Christian Aries M. Salgado B.A. Political Science IV
October 17, 2014
!" MA#I$% O& A &I'IPI$O( A Stor) o* Phili++ine Colonial Politics Politi cs B) enato Constantino ABO- !" BOO#
“Heroes are not born, they are made.” This is the intellectual biography of the late Senator Claro M. Recto which is presented in historical form. This is a way of presenting history in a biographical form. Constantino has a iew in mind, that eery !ilipino is a hero. A-!OS 'I&" A$ "ICAIO$S •
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"hen he entered #.$., #.$., he said “There was was ferment all oer the country”. The atmosphere inside the campus was was from time to time charged with radicalism and anti%administration actiism. There was an uproar and social turmoil. &uring the second world war, he fought the 'apanese as foot soldier and e(perienced liing on two rations of lugaw. He was called Rening when he was young, and lolo &ing at his old age. &uring martial law, at the height of the attac)s he directed against Marcos, his name was one of the first on the arrest list but the arresting officers officers too) his son Renato Renato Constantino 'r. 'r. *RC+ His wife is eti-ia Constantino which she acclaimed as the “lighthouse of my intellectual peregrinations” They hae a cat when he was young named 'oe ouis. September /, 000 1Renato Constantino passed away.
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Recto lied in these times2 3lustrado, $hilippine Reolution and the $hilippine 4merican "ar, Hispanic 5ducation, 'apanese and 4merican 4merican 3mperialism. 6ow, Recto was peeling away the colonial eneer which had coered his patriotic soul. He began to articulate nationalist ideas. i)e a good po)er player, he was playing his cards close to his chest. 6o one )new e(actly what he was up to, yet eeryone was certain that he was up to something. 4s 5rnesto del Rosario put it, “7eliee it or not, both liberals and 6acionalista8s are thin)ing of Claro M. Recto as a &ar) horse.”
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His courageous attempt to brea) away from the colonial condition was itself a great single effort which contributed to today8s relatie enlightenment. His beliefs were anchored in the in dependence for which our real heroes had fought and died.
PA III( S/S"MAIAIO$ O& ISS"$ C!AP" ( CO''ABOAIO$ CO''ABOAIO$ A$ "C'IPS"
“Philippine Independence is a myth, and man shapes his environment with the force of his ideas, and moreover to consider these ideas as wholly the products of his mind.” •
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Recto wants an efficient goernment that will ma)e our independence a real blessing to the people and thus en9oy their trust and support. He added that Man8s thought and action is shaped by his enironment. !or Recto, the nationalist is one “whose highest ambition is the attainment and maintenance of national independence.”
"C'IPS" A$ CO'O$IA'ISM
Constantino related the idea of colonialism to an 5clipse. 3f the !ilipino is the sun, he was being bloc)ed by the moon which is colonialism. Then, li)e an eclipse, the surrounding will be consumed by dar)ness, and this same dar)ness will consume the real !ilipino being. !ilipinos are brainwashed. The coloni-ation process had a two% fold aspect2 . :.
The creation creation of of a colonial colonial society society with with the mental mentality ity that that this engende engendered red and, and, The growing growing consciousne consciousness ss of nationhood nationhood as a result of the unificatio unification n of the country through through the techni;ue techni;uess of colonial administration.
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Recto8s political life is an e(ample of the struggle between the politician and the maturing leader. To the e(tent that conentional politics acted as a pressure on him his nationalism suffered temporary erosions for personal or party interests. There was inconsistencies and confusion in his behaior, to be a colonial politician or a nationalist patriot. He felt the pull of opposite forces.
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aw of opposite forces states that when a body e(erts a force on a second body, the second body simultaneously e(erts a force e;ual in magnitude and opposite in direction on the first body. aw of Reasonable !orces% the amount of force necessary to protect oneself or one8s property. This is associated with defending one person. Recto, a )een student of social moements, was re%e(amining his social conscience. He was beginning to see the central point in the national issue that reality of our independence was in ;uestion. The inertia of past political e(perience constituted an impediment to the full deelopment of his political philosophy. 7ut his courage and patriotism were also acting as potent catalyst.
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5(tinction of !ilipinos 1!ilipinos became e(tinct mentally due to westerni-ation of ides
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Recto is the “4rchitect of the constitution”. Howeer, he was proposing for the amendment to the constitution to ma)e the goernment semi 1parliamentary. This is because our constitution was fran)ly an imitation of the 4merican charter. PAAB'" O& !" BI% MA$ A$ !" SMA'' MA$ • •
He contrast between the rich and poor He e(pressed the way the landlord *The 7ig Man+ e(ploited and controlled the peasant * The small man+ who winds up in 9ail with the reali-ation that “in this une;ual world, the big man is always right”.
CO$SA$I$OS $OIO$ O& &""OM •
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!or !ilipino people, they had wrested their !R55&
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H5R<5S% they are the one who resist the 4merican colonialism. C<47
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There was a confusion of purpose> the guerilla thought they are fighting 'apan for the 4mericans. "e !ilipinos owe no allegiance to any !oreign power.
CIICISMS O& "CO O MA%SA/SA/ A$ o5lo. 1.
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aon Magsa)sa)6 Ramon and Recto are the Hegemony in politics during their time. Recto ;uestioned his being 4mericani-ed assimilation as president. Recto created the 6ationalist party or The apiang ma)abansa to challenge Magsaysay in presidency. Carlos P. o5lo6 Recto said that the $hilippine 5mbassy in "ashington is 9ust a “des)” in the state department. He critic him in the issue about the departure of #.S. military bases was not his effort. 5(. 4nt and 5lephant Crossing the wooden bridge. The 4nt in command said “"5 sure shoo) that bridge didn8t we old boy”.
PA 4( !" MA#I$% O& A &I'IPI$O "CO( PO'IICA' !O-%! O$ 3ISOM • • • • •
?irtue of Humility is the beginning of "isdom. "isdom will bridge our colonial mentality to nationalism. He saw in 6ationalism the salation of the country. This is through inculcating the wor)s of 'ose Ri-al which gie birth to Ri-al aw. Catholic hierarchy are against this. 3t is an attc) to clergy and a ridicule to Catholic faith. They argued that out of@@@ pages only:/ contained patriotic passages while :A were deoted to anti% catholic attac)s.
POPOS" SO'-IO$( !" MA#I$% O& A &I'IPI$O &AM"3O#
Phili++ines Colonial Politics
Decolonizati on ecolonied &ili+ino 8 A eal &ili+ino
Emancipati on of Being
Redirect of being
3n order to achiee this, as !ilipinos, we first need to emancipate our being from colonialism. Then we need to redirect our being towards the 4sian 6ations, with whom we hae Bcommon ancestry, and the same culture alues. “we hae drawn so close to 4merica that we hae placed 4sia beyond our reach.” 56&36 “the truth is that the !ilipinos, li)e the 4mericans, hae the right to loe their country aboe all others. They hae a right to cherish and protect their independence> they hae a right to choose a goernment that will sere the best interests of the people. “ His deelopment proed that only the decoloni-ed !ilipino is a real !ilipino.
