Social Science 19/GESocSci 3

Rizal and His Social Ideals.

Life and Works of Rizal.
 Grading System
87.4/100 x 50 + 50 = 93.7, 94
Prelim Exam =15%
Mid-Term Exam =20% 98-100 = 1.0
Final Exam =25% 95-97 = 1.25
Quizzes =25%
92-94 = 1.5
Others =15%
89-91 = 1.75
86-88 = 2.0
PL =78 x .15 = 11.7
83-85 = 2.25
MT =85 x .20 = 17
80-82 = 2.5
FE =93 x .25 = 23.25
77-79 = 2.75
Qz =86 x .25 = 21.5
75-76 = 3.0
Oth =95 x .15 = 13.95
Below = 5.0
87.4
Attendance
Allowable absences =20% of total school days (50) , 10
Course Description :
This course is a review of Dr. Jose Rizal’s biography,
his works and contribution to the over-all development
of the nation, and his writings, which outline his
philosophy and beliefs, his view of life and society, and
the impact of his teachings on the Filipinos then and
now.
Objectives
This course aims to:

present facts on the life, works and writings of Dr. Jose

Rizal, and his ideals and philosophies;

lead students to an understanding of Dr. Rizal’s

contribution to the life of the Filipino nation;

lead the students to an appreciation of Dr. Rizal’s

contribution to the nation’s attainment of freedom and
its development;
lead the students to an understanding of Dr. Rizal’s
ideals and principles, their significance to Filipino life;
and

lead to a realization of how these ideals and principles

can be used as guidelines to everyday living, so as to
help in the creation of a mature, self-reliant, and
principled citizenry.
I. The Rizal Law: Republic Act 1425

 Senators Claro M. Recto and Dr. Jose P

Laurel Sr., authored this act commonly
called the Rizal Law. The law passed
approved in June 1956, during the
presidency of the late Hon. Ramon
Magsaysay. It is of interest for our
students to know that Dr. 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 that drafted
our Philippine Constitution on Feb. 3,
1936. He died in Rome, October 2, 1962.
Senator Laurel, a
nationalist is from
Tanawan, Batangas, was
also a former Secretary of
the Interior and Justice of
the Supreme Court. and
President of the Japanese
sponsored Philippine
Republic. He died in 1963.
The Rizal Bill

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.

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.
Opposed to the passage of the law:

Senators Decoroso Rosales (brother of Archbishop,

then Cardinal Rosales)

Sen. Mariano Cuenco (brother of Archbishop Cuenco),

Fransisco “Soc” Rodrigo (President of Catholic Active

Group.

Fr. 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 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;
The Selection of the National Hero

 Members of the Commission (1901):

1. Gov. William Howard Taft 6. Trinidad Pardo de Tavera

2. W. Morgan Schuster 7. Gregorio Araneta
3. Bernard Moses 8. Jose Luzurriaga
4. Dean Worcester 9. Cayetano Arellano
5. Henry Clay Ides 10. Benito Legarda
Other Candidates for
National Hero:
 
1. Marcelo H. Del Pilar
2. Graciano Lopez-Jaena
3. Antonio Luna
4. Emilio Jacinto
Criteria for selection
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. Must have ardent love for one's country;
4. A man honored after death by public worship/
compassionate and peace loving.
What is a hero?
 A prominent or central
personage taking an
admirable part in any
remarkable action or event;

 A person of distinguished
valor or enterprise in danger,
or fortitude in suffering;

 A man honored after death

by public worship, because of
exceptional service to
mankind
Why 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:

His book was praised and attacked by

friends and enemies; by Filipinos and
foreigners
This 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:
MH Del Pilar;
Napoleon M. Kheil;
Dr. Reinhold Rost;
Fernando Acevedo – sees in him the model Filipino;
Dr. Tomas Arejola - “your moral influence over us is
indisputable”;

Vicente Barrantes - “the first among the Filipinos”;

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”;
Other Honors and acclamations:

1889, Barcelona, he was unanimously elected as

honorary president of La Solidaridad;

1891, he was unanimously chosen as “RESPONSABLE”

(chief) of the Spanish-Filipino Association;

July 3, 1892, Manila he founded Liga Filipina;

He was made 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”; flags should
be at half mast from Dec. 29, 12 noon- Dec. 30, 12 noon;

“La Independencia”, edited by Antonio Luna and “EL

Heraldo de la Revolucion” 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
Other references to Rizal:

“Pearl of a man” (Rost)

“Symbol of that race, one of the few representative men
of humanity in general” (Unamuno)
“Universal genius”
“Intellectual giant”
“Builder of the nation”
“Father of Philippine Nationalism” (Romero, 1978, p. 172)

☺ MH Del Pilar won according to the votes, but upon knowing that Rizal’s
life and death was more colorful than Del Pilar, the decision was reversed.
Other Reasons for the Selection of 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.
To support the choice, the commission passed the
following acts:
 
Act 137 organized the politico-military district of
Morong and named it Rizal Province

Act 243 authorized public subscription for the

construction of the Rizal monument in Luneta

Act 345 set aside December 30 as a national holiday,

Rizal Day

Republic Act 1425 – the Rizal Law