PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MUNTINLUPA

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Concept Paper on the Relevance of the Rizal Course

in our Contemporary World

Alyssa T. Tañon
Jennifer D. Beltran
Jordan D. Sarol
Ma. Andhrea Abbygale M. Segales
Rommel M. Galindez

College of Arts and Sciences,

Department of Psychology

Pamantansan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa

February 18, 2023

Prof. Lea A. Presnedi

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Introduction

Philippine National Hero. Among many Filipino hero candidates, only one is

recognized as the national hero of the Philipines, José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso

Realonda. Noli Me Tángere, El filibusterismo, Kundiman, To the young women of

Malolosa, and Mi Ultimo Adios are just one of the popular writings of Rizal that

significantly contributed to the contemporary literature and philosophy of the Philippines.

Jose Rizal's ideals were a product and composite of the instructions of what is

known as the philosophy of enlightenment. It became an essential instrument in the

modern era of the Philippines. For the Filipino people, Jose Rizal is a reputable and

honourable hero who chose his writing instead of violence to serve and protect his nation

from the mistreatment and unjust leadership Filipino people experienced at the hand of

the Spanish colonizers.

Despite his death, Jose Rizal is a hero that will never be forgotten, and his sacrifices will

always be remembered in the History of the Philippines, now and forever.

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Teachings of Rizal

 Noli Me Tángere

One of the most sought-after books in Philippine literature until today is Rizal’s famous

novel titled Noli Me Tángere (Touch Me Not). Driven by his undying love for his country, Rizal

wrote the story to expose the ills of Philippine society during the Spanish colonial era. At the

time, the Spaniards prohibited the Filipinos from reading the controversial book because of the

unlawful acts depicted in the novel to expose the ills of Philippine society during the Spanish

colonial era. At the time, the Spaniards prohibited the Filipinos from reading the controversial

book because of the unlawful acts depicted in the novel. Yet they could not ban it entirely, and as

more Filipinos read the book, it opened their eyes to the truth that the friars were maltreating

them. In this revolutionary book, you’ll learn the story of Crisostomo Ibarra, how he dealt with

Spanish authorities, and how he prepared for his revenge, as told in Rizal’s second book, El

Filibusterismo.

 El Filibusterismo

This is Rizal’s sequel to his first book, Noli Me Tángere. In El Filibusterismo (The Reign

of the Greed), the novel exhibits a dark theme (as opposed to the hopeful atmosphere in the first

novel) in which it depicts the country’s issues and how the protagonist attempts a reform. The

story takes place 13 years after Noli Me Tángere, where revolutionary protagonist Crisostomo

Ibarra is now under the guise of Simoun – a wealthy jewelry tycoon. Because the novel also
 PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MUNTINLUPA
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portrays the abuse, corruption, and discrimination of the Spaniards towards Filipinos, it was

banned in the country then. Rizal dedicated his second novel to the GOMBURZA – the Filipino

priests Mariano Gomez, Jose Apolonio Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, executed on subversion

charges. The two books of Rizal, now considered his literary masterpieces, indirectly sparked the

Philippine Revolution.

 To the young women of Malolosa

Marcelo H. Del Pilar, writing in Barcelona on February 17, 1889, requested Dr. Rizal to

send a letter in Tagalog to the brave women of Malolos. Although busy in London annotating

Morga’s book, he penned his famous, very long letter and sent it to Del Pilar on February 22,

1889, for transmittal to Malolos. Jose Rizal was greatly impressed by the fighting spirit that the

young women of Malolos had shown. In his letter, he expresses great joy and satisfaction over

their battle. In this portion of Rizal’s letter, it is evident that his ultimate desire was for women to

be offered the same opportunities as those received by men in terms of education. During those

days, young girls were not sent to school because of the universal notion that they would soon

only be taken as wives and stay home with the children. Rizal emphasizes freedom of thought and

the right to education, which must be granted to both boys and girls alike. Rizal advises women to

educate themselves, protect their dignity and honor, and live with good manners setting up as role

models.
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 Kundiman,

On September 12, 1891, Jose Rizal wrote "Kundiman," a traditional Tagalog poem about

the love of Filipinos in his Motherland. A kundiman is a love song where a man serenades the

woman he loves. This word was derived from the Tagalog phrase "Kung Hindi man" (if it should

not be so). The piece by Rizal reflects his high hopes that the Philippines would be free from

injustice one day.

 Mi Ultimo Adios

Rizal used letters to say goodbye to his motherland and his compatriots during his

last days in Fort Santiago, Manila, after he was arrested for his association with the

Katipuneros. It was claimed that Mi ultimo adios, which translates to "My last farewell,"

was written by Rizal during his last days, while others claimed that he wrote this poem

precisely the night before his execution. Originally this poem had no title included and

was only given by Mariano Ponce, a fellow revolutionist of Rizal.

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Application to Current Situations

Noli Me Tángere

Noli Me Tangere is a novel written by Jose Rizal to unmask the brutality

and corruption of Spanish rule in the Philippines. He wrote it intending to reach his
fellow men to be encouraged to protect their motherland against foreign colonizers who
wanted to steal their territories.

One of the human instincts is to protect what is theirs. In the modern era, the Philippine
strive to protect what they believe is theirs. For example, the South China Sea, also
known as the Spratly Islands. This issue has become controversial between China and the
Philippines. The Philippines fought with China even if it means to break the alliance with
them because we were not just claiming what was ours but also protecting what
surrounded it. China builds artificial islands resulting in damaging the ecosystem of the
west of the Philippines in the process. The Philippines firmly stand on their toes at the
very end. Our country may not be significant as China or any other nation, but we are not
pushovers. We are not lesser than any other country. We can protect what we believe is
ours, be it with our bodies or by our blood.

Noli Me Tangere leaves a message that nobody can touch nor harm you in any way as
long as you don't allow them to. Whatever you are and your status, you can protect
yourself and what belongs to you.
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El Filibusterismo

'Kayo ang boss ko' late former President Noynoy Aquino on his campaign.

During Spanish Colonial, Rizal wrote the prequel of his novel Noli Me Tangere, El
Filibusterismo. In English title, it means the Reign of Greed. El Filifusterismo mirrors the
characteristic of a corrupted person; greed, cowardice, hypocrisy, narcissism, and self-
righteousness. Because of this, people in linen lost their voice and strength to fight the
injustice ruling of the Spanish colonizers and friars.
Filipinos are powerless. They don't have the voice to speak about their sufferings, they
don't have the strength to fight injustice, and they don't have the right to have a decent
life.

Change starts with the people; however, if the people we expect to stand on the side of
change choose their greed and kneel in front of power, the change will be buried, and the
nation will mourn.
Rizal fought this injustice with pen and paper, letting everyone knows that this was not
what they deserved. The power should be in the hands of the citizen, not in the officials.
The power should be the citizen's voice because their cries and woes mean the nation is
suffering.

In the contemporary era, citizens have been given the right to speak up for their needs,
cries, and rights. El Filibusterismo has contributed significantly to this change because it
enlightens some fellow Filipinos who have been striving for change until now.
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To the young women of Malolosa

Women are mainly described as an individual with feminine

characteristics. However, women aren't just as we know they are. Women are our
mothers, precious sisters, loving daughters, respected teachers, and exceptional
individuals. In Rizal's famous letter 'To the Young Women of Malolos,' he was impressed
by the bravery, and courage women in Malolos showed when they participated in the
battle. That's why Jose Rizal desired for these young women, not just in Malolos but in
the entire country, to have the same opportunity man has. Rizal must have taught that the
women he met in Malolos were already great without education. They could have
achieved more if they had received proper education and opportunity like men.

From then to now, in the eyes of society, women are considered weak, vulnerable, and
mediocre. Women are often compared to men in strength, logic, and skills. Stereotyping
of women is inevitable. However, things changed as time did. Women can achieve
something incredibly more than society expects of them and have more responsibilities
than we thought they had. They were responsible for being a perfect role model of
decency and manners, etiquette and values, and they were also responsible for modeling
future well-being.

Rizal concludes that mothers are the ones who are vital for the upbringing of a good
society because they bear a child who will become a part of society. Their job is to ensure
that their child will grow up as a decent person who respects the elderly, women,
children, and his fellow people.

Even in the past, Rizal has much faith and trust in women. His respect for women is
beyond knowing because, as a person guided by a loving mother, he believes that every
child might as well grow up like him with the help of their caring mother.
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Kundiman

The sun never rests forever, and the night is shorter than it seems. Rizal
wrote a poem entitled 'Kundiman' where the content is about how our nation yielded to
power, how power abuses people under it, and how those in power failed to protect its
people. In the Spanish era, Filipinos are powerless; some may receive an ounce of power
but don't intend to use it for the sake of our country.

Year 1946, the Philippines achieved true freedom. Filipinos were granted independence
and the right to vote for their leader. Hence, the Philippines are not genuinely free. Power
can corrupt a person's morality through greed. In Rizal's poem Kundiman, he stated how
those in power failed to protect us and how people suffered from its consequence. For
generations, the Philippines have been led by different leaders; unfortunately, only a few
are decent. For every official we elect, we elect a person we want to protect us, and every
time they fail to fulfil their duty, the nation faces its consequence. From Unemployment
to Poverty to Hunger to Tons of criminal cases, and to Death of dozen innocent people.

However, despite all, we always have faith for our fellow Filipinos. We continue to vote
for someone we think deserves to be elected. Because, somehow, we believed that among
thousands of corrupted people, there was one out there who could sacrifice himself to
serve his country.

For Rizal, when writing the poem Kundiman, He believed that the Philippines might have
been suffering then, but he also thought that the sun would soon rise and the long night of
suffering would end.

And yes, until now, we have been striving to achieve Rizal's dream for the nation he
loves and the country we grew up.
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Mi Ultimo Adios

In his poem Mi Ultimo Adios, aside from depicting how beautiful a

country the Philippines is, Rizal also wanted us to learn from our history and understand

the truth about how the rest of the world perceives us. This particular teaching of Rizal

expresses how we should not be scared even of death if it is for our country's freedom. In

this present time, although the Philippines is now a nation free from other countries, it

looks like we still aren't from our fellow citizens, such as our government. The poem

depicts one should sacrifice for the betterment of his country, but with our current

situation, what's happening is the exact opposite of what Rizal would have wanted.

Poverty, lack of education, political killings, threats, harassment, and oppression are just

a few of the many problems that this country is facing today, the same issues that Rizal

and his fellow reformist and activist fought so hard to free our country from and yet, the

government still has no concrete solutions for these problems to be resolved. It's sad that

most Filipinos still continuously vote for undeserving candidates during the election, the

same people who promise to improve this country, but in reality, they do things for their

benefit. Hopefully, soon, the people of the Philippines will learn to choose leaders who

genuinely deserve their position. Leaders who will bring this country back to its pristine

state and former glory, as well as make better lives for the Filipino people. The kind of

leaders that will make Rizal's sacrifices for this country all worth it.
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Conclusions

Liberty, Freedom, and Change. It can only be obtained if you fight for it,

work for it, and sacrifice for it. During Jose Rizal's time, he did not just sit and watch his

fellow Filipino suffer. He did everything he could to save us from the unjust treatment of

the colonizer.

True patriotism isn't about what you can sacrifice or do for your country, but why do you

sacrifice for your country because anyone can sacrifice themselves, but without any

reason, your sacrifice is meaningless.

Rizal is a patriot, a true hero because he loves his country, his nation, and his fellow

compatriots, and for them, even if he has to give his life and die at a young age, he will

not hesitate if it means that the country he loves will be saved.

To obtain freedom, he sacrifices his time, life, blood, and body to save us from peril. As a

young member of the republic, I am honoured to be in the country he served because,

through him, youth like me can enjoy the freedom he fights for until he dies. Jose Rizal is

a hero. He deserves to be remembered from the past to the present and undoubtedly in the

future.
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References

I. To the Young Women of Malolos. (2011,April). https://sinosipepe.wordpress.com/works-

writings/essays/to-the-young-women-of-malolos/

II. Francia, L. (2014). Introduction to Noli Me Tangere.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/291131/noli-me-tangere-touch-me-not-by-

jose-rizal/9780143039693/readers-guide/

III. Rizal, J. (1896, December). Mi Ultimo Adios. https://www.fabulousphilippines.com/mi-

ultimo-adios-jose-rizal.html

IV. Lim, J.R. (2018, March). Interpretation: Kundiman.

https://thelifeandworksofrizal.blogspot.com/2018/03/interpretation-kundiman.html?m=1

V. Rizal, J. (1891, September). Kundiman.

https://thelifeandworksofrizal.blogspot.com/2018/03/interpretation-kundiman.html?m=1

VI. Derbyshire, C. (2005, October). The Reign of Greed: A Complete English Version of El

Filibusterismo from the Spanish of José Rizal.

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10676/10676-h/10676-h.htm