Philippine History

Philippine History

I. Was the discovery of the Philippines by Spain beneficial to the country?

March 17, 1521, Ferdinand Magellan accidentally discovered the Philippines while on his quest of finding the Spice Island. With that, a lot had happened. Until April 1521, Magellan was killed by Lapu-Lapu in Mactan, Cebu. Some of the Spaniards who survived in the battle returned to Spain. Later, years passed, the Philippines had been colonized by Spain for 333 years (1565-1898). Philippines was easily colonized by the Spain because it is easy for the Spaniards to take hold since Filipino people has no central government and those tribes were governed by the chieftains which were separated from one another. So then the Spaniards transplanted their social, economic, and political institutions halfway across the world to the Philippine archipelago. The colonial masters required the native Filipinos to swear allegiance to the Spanish monarch, where before they only had village chieftains called "datus;" to worship a new God, where before they worshipped a whole pantheon of supernatural deities and divinities; Spaniards enriched Filipinos to speak a new language, where before they had (and still have) a Babel of tongues; and to alter their work habits, where before they worked within the framework of a subsistence economy. The Spanish landholding system based on private ownership of land replaced the Filipino system of communal landownership. Thus, when the Spanish rule ended, the Filipinos found many aspects of their way of life bearing the indelible imprint of Hispanization. Even though the Spaniards treat the Filipinos unfairly and it was a hard part for the old Filipinos who sacrifice such, like the so called polo y servicio. So, it was still beneficial or we say an advantage that the Spain colonized the Philippines. If ever Philippines weren’t colonized by Spain, Philippines wouldn’t have those things Spaniards left as their legacy to us especially the Christianity.

II. What is the legacy of the Spanish colonization of the Philippines? How would you assess the effect of this legacy to our country? Christianity is the greatest legacy of Spain to the Philippines; specifically Roman Catholic. It was the most outstanding achievement of the Spanish missionaries. The imposition of the Roman Catholic faith upon the Filipino population permanently influenced the culture and society of the Philippines. This is due to the fact that the Spanish friars who undertook the immense task of evangelizing the Filipino natives looked at their missionary work and endeavor as involving more than simple conversion. By Christianizing the Filipinos, the Spanish Catholic missionaries were in effect remodeling Filipino culture and society according to the Hispanic standard. They would be Hispanizing the Filipinos, teaching them the trades, manners, customs, language and habits of the Spanish people. Education contributed to Filipino’s intellectual growth. The Spaniards were the one who brought education in the Philippines. During Spanish times, universities were only exclusive for men. Also the family life during the Spanish period was simple and wholesome because of the ennobling influence of Christianity. They were so religious. The father, although; recognized as the master of the family, was not despotic. He consulted his wife, the mother of his children, on family matters - including the education of their children, the family expenses, and business deals affecting the sale or purchase of property. The mother usually acted as the first tutor of the children. She taught them the first alphabet and the Christian prayers. She was the custodian of the family fund and keys. Filipinos were influenced by the Spanish in kissing parent’s hands upon leaving or returning home. The way Filipino dresses before the Spaniards came was different. Spain’s Contribution to Filipino Nationalism To Spain, Filipinos are eternally. indebted for having given them their identity as a nation. Because of her three centuries of colonization, the country came to be known to the world as the Philippines (Filipinas) and the people, the Filipinos. Prior to her coming Orient, the country was a mere geographical expression, a nameless archipelago of many islands, and the people, an unknown people of many diverse tribes. Throughout the centuries of being under the colony of Spain, in the end, the Filipinos were united or became as one.

III. Was the galleon trade beneficial to the economy of the Philippines?
The galleon trade, were trading ships that sailed once or twice per year across the Pacific Ocean between Manila in the Philippines and Acapulco which lasted more than two centuries (1593-1815). It had brought both good and bad effects, to the Filipino people and the Philippine economy that time.
The disadvantages of the Galleon Trade were, first, it absorbed much of the attention and energy of the Spanish officials so that the Philippine agriculture and industry were neglected. It contributed to the failure of the Spanish authorities to develop Philippine trade with China, India, Japan, and other Asian countries which were closer to the country and therefore travel to these Asian countries was cheaper. The high profits from the trade drew the officials in the country to Manila with the result that the provinces were deprived of their services. The galleon trade enriched only a few, for it was really more gambling than commerce.
The Advantages of the Galleon Trade. For more than 200 years, it served as link between the Philippines and America. The galleons brought to the Philippines not only Mexican silver and merchandise; it brought useful plants and influences from Mexico and Spain as well. But this Mexican silver ultimately found its way to China and did not stay in the Philippines. 2. The trade furnished revenue needed to support Christianity and maintain the Spanish government in the Philippines. 3. The galleon trade was a disguised blessing to the Filipinos. The Spanish officials were so busy in the galleon trade that they neglected to exploit the country’s natural resources.

Thus, the Philippines was saved from too much exploitation by the colonizers–the sad experience of other dependencies of European powers.
The rich natural resources of the Philippines were, as a result, preserved for the Filipinos themselves.
Majority of it were the bad effects or disadvantages. It means that it doesn’t make any beneficiaries to the Filipino. Only the Spaniards are the ones.

IV. What are the reasons for the late development of nationalism among the Filipinos?