Collage of Agriculture

RIZAL AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF FILIPINO NATIONALISM

In partial fullfillment of the requirements for the degree Bachelor in Agricultural Technology

OCCIDENTAL MINDORO STATE COLLEGE

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
Murtha Campus

Submitted by: JOANA MARIE VARGAS Submitted to: ARVIN JONATHAN L. FLORES

March 2019
 Collage of Agriculture
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER Contents Page
I Rizal Law
II Concept of Heroism and Choosing a National Hero
A. “Why is Rizal our Greatest National Hero?” by Esteban de
Ocampo
III Nationalism
A. Europe in the 19th Century (particularly Spain
B. Philippines in the 19th Century
IV Mercado-Rizal Family and their influences in Rizal’s Philosopy
1.“To My Fellow Children”
V Influence of Rizal’s Formal Education
A. Ateneo Municipal de Manila
1.“Intimate Alliance between Religion and Good Education”
2.“Through Education Our Motherland Recieves Light”
3. “Junto All Pasig”
C. University of Santo Tomas
1. “To the Filipino Youth”
VI Rizal and the Campaign for Nationalism
A. Period of Preparation and Expedition (1882-1888)
1.“Love of Country”
2.“Noli Me Tangere”
3“Song of Maria Clara”
VII Period of Research and Writings (1888-1891)
1.Hymn to Labor
2.On the Indolence of the Filipinos
3.Letter to the Women of Malolos
VIII Nostalgic Historian
1.The Philippines a Century Hence
2.Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (Annotted)
A. The Reluctant Revolutionary
1. El Filibusterismo
IX From Hong Kong to Exile in Dapitan (1891-1892)
1.La Liga Filipinas
X Rizal in Dapitan
1.Going to Cuba up to the Second Arrest
2.Trial and Execution
3. Last Farewell
XII Other interpretation on the study of Dr. Jose Rizal’s Life
1. “Veneration without Understanding” by Renato Constantino
2. “Rizal and Bonifacio” by Claro M. Recto
3. “Maria Clara’s Locker” by Cesar Majul
 CHAPTER I
RIZAL LAW

Republic Act no. 646 - an act to convert the "Orden de Caballeros de Rizal" into a public
corporation to be known in english as "knights of Rizal" and in spanish as "Orden de Caballeros
de Rizal", and to define its purposes and powers.

Whereas, a civic organization known as "Orden de Caballeros de Rizal" (Knights of Rizal)

was incorporated under the Corporation Law of the Philippines in the year 1916 by patriotic
citizens for the following purposes:

"(a) To develop the most perfect union among the Filipinos in revering the memory of Dr. Jose
Rizal;

"(b) To promote among the associated knights the spirit of patriotism and Rizalian chivalry;

"(c) To study and spread the teachings of Dr. Jose Rizal and keep ever alive his consecrated
memory and to make effective his exemplary and exalted principles; and

"(d) To organize the annual festivities in honor of Dr. Rizal."

Whereas, there is greater need than ever for the Filipino people to propagate and to practice
the teachings of Rizal;

Whereas, the Knights of Rizal, if officially recognized and vested with appropriate powers,
would be a convenient instrumentality by the which the teachings of our national hero may be
propagated among our people to the end that they emulate and follow his examples; and

Whereas, it is necessary to grant legislative Charter to the said Knights of Rizal in order to
accord official recognition to it and to enlarge its powers so that it may more fully and more
effectively accomplish the laudable purposes for which it was organized: Now, therefore

Section 1. The present civic organization known as "Orden de Caballeros de Rizal" is hereby
converted into a body corporate and politic with powers hereinafter specified, under the name and
style KNIGHTS OF RIZAL and in Spanish as "Orden de Caballeros de Rizal" (hereinafter called
the corporation). The principal office of the corporation shall be in the City of Manila, Philippines.

Section 2. The purposes of this corporation shall be to study the teachings of Dr. Jose Rizal, to
inculcate and propagate them in and among all classes of the Filipino people, and by words and
deeds to exhort our citizenry to emulate and practice the examples and teachings of our national
hero; to promote among the associated knights the spirit of patriotism and Rizalian chivalry; to
develop a perfect union among the Filipinos in revering the memory of Dr. Jose Rizal; and to
organize and hold programs commemorative of Rizal's nativity and martyrdom.

Section 3. The said corporation shall have perpetual succession, with power to sue and be sued,
to hold such real and personal property as shall be necessary for corporate purposes; to solicit and
receive public contributions; to receive real and personal property by gift, devise, or bequest; to
adopt a seal and to alter the same at pleasure; to have offices and conduct its business and affairs
in the City of Manila and elsewhere; to make and adopt by-laws, rules, and regulations not
inconsistent with the laws of the Philippines, and generally to do all such acts and things (including
the establishment of regulations for the election of associates and successors) as may be necessary
to carry into effect the provisions of this Act and to promote the purposes of said corporation. The
existing By-Laws for the "Orden de Caballeros de Rizal" insofar as they are not inconsistent with
this Act shall remain in force as the By-Laws of the corporation until repealed or amended.

Section 4. All persons of legal age and of good moral character and reputation, who are in
sympathy with the purposes of the corporation, are eligible for active membership, upon
unanimous approval of the Supreme Council in banc of a written application thereof duly endorsed
by at least two active members of the corporation.

Section 5. The general administration and direction of the affairs of the corporation shall be in
the hands of a Supreme Council (Board of Directors) of nine members, which is hereby vested
with full powers and authority to act and perform all such functions as the corporation itself may
do and perform.

Section 6. A group of five or more persons of legal age residing in any locality outside of Manila
and who are of good moral character and reputation, may associate themselves and from a chapter
of the corporation upon approval of a written petition to the Supreme Council. It shall be the duty
of each chapter to promote and carry out the purposes of the corporation in the locality where the
chapter is organized.

Section 7. Any donation or contribution which from time to time may be made to the corporation
by the Government or any of its subdivisions, branches, offices, agencies, or instrumentalities, or
by any other person or entity, shall be expended by the Supreme Council solely to promote the
purposes for which the corporation is organized.

Section 8. From and after the passage of this Act, it shall be unlawful for any person to falsely
and fraudulently call himself as, or represent himself to be, a member of, or an agent for, the
Knights of Rizal; and any person who violates any of the provisions of this Act shall be punished
by imprisonment of not to exceed six months or a fine not exceeding five hundred pesos, or both,
in the discretion of the court.

Section 9. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved: June 14, 1951

 CHAPTER II
CONCEPT OF HEROISM AND CHOOSING A NATIONAL HERO

“Who Made Rizal Our Foremost National Hero, and Why?”

By: Esteban A. De Ocampo
Dr. Jose Rizal Mercado y Alonso, or simply Jose Rizal (1861-1896), is unquestionably the
greatest hero & martyr of our nation. The day of his birth & the day of his execution are fittingly
commemorated by all classes of our people throughout the length & breadth of this country & even
by Filipinos & their friends abroad. His name is a byword in every Filipino home while his picture
adorns the postage stamp & paper money of widest circulation. No other Filipino hero can surpass
Rizal in the number of towns, barrios, & streets named after him; in the number of educational
institutions, societies, & trade names that bear his name; in the number of persons, both Filipinos
& foreigners, who were named "Rizal" or "Rizalina" because of their parents’ admiration for the
Great Malayan; & in the number of laws, Executive Orders & Proclamations of the Chief
Executive, & bulletins, memoranda, & circulars of both the bureaus of public & private schools.
Who is the Filipino writer & thinker whose teachings & noble thoughts have been frequently
invoked & quoted by authors & public speakers on almost all occasions? None but Rizal. And why
is this so? Because as biographer Rafael Palma (1) said, "The doctrines of Rizal are not for one
epoch but for all epochs. They are as valid today as they were yesterday. It cannot be said that
because the political ideals of Rizal have been achieved, because of the change in the institutions,
the wisdom of his counsels or the value of his doctrines have ceased to be opportune. They have
not."
Unfortunately, however, there are still some Filipinos who entertain the belief that Rizal is
a "made-to-order" national hero, & that the maker or manufacturer in this case were the Americans,
particularly Civil Governor William Howard Taft. This was done allegedly, in the following
manner:

"And now, gentlemen, you must have a national hero". These were supposed to be
the words addressed by Gov. Taft to Mssrs. Pardo de Tavera, Legarda & Luzurriaga,
Filipino members of the Philippine Commission, of which Taft was the chairman. It was
further reported that "in the subsequent discussion in which the rival merits of the
revolutionary heroes (M. H. del Pilar, Graciano Lopez Jaena, Gen. Antonio Luna, Emilio
Jacinto, & Andres Bonifacio—O.) were considered, the final choice—now universally
acclaimed a wise one—was Rizal. And so history was made."(2)
This article will attempt to answer two questions: 1) Who made Rizal the foremost national
hero & 2) Why is Rizal our greatest national hero? Before proceeding to answer these queries, it
will be better if we first know the meaning of the term hero. According to Webster’s New
International Dictionary of the English Language, a hero is "a prominent or central personage
taking admirable part in any remarkable action or event". Also, "a person of distinguished valor or
enterprise in danger". And finally, he is a man "honored after death by public worship, because of
exceptional service to mankind".
Why is Rizal a hero, nay, our foremost national hero? He is our greatest hero because as a
towering figure in the Propaganda Campaign, he took an "admirable part" in that movement w/c
roughly covered the period from 1882-1896. If we were asked to pick out a single work by a
Filipino writer during this period, more than any writer writing, contributed tremendously to the
formation of Filipino nationality, we shall have no hesitation tin choosing Rizal’s Noli Me
Tangere (Berlin, 1887). It is true that Pedro Paterno published his novel, Ninay, in Madrid in 1885;
M. H. del Pilar his La Soberania Monacal in Barcelona in 1889, Graciano Lopez Jaena,
his Discursos y Articulos Varios, also in Barcelona in 1891; & Antonio Luna, his Impresiones in
Madrid in 1893, but none of these books had evoked such favorable & unfavorable comments
from friends & foes alike as did Rizal’s Noli.
Typical of the encomiums that the hero received for his novel were those received from
Antonio Ma. Regidor & Prof. Ferdinand Blumentritt. Regidor, a Filipino exile of 1872 in London,
said that "the book was superior" & that if "don Quixote has made its author immortal because he
exposed to the world the sufferings of Spain, your Noli Me Tangere will bring you equal
glory…" (3) Blumentritt, after reading Rizal’s Noli, wrote & congratulated its author, saying
among other things: "Your work, as we Germans say, has been written w/ the blood of the heart...
Your work has exceeded my hopes & I consider myself happy to have been honored by your
friendship. Not only I, but also your country, may feel happy for having in you a patriotic & loyal
son. If you continue so, you will be to your people one of those great men who will exercise a
determinative influence over the progress of their spiritual life." (4)
If Rizal’s friends & admirers praised w/ justifiable pride the Noli & its author, his enemies
were equally loud & bitter in attacking & condemning the same. Perhaps no other work has, up to
this day, aroused as much acrimonious debate not only among our people but also among
reactionary foreigners as the Noli of Rizal. In the Philippines the hero’s novel was attacked &
condemned by a faculty committee of a Manila university (UST) & by the permanent censorship
commission in 1887. the committee said that it found the book "heretical, impious, & scandalous
to the religious order, & unpatriotic & subversive to the public order, libelous to the govt. of Spain
& to its political policies in these islands", while the commission recommended that "the
importation, reproduction, & circulation of this pernicious book in the islands be absolutely
prohibited." (5) Coming down to our time, during the congressional discussions & hearings on the
Rizal (Noili-Fili) in 1956, the proponents & opponents of the bill also engaged themselves in a
bitter & long drawn-out debate the finally resulted in the enactment of a compromise measure,
now known as RA 1425.
The attacks on Rizal’s 1st novel were not only confined in the Philippines but were also
staged in the Spanish capital. There, Sen. Vida, Deputy (& ex-general) Luis de Pando & Premier
Praxedes Mateo Sagasta were among those who unjustly lambasted & criticized Rizal & his Noli in
the 2 chambers of the Spanish Cortes in 1888 & 1889. (6) it is comforting to learn however, that
about 13 years later, Cong. Henry Allen Cooper of Wisconsin delivered an eulogy of Rizal & even
recited the martyr’s Ultimo Pensamiento on the floor of the U. S. House of Representatives in
order to prove the capacity of the Filipinos for self- government. He said in part: "It has been said
that, if American institutions had done nothing else to furnish to the world the character of George
Washington, that alone would entitle them to the respect of mankind. So Sir, I say to all those who
denounces the Filipinos indiscriminately as barbarians & savages, w/o possibility of a civilized
future, that this despised race proved itself entitled to their respect & to the respect of mankind
when it furnished to the world the character of Jose Rizal."(7) The result of this appeal was the
approval of what is popularly known as the Philippine Bill of 1902.
The preceding paragraphs have shown that by the Noli alone Rizal, among his
contemporaries, had become the most prominent/ the central figure of the Propaganda Movement.
 Again, we ask the question: why did Rizal, become the greatest Filipino hero? Because in
this writer’s humble opinion, no Filipino has yet been born who could equal or surpass Rizal as a
"person of distinguished valor/enterprise in danger, fortitude in suffering." Of these traits of our
hero, let us see what a Filipino & an American biographer said:
"What is most admirable in Rizal," wrote Rafael Palma, is his complete self-denial,
his complete abandonment of his personal interests to think only of those of his country.
He could have been whatever he wished to be, considering his natural endowmwnts; he
could have earned considerable sums of money from his profession; he could have lived
relatively rich, happy, prosperous, had he not dedicated himself to public matters. But in
him, the voice of the species was stronger than the voice of personal progress or of private
fortune, & he preferred to live far from his family & to sacrifice his personal affections for
an ideal he had dreamed of. He heeded not his brother, not even his parents, beings whom
he respected & venerated so much, in order to follow the road his conscience had traced
for him.
He did not have great means at his disposal to carry out his campaign, but that did
not discouraged him; he contented himself w/ what he had. He suffered the rigors of the
cold winter of Europe, he suffered hunger, privation, & misery; but when he raised his eyes
to heaven & saw his ideal, his hope was reborn. He complained of his countrymen, he
complained of some of those who had promosed him help & did not help him, until at times,
profoundly disillusioned, he wanted to renounce his campaign forever, giving up
everything. But such moments are evanescent, he soon felt comforted & resumed the task
of bearing the cross of his suffering." (8)

Dr. Frank C. Laubach, an American biographer of Rizal, spoke of the hero’s coueage in
the following words:

His consuming life purpose was the secret of his moral courage. Physical courage,
it is true, was one of his inherited traits. But that high courage to die loving his murderers,
w/c he at last achieved--that cannot be inherited. It must be forged out in the fires of
suffering & temptation. As we read through his life, we can see how the moral sinew &
fiber grew year by year as he faced new perils & was forced to make fearful decisions. It
required courage to write his 2 great novels telling nothing that no otherman has ventured
to say before, standing almost alone against the powerful interests in the country & in
Spain, & knowing full well that despotism would strike back. He had reached another
loftier plateau of heroism when he wrote those letters to Hong Kong, "To be opened after
my death", & sailed to the "trap" in Manila w/o any illusions. Then in his Dapitan exile
when he was tempted to escape, & said "No", not once but hundreds of times for 4 long
years, & when, on the way to Cuba, Pedro Roxas pleaded w/ him to step off the boat of
Singapore upon British territory & save his life, what an inner struggle it must have caused
him to answer over & over again, "No, no, no!" When the sentence of death & the fateful
morning of his execution brought the final test, 30 Dec 1896, he walked w/ perfect calm to
the firing line as though by his own choice, the only heroic figure in that sordid scene." (9)
To the bigoted Spaniards in Spain & in the Philippines, Rizal was the most intelligent, most
courageous, & most dangerous enemy of the reactionaries & the tyrants; therefore he should be
shot publicly to serve as an example & a warning to those of his kind. This was the reason why
Rizal, after a brief mock trial, was sentenced to death & made to face the firing squad at
Bagumbayan Field, now Luneta, in the early morning of 30 Dec 1896.
And for the 3rd & the last time, we repeat the question: Why is Rizal the greatest Filipino
hero that ever lived? Because "he is a man honored after death by public worship, because of
exceptional service to mankind". We can say that even before his execution, Rizal was the already
acclaimed by both Filipinos & foreigners as the foremost leader of his people". Writing from
Barcelona to the Great Malayan on 10 Mar 1889, M. H. del Pilar said: "Rizal no tiene aun derecho
a morir: su nombre constituye la mas pura e immaculada bandera de aspirationes y Plaridel los
suyos no son otra causa ma que immaculada unos voluntarios que militan bajo esa
bandera."(10) Fernando Acevedo, who called Rizal his distinguido amigo, compañero y paisano",
wrote the letter from Zaragoza, Spain, on 25 Oct 1889: "I see in you the model Filipino; your
application to study & you talents have placed on a height w/c I revere & admire." (11) The
Bicolano Dr. Tomas Arejola wrote Rizal in Madrid, 9 Feb 1891, saying: "Your moral influence
over us is indisputable." (12) And Guillermo Puatu of Bulacan wrote this tribute to Rizal, saying:
"Vd. a quien se le puede (llamar) con razon, cabeza tutelary de los Filipinos, aunque la
comparacion parezca algo ridicula, porque posee la virtud la atraer consigo enconadas voluntades,
zanjar las discordias y enemistades renorosasnreuniren fiestas a hombres que no querian verse ni
en la calle… (12a)
Among the foreigners who recognized Rizal as the leading Filipino of his time were
Blumentritt, Napoleon M. Kheil, Dr. Rheinhold Rost, & Vicente Barrantes. Prof. Blumentritt told
Dr. Maximo Viola in May 1887 that "Rizal was the greatest product of the Philippines & that his
coming to the world was like the appearance of a rare comet, whose rare brilliance appears only
every other century." (13) napoleon Kheil of Prague, Austria, wrote to Rizal & said: "admiro en
Vd. a un noble representante de la España colonial." (13a) Dr. Rost, distinguished Malayologist &
librarian of the India office of London, called Rizal "una perla hombre" (14) , while don Vicente
Barrantes had to admit that Rizal was ‘the first among the Filipinos" (14)
Even before the outbreak of the revolution against Spain in 1896, many instances can be
cited to prove that his country here & abroad recognized Rizal’s leadership. In the early part of
1899 he was unanimously elected by the Filipinos in Barcelona & Madrid as honorary pres. of la
Solidaridad. (17) Some months later in Paris, he organized & became chief of the Indios Bravos.
In Jan 1891, Rizal was again unanimously chosen Responsable (chief) of the Spanish-Filipino
Association. (18) He was also the founder & moving spirit in the founding of la Liga Filipina on
Manila in 3 Jul 1892.
History tells us that the revolutionary society known as Katipunan likewise acknowledged
Rizal’s leadership & greatness by making him its honorary President & by using his family
name Rizal as the password for the 3rd-degree members. (19)
A year after Rizal’s execution, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo & the other revolutionary chiefs
exiled to Hong Kong held a commemorative program there on 29 Dec 1897 on the occasion of the
1st anniversary of the hero’s execution & martyrdom. (20)
Of utmost significance in the public’s appreciation for Rizal’s patriotic labors in behalf of
his people were the tributes paid by the revolutionary government to his memory. In his opening
address at the congress assembled at Malolos, Bulacan on 15 Sep 1898, Pres. Aguinaldo invoked
the spirits of the departed heroes of the fatherland, thus:

Illustrious spirits of RIZAL, Lopez Jaena, of Marcelo del Pilar! August shades of
Burgos, Pelaez & Panganiban! Warlike geniuses of Aguinaldo! (Crispulo---O.), & Tirona,
of Natividad & Evangelista! Arise a moment from your unknown graves! (21)
 Then on 20 Dec 1898 at the revolutionary capital of Malolos, Pres. Aguinaldo issued the
st
1 official proclamation making 30 Dec of that year as "Rizal Day". The same proclamation
ordered the hoisting the Filipino flags at half-mast "from 12:00 noon on 30 Dec 1898" and the
closing of "all offices of the government" during the whole day of 30 Dec. actually, the impressive
Rizal Day program, sponsored by the Club Filipino, was held in Manila on 30 Dec 1898. (22a)
It should be further noted that both the La Independencia, edited by Gen. Antonio Luna, &
the El Heraldo de la Revolucion, official organ of the revolutionary government, issued a special
supplement in honor of Rizal in one of their December issues in 1898.
Two of the greatest of Filipino poets in the Spanish language paid glowing tributes to the
martyr of Bagumbayan in acknowledgement of the hero’s labors & sacrifices for his people.
Fernando Ma. Guerrero wrote on 25 Sep 1898, thus:

"No has muerto, no. La Gloria es tu destino; tu corona los fuegos de la aurora, y
tu inviolable altar nuestra conciencia." (23)

And Cecilio Apostol, on 30 Dec of the same year, wrote these lines:

"!Duerme en paz las sombras de la nada,

Redentor de una Patria esclavizada!

!No llores de la tumba en el misterio

Del español el triunfo momentaneo:

Que si Una bala destrozo tu craneo,

Tambien tu idea destrozo un emperio! (24)

The Filipinos were not alone in grieving the untimely death of their hero & idol, for the
intellectual & scientific circles of the world felt keenly the loss of Rizal, who was their esteemed
colleague & friend. Dr. Camilo Osias & Wenceslao E. Retaña both spoke of the universal homage
accorded to Rizal immediately after his death. Dr. Osias wrote thus:

Expressions of deep sympathy came from Blumentritt & many others such as Dr.
Renward Braustetter of Lucerne, a scholar on things Malay; Dr. Feodor Jagor, a German
author of Philippine Travels; Dr. Friedrich Ratzel, an emeinent German geographer &
ethnographer; Señor Ricardo Palma, a distinguished man of letters from Peru; Prof. M
Buchner, director of the Ethnographic Museum of Munich & a noted Malayologist;
Monsieur Edmont Planchut, a French Orientalist, author of various works & writer on
Philippine subjects; Dr. W. Joest, eminent German geographer & professor at the
University of Berlin; Dr. H. Kern, professor of Sanskrit in the University of Leiden &
celebrated authority on Malay affairs; Dr. J. Montano, a distinguished French linguist &
anthropologist & author of a Memoria on the Philippines; Dr. F. Mueller, professor of the
University of Vienna & a great philologist; a noted Dutch literary woman who signed H.
D. Teenk Willink, author of a touching & conscientious biography of Rizal; Herr Manfred
Wittich, writer of Leipzig; Dr. Betances, Cuban political leader; Dr. Boettger, a noted
German naturalist & author of works on the fauna of the Philippines; Dr. A. B. Meyer,
 director of the Museum of Ethnography at Dresden & eminent Filipinologist; M.
Odekerchen of Leige, director of l’Express, a newspaper where Rizal wrote articles; Dr.
Ed Seler, translator in German of Rizal’s My Last Farewell; Mr. H. W. Bray, a
distinguished English writer; Mr. John Foreman, author of works on the Philippines &
Rizal; Herr C. m. Heller, a German naturalist; Dr. H. Stolpe, a Swedish savant who spoke
& published on the Philippines & Rizal; Mr. Armand Lelinsky, Austrian engineer & writer;
Dr. J. M. Podhovsky, a notable Czech write, author of various works on the Philippines &
Dr. Rizal. (25)
Among the scientific necrological services held especially to honor Rizal, the one
sponsored by the Anthropological Society of Berlin in 20 Nov 1897 at the initiative of Dr. Rudolph
Virchow, its president, was the most important & significant. Dr. Ed Seler recited the German
translation of Rizal’s "My Last Farewell" on that occasion. (26)
The newspapers, magazines, & other periodicals throughout the civilized world – in
Germany, Austria, France, Holland, London, the US, Japan, Hong Kong & Macao, Singapore,
Switzerland, & in Latin American countries—published accounts of Rizal’s martyrdom in order
to render homage to his greatness. (27)
Did the Americans, especially Gov. W. H. Taft, really choose Rizal out of several Filipino
patriots as the No. 1 hero of his people? Nothing could be farther from the truth. In the preceding
pages, we have shown beyond the shadow of a doubt that the Great Malayan, by his own efforts
& sacrifices for his oppressed countrymen, had projected himself as the foremost leader of the
Philippines until the moment of his immolation, & this fact was spontaneously acknowledged not
only by his own people but also the elite of other lands who intimately knew his patriotic labors.
We have likewise shown that immediately after his execution, his own people had justly acclaimed
him as their foremost hero & martyr. The intellectual & scientific world, as we have also
demonstrated, was not slow in according him signal honors as a hero of humanity & as an apostle
of freedom.
Mr. Taft, as chairman of the 2nd Philippine Commission, arrived in the Philippines in June
1900. This commission began its legislative functions on 1st September of the same year. On June
11 of the ensuing year the Philippine commission approved Act no. 137, w/c organized the
"politico-military district of Morong" into the "Province of Rizal". This was the 1 st official step
taken by the Taft commission to honor our greatest hero & martyr. It should be borne in mind that
6 days before the passage of Act no. 137, the Taft commission held a meeting at the town of Pasig
for the purpose of organizing the province. In that meeting attended by the leading citizens of both
Manila & Morong, a plan was presented to combine the 2 districts into one, but this proposal met
w/ determined & vigorous objections from the leaders of Morong.

"At this point", reads the ‘Minutes of Proceedings’ of the Taft commission, "Dr.
Tavera, of the Federal Party, who accompanied the commission, asked that he might make
a suggestion w/ reference to the proposed union of Manila & Morong provinces. It was his
opinion that in case of union neither the name of Morong nor Manila ought to be retained.
He then stated the custom w/c prevailed in th US & other countries of naming important
localities/districts in memory of some illustrious citizen of the country. In line w/ this he
suggested that the united provinces be named ‘Rizal’ in memory & honor of the most
illustrious Filipino & the most illustrious Tagalog the islands had ever known. The
president (Taft—O.) stated that the commission, not less than the Filipinos, felt proud to
do honor to the name of Rizal, & if, after consideration, it decided to unite the 2 provinces,
 it would have the pleasure, if such action met the desires of the people, in giving the new
province the name of Rizal". (28)

It is obvious then that the idea of naming the district of Morong after Rizal came from Dr.
Pardo de Tavera, a Filipino, & not from Judge Taft, an American. It is interesting to know that 2
countrymen of Mr. Taft—Justice George A. Malcolm & Dr. Frank C. Laubach—who both resided
in the Philippines for many years & who were very familiar w/ the history & lives of great
Filipinos—do not subscribe to the view that Jose Rizal is an American-made hero. Justice Malcolm
has this to say:

In those early days (of the American occupation—O.), it was bruited about that the
Americans had ‘made’ Rizal a hero to serve their purposes. That was indeed a sinister
interpretation of voluntary American action designed to pay tribute to a great man. (29)

Dr. Laubach’s view about the question is as follows:

The tradition that every American hears when he reaches the Philippine Islands is
that W. H. Taft, feeling that the Filipinos needed a hero, made one out of Rizal. We trust
this book (Rizal: Man & Martyr—O.) will serve to show how empty that statement is. it
speaks well for Taft that he was sufficiently free from racial prejudice to appreciate in some
measure the stature of a great Filipino. It was a Spaniard who did more than any other to
save Rizal for posterity—Retaña whose work (Vida Escritos del Dr. Jose Rizal, Madrid,
1907), is by far the most complete & scholarly than we have(in1936—O.). like Rizal, he
lost all his money in the cause of the Filipinos, & died a poor man. (30)

Granting for the sake of argument that the Taft commission chose Rizal out of several great
Filipinos as the No. 1 hero of his people, still we can say that what the commission did was merely
to confirm a sort of fait accompli, & that was that Jose Rizal had already been acclaimed by his
countrymen & the scientific world as the foremost hero & martyr of the land of his birth. Nay, we
can go even farther & concur w/ Prof. Blumentritt, who said in 1897:

Not only is Rizal THE MOST PROMINENT MAN OF HIS OWN PEOPLE but THE
GREATEST MAN THE MALAYAN RACE HAS PRODUCED. His memor ywill never
perish in his fatherland, & future generations of Spaniards will yet toutter his name w/
respect & reverence. (31) (capitalization supplied)

Perhaps the following quotation from the late William Cameron Forbes, an ardent admirer
of Rizal & the governor-general of the Philippines during the construction of the Rizal Mausoleum
on the Luneta, is appropriate at this point. He said:

It is eminently proper that Rizal should have become the acknowledged national
hero of the Philippine people. The American administration has lent every assistance to
this recognition, setting aside the anniversary of his death to be a day of his observance,
placing his picture on the postage stamp most commonly used in the Islands, & on the
currency, cooperating w/ the Filipinos in making the site of his school in Dapitan a
national park, & encouraging the erection by public subscription of a monument in his
honor on the Luneta in Manila near the place where he met his death. One of the longest
& most important street in Manila has been named in his memory—Rizal Avenue. The
 Filipinos in many cities & towns have erected monuments to his name, & throughout the
Islands the public schools teach the young Filipinos to revere his memory as the greatest
of Filipino patriots. (32)

Now and then we come across some Filipinos who venture the opinion that Andres
Bonifacio, & not Jose Rizal, deserves to be acknowledged & canonized as our first national hero.
They maintain that Rizal never held a gun, a rifle, or a sword in fighting for the liberty &
independence of our country in the battlefield. They further assert that while the foremost national
heroes of other countries are soldier-generals, like George Washington of US, Napoleon I & Joan
of Arc of France, simon Bolivar of Venezuela, Jose de San Martin of Argentina, Bernardo
O’Higgins of Chile, Jimmu Tenno of Japan, etc., our greatest hero was a pacifist & a civilian whose
weapon was his quill. However, our people in exercising their good sense, independent judgment,
& unusual discernment, have not followed the examples of other nations in selecting &
acknowledging a military leader for their greatest hero. Rafael Palma has very well stated the case
of Rizal versus Bonifacio in these words:

It should be a source of pride & satisfaction to the Filipinos to have among their
national heroes one of such excellent qualities & merits w/c may be equaled but not
surpassed by any other man. Whereas generally the heroes of occidental nations are
warriors & generals who serve their cause w/ the sword, distilling blood & tears, the hero
of the Filipinos served his cause w/ the pen, demonstrating that the pen is as mighty as the
sword to redeem a people from their political slavery. It is true that in our case the sword
of Bonifacio was after all needed to shake off the yoke of a foreign power; but the revolution
prepared by Bonifacio was only the effect, the consequence of the spiritual redemption
wrought by the pen of Rizal. Hence not only in the chronological order but also in the point
of importancethe previous works of Rizal seems to us superior to that of Bonicacio, because
although that of Bonifacio was of immediate results, that of Rizal will have more durable
& permanent effects. (33)
And let us note further what other great men said about the pen being mightier & more
powerful than the sword. Napoleon I himself, who was a great conqueror & ruler, said: "There are
only two powers in the world; the sword & the pen; and in the end the former is always conquered
by the latter". (34) The following statement of Sir Thomas Browne is more applicable to the role
played by Rizal in our libertarian struggle: "Scholars are men of peace; they bear no arms; but their
tongues are sharper than the sword; their pens carry further & give a louder report than thunder. I
had rather stand in the shock of a basilisk than in the fury of a merciless pen". (35) And finally, let
us quote from Bulwer: "take away the sword; states can be saved w/o it; bring the pen!
For those who may still doubt & question the fact that Rizal is greater, far greater than
Bonifacio, or any other Filipino hero, the following observation by Retaña will be sufficient:
Todos los paises tienen su idolo mas ninguno tiene un mayor idolo; que Filipinas.
Antes desaparecera de los Estados Unidos---!y ya decir!---la memoria de Washington, que
de Filipinas la memoria de RIZAL. No fue rizal, como medico, un Mariani, ni como
dibujante un Gustavo Dore, ni como antropologo un Virchow, ni como poeta un Goethe,
ni como filipinista un Blumentritt, ni como historiador un Macaulay, ni como pensador un
Hervas, ni como malayologo un Kern, ni como filiosofo un Descartes, ni como novelista
un Zola, ni como literato un Menendez y Pelayon in como escultor un Querol, ni como
geografo un Reclus, ni como tirador un Pini…Distinguiose en muchas disciplinas; pero en
 ninguna de ellas alcanzo ese grado supremo que asegura la inmortalidad. Fue patriota;
fue martir del amor a su pais. Pero en caso de Rizal hay otros Filipinos; y ?en que consiste
que rizal esta a miles de cudos sobre todos ellos? Sencillamente, en la finura exquisita de
su espiritu, en la nobleza quijotesca de su corazon, en su psicologia toda, romantica,
soñadora, buena, adorable, psicologia que sintelizo todos los sentimientos y aspiraciones
de un pueblo que sufria viendose victima de un regimen oprobioso…El espiritu de la
Revolucion tagala se juzga por este solo hecho; Fue, como es sabido, el brazo armado de
aquel movimiento Andres Bonifacio; he ahi el hombre que dio el primer grito contra
tirania el que acaudillo las primeras huestes el que murio en la brecha…Y a ese hombre
apenas se le recuerda; no se la eregido ningun monumento; los vates populares no le han
cantado…Mientras que a RIZAL, enemigo de le Revolucion, que califico de salvaje y
deshonrosa, le glorifica el pueblo deificarle…?No se ve en esto un pueblo eminentamente
espiritual, que tuvo en RIZAL un resumen viviente? Todo Filipino lleva dentro de si algo
del demagogo Bonifacio.
La inmortalidad de RIZAL esta asegurada de cien maneras. Pero como mas
asegurada esta es poque los millones de Filipinos de hoy, de mañana y de siempre beben
y beberan espiritu de RIZAL; no se nutren de otra cosa. (37)

In the preceding pages we have tried to show that Rizal was not only a great hero, but the
greatest among the Filipinos. As a matter of fact, the Austrian savant Prof. Blumentritt judged him
as "the most prominent man of his own people" and "the greatest man the Malayan race has
produced". We have also shown during his lifetime, Rizal was already acclaimed by both Filipinos
& foreigners as the foremost leader of his people & that this admiration for him has increased w/
the passing of time since his dramatic death on the Luneta that fateful morning of 30 December
1896. Likewise, we attempted to disprove the claim made by some quarters that Rizal is an
American-made hero, & we also tried to explain why Rizal is greater than any other Filipino hero,
including Andres Bonifacio.
Who made Rizal the foremost hero of the Philippines? The answer is: no single person or
groups of persons were responsible for making the Greatest Malayan the No. 1 Hero of his people.
Rizal himself, his own people, & the foreigners all together contributed to make him the greatest
hero & martyr of his people. No amount of adulation & canonization by both Filipinos & foreigners
could convert Rizal into a great hero if he did not possess in himself what Palma calls "excellent
qualities & merits" or what Retaña calls "la finura exquisite de su espiritu,…la nobleza quijotesca
de su corazon,… su psicologia toda, romantica, soñadora, buena, adorable, psicologia que sintetizo
todos los entimientos y aspiraciones de un pueblo que sufria, viendose victima de su regimen
oprobioso…."
 CHAPTER III

NATIONALISM

A. EUROPE IN THE 19TH CENTURY

By the late 18th century, political and economic changes in Europe were finally beginning
to affect Spain and, thus, the Philippines. Important as a stimulus to trade was the gradual
elimination of the monopoly enjoyed by the galleon to Acapulco. The last galleon arrived
in Manila in 1815, and by the mid-1830s Manila was open to foreign merchants almost without
restriction. The demand for Philippine sugar and abaca (hemp) grew apace, and the volume of
exports to Europe expanded even further after the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869.
The growth of commercial agriculture resulted in the appearance of a new class. Alongside
the landholdings of the church and the rice estates of the pre-Spanish nobility there arose haciendas
of coffee, hemp, and sugar, often the property of enterprising Chinese-Filipino mestizos. Some of
the families that gained prominence in the 19th century have continued to play an important role
in Philippine economics and politics.
Not until 1863 was there public education in the Philippines, and even then the church
controlled the curriculum. Less than one-fifth of those who went to school could read and write
Spanish, and far fewer could speak it properly. The limited higher education in the colony was
entirely under clerical direction, but by the 1880s many sons of the wealthy were sent to Europe
to study.
There, nationalism and a passion for reform blossomed in the liberal atmosphere. Out of
this talented group of overseas Filipino students arose what came to be known as the Propaganda
Movement. Magazines, poetry, and pamphleteering flourished. José Rizal, this movement’s most
brilliant figure, produced two political novels—Noli me tangere (1886; Touch Me Not) and El
filibusterismo (1891; The Reign of Greed)—which had a wide impact in the Philippines. In 1892
Rizal returned home and formed the Liga Filipina, a modest reform-minded society, loyal to Spain,
that breathed no word of independence. But Rizal was quickly arrested by the overly fearful
Spanish, exiled to a remote island in the south, and finally executed in 1896. Meanwhile, within
the Philippines there had developed a firm commitment to independence among a somewhat less
privileged class.
Shocked by the arrest of Rizal in 1892, these activists quickly formed the Katipunan under
the leadership of Andres Bonifacio, a self-educated warehouseman. The Katipunan was dedicated
to the expulsion of the Spanish from the islands, and preparations were made for armed revolt.
Filipino rebels had been numerous in the history of Spanish rule, but now for the first time they
were inspired by nationalist ambitions and possessed the education needed to make success a real
possibility.

B. PHILIPPINES IN THE 19TH CENTURY

*The Philippine Revolution

In August 1896, Spanish friars uncovered evidence of the Katipunan’s plans, and its
leaders were forced into premature action. Revolts broke out in several provinces around Manila.
After months of fighting, severe Spanish retaliation forced the revolutionary armies to retreat to
the hills. In December 1897 a truce was concluded with the Spanish. Emilio Aguinaldo, a
municipal mayor and commander of the rebel forces, was paid a large sum and was allowed to go
to Hong Kong with other leaders; the Spanish promised reforms as well. But reforms were slow in
coming, and small bands of rebels, distrustful of Spanish promises, kept their arms; clashes grew
more frequent.
Meanwhile, war had broken out between Spain and the United States (the Spanish-
American War). After the U.S. naval victory in the Battle of Manila Bay in May 1898, Aguinaldo
and his entourage returned to the Philippines with the help of Adm. George Dewey. Confident of
U.S. support, Aguinaldo reorganized his forces and soon liberated several towns south of Manila.
Independence was declared on June 12 (now celebrated as Independence Day). In September
a constitutional congress met in Malolos, north of Manila, which drew up a fundamental law
derived from European and Latin American precedents. A government was formed on the basis of
that constitution in January 1899, with Aguinaldo as president of the new country, popularly
known as the “Malolos Republic.”
Meanwhile, U.S. troops had landed in Manila and, with important Filipino help, forced the
capitulation in August 1898 of the Spanish commander there. The Americans, however, would not
let Filipino forces enter the city. It was soon apparent to Aguinaldo and his advisers that earlier
expressions of sympathy for Filipino independence by Dewey and U.S. consular officials in Hong
Kong had little significance. They felt betrayed.
U.S. commissioners to the peace negotiations in Paris had been instructed to demand from
Spain the cession of the Philippines to the United States; such cession was confirmed with the
signing of the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898. Ratification followed in the U.S. Senate in
February 1899, but with only one vote more than the required two-thirds. Arguments of “manifest
destiny” could not overwhelm a determined anti-imperialist minority.
By the time the treaty was ratified, hostilities had already broken out between U.S. and
Filipino forces. Since Filipino leaders did not recognize U.S. sovereignty over the islands and U.S.
commanders gave no weight to Filipino claims of independence, the conflict was inevitable. It
took two years of counterinsurgency warfare and some wise conciliatory moves in the political
arena to break the back of the nationalist resistance. Aguinaldo was captured in March 1901 and
shortly thereafter appealed to his countrymen to accept U.S. rule.

*Philippine-American War

The Filipino revolutionary movement had two goals, national and social. The first goal,
independence, though realized briefly, was frustrated by the American decision to continue
administering the islands. The goal of fundamental social change, manifest in the nationalization
of friar lands by the Malolos Republic, was ultimately frustrated by the power and resilience of
entrenched institutions. Share tenants who had rallied to Aguinaldo’s cause, partly for economic
reasons, merely exchanged one landlord for another. In any case, the proclamation of a republic in
1898 had marked the Filipinos as the first Asian people to try to throw off European colonial rule.

*Catholicism in the Philippines

Since the colonial period, Catholicism has been the cornerstone of Filipino identity for
millions in the Philippines. Catholicism rapidly spread during the early years of Spanish
colonialism, in part due to a lack of otherwise centralized religious institutions, other than Islam
in the south, which might have challenged it. Its close associations with Filipino identity have
placed the Catholic Church at the heart of nationalism, social justice, and other movements, while
at the same time has been associated with power, elitism, and exploitation at various points in its
history.
Catholicism and the Spanish state were inseparable, and the religious played a predominant
role in the administration of the Philippines. As a result, they were deeply implicated in the
exploitation of Filipinos; religious orders including the Augustinians, Dominicans, and Recollects,
held the largest tracts of land, haciendas and encomiendas granted by the Spanish government,
renting plots to tenant farmers. They were also responsible for the religious education and spiritual
well-being of their tenants, and some friars championed the interests of their parishes against the
exploitation committed by their orders and secular leaders.
By the late Spanish colonial period, the Catholic orders and their friars were the wealthiest
and most politically powerful elements within Filipino society. Spanish friars represented the
hegemonic power of the Spanish government and foreign Catholic Church, while native priests
pushed forward demands for greater authority in in Filipino parishes. Both the Spanish government
and the orders blocked efforts by local priests, thereby cultivating a nationalist Filipino priesthood
that would support and be supported by the efforts of the 19thcentury nationalist movement.

*Nationalist Movement and Katipunan Rebellion 1834 - 1897

Through the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Spain gradually exposed the
Philippines to international commerce and, as a consequence, to the contemporary currents of
European political thought. In 1834 Spain opened the Philippine ports to international free trade.
Until then, Philippine agriculture had produced little more than a subsistence plus the small surplus
that local markets could absorb. Under the influence of British and American merchants trading
internationally, Philippine agriculture was transformed from local self-sufficiency to the export of
cash crops for international markets; principally tobacco, sugar and abaca (hemp fibre for rope).
The commercialization of Philippine agriculture and the resulting economic expansion
greatly advantaged the landed elite in the country and the Chinese mestizo merchants in the
provincial centers. Importantly, many used their new prosperity to obtain modern, professional
educations, both in the Philippines and in Europe, for their families.
The friarocracy had long used its control of education in the colony to maintain its position.
The religious orders excluded the teaching of foreign languages and scientific and technical
subjects from their curricula. The Spanish government conceded to the growing demand for
educational reform and in 1863 introduced a system of public education that opened new
opportunities to Filipinos for higher learning.
A long standing source of resentment was the exclusion of Filipinos from the religious
orders and the priesthood. This led to the armed revolt of Apolinario de la Cruz in 1841. The
Spanish put down the revolt and executed Brother Apolinario.
Spain itself was having trouble adjusting to the liberal democratic aspirations of nineteenth
century Europe. In 1868, a liberal revolution in Spain deposed Queen Isabella II and gave rise to
the short lived First Republic. A liberal governor, General Carlos Maria de la Torre, was appointed
at this time to the Philippines. He abolished censorship and extended to Filipinos the rights of free
speech and assembly contained in the Spanish constitution of 1869. The popular governor did not
last long. De la Torre was replaced in 1871 by Rafael de Izquierdo who promptly rescinded the
liberal measures.
 The following year in Cavite, 200 Filipino recruits revolted and murdered their Spanish
officers. The Spanish suppressed the revolt brutally and used the opportunity to implicate the
liberal critics of Spanish authority in an imaginary wider conspiracy. Many liberals were arrested
or driven into exile. A military court condemned the reformist Fathers Jose Burgos, Mariano
Gomez and Jacinto Zamora to death. The three priests were garroted publicly on February 20,
1872 and made martyrs for the nationalist cause. The Spanish repression succeeded in joining the
religious and secular discontents in a common spirit of Filipino nationalism opposed to the colonial
authority.
The Philippine emigre community in Spain, exiles and students, developed the Propaganda
Movement. It advocated the moderate aims of legal equality between Spaniards and Filipinos,
Philippine representation in the Spanish Cortes (parliament), free speech and association, secular
public schools and an end to the annual obligation of forced labour.
A prominent Propagandist was Graciano Lopez Jaena who left the Philippines for Spain in
1880 after publishing a satirical novel, Fray Botod (Brother Fatso), describing the life of a rural
friar. In 1889 he started the newspaper, La Solidaridad (Solidarity), that circulated both in Spain
and the Philippines and was the medium of the Propaganda Movement. Another Propagandist was
a reformist lawyer, Marcelo del Pilar, who was active in the anti-friar movement. He fled to Spain
in 1888 and became editor of La Solidaridad.
The most famous Propagandist was Jose Rizal. He studied medicine at the University of
Santo Tomas in the Philippines and in 1882 went to complete his studies at the University of
Madrid. He took an interest in anthropology with a view to discrediting the racial notions of
Filipino inferiority through the scientific study of the history and ethnology of the Malay people.
His more popular works were his two novels Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) and El
Filibusterismo (The Subversive) published in 1886 and 1891 respectively. The novels portrayed
the authoritarian and abusive character of Spanish rule in the colony. Despite their ban, the books
were smuggled into the Philippines and widely read.
Rizal returned to the Philippines in 1892 and founded a national organization for peaceful
reform - La Liga Filipina (The Philippine League). He was soon arrested for revolutionary
agitation and exiled to the isolation of Dapitan on Mindanao.
Rizal's arrest and exile in 1892 set in train a chain of events that was to lead directly to
armed insurrection for national independence. On the night of Rizal's arrest, Andres Bonifacio
founded a secret society, the Katipunan (The Highest and Most Respectable Association of the
Sons of the People), modeled on the Masonic Order and dedicated to national independence
through revolution. From its origins in the Tondo district of Manila, Bonifacio gradually built the
Katipunan to a strength of 30,000 members.
In another Spanish colony, 15,000 km away, the Cuban revolution for independence started
in February 1895. To escape from his exile, Rizal volunteered to serve as a doctor for the Spanish
army in Cuba. Rizal's offer was accepted but just as he left for Cuba by ship, the Spanish learned
of Bonifacio's Katipunan. The Spanish began making hundreds of arrests and Bonifacio had little
choice but to issue the call to arms, the Cry of Balintawak, on August 26, 1896.
Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto attacked the Spanish garrison at San Juan on August 29, 1896
with 800 Katipuneros. Insurrections also broke out in eight provinces surrounding Manila on
Luzon and soon spread to other islands. The rebels were not trained regulars and had little success
against the colonial troops. In the province of Cavite, however, under the leadership of Emilio
Aguinaldo, the Katipunan rebels defeated the Civil Guard and the colonial troops.
 Meanwhile, Rizal was arrested in transit to Cuba and ordered returned to Fort Santiago in
Manila to stand trial for rebellion, sedition and illicit association. He was tried on December 26,
found guilty and condemned to death. Jose Rizal was shot by a firing squad on December 30, 1896.
Rizal's execution gave the rebellion fresh determination.
The Katipunan was divided between factions loyal to Bonifacio and Aguinaldo. Due to his
successes in battle, Aguinaldo was elected to replace Bonifacio. Bonifacio withdrew his supporters
and the two factions began to fight. Bonifacio was arrested, tried and executed on May 10, 1897
by Aguinaldo's order.
Aguinaldo's forces were driven from Cavite to Bulacan where Aguinaldo declared the
constitution and established the Republic of Biak-na-Bato. Both sides soon came to realize that
the struggle between Spain and the new Republic had reached an impasse. The rebels could not
meet the Spanish regulars in the field but neither could the Spanish put down the guerrillas.
Negotiations began in August and concluded in December with the Pact of Biak-na-Bato.
The agreement extended a general amnesty to the rebels with a payment of US$800,000 for
Aguinaldo and his government to retire in voluntary exile to Hong Kong. Aguinaldo left the
Philippines with his government on December 27, 1897. While in Hong Kong, Aguinaldo and his
compatriots designed what is today the Philippine national flag.
 CHAPTER IV

MERCADO-RIZAL FAMILY AND THEIR INFLUENCES IN RIZAL’S PHILOSOPHY

*Rizal’s Parents
Francisco Mercado Rizal (1818-1898) - the hero’s father, was born in Biñan, Laguna on May 11,
1818. He studied Latin and Philosophy at the College of San Jose in
Manila. In early manhood, following his parent’s death, he moved to
Calamba and became a tenant- farmer of the Dominican-owned
hacienda. - He was a hardy and independent-minded man, whotalked
less and works more and was strong in body and valiant in spirit.
-He died in Manila on January 5, 1898 at the age of 80.Rizal
affectionately called him “a model of fathers”
Doña Teodora Alonso Realonda (1826-1911) - the hero’s mother, was born in Manila on
November 8, 1826 and was educated at the College of Santa Rosa .-
She was a remarkable woman, possessing refinedculture, literary
talent, business ability and the fortitude of Spartan women.-She died in
Manila on august 16, 1911, at the ageof 85.
June 28, 1848 - Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonso Realonda were married, after which
thesettle down in Calamba.
*The hero’s first teacher - Doña Teodora was his first teacher, as a tutor she was patient
conscientious, and understanding. It was she who first discovered her
son had a talent for poetry. Accordingly, she encourage him to write
poems.

*The Rizal Children

Eleven children - two boys and nine girls.
Saturnina (1850-1913) - oldest of the Rizal children, nickname Neneng, she
married ManuelT. Hidalgo of Tanawan, Batangas.
Paciano (1851-1930) - older brother and confidant of Jose Rizal. After his young brother’s
execution he joined the Philippine Revolution and became a combat
general; after the Revolution he retired to his farm in Los Baños,
where he lived as a gentleman farmer and died on April 13, 1390, an
old bachelor aged 79. He had two children _a boy and a girl.
Narcisa (1852-1939) - her pet name was Sisa and she married Antonio Lopez
(nephew of Father Leoncio Lopez), a school teacher of Morong.
Olimpia (1855-1887) - Ypia was her pet name; she married Silvestre Ubaldo, a telegraphoperator
from Manila.
Lucia (1857-1919) - she married Mariano Herbosa of Calamba, who was a nephew of Father
Casanas, Herbosa died of cholera in 1889 and was denied Christian
burial because he was a brother-in-law of Dr. Jose Rizal.
Maria (1859-1945) - Biang was her nickname; she married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Biñan,
Laguna.
Jose (1861-1896) - the greatest Filipino hero and peerless genius; his nickname was Pepe;
during his he exile in Dapitan he lived with Josephine Bracken, Irish
girl from Hong Kong; he had a son by her, but this baby-boy died a
few hours after birth; Rizal named him “Francisco” after his father
and buried him in Dapitan.
Concepcion (1862-1865) - her pet name was Concha; she died of sickness at the age of 3; her death
was Rizal’s first sorrow in life.
Josefa (1865-1945) - her pet name was Panggoy; she died an old maid at the age of 80.
Trinidad (1868-1951) - Trining was her pet name; she died also an old maid in 1951 aged 83.
Soledad (1870-1929) - youngest of the Rizal children; her pet name was Choleng; shemarried
Pantaleon Quintero of Calamba.

Domingo Lameo - Rizal’s great-great grandfather on his father side-A Chinese immigrant from
the Fukien City of Changchow who arrived inManila about 1690. He
became a Christian, married a well-to-do Chinese Christian girl of
Manila named Ines de la Rosa.
Eugenio Ursua - great-great grandfather on mother’s side (a Japanese ancestry), who married a
Filipina named Benigna.
Mercado - means “market” in English
The surname Rizal - the real surname of the Rizal family was Mercado, which was adopted in1731
by Domingo Lameo, who was a full blooded chemist. Rizal’s family required a second surname-
Rizal- which was given by spanish alcalde mayor of Laguna.

*Middle class Family

The Rizal family belonged to the principalia a town aristocracy in Spanish Philippines.
Itwas one of the distinguished families in Calamba.
*Influence on the Hero’s Boyhood
1. Hereditary influence
2. Environmental influence
3. Aid of Divine Providence
*His three Uncles
1. Tio Jose Alberto - who had studies for eleven years in a British school in inspired him to develop
his artistic ability.
2. Tio manuel - a husky and athletic man, encouraged him to develop his frail body by means of
physical exercise.
3. Tio Gregorio - a book lover, intensified his voracious reading of good book.
-At the age of eight, Rizal wrote his first poem in the native language entitled “Sa Aking
Mga Kababata”

“To My Fellow Children”

Whenever people of a country truly love

The language which by heav'n they were taught to use
That country also surely liberty pursue
As does the bird which soars to freer space above.

For language is the final judge and referee

Upon the people in the land where it holds sway;
In truth our human race resembles in this way
The other living beings born in liberty.

Whoever knows not how to love his native tongue

Is worse than any best or evil smelling fish.
To make our language richer ought to be our wish
The same as any mother loves to feed her young.

Tagalog and the Latin language are the same

And English and Castilian and the angels' tongue;
And God, whose watchful care o'er all is flung,
Has given us His blessing in the speech we claim,

Our mother tongue, like all the highest that we know

Had alphabet and letters of its very own;
But these were lost -- by furious waves were overthrown
Like banca’s in the stormy sea, long years ago.
 CHAPTER V

INFLUENCE OF RIZAL’S FORMAL EDUCATION

A. ATENEO MUNICIPAL DE MANILA

On June 10, 1872, Jose together with his brother went to Manila to grant his wish of
enrolling Jose in San Juan de Letran. Jose Rizal took the entrance examination and passed them
with flying colors, then he went back to Calamba to stay for a while with his family and attend
their town fiesta only to find out that his father’s wish changed instead of enrolling him to San
Juan de Letran he wished to enroll him to Ateneo de Manila. Although José Rizal, now eleven
years old, had passed a good entrance examination in Manila, he nearly failed to matriculate in
the Ateneo in July, because his mother’s arrest had made him a month late, and because he looked
so little, so slender, so young. He would not have been admitted at all but for the intercession of
Dr. Manuel Burgos, a nephew of the recently executed Dr. José Burgos.
Thus, being an obedient child, upon his return to Manila accompanied again by his brother
Paciano, they proceeded to Ateneo Municipal. At first Father Magin Fernando, who was the
college registrar, denied them of admittance for two reasons: 1.) he was late for registration and
2.) he was sickly and undersize for his age. Jose Rizal was then eleven years old. However, they
sought the intercession of Manual Xerez Burgos, nephew of Father Burgos. As a result, he was
reluctantly admitted at the Ateneo. Ateneo Municipal home to the Jesuits priests which was
considered the best educators in Spain proved their worth in providing the best education system
for both Filipinos and Spaniards.
In Ateneo, every student is treated equally. Everyone is playing on the equal field.
Jose Rizal belonged to the class composed of Spaniards, mestizos and Filipinos. His first
teacher was Fr. Jose Bech. As a newcomer and knowing little Spanish, he was considered as
inferior and placed at the bottom of the class. He was an externo hence he was assigned to the
Carthaginians, an occupant of the end of the line.
Classes are divided into two sectors: the group representing the Roman Empire and
Carthaginian Empire based on the students residency.
In the two empires student are classified into five: Emperor, Tribune, Decurion, Centurion,
and Standard Bearer.
Having these divisions and competition in class, Rizal was more inspired to achieve and
excel to represent the might of the Filipino race.
He proved he was no inferior for at the end of the month he became the emperor and
received a prize, a religious picture.
He exerted more effort to learn ahead and he then took the extra effort to stand out and
maintain the academic supremacy.
To improve his Spanish, Jose Rizal took private lesson in Santa Isabel College during the
noon recess while students were playing and doing leisure activities.
He placed second at the end of the year although his grades were marked excellent.
According to Ambeth Ocampo there were only twelve students in a class, nine of which, including
Jose Rizal, graduated sobresaliente with the same excellent mark in all their subjects in school year
1876-77.
He studied harder this year and regained his leadership composure and became an emperor
again.
Jose Rizal returned to Ateneo shortly before the classes began to start his junior year. He
met his mother and informed him that she was finally released from prison, just as he predicted
when he visited her to her prison cell in Santa Cruz, Laguna.
On June 16, 1875, he became a boarder in Ateneo. He befriended his professor Fr.
Francisco de Paula Sanchez, whom he regarded as great educator and scholar. He inspired him to
write poetry and to study harder. Fr. Sanchez recognized his God-given talents. Because of the
inspiration and recognition given, he regarded the Jesuit professor as “model of uprightness,
earnestness, and love” for the advancement of his students.
The Jesuits didn’t fail to impress Jose Rizal and evoke him to venerate the Spanish culture
and Catholicism.
Consequently, he resumed his studies with vigor and dedication and topped all his
classmates in all subjects and won five medals at the end of the school term.
Rizal was captivated and astonished of the Spanish culture and believes that the Spanish
way of life is supreme, and every Filipino must strive to be of the kind.
He now believes that Filipinos must study, hone skills and abilities, and exhibit the Spanish
culture to be successful.
Jose Rizal Mercado graduated at the age of 16 with highest honors. He took a post-graduate
course there in land surveying.
Rizal Mercado completed his surveyor’s training in 1877, and passed the licensing exam
in May 1878, but could not receive a license to practice because he was only 17 years old. (He was
granted a license in 1881, when he reached the age of majority.)
At this stage of Rizal’s Life, Rizal was Hispanized. The Jesuits’ way of teaching, of
enforcing discipline as well as promoting a culture of learning inspired Rizal to great heights of
achievement. Since the Jesuits also teach foreign literature, Rizal eventually became fascinated by
stories and ideas from abroad, leading to a widening of perspectives and also an appreciation of
foreign culture.

*Poems written in Ateneo

-Mi Primira Inspiracion (My First Inspiration), 1874 – the first poem Rizal probably wrote during
his days in Ateneo which was dedicated to his mother on her birthday.

-In 1875, inspired by Father Sanchez, Rizal wrote more poems, as such;
1. Felicitacion (Felicitation)
2. El Embarque; Himno a la Flota de Magallanes (The Departure: Hymn to
Magellan’s Fleet)
3. Y Es Espaniol; Elcano, el Primero en dar la Vuelta al Mundo (And He is
Spanish; Elcano, The First To Circumnavigate The World)
4. El Combate; Urbiztondo, Terror De Jolo (The Battle; Urbiztondo, Terror of
Jolo)
-In 1876, Rizal wrote poems on various topics- Religion, Eduction, Childhood memories and
War.
1. Un Recuerdo a Mi Pueblo (In Memory Of My Town)
2. Alianza Intima Entre la Religion y la Buena Educacion (Intimate Alliance
Between Religion And Good Education)
3. Por la Educacion Recibe Lustre la Patria (Through Education The
Country Receives Light)
4. El Cuativerio y el Triunfo; Batalla de Lucena y Prision de Boabdil (The
Captivity and the Triumph; Battle of Lucena and the imprisonment of
Boabdil)
5. La Entrada Triunfal de los Reyes Catolices en Granada (The triumphal
Entry of the Catholic Monarchs Into Granada)

-A year later, in 1877, Rizal wrote more poems. It was his last year in Ateneo.
1. El Heroismo de Colon (The Heroism of Columbus)
2. Colon y Juan II (Columbus and Juan II)
3. Gran Consuelo en la Mayor Desdicha ( Great Solace in Great Misfortune)
4. Un Dialogo Aluviso a la Despedida de los Colegiales (A Farewell
Dialogue of the Students)
-Al Nino Jesus (To the Child Jesus)
-A La Virgen Maria (To the Virgin Mary)
-San Eustacio, Martir (St. Eustace, The Martyr)
“Intimate Alliance between Religion and Good Education”
As the climbing ivy over lefty elm On it warmth and light; because of them
Creeps tortuously, together the adornment The vine smells sweet and gives delicious fruit
Of the verdant plain, embellishing
Each other and together growing, Without Religion, Human Education
But should the kindly elm refuse its aid Is like unto a vessel struck by winds
The ivy would impotent and friendless wither Which, sore beset, is of its helm deprived
So is Education to Religion By the roaring blows and buffets of the dread
By spiritual alliance bound Tempestuous Boreas, who fiercely wields
Through Religion, Education gains reknown, His power until he proudly send her down
and Into the deep abysses of then angered sea.
Woe to the impious mind that blindly spurning
The sapient teachings of religion, this As the heaven’s dew the meadow feeds and
Unpolluted fountain-head forsakes. strengthen
So that blooming flowers all the earth
As the sprout, growing from the pompous vine, Embroider in the days of spring; so also
Proudly offers us its honeyed clusters If Religion holy nourishes
While the generous and loving garment Education with its doctrine, she
Feeds its roots; so the fresh’ning waters Shall walk in joy and generosity
Of celestial virtue give new life Toward the good, and everywhere bestrew
To Education true, shedding The fragrant and luxuriant fruits of virtue
 “Through Education our Motherland Receives light”
The vital breath of prudent Education
Instills a virtue of enchanting power;
She lifts the motherland to highest station
And endless dazzling glories on her shower.
And as the zephyr's gentle exhalation
Revives the matrix of the fragrant flower,
So education multiplies her gifts of grace;
With prudent hand imparts them to the human
race.
For her a mortal-man will gladly part
With all he has; will give his calm repose;
For her are born all science and all arts,
That brows of men with laurel fair enclose.
As from the towering mountain's lofty heart
The purest current of the streamlet flows,
So education without stint or measure gives
Security and peace to lands in which she lives.
Where Education reigns on lofty seat
Youth blossoms forth with vigor and agility;
He error subjugates with solid feet,
And is exalted by conceptions of nobility.
She breaks the neck of vice and its deceit;
Black crime turns pale at her hostility;
The barbarous nations she knows how to tame,
From savages creates heroic fame.
And as the spring doth sustenance bestow
On all the plants, on bushes in the mead,
Its placid plenty goes to overflow
And endlessly with lavish love to feed
The banks by which it wanders, gliding slow,
Supplying beauteous nature's every need;
So he who prudent Education doth procure
The towering heights of honor will secure.
From out his lips the water, crystal pure,
Of perfect virtue shall not cease to go.
With careful doctrines of his faith made sure,
The powers of evil he will overthrow,
Like foaming waves that never long endure,
But perish on the shore at every blow;
And from his good example other men shall
learn
Their upward steps toward the heavenly paths
to turn.
Within the breast of wretched humankind
She lights the living flame of goodness bright;
The hands of fiercest criminal doth bind;
And in those breasts will surely pour delight
Which seek her mystic benefits to find,
Those souls she sets aflame with love of right.
It is a noble fully-rounded Education
That gives to life its surest consolation.
And as the mighty rock aloft may tower
Above the center of the stormy deep
In scorn of storm, or fierce Sou'wester's power,
Or fury of the waves that raging sweep,
Until, their first mad hatred spent, they cower,
And, tired at last, subside and fall asleep, --
So he that takes wise Education by the hand,
Invincible shall guide the reigns of
motherland.
On sapphires shall his service be engraved,
A thousand honors to him by his land be
granted:
For in their bosoms will his noble sons have
saved
Luxuriant flowers his virtue had transplanted:
And by the love of goodness ever lived,
The lords and governors will see implanted
To endless days, the Christian Education,
Within their noble, faith-enrapture nation.
And as in early morning we behold
The ruby sun pour forth resplendent rays;
And lovely dawn her scarlet and her gold,
Her brilliant colors all about her sprays;
So skillful noble Teaching doth unfold
To living minds the joy of virtuous ways.
She offers our dear motherland the light
That leads us to immortal glory's height.
 “Junto Al Pasig”
CHARACTERS:
Leonido
Candido
Pascual
Satan
Angel
Children’s Chorus
Devil’s Chorus
The action takes place along the Pasig River, in the town of the same name. The backdrop
should show the river and the bank opposite to that on which are the actors. The church, houses,
cane-fields, and a profusion of banners and other decorations common in the towns of this
archipelago should be pictured. It is the hour of dawn, and consequently the lighting of the scene
should be subdued.
FIRST SCENE
(Candido, Pascual, and other children. One of them carries flowers; the others have pennants and
toys suitable for children.)
Chorus
Pretty Pasig, pretty river,
Wear your best bouquets,
Happy morning, dawning, give her
All our brightest rays.
Clear and cloudless skies above her,
Pink with dawn her cheek,
All who see her now must love her
All who beauty seek.
Here the river gives in beauty
Peace of heart and mind,
He the soul beset with duty
Happiness may find.
--Candido
What a beautiful morning! The flowers look fresh at dawn! Listen to the bamboo along the
river, and to that little bird singing! Everything is so pretty it makes me feel wonderful. Don’t you
feel it too? Don’t you feel that everyone is happy because the Virgin is coming by today?
--All
No doubt about it!
--Pascual
The whole town is excited. The coming of the Virgin has made them so happy that they
are dancing around with joy. All the streets are decorated and everyone, young and old, has gone
out to watch her pass buy.
--First Boy
That’s true, Pascual. I believe it. The people cannot wait to hang up pennants and flags.
--Second Boy
I am going to give the Virgin this basket of flowers.
--First Boy
Let me see! (With contempt) That isn’t much. At home I have a cage with birds of different
colors, you should hear them sing. That is what I shall give her when she passes by.
--Third Boy
Little Birds! How silly! (Boastfully) I’ve got firecrackers.
--First Boy
Go on! That’s for scaring people.
--Third Boy
Are you scared?
--First Boy
I? No
--Pascual
I have a flute at home. (All laugh)What is strange about that? I do have it, and I shall play
it too. You know my father has taught me to play different tunes, pretty, very pretty. I shall play
them; you shall see.
--Second Boy
My flowers will be better.
--Pascual
My flute.
--First Boy
You are both crazy. My bird-cage is better.
--Third Boy
No, my firecrackers are better.
--First Boy
No, sir.
--Third Boy
Yes, sir.
--First Boy
Stupid!
--Third Boy
That silly bird-cage is worthless.
--First Boy
Your firecrackers are worse.
--Candido
Come, friends, do not quarrel. Each gift is good, but let me ask you one thing. Listen to
me, and let us do what I say. Let us decorate a banca with banners and pennants of different colors
and let us paddle slowly along the river in it. You shall bring your flowers; and you, the bird-cage;
and you, the firecrackers. This one can play his flute; and so we shall go along the river until we
meet Our Lady. What do you think?
--All
Good, very good.
--Third Boy
Nothing better.
--First Boy
Let us go look for the banca.
--Candido
hat is what I say too.(Ready to go)But wait. Where is Leonido?
--Pascual
That is right. Where did he go?
--Second Boy
Where could he have gone?
--Third Boy
I do not know.
--Candido
Well, then, let us look for him first.Let us leave the banca for later; it does not matter. Right
now we lack the most important thing, for we do not have our leader.
--First Boy

Let us look for him.

--Candido
Right now. Without him, nothing can be done.
--Third Boy
We shall find him even if we have to drag the bottom of the river.
Chorus
Let’s go, let’s go,
Let’s go without delay,
For Mary mild
Will bless this happy day!
SECOND SCENE
(Enter Satan, pale of visage, dressed in black and red.)

--Satan
Can it be true? Is it possible that the people that once adored me are now to be saved? What
unique power shelters and shields these ignorant sailors of the stormy sea of life, so that they
manage to escape the traps I set for them? Who can have taken them out o the darkness where they
were buried, and has lifted them to the light of day? Alas, to my misfortune, it was surely you, oh
Woman, you whose virtue once sufficed to cast me down from my heavenly seat! Privileged
creature, when shall I prevail against you?
Damnation! Hell itself, where sorrow, and cruel suffering, and horror dwell, cannot rival
my eternal despair. Alas, sad fate, to be deprived of the sweet happiness of heaven! Why did my
Conqueror refuse me one last boon: that in the terrible bitterness of my fall, I should find
consolation in the arms of death?
Alas, I am a spirit, a sublime, and also a miserable and wretched being, condemned to
suffer for eternity under the Hand which weighs upon me. When man on earth sighs and weeps
because life is hard, he consoles himself amid his sufferings with the thought that life is also short.
But an angel does not dare to hope that he shall die.
Patiently I must endure my dark and inevitable destiny, for in my matchless war with
heaven, fortune was against me. [05] Still, though vanquished, I pursue my fatal course. He loves
the good, I love evil. Excellent! Let him do what he will, I shall wreck his plans. It is but just, for
He is my mortal enemy; let our duel begin! I shall consider how, with cunning and with perfidy, I
shall recover my unequalled empire. Earth, I envy you! And I shall recover you! I shall wait here
in hiding for some unwary Christian. (Hides himself behind a tree) The race I hate so much shall
fall again into my hands.

THIRD SCENE
(Enter Leonido)

--Leonido
 The bank is deserted. I do not hear any shouting. It is strange; already the day is bright, and
I do not see anyone here. They should have arrived by now; they promised me they would
come.... Can they have left already? . . . Maybe I have lost my way. But no, this is the path that
leads to town.... Here is the river; there the church, my house, the banners.... Of course this is the
playground Pascual told me about. He said we would wait here for the Immaculate Virgin to
pass.... But how can I be sure that they have not just left? The best thing would be to go look for
them. I shall go downstream . . . no, upstream.... I think the procession will not be long in coming
(He makes ready to leave when Satan enters, dressed as a “diwata”).
FOURTH SCENE
(Leonido and Satan)

--Satan
Stop! Where are you going?
--Leonido
Who are you?
--Satan
Don’t you know me?
--Leonido
I do not remember your face, nor do I recall ever having seen you. Let me pass.
--Satan
Never. Look at me well.
--Leonido
Tell me, please, who are you?
--Satan
I am he who, with matchless power, gives laws to the hurricane, the sea, and the fire he
who flashes in the lightning and roars in the torrent. I am he who in a fairer age ruled with grandeur
and power, venerated and feared, the absolute god of the Filipinos.
--Leonido
You lie! The god of my ancestors already sleeps in shameful oblivion. His obscene altars,
where victims by the thousands were offered to the chant of ill-omened devotions, now lie
shattered. We have words only of contempt for the forgotten rites of his broken power. You are no
god; I am sure you lie, for only one
true God exists, the God who made man and the whole world, and whom our finite mind adores.
--Satan
Fool! Do you not fear the power of my anger? Impious child, do you not see that mine is
the air you breathe, the sun, the flowers, and the billowy river? At my call, strong with the power
of creation, these islands rose from the waters, islands lighted by the dawn and which once were
fair. As long as faithful to my holy cult,
the people lifted up their prayers before my altars, I saved them a thousand times from death,
hunger, fear. The fields overflowed with fragrant greenery; the golden grain sprouted without labor
from the hallowed earth, then undefiled. The spotted goat, the fleet deer, and the fat cattle,
wandered over the peaceful meadow. The
industrious bee dutifully filled her comb with delicious honey as a gift to man. The crow, secluded
in its nest, did not cry sad omens of terrible calamities. This rich land then enjoyed such a happy
age that in its delights it rivaled heaven. But now, disconsolate and afflicted, it groans under the
rule of alien people, and slowly dies at the impious hands of Spain. Withal, I shall liberate it, if it
bends the knee to my cult, which shines with splendor still. So powerful am I that, at this very
moment, I shall give you everything you may desire, if only you adore me. But woe unto you if
you are blind and distrustful, for I shall open at your feet the deep abyss.
--Leonido
If you are so powerful, if the destiny of mortals is in your hands, why have the Christians
proved to be your undoing? And if, as you say, the wild sea is your humble hireling and obeys
your voice of command, why were not the frail Spanish caravels, which now deride you, swamped
and buried underneath the waves? Why
did your stars guide them in the gloomy night and the wind fill their sails? Why did you not hurl
your thunderbolts upon them? Does that prove perhaps that you are omnipotent? But greatest of
your misfortunes is the Name of Mary, a name which consoles the afflicted human even as it
rebukes your arrogance, the Name which erased the last tracts of your cult.
--Satan
The last traces of my cult! Wretch, do you not know that only a people prostrate in
adoration before me, is safe? Ah, the future shall bring the disasters I reserve for you race, which
follows this profane religion: tragic calamities, pestilence, wars, and cruel invasions by various
nations in coming ages not far distant. Your people will water with their blood and tears the thirsty
sands of their native land. The bird, wounded by burning metal, no longer shall raise its song in
the pleasant meadow, nor in that time of affliction shall your ancient forests, your rivers, your
valleys and your springs be respected by the hateful men who shall come to destroy your peace
and prosperity, while I, in my vengeance shall unloose the untamed winds which, with ferocious
rage, shall make the elements run riot to worsen with horrible travail the sad fate of the frail canoe
sinking in the waters. In my hatred I shall raze the green fields of their best grain, and from the tall
summit of the proud mountain I shall hurl a burning river of lava which, wrapped in smoke and
devouring flame, shall lay desolate the towns like a furious torrent that, overflowing, tears out
unnumbered trees. Benumbed at my passionate command, the earth shall tremble with grievous
shocks, imperiling with each movement the rich land and all life upon it. Alas, alas, how great that
desolation! What useless groaning, how much weeping, shall I hear then, but in my heart shall be
no pity for this people, and I shall look on with insolent merriment, laughing in my mortal hatred!
--Leonido
You lie! You can do nothing. I adjure you, in the name of the Lord whom my soul adores,
to tell me who you are. Angel or impure spirit, who wishes to seduce me, take off that mask which
gives your primitive figure an infernal aspect.
--Satan
Very well, then, behold! (In devil’s dress) Observe and note that I am Satan, the angel who
in an age remote sat splendidly upon a throne, his brow magnificent with light. I am he who, with
ferocious rancor, gave battle to Heaven’s Tyrant. Then, vanquished in hopeless defeat, I dragged
your ancestors behind me to their souls’ death. But if the Christian’s lofty faith has prevailed
against my fury, I shall avenge the mortal injury on you. I am the stronger, and if you do not wish
to die, fall at my feet.
--Leonido
Never!
--Satan
Behold my power and my glory! The mighty spirits that rule the universe, obey my voice.
Follow my heroic flag! Here me: if humbly you abjure your new devotion, and repentance take
yourself with fervent faith to my altars, I shall make you happy, and fill you with delight. You
shall have whatever you desire: the river which runs at your feet, carrying diamonds and pearls,
the air you breathe with its my riad creatures, these plants, these flowers, those houses, groves –
all shall be yours if now you cast aside your new-found faith, if you condemn the hateful name of
Her whose feast it is today. But, woe unto you if in your obstinacy you choose to disobey me, for
at your feet this very moment the fearsome earth shall open, burying you in its profundity, as a
drop of water is buried in the sand in a time of drought!
--Leonido
It is in vain that you try to strike cowardly fear into me with your tongue. In vain, in vain,
do you pretend that I should bow and worship. Never shall the devil frighten the Christian child.
Before the Son of Mary, eternal Hell itself shall tremble. Lying spirit, go! Flee and return to your
place of darkness, to the dwellings of despair and eternal shame.
--Satan
Very well. Since you have wished it so, then you must die. You shall be the last victim to
burn upon my altars; you shall play for your people; in you I shall avenge my wrongs. Spirits, loyal
companions, who find evil sweet, who feed with cruel bitterness on the hatred that your souls
contain, come to me joyfully, the war begins.
FIFTH SCENE
(Enter Devils, tumultuously)
Devils’ Chorus
Who calls in accents fell?
Who would our might employ?
Long live the realms of Hell
And all its evil joy!
Whoe’er defies our spell,
A thousand deaths destroy!
--Satan
 You have come at a happy moment, hear me attentively. My voice has called you because
today sweet revenge shall crown our fondest hopes.
Devils Chorus
We devils love our king,
We go where’er he goes,
When he commands, we bring
Destruction to his foes!
--Satan
Unhappy boy, repent your offenses; return wholehearted to my cult; come and bless my
spotless image, and upon you fortune shall smile.
--Leonido
Vile traitor, I detest you. Only to God do I render love. While I live, I shall be faithful; for
Him I wish to die.
[NOTE: At this point it is assumed that Leonido stages his death ending in sleep – rly]
Devils
Long live, long live our Chief,
For him our every breath –
Who grudges him belief
Will suffer death, death, death!
SIXTH SCENE
(The same and an Angel)

--Angel

Back, spirits damned by the anger of heaven! Speed your wings to the mansion of sorrow!
Flee if you fear the deadly flash of the thunderbolt! Flee, perverse leader, traitorous archangel!
(Devils flee) And you, faithful child, awaken. (Leonido awakens) Come to me. I am the messenger
of heaven, who has freed you from the perfidious Satan. Already the virgin of Antipolo sails the
waters of the river. Salute her with pious hymn, for you shall always be her child. Mercifully she
saved you from the clutches of hell. Be her most loving son, for she brings happiness. Already
your companions arrive; they have looked for you eagerly. Farewell, then; I must return to heaven.
Farewell, Leonido farewell! (Disappears.)
--Leonido
Farewell, beautiful spirit, my deliverer, guardian of the sleeping child!
LAST SCENE
(Leonido and the children. The Virgin can be seen passing by along the river, shortly before the
final chorus)
--Candido
 Leonido! We were looking for you! Look, there is the Virgin Mary! Listen to those
thousands of voices singing to her in harmony!
--Leonido
Yes, friend, I can hear them; I too see her coming. Oh, what secret happiness I feel in my
heart! Let us sing a song together on this happy day; let us salute the Virgin! What do you say,
friends?
--All
Yes, yes.
(The Virgin appears, illumined with magnesium or electric light.)
Final Chorus
Hail to Thee, Queen of the sea,
Rose without stain,
Star without wane,
Rainbow of peace, hail to Thee!
Hail, Antipolo’s renown,
Source of its fame,
Image whose Name
Saves whom the devil would drown.
In thee we can ever confide,
Mother of all,
Whatever befall,
Night unto day, our Guide!

B. UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS

Medical Studies at the University (1877-1882)
-A La Juventud Filipina (To The Filipino Youth)- Rizal who was then 18 years old,
submitted this poem is an inspiring poem of flawless form. Rizal beseeched the Filipino youth to
rise from lethargy, to let genius fly swifter than the wind and descend with art and science to
break the chains that have long bound the spirit of the people. This winning poem of Rizal
is a classic in Philippine literature for two reasons;
(1.) it was the great poem in Spanish written by a Filipino, whose merit was recognized by
Spanish literary authorities (2.) it expressed for the first time the nationalistic concept that the
Filipinos, and not the foreigners, were the “fair hope of the Fatherland”
 “To the Filipino Youth”
Hold high the brow serene, Thou, who by sharp strife
O youth, where now you stand; Wakest thy mind to life ;
Let the bright sheen And the memory bright
Of your grace be seen, Of thy genius' light
Fair hope of my fatherland! Makest immortal in its strength ;

Come now, thou genius grand, And thou, in accents clear

And bring down inspiration; Of Phoebus, to Apelles dear ;
With thy mighty hand, Or by the brush's magic art
Swifter than the wind's violation, Takest from nature's store a part,
Raise the eager mind to higher station. To fig it on the simple canvas' length ;

Come down with pleasing light Go forth, and then the sacred fire
Of art and science to the fight, Of thy genius to the laurel may aspire ;
O youth, and there untie To spread around the fame,
The chains that heavy lie, And in victory acclaim,
Your spirit free to blight. Through wider spheres the human name.
See how in flaming zone
Amid the shadows thrown, Day, O happy day,
The Spaniard'a holy hand Fair Filipinas, for thy land!
A crown's resplendent band So bless the Power to-day
Proffers to this Indian land. That places in thy way
This favor and this fortune grand!
Thou, who now wouldst rise
On wings of rich emprise,
Seeking from Olympian skies
Songs of sweetest strain,
Softer than ambrosial rain;
Thou, whose voice divine
Rivals Philomel's refrain
And with varied line
Through the night benign
Frees mortality from pain;
 CHAPTER IV
RIZAL AND THE CAMPAIGN FOR NATIONALISM

A. Period of Preparation and Expedition (1882-1888)

Articles in Diariong Tagalog
“El Amor Patrio” (The Love of Country)
This was the first article Rizal wrote in the Spanish soil. Written in the summer of 1882, it
was published in Diariong Tagalog in August. He used the pen name “Laong Laan” (ever prepared)
as a byline for this article and he sent it to Marcelo H. Del Pilar for Tagalog translation.
Written during the Spanish colonization and reign over the Philippine islands, the article
aimed to establish nationalism and patriotism among the natives. Rizal extended his call for the
love of country to his fellow compatriots in Spain, for he believed that nationalism should be
exercised anywhere a person is.
In it he talks of “Love of Country” which “is never effaced one it has penetrated the heart,
because it carriers with it a divine stamp”, that it is “the most powerful force behind the most
sublime actions” and for that reason, love of country “of all loves...is the greatest, the most heroic
and the most disinterested”.
He speaks of the Motherland for whom “some have sacrificed their youth, their
pleasures…others their blood; all have died bequeathing to their Motherland…Liberty and glory”.

The Noli Me Tangere

COMPRISING 63 CHAPTERS and an epilogue, Jose Rizal’s first novel ‘Noli Me

Tangere’ exposes the abuses and inequities of many Spanish Catholic friars and government
officials during his time.
Rizal was a student of medicine in the Universidad Central de Madrid when he started
writing it and was 26 years old at its publication.
The author fittingly dedicated the novel to the country of his people whose miseries and
sorrows he brought to light in an attempt to awaken them to the truths concerning the ills of their
society. Paradoxically though, the novel was originally written in Spanish, the language of the
colonizers and the educated at that time.
Published in early 1887 in Europe, the novel is now commonly called by its shortened
name ‘Noli’; its English translation is usually titled ‘Touch Me not’ and ‘The Social Cancer’. The
Latin title which means ‘Touch me not’ was taken from Christ’s words. In a letter to Felix Hidalgo,
Rizal however made a mistake in attributing the quotation to the Gospel of Luke, for it was in fact
recorded in John 20:17: “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father.”

*The ynopsis

The main character of the Noli Me Tangere, young and wealthy Filipino Crisostomo Ibarra
returned to his country after some years of study in Europe. In his honor, Capitan Tiago (Santiago
de los Santos) threw a party at his house in Manila. The gathering was attended by renowned local
personalities like Padre Damaso, a fat Franciscan priest who had been assigned for many years in
Ibarra’s native town (San Diego); Fray Sybila, the young Dominican curate of Binondo; Lieutenant
Guevarra of the Guardia Civil; and Doña Victorina, wife of a fake Spanish physician Tiburcio de
Espadaña. Crisostomo’s father, Don Rafael Ibarra, was Capitan Tiago’s friend. Capitan Tiago’s
supposed daughter, Maria Clara, was Crisostomo’s fiancée. During the party, Padre Damaso
belittled Ibarra and rudely tried to harm his reputation. But the gentleman Ibarra simply ignored
the friar’s affront. When Ibarra left Capitan Tiago’s house, Lieutenant Guevara talked to him and
related the miserable fate of his deceased father in San
Diego.
Guevara explained that Don Rafael was unfairly accused by San Diego curate of being a
heretic and filibuster because of his non-participation in mass and confession. One day, Don Rafael
saw a Spanish tax collector and a weak boy fighting. In an attempt to defend the powerless boy,
he had accidentally pushed and killed the brutal Spaniard. Don Rafael was thus imprisoned and
died in his cell miserably. Initially buried in consecrated ground, his body was removed from the
Catholic cemetery under the order of his enemies.
The next day, Crisostomo visited his sweetheart, Maria Clara. After the lovely visit to his
girlfriend, Ibarra went to San Diego to look for his father’s grave. He had known through the grave-
digger that his father’s corpse was dug up by order of the curate to be transferred in the Chinese
cemetery. But since it was raining and the corpse was heavy, the grave-digger just threw Don
Rafael’s corpse into the river.
Angered by what he learned, Ibarra suddenly attacked Padre Salvi when he saw this San
Diego parish priest. But Salvi explained to him that it was Damaso who was the town’s parish
priest at the time of Don Rafael’s death.
When Maria Clara and her family arrived in San Diego, Ibarra gave picnic at the lake.
During the picnic, Ibarra had saved the life of Elias—the boatman who was almost killed by a
crocodile trapped in the fish cage. Later in the picnic, some members of the Guardia Civil also
came, pursuing Elias who had previously assaulted Padre Damaso and the alferez. But Elias had
escaped even before the Guardia Civil arrived. Later on, Ibarra received a notice that his donation
of a school in San Diego had been approved by the Spanish government.
On the day of San Diego town fiesta, Ibarra and Maria Clara attended the morning mass
officiated by Padre Salvi and Padre Damaso. During the mass, Elias silently went near Ibarra and
notified him of the plot to kill him on the ceremony of the laying of the school’s cornerstone. So
during the inauguration, when Ibarra was about to cement the foundation of the schoolhouse, the
platform collapsed. Fortunately, the quick Elias had rescued Ibarra and the man who was paid to
harm Ibarra was the one killed in the incident.
Ibarra hosted a banquet later that day. Padre Damaso who attended the feast publicly
attacked the dignity of Ibarra’s dead father. The angered host lunged at the ill-mannered friar and
had almost killed Damaso with a knife were it not for Maria Clara who interfered just in time.
Ibarra was consequently excommunicated and his engagement with Maria Clara was broken as
Damaso persuaded Capitan Tiago to prohibit the lady to marry Ibarra.
One day, Ibarra’s enemies engineered a helpless attack on the station of the Guardia Civil, making
the attackers believe that Ibarra was the brain of the uprising. After the attack failed, Ibarra was
incriminated and arrested.
Elias helped Ibarra escape from prison. Before leaving, they discreetly stopped at Capitan
Tiago’s house. Maria Clara explained that she was blackmailed by Padre Salvi to surrender Ibarra’s
letter (which was used to incriminate him) in exchange for the letters written by her dead mother.
From these, she learned that her real father was Padre Damaso.
 Ibarra and Elias then took off by boat. Instructing Ibarra to lie down, Elias covered him
with grass to conceal his presence. As luck would have it, they were spotted by their enemies.
Elias, thinking he could outsmart them, jumped into the water. The guards rained shots on him, all
the while not knowing that they were aiming at the wrong man.
Badly injured, Elias reached the forest where he found the altar boy Basilio who was
sobbing over the body of his dead mother, Sisa. His mother had previously lost her mind upon
learning that her two sons, altar boys Crispin and Basilio, were missing from the convent. Falsely
accused of stealing from the convent, Crispin had been tortured and killed by the wicked and
crooked sacristan mayor. Basilio had escaped and the death of his brother had been covered-up by
Salvi.
Knowing that he would eventually die, Elias instructed Basilio to make a funeral pyre and
burn his and Sisa’s bodies to ashes. In his dying breath, Elias mumbled the following hopeful
patriotic words:“I shall die without seeing the dawn break upon my homeland. You, who shall see
it, salute it! Do not forget those who have fallen during the night.”
The novel’s epilogue narrates that Capitan Tiago became addicted to opium. Padre Damaso
was assigned to a far province and was found dead in his bedroom one morning. The sorrowful
Maria Clara, believing that Ibarra had been shot dead in the river, entered the nunnery. Padre Salvi
left the San Diego parish and became a chaplain of the nunnery. Some infer that Salvi, who had
been portrayed as having a hidden desire for Maria Clara, regularly molested her in the nunnery.
Consequently, a pretty crazy woman was seen one rainy night at the top of the convent bitterly
weeping and cursing the heavens for the fate it has bestowed upon her. The woman was not named
but it was assumed that she was none less than Maria Clara.

“Song of Maria Clara”

“Sweet the hours in one’s native land,
Where all is dear the sunbeams bless;
Life giving breezes sweep the strans,
And death is soften’d by love’s caress.

“Warm kisses play on mother’s lips,

On her fond, tender breast awakening;
When round her neck the soft arm slips,
And bright eye smile, all love partaking.

“Sweet is death for one’s native land,

Where all is dear the sunbeams bless:
Death is the breeze that sweeps the strand,
With out a mother, home, or love’s caress.
 CHAPTER VII
PERIOD OF RESEARCH AND WRITINGS (1888-1891)

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 sustains
Fam'ly, home and Motherland.
Hard the land may turn to be,
Scorching the rays of the sun above...
For the country, wife and children
All will be easy to our love.
Chorus:
WIVES:
Go to work with spirits high,
For the wife keeps home faithfully,
Inculcates love in her children
For 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.
Chorus:
MAIDENS:
H ail! 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 love
Labor his faith will sustain :
Only a man who struggles and works
Will his offspring know to maintain.
Chorus:
CHILDREN:
Teac h, us ye the laborious work
To pursue your footsteps we wish,
For tomorrow when country calls us
We 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 dead
As does a son with glory and valor.

The Indolence of the Filipinos:

 La Indolencia de los Filipinos, more popularly known in its English version, "The
Indolence of the Filipinos," is a exploratory essay written by Philippine national hero Dr. Jose
Rizal, to explain the alleged idleness of his people during the Spanish colonization.

SUMMARY
The Indolence of the Filipinos is a study of the causes why the people did not, as was
said, work hard during the Spanish regime. Rizal pointed out that long before the coming of the
Spaniards, the Filipinos were industrious and hardworking. The Spanish reign brought about a
decline in economic activities because of certain causes:
First, the establishment of the Galleon Trade cut off all previous associations of
the Philippines with other countries in Asia and the Middle East. As a result, business was only
conducted with Spain through Mexico. Because of this, the small businesses and handicraft
industries that flourished during the pre-Spanish period gradually disappeared.
Second, Spain also extinguished the natives’ love of work because of the implementation
of forced labor. Because of the wars between Spain and other countries in Europe as well as the
Muslims in Mindanao, the Filipinos were compelled to work in shipyards, roads, and other public
works, abandoning agriculture, industry, and commerce.
Third, Spain did not protect the people against foreign invaders and pirates. With no arms
to defend themselves, the natives were killed, their houses burned, and their lands destroyed. As
a result of this, the Filipinos were forced to become nomads, lost interest in cultivating their lands
or in rebuilding the industries that were shut down, and simply became submissive to the mercy
of God.
Fourth, there was a crooked system of education, if it was to be considered
an education. What was being taught in the schools were repetitive prayers and other things that
could not be used by the students to lead the country to progress. There were no courses in
Agriculture, Industry, etc., which were badly needed by the Philippines during those times.
Fifth, the Spanish rulers were a bad example to despise manual labor. The officials
reported to work at noon and left early, all the while doing nothing in line with their duties. The
women were seen constantly followed by servants who dressed them and fanned them – personal
things which they ought to have done for themselves.
Sixth, gambling was established and widely propagated during those times. Almost
everyday there were cockfights, and during feast days, the government officials and friars were
the first to engange in all sorts of bets and gambles.
Seventh, there was a crooked system of religion. The friars taught the naïve Filipinos that
it was easier for a poor man to enter heaven, and so they preferred not to work and remain poor
so that they could easily enter heaven after they died.
Lastly, the taxes were extremely high, so much so that a huge portion of what they
earned went to the government or to the friars. When the object of their labor was removed and
they were exploited, they were reduced to inaction.
Rizal admitted that the Filipinos did not work so hard because they were wise enough to
adjust themselves to the warm, tropical climate. “An hour’s work under that burning sun, in the
midst of pernicious influences springing from nature in activity, is equal to a day’s labor in a
temperate climate.”
To the Young Women of Malolos:

Jose Rizal’s legacy to Filipino women is embodied in his famous essay entitled, “To the
Young Women of Malolos,” where he addresses all kinds of women – mothers, wives, the
unmarried, etc. and expresses everything that he wishes them to keep in mind.

SUMMARY
“To the Women of Malolos” was originally written in Tagalog. Rizal penned this writing
when he was in London, in response to the request of Marcelo H. del Pilar. The salient points
contained in this letter are as follows:

1. The rejection of the spiritual authority of the friars – not all of the priests in the country
that time embodied the true spirit of Christ and His Church. Most of them were
corrupted by worldly desires and used worldly methods to effect change and force
discipline among the people.
2. The defense of private judgment
3. Qualities Filipino mothers need to possess – as evidenced by this portion of his letter,
Rizal is greatly concerned of the welfare of the Filipino children and the homes they
grow up in.
4. Duties and responsibilities of Filipino mothers to their children
5. Duties and responsibilities of a wife to her husband – Filipino women are known to be
submissive, tender, and loving. Rizal states in this portion of his letter how Filipino
women ought to be as wives, in order to preserve the identity of the race.
6. Counsel to young women on their choice of a lifetime partner

Rizal’s message to filipino women

Jose Rizal was greatly impressed by the fighting spirit that the young women of Malolos
had shown. In his letter, he expresses great joy and satisfaction over the battle they had fought. In
this portion of Rizal’s letter, it is obvious that his ultimate desire was for women to be offered the
same opportunities as those received by men in terms of education. During those days young girls
were not sent to school because of the universal notion that they would soon only be taken as wives
and stay at home with the children. Rizal, however, emphasizes on freedom of thought and the
right to education, which must be granted to both boys and girls alike.
The responsibilities of filipino mothers to their children

Rizal stipulates a number of important points in this portion of his letter to the young
women of Malolos. The central idea here, however, is that whatever a mother shows to her
children is what the children will become also. If the mother is always kissing the hand of the
friars in submission, then her children will grow up to be sycophants and mindless fools who do
nothing but do as they are told, even if the very nature of the task would violate their rights as
individuals.
Qualities mothers have to possess

Rizal enumerates the qualities Filipino mothers have to possess:

1. Be a noble wife.
2. Rear her children in the service of the state – here Rizal gives reference to the women
of Sparta who embody this quality
3. Set standards of behavior for men around her.

Rizal’s advice to unmarried men and women

Jose Rizal points out to unmarried women that they should not be easily taken by
appearances and looks, because these can be very deceiving. Instead, they should take heed of
men’s firmness of character and lofty ideas. Rizal further adds that there are three things that a
young woman must look for a man she intends to be her husband:
1. A noble and honored name
2. A manly heart
3. A high spirit incapable of being satisfied with engendering slaves.

*Analysis

“To the Women of Malolos” centers around five salient points

1. Filipino mothers should teach their children love of God, country and fellowmen.
2. Filipino mothers should be glad and honored, like Spartan mothers, to offer their sons
in defense of their country.
3. Filipino women should know how to protect their dignity and honor.
4. Filipino women should educate themselves aside from retaining their good racial
values.
5. Faith is not merely reciting prayers and wearing religious pictures. It is living the real
Christian way with good morals and manners.

In recent times, it seems that these qualities are gradually lost in the way Filipino women
conduct themselves. There are oftentimes moments where mothers forget their roles in rearing
their children because of the overriding idea of having to earn for the family to supplement their
husband’s income. Although there is nothing negative about working hard for the welfare of the
family, there must always be balance in the way people go through life. Failure in the home cannot
be compensated for by any amount of wealth or fame.
 CHAPTER VIII

NOSTALGIC HISTORIAN

The Philippines a Century Hence

“The Philippines a Century Hence” is an essay written by Philippine national hero Jose
Rizal to forecast the future of the country within a hundred years. Rizal felt that it was time to
remind Spain that the circumstances that ushered in the French Revolution could have a telling
effect for her in the Philippines.

This essay, published in La Solidaridad starts by analyzing the various causes of the
miseries suffered by the Filipino people:
1. Spain’s implementation of her military policies – because of such laws, the Philippine
population decreased dramatically. Poverty became more rampant than ever, and
farmlands were left to wither. The family as a unit of society was neglected, and overall,
every aspect of the life of the Filipino was retarded.
2. Deterioration and disappearance of Filipino indigenous culture – when Spain came with
the sword and the cross, it began the gradual destruction of the native Philippine
culture. Because of this, the Filipinos started losing confidence in their past and their
heritage, became doubtful of their present lifestyle, and eventually lost hope in the future
and the preservation of their race.
3. Passivity and submissiveness to the Spanish colonizers – one of the most powerful forces
that influenced a culture of silence among the natives were the Spanish friars. Because of
the use of force, the Filipinos learned to submit themselves to the will of the foreigners.

The question then arises as to what had awakened the hearts and opened the minds of the
Filipino people with regards to their plight. Eventually, the natives realized that such oppression
in their society by foreign colonizers must no longer be tolerated.

One question Rizal raises in this essay is whether or not Spain can indeed prevent the
progress of the Philippines:
1. Keeping the people uneducated and ignorant had failed. National consciousness had
still awakened, and great Filipino minds still emerged from the rubble.
2. Keeping he people impoverished also came to no avail. On the contrary, living a life of
eternal destitution had allowed the Filipinos to act on the desire for a change in their way
of life. They began to explore other horizons through which they could move towards
progress.
3. Exterminating the people as an alternative to hindering progress did not work either. The
Filipino race was able to survive amidst wars and famine, and became even more
numerous after such catastrophes. To wipe out the nation altogether would require the
 sacrifice of thousands of Spanish soldiers, and this is something Spain would not allow.

Spain, therefore, had no means to stop the progress of the country. What she needs to do
is to change her colonial policies so that they are in keeping with the needs of the Philippine society
and to the rising nationalism of the people.
What Rizal had envisioned in his essay came true. In 1898, the Americans wrestled with
Spain to win the Philippines, and eventually took over the country. Theirs was a reign of
democracy and liberty. Five decades after Rizal’s death, the Philippines gained her long-awaited
independence. This was in fulfillment of what he had written in his essay: “History does not record
in its annals any lasting domination by one people over another, of different races, of diverse
usages and customs, of opposite and divergent ideas. One of the two had to yield and succumb.”

The Reluctant Rebolutionary

El Filibusterismo
The second and last novel completed by José Rizal (though he left behind the unfinished
manuscript of a third one), El Filibusterismo is a sequel to Noli Me Tangere. A dark, brooding, at
times satirical novel of revenge, unfulfilled love, and tragedy, the Fili (as it is popularly referred
to) still has as its protagonist Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra. Thirteen years older, his idealism and
youthful dreams shattered, and taking advantage of the belief that he died at the end of Noli Me
Tangere, he is disguised as Simoun, an enormously wealthy and mysterious jeweler who has
gained the confidence of the colony’s governor-general.

Explaining Simoun, The Main Character in "El Filibusterismo"

The hero of El Filibusterismo is a rich jeweler named Simoun. He was Crisostomo Ibarra
of the Noli, who, with Elias’ help, escaped from the pursuing soldiers at Laguna de Bay, dug up
his buried treasure, and fled to Cuba where he became rich and befriended many Spanish officials.
After many years he returned to the Philippines, where he freely moved around. He is a powerful
figure not only because he is a rich jeweler, but also because he is a good friend and adviser of the
governor general.
Outwardly, Simoun is a friend of Spain. However, deep in his heart, he is secretly
cherishing a terrible revenge against the Spanish authorities. His two obsessions are rescuing Maria
Clara from the nunnery of Santa Clara, and fomenting a revolution against their hated Spanish
masters.

Synopsis of the Beginning Chapters of "El Filibusterismo"

The story of El Filibusterismo begins on board the clumsy, roundish shaped steamer Tabo,
so appropriately named. This steamer is sailing upstream the Pasig from Manila to Laguna de Bay.
Among the passengers are Simoun, the rich jeweler; Doña Victorina, the ridiculously pro-Spanish
native woman who is going to Laguna in search of her henpecked husband, Tiburcio de Espadaña,
who has deserted her; Paulita Gomez, her beautiful niece; Ben-Zayb (anagram of Ibañez), a
Spanish journalist who writes silly articles about the Filipinos; Padre Sibyla, vice-rector of the
University of Santo Tomas; Padre Camorra, the parish priest of the town of Tiani; Don Custodio,
a pro-spanish Filipino holding a position in the government; Padre Salvi, thin Franciscan friar and
former cura of San Diego; Padre Irene, a kind friar who was a friend of the Filipino students; Padre
Florentino, a retired scholarly and patriotic Filipino priest; Isagani, a poet-nephew of Padre
Florentino and a lover of Paulita; and Basilio, son of Sisa and promising medical student, whose
medical education is financed by his patron, Capitan Tiago.
Simoun, a man of wealth and mystery, is a very close friend and confidante of the Spanish
governor general. Because of his great influence in Malacañang, he was called the “Brown
Cardinal” or the “Black Eminence”. By using his wealth and political influence, he encourages
corruption in the government, promotes the oppression of the masses, and hastens the moral
degradation of the country so that the people may become desperate and fight. He smuggles arms
into the country with the help of a rich Chinese merchant, Quiroga, who wants very much to be
Chinese consul of Manila. His first attempt to begin the armed uprising did not materialize because
at the last hour he hears the sad news that Maria Clara died in the nunnery. In his agonizing moment
of bereavement, he did not give the signal for the outbreak of hostilities.

Synopsis of the Middle Chapters of "El Filibusterismo"

After a long time of illness brought about by the bitter loss of Maria Clara, Simoun perfects
his plan to overthrow the government. On the occasion of the wedding of Paulita Gomez and
Juanito Pelaez, he gives a wedding gift to them a beautiful lamp. Only he and his confidential
associates, Basilio (Sisa’s son who joined his revolutionary cause), know that when the wick of
his lamp burns lower the nitroglycerine, hidden in its secret compartment, will explode, destroying
the house where the wedding feast is going to be held killing all the guests, including the governor
general, the friars, and the government officials. Simultaneously, all the government buildings in
Manila will be blown by Simoun’s followers.
As the wedding feast begins, the poet Isagani, who has been rejected by Paulita because of his
liberal ideas, is standing outside the house, watching sorrowfully the merriment inside. Basilio, his
friend, warns him to go away because the lightened lamp will soon explode.
Upon hearing the horrible secret of the lamp, Isagani realizes that his beloved Paulita was
in grave danger. To save her life, he rushes into the house, seizes the lightened lamp, and hurls it
into the river, where it explodes.

Synopsis of the Ending Chapters of "El Filibusterismo"

Upon hearing the horrible secret of the lamp, Isagani realizes that his beloved Paulita was
in grave danger. To save her life, he rushes into the house, seizes the lightened lamp, and hurls it
into the river, where it explodes.
The revolutionary plot was thus discovered. Simoun was cornered by the soldiers, but he escaped.
Mortally wounded, and carrying his treasure chest, he sought refuge in the home of Padre
Florentino by the sea.
The Spanish authorities, however, learns of his presence in the house of Padre Florentino.
Lieutenant Perez of the Guardia Civil informs the priest by letter that he would come at eight
o’clock that night to arrest Simoun.
Simoun eluded arrest by taking poison. As he is dying, he confesses to Padre Florentino, revealing
his true identity, his dastardly plan to use his wealth to avenge himself, and his sinister aim to
destroy his friends and enemies.
 The confession of the dying Simoun is long and painful. It is already night when Padre
Florentino, wiping the sweat from his wrinkled brow, rises and begins to meditate. He consoles
the dying man saying: “God will forgive you Señor Simoun. He knows that we are fallible. He has
seen that you have suffered, and in ordaining that the chastisement for your faults should come as
death from the very ones you have instigated to crime, we can see His infinite mercy. He has
frustrated your plans one by one, the best conceived, first by the death of Maria Clara, then by a
lack of preparation, then in some mysterious way. Let us bow to His will and render Him thanks!”
Watching Simoun die peacefully with a clear conscience and at peace with God. Padre
Florentino falls upon his knees and prays for the dead jeweler. He takes the treasure chest and
throws it into the sea; as the waves close over the sinking chest.
 CHAPTER IX
FROM HONG KONG TO EXILE IN DAPITAN
La Liga Filipina
(The Philippine League) was a progressive organization created by Dr. José Rizal in
the Philippines in the house of Doroteo Ongjunco at Ilaya Street, Tondo, Manila in 1892.
The organization derived from La Solidaridad and the Propaganda movement. The purpose
of La Liga Filipina is to build a new group sought to involve the people directly in the reform
movement.
The league was to be a sort of mutual aid and self-help society dispensing scholarship funds
and legal aid, loaning capital and setting up cooperatives, the league became a threat to Spanish
authorities that they arrested Rizal on July 6, 1892 on Dapitan.
During the exile of Rizal, The organization became inactive, though through the efforts of
Domingo Franco and Andres Bonifacio, it was reorganized. The organization decided to declare
its support for La Solidaridad and the reforms it advocated, raise funds for the paper, and defray
the expenses of deputies advocating reforms for the country before the Spanish Cortes. Eventually
after some disarray in the leadership of the group, the Supreme Council of the League dissolved
the society.
The Liga membership split into two groups when it is about to be revealed: the
conservatives formed the Cuerpo de Compromisarios which pledged to continue supporting the La
Solidaridad while the radicals led by Bonifacio devoted themselves to a new and secret society,
the Katipunan.

*Aims

 To unite the whole archipelago into one vigorous and homogenous organization;
 Mutual protection in every want and necessity;
 Defense against all violence and injustice
 Encouragement of instruction, agriculture, and commerce; and
 Study the application of reforms

*Members of La Liga Filipina

Directors

 José Rizal, Founder

 Ambrosio Salvador, President of the League
 Agustin de la Rosa, Fiscal
 Bonifacio Arevalo, Treasurer
 Deodato Arellano, Secretary and first Supreme leader of Katipunan
 CHAPTER X

RIZAL IN DAPITAN

Going to Cuba up to the Second Arrest