ESSAY

The Indolence of the Filipinos

By: Jos Rizal

ROAN I. VILLALOBOS
BSIT/CEIT-07-701E
ENGLISH 5

PROF. MS. MARGALLO

I.

Tittle : The Indolence of the Filipinos Sobre La Indolencia De Los Filipinas

II.

Author: Jos Rizal

THE NATIONAL HERO Dr. Jose Rizal composed several brilliant writings in his lifetime. These
writings awakened the Filipino patriotism and paved the way for Philippine Revolution. Moreover, his
writings were living proofs that The pen is mightier than the sword.

III.

Type of Essay: Narrative

IV.

Part of Essay
a. Introduction

Doctor Sanciano, in his Progreso de Filipinas, has taken up this question, agitated, as he calls it, and
relying upon facts and reports furnished by the very same Spanish authorities that ruled the Philippines has
demonstrated that such indolence does not exist, and that all said about it does not deserve a reply or even
passing choice.
b. Body
First, the establishment of the Galleon Trade cut off all previous associations of thePhilippines with
other countries in Asia and the Middle East. As a result, business was only conducted with Spain through
Mexico. Because of this, the small businesses and handicraft industries that flourished during the preSpanish period gradually disappeared.
Second, Spain also extinguished the natives love of work because of the implementation of forced
labor. Because of the wars between Spain and other countries in Europe as well as the Muslims in
Mindanao, the Filipinos were compelled to work in shipyards, roads, and other public works, abandoning
agriculture, industry, and commerce.
Third, Spain did not protect the people against foreign invaders and pirates. With no arms to defend
themselves, the natives were killed, their houses burned, and their lands destroyed. As a result of this, the
Filipinos were forced to become nomads, lost interest in cultivating their lands or in rebuilding the
industries that were shut down, and simply became submissive to the mercy of God.
Fourth, there was a crooked system of education, if it was to be considered aneducation. What was
being taught in the schools were repetitive prayers and other things that could not be used by the students to
lead the country to progress. There were no courses in Agriculture, Industry, etc., which were badly needed
by the Philippines during those times.
Fifth, the Spanish rulers were a bad example to despise manual labor. The officials reported to
work at noon and left early, all the while doing nothing in line with their duties. The women were seen
constantly followed by servants who dressed them and fanned them personal things which they ought to
have done for themselves.

Sixth, gambling was established and widely propagated during those times. Almost every day there
were cockfights, and during feast days, the government officials and friars were the first to engange in all
sorts of bets and gambles.
Seventh, there was a crooked system of religion. The friars taught the nave Filipinos that it was
easier for a poor man to enter heaven, and so they preferred not to work and remain poor so that they could
easily enter heaven after they died.
Lastly, the taxes were extremely high, so much so that a huge portion of what they earned went to
the government or to the friars. When the object of their labor was removed and they were exploited, they
were reduced to inaction.
c. Conclusion
Rizal admits that indolence does exist among the Filipinos, but it cannot be attributed to the troubles
and backwardness of the country; rather it is the effect of the backwardness and troubles experienced by the
country. Past writings on indolence revolve only on either denying or affirming, and never studying its
causes in depth. One must study the causes of indolence, Rizal says, before curing it. He therefore
enumerates the causes of indolence and elaborates on the circumstances that have led to it. The hot climate,
he points out, is a reasonable predisposition for indolence. Filipinos cannot be compared to Europeans, who
live in cold countries and who must exert much more effort at work. An hour's work under the Philippine
sun, he says, is equivalent to a day's work in temperate regions.
La Indolencia de los Filipinos, more popularly known in its English version, "The Indolence of the
Filipinos," is an exploratory essay written by Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, to explain the alleged
idleness of his people during the Spanish colonization.
He defends the Filipinos by saying that they are not indolent by nature because in fact, even before the
arrival of Spaniards, Filipinos have been engaged in economic activities such as agriculture and trade.
Indolence therefore has more deeply rooted causes such as abuse and discrimination, inaction of the
government, rampant corruption and red tape, wrong doctrines of the church and wrong examples from some
Spaniards who lead lives of indolence which ultimately led to the deterioration of Filipino values. In the end,
Rizal sums up the main causes of indolence to the limited training and education Filipino natives receive and
to the lack of national sentiment and unity among them. Education and liberty, according to Rizal, would be
the cure to Filipino indolence.

V.

Moral Lesson
You should not judge an individual especially if you do not know the culture of that person. Remember
the importance of having Filipino values and qualities, regardless of how other nationalities accept us.
Being discontent, having continual wars and tolerance, due to slavery, getting deceits from the Spaniards,
allowing pirates from the south (Mindanao Muslim pirates), and lacking unity, the Filipinos became
indolent.