Rizal was a Filipino polymath, nationalist and revolutionary who was a key leader in the Philippine revolution. While philosophers were seen as nonsensical in the Philippines, Rizal was actually a political philosopher himself. He believed the Philippines should not be exploited as a conquered country, but developed and educated in self-governance. Rizal outlined political reforms and predicted the future of the Philippines under continued Spanish rule or independence. He defined key political concepts and would likely criticize aspects of today's society. Rizal played a crucial role in maturing the libertarian struggle for Philippine independence.

1. RIZAL: A POLITICAL
PHILOSOPHER
Kristian Kountur
Mariz del Rio
Livias Leeroy Shoko

2. Introduction
• In the Philippines, philosophers seem to be taken as
outrageous, nasty, and annoying. Being a Filipino
himself, Dr. Jose Rizal joined the majority of the
Filipinos to consider philosophers as non-sense,
dumb, and stupid - in fact, sometimes crazy. This is
evident in his use of Pilosopong Tasyo in his notable
writings.

3. • Rizal was known as an illustrado.
• In Rizal’s political view, 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.
• In his essay “The Philippines: A Century Hence,” contains predictions
on the possible future of the Philippines within a hundred years:
1. that the Philippines would stay a Spanish colony provided its
citizens receive not only the rights and privileges of citizens of the
Spanish crown, but also the inherent rights of a human being;
2. that the Philippines will inevitably rise in revolt against Spain if
continuously exploited and abused;
3. and that the Philippines may be conquered by other nations after
Spain's presence in the country is extinguished.

4. Basic Political Reforms:
1. The restoration of Filipino representation to the Spanish
Cortes and freedom of the press
2. Reorganization of the administrative machinery
3. Adoption of comprehensive examination and the
publication of its results and allowing Filipinos to have same
opportunity with the Spaniards to hold government office.
4. Justice is the foundation of society and the government.

5. Rizal’s Concept of Government and Politics
Max Weber defines government as
“monopoly of the legitimate use of physical power”
In which is UNFAIR says Rizal. Its emphasize is the corruption of
the Spanish bureaucrat.
Rizal wrote: “In order to govern people he does not know or
understand, he ought to possess the talent of a genius and
extraordinary knowledge.”

6. The Key Ingredients of
Politics in the
Noli Me Tangere

7. Rizal’s Definition of Basic Political Terms
1. Political Culture - is a set of ideas, values and attitudes
about government and political process held by a
community or nation.
2. Political Socialization – defined as the process by which
people at various stages of their lives, acquire views and
orientation about politics.
3. Political Ideology – is a comprehensive and logically
ordered set of beliefs about the nature of people and bout
the institutions and role of government.

8. 4. Nationalism – is the idea of oneness by a group of people
who possess common traditions, a shared history, a set of
goals, and a belief in a specific future.
5. Representative Government – is the notion that the
people have an inherent right to sit in a chamber that
determines their future.
6. Democracy – a government in which all power is shared by
citizens is labeled a democracy.

9. Rizal Would Criticize Today’s
Society

10. Conclusion:
We can be free but we cannot be independent.
We can be independent but we cannot be free. Before
we can reach that true freedom that we’re aspiring
for, we need to have enough education to have
individuality.
Without Rizal, there may have been a delay in
the maturation of our libertarian struggle.

11. Insights
The true hero is one with the masses: he does
not exist above them. In fact, a whole people can be
heroes given the proper motivation and articulation of
their dreams. And learning to live together and
prospering as a nation will help build a strong
foundation or our motherland.