Module 1: Introduction: Dr.

Jose Rizal and the Republic Act 1425

Why Study Rizal?

1. Introduction
The subject Rizal has been taught in college in different styles and in different
approaches, depending upon the background of the teacher who handles it. In 1989, at
the national convention held in Baguio City, The Kapisanan Ng Mga Gurong
Nagmamahal Kay Rizal (KAGUNARI) stressed the need of upgrading and
professionalizing the teaching of Rizal. Delegates from different regions shared the
common observation that the teaching of Rizal has been trivialized with the mere teaching
of his biography. As a result, students were made to memorize names, dates, events and
places making the subject boring and dull at the expense of sacrificing the very
significance and value of the Rizal course.
According to Ambeth Ocampo in his book entitled “Rizal without the Overcoat”,
Rizal could have lived beyond December 30, 1896, if he had simply stayed out of the
Philippines and its politics. If he remained in Hong Kong, then he would just be another
forgotten expatriate Filipino doctor. Rizal, however, was different. Rizal was a quiet,
peaceful man who willfully and calmly walked to his death for his convictions. Before his
execution, his pulse rate was reputedly normal. How many people do you know who
would die for their convictions if they could avoid it?
In June 1892 Rizal wrote letter to a Portuguese friend in which he he wanted show
by example that Filipinos knew how to die for principles. More important, Rizal addressed
his countrymen, mostly “natives” or indios as “Filipinos” at a time when the terms was
reserved for Spaniards born in the Philippines. Guided by the belief from childhood that
he would not reach the age of 30, Rizal decided to return home against all odds. He
probably thought he would be executed in 1892; he miscalculated and died in 1896 at the
age of 35.
Life, works and writings of Dr. Jose Rizal is the only mandated-legislated three-unit
course in college but it has been treated as petty or filler course. Although Rizal is an
academic course but there are teachers dwell on trivia and memorization of events, dates,
names of persons, places and objects. This made Rizal course boring and
insignificant. As a result, the spirit of Rizal law are unconsciously neglected (Daquila,
2008)
Nations cherish heroes and learn from their deeds. Sadly, in the Philippines, we know
little of our national heroes, while there are activities honoring them, bland nationalism
has developed. Holidays and activities commemorating historic events are viewed by
students and the public in general as meaningless and mere rituals. Consequently, the
new generation fails to appreciate, internalize or assimilate the significance of these
celebrations
II. What makes Rizal a controversial national hero?
In the 1970s attempts were made to change Rizal with Bonifacio as the national
hero by student activists, militant groups and labor unions or movements. In their eyes,
Bonifacio deserves to be a hero because he was a revolutionist while Rizal was a
reformist
 The Americans gave Rizal official recognition in order to win the sympathy of the
Filipinos, and to convince them that they were pro-Filipinos. This was also to make them
conform to the new government. Rizal acquired the official title of title of Philippine
National Hero in 1901 under the country’s first American civil governor, William Howard
Taft.
On the recommendation of Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, the Taft Commission
renamed the district of Morong into the Province of Rizal through Act 137 on June 11,
1901. This was one of the first official steps taken by the Taft Commission to honor Rizal.
Since then, Jose Rizal came to be known as the National Hero. Also during the American
period, Rizal’s death anniversary was made an official holiday. On February 1, 1902, the
Act. No. 345 set December 30 as Rizal Day. The Act No. 243 was enacted on September
28, 1901 granting the right to use public land upon the Luneta in the City of Manila upon
which to erect a statue of Jose Rizal ( Source: National Historical Commission of the
Philippines, 2012)
III. The Selection of the National Hero
In 1901, US President McKinley established a commission that sought to create
Philippine national hero; this commission was headed by William H. Taft. The purpose of
the commission was to unite the Philippines by showing a Filipino model. It must be noted
that in these times the Philippines was divided due to the fresh war that the Philippines
had with its new colonizers, the Americans.
Members of the Commission (1901) 1.Civil Governor William HowardTaft2. W. Morgan
Shuster3. Bernard Moses4. Dean Warcester5. Henry Clay Ide6. Trinidad Pardo de
Tavera7. Gregorio Araneta8. Jose Luzurriaga9.Cayetano Arellano10.Benito Legarda
B. Aspirants for the position of National Hero

1. Marcelo H. Del Pilar

2. Graciano Lopez Jaena
3. Jose Rizal
4. Antonio Luna
5. Emilio JacintoC.Criteria
(According to Dr. H. Otley Beyer, an anthropologist and a technical member of the said
commission in the book “Rizal: Ang Bayani” by Crisanto Rivera there were four criteria
used for choosing the national hero:

1. Filipino
2. Dead
3. Ardent love for one’s country
4. A man honored after death by public worship/compassionate and peace lovingHero:·
Why Chose Rizal?

 He was a towering figure in the Propaganda Campaign 1882-1896;

 Noli Me Tangere (Berlin, 1887)–contributed tremendously to the formation of Filipino
Nationality:oHis book was praised and attacked by friends and enemies; by Filipinos
and foreignersoThis book made him the most prominent in the Propaganda
movement.
 No Filipino has yet been born who could equal or surpass Rizal as “a person of
distinguished valor or enterprise in danger, or fortitude of suffering;
 Even before his execution he was acclaimed by both Filipinos and foreigners as the
foremost leader of his people:
Other Reasons for choosing Rizal:
His being a martyr of Bagumbayan may arouse feelings of nationhood and of love for
country.

 His exile to Dapitan prompted the creation of Katipunan by Andres Bonifacio, which
spread to 8 provinces: Cavite, Bulacan, Bataan, Tarlac, Morong, Batangas, Laguna,
and Nueva Ecija;

 Rizal was peace loving. He wanted reforms but not through bloody revolutions
(Filipinos are peaceful and peace loving).
 Filipinos are sentimental. Reading his real life story would touch the reader's heart.
Filipinos usually sympathize with the hero that is kind and the underdog. Rizal's death
was the perfect plot.
Some in formations about Rizal:

 His book Noli Me Tangere (Berlin, 1887) contributed tremendously to the formation of
Filipino Nationality. It was praised and attacked by friends and enemies, by Filipinos
and foreigners. This book made him the most prominent in the Propaganda
movement.
 Even before his execution he was acclaimed by both Filipinos and foreigners as the
foremost leader of his people:
 1889, Barcelona – unanimously elected as honorary president of La Solidaridad”
 1891 – unanimously chosen as “RESPONSABLE” (chief) of the Spanish-Filipino
Association
 July 3, 1892, Manila – founded Liga Filipina
 Honorary President – Katipunan; used the name “Rizal” as password
 December 29, 1897 – Emilio Aguinaldo along with other exiles in Hong Kong held a
commemorative program for Rizal
 December 20, 1898, Malolos, Bulacan – President Aguinaldo declared Dec. 30 as
“Rizal Day. He made a directive that all national flags shall be hoisted at half-mast
from 12 noon on Dec. 29 and all offices of the government shall be closed the whole
day on December 30 as a sign of mourning
 “La Independencia” and “EL Heraldo de la Revolucion”, edited by Antonio Luna
published articles to honor and commemorate the death of Rizal.
 Rizal himself, his own people, and the foreigners contributed to make him the greatest
hero and martyr.
 Rizal monument at Luneta is imported from Europe. It was created by a Swiss, Henry
Kissling, a runner up in an international sponsored nationalists in 1912.
 Some Comments:
Fernando Acevedo – sees in him the model of the Filipinos
Dr. Tomas Arejola - “your moral influence over us is indisputable”.
Ferdinand Blumentritt - “Rizal was the greatest product of the Philippines and that his
coming to the world was like the appearance of a rare comet, whose rare brilliance
appears only every other century; the most prominent man of his own people but the
greatest man the Malayan race has produced”.
Vicente Barrantes - “the first among the Filipinos”

 Other references to Rizal: “Pearl of a man” (Rost), “Symbol of that race, one of the
few representative men of humanity in general” (Unanimous), “Universal genius”,
“Intellectual giant”, “Builder of the nation” “Father of Philippine Nationalism” (Romero,
1978, p. 172)

IV. Senate Bill no. 438

- was one of Sen. Claro M. Recto’s major fight in the Senate. Presented by Sen. Jose P.
Laurel, Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, on April 17, 1956, but it was
generally known that Recto was the author. Dr. Laurel, a nationalist is from Tanawan,
Batangas. Besides being a senator, he was a former secretary of Interior Justice of the
Supreme Court and President of the Japanese sponsored Philippine Republic. He died
in 1963.
- Recto, a nationalist is an alumnus of CPU, a donor of the Recto scholarship in our
College of Law (CPU) and the President of the Constitutional Convention which drafted
our Philippine Constitution on Feb. 3, 1936. He died in Rome, October 2, 1962.

 It was bitterly opposed by some senators and by the Catholic Institution – pointing out
that requiring the teaching of Rizal in schools would be a violation of religious
freedom. The oppositionists were Senators Decoroso Rosales (brother of Archbishop,
then Cardinal Rosales), Sen. Mariano Cuenco (brother of Archbishop Cuenco), and
Fransisco “Soc” Rodrigo (President of Catholic Active Group. Jesus Cavanna, Paulist
Order wrote a pastoral letter against the bill. Clerics had a closed-door conference
with senators to dissuade them from passing the bill.
 To solve the disunity created by the bill, Laurel sponsored a substitute measure - as
a compromise the word “compulsory” was removed and was stated as … “an act
to include in the curricula of all schools (public or private) courses on the life, works,
and writings of Rizal.” – which was unanimously approved on May 12, 1956.
 President Ramon Magsaysay signed this into law as RA 1425 on June 12, 1956
 The National Commission on Education on August 16, 1956 enacted this law.
 In 1969, Secretary Carlos P. Romulo ordered the course of Rizal to be offered as a
three-unit course and as a prerequisite for graduation
V. The Rizal Law: Republic Act 1425

 An act to include in the curricula of all public and private Schools, Colleges and
Universities courses on the Life Works and Writings of JOSE RIZAL, particularly his
novels NOLI ME TANGERE and EL FILIBUSTERISMO, Authorizing the Printing and
Distribution Thereof, and for Other Purposes
 The Rizal law orders the inclusion in the curricula of all public and private schools,
studies on the life, works and writings of Rizal. It requires the reading of the
unexpurgated versions of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo and Rizal’s other
works, which will be included in the list of approved books for required reading.
 The law authorizes the National Board Of Education to direct the translation of Noli
Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo including Rizal’s other popular edition. Further, the
 law also provides that while the teaching of Rizal as a subject is required, the doctrine
of the separation church and the state is upheld.
VI. The Implementation of the Rizal Law

 1956, Education Secretary, Jose E. Romero, allowed schools much leeway in their
implementation of the provisions of the law. Some schools issued exceptions from the
reading of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
 1960, schools offered Rizal either as a three (3) unit course, one (1) unit or integrated
with other subjects in college;
 1965, then Education Secretary Alejandro Roces ordered the integration of the Rizal
course with appropriate subjects other than Spanish as practiced; 1969, thirteen (13)
years after the passage of Rizal Law, the three (3) unit course was ordered to be
offered as a regular three unit course and a requisite for graduation as directed by
then Education Secretary Carlos P. Romulo
 Presidential Memo/ Order 247 and CHED Issuances
o The 1995 memorandum/order of his Excellency Pres. Fidel v. Ramos mandates
the immediate and full implementation of the Rizal law with sanctions against
school for non-compliance’
o In 1996, Commission On Higher Education (CHED) chairman Angel c. Alcala
issued CHED order no. 6, providing that the Rizal course as legislated and
mandated course be offered as three-unit subject.
o On September 25, 1996 CHED Memorandum order (CMO) No. 59 among others,
reiterates and specifies CHED ORDER No. 6, making Philippine history and Rizal
as required three ( 3) unit courses.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1425

(from: https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1956/06/12/republic-act-no-
1425/Links to an external site.)
AN ACT TO INCLUDE IN THE CURRICULA OF ALL PUBLIC AND PRIVATE
SCHOOLS, COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES COURSES ON THE LIFE, WORKS AND
WRITINGS OF JOSE RIZAL, PARTICULARLY HIS NOVELS NOLI ME TANGERE AND
EL FILIBUSTERISMO, AUTHORIZING THE PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION
THEREOF, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
WHEREAS, today, more than any other period of our history, there is a need for a re-
dedication to the ideals of freedom and nationalism for which our heroes lived and died;
WHEREAS, it is meet that in honoring them, particularly the national hero and patriot,
Jose Rizal, we remember with special fondness and devotion their lives and works that
have shaped the national character;
WHEREAS, the life, works and writing of Jose Rizal, particularly his novels Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo, are a constant and inspiring source of patriotism with
which the minds of the youth, especially during their formative and decisive years in
school, should be suffused;
WHEREAS, all educational institutions are under the supervision of, and subject to
regulation by the State, and all schools are enjoined to develop moral character, personal
discipline, civic conscience and to teach the duties of citizenship; Now, therefore,
SECTION 1. Courses on the life, works and writings of Jose Rizal, particularly his novel
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, shall be included in the curricula of all schools,
colleges and universities, public or private: Provided, That in the collegiate courses, the
original or unexpurgated editions of the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo or their
English translation shall be used as basic texts.
The Board of National Education is hereby authorized and directed to adopt forthwith
measures to implement and carry out the provisions of this Section, including the writing
and printing of appropriate primers, readers and textbooks. The Board shall, within sixty
(60) days from the effectivity of this Act, promulgate rules and regulations, including those
of a disciplinary nature, to carry out and enforce the provisions of this Act. The Board shall
promulgate rules and regulations providing for the exemption of students for reasons of
religious belief stated in a sworn written statement, from the requirement of the provision
contained in the second part of the first paragraph of this section; but not from taking the
course provided for in the first part of said paragraph. Said rules and regulations shall
take effect thirty (30) days after their publication in the Official Gazette.
SECTION 2. It shall be obligatory on all schools, colleges and universities to keep in their
libraries an adequate number of copies of the original and unexpurgated editions of the
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, as well as of Rizal’s other works and biography.
The said unexpurgated editions of the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo or their
translations in English as well as other writings of Rizal shall be included in the list of
approved books for required reading in all public or private schools, colleges and
universities.
The Board of National Education shall determine the adequacy of the number of books,
depending upon the enrollment of the school, college or university.
SECTION 3. The Board of National Education shall cause the translation of the Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo, as well as other writings of Jose Rizal into English,
Tagalog and the principal Philippine dialects; cause them to be printed in cheap, popular
editions; and cause them to be distributed, free of charge, to persons desiring to read
them, through the Purok organizations and Barrio Councils throughout the country.
SECTION 4. Nothing in this Act shall be construed as amendment or repealing section
nine hundred twenty-seven of the Administrative Code, prohibiting the discussion of
religious doctrines by public school teachers and other person engaged in any public
school.
SECTION 5. The sum of three hundred thousand pesos is hereby authorized to be
appropriated out of any fund not otherwise appropriated in the National Treasury to carry
out the purposes of this Act.
SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
Approved: June 12, 1956
Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 52, No. 6, p. 2971 in June 1956.
An Overview of Pre-colonial Philippines
Long before the coming of the Spaniards, the early Filipinos had already developed
their own unique culture, beliefs, practices and civilization. Some of these cultures, beliefs
and practices can still be observed among the Filipinos at present.
A. Political Life
Early Filipinos lived in a settlement called barangay headed by chieftain known as
a Datu. The “balangay” or “barangay” represented an independent community. It was
like having a sort of kingdom to govern. In terms of land area, the “barangay” in pre-
Spanish era could be compared at present to the whole province of Iloilo or the combined
provinces of Aklan and Capiz. The Datu of a certain barangay was aided by a council of
elders in running the affairs of the barangay. Usually, it was the Datu and the village elders
who promulgated such laws, which were then announced and explained to the people by
a town crier called the umalohokan. The Datu offered protection to his constituents and
in return the people pay tribute and serve him both in times of war and peace. The
subjects served their chieftain also during voyages, planting, and harvest. They also paid
tributes called buwis. There was also a division of classes where the Datu and his family
were the ruling class and the lowest were the slaves. The Datu and his family constituted
the highest authority in the barangay. They represented the apex of pre-Spanish nobility
in the Philippine Archipelago.
Before the early Filipinos were colonized by the Spaniards, there was already
an existence of the so-called state headed by the Datu. Examples of these states were
the existence of the Muslim Sultanates of Sulu and Maguindanao and the Confederation
of Madya-as, a pre-Hispanic Philippine state in the Visayas region established in the 13th
century by the datus (chiefs), led by Datu Puti, who had fled from the tyranny of Rajah
Makatunao of Borneo.
The Judicial Process
The judicial process was unique because all trials were held in public. This was
to give warning to the people that anyone who went against the rules would meet the
same fate. Whenever a case cannot be readily decided upon the barangay court, they
resorted to trial by ordeal. The trial by ordeal was employed to determine guilt or
innocence. It was related to their belief of supernatural existence. It was believed that
God would intervene in the outcome if the accused was innocent or guilty. This method
required the suspects or accused to do something dangerous or even life-threatening. If
the accused survived the ordeal, he or she is (usually) proclaimed innocent.
The trial by ordeal was based on the belief that the Gods protect the innocent
and punished the guilty. The court to find out the guilty persons utilized three ordeals. The
river ordeal, the boiling water ordeal, the candle ordeal. If guilty, the individual would
perish. For example, in boiling water ordeal, the suspects or accused would pick a stone
in boiling water and the one having a severe burn was guilty while in the case of river
ordeal, the accused were to plunge into the river along with their spears and the first one
to rise was guilty because he could not make it underwater. In the candle ordeal, the
accused whose candle was first extinguished was guilty. Although this sort of justice
system is currently not being observed today but its implication remains. For example, if
injustice is committed against us and it seems that justice is hard to achieve, then we tend
to believe that God is there to provide one. It is like saying “ipinapasaDiyos”.
B. Economic Life
 Pre-colonial Filipinos had already made contact with Chinese traders, Indians,
Indonesians and even established trading and diplomatic relations with countries as far
away as the Middle East. Maybe that would explain why that the system of writing of early
Filipinos was of Sanskrit origin. Our forefathers enjoyed the abundance of food as our
islands were blessed with natural resources coming from the forests, rivers and seas that
they had more than enough to feed themselves and their families. They were so good in
tilling the land using farming techniques that were quite advanced for their time. The
Banaue Rice Terraces is one best example of such talent in farming.
Aside from being farmers, hunters, weapon-makers, and seafarers, the pre-
colonial Filipinos were also involved in such professions as mining, textiles, and smithing.
They also excelled in craftsmanship that they locally-produced items such as pots,
jewelry, and clothing. Our early ancestors were also were very proficient in the art of war.
They were experts in making swords, spears, and knew how to fire guns and cannons.
They were even good in hand-to-hand combats. With the expertise of the Filipinos, why
our ancestors were easily subjugated by the Spaniards? Some historians and Filipino
writers would claim that the Spanish cleverly exploited the regionalist tendencies of the
pre-colonial Filipinos. The Spaniards had used the divide-and-conquer strategy
(befriending a particular barangay to fight another barangay) to control the islands during
their entire reign.
C. Customs, Language, Ornaments, and System of Writing
Role of Women: In terms of marriage customs, parents usually arranged marriage.
Divorce was resorted to in case of marital troubles. As for women, they occupied a high
position in early Philippine society. Women shared equal footing with men in early society.
Early laws and customs recognized them as the equal of men. As a show of respect, men
were even required to walk behind their wives. Women were allowed to divorce, own and
inherit property, and even led their respective barangays or territories . They could even
inherit chieftaincy if they were brave, possessed wisdom, a leadership ability and if they
were daughters of Datus with no sons. The women also had a say in how many children
they wanted, had the sole right to name their children, could dictate the terms of their
marriage and even retain their maiden names if they chose to do so.
In terms of sexual matters, sexual freedom was not restricted. You might be
surprised to know that the early Filipinos did not give more emphasis on the value of
virginity before the marriage. This was because they had no concept of virginity. The idea
of women's chastity before marriage was introduced by the Spaniards. As stated in the
book of Funtecha & Padilla (1999), married women could even demand that their
husbands used penis pins or penis rings for their sexual satisfaction. Maybe because one
of the grounds for divorce was not being sexually satisfied. Also amazingly, there was no
existence of prostitution during the pre-colonial days.
It could be said that the pre-colonial Philippines was largely matriarchal, women held
great weight in matters of politics and religion because they also headed the rituals as
the Babaylans. Being a Babaylan (priest/priestess) was a very prestigious position in the
pre-Spanish period and was often occupied by women. This elevated status of women in
early society was found by the Spaniards as odd and unlikely that they eventually imposed
the patriarchal system. It was during the Spanish period that women were relegated
women to stay at home and gave support to their husbands. The Babaylans were
reduced to a mere “quack doctor”. It was also ingrained by the Spaniards into the minds
of our ancestors that the epitome of being a woman was to act like Maria Clara (passive,
submissive, naïve, demure and powerless). Currently, if the Filipino women are quite
liberal-minded and assertive, meaning, we could say that we owed our being liberal-
mindedness and assertiveness not to the Americans and certainly not to the Spanish, but
to the pre-colonial ancestors
Language: More than a hundred languages and dialects exist in the
Philippines.Tagalog, Ilocano, Pangasinan, Pampangan, Sugbuhanon, Hiligaynon,
Samarnon or Waray and Maguindanao may be considered major languages. Some of the
Tagalog words that are used today hava a sanskrit origin.
There was an evidence of the high level of pre-Hispanic culture like having a native
literature as illustrated by the Ilocano’s ballad-epic narrating the life and bravery of Lam-
ang in his conquest of the various indigenous groups in the main island of Luzon
An oral tradition represents high aspects of a culture that was handed down
from generation to the next in the form of poetry, ballads, songs, and dances that depict
religious, festive, heroic, folk, seasonal, or about harvest, love, or war.
Ornaments: It is believed that the natives already wore clothes and personal ornaments.
They wore a bahag, a baro. saya or patadyong They also wore gem-studded bracelets,
necklaces, rings, and gold earrings. The Filipinos from the Visayas Islands were the most
tattooed, which was why early Spanish writers referred to them as Pintados or painted
people. The writers referred to their Islands as Islas del Pintados or Islands of the Painted
People. Tattoos were part of the body ornaments of pre-Hispanic Filipinos, men and
women alike. These were also sported as war “medals.” The more tattoos, the more
impressive was a man’s war record. On the part women. tattoo signified beauty.
System of Writing
The example given above was the system of writing of our ancestors. Early
Filipinos had a syllabary made of seventeen symbols, three vowels and fourteen
consonants Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, the native inhabitants were literate and
had their own system of writing called Baybayin. The theory of David Diringer states that
the language derived from Kavi or old Javanese, on the other hand, Fletcher Gardner
suggests that the writings might be influenced by an Indian priests who were
knowledgeable about the Brahms scripts.
When the Spaniards found out that our ancestors were educated and literate,
the friars/Spanish priests studied and learned the Baybayin script for better
communication with the natives. Spanish friars and missionaries replaced the tribal tutors
and imposed upon the natives the value of religion using Baybayin. Unfortunately, the
early Filipinos became ignorant and illiterate because they were deprived of education by
the Spaniards. Worst, the Baybayin script was neglected and was not used by
succeeding generations because it was replaced by the Roman alphabets. As result, this
made the pre-colonial Filipinos became more easily susceptible to foreign control and
influence.
D. Pre- Spanish Religious Beliefs and Practices
Before the introduction of Roman Catholicism, early Filipinos already believed in
the immortality of the soul and in life after death. Hence, they subscribed to the idea of
heaven and hell. These beliefs of early Filipinos payed very important role in the
propagation of Roman Catholicism on the island. Early Filipinos easily embraced
Christianity because they have already these beliefs of life after death, heaven, hell, and
the existence of Supreme Being or God. That made Catholicism a powerful tool employed
by the Spaniards to control us for more than 300 years.
The indigenous inhabitants were adherents of animism or the worship of nature.
Along with this belief, they tend to worship idols, called anitos in Tagalog and diwata in
Visayan. It is here that the concept of mariit comes into play. Disease or illness was
attributed to the whims of the environmental spirits and the soul-spirits of the dead
relatives. They were also strong believers of superstitious beliefs.
Beliefs such as usog (a child greeted by a stranger will get sick) and lihi are also
present. Superstitious beliefs were also common. They believed in aswang, tikbalang (a
man having the head of a horse), kapre (a giant that is smoking tobacco), tiyanak
(monster-like, vampire-esque child),santelmo (fireball), duwende(dwarves and elves),
mananangal(witches who feed on fetus' blood), engkanto (minor spirits), and
diwata(fairies/nymphs) and manoghiwit and many more who could victimize people. They
also believed in efficacy of anting-anting or amulets as well as lumay or gayuma.
The Spaniards allowed the Filipinos to go on with some of their beliefs, practices
and rituals as long as they would also observe the Roman Catholics’ practices. The result
was the blending of the early beliefs and practices of early Filipinos and that of the Roman
Catholics which has led some foreign authors to describe them as 'Pagano-Christians
or Folk-Christianity/Folk-Catholicism. This Folk-Christianity is still being carried on or
observed up to the present-day by the Filipinos. The best examples are the Dinagyang
and Ati-Atihan festivals.
E. The Islamization of the Philippines
Sulu was the first Muslim community in Mindanao to establish a centralized
government when the Sultanate of Sulu was established in 1450. Hashim Abubakar was
the founder and the first sultan of the Sulu sultanate. Abubakar belongs to a sharif lineage.
The term sharif is a title of nobility. In the early part of the18th century, the Sulu sultanate
rose to the height of its power controlling the following territories; the whole Zamboanga
peninsula, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Palawan and Sabah. Also during this period, the
sultanate strengthened its military alliance, trade and foreign relations with neighboring
nations like Brunei, Batavia (present-day Jakarta) and even China.The spread of Islam to
Mindanao between 1450 and 1500 was part of the political goal of the Sulu sultanate.
Sulu became known in history as the center of Islamic learning in this country.
The full Islamization of the west coast of Mindanao was accelerated with the arrival
of Muhammad Sharif Kabungsuwan in Malabang in 1515. Like Abubakar, the first sultan
of Sulu, Sharif Kabungsuwan is also an Arab and a descendant of Nabi Muhammad
(S.A.W.) Sharif kabungsuwan established the Sultanate of Maguindanao somewhere in
1516. With the rise of Sulu Sultanate and the Maguindanao Sultanate, some history
authors viewed this as the culmination of Islamization in Mindanao. It was an instrument
to consolidate the emerging Muslim communities. It was said that Sharif Kabungsuwan
was responsible for the spread of Islam in Mindanao. He led a force of Muslim Samals
from Jahore that conquered the natives of what is now Cotabato and converted them to
Islam. He also married a lady from an influential family.
The Islamization of Southeast Asia was generally accomplished by peaceful
means through Muslim traders, missionaries, and teachers. When the Spaniards arrived
in the Philippines during the first half of the 16th century, many parts of Luzon, including
the large native kingdoms of Manila and Tondo, had already been Islamized. However,
the further spread and influence of Islam were stopped by Spanish colonization of the
Philippines.
F. Conclusion: Therefore, we can say that our pre-colonial ancestors were not just some
common savages, backward and barbaric people as what the foreign authors have
claimed. Our ancestors already possessed a civilization even before the coming of the
Spaniards. Unfortunately, when the Philippines was colonized, although we have retained
some of those beliefs, practices and cultures, but some of those were replaced by that
of the colonizers. Those achievements of our forefathers become now as parts of the “lost
heritage”. Although we have acknowledged the Spaniards and the Americans
contributions to our society, can you speculate what could have happened had our
ancestors never been colonized?
According to a Filipino historian Onofre D. Corpuz:
"The Spaniards were a non-laboring class, they never dirtied their hands". Even
when the commonest of Spaniards arrived on the galleons they were immediately
elevated in status to noblemen. Although credited with building the great Catholic
cathedrals and massive missions throughout the Philippines, in actuality the Spanish
didn't do the building. Known to "never dirty their hands", the Spanish gave the orders,
and the natives did the work. "The Spanish were essentially a non-producing class. They
were priests, soldiers, officeholders, and their families. Their arrival in the colony
transformed every Spanish into a nobleman, who disdained manual labor."(as cited in
this link https://www.sfu.ca/fuga/history/hist02.html)
Why the Spaniards Came?
The Philippine islands had caught the attention of Europeans with the Spanish
expedition around the world led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1521.
Magellan claimed the lands for Spain and named them Islas de San Lazaro in honor of
King Philip II (for whom the island was named). After the voyage of Magellan, four
expeditions were sent: Loaisa (1525), Cabot (1526), Saavedra (1527), Villalobos (1542),
and Legazpi (1564) by Spain. Ruy López de Villalobos gave the name Las Islas Filipinas
(after Philip II of Spain).The Legazpi expedition was the most successful. Miguel Lopez
de Legazpi, became the country's first governor-general. In 1565, he established the first
permanent Spanish settlement in Cebu. Manila was founded in 1571, and by the end of
the 16th century most of areas in Luzon were under Spanish control. But the Muslims of
Mindanao and Sulu, whom the Spanish called Moros, were never completely subdued by
Spain(Encyclopedia Britannica).
The search for a new trade route and the desire for spices became a major
motivation for early Portuguese and Spanish expeditions of the east. Spices were very
important that it could even buy land or be used as a dowry. This was because they
engaged in voyage, exploration, and discovery that made the spices so important for food
preservation. The desire to spread Catholicism was also one of the reasons.
II. What are the Methods or Techniques Used to Control the Filipinos?
The Spanish occupation of the Philippines would not have been successful without
means to control and subjugate the native inhabitants. It has been said that the conquest
of the island was done through swords and the cross. However, the Spanish were
unsuccessful in converting Muslim Sultanates to Christianity and warred with Muslim
Filipinos throughout their 300-year colonial rule
One of the techniques used by Spain to put the natives under their control was using
the method of divide and conquer. Since each barangay was independent of one
another, it was easy for the Spaniards to befriend certain groups of Filipinos from one
barangay to fight other natives in another barangay.
Under the policy of attraction, Spaniards have obtained the support of local chiefs
by giving gifts and exempting them from tributes and polo and even concluded a blood
compact with native rules.
Catholic missionaries converted the native chiefs and family members to the
catholic faith. Mass baptism was carried upon where large numbers of Filipinos at one
time enabled the initial conversion to Christianity.
 The converted natives became fanatic and began to follow blindly the dictates of
the friars because of their value in the salvation of the soul. Although the natives were
converted to Christians, they were still allowed to go on with some folk beliefs and
practices like sacrificial offerings and others which resulted in adaptation of Christianity
to the local context known as “folk christianism”
To finalize their control over the natives, they built a “plaza complex” or
“pueblo” where the people were made to live in the area within hearing distance of church
bells (bajo de la campana).The plaza complex or pueblo was purposely built to attract
people living on the riverbanks to live within the vicinity of the plaza so that their activities
could easily be monitored by the Spaniards. Those who preferred to live within the vicinity
of the pueblos were known as taong-loob while those who refused were known as taong-
labas or remontados, cimarrones, ladrones, or tulisanes. This policy was called reduccion
or resettlement policy designed to control easily the movements and actions of a large
number of Filipinos. It was also designed to enable Spain to collect taxes from the natives.
If you can see at present, in every town or plaza the church is the center of
everything surrounded by municipal hall, hospital, market, schools and big houses. With
the establishment of pueblo, the church and the plaza became the center of all significant
activities of the natives from birth to death. The plaza became witness to the injustices,
oppression and exploitation suffered by Filipinos in the hands of colonial masters.
III. The Philippines in the 19th Century: the political, social, and economic
conditions
The King of Spain governed the Philippines through the Governor-general. He was
the king’s representative in all state and religious matters and as such he exercise
extensive powers. He held the executive, legislative and judicial powers. Under the
Governor-general was the Alcalde mayor who ruled in the province, the Gobernadorcillo
who controlled the town, and the Cabeza de barangay who headed the barangay.
In the 19th century, while Europe and the United States were enjoying the essence
of industrialism, democracy, and the flourishing of science and technology, the Philippines
under the control of the Spaniards remained medieval. Philippine society was
predominantly feudalistic. Its social and economic structure was based on the old
feudalistic patterns of abuse and exploitation of the Indio. Its censorship and racially
discriminatory practices were oppressive. An elite class exploited the masses, fostered
by the master-slave relationship between the Spaniards and the Filipinos. The Spaniards
exacted all forms of taxes and tributes and drafted the natives for manual labor.
The social classification was based on race. The pyramidical structure of 19th century
Philippine society favored the Spaniards. The highest class consists of the Peninsulares
(Spaniards born in Spain); Spanish officials, friars; the middle class were the Insulares
(Spaniards born the Philippines) or popularly known as Filipinos, Creoles, and the lowest
strata were the Indios. The Insulares were addressed as Filipinos by the Peninsulares
because they were born in the Philippines and were looked down by the latter. Thus, the
term Filipino in the context of the Spanish period meant those Spaniards born in the
Philippines.
IV. Education and the Friars in the Philippines
When the Legazpi expedition arrived in the Philippines in 1565, the Augustinian
missionaries started to establish their foothold. They were followed by the Franciscans
(1577), Jesuits (1581), Dominicans (1587), Recollects (1606), and Benedictines (1895)
religious orders. These missionaries' main responsibility is to spread Christianity among
the inhabitants of these newly conquered islands. The Philippines' State and Church were
united when the pope granted the monarch of Spain Patronato Real or Royal
Patronage power. Royal patronage is a form of Church-State connection when the State
actively gets involved in the management and assistance of the Church. Hence, the friars
or the Spanish priests held vast powers during the Spanish era due to the union of the
church and the state,
The missionaries, or friars as they were known then, had a major influence not only
on the propagation of the Christian faith but also on the political, social, economic, and
cultural aspects of the Filipino people during more than three centuries of Spanish rule.
The friars even control the area of education aside from religious functions. Friars like the
Augustinian, Dominican, and Franciscan held executive functions of government on the
local level. In reality, they were the "true conquistadors" throughout the Spanish era.
The Spanish priests or friars were seen as important instruments of what modern
critics called a "friarocracy" of Spanish rule. Throughout the decades of Spanish colonial
control, the influence of religious orders remained cannot be undermined. Many of the
administration and control duties of local government were still performed by the
Augustinian, Dominican, and Franciscan orders as late as the nineteenth century. They
were in charge of maintaining public morals, and notifying the authorities of incidents of
sedition. keeping track of census and tax data, as well as reporting on the character and
behavior of specific village members.
Central to the friars' dominant position was their monopoly of education at all levels.
They controlled the educational system from the primary level to the tertiary level. Since
the friars inevitably occupied a dominant position in the Philippine educational system,
therefore, religion was the main subject in school. The teachings of the Catholic religion
and Christian Doctrines were emphasized. Fear of God and obedience to the friars were
instilled in the minds of the people. Mathematics and Science was not given importance.
The Indios were also constantly reminded that they had inferior intelligence and that they
were fit for manual labor. This could be one factor that we tend to feel inferior as Filipinos
when comparing ourselves to other races.
For almost three hundred years since the Spaniards settled in the Philippines, there
was no systematic government supervision of schools. The schools that were built were
exclusive only for the Spaniards and limited to the sons of wealthy Filipino families. It was
only in the late 19th century that Filipinos were only able to attend school. It was only in
1863 that the Spanish government decreed that a system of free public primary education
be established in the Philippines. So just imagine that Spaniards came here in the 1520s
and yet free public education was only introduced to the natives in the 1860s. Why
deprived the Indios of such centuries of knowledge?
By virtue of the 1863 Education Decree, secondary and higher education were made
available to the local inhabitants, however, it was only the illustrados (wealthy locals or
later known as educated Filipinos) who could afford to send their children to school. Some
of them even went to Europe to study. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that the
access to higher education and exposure to the liberal ideas in Europe by the Illustrados
marked the awakening of their consciousness of how pathetic the life of the Filipinos was
under Spanish rule. Their exposure to education fueled their nationalistic feelings and the
realization that equality and freedom are basic rights. This awakening led to the clamor
for reform and eventually the cry for independence.
V. The Common Hardships of the Filipinos and the Rise of Nationalism
Before the Spanish occupation, there was no sense of nationalism among the
early Filipinos because there was no idea of a nation yet. When they were subjugated
and oppressed by the colonizers, they have realized they belong in one nation, thus, they
have to fight to regain their lost pride, dignity, and freedom.
Forms Of Instruments Of Exploitation And Control
The following are other forms of instruments of exploitation and control that caused
common hardships, sorrows, humiliation, latent sentiment, and sufferings among the
Filipinos. With all these unspeakable grievances in their hearts, the Filipinos cried to be
freed from Spanish clutches and have waged numerous revolts. Hence the rise of
nationalism among the Filipinos was triggered by so many abuses and oppression.
The encomienda system is taken from the Spanish verb, encomendar, which means
to entrust or to assign responsibility to a person. The system became a source of abuse
and corruption because the encomendero was free to raise the tribute to be collected
from the people. The encomenderos are the first haciendados or hacienderos in the
Philippines controlling vast tracts of land
The polo y servicios began in 1580 whereby native Indios and mestizos from 16
years old to 60 years old were forced to work for 40 days every year. In 1884, labor was
reduced to 15 days. Products of forced labor were churches, roads and other government
buildings.
The Bandala system, involved the forced selling of farmer’s products most
especially tobacco, palay and coconut oil to the government. Filipino farmers were
required to sell their products or harvest that in return the government would exchange a
piece of paper containing a promise to pay (promissory note). It has been reported that
the government officials don't have any palabra de honor because they wouldn't pay the
farmers in the end.

So, if the poor farmers got hungry, they would buy back their products from the
government and the government could set the price of the products at a higher price
The imposition of taxes or the collection of tribute was replaced by the yearly
purchase of a cedula personal. The “cedula personal” was a mandatory identification
card used in assessing tribute paid by the natives and in determining those who were
subject to forced labor. It also served as a residence tax certificate and as a passport to
restrict the movement of people. Those who could not present their cedula could be
arrested and imprisoned by the Guardia Civil. The amount of cedula was based on the
race and position of the person. The aim of cedula was similar to tribute and to recognize
the authority of king of Spain. During the Cry of Pugadlawin in 1896, Bonifacio and the
katipuneros tore their cedulas while shouting for Philippine independence.
Other forms of exploitations that have caused the Filipinos to revolt were discontent
and humiliation brought about by racial discrimination, land grabbing, the arbitrary
increases in land rents, the unjust eviction of farmers from their lands and the desire for
religious.