Life and Work of Rizal Courses on the life, works and writings of
Jose Rizal, particularly his novel Noli Me
TOPIC 1
RA NO. 1425 or The Rizal Law
INTRODUCTION
Republic Act No. 1425, known as the Rizal
Law, mandates all educational institutions in the
Philippines to offer courses about José Rizal.
The full name of the law is 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, Authorizing the Printing and
Distribution Thereof, and for Other Purposes.
The measure was strongly opposed by the
Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines due to
the anti-clerical themes in Noli Me Tángere and
El Filibusterismo.
Senator Claro M. Recto was the main
proponent of the Rizal Bill. He sought to sponsor
the bill at Congress. However, this was met with
stiff opposition from the Catholic Church. During
the 1955 Senate election, the church charged
Recto with being a communist and an anti-
Catholic. After Recto's election, the Church
continued to oppose the bill mandating the
reading of Rizal's novels Noli Me Tángere and El
Filibusterismo, claiming it would violate freedom
of conscience and religion (Zaide, 1998).
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1425
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, AUTHORIZING THE
PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION THEREOF,
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
WHEREAS, today, more than any other period
of our history, there is a need for a re-dedication
to the ideals of freedom and nationalism for
which our heroes lived and died;
WHEREAS, it is meet that in honoring them,
particularly the national hero and patriot, Jose
Rizal, we remember with special fondness and
devotion their lives and works that have shaped
the national character;
WHEREAS, the life, works and writing of Jose
Rizal, particularly his novels Noli Me Tangere
and El Filibusterismo, are a constant and
inspiring source of patriotism with which the
minds of the youth, especially during their
formative and decisive years in school, should
be suffused;
WHEREAS, all educational institutions are under
the supervision of, and subject to regulation by
the State, and all schools are enjoined to
develop moral character, personal discipline,
civic conscience and to teach the duties of
citizenship; Now, therefore,
SECTION 1.
Tangere and El Filibusterismo, shall be included
in the curricula of all schools, colleges and
universities, public or private: Provided, That in
the collegiate courses, the original or
unexpurgated editions of the Noli Me Tangere
and El Filibusterismo or their English translation
shall be used as basic texts.
The Board of National Education is hereby
authorized and directed to adopt forthwith
measures to implement and carry out the
provisions of this Section, including the writing
and printing of appropriate primers, readers and
textbooks. The Board shall, within sixty (60) days
from the effectivity of this Act, promulgate rules
and regulations, including those of a disciplinary
nature, to carry out and enforce the provisions of
this Act. The Board shall promulgate rules and
regulations providing for the exemption of
students for reasons of religious belief stated in a
sworn written statement, from the requirement of
the provision contained in the second part of the
first paragraph of this section; but not from taking
the course provided for in the first part of said
paragraph. Said rules and regulations shall take
effect thirty (30) days after their publication in the
Official Gazette.
SECTION 2.
It shall be obligatory on all schools, colleges
and universities to keep in their libraries an
adequate number of copies of the original and
unexpurgated editions of the Noli Me Tangere
and El Filibusterismo, as well as of Rizal’s other
works and biography. The said unexpurgated
editions of the Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo or their translations in English as
well as other writings of Rizal shall be included in
the list of approved books for required reading in
all public or private schools, colleges and
universities.
The Board of National Education shall
determine the adequacy of the number of books,
depending upon the enrollment of the school,
college or university.
SECTION 3.
The Board of National Education shall
cause the translation of the Noli Me Tangere and
El Filibusterismo, as well as other writings of
Jose Rizal into English, Tagalog and the
principal Philippine dialects; cause them to be
printed in cheap, popular editions; and cause
them to be distributed, free of charge, to persons
desiring to read them, through the Purok
organizations and Barrio Councils throughout the
country.
SECTION 4.
Nothing in this Act shall be construed as
amendment or repealing section nine hundred
twenty-seven of the Administrative Code,
prohibiting the discussion of religious doctrines
by public school teachers and other person
engaged in any public school.
SECTION 5.
 The sum of three hundred thousand pesos
is hereby authorized to be appropriated out of
any fund not otherwise appropriated in the
National Treasury to carry out the purposes of
this Act.
SECTION 6.
This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
Approved: June 12, 1956
Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 52, No. 6,
p. 2971 in June 1956.
B. Theory on Nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism, in the context of Philippine
experience, initially develops as a consciousness
of belonging to one people-the Hispanic and
Catholic Community all over the Spanish empire.
This sentiment was quite limited, based on the
political, religious, social and intellectual
perceptions of the archipelago as an integral unit
co-equal with the other components of the
Spanish empire and all united under the
monarchy. The people of the Philippines, on the
basis of this perception, was one and equal with
other peoples of the empire in Spain, America
and elsewhere. The assumed cultural unity,
though universalistic in aspirations, was
modestly nationalistic in program and goals. It
conceived of the unity of the colonies and the
mother country, and stressed the Hispanism of
all peoples composing the imperial cosmopolitan
society. In short the basic concept of nationalism
was oneness and identification with a universal
and imperial Spanish society. In reality though,
when first conceived and disseminated, certain
objective facts were gleaned over or ignored.
The cultural integration of the Philippines was
quite incomplete. Politically and territorially
Spanish hegemony was only limited to Luzon,
the Visayas and the coastal areas of Mindanao.
Even in those places, two problems at least were
never resolved by Spanish power-the interior
and remote areas peopled by the ethnic Filipinos
and the remontados who represented a counter-
culture were never integrated; and, the
administrative dilemma presented by the
struggle between localism and centralism
continued to pester the Spaniards (Cruz, 1989).
TOPIC 2
19th century Philippines in Rizal’s context
INTRODUCTION
The 19th century Philippines
By the late 18th century, political and
economic changes in Europe were finally
beginning to affect Spain and, thus, the
Philippines. Important as a stimulus to trade was
the gradual elimination of the monopoly enjoyed
by the galleon to Acapulco. The last galleon
arrived in Manila in 1815, and by the mid-1830s
Manila was open to foreign merchants almost
without restriction. The demand for Philippine
sugar and abaca (hemp) grew apace, and the
volume of exports to Europe expanded even
further after the completion of the Suez Canal in
1869.
The growth of commercial agriculture
resulted in the appearance of a new class.
Alongside the landholdings of the church and the
rice estates of the pre-Spanish nobility there
arose haciendas of coffee, hemp, and sugar,
often the property of enterprising Chinese-
Filipino mestizos. Some of the families that
gained prominence in the 19th century have
continued to play an important role in Philippine
economics and politics.
Not until 1863 was there public education in
the Philippines, and even then the church
controlled the curriculum. Less than one-fifth of
those who went to school could read and write
Spanish, and far fewer could speak it properly.
The limited higher education in the colony was
entirely under clerical direction, but by the 1880s
many sons of the wealthy were sent to Europe to
study. There, nationalism and a passion for
reform blossomed in the liberal atmosphere. Out
of this talented group of overseas Filipino
students arose what came to be known as the
Propaganda Movement. Magazines, poetry, and
pamphleteering flourished. José Rizal, this
movement’s most brilliant figure, produced two
political novels—Noli me tangere (1887; Touch
Me Not) and El filibusterismo (1891; The Reign
of Greed)—which had a wide impact in the
Philippines. In 1892 Rizal returned home and
formed the Liga Filipina, a modest reform-
minded society, loyal to Spain, that breathed no
word of independence. But Rizal was quickly
arrested by the overly fearful Spanish, exiled to a
remote island in the south, and finally executed
in 1896. Meanwhile, within the Philippines there
had developed a firm commitment to
independence among a somewhat less
privileged class.
LEARNING CONTENT
Topic Content:
A. 19th Century Philippines
Philippines before and during Rizal’s Time
(Zaide, 1998)
 Colonization
 Magellan
 Baptized and converted Datu Humabon
and his followers to Christianity.
 Did not stay long
 Lapu-Lapu defeated Magellan.
 1565 (Miguel Lopez de Legazpi)
 Blood compact with Raja Sikatuna
 Philippines had been under the Spanish
rule for more than 300 years.
Objectives of the Colonization:
 To spread Christianity and establish the
educational system in the country.
 To enrich themselves which was the
moving reason why they invaded foreign
countries.
 To show the world that Spain had the
superior power over all other countries in
the world and to strengthen it more.
Pre-Hispanic Philippines
 Filipinos had their own indigenous but
rich culture, government and belief.
 Upon the coming of the Spaniards they
were forced to accept foreign culture and
Catholicism.
B. Economic end of galleon trade, opening of
Suez Canal, opening of ports to world
 Suez Canal opens
- The Suez Canal, connecting the
Mediterranean and the Red seas, is
inaugurated in an elaborate ceremony
attended by French Empress Eugénie, wife
of Napoleon III.
- In 1854, Ferdinand de Lesseps, the former
French consul to Cairo, secured an
agreement with the Ottoman governor of
Egypt to build a canal 100 miles across the
Isthmus of Suez. An international team of
engineers drew up a construction plan, and
in 1856 the Suez Canal Company was
formed and granted the right to operate the
canal for 99 years after completion of the
work.
- Construction began in April 1859, and at first
digging was done by hand with picks and
shovels wielded by forced laborers. Later,
European workers with dredgers and steam
shovels arrived. Labor disputes and a
cholera epidemic slowed construction, and
the Suez Canal was not completed until
1869–four years behind schedule. On
November 17, 1869, the Suez Canal was
opened to navigation. Ferdinand de Lesseps
would later attempt, unsuccessfully, to build
a canal across the Isthmus of Panama.
- When it opened, the Suez Canal was only 25
feet deep, 72 feet wide at the bottom, and
200 to 300 feet wide at the surface.
Consequently, fewer than 500 ships
navigated it in its first full year of operation.
Major improvements began in 1876,
however, and the canal soon grew into the
one of the world’s most heavily traveled
shipping lanes. In 1875, Great Britain
became the largest shareholder in the Suez
Canal Company when it bought up the stock
of the new Ottoman governor of Egypt.
Seven years later, in 1882, Britain invaded
Egypt, beginning a long occupation of the
country. The Anglo-Egyptian treaty of 1936
made Egypt virtually independent, but Britain
reserved rights for the protection of the
canal.
- After World War II, Egypt pressed for
evacuation of British troops from the Suez
Canal Zone, and in July 1956 Egyptian
President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized
the canal, hoping to charge tolls that would
pay for construction of a massive dam on the
Nile River. In response, Israel invaded in late
October, and British and French troops
landed in early November, occupying the
canal zone. Under pressure from the United
Nations, Britain and France withdrew in
December, and Israeli forces departed in
March 1957. That month, Egypt took control
of the canal and reopened it to commercial
shipping.
- Ten years later, Egypt shut down the canal
again following the Six Day War and Israel’s
occupation of the Sinai Peninsula. For the
next eight years, the Suez Canal, which
separates the Sinai from the rest of Egypt,
existed as the front line between the
Egyptian and Israeli armies. In 1975,
Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat reopened
the Suez Canal as a gesture of peace after
talks with Israel. Today, an average of 50
ships navigate the canal daily, carrying more
than 300 million tons of goods a year.
TOPIC 3
Rizal’s Family and Childhood
INTRODUCTION
Rizal and his family
José Rizal, in full José Protasio Rizal
Mercado y Alonso Realonda, (born June 19,
1861, Calamba, Philippines—died December 30,
1896, Manila), patriot, physician, and man of
letters who was an inspiration to the Philippine
nationalist movement.
The son of a prosperous landowner, Rizal was
educated in Manila and at the University of
Madrid. A brilliant medical student, he soon
committed himself to the reform of Spanish rule
in his home country, though he never advocated
Philippine independence. Most of his writing was
done in Europe, where he resided between 1882
and 1892.
In 1887 Rizal published his first novel, Noli
me tangere (The Social Cancer), a passionate
exposure of the evils of Spanish rule in the
Philippines. A sequel, El filibusterismo (1891;
The Reign of Greed), established his reputation
as the leading spokesman of the Philippine
reform movement. He published an annotated
edition (1890; reprinted 1958) of Antonio Morga’s
Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, hoping to show
that the native people of the Philippines had a
long history before the coming of the Spaniards.
He became the leader of the Propaganda
Movement, contributing numerous articles to its
newspaper, La Solidaridad, published in
Barcelona. Rizal’s political program included
integration of the Philippines as a province of
Spain, representation in the Cortes (the Spanish
parliament), the replacement of Spanish friars by
Filipino priests, freedom of assembly and
expression, and equality of Filipinos and
Spaniards before the law.
LEARNING CONTENT
Topic Content:
1. Rizal’s Ancestry
Like many families in the Philippines, the
Rizals were of mixed origin. José's patrilineal
lineage could be traced back to Fujian in China
through his father's ancestor Lam-Co, a Chinese
merchant who immigrated to the Philippines in
the late 17th century. Lam-Co traveled to Manila
from Xiamen, China, possibly to avoid the famine
or plague in his home district, and more probably
to escape the Manchu invasion during the Siblings
Transition from Ming to Qing. He finally decided 1. Saturnina
to stay in the islands as a farmer. - Dona Saturnina(1850-1913)
In 1697, to escape the bitter anti-Chinese - Also known as “Neneng”
prejudice that existed in the Philippines, he - Married to Manuel Hidalgo
converted to Catholicism, changed his name to - Studied at La Concordia College
Domingo Mercado and married the daughter of - Published Pascual Poblete’s tagalog
Chinese friend Augustin Chin-co. On his translation of Noli Me Tangere.
mother's side, Rizal's ancestry included Chinese, - Died in 1913 at the age of 63.
Japanese and Tagalog blood. His mother's 2. Paciano (1851-1930)
lineage can be traced to the affluent Florentina - Elder and only brother of Pepe.
family of Chinese mestizo families originating in - Known as Ciano
Baliuag, Bulacan.[15] José Rizal also had - Studied at Colgio de San Jose.
Spanish ancestry. His grandfather was a half - Married to Severina Decena and had 2
Spaniard engineer named Lorenzo Alberto children
Alonzo(Zaide, 1998). - Died at the age of 79 because of tuberculosis
3. Narcisa (1852-1939)
2. Rizal’s Early Childhood - 2nd daughter and 3rd child
José Rizal was born in 1861 to Francisco - Known as Sisa
Rizal Mercado y Alejandro and Teodora Alonso - Believed to be the only sibling that could
Realonda y Quintos in the town of Calamba in narrate the poems of Pepe.
Laguna province. He had nine sisters and one - Married to a teacher and musician named
brother. His parents were leaseholders of a Antonio Lopez.
hacienda and an accompanying rice farm by the 4. Olimpia/Olympia (1855-1887)
Dominicans. Both their families had adopted the - Known as Ypia.
additional surnames of Rizal and Realonda in - Married to Silvestro Ubaldo.
1849, after Governor General Narciso Clavería y 5. Lucia(1857-1919)
Zaldúa decreed the adoption of Spanish - Married to Manuel Herbosa of Calamba,
surnames among the Filipinos for census Laguna.
purposes (though they already had Spanish 6. Maria (1859-1945)
names). - Married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Binan,
His family fondly called him Pepe. He was Laguna.
christened at the church on June 22, 1861 when - She was known as Biang
he was only 3 days old by Rev. Fr. Rufino 7. Jose Rizal (1861-1896)
Collantes, and his godfather was Rev. Fr. Pedro 8. Concepcion(1862-1865)
Casanas. His baptism was attested by the parish - She was called as Concha.
priest of the town, Rev. Fr. Leoncio Lopez. - Died at the age of 3.
Parents: 9. Josefa(1865-1945)
1. Dona Teodora Morales Alonzo Realonda - Was an old maid who died at the age of 80.
y Quintos (Mother) - Known as Panggoy in her family.
- Born in Meisik, Manila on Nov. 9, 1827. 10. Trinidad(1868-1951)
- A native of Sta. Cruz, Manila. - Like her sister Panggoy, she died an old
- She was martinet, devoted, well-mannered maid at the age of 83.
and a diligent mother. - She was the keeper of Rizal’s dirge Mi
- Studied Spanish at Colegio de Santa Rosa. Ultimo Adios.
- Pepe considered her a remarkable woman. 11. Soledad (1870-1929)
- She demonstrated on how to keep families - She became a teacher.
together despite the turmoil of the Spanish - She was known as Choleng.
Regime. - Married to Pantaleon Quintero
- She possessed business ability, a refined
culture, literary giant, and the courage of a
frugal woman. TOPIC 4
2. Don Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado y Rizal’s Early Education
Alejandra II (Father) INTRODUCTION
- Was born on May 11, 1818 at Binan, Education
Laguna. Education opens up the mind, expands it
- Youngest of Cirila Alejandro and Juan and allows you to improve your life in so many
Mercado. ways. It has evolved through the years. Before,
- He was one of the 4th generations of a traditional ways of teaching were introduced,
Chinese immigrant in the late 1600s named however, these days a lot of things changed.
Domingo Lamco.
- Pepe regarded him as “model of Fathers”
- He was a tenat and also a landowner of the LEARNING CONTENT
Dominican state in Calamba, Laguna. Topic Content:
- He died on January 5, 1898 at the house of 1. Rizal’s Early Education
his daughter Narcisa shortly after the Rizal’s education started at home with the
execution of his son Jose. guidance of her mother. Teodora Alonso, Rizal’s
mother was an educated woman having been
educated in Manila. She instilled into Pepe the
importance of education at an early age. Her
mother taught him basically the four R’s
(Reading, Writng, Arithmetics, and Religion
during his early childhood days. These skills
were the compulsory among children during
those days, most especially, religion since we
were under the Spanish colonial rule.
At an early age of three years old, Rizal was
already advanced for his age. He was able to
read at such age and was taught how to solve
arithmetic problems and most especially recite
prayers in Latin. He was also given a lot of
storytelling by her mother. The story of the
Moth was the most memorable and touching
story that Pepe liked the most.
The parents of the Mercado siblings
assured the education of their children. They
hired private tutors, especially for Pepe, to
provide good and knowledgeable lessons at
home. Maestro Celestino was his first tutor
and Maestro Lucas Padua was his second
tutor. For his third tutor, Don Francisco later
hired his former classmate, Leon Monroy, to
teach Pepe Spanish and Latin. He was a hired
stay-in tutor but died after five months. The
death of Senor Leon Monroy caused Pepe’s
parents to send him to a private school in Binan.
2. The Story of the Moth
Rizal’s Mother, Teodora Alonzo, was the
first teacher of Rizal who taught him to read and
write. Most times, when Rizal got tired reading,
Teodora Alonzo was the one reads a story to
Rizal while Rizal is listening. They use a lamp
most of the time to provide light while reading.
One night, seeing that Rizal is tired her mother
started to read a story. The story goes like this:
Mayroon daw dalawang gamugamo, isang
matanda at isang bata. Maibigin silang maglaro
sa tabi ng ilaw na kandila. Isang gabi ang batang
gamugamo ay lumipad nang lubhang malapit sa
ningas ng kandila. “Mag-ingat ka!” ang tawag ng
matandang gamugamo. “Baka masunog ang
pakpak mo ay hindi ka na makalipad.”
“Hindi ako natatakot,” ang mayabang na sagot
ng batang gamugamo. At nagpatuloy siya ng
palipad sa paligid-ligid ng magandang ningas.
Minsan, sa kanyang paglipad ay nadikit sa
ningas ang kanyang pakpak at siya ay nalaglag
sa mesa.
“Sinabi ko na nga ba sa iyo,” ang sabi ng
matandang gamugamo. “Ngayon ay hindi ka na
makalilipad na muli. Samantalang nakikinig si
Rizal sa kwento nalilibang naman siya sa maliliit
na gamugamong naglalaro sa kanilang ilaw.
Napansin nya ang malaking hangad ng maliliit
na kulisap na makalapit sa ilaw sa paghanap ng
liwanag kahit mapanganib. At nang masunog
ang pakpak at malaglag sa mesa ang batang
gamugamo sa kwento ay siya ring pagkasunog
ng pakpak at pagkalaglag ng isang tunay na
gamugamo sa langis ng tinghoy.
 Rizal was too focused on watching the
moth in the flame that he didn’t notice that her
mother was done reading the story. Then there’s
one thing that he learned that is very important in
history since it helped mold Rizal to becoming a
hero for our nation. He never thought that a moth
could give him a lesson that he would carry
forever.
“Ang mga gamugamo pala ay hindi
natatakot mamatay sa paghanap ng liwanag.”
That lesson struck Rizal until he grew older.
Hindi siya tumigil na hanapin ang liwanag para
iligtas ang bansang Pilipinas na kahit ito ay
kanyang ikamatay. Ang maliit na kulisap ay
parang si Rizal, hindi siya natakot lumapit sa
liwanag kahit na marami pang banta o balakid
ang naroroon, kahit pa ito’y ikamatay niya.
Naging matigas man ang ulo ni Rizal sa di
pagsunod sa pangaral ng kanyang ina na:
“Huwag mong paparisan ang ginawa ng
batang gamugamo. Makikinig ka sa pangaral
upang ikaw ay hindi mapahamak.”
Ngunit, ito naman ang nagturo kay Rizal
upang maging matapang sa pakikipaglaban para
sa kanyang inang bayan.
3. First Formal Schooling- Binan, Laguna
(1870-1871)
Sunday afternoon in June 1870, Pepe left
Calamba for Binan for his first schooling. He was
accompanied by Paciano and they rode in a
carromata, and headed to their aunt’s place
where Pepe was to stay. In Binan, Pepe and his
cousin Leandro went for sightseeing around the
town.
 Pepe’s life in Binan was marked by
happines. Pepe nurtured his skills on painting.
Senor Juancho taught him how to do drawing
and painting. His classmate, Jose Guevarra
joined Pepe for drawing and painting lessons
during their free time.
Pepe, along with his classmates,
concentrated much of their learning on Reading,
Writing, Arithmetic, and Religion. They focused
on Religion, since it was more rigid and their
teacher was overly strict. They were forced to
memorize each lessons and discipline was
imposed with a whip. Jose excelled on all the
subjects and lessons. There well jealousy
occurred among them, and by that they made
wrong stories about Pepe which caused him with
five to six blows as he was laid out on a school
bench.
 After passing all the necessary requirement
in his studies, Maestro Justiniano informed the
parents of Pepe that he had learnt everything
that he could teach him, and recommended that
Pepe should be sent to college in Manila. Her
sister Saturnina wrote to Pepe about the arrival
of the steamer Talim to Binan, saying that he
could board bound for Calamba. Pepe was sad
to left Binan and move for another schooling. He
left Binan at the 17th of December 1870.
4. Imprisonment of his mother
The story of Dona Teodora’s imprisonment
started when she tried to help and persuaded his
brother, Senor Jose Alberto, to just forgive his
wife who went along with another man and then
after, abandoning and leaving their children at
home, in order to avoid scandal. However, the
woman connived with the Spanish authority and
told that Teodora and her husband tried to Emperor. He received his first ever prize for
poisoned her. being the top in their class, a religious picture
Teodora was arrested and forced to walk for and he was so happy.
about 50 km from Calamba to Sta. Cruz and was Pepe attended private lessons in Spanish at
imprisoned for almost 2 years and a half. The the San Isabel College. Although he was
incident saddened the whole Mercado family, regarded with excellent marks in the class, some
especially the 11 year old Pepe, after hearing professors had remarks about him and that
that his mother was treated unkindly, no proper made Pepe disliked it. He landed second place
medicine and accommodation. The case at the end, even with excellent marks.
reached the Manila Royal Audiencia where she Pepe returned home to Calamba for a
was acquitted (Zaide, 1998). vacation, but before that, he visited first his
mother and told her about his achievements in
the school. After, Pepe returned to school, met
TOPIC 5 his former classmates from Bina, and regain
Rizal’s Ateneo Experiences again the status of being the Emperor.
After the school year, Pepe once again
INTRODUCTION visited her mother in the prison. Then he went
The right kind of education is not concerned back to Calamba, to his family. By the time Pepe
with any ideology, however much it may promise returned again for his studies, as an adolescent,
a future utopia: it is not based on any system, he begin reading books and novels like the
however carefully thought out, nor is it a means Count of Montecristo by Alexander Dumas and
of conditioning the individual in some special “Travels in the Philippines” by Dr. Feodor Jagor.
manner. Education in the true sense is helping In June 1874, Pepe is in his junior year in
the individual to be mature and free, to flower college. His mother was freed and arrived to met
greatly in love and goodness. That is what we him and informed him that she was freed. Pepe
should be interested in, and not in shaping the was unhappy because he was not excellent the
child according to some idealistic pattern. The previous year because of his grades in his
highest function of education is to bring about an Spanish course. In the end of the school year,
integrated individual who is capable of dealing March 1875, he returned to Laguna, dissatisfied
with life as a whole. with the result of his performance in the school.
On June 16, 1875, Pepe became an interno to
Fr. Francisco de Paula Sanchez, who admired
LEARNING CONTENT
his skills and intellectual capacity.
Topic Content:
Pepe became the “Pride of the Jesuits”. He
1. Rizal went to Ateneo
graduated with flying colors. He received awards
After the execution of the GomBurZa and
and medals for attending and passing academic
the imprisonment of Dona Teodora, Pepe was
subjects and extra-curricular activities; like
sent to Manila to study at the Ateneo de
Marian Congregation and etc. Member of the
Municipal. On his first day in Manila, he was
Academy of Spanish Literature
accompanied by Paciano. He took the entrance
examination at the College of San Juan de
Letran. After returning and attending the town
fiesta in Calamba, Don Francisco changed his
mind about Pepe’s education. And decided
finally to attend at the Ateneo de Municipal.
 At first, he was refused admittance in the
said school for 2 reasons: a) he was already late
for registration and b) he was so frail and sickly,
aside from being too small for his age. However,
due to the intervention of Manuel Xeres Burgos,
Pepe was finally admitted.
Pepe enrolled at Ateneo under the surname
“Rizal.” Ateneo was ruled by the Jesuits. The
system of education was more advanced than
the other schools during that time. The school
offered different subjects related to sciences,
arts, agriculture and even mechanics.
The students were divided into two the
externos (non-boarders) and the
internos(boarders). The internos were known as
Roman Empire and the externos were the
Carthaginian Empire. The best student in each
group was called the Emperor.
The students are required to wear a hem-
fabric uniform trousers called rayadillo.
Pepe was assigned in the Carthaginian Empire
because he was an externos. He progressed
rapidly in the class and then became the