RIZALS PHILOSOPHIES

Factors that influenced Rizals philosophies:

1. Spanish Brutality
2. Social Evils
3. Social Ills
Educational Philosophy
"My countrymen, I have given proofs, more than anybody else or desiring
liberties for our country and I still desire them. But I place as a premise the
education of the people so that by means of education and labor they might have a
personality of their own and make themselves worthy of liberties."
Rizals philosophy of education centers on the provision of proper motivation
in order to strengthen the great social forces that make education a success, to
create in the youth an innate desire to cultivate his intelligence and give him life
eternal.
Backwardness of his country is due to the neglect of the Spanish authorities
in the islands.
There should be proper motivation in order to boost the great social forces
that make education a success. There should be proper motivation in order to
create in the youth an innate desire to cultivate intelligence. The primary reason of
education is to elevate the country to the highest seat of glory and develop the
peoples mentality.
Religious Philosophy
Rizal did not believe in the Catholic dogma that salvation was only for
Catholics and that outside Christianity salvation was not possible even if Catholics
composed only a small minority of the worlds religious groups. Nor did he believe in
the Catholic observation of fasting as a sacrifice, nor in the sale of such religious
items as the cross, medals, rosaries and the like in order to propagate the Faith and
raise church funds. He also lambasted the superstitious beliefs propagated by the
priests in the church and in the schools. It only shows that Rizal has really taken
hold of salvation as a free gift to everyone. This also shows that he opposes the
Catholic teaching of money indulgence for the forgiveness of sins. Though Rizal was
born from a closely-knit Catholic Family, he still fought for what is true.
Rizal did not agree with the prevailing Christian propagation of the Faith by
fire and sword.
He did not believe in the Catholic dogma that salvation was only for Catholics. He
did not believe in the Catholic observation of fasting as a sacrifice nor in the sale of
religious items as the cross, medals, etc. in order to propagate the Faith.
Political Philosophy
Rizal criticized the Spanish government officials for failing to provide
adequate services. His philosophy was to promote self-government. Rizal's political
views sought to seek a self-reliant, self-respecting government, a "government,
made for the people, by the people answerable to the people."
Rizal viewed politics from the pragmatic points of view. He proposed the adoption of
some reforms that should come from above for it to be effective and to avoid costly
and undesirable explosions. He also thought that A conquered country, like the

Philippines, should not be taken advantage of but rather should be developed,

civilized, educated and trained in the science of self-government.
Ethical Philosophy
Censure (condemn) the friars for abusing the advantage of their position as
spiritual leaders and the ignorance and fanaticism of the natives
Censure the priests who preached greed and wrong morality
To guide them to happiness.
To transform them into prosperous, intelligent and noble people. `
He also lambasted the superstitious beliefs propagated by the priests in
church and schools.
Application of reforms, extension of human rights, training for self
government, arousing of spirit of discontent over oppression, brutality and
inhumanity.
Advise the masses that the object of marriage was the happiness and love of
the couple and not for financial gain
Advise everyone that love and respect for parents must be strictly observed
Social Philosophy
Rizals social philosophy dealt with
1. man in society
2. influential factors in human life
3. racial problems
4. social constant
5. social justice
6. social ideal
7. poverty and wealth
8. reforms
9. youth and greatness
10. history and progress
11. future Philippines.
THE WORLD DURING RIZALS TIME
Feb. 19, 1861 the liberal Czar Alexander II issued a proclamation
emancipating 22,500,000 serfs to appease the rising discontent of the Russian
masses.
June 19, 1861 the birth of Rizal, the American Civil war was raging furiously in
the United States on the negro Slavery.
April 12, 1861 the negro slavery in the United States erupted.
September 22, 1863, President Lincoln issued his famous Emancipation
Proclamation.
June 1, 1861, Benito Juarez, a full blooded Zapotec Indian was elected
president of Mexico.
Emperor Napoleon III of the Second French Empire with his imperialistic desire
to secure a colonial stake in Latin America invaded and conquered Mexico. He
installed Archduke Maximilian of Austria as puppet emperor of Mexico on June 12,
1864.

Because of the raging American Civil War President Juarez cannot obtain
military aid from his friend president Lincoln.
Battle of Queretaro President Juarez with the help of the US troops defeated
the Maximilian forces and executed Emperor Maximilian. Thus fizzled out
Napoleons ambition to colonize Latin America.
The Birth of Rizal Italians and Germans succeeded in unifying their own countries
The Italians under the leadership of Count Cavour and of Garibaldi and his army of
Red Shirts drove out the Austrians and French armies from Italy and proclaimed the
Kingdom of Italy under King Victor Emmanuel with Rome as Capital.
The Prussians led by Otto von Bismarck, the Iron Chancellor defeated France
in the Franco- Prussian war and established the German Empire on Jan. 18, 1871,
with King Wilhelm of Prussia as the First Kaiser of the German Empire.
With the defeat of Emperor Napoleon his Second French Empire Collapsed
and over its ruin the Third French Republic arose, with Adolph Thiers as first
President.
The times of Rizal saw the flowering of Western Imperialism.
England emerged as the worlds leading imperialist power.
During glorious reign of Queen Victoria the British people asserted:
Britannia Rules the Waves. Britain won in the First Opium war (1840-1842)
against the tottering Chinese Empire under the Manchu dynasty, and acquired the
island of HongKong (Fragrant Harbor)
In the Second Opium War (1856- 1860) Britain won again and forced the
Manchu Dynasty to cede Kowloon Peninsula.
After suppressing the Indian Rebellion and dismantling the Mogul Empire, she
imposed her raj (rule) over the sub-continent of India. (India, Pakistan and
Bangladesh) By winning the Three Anglo- Burmese war, she conquered Burma.
Other lands in Asia that became British colonies: Ceylon (Sri Lanka),
Maldives, Aden, Malaya, Singapore and Egypt. In South Pacific they were able to get
Australia and New Zealand.
Other Imperialist countries that followed Britains example: France Vietnam,
annexed Cambodia and Laos. Then merged all these countries into a federated
colony under the name French Indochina.
Dutch colonized the vast and rich archipelago of the East Indies and named
it the Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia).
Czarist Russia conquered Siberia, Kamchatka, Kuriles, and Alaska ( which she sold
in 1867 to the U.S. for $7,200,000. She also conquered the Muslim Khanates of
Bokhara, Khiva, and Kokand in Central Asia.
They also acquired Manchuria and as a sphere of influence they were able to build
the 5,800- mile Trans-Siberian Railway, reputed to be the worlds longest railroad
linking Vladivostok and Moscow.
July 8, 1853, an American squadron under the command of Commodore Mathew C.
Perry re-opened Japan to the world. (214-year isolation) Emperor Meiji (Mutsuhito)
modernized Japan by freely accepting Western Influences, including Imperialism.
Fought against the weak China in the Sino-Japanese war, grabbed Formosa
(Taiwan), Pescadores and later annexed Korea.
Germany was late in scramble for colonies in Asia and Africa, turned to the Islands
in the Mid- Pacific world. Ilties a German warship entered the harbor of Yap (an
island in the Carolines) seized the island and hoisted the German flag.

Strangely, the Spanish Governor of the Carolines (Don Enrique Capriles) was
present in the island but showed no resistance. The German seizure of Yap island
enraged Spain who claimed sovereignty over the Carolines and Palaus by right of
discovery by Francisco Lezcano who named it Carolina in Honor of King Charles II.
To abort the brewing conflict between the two country, both submitted the
Carolina Question to Pope leo XIII for arbitration .
The Holy father recognized Spains sovereignty over the island but gave two
concessions to Germany: the right to trade in the disputed islands the right to
establish a coaling station in Yap for German navy.
Rizal was in Barcelona when these things are happening and he even wrote an
article on the Carolina Question at La Publicidad, a newspaper owned by Don Miguel
Morayta.
While imperialist powers were enjoying the fruits of their colonial rule Spain who
was once upon a time the Mistress of the World , was stagnating as a world power.
She lost her rich colonies in Latin America (Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Colombia
and Ecuador.
The Central American countries (Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and
Nicaragua, Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia and Uruguay) Colonies that remained under her
rule was Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines.
The Philippines of Rizals Times During the times of Rizal, the sinister
shadows of Spains decadence darkened the Philippine Skies.
Evils during the Spanish rule in the Philippines Instability of Colonial
administration Corrupt Officialdom No Philippine representation in the Spanish
Cortes Human rights denied to Filipinos
No equality before the law Maladministration of justice Racial Administration
Frailocracy Forced labor Haciendas owned by the friars Guardia civil.
Political System under Spain
The Spanish quickly organized their new colony according to their model. The
first task was the reduction, or relocation of native inhabitants into settlements. The
earliest political system used during the conquista period was the encomienda
system, which resembled the feudal system in medieval Europe. The
conquistadores, friars and native nobles were granted estates, in exchange for their
services to the King, and was given the privilege to collect tribute from its
inhabitants. In return, the person granted the encomienda, known as an
encomendero, was tasked to provide military protection to the inhabitants, justice
and governance. In times of war, the encomendero was duty bound to provide
soldiers for the King, in particular, for the complete defense of the colony from
invaders such as the Dutch, British and Chinese. The encomienda system was
abused by encomenderos and by 1700 was largely replaced by administrative
provinces, each headed by an alcalde mayor (provincial governor)[12] The most
prominent feature of Spanish cities was the plaza, a central area for town activities
such as the fiesta, and where government buildings, the church, a market area and
other infrastructures were located. Residential areas lay around the plaza. During
the conquista, the first task of colonization was the reduction, or relocation of the
indigenous population into settlements surrounding the plaza.
On the national level, the King of Spain, via his Council of the Indies (Consejo
de las Indias), governed through his representative in the Philippines, the Governor-

General of the Philippines (Gobernador y Capitn General). With the seat of power in
Intramuros, Manila, the Governor-General was given several duties: head of the
supreme court, the Royal Audiencia of Manila; Commander-in-chief of the army and
navy, and the economic planner of the country.
On the provincial level, heading the pacified provinces (alcaldia), was the
provincial governor (alcalde mayor). The unpacified military zones (corregimiento),
such as Mariveles and Mindoro, were headed by the corregidores. City governments
(ayuntamientos), were also headed by an alcalde mayor. Alcalde mayors and
corregidores exercised multiple prerogatives as judge, inspector of encomiendas,
chief of police, tribute collector, capitan-general of the province and even vice-regal
patron. His annual salary ranged from P300 to P2000 before 1847 and P1500 to
P1600 after it. But this can be augmented through the special privilege of "indulto
de commercio" where all people were forced to do business with him. The alcalde
mayor was usually an Insulares (Spaniard born in the Philippines). In the 19th
century, the Peninsulares began to displace the Insulares which resulted in the
political unrests of 1872, notably the execution of GOMBURZA, Novales Revolt and
mutiny of the Cavite fort under La Madrid.
The pueblo or town is headed by the Gobernadorcillo or little governor.
Among his administrative duties were the preparation of the tribute list (padron),
recruitment and distribution of men for draft labor, communal public work and
military conscription (quinto), postal clerk and judge in minor civil suits. He
intervened in all administrative cases pertaining to his town: lands, justice, finance
and the municipal police. His annual salary, however, was only P24 but he was
exempted from taxation. Any native or Chinese mestizo, 25 years old, literate in oral
or written Spanish and has been a Cabeza de Barangay of 4 years can be a
Gobernadorcillo. Among those prominent is Emilio Aguinaldo, a Chinese Mestizo and
who was the Gobernadorcillo of Cavite El Viejo (now Kawit). The officials of the
pueblo were taken from the Principala, the noble class of pre-colonial origin. Their
names are survived by prominent families in contemporary Philippine society such
as Duremdes, Lindo, Tupas, Gatmaitan, Liwanag, Pangilinan, Panganiban, Balderas,
and Agbayani, Apalisok, Aguinaldo to name a few.
Every pueblo was further divided into "barrios", and the barrio government
(village or district) rested on the barrio administrator (cabeza de barangay). He was
responsible for peace and order and recruited men for communal public works.
Cabezas should be literate in Spanish and have good moral character and property.
Cabezas who served for 25 years were exempted from forced labor. In addition, this
is where the sentiment heard as, "Mi Barrio", first came from.
To check the abuse of power of royal officials, two ancient castilian
institutions were brought to the Philippines. The Residencia, dating back to the 5th
century and the Visita differed from the residencia in that it was conducted
clandestinely by a visitador-general sent from Spain and might occur anytime within
the officials term, without any previous notice. Visitas may be specific or general.
The legal foundation for municipal governments in the country was laid with
the promulgation of the Maura Law on May 19, 1893. Named after its author, Don
Antonio Maura, the Spanish Minister of Colonies at the time, the law reorganized

town governments in the Philippines with the aim of making them more effective
and autonomous. This law created the municipal organization that was later
adopted, revised, and further strengthened by the American and Filipino
governments that succeeded Spanish.