LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL

MODULE 1: CONTROVERSIES ABOUT JOSE RIZAL

 Every country has its heroes; having heroes is important in the history of every country
 Heroes are human being. They are not born but product of his time and environment
o Affected the lives of his countrymen positively.

Blind Adoration

 Is respect, reverence, strong admiration or devotion in a certain person, place, or thing without taking into
account its faults

Jose Rizal being the National Hero of the Philippines

 YES, because the American recommended Rizal due to the fact that he was executed by the Spaniards and of his
peaceful way to achieve liberty
 Acclamation of the Filipinos
 Veneration with and without understanding by Renato Constantino
o all about doubts and arguments about Rizal’s status as the national hero of the Filipino people. It
depicts how shallow the knowledge of the Filipinos is about Rizal and nationalism.
 President Fidel V. Ramos issued Executive Order No. 75 creating the National Heroes Committee (March 28,
1993)
o The principal duty of the Committee is to study, evaluate and recommend Filipino national
personages/heroes in due recognition of their sterling character and remarkable achievements for the
country
 November 15, 1995 –The National Heroes Committee decided to adopt a criterion stating that a hero is part
of the people’s expression.

Criteria for National Heroes

1. Heroes are those who have a concept of nation and thereafter aspire and struggle for the nation’s
freedom. Our own struggle for freedom was begun by Bonifacio and finished by Aguinaldo, the
latter formally declaring the revolution’s success. In reality, however, a revolution has no end.
Revolutions are only the beginning. One cannot aspire to be free only to sink back into bondage.
2. Heroes are those who define and contribute to a system or life of freedom and order for a nation.
Freedom without order will only lead to anarchy. Therefore, heroes are those who make the
nation’s constitution and laws, such as Mabini and Recto. To the latter, constitutions are only the
beginning, for it is the people living under the constitution that truly constitute a nation.
3. Heroes are those who contribute to the quality of life and destiny of a nation.

Criteria for Heroes

1. A hero is part of the people’s expression. But the process of a people’s internalization of a hero’s life and works
takes time, with the youth forming a part of the internalization.
2. A hero thinks of the future, especially the future generations.
3. The choice of a hero involves not only the recounting of an episode or events in history, but of the entire
process that made this particular person a hero. (As defined by Dr. Alfredo Lagmay)

*source: National Commission for Culture and the Arts

 A hero thinks of the future, especially the future generation.

Historical Figures Recommended to Be Included as National Heroes of The Philippines (November 15, 1995)

1. JOSE RIZAL 5. MARCELO H. DEL PILAR 8. MELCHORA AQUINO

2. ANDRES BONIFACIO 6. SULTAN DIPATUAN 9. GABRIELA SILANG
3. EMILIO AGUINALDO KUDARAT 10. EMILIO JACINTO
4. APOLINARIO MABINI 7. JUAN LUNA 11. ANTONIO LUNA

Controversy about Sa Aking mga Kabata

 It is a poem about the love of one's native language

written in Tagalog. It is widely attributed to the Filipino
national hero José Rizal, who supposedly wrote it in 1869
at the age of eight.
 The poem was first published in 1906, a decade after his
death, in a book authored by the poet Hermenigildo Cruz.
Cruz claimed that he received the poem from another poet,
Gabriel Beato Francisco, who in turn received it in 1884
from an alleged close friend of Rizal, Saturnino Raselis.
 The poem may have actually been written by Cruz or
Francisco.

Jose Rizal As A Writer:

 Novels: Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo

 Annotated the books of Antonio orga’s Succesos Islas de
Filipinas
 Poems:

o Sa aking mga Kabata o Sebastian del Cano: First to

o My First Inspiration circumnavigate the World
o Memories of my Town o To the fleet of Christopher Columbus
o To the Filipino Youth o Urbiztondo, Terror of Jolo
o Through Education Mother Country o To the Flowers of Heidelberg
Receives Light o They Ask Me for Verses
o The Intimate Alliance between o Love of Country
Education and Religion o To Josephine
o Mi Ultimo Adios o To Captain Ricardo Carnicero

 Hymns: Hymn to Labor, Hymn to Talisay, Kundiman, Song of the Traveler, Song of Maria Clara
 Essays: The Philippines: A Century Hence, The Indolence of the Filipinos
 Brindis
 Letters: Letter tot eh Young Women of Malolos
 Playwright: Council of the Gods

Jose Rizal as an Artist:

 Rizal carved the Victory of Science over Death as well as the Victory of Death over Life.
 Virgin Mary (Batikuling)
 Mother’s Revenge, the Dapitan Girl and the Boar

Why Jose Rizal left University of Santo Tomas

  After finishing the fourth year of his medical course, Rizal decided to study in Spain. He could no longer endure
the rampant bigotry, discrimination, and hostility in UST

Jose Rizal did not finish his Doctor of Medicine

 Rizal continued studying subjects that would have led to a Doctorate in Medicine but not awarded the
degree because of his failure to present the thesis required for graduation and he has not paid the
corresponding fees. Being a holder of licentiate only enabled Rizal to practice medicine. His degree did not
authorize him to teach medicine which was not his intention. The name “Dr. Rizal” is actually a misnomer
since he was never awarded the title of Doctor. (JOSE AUGUSTO DE VIANA)

Jose Rizal as the Father of Adolf Hitler and as Jack the Reaper

Jose Rizal’s Retraction Controversy

 1935: Vicente Balanguer

Introduction

 After the court-martial, Rizal returned to his cell in Fort Santiago to prepare his rendezvous with destiny.
During his last 24 hours on earth.
 From 6:00 AM December 30, 1896 – he was busy meeting visitors, including Jesuit priests, Josephine Bracken
and members of his family, a Spanish newspaper correspondent (Santiago Mataix), some friends, and
secretly finishing his farewell poem.
 As a Christian and a hero - martyr, he was serenely resigned to die for his beloved country, which he called
“Pearl of the Orient Sea” in his last poem and “Pearl of the Orient” in an article entitled “Unfortunate
Philippines” published in The Hong Kong Telegraph on September 14, 1892.

Last Hours of Rizal

 6:00 AM, December 29, 1896 –Captain Rafael Dominguez, who was designated by Governor General Camilo
Polaviejato take charge of all arrangements for the execution of the condemned prisoner, read the death
sentence to Rizal-to be shot at the back by a firing squad at 7:00 AM in Bagumbayan (Luneta)
 7:00 A.M. an hour after the reading of the death sentence
o Rizal was moved to the prison chapel, where he spent his last moments.
o First visitor -Father Miguel Saderra Mata (Rector of Ateneo Municipal), and Father Luis Viza, Jesuit
teacher.
 7:15 A.M. -Rector Saderra left
o Rizal in a jovial mood, reminded Fr. Viza of the statuette of the Sacred Heart of Jesus which he had
carved with his pen knife as an Ateneo student.
o Fr. Viza, anticipating such reminiscence, got the statuette from his pocket and gave it to Rizal.
o The hero happily received it and placed it on writing table
 8:00 A.M. -Fr. Antonio Rosell Arrived to relieve Father Viza
o Rizal reminded him that he said that (Rizal) would someday lose his head for writing the Noli.
“Father”, Rizal remarked, “You are indeed a prophet”
 9:00 A.M. -Fr. Federico Faura arrived.
o Rizal reminded him that he said that (Rizal) would someday lose his head for writing the Noli.
“Father”, Rizal remarked, “You are indeed a prophet”
 10:00 A.M. -Fathers Jose Vilaclara and Vicente Balaguer
o Fathers Jose Vilaclara (Rizal’s teacher at the Ateneo) and Vicente Balaguer(Jesuit missionary in
Dapitan who had befriended Rizal during the latter’s exile) visited the hero. After them came the
Spanish journalist, Santiago Mataix, who interviewed Rizal for his newspaper El Heraldo de Madrid.
 12:00 A.M (noon to 3:30 PM)-Rizal was left alone in his cell
 o He took his lunch, after which he was busy writing. It was probably during this time when he finished
his farewell poem and hide it inside his alcohol cooking stove (not lamp as some biographers
erroneously assert) which was given to him as a gift by Paz Pardo de Tavera (wife of Juan Luna)
during his visit to Paris in 1890. At the same time, he wrote his last letter to Professor Blumentritt (his
best friend) in German.
 3:30 P.M. -Father Balaguer returned to Fort Santiago and discussed with Rizal about his retraction of anti-
Catholic ideas in his writings and membership in Masonry
 9:30 P.M. -Rizal was visited by Don Gaspar Cestano
o The fiscal of the Royal Audiencia of Manila. As a gracious host, Rizal offered him the best chair in the
cell. After a pleasant conversation, the fiscal left with a good impression of Rizal’s intelligence and
noble character
 10:00 P.M. -the draft of the retraction
o Night of December 29th, the draft of the retraction sent by the anti-Filipino Archbishop Bernardino
Nozaleda (1890-1903) was submitted by Father Balaguerto Rizal for signature, but the hero rejected
it because it was too long and he did not like it.
 According to Father Balaguer’s testimony
o He showed a shorter retraction which was prepared by Father Pio Pi, superior of the Jesuit Society in
the Philippines which was acceptable to Rizal. After making some changes in it, Rizal then wrote his
retraction, in which he abjured Masonry and his religious ideas which were anti-Catholic. This
retraction of Rizal is now controversial document, for the Rizalist Scholars, who are either Masons or
anti-Catholic, claim it to be a forgery, while the Catholic Rizalist believe it to be genuine.

Futile and Irrelevant

 This debate between two hostile groups of Rizalists is futile and irrelevant. Futile in the sense that no
amount of evidence can convince the Masonic Rizalist that Rizal retracted and the Catholic Rizalists that
Rizal did not retract. As a famous saying goes: “For those who believe-no justification is necessary; for
skeptics whose criterion for belief is not in their minds but in their wills-no justification is possible” It is
likewise irrelevant because it does not matter at all to the greatness of Rizal. Whether he retracted or not,
the remains the he was the greatest Filipino hero.
 This also applies to the other controversies to whether Rizal married Josephine Bracken before his execution
or not. Why argue on this issue. Whether or not Rizal married Josephine in Fort Santiago, Rizal remains just
the same –a hero-martyr

Other issues and controversies