The Dilemma of the Last

Filipino
BY: HILARION M. HENARES,JR.
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR
• Dr. Hilarion M. Henares, Jr., Doctor of Economics,
will probably be known as the Alexander Hamilton of
the Philippines. As Hamilton argued for his “Theory
of Manufactures” to point the way to the United
States’ as an industrial power against Thomas
Jefferson’s advocacy of a `pastoral economy,’ so did
Henares argue for Philippine Industrialization against
American policy to keep the Philippines agricultural.
 Hilarion M. Henares Jr., known as Larry Henares, Larry
Henares was born on April 10, 1924, in Manila, and studied at
the Ateneo de Manila, University of the Philippines and
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an Eisenhower Fellow,
an engineer, economist, educator, big businessman, writer of
35 books, civic leader , public servant, and hobbyist (guns,
books, amateur radio and electronics)
 Books by Hilarion M. Henares Jr.

Philippine History and the Destiny of

the Filipino People The Milk Wars The Dawn of Great Civilizations

These Made Me Smile Joy and Sorrow

essay
 What is the focus of
the Essay
According to the paper, we have lost our feeling of belonging
to something larger and more powerful than ourselves, and
have become a population of isolated people whose life is
defined by birth and death, and whose major concern is the
interest of our own personal self. One of the (many) causes
for the American Civil War, for example, was because
individuals were more loyal to their state than to the nation as
a whole. The states that seceded did so one by one, each for
its own reasons.
 What are the important
highlight in the essay

•The inability of Filipino nationhood to shape the population into an organic whole or an all-encompassing moral order in
which individuals believe they belong together is the source of its inadequacy. In the absence of a shared narrative of
collective emancipation that connects private life to an authoritative center of nationhood, we find two nations in the
independent Philippine State, namely the largely mestizo elite and the “common tao.” Because these “nations” cannot
articulate, it prevents all and sundry—including members of the new middle classes—from identifying with the whole and
preventing them from developing into a nation of responsible citizens. As a result, nation-building will continue to be a
long-term endeavor– the future will fail. The Filipinos and Jews have much in common: both have lost their sense of
nationhood. That one quotation at the end of the text hit my heart to the core. It asserts that the sense of nationalism does
not exist solely in the places we were–the places we used to live. As long as we carry the love for our country everywhere
we go, even if we are not in our “lupang tinubuan,” our nation–the Filipino nation–will never die.
 what can we learn from the essay
The Dilemma of the Last Filipino is an
essay that interestingly touches on much
deeper themes regarding nationalism.
The Dilemma of the Last Filipino tells us that we should reflect on our
actions and beliefs for our country. The theme of the essay is to
promote nationalism and to accept change in ourselves is still applies to
us today. We must patronize our country by respecting the law,
promoting Philippine culture, and realizing the true goal of the country
by helping each other towards the improvement of the country. It
teaches us the values of wisdom, fighting what is right, and loving our
country. This essay wants to teach us how to love our country and to
empower the youth as the catalyst of change for our country. Being a
true Filipino is what Jose Rizal wants us to be, to know who we are and
what is our true goals will make the country flourished.
Group 4 essay report

Members:

Delos Santos, Ma. Eunice M.

Doronio, Rose Ann

Evalla, Cristen