Lesson 4.

Filipino Social Thinkers

Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences

General Academic Strand | Humanities and Social Sciences
Filipino social thinkers
have contributed to our
understanding of society
throughout centuries.

2
Learning
Competency Examine the social ideas of Filipino thinkers
starting from Isabelo de los Reyes, Jose Rizal,
and other Filipino intellectuals (HUMSS_DIS 11-
IVe-1).

3
Learning ● Identify the major Filipino social thinkers and
Objectives
their respective ideologies.

● Determine the social contexts and catalysts

that influenced the country’s social thinkers.

● Explain the importance and implications of

each social idea to society.

4
Social Thinker Word Cloud
Explore
Create a word cloud with at least 10 words or
phrases that you can associate with the term
social thinker. Include the names, terms, and
ideas that you can relate to the Philippine setup.

5
What major words, phrases, or names
Explore
stand out for you in the word cloud?

6
What definition of a social thinker can
Explore
you come up with from the words and
phrases you have listed?

7
From your word cloud, infer the
Explore
influences and contributions of the
names or ideas you have listed. How
would you characterize social thought in
the country?

8
Essential
Question

How have Filipino theorists shaped our

understanding of human nature and society?

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Filipino Social Thinkers

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Lesson 4.1

Filipino Social Thinkers

Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences

General Academic Strand | Humanities and Social Sciences
Filipino Social Thinkers

Filipino social thinkers have

influenced how we look at
society.

12
Filipino Social Thinkers

History and society have

influenced our Filipino social
thinkers.

13
Filipino Social Thinkers
Isabelo de los Reyes

● He encouraged the creation of

works about “local knowledge.”
● He established the first labor
union in the country.
● "Father of Philippine Folklore", the
"Father of the Philippine Labor
Movement", and the "Father of
Filipino Socialism".
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Filipino Social Thinkers

15
Filipino Social Thinkers

Jose Rizal

● He was one of the leaders of the

Propaganda Movement.
● He believed in the importance of
education.

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Filipino Social Thinkers

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Filipino Social Thinkers

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Filipino Social Thinkers

Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto

They were central figures in the Philippine Revolution.

19
Filipino Social Thinkers

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Filipino Social Thinkers

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Filipino Social Thinkers

Andres Bonifacio

● He wrote the “Dekalogo.”

● It emphasized certain values such as
faith, honor, and diligence.

22
Filipino Social Thinkers

Emilio Jacinto

● He wrote the Kartilya.

● Jacinto believed in the importance of
intellectual liberty according to Rolando
Gripaldo.

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Filipino Social Thinkers

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Filipino Social Thinkers

25
Check
Your
Progress
How did the Spanish occupation in the
Philippines affect the major sociological
principles of Rizal, Bonifacio, and Jacinto?

26
Filipino Social Thinkers
Manuel L. Quezon

According to Gripaldo, Quezon

employed political pragmatism and
Social Darwinism in his career.

27
Filipino Social Thinkers

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Filipino Social Thinkers

Jose P. Laurel

● According to Gripaldo, Laurel

valued unity.
● Stanley Sandler says that Laurel
was against colonialism.

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Filipino Social Thinkers

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Filipino Social Thinkers

Renato Constantino

● He wrote about colonial

mentality.
● He promoted cooperatives and
exporting.

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Filipino Social Thinkers

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Filipino Social Thinkers

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Filipino Social Thinkers

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Filipino Social Thinkers

Esquivel Embuscado

● He promoted dissectionism.
● He believed that themes like
poverty and war should be
portrayed dynamically.

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Filipino Social Thinkers
Cirilo Bautista

● He thought of a different way of

narrating history.
● He believed in the “rubber
tower.”

36
Filipino Social Thinkers

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Filipino Social Thinkers

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Filipino Social Thinkers

Claro R. Ceniza

According to Gripaldo, Ceniza

believes that existence means
“standing out” or “making a
difference.”

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Filipino Social Thinkers
Claro R. Ceniza

Gripaldo adds that for Ceniza,

things that do not stand out still
“subsist.”

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Filipino Social Thinkers
Rolando M. Gripaldo

He believed that we have free

choice, but it can be affected by
external factors.

41
Filipino Social Thinkers

Rolando M. Gripaldo

Gripaldo differentiated
between rational and
irrational decisions.

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Filipino Social Thinkers

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Filipino Social Thinkers

44
Check
Your
Progress

How did the ideas of social thinkers change

after the Spanish occupation?

45
Identify if the statement is correct. Otherwise, correct
the underlined word or phrase.
Try This!

1. Claro Ceniza believed that existence mostly

lies in the ability to stand out.

46
Identify if the statement is correct. Otherwise, correct
the underlined word or phrase.
Try This!

2. Manuel Quezon upheld the scientific

materialist view, which values alternatives
when it comes to governmental policies and
strategies.

47
Identify if the statement is correct. Otherwise, correct
the underlined word or phrase.
Try This!

3. A metaphysicist is a person who studies the

theoretical dimensions of an idea or a subject.

48
Identify if the statement is correct. Otherwise, correct
the underlined word or phrase.
Try This!

4. Diosdado Macapagal was the Philippine

president during the Japanese occupation who
envisioned unity among Filipinos.

49
Identify if the statement is correct. Otherwise, correct
the underlined word or phrase.
Try This!

5. According to Esquivel Embuscado, a true artist

must be freed from the conventions of the
past.

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● Social thinkers in the country have come up with
Wrap-Up ideas that can help in societal development.
● Isabelo de los Reyes founded the nation’s first
labor union. He also wrote about “local knowledge”
in the Philippines.
● Jose Rizal believed that education is an important
tool in gaining freedom.
● Andres Bonifacio primarily led the Philippine
Revolution and the Katipunan. He also wrote the
“Dekalogo,” which upheld the values of faith, honor,
charity, reason, and diligence.
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● Emilio Jacinto, also a revolutionist, wrote the
Wrap-Up Kartilya. It taught the members of the Katipunan
about self-reflection, piety, solidarity, and wisdom.
● Manuel L. Quezon believed that governments
think of alternatives and solutions for survival. He
also believed in the importance of education and
financial help.
● Jose P. Laurel was believed to have valued national
unity during his presidency.
● Renato Constantino was also a nationalist. He
believed that Filipinos need to overcome colonial
mentality in order to be truly free. 52
● Esquivel Embuscado is known for dissectionism,
Wrap-Up an art philosophy that focuses on the present and
the future.
● Cirilo Bautista was a poet and theorist who held
that history can be told through poetry and other
forms that people can relate to.
● Claro R. Ceniza is a philosopher who defined
existence as “standing out” and “making a
difference.”
● Rolando M. Gripaldo claimed that individuals can
make decisions on their own, but they may still be
affected by factors beyond their control. 53
Challenge
Yourself Envision a Philippine society without its social
thinkers. What are examples of scenarios that
may have happened or may happen without
the movements and ideas discussed in the
lesson?

54
Bibliography

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David, E.J.R., and Sumie Okazaki. “Colonial mentality: A review and recommendation for
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1 (2006): 1-16. doi: https://doi.org/10.1037/1099-9809.12.1.1.

Gripaldo, Rolando M. “Ceniza The Neo-Parmenidean: A Critical Analysis of His Metaphysics.”

In Filipino Philosophy: Traditional Approach. Quezon City: C&E Publishing, 2009.
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9_2015_.

Gripaldo, Rolando M. “Filipino Philosophy: A Western Tradition in an Eastern Setting.” The Philosophical Landscape, 2007.
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Bibliography

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Bibliography

Macionis, John J. Sociology, 16th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited, 2017.

Ocampo, Ambeth R. “Reform and Revolution.” INQUIRER.net. Philippine Daily Inquirer, January 19, 2012.
https://opinion.inquirer.net/21451/reform-and-revolution.

Osias, Camilo. “Rizal and Education.” University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Manila: Mission Press, 1921.
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Bibliography

Quezon, Manuel L. “Message of President Quezon on changes in the Administration of the Public School System.”
Official Gazette. March 25, 1938. https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1938/03/25/message-of-president-quezon-
on-changes-in-the-administration-of-the-public-school-system/.

Quezon, Manuel L. “Speech of President Quezon on Social Justice for the laborers, February 17, 1938.” Official Gazette.
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for-the-laborers-february-17-1938/.

Sandler, Stanley. “Laurel, Jose Paciano.” In World War II in the Pacific: An Encyclopedia. Edited
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Bibliography

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Simbulan, Roland. “Renato Constantino, Revisited: Reflections on the Nationalist Paradigm in the Era of Failed
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