INTRODUCTION OF THE COURSE

It contains lessons which were broken down into three main groups. In each lesson, you will
find competencies, skills, knowledge, and attitude that are expected to be exhibited by you
as a nationalistic and patriotic Filipino citizen.

1. KEY CONCEPTS

1. Brief Description

This course deals with the personal life, works and writings of our national hero, Dr. Jose
Rizal. It also explains why the students in tertiary level are required to study this course.

 2. Legal Basis

          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 who was the chairman of the Committee on Education.

Reasons why Sen. Jose P. Laurel Sr sponsored:

1. Because Rizal was the founder of Filipino nationality and the architect of the Filipino
nation, there is a need to know and imbibe the great ideas and principles for which he died.

2. Believed that by reading and studying Rizal's life teachings and writings, Filipino youth
will gain incorruptible confidence, direction and determination.

3. To quote the late Sen. Blas Ople, " Jose Rizal remains the supreme hero of the Philippines
because of the quality of his sacrifice, his absolute dedication to the interest of his people,
and his achievement in may fields of endeavors.

The following are the important provisions of this law:

1. to include in the curricula of all schools in the Philippines whether public or private,
courses on life, works and writings of Rizal, particularly his novels, Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo,  authorizing the printing and distribution thereof, and for other purposes;

2. all libraries in the Philippines should have sufficient number of copies of the writings of
Jose Rizal; and

3. the government should cause the translation of the writings of Jose Rizal into English,
Filipino, and other dialects; have these be printed and distributed to all those who are
interested in these writings of Jose Rizal.

3. Significance

We study the life and works of Dr. Jose Rizal because:     

1. of the lessons and values contained in the subject; and

2. it is mandated by law.
4. Definition of a Hero

Western Concept Philippine Concept

a hero is someone who is extraordinary a hero is someone who is a community servant
a hero is individualistic a hero works with other people
a hero is usually recognized after his or her a hero is usually recognized even if he or she is
death not dead
 

It is common for Filipinos to look for someone to idolize –saints, politicians, artists, models,
etc., somebody they will glorify and imitate. Since the time of the declaration of Philippine
independence, 109 years ago, many were acknowledged as Filipino heroes, more so today,
that every individual who become so popular or the main character in any particular event is
given the title “hero”. The essence of the word “hero” is past declining, today one need not
to die or do such gallant act to be given the noble title or that some just won a boxing
match. Time has really evolved and so does our standard in defining a Filipino hero. Will our
forefathers who gave their lives for freedom feel insulted for this? Are these the Filipinos
we’ll look up to for guidance through the times, aren’t our children losing the true meaning
of heroism by our doings? All these things we should ask ourselves before giving the title
“hero” to anyone.

      But what does being a hero mean? Dr. Esteban de Ocampo, a known historian, stated in
his book about Rizal that a hero means 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; and a man honored after death by public
worship because of exceptional service to mankind. The true heroes of Philippine history
deserve to be called so for they didn’t have any idea that one day they will be measured up,
they just acted upon their principles. The concept of honoring heroes came only to the
Philippines in 1900, when the Philippine Commission (Pardo de Tavera, Legarda, Luzurriaga
(Filipino members) and headed by William Howard Taft) approved Act No. 137 combining
the districts of Morong and Manila to be named as “Province of Rizal,” in honor of the most
illustrious Filipino. Actually, this Act was disputed by many but the basis of the Commission
was so strong that it has surpassed the public’s questions.

     Since then, heroes were celebrated here and there, citing their names in every politician’s
speeches, declaring holidays, naming streets, constructing monuments, etc. in their honor.
Until one day, realizing that so many names were acknowledged as heroes, need to evaluate
the situation was proposed. During Marcos’ presidency, he tasked the National Heroes
Commission to come up with the criteria for national hero. On March 28, 1993, thru the
President’s Executive Order No. 75, the National Heroes Committee was created,
commissioned to study, evaluate and recommend historical figures to be declared as
national heroes. The Committee composed of worthy members, with a series of discussions
came up with the new criteria.
      The criteria are composed of 10 standards which are the following:

Ø  the extent of a person’s sacrifices for the welfare of the country;

Ø  the motive and methods employed in the attainment of the ideal (was his ideal purely for
the welfare of the country and without any taint of self-interested motives, most of all the
method of attainment should be morally valid);

Ø  the moral character of the person concerned (the person should not have any immorality
issue that affected his ideal);

Ø  the influence of the person concerned on his age and or the succeeding age;

Ø  heroes are those who have a concept of nation and thereafter aspire and struggle for the
nation’s freedom (they must have desired the country’s freedom in any situation especially
when there’s a threat of invasion in any form);

Ø  heroes are those who define and contribute to a system of life of freedom and order for
a nation (one who helps in the orderliness and betterment of the country);

Ø  heroes are those who contribute to the quality of life and destiny of a nation;

Ø  a hero is part of the people’s expression (the citizen must have recognized and
acknowledged the person as a hero);

Ø  a hero thinks of the future, especially the future generations, his concern for the future
generations must be seen in his decisions and ideals); and

the choice of a hero involves not only the recounting of an episode or events in history, but
of the entire process that made this particular person a hero.

2. Dr. Jose Protacio Mercado Rizal Alonzo Y Realonda

 Doctor - completed his medical course in Spain and was conferred the degree
of Licentiate in Medicine by the Universidad Central de Madrid
 Jose - was chosen by his mother who was a devotee of the Christian saint San
Jose (St. Joseph)
 Protacio - from Gervacio P  which come from a Christian calendar
 Mercado - adopted in 1731 by Domigo Lamco  (the paternal great-great-
grandfather of Jose Rizal) which the Spanish term mercado means 'market' in English
 Rizal - from the word 'Ricial' in Spanish means a field where wheat, cut while still
green, sprouts again
 Alonzo -  old surname of his mother
 Y - and 
 Realonda - it was used by Dona Teodora from the surname of her godmother based
on the culture by that time
 June 19, 1861 - moonlit of Wednesday between eleven and midnight Jose Rizal was
born in the lakeshore town of Calamba, Laguna
 June 22, 1861 -  aged three days old, Rizal was baptized  in the Catholic church 
 Father Rufino Collantes - a Batangueno, the parish priest who baptized Rizal
 Father Pedro Casanas - Rizal's godfather, native of Calamba and close friend of the
Rizal family.
1. KEY CONCEPTS
th
1. 19   Century Setting in the World
 POLITICAL CONDITION

a. Modern imperialism brought changes in the c. Men fought for democracy

world.
          -with the growth of nationalism came the
Imperialism is the activity of a nation in struggle for democracy, for human rights and
extending its control and authority beyond its fundamental freedoms
territorial boundaries through acquisition of
new territories.           -nationalism and democracy were the
political ideals of the 19th century
 It also means the desire of a civilized nation to
rule over weak or “backward” people.  Examples:

Causes of imperialism: c.1. Citizens of France worked for  many laws

which advanced democracy
a. Gospel-religious reason
c.2. Democracy in England was established
b. Gold-economic reason through a series of reforms passed by the
Parliament
c. Glory-political reason
c.3. Australia introduced the secret ballot
Empires were built. system

-Colonizers were England, France, Germany, c.4. New Zealand also adopted the secret ballot
Italy, Belgium, Japan, Portugal, Russia, and system
USA.
c.5. In USA, American Civil War ended
-Colonies were South America, Africa, Asia, slavery 
and the Pacific Ocean.
b. Nations were struggling for nationalism. d. Democracy made slow progress in Spain,
Italy and Russia.
Nationalism is defined as a feeling of oneness
by a group of people who believe that they  It was even slower in the Philippines.
possess common traditions, culture, and
common ideals and goals. 

This feeling started with the American and

French Revolution.
 

ECONOMIC CONDITION

 The effects of the Industrial Revolution are      The effects of industrial       revolution were:
multifarious:     -shift from hand work to
machine work  1. Factories were established

-shift from domestic system to the factory 2. Thousands of people were employed
system
3. Commodities became cheaper
 It began in England in the 17th century then it
spread to the United States and much later to 4. Towns and cities grew
other countries of Europe, Asia, Latin
America, Australia and parts of America. 5. Migration was encouraged

  6. Improved means of  transportation and

communication

7. Increase in population came about

8. Nationalism was stimulated through modern

means of communication and transportation

9. Liberalism grew with the creation of a new

economic philosophy called the laissez-faire

10. Labor problems emerged like demands for

increased wages, shorter hours of work,
insurance benefits, wholesome working
conditions
 

SOCIAL CONDITION               RELIGIOUS CONDITION

The Industrial Revolution produced two classes a. Roman Catholic teachings continued to be
in the society: taught.

a. Bourgeoisie- the owners of the means of b. Protestantism was beginning to gain foothold
production like the machines and who worked in some parts of the world.
for profit not wages

 b. Proletariat- the working class who sells their

labor or services to the bourgeoisie
 

EDUCATIONAL CONDITION

a. Science became the servant of man: d. Nationalism was stressed in schools.

-Chemistry: atomic theory was formulated,  e. Karl Marx proposed the following:
radium was discovered
e.1. abolition of private property in land
-Medicine: Louis Pasteur discovered that germs
cause diseases in man and animals, Dr. Joseph e.2. centralization of all means of production in
Lister introduced antiseptics to prevent the hands of the state
infection
e.3. abolition of all rights of inheritance
 
b. Large sums of money were spent for public e.4. confiscation of the property of all emigrants
education. and rebels

e.5. universal and equal obligation to work

c. Higher education for women became an  
accepted principle.
 
 th
2. 19   Century Setting in Spain
 POLITICAL CONDITION

a. Spain was facing struggles for liberalism c. Spain implemented the union of the church
and the state.
    -liberals (constitutionalists) and conservatives
(reactionaries) fought bitterly

    -The liberals wanted to limit absolutism while

conservatives wanted to retain monarchy.
b. There was political instability in Spain. d. Spain granted colonial representation in the
Spanish Cortes.
 

ECONOMIC CONDITION

a. Mercantilism was implemented which b. The Laissez-faire policy was enacted which
restricted the foreign trade policy of Spain. limited government intervention to business
affairs.

 
 

SOCIAL CONDITION

a. The citizens of Spain fought for their human b. Racism was rampant.
rights.
 
    -right to life, liberty, and security of person
Racism is a general belief in Europe that the
    -freedom of thought, religion and expression white man is superior to one who is black or
brown.
    -freedom of assembly

    -right to own a property

    -the right to marry and found a family

 

RELIGIOUS CONDITION

a. Spaniards strongly believed on the doctrines b. Representatives of the various religious

of the Roman Catholic Church. orders such as the Augustinians, Dominicans,
Franciscans, and Jesuits were active in Spain.
a.1. The people practiced the passion. It is
written in verse and chanted during Lent which
depicted the life and passion of Jesus Christ.

a.2. The people also use the sign of the cross.

 
EDUCATIONAL CONDITION

a. The medium of instruction was the Spanish
language.
 b. The educational system consisted of
primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. 
c. The schools were run by the church since the
primary consideration was on religious
instruction.

th
3. 19   Century Setting in the Philippines
The first recorded sighting of the Philippines by Europeans was on March 16, 1521, during
Ferdinand Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe. Magellan landed on Cebu, claimed the
land for Charles I of Spain, and was killed one month later by a local chief. The Spanish
crown sent several expeditions to the archipelago during the next decades. Permanent
Spanish settlement was finally established in 1565 when Miguel López de Legazpi, the first
royal governor, arrived in Cebu from New Spain (Mexico). Six years later, after defeating a
local Muslim ruler, he established his capital at Manila, a location that offered the excellent
harbor of Manila Bay, a large population, and proximity to the ample food supplies of the
central Luzon rice lands. Manila remained the center of Spanish civil, military, religious, and
commercial activity in the islands. The islands were given their present name in honor of
Philip II of Spain, who reigned from 1556 to 1598.

 Spain had three objectives in its policy toward the Philippines, its only colony in Asia: to
acquire a share in the spice trade, to develop contacts with China and Japan in order to
further Christian missionary efforts there, and to convert the Filipinos to Christianity. Only
the third objective was eventually realized, and this not completely because of the active
resistance of both the Muslims in the south and the Igorot, the upland tribal peoples in the
north. Philip II explicitly ordered that pacification of the Philippines be bloodless, to avoid a
repetition of Spain's sanguinary conquests in the Americas. Occupation of the islands was
accomplished with relatively little bloodshed, partly because most of the population (except
the Muslims) offered little armed resistance initially.

 POLITICAL CONDITION

a. The Encomienda System was implemented to facilitate the collection of tributes from the
natives.

b. A Governor-general governs the entire country in behalf of the King of Spain. Since the
governor-general is the most powerful person in the colony, the following were given the
authority to check his gubernatorial powers:

 Royal Audiencia
 Residencia
 Visitador-general
 Archbishop and clergy
 Subordinate public officials and influential private citizens

c. The Provincial Government is composed of the:

c.1. province headed by the alcalde-mayor;

c.2. corregimientos under the politico-military governors;

c.3. town or pueblo governed by a gobernadorcillo; and

c.4. barangay led by a cabeza de barangay.

 ECONOMIC CONDITION

a. Tributes were collected in cash or in kind.

b. Polo or forced labor which refers to the arrangement wherein male Filipinos between 16
to 60 years of age rendered manual service to the government was strictly implemented in
the colony.

c. the encomienda system or the leasehold system became one of the main economic
programs of Spain in the Philippines. This system however, was abused by the Spaniards.
The 70-30 percentage crop sharing became the most abused practice to uneducated
farmers because it was usurious.

d. monopoly system or known as bandala system where the Spaniards monopolized the
buying and selling of raw materials and middlemen sold them at a higher cost.

e. The Galleon Trade was another economic activity at that time where “boletas” or tickets
were used to purchase goods from the ships though there were instances when ships never
returned due to typhoons or man-made accidents at sea.

 SOCIAL CONDITION

a. The Spaniards imposed the feudal system and created towns through reduccion.

b. The people in the Philippines were classified based on purity of blood:

 Espanoles with both Spanish parents

                   -peninsulares born in Spain

                   -insulares born in the colony

 mestizos/mestizas-children of an espanol and an indio or india

  Indios pertaining to the natives of the Philippines without Spanish or Chinese
ancestry

 RELIGIOUS CONDITION

a. The Spaniards propagated the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. The people
practiced the passion. It is written in verse and chanted during Lent which depicted the life
and passion of Jesus Christ.

b. Representatives of the various religious orders such as the Augustinians, Dominicans,

Franciscans, and Jesuits came to the Philippines.
 EDUCATIONAL CONDITION

a. Parochial schools were established for religious instructions.

b. Schools for boys and girls were separated.

c. In 1863, an Educational Decree introduced a public school system. It ordered the

establishment of elementary, secondary and collegiate levels the colony. It further ordered
the use of Spanish language as the medium of instruction.

 In summary, 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.

19th Century Setting

After absorbing these lessons, you should be able to:

1. describe precisely the situation of the Philippines, Spain and the world during the time of
Jose Rizal; and

2. show your appreciation of the things that Jose Rizal did while he was alive to help the
Philippines achieve a better situation by explaining the relevance of the political, economic,
social, religious and educational condition of our country to the struggles of Jose Rizal.
1. KEY CONCEPTS
th
1. 19   Century Setting in the World
 POLITICAL CONDITION

a. Modern imperialism brought changes in the c. Men fought for democracy

world.
          -with the growth of nationalism came the
Imperialism is the activity of a nation in struggle for democracy, for human rights and
extending its control and authority beyond its fundamental freedoms
territorial boundaries through acquisition of
new territories.           -nationalism and democracy were the
political ideals of the 19th century
 It also means the desire of a civilized nation to
rule over weak or “backward” people.  Examples:

Causes of imperialism: c.1. Citizens of France worked for  many laws

which advanced democracy
a. Gospel-religious reason
c.2. Democracy in England was established
b. Gold-economic reason through a series of reforms passed by the
Parliament
c. Glory-political reason
c.3. Australia introduced the secret ballot
Empires were built. system

-Colonizers were England, France, Germany, c.4. New Zealand also adopted the secret ballot
Italy, Belgium, Japan, Portugal, Russia, and system
USA.
c.5. In USA, American Civil War ended
-Colonies were South America, Africa, Asia, slavery 
and the Pacific Ocean.
b. Nations were struggling for nationalism. d. Democracy made slow progress in Spain,
Italy and Russia.
Nationalism is defined as a feeling of oneness
by a group of people who believe that they  It was even slower in the Philippines.
possess common traditions, culture, and
common ideals and goals. 

This feeling started with the American and

French Revolution.
 

ECONOMIC CONDITION

 The effects of the Industrial Revolution are      The effects of industrial       revolution were:
multifarious:     -shift from hand work to
machine work  1. Factories were established

-shift from domestic system to the factory 2. Thousands of people were employed
system
3. Commodities became cheaper
 It began in England in the 17th century then it
spread to the United States and much later to 4. Towns and cities grew
other countries of Europe, Asia, Latin
America, Australia and parts of America. 5. Migration was encouraged

  6. Improved means of  transportation and

communication

7. Increase in population came about

8. Nationalism was stimulated through modern

means of communication and transportation

9. Liberalism grew with the creation of a new

economic philosophy called the laissez-faire

10. Labor problems emerged like demands for

increased wages, shorter hours of work,
insurance benefits, wholesome working
conditions
 

SOCIAL CONDITION               RELIGIOUS CONDITION

The Industrial Revolution produced two classes a. Roman Catholic teachings continued to be
in the society: taught.

a. Bourgeoisie- the owners of the means of b. Protestantism was beginning to gain foothold
production like the machines and who worked in some parts of the world.
for profit not wages

 b. Proletariat- the working class who sells their

labor or services to the bourgeoisie
 

EDUCATIONAL CONDITION

a. Science became the servant of man: d. Nationalism was stressed in schools.

-Chemistry: atomic theory was formulated,  e. Karl Marx proposed the following:
radium was discovered
e.1. abolition of private property in land
-Medicine: Louis Pasteur discovered that germs
cause diseases in man and animals, Dr. Joseph e.2. centralization of all means of production in
Lister introduced antiseptics to prevent the hands of the state
infection
e.3. abolition of all rights of inheritance
 
b. Large sums of money were spent for public e.4. confiscation of the property of all emigrants
education. and rebels

e.5. universal and equal obligation to work

c. Higher education for women became an  
accepted principle.
 
 th
2. 19   Century Setting in Spain
 POLITICAL CONDITION

a. Spain was facing struggles for liberalism c. Spain implemented the union of the church
and the state.
    -liberals (constitutionalists) and conservatives
(reactionaries) fought bitterly

    -The liberals wanted to limit absolutism while

conservatives wanted to retain monarchy.
b. There was political instability in Spain. d. Spain granted colonial representation in the
Spanish Cortes.
 

ECONOMIC CONDITION

a. Mercantilism was implemented which b. The Laissez-faire policy was enacted which
restricted the foreign trade policy of Spain. limited government intervention to business
affairs.

 
 

SOCIAL CONDITION

a. The citizens of Spain fought for their human b. Racism was rampant.
rights.
 
    -right to life, liberty, and security of person
Racism is a general belief in Europe that the
    -freedom of thought, religion and expression white man is superior to one who is black or
brown.
    -freedom of assembly

    -right to own a property

    -the right to marry and found a family

 

RELIGIOUS CONDITION

a. Spaniards strongly believed on the doctrines b. Representatives of the various religious

of the Roman Catholic Church. orders such as the Augustinians, Dominicans,
Franciscans, and Jesuits were active in Spain.
a.1. The people practiced the passion. It is
written in verse and chanted during Lent which
depicted the life and passion of Jesus Christ.

a.2. The people also use the sign of the cross.

 
EDUCATIONAL CONDITION

a. The medium of instruction was the Spanish
language.
 b. The educational system consisted of
primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. 
c. The schools were run by the church since the
primary consideration was on religious
instruction.

th
3. 19   Century Setting in the Philippines
The first recorded sighting of the Philippines by Europeans was on March 16, 1521, during
Ferdinand Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe. Magellan landed on Cebu, claimed the
land for Charles I of Spain, and was killed one month later by a local chief. The Spanish
crown sent several expeditions to the archipelago during the next decades. Permanent
Spanish settlement was finally established in 1565 when Miguel López de Legazpi, the first
royal governor, arrived in Cebu from New Spain (Mexico). Six years later, after defeating a
local Muslim ruler, he established his capital at Manila, a location that offered the excellent
harbor of Manila Bay, a large population, and proximity to the ample food supplies of the
central Luzon rice lands. Manila remained the center of Spanish civil, military, religious, and
commercial activity in the islands. The islands were given their present name in honor of
Philip II of Spain, who reigned from 1556 to 1598.

 Spain had three objectives in its policy toward the Philippines, its only colony in Asia: to
acquire a share in the spice trade, to develop contacts with China and Japan in order to
further Christian missionary efforts there, and to convert the Filipinos to Christianity. Only
the third objective was eventually realized, and this not completely because of the active
resistance of both the Muslims in the south and the Igorot, the upland tribal peoples in the
north. Philip II explicitly ordered that pacification of the Philippines be bloodless, to avoid a
repetition of Spain's sanguinary conquests in the Americas. Occupation of the islands was
accomplished with relatively little bloodshed, partly because most of the population (except
the Muslims) offered little armed resistance initially.

 POLITICAL CONDITION

a. The Encomienda System was implemented to facilitate the collection of tributes from the
natives.

b. A Governor-general governs the entire country in behalf of the King of Spain. Since the
governor-general is the most powerful person in the colony, the following were given the
authority to check his gubernatorial powers:

 Royal Audiencia
 Residencia
 Visitador-general
 Archbishop and clergy
 Subordinate public officials and influential private citizens

c. The Provincial Government is composed of the:

c.1. province headed by the alcalde-mayor;

c.2. corregimientos under the politico-military governors;

c.3. town or pueblo governed by a gobernadorcillo; and

c.4. barangay led by a cabeza de barangay.

 ECONOMIC CONDITION

a. Tributes were collected in cash or in kind.

b. Polo or forced labor which refers to the arrangement wherein male Filipinos between 16
to 60 years of age rendered manual service to the government was strictly implemented in
the colony.

c. the encomienda system or the leasehold system became one of the main economic
programs of Spain in the Philippines. This system however, was abused by the Spaniards.
The 70-30 percentage crop sharing became the most abused practice to uneducated
farmers because it was usurious.

d. monopoly system or known as bandala system where the Spaniards monopolized the
buying and selling of raw materials and middlemen sold them at a higher cost.

e. The Galleon Trade was another economic activity at that time where “boletas” or tickets
were used to purchase goods from the ships though there were instances when ships never
returned due to typhoons or man-made accidents at sea.

 SOCIAL CONDITION

a. The Spaniards imposed the feudal system and created towns through reduccion.

b. The people in the Philippines were classified based on purity of blood:

 Espanoles with both Spanish parents

                   -peninsulares born in Spain

                   -insulares born in the colony

 mestizos/mestizas-children of an espanol and an indio or india

  Indios pertaining to the natives of the Philippines without Spanish or Chinese
ancestry

 RELIGIOUS CONDITION

a. The Spaniards propagated the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. The people
practiced the passion. It is written in verse and chanted during Lent which depicted the life
and passion of Jesus Christ.

b. Representatives of the various religious orders such as the Augustinians, Dominicans,

Franciscans, and Jesuits came to the Philippines.
 EDUCATIONAL CONDITION

a. Parochial schools were established for religious instructions.

b. Schools for boys and girls were separated.

c. In 1863, an Educational Decree introduced a public school system. It ordered the

establishment of elementary, secondary and collegiate levels the colony. It further ordered
the use of Spanish language as the medium of instruction.

 In summary, 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.

1. KEY CONCEPTS

1. Parents and Siblings:

Jose Rizal was born in Calamba, Laguna in the Philippines on June of 1861 and was named
Jose Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda. Jose's family lived on rented property that
was owned by a religious order from Dominica, which made them a family of wealthy
farmers. Although the family were descendants of a Chinese immigrant, the family began
using Mercado as their last name in order to hide their family background because of
sentiments against the Chinese at the time. His was Francisco Mercado Rizal while his
mother was Teodora Alonso Realonda. Francisco and Teodora were blessed with 11 children
namely:
1. Saturnina                                7. Jose

2. Paciano                                  8. Concepcion

3. Narcisa                                   9. Josefa

4. Olimpia                                  10. Trinidad

5. Lucia                                      11. Soledad

6. Maria

          Many historians claim that the family of Jose Rizal belonged to the middle class level
because of the following indicators:

 their house was large and made of stone;

 they owned a carriage;
 they have a private library; and
 they sent their children to Manila to study.

  2. Rizal’s Education
Even as a young child, Jose showed that he had superior intelligence. He was reciting the
alphabet by the age of three and was able to read and write by the age of five. Jose
graduated high school with the highest honors at the age of 16. He concentrated his studies
in land surveying.

After leaving high school he further pursued his training in land surveying and completed
training in 1877. He passed the exam to get his license in this field on May of 1878.
However, he was unable to receive the license because he was just 17 and thus under aged
at the time. He was not given the license until he came of age in 1881.

When Jose could not get his license, he decided to take classes and become a medical
student at the University of Santo Tomas. However, he did not stay in attendance for very
long at this school because he said that the Dominican instructors were being
discriminatory of Filipino students.

After dropping out and receiving his license as a land surveyor, Jose went to Madrid and
enrolled in the Central University of Madrid in May of 1882. At the age of 23, he graduated
with a medical degree. The year after he graduated with his medical degree he obtained a
degree from the department of Philosophy and Letters. Rizal went back to school once
again to advance his knowledge in the field of ophthalmology. He studied in Paris and
Germany and completed another doctorate degree in Heidelberg in 1887.

3. TRAVELS AND ASPIRATIONS

FIRST TRAVEL ABROAD:

1. Singapore                              

2. Colombo, Ceylon (Sri Lanka)     

3. Suez Canal                             
4. Naples and Marseilles, Italy

5. Barcelona, Spain: he wrote Amor Patrio (Love of Country)

6. Madrid, Spain: continued his studies in medicine

7. Paris, France: to specialize in ophthalmology

8. Heidelberg, Germany: he wrote the poem “To the Flowers of Heidelberg”

9. Leipzig and Dresden, Germany

Ø  attended some lectures in history and psychology

Ø  translated the books: William Tell, Fairy Tales

Ø  edited some chapters of his second novel

10. Berlin, Germany

Ø  to gain further knowledge in ophthalmology

Ø  to further his studies of sciences and languages

Ø  to observe the economic and political conditions of the German nation

Ø  to associate with famous German scientists and scholars

Ø  to publish his novel, Noli Me Tangere

11. Grand tour of Europe

a. Dresden                                           g. Munich, Germany

b. Teschen (Decin, Czechoslovakia)                    h. Rheinfall, Germany

c. Leitmeritz, Bohemia                            i. Switzerland

d. Prague                                             j. Italy

e. Vienna, Austria                                  k. Rome

f. Lintz

12. Philippines (First Homecoming)

Ø  To operate on his mother’s eyes

Ø  To serve his people who had long been oppressed by Spanish tyrants

Ø  To find out for himself how the Noli and his other writings were affecting Filipinos and
Spaniards in the Philippines
Ø  To inquire why Leonor Rivera remained silent       

SECOND TRAVEL ABROAD

1. Hongkong

2. Japan

3. United States of America: observed that racial discrimination is prevalent by the white
Americans against Negroes and Chinese people

4. London

·         to improve his knowledge of the English language

·         to study and annotate Morga’s Sucesos de alas Islas Filipinas

·         London was a safe place for him to carry on his fight against Spanish tyranny

5. Paris, France

-published his annotated edition of Morga’s Sucesos

-founded three Filipino societies (Kidlat Club, Indios Bravos, R.D.L.M.)

-wrote many essays

6. Brussels, Belgium

·         continued writing the El Filibusterismo

·         wrote articles for the La Solidaridad

7. Madrid, Spain: to seek justice for his family and the Calamba tenants

8. Biarritz, French Riviera: to finish the last chapter of his second novel

9. Paris, France

10. Brussels, Belgium

11. Ghent, Belgium: to publish his second novel

12. Hongkong

·         to be near his family

·         to practice ophthalmology

13. Manila, Philippines (Second Homecoming)

-to confer with Governor Despujol regarding his Borneo colonization project
-to establish the La Liga Filipina in Manila

-to prove that Eduardo de Lete was wrong in attacking him in Madrid

 THIRD TRAVEL ABROAD:

1. Dapitan, Zamboanga to Manila

2. Singapore

3. Barcelona, Spain

4. Manila, Philippines (Third Homecoming)

 4.  Rizal’s Exile, Trial and Execution

Rizal eventually was exiled for his writings which called for reform in Spain. However, he
returned to the Philippines in 1892 where he promptly faced accusations of being there to
start a rebellion.

 He was sent in exile to an island (Dapitan) where he taught for approximately four
years.
 It was during this time that he met a girl named Josephine Bracken. They requested a
license to marry, but because of his troubles with the church they were denied.
 In 1896, revolt for Spanish reform was out of hand and Rizal opposed the violence
openly.
 He decided to visit Cuba and was granted permission to do so. On the way to Cuba
he was detained and thrown into jail. He was tried by the courts and charged with
the crimes of conspiracy, rebellion, and sedition.
 Despite denying the charges vehemently he was sentenced to death. Approximately
two hours prior to being executed, he was allegedly permitted to marry Josephine.
 On December 30, 1896, he was shot by a firing squad at the age of 35.

 5. Rizal as a Genius

          Filipinos and foreigners alike have paid tribute to Jose Rizal claiming that his place of
honor in history is secure. It was his Austrian bosom friend, Professor Ferdinand Blumentritt,
rector of the Imperial Atheneum of Leitmeritz, who said “Rizal was the greatest product of
the Philippines and his coming to the world was like the appearance of a rare comet, whose
rare brilliance appears only every other century.” Another German friend, Dr. Adolf B. Meyer,
director of the Dresden Museum who admired his all-around knowledge and ability,
remarked “Rizal’s many-sidedness was stupendous.” Our own Dr. Camilo Osias pointed to
him as the “versatile genius.” Here are the many skills or talents of Jose Rizal:

prophet naturalist       bibliophile historian

magician engineer        linguist dramatist      
sportsman surveyor musician essayist        
inventor        economist architect        novelist
philologist educator sculptor poet  
archeologist   translator painter physician      
 
6. Rizal as a Lover

          It can only be with true passion that one can conquer and accomplish what Filipino
hero Jose Rizal had in his thirty-five-year life. He stopped at nothing when it came to
expressing his love not just for his country but also his women. His travels across the
Philippines and the world swayed him into multifarious relationships that colored almost
half his life. There are nine women on record. It’s not to say that all those relationships were
serious, but he did pursue when he wanted to pursue, cared, at least, and displayed his
attentiveness and charm unapologetically.

He documented his affairs, too, using his much-praised grandiloquence. And based on
those documents, let’s just say the man is a high-hiiigh-level bolero. And he wrote them
letters (a dying art, so forgive us waxing poetic about it). And let’s not forget he almost
fought in a duel with the Filipino army general Antonio Luna, when a drunk Luna made
nasty comments about a girl named Nellie Boustead. He was grand when he needed to be,
and smooth without trying; an expert playboy—or lover—if you will. Could he be the
original GOAT?

But amidst the flirting, he was a big believer that women should be empowered. This was
evident in his essay, “To the Young Women of Malolos,” which he wrote for the 20 women
of Bulacan who fought to have a night school so they could study Spanish.

He wrote, in part, “No longer does the Filipina stand with her head bowed nor does she
spend her time on her knees, because she is quickened by hope in the future; no longer will
the mother contribute to keeping her daughter in darkness and bring her up in contempt
and moral annihilation.  And no longer will the science of all sciences consist in blind
submission to any unjust order, or in extreme complacency, nor will a courteous smile be
deemed the only weapon against insult or humble tears the ineffable panacea for all
tribulations.”

A supporter of women empowerment—who has that swagger? It’s not so hard to imagine
anyone flirting back after he inks his first sentence. As proof of his “ways,” here are the
recorded women of Dr. Jose Rizal:

Segunda Katigbak (Philippines)                 Gertrude Beckett (London)

Leonor Valenzuela (Philippines)                Suzanne Jacoby   (Belgium)

Leonor Rivera       (Philippines)                Nellie Boustead    (France)

Consuelo Ortiga     (Spain)                      Josephine Bracken (Philippines)

Seiko Usui            (Japan)

1. JOSE RIZAL'S MORAL LEGACIES FOR DAILY LIVING

LESSON 4. JOSE RIZAL’S MORAL LEGACIES FOR OUR DAILY LIFE

A. LEARNING OUTCOMES:

After engaging in each topic, you should be able to:

1. define in your own words the meaning of the moral legacies of Jose Rizal;

2. correctly illuminate how our national hero portrayed or exhibited these moral legacies
when he was alive; and

3. relate the importance of these moral legacies in our daily living.

B. KEY CONCEPTS:

MEANING OF THESE MORAL LEGACIES:

1. Love of God: it is associated with the concept of worship and devotion towards God

2. Purity and Idealism: Purity means lack of guilt or evil thoughts; Idealism refers to the
attitude of a person who believes that it is possible to live according to very high standards
of behaviour and honesty

3. Noble Conduct: having or showing pure thoughts and clean behaviour

4. Love of fellowmen: showing care or concern towards other people in one’s nation

5. Love of parents: the unconditional care or affection bestowed by mothers or fathers to

their children

6. Charity: benevolent goodwill towards other people

7. Love of country: showing concern, respect, or loyalty to your homeland

8. Courage: the ability to do something that you know is difficult or dangerous

9. Will-power: control exerted to do something or restrain impulses

10. Honesty: the ability to act and speak truthfully

11. Devotion to truth: it is a feeling of strong or constant regard and dedication to facts or
truth

12. Self-sacrifice: the act of enduring pain or denying one’s happiness to achieve something

13. Fortitude: the strength of mind that enables a person to endure pain or hardship

14. Serenity: the quality of being calm or peaceful

15. Self-control: the ability to control one’s emotions in a given situation

16. Initiative: the ability to do something even without an order or command

17. Tolerance: the capacity to endure what is difficult or disagreeable without complaining

18. Prudence: the quality of rendering good or wise decisions or judgments

19. Obedience: complying to one’s order or bending to the authority of another

20. Courtesy and Politeness: Courtesy is being graceful and considerate towards other
people Politeness is the quality of being well-bred

21. Thrift: the virtue of being economical on the use of materials, money, time and other
resources

22. Gratitude: the act of acknowledging receiving something that is good from another

23. Love for Justice: the moral habit by which a man gives to another what is due to him

24. Living by Example: the act of being a role model

Moral Legacies HOW JOSE RIZAL SHOWED OR EXHIBITED HIS MORAL

LEGACIES?

 
1. Love of God He showed his love for the Almighty God by:

 Carving a statue in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at the Ateneo de

Manila when he was just 14. There was something unique and dynamic
in Rizal’s representation of the Heart of Jesus: Our Lord’s chest
emptied and the Sacred Heart in His fist. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is
not a symbol but a true heart that loved and continues to love
humankind. “And the Word was made Flesh,” assumed a human heart,
“and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).
 Regularly attending masses in the Dapitan church during his exile
because he never lost faith in God.
 In his struggle for his country’s freedom, Rizal called on his
countrymen to place their confidence in God.

 
2. Purity  Another virtue of Rizal worth emulating was his insistence in purity of
thoughts and clean behaviour.
and Idealism  In his famous El Filibusterismo, a Decalogue for the Political
Redemption and Human Dignification of the Filipinos, Father
Florentino softly pressed the challenge to perfection of character traits
on the dying Simoun who used his ill-gotten wealth to destroy the
Philippine society in working woes, distorting justice, and fomenting
avarice.
 “Pure and spotless must the victim be that sacrifice may be
acceptable.”

 
3. Noble  Do good always.
conduct  Rizal exhorted mothers to teach their children love for honour, sincere,
and firm character, clear mind, clean conduct, noble action, love for
one’s fellowmen and respect for God.
 During his exile in Dapitan, he impressed the value of good character
 among the pupils he taught.

 
4. Love of He showed his love for his fellowmen by:
fellowmen
 Thinking well of his fellowmen.
 Rizal reminded her sister, “Do not try to have the best thing for
yourself. Do the best for others.”
 When his parents were worried because of a disquieting news about
him in Dapitan, Rizal said, “Let us not be hasty in our judgement, but
let us think well of our fellowmen.”

 
5. Love of He showed his love for his parents when:
parents
  A week after their classes started in Madrid, Rizal wrote to his mother,
“I beg my beloved parents to always bless their son who never forgets
the sacrifices that they do for him nor the benefits he owes to them. I
trust within a short time to have the pleasure of embracing them and
never separate from them again, live with them, help them with
everything and contribute to the common welfare.”

6. Charity Rizal said “I feel happy when I can give joy to somebody”. He showed charity
by:

 Teaching Latin to many boys in Calamba, Laguna during summer

vacations when he was a student in the University of Sto. Thomas;
 Teaching several subjects including good manners and right conduct to
a number of boys during his exile in Dapitan.
 Performing medical services even when the patients cannot afford to
pay for them when he returned in Calamba on August, 1887.
 Constructing little hospitals and giving away medicines free during his
exile.

 
7. Love of He showed his love for his country by:
country
 Dreaming for his country’s prosperity
 Dedicating his whole life in securing freedom for his country and
happiness for his people
 Practicing patriotism
 In his last testament, a nationalistic message was: “I have always loved
my poor country and I am sure that I shall love her until my last
moments.”

 
8. Courage  He said, “If I’m to be condemned for desiring the welfare of my
country, condemn me.”
 Knowing the dangers that may befall upon him, he still continued to
resist the colonizers and fought for our country.
 He actively exhorted his friends towards nationalism upon his return on
1891. He pointed out to these that the battlefield for reforms was the
Philippines itself.

 
9. Will-power  Spain had adopted a policy of implanting an inferiority complex among
 the Filipinos the better to govern them but Rizal did not accept the
belief that his people were irredeemable. This shows his will-power to
resist the restrains of the Spaniards.
 He had a clear vision of what to do to make his people happy and he
exerted his best to accomplish this objective.

 
10. Honesty  Rizal’s honesty was the result of his constant love and search for truth.
 As he wrote the two novels he was attempting to unmask the cancer
that prevailed in his beloved homeland. The novel attacks not only the
friar control over the land and the vices that came with it but some
rather brutally honest depictions of the lives of average Filipinos.
 In his relationship with the flagship propaganda organ La Solidaridad.
His moral compass led him to insist that the "propaganda" be as factual
and free of bias as was possible. He encouraged the writers to stop
using pen names but their own so that people could judge their writings
with a real and not imagined author.

 
11. Devotion to  “It is not good to hide the truth.”
truth  Wanting to get at the cause of his people’s backwardness, Rizal made
intensive studies and carried on extensive observations on the progress
of nations.

 
12. Self-sacrifice  “My ambition is not to win honours.”
 As a leader, Rizal was transformational, charismatic, visionary, and
most importantly, incorruptible.  He displayed a kind of leadership that
was not motivated by personal interest but the willingness to sacrifice
oneself for the good of the majority which he described in his novels as
the national sentiment.
 He believed that light is the most beautiful thing there is in creation and
that it is worthy for a man to sacrifice life for it. He told Father Pablo
Pastels in Dapitan, “I have catch a glimpse of light and I believe that it
is my duty to teach it to my countrymen.”
 After 5 years of absence in the Philippines from May, 1882 to July,
1887, Rizal came home eager to initiate some changes and anxious to
apply some of the things he had observed in the countries he had
visited. He endured to be away from his family just to seek for
solutions to make his town mates hardworking and practical like
Germans.

 
13. Fortitude  “Do not fear that some may fall.”
 Rizal’s family property was confiscated, his brother-in-law was exiled,
and there were untold suffering of his parents. He saw his people’s
continued enslavement and the slow death of his country but this did
not stop him to fight for his country. Instead, he used this reasons to
work harder.

 
14. Serenity  “It is necessary that there be serenity of spirit.”
 Serenity of spirit stems from strong personal discipline. Rizal related a
conversation between a school teacher and Crisostomo Ibarra wanted
to know the problems of learning and teaching. When asked by Ibarra
about his problems, the teacher spoke against corporal punishment
 inflicted on the pupils.

 
15. Self-control  Rizal showed much self-control his lifetime. During his student days in
Madrid, he manifested self-control. Once he visited the house of the
Paterno brothers (Antonio, Maximo and Pedro). They showed him their
house and Rizal was thankful for their hospitality. When Pedro
proposed that Rizal exhibit the pictures he had, he refused.

 
16. Initiative  “The Greatness of a Man is in Guiding the People in its Forward Way”
 Rizal showed initiative to secure freedom for his country and for his
people. He led several activities to fight for our country’s freedom.

 
17. Tolerance  He forgave lieutenant Porta for lashing him on the back.
 He asked the soldiers to shoot him through his heart but they said that
they should shoot him at the back, Rizal said, “Shoot me the way you
want then.”

 
18. Prudence  In one of his writings, he said: “People and government are correlated
and complementary, an aimless government would be an anomaly
among a righteous people, just as corrupt people cannot exist under just
rulers and wise laws. Whatever social and political environments we
are in are products of men’s deliberate choice.”
 As Rizal emphasized: “There are no tyrants where there are no slaves.”

 
19. Obedience  Even in his lonely exile in Dapitan, he himself never forgot to report to
the military commander and civil administrator of Dapitan, Juan Sitges,
three times a day and thus demonstrated obedience.

 
20. Courtesy and  Rizal studied at Biñan, the teacher asked him: "Do you know Spanish?"
Politeness "A little, sir," replied the Calamba lad. "Do you know Latin?" "A little,
sir."
 During the early days of November, 1893 Rizal was living peacefully
and happily at his house in Talisay when suddenly jolted by a strange
incident involving a spy of the friars. The  spy  with the  assumed name
of  “Pablo Mercado” and posing as a relative, secretly  visited  Rizal at
his  house  on  the  night  of  November  3,  1893.  He introduced
himself as a friend and a relative, showing a photo of Rizal and a pair
of buttons with the initials “P.M.”(Pablo Mercado) as evidence of his
kinship with the Rizal family. In the course of their conversation the
strange visitor offered his services as a confidential courier of Rizal’s
letter and writings for the patriots in Manila. Rizal became suspicious.
Irked by  the  impostor’s  lies,  he  wanted  to throw him out of the
house, but  mindful of his duty as  a host and considering the late  hour
of  the night  and the heavy rainfall, he  hospitably invited the
unwanted visitor to stay at his house for the night. And early the next
day, he sent him away.

 
21. Thrift  Rizal practiced the habit of thrift when he was a student in Madrid,
Spain he would have his shoes repaired instead of buying new ones.
 Now and then he economized in food expenses.
 When the Paterno brothers wanted him to join the Ateneo de Madrid
Society, a cultural society, he turned down the suggestion saying, “I
find the dues a little exorbitant”.

 
22. Gratitude  Once he visited the house of the Paterno brothers (Antonio, Maximo
and Pedro). They showed him their house and Rizal was thankful for
their hospitality.
 He gave the galley proofs of the novel to Maximo Viola to show his
gratitude for helping him publish his first novel, Noli me Tangere.

 
23. Love for  “Let Us Be Just”
justice  Rizal fought hard for justice not only for himself and his family but
also for his people.
 A close study of Rizal’s novels reveals how he stressed the importance
of national sentiment as essential in guarding society against all kinds
of injustices, and bringing about social change. In a scene in the novel
where Isagani expressed his desire to help the students establish an
institute for the instruction of Spanish, Pasta expressed his surprise as
Isagani had already mastered the language.  When Pasta made it clear
to Isagani that he was unwilling to help his noble cause for education
and even dissuaded him from pushing through with his plans, Isagani
remarked:  “When I have gray hairs like those, sir, and turn my gaze
back over my past and see that I have worked only for myself, without
having done for the country that has given me everything, for the
citizens who have helped me live – then, sir, every gray hair will be a
thorn, and instead of rejoicing, they will shame me!”

 
24. Living by  “Gladly I Depart to Expose Myself to Danger to Confirm with My
example Example What I have Always Preached”
 Once, Rizal was offered P100, 000, a huge amount that time, apart
from a professorial chair at a university and an estate of his own if only
he would renounce his two novels, Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo.  Rizal showed he was made of strong moral fibre for he
was not tempted by these bribes, giving up his personal happiness for
the welfare of his countrymen.

EDUCATIONAL LEGACIES OF JOSE RIZAL

1. JOSE RIZAL'S EDUCATIONAL LEGACIES

LESSON 5: EDUCATIONAL LEGACIES OF JOSE RIZAL

A. LEARNING OUTCOMES:

After absorbing these lessons, you should be able to:

1. explicate the meaning of the different educational legacies of Jose Rizal;

2. correctly illuminate how our national hero portrayed or exhibited these educational
legacies when he was alive; and

3. relate the importance of these educational legacies in our daily living.

B. KEY CONCEPTS:

EDUCATIONAL LEGACIES:

1. The right to education is a fundamental human right.

It means that no one should be deprived to be educated. Everyone should have the right to
learn things and that everyone has the freedom to attend school. No one should stop
someone on going to school and learning things. 

2. Rizal’s supreme aspiration is for the Filipinos to be educated.

Rizal wished that every Filipino will be educated so that we will not be abused by the foreign
countries for knowing nothing just like the old days. He wants us to be educated in order to
know how to defend our country just like how he did. Because he knew that there are things
that are easily expressed with the use of violence but this will never surpass the knowledge
of words.

3. Rizal believed that it is the duty of men to seek their own perfection.

Rizal exhorted that seeking our own perfection is a duty imposed by God as the Holy Bible
tells us, “Be perfect as Thy Heavenly Father is perfect.” It means that we should follow the
teachings and actions of God. He believed that if a man is not perfect then he is capable of
being perfect. Perfection in virtue is a condition of our union with God.       

4. Man works for a purpose.

It means that there is a purpose in everything we do. We work because there is a reason
behind it. We do things for something or someone we love. The reason can either be
personal or not.

5. Rizal believed that education has values or importance.

Rizal always considered education as a medicine or something that could cure the problems
of Colonial Philippines. He believed in education that is free from political and religious
control. He asserted that reform cannot be achieved if there is no suitable education, a
liberal one available to Filipinos.

6. Rizal wanted the Filipinos to be brilliant, enlightened, intelligent, and progressive.

Rizal wants us to have strength in mind in meeting and enduring pain. We should learn how
to understand the things happening around us and learn to adapt to survive. We should be
intelligent in making solutions to our and the country’s problem for our nation to progress.

7. According to Rizal, redemption is impossible without virtue.

It means that perfection in virtue is a condition of our union with God. We should accept
that whatever we possessed is what we owe to God who has planned duty for us. We
cannot be saved without bravery, courage, and without our good morals.

8. Rizal asked the mothers to raise their children close to the image of a true God.

It means that mothers should prepare to awaken the minds of their children and prepare it
for a good desirable idea. He wants the mothers to teach their children to always do well.
He wants them to be in good conduct, have a clear conscience and upright thinking.

9. Rizal believed that Filipinos should be educated in intelligence and heart for them
to live a worthy life.

Rizal believed that a man is serene if he has an unruffled mind. The mind and the heart
should not overpower one another, they should be united instead. A united mind and heart
will lead to a less stressful life; there will be no internal conflict.

10. Rizal emphasized that teachers should be better than their students.

Great teachers have the ability to change lives better. Teachers should know better than
their students in order for them to teach effectively. Effective teaching is a great factor
contributing to a student’s achievement.    

11. Studying should be full of love and joy

We should enjoy learning and we should love it so that it will be manifested in us. We
should love it because it is a treasure that no one can steal from us. It is an illustrated
excursion into the minds of the noble and the learned.

12. Rizal believed that teachers should improve themselves professionally.

Teachers should improve themselves professionally in order to produce effective teaching.

Improved teachers mean that they can produce a higher standard of education and a
different level of learning.

13. RIZAL BELIEVED THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS THE FOLLOWING ROLES IN
RELATION TO EDUCATION:  

Ø  Rizal asked the government to solve the problems of education

Ø  Rizal believed that the school is the basis of society

Ø  Rizal wished the education of the masses

Ø  Rizal battled for primary education

Ø  Rizal advocated vocational education

Ø  Rizal believed in the usefulness of science

Ø  Rizal believed in academic freedom

Ø  Rizal emphasized the great importance of personal discipline

Ø  Rizal pointed to the need of fulfilling our duties as citizens of the Philippines

Ø  Love of country should be taught

Ø  Rizal believed in man’s duty to respect the rights of others

Ø  Rizal would stimulate arts and letters

Ø  Rizal believed in an education that meets the demands of modern times

Ø  Rizal championed the right of teachers to a better pay

Ø  Rizal practiced a work-oriented type of education

INTELLECTUAL LEGACIES OF JOSE RIZAL IN HIS POEMS

1. INTELLECTUAL LEGACIES OF JOSE RIZAL IN HIS POEMS

LESSON 6: INTELLECTUAL LEGACIES OF JOSE RIZAL IN HIS POEMS

A. LEARNING OUTCOMES:

After engaging in this lesson, you should be able to:

1. read in detail the poems of Jose Rizal;

2. cull out the principles embodied in these poems; and

3. give ways on how we can apply these principles in our life.

B. KEY CONCEPTS:

1. SA AKING MGA KABATA

Kapagka ang baya’y sadyang umiibig

Sa langit salitang kaloob ng langit

Sanlang kalayaan nasa ring masapi

Katulad ng ibong nasa himpapawid

This first stanza in Rizal's poem shows that long before he sprouted the first fruits of his
youth, he had already placed distinguished value in the importance of one's mother
tongue.  According to these verses, if a nation's people wholeheartedly embrace and love
their native language, that nation will also surely pursue liberty.  He likens this idea to a bird
soaring freely in the vast, eternal sky above.

Pagka’t ang salita’y isang kahatulan

Sa bayan, sa nayo't mga kaharian

At ang isang tao’y katulad, kabagay

Ng alin mang likha noong kalayaan.

Language here is likened to a people born into freedom.  In Rizal's time, Filipinos were held
in slavery by Spain.  Rizal, however, believed that if the people treasured and loved and used
their mother tongue, it would become a symbol of relative freedom, and of identity.

Ang hindi magmahal sa kanyang salita

Mahigit sa hayop at malansang isda

Kaya ang marapat pagyamanin kusa

Na tulad sa inang tunay na nagpala

It is here in these lines of verse that we find Rizal's famous quote: "He who does not love his
own language is worse than an animal and smelly fish."  He further adds that Filipinos must
work to make the language richer, and likens this endeavor to a mother feeding her young. 
The native tongue is now compared to a helpless child that must be nurtured in order to
grow and flourish.

Ang wikang Tagalog tulad din sa Latin,

Sa Ingles, Kastila, at salitang anghel,

Sapagkat ang Poong maalam tumingin

Ang siyang naggagawad, nagbibigay sa atin.

The Tagalog language is, according to these lines, equal in rank to Latin, English, Spanish,
and even the language of the angels.  It is not inferior to any other language, nor must it be
considered so.  It is God who has bestowed upon the Filipinos this gift, just as He has
blessed the other nations and lands with their native tongues.

Ang salita nati’y tulad din sa iba

Na may alfabeto at sariling letra,

Na kaya nawala’y dinatnan ng sigwa

Ang lunday sa lawa noong dakong una.

These last lines may very well be referring to the Alibata, or the old Filipino alphabet whose
characters are unique in every essence, finding no likeness in any other alphabet.  The
Tagalog language, according to Rizal, has letters and characters of its very own, similar to
the way other "elite tongues" do.  These letters, however, were overthrown by strong waves
and lost, like fragile, fickle boats in the stormy sea, many long years ago.
2. EDUCATION GIVES LUSTER TO THE MOTHERLAND

Wise education, vital breath

Inspires an enchanting virtue;
She puts the Country in the lofty seat
Of endless glory, of dazzling glow,
And just as the gentle aura's puff
Do brighten the perfumed flower's hue:
So education with a wise, guiding hand,
A benefactress, exalts the human band.

In this first stanza, Rizal expresses that education is what builds up a country and allows her
to rise above the rest in matters of honor and a good name. He likens a guided and relevant
education to the vibrance of a flower.

Man's placid repose and earthly life

To education he dedicates
Because of her, art and science are born
Man; and as from the high mount above
The pure rivulet flows, undulates,

So education beyond measure

Gives the Country tranquillity secure.

From the time of a man's birth to the moment of his death, he is constantly engaged in the
journey of learning. This can come in the form of a formal education and a structured
curriculum, or in the essence of daily living. And in this continued journey, people begin to
discover and innovate, create and recreate, giving birth to great discoveries and breathe
taking wonders. Rizal likens education to a rivulet, a stream, a brook, that provides a certain
peace as the water endlessly flows.

Where wise education raises a throne

Sprightly youth are invigorated,
Who with firm stand error they subdue
And with noble ideas are exalted;
It breaks immortality's neck,
Contemptible crime before it is halted:
It humbles barbarous nations
And it makes of savages champions.

Knowledge and wisdom enliven and embolden the young. With the sword of education they
are able to identify errors and correct them. They are able to find fault in the seemingly
faultless fabric of earthly knowledge and smother it with truth. They are well-respected for
the ideas they bring to the world. 

A good education is an effective remedy to the problem of criminal acts and unlawful
pursuits. Even nation who wishes nothing more than to divide, conquer, and control is
silenced when they open their ears to the voice of wisdom, which stops hatred in its tracks
and promotes the welfare of the people. Even savages, turn into champions when they are
afforded a good education.
And like the spring that nourishes
The plants, the bushes of the meads,
She goes on spilling her placid wealth,
And with kind eagerness she constantly feeds,
The river banks through which she slips,
And to beautiful nature all she concedes,
So whoever procures education wise
Until the height of honor may rise.
From her lips the waters crystalline
Gush forth without end, of divine virtue,

Knowledge is likened to a spring that nourishes everything its water touches. The spring of
knowledge is everlasting; there is no end to it. 

And prudent doctrines of her faith

The forces weak of evil subdue,
That break apart like the whitish waves
That lash upon the motionless shoreline:
And to climb the heavenly ways the people
Do learn with her noble example.

In the education and enlightenment of the soul, man is able to overcome the powers of evil,
which in this stanza, are likened to the waves that lash upon the shore. Yet when man opens
his eyes to the divine revelation and acquires knowledge in matters of the spirit, he is able
to defeat the oppression of evil and "climb the heavenly ways."

In the wretched human beings' breast

The living flame of good she lights
The hands of criminal fierce she ties,
And fill the faithful hearts with delights,
Which seeks her secrets beneficent
And in the love for the good her breast she incites,
And it's th' education noble and pure
Of human life the balsam sure.

Here, education is likened to a balsam, producing medicinal effects to the many afflictions
of the human race, which are generally and singularly rooted in the propensity for evil. The
acquisition of good wisdom enables man to magnify his passion for good and continually
shun temptation.

And like a rock that rises with pride

In the middle of the turbulent waves
When hurricane and fierce Notus roar
She disregards their fury and raves,
That weary of the horror great
So frightened calmly off they stave;
Such is one by wise education steered
He holds the Country's reins unconquered.

An educated man does not sway when trials come. He stands firm in the midst of trouble
and remains courageous in times of despair. Great horrors cannot frighten him as they do
other people. Education provides her country with strong and respectable citizens who are
ready to fight for her honor no matter the cost.

His achievements on sapphires are engraved;

The Country pays him a thousand honors;
For in the noble breasts of her sons
Virtue transplanted luxuriant flow'rs;
And in the love of good e'er disposed
Will see the lords and governors
The noble people with loyal venture
Christian education always procure.

The achievements of an educated man are not forgotten, and he passes his wisdom on to
the generations that come after him. He becomes a beacon to his family and sets a good
example for the youth. In this stanza, Rizal also stresses the great importance of a Christian
education, as opposed to one that lacks the spiritual aspect, which he obviously considers
an essential cornerstone.

And like the golden sun of the morn

Whose rays resplendent shedding gold,
And like fair aurora of gold and red
She overspreads her colors bold;
Such true education proudly gives
The pleasure of virtue to young and old
And she enlightens out Motherland dear
As she offers endless glow and luster. 

The poem ends in a splash of color as the author likens a good education to lights of the
sun and the aurora. Great wisdom picks no favourites; young and old benefit from it and
delight in its joys. Rizal closes the verse with an image of his country with the sun overhead,
a sun that embodies the virtues and wonders of a good education, which he dreams for
every citizen to enjoy.

3. TO THE FILIPINO YOUTH

Unfold, oh timid flower! 

Lift up your radiant brow,
This day, Youth of my native strand! 
Your abounding talents show
Resplendently and grand,
Fair hope of my Motherland! 

Soar high, oh genius great,

And with noble thoughts fill their mind;
The honor's glorious seat,
May their virgin mind fly and find
More rapidly than the wind.

The first line, "unfold, oh timid flower," implies that the youth is silent, maybe daunted, and
consequently has not yet gone into full bloom for whatever reason there is that may have
silenced them. In the beginning stanza, Rizal encourages the youth, by telling them to hold
their heads high for they possess talents and skills and abilities that would make their
country proud. 

The second verse can be rearranged in contemporary English to say: "Oh genius great, soar
high; and fill their mind with noble thoughts. May their virgin mind fly and find the honour’s
glorious seat more rapidly than the wind." Here, Rizal calls to genius to fill young minds with
noble thoughts and hopes that as they release their thinking from the chains that bind, they
may be able to soar swiftly high where the joy of honour is.

Descend with the pleasing light

Of the arts and sciences to the plain,
Oh Youth, and break forthright
The links of the heavy chain
That your poetic genius enchain.

Contrary to the second verse, which talked about ascending and soaring to the heights, this
third stanza now talks about descent, and a downward motion of the great genius to fill the
earthly strokes of art and science with their magnificent ideas? Again, Rizal calls them to
break the chains that bind their intellect. "Poetic genius" here does not necessarily pertain
to the talent of writing poetry. Instead, the term "poetic" is simply an adjective to describe
genius, meaning that it is deep and mystifying and heavy with meaning.

See that in the ardent zone,

The Spaniard, where shadows stand,
Doth offer a shining crown,
With wise and merciful hand
To the son of this Indian land.

Rizal challenges the youth; that in their pursuit of knowledge and wisdom, they may humble
the hand of Spain, whose proud chin did not look kindly upon the people whom they
labelled as "Indios" and whom they treated with contempt. He dreams that in their journey
to intellectual greatness they may humble even the proudest nations that look down on
them and rightfully deserve "a crown that shines, even where shadows stand."

You, who heavenward rise

On wings of your rich fantasy,
Seek in the Olympian skies
The tenderest poesy,
More sweet than divine honey;

You of heavenly harmony,

On a calm unperturbed night,
Philomel's match in melody,
That in varied symphony
Dissipate man's sorrow's blight;

In these two stanzas, Rizal calls the youth to seek the beauty of poetry and music, which he
himself values greatly as essentials in every manner of life. He claims that poetry is "sweeter
than divine honey," and that music can "dissipate man's sorrow's blight."

You at th' impulse of your mind

The hard rock animate
And your mind with great pow'r consigned
Transformed into immortal state
The pure mem'ry of genius great;

Speaking to the youth, Rizal says that by the very impulse of their mind, they are capable of
bringing to life or animating even something as lifeless and unmoving as a hard rock. He
continues to say that the youth is able, to immortalize their thoughts and their words
through the help of great genius (as he has done himself.  This stanza can be arranged in a
more contemporary English structure as follows: "You can animate the hard rock at the
impulse of your mind; and transform, with the great power of your mind, the pure memory
of great genius into immortality."

And you, who with magic brush

On canvas plain capture
The varied charm of Phoebus,
Loved by the divine Apelles,
And the mantle of Nature;

Rizal here addresses the youth, comparing their abilities to a magic brush that can capture
even the most majestic views and the most glorious charms on a blank canvas.

Run! For genius' sacred flame

Awaits the artist's crowning
Spreading far and wide the fame
Throughout the sphere proclaiming
With trumpet the mortal's name
Oh, joyful, joyful day,
The Almighty blessed be
Who, with loving eagerness
Sends you luck and happiness.

The last stanza is a charge, urging the youth to run, for a glorious crown awaits them. The
"sphere" here pertains to the world, showing that Rizal believed the Filipino youth is as
brilliant as those in any other nation, and is able to contend with even the strongest powers
if they only set their mind to making most of what they already have.

4. MI ULTIMO ADIOS (MY LAST FAREWELL)

Farewell, my adored Land, region of the sun caressed,

Pearl of the Orient Sea, our Eden lost,

With gladness I give you my Life, sad and repressed;

And where it more brilliant, more fresh and at its best,

I would still give it to you for your welfare at most.

These are the words of one about to die for his country. He expresses no regret but only
gladness, knowing that in giving his life, he is giving his country the greatest gift any citizen
could offer.
On the fields of battle, in the fury of fight,

Others give you their lives without pain or hesitancy,

The place does not matter: cypress laurel, lily white,

Scaffold, open field, conflict or martyrdom's site,

It is the same if asked by home and Country.

Here Rizal says that it does not matter where one dies, but why one dies and to what
purpose. Whether it’s “scaffold, open field, conflict or martyrdom’s site,” all death hold the
same honour if given for home and Country.

I die as I see tints on the sky b'gin to show

And at last announce the day, after a gloomy night;

If you need a hue to dye your mutational glow,

Pour my blood and at the right moment spread it so,

And gild it with a reflection of your nascent light!

Rizal’s execution was set at sunrise, thus the meaning of the first and second lines. He
employs the visual senses in his poetic use of colour, and then in the third and fourth lines,
adds the bright red tint of his blood to the scene, and gilds it with golden sunlight. The use
of these devices ignites passion in the reader, as it is felt – a hundred times more so – in the
writer, even without explicit use of words signifying feeling.

My dreams, when scarcely a lad adolescent,

My dreams when already a youth, full of vigor to attain,

Were to see you, gem of the sea of the Orient,

Your dark eyes dry, smooth brow held to a high plane

Without frown, without wrinkles and of shame without stain.

Since his childhood, even as other children dreamed of childish things, Rizal dreamed of
seeing his country free, esteemed, and with head held high.

My life's fancy, my ardent, passionate desire,

Hail! Cries out the soul to you, that will soon part from thee;

Hail! How sweet 'tis to fall that fullness you may acquire;

To die to give you life, 'neath your skies to expire,

And in your mystic land to sleep through eternity!

Here, he showers her with praise. He is his life’s fancy, his ardent and passionate desire. He
shouts “Hail!” as many would to their God. He says in the third line that it is sweet to fall so
that his country may acquire fullness, and then continues on in the succeeding lines, “to die
to give you, life.” But his joy does not end in the act of dying, but continues beyond the
grave, where he shall sleep in his country’s mystic land through eternity. As one dies for
God, Rizal dies for country. And as one looks forward to heaven, Rizal’s heaven – in these
lines, at least – lies in being buried in the land of his ancestors.

If over my tomb someday, you would see blow,

A simple humble flow'r amidst thick grasses,

Bring it up to your lips and kiss my soul so,

And under the cold tomb, I may feel on my brow,

Warmth of your breath, a whiff of your tenderness.

In this stanza, Rizal likens his soul to that of “a simple humble flower amidst thick grasses.”
The use of this comparison says a lot about how Rizal sees himself – timid, simple, humble,
surrounded by the unrelenting forces of society. He imagines that after his death, he will live
on in the bosom of his motherland, and never cease to enjoy her love, which he begs her to
express with a kiss.

Let the moon with soft, gentle light me descry,

Let the dawn send forth its fleeting, brilliant light,

In murmurs grave allow the wind to sigh,

And should a bird descend on my cross and alight,

Let the bird intone a song of peace o'er my site.

Rizal’s love for nature is again depicted in these next four lines. It is interesting that he
enumerates the moon, the dawn, the wind, and a bird to pay homage to his grave, yet does
not mention close friends or specific people. Perhaps it is a simple image of his reunion with
nature that he wants to bring to mind; perhaps it is also an expression of the loneliness and
isolation that he has felt and continues to feel in his fight for freedom.

Let the burning sun the raindrops vaporize

And with my clamor behind return pure to the sky;

Let a friend shed tears over my early demise;

And on quiet afternoons when one prays for me on high,

Pray too, oh, my Motherland, that in God may rest I.

The mention here, of a friend, is the closest he gets to company. And the mention of God in
the fourth line is the closest he gets to praying for a spiritual heaven. That Rizal beseeches
his country to pray that his soul may rest in God is in line with the Roman Catholic belief
that all men are sinners and that salvation is to be earned and cannot be determined before
the grave.

Pray thee for all the hapless who have died,

For all those who unequalled torments have undergone;

For our poor mothers who in bitterness have cried;

For orphans, widows and captives to tortures were shied,

And pray too that you may see your own redemption. 

In these four lines he gives his motherland a list of the things he wishes her to pray for. He
remembers all of the martyrs who have suffered the same fate as he will, who have died for
their country; the mothers, wives, and children they have left behind who suffer no less for
being abandoned. He also, in a hopeful closing note, asks her to pray for herself.

And when the dark night wraps the cemet'ry

And only the dead to vigil there are left alone,

Don't disturb their repose, don't disturb the mystery:

If you hear the sounds of cittern or psaltery,

It is I, dear Country, who, a song t'you intone.

Clearly Rizal has not imagined that a monument would eventually be built over his grave
and has pictured his final resting place as a humble cemetery where he shall, even after
death, sing a song of devotion for his motherland.  

And when my grave by all is no more remembered,

With neither cross nor stone to mark its place,

Let it be plowed by man, with spade let it be scattered

And my ashes ere to nothingness are restored,

Let them turn to dust to cover your earthly space.

In this next stanza, Rizal wishes to then be “plowed by man” when his grave is no longer
remembered, and be scattered as he returns to be part of the dust that covers the land he
had died for. What actually happens in real life, though, is an uncanny parallel. On
December 30, 1896, on the day of his execution, Rizal’s remains were buried in an unmarked
grave in the Paco Cemetery. Years later, however, his remains were exhumed and on
December 30, 1912, they were brought to their final resting place in the base of the
monument at Luneta.

Then it doesn't matter that you should forget me:

Your atmosphere, your skies, your vales I'll sweep;

Vibrant and clear note to your ears I shall be:

Aroma, light, hues, murmur, song, moanings deep,

Constantly repeating the essence of the faith I keep.

The first line in this stanza begins following the assumption that our hero’s ashes have now
been spread over the land. Rizal envisions that once he has returned to her in this manner, it
will no longer matter if the country forgets him because he will be with her, everywhere, as
dust in the atmosphere, blowing in the skies, in the wind, and still singing songs and
murmuring words of devotion.

My idolized Country, for whom I most gravely pine,

Dear Philippines, to my last goodbye, oh, hearken

There I leave all: my parents, loves of mine,

I'll go where there are no slaves, tyrants or hangmen

Where faith does not kill and where God alone does reign.

Here we come to a more submissive yet hopeful tone. Rizal bids farewell to his one great
love – his country – and yet looks forward to being with God, where there are no slaves,
tyrants or hangmen.

Farewell, parents, brothers, beloved by me,

Friends of my childhood, in the home distressed;

Give thanks that now I rest from the wearisome day;

Farewell, sweet stranger, my friend, who brightened my way;

Farewell, to all I love. To die is to rest.

To close, Rizal now finally mentions specific people: parents, brothers, friends of his
childhood. In other translations, the fourth line reads, “Adios sweet-tender foreigner—my
friend, my happiness,” which historians have interpreted to allude to Josephine Bracken, the
daughter of an Anglo-Saxon father and a Chinese mother, whom many believe – although it
is frequently challenged – he secretly married an hour before his death.
INTELLECTUAL LEGACIES OF JOSE RIZAL IN HIS NOVELS
1. INTELLECTUAL LEGACIES OF JOSE RIZAL IN HIS NOVELS

LESSON 7: INTELLECTUAL LEGACIES OF JOSE RIZAL IN HIS NOVELS

1. Noli Me Tangere

2. El Filibusterismo

A. LEARNING OUTCOMES:

After engaging in each topic, you should be able to:

1. cull out the principles embodied in these novels;

2. explain these intellectual legacies in your own words; and

3. relate the importance of these legacies in our daily living as Filipinos.

B. KEY CONCEPTS:

1. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Born on June 19, 1861, José Rizal was from an upper-class Filipino family. His mother,
Teodora Alonso, a highly educated woman, exerted a powerful influence on his intellectual
development. He would grow up to be a brilliant polymath, doctor, fencer, essayist, and
novelist, among other things.

By the late nineteenth century, the Spanish empire was in irreversible decline. Spain had
ruled the islands since 1565, except for a brief hiatus when the British occupied them in
1762. The colonial government was unresponsive and often cruel, with the religious
establishment wielding as much power as the state. Clerical abuses, European ideas of
liberalism, and growing international trade fuelled a burgeoning national consciousness. For
Rizal and his generation, the 1872 Cavite Mutiny, in which three native priests were accused
of treason and publicly executed, provided both inspiration and a cautionary tale.

Educated at the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila and the Dominican University of Santo Tomas
in Manila, Rizal left for Spain in 1882, where he studied medicine and the liberal arts, with
further studies in Paris and Heidelberg. The charismatic Rizal quickly became a leading light
of the Propaganda Movement—Filipino expatriates advocating, through its newspaper, La
Solidaridad, various reforms such as the integration of the Philippines as a province of
Spain, representation in the Cortes (the Spanish parliament), the Filipinization of the clergy,
and equality of Filipinos and Spaniards before the law. To Rizal, the main impediment to
reform lay not so much with the civil government but with the reactionary and powerful
Franciscan, Augustinian, and Dominican friars, who constituted a state within a state.

In 1887, he published his first novel, Noli Me Tangere, written in Spanish, a searing
indictment of friar abuse as well as of colonial rule’s shortcomings. That same year, he
returned to Manila, where the Noli had been banned and its author now hated intensely by
the friars. In 1888, he went to Europe once more, and there wrote the sequel, El
Filibusterismo (The Subversive), published in 1891. In addition, he annotated an edition of
Antonio Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, showing that the Philippines had had a long
history before the advent of the Spaniards. Rizal returned to Manila in 1892 and founded a
reform society, La Liga Filipina, before being exiled to Dapitan, in Mindanao, Southern
Philippines. There he devoted himself to scientific research and public works. Well-known as
an ophthalmologist, he was visited by an English patient, accompanied by his ward,
Josephine Bracken, who would be his last and most serious romantic involvement.

In August of 1896, the Katipunan, a nationalist secret society, launched the revolution
against Spain. Its leaders venerated Rizal and tried to persuade him to their cause. He
refused, convinced that the time was not yet ripe for armed struggle. In the meantime he
volunteered to serve as a doctor with the Spanish forces fighting against Cuban
revolutionaries. En route, Rizal was arrested and subjected to a mock trial in Manila by the
authorities although he had nothing to do with the revolution. Found guilty, he was, at the
age of thirty-five, shot at dawn on December 30, 1896. On the eve of his execution, Rizal
penned Mi Ultimo Adios (“My Last Farewell”), considered a masterpiece of nineteenth-
century Spanish verse.

Rizal’s martyrdom only intensified the ultimately successful fight for independence from
Spain. Because of his role in shaping his country’s destiny, José Rizal is often described as
the “First Filipino” and has since served as an inspiration to countless nationalists and
intellectuals.

2. SUMMARY OF THE NOVELS

NOLI ME TANGERE

The first of two canonical 19th-century novels, Noli Me Tangere revolves around Crisostomo
Ibarra who, after a seven-year stay in Europe to study, comes home to his town of San
Diego, brimming with the desire to contribute to the development of the townspeople. 
More specifically, as a reformist, he aims to make education accessible to more people.  His
idealism, however, cannot bear fruit because of insidious forces bent on destroying him. 
Ibarra learns that his father, Don Rafael, had been embroiled in a conflict with Padre
Damaso, who eventually causes his humiliation and death.  It is not only political power that
the friar wields; he has also used power to seduce the mother of Maria Clara, Ibarra's
sweetheart.  Ibarra has another enemy in the person of Padre Salvi, who lusts after Maria
Clara.  It is also Padre Salvi who almost causes Ibarra’s death at the ground breaking
ceremonies for the school.  Things come to a head when Ibarra is implicated in a failed
uprising instigated by Padre Salvi.  The young man is imprisoned but is eventually rescued
by Elias, whose life Ibarra has saved in the past.  As the novel ends, the thoroughly
disillusioned Ibarra sees a bleak future.

EL FILIBUSTERISMO

The sequel to Noli Me Tangere with its unarguably utopian vision, El Filibusterismo offers a
much bleaker picture of the last decades of the nineteenth century.  Crisostomo Ibarra, the
reformist hero of the earlier novel, has come back to the Philippines as the enigmatic
stranger named Simoun, a rich jeweller.  Driven by hatred and a fierce desire to avenge his
sufferings, and to rescue Maria Clara from the nunnery where she has fled, Simoun embarks
on a crusade the goal of which is to corrupt and thus weaken various institutions that would
eventually lead to a bloody revolution.  He schemes and plans systematically and plots with
various characters, including Basilio, to bring about the downfall of the government.  The
first plot fails, as does the second one.  Simoun, carrying his huge stash of jewelry, flees to
the mountain retreat of Padre Florentino, who absolves the dying man from his sins.  The
novel ends as the priest throws Simoun's treasures into the sea with the hope that they
could be retrieved and used only for the good of the people.

3. MEANING OF THE CHARACTERS IN THE NOVELS

CHARACTER SYMBOLISM
1. Juan Crisostomo He has a liberal mind. Outspoken and idealistic Patient and serious man.
Ibarra He becomes very violent and impulsive when he provoked. Ibarra as
Rizal’s reflection of himself. He symbolizes the idealism of the privileged
youth.

He represented the affluent European-educated Filipino. Civic-minded,

liberty-minded and patriotic, he desired the education of his people.
2. Elias He distrusts human judgment and prefers God’s justice instead. He
prefers a revolution over the reforms. He represents the common Filipino.
He is said to be the personification of Andres Bonifacio.

As a symbol of the common people, he did everything to vindicate them

from the injustices suffered from the Spaniards.
3. Don Rafael Ibarra Crisostomo’s father was jailed for helping a young boy being harmed by
an ignorant Spanish tax collector.

He was used by Rizal in Noli Me Tangere to symbolize an affluent

landlord with social conscience.
4. Kapitan Tiago He is said to be a good Catholic, friend of the Spanish government. He
symbolizes the rich Filipinos who oppress their fellow countrymen.

He is a rich landlord whose wealth was derived from his involvement to

illegal opium trade. He was used by Rizal to represent the subservient
Filipino to the authorities to protect his personal and business interest.
5. Senor Pasta He is an old Filipino lawyer who refuses to help the Filipino students in
their clamour for educational reforms.

He represents the part of the society that is only generous and sympathetic
to the rich and powerful. His self-centeredness overshadows his
patriotism.
6. Dona Victorina de An ambitious Filipina. She symbolizes those who have a distorted view of
los Reyes de their identity. She is the wife of Don Tiburcio.
Espadana
She is the ridiculously pro-Spanish woman who is going to Laguna in
search of her henpecked husband. Her search for her husband symbolizes
her search for the foreign identity that she did not have.

As a social climber, she married Don Tiburcio to support her claim as a

Spaniard. She despised everything Filipino; she was used by Rizal to
symbolize colonial mentality among Filipinos at that time.
7. Dona Consolacion Wife of the Alferez of San Diego Often has violent arguments with her
husband pretends not to know Tagalog and often uses Spanish words even
if she does not know the meaning.

She symbolizes the Filipinos in our society who are ashamed of their own
race and nationality.
8. Paulita Gomez The beautiful niece of Doña Victorina. She rejected Isagani because of his
 liberal ideas.

She represents the women who have no sense of nationalism and

sympathy towards others.
9. Maria Clara She portrayed as a faithful sweetheart, a good friend and an obedient
daughter. She had childish simplicity. She gets easily nervous. Her
character is related to Rizal’s childhood sweetheart, Leonor Rivera.

She symbolizes the purity and innocence of a sheltered native woman.

10. Sisa The deranged mother of Basilio and Crispín. She is described as beautiful
and young, although she loves her children very much, she cannot protect
them from the beatings of her husband, Pedro. She personified the
suffering of the motherland. 
11. Dona Patrocinio As the mistress of the Alfarez, she was noted to be imprudent, vulgar,
cruel and quarrelsome. She symbolized the mentality of the guardia civil.
12. Gobernadorcillo He occupies the second most powerful rank in the colonial government,
second only to the king. He supported Ibarra against Padre Damaso.

He represented the typical Governor Generals of the Philippines who

would often disdain the power that the friars had.
13. Tasio/ Known as “ Pilosopo Tasyo”. He spent most of his money on books and
now lives in poverty. Rizal can relate to his character as his oldest
Don Anastacio brother, Paciano Rizal. He symbolizes the learned Filipinos. He is a
pessimist.
14. School teacher He symbolized the intellectual dissatisfaction in Filipino society during
Rizal’s time. As an educated individual, he dreamed of changing the
methods of teaching to facilitate greater learning of pupils.
15. Simoun He is Juan Crisostomo Ibarra of Noli Me Tangere in disguise. He fled to
Cuba where he became rich and consequently befriended many Spanish
officials. Outwardly, he is a friend of Spain, but deep in his heart, he is
bitter and ruthless, secretly planning a revolution against the Spanish
authorities.

Unlike Ibarra in Noli, he is now vigilant; he now embodies the Filipinos

who had had enough of the cruelties of the Spaniards.
16. Kabesang Tales Juli's father. The friars dispossessed him of his land; in real life, Rizal's
father met the same fate. He symbolizes the natives and farmers whose
lands were seized by the friars. His story presents the cause of the
revolution.
17. Kapitan Pablo The leader of the bandits whose family was destroyed because of the
Spaniards. El hombre amarillo (apparently means "yellowish person",
named as Taong Madilaw). One of Crisostomo Ibarra's would-be
assassins. He is not named in the novel, and only described as such.  In
the novel, he carved the cornerstone for Ibarra's school. Instead of killing
Ibarra, he was killed by his cornerstone.
18. Basilio He is 10 years old, an acolyte tasked to ring the church bells for the
Angelus. He represented the innocent youth who were wrongly accused
of crimes they did not commit.  At first he refuses to join Simoun's plan of
overthrowing the Spanish government; in this, he represents the young
educated Filipinos who are apathetic to the needs of the society.
19. Isagani Once a person full of hope and aspirations for his country, he was
disheartened and let go of his ideals in favour of personal gains. He
symbolizes the youth who, despite their being very aggressive and
idealistic, cannot be relied on in times of adversity.
20. Placido Penitente One of the students who asked for educational reforms. He represents the
 people who have yet to cultivate their nationalistic attitude.
21. Father  Bernardo Manipulates people to get what he wants. He is described to be very thin
Salvi and sickly. The Franciscan curate of San Diego, secretly harbouring lust
for María Clara. Padre Salvi represents the clergy during the time who
disguise the yearnings of the flesh under the authority of the Church to get
what they want.
22. Father Florentino He is a retired scholarly and patriotic Filipino priest. He believes that the
Philippines will have its freedom, making his character the important
portion of hope and peace.

It was also through his character that the author stressed his disapproval
of a bloody revolt. In the last scene with the dying Simoun, the priest
says, “I do not mean to say that our liberty will be secured at the sword’s
point, for the sword plays but little part in modern affairs, but that we
must secure it by making ourselves worthy of it, by exalting the
intelligence and the dignity of the individual, by loving justice, right, and
greatness, even to the extent of dying for them,—and when a people
reaches that height God will provide a weapon, the idols will be shattered,
the tyranny will crumble like a house of cards and liberty will shine out
like the first dawn.” It became clear then that Rizal proposed education
and greater enlightenment of the Indios as the solution to the ills of the
society.
23. Don Custodio de A famous "journalist" who was asked by the students about his decision
Salazar for the Academia de Castellano. In reality, he is quite an ordinary fellow
who married a rich woman in order to be a member of Manila's high
society.

Some of the novel's most scathing criticism is reserved for Custodio, who
is portrayed as an opportunist who married his way into high society, who
regularly criticized favored ideas that did not come from him, but was
ultimately, laughably incompetent in spite of his scruples.
24. Father Damaso Talkative and cruel priest. He raped Doña Pia, Maria Clara’s mother. He
Verdolagas continually antagonizes Ibarra and prevents his marriage to Maria Clara.
He symbolizes the Spanish friars of Rizal’s time.
25. Don Tiburcio Doña Victorina’s husband. He is timid and rarely joins in conversation.
Makes living as a quack doctor. He represented the ignorant Spaniards
whose foolishness the other Spaniards tolerated, often resulting in
disastrous consequences for the natives.

4. INTELLECTUAL LEGACIES IN THESE NOVELS

a. On doing work in disgust

Any work that is done in disgust and shame is a plain suffering. A person should never do
something out of shame.

b. On developing self-confidence

A person should have faith in his skills and be confident on his ability to progress. They
should feel sure of their own abilities and self-value to achieve something great.

c. On maintaining human dignity

A man should always protect his dignity as a man; he should maintain his self to be worthy
of honour and respect. A man should lose his pride for the greater good than losing it for
something sinister.

d. On enmity

Hatred won’t lead you anywhere and the thought of revenge is not a good thing. Hatred will
only push you to do evil deeds that may darken your soul more.

e. On the prosperity of nations

The actions of the people of a nation are always in proportion to the state of their country.
The people’s prosperity or misery will always be affecting their very own nation.

f. On the classification of mortals

Mortals tend to value their selves according to their physical abilities and appearance and
social status that’s why there are the poor and the rich. And people should not be treated
based on these classifications; we should all be treated equal, ragged clothes or shining
clothes.

g. On evils

Evils are very powerful and conniving but this doesn’t mean that it can’t be fought off. An
evil act does not correct another evil just like a mistake will not make another mistake
correct.

h. On favours to be disinterested

A man should not entertain favours or offer bribes just to claim recognition. A man should
not eat the fruits of a plant he didn’t plant.

i. On self-reliance

Although no man is an island we still need to learn how to do things on our own because
we will never know when will be the time that we will be alone. We do need to rely
sometimes to other people especially at the times that we are vulnerable but there are also
things that needed to be handled alone.

j. On dramatic entrance

Patience is a virtue, if a man is a caterpillar today, that doesn’t mean that he can’t be a
butterfly someday. All of us will have our opportunity to shine, some maybe early bloomers
and some may late bloomers, the important things is we can shine someday if we are only
hardworking and patient enough for that time to come.

k. On the power of gold

Money (gold) is the source of evil because with money a person can do many impossible
things, both good and bad; it can influence a person to do evil things as it turns to greed.
The power of gold is indeed very strong but a person must always learn discipline or self-
control in using it.

l. On human rights

The right to live comfortably should not be deprived to the people. With the power of the
government, their first priority should be the human rights of their people.

m. On judging our fellowmen

Sometimes, what is right for a person is considered wrong by the other person; sometimes
even if an action done is right as no one is harmed it will look like a mistake because of
another person’s judgement. Every person do have different mind-sets and it is also the
reason why a man critics and judge his fellowmen.

n. On payment for any affair

Every action needs the engagement of money. To get some work done, payment is always a
need.

o. On the attitude of the rich

The rich only worries about their wealth; they only worry on how to increase it. They turned
blind-eyes on the unfortunate people because they know they are safe and they have
powerful friends.

p. On the real cause of disunity

Men only think of their own well-being, they don’t worry about the others. If the people will
only share one goal which is for the benefit of the majority, then there will be unity.

q. On example and initiative

A person should learn to contribute to the society without being volunteered by somebody.
He should do something without being told in order to inspire the others who are only
afraid on taking the first step to greatness.

r. On lack of personal involvement by the people

People should not be passive about what is happening in the society. They must learn how
to engage their selves on social issues to know how to progress our nation.

s. On man’s redemption

It is okay to be coward sometimes as long as we are willing to change it; there will be times
that we will be at our worst but we must learn to bring the best out of us again. We must be
intelligent enough to redeem or overcome our fears.

t. On the right to life

Everyone has the right to live, it is a gift given from above and no one has the right to take
it but God himself. A life is given to us to fulfil our purpose and nourish it for its greatness.
u. On human rights

A man will only be accused as a criminal based on judging his virtue. Doubting the good
results that comes from the action is only the thing needed.

v. On men of conviction

A man should always learn to say the truth. Man should be confident and positive that what
he believes is true and be brave enough to fight for it.

w. On virtues

Morals, good characters and cardinal virtue should not be boasted out loud, a man should
not verbally talk about his morals just to be considered a good man. Virtues are things that
are not to be noticed verbally, instead, it will only be seen by living to it.

x. On consecration to a great idea

A life is useless if it’s bereft of any purpose. To have a meaningful life, we must attain a
greater goal that may change something in the society or even in someone’s life.

y. On the death of society

The death of the society is the fault of its own people. Being ignorant and blind to what is
happening to the society is much worse than being tortured physically.

z. On nationalism

A love of a country is expressed in devotion to and advocacy of national interest and

independence. Just by learning your own language and using it can pave way to
independence as it holds your own thoughts.

aa. On liberty

Everyone should have freedom, we should not be inferior or superior to anyone, we are not
prisoners we should protect this liberty. And liberty can only be maintained if we learn how
to defend for our freedom and forget to be submissive to dominators.

bb. On indifference

Racism and indifference should not be practiced; we should all be treated with fairness. We
are all equal to one another, no one is above and no one should be below.

cc. On resignation to faith

A person should not fear what will happen to him and put his faith to God. He should know
that we are made to fulfil a purpose and that God will not give us a battle we won’t win.

    On resignation to fate

Being submissive is not always a good thing to do. It is wrong if we submissively welcome
tyrants in our country, there will be no masters if there are no slaves.
dd. On positive leadership

A leadership should not be motivated by self-interest but the willingness to sacrifice oneself
for the good of the majority. It means understanding the desire to respond to what is
needed and guide its way forward.

ee. On the need of correcting the social organization

The government must be corrected to be worthy of the trusts of its people; the people need
a government that can protect them, not harm them. And if the government is depriving the
people of their right, then a reform is needed.

ff. On faithfulness to a trust

When someone gave you their trust you should learn to respect and take care of it. A
broken trust is hard to rebuild and when it does, it is like a broken glass that has been glued
again, it will never be the same.

gg. On the right of the people to protest

People are given the chance to decide on their own, they have the freedom to speak and
the right to take back what is theirs. The rights of an individual to stand on his own opinions
about what is right especially if he is denied for justice and things that are essential to life.

hh. On national progress

A country do not have the power to stop the progress of another country, they may be able
to hinder it and slow it down but not stop it eventually. National progress is not attained
through this way; the only way is to learn how the other countries do their development and
cope up with them.

1. INTELLECTUAL LEGACIES OF JOSE RIZAL IN HIS SELECTED ESSAYS

A. LEARNING OUTCOMES:

After absorbing these lessons, you should be able to:

1. explicate the meaning of these legacies of Jose Rizal;

2. correctly illuminate how our national hero portrayed or exhibited these legacies when he
was alive; and

3. relate the importance of these legacies in our daily living.

B. KEY CONCEPTS:

INTELLECTUAL LEGACIES OF JOSE RIZAL IN HIS ESSAYS

1. THE INDOLENCE OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE

La Indolencia de los Filipinos, more popularly known in its English version, "The Indolence of
the Filipinos," is an exploratory essay written by Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, to
explain the alleged idleness of his people during the Spanish colonization.

SUMMARY

This essay is a study of the causes why the Filipino people did not, as was said, work hard
during the Spanish regime.  Rizal pointed out that long before the coming of the Spaniards;
the Filipinos were industrious and hardworking.  The Spanish reign brought about a decline
in economic activities because of certain causes:        

First, the establishment of the Galleon Trade cut off all previous associations of the
Philippines with other countries in Asia and the Middle East.  As a result, business was only
conducted with Spain through Mexico.  Because of this, the small businesses and handicraft
industries that flourished during the pre-Spanish period gradually disappeared.

Second, Spain also extinguished the natives’ love of work because of the implementation of
forced labor.  Because of the wars between Spain and other countries in Europe as well as
the Muslims in Mindanao, the Filipinos were compelled to work in shipyards, roads, and
other public works, abandoning agriculture, industry, and commerce.     

Third, Spain did not protect the people against foreign invaders and pirates.  With no arms
to defend themselves, the natives were killed, their houses burned, and their lands
destroyed.  As a result of this, the Filipinos were forced to become nomads, lost interest in
cultivating their lands or in rebuilding the industries that were shut down, and simply
became submissive to the mercy of God.

Fourth, there was a crooked system of education, if it was to be considered an education. 

What were being taught in schools were repetitive prayers and other things that could not
be used by the students to lead the country to progress.  There were no courses in
Agriculture, Industry, etc., which were badly needed by the Philippines during those times.

Fifth, the Spanish rulers were a bad example to despise manual labor.  The officials reported
to work at noon and left early, all the while doing nothing in line with their duties.  The
women were seen constantly followed by servants who dressed them and fanned them –
personal things which they ought to have done for themselves.          

Sixth, gambling was established and widely propagated during those times.  Almost every
day there were **fights, and during feast days, the government officials and friars were the
first to engage in all sorts of bets and gambles.           

Seventh, there was a crooked system of religion.  The friars taught the naïve Filipinos that it
was easier for a poor man to enter heaven, and so they preferred not to work and remain
poor so that they could easily enter heaven after they died.       

Eighth, the taxes were extremely high, so much so that a huge portion of what they
earned went to the government or to the friars.  When the object of their labor was
removed and they were exploited, they were reduced to inaction.   

Lastly, Rizal admitted that the Filipinos did not work so hard because they were wise
enough to adjust themselves to the warm, tropical climate.  “An hour’s work under that
burning sun, in the midst of pernicious influences springing from nature in activity, is equal
to a day’s labor in a temperate climate.”

ANALYSIS

It is important to note that indolence in the Philippines is a chronic malady, but not a

hereditary one.  Truth is, before the Spaniards arrived on these lands, the natives were
industriously conducting business with China, Japan, Arabia, Malaysia, and other countries in
the Middle East.  The reasons for this said indolence were clearly stated in the essay, and
were not based only on presumptions, but were grounded on fact taken from history. 

Another thing that we might add that had caused this indolence, is the lack of unity among
the Filipino people.  In the absence of unity and oneness, the people did not have the power
to fight the hostile attacks of the government and of the other forces of society.  There
would also be no voice, no leader, to sow progress and to cultivate it, so that it may be
reaped in due time.  In such a condition, the Philippines remained a country that was lifeless,
dead, simply existing and not living.  As Rizal stated in conclusion, “a man in
the Philippines is an individual; he is not merely a citizen of a country.”

It can clearly be deduced from the writing that the cause of the indolence attributed to our
race is Spain: When the Filipinos wanted to study and learn, there were no schools, and if
there were any, they lacked sufficient resources and did not present more useful knowledge;
when the Filipinos wanted to establish their businesses, there wasn’t enough capital nor
protection from the government; when the Filipinos tried to cultivate their lands and
establish various industries, they were made to pay enormous taxes and were exploited by
the foreign rulers. 

It is not only the Philippines, but also other countries, that may be called indolent,
depending on the criteria upon which such a label is based.  Man cannot work without
resting, and if in doing so he is considered lazy, they we could say that all men are indolent. 
One cannot blame a country that was deprived of its dignity, to have lost its will to continue
building its foundation upon the backs of its people, especially when the fruits of their labor
do not so much as reach their lips.  When we spend our entire lives worshipping such a
cruel and inhumane society, forced upon us by aliens who do not even know our
motherland, we are destined to tire after a while.  We are not fools, we are not puppets who
simply do as we are commanded – we are human beings, who are motivated by our will
towards the accomplishment of our objectives, and who strive for the preservation of our
race.  When this fundamental aspect of our existence is denied of us, who can blame us if
we turn idle?

2. THE PHILIPPINES: A CENTURY HENCE

“The Philippines a Century Hence” is an essay written by Philippine national hero, Jose Rizal,
to forecast the future of the country within a hundred years.  Rizal felt that it was time to
remind Spain that the circumstances that ushered in the French Revolution could have a
telling effect for her in the Philippines.

This essay, published in La Solidaridad starts by analysing the various causes of the miseries
suffered by the Filipino people:

1. Spain’s implementation of her military policies – because of such laws, the Philippine
population decreased dramatically.  Poverty became more rampant than ever, and
 farmlands were left to wither.  The family as a unit of society was neglected, and
overall, every aspect of the life of the Filipino was retarded.
2. Deterioration and disappearance of Filipino indigenous culture – when Spain came
with the sword and the cross, it began the gradual destruction of the native
Philippine culture.  Because of this, the Filipinos started losing confidence in their
past and their heritage, became doubtful of their present lifestyle, and eventually lost
hope in the future and the preservation of their race.
3. Passivity and submissiveness to the Spanish colonizers – one of the most powerful
forces that influenced a culture of silence among the natives were the Spanish friars. 
Because of the use of force, the Filipinos learned to submit themselves to the will of
the foreigners.

The question then arises as to what had awakened the hearts and opened the minds of the
Filipino people with regards to their plight.  Eventually, the natives realized that such
oppression in their society by foreign colonizers must no longer be tolerated. 

One question Rizal raises in this essay is whether or not Spain can indeed prevent the
progress of the Philippines:

1. Keeping the people uneducated and ignorant had failed.  National consciousness
had still awakened, and great Filipino minds still emerged from the rubble.
2. Keeping the people impoverished also came to no avail.  On the contrary, living a life
of eternal destitution had allowed the Filipinos to act on the desire for a change in
their way of life.  They began to explore other horizons through which they could
move towards progress.
3. Exterminating the people as an alternative to hindering progress did not work either. 
The Filipino race was able to survive amidst wars and famine, and became even more
numerous after such catastrophes.  To wipe out the nation altogether would require
the sacrifice of thousands of Spanish soldiers, and this is something Spain would not
allow.

Spain, therefore, had no means to stop the progress of the country.  What she needs to do
is to change her colonial policies so that it can keep up with the needs of the Philippine
society and to the rising nationalism of the people.

What Rizal had envisioned in his essay came true.  In 1898, the Americans wrestled with
Spain to win the Philippines, and eventually took over the country.  Theirs was a reign of
democracy and liberty.  Five decades after Rizal’s death, the Philippines gained her long-
awaited independence.  This was in fulfilment of what he had written in his essay: “History
does not record in its annals any lasting domination by one people over another, of
different races, of diverse usages and customs, of opposite and divergent ideas. One of the
two had to yield and succumb.”

1. IN REMEMBRANCE OF JOSE RIZAL

A. LEARNING OUTCOMES:

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. enumerate the ways on how we commemorate Jose Rizal;

2. explain the concept of Rizal Park, Rizal Province and Rizal Day; and

3. give the importance of remembering our national hero.

B. KEY CONCEPTS:

IN REMEMBRANCE OF DR. JOSE RIZAL

1. RIZAL PARK

Rizal Park is located at the northern end of Roxas Boulevard in Manila. It is spread out over
60 hectares of open lawns, ornamental gardens, paved walks, and wooded areas. It was
officially named Rizal Park, after the name of Dr. Jose Rizal, our national hero, as an honor
and tribute to him. It is also called Luneta Park because the area looks like a crescent
(Lunette). It is situated next to Intramuros, which was then a Spanish fort that served as a
buffer during rebellions. Before, the name of the place was Bagumbayan (“new town” in
English). This was the place where Dr. Jose Rizal was executed by the Spanish Colonial
Authorities. On September 28, 1901, the United States Philippine Commission approved Act
No. 243, which was to erect a monument in Luneta to commemorate the memory of Jose
Rizal - Philippine patriot, writer, and poet. The committee formed by the act held an
international design competition between 1905-1907 and invited sculptors from Europe and
the United States to submit entries.

After more than twelve years of its approval, the shrine was finally unveiled on December
30, 1913 during Rizal’s 17th death anniversary. The monument was made of bronze and
granite. It does not merely consist of a statue, but also of a mausoleum to house Rizal’s
remains.  His poem “Mi Ultimo Adios” (“My Last Farewell”) is inscribed on the memorial
plaque. It serves as the symbolic focal point of the park. Rizal’s monument is the starting
point or Kilometer Zero to all other cities around the country. The place and the monument
are still guarded 24/7 by ceremonial soldiers, also known as Kabalyeros de Rizal (Knights of
Rizal).

Luneta has been the site of the most significant moments in Philippine History. The
execution of pacifist Dr. Jose Rizal on December 30, 1896 sparked the fire of the Philippine
Revolution against the Spanish colonizers, thus making him a hero of the Philippine
Revolution and the national hero of the country. The Declaration of the Philippine
Independence from American Rule was held on July 4, 1946 at 9:15 am at the front of Rizal’s
monument as authorized by the United States President Harry S. Truman. The Independence
Flagpole is the highest flagpole in the Philippines with the height of 107 metres. Political
rallies in 1986 also happened here, leading to the EDSA Revolution which ended the Marcos
Dictatorship.

Rizal Park is one of the major tourist attractions in Manila. The park has been a favorite spot
for unwinding, socializing, relaxing, jogging, strolling, and bonding among families and
friends. At dawn, different groups gather here to practice martial arts. There are also some
photographers around the park so if you want to have some photos beside the monument;
they are always prepared to take pictures. The park has an Open-air Auditorium where long
running concerts take place.
The Rizal Park is a big part of our history that is why we must remember all the things that
happened, is happening, and will happen here.

2.  RIZAL PROVINCE

Rizal, officially the Province of Rizal, is a province in the Philippines located in the
CALABARZON region in Luzon. Its capital is the city of Antipolo. It is about 16 kilometres
(9.9 mi) east of Manila. The province is named after José Rizal, one of the main national
heroes of the Philippines. Rizal is bordered by Metro Manila to the west, Bulacan to the
north, Quezon to the east, and Laguna to the southeast. The province also lies on the
northern shores of Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the country. Rizal is a mountainous
province perched on the western slopes of the southern portion of the Sierra Madre
mountain range.

Pasig served as its capital until 1975 when it became a part of the newly-created National
Capital Region. A provincial capitol has been in Antipolo since 2009, making it the
administrative center. On June 19, 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No.
11475, which designated Antipolo as the capital of Rizal.

After the Filipino-American conflicts in 1900, the new colonial rulers initiated a discussion on
whether to unite the province of Manila with Morong province. On June 5, 1901, 221
delegates attended the historic meeting at the Pasig Catholic Church to discuss organization
of the province of Manila and Morong.

In that meeting, Dr. Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera of the Federal Party who accompanied the
American members of the Commission, suggested the unification of both Manila and
Morong into one province to be named "Rizal", in honor of our national hero, Dr. Jose P.
Rizal.

This led to the creation of the province of Rizal.

Thus, on June 11, 1901, under Act No. 137, the Second Philippine Commission, headed by
Judge William Howard Taft, with Luke E. Wright, Henry C. Ide, Bernard Moses and Dean C.
Worcester as members, gave birth officially to Rizal province. It was composed of 19 towns
of Manila Province, and 14 municipalities of Morong Politico-Military District or a total of 33
towns.

Over the years, the territory of Rizal Province would evolve until it comprised 26 towns
(excluding the cities of Caloocan, Quezon and Pasay) namely Las Piñas, Malabon, Makati,
Parañaque, Taguig, Pateros, Pasig, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Mandaluyong, Navotas, San Juan,
San Mateo, and Montalban(from the old province of Manila), and Angono, Baras,
Binangonan, Cainta, Antipolo, Cardona, Jalajala, Morong, Pililla, Tanay, Taytay and
Teresa(from the Morong Politico-Military district).

On November 7, 1975, by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 824, the 12 most progressive
towns of Rizal namely: Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Taguig, Parañaque, Pateros, Makati,
Mandaluyong, San Juan, Malabon, Navotas, Pasig and Marikina were incorporated in the
newly formed Metro Manila Area. It also included the town of Valenzuela (formerly of
Bulacan), and the four cities of Manila, Quezon, Caloocan and Pasay.

Thus, Rizal Province was left with just 14 towns -- San Mateo, Montalban, Cainta, Taytay,
Angono, Antipolo, Binangonan, Teresa, Morong, Cardona, Tanay, Pililla, Baras, and Jalajala.
Through sustained progressive development since its creation in 1901, Rizal, owing its
proximity to Manila, had become the "premier province" of the Philippines despite its
dismemberment in 1975 during the Marcos regime. This development has made Rizal
Province the country's nucleus of burgeoning economic centers, hub of progressive cities
and urbanized communities, and the "cradle of great Filipino leaders".

3. RIZAL DAY

Rizal Day is a Philippine national holiday commemorating the life and works of Jose Rizal, a
national hero of the Philippines. It is celebrated every December 30, the anniversary of
Rizal's 1896 execution at Bagumbayan (present-day Rizal Park) in Manila.

Rizal Day was first instituted with a decree by President Emilio Aguinaldo issued December
20, 1898 and celebrated December 30, 1898 as a national day of mourning for Rizal in
Malolos and all victims of the Spanish colonial rule of the Philippines. Daet, Camarines Norte
was the first town to follow the decree, building a monument designed by Lt. Col. Antonio
Sanz, led by Sanz and Lt. Col. Ildefonso Alegre, and financed by the townsfolk of Camarines
Norte and the rest of the Bicol Region. Finished in February 1899, the three-tiered stone
pylon inscribed Rizal's novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, and Morga, for Antonio
de Morga, author of Sucesos de las islas Filipinas, a book about the early days of the
Spanish colonization in the Philippines.

With the victory of the Americans against the Spaniards in the Spanish–American War, the
Americans took control of the Philippines. In an effort to demonstrate that they were more
pro-Filipino than the Spaniards, the American Governor-General William Howard Taft in
1901 named Rizal a Philippine national hero. A year later, on February 1, 1902, the Philippine
Commission enacted Act No. 345, which made December 30 a public holiday.

To underscore the solemnity of the event, President Elpidio Quirino signed Republic Act No.
229 into law on June 9, 1948 that prohibits **fighting, horse racing and jai-alai every
December 30. The law also requires that flags across the country remain at half-staff
throughout the day.