Name: Andrei Vincent D.

Cortez
Course & Section: MKA11
Professor: Jumel G. Estrañero (Sir. Stranger)
Subject: Rizal's Life and Works

TITLE: Rizal’s Visioned Freedom: The West Philippine Sea

I. Prelude

For the past 12 years, and up until now, the Philippines faced conflict with China due to
territorial invasion in the West Philippine Sea which would ultimately lead to a flashpoint of
tension and conflict since China would continue to expand and construct on these islands which
clash with the sovereign rights of other Southeast Asia countries and most importantly, including
the Philippines as they would have a feud for 12 years.

This paper will discuss how Dr. Jose Rizal, the Philippines' national hero, would provide
guidance and enable Filipinos’ strong patriotism in the fight for their rightful land and how they
can honour their national hero by practising what he has taught Filipinos, which is to reclaim and
protect what is theirs. Dr. Jose Rizal's teachings will be relevant to this case as the Philippines
shall stand firm as a nation to fight for its rightful sovereign rights and sovereignty with courage,
unity, and wisdom.

II. Body

As the Philippines continues to get tested in their land by China, Dr. Jose Rizal would be
a pivotal point in this situation despite the national hero not being here in the present, through his
great teachings from ‘Noli Me Tangre’ and ‘El Filibusterismo’, the Philippines shall take into
consideration what the national hero has died for which is strong patriotism as they fight for their
sovereignty and sovereign rights.

According to the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) of the Philippines, the feud started in
2012 when China illegally occupated an area in the West Philippine Sea, which triggered both
parties due to the Philippines rightfully owning that certain area of land and called out China for
raiding the Philippines Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Since then, Southeast Asia countries
such as the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia, have argued about the unlawful occupation of
land and intruding on other EEZs.

Despite the conflict that has been going on for the past 12 years, the Philippines continues
to fight for sovereign rights as it is their rightful land and EEZ, and with the help of the
Philippine Constitution, they have urged that the state shall continue to protect the nation’s
marine wealth in its archipelagic waters, territorial sea, and EEZ, and reserve its use and
enjoyment exclusively to the Filipino citizens (Esmaquel II, 2019). Through the books Dr. Jose
Rizal published for the sake of the Filipino’s freedom and rights, we can take ‘Noli Me Tangre’
and ‘El Filibusterismo’ as a sample of the love that the Filipino citizens have for their country
and how the teachings in the book, the Philippines can strive even longer in this feud to gain all
rights, lawfully, and resolve matters with China.
 Below are the teachings that are highlighted from the books, ‘Noli Mi Tangre’ and ‘El
Filibusterismo’ which is written by Dr. Jose Rizal.

Patriotism and Nationalism

Emphasized his deep love for the country and wished Filipinos to have the same love
where they would defend their land against intruders, not local to the Philippines, whilst
upholding their national sovereignty and resisting aggression.

Education Enlightenment

Education is key to empowering a nation. If people better understood the situation

between the Philippines and China on the West Philippine Sea, and better understood the
maritime rights, the citizens of the Philippines and China would realise the misinformation being
spread about the Philippines having no right in that EEZ when the Philippines does in fact, own
that area of the EEZ (Flores, 2023).

Peaceful Advocacy

It is important that despite any conflict, they should remain hostile and come to peace and
work together to find a solution rather than fighting each other and trying to enforce a solution
onto someone. In this case, when engaging in diplomatic negotiations, we must build an alliance
with other nations to seek help and understanding on what is happening and building connections
would help countries realise what the Philippines really is trying to fight for in any scenario. The
Philippines is trying to fight for their right and freedom.

Unity and Solidarity

This is a call for all Filipinos to unite and be one in situations where external parties
threaten their country and asks of all Filipinos to be united so that they can strengthen the
country’s position in international forums and collectively work together to safeguard national
interests, such as China taking on the interest of the Philippines EEZs.

Justice and Fairness

Elaborates on the importance of justice and fairness in the Philippines as it is underlooked

and how the country pursues a just resolution to conflicts, to international law and other factors.

III. Analysis
The Ethical, Moral, Philosophical, Political, and Socio-Economic analysis will be emphasised in
the order down below:

Ethical and Moral

Rizal points out the moral duty of the Filipinos to protect their homeland and the
emphasised ethical standpoint on how they should defend the national territory as it is only right
with the justice and human rights law internationally.

Philosophical

The vision of Rizal’s Philippine freedom and independence is a guide towards the
Filipinos and how he showcases the importance of national identity and sovereignty is an eye-
opener for many to show that a territorial dispute is significant damage to the nation’s pride.

Political

Despite the feud that has been ongoing for 12 years, Rizal will play a role in how the
Philippines shall maintain a peaceful approach at all times, asserting maritime rights through
international law and refraining from unwanted aggression.

Socio-Economic

The Socio-Economic impact of this feud is the livelihood of local fishermen, who are at
risk of losing their jobs due to their access and rights being stripped away from fishing within
their EEZ.

IV. Recommendation

To honour what Dr. Jose Rizal has died for, they should address the feud in a way that the
national hero would believe is the right way to fight for something and how everyone must be
helped when affected by the conflict, in which the recommendations will be given below:

Promote National Unity

Recognise the importance of unity among Filipinos and the collective support of citizens
for their nation whilst their nation defends national interests.

Support Local Communities

Local fishermen's rights are stripped away due to their EEZ being invaded, therefore,
recognising the affected, communities shall come together and support in any way and mitigate
the socio-economic impact.

Enhance Diplomatic Efforts

 Continue to pursue the feud with diplomatic solutions but in a manner where there is no
aggression or minimised aggression if threatened and find ways to gain international support
amidst the feud with China.

V. Requiem

Dr. Jose Rizal's lasting legacy serves as a guide for the Philippines, navigating through
the complicated and controversial problems surrounding the West Philippine Sea. By adopting
Rizal's ideas on patriotism, education, peaceful advocacy, and unity, the Philippines may
strengthen its desire for justice and sovereignty, and while doing so, the country not only
honours its national hero, but also strengthens its commitment to retake and defend its rightful
land with courage, wisdom, and dignity.

VI. Message to your Professor:

To our professor who has enlightened us with the legacy of the Philippines national hero,
Jose Rizal, I am in awe of the knowledge you have on the national legend and how committed
you are to showcasing his life to us and teaching us in a manner where it makes it interesting. I
wish you all the best in your journey and wish you a formal goodbye, and see you around.
REFERENCES

Wong, A. (2014, July). Philippines-China Relations: Beyond the Territoral Disputes.

Republic of the Philippines: Foreign Service Institute. Retrieved May 26, 2024, from

https://fsi.gov.ph/philippines-china-relations-beyond-the-territoral-disputes/

#:~:text=Philippines%2DChina%20relations%20have%20lately,of%20infrastructures

%2C%20and%20incidents%20of

Flores, H. (2023, December 11). Only Philippines has legitimate right over West

Philippine Sea – Marcos. Philstar.com.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/12/12/2318190/only-philippines-has-legitimate-

right-over-west-philippine-sea-marcos

Esmaquel, P. R. (2023, May 23). Sovereignty vs sovereign rights: What do we have in

West PH Sea? RAPPLER. https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/234145-explainer-

sovereignty-sovereign-rights-west-philippine-sea/