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Rizal’s life and WoRks MRs. Violeta e. sioson

Lady of Lourdes Hospital and Colleges of Caybiga, Inc. Rizal’s life

and WoRks MRs. Violeta e. sioson

Rizal’s Life and Works

Module I: Rationale of the Rizal Course: R.A. 1425
A. Lesson Guides:
Lesson 1: Background of R.A. 1425: Why is Rizal our Hero?
Lesson 2: Flashback of the Philippine History: Changes in 19th Century
Europe; The Philippines in the 19th Century under Spain;
The Development of Philippine Nationalism.
Lesson 3: Life of Rizal from Birth to Death

A. Ancestry and Formal Education in:

• Biñan
• Ateneo de Municipal
• The University of Sto. Tomas

B. Rizal in Europe
• Education
• Training
• Travels
C. Life in Dapitan
• Community Works
D. Trials and Execution
E. The Impact of Rizal’s Death

B. Learning Activities
Lesson 1: Background of R.A. 1425: Why is Rizal our Hero?
a. Explain the R.A. 1425
b. Explain how Rizal became a hero.
c. Identify the present heroes of the Philippines.
d. Whom do you consider as present-day heroes? Why?
e. Required Readings:

“Renato Constantino Veneration Without Understanding, 1976”

“Armando Malay Veneration with Understanding, 1976”
f. Compare and contrast the idea that was presented in the two readings.
g. Make a 20-items test about this lesson with corresponding answers.

Lesson 2: Flashback of Philippine History: Changes in 19th Century Europe;

the Philippines in the 19th Century under Spain; the Development of Philippine
Nationalism.
a) Read your Phil. History of the coming of the Spaniards and the process of
colonization. Make a timeline of events in a type-written document.
b) Enumerate the changes in Europe and the Philippines’ condition in the 19th Century. c)
State the changes in Europe, Spain, and the Philippines in the 19th Century. d) Write the
summary of the factors to the development of national consciousness. e) Define
nationalism and enumerate the factors to the development of nationalism. f) Narrate the
great role of Rizal in the Propaganda Movement that awakened Filipino nationalism.
g) Make a 20-items test with corresponding answers.

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Lesson 3. a: Ancestry and Formal Education

a) List down 10 memorable events in the life of Rizal that you have read from the book:
“Rizal Without the Overcoat” by Ambeth R. Ocampo.
b) Enumerate courses Rizal has completed in Ateneo and UST.
c) View and research at least three films about Jose Rizal.
Ex. Jose Rizal, actor: Cesar Montano.
Bayaning Third World directed by Mike de Leon
d) Give your analysis of the film. Write at least a 100-word essay for each of the three films you
watched.

Lesson 3.b: Rizal in Europe

a) Trace the Travels of Rizal and identify the places he has visited in Europe.
b) List down accomplishments of Rizal as he studied and trained in Europe.
c) Make a 20-item test with corresponding answers about this topic.

Lesson 3. c: Life in Dapitan

a) Enumerate Rizal’s community activities in Dapitan.
b) Justify the trial and execution of Rizal. Give the pieces of evidence presented.
c) What was the impact of the death of Rizal on the Filipino People?

• Allanswers in the Learning Activities from Lesson 1 to 3 should be in the same type
written document. Submit them in your Google Classroom on or before October 18,
2021.
• Your First Examination will be on October 18-23, 2021. The coverage is from Lesson 1 to
Lesson 3.

Module II: Rizal’s Writings and Works

A. Lesson Guide:

Lesson 4: Rizal as a Novelist

a. Noli Me Tangere
b. El Filibusterismo

Lesson 5: Rizal as an Essayist, Poet, and Dramatist.

Lesson 6: Rizal’s Socio-Economic and Political Ideas

B. Learning Activities:

Lesson 4: Rizal as a Novelist: Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo 1. Read the

plot of the two novels and compare the novels (Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo) AIMS:
a. Setting
b. Characters
c. Development of the plot
d. End of the story
2. List down the problems and sufferings of the people during the Spanish Era
3. The characters that are portrayed in his two novels are very much alike in our present society.
Who are the present counterparts of these characters? Explain.
a. Ibarra e. Dona Victoria
b. Simoun f. Kapitan Tiago
c. Elias g. Basilio
d. Maria Clara

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Make an illustration of their role in the present society.

4. Presently, with the pandemic that the Philippines is suffering,
a. Describe the actual plight of the Filipino people now.
b. Indicate who is to blame for our suffering.
c. Cite actions or activities on how to help and rebuild our nation now. Are our leaders on the
right path to solving the problem?
5. Copy-paste the original cover design of Noli Me Tangere and explain the different symbols used
by Jose Rizal.

6. Describe the Philippine educational system before Rizal’s Time compare to the present time.
What are the steps being done by the present government to fully educate the Filipino people? Are
you satisfied with the programs the Department of Education and the President to achieve better
education? Justify your answer.

7. Write a 20-items quiz with corresponding answers about the novels of Rizal.
Lesson 5: Rizal as an Essayist, Poet, and Dramatist.

1. Search the different essays stated above and analyze what was are the content of the said
essays. Use any book in Rizal Course to be able to analyze.

a. Letter to the Young Women of Malolos; in this essay, Rizal praises the young Filipino
women of Malolos
• What are the characteristics they showed as Filipino Women?
• What was the advice of Rizal to these young women as they become mothers? •
Compare the women in Rizal’s time to the women in the present century.

b. The Philippines: A Century Hence; Rizal analyzed the history of the Philippines to show its
relevance to the present.

Read your Philippine History book and state the events that lead us to Independence. Now,
analyze our present life under this pandemic and make predictions on what will be the
changes after this pandemic. Where do you think will you go and what will be your role in
this present society? Write your analysis with 100 words essay.

c. The Indolence of the Filipinos; the longest essay of Rizal published in La Solidaridad; from
July 15 to September 1890. Rizal noted that whenever something goes wrong in the
archipelago, it was always blamed on the indolence of the Filipinos. Rizal analyzed the
social and political conditions of the time to show that the “indolence” which means “little
love for work, lack of activity,” was not the cause but rather the effect of dishonor and
backwardness in the country.

Analyze the present situations of the country where 11 million Filipinos have no jobs, does it
mean that the Filipinos are lazy and “choosy” of what their jobs should be? Discuss briefly to
justify that the Filipinos are not lazy, but what makes the Filipinos jobless but others find jobs
even in the period of calamity and in this pandemic. Explain your ideas.

d. The Town School in the Philippines; read this essay of a town school during the Spanish Era
and now, the present time.

Describe school and education Describe school and education BEFORE:

PRESENT:

What are the steps to modernizing education? Justify your answer.

Poems of Rizal: Search for these famous poems of Rizal and write a brief interpretation of each
one. • Brindis
• Sa Aking Mga Kabata
• A La Juventud Filipina

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• A La Education
• Alianza Intima Entre La Religiion y La Buena Education
• Education Gives Luster to the Motherland
• Hymn to Labor
• To the Flowers of the Heidelberg
• My Last Farewell

2. Write an original three-stanza poem (English or Filipino). The theme should revolve around: “The
Philippines, my only Country,” or “Pilipinas, ang Natatangi kong Bansa,”

3. Make a video modernizing one poem of Rizal of your choice. (i.e. Make a rap, a TikTok dance, or a
song.) Be sure to use Monumento or Rizal Park as your digital background for the video.

Lesson 6: Rizal’s Socio-Economic and Political Ideas

a. Search for the political and socio-economic ideas of Jose Rizal to the ideas of our present
leader: President Duterte. The president has recently delivered his last State of the Nation Address
as president. Analyze at least 5 ideas of Pres. Duterte’s plan socially, economically, and politically,
and then compare it with the ideas of Rizal in a chart similar below. Make a brief analysis on this
matter.
Political and Socio-Economic Ideas of:
Dr. Jose Rizal Pres. Rodrigo Duterte

1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

4. 4.

5. 5.

b. Make a creative PowerPoint presentation about the ideals of Rizal with appropriate illustrations on
the different aspects of Rizal’s Philosophy. Give at least one ideal on each.
1. Social
2. Cultural
3. Political
4. Economic
5. Educational
6. Spiritual

• Allanswers in the Learning Activities from Lesson 4 to 6 should all be in the same
document. Submit all your requirements in your Google Classroom on or before
December 12, 2021.
• Your Final Examination will be on December 13-18, 2021. The coverage is from
Lesson 1 to Lesson 6.
References:
1. Romero, Ma. Corona, et. al., Rizal and Philippine Nationalism. Sampaloc, Manila: Neotek
Publishing, 2019
2. Gregorio Zaide and Sonia M. Zaide, Jose Rizal: Life, Works, and Writing of a Genius.
Writer, Scientist, National Hero. QC; all nations Pub co. 1997.
3. https://www.slideshare.net/mobite/Gian-Romano/the-life-of-Rizal
4. Noli Me Tangere, El Filibusterismo, and other Rizal books

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Module I: Rationale of the Rizal Course: R.A. 1425

Lesson 1: Background of R.A. 1425: Why is Rizal our Hero?

I. Introduction

What is a Better Filipino Nation?

Through the years, Filipinos have aspired and moved toward being a better nation with
improved human conditions. This is indicated in the evolution of their concept of nationalism, and in
rightist, centrist, and leftist movements spawned in some communities.

The vision of a better nation is discerned in the goals and objectives of local and nationwide groups
and activities. With foresight - anticipating what is likely to happen and taking precautionary means -
this has been relentlessly pursued by the people. With
their leaders, they have engaged in decades of efforts to
achieve this vision. For where there
is no vision, the people break readily or perish.

Roles and results. Leadership in public governance,

private initiatives, and non-government organizations
(NGOs) is substantiated in people’s responsibilities in
their personal, family, and career or livelihood areas.
Eventually, this is manifested in impressive community
development and successful entrepreneurship. Elatedly,
the world has valued Filipino participation in the
international workforce as competent and caring, efficient, and creative overseas Filipino workers
(OFWs).

Everywhere Filipinos willing to accept the corresponding responsibilities of freedom and

development undergo the slow and painful process of self-discipline. They make a determined and
sustained effort, individually and collectively, to lift themselves out of the slough of despond, out of the
ignorance, apathy, and indolence in which they have sunk for centuries.

Learning Outcomes:
The importance of the study of the life and works of Rizal:
1. Serves to remind and inspire the educators and educational leaders to educate the youth and
shape the Filipino characters.
2. These days when juvenile delinquency seems to be at a loss as to its solution, we have an
effective recourse and that is to show and teach the youth, the Rizal way.
3. A better model for the youth of his love and affection for his parents and sisters, his diligence and
intelligence in his studies, and in everything he did.
4. Instill a sense of citizenship by making the student aware of the thrust in the development of
Filipino society and his potential contributions to his development through the practice of his
profession.

Discussion:

CONCEPT OF HERO

A hero is an admirable leader towering over his peers who have served
a noble cause with the sword, the
pen, speech, or the arts and
possessing exceptional talent,
distinguished valor, and/or holding mighty enterprise,

As a person who projects himself by his fortitude, efforts, and

sacrifices in times of extreme stress and difficulties, he guides his
countrymen to their rightful destiny and abandons his interests to place
those of the country above and before any other even to the point of
offering his life in the attainment of vision and goals .

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According to Dr. Serafin D Quiason, quoting CD Hook's Eventful Man and Event-Making Man, a historical
hero is an “event-making" man who helped create the folk in the historical period that he faces. Heroes in
democracy should be great figures in the pantheon of thought; the men of ideas, social vision, of scientific and
artistic power. Teodoro Agoncillo and the National Heroes Commission define a national hero as one whose
deeds and acts are proudly emulated by a grateful people who honor him with public admiration and
acknowledge his services to his countrymen and mankind by spontaneous national recognition. A national hero
is held in high esteem by his people, his example worthy of emulation, and his reputation transcending the
national boundaries of his country. Criteria for national heroes consider nationalism, motives, magnitude and
impact, quality of life, and personality.

Nationalism as a criterion refers to the concept of nation and the aspiration and struggle for the nation's
freedom, as stated by Dr. Onofre D Corpuz. The hero must be guided by the conviction of national identity,
identifying himself with the nation, and willing to sacrifice everything for its benefit. An example is the concept of
Rizal, Bonifacio, Lopez Jaena and del Pilar seeking to uplift the social conditions of the Philippines as one
nation.

Experts clarify that a national hero carries with him a foresight of the nation's future at heart. As for the
motives of the person concerned, the primary is the purity of intention to do what is best for the country, his acts
are not guided by selfish reasons or ulterior motives but by ideals aimed to benefit the whole nation. Dr.
Marcelino Foronda and Agoncillo consider the magnitude and impact of contribution, Corpuz, Agoncillo, and Dr.
Samuel Tan expect a contribution to the system of life and order for the nation. Freedom must be accompanied
by order because freedom alone could only result in anarchy. Corpus adds that a national hero has contributed
to the quality of life and destiny of the nation. His example must be timeless and applicable in the future and
serve as a model for all Filipinos, present and future. He must have been part of the people’s expression
through a process of internalization of his life and work.
In the attainment of the welfare of the country, the methods employed to attain that ideal must be morally
valid. On the quality of life of the hero, Foronda and Agoncillo declare that the hero must have lived a morally
upright life, with no immoral action to taint his character concerning his work or contribution to society. As for
personality, the hero must have exhibited a charismatic personality to draw people to believe in his ideas: the
Filipino values of honor, camaraderie, self-sacrifice, respect for authority, courage, charity, justice, and
democracy.

November 15, 1995, the Technical Committee after deliberation and careful study based on Dr. Onofre D.
Corpuz’ and Dr. Alfredo Lagmay’s criteria selected the following nine Filipino historical figures to be
recommended as National Heroes:

a. Jose Rizal f. Marcelo H. del Pilar

b. Andres Bonifacio g. Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat
c. Emilio Aguinaldo h. Juan Luna
d. Apolinario Mabini i. Gabriela Silang
e. Melchora Aquino

The Philippines is looking forward to a better Filipino nation. A better nation is desired by all Filipinos, their
inspiring hopes enshrined in the love of country, placing others above self as servant leaders, and positively
taking on their role in the betterment of the nation.

THE RIZAL LAW

This betterment of the nation was stressed in the rationale of the Rizal Law that
is currently deeply appreciated because of the people’s aspirations amid varied
situations. The Rizal Law provides:

The life, works, and writings 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;

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.

Courses on the life, works, and writings of Jose Rizal, particularly his
novels 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.

Senator Claro M Recto as a parliamentarian with vast erudition in history and law, including Canon Law,
and an authority on the life and works of Rizal, argued that under the police power and Art XIV (5) of the

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Constitution, it was competent for reading of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo in the public and private
schools.

On 12 June 1956, the bill was signed into law by President Ramon Magsaysay and became republic act
No. 1425. This fulfilled the words of Rizal who through Filisofo Tasio in Noli Me Tangere, said:

“I am writing for the generations of Filipinos yet to come, a generation that will be enlightened and
educated, a generation that will read my books and appreciate them without condemning me as a heretic.”

In preparation for the centennial commemoration of Dr. Jose Rizal's martyrdom, President Fidel V
Ramos issued Memorandum Order No 247 on 26 December 1994, directing the Secretary of the Department of
Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) and the Chairman of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to
take steps to fully implement to the letter the intent and spirit of RA 1425, popularly known as the Rizal Law.

The Memorandum Order cited the novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo as 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. In 1996, the Filipino people commemorated the centennial of Rizal's
martyrdom and, two years later, the centennial of the Declaration of Philippine Independence. In preparing to
celebrates these events in Philippine history, it was necessary to rekindle in the heart of every Filipino,
especially the youth, the same patriotic fervor that once galvanized Filipino forebears to outstanding
achievements to move forward together toward a greater destiny.

The Rizal Law is perceived as definitely contributing toward Filipino excellence, the essence of the best
nation.

Who made Rizal the foremost hero?

No single person or group of people was responsible for making the Greatest Malayan the number one hero of his
people.
Rizal himself.
His people.
The foreigners.
Contributed to make him the greatest hero of his people.

Lesson 2: Flashback of Philippine History: Changes in the 19th Century

Europe; the Philippines in the 19th Century under Spain. The Development of
Philippine Nationalism.

Learning Outcomes:
1. Recall your Philippine History
2. Describe the Pre-colonial Period and Colonial Period
3. State the different changes in the 19th Century
a. Europe
b. Spain
c. Philippines
4. Give the factors to the development of national consciousness

Discussion:
Early Times
Archeological evidence suggests that the Negritos, a broad term for indigenous people of dark
complexions, reached the Philippines around 25,000 years ago by a land bridge from the Asian mainland.
Waves of Indonesians followed by sea from 3,000 BC, and Malays got a firm foothold around 200 BC, followed
in later centuries by waves of Chinese settlers. Most of today’s Filipinos have grown out of intermarriages
between indigenous and Malay people. Modern Filipino culture, including language and cuisine, was heavily
influenced by the Malays, who also introduced arts, literature, and a system of government.

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A few centuries before the Spanish reached the Philippines in the 16th century, Filipinos involved in trade had also
met Arabs and Hindus from India, while the expanding Chinese population wielded considerable commercial power.
Islam entered the Philippines via Borneo in the late 14th century.

IMMIGRATION TO THE ARCHIPELAGO

Ancient men, Chinese, Japanese, Spaniards, and other Europeans, and Americans have come to the Philippines and
made their home here.
They found a cluster of over 7,000 islands, two-thirds of which are little more than rocks and reefs and only 470
islands more than a mile square. The varied rugged terrain with major mountain ranges, numerous bays and gulfs,
warm humid climate, plentiful rain, and rich soil altogether constitute a considerable range in biodiversity.
There are more than 165 species of mammals, 270 species of reptiles and amphibians, and over 500 species of
birds, of which more than 170 are endemic to the Philippines. There are 12,000 species of plants, of which 8,500 are
flowering types, with 3,800 species of native tree.
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EARLY FILIPINO CIVILIZATION

Filipino ancestors achieved and accomplished in prehistoric times all the criteria for civilized societies
through adaptation to their environment as documented in their core achievements.
Civilization constitutes urban civilization and nonurban civilization. Urban civilization is characterized by a
market economy and a merchandising middle class with greater complexity, a landed aristocracy, and militaristic
leadership. Nonurban civilization is seen as a redistributive economy in the hands of an aristocracy, a social
ranking system, corporate or kin ownership of land, and a theocratically oriented leadership.
The ancient Filipino barangay belonged to the non-urban type of civilization, with flourishing trading
centers that were capable of carrying out and sustaining large-scale foreign trade. It had duly constituted
leadership in the person of the datu, who as servant-leader served as the administrator of barangay welfare. A
council of elders assisted him. While the barangay was non-urban, it satisfied the other criteria associated with
urban civilization.
Barangay as a boat, as an institution. Barangay, or balangay, was one of the first native words the
Spaniards learned in the Philippines. When Antonio Pigafetta, Magellan's Italian expeditionary ethnographer,
went ashore in 1521 to parley with the ruler of Limasawa. they sat together in a boat drawn up on shore which
Pigafetta called a balanghai.
When the Spaniards reached Luzon, they found this word for boat also being used for the smallest unit of
Tagalog society. The Spaniards retained both the term and the institution as a convenient means of collecting
tribute through barangay heads. It should be noted, however, that the word continued to mean the people, not
the place. Recently, the term has been revived by the Philippine government to replace the colonial term barrio,
a political unit loyal to a local boss.
Several influences on Filipino art are apparent in surviving artifacts. This influence is seen in the zigzag
designs on ancient lime tubes and in ornamental carvings on combs. This is appreciated in the apparel of the
Kalingas of Luzon, the Maranaws of Lanao, and the Manobos and Bagobos. This is recognized in the wood
carving found in utensils, boats, and wooden shields of the people in Sulu and Mindanao and the Mountain
Province. The Islam culture is obvious in the ornamental and decorative art of the Lanao Muslims, the elaborate
arabesque designs, the beautiful pattern and metal in-laid work, the unique but functional designs ornamenting
their houses and boats with elaborate carvings, brilliantly painted in contrasting yet harmonious colors and
further offset by the use of both white and black. The floor-beams of the houses project beyond the walls, and
the ends are carved and multicolored. Carved panels are also placed above the windows and doors. Their
boats are carved from prow to stern, even the paddles.

THE SPANISH EXPERIENCE

Reduccion and friar power. Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese-born leader of five Spanish ships,
stumbled onto the islands in 1521 in his search for the lucrative spices of the Indies. He died there, and his slave
Enrique returned to Spain to complete the first circumnavigation of the globe. Other Spaniards returned and
remained, among them the thirteen missionary friars in 1576 who increased to 269 by 1594. This was still
insufficient to control and christianize perhaps 750,000 people living in scattered, independent settlements.
Conquista spiritual was therefore accompanied by resettlement. In a process called reduccion, barangays were
coaxed or coerced into towns (cabeceras) organized around a newly built church with a resident friar.
Sometimes whole barangays fled to the mountains to avoid conquest, or families slipped away after the soldiers
left the area. Most reluctant converts were gradually brought into visitas, small outlying settlements equipped
with a chapel to receive a visiting friar Reduccion eventually achieved the remapping of Philippine settlement
patterns into today's cabeceras (district capitals), poblaciones (towns), barrios, or barangay's (villages), and
sitios (hamlets). The object of reduccion was to bring all indios into Christian communities bajo de la campana
(under the church bells) and to accurately count the population to collect the tribute, the combined goals of
church and state carried out under friar supervision.

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There was some variation between coastal and inland towns, and in the basic plan, a quadrilateral plaza
mayor or open square housed the church and convent or friar's residence, civic buildings, and homes of
prominent Spaniards and indios. The church was the most impressive building and a visible representation of
Spanish power. It was the first to be constructed of stone, built with tribute and unpaid labor, and towered above
native and civic structures. In coastal towns, the church faced the sea, where its bell tower served as a
watchtower against Muslim raids. In commercial towns including Manila, certain sections were fortified against
invasion, a new manifestation of the insider-outsider dynamic seen in precolonial and Islamized communities.
Inside the muros or wall (an area called "Intramuros" in Manila), were hordes of Spaniards, leading indios, and
important institutions of church and state. Outside lived non-Christians, dispossessed datus at odds with the
new order, and Chinese as well as foreign communities.
There were two fundamental conditions during the conquest period. First was a pressing need to
mobilize labor and collect tribute. The second was a shortage of civilian officials in this far-flung outpost of the
empire. In contrast, there was a relative abundance of soldiers serving in the conquest and during the Muslim
and Dutch wars who expected material reward. To solve both problems, King Philip II granted encomiendas, the
administrative right to collect tribute and draft labor from among the inhabitants of a defined geographical area,
along with the responsibility to protect them and provide religious instruction.
In the long run, the encomendero was no match for the friar largely because until the mid-eighteenth century
colonial law prohibited nonofficial, nonclerical Spaniards from residing outside the cities, to prevent the abuses
that decimated local populations in Spanish America. Based in Manila, encomenderos turned their attention to
trade, and as they and their heirs died or left the Philippines, the encomiendas were allowed to revert to royal
authority. By 1700, the encomienda system was largely replaced by administrative provinces.

The breakup of the indigenous economy; effects. Uprooting and resettling hundreds of thousands of
people constituted a major socioeconomic rupture with the past in a relatively short time. By the 1590s, the
breakup of the indigenous economy of the barangays was completed resulting in population effects, the
abandonment of cleared and cultivated fields, and the disruption of interisland trade.
Galleon trade. In 1572, a trade monopoly between Spanish America, the Philippines, and China was
institutionalized, and this enriched Spanish individuals and institutions. This was the "galleon trade" named for
the huge ships that carried cargo on the dangerous but highly lucrative voyages. Europe had an insatiable
demand for Chinese silk and other Asian luxury goods; Spain had the Mexican silver necessary to buy them.
Manila became the transshipment point for this trade, and Spanish residents were awarded a cargo quota on the
ships. The Philippines was disadvantaged in obtaining revenue from this trade because the Mexican viceroys
controlled the galleons, prevented other New World traders from sailing to Manila, and collected customs duties
in Acapulco on incoming Chinese merchandise and outgoing Mexican silver. Manila's share of this revenue
arrived on the following galleon, chronically late and incomplete.

Polos y servicios; uprisings. Indigenous trade with China was largely shut out of the galleon trade.
Local goods from Luzon, Butuan, Cebu, or Sulu could only be smuggled aboard in small quantities. A more
serious hardship was the forced labor that went into building the huge ships. Such labor was mobilized by the
cabeza de barangay through the polos y servicios, the compulsory forty-day labor per year rendered by tribute
payers to the state. Servicio was performed by men and women and consisted largely of domestic service in
churches and convents. The polo was hard labor performed by men: constructing government buildings and
churches, rowing and fighting in military expeditions, cutting and hauling trees, and building galleons and
warships. The forty-day limit was frequently ignored, causing agricultural disruption back home and threatening
the ability to pay the following year's tribute. Men worked for rations under inhuman conditions, there were
frequent deaths and uprisings or flights from cabeceras throughout Spanish-controlled territory. Most uprisings
were abortive or short lived: a friar learned of the plan in confession, interbarangay rivalry hampered
cooperation, or the Spaniards crushed it with soldiers often from Pampanga, a province near Manila that
became prosperous under Spanish rule.
Population decline and recovery. From 1565 to 1591, conquest, forced labor, excessive tribute, the
shift to sedentary agriculture, military campaigns, famine, and epidemics led to rapid population decline. The
first census of 1591 counted only 166,903 tribute payers (heads of household) from an estimated preconquest

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population of 750,000. The population stabilized and grew by the end of the century, but another decline in the
1600s was caused by forced military service, food shortages, and disease. Certain areas of Luzon experienced
a 40 percent drop from 1591 to 1655. From the mid-1600s, the population began to recover again and by 1766,
there were 200,000 tribute payers, or roughly 800,000 Christians living under Spanish control. This number did
not represent the total population of the islands, but those living in the lowland areas of Luzon, the bigger
Visayan islands, and northern Mindanao.

The British occupation and concurrent problems. The Philippines was of limited importance to the Spanish
empire, whose center remained its American possessions. While Spain's ambition to control the spice trade was
an initial reason for retaining the Philippines, its navy could not operate in so distant a region and the Dutch won
control of the Moluccas. What kept the Spaniards in the Philippines was the value of Manila as a staging post
for religious missions, especially to China and Japan, and as a
transshipment point for the galleon trade. As a strategic outpost,
however, the Philippines remained a
liability, open to attack by rival European powers and slave raiders.
The British also wanted access to China, specifically to
Chinese tea, without spending their hard-earned currency. To
accomplish this, they inserted themselves into existing networks,
trading arms in Sulu to obtain the marine and forest products that
China wanted. They also intruded on the galleon trade, buying
Mexican silver with Indian textiles through Asian middlemen and
loading their goods to the Acapulco bound galleon. Manila's
administrative weakness became apparent as state officials
accepted bribes to permit this illicit trade.
Some members of the English East India Company and the British military sought to do away with this
slight impediment, and in 1762 an opportunity was afforded by the Seven Years War to attack and occupy
Manila. Although the British force was small, the Spaniards offered no real resistance and the occupation lasted
until a 1764 negotiated withdrawal. British control never reached much beyond Manila, but the circumstances of
the assault and occupation offered an opportunity to assess state and social cohesion. Militarily, defenses were
inadequate and the clerical-secular state was weak. The Philippine governor-general had died in office, and the
archbishop of Manila was the legal civil and military commander. Receiving prior warning of the attack,
Archbishop Rojo made no preparations; he neither agreed to surrender nor to take military action. The city was
marred by looting and violence.

EUROPE IN RIZAL'S TIME

The 19th century—Rizal’s century—was an extremely dynamic and creative age. During this period
industrialism, democracy, and nationalism gained ascendancy and triggered revolutionary changes in science,
technology, economics, and politics. These changes propelled people to the heights of human prosperity and
achievement.
Economic developments. Industrialization saw the introduction of heavy metals like steel, the discovery
of oil, gasoline, and electricity, the invention of the internal combustion engine, and other scientific discoveries.
The Industrial Revolution mechanized agriculture and brought about the use of efficient machines and tools, the
construction of stronger buildings, and the invention of faster and safer means of transportation and
communication. Free trade, increased stability of the currency, and the demand for raw materials and ready
markets led to the growth of international commerce and economic interdependence. Factories and steel mills
abounded. Cities flourished and people enjoyed material and economic prosperity, a high standard of living, and
better educational and social opportunities.

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Social changes. However, there was a growing sense of insecurity. The industrial system brought with
its unequal distribution of wealth. It gave rise to a new working class, largely illiterate and propertyless, while it
made the bourgeoisie richer and gave them a large measure of political power.
As the principles of democracy spread, the proletariat became more aware of their potential and began
to make demands for fair treatment from their employers. Their insistent agitation for a better deal resulted in
the enactment of laws that stipulated fixed working hours, universal education, better pay, old-age pension, and
better working conditions. This was an official recognition of the working man's contribution to the common good
and it set a value on the power of the proletariat.
Political modifications. Toward the end of the 19th century, democracy was well accepted in England,
France, the Scandinavian states, and the Low Countries. These nations granted popular suffrage and set up
parliaments. The voice of the people began to be heard in government affairs. However, other countries like
Spain were slow to adopt democratic principles. Her traditional monarchy and conservative society resisted
attempts at modernization, and she remained socially and economically backward. Her political reforms were
few and infrequent and not adequate for her people and colonies.
A series of brief wars changed the political map of Europe. The spirit of nationalism was exploited by
chauvinistic rulers who suppressed the demands of the masses and granted greater liberties to some chosen
few at the cost of unity and prosperity. The Balkans began to assert themselves as independent and self-
governing entities.
Across the Atlantic, the United States adopted democracy earlier than the countries of Europe. Its civil
war confirmed the supremacy of the federal government and emancipated the Negros from slavery. the rapid
development of commerce elicited a renewed and more aggressive imperialism among European nations. They
came to Africa and Asia to appropriate territories for themselves. But although European culture was introduced
in these territories, the westernization of the Asian peoples was superficial. They tenaciously clung to their old
beliefs and traditions and struggled to develop nationalism.
Scientific developments. Many discoveries in science and medicine gave man a better understanding
of himself and his world. These discoveries helped to improve man's health and gave him a longer span of life.
The gradual acceptance of Darwin's principles of evolution cleared up lingering mysteries in man's life, and soon
philosophy, literature, geography, geology, archaeology, and political science were reviewed and adjusted
toward the secularization of beliefs and world views.
Spain in crisis. While Spain was slow to accept scientific and technological inventions, she could not
remain untouched by European and other world events for long. The principles advocated by the French
Revolution and the American Declaration of Independence became guidelines for the world in political struggle.
The principles of inalienable rights of man, universal suffrage, and popular sovereignty, the famous motto of the
French Revolution, “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity," and the theories of philosophers Rousseau, Voltaire, and
Montesquieu found their way to the Spanish intelligentsia who then moved to correct the social and economic
decadence of the country.
For Spain, this was a most turbulent and chaotic period. As Spanish historian Salvador de Madariaga,
puts it, “They (the Spaniards] fought against the French; they fought against themselves, they fought against the
hostility of a despicable court, and they fought the hardest battle of all, against their political shortcomings.
The turbulence began with the French domination of Spain by Napoleon Bonaparte. In a spontaneous
demonstration of nationalism, the Spaniards drove back the French forces to win their independence from
France. A long period of struggle for constitutionalism, from 1814 to 1875, saw an uninterrupted series of
revolts, conspiracies, and intrigues between political parties. These struggles sapped the nation's strength and
vitality.

Reactions and initiatives. Conditions in the Philippines in the 19th century called for urgent reforms in
government and reorientation of the attitudes of the Filipino people. Philippine society was predominantly
feudalistic - the result of the Spanish system imposed upon the country. An elite class exploited the masses. The
Spaniards exacted all forms of taxes, tributes, and forced labor from the natives. The gap between the poor and
the rich expanded.
The pyramidal structure of Philippine society favored the Spaniards. Its apex was occupied by Spanish
officials, peninsulares, and friars; its base, by the Filipino majority; 9 and its middle part, by a small middle class
which consisted of favored Filipinos, mestizos, and criollos. Racial discrimination was rampant.
The political situation intermeshed with the religious state of affairs, for the Governor-General shared his
powers with the high religious officials of the Philippines. Friar influence and control were evident everywhere,
especially in the towns where the friars were virtual rulers.
Native participation in the government was confined to the lowest offices in the towns and barrios. Their
natural and constitutional rights and liberties were curtailed. Homes were searched without warrant; people were
convicted and exiled for being filibusteros, 10 books, magazines, and other written materials could not be
published and introduced into the country without the prior approval of the Board of Censors; and meetings and

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assembles for political purposes were prohibited. An inadequate educational system contributed to the
development of timidity, lack of confidence, and inferiority complex among the Filipinos.

Towards the mid-19th century, however, the Philippines began to be more actively drawn into the orbit of
the political, social, economic, and intellectual upheaval in the Western world. Reforms were adopted to improve
social conditions, but these proved futile either because the reforms came too late for successful
implementation, or the attempts were intentionally thwarted by the friars and other vested interests.
Spain’s political organization in the Philippines. Spain governed the Philippines through the
Ministerio de Ultramar (Ministry of the Colonies). Established in Madrid in 1863, this body administered
centralized machinery exercising executive, legislative, judicial, and religious powers.
The Governor-General headed the central administration in Manila. He was appointed by the Spanish
monarch and was the king's representative in all matters, including religious concerns. He nominated priests to
ecclesiastical positions and controlled the finances of the missions. As ex-officio President of the Royal
Audiencia until 1861, he enjoyed judicial powers. He also exercised legislative powers with his cumplase, by
which he could disregard or suspend any law or royal decree. He issued executive orders and proclamations.
He had supervision and disciplinary power over all government officials; was commander-in-chief of the armed
forces of the Philippines, and had supreme authority on matters of finance until 1784, when he began to share
this power with the Intendant General. The exercise of such extensive powers by the Governor-General gave
prestige to his position as the king's representative in all matters and helped span the distance between the
Philippines and Spain.
Next to the central government were the provinces which originated from the early encomiendas.
Nineteen civil provinces existed from 1886 to the end of Spanish rule. Under alcaldes mayores (civil governors),
the provinces were classified according to dialects spoken, population, income, and several towns. The
unpacified regions continued to be under military administrators. The city governments had the same rank as
the provinces in the hierarchical structure. Eight cities had a special form of government called cabildo or
ayuntamiento. Each city was administered by two alcaldes en ordinario (mayor and vice mayor), a number of
regidores (councilors), and an alguacil mayor (chief of police).
The natives occupied positions in the towns and barrios. The gobernadorcillo or capitan was the chief
executive and chief judge of the town. His assistants were the teniente mayor (vice mayor), three inspectors or
judges (juez de ganados, juez de sementeras, and juez de policia), the constables (alguaciles), and the town
secretary (directorcillo). The gobernadorcillo was elected at the beginning of every year by a board composed of
members of the town's principalia, a body of citizens of high standing, usually made up of incumbent or ex
cabezas de barangay. The smallest unit of government was the barangay or barrio. Each barangay was
controlled either by a Filipino or Chinese mestizo cabeza de barangay. His primary responsibility was to
maintain peace and order and to collect tributes and taxes in his barrio.
To help in the maintenance of peace and order in the town, the guardia civil and the cuadrillos performed
police duties. The alferez (second lieutenant), usually a Spaniard, headed the guardia civil. The Royal
Audiencia, the highest judicial body and the highest court of appeal for civil criminal cases, was a high council to
which important government affairs were referred, and an auditor of the finances of the government. The
Governor
General and the Royal Audiencia, acting separately or together, occasionally made laws for the country called
autos acordados which covered tribute collection and the control of corruption in the provincial government.
During three brief periods, 1810 to 1813, 1820 to 1823, and 1834 to 1837, Philippine delegates were
sent to Spain to represent the colony in the Cortes, the Spanish legislature. Laws originating from various
sources were applied to the Philippines. One of these was the Laws of the Indies, a compilation of royal
decrees issued by the Spanish monarchs at various times and intended for all Spanish colonies. These decrees
are considered by juridical writers as among the greatest collections of colonial laws in the world. Some laws
enacted for Spain were also applied to the Philippines, such as Las Siete Partidas, Las Leyes de Toro, and the
Codigo Penal. All these applications of Cortes legislation to the Philippines appeared to have been done from
the Spanish point of view.
The year 1863 is a milestone in the history of education in the Philippines because, for the first time,
provisions were made for the establishment of teacher training schools. for government supervision of the public
school system, and the use of Spanish as the medium of instruction in all schools. Each major Philippine town
was to establish at least one primary school for boys and another for girls. A normal school for male teachers in
the elementary grades was opened in Manila in 1865. Placed under the supervision of the Jesuits, this school
started as the Escuela Normal Elemental.
The College of San Juan de Letran was the only official secondary school in the Philippines at the end of
the Spanish period, although secondary education was also offered at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila. Seven
provinces had “private colleges" and "Latin schools" for general studies and secondary education for girls was
furnished by five colleges in Manila: Santa Isabel, La Concordia, Santa Rosa, Looban, and Santa Catalina, and
another five in the provinces. The opening of normal schools for women in the 1870s placed the elementary and
secondary education of women almost at the same level as that of men.

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Until the end of the Spanish regime, the University of Santo Tomas was the only university in Manila.
Initially established solely for Spaniards and mestizos, it opened its doors to Filipino students four decades
before the end of Spanish rule.

Another group of schools, the theological seminaries, were opened in Manila, Cebu, Jaro, Nueva
Caceres, and Nueva Segovia and maintained by the Jesuits, Paulists, and Augustinians. Filipino seminarians
were not admitted to these schools. The training of Filipino diocesan priests was generally geared only toward
their role as assistants to the Spanish parish priests
Defects of the educational system. The system of education was criticized for its over-emphasis on
religion, teaching methods, limited curriculum, absence of academic freedom, prejudice against Filipinos in the
schools of higher learning, and friar control over the system which resulted in a lack of self-confidence and an
inferiority complex among the people. However, despite the many handicaps in their education, some of them
made good in their fields, attesting to their competence.
Paradoxically, the friars, assigned to implement the educational decrees from Spain, were against the
teaching of Spanish in the Philippines to keep the Filipinos isolated from the intellectual and political ferment of
the times; and not be inspired by the ideas of freedom and independence. The government's support for this
friar attitude is understandable, for the interests of Spain and the Spaniards were at stake.

EVOLUTION OF NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS

The evolution of national consciousness is sharply perceived and deeply appreciated with the
communication of relevant and accurate details. For, as prestigious historians have proclaimed, the sum of
details is the epic story of the nation.
Establishment of geographic consolidation and community stability. The Spanish rule in the Philippines
left many legacies. Most precious perhaps was the unification of most of the widely scattered people. The
Spaniards introduced a common government, a common religion, a common language, and a common culture
that consolidated the different self-governing communities. The Filipinos accepted the Spanish legacies with all
its embellishments and, through native ingenuity, modified some of its aspects to suit local conditions and
preferences.
Initial manifestations of nationalism. What began as the functional unification of the country resulted in
the formation of national consciousness. As earlier stated, Filipino reaction to the Machiavellian spirit of many
Spaniards and the consequent rise of nationalistic awareness proved to be the most powerful factors that led to
the overthrow of Spanish rule.
Philippine nationalism in its early stages assumed the form of revolts against the discontent and
sufferings brought about by the abuses of officials relating to the implementation of government policies on
forced labor, collection of tributes, and government monopolies. Among these revolts were the Sumoroy,
Palaris, Diego Silang, and the Pampanga-Pangasinan llocos revolts. Another important cause of the unrest was
the wresting of lands from the natives by the religious orders in Laguna, Bulacan, Batangas, Cavite, and Rizal.
The desire for religious freedom was still another cause. Some Filipinos wanted either the right to retain pre-
Spanish religious practices or the right to establish their own religion. These revolts flared up in Panay,
Tayabas, and Mountain province. Other early revolts were due to personal grievance.17
All these revolts failed because of sectional jealousies, lack of communication among Filipinos, and the
absence of national leadership. The insular nature of the country and inadequate communication facilities
hindered contact among the people. Hostility and disunity among the Filipinos were aggravated by the Spanish
policy of divide et impera (divide and rule) to ensure continued control over the Philippines. In effect, some
Filipinos at times helped the Spaniards in suppressing the revolts staged by their countrymen. And whenever a
leader emerged, he was recognized only in the region to which he belonged.

FACTORS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF PHILIPPINE CONSIOUSNESS

Critical developments. By the 19th century, significant events affected the economic, social, political, and
intellectual life of the people. These events were the opening of the Philippines to world trade, the formation of a
middle-class, the introduction of more liberal ideas to the country, the liberal administration of Governor-General
Carlos Ma de la Torre, the Cavite Mutiny, and the execution of Fathers Jose Burgos, Mariano Gomes, and
Jacinto Zamora.

THE PROPAGANDA MOVEMENT

This two-pronged drawn-out movement was a concerted effort among educated Filipinos that developed
into a vigorous press campaign for reforms. Bolstered by their foreign sympathizers26 they exposed the
intolerable conditions in the Philippines, lampooned government officials and friars, and satirized the deplorable
situation in the country.

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The center of the Propaganda Movement activities in Spain was Madrid. In Manila, it was Roman
Ongpin's general hardware store on Rosario Street, known as "El '82." The store served as a clandestine
rendezvous for activities and a distribution center of propaganda materials. Secret societies such as the
Masonic lodges were established in the Philippines to bolster the Propaganda Movement. These lodges helped
in spreading the ideas propagated by the reformists in Spain.

The Propaganda in the Philippines. A greater part of the local strategy and organization of propaganda
work was accomplished by Marcelo H. del Pilar. A lawyer and newspaperman, Del Pilar reached out to the
masses in their language as no one had done before him. His duplos27and essays which satirized local
conditions were widely circulated in the Tagalog provinces.28 These literary works provided the masses with
instruction, recreation, and amusement, often replacing the novenas and pasiones in their homes.
Encouraged by the people's reception of his literary works, Del Pilar worked to win the attention of the
peasants, the caciques, the educated class, and the liberal-minded political and clerical officials. He concluded
alliances with alcaldes and alfereces and sought the support of the liberal friars. He labored to harmonize the
caciques, who were frequently divided by domestic strife. Recognizing the youth as the hope of the nation, Del
Pilar exhorted them to join fashionable student organizations and contribute their magnetism, energy, and
idealism. He preached to the people in the provinces about patriotism, sacrifice, and industry. Del Pilar secretly
formed the first political group of Filipinos in the Philippines, we Junta de Propaganda. He founded and edited
the short-lived Diariong Tagalog (1882) where he published pungent articles against the friars. He wrote
pamphlets denouncing or satirizing Spanish officials in the Philippines. He met the rest of the people at their
ground, the cockpit. He advised people with problems and grievances to the air.
The most unrelenting critic of the friars in the Philippines, Del Pilar employed to full advantage his gift for
satiric language. Among his pamphlets were Long Live Spain, Long Live the King, Long Live the Army, Down
with Friars, Cai-igat Cayo, Sagot ng España sa Hibik Nang Filipinas. La Soberania Monacal, and La Frailocracia
Filipina, where he defined his assimilationist ideas with convincing arguments. Dasalan at Toksohan was a
series of irreverent parodies of prayers and was lauded by Rizal as a masterpiece of satire.
The Propaganda in Spain. When Del Pilar arrived in Europe, he found a group of Filipino expatriates
feverishly working for reforms. Among them were Graciano Lopez Jaena, Eduardo de Lete, Mariano Ponce,
Pedro Govantes, Dr. Dominador Gomez, Tomas Arejola, Pablo Rianzares Bautista, and Jose Rizal. De Pilar
met Rizal for the first time when the latter visited Spain in December 1888 to contact Filipino exiles in Barcelona
and Madrid. Rizal was joined by Baldomero Roxas, Gregorio Aguilera, Guillermo Puatu, and Jose Alejandrino
.
Crusade through La Solidaridad. La Solidaridad served as the mouthpiece of the Filipinos in Spain
through which they voiced their strong desire for reforms and counteracted allegations and malicious attacks
against the Philippines. La Solidaridad was the third attempt of the Filipino propagandists in Spain to publish an
official organ. The first two attempts failed because of a lack of funds. As suggested by Del Pilar, La Solidaridad
was funded by Pablo Rianzares Bautista, some members of the Junta de Propaganda in Manila, and later the
members of the Cuerpo de Compromisarios. It was a modest fortnightly newspaper of 12 to 16 pages, about the
size of a weekly magazine.

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The editorship of the paper was first offered to Rizal but he declined because he was very busy
annotating Antonio de Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas. Graciano Lopez Jaena, the eloquent orator of the
group, accepted the editorship. The first issue of the paper came out in Barcelona on 15 February 1889. As its
first editor, Lopez Jaena announced the aims of the paper to spread and defend the ideals of democracy, and
work for and promote progress in politics, science, arts and letters, commerce, agriculture, and industry.
After ten months of its publication, Del Pilar took over the editorship and transferred the editorial office to
Madrid where they hoped for more supporters among the Spanish liberals. Del Pilar's editorials and essays in La
Solidaridad announced the additional goals of the paper: freer governmental institutions and a more honest
administration, the extension of civil rights to the Filipino and the protection of these rights, the appointment of
Filipino priests to administer parishes, the restoration of Philippine representation in the Spanish Cortes, and the
assimilation of the Philippines as a regular province of Spain.
There was no demand for Philippine independence. The propagandists felt that Filipino representation in
the Cortes would bring about reforms and the extension and protection and guarantee of civil rights for Filipinos.
But thinking, too, that representation in the Cortes could be arbitrarily abolished as it was in 1873, the
propagandists asked for the assimilation of the Philippines as a regular province of Spain as this would entitle
the Filipinos to all the rights and privileges of Spanish citizens.
The Filipino desire for freedom of the press was consistently mentioned in the essays and speeches of
Jose Ma Panganiban, who excelled in formal and philosophical essays, pointing out that a government could
better understand and interpret the aspirations of its people if there was freedom of the press. He criticized the
defects of higher education in the Philippines.
The contributions of António Luna to the paper were “Noche Buena," a
biographical sketch that depicted actual life in the Philippines; "La Maestra de Mi
Pueblo," which described the defects of the educational system for women; and
the play “Todo por el Estomago," which satirized the Spanish method of
colonization and its taxation policies.
The Filipino contributors to La Solidaridad used pen names to protect their
families in the Philippines. Rizal used Dimas Alang and Laong Laan; Del Pilar,
Plaridel; Lopez Jaena, Diego Laura; Panganiban, Jomapa; Antonio Luna, Taga
ilog; Ponce, Naning, Tigbalang or Kalipuiako. The paper was banned from the
Philippines, but copies surreptitiously reached the country for the delightful reading
of patriotic Filipinos.
La Solidaridad folded up in 1895 for lack of funds. Lopez Jaena died of
tuberculosis and two months later Del Pilar also died of the same disease in
Barcelona. On 17 July 1892, Rizal had been exiled to Dapitan.

Lesson 3: Life of Rizal from Birth to Death

Learning Outcomes:
1. Be able to trace the lineage of Dr. Jose Rizal
2. Give the family background of Dr. Jose Rizal
3. List down his academic achievements.

Discussion:
Rizal’s Life
Birth. Rizal was born on Wednesday, 19 June 1861, in Kalamba, Laguna. He was baptized Jose
Protacio and carried the surname Rizal (ricefield) Mercado (market) y Alonso Realonda. At the Ateneo, he was
enrolled as Jose Rizal.
Kalamba is a small agricultural town nestling at the foot of Mt Makiling as it slopes down to Laguna de
Bay. It was a prosperous town devoted to the production of sugar. Despite their hardships as tenants of the
Dominican friars whose estate covered practically the whole town, its inhabitants lived well.

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Its soil was fertile, its climate favorable. Its scenic beauty
gave the young Rizal the right impetus for his poetic and
artistic creativity. Its share of unhappiness also shaped his
noble and heroic spirit. The surroundings of his home opened
to him the many wonders of nature. Verdant meadows all
around, a fruit-laden orchard, and Mt Makiling in the distance -
all these quickened his perception. The beauty of the orchard
and the gentle atmosphere of the family's rambling house left
a deep impression on him.
In this atmosphere, Rizal learned the basic values of love and affection, and loyalty which won for him
the esteem and admiration of all who came in contact with him.

Lesson III A: Ancestry and Formal Education

Ancestry. Like most Filipinos, Rizal was of mixed racial origin. On his father's side, he descended from
an industrious and intelligent Chinese merchant, Domingo Lamco, who married a Chinese mestiza, Ines de la
Rosa. From the Parian, the family migrated to Biñan and became tenants in the Dominican estate. Lamco's only
son Francisco was keen-witted and liberal. He became quite well-to-do and popular enough to be appointed
municipal captain of Biñan in 1783. The family adopted the surname "Mercado" to free the younger generation
from the prejudices that bothered those with a Chinese name.
Francisco's wife, Bernarda Monica, was a Chinese mestiza. They had two children: Juan and Clemente.
Juan married Cirila Alejandra, also a Chinese mestiza who had 14 children. including Francisco, Rizal's father.
Francisco Mercado and two of his sisters moved to a Dominican estate in Kalamba where they became
pioneer farmers. In recognition of their farming ability, the landlords gave them additional allotments and
promoted Francisco to overseer with compensation.
Pioneer farming in the miasmatic forests of Kalamba exacted a heavy toll on the Mercado family.
Undaunted, the young, ambitious, industrious, and thrifty Francisco held on to the Dominican lands. He also
bought the holdings of others who, discouraged, gave up their farms. From these holdings, supplemented by
income from the dry goods store of his wife, Teodora Alonso, the fortunes of the Rizal family were built.
Materially, socially, and professionally, the Alonso family was more progressive than the Mercado family.
In those days when professionals were few, the Alonso clan had several lawyers, priests, engineers, and
government officials.
Rizal's maternal great grandfather, Manuel de Quintos, a Chinese mestizo from Lingayen, Pangasinan,
was a lawyer. His wife Regina Ursua (Ochoa), was of Japanese ancestry. Their daughter Brigida married
Lorenzo Alberto Alonso, an engineer. Lorenzo's mother belonged to a professionally famous family from
Baliuag, Bulacan. Lorenzo himself was wealthy and had a considerable investment in two American companies.
His wife Brigida was well-educated and a good mathematician. The couple had five children, including Teodora,
Rizal's mother.
Immediate Family. Rizal's parents were even more prosperous and more renowned than their ancestors.
The industry of the couple raised them to the privileged class, the principalia. They lived in a big rectangular
house of adobe and hardwood with a red-tiled roof. They owned carriages and horses, symbols of wealth and
respect in the town.
Rizal's father. Don Francisco Mercado, was born in Biñan, Laguna. He studied Latin and philosophy at
the College of San Jose in Manila. Rizal described him as "a model of fathers." He was a man of "solid
shoulders, strong constitution, rather tall than short, of serious and reflective mien, and with prominent forehead
and large, dark eyes."
Doña Teodora Alonso, Rizal's mother, was born in Meisik, Sta Cruz, Manila, to a distinguished and
talented family. Doña Teodora was a remarkable woman. Rizal always spoke of her with warmth and admiration:
My mother is not a woman of ordinary culture. She knows literature and speaks Spanish better
than I do. She even corrected my poems and gave me wise advice when I was studying rhetoric. She is
a mathematician and has read many books.
From her side came Rizal's literary talent. It is said that one of Rizal's maternal aunts was a well-known
poetess from Vigan.
Both parents influenced Rizal and left an imprint on his character. "From his father, he inherited a
profound sense of dignity and self-respect, seriousness and self-possession; and from his mother the
temperament of the poet and the dreamer and bravery for sacrifice."
Don Francisco and Doña Teodora were blessed with eleven children: two boys and nine girls. They
were, in the order of birth, Saturnina, Paciano, Narcisa, Olimpia, Lucia, Maria, Jose, Concepcion, Josefa,
Trinidad, and Soledad.

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Rizal's only brother, Paciano, was ten years older than he. Like their father, he had a college education
in Manila. He was a second father to Jose and gave him wise counsel. Three months before the execution of
Rizal, Paciano was captured, threatened, and tortured to give a signed confession that his brother was the
leader of the 1896 revolution. The attempt was futile. No harsh words or physical pain could make him turn
against his younger brother.
After the execution of his brother in 1896, Paciano joined General Aguinaldo's army and rose to the rank
of major general. When peace was restored, he retired to his farm in Los Baños and led a quiet life until he died
in 1930.
Early manifestations of talent and patriotism. Rizal learned the alphabet at the age of three. Even as a
boy he was interested in sculpture, sketching, and painting. The family's well-stocked library provided him with
the necessary incentives. He read books with his mother. After this, he would form clay animal figures in the
family playhouse in the backyard, then drew or painted. The scenic beauty of Kalamba, his mother, and other
people provided themes for his literary ventures and artistic subjects. Knowing her son's potential, Doña
Teodora encouraged him to express his thoughts and sentiments in verse. He wrote his first poem, Sa Aking
Mga Kabata (“To My Fellow Children") when he was only eight years old. He also wrote in his diary:

My mother finished the fable (of the moth that ignored her mother's warning against fluttering too
close to the flame — and got burnt]. I was not listening; all my attention, all my mind, and all my thoughts
were concentrated on the fate of the moth, young, dead, full of illusions...the light seemed to be more
beautiful, dazzling, and attractive. I understood why moths fluttered around light... What preoccupied me
most was the death of the imprudent moth, but at the bottom of my heart, I didn't blame it.

Rizal envied the fate of the moth and thought the warm blue flame was so beautiful that it was worth
dying for. That there are things worth giving up life for was a noble potion he entertained as a child.

Formal education in the Philippines. Soon Rizal's passion for education superseded all the learning
that his home could provide. Thus, when he was nine years old, his parents sent him to Binan for formal
schooling in the basic curriculum of that age: the four Rs. He followed a regular daily routine, attended to his
studies assiduously, and excelled in them. Besides taking formal lessons in Latin and Spanish, Rizal availed of
the services of a local painter and soon became one of the best painters of the school.
On 10 June 1872, Rizal took the entrance examination at San Juan de Letran College. He passed the
qualifying tests in Christian doctrine, reading, and arithmetic. This entitled him to admission at the Ateneo where
he studied from 1872 to 1877 and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree with the highest honors. This degree
entitled him to admission to a university.
When Rizal first attended class, he was placed
at the tail end because he was new and untried. He
understood Spanish but spoke it incorrectly. However,
in a week, he was promoted and after a month, he was
the emperador or top student of his class. He was a
consistent medalist and his grades in all subjects were
excellent.
At the Ateneo, he ventured into the wider vistas
of knowledge and became attracted to history,
philosophy, science, and poetry. Rizal grew in the art
of rhetorics and the art of developing independent judgment. Ateneo had taught him that the mind could conquer
nature and matter.
Undecided on which field to go into after graduation, he enrolled in courses in philosophy and letters at
the University of Santo Tomas and courses in land surveying and agriculture at the Ateneo. Before he was 21
years old, he completed the surveyor and expert assessor's course with a grade of “excellent." He then decided
to take up medicine at the University of Santo Tomas because he wanted to know how to treat the failing
eyesight of his mother. His academic performance at the university was below his standard at the Ateneo, his
general average was only "good." He resented the discriminatory practices in the university classrooms. Feeling
that the hostility of the Dominican friars and their uninspiring methods of instruction were not conducive to
academic growth, he quit the university.
Literary and artistic talents. While continuing his studies at the Ateneo, Rizal took time to develop his
skills in sculpture and writing. Of his attempts at the plastic arts, two pieces are preserved at the Ateneo: the
image of Our Lady carved in batikulin, and the image of the Sacred Heart.
His first poem during this stage of his life was Mi Primera Inspiracion ("My First Inspiration"), dedicated to
his mother who had just been released from prison for vindictive accusation without evidence. Historical events
inspired several of his poems. Y Es Español: Elcano, el Primero en dar la Vuelta al Mundo (“And He Is Spanish:
Elcano, the First to Circumnavigate the World"); El Combate: Urbiztondo, Terror de Jolo (“The Battle:
Urbiztondo,

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Terror of Jolo"); El Embarque: Himno de la Flota de Magallanes (“The Departure: Hymn to Magellan's Fleet"); El
Heroismo de Colon ("The Heroism of Columbus"); and Colon y Juan II ("Columbus and John Il") were some of
these poems. He also composed two poems that express his relevance to education and religion.

His academic excellence and his literary and artistic gifts qualified him for membership in the Academy of
Spanish Literature and the Academy of Natural Science, both exclusive societies at the Ateneo. He also joined
the Marian Congregation (Sodality of Our Lady) and the Apostleship of Prayer. He became the secretary of the
Marian Congregation and a prefect of the Academy of Spanish Literature.
To compensate for his inability to show better academic
performance at the University of Santo Tomas, he gave vent to
literary expression. He joined a literar mestizos and Filipinos
sponsored by the Liceo Literario de Manila in 1879. He submitted his
poem A la Juventud Filipina (“To the Filipino Youth") which won the
first prize, a feather-shaped silver pen decorated with a gold ribbon.
The following year the Liceo sponsored another contest in honor of
Miguel de Cervantes, the national poet of Spain. Again, he won the
first prize. A third major work during this period was Junto al Pasig
("Beside the Pasig"), a piece that aroused the hostility of some friars.

LESSON III B: Rizal in Europe

Learning Outcomes:
1. Give the aim of Rizal in studying in Europe.
2. Give some European influences on Rizal.
3. State some of the influences of Germans on Rizal.

Discussion:

Perspective from a distance. Rizal's years abroad exposed him to other societies and foreign accounts
of the Philippines, providing him a clearer perspective of his country's problems. After he quit the University of
Santo Tomas, and on the advice of Paciano, he sailed for Europe on 3 May 1882 and arrived in Barcelona by
the middle of June. While onboard the Salvadora on his way to Europe, he realized he was the lone indio
among 37 passengers. Most of them were returning from the Philippines after some months or years of service.
A number of them spoke ill of the country. About this incident, he wrote in his diary:
Criticism flowed freely. I discovered that in my poor country all Spaniards, friars and lay officials alike, are
consumed with the desire to suck the blood out of the Indio. There might be exceptions as they said, but they
are rare.
Rizal was deeply distressed by the shipmates' remarks, but seeing that he was the only indio aboard on
the ship he suffered the pain in silence.
He moved to Madrid where medical education was cheaper. In Biñan and Ateneo, he followed a strictly
organized schedule because he wanted to do so much within so short a time. Now, he enrolled at the Central
University of Madrid for a licentiate in medicine and a degree in philosophy and letters. He also took up lessons
in painting and sculpture at the Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, as well as lessons in French and
German at the Ateneo de Madrid. During his free hours, he attended lectures and frequented the theatre.
Time was short for the numerous studies of Rizal, but he spent it well to acquire proficiency in various
fields of learning. By 21 June 1884, his assiduous devotion to his studies yielded its first fruit. He completed the
required number of courses for the licentiate in medicine with good grades. The next year he proceeded to
courses for a doctorate in medicine, but he did not complete his thesis. However, the degree of Doctor of
Medicine was conferred on him posthumously in 1961, on the centenary of his birth.
In 1885 he completed his second course for which he received his license in philosophy and letters. This
entitled him to a university professorship.
He went to Paris for further studies in ophthalmology. Together with other foreigners, he worked as an
assistant in the clinic of Dr. Louis de Weckert, a leading ophthalmologist in France. After four months of training,
he learned the technique of eye operation.
His limited allowance and his desire to know more about eye ailments prompted him to go to Germany
where the cost of living was lower than in Paris. He practiced in a hospital of Heidelberg under the supervision of
the hospital director, Dr. Otto Becker, a renowned German doctor. Then, Rizal went to Berlin where he worked
as an assistant in the clinics of Dr. Schultzer and Dr. Xavier Galezowski, eminent German ophthalmologists.

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For more thorough work on the improvement of conditions in the Philippines, he searched European
libraries for books written about the Philippines. He joined scientific societies to deepen his knowledge about his
country. Even while he was visiting the villages and cities of Spain, France, Germany, and other European
countries, he was constantly alert for methods he could adapt to his country.
European influences on Rizal. Nineteenth-century Europe had a profound influence on Rizal. When he
left for Europe in 1882, Rizal was young and intensely patriotic, hungry for knowledge, uncertain. When he left
Europe in 1887, he was a determined and mature nationalist who knew what he wanted for his country and how
he could work for her cause. Such a transformation was due largely to the influences Europe had upon him.

His thirst for knowledge was heightened by the new spirit of science and the technical revolution that was
then taking place in an atmosphere of freedom. While he studied languages, history, geography, ethnology,
anthropology, and psychology, he observed developments in chemistry, pharmacology, medicine, public
hygiene, agriculture, and other phases of European life. His observations not only gave him invaluable lessons
but also made him more aware of the backwardness of his country.

The liberal ideas of national leaders, statesmen, economic and political philosophers were read and
discussed freely in Europe. Freedom, as exercised and enjoyed by the Western people, left a lasting impression
on Rizal, and would affect his novels, poems, and essays.
After Spain, he stayed the longest in Germany. The strong sense of nationalism in that country had a special
attraction for him. The Germans utilized the concept of as the moving spirit in the service of their country.
Nationalism pervades the activities of all their cultural and educational institutions. It became a bond uniting
different social and religious classes and promoted greater tolerance.

As a lover of truth, Rizal was inspired by the Germans in their practice of and belief in the principles of
free and independent research and their thorough observation and objective presentation of facts. The Germans
were studious and hard-working and their love for learning and their industry were traits he wanted his people to
develop.

Manifestations of perspective: blueprint and strategies for nation-building. Rizal's political

convictions and concept of nationalism matured between 1882 and 1887. From a distance, he gained a clearer
perspective of his country's problems. He saw his country abused, maligned by the vices of the Spaniards and
the Filipinos alike, helpless with her oppressed people, unhappy and yet beautiful. He saw that the prolonged
subjugation of his people was caused primarily by two factors, namely, the absence of national sentiment or
national consciousness and the poor training and education of the people. The Filipinos needed direction and he
could give it.

The paramount problem was the formation of a national consciousness or the creation of the idea of a
nation in the minds of the Filipino people. This meant making the people realize the sordid facts of their
existence, the causes of their sufferings, the difficult work they would have to do, and the sacrifices they would
have to endure to be freed from colonial bondage. Upon being stirred from their inertia of servility and apathy,
they should be organized to direct their thought and action toward building a nation of empowered individuals
who would make responsible and independent judgments and who would think in terms of the welfare of the
whole community. Hence, a national community would be created where the fruits of Filipino labor would accrue
to the general benefit of the people and not to a foreign master or any special group.

Rizal visualized the talented Filipino students in Madrid as the nucleus of activities seeking solutions to
the problems of their country. He proposed to them the writing of a book that would deal with the various aspects
of Filipino life, similar to Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin and Eugene Sue's The Wandering Jew.
The book was to be the project of the Circulo Hispano-Filipina with each member contributing a chapter. But
when details were discussed at a meeting, the members could not agree on the division of work. Most of them
wanted to write about the Filipino women and were scarcely interested in the other topics of the proposed book.
Disgusted, Rizal decided to carry on the work by himself. This was to be the Noli Me Tangere. For economic and
aesthetic reasons he deleted sentences, characters, and even a chapter, and finally finished the book on 12
February 1887. Running short of funds, he had to look for the cheapest book printer and eventually got the
Berliner Buchrukerei-Actien-Gessel-Shaft-Setzerinnen Schule de Lette Verreins to print the book. He was
charged P300 for 2,000 copies and had to borrow the amount from his friend, Maximo Viola. The book came
out in March 1887. His mission was accomplished, he was ready to come home.

While all these experiences made him keenly aware of the backwardness of his country, they also gave
him the necessary incentives and a direction to his plan of serving his country and people. He envisioned that
someday his country would be an Eden enjoying the legacies of industrialism, democracy, and nationalism.

Some results. Back in the Philippines, the friars were beginning to feel the effects of the Propaganda Movement. The
anti-friar sentiment was growing, social and political discontent was already very obvious. On 01 March 1888, a public
demonstration against the friars was held in Manila. The demonstrators presented a petition asking for the expulsion of
the friars and the secularization of parishes. But the petitioners were either imprisoned or exiled. Another petition
asserting Filipino rights was signed by the tenants of the Dominican estate in Kalamba asking either for a written contract

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between them and the landowners or an outright sale of the lands to them at reasonable prices. The tenants were sued
by the Dominican estate, and they lost their case in both the lower court and the Royal Audiencia. Without waiting for
the court's order, Governor Valeriano Weyler ordered the ejection of the tenants or the burning of the houses of those
who refused to leave. Rizal's family was among the victims of this persecution. Not knowing the severity of the
punishment inflicted on the members of his family but apprehensive of what could happen to them, Rizal continued his
work with the propagandists with renewed zeal.

As the news and stories of oppression in the Philippines spread, Rizal hastened to reassure his fellow-reformists in a letter
dated 2 April 1889, that such persecution would only serve to stir more discontent among the people and make them
more determined to ask for reforms. He knew that the Filipinos' fight for their rights had begun. He had led the Filipino
intelligentsia into action. There could be no turning back. He concluded his letter with these words: “The fight has begun;
he who wavers shall fall. Let us now show the world and our enemies that we are not afraid of the friars' threats."

After arousing the people to action, Rizal feared the possibility of their resorting to arms as a desperate means of
relieving themselves of their miseries. With this in mind, Rizal wrote El Filibusterismo to show his countrymen the price
they should be willing to pay and the problems they would have to solve first before plunging the country into a
revolution. Among the concerns he asked them to consider before girding for battle was: Were there enough dedicated
and highly trained leaders among them? Were the soldiers trained, and well-armed? Could the collective strength of the
country ensure a good chance of victory? Were the people united and educated enough to assume their respective roles
during the war? How effective were their means of communication?

The revolution in El Filibustirismo failed because its leaders failed to consider these concerns. This was why he cautioned
the Katipunan and gave them pointers to them of victory.

Philippine sojourn. He came home on 6 August 1887 with some misgivings on the rejection of his plans and ideas. Warm
and affectionate receptions awaited him in Kalamba. He was besieged with well-meaning admonitions and numerous
questions by his family, friends, and acquaintances. But even before he could get settled, he wrote Dr. Blumentritt that
he felt he would have to leave the Philippines again as he was beginning to feel the pressure of the groups he had
antagonized in his novel. Meanwhile, he opened a clinic, operated on his mother's eyes, and established a gymnasium.

By this time the Noli had already aroused a great deal of discussion, speculation, and apprehension. Despite the
protection of the liberal-minded Governor Emilio Terrero, Rizal's activities had to be limited because he received daily
threats. He was not allowed by his parents to eat in other houses. Spaniards and some Filipinos launched a whispering
campaign against his character. They wanted to break down his morale and drive him out of his country. Governor
Terrero was apprehensive and assigned Jose Taviel de Andrade, a lieutenant of the guardia civil, aš Rizal's escort.

Meanwhile, the special committee that studied the Noli recommended "the absolute prohibition of the importation
reproduction and circulation of this pernicious book.” The committee found the book "heretical, impious, and scandalous
in its religious aspect and unpatriotic and subversive to public order."It felt that the book would be harmful to the
Spanish government and its administration of these islands.

As the controversy over his novel raged, Rizal got involved in the Kalamba tenants’ fight to correct generations-old abuses
committed against them. The bold expose Rizal made infuriated the friars, and the town was again astir over impending
trouble. Security for the Rizal family became a problem. All advised Rizal to leave. On 3 February 1888, he secretly
departed for Hongkong and breezed through Japan and the United States.
He arrived in London on 24 May 1888. Free from Spanish persecution but far from his people, Rizal renewed his research
work in the rich library of the British Museum. To vindicate his race from the calumnies of prejudiced Spanish writers, he
annotated Sucesos de las Islas

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Filipinas was written by Antonio de Morga, was a fair presentation of 16th-century Philippine culture and civilization.
Excerpts from his dedicatory remarks read: “it is necessary to first lay bare the past to better judge the present and to
survey the road trodden during three centuries." Only in knowing the historical past could they hope to rectify the
prejudicial comment on the defects of the Filipino race. With this knowledge, said Rizal "we can proceed to study the
future."

Rizal must have surmised that once the Filipinos were convinced that their ancestors led a free, happy, and prosperous
life of industry and perseverance, they would realize that the much-criticized indolence of the Filipinos was not
hereditary but was caused by other factors. Somebody must explain to them what these factors were and once these
obstacles to self-improvement were removed, the Filipinos would be inspired to work, study, and improve themselves.

He published his annotation in January 1890. Then, while traveling from London to Madrid, Barcelona, and Paris, he
contacted Filipino exiles and induced them to work for reforms that would lighten the sufferings of their countrymen
back home. Together they planned a more active and better organized Propaganda Movement of which Rizal became the
enthusiastic leader. Besides writing essays for La Solidaridad, the official organ of the Propaganda Movement, he found
time to write a second novel, El Filibusterismo which he dedicated to Fathers Gomes, Burgos, and Zamora as "victims of
the evil I am trying to fight." Father Burgos had been very active and outspoken in the fight for racial equality; advised
Filipino liberals to study abroad, preferably outside Spain; was respected and admired by Paciano Rizal who lived in the
house of his teacher-priest and who often worked for and with the priest. He published this work in September 1891.
Only a few copies of the book and La Solidaridad reached the country because of the policy of strict censorship. With the
publication of El Filibusterismo and after three and half years of active propaganda work, Rizal wanted to return home
once more.

Hongkong sojourn. But Rizal's family vigorously opposed his coming home, so he stayed in Hongkong for seven months.
His parents, brother, and younger sisters fleeing from Spanish persecution joined him later. While working in his eye
clinic, Rizal negotiated with the representatives of the North Borneo Company for permission to establish a Filipino
colony in Borneo to help the victims of persecution in Kalamba. He was granted permission by the British governor to
establish a Filipino settlement on a 190,000-acre property in North Borneo proximate to the Philippines in distance and
ecology. But the plan was disapproved by Governor Eulogio Despujol who said that it was not proper for Filipinos to
develop other lands when the Philippines was short of manpower.

Rizal thought of another scheme to address the problems of his country — the formation of a civic association of
patriotic Filipinos to be called La Liga Filipina (Philippine League). He wrote its constitution and by-laws.

Aware of Spanish wrath, the sufferings of his people haunted Rizal. He had to come home. Together with his sister Lucia,
he arrived in the Philippines on Sunday, 25 June 1892. The next day he went to Malolos, San Fernando, Tarlac, and
Bacoor, where he exhorted his countrymen to join La Liga Filipina. The favorable reception of his project encouraged him
to organize the league in July 1892.

Even before Rizal left Hong Kong for Manila, a trap has been laid for him. As early as June 21 1892 clandestine case had
been filed in Manila against him for anti-religious and anti-patriotic agitation. On 7 July 1892, Rizal was summoned to
Malacañang. He was confronted with leaflets entitled Pobres Frailes (“Poor Friars”), a satire against the rich Dominican
friars who had violated their vow of poverty. These leaflets were allegedly found in his sister Lucia’s pillow upon their
arrival from Hong Kong.

Despite his protestations of innocence, he was arrested and brought to the Royal Fortress of Santiago for detention. On
the evening of that day, the Gaceta de Manila published Governor Despujol's decree ordering the deportation of Rizal to
an island in the south. He was being deported for having written and smuggled into the country leaflets which mocked
the friars and maligned the Pope. He was accused of dedicating his second novel, El Filibusterismo, to the memory of the
three priests who had been proven traitors to the nation but whom he extolled as martyrs. He was also accused of
advocating separation from Spain ás the only means of salvation for the Philippines. The decree of deportation further
charged Rizal with seeking to "de-Catholicise, which is equivalent to denationalize this Philippine land

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which will always be Spanish and as such, always Catholic.” Likewise, the decree declared that the purpose of his works
and writings was "nothing else but to uproot from loyal Filipino breasts the treasure of our Holy Catholic Faith, the
unbreakable keystone of national unity in this land."

LESSON III C. Life in Dapitan

Without a trial, followed by eight-day confinement in Fort Santiago he was surreptitiously escorted under
heavy guard to the steamship Cebu for deportation to Dapitan.
Rizal arrived in Dapitan on the night of 17 July 1892. After adjusting to his strange environment and new
status, he engaged in useful activities. He practiced his profession and became a public health advocate, a
farmer, a teacher, a businessman, a community development leader, an engineer, a scientist. He took time to
study the Malayan language and several Filipino dialects, besides dabbling in sculpture, painting, sketching,
and writing poetry. He bought 16 hectares of agricultural land in Talisay where he built a house, a school, and a
clinic, and where he was visited by his mother, sisters Trinidad, and Maria Cruz and Narcisa Lopez, and
nephews Mauricio Cruz and Teodoro Herbosa and Estanislao Herbosa. He won the respect and admiration not
only of the townspeople but also of the military governor.

Two months before the end of Rizal's exile, Dr. Pio Valenzuela visited him to inform him about the Katipunan
and its revolutionary plans and to tell him that he was being considered for the headship of the new nation.
Valenzuela told the Spanish authorities that Rizal objected to the revolutionary plans, saying that an uprising
would be suicidal. Later, during the American regime, Valenzuela declared that Rizal indeed was for the
revolution, as he had told the Spanish authorities.

In spite of the consideration extended to him by the Spanish government through which he enjoyed certain
liberties within the confines of Dapitan, Rizal was not because he was not a free man. Twice he wrote
Governor-General Ramon Blanco: the first letter in 18 requested pardon for himself, and the second letter in
1895 asked for his freedom and a review of his case. If this was not possible, he asked to be allowed to serve
as a volunteer surgeon in the Spanish army in Cuba where a revolution raging.

On 30 July 1896, when Rizal had given up all hope of being set free, he received a letter from the
Governor informing him of the approval of his request to go to Cuba. The next day, after a four-year exile, he
left for Manila on board the steamer España. Upon arrival in Manila Bay, he was transferred to the Spanish
cruiser Castilla, held incommunicado except with his family, to wait for the warship which was scheduled to sail
for Spain. Onboard the Spanish warship, Rizal learned through the newspapers about the outbreak of the
Philippine Revolution. This did not surprise him.

Rizal's arrest and return to the Philippines. On 3 September 1896, Rizal left for Barcelona on board the Isla de
Panay. On the last day of the same month, he was officially notified by the captain of the ship that he was
under arrest and that he was to be confined in his cabin. Even before this official notification, he had heard
rumors onboard the ship that he was being blamed for the outbreak of the revolution in the Philippines. On 3
October 1896, the Isla de Panay docked in Barcelona. Three days later, Rizal was taken to the Fortress of
Montjuich. That same afternoon he was made to board the steamer Colon, which was bound for Manila. It was
carrying soldiers to fight the Filipino revolutionists.

Throughout the trip, Rizal jotted down his thoughts and kept a record of his activities. Before his journal
was confiscated, he wrote an accurate prognosis:

I think that God is doing me good by allowing me to return to the Philippines to disprove so many
charges against me. Either they will give me justice and acknowledge my innocence, and then I shall
have all my rights restored, or they will condemn me to death and then I shall have expiated my
supposed crime in the eyes of society. She will forgive me later, without any doubt. I shall be given
justice, and become one martyr more.

On 3 November 1896, the Colon reached Manila. Rizal was immediately brought to Fort Santiago under
heavy guard. He was tried and condemned as a traitor.
But history has made its verdict: he was a martyr. His only "crime" was that he loved his country too well. He
was condemned to die for having stirred the people into united action against Spanish tyranny. Why this
condemnation?

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LESSON III D: TRIAL AND EXECUTION

On the early morning of 29 December 1896, Rizal has formally notified of the court's verdict: death. He
was to be shot at sunrise of the next day. The news of the decision spread like wildfire. Tension gripped Manila
as the Spaniards feared that the rebels would enter the city and liberate Rizal.

Fishing for evidence. While Rizal was held incommunicado in Fort Santiago, the Spanish authorities
fished for evidence against him. Many Filipino patriots such as Deodato Arellano, Dr Pio Valenzuela, Moises
Salvador, Jose Dizon, Domingo Franco, and Timoteo Paez were brutally tortured to implicate Rizal. Rizal's own
brother Paciano was arrested and cruelly tortured. He endured all pains inflicted by the torturers, rather than
sign a statement incriminating his younger brother. His body was shattered on the torture rack and his left hand
was crushed by the screw but his spirit was unbroken.

On 3 December, Dominguez initiated action on the case. It took him two days to draw his conclusions:
that the accused was the principal organizer, the moving spirit of the Philippine revolution, founder of societies,
of newspapers, and had written books designed to foment and propagate the ideas of rebellion and sedition
among the people, as well as the principal leader of the anti-government movement in the country.

On 13 December Camilo Garcia de Polavieja assumed his post as Governor and Captain-General of the Philippines.
The program of the friars had been carried out. The Spanish community was assuaged. As compensation,
Blanco was named Chief of His Majesty's Casa Militar. In the same manner that Martinez Campos in Cuba
was relieved in favor of Weyler, Blanco was replaced by Polavieja. These two cases are parallel in many
respects. The conservative Canovas was in power. It appears that the Marquis of Pidal intervened in the
appointment of Polavieja, Archbishop Nozaleda of Manila, being quite close to him. According to Fernandez
Almagro, Queen Maria Cristina did not have to be pressured in order to be on the side of the Dominicans.

The Council of War. From 20 December, Rizal and his counsel started to prepare his defense, studying it
point by point. On 25 December, although a feast day, Rizal was informed that on the next day at 10:00 in the
morning, the Council of War would convene. Upon receiving the communication, Rizal wrote to Taviel asking for
a conference prior to appearing before the Council.

Final accusations. Illegal association and rebellion were the final accusations of the fiscal, who indicated that
for the first crime, the penalty was imprisonment in its minimum and medium grades; and for rebellion, the
penalty was life imprisonment. Since the law stipulated that if in order to commit one crime it was necessary to
commit another, the maximum penalty should be applied: death. The fiscal cited as an aggravating circumstance
the fact that the accused was a native. This constituted additional proof of the discrimination against the natives.

Concluding his rhetorical masterpiece, Alcocer exposed Rizal as the “soul of the rebellion," considered by his
countrymen as a superior being whose commands had to be obeyed without question. Ultimately, Alcocer
asked for the death penalty. In case of pardon and unless all other penalties were remitted with it, he asked that
the prisoner be absolutely and permanently deprived of civil rights and subject to police surveillance for life. He
should also be compelled to pay an indemnity of P20,000.

THE DEATH SENTENCE

Polavieja convened the Council where no member asked for commutation of the sentence. Aside from
the Council, neither of the religious hierarchy, nor his former Jesuit tutors, nor the Dominicans recommended a
pardon. On 26 December, the verdict was sent to the Governor-General, Camilo G. de Polavieja, a loyal friend
of the friars, who confirmed its forthwith, and on 28 December he signed the order of execution by musketry set
at seven o’clock in the morning of 30 December at the field of Bagumbayan.
Because of strict censorship, the newspapers of Manila could not publish any report of the

defense. LESSON III E: The Impact of Rizal’s Death

Rizal's mother and sisters had arrived. It was during these moments that Rizal had to muster the
greatest effort to remain calm, greater even than that which the moment of execution would require.

Rizal kissed his mother's hand – embracing was not allowed - and in a low voice told her to claim his
body and have it buried.

One by one the others came. He looked around his cell for something to give each one: to Angelica, he
gave a handkerchief, to Narcisa he gave his wicker chair, to Mauricio a belt and a watch with chain. To Trinidad,
who understood English, he gave a little alcohol burner - saying aloud that he did not have anything better to
give her. He had this burner in his cell to heat his food because his meals were always cold when brought to
him. And
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as he handed the burner to her, he whispered in English: “There is something in it." He had nothing more left to
give to Maria, but he confided to her that he would marry Josephine.
At 10:00 o'clock that night, Father Balaguer sat with Rizal and began reading the formula for the retraction, but
Rizal almost immediately rejected it, saying that the style did not rhyme with his own and accepting the simpler
draft prepared by Father Pio Pi. He was to write it in his own hand. At 11:30, he signed it.

THE EXECUTION OF 30 DECEMBER 1896

At 6:30, the squad of artillery soldiers was formed, preceded by a bugle and a drum. Rizal came out,
bound elbow to elbow, flanked by Fathers Vilaclara and March and followed by his counsel, Taviel. The squad
surrounded them all. They took the Paseo de Maria Cristina, now named Paseo de Bonifacio. The morning was
cool, the air limpid, clear, and diaphanous. Nature favored Rizal with its profound transparency showing
everything in clear-cut detail.

The hero walked and chatted with his companions about the scene around him. Pointing to the Ateneo,
he said to Taviel, “There I spent seven years."
Even with the early hour, there was already a dense crowd on the Luneta as well many carriages bearing
Spaniards and well-dressed personages.

Rizal went to the middle of the square, filled with 400 men, with a band playing. The firing squad was
composed of eight Filipino soldiers, with another line of Spanish soldiers standing behind.

Rizal refused to be shot from the back, saying that only traitors were thus shot and that he was not a traitor
to Spain. The captain replied that he was sorry but those were the orders and he had to follow them. At the
last moment, Rizal requested that he be shot in the body and not in the head. That way, he could turn his
head and body sidewise so he would fall face upwards facing the Philippine blue sky and fall on the earth,
which he never wished to see stained with blood.

At this point, Dr. Felipe Ruiz y Castillo, the military physician who attended to him. took his pulse and
found it normal.
The order to fire was given. The shots rang out and the body of the patriot, who had faced death so bravely,
with such dignity and honor, fell with his face up toward the sky. He did not fall as a traitor. Nature had made
the rectification, and Rizal rationalist to the last minute of his life had used his head to obtain his ends.

Shouts of "Viva España!" and "Death to traitors!" were heard from the Spaniards, whenever and wherever
there were traitors. But there was none in this case.
Initial burial at Paco cemetery. The body of Rizal was placed in a van and with the greatest secrecy
buried in the old and unused Paco cemetery. Teodora wanted to comply with the last wish of her son, that the
family should take charge of his cadaver. After several objections on the part of some officials, Civil Governor
Manuel Luengo acceded to the petition, but when the funeral coach left, they had already secretly taken the
body away and Narcisa went to all the cemeteries of Manila in search of the body in vain. On the way back, she
saw through the open gate of the Paco cemetery, some guardias civiles.

Rizal's body was interred in utmost secrecy in a grave dug in the ground on the north side of Paco
Cemetery. Even his stricken and unfortunate family was cruelly kept in the dark. His grave was guarded by
soldiers, for Rizal's enemies recognized that their victim was the idol of the Filipino people and they wanted to
forestall any popular demonstration that might get out of control.

Narcisa entered the cemetery and after much searching found a grave with freshly-turned earth. She
gave the gravedigger a tip and placed a plaque with the initials of her brother in reverse, RPJ, that is, Rizal
Protacio José.

On the afternoon of 30 December, the books, letters, and the alcohol lamp were handed over to the Rizal
family. Narcisa quickly opened the fuel receptacle and found the last poem. Copies of the same were made and
distributed among the family and some were sent to the insurrectos of Cavite.

According to Father Balaguer, after parting ways with Rizal when the latter left for the execution, he went
to the Ateneo to submit the document of retraction to Father Pio Pi, who on the same day left it in the hands of
Archbishop Nozaleda. The latter handed it to his secretary, Gonzales Feijoo, who kept it in the box of
confidential documents.

Impact of Rizal's death. Rizal's death sounded the death agony of Spanish sovereignty in the Philippines.
His execution cast a gloom over the Filipinos, fanned the flame of patriotism, and swelled the ranks of the
Revolutionists. Inspired by Rizal's example and teachings, the Filipinos were now determined more than ever

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fight the Spaniards to the finish. And they triumphed. They proclaimed the independence of the Philippines on
12 June 1898, established a temporary government, drafted a republican constitution, and set up the First
Republic of the Philippines. Rizal's sacrifice was not in vain.

Rizal ranks among the great builders of nations in history and as a transcendent genius, his place is beside the
intellectual giants mankind has produced.

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Module 2: Rizal’s Writings and Works

LESSON 4: Rizal as a Novelist
A. Noli Me Tangere
B. El Filibusterismo

Learning Outcomes:

1. Give the difference of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo as to:

a. Aims
b. Plot
c. Significance

Discussion:

Rizal vigorously sought to lessen the prevailing ignorance among the Filipino masses and to awaken in them
a sense of nationhood. To this end he dedicated his life's work, reaching out to people with his prolific pen and
influencing them by his conduct.

His two novels on Philippine life during the 19th century, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo have had
through the years tremendous effects on the Filipino people. These works of fiction conveyed the theme of
nationalism most directly and forcefully. They have come to be considered “the greatest Philippine social
documents." And in recognition of their being the “gospels of Philippine nationalism," the Congress of the Philippines
passed the law making them required reading in all the country's colleges and universities (RA No 1425, 12 June
1956). With these two novels, Rizal is known all over the world as the foremost Asian nationalist.

The novels define and illustrate his concept of love of country. Through them, he boldly spoke out against
unjust colonial policies, agitated for political and social reforms, and strongly warned against rebellion. Yet, they
triggered off the first nationalist uprising in Asia. For this, Rizal paid with his life.
The Noli was the first major work of Rizal on the various phases of the social life of the Filipinos and Spaniards, from
the lowliest among the former up to the highest and mighty among the latter. As fiction would permit, every incident
was so realistically captured that each one appears even now, several decades later, as a moving "tableau vivante,"
as its author promised that he was going to "raise the veil that covers the malady-sacrificing all for the sake of truth."
At last, here was a serious book on the Philippines and the role of educated Filipinos, both in the example of the
author and in the exploits of the hero of the novel. This novel was
written by Rizal alone and not contributed to by the Filipino students as he originally
wanted the project to be carried out. There must have been an adjustment of purpose
in carrying out this project in its finished form. The participation of the Filipinos in the
work would have been the initiation of their involvement in the great task.

Whatever the book was designed to accomplish must also include these very
same Filipino students in Madrid. Rizal must have realized the tremendous nature of
the problem for which he was trying to discover the solution. He must have realized
that this book was only the first significant step towards the final realization of the idea
of a Filipino nation.
Noli attempted to expose the plight of the Philippine inhabitants who lived by
the mercy and whims of the Spanish rulers who considered the natives with
derision and exploitation. The lack of dignity on the part of the poor indios generally
kept in ignorance and repressed under abusive surveillance by a hierarchy of a
military system was bolstered by power-corruption and sustained by fear on the
part of the natives. The awakening of the Filipinos to the sordid facts of their existence, to the worsening
conditions that brought about their sufferings, to the suggestions of what it would take to affect their systematic
brutalization through centuries of subjugation under foreign masters, to all these and a host of other social
misfortunes, was the immediate concern of this great novel. It was in this sense that Rizal claimed that his Noli
was the history of the last ten years of Philippine society.

As a study on the revolution, Fili could not but present the revolution as a failure. For, how could the problems
of the revolution be presented otherwise? What problems would a successful revolution raise? The problems
of the revolution were precisely categorized under the various headings of problems for the leaders, problems
for the followers; problems for the indifferent; problems for the ignorant, uncommitted masses; problems for
the rulers; problems for the young, for the old, for the women, for the foreigners, for businessmen;

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problems for institutions like schools, church, armed forces, disgruntled tulisan. Based on the nature of the
revolution as a social movement, the problems of objectives, of persuasion, of secrecy of organization, of
communication, of supplying, of arming; of timing movements, of planning the tactics and strategy, of material
support, of adequate personnel, of sufficient strength relative to the enemy, were sufficiently indicated to enable
the reader to place himself in some role or position. The inevitable implications of the revolution in terms of risks
to life, property, or limb; of sufferings, emotional disturbance, unbearable demands; of an unexpected
occurrence, of youthful frivolities, of indifference on account of ignorance, cowardice, or conscience were all
delineated. In short, Fili was Rizal's contribution in acquainting the people with the demands of the revolution so
that they would have sufficient basis for whatever decision they were to take in their involvement in the
movement. In this sense, the reader was to realize the inevitable choice that he was to make to join the
movement, to oppose, or to be indifferent. The development of the story called the reader's attention to possible
consequences once the movement had commenced. Even the price that must be paid when vacillation and
hesitation marred the progress of the movement once it had begun was vividly portrayed.

After Fili came off the press Rizal decided to come home, as if hurriedly attracted by an irresistible force
to found a nation. First, the national consciousness or the idea of the nation must be aroused and formed in the
minds of the Filipinos. Second, the awakening would be "organization." An awakened mass of people should be
organized to channel their efforts, feelings, and thoughts towards the goal. There might be a desire for nation
building and the people might be sufficiently awakened, yet the habit of thought and the habit of actions might
not converge towards the founding of the nation. Rizal fully realized this, and he immediately decided to come
home, against the advice of his friends to take the second phase of the great task.

On the night of 19 November 1891, Rizal arrived in Hongkong and on 1 December of the same year.

Noli Me Tangere, which means "touch me not,” sketches a wound that has reached the point where
even the healer's touch causes more agony than relief. It shows the concerned healer the actions a pained
society might resort to in the moment of despair. Such despair could force the patient to insurgence, as El
Filibusterismo, the sequel, suggests.

Rizal did not advocate revolution. But while he spoke vehemently against it in his novels, he showed it as the
inevitable alternative to the failure of the Spanish government to overhaul its political set-up and check the
injustices committed against the natives. Even as the novels are ruthless denunciations of the abuses and
excesses of authority committed by the friars and the civil administrators, they are also scathing exposures of
the weaknesses and vices of the Filipinos. “There are no tyrants where there are no slaves," he often said. He
hoped that by presenting an authentic picture of decadent Philippine society—a picture he had largely drawn
from his own experiences and observations--he would awaken the lethargic people and forge a nation. Rizal's
purpose in writing the novels is defined in his dedication to Noli Me Tangere.

The novels were widely circulated in his time, they survived the Spanish era, and they have come to be
adopted by the Filipinos as the living gospels of Philippine Nationalism. They have been translated into several
foreign languages and native dialects, thereby reaching a greater audience than Rizal has ever anticipated. The
novels made Rizal famous overnight. They have been interpreted in plays, recorded for prosperity in motion
pictures, and scripted for the sophisticated opera.

Lesson 5: Rizal as an Essayist, Poet, and Dramatist.

Learning Outcomes:
1. Explain the ideas of Rizal in his different essays.

Discussion:
Though Rizal did not devote his life entirely to writing, he nevertheless turned out such a voluminous
body of written work that no biographer would lack material to document his thoughts and actions during his
short life. For Rizal was not just a novelist of importance. He was also a conscientious essayist, a poet of note,
a dramatist, a regular diarist, and a prolific letter-writer, frequently corresponding with his European friends in
their particular tongues which he had endeavored to master.

Rizal's writings form an integral part of his political life. Scholars, researchers, historians, and political
leaders invariably turn to them for ideas on nationalism and guidelines for nation-building.
The essays of Rizal explain his philosophy and his program of reforms. In them, one perceives the clear and
steady mind of a skillful surgeon who applies the scalpel on the diseased parts of Philippine society to expose
and eventually excise social cancer. They contain his analysis of what was wrong with the country and

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what should be done about its problems, this time without the gauze of fiction to soften the sharpness of his
criticism.

In the decade that preceded his exile to Dapitan, Rizal wrote about 100 pieces most of which have been
translated into English and published. Using his Masonic pseudonyms of Laong Laan and Dimas Alang, he
wrote many of these pieces while he was in Spain.

Rizal's first essay, El Amor Patria (Love of Country), was written when he was 21 and just arrived in
Madrid. It was published under the name of "Laong Laan" on 20 August 1882, in Diariong Tagalog, the
newspaper edited by Marcelo H del Pilar in the Philippines.

Many of Rizal's other essays were journalistic articles that appeared initially in La Solidaridad between
the years 1889 and 1896. They were written for the readers of La Solidaridad, among whom were the Masonic
subscribers who would pass on the contents of the paper to their hushed-up household and illiterate neighbors,
the indifferent or apathetic ilustrados who shuddered at the economic upheaval that any major reform might
bring about, and the liberal Spanish delegates to the Cortes who kept a watchful eye on the developments in
the far-flung colonies that were one by one breaking away from the Mother Country. La Solidaridad was the
closest thing to a free press that the Philippines had then. Running through the issues was an undercurrent of
urgency.

Rizal was very scholarly and factual in his essays. All of them show that he had a good grasp of the
economic problems, as well as the political policies and practices of his times. Whatever their slant, they
managed to advocate reforms.

Several themes were repeatedly projected in the essays. Among these are his exposure of the abuses
of the friars and the civil administrators, his description of the actual plight of the Filipinos, his expressions of
love of country, his appeal for the development of national consciousness among his people, and his platform
indicating the direction for change and progress. Rizal let off steam, and at the same time drew all the hot air in
his direction, when he criticized the friars and civil authorities in the Philippines. He did this consciously and
deliberately because it had to be done. Someone had to examine and pass judgment on social cancer if its
victim was to be saved from total destruction.

A. Rizal’s Famous Essays

1. Letter to the Young Women of Malolos
2. The Indolence of the Filipinos
3. The Philippines a Century Hence
4. The Town School in the Philippines

B. Rizal’s Famous Poems:

• Sa Aking Mga Kabata

• A La Juventud Filipina
• A La Education
• Alianza Intima Entre La Religiion y La Buena Education
• Education Gives Luster to the Motherland
• Hymn to Labor
• To the Flowers of the Heidelberg
• Brindis
• My Last Farewell

Lesson 6: Rizal’s Socio-Economic and Political Ideas

Learning Outcomes:
1. Identify the different Philosophies of Rizal in
a. Cultural
b. Educational and Technological
c. Economical
d. Social
e. Political
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Discussion:
Rizal’s work comes from the influences of the Philosophy of Enlightenment of 19th Century
Europe.

In the 19th century, the philosophers of the 18th-century Enlightenment began to have a dramatic
effect on subsequent developments in philosophy. In particular, the works of Immanuel Kant gave rise
to a new generation of German philosophers and began to see wider recognition internationally. Also,
in a reaction to the Enlightenment, a movement called Romanticism began to develop towards the end
of the 18th century. Key ideas that sparked changes in philosophy were the fast progress of science,
including evolution, most notably postulated by Charles Darwin and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, and
theories regarding what is today called emergent order, such as the free market of Adam Smith within
nation-states. Pressures for egalitarianism and more rapid change culminated in a period of revolution
and turbulence that would see philosophy change as well.

The last third of the 18th century produced a host of ideas and works which would both
systematize previous philosophy, and present a deep challenge to the basis of how philosophy had
been systematized. Immanuel Kant is a name that most would mention as being among the most
important of influences, as is Jean-Jacques Rousseau. While both of these philosophers were products
of the 18th century and its assumptions, they pressed at the boundaries. In trying to explain the nature
of the state and government, Rousseau would challenge the basis of government with his declaration
that "Man is born free, but is everywhere in chains". Kant, while attempting to preserve axiomatic
skepticism, was forced to argue that we do not see the true reality, nor do we speak of it. All we know
of reality is appearances. Since all we can see of reality is appearances, which are subject to certain
necessary and subjective forms of perceptions, Kant postulates the idea of an unknowable (while at the
same time limiting our use of science and the principle of causality to the appearances). Hegel's
distinction between the unknowable and the circumstantially unknown can be seen as the beginnings
of Hegel's rational system of the universe.
Yet another philosopher of the late Enlightenment that was influential in the 19th century was
Pierre-Simon Laplace (1749–1827), whose formulation of nomological determinism is famous up to this
day.
One of the first philosophers to attempt to grapple with Kant's philosophy was Johann Gottlieb
Fichte, whose development of Kantian metaphysics became a source of inspiration for the Romantics.
In Wissenschaftslehre, Fichte argues that the self-posits itself and is a self-producing and changing
process.
Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling, a student of Fichte, continued to develop many of the same
ideas and was also assimilated by the Romantics as something of an official philosopher for their
movement. But it was another of Fichte's students, and former roommate of Schelling, who would rise
to become the most prominent of the post-Kantian idealists: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. His work
revealed the increasing importance of historical thinking in German thought.

Arthur Schopenhauer, rejecting Hegel and also materialism, called for a return to Kantian
transcendentalism, at the same time adopting atheism and determinism, amongst others. His secular
thought became more popular in Europe in the second half of the 19th century, which coincided with
the advents of Darwinism, positivism, Marxism, and philological analysis of the Bible.

In the second half of the 19th century, an even more orthodox return to Kantian thought was
espoused by many Neo-Kantian philosophers based in two main locations: the Marburg School and
the Baden School. This trend of thought survived into the beginning of the next century, influencing
20th century philosophical movements such as Neopositivism and Phenomenology.
One of the most famous opponents of idealism in the first half of the German 19th century was
Ludwig Feuerbach, who advocated materialism and atheism.

Developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the mid-to-late-19th Century, Marxism is a
sociopolitical and economic view based on the philosophy of dialectical materialism, which opposes
idealism in favor of the materialist viewpoint. Marx analyzed history itself as the progression of
dialectics in the form of class struggle. From this, it is argued that "the history of all hitherto existing
society is the history of class struggles." According to Marx, this began with the phase of primitive
communism (hunter gatherer society), after which the Neolithic Revolution gave way to slave societies,
progressing into the feudal society, and then into his present era of the Industrial Revolution, after
which he held that the next step was for the proletariat to overthrow the owners of industry and
establish a socialist society,

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which would further develop into a communist society, in which class distinctions, money, and the state
would have withered from existence entirely.
Marxism had a profound influence on the history of the 20th Century.

Rizal stressed that there would be no masters if there would be no slaves. To enjoy the privilege
of freedom, the Filipinos must be willing to accept their corresponding responsibilities. But to fit
themselves to the responsibilities of freedom means undergoing a slow and painful process of self
discipline, making a determined and sustained effort individually and collectively to lift themselves out
of the slough of despond out of the ignorance, apathy, and indolence in which they have sunk for
centuries
Rizal had laid down his ideas to improve society, economy, politics, and education.
Some examples of Rizal’s ideas, ideals, and philosophy:

• “Education is important in the development of a nation and its people.”

• “Ignorance is slavery,”

Congratulations
! and
God bless you.

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