Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
REGION IX, ZAMBOANGA PENINSULA
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR
MARGOSATUBIG 1 DISTRICT
TORIBIO MINOR HIGH SCHOOL
Gabay, Margosatubig Zamboanga del Sur

Quarter 2 Week 1
SY 2022-2023

Name of Learner: _____________________________ Date: ______________

Grade: _______________________________________
Track: _______________________________________
Contact Number: ____________________________

Title: Freedom of the Human Person

Background for the learners:
Freedom is innate to human person; freedom allows us to enjoy the life given to us. It
gives us the ability to choose what the best is for ourselves. In this lesson, you will be able
to understand and learn more the value of freedom and how important it is to use our
freedom responsibly in a manner that it will be of good not just for yourself but also for
others.

What is Freedom? - The ability to make choices and perform those choices. - The ability to
be what we want and to decide and create oneself.

Two concepts that will help us fully understand freedom:

1. Freedom itself According to Merriam Dictionary, it is the quality or state of being free.
It is our capacity to choose of what we wanted and an inner awareness of what is right and
wrong that is traced to our free will according to Aristotle. It is also an intrinsic and an
essential property of a human person which basically means, it is a part of our human
nature.

Example: Think of yourself as a student, your teacher told you to study your lessons for
the day for you will have a long quiz the next meeting. However, as you reached home you
find yourself having a good time doing Facebook and online chatting with your friends.
Using your freedom, you can either choose to follow your teacher’s advice to study your
lessons for your quiz the next morning or continue doing the thing which you find
enjoyable.

2. Free will- Our free will allows us to decide on things we do depending on the situation. It
is our ability to choose between two different possible courses of action, independently.
Simply put it, free will is our ability to choose things according to our moral reasoning.

To sum it all, our freedom then could trace down in a person’s exercise of his
rationality/intellect and free will. Simply that individual actions as it is freely chosen by an
individual it then defines who and what kind of person one is. We all are free to choose, to
be good person and act on it accordingly or be a bad person and act in a bad way. As our
actions and choices reflects us doing what is good and acting on it is what makes you a
good person while on the other hand doing the negative will also give a negative impression
to an individual. This has been tackled on the previous lesson that self-determination or the

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ability to choose on what is right and wrong, that a person’s action determines what kind of
person he or she becomes.

KINDS OF FREEDOM

1. Physical Freedom
Physical freedom refers to the absence of any physical restraint. The person has the
freedom of mobility to go where he or she wants to go. He or she is not impeded in his or
her actions by any physical force. Granted that the person has natural limitations, physical
freedom allows him or her to act and move in determined manner. You cannot be
everywhere at once, but your freedom allows you to move one place to another and to go
whenever you want to go.

2. Psychological Freedom
Psychological freedom is also called freedom of choice. The person is free to perform actions
that he or she considers right and wise. A person is also free to act or not to act.
Psychological freedom is innate and cannot be denied to a person. No outside force or
influence can compel a person to take action against his or her will.

3. Moral Freedom
Moral freedom refers to using freedom in a manner that upholds human dignity and
goodness. Freedom is not an object that a person may use in whatever way he or she
pleases. A person must use his or her freedom to grow as a person. A person becomes freer
when he or she uses freedom well, but becomes less free when he or she uses it in a bad
way. Humans have a natural inclination for what is true and good, and when a person uses
his or her freedom to do acts that violates human dignity and goodness, he or she
dehumanizes himself or herself and effectively negates human freedom.

There are two elements that define freedom:

1. Voluntariness It is the ability of a person to act of his or her own free will and self-
determination. A person may decide to do things or not to do it according to his own free
will. It also means that even though she/he is not required to do such things he/she could
still do it or take action on it. Voluntary acts are free acts which can be assigned a
corresponding moral value. One must always remember that in every action we make, in
every choice we make there is an equivalent consequence. These consequences affect not
just the individual who does the decision but also other people in their surroundings. With
that, one must always accept the consequences that results from his or her decisions or
actions and take responsibility for them.

2. Responsibility
Responsibility refers to the person being accountable for his or her action and their
consequences. Taking responsibility can mean either you take responsibility to your action
voluntarily or other people will hold you responsible. For example, if you made a bad action
it’s either you take responsibility of it or other people will hold you responsible for it.

Example of voluntariness and responsibility

Michael invited Ken to a party club. At the club, Ken was very surprised to see his former
classmates and some acquaintances. It was very lively, people were dancing, singing and others
were drinking and smoking. But, there is something that caught Ken’s attention, a group of people in
the corner doing something unusual. And to his surprise, Michael was one of them. He came near to
them and Michael immediately offer him a methamphetamine (shabu). At first, he refused knowing
that the use of it is illegal. However, with the persistent effort of Michael, Ken tried it. Unexpectedly,
police officers came to raid the club. Ken was abducted.
Based on this situation, voluntariness was manifested by Ken’s personal acceptance of the illegal
drug because he uses his own freewill. Responsibility comes with Ken’s choice of action. Meaning, he
had to accept his fate to be in the prison cell as a consequence of his freewill.

There are important factors to consider in the exercise of freedom.

These are Prudence and Self-reflection.

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Prudence is the ability to govern and discipline oneself with the use of reason; it is
having caution and giving good judgments in making decisions. Because once we made a
decision there is no turning back, there is no rewind, so we should always reflect first on
the possible outcomes of the choices that we are going to make. Self-reflection is very
important in exercising freedom.

Self-reflection allows us to be more rational in making choices, because sometimes

human beings tend to be slaves by their emotions and moods whenever they act certain
things. As free beings, exercising our freedom responsibly is very important. Thus, it
requires us to reflect on the actions that we are going to make by considering its possible
effects and the benefits it has to the people affected by it.

Freedom should be exercised with control and reasonable limits. As humans, we enjoy
freedom, but we need to understand that it is not absolute. Meaning, we should exercise
our freedom with control and reasonable limits.

Examples:

1. A student may be first in line in a grocery store but chooses to give way to an elderly
woman next to her.

2. You may be very upset to a friend for losing a thing she borrowed but refuses to confront
her because you already know that she already feels bad of herself for the thing she had
done.

3. You may be very angry with your teacher for scolding you in front of the entire class, but
you refrained from answering back at him/her since it will be considered as disrespectful
act. Giving limits to our personal freedom simply means sacrificing certain self-interest and
accept that there are things beyond our control. Our ability to think and know what is right
and what is wrong serves as guide in recognizing and deciding the limitations of our
freedom.

Freedom should be exercised with regard for knowledge and truth.

As a rational being, it is natural for us to think before we act. We use our freedom to
acquire knowledge, which in turn are useful in making right and sound decisions essential
in dealing with our life situations. –

Example: To correctly answer a multiple-choice item in an examination, a student has to

study his/her lessons. Otherwise, he/she cannot answer the test. We should also be
equipped with the ability to acquire information and truthful knowledge because it will aid
us in making wise and informed choices.

Example: In casting our votes during SSG election, we will not vote to a candidate because
of she/he is attractive or appealing but because she/he is knowledgeable on the important
school issues.

Freedom should be exercised to uphold the freedom of others.

Freedom is recognized and guaranteed right for all persons. Meaning, freedom should be
enjoyed by all. But it is important to remember that freedom should be exercised not as a
tool to restrict the freedom of others, but as a means to enable others to fully enjoy their
own freedom.

Example: A teacher doing his/her class discussion under the Narra tree instead of having it
inside the classroom.

You shared your hard-earned money to cater the needs of your friend who is in dire needs of
it for the realization of his/her school project.

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Learning Competency: LO 1. Evaluate and exercise prudence in choices. PPT11/12-IIa-5.2
LO 2. Realize that:
a. Choices have consequences.
b. Some things are given up while others are obtained in
making choices. PPT11/12-IIb-5.3
LO 3. Show situations that demonstrate freedom of Choice and the
consequences of their choices. PPT11/12-IIc-5.4

Activity 1. My personal timeline.

Direction: As a student, you have made some important life decisions in the past. Make a
time-line of major decisions in your life and below the line then write down the consequence
of those particular decisions. Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.

Activity 2. Action and Consequences.

Direction: Reflect in yourself the given actions below and give possible consequences on
the given actions. Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.
Action Consequence
A student studying his/her lessons.
A driver observing traffic lights.
Athletes practicing in a gym.
A person taking illegal drug.
A student practicing conservation of
natural resources.

Activity 3. Problem and Choices

Direction: Reflect on a problem you are currently facing. Create a graphic organizer
outlining the possible choices you can make and their corresponding consequences. Write
your answer on a separate sheet of paper.

Assessment. Multiple Choice.

Direction: Write the CAPITAL LETTER of the correct answer in a separate sheet of
paper.
1. Which refers to the ability to make choices and perform actions. It is an intrinsic and
essential property of the human person?

A. Freedom
B. Free Will
C. Psychological freedom
D. Voluntariness

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2. What type of freedom is from physical restraint?

A. Moral freedom
B. Physical freedom
C. Psychological freedom
D. Voluntariness

3. Which kind of freedom which allows a person to perform actions which he or she
considers right and wise?
A. Freedom of choosing
B. Voluntarism
C. Psychological freedom
D. Moral Freedom

4. Which is the ability to act out one’s free will and self-determination?

A. Volunteerism
B. Responsibility
C. Psychological freedom
D. Voluntariness

5. Which means that a person is being accountable for his or her actions and their
consequences?

A. Responsibly
B. Responsibility
C. Irresponsibleness
D. Voluntariness

Read the following situations below. How are you going to apply prudence in making a
choice to exercise your freedom more responsibly?

6. Your family is experiencing financial difficulty. You are being enrolled in a private school
with a high tuition fee but your parents do not want you to transfer to a public school
despite your situation. As their daughter/son what are you going to do?

A. You are going to stay in your school because that is what your parents want you to do.
B. You won’t mind because that is your parent’s problem.
C. You will explain to your parents that transferring school is the best way to resolve the
family’s financial problem.
D. You will stop going to school.
7. A teacher informed you that your brother has to repeat some subjects due to his failing
grades. She asked you to tell your parents about it and that she wanted to meet them. But
your brother asked you not to tell your parents and that he will find another person to
stand as your parents. What are you going to do?

A. You will not tell your parents because your brother asked you not to do it.
B. You will not tell your parents in exchange of your brother’s allowance.
C. You won’t mind because you do not care about your brother’s problem.
D. You will tell your parents because you know that granting your brothers request will not
do any good but instead will just lead him to do to things that could again affect his
studies.

8. Your best friend humiliated you, making you a laughing stock in your school. As her best
friend you also knew a lot about her that would humiliate her as well when exposed. What
then are you going to do?

A. You will not do what she did to you because you know that it will not do any good.
B. You will expose her secrets so that she will have the same fate as you.
C. You will confront and start a fight with her.
D. You will not do the same, instead you’ll do actions that will gain back your friendship.

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9. You are invited to a debut party of your best friend. She expected you to be there. Her
birthday falls on a Wednesday but you’re having a final exam the next day. How are you
going to deal with the situation?

A. You will go to the party and will not study for your exam.
B. You will not go to the party and you will study for your exam.
C. You will go to the party but you will go home early to study.
D. You will not go to the party and will not study.

10. You saw a classmate bullied by your schoolmates outside your school. You just turned
a blind eye and walked the other way because you do not want to get involved. The next
day, you heard the news that your bullied classmate was admitted to the hospital due to
injuries. The school and the family of the bullied child is asking if someone saw the incident
to have someone to testify. The bullies already warned you not say a single word otherwise
they will do the same to you. What are you going to do then?

A. You will not report because your safety is at stake.

B. You will report to prevent the bullies from doing it again.
C. You will not report because you do not care about your classmate.
D. You will report the incident in exchange for money.

Reflection: Briefly explain the following questions.

1. Recall a situation in your life that in where you apply prudence in making a choice. How
does this decision create an impact your life?

Rubrics for reflection

Criteria Rating
The arguments are concise and relevant to the topics. 5
Communication skill 5
Total 10

References
Abella, Roberto D. M.Div., D.Min. “Freedom of the Human Person” In Introduction to the
Philosophy of the Human Person. Quezon City: C&E Publishing Inc.2016

Maria Paula G. Sioco Ph. D. and Ignatius H. Vinzons, “Limitations and Transcendence” In
Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person.Gregorio Araneta Avenue, Quezon City:
Vibal Group, Inc. 2016

Ancajas, S. J. (2020). Freedom of the Human Person. Introduction to the Philosophy of the
Human Person Quarter 2 Module 5. Department of Education Region 10 Cagayan de Oro City.

Prepared by:

CARMAMILA C. TORMIS, LPT, MBA

Writer
Toribio Minor National High School