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EVERYWHERE you go in the Philippines, especially in schools and town halls, there is likely to be a statue of Dr. José Rizal, the country’s national hero. He strongly opposed Spain’s oppressive colonial rule in his time. He believed that the true nature of a good government is a moral, transparent and merit-based one that exists to educate, protect and empower its citizens to have a strong rule of law that has their consent. He asserted that bad governments only existed because people allowed them to. In his view, citizens must actively participate in holding their leaders accountable rather than tolerating corruption. During his time, powerful landowning families aligned themselves with the Spanish colonial government and formed a wealthy and privileged class.