In 1889, some time between February 17 and February 22, Rizal wrote his long letter in Tagalog to the valiant women of Malolos. He concluded his letter with seven principles, the sixth of which reads as follows:
"Ang tao'y inianak na parisparis, hubad at walang tali. Di linalang ng Dios upang maalipin, di binigyan ng isip para pabulag, at di hiniyasan ng katuiran at ng maulol ng iba. Hindi kapalaloan ang di pag samba sa tao, ang pag papaliwanag ng isip at ang paggamit ng matuid sa anomang bagay. Ang palalo'y ang napasasamba, ang bumubulag sa iba, at ang ibig papanigin ang kaniyang ibig sa matuid at katampatan."
(The text is taken from the copy Teodoro Kalaw included in his Epistolario Rizalino, specifically Volume II. Scroll to page 153 of the PDF file.)
In 2013, I tried my hand at translating the seven principles. This was how I rendered the sixth:
"Man is born equal, naked and without chains. Not created by God to be enslaved, not gifted with intelligence to be deceived, and not endowed with reason to be fooled by others. It is not vanity to refuse to worship a fellow human, to enlighten intelligence, and to use reason in all things. What is vanity is making one's self an object of worship, keeping others in ignorance, and imposing one's will on what is right and just."
(This piece is included in Radical: Readings in Rizal and History.)
For 2024, I hope to complete an English translation of the entire letter, as part of an exciting pamphlet series to be published by San Anselmo Press. This is how I would translate the sixth principle now:
"Humans are born equal, naked and without chains. Not created by God to be enslaved, not gifted with intelligence to be deceived, and not graced with reason to be fooled by others. It is not pride to refuse to worship any man, to enlighten the mind and to use reason in all things. What is pride is wanting to be worshipped, deceiving others, and willing one's desires above reason and justice."
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