Rizal and The Philippines Today

AND THE PHILIPPINES
TODAY
The political, social,
economic, religious, and
ethical ideas of the
foremost national hero
of the Philippines, Dr. Jose
P. Rizal are part of his
writings. Rizal’s ideas are
timeless in application,
now to Filipinos living
in the Philippines or
elsewhere. His ideas
are relevant today to
many people,
regardless of color and
geographical location.
His ideas were the
result of his education,
his training, his
readings, and his
dealings with people of
different cultures,
the conditions then
ON GOVERNMENTS
Rizal’s ideas on governments
mirror those of the political
thinkers who influenced the
French and American
revolutions. Many of those
ideas are enshrined in many
constitutions or fundamental
laws of democratic countries in
the world today.
In his second novel, El
Filibusterismo, he wrote
that governments are
established for the welfare
of the people. In order to
accomplish this purpose,
governments have to listen
to the voice of the people.
Rizal believed that social
A stupid government is an
anomaly among
righteous people, just as a
corrupt people cannot exist
under rules and wise laws.
Like people,
like government. A
government that needs the
support of the people must
ON EDUCATION
The degree of importance
that Rizal attributed to
education is perhaps
illustrated by his clear and
simple advice to his younger
sister, Trinidad, in a letter in
1886. He was then in
Germany. Rizal wrote to her,
You must not allow
yourself to be conquered
by indolence because it
costs so little to cast it
off.”
Rizal already recognized
the importance of
education in the progress
Thus, in his poem, Through
Education Our Motherland
Receives Light, he said that
education “lifts the
motherland to the highest
station.” It is only through
education that the country
will prosper. In his essay, The
Indolence of the Filipinos, he
Rizal’s ideas on education
was relevant to the
Philippines then and now,
as it is relevant in
any other country where
people desire to improve
the quality of their lives. It
will be to their benefit if
“:read, read, and
learn”. Education will
elevate them to new
heights and become
not only active, but
also recognized
partners, in the art of
ON INDIVIDUAL
FREEDOM
In his letter To the Young Women of
Malolos, Rizal wrote: “God gave each
individual reason and will of his or
her own to distinguish just from
the unjust: all men are born
without shackles and free, nobody
has a right to subjugate the will
Rizal cautioned against
consulting one’s judgment
alone. He advised that “we
should not consult our own
judgment alone, but hear
the opinion of others, doing
what may seem
most reasonable to us.” It
is wise to listen to the
Rizal believed that history
teaches us that freedom is
not obtained without pain
or merit, nor is it
granted “gratis et
amore” (free with love). We
but also in the freedom
of individuals. It may be
added that to enjoy
freedom, one has to
bear the obligations that
ON RELIGION
Rizal’s religious ideas

were expressed in his
letters to the Jesuit
priest, Father Pastells.
According to Rizal,
individual judgment is a
“religion may vary, but
they will lead to the
light.” This idea is the
basis of the freedom of
religion — the freedom
of religious belief and
the freedom to act
ON RACISM
During a ceremony honoring

the achievements of two
Filipino painters, Juan Luna and
Felix Resurrection Hidalgo,
Rizal declared that genius is
universal. “Genius knows
no country, genius is
These words were not just
said in praise of the
extraordinary
achievements of Luna and
Hidalgo, but a
stirring indictment and
rejection of the common
belief of the (Caucasian)
Europeans during this
ON CHARITY
In his letter, To the Young Women

of Malolos, Rizal wrote, and I
quote: “Blessed are they who
succor their fellow men, aid the
poor and feed the hungry.” This
is almost a verbatim restatement
of Jesus Christ’s Sermon on the
Mount. This is not a
ON MOTHERS AND WOMEN
Rizal’s on mothers and women

are mainly contained in his
letter To the Young Women of
Malolos. According to him,
mothers must raise their
children close to the image of
God; teach their children to
guard and love their honor, to
and must fortify the
minds of their children so
that they may overcome
difficulties and dangers.
The wife should help her
husband, “inspire him
with courage, share his
perils … sweeten his
The ideas of Rizal that we
have just discussed are
very much a part of our
way of life today. Most of
us may have, unknowingly,
conducted ourselves
according to the ideas of
Rizal. Most of us may have,
Wouldn’t it be better
if we know that we
have conducted
ourselves according
to Rizal’s ideas It will
be satisfying if we

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AND THE PHILIPPINES

Rizal’s religious ideas

During a ceremony honoring

In his letter, To the Young Women

Rizal’s on mothers and women

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