CONTROVERSIES IN READING IN PHILIPPINE

HISTORY

1. During the lifetime of Dr. Jose Rizal he firmly believe that we can attain freedom
from oppression, discrimination and abuse of Spanish authorities through peaceful
means. Nowadays, some elective public officials possesses suck kind of ill
characters (oppressive, abusive and corrupt). In your own perspective, cite at least
five (5) reasons why these kind of candidates usually wins during election. Explain
each briefly.
 This type of candidate is winning elections mostly due of their flowery words or
promises to the public, because of their popularity, voters' lack of education,
election manipulation, and the influence of the media. Let's take this one at a
time.
 Flowery words or promises - when a candidate runs for office, he will, of
course, have his own words or promises that will make people believe him,
promises that are too good to be true to the point where people who are
desperate for change will believe and support him.
 Popularity - because of the candidates' popularity, some who run for
government positions are primarily actors and actresses, and because they
are well-known in the industry, more people know them and will support
them regardless of whether they are qualified for the post or not.
 Voters' lack of education - it is undeniable that the majority of Filipinos
lack formal education, and as a result, they are more susceptible to being
misled by candidates by their simplistic rhetoric.
 Election manipulation - this is very common and well known; following
the recent election a year ago, there were numerous rumors that some
candidates tried to rig the results by buying voters' votes. Because some
people are easily swayed by money, they chose to support that candidate
regardless of all other considerations.
 Influence of the media - there is the effect of the media, which is also
quite prevalent. In the most recent election, several politicians used social
media to attract voters because so many people use it and because users of
this platform are prone to believing stories regardless of whether they are
true or not.

2. The Cavite Mutiny of 1872 awaken our Filipino ancestors to fight for their
independence. In this present generation, if you are the incumbent head of the state
of our country, cite five (5) moral lessons from that mutiny. Explain each briefly.
 The importance of unity, adaptability in the Face of Unfairness, the importance
of education, dealing with the problem peacefully, and the need of a fair and
just legal system.
 Importance of unity - As a result of the Cavite Mutiny, unity is critical;
as leaders, we must demonstrate to them that we are stronger when we
fight for the same aims.
 Adaptability in the face of unfairness - the mutineers struggle with the
injustice that they experience, therefore this tells us that we must not
remain silent in the face of injustice, but rather step up and fight those
oppression.
  Value of education - education is critical because it raises people's
awareness to fight with the injustice that they are experiencing.
 Dealing with the problem peacefully - the mutineers fought violently,
and several of their members died as a result. This inspired me to
overcome difficulties through conversation, because as leaders, we must
also consider the well-being of our people and advocate nonviolent
methods.
 Fair and just legal system - the mutineers faced wrongful executions
during the cavity mutiny, which taught me the need of upholding the rule
of law in a democratic country.

3. To set the records straight and based on sufficient evidences, our national hero
retracted. In your own perspective, what are the grounds of Dr. Jose Rizal of such
retraction. Cite at least five (5) reasons. Explain each.
 Save his own life - Dr. Jose Rizal reversed his statement possibly because
he values his own life and does not want to be executed because he has so
many plans for the Philippines, such as continuing to fight for reform.
 Love for the family - because Dr. Jose Rizal loves his family so much, he
must be concerned for their well-being. Perhaps he was afraid that the
Spaniards would come for his family, so he retracted.
 Change of religious beliefs - he may have sincerely changed his religious
convictions or sought reconciliation with the Catholic Church out of
personal conviction.
 Strategic move - another reason is that it could be a strategy to entice the
Spanish government to make concessions and support changes. He could
try to work within the system for change by looking less radical.
 Pressure - perhaps it was the pressure placed on him that caused him to
recede.

Submitted by:
Francia B. Baroña
BTVTEd GFD 3B