1

Module No.: 1

Course Code: GEM 101

Course Title: Life and Works of Rizal

Module Title: LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL

Course Description:
This course will give tertiary learners a glimpse and overview of the life and times of
Jose Rizal, the Philippine national hero. But more than an autobiographical narrative, this
subject aims to increase the literacy awareness and appreciation of Filipino college students
about the works and accomplishments of Jose Rizal including his attributes and virtues that
made him a national hero. It bears pointing out too that, in fact, this course shall begin with
an introduction about the “criteria of heroes standard” set by the National Historical
Commission of the Philippines.
Moreover, this course shall also tackle the legal history and background of the Rizal
Law or Republic Act 1425, the bill that promulgated the creation of Rizal as a mandatory
subject for college Filipino students.
Finally, this course shall likewise explore Jose Rizal’s literary works consisting of his
two influential novels (Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo) and his various poems,
essays, and correspondences.

Total Learning Time: (3 hours lecture/week) 54 hours

Pre-requisites: None
Overview:
This course will provide knowledge to students to better understand the life, times,
ideas, and ideals of Jose Rizal. Among the Philippine heroes, many works have been written
about him. Some of these praises him while others paint him in a somewhat controversial
image. While not totally ignoring the paeans and the criticisms by various writers or authors
portrayed Rizal as a man in the context of history. Heroes, according to a saying, are not
born; they are made. Rizal and his contemporaries are products of their time. They are
molded by their environment and situations which constitute the call of history. They simply
responded to this call at the cost of ignoring their personal welfare and proceeded to put the
nation toward its historical path.
This course contains a brief story of Rizal’s life and an outline of his works. It puts
Rizal in the context of history and what he means to us in the present time. It answers issues
regarding his life and his place in the pantheon of heroes. It designed some exercises intended
to develop positive values based on Rizal’s experiences. Hopefully, these values would
become part of the character of our students whom Rizal called “the fair hope of the
motherland”.
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Learning Outcomes:
1. To better understand the life, times, ideas, and ideals of Jose Rizal and how all of
these influenced Philippine history, society, and culture.
2. To appreciate the attributes that make one a hero.
3. To see with equal light the points of view of contending groups arguing for or against
the issue of Jose Rizal as the Philippine national hero.
4. To be able to identify and appreciate the contributions, influence, and significance of
Jose Rizal’s works and accomplishments.
5. Gain appreciation of applicable and integrative positive values that can be gleaned
from the lessons imparted by the lives and works of Philippine heroes

Indicative Content
Module I- INTRODUCTION
1. Rizal in the Eyes of the Filipinos
2. The Humanity of Heroes
3. The Criteria of Heroes
Module II- THE CONDITION OF EUROPE, AMERICA, AND SPAIN
1. Rizal’s Century: The 19th Century
2. The Need for Reforms: Representation
3. Conditions in Asia in the 19th Century
4. Conditions in the Philippines in the 19th Century
Module III- THE RIZAL LAW
Module IV- THE LIFE OF RIZAL
Module V- THE WORKS OF RIZAL

SHELALANE B. BAYHON, LPT, MAT

Course Facilitator
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SHELALANE B. BAYHON, LPT, MAT

COURSE FACILITATOR
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MODULE 1

INTRODUCTION

Rizal in the Eyes of the Filipinos

We begin this lesson with a question: Who is the greatest hero of the Philippines?
When asked this question, a Filipino might answer: “Jose Rizal.”

Who was Jose Rizal and why he was well-known among Filipinos? Why are there so
many monuments in his honour and why we’re many streets named after him? To many
Filipinos, their answers might be varied. He was a martyr who died for Filipinos. Many
Filipinos admire him as a man of many talents-a poet, doctor, anthropologist, sculptor,
surveyor, farmer, novelist, essayist, historian, teacher, and a polyglot with a knowledge of,
some authors say, 22 languages. Historians consider him as the one who inspired a nation.
Rizal also had his share of detractors. Some writers depict him as an agitator, a
wanderlust, a man hungry for power, and an unpredictable person. Some denigrate him and
question his motives. There can be no Emilio Aguinaldo without Andres Bonifacio. It was
Bonifacio who helped found the Katipunan, the organization that launched the 1896
Philippine Revolution and recruited Aguinaldo into its ranks. There will be no Bonifacio
without Rizal-it was Rizal’s achievements which helped inspire the foundation of the
Katipunan. Even his name is one of the passwords of one of the ranks in the organization.
Going further, there will be Rizal without the GOMBURZA priests. It was the unjust
execution of these Filipino secular priests, Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto
Zamora, that inspired Rizal to embark on his national quest. The trio was his inspirational for
his second novel, El Filibusterismo.
The Humanity of Heroes
In the study of the life of heroes, it is important to put in mind that a hero is a human
being. Heroes are made. Heroes, like ordinary human beings, are products of their time.
Heroes are products of their environment, which includes their society, surroundings, and the
conditions prevalent at that time. Heroes are made because they responded to the call of the
times and their response to this call had a decisive effect on the lives of their countrymen.
Heroes are actually ordinary human beings who faced challenges with an
extraordinary responses. In the end, their humanity will be unveiled through scholarly
study. In closely studying the humanity of heroes, some of their frailties might surface. There
may be some writers who may wish to denigrate his achievements by capitalizing on these
frailties. They may even question their motives by making malicious conclusions about their
achievements. These frailties should not distract a serious student in studying the life of a
hero. On the other hand, the students should be guided on the contribution of heroes to the
betterment of their country rather than on their shortcomings. It is also important to consider
how the hero’s achievements outweighed his deficiencies in serving the nation.
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The Criteria for Heroes

Who declares if anyone is a hero? How did Rizal become a hero? There is no law or
proclamation which directly made Rizal a hero. Rizal’s hero status was made by acclamation
of the Filipino people. This becomes the object of public worship and accolades are heaped
upon him. This could be seen in singular tributes to his honor and it may even be manifested
physically of a person’s heroism becomes stronger if the person is acclaimed long after his
death and by people who are not his generation. This means the appreciation of his life and
achievements spans beyond his life.
The National Historical Institute (NHI; presently the National Historical Commission
of the Philippines), the country’s agency in charge of historical matters, prescribes the
passage of 50 years before a person in finally confirmed as a hero. If the person is still
admired after that period and his ideals are still invoked and appreciated, the person has
passed the test of time and is considered a hero. The NHI also laid down the definition of a
hero. In 1965, its predecessor office, the National Heroes Commission, released the criteria
on the definition of a national hero. It was approved by a committee headed by Director
Carlos Quirino of the National Library. According to their definition, a hero is defined as “an
admirable leader towering over his peers, who serves a noble cause, possessing
exceptional talent, distinguished valor and/or hold enterprise, exercising a
determinative influence over the spiritual life of his people in a particular remarkable
event.” The criteria also mentioned that “the hero must, during extreme stress and
difficulties, project himself by his own fortitude, by his own sacrifices to be the
inspiration of his countrymen in leading them to their rightful destiny. He must exhibit
self-denial and abandon his personal interests to place those of his country before any
other, and whose deeds and acts are proudly emulated by a grateful people that , after
his death, render him singular tribute, honor him with public worship, and
acknowledge his meritorious services to mankind by spontaneous national recognition.”
Moreover, criteria specified, “a hero must exercise a determined influence over the
spiritual life of his people in an event of great significance.” It further says that in order to
qualify for the distinction of a national hero, “one must project himself by his own
fortitude, effort, and sacrifices to be the beacon light of his oppressed countrymen to
their rightful destiny.”
The historical committee of the National Heroes Commission came out with the
characteristics of a person to be examined before he could be considered a hero. These are the
extent of the person’s sacrifices for the welfare of the country.
1. Motives and methods employed in the attainment of the ideal (e.g.,
welfare of the country). In the attainment of the ideal, did the person
concerned sacrifice purely and exclusively for the welfare of the country or
were there any selfish or ulterior motives in the making of such sacrifices?
Were the methods employed in the attainment of the ideal morally valid?
2. The moral character of the person. Did he do anything immoral to taint his
personal character? If there was any immorality, did it affect his work, society,
or ideal?
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3. The influence of the person to his age or epoch and the succeeding eras.

Judging from these criteria, the considerations for heroism are very stringent and
would subject the person concerned to intense scrutiny. It is aimed to confer the mantle of
being considered a hero to those who are truly deserving, as the word “hero” is overused and
abused nowadays.
Presently, the Philippines has set aside four days to honor its heroes. Rizal Day is
commemorated every December 30. The origin of this commemoration came from the decree
issued by General Emilio Aguinaldo on December 20, 1898. It declared the 30 th day of
December as a national mourning day in honor of Dr. Jose Rizal and other victims of the
Philippine Revolution. Though Aguinaldo’s decree did not specifically declare Rizal as a
national hero, it was a tribute to his heroism.
In Daet, Camarines Norte, Filipino masons erected a simple monument dedicated to
Rizal on December 30, 1898. The monument bears the words “A Jose Rizal; “Noli Me
Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo,” the titles of his two prominent novels; and the word
“Morga” which refers to the book Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas which Rizal annotated in
1890. The monument in Daet antedated the Rizal Monument which was constructed at the
Luneta Park in Manila in 1911. The monument in Luneta was constructed through public
subscription by Filipinos.
The other dedicated to a single Filipino hero is Bonifacio Day which is celebrated
every November 30. It honors Andres Bonifacio, the founder of the Kataas-taasan, Kagalang-
galang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK ANB) which launched the Philippine
Revolution of the 1896. The celebration of Bonifacio Day was made possible by the issuance
of Act No. 2946 by the Philippine Legislature of February 16, 1921.
The third day set aside for commemoration the Filipino heroes is the National Heroes
Day, celebrated every last Sunday of August. The celebration of this holiday became possible
in accordance to Public Act No. 3827 passed by the Philippine legislature on October 28,
1931. National Heroes Day honors all the heroes of the Philippines including those who are
unknown.
A fourth holiday was created by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on December 25,
2004, when she signed into law the Republic Act No. 9256, which created Ninoy Aquino
Day. This holiday is commemorated every August 21, the anniversary of the assassination of
then-Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. Ninoy was the leading symbol of the anti-
dictatorship struggle against then-President Ferdinand E. Marcos.
As for who should recognize heroes, this should be better left to the people through
their popular acclamation. The people are the final judge to the heroes’ achievements and
they would subscribe to the heroes’ ideals as long as these are relevant and classic. Popular
acclamation should be sustained and should withstand the test of time. The role of the
government and other authorities is to continue to keep the memory of these heroes alive to
confirm their heroism after a long period of study and reflection. In the case of Rizal, more
than a hundred years have passed and we can now say that Rizal has passed the test of time
and is a true Filipino hero. Other national heroes include Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto,
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Apolinario Mabini, Marcelo H. del Pilar, and all those who helped guide the Philippines to
being a nation-state.

Activity 1.

Name:______________________________Course & Section: _________ Date:______-

___
Answer the following questions thoroughly.
1. In your point view, how can you see and describe Rizal as a hero.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2. What is Rizal’s attributes and values that you want to possess as a Filipino College
student and Why? Record also your answer (audio) and send it on messenger.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Reflect from this saying and expand. “Heroes are not born, they are made”.
_____________________________________________________________________
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_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
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MODULE II
THE CONDITIONS OF EUROPE, AMERICA, AND SPAIN

Rizal’s Century: The 19th Century

The 19th century was a century of change. During the last two decades of the previous
century, the age of enlightenment reached its zenith in France, culminating in the French
Revolution of 1789. In this age, ideas of freedom, liberty and equality, and the belief in the
sovereignty of the people in determining government thundered all across Europe. The
French Revolution resulted in the toppling of the monarchy of King Louis XVI and the
ushering in of the French Republic. Though France was to slide back to monarchy following
the establishment of Napoleon Bonaparte’s French Empire and the restored Bourbon
Dynasty, the ideas of philosopher such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Montesquieu, Francois-
Marie Arouet (Voltaire), and Englishman John Locke spread around the world like a
conflagration. The world was never the same again.
The struggle of equal rights has spread over the world. Europe went up in revolution
from 1848, with the regimes of the absolute monarchs in France and Austria being toppled by
people seeking more responsible governments. In 1861, the year of Rizal’s birth, Tsar
Alexander II emancipated Russian serfs. That year, the Italians, under Giuseppe Garibaldi,
threw out the Austrians and took over the papal lands. Italian nationalism ended the
domination of the church and united various Italian states as one country. Germany, on the
other hand, was in the process of unification which lasted until 1871. In the United States,
President Abraham Lincoln emancipated the black slaves but also triggered American Civil
War which lasted from 1861 to 1865. At the south of the U.S. border, Mexican troops dealt a
humiliating defeat on the French-supported regime of Archduke Maximillian. In France, the
regime of Napoleon III was crumbling after the debacle in Mexico. Later French overthrew
the monarchists and established a republic. At this time, however, most of Spain’s colonies
such as those in South and Central America, such as Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Venezuela,
Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, and others have won their
independence from Spain through revolution. The Philippines was one of Spain’s remaining
colonies along with Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Spanish Sahara.
The Need for Reforms: Representation
During Napoleon’s time, Spain was part of France’s alliance against Great Britain in
the Continental System. When this alliance faltered, Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808 and
installed his brother Joseph as king. The Spaniards registered the French, and Spanish patriots
declared allegiance to their crown prince Ferdinand and gathered in the city of Cadiz where
they crafted a constitution. The Constitution of Cadiz had a novel feature of allowing
colonies to be represented in the Spanish parliament called the Cortes. The Philippines
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therefore was given representation for the first time, and Ventura de los Reyes, a Spaniard
born in the Philippines, was selected to represent the colony. However, after Napoleon was
defeated, Ferdinand, who had become King Ferdinand VII, abolished the Cortes, saying that
the body encroached on powers he believed belonged solely to him. The decision was
unpopular as Spain’s American colonies began to revolt and sought independence.
In 1820, the Spanish people rose up and held the king hostage. They forced him to
reconvene the Cortes and restore representation of the colonies. The restoration of the Cortes
was short-lived as France, under the Bourbons, sent an army which restored Ferdinand to
absolute rule and caused the abolition of Cortes. In 1833, Ferdinand VII died and the Cortes
was again restored. However, at this time, the body held a secret session in which it was
decided that the Philippines should not be accorded representation. From the time on, the
Philippines had no representation in the Cortes. Representation in this body was one of the
reforms demanded by reformists like Rizal. It would have given the Filipinos the right to be
heard in the body and equal rights with the Spaniards. After Ferdinand VII died, the country
was ruled by his daughter, Queen Isabela II, whose rule was characterized by decadence and
mismanagement. Other European power such as Great Britain and France became leading
powers in the continent.
Condition in Asia in the 19th Century
In Asia, there were renewed efforts of the European penetration with the weakening
of Spain and Portugal and the rise of Great Britain and France. The British gained its colony
in Hongkong and forced China to open five ports to its traders following China’s defeat in the
Opium War of 1839-1842. China was humiliated with another defeat in the Arrow war of
1856-1858 when the British, now joined by the French, forced China to open the whole
country to foreigners. Furthermore, Great Britain enlarged its colony in Hongkong by taking
over Kowloon, and Japan was forced to open by the Americans under Commodore Matthew
Perry in 1854.Unlike the Chinese, however, the Japanese were able to parry western requests
to make Yokohama a treaty port .India became a crown of colony of Great Britain in 1858
following the suppression of the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857. Burma became a colony of Great
Britain after three Burmese Wars in 1824-1826, 1862-1863, 1885-1886. Near the Philippines,
Indo-China became a protectorate of France following the suppression of the kingdoms of
Annam and Cochin-China. Filipino troops sent from Manila played a role in the conquest of
Indo- China for France. Malaysia became a protectorate and eventually a colony of Great
Britain while Indonesia was conquered by the Dutch of Netherlands.

Activity:
1. List down the events that happened in the 19th century.
2. Get five to 10 sheets of long bond paper. Place the bond papers side by side in a
landscape orientation. Put the tape on the back of each paper so that a long paper
would result. Write on the clean side.
3. On landscape orientation, make a timeline by starting on the top part of the long
paper. Use pictures, drawings, cutouts, and other artistic means to represent the time
period.
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4. On the top part, make a timeline of European history, on the middle part, make a
timeline of American history, toward the bottom part, make a timeline of Asian
history.
5. Each group will state a trend that they have noticed during 19th century.

Lesson 2: Conditions in the Philippines in the 19th Century

Liberal stirrings from Europe reached the Philippines. In the Ilocos, leading citizens
there, called Kailanes, refused to believe that the Cadiz Constitution was abolished by
King Ferdinand and rose up in revolt. They were crushed by troops from the other
provinces. In 1826, Mexican soldiers led by Lt. Andres Novales mutinied. They
complained of discrimination and unfair treatment from peninsular officials following the
independence of Mexico from Spain. The mutineers tried to rally the Filipinos to their
support and promised to fight for the independence of the Philippines. The mutiny, however,
was crushed and rebels were executed.
The last of the series of revolts took place in 1841-1842 when Apolinario de la Cruz
refused to disband his religious organization, the Cofradia de San Jose. De la Cruz aspired to
be a priest but was refused by the Spaniards because of his race. Instead, he founded the
Cofradia which gained popularity among ordinary people and was seen as a threat by the
Catholic Church. After his execution and the suppression of the Cofradia, members of the
Tayabas Regiment of the Spanish army, who turned out to be province-mates of de la Cruz,
mutinied and almost took over Manila. The arrival of native reinforcements saved the
Spanish colonizers from certain defeat.
The defeats of native revolts demonstrated that the Philippines was disunited because
of lack of a national identity. The Spaniards used this disunity to divide and rule the
country. Demographically, the Spaniards were a minority of the Philippines. Peninsular
officials born in Spain were very few, consisting of the governor- general and, a few
subalterns and the top church officials, and the insular officials, the Spaniards born in the
Philippines who were also few in comparison to the native population which numbered
around six million. In large towns, the Spanish officials were only the parish priest and the
head of the local police. The colonial order was maintained largely by native officials. Local
officials such as gobernadorcillos, the councilmen, and others were natives. The
policemen were also natives, and even the composition of the local Spanish army and civil
guards was largely natives. Only the officials down to the rank of sergeants were Spaniards.
The Spaniards, despite their inferior number, managed to retain the loyalty of the native
officials by giving them certain privileges that kept them separate from the rest of the
population. The gobernadorcillos were afforded the titles of capitan municipal, teniente,
and cabeza. Though their positions did not pay much, the titles gave them an exalted position
in native society and were called principaies or leading citizens. There were also some
material reward in serving the Spaniards. A number of principals descended from the loyal
datus who pledged their loyalty to the colonizers. They were exempt from taxation and
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community labor or prestacion personal. They were also entitled to receive a portion of their
collection from the people. After serving their terms of office, former officials were still
eligible for reelection. It was possible for former officials to be reinstated into their former
offices several times. This explains why Spain controlled the Philippines for more than 300
years. Spain controlled the natives through the native leaders.
Changes in the 19 th century had profound effects to the Philippines. Even during the
previous century when it was forbidden for the Philippines to trade with other countries
because of Spain’s monopolistic policy, colonial officials, ignored this instruction and traded
with other nations anyway because it promised income for the Philippines. By 1834, this
mercantilist policy of not allowing the Philippines to trade with other countries was
scrapped with the opening of Manila to world trade. Other ports in the colony like Iloilo
and Zamboanga later followed. There was brisk demand for Philippine products such
as sugar, coffee, abaca, tobacco, dyestuff, and rice. This created economic opportunities as
many families began trading these products for the international market. These families were
mostly mestizos consisting of Spanish and Chinese families. They intermarried with natives
who were farmers that became traders. In the process, they became more affluent and formed
the nucleus of the middle class. The increased wealth allowed middle -class families to have
better homes and send children to colleges and universities for higher education. During the
early 19th century, the education of choice was priesthood and many middle-class
families sent their sons to seminaries in Manila. They obtained higher education degrees
which made them equal with the Spaniards. Eventually they became concerned with issues
of equality including secularization. By the time of Rizal’s birth in 1861, the quest for
equality was the cry of the times. It influenced Rizal throughout his life and it became
his lifelong quest.

Activity 3:

Name:______________________________Course & Section: _________ Date:______-

___
1. Using the reading on the Philippines in the 19th century. Make three columns
and label the headings as “Political Aspect”, “Economic Aspect,” and
“Sociocultural Aspect”.
2. In each column, list down the changes that occurred in the Philippines.
3. Present the work to online class. Analyze if the items listed down were in the
correct column.
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MODULE III
THE RELIGIOUS FRONT SECULARIZATION
Aside from the need to secure political and social reforms, there was also the
persisting issue of the secularization of the Philippine Church. This was basically a matter
involving the Catholic clergy in the Philippines. As early as the 16 th century, it was the wish
of the King of Spain and of the Pope to turn over the country’s parishes to the secular priests.
At the beginning of the Spanish colonization, the task of establishing and administering the
country’s parishes was done by the regular priests who belong to different religious orders.
These were the Augustinians, Recollects, Jesuit, Franciscans, and Dominicans. Originally,
they came as missionaries to the Philippines. During the course of Spanish rule, there were
demands by the seculars to implement the royal and papal orders. For a time, this was
actually implemented but turned out to be wanting and deemed to be unready to head the
parishes. The expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767 created some opportunities for secular to
occupy some parishes. However, when the Jesuits were allowed return in 1858, parishes held
by seculars were given back to the regulars once the secular priests holding the post died.
What happened was a reverse secularization of the churches the parishes held by the seculars
were reverted to the regulars. Since the issue pitted Filipino seculars against the Spanish
regular clergy, the secularization issue has become a race issue. During the Spanish
colonization, the Spaniards born in the Philippines were called Filipinos. This issue was
between the Spanish regulars versus the Filipino seculars. In the forefront of this struggle
were Filipino priests like Fathers Pedro Pablo, Jacinto Zamora, Mariano Gomez, and Jose
Burgos who championed the cause of equal rights with Spaniards and reduction of the
influence of the Church in politics. Also, among the suspects were the leaders of the Filipino
secular clergy who fought for secularization of the Philippine Catholic Church. The King of
Spain and the Pope himself gave instructions for the secularization of the country’s parishes,
but this was resisted by the orders of friars who contended that the Filipino seculars were
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never ready to take over. During the previous administration of the liberal Governor-General
Carlos Ma. de la Torre, these Filipino liberals and secular were allowed to voice their
grievances. Under Governor-General Izquierdo’s regime, this right was suppressed. The
Filipinos, on the other hand, struggled to defend their gains under the old regime. They were
already identified by the conservative Spaniards for elimination. The Cavite Mutiny provided
the pretext for the conservatives to eliminate the Filipino liberals. The Spanish forces arrested
several known liberals, among them were Jose Ma. Basa, Antonio Ma. Regidor, Balbino
Mauricio, Joaquin Pardo de Tavera, and Filipino secular priests like Pedro Dandan and
Toribio H. del Pilar, the brother of propagandist Marcelo H. del Pilar.
Father Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora were identified by a false witness named
Francisco Zaldua, who pointed out that the three priests were indeed out to lead a government
that would overthrow the Spaniards and install Father Burgos as the future leader of the
Philippines. Despite the protests and insufficient evidence, the three priests were garroted at
Bagumbayan on February 17, 1872. The others were identified as sympathizers of the
secularization issue also underwent trial and were found guilty. They were sentenced with
deportation to Guam in the Marianas and were never allowed to return as long as Spain ruled
the Philippines.
Reinforcing Spanish domination in the country were Spanish clergymen. At the
beginning of Spanish rule, they helped establish the country’s parishes and even several
towns in the course of their evangelization. Through centuries of Spanish rule, they
performed an important role not only as spreaders of the Christian faith but also as
representatives of the colonial government. Very often, the Spanish religious officials acted
as the eyes and ears of the colonial government, and in many cases, they served or held
positions in the government. They also controlled education in the country’s educational
institutions were controlled by the religious orders. On the local level, the Church operated
parish schools which were the primary schools until the enactment of religious reforms.
Religious officials were also guardians of public morals as they sat on bodies such as those
concerning censorship. In the local level, the parish priest often endorsed candidates for
political positions. This gave him a political role in addition to a religious role. In the national
level, religious officials acted as advisers to the governor-general. Many of these officials
belong to the regular orders such as the friar orders. More often not, religious officials serve
longer than the governor-general whose average term lasted around three years. Given this
condition, the religious officials were deeply entrenched and it was difficult for a new
governor-general to enforce sweeping reforms especially those that threaten the supremacy of
the religious officials. With the cries for reform, especially those concerning secularization,
the religious orders strongly opposed the effort.
Activity 4:

Name:______________________________Course & Section: _________ Date:______-

___
1. Emphasize the definition of the words “Filipino”, “regular priests,” and
“secularization issue”.
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_____________________________________________________________________
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_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2. Discuss the arguments of the pro-secularization group and the anti-secularization
group.
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_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3. If the word “propaganda” means to give out information, analyze why the
secularization issue became a crucial point in the Propaganda Period of Philippine
history.
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