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The Indolence of The Filipino People - Critical Analysis

Rizal wrote "The Indolence of the Filipino People" to refute claims that Filipinos were inherently lazy. He argued that before Spanish colonization, Filipinos actively conducted business with other countries. However, under Spanish rule, factors like forced labor, lack of education, excessive taxes, and lack of unity suppressed Filipinos' initiative and created a belief that they could only serve the colonizers. Rizal attributed the apparent laziness not to the Filipino character, but to the oppressive systems and negative influences imposed by Spanish colonial domination. He concluded that under such a system, individuals in the Philippines lacked a sense of citizenship in a country.

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Angela Ricaplaza Reveral
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3K views2 pages

The Indolence of The Filipino People - Critical Analysis

Rizal wrote "The Indolence of the Filipino People" to refute claims that Filipinos were inherently lazy. He argued that before Spanish colonization, Filipinos actively conducted business with other countries. However, under Spanish rule, factors like forced labor, lack of education, excessive taxes, and lack of unity suppressed Filipinos' initiative and created a belief that they could only serve the colonizers. Rizal attributed the apparent laziness not to the Filipino character, but to the oppressive systems and negative influences imposed by Spanish colonial domination. He concluded that under such a system, individuals in the Philippines lacked a sense of citizenship in a country.

Uploaded by

Angela Ricaplaza Reveral
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CRITICAL ANALYSIS

“THE INDOLENCE OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE”

Jose Rizal wrote La Indolencia de Los Filipinos, also known as “The


Indolence of the Filipino People”, a sociopolitical essay that was published in La
Solidaridad in Madrid in 1890 to defend Filipinos against the accusation of Mr.
Sancianco that Filipinos are indolent. According to him, before the Spaniards
came to our country, the Filipinos were hardworking and industrious by nature
and had business conducted with China, Japan, Arabia, Malaysia, and other
countries in the Middle East.

According to the International Journal of Innovation and Research in


Educational Sciences titled 'Indolence of the Filipino in the Realm of System of
Objects: A Critical Theory Approach' in 2018, there were reasons why during the
Spanish regime, the Spaniards called the Filipinos indolent. Rizal defines
indolence as "a lack of interest in or enthusiasm for work." Rizal saw it as a
consequence of a functional system created by colonial domination; an
atmosphere created by the Spanish authorities to suppress whatever resistance
posed by the Indians or the idleness of the Filipinos because of the created
belief that has been sawn in their consciousness that the colonizers are assertive
and they could not do anything but to serve them.

Back then, there was a significant lack of unity and oneness among Filipinos
because almost everyone has no hope, power, or courage to fight against the
government and other forces of society. There was no voice that stands up for
those who were suffering, no track that is paved to the right and proper living,
and no leader that guides them to see the light in the darkness. This is the reason
why Dr. Jose Rizal stated in conclusion "a man in the Philippines is an individual;
he is not merely a citizen of a country."

Rizal, on the other hand, attributes the decrease in economic activity and the
apparent laziness of the Filipinos to several external factors. These include the
establishment of the Galleon Trade, the implementation of forced labor, the
failure to protect the Filipinos from foreign invaders and pirates, a flawed system
of education, the poor example set by Spanish rulers, the promotion of
gambling, and the negative influence of religion. Rizal cites the high taxes
imposed by the Spanish as another factor that contributed to the downturn in
economic activity in the Philippines during his time. Rizal's essay "On the
Indolence of the Filipinos" provides an in-depth and nuanced analysis of the
external factors that, in his opinion, contributed to the alleged slothfulness of the
Filipino people during the time of Spanish colonization

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