The Philippines is not yet a

nation.
It is a nation in progress.

Signs that we were not yet a national

community at the end of the 19th century

Only Tagalogs and Pampangos revolted in

1896
The 1898 Revolution occurred mainly in Luzon
and only in some Visayan towns

in progress = in evolution
Independent barangays
Independent towns
Nation of regions or ethnic groups
Nation of citizens

Can we assign dates to the

stages of our social evolution?

Independent barangays: before

1580
Independent towns: 1580 up
Ethnic groups or regions: 1896
Nation: 1896 or 1898 or 1946

TOTAL NUMBER OF TOWNS

FOUNDED PER CENTURY

16th
17th
18th
19th

century:
century:
century:
century:

102
128
175
414

(12%)
(16%)
(21%)
(51%)

VISAYAN TOWNS BEFORE

THE 20TH CENTURY: 296

LUZON TOWNS BEFORE THE

20TH CENTURY: 467

16th
17th
18th
19th

century:
century:
century:
century:

19 (6%)
19 (6%)
50 (17%)
208 (70%)

16th
17th
18th
19th

century:
century:
century:
century:

82 (18%)
102 (22%)
113 (24%)
170 (36%)

TOWNS BY ETHNIC GROUPS

1565-1664

TAGALOGS
BICOLANOS
ILOCANOS
PANGASINENSES
PAMPANGOS
ILONGGOS
CEBUANOS
WARAYS

56
33
21
14
13
11
9
8

NEW TOWNS BY ETHNIC GROUPS:

1765-1864

CEBUANOS
TAGALOGS
ILONGGOS
BICOLANOS
WARAYS
PANGASINENSES
PAMPANGOS
ILOCANOS

71
44
31
24
24
17
13
10

Social evolution
is proceeding within the
framework of the state
at different speeds
in different parts of the
country.

Nationhood in 1898 was a

project, not yet a reality

The state is a legal entity.

The nation is a community

(bayan).

The Community
sharing in common duties
dialogue
shared life

A special project
Not just a nation of one people who spoke
the same language
But a nation of various peoples who spoke
different languages: a nation of nations
For the Tagalog-Pampango project to take
off, it would have to be accepted by all the
ethnic groups in the Philippines
The earliest we know this happened was
1935

Pag-ibig sa tinubuang bayan

IS AN EXPANSION OF LOVE FOR
OTHERS
Pag-ibig sa pamilya
Pag-ibig sa tinubuang pamayanan
Pag-ibig sa tinubuang rehiyon
Pag-ibig sa tinubuang bayan
In that order

The stages of our social

evolution chart the evolution of
our understanding of the
common good

The biggest obstacle to the

attainment of a national
community
is factiousness.

What is Filipino
factiousness?
The tayo-tayo mentality is a narrow
understanding of the common good.
It is the inability to think in the longtermbeyond the next generation.
It is the reflection of our short history
of collaboration and cooperation on a
larger scale than the family or the
immediate community.

The Philippines is a feudal

nation

What do we mean by Feudal

Nation?
A nation composed of two classes: the
rulers and the ruled
The relations of the upper class among
themselves are democratic
Their relation with the lower class is
feudal.
The relations of the lower class among
themselves are also feudal.

Traditional society
Datu and maginoos
Timawa
Aliping namamahay
Aliping sa gigilid
Hindi pantay-pantay ang tao
Society is held together by vertical loyalties

Modern version of
traditional society
In town:
Mayor + rich families
Goons
Workers
Domestic help

Civil society
Pantay-pantay ang tao
ANG LAHAT AY MGA MAMAMAYAN
Society is held together by horizontal
loyalties
Seed:
THE EDUCATED CLASS

result

combination of traditional society and

civil society
CIVIL SOCIETY aka DEMOCRACY =
SHELL
TRADITIONAL SOCIETY = SUBSTANCE

The biggest obstacle to the

attainment of a civil society
is the alipin mentality among the
poor and the datu mentality
among the rich and powerful.

Alipin mentality = dependency

Datu mentality = privileges

OUR PROBLEM TODAY

Dependency

lack of initiative
laziness
poverty

Privileges
the

exemption from
law
exemption from
ethics
corruption

Not alipin mentality alone

Nor datu mentality alone
but datu-alipin mentality
in all individuals

Rizals Point in the Fili

A datu-alipin mentality would render the
institutions of a democratic society
useless.
Institutions are there to protect
values
In the Philippines, there are few
democratic values to protect
On the contrary, the feudal values
distort the democratic institutions

What is at issue

Sensitivity to

Human Dignity

Jacintos Cartilla
Ang kabuhayang hindi ginugugol sa isang malaki at
banal na kadahilanan ay kahoy na walang lilim, kung
hindi damong makamandag.
Maitim man at maputi ang kulay ng balat, lahat ng taoy
magkakapantay; mangyayaring ang isay higtan sa
dunong, sa yaman, sa ganda; ngunit di mahihigtan sa
pagkatao.
Huwag mong sasayangin ang panahon; ang yamang
nawalay magyayaring magbalik; ngunit panahong
nagdaan nay di na muli pang magdadaan.
Sa taong may hiya, salitay panunumpa.
Ang babae ay huwag mong tignang isang bagay na
libangan lamang, kundi isang katuwang at karamay sa
mga kahirapan nitong kabuhayan.

WHAT TO DO?

How do we develop a
nationalistic culture?
Ideabehaviorhabitcustominstitution

idea = education
institution = laws
we have yet to develop
behavior, habit, and custom

Rizals Solution: Work

Economic activity calls for
the cooperation of people
from different parts of the
country and different
sectors of society
Work can bring about
unity

The Enemy:
The Squatter Mentality
Fatalism and sense of
entitlement
Little education
No sense of future
Instant gratification

three ways of thinking

of work
A means of providing for ones needs and
those of ones family basic
A means of contributing to the progress of
society
A means of developing ones personality

A lesson from history

To jump to the last stage of social
evolution at least a high school
education is necessary

solution
Not in change of social structures
But in change of minds and hearts
pagbabago ng kalooban
Rizals, Jacintos, and Mabinis
solution

Radical change
in three contexts
The family
New persons
The school
New ideas
The business corporation
Material support
In close mutual cooperation

Reasons to hope for greater speed

and intensity today

Mass media
Increased interaction
Lessons learned from other
nations experience

We cannot expect a culture

to change overnight.