The Philippines a Century Hence: Summary

and Analysis
The Philippines a Century Hence is an essay written by Philippine national hero Jose
Rizal to forecast the future of the country within a hundred years. Rizal felt that it was
time to remind Spain that the circumstances that ushered in the French Revolution
could have a telling effect for her in the Philippines.
This essay, published in La Solidaridad starts by analyzing the various causes of the
miseries suffered by the Filipino people:
1.
Spains implementation of her 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 the life of the Filipino was retarded.
2.
Deterioration and disappearance of Filipino indigenous culture when Spain
came with the sword and the 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.
3.
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.
The question then arises as to what had awakened the hearts and opened the minds of
the Filipino people with regards to their plight. Eventually, the natives realized that such
oppression in their society by foreign colonizers must no longer be tolerated.
One question Rizal raises in this essay is whether or not Spain can indeed prevent the
progress of the Philippines:
1.
Keeping the people uneducated and ignorant had failed. National consciousness
had still awakened, and great Filipino minds still emerged from the rubble.
2.
Keeping he 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.
3.
Exterminating the people as an alternative to hindering progress did not work
either. The Filipino race was able to survive amidst wars 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.

Spain, therefore, had no means to stop the progress of the country. What she needs to
do is to change her colonial policies so that they are in keeping with the needs of the
Philippine society and to the rising nationalism of the people.
What Rizal had envisioned in his essay came true. In 1898, the Americans wrestled
with Spain to win the Philippines, and eventually took over the country. Theirs was a
reign of democracy and liberty. Five decades after Rizals death, the Philippines gained
her long-awaited independence. This was in fulfillment of what he had written in his
essay: History does not record in its annals any lasting domination by one people over
another, of different races, of diverse usages and customs, of opposite and divergent
ideas. One of the two had to yield and succumb.

1. THE PHILIPPINES A CENTURY HENCE

2. This article he wrote in La Solidaridad was pondering: Is this true? Is this the article
that, predicted the future of the Philippines from time? Is this Rizals precious intellect, to be
our national hero, more of a human being that he was.
3. The heavy title summarizes what may the whole thing is all about. The article is less
excitement but more on historical sense. The sentence of what he wrote that in order to read
the destiny of a people, it is necessary to open the book of its past. It was a strong
argument, and needed a logical point of view. As much was said, the Philippines was a
battleground of the clash of cultures, of blending of races and of pitiful bloodshed. Rizal in his
own words painted the picture of our past clearly; the depth of his writings was proof of much
grief and much work.
4. He could have overreacted in telling his stories, but the next generation Filipinos
understood the hardships of their forefathers. It can be considered that the people had
enough war, that they longed peace, and that they never stopped hoping for happiness and
the right to live in their own contentment.
5. What supplied Rizal of the heart for passion for his country became his primary mission
to save from the terror and tyranny of the cruel Spaniards. His allusion of the past Philippines
and reading gave the spark of idea to Rizal that he is not actually prophesying; instead, he
was telling in his article was but an analysis.
6. Something which was not commonly done in his time, for the patterns he used were
commonly for science experiments, where intelligent guesses were made from observation.
He just carefully observed the present and past situation of our dear Motherland, and from
then predicted our future. He fearlessly told the public of the plans of domination of other
countries. These expositions were Rizals own expression of three things:
7. installing fear on the current regime of Spanish tyranny for them to fly away from the
country; expressing sadness and failure, that even if Spain let loose hold of the Philippines,
there will be other countries in the world that are ready to take hold of our country; or maybe

Rizal was even giving a hint of hope to the Filipinos that sooner or later, a great nation will
save their country from the oppressive rule of Spain.
8. Submitted by: Janice Sinsay Mercy DiazSubmitted to: Professor Julie Salcedo
9. Part II
10. In PART 2 Of the essay, he answered the questi0n, whatwill become of the phil. Within a
century? Will theycontinue to be a spanish colony?He discuss first the hist0ry of malayan
filipinos.He state that, the phil. Peoples have remained faithfulduring 3 centuries, giving up
their liberty and theirindependence, sometimes dazzled by the h0pe of theparadise
promised, sometimes cajoled by the friendshipoffered them by a noble and generous people
like thespanish, sometimes also compelled by superiority of armsof which ignorant and which
timid spirits invested with amysterious character, or sometimes bec. The invadingforeigner
took advantage of internecine feuds to step in asthe peacemaker in discord and thus after to
dominate bothparties and subject them to his authority.
11. -because of that rizal expose the several issues thatconcern our country.1. The abuse of
human rights.2. The lack of freedom of the press.He said that, the philippines will remain
under spanishdominati0n, but with more law and greater liberty, orthey will declare
themselves independent aftersteeping themselves and the mother country in blood.That
statement, rizal juzt wanted liberty from spainnot total seperation.In his essay we see his
urge to put freedom in our landthrough peaceful negotations with the spanish gov. inspain.
12. Submitted by: Archie Reziel T. Esto Francia Borais IV-BPWSubmitted to: Mrs. Julie
Salcedo
13. Part 3
14. If the Philippine will remain under the control of Spain, transformation will eventually
happen and will affect the people. In this case some governors have been trying to introduce
needed reforms. But it produced scanty result for the government as well as to the country.
with this, our country is most likely reminded to Sancho Panza in Barataria island where he
took his seat on appointed table covered with fruits and variety of food but when Pedro Rezio
interposed Sancho was as hungry as ever.
15. That he should not eat except according to the usage and custom of other island.
Philippines is like Sancho reforms are the dishes, Rezio are those persons interested in not
having the dishes touched. The result is the long suffering of Sancho(Philippines) misses
his liberty and ends up rebelling. In this manner as long as the Philippines have no liberty of
press all the efforts of the colonial ministers will meet the fake like the dishes in Barataria
Island.
16. The minister who wants his reforms be reforms must begin by declaring the press in
the Philippines free and by instituting Filipino delegates. A government that governs in a
country may even dispense with the press because it is on the ground has eyes and ears,
and directly observes what is rules and administers.
17. But a government that governs a far requires that the truth and facts reach its
knowledge by every possible channel that it may weigh and estimate them better, and this
need increases when a country like Philippines is concerned. A risk does the government

see in them? One of the three things either that they will prove unruly, become political
trimmers, or act properly.
18. Supposing that we should yield to the most absurd pessimism and admit the insult.
Great for the Philippines but still greater for Spain, certainly the Spanish people does not
spare its blood were patriotism is concern but would not a struggle of principles in parliament
be preferable to the exchange of lands.
19. Because the Spanish parliament especially abounds in oratorical paladins invisible in
debate. So we see no serious reason why Philippines may not have representatives. We
know that the lack of enlightenment, the indolence, the egotism may convert reform into a
harmful instrument.
20. When the laws and the acts of officials are kept under surveillance the word justice
may cease to be a colonial just the things that makes the English must respected in their
possessions is their strict and speedy justice so that the inhabitants repose entire confidence
in the judges justice is the foremost.
21. Virtue of the civilized races we could add other minor reforms touching commerce,
agriculture, security of individual and of property education and others. To recapitulate:
The Philippines will remains Spanish if they enter upon the life of law and civilization, if the
rights of their inhabitants are respected, if the other rights due them are granted, if the liberal
policy of the government is carried out without false interpretation.
22. Otherwise, if an attempt is made to see in the islands a love to be exploited, a
resource to satisfy ambitious, however great may be the loyalty of Filipinos and it will be
impossible to hinder the operations of the laws of history. Close indeed are the bonds that
unite us to Spain. Two peoples do not live for three centuries in continual contract, sharing a
same lot, holding their same belief, worshipping the same GOD but that ties are formed
between them stronger than those engendered by affection.
23. We who today are struggling by the legal and peaceful means of debate so
understand it without going beyond the pale of the law, but if violence first silences us we
have to misfortune to fall then we do not know what course will be taken that will rush in to
occupy the places that we leave vacant. In contemplating such an unfortunate eventually
we must turn away in horror, and so instead of closing our eyes we will face what the future
may bring.
24. MARKRON M. TEANDRELYN C. BACABAC IV - BPW
25. Part IV
26. "The existence of a foreign body within another endowed with strength and activity is
contrary to all natural and ethical laws. Science teaches us that it is either assimilated,
destroys the organism, is eliminated or becomes encysted."
27. The "foreign body" is Spain.The "within another" is Filipinas (Philippines).
28. 1) The assimilation of Filipinas into Espanya (become a province of Spain with Filipinos
having full rights and privileges as accorded Peninsulares Spaniards or Spaniards born on
the Iberian Peninsula in Europe);2) The destruction of Filipinas;

29. 3) The elimination of Spain (the foreign body) from Filipinas. Dr. Jose Rizal then
discusses the likelihood of each option in the Philippines and of course the last seems to be
the most likely.
30. The question then arises as to what had awakened the hearts and opened the minds of
the Filipino people with regards to their plight. Eventually, the natives realized that such
oppression in their society by foreign colonizers must no longer be tolerated.
31. One question Rizal raises in this essay is whether or not Spain can indeed prevent the
progress of the Philippines:1. Keeping the people uneducated and ignorant had failed.
National consciousness had still awakened, and great Filipino minds still emerged from the
rubble.
32. 2. 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.
33. 3. Exterminating the people as an alternative to hindering progress did not work either.
The Filipino race was able to survive amidst wars 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.
34. Spain, therefore, had no means to stopthe progress of the country. What itneeds to do is
to change its colonialpolicies so that they are in keeping withthe needs of the Philippine
society and tothe rising nationalism of the people.
35. What Rizal had envisioned in hisessay came true. In 1898, theAmericans wrestled with
Spain towin the Philippines, and eventuallytook over the country. Theirs was areign of
democracy and liberty.
36. History does not record in its annals any lasting domination by one people over another,
of different races, of diverse usages and customs, of opposite and divergent ideas. One of
the two had to yield and succumb.
37. Submitted by: Wilfredo A. Baldoza IV-BPWSubmitted to: Prof. Julie Salcedo