Rizal's Concept of Being A Filipino and Filipino Nationalism
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Kyrell F. CruzRizal's Concept of Being A Filipino and Filipino Nationalism
Uploaded by
Kyrell F. CruzRizal's Concept of Being a
"Filipino" and Filipino
Nationalism
Presented by: Genesis C. Francisco
Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Identify Rizal’s concept of the Filipino nation and
nationalism;
2. Analyze the writings which contain his idea of nation and
nationalism; and
3. Offer a new approach in the process of nation-building.
Rizal's greatest achievement was by
giving the natives of the Philippines
their identity. He was the first man
who actually branded the Filipinos
as "Indio" thus making him the
"First Filipino" according to
Historian Leon Ma. Guerrero.
Aside from this, he wanted to
provide the Filipinos confidence in
the past, faith in the present, and
hope for the future.
The concept of nationalism is arbitrary. It
depends on who is talking and what culture is
involved. For instance, the Americans have
positive nationalism which is based on their
grand narratives of past victories in wars. The
Philippines, on the other hand, is negative
with its foundation deriving strength from a
long colonial experience. This activity exposes
students to various forms of nationalism
across the world.
Rizal's encounter with Morga’s
Sucesos at the British Museum
and his intensive research there
sparked his long interest to
combat colonial ideologies of lazy
natives and ingrate Filipinos
through the appeal of history.
Two essays were published in La
Solidaridad due to this
—"Filipinas Dentro de Cien
Años" (1889–1890) and "Sobre
la Indolencia de los Filipinos"
(1890). These works contained his
ideas on national sentiment or
nationalism.
But before we delve into his idea on national sentiment, his concept of a
nation needs first to be established. Rizal's basic principle of a nation is the
Vox populi, vox dei (the voice of the people is the voice of God). It means that
the ruler, whenever he exerts power over the subjects, must have his political
obligations to uplift the well-being of his/her subjects. The ruler, however,
can in any way repress the subject. In such cases, the subjects must perfect
themselves despite perceived inclinations (like the tendencies toward
indolence). It is therefore one's obligation to overcome struggles. Thus, when
people aspire to harness their potentials by opposing injustice and promoting
common good, they are actually fulfilling God's will. For Rizal, a community, a
nation, therefore, is a moral community founded on ethical principles of
justice and the common good.
What was then Rizal's notion of national sentiment?
Based on Rizal’s Filipinas dentro de cien Años and Sobre la Indolencia de los
Filipinos, "national" means "collective," as opposed to "individual." It refers to the
"common good" as against personal interest. In Filipinas dentro de cien Años, he
spoke of another concept—"the spirit or soul of the people" (el espiritu nacional).
This can be interpreted as "the sense of solidarity created by the realization of a
common misfortune and a common abasement." Thus, national sentiment for Rizal
was about equipping the collective people with awareness of evils of the colonial
system while resisting evil and promoting the common good. Unfortunately, in
Sobre la Indolencia de los Filipinos, Rizal said that "a man in the Philippines is
only an individual, he is not a member of a nation." What the Filipinos needed to
combat this was liberty and education. These methods give "soul" necessary for a
nation. A nation with "soul," on the other hand, will develop solidarity, a sense of
dignity, and concern for justice, hence, not vulnerable for tyranny
All these traits were obviously absent in Simoun. No wonder Rizal
killed him in his second novel. What the country needed was not a
person like him who ran by his personal interest, but rather an
Elias, who positioned the collective good of the nation above
anything. The culmination of his ideas on national sentiment was
set to apply in his Liga Filipina, but sadly this organization was
cut short when he was deported to Dapitan.
His concept of a Filipino was connected to what
has been discussed earlier. For Rizal, being a
Filipino by blood was not enough. A person who
has love for the country, concern for the common
good, and realizes the collective sufferings of
Filipinos—that is to say a "Filipino by heart"—
can be considered a Filipino. Rizal's Austrian
friend Ferdinand Blumentritt, whom he loved
so much, was a "Filipino" for him. Thus, being a
Filipino has to be proven, it is not something that
one has when born; but rather it is a project.
Thank You
