M I DTER M ASSESSM ENT

RIZAL'S CONCEPT OF NATION BUILDING

Rizal had a pervading constancy and love for his country which meant love for justice,
for liberty, and for personal dignity. He was the first Filipino to give expression to the
Philippine nationalism in his writings, to chart a route to national unity for his people, and to
elaborate nationalism as tangent to freedom and emancipation.
Rizal's Blueprint for a Nation Building

Despite political inhibitions , Rizal aimed at the restoration of his people's dignity and the
recognition of their natural rights. Rizal's political conviction and concept of nationalism matured
between 1882 and 1887. He saw his country abused, maligned by the vices of the Spaniards
and the Filipinos alike, helpless with her oppressed unhappy people. He began to understand
now that the prolonged subjugation of his people was caused primarily by two factors,
namely, the absence of national consciousness; and the poor training and education of the
people. He not only showed his people how to live nationalism; he also conceived an idealism
of dedication and intrepidity for the betterment of Philippine society . Hence, his blueprint for
nation building includes the importance of education , of instilling racial pride and dignity among
the people, the promotion of national consciousness, the re-orientation of values and
attitudes , and the willingness to sacrifice for the country.
Rizal looked upon education as a prerequisite to the realization of a people's freedom. It
is through education that a people obtain knowledge of themselves as individuals and as
members of a nation . The long period of colonial domination and the constant humiliations and
discrimination experienced by the Filipino people from their colonial master produced a feeling
of inferiority and a lack of racial pride and dignity. Rizal wanted to inculcate into his people
an understanding of history from which , he believed, sprang the roots of genuine
nationalism. Without these roots, nationalism would degenerate into the flippant, flag-waving
category , which he criticized in Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Rizal emphasized that
the task of nation building is accompanied by hardships and sufferings which the people
inevitably experience to bolster their courage . The paramount problem during Rizal's time
was the development of a national consciousness, that is, the creation of the spirit of
nationhood in the minds of the people. Rizal felt the need for a psychological approach to
rouse the people's pride of their ancient heritage. Rizal envisioned a nation of individuals who
would make responsible and independent judgment and who would think in terms of the welfare
of the whole community .
Rizal's program of Action. His program of action consisted of a plan to organize a
group of Filipino students in Madrid. He proposed to them the writing of a book similar to
Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin and Eugene Sue's The Wandering Jew which
would deal with the various aspects of Filipino life. He thought that a similar presentation
of conditions in the Philippines would arouse his countrymen to strive for a better way of life
and coerce Spain to initiate reforms in the country. As a man obsessed with freedom and
liberty for his people, Rizal felt compassion for the helpless victims of tyranny at home. He felt
that the predisposition of the Filipinos to individualistic pursuits would , due in time, be
channeled to positive action conditioned to the idea of nationhood and independence.
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 The Noli was finally published in March, 1887. It elicited varied reactions from
Spaniards and Filipinos and together with its sequel, El Filibusterismo , which he wrote during
his second trip to Europe, made Rizal a doomed man. Rizal had pieced together the
past history of the Philippines which revealed that even before the coming of the Spaniards,
the Filipinos already has a developed culture, and of these records he chose to annotate
Marga's Sucesos de/as Islas Filipinas because of its objective presentation of life in the
Philippines at the time of arrival of the Spaniards. Rizal must have speculated that once the
Filipinos were convinced that their ancestors led a free, happy, and prosperous life because of
their industry and perseverance, they would realize that the much-criticized indolence of the
Filipinos was not hereditary but was mainly caused by foreign domination. "The Indolence of
the Filipinos' which came out as a series of 5 articles in La Solidaridad from 15 July to 15
September 1899. Rizal hastened to reassure his fellow reformists in a letter dated 18April
1889that such persecution would serve to stir more discontent among the people and make
them more determined to ask for reforms. He concluded his letter with these words: "The fight
has begun; he who wavers shall fall. Let us now show the world and our enemies that we are
not afraid of the friars’ threats.
Rizal wrote El Filibusterismo to show his countrymen the price they should be willing to
pay and the problems they would have to solve first before plunging the country into a
revolution. The revolution in Fili failed because its leaders failed to consider the problems.
Thus, Rizal warn his countrymen to consider seriously its decision to revolt against Spain if
no reforms were granted. This was the reason why he objected to the plan of the Katipunan to
rise in arms in 1896. When Rizal was deported to Dapitan he had already accomplished a
major part of a self-imposed mission of redeeming the Filipinos from the medieval colonialism.
The establishment of a school and a clinic therein, the community development projects he
undertook, and the numerous activities; he engaged in were tasks Rizal performed to enhance
the development of his country.
Rizal’s Program of Reforms
The nationalism he taught his people did not end with the attainment of independence.
His profound ideas and teachings have become the model and inspiration for Philippine
National leaders.
Rizal’s Political Reforms. Rizal waged a relentless campaign to ameliorate the lot of his
people through his political writings and ideas. In his essay, "The Philippines Within a Century,'
Rizal warned the Spanish government that unless she provided a solution for their accumulated
complaints, the Filipino people would one day revolt against the Spain. Rizal advocated the
adoption of certain basic reforms by the government. Reforms, he said, to be effective must
come from above. Those which come from below will be irregular and unstable. Foremost
among the political reforms that Rizal advocated were the restoration of Filipino representation
to the Spanish Cortes and the freedom of the press. Rizal thought, restoring Filipino
representation to the Cortes would silence malcontents and thereby improve conditions in
the country. Rizal refuted as unfounded and based on racial prejudice the objections raised
against allowing Filipino participation in the government.
Rizal argued that the Philippines had been represented in that body during the most
unstable period of the 19" century when Spain's Latin American colonies declared their
independence. Rizal felt that the Filipino should not be denied representation in the Cortes
because of his inferior education. Rizal insisted that if he was intelligent enough to pay his
taxes, he should be allowed to elect a representative who can watch over his interests. He
called them 'innate human rights." The writings of Rizal proclaim the significance of equal rights
and dignity; the right of individuals to life, liberty, and the security of the person; equality of
individuals before the law; and freedom. As he said 'All men are born equal, naked, without

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bonds." He also stated: 'Deprive a man of his dignity and you not only deprive him of his
moral strength but you also make

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him useless." In another instance, Rizal declared that "the right to life is inherent in every
individual like the right to liberty and to light."
Rizal demanded the removal of friars from the administration of provinces, towns, and
parishes. He claimed that the friars should be politically immobilized for they were an evil
influence in government and politics. They should be confined only to their religious duties
where they rightfully belong. Rizal also advocated the religious liberty. This, he believed,
would complete the necessary principal reforms for the country. Rizal considered religion as
something that "should never make men enemies but brothers."
Rizal's Educational Reforms. Rizal gave top priority to the importance of education in
the pursuance of liberty. To him, independence was a farce if the people were not ready for
self-government. He advocated education as a necessary condition in a free society. Rizal
believed in the effectivity of education as a solution to the political, economic, and social
problems of the country. Thus, education is the wellspring of national good for it would result
in a capacity for improvement and dignity. "Without education and liberty, he said, "the soil
and the sun of mankind no reform is possible, no measure can give the desired result. Rizal
expressed his desire for the promotion of primary instruction and the establishment of schools
of arts and crafts in capitals of provinces which had a population of at least 16,000. Rizal
also wished that the farmers and laborers have ample instruction for technical and
vocational efficiency.
Mass education is a must in a free society. Rizal emphatically expressed this idea in Noli
when he said that "the school is the basis of society, the school is the book in which is written
the future of the nation! Show us the schools of the people and we shall show you what the
people are. Despite the Educational Reform Decree of 1863 which offered an enriched
curriculum, many of the defects of the old system persisted to the end of the Spanish regime.
The effect of three centuries of neglect and subjugation was too heavy to overcome in a
generation. Rizal asked for one school in every provincial capital. Rizal's literary works and
private correspondence abound with the remarkable ideas on education. Rizal was gravely
concerned with elucidating his ideas on education. In a letter to Blumentritt, he nurtured the
plan of establishing a college in the Philippines when conditions improved. He likewise planned
to set up a modern school in Hongkong.
The curriculum of the college he planned to establish in Hongkong would have given
emphasis to the study of science and technology. Rizal opted for a school that would respect
academic freedom and develop the potentials of the students. Rizal knew that the mass
education was possible only with substantial financial support from the government that would
finance the construction, maintenance, and administration of the schools. Rizal stressed that
education would liberate the Filipinos from ignorance and prepare them for the reforms and
freedom they had been aspiring for. Rizal reiterated his insistence on education as an
important ingredient in the task of nation building.
Socio-Economic Reform a. He considered the socio-economic aspects in
campaigning for political reforms for he must have believed that such reforms would be
meaningless if the people remained in poverty. Rizal envisioned the Philippines as an
independent nation economically developed and self-sufficient. Rizal stressed that its
economic development would depend largely on the concentration on agricultural
improvement. Indispensable to the development of agriculture was the improvement of
trade and industry.
Rizal considered the three basic factors of production-land, labor, and capital. Land will
remain idle without labor, but land and labor must be aided by capital to insure profitable
production. And labor and capital should be given their rightful share in the profits of production.
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 Rizal averred that land is a primary factor of production. Labor is necessary for the
effective exploitation of the rich natural resources of the country. Rizal himself used labor in
abaca production and fishing projects when he was in Dapitan. Rizal knew that Capital was
necessary for the successful operation of any business venture; that there can be no good
production without capital g o o d s .
Rizal proposed several incentives to develop the economy of the country such as
educating the people to become skilled farmers: securing foreign and domestic peace and
providing ; protection of the person, works, and homes; encouraging reasonable taxes and
dues; minimizing red tape in the government ad enacting just laws; dignifying labor and
giving laborers their rightful share on the fruits of production; encouraging the use of local
materials and the use of machineries; and providing mutual protection for Filipino farmers
and traders.
In El Fili he showed this idea by stating that farmers should be given knowledge that
would help them improve themselves. Hence, Rizal believed that laws must be passed to
ensure free trade and healthy competition: to promote agriculture, trade and industry: and to
protect the economic interests of the farmer. One of the solutions that Rizal proposed was to
re-orient the attitude of the Filipinos towards the value of work and the dignity of labor. This was
manifested in teaching them industrial subjects and practical agriculture. Rizal taught them how
to earn a living from their skill and labor.
Moral Principle and Teachings
Rizal was not a writer of moral treatises: neither was he a moral philosopher. To him
morality was the "application of reason and conscience to specific problems of behavior."
References to morality and behavior are constantly expressed in his writings and
correspondence. The virtues he admired were be, forgiveness, integrity, honesty, courage,
generosity, purity, justice, honor, purpose, truthfulness, faithfulness to one's word, compassion,
self-control, temperance, and tolerance. The virtues of sincerity, honesty, purity, and love were
urged to the women of Malolos. He said that these qualities should be developed in their
children for he believed that the home, more than any other external factor, exerts and strong
influence in the minds of children and that the mother is the main guiding force who leads the:
children to the path of moral and ethical principles. Hence, Rizal advised the Filipino
mother to open their children's eyes so that "they may jealously guard their honor, love their
fellowmen and their native land, and do their duty' and that it its "better to die with honor than
to live in dishonor.'
"No man has the right to subjugate his will to another, for one's dignity and value
must be respected and remain independent." As a reformer, Rizal was not only concerned
with the individual but with the society as well. In his works he laid special emphasis on the
mutual interplay of the individual and society. And Rizal did not conceal his disappointment
over his people's failure to assume the responsibility of improving their social and political
standards. He advocated a non-violent revolution to foster change through cooperation.
The arguments against violence in the various writings of Rizal may be summarized as
follows: Violence destroys human beings who individually are of infinite worth. Rizal taught
morality to his people by the example of his own experience. He was a firm believer in God and
he dedicated his life to a noble purpose- service to the motherland. He subordinated all personal
interests to those of his country, next to God and his country, he loved and honored his parents
and family. He also respected womanhood. Women, to him, played an important role in shaping
the destiny of the nation. Lamenting the timidity, passivity, and prejudice of the women of his
times, he advised them to develop love for learning, independent convictions, strength of
character, industry, courage, and patriotism.
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 Despite political inhibitions, Rizal aimed at the restoration of his people’s dignity and the
recognition of their natural rights. He saw his country abused, maligned by vices of the
Spaniards and the Filipinos alike, helpless with their oppressed unhappy people. The country
inspired in him not inky sympathy but an enduring love. He began to understand now that the
prolonged subjugation of his people was caused primarily by two factors, namely, the absence of
national consciousness and the poor training and education of the people.

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