos began to lose faith in their past and heritage, became skeptical of their current way of life, and eventually lost hope in the future and the preservation of their race. Passivity to the Spanish colonizers – the Spanish friars were one of the most powerful forces that influenced a culture of silence among the natives. The Filipinos learned to submit to the will of the foreigners as a result of the use of force. Some questions arise as to what had awakened the Filipino people's hearts and opened their minds to their plight. The natives eventually realized that such oppression in their society by foreign colonizers could no longer be tolerated. Another question raised in this essay is whether Spain can truly halt the Philippines' progress. And the answers are as follows: First, keeping people uneducated and ignorant had failed. If we will discuss the three (3) issues from the essay of Rizal that is still rampant today it would be: for liberal Spaniards, the ethical condition of the people remains unchanged; for friars and their followers, they have advanced; and for many Filipino ethics, they have regressed. To further explain, Spaniards were able to maintain control of the Philippines for three centuries because Filipinos maintained their independence in exchange for all the promises made to them. Filipinos regard the Spaniards as protectors, but they quickly realize that they are its exploiters and executioners. Enlightenment is spreading, and the persecution it faces hastens its spread. To summarize it all, The Philippines; A Century Hence contains the prediction of Jose Rizal about the Philippines 100 years before its publication. He published the essay on

September 30, 1889 under the La Solidaridad. The three main points for the essay would be: Using the past to understand the present thus predicting the future. Filipinos have lost confidence in their past, lost faith in the present, and lost their hopes in the future. The Filipinos will still be under Spain if they will implement the freedom of the press and the Filipinos have representation in the Spanish Cortes....