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PHILIPPINE PHILIPPINE INSTITUTION INSTITUTION 1 1 11

PhilippinePhilippineInstitution 1Institution 1

LIFE, THOUGHTS, WORKS & WRITINGSLIFE, THOUGHTS, WORKS & WRITINGS

Name: ___________________________________Name: ___________________________________

Course: __________________________________Course: __________________________________


Rizal’s Life, Works, Thoughts, & WritingsRizal’s Life, Works, Thoughts, & Writings

Primary Primary Facilitator: Facilitator: Rommel Rommel Meneses Meneses DascilDascilOffice: Office: Department Department of of Social Social Sciences, Sciences, CAS, CAS, MMSUMMSU – – Batac City Batac CityEmail:Email: [email protected]@fulbrightmail.org // [email protected] [email protected] Office Hours: Hours: TTo o be be arrangearrangedd

TABLE OF CONTENTSTABLE OF CONTENTS

Part Part I I PreliminariesPreliminaries

Table Table of of Contents Contents 11

Our Our Shared Shared Vision Vision and and Mission Mission 22

Syllabus 3Syllabus 3

Part Part II II IntroductionIntroduction

Why Why Study Study Rizal? Rizal? 66

Rizal Rizal Law Law After After 55 55 Years Years 77

Leveling-Leveling-off with Rizal’s Thoughtsoff with Rizal’s Thoughts 99

The CThe Chalhallenglenges of es of the 1the 19 9 CenCenturturyy 1010

Part Part III III Life, Life, Education, Education, TravelTravel

Biographical Biographical Sketch Sketch 2121

Genealogy 23Genealogy 23

Education 27Education 27

Travel Travel and and Adventure Adventure 3131

Part Part IV IV Exile Exile and and MartyrdomMartyrdom

Exile Exile in in Dapitan Dapitan 3535

Trial Trial and and Martyrdom Martyrdom 4343

Part Part V V Revolution, Revolution, Philosophy, Philosophy, LoveLove

Rizal Rizal and and the the Philippine Philippine Revolution Revolution 4949

Novels and Poetry Novels and Poetry 5454

Philosophy Philosophy and and Social Social Change Change 6868

Love Love in in the the Time Time of of Revolutions Revolutions 7171

Part VIPart VI Engaging Rizal’s ‘Engaging Rizal’s ‘HeroismHeroism’’

Veneration Without UnderstadningVeneration Without Understadning 7777

Part Part VII VII AppendixAppendix

Other WorksOther Works 9090

References 98References 98

Primary Facilitator Primary Facilitator ’s Short Bio’s Short Bio 100 100


Part 1: PreliminariesPart 1: Preliminaries

Our Shared Vision & MissionOur Shared Vision & Mission

VisionVision

The Mariano Marcos State University shall be a world-class university dedicated The Mariano Marcos State University shall be a world-class university dedicated to theto thedevelopment of virtuous human resources and inndevelopment of virtuous human resources and innovations for inclusive growth.ovations for inclusive growth.

Maibilang ti unibersidad kadagiti mabigbig nga addaan nangato a kalidad nga unibersidad ti Maibilang ti unibersidad kadagiti mabigbig nga addaan nangato a kalidad nga unibersidad ti sangalubongan a naisangrat a mangpatanor kadagiti nasudi a tattao ken makabaruanan a sangalubongan a naisangrat a mangpatanor kadagiti nasudi a tattao ken makabaruanan awagas nga agturong iti kabukbukudan a panagrang-ay.wagas nga agturong iti kabukbukudan a panagrang-ay.

MissionMission

The University shall contribute substantially to better quality of life and ecological bThe University shall contribute substantially to better quality of life and ecological balancealancethrough quality resident instruction, productivity, client-oriented research and extensionthrough quality resident instruction, productivity, client-oriented research and extension programs and projects supported by the adequate manpower and educational resources and programs and projects supported by the adequate manpower and educational resources andinformation technology. The University specifically aims to:information technology. The University specifically aims to:

offer wide range of academic programs at the offer wide range of academic programs at the certificate, associate, baccalaureate, masterscertificate, associate, baccalaureate, mastersand doctoral levels;and doctoral levels;

maintain the broad range of research pmaintain the broad range of research programs both in the basic and applied rograms both in the basic and applied sciences,sciences,especially in the arts, agriculture, agribusiness, agro-forestry, fisheries, teacher education,especially in the arts, agriculture, agribusiness, agro-forestry, fisheries, teacher education,rural sociology, management, and technology which will generate knowledge and provide arural sociology, management, and technology which will generate knowledge and provide a basis for solutions to the development needs of the province and of the region; basis for solutions to the development needs of the province and of the region;

provide off-campus continuing education and extension services to meet the needs of the provide off-campus continuing education and extension services to meet the needs of theresidents of the province and the region within the context of regional and national non-residents of the province and the region within the context of regional and national non-formal education; and,formal education; and,

serve as the focus for the regional coopeserve as the focus for the regional cooperative and development center for prative and development center for public and privateublic and privatecolleges and universities in the Ilocos region.colleges and universities in the Ilocos region.

PHILIPPINE INSTITUTION 1 4

Syllabus

(PLEASE READ CAREFULLY AND THOUGHTFULLY)

COURSE OVERVIEW AND DESCRIPTION

The course explores the greatness of Jose Rizal’s character, the richness of his thoughts andteachings. Focusing on his legacies, this course aims at inspiring students to take a more criticaland appreciative perspective on the vision and ideals of Rizal as they live towards championingthe cause of freedom and justice.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will have attained or developed:

A critical understanding of Rizal’s life and works and their impact on contemporaryacademic and non-academic discussions;

Familiarity with fundamental texts and scholarly journals about the course;

A wider perspective towards Rizal’s role as a citizen of the world in espousing anddefending human rights and fundamental freedoms;

Ability to build bridges between the Rizal’s aspirations and thoughts and thecontemporary Philippine socio-economic situation.

Appreciate and practice the patriotic goals of the course.

COURSE PRODUCTS

1. Critical reflection and learning journal

As a participant in this course, you are required to write a critical reflection and learning journal(a form of ongoing personal reflective/reflexive learning conversation with yourself – about whatyou are learning – and how you are learning and relating to the course content and process – andreflections on the usefulness/application (or not). The paper focuses on a critical response/criticalreflection on what you learned during the pr evious month’s readings and class discussions. Youare required to submit three (3) learning journals (minimum of 1500 words for each journal) onour first meeting in the succeeding month. Any day late is equivalent to one (1) point deductionfrom the requirement’s assigned points.

2. Class co-facilitation and critical response

Participants will be grouped, and each group will be required to co-facilitate class discussions based on assigned group readings/assignments. This forms part of the class process/discussionand a group’s critical response should raise interesting questions about the topic and about thereadings.


3. Examination3. Examination

Through this activity, you are privileged to tackle Through this activity, you are privileged to tackle relevant questions or problems either inrelevant questions or problems either inwriting or in dialogue with the primary facilitator/instructor. Areas of discussion may include (1)writing or in dialogue with the primary facilitator/instructor. Areas of discussion may include (1)a personal/individual summative view of the course and (2) a personal/individual summative view of the course and (2) a specific subject matter within thea specific subject matter within thelarger areas of the various topics in the colarger areas of the various topics in the course. Other participants may be assigned as purse. Other participants may be assigned as part of theart of thedialogue.dialogue.

4. Informed Participation4. Informed Participation

Your active and informed engagement in cYour active and informed engagement in class discussion, which shows your level of thinkinglass discussion, which shows your level of thinkingand engagement with your reflectionsand engagement with your reflections – – i.e. ‘metacognition’, is an essential component of thei.e. ‘metacognition’, is an essential component of the pedagogy and methodology of this course pedagogy and methodology of this course – – and valued as such in the evaluation of your learning and valued as such in the evaluation of your learning- and in the assignment of final grades for this course. - and in the assignment of final grades for this course. In other words, in addition to what youIn other words, in addition to what youlearn (content)learn (content) – – this course intends to help this course intends to help you develop critical thinking skillsyou develop critical thinking skills – – and further and furtherdevelop your conceptual and metacognitive skills. develop your conceptual and metacognitive skills. You will be evaluated based on yourYou will be evaluated based on your(periodic) performances in the midterm and final periods.(periodic) performances in the midterm and final periods.

COURSE PEDAGOGY/PROCESS/METHODOLOGYCOURSE PEDAGOGY/PROCESS/METHODOLOGY

METHODMETHOD: : Please Please take take notenote that I don’t necessarily ‘teach’ this coursethat I don’t necessarily ‘teach’ this course - in the sense of- in the sense ofdirective “teaching” content or lectures. directive “teaching” content or lectures. This course has been designed to This course has been designed to engage and modelengage and modelliberational learning methodologies and principlesliberational learning methodologies and principles – – and as such, the emph and as such, the emphasis IS ONasis IS ONLEARNING and NOT ON TEACHING.LEARNING and NOT ON TEACHING. I consider this class to be ’a facilitated learning I consider this class to be ’a facilitated learningexperience’ – experience’ – and not a conventionally ‘taught’ course.and not a conventionally ‘taught’ course. You need to be aware of this and toYou need to be aware of this and tounderstand that the responsibility for learningunderstand that the responsibility for learning – – and presenting and evaluating what you are and presenting and evaluating what you arelearning and what you halearning and what you have learned - is therefore a shared ve learned - is therefore a shared responsibilityresponsibility – – yours and mine yours and mine. The. Thecourse assumes that each ‘learner’ brings to class, a rich and divecourse assumes that each ‘learner’ brings to class, a rich and diverse base of experience andrse base of experience andknowledgeknowledge – – and the function and the function of the class is therefore to provide a coof the class is therefore to provide a collaboratively designed andllaboratively designed andfacilitated learning environment - and a context and climate that enables each participant tofacilitated learning environment - and a context and climate that enables each participant toengage, share, reflect, construct and learn from eaengage, share, reflect, construct and learn from each otherch other – – and with each other - through and with each other - throughengagement with the course content/topics/readingsengagement with the course content/topics/readings – – through engagement with each other through engagement with each other – – and andthrough engagement with one’s own reading, through engagement with one’s own reading, thinking and reflections that take place within andthinking and reflections that take place within andoutside of the scope outside of the scope of the syllabus. of the syllabus. Also note that the ‘coursAlso note that the ‘course content’ is (somewhat) e content’ is (somewhat) negotiablenegotiable – – and that you will be required to shape the learning content, and the focus and direction of the and that you will be required to shape the learning content, and the focus and direction of thecoursecourse – – hence the current draft hence the current draft nature of this current version of the syllabus!nature of this current version of the syllabus!

EXPECTATION:EXPECTATION: In order for In order for this to be a productive learning this to be a productive learning experience for all, you areexperience for all, you arerequired to prepare thoroughly for each class brequired to prepare thoroughly for each class by (1) reading and thinking about the y (1) reading and thinking about the topics, (2)topics, (2)reading beyond the texts assigned for each reading beyond the texts assigned for each class, (3) by capturing your reflections on yourclass, (3) by capturing your reflections on yourlearning through the critical learning through the critical reflection journals, reflection journals, (4) coming to class prepared to (4) coming to class prepared to engage inengage inthoughtful, critical discussion and debate, (5) continuously reflecting on what thoughtful, critical discussion and debate, (5) continuously reflecting on what you learn and howyou learn and howyou are learning, and (6) bridging you are learning, and (6) bridging your learning and knowledge production with your learning and knowledge production with your personalyour personalexperiences.experiences.

CO-FACILITATION:CO-FACILITATION: The class discussion and the interrogation of (and The class discussion and the interrogation of (and engagement with) theengagement with) thetopics and readings - will be co-facilitated by different groups of topics and readings - will be co-facilitated by different groups of participants and the primaryparticipants and the primary


facilitator/instructfacilitator/instructor - and these groups will be or - and these groups will be assigned. Each group will be assigned. Each group will be responsible forresponsible fordeveloping five or six questions prior to the classdeveloping five or six questions prior to the class – – and share these to all p and share these to all participants - whicharticipants - whichwill help you to engage thwill help you to engage the assigned readings and facilitate discussion and learning in ae assigned readings and facilitate discussion and learning in athoughtful, learner-centered, and critithoughtful, learner-centered, and critical manner. cal manner. The intent is to provide an opportunity The intent is to provide an opportunity for youfor youto learn and develop skills to engage to learn and develop skills to engage and enact (facilitate) relevant and critical discussion.and enact (facilitate) relevant and critical discussion.

GRADING SYSTEM:GRADING SYSTEM:

Requirement PercentageRequirement Percentage

1. 1. Regular Regular Informed Informed Participation Participation 20%20%

2. 2. Critical Critical Reflection Reflection / / Learning Learning Journal Journal 30%30%

3. 3. Co-facilitation Co-facilitation 20%20%

4. 4. Examination Examination 30%30%

TOTALTOTAL 100%100%

Due to its naturally sensitive and often complex naDue to its naturally sensitive and often complex nature, the grading rubric will be discussed moreture, the grading rubric will be discussed morecomprehensively in class.comprehensively in class.

LEARNING MATERIALS:LEARNING MATERIALS:

While participants are expected to do individual homeWhile participants are expected to do individual homework based on the schedule, work based on the schedule, some readingsome readingand learning materials will be given to and learning materials will be given to your class president/contact person who will beyour class president/contact person who will beresponsible for disseminating the materials.responsible for disseminating the materials.

SCHEDULE:SCHEDULE:

Please see Table of Contents (p.1)Please see Table of Contents (p.1)


Part II: IntroductionPart II: Introduction

Why Study Rizal?Why Study Rizal?

It is of great importance that students understand the rationale bIt is of great importance that students understand the rationale behind having to take up ehind having to take up a Rizala Rizalcourse in college. course in college. For high school students, For high school students, the Noli Me Tangere and the El the Noli Me Tangere and the El Filibusterismo areFilibusterismo areinjected into the Filipino injected into the Filipino subject as part of subject as part of the overall curriculum. the overall curriculum. In tertiary education,In tertiary education,however, Rizal is a subject required of any course, in any college or university in thehowever, Rizal is a subject required of any course, in any college or university in thePhilippines.Philippines.

Usually, during the first day of the course, we ask Usually, during the first day of the course, we ask the well-overused questions:the well-overused questions:

Why study Rizal?Why study Rizal?

What is the importance of studying Rizal?What is the importance of studying Rizal?

Why is Rizal one of the minor Why is Rizal one of the minor subjects taken up in college?subjects taken up in college?

Why is Rizal included in the course outline?Why is Rizal included in the course outline?

What relevance does Rizal have in college education?What relevance does Rizal have in college education?

The answer to such questions can bThe answer to such questions can be summed up in two e summed up in two points: First and foremost, because it ispoints: First and foremost, because it ismandated by law. Secondly, because of the lessons contained within the course itself.mandated by law. Secondly, because of the lessons contained within the course itself.

Mandated By LawMandated By Law

The teaching of Jose Rizal’s life, works, and writings is mandated bThe teaching of Jose Rizal’s life, works, and writings is mandated by Republic Act 1425,y Republic Act 1425,otherwise known as totherwise known as the Rizal Law. he Rizal Law. Senator Jose P. Laurel, the persSenator Jose P. Laurel, the person who sponsored the saidon who sponsored the saidlaw, said that since Rizal was the founder law, said that since Rizal was the founder of Philippine nationalism and has contributed much of Philippine nationalism and has contributed much totothe current standing of this nation, it is only right that the the current standing of this nation, it is only right that the youth as well as all the people in youth as well as all the people in thethecountry know about and learn to imcountry know about and learn to imbibe the great ideals for bibe the great ideals for which he died. which he died. The Rizal Law,The Rizal Law,enacted in 1956, seeks to enacted in 1956, seeks to accomplish the following goals:accomplish the following goals:

1.1. To rededicate the lives of youth to To rededicate the lives of youth to the ideals of freedom and nationalism, for which the ideals of freedom and nationalism, for which ourourheroes lived and diedheroes lived and died

2.2. To pay tribute to our national To pay tribute to our national hero for devoting his life and works in shapihero for devoting his life and works in shaping the Filipinong the Filipinocharactercharacter

3.3. To gain an inspiring source of patriotism through the To gain an inspiring source of patriotism through the study of Rizal’s life, works, andstudy of Rizal’s life, works, andwritings.writings.

The Lessons Contained Within the CourseThe Lessons Contained Within the Course

Aside from those mentioned above, there aAside from those mentioned above, there are other reasons for teaching the Rizal re other reasons for teaching the Rizal course incourse inPhilippine schools:Philippine schools:

1.1. To recognize the importance of RizTo recognize the importance of Rizal’s ideals and teachings in relation to present conditionsal’s ideals and teachings in relation to present conditionsand situations in the society.and situations in the society.

2.2. To encourage the application of such ideals in current social and personal problems andTo encourage the application of such ideals in current social and personal problems andissues.issues.

3.3. To develop an appreciation and deeper understanding of all that Rizal fought and died for.To develop an appreciation and deeper understanding of all that Rizal fought and died for.4.4. To foster the development of the To foster the development of the Filipino youth in all aspects of citizenship.Filipino youth in all aspects of citizenship.


Rizal Law after 55 YearsMona Lisa H. Quizon

In the wake of the controversy caused by a bill integrating the life of Andres Bonifacio to thecollege curriculum, a re-assessment of the Rizal Law and its effect in our educational system iscalled for.

The Rizal Law has come a long way. After the Republic Act 1425 entitled “An Act to Include inthe Curricula of All Public and Private Schools, Colleges and Universities Courses On the Life,Works and Writings of Jose Rizal, Particularly His Novels Noli Me Tangere and ElFilibusterismo, Authorizing the Printing and Distribution Thereof, and for Other Purposes” wasapproved by President Ramon Magsaysay on June 12, 1956, teaching Rizal has been mandatoryto our school system. In the secondary level, students are tasked to study the two great novels – Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. In the tertiary level, students study the life and works ofRizal.

Fifty-five eventful years have passed. We are presently living in the postmodern worlddominated by cyber technology and scientific breakthroughs; revolution; terrorism,environmental crisis, and natural catastrophes; of Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, the X Factor andMTVs. Do we really still know Rizal? Do we understand what he wanted for the country? Do westill remember why he was a hero?

Rizal’s death anniversary, the 30th of December, was declared a national holiday to provideFilipinos a time to commemorate and remember his achievements and contributions to thenation. On this day we exert extra effort in honoring him. Commemorative rites take place athis monument in Luneta or Rizal Park and in other parts of the country, and even abroad.

Senator Jose P. Laurel, one of the authors of Rizal Law said that “By approving the bill on Rizal,it is hoped that the future generations and the generations after us by reading his life, teachings,courage and determination in order that we may continue forward our never ending pilgrimage toa full, greater, and more abundant life”. The law was made so that the Filipinos, especially theyouth, will not forget him. But the question remains, why should we not forget him?

The teaching of the Rizal Course in the classroom is intended to awaken the sense of patriotismand nationalism of every Filipino youth. The relevance of Rizal’s ideals and teachings, the RizalLaw will push students to apply the principles bequeathed by Rizal, as solutions to present day problems. By studying the life and works of Rizal, students may be transformed into productivecitizens of the country.

Sadly, the years have shown that the Rizal Law has not been effective. Nowadays, when aFilipino is asked what she/he knows about Rizal, chances are she/he would say, Rizal is theimage on the one peso coin, or that he was the one shot in Luneta. The cynics or wisecrackswould even call Rizal foolish for being shot or that it’s better to be unRizal and live than be Rizaland be executed. Knowing Rizal has been limited to streets named after him or to the charactersin his novel. Deeper understanding of Rizal has been blocked by our interest in other things suchas the internet and other media. Some of us know Rizal only by name and nothing else. And notknowing him, we have become what Rizal had been fighting against all his life, indifferent.


How have we come to this? In school we only get the very basic information about him. We getto read his novels, essays, poems, learn of the places he visited and even the women who became part of his life but we end up not learning what he really stood for. We wear shirts bearing hisimage but we don’t act like him. We do not really go deeper in understanding Rizal; we contentourselves with merely scratching the surface of his identity.

Some students in the tertiary level who take up technical courses such as engineering ormedicine had even questioned the relevance of the Rizal subject to their courses and careers;they insist that the subject is just a waste of time and money. Thinking that the subject is arepetition of what they learned from high school, they show themselves to be hostile towards thesubject matter.

Jose Rizal and the Rizal Law are part of our history. Rizal the Filipino and Rizal the course bothhave a reason and purpose to us. Rizal stood as one of the great men produced by the Malay race.His peaceful means of reform make him Asia’s first modern non-violent proponent of politicalreforms. On the other hand, the Rizal Law is an avenue for the youth to know Rizal and fullyunderstand his ideas and visions which, after all, continue to make sense. The Rizal Law aims to put Rizal closer to the hearts of every one of us.

Strengthening not only the Rizal Course but the subject of Philippine History is important. Wewill not only be inspired by Rizal but also by other Filipino heroes such as Andres Bonifacio,Apolinario Mabini, Emilio Jacinto and Marcelo H. del Pilar, who like Rizal exemplified virtuesof honesty, integrity, peace based on justice, and patriotism. Filipinos are capable of achievinggreat things in life and just like our heroes we can excel in our ways.

But the most important thing of all is to know the reasons why heroes exist. Why there is a needfor them. Studying Heroism 101 is to look beyond heroes’ lives, far into the social circumstancesor problems that created them, and that heroes are supposed to solve. If the problem still existstoday then it is our turn to become heroes too.


Leveling-off with Rizal’s Thoughts

Activity

Instruction: Please write your own thoughts or reflection on the following lines attributed toRizal.

Rizal’s Thoughts Your Thoughts

"Ang hindi magmahal sa sarilingwika, daig pa ang hayop atmalansang isda."

"He who does not love his ownlanguage is worse than an animaland smelly fish."

"It is a useless life that is notconsecrated to a great ideal. It islike a stone wasted on the fieldwithout becoming a part of anyedifice."

"While a people preserves itslanguage; it preserves the marksof liberty."

"There can be no tyrants wherethere are no slaves."

"Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinangalingan ay hindimakakarating sa paroroonan.""He who does not know how tolook back at where he came fromwill never get to his destination."

"The youth is the hope of our future."


Challenges of the 19th

Century Setting

The Global Context: The Revolutions

Conversely, one cannot fully understand Rizal’s thought without understanding the social and political context of the 19th century. Social scientists marked the 19th century as the birth ofmodern life as well as the birth of many nation-states around the world. The birth of modernitywas precipitated by three great revolutions around the world: the Industrial revolution inEngland, the French Revolution in France, and the American Revolution.

Industrial Revolution

The industrial revolution is basically an economic revolution which started with the invention ofsteam engine and resulted to the use of machinery in the manufacturing sector in the cities ofEurope. It has changed the economy of Europe from feudalism — an economic system whichrelied on land and agriculture--to capitalism which relied on machinery and wage labor. Themerchants of Europe who became rich through trade became the early capitalists of thisemerging economy. Farmers from rural areas migrated to the cities and became industrialworkers while their wives remained as housekeepers at home in what Karl Marx’s characterizedas the first instance of the domestication of women.

The Industrial Revolution that started in Europe had repercussions to the Philippine economy. Aradical transformation of the economy took place between the middle of the eighteenth centuryand the middle of the nineteenth; something that might almost be called an agriculturalrevolution, with a concomitant development of agricultural industries and domestic as well asforeign trade. The economic opportunities created by the Industrial Revolution had encouragedSpain in 1834 to open the Philippine economy to world commerce. As a result, new cities and ports were built. Foreign firms increased rapidly. Foreigners were allowed to engage inmanufacturing and agriculture. Merchant banks and financial institutions were also established.The British and Americans improved agricultural machinery for sugar milling and rice hullingand introduced new methods of farming. The presence of these foreign traders stimulatedagricultural production, particularly sugar, rice, hemp, and — once the government monopoly wasremoved in 1882 — tobacco. Indeed, the abolition of restrictions on foreign trade produced a balanced and dynamic economy of the Philippines during the 19th century.

Furthermore, the fast tempo of economic progress in the Philippines during the 19th centuryfacilitated by Industrial Revolution resulted to the rise of a new breed of rich and influentialFilipino middle class. Non-existent in previous centuries, this class, composed of Spanish andChinese mestizos rose to a position of power in the Filipino community and eventually becameleaders in finance and education. This class included the ilustrados who belonged to the landedgentry and who were highly respected in their respective pueblos or towns, though regarded asfilibusteros or rebels by the friars. The relative prosperity of the period enabled them to sendtheir sons to Spain and Europe for higher studies. Most of them later became members offreemasonry and active in the Propaganda Movement. Some of them sensed the failure ofreformism and turned to radicalism, and looked up to Rizal as their leader.


Lastly, safer, faster and more comfortable means of transportation such as railways andsteamships were constructed. The construction of steel bridges and the opening of Suez Canalopened shorter routes to commerce. Faster means of communications enable people to have better contacts for business and trade. This resulted to closer communication between thePhilippines and Spain and to the rest of the world in the 19th century.

The French Revolution

If the Industrial Revolution changed the economic landscape of Europe and of the Philippines,another great Revolution changed the political tone of the period — the French Revolution. TheFrench revolution (1789-1799) started a political revolution in Europe and in some parts of theworld. This revolution is a period of political and social upheaval and radical change in thehistory of France during which the French governmental structure was transformed fromabsolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the rich and clergy to a more democraticgovernment form based on the principles of citizenship and inalienable rights. With theoverthrow of monarchial rule, democratic principles of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity--the battle cry of the French Revolution--started to spread in Europe and around the world.

Not all democratic principles were spread as a result of the French Revolution. The anarchy or political disturbance caused by the revolution had reached not only the neighboring countries ofFrance, it also reached Spain in the 19th century. Spain experienced a turbulent century of political disturbances during this era which included numerous changes in parliaments andconstitutions, the Peninsular War, the loss of Spanish America, and the struggle between liberalsand conservatives. Moreover, radical shifts in government structure were introduced by liberalsin the motherland. From 1834 to 1862, for instance, a brief span of only 28 years, Spain had fourconstitutions, 28 parliaments, and 529 ministers with portfolio. All these political changes inSpain had their repercussions in the Philippines, cracking the fabric of the old colonial systemand introducing through cracks perilous possibilities of reform, of equality and evenemancipation.

The American Revolution

Finally, the American Revolution, though not directly affecting the local economy and politics ofthe Philippines in the nineteenth century, had important repercussions to democratic aspirationsof the Filipino reformist led by Rizal during this period. The American Revolution refers to the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which the 13 colonies of NorthAmerica overthrew the rule of the British Empire and rejected the British monarchy to make theUnited States of American a sovereign nation. In this period, the colonies first rejected theauthority of British Parliament to govern without representation, and formed self-governingindependent states. The American revolution had given the world in the 19th century the ideathat colonized people can gain their independence from their colonizers. The Americans wereable to overthrow their British colonial masters to gain independence and the status of one freenation-state. This significant event had reverberated in Europe and around the world and inspiredothers to follow. Indirectly, the American Revolution had in a way inspired Filipino reformistslike Rizal to aspire for freedom and independence. When the Philippines was opened by Spain toworld trade in the 19th century, liberal ideas from America borne by ships and men from foreign ports began to reach the country and influenced the ilustrados. These ideas, contained in books


and newspapers, were ideologies of the American and French Revolutions and the thoughts ofMontesquieu, Rousseau, Voltaire, Locke, Jefferson, and other political philosophers.

The Rise of Social Sciences

Aside from the three great revolutions in Europe, the birth of social sciences such as sociology,history and anthropology, also had a significant influence to the intellectual tradition of the 19thcentury. The reliance on human reason and science rather on dogmas of the Catholic Church hasits roots in the intellectual movement called The Enlightenment. The Age of Enlightenment orsimply The Enlightenment is a term used to describe a time in Western philosophy and culturallife centered upon the eighteenth century, in which reason was advocated as the primary sourceand legitimacy for authority.

Enlightenment philosophers such Michel de Montaigne, believed that human reason could beused to combat ignorance, superstition, and tyranny and to build a better world. Their principaltargets were religion and the domination of society by a hereditary aristocracy.

The reliance on human reason rather than faith and religion paved the way to the birth of socialsciences in the 19th century to study scientifically the changes and conditions of Europe duringthis period. The massive changes in society brought about by the three great revolutions hadresulted to dissatisfaction.

The Church in the 19th Century

In addition to the three great revolutions, the weakening of the grip of the Catholic Church ofthe growing secularalized society of Europe and Spain had implications to the Philippines.Conversely, the Catholic Church in Europe was a most powerful institution in Europe. The unionof Church State had identified the Church with the monarchy and aristocracy since the MiddleAges. Since it upheld the status quo and favored the monarchy, the Church in the nineteenthcentury had been considered an adversary to the new Republican states and the recently unifiedcountries. The French saw the Church as a threat to the newly formed republican state andBismarck of Germany also saw it as a threat to the unified German Empire. In Spain, the liberalsconsidered the Church as an enemy of reforms. Thus they sought to curtail the influence of theChurch in political life and education. This movement against the Catholic Church called anti-clericalism gained strength in the nineteenth century not only bacuase of political reasons butalso because of the materialistic preferences of the people generated by the economic prosperityof the period.

The declining influence of the Catholic Church in Europe and Spain has little effect, however, onthe control and power of the local Church in the Philippines. Despite the anti-clericalism inSpain, the power of the friars in the Philippines in the 19th century did not decline; instead, it became consolidated after the weakening of civil authority owing to constant change in politicalleadership. This means that Filipinos turned more and more to the friars for moral and politicalguidance as Spanish civil officials in the colony became more corrupt and immoral. The union ofthe Church and State and the so-called “rule of the friars” or “frailocracy” continued during this


period. In the last decades of the 19th century, the Spanish friars were so influential and powerfulthat they practically ruled the whole archipelago. The Spanish civil authorities as well as patrioticFilipinos feared them. In every Christian town in the country, for instance, the friar was the realruler, not the elected gobernadorcillo. He was the supervisor of local elections, the inspector ofthe schools, the arbiter of morals, and the censor of books and stage shows. He could order thearrest or exile to distant land of any filibustero (traitor) or anti-friar Filipino who disobeyed himor refused to kiss his hands.

One of the aims of Rizal and the propagandists in order to prepare the Filipino people forrevolution and independence was to discredit the friars. Exposing the abuses and immoralities ofthe friars was one way to downplay their power and influence among the people and thus couldshift the allegiance of the Indios from the friars to the Filipino reformists and leaders. Thestrengthening power of the friars in the 19th century had encouraged the nationalists to doubletheir efforts to win the people to their side.

The Philippine Setting

The Opening of the Suez Canal

Aside from these three great revolutions and the declining influence of the Church during this period, there were also other factors that facilitated the growth of nationalistic aspirations ofRizal and other Filipino ilustrados. Foremost among them was the opening of the Suez Canal tointernational shipping on November 17, 1869. This canal is 103 miles long and connects theMediterranean with the Gulf of Suez and hence with the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Itssignificance could not be underestimated. With the opening of this canal, the d istance of travel between Europe and the Philippines was significantly shortened and brought the country closerto Spain. In previous years, a steamer from Barcelona had to sail around the Cape of Good Hope,and reached Manila after a hazardous voyage of more than three months. With this canal, the tripwas reduced to only 32 days.

The opening of the Suez Canal facilitated the importation (from Europe and America) of books,magazines and newspapers with liberal ideas which eventually influenced the minds of Rizal andother Filipino reformists. Political thoughts of liberal thinkers like Jean Jacques Rousseau (SocialContract), John Locke (/two Treatises of Government), Thomas Paine (Common Sense) andothers entered the country. Moreover, the shortened route encouraged more and more Spaniardsand Europeans with liberal ideas to come to the Philippines and interact with Filipino reformists.The opening of this canal in 1869 further stimulated the local economy which gave rise — asalready mentioned above--to the creation of the middle class of mestizos and ilustrados in the19th century.

The shortened route also encouraged the ilustrados to pursue higher studies abroad and learnliberal and scientific ideas in the universities of Europe. Their social interaction with liberals inforeign lands had influenced their thinking on politics and nationhood.


The Democractic Rule of Gov. Gen. Dela Torre

The first-hand experience of what it is to be liberal came from the role modeling of the firstliberal governor general in the Philippines — Governor General Carlos Dela Torre. Why DelaTorre was able to rule in the Philippines has a long story. The political instability in Spain hadcaused frequent changes of Spanish officials in the Philippines which caused further confusionand increased social as well as political discontent in the country. But when the liberals deposedQueen Isabela II in 1868 mutiny, a provisional government was set up and the new governmentextended to the colonies the reforms they adopted in Spain. These reforms included the grant ofuniversal suffrage and recognition of freedom and conscience, the press, association and publicassembly. De la Torre was appointed by the provisional government in Spain as GovernorGeneral of the Philippines.

The rule of the first liberal governor general in the person of de la Torre became significant in the birth of national consciousness in the 19th century. De la Torre’s liberal and pro-peoplegovernance had given Rizal and the Filipinos during this period a foretaste of a democratic ruleand way of life. De la Torre put into practice his liberal and democratic ways by avoiding luxuryand living a simple life. During his two-year term, he encouraged freedom and abolishedcensorship. He recognized the freedom of speech and of the press, which were guaranteed by theSpanish Constitution. Because of his tolerant policy, Father Jose Burgos and other Filipino priests were encouraged to pursue their dream of replacing the friars with the Filipino clergy as parish priests in the country.

Governor De la Torre’s greatest achievement was the peaceful solution to the land problem inCavite. This province had been the center of agrarian unrest in the country since the 18th century because the Filipino tenants who lost their land had been oppressed by Spanish landlords.Agrarian uprisings led by the local hero, Eduardo Camerino, erupted several times in Cavite.This agrarian problem was only solved without bloodshed when Governor De la Torre himselfwent to Cavite and had a conference with the rebel leader. He pardoned the latter and hisfollowers, provided them with decent livelihood and appointed them as members of the policeforce with Camerino as captain.

The Cavite Mutiny and the Martyrdom of GOMBURZA

Two historical events in the late 19th century that hastened the growth of nationalism in theminds of Rizal, reformists and the Filipino people was the Cavite Mutiny and the martyrdom ofFathers Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora or popularly known as GOMBURZA. The Cavite Mutinywas a failed uprising against the Spaniards due to miscommunication. On the night of January20, 1872, a group of about 200 soldiers and workers led by Lamadrid, a Filipino sergeant, tookover by force the Cavite arsenal and fort. Before this, there was an agreement between Lamadridand his men and Filipino soldiers in Manila that they would join forces to stage a revolt againstthe Spaniards, with firing of rockets from the city walls of Manila on that night as the signal ofthe uprising. Unfortunately, the suburbs of Manila celebrated its fiesta on that very night with adisplay of fireworks. The Cavite plotters, thinking that the fighting had been started by Manilasoldiers, killed their Spanish officers and took control of the fort. On the following morning,government troops rushed to the Cavite arsenal and killed many mutineers including Lamadrid.The survivors were subdued, taken prisoners and brought to Manila.


This unfortunate incident in Cavite became an opportunity, however, for the Spaniards toimplicate the three Filipino priests who had been campaigning for Filipino rights, particularly theright of Filipino priests to become parish priests or the “Filipinization” of the parishes in thecountry. These three priests, especially Father Jose Burgos, the youngest and the most intelligent,championed the rights of the Filipino priests and were critical of Spanish policies. The Spanishgovernment then wanted them to be placed behind bars or executed. To do this, it magnified theevent and made it appear as a “revolt” against the government. Thus, afterthe mutineers wereimprisoned, Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora (GOMBURZA) werearrested and charged falsely with treason and mutiny under a military court. To implicate them,the government bribed Francisco Zaldua, a former soldier, as the star witness. With a farcicaltrial, a biased court, and a weak defense from their government-hired lawyers, the three priestswere convicted of a crime they did not commit. Governor Izquierdo approved their deathsentence and at sunrise of February 17, 1872, Fathers Gomez, Burgos and Zamora were escortedunder heavy guard to Luneta and were executed by garrote (strangulation machine) before a vastcrowd of Filipinos and foreigners.

The execution of GOMBURZA had hastened not only the downfall of the Spanish government but also the growth of Philippine nationalism. The Filipino people resented the execution of thethree priests because they knew that they were innocent and were executed because theychampioned Filipino rights. Among those in the crowd who resented the execution was Paciano,the older brother of Jose Rizal, who inspired the national hero to follow the cause of the three priests. Rizal dedicated his novel Noli Me Tangere to GOMBURZA to show his appreciation tothe latter’s courage, dedication to Filipino rights, and sense of nationalism.

Discontent with Spanish Institutions

Spain introduced into the country mechanisms or institutions to enable the colonial governmentin the country to comply with its obligations of supporting the Church’s mission ofChristianizing the natives and to contribute to the Spanish King’s economic welfare. Theseinstitutions include the encomienda, the polo or forced labor and the tributo or tribute. Thetribute consisted of direct (personal tribute and income tax) and indirect (customs duties and the bandala), taxes, monopolies (rentas estancadas) of special crops and items as spirituous liquors(1712-1864), betel nut (1764), tobacco (1782-1882), explosives (1805-1864), and opium (1847).These colonial systems also became the major sources of discontent of many indios during theSpanish period. Because of the oppressive nature of these systems, many revolts and uprisingserupted in various parts of the country which contribute to the weakening of the Spanish rule inthe 19th century.

The Tribute or Tributo

As a sign of vassalage to Spain, the Filipino paid tribute to the colonial government in the island.On July 26, 1523, King Charles V decreed that Indians who had been pacified should contributea “moderate amount” in recognition of their vassalage. In theory, the tribute or tax was collectedfrom the natives in order to defray the costs of colonization and to recognize their vassalage tothe king of Spain. From the point of view of the Catholic Church, tribute could be extracted fromthe natives only if it was used primarily for the work of Christianization like the building of


churches in the colony, support for missionaries, and so on. But from the point of view of thenatives, the payment of the tribute was, however, seen as a symbol of acceptance of theirvassalage to Spain.

Miguel Lopez de Legazpi was first to order the payment of tribute, both in the Visayas andLuzon. His successors followed this practice. As mentioned above, the buwis (tribute) during this period consisted of two types: the direct taxes which came from personal tribute and income tax,and indirect taxes which were collected from customs duties and bandala taxes, monopolies(rentas escantadas) of special crops and items.

The tribute or buwis was collected from the natives both in specie (gold or money) and kind (e.g.rice, cloth, chicken, coconut oil, abaca, etc.). The King of Spain preferred the payment of gold but the natives paid largely in kind. That was why King Philip II was annoyed upon knowing thatmost of the tributes in the colony was paid in kind. In the 1570s, the tribute was fixed at eightreales (1 real=121 centavos) or in kind of gold, blankets, cotton, rice, bells and raised to fifteenreales till the end of the Spanish period. Until the mid-nineteenth century, the Filipinos wererequired to pay the tribute of 10 reales; 1 real diezmos prediales (tithes), 1 real town communitychest, 3 reales of sanctorum tax for church support or a total of 15 reales.

In addition, a special tax called bandala was also collected from the natives. Coming from theword mandala (a round stack of rice stalks to be threshed), bandala was an annual enforced saleor requisitioning of goods, particularly of rice or coconut oil, in the case of Tayabas. If this taxwas not paid or paid only in promissory notes, an outright confiscation of goods or crops wouldfollow. This type of tax was so oppressive that it sparked a revolt in 1660-61. In November 1782, bandala was abolished in the provinces of Tondo, Bulacan, Pampanga, Laguna, Batangas,Tayabas and Cavite since natives refused to plant rice and other crops because of this tax.

By 1884, the tribute was replaced by the cedula personal or personal identity paper whichresembles the present community or residence tax today. Everyone, whether Filipino or othernationalities and over eighteen years of age, was required to pay this kind of tax.

The intended effect of the tribute was primarily to advance the Christianization of the natives inthe archipelago. The unintended effect however was the exploitation of the natives in the handsof some abusive Spaniards in the collection of this tribute. Due to its lack of uniformity and fixed policy in collecting tribute in the beginning, many natives complained of paying taxes beyondlegal prescription. Says Renato Constantino, “The tribute-collectors – alcaldes, mayors,encomenderos, gobernadorcillos, and cabezas — often abused their offices by collecting morethan the law required and appropriating the difference.”

The Encomienda

Another colonial system that was intimately connected with the tribute was the encomiendasystem. The word “encomienda” comes from the Spanish “encomendar” which means “toentrust.” The ecomienda was a grant of inhabitants living in a particular conquered territorywhich Spain gave to Spanish colonizer as a reward for his services. It was given by the king ofSpain as gesture of gratitude to those who assisted him in colonizing the Indies. In the strictsense, it was not a land grant but a grant to exercise control over a specific place including its


inhabitants. This included the right for the encomendero (owner of encomienda) to imposetribute or taxes according to the limit and kind set by higher authorities. In exchange for thisright, the encomendero was duty-bound by law to (1) defend his encomienda from externalincursions, (2) to keep peace and order, and (3) to assist the missionaries in evangelizing thenatives within his territory.

The encomiendas during the Spanish period were of two kinds — the royal and private. The royalencomiendas which consisted of big cities, seaports, and inhabitants of regions rich in naturalresources were owned by the king. The private encomiendas were owned by private individualsor charitable institutions such as the Colegio de Santa Potenciana and the Hospital de San Juande Dios. By 1591, a total of 257 encomiendas with a total population of over 600,000 werecreated by the Spanish king in the Philippines (31 royal and 236 private). The encomiendasystem lasted a little longer and finally ended in the first decade of the 19th century.

Like the tribute, the encomienda system was one of the major sources of discontent of the nativesagainst the Spanish rule. This system had empowered the Spanish encomiendero to collecttribute or taxes according to his whim or desire. Because there was no systematic taxation systemin the colony, the encomiendero has the option to collect the tribute in gold, cash, or kind. Whengold was abundant and money was scarce, he demanded cash or reales; when reales were plentiful and there was scarcity of gold, they asked for gold, even when the poor Filipinos werecoerced to buy them. During bumper harvests, he demanded products like rice, tobacco or evenall of the Filipino possessions, and they were forced “to travel great distances” to try to buy themat high rates. The encomiendero had indeed become abusive because of his discretionary powerto collect taxes within his jurisdiction. Filipinos who resisted his power were publicly flogged,tortured or jailed. These unjust collections of taxes within the encomienda system became one ofthe causes of intermittent uprisings in the Philippines during the Spanish period.

The Polo or Forced Labor

In addition to the tribute, the Polo or forced labor was another practice that created discontentamong the indios during the Spanish times. The word “polo” is actually a corruption of theTagalog pulong, originally meaning “meeting of persons and things” or “community labor”.Drafted laborers were either Filipino or Chinese male mestizos who were obligated to give personal service to community projects, like construction and repair of infrastructure, churchconstruction, or cutting logs in forests, for forty days. All able-body males, from 16 to 60 yearsof old, except chieftains and their elder sons, were required to render labor for these various projects in the colony. This was instituted in 1580 and reduced to 15 days per year in 1884.

There were laws that regulated polo. For instance, the polista (the person who rendered forcedlabor) would be paid a daily wage of ¼ real plus rice. Moreover, the polista was not supposed to be brought from a distant place nor required to work during planting and harvesting seasons.Despite restrictions, polo resulted in disastrous consequences, e.g., the ruining of communitiesthat men left behind. The promised wage was not given exactly as promised that led to starvationor even death of some polistas and their families. Moreover, the polo had affected the villageeconomy negatively. The labor drafts coincided with the planting and harvesting seasons; forcedseparation from the family and relocation to different places, sometimes outside the Philippines;


and reduction of male population as they were compelled at times, to escape to the mountainsinstead of working in the labor pool.

Union of Church and State

During the Spanish period, there was a union of Church and State. The Catholic religion becamethe State religion. Both civil and ecclesiastical authorities served God and king. Thus, thefunctions of the government officials oftentimes overlapped with those of the clergy in theChurch. Under the arrangements between the Pope and the Spanish King called the PatronatoReal de las Indias, civil and Church authorities must coordinate to Christianize the natives in thecolony. Since the evangelization of the natives was the only reason, according to the Church,which gave Spain the right to colonize the Philippines and to extract tribute, civil authoritiesshould support the material needs of the missionaries in building Churches and catechizing theinhabitants. Thus, the government provided salaries to the Spanish missionaries and the clergy,making them technically government officials.

The union of Church and State also implied the non-payment of all forms of tribute or taxes bythe Catholic Church and members of its clergy. The Church did not pay any personal or incometax to the government. Instead, the government contributed a huge amount of the taxes or dutiescollected from the colony to the Church for its evangelization work. Owing to this union, theclergy and friars enjoyed political influence in the country. In the town, for instance, the parish priest holds immense power compared to the gobernadorcillo or town mayor. He represented theSpanish King in his area of responsibility. He supervised local elections, education, charities,morals and taxation. Until 1762, members of the Church hierarchy like bishops and archbishopsacted as governor-generals in case of vacancy in the gubernatorial office. Among them were:Archbishop Francisco de la Cuesta (1719-21), Bishop Juan de Arrechederra (1745-50), BishopLino de Espeleta (1759-61) and Archbishop Manuel Antonio Rojo (1761-62).

With today’s doctrine of Separation of Church and State introduced by the Americans, it isunthinkable for bishops and priests to hold public office or exercise government power owing tothe ban imposed by the Pope to the clergy. With vast powers both spiritual and political in theirhands, Spanish friars and the clergy held absolute powers in the colony during the Spanish period. This had attracted the attention of the reformists and ilustrados led by Jose Rizal thatresulted in a nationalist desire for reforms in the country and eventually independence fromSpain.

Abuses and Immoralities of the Friars

Although not all friars are bad, abusive and immoral friars became a source cause of people’sdisenchantment with the Spanish rule. The Filipino reformists led by Dr. Rizal hated the abusivefriars and wanted them to be expelled from the country as attested by their ‘Anti-FriarsManifesto of 1888.’

The bad friars were portrayed by Rizal in his two novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismoand by Graciano Lopez Jaena as Fray Botod. These bad friars were arrogant, abusive andimmoral. They impregnated native women and sire illegitimate children.


The reformist Marcelo H. Del Pilar parodied the Ten Commandments to ridicule the friars:

1. Thou shalt worship and love the friars above all.2. Thou shalt not cheat them of their stipends.3. Thou shalt sanctify the friar, Sundays or holidays.4. Thou shalt pawn thyself to pay for the burial of thy father and mother.5. Thou shouldst not die if thou hast not the money to pay for thine interment.6. Thou shalt not covet his wife.7. Thou shalt not steal with him.8. Thou shalt not accuse him even if thou be called a liar.9. Thou shalt not refuse him your wife.10. Thou shalt not deny him your property

Racial Discrimination

Another area of animosity between Filipinos and Spaniards that led to discontent of the Spanishrule was racial discrimination. Racial discrimination is a form of social exclusion where peopleare prevented from having access to public goods by virtue of their physical traits. It is anabusive behavior of one race against another. In colonization, the white colonizers who wereCaucasians often looked down on their colonized people or natives as inferior by virtue of theirskin, height, nose, or physical traits. In the Philippines, the Spanish authorities regarded the brown Filipino as an inferior people and derisively called them “Indios” or Indians. This racial prejudice against native Filipinos existed in government offices, in the armed forces, inuniversities and colleges, in courts of justice, and in high society. Although the laws applied inthe colony recognized no difference between various races, documentary evidence on racism inthe Philippines is abundant. A description of Pardo de Tavera illustrates this racial discriminationin social etiquette:

The townspeople were obliged to remove their hats when a Spaniard passed, andthis was especially the case if he occupied some official position; if the Spaniardhappened to be a priest; in addition to the removal of the hat the native wasobliged to kiss his hat. No Indian [i.e.,Filipino] was allowed to sit at the sametable with a Spaniard, even though the Spaniard was a guest in the Indian’s house.The Spaniards addressed the Filipinos [i.e., Spaniards born in the Philippines] bythe pronoun “thou”, and although many of the Spaniards married pure bloodnative women, the wives were always looked down on in society as belonging toan inferior class.

The friars and some Spanish writers maligned the Filipino race in their writings. They degradedthe indios as “neither a merchant nor an industrial, neither a farmer nor a philosopher”. TheFranciscan Fr. Miguel Lucio y Bustamante opined in his Si Tandang Basio Macunat (Manila,1885) that the Filipino could never learn the Spanish language or be civilized: “The Spaniardswill always be a Spaniard, and the indio will always be an indio…The monkey will always be amonkey however you dress him with shirt and trousers, and will always be a monkey and nothuman.”


To prove that indios were not inferior people, some talented and intelligent Filipinos excelled intheir chosen fields. Juan Luna excelled in painting. Fr. Jose Burgos in Theology and Canon Law.Jose Rizal, by surpassing the Spanish writers in literary contests and winning fame as a physician, man-of-letters, scholar, and a scientist, proved that a brown man could be as great, oreven greater, than a white man.

The decline of the Spanish rule in the 19th century and the popularity of Rizal and his reformagenda were products of the interplay of various economic, social, political and cultural forces both in the global and local scale. The three great revolutions, namely: Industrial, French andAmerican as well the birth of the social sciences and liberal ideas had gradually secularizedsocieties in the 19th century and thereby weakened the influence of religion in people’s mind,especially the well-educated reformists and ilustrados. The political turmoil in Spain caused bythe rapid change of leadership and struggle between conservatives and liberals had alsoweakened the Spanish administration in the Philippines. Although the influence of the CatholicChurch in the 19th century led by the friars had not diminished, the liberal and progressive ideasof Rizal and the reformists had already awakened the nationalist sentiment of the natives thatsoon became the catalyst for political change in the late 19th century.


Part III: Life, Education, Travel

A Biographical SketchTeofilo H. Montemayor

JOSE RIZAL, the national hero of the Philippines and pride of the Malayan race, was born onJune 19, 1861, in the town of Calamba, Laguna. He was the seventh child in a family of 11children (2 boys and 9 girls). Both his parents were educated and belonged to distinguishedfamilies.

His father, Francisco Mercado Rizal, an industrious farmer whom Rizal called "a model offathers," came from Biñan, Laguna; while his mother, Teodora Alonzo y Quintos, a highlycultured and accomplished woman whom Rizal called "loving and prudent mother," was born inSta. Cruz, Manila. At the age of 3, he learned the alphabet from his mother; at 5, while learningto read and write, he already showed inclinations to be an artist. He astounded his family andrelatives by his pencil drawings and sketches and by his moldings of clay. At the age 8, he wrotea Tagalog poem, "Sa Aking Mga Kabata," the theme of which revolves on the love of one’slanguage. In 1877, at the age of 16, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree with an average of"excellent" from the Ateneo Municipal de Manila. In the same year, he enrolled in Philosophyand Letters at the University of Santo Tomas, while at the same time took courses leading to thedegree of surveyor and expert assessor at the Ateneo. He finished the latter course on March 21,1877 and passed the Surveyor’s examination on May 21, 1878; but because of his age, 17, hewas not granted license to practice the profession until December 30, 1881. In 1878, he enrolledin medicine at the University of Santo Tomas but had to stop in his studies when he felt that theFilipino students were being discriminated upon by their Dominican tutors. On May 3, 1882, hesailed for Spain where he continued his studies at the Universidad Central de Madrid. On June21, 1884, at the age of 23, he was conferred the degree of Licentiate in Medicine and on June 19,1885, at the age of 24, he finished his course in Philosophy and Letters with a grade of"excellent."

Having traveled extensively in Europe, America and Asia, he mastered 22 languages. Theseinclude Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese,Latin, Malayan, Portuguese, Russian, Sanskrit, Spanish, Tagalog, and other native dialects. Aversatile genius, he was an architect, artists, businessman, cartoonist, educator, economist,ethnologist, scientific farmer, historian, inventor, journalist, linguist, musician, mythologist,nationalist, naturalist, novelist, opthalmic surgeon, poet, propagandist, psychologist, scientist,sculptor, sociologist, and theologian.He was also an expert swordsman and marksman.

In the hope of securing political and social reforms for his country and at the same time educatehis countrymen, Rizal, the greatest apostle of Filipino nationalism, published, while in Europe,several works with highly nationalistic and revolutionary tendencies. In March 1887, his daring book, NOLI ME TANGERE, a satirical novel exposing the arrogance and despotism of theSpanish clergy, was published in Berlin; in 1890, he r eprinted in Paris Morga’s SUCCESSOSDE LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS with his annotations to prove that the Filipinos had a civilizationworthy to be proud of even long before the Spaniards set foot on Philippine soil; on September


18, 1891, EL FILIBUSTERISMO, his second novel and a sequel to the NOLI and morerevolutionary and tragic than the latter, was printed in Ghent. Because of his fearless exposuresof the injustices committed by the civil and clerical officials, Rizal provoked the animosity ofthose in power. This led himself, his relatives and countrymen into trouble with the Spanishofficials in the country. As a consequence, he and those who had contacts with him, wereshadowed; the authorities were not only finding faults but even fabricating charges to pin himdown. Thus, he was imprisoned in Fort Santiago from July 6, 1892 to July 15, 1892 on a chargethat anti-friar pamphlets were found in the luggage of his sister Lucia who arrived with him fromHong Kong. While a political exile in Dapitan, he engaged in agriculture, fishing and business;he maintained and operated a hospital; he conducted classes- taught his pupils the English andSpanish languages, the arts, mathematics, natural sciences, physical education, etc.

Well-versed in the sciences, vocational courses including agriculture, surveying, sculpturing, and painting, he did some researches and collected specimens, entered into correspondence withrenowned men of letters and sciences abroad, and with the help of his pupils, constructed waterdam and a relief map of Mindanao – both considered as remarkable engineering feats. Hissincerity and friendliness won for him the trust and confidence of even those assigned to guardhim; his good manners and warm personality were found irresistible by women of all races withwhom he had personal contacts; his intelligence and humility gained for him the respect andadmiration of prominent men of other nations; while his undaunted courage and determination touplift the welfare of his people were feared by his enemies.

When the Philippine Revolution started on August 26, 1896, his enemies lost no time in pressinghim down. They were able to enlist witnesses that linked him with the revolt and these werenever allowed to be confronted by him. Thus, from November 3, 1986, to the date of hisexecution, he was again committed to Fort Santiago. In his prison cell, he wrote an untitled poem, now known as "Ultimo Adios" which is considered a masterpiece and a living documentexpressing not only the hero’s great love of country but also that of all Filipinos. After a mocktrial, he was convicted of rebellion, sedition and of forming illegal association. In the coldmorning of December 30, 1896, Rizal, a man whose 35 years of life had been packed with variedactivities which proved that the Filipino has capacity to equal if not excel even those who treatedhim as a slave, was shot at Bagumbayan Field.

Activity

Instruction: Please write a brief biography (yours) highlighting the most important events in your life.


Genealogy

The Mercado-Rizal Family

The family was considered one of the biggest families during their time. Domingo Lam-co, thefamily's paternal ascendant was a full-blooded Chinese who came to the Philippines from Amoy,China in the closing years of the 17th century and married a Chinese half-breed by the name ofInes de la Rosa.

Researchers revealed that the Mercado-Rizal family had also traces of Japanese, Spanish, Malayand Even Negrito blood aside from Chinese.

Jose Rizal came from a 13-member family consisting of his parents, Francisco Mercado andTeodora Alonso Realonda, nine sisters and one brother.

FRANCISCO MERCADO (1818-1898)

Father of Jose Rizal who was the youngest of 13 offsprings of Juan and Cirila Mercado. Born inBiñan, Laguna on April 18, 1818; studied in San Jose College, Manila; and died in Manila.

TEODORA ALONSO (1827-1913)

Mother of Jose Rizal who was the second child of Lorenzo Alonso and Brijida de Quintos. Shestudied at the Colegio de Santa Rosa. She was a business-minded woman, courteous, religious,hard-working and well-read. She was born in Santa Cruz, Manila on November 14, 1827 anddied in 1913 in Manila.

SATURNINA RIZAL (1850-1913)

Eldest child of the Rizal-Alonzo marriage. Married Manuel Timoteo Hidalgo of Tanauan,Batangas.

PACIANO RIZAL (1851-1930)

Only brother of Jose Rizal and the second child. Studied at San Jose College in Manila; became afarmer and later a general of the Philippine Revolution.

NARCISA RIZAL (1852-1939)

The third child. Married Antonio Lopez at Morong, Rizal; a teacher and musician.

OLYMPIA RIZAL (1855-1887)

The fourth child. Married Silvestre Ubaldo; died in 1887 from childbirth.

LUCIA RIZAL (1857-1919)

The fifth child. Married Matriano Herbosa.

MARIA RIZAL (1859-1945)

The sixth child. Married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Biñan, Laguna.


JOSE RIZAL (1861-1896)

The second son and the seventh child. He was executed by the Spaniards on December 30, 1896.

CONCEPCION RIZAL (1862-1865)

The eight child. Died at the age of three.

JOSEFA RIZAL (1865-1945)

The ninth child. An epileptic, died a spinster.

TRINIDAD RIZAL (1868-1951)

The tenth child. Died a spinster and the last of the family to die.

SOLEDAD RIZAL (1870-1929)

The youngest child married Pantaleon Quintero.

Profile Pictures

Francisco (1818-1898), the father, was a seriouslooking man of sturdy build.

Teodora (1827-1913), the mother, was a vigoriousand persevering woman with a benevolent heart and

a likable personality.


Saturnina (1850-1913) Paciano (1851-1930)

Narcisa (1852-1939)Olympia (1855-1887


Lucia (1857-1919)Maria (1859-1945)

Trinidad (1868-1951) Soledad (1870-1929)


Education

Early Education in Calamba and Biñan

Rizal had his early education in Calamba and Biñan. It was a typical schooling that a son of anilustrado family received during his time, characterized by the four R’s- reading, writing,arithmetic, and religion. Instruction was rigid and strict. Knowledge was forced into the minds ofthe pupils by means of the tedious memory method aided by the teacher’s whip. Despite thedefects of the Spanish system of elementary education, Rizal was able to acquire the necessaryinstruction preparatory for college work in Manila. It may be said that Rizal, who was born a physical weakling, rose to become an intellectual giant not because of, but rather in spite of, theoutmoded and backward system of instruction in the Philippines during the last decades ofSpanish regime.

The Hero’s First Teacher

The first teacher of Rizal was his mother, who was a remarkable woman of good character andfine culture. On her lap, he learned at the age of three the alphabet and the prayers. "My mother,"wrote Rizal in his student memoirs, "taught me how to read and to say haltingly the humble prayers which I raised fervently to God."

As tutor, Doña Teodora was patient, conscientious, and understanding. It was she who firstdiscovered that her son had a talent for poetry. Accordingly, she encouraged him to write poems.To lighten the monotony of memorizing the ABC’s and to stimulate her son’s imagination, sherelated many stories.

As Jose grew older, his parents employed private tutors to give him lessons at home. The firstwas Maestro Celestino and the second, Maestro Lucas Padua. Later, an old man named LeonMonroy, a former classmate of Rizal’s father, became the boy’s tutor. This old teacher lived atthe Rizal home and instructed Jose in Spanish and Latin. Unfortunately, he did not lived long. Hedied five months later.

After a Monroy’s death, the hero’s parents decided to send their gifted son to a private school inBiñan.

Jose Goes to Biñan

One Sunday afternoon in June , 1869, Jose, after kissing the hands of his parents and a tearful parting from his sister, left Calamba for Biñan. He was accompanied by Paciano , who acted ashis second father. The two brothers rode in a carromata, reaching their destination after one andone-half hours’ drive. They proceeded to their aunt’s house, where Jose was to lodge. It wasalmost night when they arrived, and the moon was about to rise.

That same night, Jose, with his cousin named Leandro, went sightseeing in the town. Instead ofenjoying the sights, Jose became depressed because of homesickness. "In the moonlight," herecounted, "I remembered my home town, my idolized mother, and my solicitous sisters. Ah,how sweet to me was Calamba, my own town, in spite of the fact that it was not as wealthy asBiñan."


First Day in Biñan School

The next morning (Monday) Paciano brought his younger brother to the school of MaestroJustiniano Aquino Cruz.

The school was in the house of the teacher, which was a small nipa hut about 30 meters from thehome of Jose’s aunt.

Paciano knew the teacher quite well because he had been a pupil under him before. Heintroduced Jose to the teacher, after which he departed to return to Calamba.

Immediately, Jose was assigned his seat in the class. The teacher asked him:

"Do you know Spanish?"

"A little, sir," replied the Calamba lad.

"Do you know Latin?"

"A little, sir."

The boys in the class, especially Pedro, the teacher’s son laughed at Jose’s answers. The teachersharply stopped all noises and begun the lessons of the day.

Jose described his teacher in Biñan as follows: "He was tall, thin, long-necked, with sharp noseand a body slightly bent forward, and he used to wear a sinamay shirt, woven by the skilledhands of the women of Batangas. He knew by the heart the grammars by Nebrija and Gainza.Add to this severity that in my judgement was exaggerated and you have a picture, perhapsvague, that I have made of him, but I remember only this."

First School Brawl

In the afternoon of his first day in school, when the teacher was having his siesta, Jose met the bully, Pedro. He was angry at this bully for making fun of him during his conversation with theteacher in the morning.

Jose challenged Pedro to a fight. The latter readily accepted, thinking that he could easily beatthe Calamba boy who was smaller and younger. The two boys wrestled furiously in theclassroom, much to the glee of their classmates. Jose, having learned the art of wrestling from hisathletic Tio Manuel, defeated the bigger boy. For this feat, he became popular among hisclassmates.

After the class in the afternoon, a classmate named Andres Salandanan challenged him to anarm-wrestling match. They went to a sidewalk of a house and wrestled with their arms. Jose,having the weaker arm, lost and nearly cracked his head on the sidewalk.

In succeeding days he had other fights with the boys of Biñan. He was not quarrelsome bynature, but he never ran away from a fight.


Best Student in School

In academic studies, Jose beat all Biñan boys. He surpassed them all in Spanish, Latin, and othersubjects. Some of his older classmates were jealous of his intellectual superiority. They wicked lysquealed to the teacher whenever Jose had a fight outside the school, and even told lies todiscredit him before the teacher’s eyes. Consequently the teacher had to punish Jose.

Pilgrimage to Antipolo

Jose had a very vivid imagination and a very keen sense of observation. At the age of seven hetraveled with his father for the first time to Manila and thence to Antipolo to fulfill the promiseof a pilgrimage made by his mother at the time of his birth. They embarked in a casco, a very ponderous vessel commonly used in the Philippines. It was the first trip on the lake that Josecould recollect. As darkness fell he spent the hours by the katig, admiring the grandeur of thewater and the stillness of the night, although he was seized with a superstitious fear when he sawa water snake entwine itself around the bamboo beams of the katig. With what joy did he see thesun at the daybreak as its luminous rays shone upon the glistening surface of the wide lake, producing a brilliant effect! With what joy did he talk to his father, for he had not uttered a wordduring the night!

When they proceeded to Antipolo, he experienced the sweetest emotions upon seeing the gay banks of the Pasig and the towns of Cainta and Taytay. In Antipolo he prayed, kneeling beforethe image of the Virgin of Peace and Good Voyage, of whom he would later sing in elegantverses. Then he saw Manila, the great metropolis, with its Chinese sores and European bazaars.And visited his elder sister, Saturnina, in Santa Ana, who was a boarding student in theConcordia College.

Education at Ateneo de Manila

Jose was sent to Manila four months after the friars Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora were martyred.

He studied in the Ateneo Municipal, which was under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuit priests.

The Ateneo Municipal was later named Ateneo de Manila.

Jose's father had intended him to study at Letran, but changed his mind and sent him to theAteneo instead.

At first, the college registrar, Fr. Magin Ferrando, refused Jose's admission because the boy hadregistered late and he was sickly and small for his age.

Rizal was nonetheless admitted to the Ateneo with the help and intercession of Manuel XeresBurgos, a nephew of the martyred priest.

Jose adopted the name Rizal to escape suspicion. His brother Paciano had used the name Mercado, and was now known to the authorities as Jose Burgos' favorite student.

The quality of education in the Ateneo was more advanced.


Students were divided into two groups: the "Roman Empire" (boarders) and the "CarthaginianEmpire" (non-boarders).

The best student in each empire was the emperor, followed by the tribune, then the decurion, thecenturion, and the fifth best was the standard-bearer.

The Romans had red banners, and the Carthaginians had blue.

Jose's first professor at the Ateneo was Fr. Jose Bech.

To improve his Spanish, Jose took private lessons in Santa Isabel College at noon breaks.

Rizal's first favorite novel was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas.

He won a medal in Latin.

Jose considered Fr. Sanchez as his best professor in the Ateneo.

He obtained the highest grades in all subjects and graduated with the highest honors.

When Rizal was 16 years old he had his first romance with Segunda Katigbak. Unfortunately,the lady was already engaged to be married. Rizal, as a shy and timid lover, failed to proposedespite her encouragement.

Medical Studies at the Universidad de Santo Tomas

After finishing one year in Philosophy and Letters, Jose transferred to the medical course.

He enrolled in UST for two reasons: (1) to appease his father, and (2) because he was still unsureof what career he should pursue.

Rizal took up medicine following the advice of Fr. Pablo Ramon, the Rector of the Ateneo. Healso did so to be able to cure his mother's growing blindness.

He finished a surveying course in the Ateneo, but was not given the title of Surveyor because hewas still 17 and underage.

After finishing four years in the medical course, Rizal decided to study in Spain. He did not seekhis parents' permission for this because he knew they would not allow it.


Travel and Adventure

First Travel Abroad

Before reaching Madrid to pursuehis medical career in1882, Rizal had many stopovers. Hevisited the progressive Englishcolony of Singapore, traversed thehistoric waterway of Suez Canal viathe steamship Djemnah, reached theItalian city of Naples, disembarkedat the French port of Marseilles, thentook a train to the historic city ofBarcelona. His Filipino schoolmatesfrom the Ateneo Municipal threw a party as they welcomed his arrival.

In Barcelona, Rizal wrote his first essay on a foreign soil – the “ El Amor Patrio” (Love ofCountry) – which he sent to his friend, Basilio Teodora, an editorial staff member ofthe Diariong Tagalog . By the end of 1882, Rizal decided to leave Barcelona for Madrid.

Rizal lived a frugal life in Madrid, strictly budgeting both his (1) money for food, clothing andschool materials; and (2) time for his studies and social life. He joined the Circulo Hispano Filipino and wrote the poem, Me Piden Versos (They Asked Me for Verses). In 1884, Rizalmade a splendid speech which saluted two Filipino masters of painting, Juan Luna and FelixResurreccion Hidalgo, in a banquet held at the National Exposition of Fine Arts. He met andalmost fell in love with Consuelo Ortiga y Rey if not for his engagement with Leonor Rivera andhis friendship with Eduardo de Lete who had a romantic feeling for Consuelo.

In 1885, the 24-year old Rizal went to Paris, France to pursue his career as an ophthalmologist.He tried his skills in music and studied solfeggio, piano and voice culture for a month and a half.He worked as an assistant to the renowned ophthalmologist, Dr. Louis de Weckert, and left forHeidelberg after a year. He settled in the house of a Lutheran, Karl Ullmer and worked in theclinics of famous Polish and German ophthalmologists, Dr. Javier Galezowsky and Dr. OttoBecker, respectively. In Heidelberg, he was astounded with the flowers along the Neckar River,especially the forget-me-nots, which made him compose the poem, A Las Flores de Heidelberg (To the Flowers of Heidelberg), on April 22, 1886. It was also in this German citywhere the long-distance friendship between Jose Rizal and Ferdinand Blumentritt began.

Rizal traveled to Leipzig and attended some lectures at its local university. After which he wentto Berlin to further study ophthalmology and other languages, to get familiar with the scenicGermany, to be part of the scientific community, and to finish his novel, Noli Me Tangere.However, he was struck by financial problem in Berlin as he was short of allowance fromCalamba.


Back to the Philippines

The stunning beauty of the European lands did not stop Rizal from continuously adoring hisnative land. After the Noli Me Tangere was published, he decided to return to Calamba despitethe many warnings he received from friends and relatives alike. He had four reasons forreturning to the Philippines:

To perform an operation on Doña Teodora's eyes;

To defend his oppressed countrymen more effectively than doing so in a foreign land;

To find out how his Noli was received by the Filipinos and Spaniards; and

To know the reason for Leonor Rivera's long silence.

Aboard the steamer Djemnah, Rizal sailed to the East via the Suez Canal on June 3, 1887 andreached Saigon on the 30th of July. From Saigon, he boarded the steamer Hayfong boundfor Manila. On the sixth day of August, he arrived in Manila and visited some friends, andreached Calamba two days later. In his native land, he opened a medical clinic and restored hismother's vision. Such “miraculous” news spread throughout the community like wild fire, thus,his clinic was flocked by people aspiring for better eyesight. Newly arrived from Germany, he began to be known as “Doctor Uliman” (from the word Aleman).

Regarding his novel Noli Me Tangere, Rizal met Governor General Emilio Terrero whoinformed him of the charges against him. As a defense, Rizal told Terrero that the Noli onlyexposes the reality. Not having read the book yet and out of curiosity, the governor general askedfor a copy of the controversial novel, which he later confessed that he enjoyed reading. He sawno problem on the book, yet to protect Rizal's life which was then in danger, he assigned JoseTaviel de Andrade, a young Spanish lieutenant, as Rizal's personal bodyguard. Soon enough, theattackers and defenders of the novel resurfaced.

Second Travel Abroad

Realizing that his family's and friends' safety were at risked; and that his fight against theSpaniards have better chance of winning if he'd stay abroad, Rizal, six months after, finallydecided to sail back to Europe. Before his departure, a friend from Lipa City, Batangas asked ofhim a poem dedicated to the industrious workers in their town. Privileged, Rizal wrote the Himno Al Trabajo (Hymn to Labor).

East Asia

On February 3, 1888, for the second time, Rizal sailed to Hongkong as a frustrated being whowanted the utmost reform in his native land. Terrero’s former secretary, Jose Sainz de Varranda,followed Rizal in the said British colony, and was believed to be commissioned by the Spanishauthorities to spy on the hero. After almost three weeks, on board the Americansteamer, Oceanic, he left Hongkong and sailed to Japan where he was invited by Secretary JuanPerez Caballero to live at the Spanish Legation. His instinct told him that it was a bait – a wayfor the Spanish officials to keep track of his activities. And since it was economical to stay at thelegation and he believed that he had nothing to hide, he accepted it. Rizal was impressed by thescenic Japan and had keenly observed the life, customs and culture of the people. He had fallen


in love not only with the view but more to its women, particularly with the 23-year old O-Sei-San (a.k.a. Usui Seiko).

The West

Rizal was almost tempted to settle in Japan with O-Sei-San, but on April 13, 1888, Rizal boardedthe English steamer, Belgic bound for the United States, reaching the land on April 28. Hevisited San Francisco, left it on the second day for Oklahoma, then to Sacramento, then to Reno,and finally to New York. On May 16, 1888, he boarded the ship City of Rome for Liverpoolwhere he decided to stay in London until March 1899. Rizal chose to stay in London so that hecould improve his English skills, study and do an annotation of Antonio Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas and because he believed that the said English city was a safe place for him tocarry on the reforms he wanted for the Philippines. He stayed at Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor's homeand boarded at the Beckett family where he fell in love with Gertrude.

Great Britain

In London, Rizal received both good news and bad news from home. The good news was thatRev. Vicente Garcia was defending his Noli from the attacks of the friars. On the other hand, the bad news were that the Filipino signatories of the “Petition of 1888” and the tenants of theCalamba agrarian trouble were facing persecution; that his brothers-in-law, Manuel T. Hidalgoand Mariano Herbosa, were exiled to Bohol and was denied Christian burial, respectively; andhis friend, Laureano Viado, a UST medical student, was imprisoned for possessing a copy ofhis Noli. During his stay in this country, Rizal also made used of his time in writing essays andarticles for the La Solidaridad . On June 12, 1889, with Filipino and Spanish friends, theyfounded the Asociacion Hispano-Filipino which aimed for union and reforms. After ten months,Rizal left London and departed for Paris.

France

In Paris, Rizal continued his study on various languages and practiced his artistic skills, andfinished two statues - “The Beggar” and “The Maid with a Basket.” He organized a social clubcalled Kidlat Club which brought together young Filipinos residing in France. Soon, themembers of the said club founded a new Filipino society – the Indios Bravos, an organizationwhich envisioned Filipinos being recognized by Spain for being excellent in various fields ofknowledge. By January 1890, Rizal's annotation of the Sucesos was finally printed and publihed by the Garnier Freres.

Belgium

With his roommate, Jose Albert, Rizal celebrated Christmas in Paris. Shortly after New Year, hevisited London for the last time and on January 28, 1890, left Paris for Brussels. With Albert,they left the extravagant and gay social life in Paris and stayed in a boarding house owned by theJacoby sisters in Brussels. Rizal continued contributing for La Solidaridad under the pseudonyms Dimas Alang and Laong Laan. From Calamba, Rizal received letters telling that theagrarian trouble in the province was getting worse, and as such, he decided to go home. Butinstead of going home, a letter from Paciano told him that they already lost the case againstthe Dominicans and they were in need of a lawyer who would defend their family and thefamilies in Calamba from Madrid. Rizal traveled to Madrid to seek justice but in vain – he could


not find the right person and he heard that his family was already evicted from their land inCalamba and other family members were banished to Mindoro and Manila.

Spain

Rizal had many misadventures in Madrid. For one, he challenged Antonio Luna and WenceslaoRetana in a duel. With Luna, it was about the latter's frustration with his unsuccessful “loveaffair” with Nellie Boustead, and so gave negative remarks on the lady which Rizal did nottolerated. The other encounter was with Retana who had insulted Rizal and his family by writingin La Epoca, an anti-Filipino newspaper, that the Rizal family in Calamba was ejected from theirlands because they did not pay their rents. It was also from this city where Rizal heard the newsof Leonor Rivera's marriage with Henry Kipping, an Englishman, which terribly broke his heart.

Another marked event in Madrid was the Marcelo H. del Pilar-Jose Rizal rivalry for leadership inthe Asociacion Hispano Filipino. A faction emerged from the Filipinos in Madrid, the Rizalistas and Pilaristas, Rizal and del Pilar's compatriots, respectively, during the organization'selection. Losing the election, Rizal decided to go back home, fearing that his presence may resultto bigger and stronger faction among the Filipinos in Madrid. But instead of going straight toHongkong, he went back to Brussels to finish his second novel, the El Filibusterismo.

Back in Hongkong

After the Fili was published, Rizal left Europe. Aboard the S.S. Melbourne, he sailed toHongkong where he lived for seven months. His reasons for venturing to Hongkong were thefollowing:

To leave behind his rivalry with del Pilar;

To facilitate a Propaganda Movement in Hongkong; and

To be proximate to his family in the Philippines.

On November 20, 1891, Rizal arrived in Hongkong and was cordially welcomed by the Filipinoresidents in the city, particularly, his friend Jose Ma. Basa. He resided at No. 5 D' Aguilar Street, No. 2 Rednaxela Terrace and opened a medical clinic there. Rizal had a continuedcorrespondence with his family in Calamba and had been aware of the unsettled agrarian problem. Through a letter from his brother-in-law, Manuel T. Hidalgo, he had been informed ofthe deportation of twenty-five persons in Calamba, including the Rizal family. This news madeRizal even more desperate to return to Manila, but his sorrow was replaced by surprise when hisfamily visited him in Hongkong and celebrated the 1891 Christmas with him.

While in Hongkong, Rizal practiced his medical career. With the help of his friend, Dr. LorenzoP. Marquez, they built a large clientèle and opened a medical clinic where he was recognized asan excellent eye surgeon. He was equally supported and aided both morally and financially byhis family and friends with his chosen career.

Another marked event during Rizal's stay in Hongkong was his plan to move the landlessFilipinos to Borneo and transform the said wilderness into a “New Calamba” through the socalled Borneo Colonization Project. In April 1892, he visited Borneo and negotiated with the


British authorities who wre willing to provide 100,000 acres of land for the Filipinos. ManyFilipino patriots found this project amusing, thus, promoted the said project. However, therewere a number who objected, one of which was Rizal's brother-in-law, Hidalgo. Twice did Rizalwrite a letter addressed to Governor General Eulogio Despujol informing his Borneocolonization project, with whom he received no response. Instead, Despujol commanded theSpanish consul-general in Hongkong to notify Rizal that such project was very unpatriotic, and by immigrating Filipinos to Borneo, the Philippines would surely be lacking of laborers.

Despite much opposition from friends and relatives, he decided to return to Manila on thefollowing reasons:

To discuss with Governor General Despujol his Borneo colonization project;

To form the La Liga Filipina in the Philippines; and

To prove that Eduardo de Lete's allegations on him and his family in Calamba werewrong.

Before his departure, he wrote three more letters – the first addressed to his parents and friends;the second one, to the Filipinos; and the last to Governor General Eulogio Despujol. Instead ofhaving the protection he desired, Rizal and his sister, Lucia, fell into a Spanish trap – a case wassecretly filed against Rizal, and Despujol ordered his secretary, Luis de la Torre, to verifywhether the patriot had naturalized himself as German citizen or not. And so the siblings sailedacross the China Sea without prior knowledge of what awaited them in the Philippines – thedeportation of Jose Rizal to Dapitan.


Part IV: Exile and Martyrdom

Exile in Dapitan

Peaceful Life in Dapitan

During the early part of his exile in Dapitan, Rizal lived at the commandant’s residence. With his prize from the Manila Lottery and his earnings as a farmer and a merchant, he bought a piece ofland near the shore of Talisay near Dapitan. On this land, he built three houses- all made of bamboo, wood, and nipa. The first house which was square in shape was his home. The secondhouse was the living quarters of his pupils. And the third house was the barn where he kept hischickens. The second house had eight sides, while the third had six sides.

In a letter to his friend, Ferdinand Blumentritt, on December 19, 1893, Rizal described his peaceful life in Dapitan.

"I shall tell you how we lived here. I have three houses-one square, another hexagonal, and thethird octagonal. All these houses are made of bamboo, wood, and nipa. I live in the square house,together with my mother, my sister, Trinidad, and my nephew. In the octagonal house live someyoung boys who are my pupils. The hexagonal house is my barn where I keep my chickens.

"From my house, I hear the murmur of a clear brook which comes from the high rocks. I see theseashore where I keep two boats, which are called barotos here.

"I have many fruit trees, such as mangoes, lanzones, guayabanos, baluno, nangka, etc. I haverabbits, dogs, cats, and other animals.

"I rise early in the morning – at five – visit my plants, feed the chickens, awaken my people, and prepare our breakfast. At half-past seven, we eat our breakfast, which consists of tea, bread,cheese, sweets, and other things.

"After breakfast, I treat the poor patients who come to my house. Then I dress and go to Dapitanin my baroto. I am busy the whole morning, attending to my patients in town.

"At noon, I return home to Talisay for lunch. Then, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., I am busy as ateacher. I teach the young boys.

"I spend the rest of the afternoon in farming. My pupils help me in watering the plants, pruningthe fruits, and planting many kinds of trees. We stop at 6:00 p.m. for the Angelus

"I spend the night reading and writing."

First Christmas

After a short time, Jose Rizal began to enjoy the simple life of Dapitan. He also became prosperous. Aside from his lottery prize, Rizal earned more money by practicing medicine. Somerich patients paid him well for curing their eye ailments. He began to buy agricultural lands inTalisay, a barrio near Dapitan. He planned to build his house in this scenic barrio by the


seashore.

As Christmas came nearer, Rizal became more cheerful. His savings increased, for the cost ofliving in Dapitan was cheaper than in Calamba. His health improved. Many Dapitan folks, whowere formerly indifferent to him, became his friends.

No wonder, Rizal enjoyed his first Christmas in Dapitan. He was one of the guests of CaptainCarnicero at a Christmas Eve dinner in the comandancia (house of the commandant). The otherguests were three Spaniards from the neighboring town of Dipolog and a Frenchman named JeanLardet. It was a merry feast. The guests enjoyed the delicious dishes prepared by thecommandant’s native cook. With the exception of Rizal, they drank beer, for he disliked hardliquor. At midnight, Captain Carnicero, Rizal, and other guests went to church to hear the Massof the Noche Buena.

In a letter to his mother, dated January 5, 1893, Rizal described how he enjoyed his firstChristmas in Dapitan. He said:

"I spent a merry Christmas here. It could not have been merrier. I had a happy dinner onChristmas Eve, together with my host (the commandant), three Spaniards from a neighboringtown, and a Frenchman. We heard Mass at 12:00 midnight, for you know I go to Mass hereevery Sunday."

The Farmer

To prove to his people that farming is a good a profession as medicine, Rizal became a farmer inDapitan. In a letter to his sister, Lucia, on February 12, 1896, he said: "We cannot all be doctors;it is necessary that there would be some to cultivate the soil."

During the first year of his exile (1893), Rizal bought an abandoned farm in Talisay, a barrionear Dapitan. This farm had an area of sixteen hectares and was rather rocky. It lay beside a riverthat resembled the Calamba River-clear fresh water, wide and swift current. In his letter to hissister Trinidad on January 15, 1896, Rizal said: "My land is half an hour’s walk from the sea.The whole place is poetic and very picturesque, better than Ilaya River, without comparison. Atsome points, it is wide like the Pasig River and as clear as the Pansol, and has some crocodiles insome parts. There are dalag (fish) and pako (edible fern). If you and our parents come, I amgoing to build a large house where we can all live together."

On this land in Talisay, Rizal actually built a permanent home. With the help of his pupils andsome laborers, he cleared it and planted cacao, coffee, coconuts, and fruit trees. Later, he boughtmore lands in other barrios of Dapitan. In due time, his total land holdings reached 70 hectares.They contained 6,000 abaca plants, 1,000 coconut palms, many coffee and cacao plants andnumerous kinds of fruit trees.

On his lands, Rizal introduced modern methods of agriculture which he had observed during histravels in Europe and America. He encouraged the Dapitan farmers to replace their primitivesystem of cultivation with these modern methods. These modern methods of farming consistedof the use of fertilizers, the rotation of crops, and the use of farm machines. Rizal actually


imported some farm machines from the United States.

Rizal dreamed of establishing an agricultural colony in the sitio of Ponot near Sindangan Bay.This region contained plenty of water and good port facilities. He believed that it couldaccommodate about 5,000 heads of cattle and 40,000 coconut palms. It was also ideal for thecultivation of coffee, cacao, and sugar cane because of its fertile soil and favorable climate.

He invited his relatives and friends in Luzon, especially those in Calamba, to colonize theSindangan Bay area. Unfortunately, his plan of founding an agricultural colony in SindanganBay did not materialize, like that of his former project to colonize North Borneo. He did not getthe support of the Spanish government.

Before Rizal was exiled in Dapitan, he already knew many languages. These languages were:Tagalog, Ilokano, Spanish, Latin, Greek, English, French, German, Arabic, Hebrew, Sanskrit,Catalan, Dutch, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Swedish, and Russian-19 in all.

His knowledge of many languages was one aspect of Rizal’s amazing genius. Few men in historywere gifted by God with such ability to learn any language easily. And one of these rare men wasRizal.

To learn a new language, Rizal memorized five root words every night before going to bed. Atthe end of the year, he learned 1,825 new words. He never forgot these foreign words because ofhis retentive memory.

Rizal made a good use of his knowledge of many languages in his travels in Europe andAmerica, in communicating with foreign scholars and scientists, and in his writings. Many timesduring his travels abroad, he acted as interpreter for his fellow travelers who belonged to variousnationalities-Americans, British, French, German, Italians, Spaniards, Japanese and others.

During his exile in Dapitan, Rizal increased his knowledge of languages. He studied three morelanguages- Malay, Bisayan and Subanun. On April 5, 1896, he wrote to his Austrian friend,Professor Blumentritt: "I know Bisayan already, and I speak it quite well. It is necessary,however, to know other dialects."

By the end of his exile in Dapitan on July 31, 1896, Rizal had become one of the world’s greatlinguists. He already knew 22 languages.

The Painter

In Dapitan, Rizal demonstrated his talent for painting. Before the Holy Week of 1894, FatherVicente Balaguer, a young Jesuit parish priest, was worried. He needed a good backdrop (canvasoil painting behind the main altar) for the annual Lenten celebration. In his native city ofBarcelona, Spain, a church had one that showed a colonnaded court, viewed from a wide opengate- a scene depicting the court of Pontius Pilate.

Upon hearing of Rizal’s painting ability, Father Balaguer went to Talisay to talk with the exileddoctor. He was accompanied by a convent helper named Leoncio Sagario.


"Doctor," he told Rizal, "I need your help. I would like to have a beautiful backdrop behind thechurch altar that shows the spirit of the Holy Week. I’ve in mind something similar to one in achurch in Barcelona."

Father Balaguer made some rough sketches as he described the backdrop in the Barcelonachurch. "Can you paint in oil such a picture on a huge canvas, Doctor?" he asked.

"I’ll try, Father. You see, I haven’t done any painting for many years, but I’ll do my best."

The following day, Rizal went to the Jesuit priest, bringing his own sketch based on the latter’sideas. Father Balaguer was satisfied and urged Rizal to begin the painting job at once.

The actual painting of the backdrop was a difficult task. Rizal obtained the help of twoassistants-Sister Agustina Montoya, a Filipina nun from Cavite who could paint, and FranciscoAlmirol, a native painter of Dapitan.

The trio – Rizal, Sister Montoya, and Almirol – made the sacristy of the church as theirworkshop. Rizal sketched in soft pencil the general outline of the picture, after which his twoassistants applied the oil colors.

Daily, Rizal supervised the work of his assistants. He himself put the finishing touches. He wasglad to note that he still had the skill in painting.

Father Balaguer was very much satisfied with the finished oil painting of the backdrop. "Beautiful, very beautiful," he said. He warmly thanked Rizal and his two assistants for the workwell done.

The gorgeous backdrop became a precious possession of the Dapitan church- Santiago Church. Itwas truly a masterpiece.

Senate President Manuel L. Quezon saw Rizal’s painting masterpiece during his visit to Dapitan.He was deeply impressed by its majestic beauty. At one time General Leonard Wood, governor-general of the Philippines, saw it and said that it was truly "a Rizalian legacy".

After the establishment of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, the beautiful backdrop was sentto the Museum of the Ateneo de Manila for safekeeping.

Unfortunately, it was destroyed during the Second World War when fires and bombs razed thecity of Manila.

Last Christmas

The Christmas of 1895 was one of the happiest events in Rizal’s life. It was because of the presence of Josephine, who proved to be a loving wife and a good housekeeper.

She was now used to living a simple rural life in the Philippines. She was industrious and learnedto cook all sorts of native dishes.


In his letter to his sister, Trinidad, on September 25, 1895, Rizal praised Josephine, thus: "Shecooks, washes, and takes care of the chickens and the house. In the absence of miki for making pancit, she made some long macaroni noodles out of flour and eggs, which serves the purpose. Ifyou could send me a little angkak, I should be grateful to you, for she makes bagoong. Shemakes also chili miso, but it seems to me that what we have will last for 10 years."

On December 25, 1895, Rizal and Josephine gave a Christmas party at their home in Talisay. Bya strange twist of fate, it proved to be Rizal’s last Christmas in Dapitan.

Rizal roasted a small pig to golden brown over a slow fire. He also made chicken broth out of afat hen. He invited all his neighbors. They all danced and made merry until dawn.

Writing to his sister, Trinidad, on January 15, 1896, Rizal described his last Christmas party inDapitan. "We celebrated merrily, as almost always. We roasted a small pig and hen. We invitedour neighbors. There was dancing, and we laughed a great deal until dawn."

A Son Dies

By the beginning of 1896, Rizal was very happy. His beloved Josephine was heavy with child.Within a few months, she would give birth to a child. As an expectant father, Rizal had everyreason to be cheerful and gay.

Unfortunately, Rizal and Josephine were not destined to have a child. One day in early March1896, Rizal played a practical joke on Josephine, which frightened her terribly. As a result of hergreat fright, she gave birth prematurely to an eight-month baby boy.

The baby was very weak and was gasping for breath. Seeing the baby’s condition, Rizalimmediately baptized him Francisco in honor of his father. He did everything he could to savethe life of his infant son, but in vain. All his knowledge and skill as a physician could not savelittle Francisco. Sorrowfully, Rizal saw his child die three hours after birth.

With a heavy heart, he drew a sketch of his dead son. Then he buried him under a shady tree nearhis home. He prayed": "Oh, God, I give you another tiny angel. Please bless his soul."

Adios!

On the morning of July 31, 1896, his last day in Dapitan, Rizal busily packed his things. He wasscheduled to leave the town on board the España, which was sailing back to Manila. He had soldhis lands and other things he owned to his friends, mostly natives of Dapitan.

At 5:30 in the afternoon, he and eight other companions embarked on the steamer. His eightcompanions were Josephine; Narcisa (his sister); Angelica (daughter of Narcisa); his threenephews, Mauricio (son of Maria), Estanislao and Teodosio (sons of Lucia); and Mr. And Mrs.Sunico.

Almost all Dapitan folks, young and old, were at the shore to see the departure of their beloveddoctor. The pupils of Rizal cried, for they could not accompany their dear teacher. Captain


Carnicero, in full regalia of a commandant’s uniform, was on hand to say goodbye to his prisoner, whom he had come to admire and respect. The town brass band played the music of thefarewell ceremony.

At midnight, Friday, July 31, 1896, the steamer departed for Manila. The Dapitan folks shouted"Adios, Dr. Rizal!" and threw their hats and handkerchiefs in the air. Captain Carnicero salutedhis departing friend. As the steamer left the town, the brass band played the sad music ofChopin’s Farewell March.

Rizal was in the upper deck, with tears in his eyes. He raised his hand in farewell to the kind andhospitable people of Dapitan, saying: “Adios, Dapitan!" He gazed at the crowded shore for thelast time. His heart was filled with sorrow.

When he could no longer see the dim shoreline, he turned sadly into his cabin. He wrote in hisdiary: "I have been in that district four years, thirteen days, and a few hours."

Back to Manila

1 August 1896, age 35. Left Dapitan en route to Spain as a volunteer surgeon for the Cubanyellow fever hospitals. Carried letters of recommendation from Governor-General Blanco.

6 August 1896. At dawn the España entered Manila Bay. He was not able to depart immediatelyfor Spain, because the Isla de Luzon which Rizal was supposed to board left the day before theyarrived at Manila.

(7 August to 2 September 1896) On Spanish cruiserCastilla in Manila Bay.Sailed for Spain onSpanish mail steamer and just after leaving Port Said was confined to his cabin as a prisoner oncabled order from Manila. (Rizal’s enemies to secure the appointment of a governor -generalsubservient to them, the servile Polavieja had purchased Governor-General Blanco’s promotion.)

12 August 1896. He sent a letter to his sister Narcisa, asking her to let Josephine Bracken sendhim pants, vests, collars, and cuffs, through a certain Prudencio Bulag.

19 August 1896. He advised his parents and sisters how they could visit him on board theCastilla, and likewise requested Narcisa to buy fruits for the officers of the cruiser, who treatedhim well.

25 August 1896. In a letter, he thanked his sister Narcisa for the hospitality she had shown byletting Josephine Bracken stay in her house.

30 August 1896. Governor Ramon Balnco sent Rizal a letter recommending him to the Ministerof War, saying that Rizal’s conduct in Dapitan was exemplary and that he had no connection atall with the Philippine Revolution.

2 September 1896. Rizal was transferred to the boat Isla de Panay at 6:00 o’clock in the evening.He was met by the captain of the boat, Capt. Alemany, and was given the best cabin. Later, hewrote a letter to his mother informing her of his good health on board the ship.


He informed his mother of his departure for Cuba, comforting her that everybody is in the handsof the Divine Providence. To his sisters, he urged them to take good care and and love their aged parents the way they expect their children to love them.

To Cuba via Spain

3 September 1896. Rizal was given a new cabin, No. 22, with a divan. The boat anchored nearManila to load passengers; among them were Pedro Roxas, Maria Tuason and Pedro A. Paterno.He left Manila for Spain.

4 September 1896. Rizal was informed of the rumors that he was the cause of the disturbances inManila. A young student, a native of Aragon, informed him that around 600 Filipinos werealready ordered shot by the Spanish authorities.

7 September 1896. At 5:00 o’clock in the afternoon, they saw a lighthouse. At 8:00 p.m., theyanchored alongside the wharf made of wood. They left Singapore at 1:00 o’clock in theafternoon.

9 September 1896. In the evening, Rizal was disappointed. There were plans of holding a concert but was not realized due to the rudeness of a passenger.

12 September 1896. He recovered slightly from hi sea-sickness, although the ship continuedmoving roughly.

13 September 1896. At 4:00 they started to see land and at 1:00 in the evening the Isla de Panayanchored at Colombo.

14 September 1896. At 12:00 o’clock, they left Colombo for Aden.

15 September 1896. They passed by Maldivas and Laquedivas in the evening. This time theweather had already improved a little bit.

19 September 1896. Rizal made mention of the death of a certain Capt. Cecilio on board the boatIsla de Panay. The captain became mentally derange due to the two months imprisonmentimposed on him by Gen. Parrado. At 2:00 o’clock Sunday morning, the dead body was thrownover board.

20 September 1896. The Isla de Panay arrived at Guardful at 12:00 o’clock. Rizal’s patient on board became worse for having eaten butter.

21 September 1896. The Isla de Panay arrived at Arden at 4:30 in the afternoon. Rizal noticedthat the Englishmen in Aden had progressed much. There were already many buildingsconstructed.

In a letter, Rizal described to his mother the trip he had from Singapore to Colombo and fromColombo to Aden, the throwing overboard of the dead body of Capt. Cecilio, and the hopeless


condition of a sick Jesuit.

Coming Home Again

6 October 1896. Placed in Montjuich Castle dungeon on his arrival in Barcelona and the sameday re-embarked for Manila. Friends and countrymen in London by cable made an unsuccessfuleffort for a Habeas Corpus writ at Singapore.

7 October 1896. Rizal stayed inside his cabin on the board the S.S. Colon the whole day. He wasa little bit affected by the cold air. In the evening, he had conversation on various matters withtwo soldiers.

8 October 1896. He woke up very hungry and weak. The infantry officer informed him thatvarious newspapers in Madrid identified him as the author of the disorders in the Philippines.

9 October 1896. On this day, he woke up a little bit lively. He thought that the order of his returnto the Philippines was timely for, according to him, he could refute the accusations hurledagainst him. He was guarded in his cabin the whole day.

10 October 1896. The two holes of his cabin were covered in the morning, thus depriving him ofthe sunlight. He was not given breakfast, only supper.

11 October 1896. The boat arrived at Port Said. His diary was confiscated from him.

29 October 1896. He arrived at Singapore bound for the Philippines. He was the object for anapplication for a writ of Habeas Corpus prepared by Charles Burton Buckley and ManuelCamus. Since the boat carried a Spanish flag and Rizal was detained on order by the Spanishgovernment, the applications were turned down by Lionel Cox, S. J. The two Solicitors for Rizalwere Rodyk and Davidson.

2 November 1896. Before arriving at Port Said, his travel diary was returned to him. His baggagewas searched minutely and he was lodged in prison cell everytime the S.S Colon approached a port anchor.

Trial and Martyrdom

On November 3, Colon arrived in Manila – Jose Rizal, under heavy security, was broughtimmediately to Fort Santiago and placed in a dungeon. Meanwhile, Spanish authorities weresearching for evidences against him. In fact, Filipinos who had been recognized at his side were brutally tortured to implicate him. Some of them were as follows: Deodato Arellano, Dr. PioValenzuela, Moises Salvador, Jose Dizon, Domingo Franco and Timoteo Paez. Even his only brother, Paciano was arrested and inflicted with pains which the latter endured for his younger brother's sake.


Preliminary Investigation

After fishing as much evidence as possible, on November 20, 1896, the preliminary investigationon Rizal began. During the five-day investigation, Rizal was informed of the charges against him before Judge Advocate Colonel Francisco Olive. He was put under interrogation without the benefit of knowing who testified against him. Presented before him were two kinds of evidences – documentary and testimonial.

There were a total of fifteen exhibits for the documentary evidence.

Testimonial evidences, on the other hand, were comprised of oral proofs provided by MartinConstantino, Aguedo del Rosario, Jose Reyes, Moises Salvador, Jose Dizon, Domingo Franco,Deodato Arellano, Pio Valenzuela, Antonio Salazar, Francisco Quison, and Timoteo Paez.

These evidences were endorsed by Colonel Olive to Governor Ramon Blanco who designatedCaptain Rafael Dominguez as the Judge Advocate assigned with the task of deciding whatcorresponding action should be done. Dominguez, after a brief review, transmitted the records toDon Nicolas de la Peña, the Judge Advocate General, for an opinion. Peña's recommendationswere as follows:

Rizal must be immediately sent to trial

He must be held in prison under necessary security

His properties must be issued with order of attachment, and as indemnity, Rizal hadto pay one million pesos

Instead of a civilian lawyer, only an army officer is allowed to defend Rizal.

Although given with “privilege” to choose his own defense counsel, this was limited to a list of100 names – both first and second lieutenants - that the Spanish authorities provided him. Of thelist, one familiar name stood out – Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade. Rizal discovered that the saidlieutenant was the brother of Lt. Jose Taviel de Andrade who worked as Rizal's personal bodyguard in Calamba in 1887.

Charges against Rizal

On the 11th of December 1896, in the presence of his Spanish counsel, charges against Rizalwere read. When asked regarding his sentiments or reaction on the charges, Rizal replied that:

He does not question the jurisdiction of the court

He has nothing to amend except that during his exile in Dapitan in 1892, he had notdealt in political matters;

He has nothing to admit on the charges against him

He had nothing to admit on the declarations of the witnesses against him; he had notmet nor knew them.

Two days after, Rizal's case was endorsed to Blanco's successor, Governor Camilo de Polavieja,who had the authority to command that the case be court-martialed. On December 15, inside hiscell at Fort Santiago, Rizal wrote the controversial Manifesto addressed to his countrymen – a


letter denouncing bloody struggle, and promoting education and industry as the best means toacquire independence. However, Judge Advocate General Nicolas de la Peña requested to Gov.Polavieja that the publication of the manifesto be prohibited, and so, the governor did.

Trial

Accustomed to share the merry season with family, friends and relatives, the 1896 Christmas wasindeed, Rizal's saddest. Confined in a dark, gloomy cell, Rizal was in despair and had no idea ofwhat his fate may be. Under this delusion, he wrote a letter to Lt. Taviel de Andrade requestingthe latter to visit him before his trial for there was a very important matter they need to discuss.Likewise, Rizal greeted the lieutenant a joyous Christmas.

The next day, December 26, about 8:00 o'clock in the morning, the court-martial of Rizalcommenced. The hearing was actually a kind of moro-moro – a planned trial wherein Rizal, before hearing his verdict, had already been prejudged. Unlike other accused, Rizal had not beenallowed to know the people who witnessed against him. The trial took place at Cuartel deEspaña, a military building, with a court composed of seven military officers headed by Lt. Col.Jose Togores Arjona. Present at the courtroom were Jose Rizal, the six other officers in uniform(Capt. Ricardo Muñoz Arias, Capt. Manuel Reguera, Capt. Santiago Izquierdo Osorio, Capt.Braulio Rodriguez Nuñez, Capt. Manuel Diaz Escribano, and Capt. Fernando Perez Rodriguez),Lt. Taviel de Andrade, Judge Advocate Capt. Rafael Dominguez, Lt. Enrique de Alcocer(prosecuting attorney) and a number of spectators, including Josephine Bracken.

After Judge Advocate Dominguez opened the trial, it was followed by Atty. Alcocer's reiterationof the charges against Rizal, urging the court that the latter be punished with death. Accordingly,the three crimes accused of him were rebellion, sedition and illegal association – the penalty forthe first two being life imprisonment to death, while the last, correctional imprisonment and acharge of 325 to 3,250 pesetas.

Lt. Taviel de Andrade, on the other hand, later took the floor reading his speech in defense ofRizal. To supplement this, Rizal read his own defense which he wrote in his cell in FortSantiago. According to Rizal, there are twelve points to prove his innocence:

As testified by Pio Valenzuela, Rizal was against rebellion.

He had not written a letter addressed to the Katipunan comprising revolutionaryelements; without his knowledge, his name was used by the Katipunan; if he really wasguilty, he could have escaped while he was in Singapore.

If he was guilty, he should have left the country while in exile; he shouldn't have built ahome, bought a parcel of land or established a hospital in Dapitan.

If he was really the leader of the revolution, the revolutionists should have consulted him.

He did not deny that he wrote the by-laws of the La Liga Filipina, but to make thingsclear, the organization was a civic association, not a revolutionary society.

After the first meeting of La Liga, the association banished because of his exile inDapitan, thus, did not last long.

If the La Liga was reorganized nine months later, he had no idea about it.


If the La Liga had a revolutionary purpose, then Katipunan should not have beenorganized.

If the Spanish authorities found his letters having bitter atmosphere, it was because in1890 his family was being persecuted resulting to their dispossession of properties anddeportation of all his brothers-in-law.

He lived an exemplary life in Dapitan – the politico-military commanders and missionary priests in the province could attest to that.

If according to witnesses the speech he delivered at Doroteo Ongjunco's house hadinspired the revolution, then he want to confront these persons. If he really was for therevolution, then why did the Katipunan sent an unfamiliar emissary to him in Dapitan? Itis so because all his friends were aware that he never advocated violence.

But the military court remained indifferent to the pleading of Rizal. After a short deliberation, hewas sentenced to be shot in musketry until death at 7 o'clock in the morning of December 30,1896 at Bagumbayan. The decision was submitted to Gov. Polavieja who immediately sought theopinion of Nicolas de la Peña – the latter found the verdict just and final. Two days later, thegovernor general signed the court's decision and ordered Rizal's execution.

Final Hours

Dec. 29, 1896. 6:00 – 7:00 a.m. Sr. S. Mataix asked Rizal’s permission to inter view him. Capt.Dominguez read death sentence to Rizal. Source of information: cablegram of Mataix to ELHeraldo De Madrid; "Notes" of Capt. Dominguez and Testimony of Lt. Gallegos.

7:00 – 8:00 a.m. Rizal was transferred to his death cell. Fr. Saderra talked briefly with Rizal. Fr.Viza presented statue of the Sacred Hearth of Jesus and medal of Mary. Rizal rejected the latter,saying, "Im little of a Marian, Father." Source: Fr. Viza.

8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Rizal shared his milk and coffee with Fr. Rosell. Lt. Andrade and Chief ofArtillery visited Rizal. Rizal scribbled a note inviting his family tovisit him. Sources: Fr. Roselland letter of Invitation.

9:00 – 10:00 a.m. Sr. Mataix, defying stringent regulation, entered the death cell andinterviewed Rizal in the presence of Fr. Rosell. Later, Gov. Luengo dropped in to join theconversation. Sources: Letter of Mataix ti Retana Testimony of Fr. Rosell.

10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Fr. Faura persuaded Rizal to put down his rancours and ordered to marryJosephine canonically. A heated discussion on religion occured between them within the hearingof Fr. Rosell. Sources: El Imparcial and Fr. Rosell.

11:00 – 12:00 noon. Rizal talked on "various topics" in a long conversation with Fr. Vilaclarawho would later conclude (with Fr. Balaguer, who was not allowed to enter the death cell) thatRizal was either a Prostestant or rationalist who spoke in "a very cold and calculated manner"with a mixture of a "strange piety." No debate or discussion on religion was recorded to havetaken place between the Fathers mentioned and Rizal. Sources: El Imarcial and Rizal y su Obra.


12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Rizal read the Bible and Imitation of Christ by Kempis, and then meditated.Fr. Balaguer reported to the Archbishop that only a little hope remained that Rizal was going toretract for Rizal was heard saying that he was going to appear tranquilly before God. Sources:Rizal’s habits and Rizal y su Obra.

1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Rizal was not allowed to attend to his personal necessities). Source: "Notes" ofCapt. Dominguez.

2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Rizal conferred with Fr. March and Fr. Vilaclara. Sources: "Notes" of Capt.Dominguez in conjunction with the testimonies of Fr. Pi and Fr. Balaguer.

3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Rizal read verses which he had underlined in Eggers German Reader, a bookwhich he was going to hand over to his sisters to be sent to Dr. Blumentritt through F. Stahl. He"writes several letters . . . with his last dedications," then he "rest for a short while." Sources: F.Stahl and F. Blumentritt, Cavana (1956) – Appendix 13, and the "Notes" of Capt. Dominguez.

4:00 – 5:30 p.m. Capt. Dominguez was moved with compassion at the sight of Rizal’s kneeling before his mother and asking pardon. Fr. Rosell heard Rizal’s farewell to his sister and hisaddress to those presents eulogizing the cleverness of his nephew. The other sisters came in one by one, one after the other , and to each Rizal’s gave promises to give a book, an alcohol burner,his pair of shoes, an instruction, or something to remember. Sources "notes" of Capt. Dominguezand Fr. Rosell, Diaro de Manila.

5:30 – 6:00 p.m. The Dean of the Cathedral, admitted on account of his dignity, came toexchange views with Rizal. Fr. Rosell heard an order given to certain "gentlemen" and "twofriars" to leave the chapel at once. Fr. Balaguer left Fort Santiago. Sources: Rev. Silvino Lopez-Tuñon, Fr. Rosell, Fr. Serapio Tamayo, and Sworn Statement of Fr. Balaguer.

6:00 – 7:00 p.m. Fr. Rosell left Fort Santiago and saw Josephine Bracken. Rizal called forJosephine; they spoke to each for the last time. Sources: Fr. Rosell, El Imparcial, and Testimonyof Josephine to R. Wildman in 1899.

7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Fr. Faura returned to console Rizal and persuaded him once more to trust himand the other professors at the Ateneo. Rizal was emotion-filled and, after remaining for somemoments in silence, confessed to Fr. Faura. Sources: El Imparcial.

8:00 – 9:00 p.m. Rizal took supper (and, most probably, attended to his personal needs). Then,he received Bro. Titllot with whom he had a very "tender" (according to Fr. Balaguer) or"useful" (according to Fr. Pi) interview. Sources: Separate testimonies of Fr. Balaguer and Fr. Pion the report of Bro. Titllot; Fisal Castaño.

9:00 – 10:00 p.m. Fiscal Castaño exchanged views with Rizal regarding their respective professors. Sources: Fiscal Castaño.

10:00 – 11:00 p.m. Rizal manifested strange reaction, asked guards for paper and pen. Fromrough drafts and copies of his poem recovered in his shoes, the Spaniards came to know thatRizal was writing a poem. Sources: El Imparcial and Ultimo Adios; probably, Fiscal Castaño.


11:00 – 12:00 midnight. Rizal took time to hide his poem inside the alcohol burner. It had to bedone during night rather than during daytime because he was watched very carefully. He thenwrote his last letter to brother Paciano. Sources: Testimonies and circumstantial evidence.

12:00 – 4:00 a.m. Rizal slept restfully because of his confidence in the goodness of God and the justness of his cause gave him astounding serenity and unusual calmness.

Dec. 30, 1986. 4:00 – 5:00 a.m. Rizal picked up Imitation of Christ, read, meditated and thenwrote in Kempis’ book a dectation to his wife Josephine and by this very act in itself he gave toher their only ‘certificate of marriage.’

5:00 – 6:15. Rizal washed up, took breakfast, attended to his personal needs. Wrote a letter tohis parents. Read the Bible and meditated. Josephine was prohibited by the Spanish officers fromseeing Rizal, according to Josephine’s testimony to R. Wildman in 1899.

6:15 – 7:00. Rizal walked to the place of execution between Fr. March and Fr. Vilaclara withwhom he conversed. Kept looking around as if seeking or expecting to see someone. His lastword, said in a loud voice: "It is finished."

7:00 – 7:03 . Sounds of guns. Rizal vacillated, turned halfway around, fell down backwards andfacing the sun. Silence. Shouts of VIVAS for Spain.


Part V: Revolution, Philosophy, Love

Rizal and the Philippine Revolution: In Retrospect

The Katipunan

On June 21, 1896, Dr. Pio Valenzuela, Bonifacio’s emissary, visited Rizal in Dapitan andinformed him of the plan of the Katipunan to launch a revolution. Rizal objected to Bonifacio’s bold project stating that such would be a veritable suicide. Rizal stressed that the Katipunanleaders should do everything possible to prevent premature flow of native blood. Valenzuela,however, warned Rizal that the Revolution would inevitably break out if the Katipunan would bediscovered.

Sensing that the revolutionary leaders were dead set on launching their audacious project, Rizalinstructed Valenzuela that it would be for the best interests of the Katipunan to get first thesupport of the rich and influential people of Manila to strengthen their cause. He furthersuggested that Antonio Luna with his knowledge of military science and tactics, be made todirect the military operations of the Revolution.

The Propaganda Movement

To prove his point and refute the accusations of prejudiced Spanish writers against his race, Rizalannotated the book, Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, written by the Spaniard Antonio Morga. The book was an unbiased presentation of 16th century Filipino culture. Rizal through his annotationshowed that Filipinos had developed culture even before the coming of the Spaniards.

While annotating Morga’s book, he began writing the sequel to the Noli, the El Filibusterismo.He completed the Fili in July 1891 while he was in Brussels, Belgium. As in the printing of the Noli, Rizal could not publish the sequel for the lack of finances. Fortunately, Valentin Venturagave him financial assistance and the Fili came out of the printing press on September 1891.

The El Filibusterismo indicated Spanish colonial policies and attacked the Filipino collaboratorsof such system. The novel pictured a society on the brink of a revolution.

To buttress his defense of the native’s pride and dignity as people, Rizal wrote three significantessays while abroad: The Philippines a Century hence, the Indolence of the Filipinos and theLetter to the Women of Malolos. These writings were his brilliant responses to the viciousattacks against the Indio and his culture.

While in Hongkong, Rizal planned the founding of the Liga Filipina, a civil organization and theestablishment of a Filipino colony in Borneo. The colony was to be under the protectorate of the North Borneo Company, he was granted permission by the British Governor to establish asettlement on a 190,000 acre property in North Borneo. The colony was to be under the protectorate of the North Bor neo Company, with the ‘same privileges and conditions as thosegiven in the treaty with local Bornean rulers.’


Governor Eulogio Despujol disapproved the project for obvious and self-serving reasons. Heconsidered the plan impractical and improper that Filipinos would settle and develop foreignterritories while the colony itself badly needed such developments.

Articles in La Solidaridad

La verdad para todos (The Truth for All) – May 31, 1889 Rizal’s irst article.

Verdades nuevas (New Facts) – July 31, 1889

Una profanacion (A Desecration) July 31, 1889 – A scathing attack against the friars for refusingto bury Mariano Herbosa in the Catholic cemetary. The friars alleged that the deceased had notmade any confession since his marriage to Lucia Rizal (1857-1919), Rizal’s elder sister.

Diferencias (Differences) – September 15, 1889

Filipinas dentro de cien anos (The Philippines Within One Hundred Years) – serialized in LaSolidaridad on September 30, October 31, December 15, 1889 and February 1, 1890 Rizal prognosticated the Filipinos’ revolution against Spain winning their independence, but later theAmericans would take over the colonization.

Ingratitudes (Ingratitudes) – January 15, 1890. A reply to Gov. Gen. Weyler who in companywith the Dominicans, visited the Provine of Laguna. The Governor told the people: "You shouldnot allow yourselves to be deceived by the vain promises of ungrateful sons."

Sin nombre (Without Name) – February 28, 1890.

Sobre la nueva ortografia de la lengua tagala (On the New Orthography of the Tagalog Language) – April 15, 1890. Rizal’s advocacy of a new spelling in Tagalog.

Cosas de Filipinas (Things About the Philippines) – April 30, 1890.

Sobre la indolencia de las Filipinas (On the Indolence of the Filipinos) – serialized on July 15 toSeptember 15, 1890. Rizal’s brilliant and masterly defense against the imputation of theindolence of the Filipinos.


Novels and Poetry

Novels

Noli Me Tangere

Spain, to Rizal, was a venue for realizing his dreams. He finished his studies in Madrid and thisto him was the realization of the bigger part of his ambition. His vision broadened while he wasin Spain to the point of awakening in him an understanding of human nature, sparking in him therealization that his people needed him. It must have been this sentiment that prompted him to pursue, during the re-organizational meeting of the Circulo-Hispano-Filipino, to be one of itsactivities, the publication of a book to which all the members would contribute papers on thevarious aspects and conditions of Philippines life.

"My proposal on the book," he wrote on January 2, 1884, "was unanimously approved. Butafterwards difficulties and objections were raised which seemed to me rather odd, and a numberof gentlemen stood up and refused to discuss the matter any further. In view of this I decided notto press it any longer, feeling that it was impossible to count on general support…"

"Fortunately," writes one of Rizal’s biographers, “the anthology, if we may call it that, was neverwritten. Instead, the next year, Pedro Paterno published his Ninay, a novel sub-titled CostumbresFilipinas (Philippines Customs), thus partly fulfilling the original purpose of Rizal’s plan. Hehimself (Rizal), as we have seen, had ‘put aside his pen’ in deference to the wishes of his parents.”

But the idea of writing a novel himself must have grown on him. It would be no poem forgottenafter a year, no essay in a review of scant circulation, no speech that passed in the night, but along and serious work on which he might labor, exercising his mind and hand, without troublinghis mother’s sleep. He would call it Noli Me Tangere; the Latin echo of the Spoliarium. Heseems to have told no one in his family about his grand design; it was not mentioned in hiscorrespondence until the book was well-nigh completed. But the other expatriates knew what hewas doing; later, when Pastells was blaming the Noli on the influence of German Protestants, hewould call his compatriots to witness that he had written half of the novel in Madrid, a fourth part in Paris, and only the remainder in Germany.

"From the first," writes Leon Ma. Guerrero, “Rizal was haunted by the fear that his novel wouldnever find its way into print, that it would remain unread. He had little enough money for hisown needs, let alone the cost of the Noli’s publication… Characteristically, Rizal would not hearof asking his friends for help. He did not want to compromise them.”

Viola insisted on lending him the money (P300 for 2,000 copies); Rizal at first declined…Finally Rizal gave in and the novel went to press. The proofs were delivered daily, and one daythe messenger, according to Viola, took it upon himself to warn the author that if he everreturned to the Philippines he would lose his head. Rizal was too enthralled by seeing his work in print to do more than smile.

The printing apparently took considerably less time than the original estimate of five months forViola did not arrive in Berlin until December and by the 21st March 1887, Rizal was alreadysending Blumentritt a copy of "my first book."


Rizal, himself, describing the nature of the Noli Me Tangere to his friend Blumentritt, wrote,"The Novel is the first impartial and bold account of the life of the tagalogs. The Filipinos willfind in it the history of the last ten years…"

Criticism and attacks against the Noli and its author came from all quarters. An anonymous lettersigned "A Friar" and sent to Rizal, dated February 15, 1888, says in part: "How ungrateful youare… If you, or for that matter all your men, think you have a grievance, then challenge us andwe shall pick up the gauntlet, for we are not cowards like you, which is not to say that a hiddenhand will not put an end to your life."

A special committee of the faculty of the University of Santo Tomas, at the request ofArchbishop Pedro Payo, found and condemned the novel as heretical, impious, and scandalous inits religious aspect, and unpatriotic, subversive of public order and harmful to the Spanishgovernment and its administration of theses islands in its political aspect.

On December 28, 1887, Fray Salvador Font, the cura of Tondo and chairman of the PermanentCommission of Censorship composed of laymen and ordered that the circulation of this pernicious book be absolutely prohibited.

Not contented, Font caused the circulation of copies of the prohibition, an act which brought aneffect contrary to what he desired. Instead of what he expected, the negative publicity awakenedmore the curiosity of the people who managed to get copies of the book.

Assisting Father Font in his aim to discredit the Noli was an Augustinian friar by the name ofJose Rodriguez. In a pamphlet entitled Caiingat Cayo (Beware). Fr. Rodriguez warned the people that in reading the book they "commit mortal sin," considering that it was full of heresy.

As far as Madrid, there was furor over the Noli, as evidenced by an article which bitterlycriticized the novel published in a Madrid newspaper in January, 1890, and written by oneVicente Barrantes. In like manner, a member of the Senate in the Spanish Cortes assailed thenovel as "anti-Catholic, Protestant, socialistic."

It is well to note that not detractors alone visibly reacted to the effects of the Noli. For if therewere bitter critics, another group composed of staunch defenders found every reason to justify its publication and circulation to the greatest number of Filipinos. For instance, Marcelo H. DelPilar, cleverly writing under an assumed name Dolores Manapat, successfully circulated a publication that negated the effect of Father Rodriguez’ Caiingat Cayo, Del Pilar’s piece wasentitled Caiigat Cayo (Be Slippery as an Eel). Deceiving similar in format to Rodriguez’Caiingat Cayo, the people were readily "misled" into getting not a copy of R odriguez’ piece butDel Pilar’s.

The Noli Me Tangere found another staunch defender in the person of a Catholic theologian ofthe Manila Cathedral, Father Vicente Garcia. Under the pen-name Justo Desiderio Magalang.Father Garcia wrote a very scholarly defense of the Noli, claiming among other things that Rizalcannot be an ignorant man, being the product of Spanish officials and corrupt friars; he himselfwho had warned the people of committing mortal sin if they read the novel had thereforecommitted such sin for he has read the novel.


Consequently, realizing how much the Noli had awakened his countrymen, to the point ofdefending his novel, Rizal said: "Now I die content."

Fittingly, Rizal found it a timely and effective gesture to dedicate his novel to the country of his people whose experiences and sufferings he wrote about, sufferings which he brought to light inan effort to awaken his countrymen to the truths that had long remained unspoken, although nottotally unheard of.

El Filibusterismo

The word "filibustero" wrote Rizal to his friend, Ferdinand Blumentritt, is very little known inthe Philippines. The masses do not know it yet.

Jose Alejandro, one of the new Filipinos who had been quite intimate with Rizal, said, "inwriting the Noli Rizal signed his own death warrant." Subsequent events, after the fate of the Noli was sealed by the Spanish authorities, prompted Rizal to write the continuation of his firstnovel. He confessed, however, that regretted very much having killed Elias instead of Ibarra,reasoning that when he published the Noli his health was very much broken, and was veryunsure of being able to write the continuation and speak of a revolution.

Explaining to Marcelo H. del Pilar his inability to contribute articles to the La Solidaridad, Rizalsaid that he was haunted by certain sad presentiments, and that he had been dreaming almostevery night of dead relatives and friends a few days before his 29th birthday, that is why hewanted to finish the second part of the Noli at all costs.

Consequently, as expected of a determined character, Rizal apparently went in writing, for to hisfriend, Blumentritt, he wrote on March 29, 1891: "I have finished my book. Ah! I’ve not writtenit with any idea of vengeance against my enemies, but only for the good of those who suffer andfor the rights of Tagalog humanity, although brown and not good-looking."

To a Filipino friend in Hong Kong, Jose Basa, Rizal likewise eagerly announced the completionof his second novel. Having moved to Ghent to have the book published at cheaper cost, Rizalonce more wrote his friend, Basa, in Hongkong on July 9, 1891: "I am not sailing at once, because I am now printing the second part of the Noli here, as you may see from the enclosed pages. I prefer to publish it in some other way before leaving Europe, for it seemed to me a pitynot to do so. For the past three months I have not received a single centavo, so I have pawned allthat I have in order to publish this book. I will continue publishing it as long as I can; and whenthere is nothing to pawn I will stop and return to be at your side."

Inevitably, Rizal’s next letter to Basa contained the tragic news of the suspension of the printingof the sequel to his first novel due to lack of funds, forcing him to stop and leave the book half-way. "It is a pity," he wrote Basa, "because it seems to me that this second part is more importantthan the first, and if I do not finish it here, it will never be finished."

Fortunately, Rizal was not to remain in despair for long. A compatriot, Valentin Ventura, learnedof Rizal’s predicament. He offered him financial assistance. Even then Rizal was forced toshorten the novel quite drastically, leaving only thirty-eight chapters compared to the sixty-fourchapters of the first novel. The sequel to Rizal’s Noli came off the press by the middle of


September, 1891.On the 18th, he sent Basa two copies, and Valentin Ventura the originalmanuscript and an autographed printed copy.

Inspired by what the word filibustero connoted in relation to the circumstances during his time,and his spirits dampened by the tragic execution of the three martyred priests, Rizal aptly titledthe second part of the Noli Me Tangere, El Filibusterismo. In veneration of the three priests, hededicated the book to them.

"To the memory of the priests, Don Mariano Gomez (85 years old), Don Jose Burgos (30 yearsold), and Don Jacinto Zamora (35 years old). Executed in the Bagumbayan Field on the 28th ofFebruary, 1872."

"The church, by refusing to degrade you, has placed in doubt the crime that has been imputed toyou; the Government, by surrounding your trials with mystery and shadows causes the belief thatthere was some error, committed in fatal moments; and all the Philippines, by worshipping yourmemory and calling you martyrs, in no sense recognizes your culpability. In so far, therefore, asyour complicity in the Cavite Mutiny is not clearly proved, as you may or may not have been patriots, and as you may or may not cherished sentiments for justice and for liberty, I have theright to dedicate my work to you as victims of the evil which I undertake to combat. And whilewe await expectantly upon Spain some day to restore your good name and cease to beanswerable for your death, let these pages serve as a tardy wreath of dried leaves over one whowithout clear proofs attacks your memory stains his hands in your blood."

Rizal’s memory seemed to have failed him, though, for Father Gomez was then 73 not 85, FatherBurgos 35 not 30 Father Zamora 37 not 35; and the date of execution 17th not 28th.

The FOREWORD of the Fili was addressed to his beloved countrymen, thus:

"TO THE FILIPINO PEOPLE AND THEIR GOVERNMENT"

Poetry

Mi último adiós

¡Adiós, Patria adorada, región del sol querida,Perla del mar de oriente, nuestro perdido Edén!A darte voy alegre la triste mustia vida,Y fuera más brillante, más fresca, más florida,También por ti la diera, la diera por tu bien.

En campos de batalla, luchando con delirio,Otros te dan sus vidas sin dudas, sin pesar;El sitio nada importa, ciprés, laurel o lirio,Cadalso o campo abierto, combate o cruelmartirio,

My Last Farewell

Farewell, beloved Country, treasured region ofthe sun,Pearl of the sea of the Orient, our lost Eden!To you eagerly I surrender this sad and gloomylife;And were it brighter, fresher, more florid,Even then I’d give it to you, for your sakealone.

In fields of battle, deliriously fighting,Others give you their lives, without doubt,


Lo mismo es si lo piden la patria y el hogar.

Yo muero cuando veo que el cielo se coloraY al fin anuncia el día tras lóbrego capuz;si grana necesitas para teñir tu aurora,Vierte la sangre mía, derrámala en buen horaY dórela un reflejo de su naciente luz.

Mis sueños cuando apenas muchachoadolescente,Mis sueños cuando joven ya lleno de vigor,Fueron el verte un día, joya del mar de oriente,Secos los negros ojos, alta la tersa frente,Sin ceño, sin arrugas, sin manchas de rubor

Ensueño de mi vida, mi ardiente vivo anhelo,¡Salud te grita el alma que pronto va a partir!¡Salud! Ah, que es hermoso caer por dartevuelo,Morir por darte vida, morir bajo tu cielo,Y en tu encantada tierra la eternidad dormir.

Si sobre mi sepulcro vieres brotar un díaEntre la espesa yerba sencilla, humilde flor,Acércala a tus labios y besa al alma mía,Y sienta yo en mi frente bajo la tumba fría,De tu ternura el soplo, de tu hálito el calor.

Deja a la luna verme con luz tranquila y suave,Deja que el alba envíe su resplandor fugaz,Deja gemir al viento con su murmullo grave,Y si desciende y posa sobre mi cruz un ave,Deja que el ave entone su cántico de paz.

Deja que el sol, ardiendo, las lluvias evaporeY al cielo tornen puras, con mi clamor en pos;Deja que un ser amigo mi fin temprano lloreY en las serenas tardes cuando por mí alguienore,¡Ora también, oh Patria, por mi descanso aDios!

Ora por todos cuantos murieron sin ventura,Por cuantos padecieron tormentos sin igual,Por nuestras pobres madres que gimen suamargura;Por huérfanos y viudas, por presos en tortura

without regret;The place matters not: where there’s cypress,laurel or lily,On a plank or open field, in combat or cruelmartyrdom,It’s all the same if the home or country asks.

I die when I see the sky has unfurled its colorsAnd at last after a cloak of darkness announcesthe day;If you need scarlet to tint your dawn,Shed my blood, pour it as the moment comes,And may it be gilded by a reflection of theheaven’s newly-born light.

My dreams, when scarcely an adolescent,My dreams, when a young man already full oflife,Were to see you one day, jewel of the sea ofthe Orient,Dry those eyes of black, that forehead high,Without frown, without wrinkles, withoutstains of shame.

My lifelong dream, my deep burning desire,This soul that will soon depart cries out: Salud!To your health! Oh how beautiful to fall togive you flight,To die to give you life, to die under your sky,And in your enchanted land eternally sleep.

If upon my grave one day you see appear,Amidst the dense grass, a simple humbleflower,Place it near your lips and my soul you’ll kiss,And on my brow may I feel, under the coldtomb,The gentle blow of your tenderness, thewarmth of your breath.

Let the moon see me in a soft and tranquillight,Let the dawn send its fleeting radiance,Let the wind moan with its low murmur,And should a bird descend and rest on mycross,Let it sing its canticle of peace.


Y ora por ti que veas tu redención final.

Y cuando en noche oscura se envuelva elcementerioY solos sólo muertos queden velando allí, No turbes su reposo, no turbes el misterio,Tal vez acordes oigas de cítara o salterio,Soy yo, querida Patria, yo que te canto a ti.

Y cuando ya mi tumba de todos olvidada No tenga cruz ni piedra que marquen su lugar,Deja que la are el hombre, la esparza con laazada,Y mis cenizas, antes que vuelvan a la nada,El polvo de tu alfombra que vayan a formar.

Entonces nada importa me pongas en olvido.Tu atmósfera, tu espacio, tus valles cruzaré.Vibrante y limpia nota seré para tu oído,Aroma, luz, colores, rumor, canto, gemido,Constante repitiendo la esencia de mi fe.

Mi patria idolatrada, dolor de mis dolores,Querida Filipinas, oye el postrer adiós.Ahí te dejo todo, mis padres, mis amores.Voy donde no hay esclavos, verdugos niopresores,Donde la fe no mata, donde el que reina esDios.

Adiós, padres y hermanos, trozos del alma mía,Amigos de la infancia en el perdido hogar,Dad gracias que descanso del fatigoso día;Adiós, dulce extranjera, mi amiga, mi alegría,Adiós, queridos seres, morir es descansar.

José Rizal, 1896

Let the burning sun evaporate the rains,And with my clamor behind, towards the skymay they turn pure;Let a friend mourn my early demise,And in the serene afternoons, when someone prays for me,O Country, pray to God also for my rest!

Pray for all the unfortunate ones who died,For all who suffered torments unequaled,For our poor mothers who in their grief and bitterness cry,For orphans and widows, for prisoners intorture,And for yourself pray that your finalredemption you’ll see.

And when the cemetery is enveloped in darknight,And there, alone, only those who have goneremain in vigil,Disturb not their rest, nor the mystery,And should you hear chords from a zither or psaltery,It is I, beloved Country, singing to you.

And when my grave, then by all forgotten,has not a cross nor stone to mark its place,Let men plow and with a spade scatter it,And before my ashes return to nothing,May they be the dust that carpets your fields.

Then nothing matters, cast me in oblivion.Your atmosphere, your space and valleys I’llcross.I will be a vibrant and clear note to your ears,Aroma, light, colors, murmur, moan, and song,Constantly repeating the essence of my faith.

My idolized country, sorrow of my sorrows,Beloved Filipinas, hear my last good-bye.There I leave you all, my parents, my loves.I’ll go where there are no slaves, hangmen noroppressors,Where faith doesn’t kill, where the one whoreigns is God.


Goodbye, dear parents, brother and sisters,fragments of my soul,Childhood friends in the home now lost,Give thanks that I rest from this wearisomeday;Goodbye, sweet foreigner, my friend, my joy;Farewell, loved ones, to die is to rest.

José Rizal, 1896

(Modern English translation by Edwin AgustínLozada)

Huling Paalam

Paalam na, sintang lupang tinubuan,Bayang masagana sa init ng araw,Edeng maligaya sa ami’y pumanawAt perlas ng dagat sa dakong Silangan.

Inihahandog ko ng ganap na tuwaSa iyo yaring buhay na lanta na’t aba; Naging dakila ma’y iaalay rin ngaKung dahil sa iyong ikatitimawa.

Ang nanga sa digmaan dumog sa paglabanHandog din sa iyo ang kanilang buhay,Hirap ay di pansin at di gunamgunamAng pagkaparool o pagtagumpay.

Bibitaya’t madlang mabangis na sakitO pakikibakang lubhang mapanganib,Pawang titiisin kung ito ang nais Ng baya’t tahanang pinakaiibig.

Ako’y mamamatay ngayong minamalasAng kulay ng langit na nanganganinagIbinababalang araw ay sisikatSa kabila niyang mapanglaw na ulap.

Kung dugo ang iyong kinakailanganSa ikadidilag ng iyong pagsilang,

Maudi A Pacada

Dios ti agbati, Oh Ilic,daga nga ipadpaduma ti init tampoc ti ta-ao itiDaya, pagragragsacanmi a naidadanessiraragsacac a mangyaoat itoy biag, biag anacaladladingitno coman nasilsilnog pay, nalanglangto qetnapatpateg tapno aguimbagca laeng,casta met coma nga innac ited.

Iti paggugubatan, dagiti daddumamaquirupacda a sipepegguesgapu qenca ipat-lida ti biagda,aoan duadua aoan quedquedti pagpasaganda dida italtalec,laurel, lirio oenno cipres pagbaludan oenno tay-ac, bacal oenno pagtu-ucan a nagulib, padana amin no ti ilicastat masapuIna tapno masalacnib.

Matayac ita a maquitacnga sumudin ti langitqet ipacda-arnat laoagcalpasan ti naliday a sipngetqet no nalabbaga ti masapoltapno baggacnat mapada-eg,


Dugo ko’y ibubo’t sa isa man lamang Nang gumigiti mong sinag ay kuminang.

Ang mga nasa ko, mulang magkaisip,Magpahanggang ngayon maganap ang bait,Ang ikaw’y makitnag hiyas na marikit Ng dagat Silangan na nakaliligid.

Noo mo’y maningning at sa mga mataMapait na luha bakas ma’y wala na,Wala ka ng poot, wala ng balisa,Walang kadungua’t munti mang pangamba,

Sa sandaling buhay maalab kong naisAng kagalingan mo’t ang paiwang sulit Ng kaluluwa king gayak ng aalis:Ginhawa’y kamtan mo! Anong pagkarikit!

Nang maaba’t ikaw’y mapataas lamang,Mamatay at upang mabigyan kang buihay,Malibing sa lupang puspos ng karika’tSa silong ng iyong langit ay mahimlay.

Kung sa ibang araw ikaw’y may mapansin Nipot na bulaklak sa aba kong libing,Sa gitna ng mga damong masisinsin,Hagka’t ang halik mo’y itaos sa akin.

Sa samyo ng iyong pagsuyong matamis,Mataos na taghoy ng may sintang sibsib,Bayang tumaggap noo ko ng init, Na natatabunan ng lupang malamig.

Bayan mong ako’y malasin ng buwanSa liwang niyang hilano’t malamlam;Bayan ihatid sa aking liwaywayAng banaang niyang dagling napaparam.

Bayaang humalik ang simoy ng hangin;Bayaang sa huning masaya’y awitin Ng darapong ibon sa kurus ng libingAng buhay payapang ikinaaaliw.

Bayaang ang araw na lubhang maningasPawiin ang ulan, gawing pawang ulap,Maging panganuring sa langit umakyat,At ang aking daing ay mapakilangkap.

iti nagasat nga horas, darac ibucbucco,idaripespes, a biaguenti anara-ar dayta laoagna nga apagbigbig.

Ti agumac idi, idi agtutubo-ac pay la nga ubingqen casta met idi napnoanacon bileg ti naquem,isu ti pannacaquitac a iti taao ti daya,sicanto ti gameng maugutantot matan,ti aggaganus a muguingnalangtonto laengaoan sicor qen alidungetna,aoan tulaona a nacababa-in.

Daga nga ar-arapa-apen toy biag,ag-agumac a sirarayray piamti ipucpuccao toy cararuaca dandanin pumusayamangan sam-it ti mapasagtapno sicat tuman-ay matay tapno agbiagca,matay iti las-udmo a macalinglingayamangan sam-itnaa turoguen ti turog ni patay.

No iti rabao ti tanemcota maquitamto iti udina nga aldaonga cadaguiti roro-ot maysa a sabong anapacurang ti lumtao,idennamto cadagita bibigmoqet toy cararuac innanto agcantapno maricnamto toy muguingcoa silalamiis qen patayti pul-oy dayta ayatmoqen pudot met dayta sang-ao.

Bay-am ti bulan ta quitaennaciti naalumamay a laoag

bay-am ti palpal-latoc ta ibaonnatraniagna nga apagdaricmat, bay-am nga agsainnec ti anginiti natbag nga anasa-as,qet no bumaba ta agdissoiti cruzco ti maysa a tumaytayabdicanto singsinga-en ta icantanantoti canta ni linac.


Bayaang ang aking maagang pagpanw,Itangis ng isnag lubos na nagmamahal;Kung may umalala sa akin ng dasal,Ako’y iyo sanang idalangin naman.

Idalangin mo rin ang di nagkapalad, Na nangamatay na’t yaong nanganhirapsa daming pasakit, at ang lumalangapnaming mga ina luhang masaklap.

Idalangin sampo ng bawa’t ulilaat nangapipiit na tigib ng dusa;idalangin mo ring ikaw’y matubos nasa pagkaaping laong binata.

Kung nababalot na ang mga libingan Ng sapot na itim ng gabing mapanglaw,at wala ng tanod kundi pawing patay,huwang gambalain ang katahimikan.

Pagpitagan mo ang hiwagang lihim,at mapapakinggan ang tinig marahil,ng isang saltero: Ito nga’y ako ringinaawitanka ng aking paggiliw.

Kung ang libingan kong limot na ang madlaay wala nang kurus at bato mang tandasa nangangabubukid ay ipaubayang bungkali’t isabog ang natipong lupa.

Ang mga abo ko’y bago pailanglangmauwi sa wala na pinaggalingan,ay makalt munag parang kapupunanngiyong alabok sa lupang tuntungan.

Sa gayo’y walaa ng anoman sa akin,na limutin mo ma’t aking lilibutinang himpapawid mo kaparanga’t hanginat ako sa iyo’y magiging taginting.

Bango, tinig, higing, awit na masayaliwanag aat kulay na lugod ng mata’tuulit-ulitin sa tuwi-tuwina.

Ako’y yayao na sa bayang payapa,na walang alipi’t punoing mapang-aba,

Bay-am ta daguiti tudo, paasuquen ti init nga sumsumguedqet agsublida a sipupusacsac langit a suruten dagitoy sasain-nec, bay-am ti masasaquitta toy masapa a patayco inna isangit,qet cadagiti malem no addanto mangilualocaniac, macalaguip,ti inana toy cararuac, oh Ilic!,idaodaoatmonto cad met.


doo’y di nanatay ang paniniwalaat ang naghahari Diyos na dakila.

Paalam anak, magulang, kapatid, bahagi ng puso’t unang nakaniig,ipagpasalamat ang aking pag-alissa buhay na itong lagi ng ligalig.

Paalam na liyag, tanging kaulayaw,taga ibang lupang aking katuwaan, paaalam sa inyo, mga minamahal;mamatay ay ganap na katahimikan.

Imno sa Paggawa

KORODahilan sa Bayan sa pagdirigmaan,Dahil sa Bayan din sa kapayapaan,Itong Pilipino ay maasahangMarunong mabuhay o kaya’y mamatay.

(Mga Lalaki)

Nakukulayan na ang dakong Silangan,Tayo na sa bukid, paggawa’y simulan,Pagka’t ang paggawa’y siyang sumusuhaySa bayan, sa angkan, sa ating tahanan.

Lupa’y maaring magmamatigas naman,At magwalang-awa ang sikat ng arawKung dahil sa anak, asawa at Bayan,Ang lahat sa ating pagsinta’y gagaan.

KORO(Mga babaing may Asawa)

Magmasigla kayong yao sa gawain,Pagka’t ang baba’y nasa-bahay natin,At itinuturo sa batang mahalinAng Bayan, ang dunong at gawang magaling

Pagdatal ng gabi ng pagpapahinga,Kayo’y inaantay ng tuwa’t ligayaAt kung magkataong saama ang manguna,

Hymn to Labor

(Chorus)

For the Motherland in war,For the Motherland in peace,Will the Filipino keep watch,He will live until life will cease!

MEN:

Now the East is glowing with light,Go! To the field to till the land,For the labour of man sustainsFam'ly, home and Motherland.Hard the land may turn to be,Scorching the rays of the sun above...For the country, wife and childrenAll will be easy to our love.

(Chorus)WIVES:

Go to work with spirits high,For the wife keeps home faithfully,Inculcates love in her childrenFor virtue, knowledge and country.When the evening brings repose,On returning joy awaits you,And if fate is adverse, the wife,Shall know the task to continue.


Ang magpapatuloy ang gawa’y ang sinta.

KORO(Mga Dalaga)

Mabuhay! Mabuhay! Paggawa’y purihin Na siyang sa Baya’y nagbibigay-ningning!At dahil sa kanya’y taas ng paningin,Yamang siya’y dugo at buhay na angkin.

At kung may binatang nais na lumigaw,Ang paggawa’y siyang ipaninindigan;Sapagka’t ang taong may sipag na taglay,Sa iaanak nya’y magbibigay-buhay.

KORO(Mga Bata)Kami ay turuan ninyo ng gawain;At ang bukas ninyo’y aming tutuntuninBukas, kung tumawag ang bayan sa amin,Ang inyong ginawa’y aming tatapusin.

Kasabihan niyong mga matatanda:“Kung ano ang ama’y gayon din ang bata,”sapagka’t sa patay ang papuri’y wala.Maliban sa isang anak na dakila.

(Chorus)MAIDENS :

Hail! Hail! Praise to labour,Of the country wealth and vigor!For it brow serene's exalted,It's her blood, life, and ardor.If some youth would show his loveLabor his faith will sustain:Only a man who struggles and worksWill his offspring know to maintain.(Chorus)

CHILDREN:

Teach, us ye the laborious workTo pursue your footsteps we wish,For tomorrow when country calls usWe may be able your task to finish.And on seeing us the elders will say:"Look, they're worthy 'f their sires of yore!"Incense does not honor the deadAs does a son with glory and valor.

To the Philippines

Aglowing and fair like a houri on high,Full of grace and pure like the Morn that peepsWhen in the sky the clouds are tinted blue,Of th' Indian land, a goddess sleeps.

The light foam of the son'rous seaDoth kiss her feet with loving desire;The cultured West adores her smileAnd the frosty Pole her flow'red attire.

With tenderness, stammering, my MuseTo her 'midst undines and naiads does sing;I offer her my fortune and bliss:Oh, artists! her brow chaste ringWith myrtle green and roses red

A Poem That Has No Title

To my Creator I singWho did soothe me in my great loss;To the Merciful and KindWho in my troubles gave me repose.

Thou with that pow'r of thineSaid: Live! And with life myself I found;And shelter gave me thouAnd a soul impelled to the goodLike a compass whose point to the North is bound.

Thou did make me descendFrom honorable home and respectable stock,And a homeland thou gavest me


And lilies, and extol the Philippines Without limit, fair and richThough fortune and prudence it does lack.

Memories of My Town

When I recall the daysThat saw my childhood of yoreBeside the verdant shoreOf a murmuring lagoon;When I remember the sighsOf the breeze that on my browSweet and caressing did blowWith coolness full of delight;

When I look at the lily whiteFills up with air violentAnd the stormy elementOn the sand doth meekly sleep;When sweet 'toxicating scentFrom the flowers I inhaleWhich at the dawn they exhaleWhen at us it begins to peep;

I sadly recall your face,Oh precious infancy,That a mother lovinglyDid succeed to embellish.I remember a simple town;My cradle, joy and boon,Beside the cool lagoonThe seat of all my wish.

Oh, yes! With uncertain paceI trod your forest lands,And on your river banksA pleasant fun I found;At your rustic temple I prayedWith a little boy's simple faithAnd your aura's flawless breathFilled my heart with joy profound.Saw I God in the grandeurOf your woods which for centuries stand; Never did I understandIn your bosom what sorrows were;While I gazed on your azure sky

Education Gives Luster to Motherland

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

Man's placid repose and earthly lifeTo education he dedicatesBecause of her, art and science are bornMan; and as from the high mount aboveThe pure rivulet flows, undulates,So education beyond measureGives the Country tranquility secure.

Where wise education raises a throneSprightly youth are invigorated,Who with firm stand error they subdueAnd with noble ideas are exalted;It breaks immortality's neck,Contemptible crime before it is halted:It humbles barbarous nationsAnd it makes of savages champions.And like the spring that nourishesThe plants, the bushes of the meads,She goes on spilling her placid wealth,And with kind eagerness she constantly feeds,The river banks through which she slips,And to beautiful nature all she concedes,So whoever procures education wiseUntil the height of honor may rise.

From her lips the waters crystallineGush forth without end, of divine virtue,And prudent doctrines of her faithThe forces weak of evil subdue,That break apart like the whitish wavesThat lash upon the motionless shoreline:


Neither love nor tendernessFailed me, 'cause my happinessIn the heart of nature rests there.

Tender childhood, beautiful town,Rich fountain of happiness,Of harmonious melodies,That drive away my sorrow!Return thee to my heart,Bring back my gentle hoursAs do the birds when the flow'rsWould again begin to blow!But, alas, adieu! E'er watchFor your peace, joy and repose,Genius of good who kindly disposeOf his blessings with amour;It's for thee my fervent pray'rs,It's for thee my constant desireKnowledge ever to acquireAnd may God keep your candour!

And to climb the heavenly ways the peopleDo learn with her noble example.

In the wretched human beings' breastThe living flame of good she lightsThe hands of criminal fierce she ties,And fill the faithful hearts with delights,Which seeks her secrets beneficentAnd in the love for the good her breast sheincites,And it's th' education noble and pureOf human life the balsam sure.

And like a rock that rises with prideIn the middle of the turbulent wavesWhen hurricane and fierce Notus roarShe disregards their fury and raves,That weary of the horror greatSo frightened calmly off they stave;Such is one by wise education steeredHe holds the Country's reins unconquered.His achievements on sapphires are engraved;The Country pays him a thousand honors;For in the noble breasts of her sonsVirtue transplanted luxuriant flow'rs;And in the love of good e'er disposedWill see the lords and governorsThe noble people with loyal ventureChristian education always procure.

And like the golden sun of the mornWhose rays resplendent shedding gold,And like fair aurora of gold and redShe overspreads her colors bold;Such true education proudly givesThe pleasure of virtue to young and oldAnd she enlightens out Motherland dearAs she offers endless glow and luster.

Ang Awit ni Maria Clara

Ang tulang ito'y matatagpuan sa Noli MeTangere ang inawit ni Maria Clara, kaya gayonang pamagat. Ito’y punung-puno ng pag-ibig sa bayang tinubuan.

Song of Maria Clara

A poem, found in Rizal's book Noli MeTangere, sung by Maria Clara, which accountsfor the title


Kay tamis ng oras sa sariling bayan, Kaibigan lahat ang abot ng araw,

t sampu ng simoy sa parang ay buhay,liw ng panimdim pati kamatayan.

aalab na halik ang nagsaliw-saliwSa labi ng inang mahal, pagkagising;

ng pita ng bisig as siya’y yapusin, Pati mga mata’y ngumgiti mandin.

Kung dahil sa bayan, kay tamis mamatay, Doon sa kasuyo ang abot ng araw; Kamatayan pati ng simoy sa parangSa walang pag-ibig, ni ina, ng Bayan.

Sweet are the hours in one's own Native Land,All there is friendly o'er which the sun shinesabove;Vivifying is the breeze that wafts over herfields;Even death is gratifying and more tender islove.

Ardent kissed on a mother's lips are at play,On her lap, upon the infant child's awakening,The extended arms do seek her neck toentwine,And the eyes at each other's glimpse aresmiling.

It is sweet to die in one's own Native Land,All there is friendly o'er which the sun shinesabove;And deathly is the breeze for one withoutA country, without a mother and without love.

Sa Kabataang Pilipino *

Itaas ang iyongalinis na noo

Sa araw na ito, Kabataang Pilipino! Igilas mo na rin ang kumikinang mong

ayamang sanghayaagandang pag-asa ng Bayan kong Mutya!

akapangyarihang wani’y lumilipad,t binibigyang ka ng muning mataas,a maitutulad ng ganap na lakas,abilis na hangin, sa kanyang paglipad,alinis na diwa, sa likmuang hangad.

Ikaw ay bumabaa taglay ang ilaw g sining at agham

Sa paglalabanan, Bunying kabataan,

t iyong kalagiun ang gapos mong iyangTanikalang bakal na kinatalian g matulain mong waning kinagisnan.

To the Filipino Youth

Unfold, oh timid flower!

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

Soar high, oh genius great,And with noble thoughts fill their mind;The honor's glorious seat,May their virgin mind fly and findMore rapidly than the wind.

Descend with the pleasing lightOf the arts and sciences to the plain,Oh Youth, and break forthrightThe links of the heavy chainThat your poetic genius enchain.

See that in the ardent zone,The Spaniard, where shadows stand,


Ikaw na lagi nang pataas nag lipad,Sa pakpak ng iyong Mayamang pangarap,

a iyong Makita sa Ilimpong ulapng lalong matamisa mag tulaing pinakananais, g higit ang sarap

Kaysa “ambrosia” at “nectar” na awagas g mga bulaklak.

Ikaw na may tiniga buhat sa langit,

Kaagaw sa tamisa kay Filomenang Malinis na hiomig,

Sa gabing tahimik y pinaparam mo ang sa taong sakit,

Ikaw, na ang batong sukdulan ng tigasSa lakas ng i yong diwa’y nagagawad g buhay at gilas,t ang alaalang makislap y nabibigayan ng kamay mong masikap g buhay na walang masasabing wakes.

t ikaw, na siyangSa may iba’t ibang Balani ni Febong kay Apelas mahal,Gayundin sa lambong ng katalagahan,

a siayng sa guhit ng pinsel mong tanga’yakapaglilipat sa kayong alinman;

Hayo na’y tumakbo! Sapagka’t ang banal a ningas ng wani’y nais maputungan

Kayong naglalama’y,t maipamansag ng tambuling tangan,

Saan man humanggan,ng ngalan ng tao, sa di matulusang

Lawak ng palibot na nakasasaklaw.

alwalhating araw, Ito, Pilipinas, sa lupang tuntungan!

ng Lumikha’y dapat na pasalamatan, Dahilan sa kanyang mapagmahal,

a ikaw’y pahatdan.

Doth offer a shining crown,With wise and merciful handTo the son of this Indian land.

You, who heavenward riseOn wings of your rich fantasy,Seek in the Olympian skiesThe tenderest poesy,More sweet than divine honey;

You of heavenly harmony,On a calm unperturbed night,Philomel's match in melody,That in varied symphonyDissipate man's sorrow's blight;

You at th' impulse of your mindThe hard rock animateAnd your mind with great pow'r consignedTransformed into immortal stateThe pure mem'ry of genius great;

And you, who with magic brushOn canvas plain captureThe varied charm of Phoebus,Loved by the divine Apelles,And the mantle of Nature;

Run ! For genius' sacred flameAwaits the artist's crowningSpreading far and wide the fameThroughout the sphere proclaimingWith trumpet the mortal's nameOh, joyful, joyful day,The Almighty blessed beWho, with loving eagernessSends you luck and happiness.


* Salin ito ng tulang “A La Juventud Filipina” na sinulat ni Rizal sa Unibersidad ng Santo Tomasnoong siya’y labingwalong taong gulang. Ang tulang ito ang nagkamit ng unang gantimpala satimnpalak sa pagsulat ng tula, na itinaguyod ng Liceo Artistico Literario, sanahang binubuo ngmga taong mahilig sa panitikan at sa sining. Mga Kastila’t katutubo ang lumahook na sa paligsahan nguni’t ang Lupon ng Inampalang binubuo ng mga kastila ay humanga sa tula niRizal at ipinagkaloob ditto ang unang gantimpala.

Ang tulang ito ang kauna-unahang lantarang pagpapahayag ni Rizal ng kaniyang damdamingmakabansa. Hinihimok niya ang kabataang Pilipino upang mamukadkad at linangin angkaniyang masisining na katalinuhan, tinatawag itong “Magandang Pag-asa ng Bayan KongMutya,” na ngayo’y isang pariralang malimit banggitin.

Sa tula’y ipinahahayag na ang Pilipinas ay bayan ng mga Pilipino at ang salitang “Pilipino” ayunang ginagamit upang tawagin ang mga katutubo ng Pilipinas, hindi ang mga kastilangipinanganak sa Pilipinas, na siyang gamit ng salitang ito.

Sa Aking mga Kabata

Unang Tula ni Rizal. Sa edad 8, isunulat niRizal ang una niyang tula ng isinulat sakatutubong wika.

Kapagka ang baya’y sadyang umiibigSa langit salitang kaloob ng langitSanlang kalayaan nasa ring masapi

Katulad ng ibong nasa himpapawidPagka’t ang salita’y isang kahatulanSa bayan, sa nayo't mga kaharian

At ang isang tao’y katulad, kabagay Ng alin mang likha noong kalayaan.

Ang hindi magmahal sa kanyang salitaMahigit sa hayop at malansang isda

Kaya ang marapat pagyamanin kusa Na tulad sa inang tunay na nagpalaAng wikang Tagalog tulad din sa Latin,

Sa Ingles, Kastila, at salitang anghel,Sapagkat ang Poong maalam tuminginAng siyang naggagawad, nagbibigay sa atin.Ang salita nati’y tulad din sa iba

Na may alfabeto at sariling letra, Na kaya nawala’y dinatnan ng sigwaAng lunday sa lawa noong dakong una.

Philosophy and Social Change

Philosophies in Life

PHILOSOPHY is critical reflection on life. It may also be defined as the study and pursuit offacts which deal with the ultimate reality or causes of things as they affect life. The philosophyof a country like the Philippines is made up of the intricate and composite interrelationship of thelife histories of its people; in other words, the philosophy of our nation would be strange andundefinable if we do not delve into the past tied up with the notable life experiences of therepresentative personalities of our nation.


Being one of the prominent representatives of Filipino personalities, Jose Rizal is a fit subjectwhose life philosophy deserves to be recognized. Having been a victim of Spanish brutality earlyin his life in Calamba, Rizal had thus already formed the nucleus of an unfavorable opinion ofCastillian imperialistic administration of his country and people.

Pitiful social conditions existed in the Philippines as long as three centuries after its conquest bySpain, with agriculture, commerce, communications and education languishing under its most backward state. It was because of this social malady that social evils like inferiority complex,cowardice, timidity and false pride pervaded nationally and contributed to the decay of sociallife. This stimulated and shaped Rizal’s life philosophy to contain, if not eliminate, these socialills.

Educational Philosophy

Rizal’s concept of the importance of education is clearly enunciated in his work entitledInstruction wherein he sought improvements in the schools and in the methods of teaching. Hemaintained that the backwardness of his country during the Spanish era was not due to theFilipinos’ indifference, apathy or indolence as claimed by the rulers, but to the neglect of theSpanish authorities in the islands. For Rizal, the mission of education is to elevate the country tothe highest seat of glory and to develop the people’s mentality. Since education is the foundationof society and a prerequisite for social progress, Rizal claimed that only through education couldthe country be saved from domination.

Rizal’s philosophy of education, therefore, centers on the provision of proper motivation in orderto bolster the great social forces that make education a success, to create in the youth an innatedesire to cultivate his intelligence and give him life eternal.

Religious Philosophy

Rizal grew up nurtured by a closely-knit Catholic family, was educated in the foremost Catholicschools of the period in the elementary, secondary and college levels; logically, therefore, heshould have been a propagator of strictly Catholic traditions. However, in later life, he developeda life philosophy of a different nature, a philosophy of a different Catholic practice intermingledwith the use of Truth and Reason.

Why the change?

It could have been the result of contemporary contact, companionship, observation, research andthe possession of an independent spirit. Being a critical observer, a profound thinker and azealous reformer, Rizal did not agree with the prevailing Christian propagation of the Faith byfire and sword. This is shown in his Annotation of Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas.

Rizal did not believe in the Catholic dogma that salvation was only for Catholics and that outsideChristianity, salvation was not possible even if Catholics composed only a small minority of theworld’s religious groups. Nor did he believe in the Catholic observation of fasting as a sacrifice,nor in the sale of such religious items as the cross, medals, rosaries and the like in order to propagate the Faith and raise church funds. He also lambasted the superstitious beliefs propagated by the priests in the church and in the schools. All of these and a lot more areevidences of Rizal’s religious philosophy.


Political Philosophy

In Rizal’s political view, a conquered country like the Philippines should not be taken advantageof but rather should be developed, civilized, educated and trained in the science of self-government. He bitterly assailed and criticized in publications the apparent backwardness of theSpanish ruler’s method of governing the country which resulted in:

1. The bondage and slavery of the conquered;

2. The Spanish government’s requirement of forced labor and force military service upon thenatives;

3. The abuse of power by means of exploitation;

4. The government ruling that any complaint against the authorities was criminal; and

5. Making the people ignorant, destitute and fanatic, thus discouraging the formation of anational sentiment.

Rizal’s guiding political philosophy proved to be the study and application of reforms, theextension of human rights, the training for self government and the arousing of spirit ofdiscontent over oppression, brutality, inhumanity, sensitivity and self love.

Moral Philosophy

The study of human behavior as to whether it is good or bad or whether it is right or wrong isthat science upon which Rizal’s ethical philosophy was based. The fact that the Philippines wasunder Spanish domination during Rizal’s time led him to subordinate his philosophy to moral problems. This trend was much more needed at that time because the Spaniards and the Filipinoshad different and sometimes conflicting morals. The moral status of the Philippines during this period was one with a lack of freedom, one with predominance of foreign masters, one with animposition of foreign religious worship, devotion, homage and racial habits. This led to moralconfusion among the people, what with justice being stifled, limited or curtailed and the peoplenot enjoying any individual rights.

To bolster his ethical philosophy, Rizal had recognized not only the forces of good and evil, butalso the tendencies towards good and evil. As a result, he made use of the practical method ofappealing to the better nature of the conquerors and offering useful methods of solving the moral problems of the conquered.

To support his ethical philosophy in life, Rizal:

1. Censured the friars for abusing the advantage of their position as spiritual leaders and theignorance and fanaticism of the natives;

2. Counseled the Filipinos not to resent a defect attributed to them but to accept same asreasonable and just;

3. Advised the masses that the object of marriage was the happiness and love of the couple andnot financial gain;


4. Censured the priests who preached greed and wrong morality; and

5. Advised every one that love and respect for parents must be strictly observed.

Social Philosophy

That body of knowledge relating to society including the wisdom which man experiences insociety had taught Rizal his social philosophy. The facts dealt with are principles involved innation building and not individual social problems. The subject matter of this social philosophycovers the problems of the whole race, with every problem having a distinct solution to bolsterthe people’s social knowledge.

Rizal’s social philosophy dealt with;

1. Man in society;2. Influential factors in human life;3. Racial problems;4. Social constant;5. Social justice;6. Social ideal;7. Poverty and wealth;8. Reforms;9. Youth and greatness;10. History and progress;11. Future Philippines.

The above dealt with man’s evolution and his environment, explaining for the most part human behavior and capacities like his will to live; his desire to possess happiness; the change of hismentality; the role of virtuous women in the guidance of great men; the need for elevating andinspiring mission; the duties and dictates of man’s conscience; man’s need of practicinggratitude; the necessity for consulting reliable people; his need for experience; his ability todeny; the importance of deliberation; the voluntary offer of man’s abilities and possibilities; theability to think, aspire and strive to rise; and the proper use of heart, brain and spirit – all of thesecombining to enhance the intricacies, beauty and values of human nature. All of the above servedas Rizal’s guide in his continuous effort to help make over his beloved Philippines.


Love in the Time of Revolutions

There are nine (9) recorded women in Rizal's life; however some historians suggest that therehave been more. Below are brief accounts of his romances:

Segunda Katigbak: Rizal's First Love

Jose Rizal was only a young boy of sixteen (16) when hefirst fell in love, and it was with Segunda Katigbak, a girlfrom Lipa, Batangas and two years his junior.

According to Rizal, "She was rather short, with eyes thatwere eloquent and ardent at times and languid at others,rosy-cheeked, with an enchanting and provocative smilethat revealed very beautiful teeth, and the air of a sylph;her entire self diffused a mysterious charm."

Stolen Glances

Rizal went to Trozo, Manila one day to visit hisgrandmother. His friend, Mariano Katigbak,accompanied him. Mariano's family was close to Rizal'sgrandmother, and upon arrival at Lipa, Mariano's sisterSegunda was there at the old woman's house along withother guests. Rizal was drawn to her instantly.

Some of the other guests knew that Rizal was a skilled painter and asked him to draw a portraitof Segunda. He obliged, and reluctantly worked on a pencil sketch of the girl. "From time totime, she looked at me, and I blushed."

A Blossoming Love

Rizal's sister Olympia was a close friend of Segunda and a student at La Concordia College, andRizal went to visit her every week, during which he came to know Segunda more intimately.Their affection for each other grew deeper with every meeting, one that began with "love at firstsight."

Hopeless from the Beginning

Unfortunately, Segunda was already engaged to be married to her townmate, Manuel Luz, andalthough Rizal had gotten hints of the lady's affection for him, he timidly decided to back awayand did not propose. Years later Segunda returned to Lipa and wed her betrothed, leaving afrustrated Rizal to the mercy of his nostalgic memories. Rizal said while recording his firstromance three years later, "Ended, at an early hour, my first love! My virgin heart will alwaysmourn the reckless step it took on the flower-decked abyss. My illusions will return, yes, butindifferent, uncertain, ready for the first betrayal on the path of love."


Leonor Valenzuela: Private Letters

When Rizal was a sophomore at the University ofSanto Tomas and was boarding in the house of DonaConcha Leyva in Intramuros, he met Leonor "Orang"Valenzuela, his next-door neighbor and daughterof Capitan Juan and Capitana Sanday Valenzuela. Shewas a tall girl who carried herself with grace andelegance.

Exchanging Love Notes

Rizal was always welcome at the Valenzuela home.He eventually courted Leonor by sending her love notes,which he wrote in invisible ink made from a mixture ofwater and table salt. He taught Leonor how to read hisletters by heating them over a lamp or a candle to allowthe words to surface.Unfortunately, as with his first love,Jose failed to ask for the lady's hand in marriage.

Leonor Rivera: The First Engagement

Leonor Rivera was a young lady from Camiling, and acousin of Jose Rizal. Leonor's father had provided roomand board in Casa Tomasina, Intramuros for Rizal whenthe youth was still starting his third year at theuniversity. The young girl was then a student at LaConcordia College where Soledad, Rizal's little sisterwas also studying.

A Secret Relationship

Leonor was "tender as a budding flower with kindly,wistful eyes." She and Rizal eventually becameengaged. In her letters, she signed her name as "Taimis"in order to hide their intimate relationship from the girl's parents.

A Lady's Infidelity

In the autumn of 1890, however, Rizal received a letter from Leonor telling him of her comingmarriage to a man whom her mother chose to be her mate -- an Englishman -- and begged for hisforgiveness. This broke Rizal's heart deeply.


Consuelo Ortiga Y Perez: A Sacrifice for Friendship

In 1882, when Rizal was a student at the UniversidadCentral de Madrid, he frequented the home of Don PabloOrtiga y Rey, the former city mayor of Manila. He livedwith his son Rafael and his daughter Consuelo.

Taken by Charm

Rizal, though not a handsome man, possessed a greatdeal of charisma and was gifted with many talents and adeeply noble character. For this reason, it was of nosurprise that Consuelo, the prettier of Don Pablo'sdaughters, was very taken with him.

An Escape from Loneliness

Being lonely and somewhat isolated in a foreign country,Rizal found comfort in Consuelo's vivacious company.

He wrote her a poem entitled A La Senorita C.O. y P. (To Miss C.O.y P.), in which he expressedhis great admiration for the lady.

Backing Out

Rizal's romance with Consuelo did not turn into a serious affair; he decided to take a step backfor two reasons: first, he was still engaged to Leonor Rivera at that time; and second, he wasaware of his friend's (Eduardo de Lete) affection for the girl and he did not want to ruin theirfriendship over her.

O-Sei-San: Love at First Sight

When Rizal was in Tokyo a few days after he had moved tothe Azabu district in 1888, he spotted a pretty Japanese girlwalking past the legion gate. He was captured by the lady'sregal air and charisma and endeavored to find ways to meether. The girl's name was Seiko Usui. She lived with her parents and often took afternoon walks by the legation.Rizal waited by the gate one afternoon and introducedhimself.

An Exploration of Beauty

Rizal and O-Sei-San, as he fondly called her, met almostdaily. They toured the beautiful city spots, enjoyed the


scenery, and visited the picturesque shrines. Rizal was then a lonely young physician,disillusioned by his frustrated romance with Leonor Rivera and burdened by soured hopes for justice in his country. O-Sei-San provided the beautiful escape that he deeply needed, and hesaw in her the qualities of his ideal woman.

Sayonara

Because of his deep affection for her, Rizal was almost tempted to settle down in Japan.Conveniently enough, he was also offered a good position at the Spanish Legation during thattime. Rizal, however, had set his sights on other matters. He decided to leave Japan and forgethis romance, which pained him gravely, as attested by an entry in his diary. His 45-day sojournin Japan was one of the happiest interludes in his life.

Gertrude Beckett: A Chiseled Beauty

In May 1888, Rizal visited London for a short time, boarding at the house of the Beckett family: Mr. & Mrs.Beckett, their two sons, and their four daughters. Theeldest daughter was named Gertrude.

The Artist's Right Hand

Gertrude was a buxom young lady with blue eyes and brown hair. She fell in love with Rizal and gave him allof her attention during the family picnics andgatherings. When Rizal stayed indoors during rainydays painting and sculpting, she helped him mix hiscolors and prepare his clay.

Rizal enjoyed her company. Eventually their flirtatiousfriendship drifted towards a blossoming romance. Heaffectionately called her "Gettie," and in return shecalled him "Pettie."

Leaving for a Higher Cause

Rizal withdrew before his relationship with Gettie could become more serious, realizing that hehad a greater mission to fulfill and that in order to accomplish it he could not yield to the optionof marrying her. He suppressed the yearnings of his heart and decided to leave so that the ladymight forget him. Before he did, however, he finished a number of sculptural works, one ofwhich was a carving of the heads of the Beckett sisters.


Suzanne Jacoby: A Love Unrequited

"Where are you now? Do you think of me once in a while? I am reminded of our tenderconversations, reading your letter, although it is cold and indifferent. Here in your letter I havesomething which makes up for your absence. How pleased I would be to follow you, to travelwith you who are always in my thoughts.

You wish me all kinds of luck, but forget that in the absence of a beloved one a tender heartcannot feel happy.

A thousand things serve to distract your mind, my friend; but in my case, I am sad, lonely,always alone with my thoughts -- nothing, absolutely nothing relieves my sorrow. Are youcoming back? That's what I want and desire most ardently -- you cannot refuse me.

I do not despair and I limit myself to murmuring against time which runs so fast when it carriesus toward a separation, but goes so slowly when it's bringing us together again.

I feel very unhappy thinking that perhaps I might never see you again.

Goodbye! You know with one word you can make me very happy. Aren't you going to write tome?"

On January 28, 1890, Rizal left for Brussels,Belgium. He stayed for a considerable time, payingfor room and board. His landladies had a pretty niecenamed Petite Suzanne Jacoby. She was taken byRizal's charm and gallantry, and provided him goodcompany. Rizal could have flirted with the lady,considering that his beloved Leonor was far away andhe was a lonely man in a strange and foreign land, buthe realized he could not deceive her.

A Broken Heart

Suzanne fell in love with Rizal, and wept when heleft for Madrid in July 1890. She wrote to him inFrench:


Nellie Boustead: A Failed Proposal

In 1891, Rizal took a vacation in Biarritz in order to find reprieve from his troubles in Madrid.He was a guest of the Boustead family in their winter residence, Villa Eliada. Mr. and Mrs.Boustead had two beautiful daughters, Adelina and Nellie.

An Emotional Rebounce

After having lamented his frustrated romance withLeonor Rivera on account of the lady's engagement toanother man, Rizal came to develop considerableaffection for Nellie, the prettier and younger daughter ofMr. Eduardo Boustead. He found her to beintelligent, morally upright, and full of life. Rizal wroteto his closest friends about his intention to marry her.

Consent from the Lady's Past Love

Rizal's friends were delighted to hear that he had found asuitable girl whom he at last wished to settle down with.Even Antonio Luna, who had previously loved Nellie,encouraged Rizal to court her and ask for her hand inmarriage. With all the encouragement from the friendshe held dear, Rizal wooed Nellie (also called Nelly) who,in turn, returned his affections.

A Broken Engagement

Rizal's marriage proposal failed for two reasons: first, Nellie demanded that he give up hisCatholic faith and convert to Protestantism, which was her religion. Rizal did not like this idea.Second, Nelly's mother did not approve of Rizal, as she had no desire to entrust her daughter to aman that was wanting in wealth and persecuted in his own country. In spite of the circumstances,Rizal and Nellie parted as good friends.

Josephine Bracken: True Love in Exile

Rizal's exile in Dapitan was one of the mostlonesome and sorrowful periods of his life. Hemissed the company of his friends and family, andthe death of Leonor Rivera on August 28, 1893, lefta gaping void in his heart.

Josephine Bracken arrived at the shores of Dapitanaccompanying her blind adoptive father, Mr.George Taufer. No ophthalmologist in Hong Kong,their home country, could cure the man's blindness


and so they sought the services of the famous Dr.Jose Rizal.

Overcoming Barriers

Rizal and Josephine fell in love at first sight. Their romantic interlude went on for about amonth, after which they decided to marry. The priest of Dapitan, however, refused to conductthe ceremony without consent from the Bishop of Cebu.

When Mr. Taufer heard of his daughter's plan to marry he became so enraged at the thought oflosing Josephine that he attempted to kill himself with a razor to his throat. Rizal prevented thistragedy by holding the man's wrists back. Josephine left with her father on the first availablesteamer to Manila in order to avoid more trouble. Since Mr. Taufer's blindness was venereal innature, it was incurable.

Exchanging Vows

Mr. Taufer went back to Hong Kong alone, and Josephine stayed in Manila with Rizal's family.At length, she returned to Dapitan. Since no priest would marry them, Rizal and Josephine heldhands, exchanged vows, and married themselves before God.

The Loss of a Child

Rizal and Josephine lived together in Dapitan as husband and wife, and in early 1896 they wereexpecting a baby. Unfortunately, Josephine had to go into premature labor after Rizal played a prank and frightened her. A little boy of eight months was born, who lived for only three hours.Rizal named him Francisco in honor of his father, and buried the child in Dapitan.


Part 6: Engaging Rizal’s ‘Heroism’

VENERATION WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING(Does Rizal deserve to be our national hero?)Renato Constantino

In the histories of many nations, the national revolution represents a peak of achievementto which the minds of man return time and again in reverence and for a renewal of faith infreedom. For the national revolution is invariably the one period in a nation’s history when the people were most united, most involved, and most decisively active in the fight for freedom. It isnot to be wondered at, therefore, that almost always the leader of that revolution becomes the principal hero of his people. There is Washington for the United States, Lenin for the SovietUnion, Bolivar for Latin America, Sun Yat Sen, then Mao Tse-Tung for China and Ho Chi Minhfor Vietnam. The unity between the venerated mass action and the honored single individualenhances the influence of both.

In our case, our national hero was not the leader of our Revolution. In fact, he repudiatedthat Revolution. In no uncertain terms he placed himself against Bonifacio and those Filipinoswho were fighting for the country’s liberty. In fact, when he was arrested he was on his way toCuba to use his medical skills in the service of Spain. [p. 125] And in the manifesto of December15, 1896 which he addressed to the Filipino people, he declared:

From the very beginning, when I first had notice of what was being planned, I opposed it,fought it, and demonstrated its absolute impossibility.

I did even more. When later, against my advice, the movement materialized, of my ownaccord I offered my good offices, but my very life, and even my name, to be used in whateverway might seem best, toward stifling the rebellion; for convinced of the ills which it would bring,I considered myself fortunate if, at any sacrifice, I could prevent such useless misfortune…. Ihave written also (and I repeat my words) that reforms, to be beneficial, must come from above,and those which comes from below are irregularly gained and uncertain.

Holding these ideas, I cannot do less than condemn, and I do condemn this uprising-which dishonors us Filipinos and discredits those that could plead our cause. I abhor its criminalmethods and disclaim all part in it, pitying from the bottom of my heart the unwary that have been deceived into taking part in it. [1]

Rizal and the Revolution

Rizal’s refusal to align himself with the revolutionary forces and his vehementcondemnation of the mass movement and of its leaders have placed Filipinos in a dilemma.Either the Revolution was wrong, yet we cannot disown it, or Rizal was wrong, yet we cannotdisown him either. By and large, we have chosen to ignore this apparent contradiction. Rizalists,especially, have taken the easy way out, which is to gloss over the matter. They have treatedRizal’s condemnation of the Katipunan as a skeleton in his closet and have been responsible forthe “silent treatment” on his unequivocal position against the Revolution.

To my knowledge, there has been no extensive analysis of the question. For someRizalists, this aspect of Rizal has been a source of embarrassment inasmuch as they picture him


as the supreme symbol of our struggle for freedom. Others in fact privately agree with his standas evidenced by their emphasis on the gradualism of Rizal’s teachings particularly his insistenceon the primacy of education. [p. 126] They would probably praise Rizal’s stand against theRevolution, if they dared. Since they do not dare for themselves, they are also prudently silentfor Rizal’s sake. Others, careless and superficial in their approach to history and perhaps afraidto stir a hornet’s nest of controversy, do not think it important to dwell on this contradiction between our Revolution and our national hero and elect to leave well enough alone. Perhaps theydo not perceive the adverse consequences of our refusal to analyze and resolve this contradiction.Yet the consequences are manifest in our regard for our Revolution and in our understanding ofRizal.

The Philippine Revolution has always been overshadowed by the omnipresent figure andthe towering reputation of Rizal. Because Rizal took no part in that Revolution and in factrepudiated it, the general regard for our Revolution is not as high as it otherwise would be. Onthe other hand, because we refuse to analyze the significance of his repudiation, ourunderstanding of Rizal and of his role in our national development remains superficial. This is adisservice to the event, to the man, and to ourselves.

Viewed superficially, Rizal’s reaction toward the Revolution is unexpected, coming as itdid from a man whose life and labors were supposed to have been dedicated to the cause of hiscountry’s freedom. Had someone of lesser stature uttered those words of condemnation, hewould have been considered a traitor to the cause. As a matter of fact, those words weretreasonous in the light of the Filipinos’ struggle against Spain. Rizal repudiated the one act whichreally synthesized our nationalist aspiration, and yet we consider him a nationalist leader. Suchan appraisal has dangerous implications because it can be used to exculpate those who actively betrayed the Revolution and may serve to diminish the ardor of those who today may be calledupon to support another great nationalist undertaking to complete the anti-colonial movement.

An American-Sponsored Hero

We have magnified Rizal’s role to such an extent that we have lost our sense of proportion and relegated to a subordinate position our other great men and the historic events inwhich they took part. [p.127] Although Rizal was already a revered figure and became more soafter his martyrdom, it cannot be denied that his pre-eminence among our heroes was partly theresult of American sponsorship. This sponsorship took two forms: on one hand, that ofencouraging a Rizal cult, on the other, that of minimizing the importance of other heroes or evenof vilifying them. There is no question that Rizal had the qualities of greatness. History cannotdeny his patriotism. He was a martyr to oppression, obscurantism and bigotry. His dramaticdeath captured the imagination of our people. Still, we must accept the fact that his formaldesignation as our national hero, his elevation to his present eminence so far above all our otherheroes was abetted and encouraged by the Americans.

It was Governor William Howard Taft who in 1901 suggested that the PhilippineCommission to the Filipinos be given a national hero. The Free Press of December 28, 1946gives this account of a meeting of the Philippine Commission:


‘And now, gentlemen, you must have a national hero.’ In these fateful words, addressed by then Civil Governor W. H. Taft to the Filipino members of the civil commission, Pardo deTavera, Legarda, and Luzuriaga, lay the genesis of Rizal Day…..

‘In the subsequent discussion in which the rival merits of the revolutionary heroes wereconsidered, the final choice-now universally acclaimed as a wise one-was Rizal. And so washistory made.’

Theodore Friend in his book, Between Two Empires, says that Taft “with other Americancolonial officials and some conservative Filipinos, chose him (Rizal) as a model hero over othercontestants - Aguinaldo too militant, Bonifacio too radical, Mabini unregenerate.” [2] Thisdecision to sponsor Rizal was implemented with the passage of the following Acts of thePhilippine Commission: (1) Act No. 137 which organized the politico-military district ofMorong and named it the province of Rizal “in honor of the most illustrious Filipino and themost illustrious Tagalog the islands had ever known, “ (2) Act No.243 which authorized a publicsubscription for the erection of a monument in honor or Rizal at the Luneta, and (3) Act No. 346which set aside the anniversary of his death as a day of observance. [p.128]

This early example of American “aid” is summarized by Governor W. Cameron Forbeswho wrote in his book, The Philippine Islands:

It is eminently proper that Rizal should have become the acknowledged national hero ofthe Philippine people. The American administration has lent every assistance to this recognition,setting aside the anniversary of his death to be a day of observance, placing his picture on the postage stamp most commonly used in the islands, and on the currency …. And throughout theislands the public schools tech the young Filipinos to revere his memory as the greatest ofFilipino patriots. (Underscoring supplied) [3]

The reason for the enthusiastic American attitude becomes clear in the followingappraisal of Rizal by Forbes:

Rizal never advocated independence, nor did he advocate armed resistance to thegovernment. He urged reform from within by publicity, by public education, and appeal to the public conscience. (Underscoring supplied) [4]

Taft’s appreciation for Rizal has much the same basis, as evidenced by his calling Rizal“the greatest Filipino, a physician, a novelist and a poet (who) because of his struggle for a betterment of conditions under Spanish rule was unjustly convicted and shot…. “

The public image that the American desired for a Filipino national hero was quite clear.They favored a hero who would not run against the grain of American colonial policy. We musttake these acts of the Americans in furtherance of a Rizal cult in the light of their initial policieswhich required the passage of the Sedition Law prohibiting the display of the Filipino flag. Theheroes who advocated independence were therefore ignored. For to have encouraged amovement to revere Bonifacio or Mabini would not have been consistent with American colonial policy.

Several factors contributed to Rizal’s acceptability to the Americans as the official heroof the Filipinos. In the first place, he was safely dead by the time the American began their


aggression. [p.129] No embarrassing anti-American quotations could ever be attributed to him.Moreover, Rizal’s dramatic martyrdom had already made him the symbol of Spanish oppression.To focus attention on him would serve not only to concentrate Filipino hatred against theerstwhile oppressors, it would also blunt their feelings of animosity toward the new conquerorsagainst whom there was still organized resistance at that time. His choice was a master stroke bythe Americans. The honors bestowed on Rizal were naturally appreciated by the Filipinos whowere proud of him.

At the same time, the attention lavished on Rizal relegated other heroes to the background-heroes whose revolutionary example and anti-American pronouncements might have stiffenedFilipino resistance to the new conquerors. The Americans especially emphasized the fact thatRizal was a reformer, not a separatist. He could therefore not be invoked on the question ofPhilippine independence. He could not be a rallying point in the resistance against the invaders.

It must also be remembered that the Filipino members of the Philippine Commissionwere conservative ilustrados. The Americans regarded Rizal as belonging to this class. This was,therefore, one more point in his favor. Rizal belonged to the right social class — the class thatthey were cultivating and building up for leadership.

It may be argued that, faced with the humiliation of a second colonization, we as a peoplefelt the need for a super-hero to bolster the national ego and we therefore allowed ourselves to be propagandized in favor of one acceptable to the colonizer. Be that as it may, certainly it is nowtime for us to view Rizal with more rationality and with more historicity. This need not alarmanyone but the blind worshipper. Rizal will still occupy a good position in our national pantheoneven if we discard hagiolatry and subject him to a more mature historical evaluation.

A proper understanding of our history is very important to us because it will serve todemonstrate how our present has been distorted by a faulty knowledge of our past. By unravelingthe past we become confronted with the present already as future. [p.130] Such a re-evaluationmay result in a down-grading of some heroes and even a discarding of others. It cannot spareeven Rizal. The exposure of his weaknesses and limitations will also mean our liberation, for hehas, to a certain extent become part of the superstructure that supports present consciousness.That is why a critical evaluation of Rizal cannot but lead to a revision of our understanding ofhistory and of the role of the individual in history.

Orthodox historians have presented history as a succession of exploits of eminent personalities, leading many of us to regard history as the product of gifted individuals. Thistendency is strongly noticeable in those who have tried of late to manufacture new heroesthrough press releases, by the creation of foundations, or by the proclamation of centennialcelebrations. Though such tactics may succeed for a limited period, they cannot insureimmortality where there exists no solid basis for it. In the case of Rizal, while he was favored bycolonial support and became good copy for propagandists, he had the qualifications to assumeimmortality. It must be admitted however, that the study of his life and works has developed intoa cult distorting the role and the place of Rizal in our history.

The uncritical attitude of his cultists has been greatly responsible for transforming biographers into hagiographers. His weaknesses and errors have been subtly underplayed and hisvirtues grossly exaggerated. In this connection, one might ask the question, what would have


happened if Rizal had not been executed in December of 1896? Would the course of thePhilippine Revolution have been different? This poses the question of the role of the individualin history. Was this historical phase of our libertarian struggle due to Rizal? Did the propagandists of the 19th century create the period or were they created by the period?

The Role of Heroes

With or without these specific individuals the social relations engendered bySpanish colonialism and the subsequent economic development of the countrywould have produced the nationalist movement. Without Rizal there would havedeveloped other talents. Without Del Pilar another propagandist would haveemerged. That Rizal possessed a particular talent which influenced the style of the period was accidental. That he was executed on December 30 onl y ad ded moredrama to the events of the period. [p. 131] If there had been no Rizal, another typeof talent would have appeared who might have given a different style to the historicstruggle; but the general trend engendered by the particular social relations wouldhave remained the same.

Without Rizal there may have been a delay in the maturation of our libertarian struggle, but the economic development of the period would have insured the same result. Rizal maybeaccelerated it. Rizal may have given form and articulation and color to the aspirations of the people. But even without him, the nationalist struggle would have ensued. This is likewise true inthe case of present-day national liberation movements. The fundamental cause of mass action isnot the utterances of a leader; rather, these leaders have been impelled to action by historicalforces unleashed by social development. We must therefore not fall into the error of projectingthe role of the individual to the extent of denying the play of these forces as well as the creativeenergies of the people who are the true makers of their own history.

Because Rizal had certain qualities, he was able to serve the pressing social needs of the period,needs that arose out of general and particular historical forces. He is a hero in the sense that hewas able to see the problems generated by historical forces, discern the new social needs created by the historical development of new social relationships, and take an active part in meetingthese needs. But he is not a hero in the sense that he could have stopped and altered the course ofevents. The truth of this statement is demonstrated by the fact that the Revolution broke outdespite his refusal to lead it and continued despite his condemnation of it. Rizal served his people by consciously articulating the unconscious course of events. He saw more clear ly than hiscontemporaries and felt with more intensity the problems of his country, though hisviewpoint was delimited by his particular status and upbringing. He was the first Filipino but hewas only a limited Filipino, the ilustrado Filipino who fought for national unity but feared theRevolution and loved his mother country, yes, but in his own ilustrado way.

Though we assert that the general course of history is not directed by the desires or ideasof particular men, we must not fall into the error of thinking that because history can proceedindependently of individuals it can proceed independently of men. [p. 132] The fact is thathistory is made by men who confront the problems of social progress and try to solve them inaccordance with the historical conditions of their epoch. They set their tasks in conformity withthe given conditions of their times. The closer the correspondence between a man’s perception ofreality and reality itself, the greater the man. The deeper his commitment to the people’s cause in


his own time as evidence by his life and deeds. Hence, for a deeper understanding and a morehis own time as evidence by his life and deeds. Hence, for a deeper understanding and a more precise evaluation precise evaluation of of Rizal Rizal as Filipino as Filipino and and as as hero, hero, we we must must examine examine at at some some length length the the periodperiodduring which Rizal lived.during which Rizal lived.

Innovation and ChangeInnovation and Change

Rizal lived in a period of great economic changes. These were inevitably accompanied byRizal lived in a period of great economic changes. These were inevitably accompanied bycultural and political ferment. The country was undergoing grave and deep alterations whichcultural and political ferment. The country was undergoing grave and deep alterations whichresulted in a national awakening. The English occupation of the country, the end of the galleonresulted in a national awakening. The English occupation of the country, the end of the galleontrade, and the Latin-American revolutions of that time were all factors which led to an economictrade, and the Latin-American revolutions of that time were all factors which led to an economicre-thinking by liberal Spanish officials. The establishment of non-Hispanic commercial housesre-thinking by liberal Spanish officials. The establishment of non-Hispanic commercial houses broke the broke the insular belt insular belt that hthat had circumscribed ad circumscribed Philippine life Philippine life for almost for almost two centuries two centuries and and a half.a half.The middle of the 19th century saw 51 shipping and commercial houses in Manila, 12 of whichThe middle of the 19th century saw 51 shipping and commercial houses in Manila, 12 of whichwere American and non-Hispanic European. These non-Spanish houses practically monopolizedwere American and non-Hispanic European. These non-Spanish houses practically monopolizedthe import-export trade. The opening of the ports of Sual, Cebu, Zamboanga, Legaspi andthe import-export trade. The opening of the ports of Sual, Cebu, Zamboanga, Legaspi andTacloban, all during the second half of the 19th century, enabled these non-Spanish interests toTacloban, all during the second half of the 19th century, enabled these non-Spanish interests toestablish branches beyond the capital city, thus establish branches beyond the capital city, thus further increasing cosmopolitan penetration. [5]further increasing cosmopolitan penetration. [5]

European and American financing were vital agents in the emerging export economy.European and American financing were vital agents in the emerging export economy.Merchants gave crop advances to indio and Chinese-mestizo cultivators, resulting in increasedMerchants gave crop advances to indio and Chinese-mestizo cultivators, resulting in increasedsurpluses of agricultural export products. The Chinese received loans for the distribution ofsurpluses of agricultural export products. The Chinese received loans for the distribution ofEuropean goods and the collection of Philippine produce for shipment abroad. Abaca and sugarEuropean goods and the collection of Philippine produce for shipment abroad. Abaca and sugar became became prime prime exports exports during during this this period period as as a a result result of of these these European European and and AmericanAmericanentrepreneurial activities. The Transformation of the sugar industry due to financing and theentrepreneurial activities. The Transformation of the sugar industry due to financing and theintroduction of steam-powered milling equipment increased sugar production from 3,000 piculsintroduction of steam-powered milling equipment increased sugar production from 3,000 piculsin mid-19th century to nearly 2,000,000 piculs in four decades. [6] [p.133]in mid-19th century to nearly 2,000,000 piculs in four decades. [6] [p.133]

These economic developments inevitably led to improvement in communications. TheThese economic developments inevitably led to improvement in communications. Theinfra-structure program of the Spanish government resulted in a moderately functional roadinfra-structure program of the Spanish government resulted in a moderately functional roadsystem. The third quarter of the century saw system. The third quarter of the century saw the opening of railroad lines. the opening of railroad lines. The steamship effectedThe steamship effected both both internal internal and and external external linkages, linkages, postal postal services services improved, improved, the the telegraph telegraph was was inaugurated inaugurated inin1873, and by 1880, we were connected with the world by a submarine cable to Hong Kong.1873, and by 1880, we were connected with the world by a submarine cable to Hong Kong.Manila’s water system was modernized in 1870; we had street cars in 1881 and telephone andManila’s water system was modernized in 1870; we had street cars in 1881 and telephone andelectric lights in the metropolitan region during the same period. Material progress set the stageelectric lights in the metropolitan region during the same period. Material progress set the stagefor cultural and social changes, among them the cultivation of cosmopolitan attitudes andfor cultural and social changes, among them the cultivation of cosmopolitan attitudes andheightened opposition to clerical control. Liberalism had invaded the country as a result of theheightened opposition to clerical control. Liberalism had invaded the country as a result of thereduction of the Spain-Manila voyage to thirty days after the opening of the Suez canal. Thereduction of the Spain-Manila voyage to thirty days after the opening of the Suez canal. Themestizo that developed became the crude ideological framework of the ferment among themestizo that developed became the crude ideological framework of the ferment among theaffluent indios and mestizos. [7]affluent indios and mestizos. [7]

The Ideological FrameworkThe Ideological Framework

Economic prosperity spawned discontent when the native beneficiaries saw a new worldEconomic prosperity spawned discontent when the native beneficiaries saw a new worldof affluence opening for themselves and their class. They attained a new consciousness andof affluence opening for themselves and their class. They attained a new consciousness andhence, a new goal - that of equality with the peninsulares - not in the abstract, but in practicalhence, a new goal - that of equality with the peninsulares - not in the abstract, but in practicaleconomic and political terms. Hispanization became the conscious manifestation of economiceconomic and political terms. Hispanization became the conscious manifestation of economicstruggle, of the desire to realize the potentialities offered by the period of expansion andstruggle, of the desire to realize the potentialities offered by the period of expansion and progress. Hispanization progress. Hispanization and and assimilation constituted assimilation constituted the the ideological ideological expression expression of of the the economiceconomic


motivations of affluent indios and mestizos. Equality with the Spaniard meant equality ofmotivations of affluent indios and mestizos. Equality with the Spaniard meant equality ofopportunity. But they did not realize as yet that real equality must be based on national freedomopportunity. But they did not realize as yet that real equality must be based on national freedomand independence. They were still in the initial phases of nationalist consciousness - aand independence. They were still in the initial phases of nationalist consciousness - aconsciousness made possible by the market situation of the time. The lordly friar who had beenconsciousness made possible by the market situation of the time. The lordly friar who had been partly partly responsible responsible for for the the isolation isolation of of the the islands islands became became the the target target of of attacks. attacks. Anti-clericalismAnti-clericalism became the ideological style of the period. [p. 134] became the ideological style of the period. [p. 134]

These then were the salient economic and ideological features of thisThese then were the salient economic and ideological features of this Rizal’s timRizal’s time. Ae. Atrue historical review would prove that great men are those who read the time and have a deepertrue historical review would prove that great men are those who read the time and have a deeperunderstanding of reality. It is their insights that make them conversant with their periods andunderstanding of reality. It is their insights that make them conversant with their periods andwhich enable them to articulate the needs of the people. To a large extent, Rizal, the ilustrado,which enable them to articulate the needs of the people. To a large extent, Rizal, the ilustrado,fulfilled this function, for in voicing the goals of his class he had to include the aspirations of thefulfilled this function, for in voicing the goals of his class he had to include the aspirations of theentire people. Though the aims of this class were limited to reformist measures, he expressed itsentire people. Though the aims of this class were limited to reformist measures, he expressed itsdemands in terms of human liberty and human dignity and thus encompassed the widerdemands in terms of human liberty and human dignity and thus encompassed the wideraspirations of all the people. This is not to say that he was conscious that these were class goals;aspirations of all the people. This is not to say that he was conscious that these were class goals;rather, that typical of his class, he equated class interest with people’s welfare. Herather, that typical of his class, he equated class interest with people’s welfare. He did this indid this ingood faith, unaware of any basic contradictions between the two. He was the product of hisgood faith, unaware of any basic contradictions between the two. He was the product of hissociety and as such could be expected to voice only those aims that were within the competencesociety and as such could be expected to voice only those aims that were within the competenceof his class. Moreover, social contradictions had not ripened sufficiently in his time to revealof his class. Moreover, social contradictions had not ripened sufficiently in his time to revealclearly the essential disparateness between class and national goals. Neither could he haveclearly the essential disparateness between class and national goals. Neither could he havetranscended his class limitations, for his cultural upbringing was such that affection for Spaintranscended his class limitations, for his cultural upbringing was such that affection for Spainand Spanish civilization precluded the idea of breaking the chains of colonialism. He had toand Spanish civilization precluded the idea of breaking the chains of colonialism. He had to become a Spaniard first before becoming a Filipino. [8] become a Spaniard first before becoming a Filipino. [8]

As a social commentator, as the exposer of oppression, he performed a remarkable task.As a social commentator, as the exposer of oppression, he performed a remarkable task.His writings were part of the tradition of protest which blossomed into revolution, into aHis writings were part of the tradition of protest which blossomed into revolution, into aseparatist movement. His original aim of elevating the indio to the level of Hispanization of theseparatist movement. His original aim of elevating the indio to the level of Hispanization of the peninsular peninsular so so that that the the country country could could be be assimilated, assimilated, could could become become a a province province of of Spain, Spain, waswastransformed into its opposite. Instead of making the Filipinos closer to Spain, the propagandatransformed into its opposite. Instead of making the Filipinos closer to Spain, the propagandagave root to separation. The drive for Hispanization was transformed into the development of agave root to separation. The drive for Hispanization was transformed into the development of adistinct national consciousness.distinct national consciousness.

Rizal contributed much to the growth of this national consciousness. It was aRizal contributed much to the growth of this national consciousness. It was acontribution not only in terms of propaganda but in something positive that thecontribution not only in terms of propaganda but in something positive that the pr preesese nnt t gegennereratat ioion n oof f FiFi lilipipinnoos s wiwi ll ll oowe we to to hihim m aand nd fofor r whwhiich ch ththeey y wiwi ll ll hhoonnor or hihimm b by y cocompmplletet ining g ththe e tatask sk whwhicic h h hhe e so so nnobob lly y bbeegagann. . HHe e mmaay y hhavav e e hahad d a a ddiiffffee rerent nt aandndlimited goal at the time, a goal that for us is already passe, something we take forlimited goal at the time, a goal that for us is already passe, something we take forgranted. However, for his time this limited goal was already a big step in the rightgranted. However, for his time this limited goal was already a big step in the rightdirection. [p.135] direction. [p.135] This contribution This contribution was in was in the realm the realm of Filipino of Filipino nationhood nationhood - - thethewinning of our name as a race, the recognition of our people as one, and thewinning of our name as a race, the recognition of our people as one, and theelelevevation of the indio intation of the indio into Filipino Filipino.o.

The Concept of Filipino NationhoodThe Concept of Filipino Nationhood

This was a victory in the realm of consciousness, a victory in a racial sense. However, itThis was a victory in the realm of consciousness, a victory in a racial sense. However, itwas only a partial gain, for Rizal repudiated real de-colonization. Beguiled by the new colonizer,was only a partial gain, for Rizal repudiated real de-colonization. Beguiled by the new colonizer,most Filipinos followed the example of Rizal. As a consequence, the development of the conceptmost Filipinos followed the example of Rizal. As a consequence, the development of the concept


of national consciousness stopped short of real de-colonization and we have not yet distinguishedof national consciousness stopped short of real de-colonization and we have not yet distinguishedthe true Filipino from the incipient Filipino.the true Filipino from the incipient Filipino.

The concept of Filipino nationhood is an important tool of analysis as well as aThe concept of Filipino nationhood is an important tool of analysis as well as aconceptual weapon of struggle. There are many Filipinos who do not realize they are Fiipinosconceptual weapon of struggle. There are many Filipinos who do not realize they are Fiipinosonly in the old cultural, racial sense. They are not aware of the term Filipino as a developingonly in the old cultural, racial sense. They are not aware of the term Filipino as a developingconcept. Much less are they aware that today social conditions demand that the true Filipino beconcept. Much less are they aware that today social conditions demand that the true Filipino beone who is consciously striving for de-colonization and independence.one who is consciously striving for de-colonization and independence.

Perhaps it would be useful at this point to discuss in some detail the metamorphosis of thePerhaps it would be useful at this point to discuss in some detail the metamorphosis of theterm Filipino not just as a matter of historical information but so that we may realize theterm Filipino not just as a matter of historical information but so that we may realize theimportance of Rizal’s contribution in this regard. Even more valuableimportance of Rizal’s contribution in this regard. Even more valuable are the insights we mayare the insights we maygain into the inter-dependence between material conditions and consciousness as manifested ingain into the inter-dependence between material conditions and consciousness as manifested inthe evolution of the word Filipino in terms of its widening applicability and deeper significancethe evolution of the word Filipino in terms of its widening applicability and deeper significancethrough succeeding periods of our history.through succeeding periods of our history.

It is important to bear in mind that the term Filipino originally referred to the creoles - theIt is important to bear in mind that the term Filipino originally referred to the creoles - theSpaniards born in the Philippines - the Españoles-Filipinos or Filipinos, for short. The nativesSpaniards born in the Philippines - the Españoles-Filipinos or Filipinos, for short. The nativeswere called indios. Spanish mestizos who could pass off for white claimed to be creoles andwere called indios. Spanish mestizos who could pass off for white claimed to be creoles andtherefore Filipinos. Towards the last quarter of the 19th century, Hispanized and urbanizedtherefore Filipinos. Towards the last quarter of the 19th century, Hispanized and urbanizedindios along with Spanish mestizos and sangley [Chinese indios along with Spanish mestizos and sangley [Chinese - rly] mestizos began to call themselves- rly] mestizos began to call themselvesFilipinos, especially after the abolition of the tribute lists in the 1880s and the economic growthFilipinos, especially after the abolition of the tribute lists in the 1880s and the economic growthof of the perithe period. od. [p. 136][p. 136]

We must also correct the common impression that the Filipinos who were inWe must also correct the common impression that the Filipinos who were inSpain during the Propaganda Period were all indios. In fact, the original CirculoSpain during the Propaganda Period were all indios. In fact, the original CirculoHispano-Filipino was dominated by creoles and peninsulares. The FilipinoHispano-Filipino was dominated by creoles and peninsulares. The Filipinocommunity in Spain during the 1880’s was a conglomerate of creoles, Spanishcommunity in Spain during the 1880’s was a conglomerate of creoles, Spanishmestizos and sons of urbanized indios and Chinese mestizos. [9]mestizos and sons of urbanized indios and Chinese mestizos. [9]

This community came out with an organ called España en Filipinas whichThis community came out with an organ called España en Filipinas whichsought to take the place of th earlier Revista Circulo Hispano Filipino founded bysought to take the place of th earlier Revista Circulo Hispano Filipino founded byanother creole Juan Atayde. España en Filipinas was mainly an undertaking ofanother creole Juan Atayde. España en Filipinas was mainly an undertaking ofSpanish and Spanish mestizos. The only non-Spaniard in the staff was BaldomeroSpanish and Spanish mestizos. The only non-Spaniard in the staff was BaldomeroRoxas. Its first issue came out in 1887. It was “moderate” in tone and failed to winRoxas. Its first issue came out in 1887. It was “moderate” in tone and failed to winthe sympathy of the native elements. In a letter to Rizal, Lopez-Jaena criticized it inthe sympathy of the native elements. In a letter to Rizal, Lopez-Jaena criticized it inthese words:these words:

From day to day I am becoming convinced that our countrymen, the mestizos,From day to day I am becoming convinced that our countrymen, the mestizos,far from working for the common welfare, follow the policy of their predecessors,far from working for the common welfare, follow the policy of their predecessors,the Azcarragas. [10]the Azcarragas. [10]

Lopez-Jaena was referring to the Azcarraga brothers who had held importantLopez-Jaena was referring to the Azcarraga brothers who had held important po posisi titionon s s in in ththe e PPhihi lili pppp ininees s anand d iin n SpSp aiain, n, bbut ut wwhoho , , ththouou gh gh thth eey y haha d d bbeeen en bobo rn rn hheerere ,,showed more sympathy for the peninsulares. It is fortunate that a street which wasshowed more sympathy for the peninsulares. It is fortunate that a street which wasonce named for one of them has become Claro M. Recto today.once named for one of them has become Claro M. Recto today.

Differences between the creoles and the “genuine” Filipinos as they calledDifferences between the creoles and the “genuine” Filipinos as they calledthemselves, soon set in. It was at this time that Rizal and other indios in Paris beganthemselves, soon set in. It was at this time that Rizal and other indios in Paris began


to use the term indios bravos, thus “transforming an epithet into a badge of honor.”The cleavage in the Filipino colony abroad ushered in a new period of thePropaganda which may be said to have had its formal beginning with the birth of LaSolidaridad. Its leaders were indios. The editor was not a creole like Lete or aSpanish mestizo like Llorente but Lopez-Jaena and later Marcelo H. del Pilar. LaSolidaridad espoused the cause of liberalism and fought for democratic solutions tothe problems that beset the Spanish colonies.

From the declaration of aims and policies the class basis of the Propaganda isquite obvious. The reformists could not shake off their Spanish orientation. [p. 137]They wanted accommodation within the ruling system. Rizal’s own reformism isevident in this excerpt from his letter to Blumentritt:

….under the present circumstances, we do not want separation from Spain.All that we ask is greater attention, better education, better government employees,one or two representatives and greater security for our persons and property. Spaincould always win the appreciation of the Filipinos if she were only reasonable! [11]

The indios led by Rizal gained acceptability as Filipinos because they proved theirequality with the Spaniards in terms of both culture and property. This was an important stage inour appropriation of the term Filipino. Rizal’s intellectual excellence paved the way for thewinning of the name for the natives of the land. It was an unconscious struggle which led to aconscious recognition of the pejorative meaning of indio. Thus, the winning of the term Filipinowas an anti-colonial victory for it signified the recognition of racial equality between Spaniardsand Filipinos.

The “Limited” Filipinos

But the appropriation of this term was not the end of the historic struggle fornational identity. While for Rizal’s time this was a signal victory, it was in truth alimited victory for us. For the users of the term were themselves limited Filipinos based on educat ion and prope rty. Sincethis te rm was appl ied to those who spoke inthe name of the people but were not really of the people, the next stage for thisgrowing concept should be the recognition of the masses as the real nation and theirtransformation into real Filipinos. However, the Filipino of today must undergo a process of de-colonizat ion before he can become a true Fi lip ino. The de -colon izedFilipino is the real goal for our time just as the Hispanized Filipino was once thegoal of the reformists.

Though Rizal was able to win for his countrymen the name Filipino, it wasstill as ilustrado that he conceived of this term. As ilustrado he was speaking in behalf of al l the indio s though he wa s sepa ra ted by cul tu re and even by prope rtyfrom the masses. His ilustrado orientation manifests itself in his novels. [p. 138]Though they are supposed to represent 19th century Philippine society inmicrocosm, all the principal characters belonged to the principalia. His hero, Ibarra,was a Spanish mestizo. The Spaniards, the creole, the mestizo, and the wealthyChinese - these were characters he could portray with mastery because they werewithin his milieu and class. But there are only very hazy description of characters


who belonged to the masses. His class position, his upbringing, and his foreigneducation were profound influences which constituted a limitation on hisunderstanding of his countrymen.

Rizal, therefore, was an ilustrado hero whose life’s mission corresponded in ageneral way to the wishes and aspirations of the people. He died for his people, yethis repudiation of the Revolution was an act against the people. There seems to be acontradiction between the two acts; there is actually none. Both acts were incharacter; Rizal was acting from patriotic motives in both instances.

He condemned the Revolution because as an ilustrado he instinctively underestimated the power and the talents of the people. He believed in freedom not so much as a national right butas something to be deserved, like a medal for good behavior. Moreover, he did not equate libertywith independence. Since his idea of liberty was essentially the demand for those rights whichthe elite needed in order to prosper economically. Rizal did not consider political independenceas a prerequisite to freedom. Fearful of the violence of people’s action, he did not want us tofight for our independence. Rather, he wanted us to wait for the time when Spain, acting in herown best interests, would abandon us. He expressed himself clearly on these points in thefollowing passage from a letter which he wrote in his cell on December 12, 1896, for the use ofhis defense counsel.

….. many have have interpreted my phrase to have liberties as to have independence,which are two different things. A people can be free without being independent, and a people can be independent without being free. I have always desired liberties for the Philippines and I havesaid so. Others who testify that I said independence either have put the cart before the horse orthey lie. [12]

He had expressed much the same opinion earlier in his El Filibusterismo when FatherFlorentino said: [p.139]

I do not mean to say that our liberty will be secured at the sword’s point, for the sword plays but little part in modern affairs, but that we must secure it by making ourselves worthy ofit, by exalting the intelligence and the dignity of the individual, by loving justice, right andgreatness, even to the extent of dying for them - and when a people reaches that height God will provide a weapon, the idols will be shattered, the tyranny will crumble like a house of cards andliberty will shine out like the first dawn. 13

Yet the people revered him because, though he was not with them, he died for certain principles which they believed in. He was their martyr; they recognized his labors although theyknew that he was already behind them in their forward march.

In line with their avowed policy of preparing us for eventual self-government, theAmericans projected Rizal as the model of an educated citizen. His name was invoked wheneverthe incapacity of the masses for self-government was pointed out as a justification for Americantutelage. Rizal’s preoccupation with education served to further the impression that the majorityof the Filipinos were unlettered and therefore needed tutelage before they could be ready forindependence. A book, Rizal, Educator and Economist, used in certain Philippine schools,supports this thesis by quoting a portion of Rizal’s manifesto of December 15, 1896 which states:


…..I am one most anxious for liberties in our country and I am still desirous of them. ButI placed as a prior condition the education of the people that by means of instruction and industryour country may have an individuality of its own and make itself worthy of these liberties. [14]

The authors of this book then make the following comment:

Rizal intentionally avoided the use of the term independence, perhaps because hehonestly believed that independence in its true, real, and strict sense should not be granted usuntil we were educated enough to appreciate its importance, and its blessings, and until we wereeconomically self-reliant. [15] [p. 140]

This statement not only supports the American line but is also an example of how ouradmiration for Rizal may be used to beguile us into accepting reactionary beliefs, the products ofcolonial mentality.

A people have every right to be free. Tutelage in the art of government as an excuse forcolonialism is a discredited alibi. People learn and educate themselves in the process ofstruggling for freedom and liberty. They attain their highest potential only when they are mastersof their own destiny. Colonialism is the only agency still trying to sell the idea that freedom is adiploma to be granted by a superior people to an inferior one after years of apprenticeship.

The Precursors of Mendicancy

In a way, Rizal’s generation is no different from the generation that was engaged in ourindependence campaigns. Neither was his generation much different from those who today saythey stand for independence but do not want to hurt the feelings of the Americans. In a way,Rizal and his generation were the precursors of the present-day mendicants. It may be shockingto say that Rizal was one of the practitioners of a mendicant policy, but the fact is that the propagandists, in working for certain reforms, chose Spain as the arena of their struggle insteadof working among their own people, educating them and learning from them, helping them torealize their own condition and articulating their aspirations. This reflects the bifurcation between the educated and the masses.

The elite had a sub-conscious disrespect for the ability of the people to articulate theirown demands and to move on their own. They felt that education gave them the right to speakfor the people. They proposed an elitist form of leadership, all the while believing that what theelite leadership decided was what the people would and should follow. They failed to realize thatat critical moments of history the people decide on their own, what they want and what they wantto do. Today, the ilustrados are shocked by the spate of rallies and demonstrations. They cannotseem to accept the fact that peasants and workers and the youth have moved without waiting fortheir word. They are not accustomed to the people moving on their own. [p. 141]

The ilustrados were the Hispanized sector of our population, hence they tried to provethat they were as Spanish as the peninsulares. They wanted to be called Filipinos in the creolesense: Filipino-Spaniards as Rizal called Ibarra. They are no different from the modern-daymendicants who try to prove that they are Americanized, meaning that they are Filipino-Americans. As a matter of fact, the ilustrados of the first propaganda movement utilized the sametechniques and adopted the same general attitude as the modern-day mendicants and pseudo-nationalists, in so far as the colonizing power was concerned.


Ilustrados and Indios

The contrast to the ilustrado approach was the Katipunan of Bonifacio. Bonifacio, not asHispanized as the ilustrados, saw in people’s action the only road to liberation. The Katipunan,though of masonic and of European inspiration, was people’s movement based on confidence inthe people’s capacity to act in its own behalf. The early rebellions, spontaneous and sporadic,could be termed movements, without consciousness. Rizal and the propagandists were theembodiment of a consciousness without a movement. It was Bonifacio and the Katipunan thatembodied the unity of revolutionary consciousness and revolutionary practice.

The indio as Filipino rose in arms while the ilustrado was still waiting for Spain todispense justice and reforms. The ilustrado Filipino was now being surpassed by the indio inrevolutionary ardor. The indio had a more legitimate claim to the title of Filipino because he wastruly liberating himself. The revolutionary masses proclaimed their separatist goal through theKatipunan. Faced with the popular determination, the ilustrados joined the Revolution where,despite their revolutionary rhetoric, they revealed by their behavior their own limited goals.

Though their fight was reformist and may be regarded as tame today, the historic role ofthe ilustrados cannot be denied for they were purveyors of ideas which when seized upon by themasses became real weapons. Today their ideas are orthodox and safe. However, the sameconcepts when made relevant to present society again make their partisans the objects of persecution by contemporary reactionaries.

The role and the contribution of Rizal, like that of the ilus trado class, [p.142] must beevaluated in the context of his particular reality within the general reality of his time. Rizal was anecessary moment in our evolution. But he was only a moment, and while his validity for histime amounted to a heroism that is valid for all time, we cannot say that Rizal himself will bevalid for all time and that Rizal’s ideas should be the yardstick for all our aspirations. He provided the model of a form of heroism that culminated in martyrdom. He was a Filipino wecan be proud of, a monument to the race despite all his limitations. But we cannot make him outto be the infallible determinant of our national goals, as his blind idolators have been trying todo.

We must see Rizal historically. Rizal should occupy his proper place in our pantheon ofgreat Filipinos. Though he is secure to be in our hearts and memories as a hero, we must nowrealize that he has no monopoly of patriotism; he is not the zenith of our greatness; neither are allhis teachings of universal and contemporary relevance and application. Just as a given socialsystem inevitably yields to new and higher forms of social organization, so the individual hero inhistory gives way to new and higher forms of heroism. Each hero’s contribution, however, arenot nullified thereby but assume their correct place in a particular stage of the people’sdevelopment. Every nation is always discovering or rediscovering heroes in the past or its present.

Blind Adoration

Hero-worship, therefore, must be both historical and critical. We must always beconscious of the historical conditions and circumstances that made an individual a hero, and wemust always be ready to admit at what point that hero’s applicability ceases to be of currentvalue. To allow hero-worship to be uncritical and unhistorical is to distort the meaning of the


heroic individual’s life, and to encourage a cult bereft of historical meaning - a cult of theindividual shorn of his historical significance. It is form without content, a fad that can be usedfor almost anything, because it is really nothing. We must view Rizal as an evolving personalitywithin an evolving historical period. That his martyrdom was tainted by his attacks on ourindependist struggle is not a ground for condemning him entirely. We must determine the factors- economic and cultural [p. 143] - that made Rizal what he was. We must see in his life and inhis works the evolution of the Filipino and must realize that the period crowned by his death isonly a moment in the totality of our history.

It is a reflection of our lack of creative thinking that we continue to invoke Rizal whenwe discuss specific problems and present-day society. This is also a reflection of our intellectualtimidity, our reluctance to espouse new causes unless we can find sanctions, however remote, inRizal. This tendency is fraught with dangers.

Limitations of Rizal

We are living in an age of anti-colonial revolutions different in content from those ofRizal’s period. Rizal could not have anticipated the problems of today. He was not conversantwith economic tools of analysis that would unravel the intricate techniques that today are beingused by outside forces to consign us to a state of continued poverty. The revolutions of todaywould be beyond the understanding of Rizal whose Castilian orientation necessarily limited hishorizon even for that period. He was capable of unraveling the myths that were woven by theoppressors of his time, but he would have been at a loss to see through the more sophisticatedmyths and to recognize the subtle techniques of present-day colonialists, given the state of hisknowledge and experience at that time. This is not to say that were he alive today and subject tomodern experiences, he would not understand the means of our times. But it is uselessspeculation to try to divine what he would now advocate.

Unless we have an ulterior motive, there is really no need to extend Rizal’s meaning sothat he may have contemporary value. Many of his social criticisms are still valid today becausecertain aspects of our life are still carry-overs of the feudal and colonial society of his time. Atrue appreciation of Rizal would require that we study these social criticisms and take steps toeradicate the evils he decried.

Part and parcel of the attempt to use Rizal as an authority to defend the status quo is thedesire of some quarters to expunge from the Rizalist legacy the so-called controversial aspects ofhis writings, particularly his views on the friars and on religion. We have but to recall theresistance to the Rizal bill, [p. 144] the use of expurgated versions of the Noli Me Tangere andthe El Filibusterismo, and objections to the readings of his other writings to realize that whilemany would have us venerate Rizal, they would want us to venerate a homogenized version.

In his time, the reformist Rizal was undoubtedly a progressive force. In many areas of ourlife today, his ideas could still be a force for salutary change. Yet the nature of the Rizal cult issuch that he is being transformed into an authority to sanction the status quo by a confluence of blind adoration and widespread ignorance of his most telling ideas.

We have magnified Rizal’s significance for too long. It is time to examine his limitationsand profit from his weaknesses just as we have learned from the strength of his character and his


virtues. His weaknesses were the weaknesses of his society. His wavering and his repudiation ofmass action should be studied as a product of the society that nurtured him.

The Negation of Rizal

Today, we need new heroes who can help us solve our pressing problems. We cannot relyon Rizal alone. We must discard the belief that we are incapable of producing the heroes of ourepoch, that heroes are exceptional beings, accidents of history who stand above the masses andapart from them. The true hero is one with the masses: he does not exist above them. In fact, awhole people can be heroes given the proper motivation and articulation of their dreams.

Today we see the unfolding of the creative energies of a people who are beginning tograsp the possibilities of human development and who are trying to formulate a theoreticalframework upon which they may base their practice. The inarticulate are now making historywhile the the articulate may be headed for historical anonymity, if not ignominy. When the goalsof the people are finally achieved, Rizal the first Filipino, will be negated by the true Filipino bywhom he will be remembered as a great catalyzer in the metamorphosis of the de-colonizedindio. [p. 145]

Sample Notes:

* Third National Rizal Lecture, December 30, 1969.1 The full text of the manifesto may be found in Jose Rizal, Political and Historical

Writings. Vol VII (Manila: National Heroes Commission, 1964), p. 348.2 Theodore Friend, Between Two Empires (New Haven and New York: Houghton Mifflin

Company, 1928), p. 15.3 W. Cameron Forbes. The Philippine Islands (Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin

Company, 1928), p. 554 Ibid. p. 535 See Robert R. Reed, Hispanic Urbanism in the Philippines: A Study of the Impact of Church

and State (Manila: The University of Manila, 1967), Chapter VIII.6 Ibid, p. 1257 For a discussion of cultural and social context of the period, see Edgar Wickberg, The

Chinese in Philippine Life, 1850-1898 (New Haven and London: Yale University Press,1965), pp. 131-1348 A fuller discussion of the developing concept of the true Filipino may be found in my book,

The Making of a Filipino (Quezon city: Malaya Books, 1969), Chapter 1. [p. 190]9 Ibid., see also my essay, “The Filipino Elite,” found in part two of this book.10 Graciano Lopez-Jaena. “Letter to Rizal, March 16, 1887,” Rizal’s Correspondence with

Fellow Reformists, Vol. II, Book II (Manila: National Heroes Commission, 1963), p.103.

11 The Rizal-Blumentritt Correspondence, Part 1: 1886-1889, Vol. II, January 26, 1887, p.44.

12 Rizal, “Data for my Defense,” Political and Historical Writings, p. 34013 Rizal, The Reign of Greed, translated by Charles Derbyshire (Manila: Philippine

Education Company, 1956), p. 360.14 Rizal, “Manifesto, December 15, 1896,” Political and Historical Writings, p. 348.15 Hernandez, Ella, Ocampo. Rizal, Educator and Economist, (Manila, 1949), p. 94 [p. 191]


Part 7: Appendix

Other Works

Paintings

Title: Saturnina RizalMaterial: OilRemarks: Now in Rizal Shrine in Fort Santiago

Title: Dapita church curtainsMaterial: OilRemarks: Made in Dapitan, 1894

Title: A painting on a pair of mother-of-pearlMaterial: OilRemarks: Shells painted by Rizal in Dapitan and given as a gift to Doña Leonor Valenzuelaand later passed into the hands of Doña Margarita Valenzuela

Title: Spanish coat of armsMaterial: Water colorRemarks: Done during a fiesta of San Rafael in Calamba in 1867

Title: Allegory on a pair of porcelain bases of the new year celebrationMaterial: OilRemarks: Made in Berlin in 1886

Title: Christ crucifiedMaterial: CrayonRemarks: 1875

Title: Immaculate ConceptionMaterial: CrayonRemarks: Made in Manila, 1974

Title: Portrait of MoraytaMaterial: CrayonRemarks: Made in Barcelona, 1885

Sketches


Title: Singapore lighthouseMaterial: Ink or pencilRemarks: Sketch book of Rizal on his first trip on May 1882 or the diary

Title: Along Suez CanalMaterial: Ink or pencilRemarks: Sketch book of Rizal on his first trip on May 1882 or the diary

Title: Castle of St. ElmoMaterial: Ink or pencilRemarks: Sketch book of Rizal on his first trip on May 1882 or the diary

Title: AdenMaterial: Ink or pencilRemarks: Sketch book of Rizal on his first trip on May 1882 or the diary

Title: Fishes caught in DapitanMaterial: InkRemarks: Made in Dapitan, 18 in number

Title: Sketch of himselfMaterial:Remarks: Made in the training class in sketching

Title: Pencil sketch of Dr. BlumentrittMaterial: PencilRemarks: Made in Leitmeritz, 1886

Title: Monkey and the TurtoiseMaterial: InkRemarks: Made by Rizal in the album of Mrs. Juan Luna in Paris in 1886

Title: Segunda KatigbakMaterial: InkRemarks:

Title: Brooklyn BridgeMaterial: PencilRemarks: De Nueva York (illustration) diary. Made in 1886


Title: SulpakanMaterial: InkRemarks: Epistolario Rizalino

Title: Father Pablo PastellsMaterial:Remarks: Lost

Title: Room in which El Filibusterismo was begunMaterial: CrayonRemarks: Made in October 1887 in Calamba

Title: Two sketches without descriptionMaterial: CrayonRemarks: Madrid diary of January 1884. Academy of San Fernando

Title: A landscape and sketch of a figureMaterial:Remarks: Madrid diary of January 1884. Academy of San Fernando

Title: Side sketch of Rizal's nurseMaterial:Remarks:

Title: Side sketch of Señor MonroyMaterial:Remarks:

Title: Sketch of artist JuanchoMaterial:Remarks:

Title: Padre BurgosMaterial:Remarks:

Title: Mt. MakilingMaterial:Remarks:


Title: Sketches of his stay in JapanMaterial: InkRemarks: Made in 1888

Title: Imitation of Japanese artMaterial: InkRemarks: Made in 1888

Title: Studies of passengers of SS DjemnahMaterial: PencilRemarks: Sketchbook of Rizal on his first trip on May 1882

Title: Parting view of ManilaMaterial: PencilRemarks: Sketchbook of Rizal on his first trip on May 1882

Title: Cover of Noli Me TangereMaterial: InkRemarks: Now in the original Noli Me Tangere in Bureau of Public Libraries

Title: Rizal family treeMaterial:Remarks: Made in Dapitan

Title: Heads of Sibili CumanaMaterial: InkRemarks: Made in Dapitan. Included in the Sibila Cumana

Title: Antonio de MorgaMaterial: PencilRemarks: Made in London while annotating "Sucecos"

Title: Sketch of friends in Cafe MadridMaterial: ChalkRemarks: Lost

Title: Sketches of scenery and Filipino customsMaterial:Remarks: Sent to Dr. Czpelack in 1888 from London


Title: Pen sketches of Drs. de Wecker and Becker made by Rizal and inserted in a letter toDr. ViolaMaterial: InkRemarks: Lost. Made in Madrid in 1886

Title: Sketch of the ascent of Mt. MakilingMaterial: PencilRemarks: Sent to Dr. Blumentritt

Title: Sketches of diary: De Heidelberg a Leipzig pasando por el RhinMaterial: PencilRemarks: Made in Germany, Switzerland and Italy in 1887

Title: Sketches of diary: De Marseille and Hong KongMaterial: PencilRemarks: Made on board the Djemnah in 1887

Title: Sketches of "Apuntas de Portificacion de Campaña"Material: InkRemarks: Made in London in 1888

Title: "Limang Salita"Material: InkRemarks: Made in Berlin 1886

Title: Notas ClinicasMaterial: InkRemarks: Made in Madrid in 1884-1885

Title: Sketch of the plan of their lodging house in 15 Baño, MadridMaterial: InkRemarks: Lopez Museum

Title: Sketches of archeological findings in Lumanao hillMaterial: InkRemarks: Made in Dapitan, 1894-1895

Title: Sketches in "Hundred Letters"Material: InkRemarks: May be seen in "100 Letters of Jose Rizal"



Title: Leonor RiveraMaterial: CrayonRemarks: Kept in original frame


Title: Sketch of himselfMaterial: InkRemarks: Sent to Dr. Blumentritt in 1887

Title: Sketch of Fritz UllmerMaterial: PencilRemarks: Made in Heidelberg in 1886

Title: Sketches of Spanish characters in MadridMaterial: InkRemarks: Made in Madrid in 1883

Title: Cartoons made in HeidelbergMaterial: InkRemarks: made in Heidelberg in 1886

Title: Sketch of Pastor UllmerMaterial: PencilRemarks: made in Heidelberg in 1886

Title: Sketch of EphigeniaMaterial: PencilRemarks: Made in Heidelberg in 1886

Title: Sketch of a gladiatorMaterial: PencilRemarks: Made in Heidelberg in 1886


Title: Sketch of a boatMaterial: InkRemarks: Made in Leitmeritz in 1886

Maps and Plans

Title: Relief map of MindanaoMaterial:Remarks: Made in Dapitan church plaza by the end of 1892

Title: Pacific ocean spheres of influenceMaterial:Remarks: Made during the administration of Pres. Benjamin Harrison. Mentioned by Rizalin his Article "The Philippines a Century Hence", made in London in 1889.

Title: Plan for modern college (front and side views)Material:Remarks: Owned by Dr. L. L. R, apparently in Paris, 1872

Title: The lake district of central LuzonMaterial:Remarks: Mentioned in "Memorias de un Estudiante de Manila", 1872.

Title: Plan of the waterworks in DapitanMaterial:Remarks: Made with Father Sanchez, in Dapitan, 1895

Title: Sketch of the Lumanao Hill where jewels were foundMaterial:Remarks: Owned by Ateneo. Made in 1895


References

Ancheta, Celedonio A. 1977. Jose Rizal's Life and His Complete Works. Diliman, Quezon City: National Bookstore, Inc.

Bantug, Asuncion Lopez . 1982. Lolo Jose: An intimate portrait of Rizal . Manila: InstramurosAdministration.

Bantug, Asuncion Lopez-Rizal. 1997. Indio Bravo: The Story of Jose Rizal . Manila: TahananBooks.

Capino, Diosdado C., Gonzales, Ma. Minerva A. and Pineda, Filipinas. 1977. Rizal: Life, Worksand Writings. Quezon City. JMC Press.

Del Carmen, Vicente F. 1982. An Encyclopedic Collection (vol. 1). Quezon City: New DayPublications.

Dela Cruz, Virsely M. and Zulueta, Francisco. 1995. Rizal: Buhay at mga Kaisipan.Manila: National Book Store.

Guerrero, Leon Ma. 1998. The First Filipino. Philippines: Guerrero Publishing.

Guerrero, Leon Ma. 1987. Rizal:The First Filipino. Manila: National Historical Institute.

Manolo O. Vaño. 1985. Light in Rizal's Death Cell . Quezon City. New Day Publishers

Montemayor, Teofilo M. 1996. Rizal Pictorial Calendar . Manila: National HistoricalInstitute.

National Historical Institute. 1992. Quotation from Rizal’s Writings. Manila: NationalHistorical Institute.

National Historical Institute. 1995. Pictorial Album on Rizal . Manila: National HistoricalInstitute.

National Historical Institute. 1994. A Rizal Anthology – Trilingual Edition. Manila: NationalHistorical Institute.

National Historical Institute. 2002. Writings of Jose Rizal: Rizal's Poem. Vol.III, Book 1.Manila: National Historical Institute.

Ocampo, Ambeth R. 2000. Rizal: Without the Overcoat . Pasig City: Anvil Publishing, Inc.

Ocampo, Ambeth. 1995. Rizal Sired Hitler. Phlippine Daily Inquirer , June.

Palma, Rafael. 1948. The Pride of the Malay Race. New York: Prentice-Hall.


Quezon, Manuel III. 1994. Adolf Rizal (And His Half Brother, Rizal Zedong). Today,September.

Quibuyen, Alonzo C. 1999. A Nation Aborted . Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila UniversityPress.

Zaide, Gregorio and Zaide, Sonia. 1997. Jose Rizal: Buhay, mga Ginawa at mga Sinulat .Quezon City. All-Nations Publishing Co., Inc.

Zaide, Gregorio F. Jose Rizal: Life, Works and Writings. Reprint, Mandaluyong City: National Bookstore, Inc., 2005.

Primary Facilitator ’s Short Bio

ACADEMIC TRAINING

Graduate: PhD in Development Management (ongoing)

MA in International Development & Social Change , (GPA: A)Department of International Development, Community and Environment(IDCE) Clark University, Greater Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

College: Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, ( Magna cum laude)Societas Verbi Divini – Christ the King Mission Seminary (SVD-CKMS)Quezon City, Philippines

INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP /SCHOLARSHIP/AWARDS

Fulbright Fellowship, Fulbright Commission, US State Department, Graduate Study atIDCE, Clark University, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Fulbright Fellowship, US State Department, Multinational Institute of American Studies,Steinhardt School of International Education, Humanities and Culture, New YorkUniversity, New York City, U.S.A.

With Distinction Award (A+), Graduate Research on Food Sovereignty and LiberationPhilosophy/Theology, IDCE, Clark University, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Graduate Scholarship Award, IDCE, Clark University, MA, U.S.A.

Melder Fund Research Travel Grant to Asia, IDCE, Clark University, MA, U.S.A.


MAJOR WORK EXPERIENCE

Faculty, Department of Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), MarianoMarcos State University (MMSU), Batac City, 2005-Present

Handles Philosophy, Sociology and other Social Science subjects; Coordinator for Extension, Gender and Development, Human Rights Education, and Regional Poverty Studies; Development and Social Science specialist – USAID-funded Research on Village-level Biofuel Industry

Speech Writer/Researcher, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Department of NationalDefense, Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City

Conducted research on national and regional security issues; wrote speeches andmessages for the President of the Philippines, Secretary of National Defense, AFPChief of Staff and top-ranking officials of the DND and National Security Council

Project Management Officer, Countryside Rehabilitation for Sustainable CommunityDevelopment, Inc., Cordillera Region

Managed the above NGO and spearheaded a World Bank-funded reforestationand community development project

Faculty, Divine Word College of Laoag, Laoag City

Handled Philosophy, Theology, and Values Education subjects

LATEST PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC INVOLVEMENT

Development and Social Science specialist – USAID-funded Interagency Research andDevelopment on Village-level Biofuel Industry, 2014-2019

Human Rights Educator, Commission on Human Rights; Ateneo Human Rights Center;Regional Human Rights Education Center, MMSU, Batac City, 2005-Present

Member, State Alumni, U.S. State Department, Washington D.C., U.S.A., 2007-Present

Member, Association of Philippine Fulbright Scholars, Philippine American EducationalFoundation / Philippine Fulbright Commission, 2009-Present

Member, Faculty Association Inc., MMSU, Batac City, 2005-Present

Area Coordinator, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, EpiscopalCommission on Social Action, Justice and Peace, Catholic Bishops Conference ofthe Philippines, Manila, 2004-2011


Regional Secretary, Sustainable Agriculture Network, Luzon Chapter, Philippines, 2004- 2008

Ecology Coordinator, Commission on Social Action, Justice and Peace, Diocese ofLaoag, Philippines, 2002-2011

To win without fighting is supreme intelligence.Lao Tzu

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