He died on July 23, 1965.

October 19, 1886, Jorge Bocobo, who translated Dr. Jose Rizal's Noli Me
an!ere and "l #ili$usteris%o into "n!lish, was $orn in &erona, arla'.
(o'o$o, who !ot an al%ost )er*e't s'ore in +i,il -aw e.a%ination in the
'ountry, also translated the +ode o* /alantiaw, -u)an! Hiniran! and 0ndres
(oni*a'io's De'alo!ue.
He was one o* the 111 #ili)ino students, the so2'alled"pensionados", who
were sent to the 3nited 4tates to study *or *our years in 0%eri'an 4'hool on
5'to$er 11, 1913.
He hel)ed 6resident Manuel -. 7uezon in dra*tin! s)ee'hes and state%ents in
'onne'tion with the 'a%)ai!n *or 6hili))ine inde)enden'e as a %e%$er o*
*our inde)enden'e 'o%%issions to the 3nited 4tates in 1919, 1922, 1923,
and 1928.
(o'o$o also translated into "n!lish Rizal's )re*a'e to 6ro*essor #erdinand
(lu%entritt's $oo9, #ili)inas. His le!al )u$li'ations in'luded outlines o* the
laws on )ro)erty, o$li!ations, and 'ourt de'isions *ro% 1928 to 1988.
Nota$ly, (o'o$o, who $e'a%e *i*th )resident o* the 3ni,ersity o* the
6hili))ines *ro% 1938 to 1939, was in*luential in the de,elo)%ent o* edu'ation
in the 6hili))ines.
:hile in his years o* tea'hin! and as a'tin! dean o* the 3.6. +olle!e o* -aw
*ro% 1918 to 191;, he !reatly 'ontri$uted to %a9in! 3.6. the %ost
outstandin! law s'hool in the 'ountry and one with the $est le!al li$rary.
He held se,eral other )ositions, in'ludin! <usti'e o* the 4u)re%e +ourt *ro% 1982 to
1988 and 'hair%an o* the +ode +o%%ission.
He was the )rin'i)al author o* the +i,il +ode o* the 6hili))ines, *or whi'h he
was !i,en a 6residential 0ward o* Merit $y 6resident "l)idio 7uirino in 1989.
(o'o$o was i%)risoned $ut later 'leared o* the 'har!es o* treason $y the
0%eri'ans on May 1;, 1958, $e'ause he held o**i'e with the !o,ern%ent
installed $y the Ja)anese durin! their o''u)ation o* the 'ountry.
College Uneducation (Jorge Bocobo)
I wish to speak on College Uneducation. Is it possible that our college educationmay
uneducate rather than educate I answer !es. It is a parado" but nonetheless the
truth#the grim$ unmerci%ul truth. &e all belie'e in higher education( else we should not
be in the Uni'ersity. )t the same time$ college education#like all other human de'ices
%or human betterment#may build or destroy$ lead$ or mislead.
*y ten years+ humble ser'ice in the Uni'ersity o% the ,hilippines has a%%orded me an
opportunity to watch the current o% ideals and practices o% our student body. In some
aspects o% higher education$ most o% our students ha'e measured up to their high
responsibilities. But in other %eatures#alas$ 'ital ones-#the thoughts and actions o%
many o% them tend to stunt the mind$ dry up the heart$ and .uench the soul. /hese
students are being uneducated in college. I shall brie%ly discuss three ways in which
many o% our students are getting college uneducation$ %or which they pay tuition %ees
and make unnumbered sacri%ices.
Book &orship
In the %irst place$ there is the all but delirious worship o% the printed page. &hat does
the book say is$ by all odds$ the most important .uestion in the student+s mind
whene'er he is %aced with any problem calling %or his own reasoning. By the same
token$ may students %eel a sort o% %ren0y %or %acts till these become as huge as the
mountains and the mind is crushed under them. /hose students think o% nothing but
how to accumulate data( hence$ their capacity %or clear and power%ul thinking is
paraly0ed. 1ow pathetic to hear them argue and discuss- Because they lack the nati'e
'itality o% unhampered reason$ their discourse smacks o% cant and sophistry rather than
o% healthy reasoning and straight thinking.
It is thus that many o% our students surrender their indi'iduality to the te"tbook and lose
their birthright#which is to think %or themsel'es. )nd when they attempt to %orm their
own 2udgment$ they become pedantic. Unless a student de'elops the habit o%
independent and sound reasoning$ his college education is a solemn sham.
Compare these hair3splitting college students with Juan de la Cru0 in the barrios. 4ow$
Juan de la Cru0 has read 'ery little5 no undigested mass o% learning dulls the edge o%
his inborn logic$ his mind is %ree %rom the o'erwhelming$ stulti%ying weight o%
unassimilated book knowledge. 1ow penetrating his perception$ how unerring his
2udgment$ how solid his common sense- 1e contemptuously re%ers to the learned
sophists$ thus5 6umabis ang karunungan mo$ which means$ !our learning is too
much.
,ro%essional ,hilistinism
/he second manner o% college uneducation that I want to speak o% is this5 most students
make pro%essional e%%iciency the be3all and end3all o% college education. /hey ha'e set
their hearts upon becoming highly trained lawyers$ doctors$ engineers$ teachers$ and
agriculturists. I shall not stop to in.uire into the .uestion o% how much blame should be
laid at the door o% the %aculties o% the Uni'ersity %or this pernicious dri%t toward undue
and e"cessi'e speciali0ation. /hat such a tendency e"ists is undeniable$ but we ne'er
pause to count$ the cost- &e are all o% one mind5 I belie'e that college education is
nothing unless it widens a man+s 'ision$ broadens his sympathies$ and leads him to
higher thinking and deep %eeling. !et how can we e"pect a( this result %rom a state o%
a%%airs which reduces a law student to a code$ a prospecti'e doctor to a prescription$
and a would3be engineer to a mathematical %ormula 1ow many students in our
pro%essional colleges are doing any systematic reading in literature *ay we not$
indeed$ seriously ask whether this %etish o% speciali0ation does not smother the inspiring
sense o% beauty and the ennobling lo'e o% %iner things that our students ha'e it in them
to un%old into %ull3blown magni%icence.
/he Jading 7ullness o% *odern 6i%e
) thing o% beauty is a 2oy %ore'er$says 8eats. But we know that beauty us a matter o%
taste( and$ unless we de'elop in us a proper appreciation o% what is beauti%ul and
sublime$ e'erything around us is tedious and commonplace. &e rise early and go out
into$ but our spirit is responsi'e to the hope%ul .uietude and the dew3chastened
sweetness o% dawn. )t night we behold the myriad stars$ but they are 2ust so many
bright specks#their so%t %ires do not soothe our troubled hearts$ and we do not
e"perience that awesome$ soul stirring %ascination o% the immense ties o% 9od+s
uni'erse. &e are bathed in the sil'er sheen o% the moon and yet %eel not the beatitude
o% the moment. &e ga0e upon a 'ista o% high mountains$ but their silent strength has no
appeal %or us. &e read some undying 'erses( still$ their 'ibrant cadence does not thrill
us$ and their transcendent though is to us like a 'ision that 'anishes. &e look at a
masterpiece o% the chisel with its eternal grace%ulness o% lines and properties$ yet to us it
is no more than a mere human likeness. /ell me$ is such a li%e worth coming to college
%or !et$ my %riends$ the o'erspeciali0ation which many students pursue with 0eal and
de'otion is bound to result in such an un%eeling$ dry3as3dust e"istence.
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I may say in passing that the education o% the older generation is in this respect %ar
superior to ours. :ur older countrymen say$ with reason$ that the new education does
not law%ully culti'ate the heart as the old education did.
*isguided ;eal
6astly$ this sel%same rage %or highly speciali0ed training$ with a 'iew to distinguished
pro%essional success$ beclouds our 'ision o% the broader perspecti'es o% li%e. :ur
philosophy o% li%e is in danger o% becoming narrow and mean because we are habituated
to think almost wholly in terms o% material wellbeing. :% course we must be practical.
&e cannot ade.uately answer this tremendous .uestion unless we thought%ully de'elop
a proper sense o% 'alues and thus learn to separate the dross %rom the gold$ the cha%%
%rom the grain o% li%e. /he time to do this task is not a%ter but be%ore college graduation(
%or$ when all is said and done$ the sum and substance o% higher education is the
indi'idual %ormulation o% what li%e is %or$ with special training in some ad'anced line o%
human learning in order that such a li%e %ormula may be e"ecuted with the utmost
e%%ecti'eness. But how can we lay down the terms o% our philosophy o% li%e i% e'ery one
o% our thoughts is absorbed by the daily assignment$ the outside reading$ andthe
laboratory e"periment$ and when we continuously de'our lectures and notes
Uneducated Juan de la Cru0 as /eacher
1ere$ again$ many o% our students should sit at the %eet o% meagrely educated Juan de
la Cru0 and learn wisdom. )h- 1e is o%ten called ignorant$ but he is the wisest o% the
wise$ %or he has unra'elled the mysteries o% li%e. 1is is the happiness o% the man who
knows the whys o% human e"istence. Unassuming Juan de la Cru0 cherishes no
<aulting ambition which o+erleaps itsel%. 1is simple and hardy 'irtues put to shame the
studied and comple" rules o% conduct o% highly educated men and women. In ad'ersity$
his stoicism is beyond encomium. 1is lo'e o% home$ so guilelessly %aith%ul$ is the %irm
%oundation o% our social structure. )nd his patriotism has been tested and %ound true.
Can our students learn %rom Juan de la Cru0$ or does their college education un%it them
to become his pupils
In conclusion$ I shall say that I ha'e obser'ed among many o% our students certain
alarming signs o% college uneducation$ and some o% these are5 (=) lack o% independent
2udgment as well as lo'e o% pedantry$ because o% the worship o% the printed page and
the %e'erish accumulation o% undigested data(
(>) the deadening o% the delicate sense o% the beauti%ul and the sublime$ on account o%
o'erspeciali0ation( and (?) neglect o% the %ormulation o% a sound philosophy o% li%e as a
result o% e"cessi'e emphasis on pro%essional training.
JORGE BOCOBO
THE BASES OF EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES,
ACCCORDING TO BOCOBO, ARE THE FILIPINO SOCIO
CULTURAL VALUES AND TRADITIONS. THE SPIRIT OF
NATIONALISM AND LOVE OF COUNTRY MUST SERVE AS
THE FOUNDATION OF EDUCATION. FURTHER, THE
LEARNER MUST BE PREPARED FOR A DEMOCRATIC WAY
OF LIFE AND THINKING.