TOPIC 1. RA NO.

1425 or The Rizal Law

Republic Act No. 1425, known as the Rizal Law, mandates all educational institutions in the
Philippines to offer courses about José Rizal. The full name of the law is An Act to Include in the
Curricula of All Public and Private Schools, Colleges and Universities Courses On the Life, Works and
Writings of Jose Rizal, Particularly His Novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, Authorizing the
Printing and Distribution Thereof, and for Other Purposes. The measure was strongly opposed by the
Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines due to the anti-clerical themes in Noli Me Tángere and El
Filibusterismo.

Senator Claro M. Recto was the main proponent of the Rizal Bill. He sought to sponsor the bill at
Congress. However, this was met with stiff opposition from the Catholic Church. During the 1955
Senate election, the church charged Recto with being a communist and an anti-Catholic. After Recto's
election, the Church continued to oppose the bill mandating the reading of Rizal's novels Noli Me
Tángere and El Filibusterismo, claiming it would violate freedom of conscience and religion (Zaide,
1998).

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1425

AN ACT TO INCLUDE IN THE CURRICULA OF ALL PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS,

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES COURSES ON THE LIFE, WORKS AND WRITINGS OF JOSE
RIZAL, PARTICULARLY HIS NOVELS NOLI ME TANGERE AND EL FILIBUSTERISMO,
AUTHORIZING THE PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION THEREOF, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

WHEREAS, today, more than any other period of our history, there is a need for a re-dedication to the
ideals of freedom and nationalism for which our heroes lived and died;

WHEREAS, it is meet that in honoring them, particularly the national hero and patriot, Jose Rizal, we
remember with special fondness and devotion their lives and works that have shaped the national
character;

WHEREAS, the life, works and writing of Jose Rizal, particularly his novels Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo, are a constant and inspiring source of patriotism with which the minds of the youth,
especially during their formative and decisive years in school, should be suffused;

WHEREAS, all educational institutions are under the supervision of, and subject to regulation by the
State, and all schools are enjoined to develop moral character, personal discipline, civic conscience and
to teach the duties of citizenship; Now, therefore,

SECTION 1. Courses on the life, works and writings of Jose Rizal, particularly his novel Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo, shall be included in the curricula of all schools, colleges and universities,
public or private: Provided, That in the collegiate courses, the original or unexpurgated editions of the
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo or their English translation shall be used as basic texts.
SECTION 2. It shall be obligatory on all schools, colleges and universities to keep in their libraries an
adequate number of copies of the original and unexpurgated editions of the Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo, as well as of Rizal’s other works and biography. The said unexpurgated editions of the
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo or their translations in English as well as other writings of Rizal
shall be included in the list of approved books for required reading in all public or private schools,
colleges and universities.
SECTION 3. The Board of National Education shall cause the translation of the Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo, as well as other writings of Jose Rizal into English, Tagalog and the principal Philippine
dialects; cause them to be printed in cheap, popular editions; and cause them to be distributed, free of
charge, to persons desiring to read them, through the Purok organizations and Barrio Councils
throughout the country.
SECTION 4. Nothing in this Act shall be construed as amendment or repealing section nine hundred
twenty-seven of the Administrative Code, prohibiting the discussion of religious doctrines by public
school teachers and other person engaged in any public school.

SECTION 5. The sum of three hundred thousand pesos is hereby authorized to be appropriated out of
any fund not otherwise appropriated in the National Treasury to carry out the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved: June 12, 1956

Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 52, No. 6, p. 2971 in June 1956.

§ Theory on Nationalism
Nationalism, in the context of Philippine experience, initially develops as a consciousness of
belonging to one people-the Hispanic and Catholic Community all over the Spanish empire. This
sentiment was quite limited, based on the political, religious, social and intellectual perceptions of the
archipelago as an integral unit co-equal with the other components of the Spanish empire and all united
under the monarchy. The people of the Philippines, on the basis of this perception, was one and equal
with other peoples of the empire in Spain, America and elsewhere.
The assumed cultural unity, though universalistic in aspirations, was modestly nationalistic in
program and goals. It conceived of the unity of the colonies and the mother country, and stressed the
Hispanism of all peoples composing the imperial cosmopolitan society. In short the basic concept of
nationalism was oneness and identification with a universal and imperial Spanish society. In reality
though, when first conceived and disseminated, certain objective facts were gleaned over or ignored. The
cultural integration of the Philippines was quite incomplete.
Politically and territorially Spanish hegemony was only limited to Luzon, the Visayas and the
coastal areas of Mindanao. Even in those places, two problems at least were never resolved by Spanish
power-the interior and remote areas peopled by the ethnic Filipinos and the remontados who represented
a counter-culture were never integrated; and, the administrative dilemma presented by the struggle
between localism and centralism continued to pester the Spaniards (Cruz, 1989).
TOPIC 2. 19th century Philippines in Rizal’s context

The 19th century Philippines

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 (1887; 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.

LEARNING CONTENT

Philippines before and during Rizal’s Time (Zaide, 1998)

● Colonization
● Magellan
● Baptized and converted Datu Humabon and his followers to Christianity.
● Did not stay long
● Lapu-Lapu defeated Magellan.
● 1565 (Miguel Lopez de Legazpi)
● Blood compact with Raja Sikatuna
● Philippines had been under the Spanish rule for more than 300 years.
Objectives of the Colonization:

● To spread Christianity and establish the educational system in the country.

● To enrich themselves which was the moving reason why they invaded foreign countries.
● To show the world that Spain had the superior power over all other countries in the world and to
strengthen it more.

Pre-Hispanic Philippines

Filipinos had their own indigenous but rich culture, government and belief.

Upon the coming of the Spaniards they were forced to accept foreign culture and Catholicism.

Economic end of galleon trade, opening of Suez Canal, opening of ports to world

Suez Canal opens

The Suez Canal, connecting the Mediterranean and the Red seas, is inaugurated in an elaborate ceremony
attended by French Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III.

In 1854, Ferdinand de Lesseps, the former French consul to Cairo, secured an agreement with the
Ottoman governor of Egypt to build a canal 100 miles across the Isthmus of Suez. An international team
of engineers drew up a construction plan, and in 1856 the Suez Canal Company was formed and granted
the right to operate the canal for 99 years after completion of the work.

Construction began in April 1859, and at first digging was done by hand with picks and shovels
wielded by forced laborers. Later, European workers with dredgers and steam shovels arrived. Labor
disputes and a cholera epidemic slowed construction, and the Suez Canal was not completed until 1869–
four years behind schedule. On November 17, 1869, the Suez Canal was opened to navigation. Ferdinand
de Lesseps would later attempt, unsuccessfully, to build a canal across the Isthmus of Panama.

When it opened, the Suez Canal was only 25 feet deep, 72 feet wide at the bottom, and 200 to 300
feet wide at the surface. Consequently, fewer than 500 ships navigated it in its first full year of operation.

Major improvements began in 1876, however, and the canal soon grew into the one of the
world’s most heavily travelled shipping lanes. In 1875, Great Britain became the largest shareholder in
the Suez Canal Company when it bought up the stock of the new Ottoman governor of Egypt. Seven
years later, in 1882, Britain invaded Egypt, beginning a long occupation of the country. The Anglo-
Egyptian treaty of 1936 made Egypt virtually independent, but Britain reserved rights for the protection
of the canal.
 After World War II, Egypt pressed for evacuation of British troops from the Suez Canal Zone,
and in July 1956 Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the canal, hoping to charge tolls
that would pay for construction of a massive dam on the Nile River. In response, Israel invaded in late
October, and British and French troops landed in early November, occupying the canal zone. Under
pressure from the United Nations, Britain and France withdrew in December, and Israeli forces departed
in March 1957. That month, Egypt took control of the canal and reopened it to commercial shipping.

Ten years later, Egypt shut down the canal again following the Six Day War and Israel’s
occupation of the Sinai Peninsula. For the next eight years, the Suez Canal, which separates the Sinai
from the rest of Egypt, existed as the front line between the Egyptian and Israeli armies. In 1975,
Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat reopened the Suez Canal as a gesture of peace after talks with Israel.
Today, an average of 50 ships navigate the canal daily, carrying more than 300 million tons of goods a
year.

TOPIC 3. Rizal’s Family and Childhood

Rizal and his family

José Rizal, in full José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda, (born June 19, 1861, Calamba,
Philippines—died December 30, 1896, Manila), patriot, physician, and man of letters who was an
inspiration to the Philippine nationalist movement.
The son of a prosperous landowner, Rizal was educated in Manila and at the University of Madrid.
A brilliant medical student, he soon committed himself to the reform of Spanish rule in his home country,
though he never advocated Philippine independence. Most of his writing was done in Europe, where he
resided between 1882 and 1892.

In 1887 Rizal published his first novel, Noli me tangere (The Social Cancer), a passionate
exposure of the evils of Spanish rule in the Philippines. A sequel, El filibusterismo (1891; The Reign of
Greed), established his reputation as the leading spokesman of the Philippine reform movement. He
published an annotated edition (1890; reprinted 1958) of Antonio Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas,
hoping to show that the native people of the Philippines had a long history before the coming of the
Spaniards.
He became the leader of the Propaganda Movement, contributing numerous articles to its
newspaper, La Solidaridad, published in Barcelona. Rizal’s political program included integration of the
Philippines as a province of Spain, representation in the Cortes (the Spanish parliament), the replacement
of Spanish friars by Filipino priests, freedom of assembly and expression, and equality of Filipinos and
Spaniards before the law.

LEARNING CONTENT
Like many families in the Philippines, the Rizals were of mixed origin. José's patrilineal lineage
could be traced back to Fujian in China through his father's ancestor Lam-Co, a Chinese merchant who
immigrated to the Philippines in the late 17th century. Lam-Co travelled to Manila from Xiamen, China,
possibly to avoid the famine or plague in his home district, and more probably to escape the Manchu
invasion during the Transition from Ming to Qing. He finally decided to stay in the islands as a farmer.
 In 1697, to escape the bitter anti-Chinese prejudice that existed in the Philippines, he converted to
Catholicism, changed his name to Domingo Mercado and married the daughter of Chinese friend
Augustin Chin-co. On his mother's side, Rizal's ancestry included Chinese, Japanese and Tagalog blood.
His mother's lineage can be traced to the affluent Florentina family of Chinese mestizo families
originating in Baliuag, Bulacan. José Rizal also had Spanish ancestry. His grandfather was a half
Spaniard engineer named Lorenzo Alberto Alonzo (Zaide, 1998).

B. Rizal’s Early Childhood

José Rizal was born in 1861 to Francisco Rizal Mercado y Alejandro and Teodora Alonso
Realonda y Quintos in the town of Calamba in Laguna province. He had nine sisters and one brother. His
parents were leaseholders of a hacienda and an accompanying rice farm by the Dominicans. Both their
families had adopted the additional surnames of Rizal and Realonda in 1849, after Governor General
Narciso Clavería y Zaldúa decreed the adoption of Spanish surnames among the Filipinos for census
purposes (though they already had Spanish names).

His family fondly called him Pepe. He was christened at the church on June 22, 1861 when he was
only 3 days old by Rev. Fr. Rufino Collantes, and his godfather was Rev. Fr. Pedro Casanas. His baptism
was attested by the parish priest of the town, Rev. Fr. Leoncio Lopez.

Parents:
1. Dona Teodora Alonzo Realonda y Quintos (Mother)
• Born in Meisik, Manila on Nov. 9, 1827.
• A native of Sta. Cruz, Manila.
• She was martinet, devoted, well-mannered and a diligent mother.
• Studied Spanish at Colegio de Santa Rosa.
• Pepe considered her a remarkable woman.
• She demonstrated on how to keep families together despite the turmoil of the Spanish
Regime.
• She possessed business ability, a refined culture, literary giant, and the courage of a
frugal woman.

2. Don Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado y Alejandra II (Father)

• Was born on May 11, 1818 at Binan, Laguna.
• Youngest of Cirila Alejandro and Juan Mercado.
• He was one of the 4th generations of a Chinese immigrant in the late 1600s named
Domingo Lamco.
• Pepe regarded him as “model of Fathers”
• He was a tenant and also a landowner of the Dominican state in Calamba, Laguna.
• He died on January 5, 1898 at the house of his daughter Narcisa shortly after the
execution of his son Jose.

Siblings
1. Saturnina
• Dona Saturnina(1850-1913)
• Also known as “Neneng”
• Married to Manuel Hidalgo
• Studied at La Concordia College
• Published Pascual Poblete’s Tagalog translation of Noli Me Tangere.
• Died in 1913 at the age of 63.

2. Paciano (1851-1930)
• Elder and only brother of Pepe.
• Known as Ciano
• Studied at Colgio de San Jose.
• Married to Severina Decena and had 2 children
• Died at the age of 79 because of tuberculosis

3. Narcisa (1852-1939)
• 2nd daughter and 3rd child
• Known as Sisa
• Believed to be the only sibling that could narrate the poems of Pepe.
• Married to a teacher and musician named Antonio Lopez.

4. Olimpia/Olympia (1855-1887)
• Known as Ypia.
• Married to Silvestro Ubaldo.

5. Lucia(1857-1919)
• Married to Manuel Herbosa of Calamba, Laguna.

6. Maria (1859-1945)
• Married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Binan, Laguna.
• She was known as Biang

7. Jose Rizal (1861-1896)

8. Concepcion (1862-1865)
• She was called as Concha.
• Died at the age of 3.

9. Josefa (1865-1945)
• Was an old maid who died at the age of 80.
• Known as Panggoy in her family.

10. Trinidad(1868-1951)
• Like her sister Panggoy, she died an old maid at the age of 83.
• She was the keeper of Rizal’s dirge Mi Ultimo Adios.

11. Soledad (1870-1929)

• She became a teacher.
• She was known as Choleng.
• Married to Pantaleon Quintero

Jose Rizal, just like Filipino boys, had many beautiful memories of childhood. He had a happy
home, filled with parental affection, impregnated with family joys, and sanctified by prayers. In the midst
of such a peaceful, refined, God-loving family, he spent the early years of his childhood.
Calamba, the Hero’s Town was an hacienda town which belonged to the Dominican Order. It is a
picturesque town nestling on a verdant plain covered with irrigated rice fields and sugar-lands. A few
kilometers to the south looms is the legendary Mount Makiling in somnolent grandeur.

Beyond this mountain is the province of Batangas. East of the town is the Laguna de Bay. In the
middle lake towers is the storied island of Talim and beyond it towards the north is the distant Antipolo,
famous mountain shrine of the miraculous Lady of Peace and Good Voyage.

In 1876, when he was 15 years old and was a student in the Ateneo de Manila he remembered his
beloved town. He wrote a poem Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo (In Memory of My Town).

Rizal’s Three Uncles

There were 3 uncles, brothers of his mother, who played a great part in the early education of
Rizal. Uncle Gregorio was a lover of books. He instilled into the mind of his nephew a great love for
books. He taught him to work hard, to think for himself, and to observe life keenly. Uncle Jose, who had
been educated at Calcutta, India, was the youngest brother of Dona Teodora. He encouraged his nephew
to paint, sketch, and sculpture. Uncle Manuel was a big, strong, and husky man. He looked after the
physical training of his sickly and weak nephew. He encouraged Rizal to learn swimming, fencing,
wrestling, and other sports, so that in later years Rizal’s frail body acquired agility, endurance, and
strength.

TOPIC 4. Rizal’s Early Education

Education opens up the mind, expands it and allows you to improve your life in so many ways. It
has evolved through the years. Before, traditional ways of teaching were introduced, however, these
days a lot of things changed.

Topic Content:
Rizal’s Early Education
Rizal’s education started at home with the guidance of her mother. Donya Teodora, Rizal’s
mother was an educated woman having been educated in Manila. She instilled into Pepe the importance
of education at an early age. Her mother taught him basically the four R’s (Reading, Writing,
Arithmetic, and Religion during his early childhood days. These skills were compulsory among
children during those days, most especially, religion since we were under the Spanish colonial rule.

At an early age of three years old, Rizal was already advanced for his age. He was able to read at
such an age and was taught how to solve arithmetic problems and most especially recite prayers in
Latin. He was also given a lot of storytelling by her mother. The story of the Moth was the most
memorable and touching story that Pepe liked the most.

The parents of the Mercado siblings assured the education of their children. They hired private
tutors, especially for Pepe, to provide good and knowledgeable lessons at home. Maestro Celestino was
his first tutor and Maestro Lucas Padua was his second tutor. For his third tutor, Don Francisco later
hired his former classmate, Leon Monroy, to teach Pepe Spanish and Latin. He was a hired stay-in tutor
but died after five months. The death of Senor Leon Monroy caused Pepe’s parents to send him to a
private school in Binan.

The Story of the Moth

Rizal’s Mother, Teodora Alonzo, was the first teacher of Rizal who taught him to read and write.
Most times, when Rizal got tired of reading, Teodora Alonzo was the one who read a story to Rizal
while Rizal was listening. They use a lamp most of the time to provide light while reading. One night,
seeing that Rizal is tired her mother started to read a story. The story goes like this:

Mayroon daw dalawang gamugamo, isang matanda at isang bata. Maibigin silang maglaro sa tabi ng
ilaw na kandila. Isang gabi ang batang gamugamo ay lumipad nang lubhang malapit sa ningas ng
kandila. “Mag-ingat ka!” ang tawag ng matandang gamugamo. “Baka masunog ang pakpak mo ay hindi
ka na makalipad.” “Hindi ako natatakot,” ang mayabang na sagot ng batang gamugamo. At nagpatuloy
siya ng paglipad sa paligid-ligid ng magandang ningas. Minsan, sa kanyang paglipad ay nadikit sa
ningas ang kanyang pakpak at siya ay nalaglag sa mesa.
“Sinabi ko na nga ba sa iyo,” ang sabi ng matandang gamugamo. “Ngayon ay hindi ka na makalilipad
na muli. Samantalang nakikinig si Rizal sa kwento nalilibang naman siya sa maliliit na gamugamong
naglalaro sa kanilang ilaw. Napansin nya ang malaking hangad ng maliliit na kulisap na makalapit sa
ilaw sa paghanap ng liwanag kahit mapanganib. At nang masunog ang pakpak at malaglag sa mesa ang
batang gamugamo sa kwento ay siya ring pagkasunog ng pakpak at pagkalaglag ng isang tunay na
gamugamo sa langis ng tinghoy.

Rizal was too focused on watching the moth in the flame that he didn’t notice that her mother was
done reading the story. Then there’s one thing that he learned that is very important in history since it
helped mold Rizal to becoming a hero for our nation. He never thought that a moth could give him a
lesson that he would carry forever.
“Ang mga gamugamo pala ay hindi natatakot mamatay sa paghanap ng liwanag.”
 That lesson struck Rizal until he grew older. Hindi siya tumigil na hanapin ang liwanag para
iligtas ang bansang Pilipinas na kahit ito ay kanyang ikamatay. Ang maliit na kulisap ay parang si
Rizal, hindi siya natakot lumapit sa liwanag kahit na marami pang banta o balakid ang naroroon, kahit
pa ito’y ikamatay niya.
Naging matigas man ang ulo ni Rizal sa di pagsunod sa pangaral ng kanyang ina na:
“Huwag mong paparisan ang ginawa ng batang gamugamo. Makikinig ka sa pangaral upang ikaw
ay hindi mapahamak.” Ngunit, ito naman ang nagturo kay Rizal upang maging matapang sa
pakikipaglaban para sa kanyang inang bayan.

First Formal Schooling- Binan, Laguna (1870-1871)

Sunday afternoon in June 1870, Pepe left Calamba for Binan for his first schooling. He was
accompanied by Paciano and they rode in a carromata, and headed to their aunt’s place where Pepe was
to stay. In Binan, Pepe and his cousin Leandro went for sightseeing around the town.
Pepe’s life in Binan was marked by happiness. Pepe nurtured his skills on painting. Senor
Juancho taught him how to do drawing and painting. His classmate, Jose Guevarra joined Pepe for
drawing and painting lessons during their free time.

Pepe, along with his classmates, concentrated much of their learning on Reading, Writing,
Arithmetic, and Religion. They focused on Religion, since it was more rigid and their teacher was
overly strict. They were forced to memorize each lesson and discipline was imposed with a whip. Jose
excelled on all the subjects and lessons. There was jealousy among them, and by that they made wrong
stories about Pepe which caused him with five to six blows as he was laid out on a school bench.

After passing all the necessary requirements in his studies, Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz
informed the parents of Pepe that he had learnt everything that he could teach him, and recommended
that Pepe should be sent to college in Manila. Her sister Saturnina wrote to Pepe about the arrival of the
steamer Talim to Binan, saying that he could board bound for Calamba. Pepe was sad to leave Binan
and move for another schooling. He left Binan on the 17th of December 1870.

Imprisonment of his mother

The story of Dona Teodora’s imprisonment started when she tried to help and persuaded his
brother, Senor Jose Alberto, to just forgive his wife who went along with another man and then after,
abandoning and leaving their children at home, in order to avoid scandal. However, the woman
connived with the Spanish authority and told that Teodora and her husband tried to poison her.

Teodora was arrested and forced to walk for about 50 km from Calamba to Sta. Cruz and was
imprisoned for almost 2 years and a half. The incident saddened the whole Mercado family, especially
the 11 year old Pepe, after hearing that his mother was treated unkindly, no proper medicine and
accommodation. The case reached the Manila Royal Audiencia where she was acquitted (Zaide, 1998).