2021 -

2022
LIFE, WORKS AND
WRITINGS OF RIZAL

Reflective Essay
“The Filipino Family”

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Prelims

ALEGRIA LUZ E. BEGINO BSN 2-6

August 31, 2021
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Reflective Essay
Back in the days, Spain colonized the archipelago from the late 1500s to 1800s, imposing strict
Catholicism and Hispanic culture on the Southeast Asian nation, and one of them is the Philippines. Due
to that, many traditions and cultures have been adopted by our fellow Filipinos who almost did not even
stand a chance to have free will to express their own belief. As a matter a fact, Rizal himself had
experienced these too. A few of what we discussed at the last meeting will be stated here.

Factors that affect the family roots and identity based on the cultures adopted in the time of
Spanish colonization:

First, Baptism. It was believed to be the dedication ceremony, in which parents pledge to guide a
child to “grow in the grace and knowledge of God.” I believe that the same belief was applied to Dr. Jose
Rizal when he was baptized by parish priest Reverend Father Rufino Collantes, but baptism is more than
insinuating Christianity. During that time in Philippines, baptism had affected the identity of many
Filipinos by influencing Christian names given during baptism. Thus, influencing the roots of our filipino
ancestor’s surname which continuously passed generation after generation.

Second, Family. Rizal was also known to have great love when it comes to his family, he even
has nicknames for his brothers and sister. Although the Spaniards did not share the thought of extended
family, many Filipinos have a natural and vivid expression of love as “being together” which also applies
to some families. As a result, two types of the family become natural in any household, (1) Nuclear
family that has a child and its parents and a child, this type of family gives you freedom in decision
making but in (2) Extended family referes to having joint family member which usually leads to greater
responsibilities since you will have to deal with both of your family and parents.

Lastly, Social structures. Although we were being discriminated against during the Spanish era,
calling us “Indios”, our surname plays a big part in our identity. As an example; “Delos Reyes” means
that during the Spanish colonization, your ancestors were the servants of the Reyes Family. Also, with the
tradition of the wedding brought through Christianity, we were able to have 2 types of roots in our family.
The relatives by consanguinity and affinity. Consanguinity is the pure and blood-related relatives
meanwhile affinity refers to bind with the provision of the law and ceremonies.

As a brief, it may sound heavy that our country has been exploited but these adapted cultures and
traditions also helped us unfolds one’s history and unravels one’s personality and family roots. After
attending this discussion, I felt that as the “Kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan” I must serve as a reminder to
future generations to preserve and protect the independence and culture whom our great heroes fought
for, since it is the past that makes up the present, and it is the present that determines the future. Only in
this way would Pamana ng Lahi, or cultural heritages, fully serve their purpose, maintaining the
cycle and truly adhering to its value.

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