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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 colonization.
It is a study of the causes why the people did not, as was said, work hard during the Spanish regime.

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Rizal pointed out that long before the coming of the Spaniards, the Filipinos were industrious and hardworking.

The Spanish reign brought about a massive decrease in economic activities because of certain causes:

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Causes of Decline in Economic Activities in the Philippines

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Causes of Decline in Economic Activities in the Philippines

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The establishment of the Galleon Trade cut of all the previous associations of the Philippines with other countries in Asia and the Middle East.

It was considered as a significant event in the history of global commerce and cultural exchange.

The Galleon Trade was a system of maritime trade routes that connected the Spanish colonies in the Americas with the Philippines and China, via the Pacific Ocean. The galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships that carried silver, spices, silk, porcelain, and other valuable goods across vast distances.

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Spain also extinguished the natives' love of work because of the implementation of forced labor. Filipinos were compelled to work in shipyards, roads, and other public works, abandoning agriculture, industry, and commerce.

According to an article written by Elizabeth Abad Medina(2020) that Polo y Servicios or Forced Labor "was not a matter of whether you got paid or not." But Polo y Servicios has parallels to the tobacco monopoly malpractices.

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This reduced more and more the number of inhabitants of the Philippines and burned down the towns, captured and enslaved men.

Piratical attacks were a major source of misery and devastation for the Filipinos. The Moro pirates from Mindanao and Sulu raided the coastal towns and villages of Luzon and Visayas, killing, enslaving, and plundering the inhabitants.

The Spanish colonial government failed to protect the natives from these attacks, or to provide them with adequate means of defense.

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During this time of colonization, 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.

The system of education during Spanish colonization was crooked and oppressive. The Spanish colonizers used education as a tool to indoctrinate the natives and erase their culture and identity. They imposed their language, religion, and values on the colonized people, while denying them access to higher education and professional opportunities.

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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.

Manual labor during Spanish colonization was a complex and contested system that involved various forms of coercion, exploitation, and resistance. The Spanish crown and its colonial officials sought to extract the maximum amount of labor and resources from the indigenous populations, who were often subjected to harsh conditions, heavy taxes, and brutal punishments.

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Gambling was established and widely propagated during those times. It was a widespread and popular activity in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period.

Despite the moral condemnation and legal prohibition of the Spanish authorities, gambling flourished in various forms, such as cockfighting, card games, billiards, and lotteries. The colonial government eventually recognized the futility of suppressing gambling and decided to legalize and regulate it for financial gain.

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There was a crooked system of religion. the friars taught the naive 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.

The religion system during this colonization was very complex and controversial phenomenon that shaped the history and culture of many regions in the world. The Spanish colonizers imposed their Catholic faith on the indigenous people, often through violent and coercive means, such as the inquisition, the encomienda system.

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Rizal admitted that the Filipinos did not work so hard because they were wise enough to adjust themselves to the warm, tropical climate.

It is important to note that the indolence in the Philippines is a chronic malady, but not a hereditary one. Truth is, before the Spaniards arrived on these lands, the natives were industriously conducting business with China, Japan, Arabia, Malaysia, and other countries in the Middle East.

The reasons for this said indolence were clearly stated in the essay, and were not based only on presumptions or opinions, but were grounded on fact taken from history.

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Another thing that we might add that had caused this indolence is the lack of unity among the Filipino people. In the absence of unity and oneness, the people did not have the power to fight the hostile attacks of the government and of the other forces of society.

As what Rizal stated in the conclusion of this essay, "A man in the Philippines is only an individual, he is not a member of a nation. "