Anifah B.

Pacalna BSA-2

1. How can this subject make you a better citizen in this country?

Studying the subject, Life and works of Jose Rizal, is very essential in awakening
Philippine nationalism. Actually, Rizal had been very expressive against the Spanish
government, yet in a serene and dynamic way. He expressed his views about the
abuses of the Spaniards through his writings. Through his compositions, he uncovered
the degradation and bad behaviors of government authorities particularly, the Spanish
friars towards our Filipino brothers and sisters.

This subject would really make me a better citizen of this country by being
knowledgeable enough about the abuses made by the Spanish Colonizers. With this
subject, I will be able to make my stand and strengthen my views towards this issue.
This subject would certainly help me in developing and toughening my way of thinking
that oppression or controlling other people must not be tolerated nor exist. In addition,
together with Rizal’s contributions in essays, poems, novels, and allegories, I will be
able to unlock the truth of the past, how the earlier Filipino people were suffering
unspeakable abuses at the hands of the friars, and become proactive citizen of this
country. Furthermore, I believe that this subject will help me become a better citizen by
recognizing and acknowledging the lives of youth to the ideals of liberty, patriotism, and
nationalism, for which our heroes lived and died for.

In conclusion, this subject will indeed help me in being a better citizen of this
nation. With the knowledge and information I will gain from this subject, I can share it to
my fellow citizens and help them as well in realizing the importance of love towards our
fellow people, as well as love towards our country. I can be a role model of other people
in fighting against injustices and oppression and foster the growth of the Filipino youth in
all aspects of citizenship.
2. Describe all the values of Rizal which you think is essential in the development
of our country in terms of politics, economic, and social aspects.

Rizal was appreciated for being a decent pioneer and a good leader. He gained the
reverence of his contemporaries as well as the people of today because of the values he carried
within him. As a leader, Rizal was transformational, appealing, visionary, and his most notable
value is his honesty and integrity in his doings.  He exhibited a kind of leadership that was not
driven by personal interest but his will to sacrifice oneself for the benefit of the majority.

Rizal’s values and characteristics is not only essential to a specific aspect but also in
terms of politics, economic, and social aspects which had definitely helped in the development
of our country. In terms of politics, his qualities such as being a non-violent political leader,
being open-minded, intelligent, and hardworking has led him to seek freedom for the Filipino
people. He neglected his own safety for the independence of the majority under the control of
other country. In social and economic aspects, his transformational leadership quality and love
for his fellowmen led him to focused on the significance of national sentiment, as fundamental in
guarding society against all sorts of treacheries, and achieving social change and developed
economy. Rizal undoubtedly seized the idea of national sentiment and its worth that when
developed and taken by the individuals, may bring about common good.  Moreover, the spirit of
national sentiment is the inferiority of personal interests and ease to the social good.

Hence, with the qualities and values possessed by Rizal particularly the idea of good
leadership that Rizal has left to us, we can change the undesirable image of the past
administration, utilizing it into a more effective tool in bringing about political, economic, and
social improvements in the country, not only as agent for social change but also to reflect as an
epitome of good governance. Clearly, Rizal had impressive values and ways of awakening the
mind of the people and contributing to the development of the country.