Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences

ST. ANDREW MONTESSORI AND HIGH SCHOOL INC.,

NANCAYASAN, URDANETA CITY, PANGASINAN
S.Y. 2020-2021

Indigenizing the Social Sciences

The following are the objectives for this module:

 Examine the social ideas of Filipino thinkers starting from Isabelo de los
Reyes, Jose Rizal, and other Filipino intellectuals

 Value the role of interpersonal relations in Philippine culture

Filipino Social Thinkers

Introduction

The Filipino people have also produced a number of individuals that have extensively studied the
different traditions and attitudes of society, particularly that of Philippine society itself. This new series
of lessons will deal with the state of the social sciences within the Philippine setting, and will tackle
different social factors such as Filipino social thinkers, key values, Philippine psychology, and the over-
all intellectual and cultural atmosphere the Filipino has in his/her own society.

Social Thinker: Jose Rizal

Perhaps one of the most renowned social thinkers is the national hero, Jose Rizal. Rizal is not only
known for his dedicated life and the works Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, but also for the
social teachings found in his writings as well as in his testimonies.

According to Rolando Gripaldo’s work Filipino Philosophy, Rizal envisioned a utopian society.
It must be pointed out, however, that Rizal never wrote a book dedicated to this utopian society similar
to other social thinkers like Plato and The Republic or Aristotle and The Politics. But, according to
Gripaldo, we can highlight six major characteristics of this utopian society that can be seen in Rizal’s
teachings:

The Philippine archipelago must be united as a Filipino nation: compact, vigorous, and
homogeneous
The people must be educated in civic virtues and enlightened in all possible senses to be able to struggle
for their rights

Schools of sufficient quality and quantity must be established throughout the archipelago
primarily for enlightenment and secondarily, livelihood. There must be a common language for the
people and it must be a native language, for instance, Tagalog. The people must have freedom in speech,
assembly, press, redress and enjoyment of other human rights. Filipinos must not only have the
sentiment of nationalism, but must be able to manifest it. This is the dignity of a people.

Rizal envisioned a Philippine society that had racial pride, and the desire to serve one’s country
wholeheartedly and without reservation. This includes addressing social issues through educated means,
and never through violence or the use of rebellion. Rizal as a social thinker leans more towards an
educated and patriotic society.

Social Thinker: Isabelo de los Reyes

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 Another prominent social thinker that was a staunch critic of the Spanish rule in the Philippines
as well as the incoming American invaders was Isabelo de los Reyes, a former journalist, writer and
senator of the Philippines. He wrote a number of novels and essays, including Ang Singsing ng
Dalagang Marmol and Genesis Cientifico y Moderno. A journalist by profession, de los Reyes wrote a
number of works that attacked the corruption of the Spanish friars that led to imprisonment by the
Spanish officials.

Isabelo de los Reyes is also credited to be the first Filipino socialist. Upon his return from
imprisonment in Spain, de los Reyes brought with him several works by socialists, Karl Marx and
Friedrich Engels, among others. This led to an empowered de los Reyes that campaigned for workers’
rights that eventually landed him government positions and even a senate seat. His view for Philippine
society was a socialist one, that leaned more towards the teachings of Karl Marx and the pursuit of a
communist Philippine state. He died on October 10, 1938.

Social Thinker: Leonardo Nieva Mercado

One of the more recent Filipino social thinkers is the missionary-philosopher Leonardo Mercado.
He has pioneered the study of Filipino philosophy and theology as well as the unique characteristics of a
rising Filipino society. Mercado wrote extensively on the Filipino society, ranging from a variety of
topics such as religion, ethics, social involvement, politics, and many others. His style of writing and
analysis of Philippine society and culture is meta-linguistic, meaning that for him, language is an
important facet in understanding Filipino society as a whole.

One of the major themes of Mercado’s writings is the unique Filipino trait of inculturation.
Filipinos can adapt to a number of things, primarily because of their previous colonizers who have also
brought their own cultures which the Filipinos have eventually accepted as part of their own. An
important one is inculturation and the Filipino view of God, which remains one of the foundations of
Philippine society. His work Inculturation and Filipino Theology talks about the fundamental trait of
Filipinos to incorporate the religious into their social lives, and how Philippine society is shaped by the
values and teachings of a belief in a Supreme Being or God.

Philippine Values

The Uniqueness of the Philippine Value System

Each culture has an array of unique characteristics that make it different from other cultures. The
Filipino culture is no different. Filipinos value other things than most when it comes to values within
their society. Values guide behaviors, which can gauge cultural distinctions among groups of people,
nations, or individuals. (Capuno et al., 2013) Because of this impact that values have on Filipinos as a
society, it is important that one knows the significance of each one, and how every core Filipino value is
inter-connected and works together to build a functioning Filipino society. Here are a number of unique
Philippine values that one should know:

The Importance of Family – The Filipino family is not simply the sum of its members since
distinctive associations and nuances in various relational phenomena in the society contribute to its
fuller picture. Still, how these common views or characteristics of Filipinos are shared among family
members and with the society at large weighs great relevance. (Capuno et al., 2013) Society at large is
affected by the relationship of the family. Filipinos place a great amount of importance on close family
ties that it is arguably the most practiced Filipino value at present.

Participation in Religion – Mercado notes in his work Inculturation and Filipino Theology that
Filipinos have three favorite images of Christ: Hesus Nazareno, Santo Niño, and the Crucified Christ.
Mercado also points out that in the Filipino adaptation and participation in religion, “the interpretation,
however, will be colored by culture.”

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 Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences
3

(Mercado, 2011) Filipinos are a very religious people not only within the Catholic faith, but also
with the different religious followings that they are a part of.

Pakikisama: Filipino Solidarity – Manuel Dy, Jr. mentions in his book Contemporary Social
Philosophy that “a Filipino ethics must value solidarity.” (Dy, 2013) Filipinos are known not only for
their strong family ties, but also with a spirit of kapit-bisig or solidarity. Filipinos can go beyond the
divisions of race or location to unite and fight for what they believe in. Such a spirit manifested itself in
the People

Power Revolutions. And, as Dy notes, “Pakikipagkapwa springs from an inner conviction that
the other, though belonging to a different region or faction, is a fellowman, like me a human being who
deserves to be respected, attended to, loved.”

Activity:
1. Search for other Filipino Social Thinkers and their Contributions in the Society or most
probably in to the Social Sciences maximum of 5 social thinkers.
2. Search for other unique Filipino Values that will show Filipino Identity.

References

 Capuno, J.J. et al. (2013) “Views and Values on Family among Filipinos: An

 Empirical Exploration” in Asian Journal of Social Science 41: 5-28.

 Dy, M. (2013) Contemporary Social Philosophy. Makati: Katha Publishing Co.,

 Inc.

 Gripaldo, R. (2000) Filipino Philosophy: Traditional Approach. Manila: De La

 Salle University Press.

 Mercado, L. (2011) Inculturation and Filipino Theology. Manila: Divine Word

 Publications.

 (1988) Applied Filipino Philosophy. Tacloban: Divine Word University Publications.

Prepared by:

Reynaldo C. Paris
Subject Teacher

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