POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

College of Social Sciences and Development

DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR

GEED 10013: Life and Works of Rizal

PREPARED BY:

GUIEB, ELISOR C. JR.

MARAYAN, EULA JEAN L.
AGUSTIN, MA. RHODORA O.
CABANILLA, NARCISO L.
CONCILLADO, ALJON I.
MENDEZ, JEFFERSON R.

PERMEJO, JEROME P.

PASCUAL, MC DONALD DOMINGO M.

PINGUL, ARVIN LLOYD B.
TAN, RYAN
UBALDO, ABEL A.
VILLAR, PAULO BENEDICTO C.
 COURSE OVERVIEW
GEED 10013: LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL

As mandated by Republic Act 1425, this course covers the lives and works of our heroes
who lived and died for the ideals of freedom and nationalism. A major focus of discussion would be
Jose Rizal’s life, works, and ideas particularly his Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, and his
political essays. This course seeks to develop a sense of moral character, personal discipline, civic
consciousness, and duties of citizenship in the Filipino youth.

Due to the challenges of the COVID-19 Crisis, faculty members of the Department of
History of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines have been tasked with developing modules
to be disseminated to students who do not have a stable internet connection and/or lack the
necessary tools to facilitate online learning. Using this modular approach, the faculty member
designated to teach this course will provide the reading materials that students need to examine,
understand, and evaluate. As discussions were already limited, questions were asked at the end of
each lesson to guide the students to learning.

This module is divided into five (5) units with a total of twelve (12) lessons. It uses a
different set of reference materials as compared to what was indicated in the course syllabus. The
reason for this is that the course instructor considered the difficulty that the students could
encounter in accessing these materials online and in public libraries.

For Unit 1, it will give a better understanding of the RA 1425 and explain the major issues
surrounding the bill and its passage into law, and reflect on the impact and relevance of its
legislation throughout history. In Unit 2, the students will have the opportunity to distinguish the
importance of concept such as Nation, Heroes, and Nationalism by studying the lives and ideas of
selected Filipino heroes. On Unit 3, it will expound on the following economic, political, and social
events of the 19th century: opening of the Suez Canal, opening of ports to world trade, rise of the
export crop economy and monopolies, rise of the Chinese mestizo and the Inquilinos, liberalism,
the Cadiz Constitution, and the history of friar estates in the Philippines. While Unit 4, it focuses on
the family background of Jose Rizal, his life and experiences as a young boy and as a student. And
lastly, Unit 5 shall examine the major writings of Rizal as a contributing factor in the process of
transforming him from a propagandist to a radical. As the previous unit dealt with his life story, this
unit will cover the ideals and principles of Rizal as extracted from his writings.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
GEED 10013: LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL
Course Overview……………………………………………………………………………………… 1
Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………………………….. 2
Course Outcomes……………………………………………………………………………………. 3
Instructional Materials.……………………………………………………………………………… 4
Unit 1: UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW 5
Republic Act 1425 Mc Donald Domingo M. Pascual……………………………..…… 6
Unit 2: NATION, HEROES AND NATIONALISM 17

Philippine Nationalism: Heroes and their Ideas Jefferson R. Mendez…………..…... 18

Unit 3: THE NINETEENTH CENTURY PHILIPPINES 24

The Philippine’s Economic, Social and Political conditions during the Spanish
Colonization until the 19th century as Rizal’s context Elisor C. Guieb, Jr……..……. 25

The Case of Hacienda de Calamba: In Focus Paulo Benedicto C. Villar……...…… 31

Mid-term Assessment..................................................................................................................... 36

Unit 4: FAMILY, EDUCATION AND MATRYDOM OF RIZAL 37

The Family, Education and Travels of Rizal Abel A. Ubaldo……………………...…. 38
Exile in Dapitan, Trial and Execution Paulo Benedicto C. Villar…………………...… 49
Jose Rizal in the La Solidaridad and his views on the Revolution
Paulo Benedicto C Villar…………………………………………………………………. 54

Unit 5: WORKS AND WRITINGS OF RIZAL 66

Annotation of Antonio de Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas

Arvin Lloyd B. Pingul……………………………………………………………………… 67
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo Eula Jean L. Marayan…………………....… 70
The Indolence of the Filipinos (Sobre La Indolencia de los Filipinos)
Aljon I. Concillado……………………………………………………………………….. 79
Philippines a Century Hence (Filipinas dentro de cienaños)
Aljon I. Concillado……………………………………………………………………….. 83
Liham sa Mga Kababaihan ng Malolos Ma. Rhodora O. Agustin…….……………. 88

Final Assessment.................................................................................................................. 91
Grading System…………………………………………………………………………………….. 92
References…………………………………………………………………………………………… 93

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 COURSE OUTCOMES
GEED 10013: LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

1. Discuss Jose Rizal’s life within the context of the 19th century Philippines in relation
to international events.

2. Understand the context that produced Rizal and other nationalists.

3. Analyze Rizal’s various works, particularly the novels Noli me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo.

4. Organize Rizal’s ideas into various themes.

5. Demonstrate a critical reading of primary sources from various personages relevant

to the formation of nationalism.

6. Interpret the values that can be derived from studying Rizal and other nationalists’
life and works.

7. Display an appreciation for education and love of country.

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 INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
GEED 10013: LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL

Note: Please do not write anything unnecessary on these instructional materials. Use a clean
sheet of bond paper in answering your activity/assessment either in a type-written or hand-
written format (please see the appendices for the sample template). When doing a hand-written
work, make sure that your penmanship is legible. You have to return these instructional
materials to the university upon completion of all the lessons, reading materials and assigned
tasks. The deadline of submission is on the third week of February 2021 or a week before the
end of the semester via the service courier provided by the university.

Intellectual Property: Please note the compilers do not claim credit for all the information
included in these learning materials. Original author/s of the data used in this material is
properly cited and a portion is specifically allotted for the references. If there is information or
original author/s that is not cited or missed information in the reference sections please inform
the authors to update the material as well as the accuracy of the data.

Data Privacy: Under the Republic Act 10173 or Data Privacy Act of 2012 this Instructional
Materials is not for sale and the authors do not allow reproduction aside to be used by the
Polytechnic University of the Philippines for the modular learning system. Any duplication of the
material without the permission of the compilers shall be penalized under the data privacy act.

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 Unit Four
FAMILY, EDUCATION AND MATYRDOM OF RIZAL
Overview

A biography explains how over a certain period of time a person has lived. It does not only
portray the life of a person and how he influenced the general public, but also how historical events
shaped his values. Jose Rizal lived in the nineteenth century, a period when improvements in
popular consciousness were realized in the history of the Philippines. Contemplating the
biography of Rizal in this way would contribute to a deeper understanding of how Rizal devoted
his life to shaping the Filipino character.

This unit is about the biography of Jose Rizal. The discussion focuses on the family background
of the Mercado-Rizal; his life and experiences as a young boy and as a student; his journey and
education in Europe; and to the day he faced his death in the hands of the Spanish tyrannical rule
and entered the pedestal of martyrdom. Jose Rizal’s personal background reflects the social,
educational and cultural environment of his time. In order to humanize him, it is important to have
a glimpse of his life and experiences at home that had shaped his human development as well as
his ideals and principles in life.

Nonetheless, Rizal’s execution on December 30, 1896 became an important turning point in the
Philippine history fueling revolutionary fervor leading to the first independent in Asia on June 12,
1898. Thereare topics in this lesson which are surrounded by numerous controversies and
contention, that of Rizal’s participation and eventual separation from the La Solidaridad leading
him to decide to establish the La Liga Filipina and possibly influencing growth ofthe Kataastaasan
Kagalang-galangang na Katipunan nang manga Anak nang Bayan.

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 LESSON 5
The Family, Education and Travels of Rizal

Learning Objectives

At the end of this lesson the student should be able to:

 Identify watershed moments in the family, education and travels of Jose Rizal.
 Determine the roles played by Rizal’s family and education in the formation of his
ideas and perspectives .
 Connect the experiences of Rizal to the local and global currentsand realities of the
late 19th century

Course Materials

Rizal’s paternal lineage can be traced back to the village of Sionque in Chin-Chew (or
Chang-chow) district of Fujian in southern China, near the prosperous and ancient trading port of
Zaiton. Among his earliest identifiable ancestors were Siang-co and Zun-nio who gave birth to a
son who later acquired the name Lam-co, which in English means, “Lam, Esquire”. Lam-co
immigrated to the Philippines sometime during the late 1600s.

Figure 3: The Genealogy of Jose Rizal both from the Paternal and Maternal side (Illustration by
Abel Ubaldo)

A. Domingo Lam-Co

In 1697 Lam-co was baptized and adopted “Domingo” his baptismal day, as his first name.
He married Ines de la Rosa, a Chinese mestiza resident of the Parian. Through his association
with two Spanish friars, Fr. Francisco Marquez, authority on Chinese grammar, and Fr. Juan
Caballero, he was invited to settle in the Dominican estate of San Isidro Labrador in Biñan,
Laguna.

B. Francisco Mercado

The Lam-co and Ines de la Rosa had a son who they named Francisco. Their son adopted
the surname “Mercado” (Market), a popular family name among Chinese merchants in the
Philippines. Francisco Mercado owned the largest herd of carabaos in Biñan. He was active in
local politics. He was elected as the town’s Capitan del Pueblo around 1783. Popular and good-
natured, he often stood as godfather during baptisms and weddings, as Biñan’s church records
revealed.
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C. Juan Mercado

Francisco's son, Juan Mercado also served as the town’s Capitan del Pueblo in 1808,
1813, and 1823. On many occasions, Juan was also the hermano mayor in religious and social
affairs. His status earned him the privilege of electing the Philippine representative to the Spanish
parliament in 1812.

D. Francisco Rizal Mercado

Juan Mercado and his wife Cirila Alejandra had 13 children. He named one of his son,
Francisco, in honor of his father. Upon reaching adulthood, Francisco moved his family to
Calamba, where he farmed lands leased from the Dominican friars, growing sugar cane, rice and
indigo. He also started a mixed orchard engaged in trade, raised poultry. In time, Franciso’s family
became one of the wealthiest in Calamba. Sometime after 1849, in compliance with Governor-
General Narciso Claveria’s decree ordering Filipinos to adopt Spanish surnames. Francisco
Engracio Mercado added “Rizal” to the family surname, from the Spanish word “ricial”, which
connotes a green field or pasture.

E. Teodora Alonso Realonda

Rizal's mother was the second child of Lorenzo Realonda, a former Capitan del Pueblo in
Biñan and a representative of the Spanish Courts Her mother Brijida de Quintos adopted the
family name "Realonda" in compliance to Narciso Claveria's decree on the adoption of Spanish
surnames. Teodora came from a financially-able family and studied at the Colegio de Santa Rosa
in Manila.

The Mercado Family

Jose was the seventh child of Francisco and Teodora. Because the young Jose was small
and sickly, his mother often monitored his actions. Among his siblings, Jose was particularly close
to Concepcion, whom he fondly called “Concha”. Concepcion however, died in 1865 at the age of
three. Olympia, Lucia and Maria often gave the young Jose advice on love and education while
Josefa and Trinidad were close confidants of Jose until his death in 1896. Perhaps because
Paciano was his only male sibling, the young Jose grew up admiring his olderbrother.

Rizal and his mother

Of all the persons who had the greatest influence on Rizal’s development as a person was
his mother Teodora Alonso. His mother was his first teacher, and from her he learned to read,
and consequently to value reading as a means for learning and spending one’s time meaningfully.
Teodora also imbibed in the young Jose the value of working with one’s hands, of self-reliance
and entrepreneurship. One of the turning points of his life, which had a profound influence on his
becoming a political activist later on, was the unjust arrest of his mother on the charge of
conspiring to poison a relative, despite the lack of evidence against her. She was humiliated and
forced to walk all the way from Calamba to the provincial jail in Santa Cruz, which was 50
kilometers far. There she was imprisoned for two years before gaining her freedom.

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Paciano and Rizal

Another influential figure in the formation of Jose’s ideas was his older brother Paciano.
Due to their parents’ old age, Paciano was tasked to look after the education of his younger
brother. He brought his younger brother to Biñan also to study and later accompanied Pepe to
Manila and had him enrolled at the Ateneo Municipal. Due to his strong connection with Father
Jose Burgos, the friars and the Spanish authorities turned out to be very suspicious of Paciano.
Jose Rizal's biographers Austin Craig and Leon Ma. Guerrero believed that Paciano urged his
brother to change his surname from Mercado to Rizal to prevent the friars in knowing their
affiliation. With Jose’s consent Paciano also tried to translate “Noli me Tangere” into Tagalog but
Paciano’s Tagalog version was lost to posterity.

The Mercado Family and the Dominican Friars

Francisco Mercado was an inquilino in the hacienda owned by Dominican friars in

Calamba. The Mercado family rent approximately 380 hectares of land in the hacienda, making
them one of the largest tenants in Laguna. Fransicso in turn leased these lands to hundreds of
kasama and enjoyed preferential treatment from the Dominicans. As historian Ambeth Ocampo
argued, the Dominicans and the Mercados were initially in good terms. This cordial relationship
benefitted both parties. The Dominicans can always rely on the Mercados in managing the
kasamas, while the Mercados influence in the day-to-day affairs of the hacienda gave them
greater wealth and prestige.

This relationship changed after the colonial government introduced reforms in the late 19th
century. Financial reforms enforced a better and more efficient means in collecting taxes from the
friar estates. The Dominican friars in turn attempted to increase the rent paid by its inquilinos.
Burdened by the sudden increase of the rental fee, Francisco decided not to pay rent and urged
other inquilinos in Calamba to follow his lead. This created tension between the Mercados and
the Dominican friars, a relationship further complicated by Paciano’s connections with Jose
Burgos and Filipino nationalists.

The Education of Rizal

Education in Biñan

Jose’s parents employed different tutors to teach the young boy subjects such as
arithmetic, science, and Spanish. On June 1869, Rizal accompanied by Paciano went to Biñan to
enroll in the class of a Maestro Justiniano. Rizal had a very unfavorable view of the Maestro but
considered him very fluent in both Spanish and Latin. It was also during his stay in Biñan that the
young Jose became acquainted with his cousin Leonor Rivera. The two became romantically
involved by the time Jose was 16 and Leonor was 14.

Rizal in Ateneo

Jose left Biñan to study in the Jesuit-run Ateneo Municipal in 1872. It was during this time,
that Jose began using Rizal as his primary surname. While in Ateneo, Rizal belonged to a class
composed of both Spaniards and mestizos. Despite these, he became a campus leader and
member of the Academy of Spanish Literature and Academy of Natural Sciences. He also took
private lessons in the nearby Colegio de Santa Isabel to improve his Spanish.

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 Considered as the pride of the Jesuits, Jose earned excellent marks in subjects like
philosophy, physics, chemistry, and natural history. At this school, he read novels; wrote prize-
winning poetry (including the melodrama “Junto al Pasig”); and practiced drawing, painting, and
clay modeling, all of which remained lifelong interests for him. Rizal received the degree bachelor
of arts with honors on March 13, 1877 (he was 16 years old). He would later return to Ateneo to
complete a course in surveying.

Rizal in UST

After graduating from Ateneo, Rizal enrolled at the Universidad de Sto. Tomas to continue
his studies. He took Philosophy and Letters during his first year term where he studied
Cosmology, Metaphysics and History of Philosophy. By the second term, Rizal decided to shift to
a medical course. His decision was influenced by two reasons. First, he wanted to cure his mother
who was suffering from potential blindness. Second, medicine was the career recommended to
him by Fr. Pablo Ramon, rector of Ateneo.

Rizal studies abroad

Rizal’s study in UST was cut short by his decision to study abroad. Encouraged by
Paciano, Rizal left the Philippines to study in Spain. Rizal will eventually acquire a Licentiate of
Medicine at the Universidad Central de Madrid. He was also awarded a Licentiate in Philosophy
and Letters with excellent rating in the same university. Rizal also specialized in ophthalmology
while in France and Germany where he work at a university eye hospital run by Dr. Otto Bekcer.

First Trip Abroad

Rizal left the Philippines to go to Spain on May 3, 1882. He boarded the steamship
Salvadora bounded to Singapore. His departure to Spain was kept secret from his family, Leonor
Rivera, and the Spanish authorities. To hide his identity, Rizal used the name Jose Mercado.
Below are the countries that Rizal visited during his first travel abroad.

Figure 5: Travel Route of Jose Rizal’s first sojourn to Europe (Illustration by Abel Ubaldo)

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A. Singapore

Rizal had a stopover in Singapore, then a British crown colony, on May 9, 1882. He then
boarded the French steamboat Djemnah to continue his trip to Spain.

B. Sri Lanka (Colombo)

Djemnah anchored in the British occupied city of Colombo on May 18, 1882. Rizal used
the time he had in this stop over to improve his French while on board the ship.

C. Egypt (Suez Canal)

Djemnah passed through the port of Aden in the Ottoman Empire and arrived at the Suez Canal
on June 2, 1882. The canal, located in the British protectorate of Egypt, allowed faster travel
between Asia and Europe.

D. Italy

Rizal entered Europe through the Italian city of Naples on June 11, 1882. He will return to
Italy to visit Rome and the Papal State of Vatican on June 27, 1887. Rizal arrived in the Kingdom
at the height of anarchist movement, something that he will also witness in Spain. Anarchists were
well-known for assassinating political personalities in Europe. Benedict Anderson argued that
anarchist activities probably inspired the bomb plot of Simoun in El Filibusterismo. Italy was also
Rizal’s last stopover in his first sojourn to Europe.

E. France

Rizal arrived in Marseilles in June 12, 1882. He stayed in the French city for three days.
Rizal also spent some time in Paris, France in the summer of 1883. Two years later, he returned
to France and decide to stay in longer to study ophthalmology.

F. Spain

Rizal arrived at his final destination, Spain, on June 16, 1882. He stayed in Barcelona for
several months where he witnessed political demonstrations against the liberal government
headed by Proxedes Sagasta. Barcelona was a hotbed of anarchist activities at the time Rizal
stayed in the city. He moved to Madrid on September 2, 1882 to continue his medical studies in
Universidad Central de Madrid. In general, Rizal compared Spain unfavorably to other major
powers in Europe. He noted the backwardness of Spain and the Spaniards tendency to cling on
to the kingdom’s siglo de oro (golden age) which had long been in the past. His observations do
have basis. Spain was plagued by political turmoil ever since it lost its colonies in the Americas.
A question over the succession to the throne led to a bloody civil (known in Spain as the Carlist
Wars). The government was very unstable, shifting from a constitutional monarchy, to a military
dictatorship, to a republican government and the back to a constitutional monarchy over a period
of 50 years. Germany further added to Spain’s problems as its attempted takeover of the Caroline
Islands lead to diplomatic blunders that hurt the kingdom’s international prestige.

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G. Germany

Rizal went to the German town of Heidelberg on February 3, 1883 to study ophthalmology
under Otto Becker. Over the course of several years, Rizal also visited the cities of Willhemfeld,
Leipzig, and Dresden. It was during this period that Rizal’s first novel, Noli me Tangere, was
published in Berlin through the sponsorship of Maximo Viola. Rizal admired of the discipline and
passion of the Germans. Indeed, Germany in the 1880s was experiencing a period of growth in
the field of culture, arts, science and philosophy.

H. Austria-Hungary and Switzerland

Rizal embarked on a European tour where he accompanied Maximo Viola in Austria-

Hungary, Switzerland as well as France and Italy. While in Austria, Rizal met Ferdinand
Blumentritt, one of the European scholars on Philippine culture and language.

First Homecoming

Rizal decided to return to the Philippines in August 1887. Rizal arrived at Manila boarded
SS. Hayfony after five years of study. Rizal was determined to return to the Philippines to operate
on his mother’s eye, to establish a clinic in his hometown, to inquire on Leonor Rivera and to help
his family over the issues in hacienda Calamba. Because the publication of the Noli me Tangere
and the uproar it caused among the Friars, Rizal was warned by his family and other friends not
to return home.

Tensions in Calamba

On Dec. 30, 1887, the government wanted to check on taxes by asking the Calamba
tenants about rental paid to the Dominican hacienda. A month later, they replied with a petition
drafted by Rizal and signed by the principales of the town challenging the legitimacy of the land
titles supposedly held by the Dominicans. By February 1888, the Calamba tenants had refused to
pay rent. A year later, the Dominicans brought the case to the Justice of the Peace in Calamba
and lost. The Dominicans believed that the justice was paid Paciano Rizal who allegedly dictated
the decision favorable to the tenants.

The Dominicans appealed to the Provincial Court of Santa Cruz and won. The court then
ordered the non-paying tenants to vacate the lands owned by the hacienda. When they refused,
agents of court, with 50 soldiers, affected the order of eviction, which resulted in the burning of
some houses and injury to some tenants. When the evicted tenants began to return to the land,
and to deport 25 individuals to Mindoro was implemented. The 25 included Paciano Rizal and his
brothers-in-law Antonio Lopez and Silvestre Ubaldo. Another brother-in-law, Manuel Hidalgo, was
later exiled to Bohol.

Second Trip Abroad

The conflict over the Calamba estate endangered the life of Rizal. Encouraged by friends
and family and adhering the advice of the governor-general, Rizal once again left the Philippines
en route to Europe. His second sojourn, however, was accompanied by constant surveillance
from Spanish authorities. Despite this, his second trip was a fruitful endeavor as it was over this
period that Rizal wrote and published his annotation of Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas and
El Filibusterismo

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A. Hong Kong

Rizal arrived in Hong Kong, a British crown colony on February 8, 1888.He stayed at the
house Jose Mana Base for five days. There was a significant number of Filipinos in Hong Kong
served as a safe haven for Filipino nationalist after 1872.

B. Japan

Rizal next stop-over was Japan. He arrived in the country on February 28, 1888 and stayed
there for several weeks to study Japanese language and culture. Rizal was fascinated by the
beauty of the country and the discipline of its people. Rizal stayed in Japan in the midst of rapid
industrialization and westernization brought by the Meiji Restoration. He considered Japan as a
potential role model for Filipinos. Rizal also befriended several Japanese including his interpreter
Seiko Usui (who he referred to as O-sei san) and novelist Suehiro Tettyo. Tettyo’s novels Nanyo
no Daiharan (Storm over the Southern Ocean) and Arashi no Nagori (Remains of the Storm), was
partially inspired by Rizal’s Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo

Figure 6: Travel Route of Jose Rizal’s Second Travel to Europe (Illustration by Abel Ubaldo)

C. United States of America

Rizal arrived at San Francisco, California on April 16, 1888 and boarded at the Palace
Hotel. As with Japan, Rizal went around to observe the city. While he lauded the modernization
he saw, he also noted the rampant racism in the country. Rizal’s stay in San Francisco coincided
with the height of the Jim Crow Laws that denied many certain civil rights to African-Americans
and fears of the “yellow peril” that discriminate Chinese and Japanese workers. Rizal himself was
often mistaken for a Japanese.

D. Great Britain

Rizal‘s stay in Great Britain was his most productive period as a writer and scholar. He
arrived at Liverpool England on May 16, 1888 and then transferred to London where he stayed

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for almost two years. During his time in London, he published a second edition of Noli me
Tangere and planned to write a novel set in the pre-Hispanic Philippines. He often visited the
British Museum to research but soon realized that he did not have enough knowledge of the
Philippine’s pre-colonial past to write a novel. Instead, he opted to write an annotation of Morga’s
Sucecos de las Islas Filipinas.

E. Belgium

Rizal left Britain for Belgium on February 1890. He arrived at the Belgian capital of
Brussels on February 12, 1890 and worked on El Filibusterismo. Seven months later, Rizal went
to the city of Ghent at the behest of Valentin Ventura to acquire funding for his new novel,

F. France

Rizal returned to France on February 11, 1891 where he finished El Fili. His second will
be published in Belgium the same year.

Third Trip Abroad

Rizal returned to the Philippines in 1891 to help in the struggle of the people of Calamba.
Just after several months, Rizal was back in Europe.

Figure 7: Travel Route of Jose Rizal in his return to the Philippines (Illustration by Abel Ubaldo)

A. France

Rizal arrived in Marseilles on October 17, 1891. This was his third and final trip to
France. Rizal was regular tourist in the country.

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B. Spain

Rizal went to Madrid to attend a meeting of Filipino propagandists in Madrid. He was

disappointed by the result of the election for the Asociacion Hispano-Filipino and decided to return
to the Philippines 1892.

C. Hong Kong

Rizal has a stopover in Hong Kong before returning the Philippines. It was during his
stay in the city that Rizal conceived his plan of a Filipino colony in North Borneo.

Reform Movement

While Jose Rizal was in Spain, he joined several masonic lodges such lodge Acacia and
lodge Solidaridad. It was through these lodges that Rizal became acquainted with fellow ilustrados
(group of Filipino who studies in Europe). Rizal was eventually involved in the Asociacion Circulo
Hispano-Filipino and later the more political Indios Bravos. Members of these associations
eventually formed the Propaganda movement which campaigned for peaceful reforms from Spain.
Among the members of the movement were Marcelo H. Del Pilar, Graciano Lopez-Jaena,
Eduardo Lete, Juan Luna, Antonio Luna, Jose Ma. Panganiban, Antonio Ma. Regidor,Mariano
Ponce and Jose Alejandrino.

Goals of the Reform Movement

1. Recognition of the Philippines as a province of Spain;

2. Representation of the Philippines in the Cortes Generales, the Spanish parliament;
3. Secularization of Philippine parishes;
4. Legalization of Spanish and Filipino equality;
5. Equal opportunity for Filipinos and Spanish to enter government service;
6. Creation of a public school system independent of the friars;
7. Abolition of the polo and vandala;
8. Guarantee of basic freedoms of speech and association;
9. Recognition of human rights

La Solidaridad

The propagandists demanded reforms by publishing a newspaper called La Solidaridad.

The first issue appeared in Barcelona, Spain on February 15, 1889 edited by Graciano Lopez-
Jaena. Marcelo del Pilar replaced Jaena as editor-in-chief due to the latter’s inaction and lack of
commitment to the paper. Rizal contributed several articles and essays to the newspaper including
Sobre la indolecia de los Filipinos, Filipinas dentro de cien anos, Amor Patria and excerpts from
his annotation of Morga’s Sucecos.

Rizal and Blumentritt

The Propaganda Movement also recruited several European scholars to their cause.
Perhaps the most important of them was Ferdinand Blumentritt. The son of a minor imperial
official, Blumentritt was born on 1852 in Prague, then the capital of Bohemia, a province in Austria
Hungary. Blumentritt's Versuch einer Ethnogrphie der Philippinen was the first systematic
professional treatise of ethnolinguistic group in the Philippines. He befriended Rizal and methim

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during the latter’s tour in Austria-Hungary. Blumentritt wrote the foreword for El Fili and was a
regular correspondent of Rizal.

Rizal and Del Pilar

The two foremost members of the Propaganda were Marcelo del Pilar and Jose Rizal. Del
Pilar was considered the de facto leader of Filipinos in Madrid as he was among the most senior
members of the movement as well as the editor of La Solidaridad. Rizal on the other hand, was
perceived to be the “moral leader” of the group as the publishing of Noli instantly made him a
celebrity among the Propagandist. The two developed a friendly rivalry that will eventually have
ramifications on the reform movememnt.

Marcelo del Pilar

A native of Bulacan who

studied law in University of
Santo Tomas. While practicing
his profession he came into
conflict with certain friar over
reforms in local government.
He edited a liberal newspaper
in Tagalog and was active in
collecting funds for the
Propaganda Movement.

Mariano Ponce

One of the key members of the

Propaganda movement. Ponce
were among those to tried to
resolve the rivalry between Rizal
and Del Pilar.
Figure 8: El Gran Triumvirato/ Tres
Mosqueteros

Similarities and Differences

Both ilustrados believed that Spain needed to introduce necessary reforms. Both argued
that change in the colony was inevitable. If change was not achieving through reform, then a
violent revolution might occur in the colony. Both initially preferred reform over revolution. The two
however, had different perspectives on the problems of the archipelago.

Assessment

Instruction: Discuss the item thoroughly. Write the question before each answer. Each answer
should contain at least three (3) paragraphs of not less than four (4) sentences each. You may
write your answers in Filipino. Do not forget to write your full name in the upper left corner of the
paper and your course, year and section below it while the name of your professors should be
indicated in the upper right.

47 | P a g e
 1. Construct a timeline of reforms implemented by the Spanish colonial government
in the 19th century. Identify important events in the life of Jose Rizal and locate
these events in the timeline you constructed. How did the reforms implemented by
the Spanish colonial regime in the 19 th century relate to the experiences of Rizal
and his family? Attached to the module is a template where you can put your
answers.

Note: This Please do not write anything unnecessary on this instructional material. Use a clean
sheet of bond paper in answering your activity/assessment task either in a type-written or hand-
written format (please see the appendices for the sample template). When doing a hand-written
work, make sure that your penmanship is legible.

Reference

Excerpts from El Filibusterismo, letters of Paciano Rizal, and correspondence between Jose
Rizal and Ferdinand Blumentritt. De la Costa, Horacio. “Nascent Philippine
Nationalism”, ed. Roberto Paterno, Selected Readings in Philippine Colonial History.
Manila: Kadena Press Foundation, 2002, pp. 334-352.

48 | P a g e
 LESSON 6
Exile in Dapitan, Trial, and Execution

Learning Objectives

1) Identify the factors that led to Rizal’s execution

2) Examine last written work he leaves his family
3) Extrapolate from his last work what he envisions for the country

Course Materials

Rizal’s Exile in Dapitan

Rizal arrived in Dapitan on board the steamer Cebu on July 17, 1892. Dapitan was a
remote town in Mindanao which served as a military outpost of the Spaniards. Captain Ricardo
Carnicero, who headed the outpost, allowed Rizal to explore the place and required him to report
once a week in his office.

It was four years, thirteen days, and a few hours based on Rizal’s count of the time he
was in Dapitan. He practiced medicine, pursued scientific studies, and continued his artistic
pursuits in painting, sculpture, sketching, and writing poetry. He promoted community
development projects and established a school for boys. He engaged himself in farming and
commerce and even invented a wooden machine for making bricks.

Having won second prize in a lottery, a portion of his winnings was used to purchase land
approximately one kilometer away from Dapitan in a place known as Talisay. It is here that he
built his house on the seashore as well as a school and a hospital.

He made a big relief map of Mindanao in the plaza and used it to teach geography. This
relief map can still be seen today. With the help of his students, he also constructed a water
system to supply the town with water for drinking and irrigation.

Having heard of Rizal’s fame as an ophthalmologist, George Taufer traveled from Hong
Kong to Dapitan with his adopted daughter Josephine Bracken. They fell in love and lived as
husband and wife despite being denied the sacrament of marriage due to Rizal’s refusal to retract
his statements against the Church.

On June 21, 1896, Pio Valenzuela visited Rizal in Dapitan and informed him about the
forming of the Katipunan and its aims. Rizal cited the need for a well-planned offensive and
rejected the plan due to the insufficiency of arms. He cited the difficulties faced by the Cubans in
their multiple failed revolutions and their difficulty in waging their most recent one. He would
suggest that the Katipunan look for support with the rich individuals in Manila and avail of the
expertise of Antonio Luna.

Rizal sent letters to Governor General Ramon Blanco for a review of his case and if not
granted he would volunteer to serve as surgeon in the Cuban revolution. On July 30, 1896, his
request to go to Cuba was approve. On September 2, 1896, he was transferred to the steamer
Isla de Panay going to Barcelona. Upon arriving, Governor-General Despujol ordered him be
returned to Manila. On November 3, 1896, Rizal arrived back in Manila and was immediately
brought to Fort Santiago.

49 | P a g e
Rizal’s trial and Execution

Investigation on Rizal’s case began on November 20, 1896. He was accused of forming
illegal organizations as one of the main instigators of the revolution and spreading ideas of
rebellion. Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade pleaded Rizal’s case of not guilty. On December 26, 1896,
the trial ended, and the sentence was read. Jose Rizal is found guilty and is sentenced to death
by firing squad on December 30 at 7:00 in the morning.

On his last days, Rizal composed a poem with no tittle which contained his last farewell to
his family and his country. He gave his possessions to his mother and sister on December 29,
1896 and said to his sister Trinidad that “there is something inside” (in English) when he gave her
the gas lamp.

At 6:30am in the morning of December 30, 1896, Rizal wore a black suit with his arms tied
behind his back, walked to Bagumbayan and was shot by a firing squad. With his last breath, he
said “Consummatum est!” (It is finished!”).

"Mi Ultimo Adios" "Pahimakas ni Jose Rizal"

original version by Jose Rizal translation by Andrés Bonifacio

Adiós, Patria adorada, región del sol
querida, Perla del mar de oriente, nuestro
perdido Edén!
A darte voy alegre la triste mustia vida,
Y fuera más brillante, más fresca, más florida,
También por ti la diera, la diera por tu bien.
En campos de batalla, luchando con delirio,
Otros te dan sus vidas sin dudas, sin
pesar; El sitio nada importa, ciprés, laurel o
lirio, Cadalso o campo abierto, combate o
cruel martirio,
Lo mismo es si lo piden la patria y el hogar.
Yo muero cuando veo que el cielo se colora
Y al fin anuncia el día tras lóbrego capuz; si
grana necesitas para teñir tu aurora, Vierte la
sangre mía, derrámala en buen hora Y
dórela un reflejo de su naciente luz.
Pinipintuho kong Bayan ay paalam,
lupang iniirog ñg sikat ñg araw,
mutiang mahalaga sa dagat Silañgan,
kalualhatiang sa ami'y pumanaw.
Masayang sa iyo'y aking idudulot
ang lanta kong buhay na lubhang malungkot;
maging mariñgal man at labis alindog
sa kagaliñgan mo ay akin ding handog.
Sa pakikidigma at pamimiyapis
ang alay ñg iba'y ang buhay na kipkip,
walang agam-agam, maluag sa dibdib,
matamis sa puso at di ikahapis.
Saan man mautas ay di kailañgan,
cípres ó laurel, lirio ma'y patuñgan
pakikipaghamok, at ang bibitayan,
yaon ay gayon din kung hiling ñg Bayan.

Mis sueños cuando apenas muchacho Ako'y mamatay, ñgayong namamalas

adolescente,
Mis sueños cuando joven ya lleno de
vigor, Fueron el verte un día, joya del mar
de oriente,
Secos los negros ojos, alta la tersa frente, Sin
ceño, sin arrugas, sin manchas de rubor
Ensueño de mi vida, mi ardiente vivo anhelo,
¡Salud te grita el alma que pronto va a partir!
¡Salud! Ah, que es hermoso caer por darte
na sa silañganan ay namamanaag
yaong maligayang araw na sisikat
sa likod ñg luksang nagtabing na ulap.
Ang kulay na pula kung kinakailañgan
na maitim sa iyong liway-way,
dugo ko'y isabog at siyang ikinang
ñg kislap ñg iyong maningning na ilaw.
Ang aking adhika sapul magkaisip

50 | P a g e
vuelo,
Morir por darte vida, morir bajo tu cielo,
Y en tu encantada tierra la eternidad dormir.
Si sobre mi sepulcro vieres brotar un día
Entre la espesa yerba sencilla, humilde flor,
Acércala a tus labios y besa al alma mía,
Y sienta yo en mi frente bajo la tumba fría,
De tu ternura el soplo, de tu hálito el calor.
Deja a la luna verme con luz tranquila y suave,
Deja que el alba envíe su resplandor fugaz,
Deja gemir al viento con su murmullo grave,
Y si desciende y posa sobre mi cruz un ave,
Deja que el ave entone su cántico de paz.
Deja que el sol, ardiendo, las lluvias evapore
Y al cielo tornen puras, con mi clamor en pos;
Deja que un ser amigo mi fin temprano llore
Y en las serenas tardes cuando por mí alguien
ore,
¡Ora también, oh Patria, por mi descanso
a Dios!
Ora por todos cuantos murieron sin
ventura, Por cuantos padecieron tormentos
sin igual, Por nuestras pobres madres que
gimen su amargura;
Por huérfanos y viudas, por presos en tortura
Y ora por ti que veas tu redención final.
Y cuando en noche oscura se envuelva
el cementerio
Y solos sólo muertos queden velando allí,
No turbes su reposo, no turbes el misterio,
Tal vez accordes oigas de cítara o salterio,
Soy yo, querida Patria, yo que te canto a ti.
Y cuando ya mi tumba de todos olvidada
No tenga cruz ni piedra que marquen su lugar,
Deja que la are el hombre, la esparza con la
azada,
Y mis cenizas, antes que vuelvan a la nada, El
polvo de tu alfombra que vayan a formar.
Entonces nada importa me pongas en olvido.
Tu atmósfera, tu espacio, tus valles cruzaré.
Vibrante y limpia nota seré para tu oído,
Aroma, luz, colores, rumor, canto, gemido,
Constante repitiendo la esencia de mi fe.
ñg kasalukuyang bata pang maliit,
ay ang tanghaling ka at minsan masilip
sa dagat Silañgan hiyas na marikit.
Natuyo ang luhang sa mata'y nunukal,
taas na ang noo't walang kapootan,
walang bakás kunot ñg kapighatian
gabahid man duñgis niyong kahihiyan.
Sa kabuhayang ko ang laging gunita
maniñgas na aking ninanasa-nasa ay
guminhawa ka ang hiyaw ñg diwa
pag hiñgang papanaw ñgayong biglang-bigla.
Ikaw'y guminhawa laking kagandahang ako'y
malugmok, at ikaw ay matanghal, hiniñga'y
malagot, mabuhay ka lamang bangkay ko'y
masilong sa iyong Kalañgitan.
Kung sa libiñgang ko'y tumubong mamalas
sa malagong damo mahinhing bulaklak, sa
mañga labi mo'y mangyaring ílapat, sa
kaluluwa ko halik ay igawad.
At sa aking noo nawa'y iparamdam, sa
lamig ñg lupa ñg aking libiñgan, ang
init ñg iyong pag hiñgang dalisay at
simoy ñg iyong pag giliw na tunay.
Bayaang ang buwan sa aki'y ititig
ang liwanag niyang lamlám at tahimik,
liwayway bayaang sa aki'y ihatid
magalaw na sinag at hañging hagibis.
Kung sakasakaling bumabang humantong
sa cruz ko'y dumapo kahi't isang ibon doon
ay bayan humuning hinahon at dalitin niya
payapang panahon.
Bayaan ang niñgas ñg sikat ñg araw
ula'y pasiñgawin noong kainitan,
magbalik sa lañgit ñg boong dalisay
kalakip ñg aking pagdaing na hiyaw.
Bayaang sino man sa katotong giliw
tañgisang maagang sa buhay pagkitil:
kung tungkol sa akin ay may manalañgin
idalañgin Báyan yaring pagka himbing.
Idalañging lahat yaong nañgamatay,
nañgagtiis hirap na walang kapantay;
51 | P a g e
Mi patria idolatrada, dolor de mis dolores,
Querida Filipinas, oye el postrer adiós.
Ahí te dejo todo, mis padres, mis amores.
Voy donde no hay esclavos, verdugos ni
opresores,
Donde la fe no mata, donde el que reina es
Dios.
Adiós, padres y hermanos, trozos del
alma mía,
Amigos de la infancia en el perdido hogar,
Dar gracias que descanso del fatigoso día;
Adiós, dulce extranjera, mi amiga, mi alegría,
Adiós, queridos seres, morir es descansar.
m̃ga iná naming walang kapalaran
na inahihibik ay kapighatian.
Ang m̃ga bao't pinapañgulila,
ang m̃ga bilangong nagsisipag dusa:
dalañginin namang kanilang mákita
ang kalayaan mong, ikagiginhawa.
At kung ang madilim na gabing mapanglaw
ay lumaganap na doon sa libiñgan't,
tañging m̃ga patay ang nañgag lalamay,
huwag bagabagin ang katahimikan.
Ang kanyang hiwaga'y huwag
gambalain: kaipala'y mariñgig doon ang
taginting, tunog ñg gitara't salterio'y mag
saliw, ako. Báyan, yao't, kita'y aawitin.
Kung ang libiñgan ko'y limót na ñg lahat
at wala ñg kruz at batóng mábakas,
bayang lina~gin ñg taong masipag, lupa'y
asarolin at kanyang ikalat.
At m̃ga buto ko ay bago matunaw
máowi sa wala at kusang maparam,
alabók ñg iyong latag ay bayaang
siya ang babalang doo'y makipisan.
Kung magka gayon na'y aalintanahin
na ako sa limot iyong ihabilin
pagka't himpapawid at ang pañganorin
m̃ga lansañgan mo'y aking lilibutin.
Matining na tunóg ako sa diñgig mo,
ilaw, m̃ga kulay, masamyong pabañgó,
ang úgong at awit, pag hibik sa iyo,
pag asang dalisay ñg pananalig ko.
Báyang iniirog, sákit niyaring hirap,
Katagalugang kong pinakaliliyag,
dingin mo ang aking pagpapahimakas:
diya'y iiwan ko sa iyo ang lahat.
Ako'y patutuñgo sa walang busabos,
walang umiinis at verdugong hayop:
pananalig doo'y di nakasasalot,
si Bathala lamang doo'y haring lubos.
Paalam, magulang at m̃ga kapatid
kapilas ñg aking kaluluwa't dibdib
m̃ga kaibigan bata pang maliit
52 | P a g e
 sa aking tahanan di na masisilip.

Pag pasalamatan at napahiñga rin,

paalam estrañgerang kasuyo ko't aliw.
paalam sa inyo m̃ga ginigiliw:
¡mamatay ay siyang pagkagupiling!

Assessment

Direction: Discuss the following items thoroughly. Write the question before each answer. Each
answer should contain at least three (3) paragraphs of not less than four (4) sentences each. You
may write your answers in Filipino. Do not forget to write your full name in the upper left corner of
the paper and your course, year and section below it while the name of your professors should
be indicated in the upper right.

1. Mi Ultimo Adios was not titled by Jose Rizal. His friend, Mariano Ponce, gave the title Mi
Ultimo Pensamiento while a Fr. Dacanay republished the poem and gave the title Mi
Ultimo Adios which we are all familiar with. Based on the context, what were the
reasons did Rizal not place a title for his last work?
2. Based on Mi Ultimo Adios, what are his comments on his last resting place?
3. In your reading of Mi Ultimo Adios, how did Rizal see the future of the country?

Note: Please do not write anything unnecessary on this instructional material. Use a clean
sheet of bond paper in answering your activity/assessment task either in a type-written or
hand-written format (please see the appendices for the sample template). When doing a
hand-written work, make sure that your penmanship is legible.

Reference
Agoncillo, Teodoro A. Revolt of the Masses. University of the Philippines Press, 1956.
_ . Rizal and the Revolution. In Cruz, P. M. & Chua, A, B. (eds.) Himalay: Kalipunan
ng mga Pag-aaral kay Jose Rizal. Cultural Center of the Philippine, 1961.
Coates, A. Rizal: Philippine Nationalist and Martyr. Manila: Solidaridad Publishing
House, 1992
Guerrero, Leon Ma. (1991). The First Filipino. Manila: National Historical Institute.

53 | P a g e
 LESSON 7
Jose Rizal in the La Solidaridad and his views on the Revolution

Learning Objectives

1) Utilize some principles that inform our historical awareness in studying

Rizal’s involvements in the La Solidaridad and the Revolution.
2) Analyze Rizal’s views and position in different situations in contrast to interpretations
of his contemporaries and ours.
3) Examine Rizal’s views in the La Solidaridad and of the Revolution locating him in the
social milieu of the 19th century Europe and colonial Philippine society.
4) Understand the processes of change in the 19th century which in turn influenced
Rizal’s changing views and actions in his life.

Course Material

Some Reasons why there are Controversies in Studying the Life, Works, and Ideas of
Jose Rizal

To better analyze the lesson, we must take into consideration some concepts to guide us.
When studying the past, we should be guided by three principles that can provide us with historical
awareness1. These three are the principles of (1) difference, (2) context, and (3) process.
Difference is defined as the recognition of the gap that separates our own age from all the previous
ages. While not taking difference into consideration creates anacronisms which is the unthinking
assumption that people in the past behaved and thought the same as we do today. The second
principle, context, is where we must always situate our subject of inquiry in its setting. Lastly,
process is the relationship between events over time which endows them with more significance
than if they were viewed in isolation.

The preeminent historian Teodoro Agoncillo succinctly summarized what he thinks are
some reasons why there are controversial issues in the study of Philippine history2. He believes
that historians and historical writers differ in their interpretation of a given event; they also differ in
the sources of information that they use, and they differ in the presentation of facts and in
emphasis as a product of their right to choose which materials to be used. We then must therefore
recognize the limited resources accessible to Filipinos in the past hundred years and even today
affecting how we view the past. This may be in the case of available books, opportunities to enter
archives and view documents (domestic and abroad), and even in the advent of connectivity we
are hindered in the access to sources important for the study of Rizal’s life, works, and ideas.
Despite the century of limited sources, it is worth noting that in recent years there is an increase
of newly discovered sources of information and these contribute to changing how we interpret our
past.

Even if in recent years sources have somewhat steadily been growing in terms of quantity
as well as access, it has been a century of absence or the state of lacking available relevant
sources that has affected how we interpret the past. It can be briefly summarized as majority of
the documents were hauled off to Spain during the revolution while during the Philippine-
American war the new colonizers played a dualistic role of relocating majority of documents to

1Tosh, John. (2015). The Pursuit of History: Aims, Methods and New Directions in the Study of History. (6 th ed.). Routledge.
2Agoncillo, Teodoro A. (1970). Some Controversial Issues in Philippine History. The ANNALS of Philippine Chinese
Historical Association 1(1):1-9.

54 | P a g e
the United States and compiling what can be available for the study of our past. One of the major
sources the Americans published is the (in) famous 55 volumes, The Philippine Islands, 1493-
1898 compiled by Emma Helen Blair and Alexander Robertson 3. Even if there were other
compilations done by the Americans, the Blair and Robertson’s The Philippine Islands has been
the most important source of primary documents about the Spanish colonial period and has been
used by scholars in the past century especially for those who are not well versed in Spanish as
all documents are translated into English. The American’s decision to consciously collect and
select what documents to include and what to exclude deliberately formed inaccuracies about the
Spanish colonial period while providing a convenient justification for American conquest of the
Philippines4. This affected how we differentiate Rizal during the Spanish colonial period as well
as when he received American sponsorship as our national hero. The deliberate selection of what
can be readily used to study the past influenced our interpretation of Rizal. Renato Constantino 5
contextualizes this endorsement of Rizal as the Americans needed a hero that would not go
against their conquest of the Philippines as they needed the Filipinos to focus their hatred towards
the Spaniards, who killed the newly elevated national hero, and to diminish support for those who
were fighting the Americans for our independence. The Americans also highlighted Rizal’s
advocacy of education as the entry point for their conquest of the Filipino hearts and minds6
coupled with the portrayal that education during the Spanish colonial period was lacking. There
is, in reality, a difference on who is Rizal in his time and a differently emphasized version of Rizal
during the early 20th century. Hence the effect of American sponsorship and control of sources
greatly influenced how we view Rizal on his pedestal in the past century as an arduous reformist
[emphasis provided by the Americans].

There eventually came contrary views to this version of Rizal as a reformist where some
would argue that he was a revolutionary but fail to capture our admiration to the American version
of Rizal. Replete in this discourse we can examine the arguments put forth by Rafael Palma7 and
Fr. John N. Schumacher8 that Rizal was a separatist. Palma argues that Rizal decided that the
Philippines should separate from Spain evidenced in his writings during the year of 1889 -90 while
Schumacher points to as early as the writing of the Noli me Tangere where Rizal saw no future
under the Spanish banner. Palma questions how we utilize primarily the El Filibusterismo as an
indicator of Rizal’s separatist ideas without considering the events that transpired in his life during
those times Rizal was writing his novels as well as his other writings. He would cite the Philippines
A Century Hence (1889) as a clear sign of Rizal’s decision together with what transpired in the
Case of Hacienda de Calamba (1887-1891) with what happened to his family in the aftermath, his
disagreements and eventual separation with his fellow propagandists in La Solidaridad, and
various conversations with other propagandists such as with Jose Alejandrino and Galicano
Apacible where they purportedly openly entertained discussions of revolution.

3Casambre, Napoloeon J. ‘Ang MgaPagsimula ng Historiyograpiyang Pilipino, 1900-1950’. In Llanes, Ferdinand. (1993).
Pagbabaliksa Bayan: mgalekturasakasaysayan ng historiograpiya ng pagkabansang Pilipino. Rex Book Store.
4Cano, Gloria. (2008). Blair and Robertson’s “the Philippine Islands, 149301898”: Scholarship or Imperialist Propaganda?. Philippine
Studies, Vol. 56, No.1, pp. 3-46. See also Ileto, Reynaldo C. (2017). Knowledge and Pacification: On the U.S. Conquest and the
Writing of Philippine History. Ateneo de Manila University Press; QuibuyenmFloro. (2008). A Nation Aborted: Rizal,
American Hegemony, and Philippine Nationalism. Ateneo de Manila University Press.
5Constantino, Renato. (1977). Insight & Foresight. Foundation for Nationalist Studies. See also: Renato
Constantino (1972) Veneration without understanding, Journal of Contemporary Asia, 1:4, 3-18, DOI: 10.1080/00472337185390141
6Constantino, Renato. (1966). Miseducation of the Filipinos. In The Filipinos in the Philippines and Other Essays. Malaya Books.
7 Palma, Rafael. (1928). Read Rizal’s Novels. In Chua, Apolonio B. and Melendrez-Cruz, Patricia. (eds.) (1991). Himalay: Kalipunan
ng mga Pag-aaral kay Jose Rizal. Maynila: SentrongPangkultura ng Pilipinas.
8 Schumacher, John N. (2008). The Making of a Nation: essays on nineteenth-century Filipino nationalism. Quezon City: Ateneo
de Manila University Press.

55 | P a g e
Schumacher adds by providing three reasons as to why Rizal as a separatist found
little acceptance among writers on Rizal. He enumerates:
1. The failure to distinguish between what Rizal (and other Filipinos who shared his
ideas) were able to say publicly and what they felt privately;
2. The failure to read Rizal’s Noli and his other writings within the context of his
personal correspondence at the time he was publishing; and
3. The failure to see the Noli not simply as an independent work but as part of a well-thought-
out long-range plan (annotated Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, Noli, and El Fili).

The first argument urges us to differentiate what can be said in a speech varies with the
intended audience as well as the form of writing may it be a poem for public readership or a private
letter which may or may not be monitored by authorities. The ability to speak or write freely during
those times differs from what we can express today. We are able to voice out societal change for
the better today while if they state change vocally or in writing they may face time in prison or
even execution. Hence, truth in their statements differs based on intended listener or reader as
well as medium in which they wrote on. The second is in affirmation to Palma’s contention that
Rizal’s ideas and works should be situated in the proper context. The maintaining of the notion of
Rizal as a reformist uproots his ideas and works from the factors that affect his life. It is in the
same manner of believing that only the characters in his novels are capable of changing their
views in their literary life while the author remains unchanging and untouched until the end. The
third argument urges us to consider the entirety of Rizal’s life, works, and writing as part of a
developing process which brings meaning to Rizal’s goal of charting the Filipino future.

Taking into considerations some concepts that can help us understand Rizal’s ideas we
should situate the development of his works based on the unfolding of his life at the time he was
part of La Solidaridad, his La Liga Filipina, and the formation of the Katipunan.

Jose Rizal in the La Solidaridad

The illustrado effort to advocate for societal change that had connections in Manila and in
Europe had its mouthpiece in the periodical La Solidaridad. The inaugural issue appeared on
February 15, 1899 with its program defined in its first article entitled Nuestros propositos reading9:
“…to combat all reaction to impede all retrogression, to applaud and accept every
liberal idea, to defend all progress; in a word: one more propagandist of all the ideals
of democracy, aspiring to make democracy prevail in all the peoples both of the
Peninsula and of overseas provinces.”

To understand and read Rizal’s contributions in La Solidaridad, historians had troubles

performing this task as original copies of the periodical were rare. Jose Victor Torres laments that
there are no complete originals of La Solidaridad in the Philippines10. Copies that were in the
National Library were casualties of the Second World War while some few issues were discovered
in 2011 at the University of Santo Tomas Archives. Complete sets exist abroad at the University
of Michigan, USA and in the Augustinian Archives in Valladolid, Spain. He stated that a translation
project was started by historian Guadalupe Fores-Guanzon in 1966 in which it was completed
only in 1996 with different translators and publishers.

9The Staff. (1889). ‘Our Aims’. In La Solidaridad, Vol. 1: 1889, trans. Guadalupe Fores-Gazon, 168-177.
10
Torres, Jose Victor. (2017). “Our Little Newspaper” The La Solidaridad and Philippine Journalism in Spain (1889-1896). Luz y Saber, 11 (2).

56 | P a g e
 The La Solidaridad went through two clearly differentiated stages where the first was the
period between 1889 and 1890 is the period of Rizal’s contributions and the second was marked
by his departure which greatly affected the periodical until its discontinuance in 1895 .11Rizal’s
first article in La Solidaridad was published on May 15, 1889, entitled “Los viajes” (“Travels”) using
the pen name of Laong Laan12. He covertly criticizes the Spanish colonial government and stating
that Spain had become outdated and was incapable of instituting the measures needed by a
young country such as the Philippines. In the succeeding issue, using his real name, Rizal wrote
“La verdad para todos” (“Truth for all”) which was a strong and blatant exposition of political life in
the Philippines which was dominated by the religious orders at the expense of the interest of
Filipinos13.During this time the issue of the Hacienda de Calamba reached a level of crisis which
greatly affected the tone and temper of Rizal’s writings 14. There would be other succeeding
articles but the ones that has received attention were “Filipinas dentro de cien anos” (Philippines
a Century Hence)15, “Sobre la indolencia de indio Filipino” (Indolence of the Filipino People)16. In
the former article, Rizal signaled a serious warning aimed at the Spanish authorities that if reforms
sought by the Filipinos were ignored they would lose the Philippine archipelago while in the latter
he blamed the lack of progress and societal problems plaguing Philippine society to Spanish
colonial rule and Friar predominance.
The La Solidaridad initially published bimonthly and eventually into a monthly format due
to financial troubles coupled with other factors17. There was a prohibition in effect on its circulation
in the Philippines which affected the subscriptions leading to shortages in funding. A rift between
Rizal and Del Pilar over the leadership of the reformers reached a climax with the breakaway of
Rizal from the movement and the La Solidaridad. This worsened the newspaper’s circulation since
Rizal had many supporters and readers. After a few years, it ceased its publication due to its utter
failure of its reform campaign.

Despite initially cooperating with the members of La Solidaridad, Rizal adamantly and
frequently argued that the periodical be addressed to the Filipinos not the Spaniards in the same
manner as all his articles does believing that changing Filipino self-esteem was imperative than
changing Spanish attitudes and that the real war of ideas was to be fought in the Philippines not
in Spain18. He also believed in using their real names in their articles would encourage others to
‘lose their fear’ urging ‘more Filipinos to come forward’ and if they [the Spaniards] ‘will take
vengeance’ their [Filipinos] ‘deaths will be an example for others’ having justice and freedom as
cause ‘for the sacred love for our country and for our countrymen’ 19.

11
Cano, Gloria. (2011). “La Solidaridad” y el periodismo en Filipinas entiempos de Rizal. In Maria Dolores Elizalde Perez-Grueso (ed.). Entre
España y Filipinas: José Rizal, Escritor.. Biblioteca Nacional. (with English translation)
12Cano, La Solidaridad.
13
Rizal, Jose. (1889). ‘La verdad para todos/Ang katotohanan para salahat’. Mula sa PambansangKomisyon ng IkasandaangTaonni Jose Rizal.
(1961). MgaSinulatni Rizal: mgaakdangpampulitika at pangkasaysayan. Ikapitong tomo.
14Schumacher, John N. (1997). The Propaganda Movement, 1880-1895: the creation of a Filipino consciousness, the making of
the revolution. Ateneo de Manila University Press.
15
Rizal, Jose. (1889). ‘Ang Pilipinas sa loob ng Sandaang Taon’. Mula sa PambansangKomisyon ng IkasandaangTaonni
Jose Rizal. (1961). MgaSinulatni Rizal: mgaakdangpampulitika at pangkasaysayan. Ikapitong tomo.
16
Rizal, Jose. (1890). ‘Tungkol sa Katamaran ng mga Pilipino’. MulasaPambansangKomisyon ng Ikasandaa ng Taon ni Jose Rizal.
(1961). MgaSinulatni Rizal: mgaakdangpampulitika at pangkasaysayan. Ikapitongtomo.
17
Torres, “our Little Newspaper” and an updated version entitled “A History of the Philippine Press, 1811-1910” (2018). In Retana,
Wenceslao (2018). El Periodismo Filipino, 1811-1910. Vibal Foundation, Inc.
18
Schumacher, The Propaganda Movement.
19
Cited in Schumacher, The Propaganda Movement.

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Rizal’s La Liga Filipina and the Katipunan

When Rizal returned to the Philippines in June 1892, he formed the La Liga Filipina in
the succeeding month. The aims of the La Liga Filipina, as expressed in its constitution were20:
1. To unite the whole archipelago into one compact, vigorous, and homogenous body;
2. Mutual protection in every want and necessity;
3. Defense against all violence and injustice;
4. Encouragement of instruction, agriculture, and commerce; and
5. Study and application of reforms.

It took only three days and Rizal was imprisonment and then exiled to Dapitan. Popular
belief and common knowledge recounts that the Liga continued its efforts to support the La
Solidaridad in Spain. Due to various reasons, the Liga eventually split into two factions namely
the Cuerpo de Compromisarios and the founding of the Kataastaasan Kagalang-galangang na
Katipunan nang manga Anak nang Bayan 21. This common and popular narrative is now
questioned with recent archival evidence sourced from the Archivo General de Madrid which
moves the founding of the Katipunan months earlier to January, even before the return of Rizal in
June 189222. This new development rewrites our understanding of Rizal’s role in the Katipunan
from being the prime mover of change via the establishment of the La Liga Filipina which inevitably
influences the formation of the Katipunan towards a new interpretation that the Katipunan had
already existed before the return of Rizal and the gathering of like-minded individuals sponsored
by Rizal’s Liga became the venue for the Katipunan to spread the call of change. It is important
to note that even if the newly sourced document dates the founding in January 1892, it was only
latter in the year that the Katipunan became fully activated.

With this new information it possibly changes our interpretation, but this does not diminish
the importance of Jose Rizal. We can glean some insights on some of the prevailing notions about
Jose Rizal during those times from Mabini’s opinion of Rizal23:

“Rizal’s banishment to Dapitan eliminated all possibility of his active participation

in the movement, he was found guilty of having been its chief instigator because,
had it not been for the articles he had published in La Solidaridad and for his novels,
the people would never have taken to politics. This judgement was totally
incorrect because political activities in the Philippine antedated Rizal, because
Rizal was only a personality created by the needs of these activities: If Rizal had
not existed, somebody else would have played his role. The movement was by
nature slow and gentle, it had become violent because obstructed. Rizal had not
started the resistance, yet he was condemned to death:were he not innocent, he
would not be a martyr.” [emphasis added]

Mabini considers the role of Rizal as not the prime instigator but a necessary part of the
continuing movement for independence. He was not an innocent martyr but a conscious mover
for societal change. It is worth noting what Mabini observed during his time that very few Spaniards
read Rizal’s novels because they had been written by someone who they believe is a subversive
while not many Filipinos also read them either because their publication and reading
20Agoncillo,Teodoro A. (1990). History of the Filipino People. GaroTech Books, Inc.
21Agoncillo,History of the Filipino People. See also: Constantino, Renato. (1975). A History of the Philippines: From the
Spanish Colonization to the Second World War. Monthly Review Pesss.; Abinales, Patricio N. & Amoroso, Donna J. (2005).
State and Society in the Philippines. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
22
Richardson, Jim. 2013. The Light of Liberty: Documents and Studies on the Katipunan, 1892-1897. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila
University Press.
23
Mabini, Apolinario M. (1903). The Philippine Revolution. Trans. Leon Ma. Guerrero. (1969).

58 | P a g e
in the islands were prohibited by Spanish authorities and the church. Mabini might not be the sum
total of the population at the time but it is worth noting his observations. It was only during the
American colonial period, with their sponsorship, that copies of Rizal’s novels were republished
and disseminated freely and in the implementation of RA 1425 that they were obligated to have
in every school. This differentiation of the political atmosphere during the Spanish colonial period
and the time which the novels of Rizal were proliferated is an important fact in assessing the
impact and relevance of Rizal’s ideas.

Despite being revered by the Katipuneros as an important figure, we commonly hear that
Jose Rizal condemned the revolution for varied reasons. Rizal’s manifesto at the time he was
incarcerated in Fort Santiago in December of 1896, reads24:
“I was convinced that the idea [of revolution] was in the highest degree absurd,
and what is worse, disastrous for us. I did more. When later on, in spite of my
advice, the outbreak [of the revolution] occurred, I spontaneously offered, not only
my services, but my life, and my name as well, to be used in the manner they ought
best for the purpose of stifling the rebellion; for, convinced of the evils that it was
going to bring upon us, I considered myself fortunate if by means of any sort of
sacrifice I might prevent such useless misfortunes.”

Rizal’s manifesto, and many other versions of it, may be interpreted in two ways.
Agoncillo25 believes that Rizal was not against revolution but one that is not militarily prepared
and the people lacking education that informed them how to use their rights. However, he also
questions the reliability of Rizal in gauging the capacity of the revolution from his brief encounter
with Pio Valenzuela when he visited Rizal in Dapitan. He notes that Rizal was exiled in Dapitan
which is far from the center of politics and would be unable to provide a just assessment of what
has happened. Quibuyen26on the other hand, argues that Rizal only condemned the present
rebellious movement as premature but wittingly does not profess loyalty to Spain nor reject
independence as something undesirable. Quibuyen cite multiple sources to support Rizal’s
positive view of the revolution such as the contents of Mi Ultimo Adios, Rizal’s wife – Josephine
Bracken – immediately joining the revolutionaries after his execution,to namea few. Both Agoncillo
and Quibuyen cite the recollections of Jose Alejandrino and GalicanoApacible in Rizal’s positive
outlook towards the prospect of revolution. Quibuyen outright places the distortion of Rizal’s views
with the American sponsored version of Rizal together with the endorsed biographies of Rizal in
which he was portrayed as an adamant reformist.

Assessment

Instruction: Read the excerpts from the Memoirs of Pio Valenzuela on his Conference
with Rizal in Dapitan, then answer the questions that follows.

With a roundtrip first class ticket which cost me P60, and under the assumed name of Procopio
Bonifacio, I embarked on the steamship Venus on Monday, June 15, 1896, between 10 and 11
o'clock in the morning, accompanied by Raymundo Mata, a blind man, and Rufino Magos, both
residents of Barrio Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite, who were deck passengers. On the boat as first
class passengers were three women—Josephine Bracken, Narcisa Rizal, and Angelica Lopez—
24Cited from Agoncillo, Teodoro. (1961). Rizal and the Philippine Revolution. In Chua, Apolonio B. and Melendrez-Cruz,
Patricia. (eds.) (1991). Himalay: Kalipunan ng mga Pag-aaral kay Jose Rizal. Maynila: SentrongPangkultura ng Pilipinas
25Agoncillo, Rizal and the Philippine Revolution.
26Quibuyen, Floro. (1997). Rizal and the Revolution. Philippine Studies, Vol. 45, No. 2, pp. 225-257.

59 | P a g e
who were common-law wife, sister, and niece, respectively of Dr. Rizal.

The Venus called at Romblon, Capiz, Iloilo, Cebu, Dumaguete, Dapitan and Sindangan.

Wearrived at Dapitan between 5 and 6 on the afternoon of June 21. The Venus dropped anchor
in Dapitan Bay at a spot about 100 meters from the quay and 500 meters from the house of Dr.
Rizal.

…After supper I expressed to the hero my desire to talk to him in private about a most interesting
affair, and told him that the treatment of the blind man was only secondary to the purpose of my
visit to Dapitan. We went to his hospital, where we left my two companions, and from there we
proceeded to a place between his house and the hospital, which was situated about fifty meters
from the house. We sat on a bench and a dialogue, more or less like the following, passed
between us:

VALENZUELA.—There exists in Manila an association called Katipunan founded on the night of

July 7, 1892, as a result of your arrest on the morning of that date. The object of the association
is to seek the separation of the Philippines from Spain through violent means. In a general
assembly which took place in Pasig on the 1st of last May, in which the principal chiefs of the
association were present, the following resolutions, among others, were passed:

1. Attract to the Katipunan the educated and rich Filipinos;

2. Collect funds for the purpose of buying arms and everything necessary for the revolution;

3. Send-a commission of educated Filipinos to Japan, which will take charge of buying arms and
munitions and soliciting the help and protection of the Japanese government in behalf of the
Filipino revolutionists ;

4. Effect the separation of the Philippines from Spain by force of arms, the only way to secure
the independence of the Philippines under the protection and help of Japan;

5. Submit these resolutions for the approval of Dr. Rizal, for which purpose Dr. Pio Valenzuela is
named to go to Dapitan in order to inform Dr. Rizal of these resolutions and to wait for his answer;

6. In the event that the rich Filipinos refuse to cooperate in this great enterprise, each member
of the Katipunan will contribute weekly all that he can possibly contribute.

RIZAL.—So, the seed grows. The resolutions of the association are very just, patriotic, and above
all, timely because now Spain is weakened by the revolution in Cuba. I approve these resolutions
and I suggest that they be complied with as early as possible in order to take advantage of
opportunity.

VALENZUELA.—But I believe that the revolution will break out prematurely, even without having
arms.

RIZAL.—This I do not approve. A revolution without arms should never be started against an
armed nation. Its consequences will be fatal and disastrous to the country. The Filipinos will

60 | P a g e
necessarily have to lose owing to lack of arms.
The Spaniards, once conquerors, will annihilate the Filipinos who show love 'for their country,
employ all obstacles to prevent the intellectual, moral, and material progress of the conquered
people, who sooner or later will have to start another revolution. Cuba, which coun ts with the help
and protection of the United States, having failed in her first struggle, paid dearly in the second,
and is paying as much in this third struggle now. The Philippines does not reckon yet with the help
of Japan. I hope she helps us, because it will be difficult to stage a second revolution after the first
fails.When I was in Japan, a Japanese Minister put at my disposal three merchant ships with
which to transport arms to the Philippines. I wrote to a rich Filipino 1 in Manila, asking him to lend
me P200,000 for the purpose of buying firearms and munitions, but the rich Filipino refused me
the loan. I returned to my native land so that I could unite myself with my brother Filipinos. Being
united, we could manage to procure all that is necessa ry for our emancipation. I see that all of
this is now being done by the Katipunan, and all of us should sustain, and work for the realization
of the resolutions made in Pasig.

VALENZUELA.—May I know who is this rich Filipino who refused to lend you the money so
necessary for the health of our country?

RIZAL.—Not now, because I hope he, as well as others, will in the end help his countrymen with
his money when he sees them united and ready to strike for the liberty of their country.

VALENZUELA.—Permit me to explain to you the serious situation in which the Katipunan finds
itself and then tell me what is the best solution to the problem.

RIZAL.—You may proceed.

VALENZUELA.—Those who are associated with the Katipunan number over 30,000, but you
have to take into account the fact that many of those affiliated are not yet on our list owing to lack
of time to gather the exact data. So many come to affiliate daily in the provinces, especially in the
province of Manila, that I cannot tell you exactly the number of people affiliated with the Katipunan.
One day last May a brother of ours was arrested and maltreated by a lieutenant of the Civil Guards
in Pasig for being a member of a treacherous society. Since then our brothers in Pasig and
Mandaluyong have been coming incessantly to my house and inquiring for the day and hour set
for the attack against the Spaniards and the friars.

On these occasions I always tried to calm down their inflamed minds. If, for a single brother caught
and maltreated by the enemies, our brothers are ready to fight; what will happen if the Katipunan
is discovered? There will be many arrests, vexations, and martyrdom of all sorts; and probably
those of the Katipunan who will not tolerate such oppression will march to the field before the time
is ripe, even if they are not provided with rifles or cannon.

RIZAL.—You have to use all precautions to prevent the discovery of the association.

VALENZUELA.—And if the precautions fail?

RIZAL.—You, the principal chiefs, must see that the resolutions of the Katipunan are faithfully
complied with; you are dutybound to avail yourselves of all means to prevent the premature
shedding of blood. When the generals do not command, the soldiers stay still.

VALENZUELA.—The case of the Katipunan is different; if the generals do not give orders, the

61 | P a g e
soldiers will order other soldiers. If the Katipunan is discovered, the revolution will inevitably break
out. However, for my part, I will try to follow your advice; I will work so that they will not march to
the field except in case of extreme necessity.

RIZAL.—Does the association count with its membership many persons in high society in Manila
and in the provinces?

VALENZUELA.—Unfortunately, no; in Manila and in the provinces, there are about a hundred
from the middle class; the rest are poor.

RIZAL.—There is no other remedy but to attract to your association all the rich and influential
persons of Manila and the provinces. You may avail yourselves of Antonio Luna, who is a very
intelligent man, and who has free access to the homes of wealthy Filipinos. Luna, at the same
time, can direct the campaign in case hostilities break out.

VALENZUELA.—What shall we do if we fail to attract these aristocratic Filipincs to the Katipunan?

RlZAL. — These Filipinos will be your worst enemies if you commit the imprudence of attacking
the Spaniards without the necessary preparation. When they see you without arms, they will go
over the side of Spain to persecute you; and being Filipinos and rich too, they will win over your
soldiers with their money.

VALENZUELA.—And what are we to do then?

RIZAL.—See to it that these persons are at least neutral—that they help neither the Spaniards
nor the Filipinos.

VALENZUELA.—Neutrals? By what means can we make them neutrals?

RIZAL.—That is difficult to answer now. The means are born of circumstances and events.

VALENZUELA.—Changing the subject of our conversation, I wish to let you know that some
members of the Katipunan, among whom is Candido Tirona, are thinking of taking you out of here
clandestinely on a ship well supplied with coal and conduct you to Japan through the Pacific
Ocean.

RIZAL.—If the ship is small, it will lack coal to reach Japan; in which case it is better to send it to
the nearest foreign port—Hongkong.

VALENZUELA.—It will have sufficient coal to take you to the port where you are to disembark.

The doctor invited me to talk on the beach, and upon arriving at a certain place he pointed to a
spot in the sea where the boat to take him out to a foreign land may drop anchor. Later, we
returned to his house and during the walk the following conversation took place between us:

RIZAL.—Tell our countrymen that, at the same time that we are preparing for a war against Spain,
I desire to see a college established in Japan which will be converted later into a university for
Filipino youths. I shall be greatly pleased to be the director of said college.

VALENZUELA.—I shall bear in mind all what you say and counsel, but I believe you would

62 | P a g e
rather direct the revolution than manage the college.

RIZAL.—I am ready for both.

VALENZUELA.—As soon as we -have arms and munitions we shall try to take you out of Dapitan
before the revolution starts in order that the Spaniards may not get you and shoot you.

RIZAL.—As soon as you obtain arms, start the war against Spain right away; do not bother about
me for I will know how to get out of here by any craft with the help of the Moros. When it comes
to the redemption of the country, you must not look behind for just one man.

VALENZUELA.—If the revolution breaks out before schedule and you are still in Dapitan, the
Spaniards will hold you and have you shot.

RIZAL.—To die and conquer is pleasant; but to die and be conquered is painful.

…Then he turned to national affairs. He said that if the Filipinos did not do anything for their
independence, Japan would intervene in order to obtain it within a quarter of a century at the
latest. He asked me who the principal leaders of the Katipunan were and whether they were real
patriots. I gave him their names and assured him that their patriotism was unquestioned.

He then spoke to me of the letter he had written to the Minister of War of Spain [Marcelo de
Azcarraga], through the Governor General [Ramon Blanco] of the Philippines, wherein he applied
for a post as military doctor in Cuba, which letter, he said, had not yet been answered. I exercised
my objection to his application, telling him that Weyler, the general-in-chief of the Spanish troops
in Cuba, might shoot him, being his enemy because, of the question arising from the Calamba
estate.

To this objection he replied that he also might shoot Weyler first. He said that his intention in
applying for the post of military doctor was to study the war in a practical way; go through the
Cuban soldiery if he thought he would find there solutions which would remedy the bad situation
in the Philippines. If he were admitted as a military doctor in Cuba, he explained, he could return
to the Philippines when the necessity arose.

We returned to his house and while there heasked me to secure a revolver for him which he
needed, I got out my revolver from my trunk and gave it to him. He was pleased with it.

A whistle from the Venus was heard. The doctor arranged for a banca to take us to the ship. He
gave me as a gift the "kamuning" cane which he was using, and a bust of wood carved by him.
We gathered our baggage, bade goodbye and rode in the banca, which took us to the Venus.

We left Dapitan between 12 and 1 in the afternoon. The Venus returned to Manila, stopping at
the same ports previously mentioned. We arrived in Manila between two and three on the
afternoon of Friday, June 26.

I reported the result of my interview with Dr. Rizal to Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto. They
were the ones charged by the Supreme Council of the Katipunan to carry out the recommendation
of the deportee at Dapitan. Mamerto Natividad took charge of transmitting to Luna, through
Engineer Jose Alejandrino, the recommendations of Dr. Rizal.

63 | P a g e
 [Sourced from the Memoirs of Dr. Pio Valenzuela in the “Minutes of the Katipunan” as
Appendix A]
A. Based on the excerpt of Pio Valenzuela’s visit to Jose Rizal in Dapitan,
1. What were Rizal’s views on the impending revolution? Explain your answer and
provide evidences from the excerpt.
2. What did Rizal learn from the history of Cuba and his intentions of going there?
3. What were Rizal’s warning in dealing withthe rich and influential Filipinos?

B. Utilizing the principles introduced in the lesson, write an essay thatapplies the idea of
difference, context, and process. There should be at least three paragraphs in which each
paragraph is focused on one principle with supporting evidences from the discussion above.

Note: Please do not write anything unnecessary on this instructional material. Use a clean sheet
of bond paper in answering your activity/assessment task either in a type-written or hand-written
format (please see the appendices for the sample template). When doing a hand-written work,
make sure that your penmanship is legible.

References

Abinales, Patricio N. & Amoroso, Donna J. State and Society in the Philippines. Rowman &
Littlefield Publishers, Inc, 2005.
Agoncillo, Teodoro. Revolt of the Masses: The Story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan.
Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 1956.
.Some Controversial Issues in Philippine History. The ANNALS of Philippine
Chinese Historical Association 1(1):1-9, 1970.
. History of the Filipino People. GaroTech Books, Inc, 1990.
. Rizal and the Philippine Revolution. In Chua, Apolonio B. and Melendrez-Cruz,
Patricia. (eds.) (1991). Himalay: Kalipunan ng mga Pag-aaral kay Jose Rizal. Maynila:
SentrongPangkultura ng Pilipinas, 1961.
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_ _. ‘TungkolsaKatamaran ng mga Pilipino’. MulasaPambansangKomisyon ng
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Tosh, John. The Pursuit of History: Aims, Methods and New Directions in the Study of
History. (6th ed.). Routledge, 2015.

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 GRADING SYSTEM
GEED 10013: LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL

In relation to the Memorandum Order of the VPAA Dr. Emmanuel C. De Guzman dated August 3,
2020, grading system shall be modified with the following changes: 70% shall be given for class
standing while 30% shall be for the midterm/final examination. For this course, class standing
shall be limited to the following components: (1) Submission of ALL the assigned assessment
activities – this shall substitute the attendance component; and (2) quizzes/assessments indicated
at the end of each lessons. As previously-mentioned in the Assessment Instruction, there were
three (3) quizzes for the Midterm part. As stipulated in the Memorandum Order from the Office of
the VPAA dated August 3, 2020, attendance, recitation, and oral reports shall NO LONGER BE
PART OF CLASS STANDING.

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 Appendix A

Surname, Given Name M.I. Course Instructor

Your Course, Year and Section Unit/Chapter Lesson

N.B. Discuss the questions for the exam or activity thoroughly. Write the question before
each answer. Each answer should contain at least three (3) paragraphs of not less than
four (4) sentences. You may write your answers in Filipino.

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 Appendix B

Surname, Given Name M.I. Course Instructor

Your Course, Year and Section Unit/Chapter Lesson

N.B. Discuss the questions for the exam or activity thoroughly. Write the question before
each answer. Each answer should contain at least three (3) paragraphs of not less than
four (4) sentences. You may write your answers in Filipino.

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