Dr.
Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado Y Alonso Realonda
The foremost national hero
- Dr. Jose Rizal Mercado y Alonso, or simply Jose
Rizal (1861- 1896), is unquestionably the
greatest hero and martyr of our nation.
The day of his birth and the day of his execution
are fittingly commemorated by all classes of our
people throughout the length and breadth of this
country and even by Filipinos and their friends
abroad.
- A Filipino writer and thinker whose teachings
and noble thoughts have been frequently
invoked and quoted by authors and public
speakers on almost all occasions
Reasons why Jose Rizal rose on top of the Filipino
Heroes:
1. His name is a byword in every Filipino home
while his picture adorns the postage stamp and
paper money of widest circulation.
2. No other Filipino hero can surpass Rizal:
- in the number of monuments erected in his
honor;
- in the number of towns, barrios, and streets
named after him;
- in the number of educational institutions,
societies, and trade names that bear his name;
- in the number of persons, both Filipinos and
foreigners, who were named "Rizal" or
"Rizalina" because of their parents' admiration
for the Great Malayan: and
- in the number of laws, Executive Orders and
Proclamations of the Chief Executive, and
bulletins, memoranda, and circulars of both
(the bureaus of public and private schools.
Rafael Palma once said, “The doctrines of Rizal are not
for one epoch but for all epochs.” They are as valid
today as they were yesterday.
It cannot be said that because the political ideals of Rizal
have been achieved, because of the change of
institutions, the wisdom of his counsels or the value of
his doctrines have ceased to be opportune.
"And now, gentlemen, you must have a national hero"
These were supposed to be the words addressed by
Governor Taft to Messrs. Pardo de Tavera, Legarda, and
Luzurriaga, Filipino members of the Philippine
Commission, of which Taft was the Chairman.
It was further reported that "in the subsequent discussion
in which the rival merits of the revolutionary heroes:
Marcelo H. del Pilar, Graciano Lopez Jaena, Jose Rizal,
General Antonio Luna, Emilio Jacinto, and Andres
Bonifacio –were considered
- the final choice - now universally acclaimed a wise one
was Rizal. And so, history was made.
Hero - a prominent or central personage taking an
admirable part in any remarkable action or
event.
- a person of distinguished valor or enterprise in
danger, or fortitude in suffering.
- a man honored after death by public worship,
because of exceptional service to mankind.
Who made Rizal the foremost hero of the Philippines?
- no single person or groups of persons
were responsible for making the Greatest
Malayan the Number One Hero of people.
It is Rizal himself, his own people, and
the foreigners together contributed to
make him the greatest hero and" of his
people.
No amount of adulation and canonization by Filipinos
and foreigners could convert Rizal into a great hero' if he
did not possess in himself what Palma calls "excellent
merits “
Rizal was not only a great hero but the greatest among
the Filipinos. As a matter of fact, the Austrian savant
Prof. Blumentritt judge him as "the most prominent man
of his own people" and "the greatest man the Malayan
race has produced".
Even during his lifetime, Rizal was already acclaimed by
both Filipinos and foreigners as the foremost leader of
his people and that this admiration for him has increased
with the' passing of time since his dramatic death at
Luneta during the fateful morning of December 30,
1896.
Why is Rizal a hero, nay, our foremost national hero?
He is our greatest hero because, as a towering figure in
the Propaganda Campaign, he took an "admirable part"
in that movement which roughly covered the period
from 1882 to 1896.
The preceding paragraphs have shown that by the Noli
alone. Rizal, among his contemporaries, had become the
most prominent or the central figure of the Propaganda
Movement.
He was the founder and moving spirit in the founding of
the Liga Filipina in Manila on July 3,1892
Noli Me Tangere (Berlin, 1887) - contributed
tremendously to the formation of Filipino nationality
In Contrast….
It is true that Pedro A. Paterno published his novel,
Ninay, in Madrid in 1885;
Marcelo H. del Pilar, his La Soberania Monacal in
Barcelona in 1889;
Graciano Lopez Jaena,his Discursos Y Articulos Varios,
also in Barcelona in 1891; and

Antonio Luna. his lmpresiones in Madrid in 1893,
but none of these books had evoked such favorable and
unfavorable comments from friends and foes alike as did
Rizal's “Noli Me Tangere”.
Typical of the encomiums that the hero received for his
novel were those he received from Antonio Maria
Regidor and Prof. Ferdinand Blumentritt.
Regidor, a Filipino exile of 1872 in London, said that:
"the book was superior" and that “if Don Quijote has
made its author immortal because he exposed to the
world the sufferings of Spain, your Noli Me Tangere
will bring you equal glory.”
Blumentritt, after reading Rizal's Noli, wrote and
congratulated its author, saying among other things:
"Your work, as we German’s say, has been written with
the blood of the heart. Your work has exceeded my
hopes and I consider myself happy to have been honored
with your friendship. Not only I, but also your country
may feel happy for having in you a patriotic and loyal
son. If you continue so, you will be to your people one
of those great men who will exercise a determinative
influence over the progress of their spiritual life.”
Perhaps no other work or writing of another Filipino
author has, up to this day, aroused as much acrimonious
debate not only among our people but also among the
reactionary foreigners as the Noli of Rizal.
What is most admirable in Rizal?
According to Rafael Palma, “It is his complete self-
denial, his complete abandonment of his personal
interests in order to think only of those of his country.”
For Rizal,
The voice of the species was stronger than the voice of
personal progress or of private fortune. Moreover, he
preferred to live far from his family and to sacrifice
his personal affections for an ideal he had dreamed of.
To the bigoted Spaniards in Spain and in the
Philippines,
Rizal was the most intelligent; most courageous, and
most dangerous enemy of the reactionaries and the
tyrants; therefore, he should be shot publicly in order to
serve as an example and a warning to those of his kind.
Why is Rizal the greatest Filipino hero that ever lived?
Because he is "a man honored after death by public
worship, because of exceptional service to mankind".
He was an exceptional man, unsurpassed by other
filipino heroes in terms of talent, nobility of character
and patriotism.
Jose Rizal was/ has,
- the benchmark of the Filipino nation in terms of
his achievement.
- He shaped the national character of the nation
from anarchy to a democratic system of
government
- the Founder of Filipino Nationality.
- The Architect of the Filipino Nation.
- tremendously contributed to the formation of
FILIPINO NATIONALITY in terms of his
writings.
- Writings that stimulates the minds of the people
to be politically active
- the only hero who has initiated a bloodless
revolution
- waged a non-violent crusade and suffered
political martyrdom afterwards
- a unique hero in the world since he was not a
military leader
- the person who redeemed his oppressed people
from the bondage of the tyrannical rule of the
Spaniards
Rizal was recognized as, “THE FATHER OF ASIAN
NATIONALISM”
Rizal was already acclaimed by both Filipinos and
foreigners as the foremost leader of his people.
In the early part of 1889, Rizal was unanimously elected
by the Filipino in Barcelona and Madrid as honorary
president of the La Solidaridad.
Some months, later, in Paris, he organized and became
chief of the Indios Bravos.
In January, 1891, RizaI was again unanimously chosen
Responsable (Chief) of the Spanish-Filipino Association.
the revolutionary society known as the Katipunan
likewise acknowledged Rizal's leadership and greatness
by making him its Honorary President and by using his
family name “Rizal” as the password for the third-degree
members.
A year after Rizal's execution, General Emilio
Aguinaldo and the 'other revolutionary chiefs exiled to
Hongkong
held a commemorative program there on December 29,
1897 on the first anniversary of the hero's execution and
martyrdom
December 20, 1898 at the revolutionary capital at
Malolos, President Aguinaldo issued the first official
proclamation making December 30 of that year as "Rizal
Day".
An impressive Rizal Day program, sponsored by the
Club Filipino, was held in Manila on December 30,
1898.
Among the scientific necrological services held
especially to honor Rizal, the one sponsored by the
Anthropological society of Berlin on November 20,
1897 at the initiative of Dr.Rudolf Virchow, its
President, was the most important and significant. Dr.
Ed Seler recited the German translation of Rizal's "My
Farewell" on that occasion.
Republic Act 1425 (Rizal Law)
Jose Rizal’s vast role in the attainment of the nation’s
freedom led to the issuance of Republic Act 1425 on
June 12, 1956. Commonly known as the Rizal Act, it
was sponsored by Senator Claro M. Recto.
WHAT DOES RA 1425 MANDATES US TO DO?
Rizal Bill became a Republic Act 1425 known as RIZAL
LAW
“An Act to Include in the Curricula of All Public and
Private Schools, Colleges and Universities Courses on
the Life, Works and Writings of Jose Rizal, Particularly
His Novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo to
educate the students the concept of nationalism, and
Authorizing the Printing and Distribution Thereof, and
for Other Purposes.”
It requires the curricula of private and public schools,
colleges and universities courses to include the life,
works and writings of Jose Rizal, particularly his novels
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo in order to
educate the students about the concept of nationalism.
The first section of the law:
- concerns mandating the students to read Rizal’s novels.
The last two sections:
- involve making Rizal’s writings accessible to the
general public, —they require the schools to have a
enough copies in their libraries and mandate the
publication of the works in major Philippine languages.
Jose P. Laurel, then senator who co-wrote the law,
explained that:
Since Jose Rizal was the founder of the country’s
nationalism and had significantly contributed to the
current condition of the nation, it is only right that
Filipinos, especially the youth, know about and learn to
imbibe the great ideals for which the hero died.
Rizal Law aims to accomplish the following goals:
1. To rededicate the lives of youth to the ideals of
freedom and nationalism, for which our heroes lived and
died
2. To pay tribute to our national hero for devoting his
life and works in shaping the Filipino character
3. To gain an inspiring source of patriotism through the
study of Rizal’s life, works, and writings.
The Importance of Studying Rizal
1. The subject provides insights on how to deal with
current problems.
There is a dictum, “He who controls the past controls the
future.”
Our view of history forms the manner we perceive the
present, and therefore influences the kind of solutions we
provide for existing problems.
2. It helps us understand better ourselves as Filipinos
The past helps us understand who we are. We
comprehensively define ourselves not only in terms of
where we are going, but also where we come from.
Our heredity, past behaviors, and old habits as a nation
are all significant clues and determinants to our present
situation.
3. It teaches nationalism and patriotism:
Nationalism involves the desire to attain freedom and
political independence, especially by a country under
foreign power, while Patriotism denotes proud devotion
and loyalty to one’s nation.
4. It provides various essential life lessons.
We can learn much from the way Rizal faced various
challenges in life. As a controversial figure in his time,
he encountered serious dilemmas and predicaments but
responded decently and high-mindedly.
5. It helps in developing logical and critical thinking.
Critical Thinking refers to discerning, evaluative, and
analytical thinking.
A Philosophy major, Jose Rizal unsurprisingly
demonstrated his critical thinking skills in his
argumentative essays, satires, novels, speeches, and
written debates.
6. Rizal can serve as a worthwhile model and inspiration
to every Filipino.
If one is looking for someone to imitate, then Rizal is a
very viable choice. The hero’s philosophies, life
principles, convictions, thoughts, ideals, aspirations, and
dreams are a good influence on anyone.
7. The subject is a rich source of entertaining narratives.
People love fictions and are even willing to spend for
books or movie tickets just to be entertained by made-up
tales. But only a few perhaps know that Rizal’s life is
full of fascinating non-fictional accounts.
(1) Rizal was involved in a love triangle with Antonio
Luna as also part of the romantic equation;
(2) Rizal was a model in some of Juan Luna’s paintings;
(3) Rizal’s common-law wife Josephine Bracken was
‘remarried’ to a man from Cebu and had tutored former
President Sergio Osmeña;
(4) Leonor Rivera (‘Maria Clara’), Rizal’s ‘true love’,
had a son who married the sister of the former President
of the United Nations General Assembly Carlos P.
Romulo;
(5) the Filipina beauty queen Gemma Cruz Araneta is a
descendant of Rizal’s sister, Maria;
(6) the sportscaster Chino Trinidad is a descendant of
Rizal’s ‘first love’ (Segunda Katigbak); and

(7) the original manuscripts of Rizal’s novel (Noli and

Fili) were once stolen for ransom, but Alejandro Roces
had retrieved them without paying even a single centavo.

The Women in the life of Rizal

1. Segunda Katigbak: Jose Rizal's First Love

2. Leonor Rivera: Jose Rizal's True Love
3. Leonor Valenzuela and Jose Rizal's Invisible Love
Letters
4. Consuelo Ortiga y Rey: The "Crush ng Bayan" in
Rizal's Time
5. Seiko Usui: Jose Rizal's Japanese Girlfriend
6. Gertrude Beckett: Jose Rizal's Fling in London
7. Suzanne Jacoby: Jose Rizal's Fling
8. Nellie Boustead: Jose Rizal's Almost Wife
9. Josephine Bracken: Jose Rizal's Dear and Unhappy
Wife

11 EVILS DURING THE SPANISH ERA IN THE

COUNTRY

1. Instability of Colonial Administration

2. Corrupt Officials
3. No Representation in the Spanish Cortes
4. Human Rights are denied to the Filipinos
5. No equality before the Law
6. Maladministration of Justice
7. Racial Discrimination
8. Frailocracy
9. Failed Labor
10. Haciendas owned by the Friars
11. The Guardia Civil