8. This disposition and influence makes them fickle, malicious, untrustworthy,
dull, and lazy; fond of traveling by river, sea, and lake; fond of fishing, and
ichthyophagous—that is, they sustain themselves best on fish; they have
little courage, on account of their cold nature, and are not disposed to work. Besides this they have other qualities and vices, of which I do not
know the cause, and I do not believe that I can easily know them. I shall
mention some of them.
9. First, they are remarkable for their ingratitude; and although ingratitude is an
innate vice in all people, through the corruption of original sin in our vitiated
nature, it is not corrected in them by the understanding, and they lack
magnanimity. Therefore, it is all one to do a good turn to an Indian, and to
prepare oneself to receive the blow of his ingratitude. Consequently, if one lend
them money, they do not pay it; but instead they run away from the father.
10. If they borrow anything that is not money, they will never return it until it is
requested; and, as an excuse for not having returned it; they say that they have
not been asked for it.
11. Their laziness is such that if they open door they never close it; and if they
take any implement for any use, such as a knife, pair of scissors, hammer, etc.,
they never return it whence they took it, but drop it there at the foot of the
work.
12. If they are paid anything in advance, they will leave work and keep the
pay.
16. They are curious, rude, and impertinent; and accordingly, when they meet
the father they generally ask him where he is going and whence he is coming;
and innumerable questions, all impertinent and troublesome.
21. They care more for their disheveled hair than they do for their souls; and
only they will not imitate the Spaniards if they have the custom of shaving, as
is now being introduced with the false hair and perukes.
23. When they go out alone at night, they must have a blazing torch, and go
about waving it like a censer; and then they throw it down wherever they
please, and this is usually the cause of great fires.
26. They do not care for any domestic animal—dog, cat, horse, or cow. They
only care, and too much so, for the fighting cocks; and every morning, on rising
from slumber, the first thing that they do is to go to the roosting place of their
cock—where, squatting down on their heels, in its presence, they stay very
quietly for at least a half hour in contemplation of their cock. This observance
is unfailing in them.
29. One may not trust a sword, mirror, glass, musket, clock, or any other rare
article to them; or allow them to touch it even with the hands; for immediately,
by physical contact alone, they put it out of joint, break it, and harm it. They
can only handle bamboo, rattan, nipa, or a bolo, and some few a plow.
30. They are insolent and free in begging for unjust and foolish things, and this
without considering time or season.
31. They are very fond of play, for they believe that it is a restful way in
which to gain much, and it is very suitable to their laziness and lack of energy.
Therefore, an Indian would rather lie stretched out in his house than gain the
greatest wage. On this account, when he gets a peso he stays at home without
working, until it is all eaten up or drunk up, for it all amounts to the same thing.
33. It is laughable to see them waken another who is sleeping like a stone,
when they come up without making any noise and touching him very lightly
with the point of the finger, will call him for two hours, until the sleeper
finishes his sleep and awakens. The same thing is done when they call anyone
downstairs, or when the door is shut; for they remain calling him in a very low
tone for two hours, until he casually answers and opens to them.
36. While it is a fact that they are extremely credulous among themselves, they
will believe of the Spaniards only what is against them. Therefore, it is evident
that the [Christian] faith is a supernatural act, in that they believe the divine
mysteries taught by the Spaniards. However, they do not believe some things,
or refuse to believe them because they find the contrary profitable.
So great is the ease and tenacity with which they believe the greatest nonsense,
if this is to the discredit of the Spaniards or against them, that it would be a
long undertaking to recount some of it.
38. May God deliver us from any one of those Indians whom they consider
as sages, who says any bit of nonsense, even though it be against the faith, and they only respond, Vicanong maronong, "Thus say the sages," and
it is labor lost to persuade them to the contrary; for the authority that these
scholars have over them is incredible.
42. They are so ignorant that they do not have the slightest knowledge
concerning the origin of the ancestors from whom they descend, and whence
they came to settle these islands. They do not give any information concerning
their paganism, which is not the worst; and they only preserve in certain parts
some ridiculous abuses, which they observe at births and sicknesses, and the
cursed belief that persuades them that the souls of their ancestors or the
grandfathers of the families are present in the trees and at the bottom of
bamboos, and that they have the power of giving and taking away health and of
giving success or failure to the crops.
43. They act tyrannically one toward another. Consequently, the Indian who
has some power from the Spaniard is insolent and intolerable among, them
—so much so that, in the midst of their ingratitude, some of them recognize it,
although very few of them.
44. They are wanting in understanding and reflection, so that they do not
recognize any means in anything, but go to extremes. Consequently, if one ask
them for warm water, they bring it boiling, and then if they are reproached and
told that one wishes it more temperate, they go and bring it back as cold as
ice.
48. They are much given to the sin of blasphemy, because of their natural
vileness, their pride, and, their presumption. Hence it is quite usual for them to
complain of God, whom they call Paghihinanaquit, asking why He does not
give them this or that, and health or wealth, as He does to other creatures.
49. They are very vain, and they spend their money never more willingly
than in functions of vanity; for they consider themselves highly; and wish to be
esteemed without doing. anything worthy of esteem. The men especially, even
though they do not have anything to eat, must not for that reason fail to have a
shirt and a hat, and to dress in style.
50. They are revengeful to an excessive degree—so much so that they are
vile and cowardly; and the ministers have great trouble in reconciling them
with their enemies; and although they do it through fear, it is never with the
whole heart, for this passion has great influence over them.
51. In order to be contrary in everything to other nations, they have lust but
no love. This is in regard to the illicit love; for in the supernatural love which
grace causes in the sacrament of marriage (since divine impulse works in this)
their evil disposition is conquered and most of them make very good husbands.
But in illicit intercourse the men have no other purpose than bodily appetite,
and to deprive [of virginity] as many women as they have done, in order to
sport with it. For it is a long established custom among them that the women
shall give to the men, and the latter shall be the ones served and feted; while
only blows, kicks, and trouble are given to the women. So true is this that one
might say that they have an inferno both in this and in the other world. Hence
the women are very poorly clad, for the men want everything for themselves.
57. They are greatly lacking in foresight. Hence the servants and stewards
do not advise their master to procure any article until it is completely gone. Therefore when they say that there is no more sugar or no more oil, it is when
there is not [oil] enough to whet a knife. Consequently, great deficiencies and
annoyances are suffered because of this custom.
65. They are especially fond of comedies and farces, and therefore, there is
no feast of consequence, unless there is a comedy.
72. The vice of drunkenness is regarded by them as rank in the fourth
degree, and they have made it a point of nobility; for the chiefest men think
that they are the best workmen, at this occupation. It is a fact that those most
given to this vice are the Ilocans, then the Visayans, and then our Tagálogs.
Vain, arrogant, revengeful, gullible, don't pay back their debts...sounds like a lot of Filipinos I know. Read the entirety of this letter and you will begin to understand the depth of the problems in the Philippines stems entirely from its corrupt and backwards society. Filipino society has not changed in 300 years.
So just what is the meaning of the metaphor gleaned from the picture of the half-naked tribesman receiving a degree from the UP as well as from the contents of this 300 year old letter?
It is this: No matter how many accoutrements of the West Filipinos acquire or are foisted upon them (be they political ideals, education, or technological advances) Filipinos will fundamentally remain a tribal society whose heart and soul, their very being, is alien to the West. To be Western is to embrace a certain outlook and philosophy of life which Filipinos cannot grasp. For example there is no doubt that their inability to understand the responsibilities of public servants to the people is the root cause of every strata of government from the barangay to Malacañang being thoroughly corrupt.
No matter how much education or missionary work is spent on the Filipinos they will never be able to comprehend Western religion, Western law, Western politics, or Western anything. Not even Western entertainment! Take a look at how stupid and void of any real substance the telenovelas and variety shows are which dominate television in this country.
In the above picture it is not only Norman King who is a half-naked tribesman. All the well-dressed people shaking his hand and handing him his degree are at heart also half-naked tribesman ensnared by the cultural mores of the Philippines. You can read about corruption in the classroom
here.
If Filipino culture and mores have not changed in 300 years since being introduced to civilisation then why should anyone think they will ever change? You can bring a Filipino civilisation but you can never make him civilised.
