LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL

Rizal in the Eyes of the Filipinos

To many Filipinos…
-He was a martyr who died for Filipinos.
-Some sectors even call him the “Tagalog Christ” or Kristong Tagalog.
-He is a man of many talents…a poet, a doctor anthropologist, sculptor, surveyor, farmer, novelist,
essayist, historian, teacher, and a polyglot with a knowledge of 22 languages. Historians consider him as
the man who inspired a nation.
-To some sectors, he was revered as a saint or messiah who would one day free the Philippines from
oppression.
-Rizal also had his share of detractors.
-Some writers depict him as an agitator, a wanderlust, a man hungry for power, and an unpredictable
person.
-Some write to denigrate him and question his motives.
-There can be no Emilio Aguinaldo without Andres Bonifacio.
-It was Bonifacio who helped found Katipunan, the organization that launched in 1896 Philippine
Revolution and recruited Aguinaldo into its ranks.
-There will be no Bonifacio without Rizal-it was Rizal’s achievements which helped inspire the
foundation of the Katipunan.
-Even his name is one of the passwords of one of the ranks of the organization.
-Going further, there will be no Rizal without the GOMBURZA priests. It was the unjust execution of
these Filipino secuiar priests, Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, that inspired
Rizal to embark on his nationalist quest. The trio was having inspiration for his second novel, EL
FELIBUSTERISMO.

THE HUMANITY OF HEROES

In the study of the life of heroes, it is important to put in mind that a hero is a human being. Heroes are
made. A heroes, like human beings are a product of their time. Heroes are the product of their
environment, which includes their society, surroundings, and the conditions prevalent at that time.
Heroes are made because they responded to the call of the times and their response to this call had a
decisive effect on the lives of their countrymen. Heroes are ordinary human beings who faced
challenges with an extraordinary response. In the end, their humanity will be unveiled through scholarly
study. In closely studying the humanity of heroes, their frailties surface. There may be some writers who
may wish to denigrate their achievements by capitalizing on these frailties. They may even question
their motives by making malicious conclusions about their achievements. These frailties should not
distract a serious student in studying the life of a hero. On the other hand, the students should be
guided on the contribution og heroes to the betterment of their country rather than on their
shortcomings. It is also important to consider how the hero’s achievements outweighed his deficiencies
in serving the nation.

The Criteria for Heroes

Who declares if anyone is a hero? How did Rizal become a hero? There is no law or proclamation which
directly made Rizal a hero. Rizal’s hero status was made by the acclamation of the Filipino people. This
becomes the object of a public worship and accolades are heaped upon him. This could be seen in
singular tributes to his honor and it may even be manifested physically through the erection of
monuments and the naming of streets and buildings after him. The test of a person’s heroism becomes
stronger if the person is acclaimed long after his de3ath and by people who are not of his generation.
This means the appreciation of his life and achievements spans beyond his life.

The National Historical Institute(NHI; presently the National Historical Commission of the Philippines),
the country’s agency of historical matters, prescribes the passage of 50 years before a person is
confirmed as a hero. If the person is still being admired after that period and his ideas and ideals are still
invoked and appreciated, the person has passed the test of time and is considered a hero. The NHI also
laid down the definition of a hero. In 1965, its predecessor office, the National Heroes Commission,
released a criteria on the definition of a national hero. It was approved by a committee headed by
Director Carlos Quirino of the National Library. According to their definition, a hero is defined as “an
admirable leader towering over his peers, who is serving a noble cause, possessing exceptional talent,
distinguished valor and/or hold enterprise, exercising a determinative influence over the spiritual life of
his people in a particular remarkable event.”The criteria also mentioned that” the hero must, during
extreme stress and difficulties, project himself by his own fortitude, by his own sacrifices to be the
inspiration of his countrymen in leading them to their rightful destiny. He must exhibit self denial and
abandon his personal interests to place those of his country before any other, and whose deeds and acts
are proudly emulated by a grateful people that, after his death, render him singular tribute , honor with
him with public worship, and acknowledge his meritorious services to mankind by spontaneous national
recognition.” Moreover criteria specified “a hero must exercise a determinative influence over the
spiritual life of his people in an event of great significance.” It further says that in order to qualify for the
distinction of a national hero, “one must project himself by his own fortitude, effort, and sacrifices to be
the beacon light of his oppressed countrymen to their rightful destiny.”

LESSON 1: THE CONDITIONS OF EUROPE, AMERICA, AND SPAIN

Rizal’s Century: The 19th Century

The 19th century was a century of change. During the last two decades of the previous century, the age
enlightenment reached its zenith in France, culminating in the French Revolution of 1789. In this age,
ideas of freedom, liberty and equality, and the belief in the sovereignty of the people in determining
government thundered all across Europe. The French Revolution resulted in the toppling of the
monarchy of King Louis XVI and the ushering in of the French Republic . Though France was to slide
back to monarchy following the establishment of Napoleon Bonaparte’s French Empire and the restored
Bourbon dynasty, the ideas of philosophers such a Jean Jacques Rousseau, Montesquieu, Francois-Marie
Arouet (Voltaire) and Englishman John Locke spread around the world like conflagration.The world was
never the same again.

The struggle for equal rights has spread over the world. Europe went up in the revolution from 1848,
with the regimes of the absolute monarchs in France and Austria being toppled by people seeking more
responsible government. In 1861, the year of Rizal’s birth, Tsar Alexander II emancipated Russian serfs.
That year, the Italians, under Giuseppe Garibaldi, threw out the Austrians and took over the papal lands.
Italian nationalism ended the domination of the Church and united the various Italian states as one
country. Germany, on the other, was in the process of unification which lasted until 1871. In the United
States , President Abraham Lincoln emancipated the black slaves but also triggered the American Civil
War which lasted from 1861 ton 1865. At the south of the U.S. border, Mexican troops dealt a
humiliating defeat on the French supported regime of Archduke Maximilian. In France, the regime of
Napoleon III was crumbling after the debacle in Mexico. Later, the French overthrew the monarchists
and established a republic. At this time, however, most Spain’s colonies such as those inb South and
Central America, such as Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, El
Salvador, Honduras, and others have their independence from Spain through revolution. The Philippines
was one Spain’s remaining colonies along with Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Spanish Sahara.

The Need for Reforms Representation

During Napoleon’s time, Spain w2as part of France’s alliance against Great Britain in the Continental
System. When this alliance faltered, Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808 and installed his brother Joseph as
king. The Spaniards resisted the French, and Spanish patriots declared allegiance to their crown prince
Ferdinand and gathered in the city of Cadiz where they crafted a constitution. The Constitution of Cadiz
ha a novel feature of allowing colonies to be represented in the Spanish parliament called the Cortes.
The Philippines therefore was given representation for the very first time, and Ventura de los Reyes, a
Spaniard born in the Philippines was selected to represent the colony. However, after Napoleon was
defeated Ferdinand, who had become King Ferdinand VII, abolished the Cortes, saying that the body
encroached on powers he believed belong solely to him. The decision was unpopular as Spain’s
American colonies began to revolt and sought independence.

In 1820, the Spanish people rose up and held the king hostage. They forced him reconvene the Cortes
and restore the representation of the colonies. The restoration of the Cortes was short-lived as France,
under the Bourbons, sent an army which restored Ferdinand to absolute rule and caused the abolition of
the Cortes. In 1833, Ferdinand VII died and the Cortes was again restored. However, at this time the
body held a secret session in which it was decided that the Philippines should not be accorded
representation,. From the time on, the Philippines had no representation in the Cortes. Representation
in this body was one of the reforms demanded by reformists like Rizal. It would have given the Filipinos
the right to be heard in the body and equal rights with the Spaniards. After Ferdinand VII die, the
country was ruled by his daughter, Queen Isabella II, whose rule was characterized by decadence and
mismanagement. Other European powers such as Great Britain and France became leading powers in
the continent.

Conditions in Asia in the 19th century

In Asia, there were renewed efforts of European penetration with the weakening of Spain and Portugal
and the rise of Great Britain and France. The British gained its colony in Hong Kong and forced China to
open five ports to its traders following Chinas’ defeat in the Opium War of 1839-1842. China was
humiliated with another defeat in the Arrow War of 1856-1858 when the British, now joined by the
French, forced China to open the whole country to foreigners. Furthermore, Great Britain enlarged its
colony in Hong Kong by taking over Kowloon. Japan was forced open by the Americans under
Commodore Matthew Perry in 1854. Unlike the Chinese, however, the Japanese were able to parry
western requests to make Yokohama a treaty port. India became a crown colony of Great Britain in 1858
following the suppression of the Sepoy Mutiny in 18547. Burma became a colony of Great Britain after
three Burmese Wars in 1824-1826, 1862-1863 ,and 1885-1886. Near the Philippines, Indo-China became
a protectorate of France following the suppression of the kingdoms of Annam and Cochin-China. Filipino
troops from Manila played a role in the conquest of Indo-China for France. Malaysia became a
protectorate and eventually a colony of Great Britain while Indonesia was conquered by the Dutch of
Netherlands.

LESSON 2: CONDTIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES IN THE 19 TH CENTURY

Liberal stirrings from Europe reached the Philippines. In the Ilocos, leading citizens there, called Kailanes,
refused to believe that the Cadiz Constitution was abolished by King Ferdinand and rose up in revolt.
They were crushed by troops from the other provinces. In 1826, Mexican soldiers led by Lt. Andres
Novales mutinied. They complained of discrimination and unfair treatment from peninsular officials
following the independence of Mexico from Spain. The mutineers tried to rally the Filipinos to gain their
support and promised to light for independence of the Philippines. The mutiny, however, was crushed
and the rebels were executed.

The last of the series of revolts took place in 1841-1842 when Apolinario de la Cruz refused to disband
his religious organization, the Cofradia de San Jose. De la Cruz aspired to be a priest but was refused by
the Spaniards because of his race. Instead , he founded the Cofradia which gained popularity among
ordinary people and was seen as a threa by the Catholic Church. After his execution and the suppression
of the Cofradiua, members of the Tayabas Regiment of the Spanish army, who turned out to be province
mates of de la Cruz, mutinied and almost took over Manila. The arrival of native reinforcements saved
the Spanish colonizers from certain defeat.

The defeats of native revolts demonstrated that the Philippines was disunited because of lack of a
national identity. The Spaniards used this disunity to divide and rule the country. Demographically, the
Spaniards were a minority in the Philippines. The peninsulares, or Spaniards born in Spain but at that
time were working in the Philippines, were very few, consisting of the governor general, some officials
and priests, and the insulares, Spaniards born in the Philippines who were also few in comparison to the
native population. In large towns, the parish priest and the head of local police were the only Spaniards.
The colonial order was maintained largely by native officials. Local officials such as the gobernadorcillos,
the councilmen, and the Principalia. The policemen were also natives, and even the composition of the
local Spanish army and civil guards was largely natives. Only the officials with the rank of sergeants were
Spaniards. The Spaniards, despite their inferior number, managed to retain the loyalty of the native
officials by giving them certain privileges that kept them separated from the rest of the population. The
gobernadorcillos were afforded the titles of Captain Municipal, Teniente, and Cabeza. Though their
positions did not pay much, the title gave rthem an exalted position in native society and were called
Pricipales or leading citizens. There were also some material rewards in serving the Spaniards. A number
of principales descended from the loyal Datus who pledged their loyalty to the colonizers. They were
excempt from taxation and community labor or Prestacion Personal. They were entitled to receive a
portion of their collection from the people. After serving their terms of office, former officials were still
eligible for re=election. It was possible for former officials to be reinstated into their former offices
several times. This explains why Spain controlled the Philippines for more than 300 years. Spain
controlled the natives through the nature leaders.

Changes in the 19th century had profound effects to the Philippines. During the previous centuries, it was
forbidden for the Philippines to trade with other countries because of Spain’s monopolistic policy, but
colonial officials ignored this instruction and traded with other nations. By 1834, this mercantilist policy
of not allowing the Philippines to trade with other counties was scrapped with the opening of Manila to
world trade. Other parts in the colony like Iloilo, Cebu, Sual, Pangasinan, and Zamboanga followed.
There was brisk demand for Philippine products such as sugar, coffee, abaca, tobacco, dyestuff, and rice.
This created economic opportunities as many families began trading these products for the international
market, These families were mostly mestizos consisting of Spanish and Chinese families. They
intermarried with natives who were farmers that became traders. In the process, they became more
affluent and formed the nucleus of the middle class. The increased wealth allowed middle-class families
to have better houses and sent their children to colleges and universities for tertiary education. They
o9btained higher education degrees which they thought made them equal with the Spaniards.
Eventually, they became concerned with issues of equality including secularization. By the time of Rizal’s
youth, the quest for equality was the cry of the times. It influenced Rizal throughout his life and it
became his lifelong quest

LESSON 3: THE RELIGIOUS FRONT: Secularization

Aside from the need to secure political and social reforms, there was also persisting issue of the
secularization of the Philippine Church. This was a matter involving the Catholic clergy in the Philippines.
In the 16th century, the Council of Trent of the Vatican specified the division of the regular and secular
priests. At the beginning of the Spanish colonization, the task of establishing and administering the
country’s parishes was done by the regular priests who belong to different religious orders. In the
Philippines, these were the Augustinians, Recollects, Jesuits, Franciscans, and Dominicans. Originally,
they came as missionaries to the Philippines. During the course of Spanish rule, there were demands by
the seculars to implement the royal and papal orders. For a time, this was actually implemented but
turned out to be failures, as the secular priests, who were mostly composed of Filipino priests, were
found to be wanting and deemed to be unready to head the parishes. The expulsion of the Jesuits in
1767 created opportunities for seculars to occupy vacated parishes, when the Jesuits were allowed to
return in 1858, parishes held by the seculars were given back to the regulars once the secular priest
holding the post died. What happened was a reverse secularization of the churches, where the parishes
held by the seculars were reverted to the regulars. The issue pitted Filipino seculars against the Spanish
regular clergy, the secularization issue has become a race issue. During the Spanish colonization, the
Spaniards in the Philippines who were born and who grew up in Spain were called PENINSULARES, while
the Spaniards born in the Philippines were called FILIPINOS. This issue was between the Spanish regulars
versus the Filipino seculars. In the forefront of this struggle were Filipino priests like Fathers Pedro Pablo
Pelaez, Jacinto Zamora, Mariano Gomez, and Jose Burgos who championed the cause of equal rights
with Spaniards and the reduction of the influence of the Church in politics. Also among the suspects
were the leaders of the Filipino secular clergy who fought for secularization of the Philippine Catholic
Church. The King of Spain and the Pope himself gave instructions for the secularization of the country’s
parishes. , but this was resisted by the orders of friars who contented that the Filipino seculars were not
ready to take over. During the previous administration of the liberal Governor- General Carlos Ma. De la
Torre, these Filipino liberals and seculars were allowed to voice their grievances. Under Governor-
General Izquierdo’s regime, this right was suppressed. The Filipinos, on the other hand, struggled to
defend their gains under the old regime. They were already identified by the conservative Spaniards for
elimination. The Cavite Mutiny provided the pretext for the conservatives to eliminate the Filipino
liberals. The Spanish forces arrested several known liberals, among them were Jose Ma. Basa, Antonio
Ma. Regidor, Balbino Mauricio, Joaquin Pardo de Tavera, and Filipino secular p[riests like Pedro Dandan
and Toribio H. del Pilar, the brother of propagandist Marcelo H. del Pilar.

Fathers Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora were identified by a false witness named Francisco Zaldua, who
pointed out that the three priests were indeed out to lead a government that would overthrow the
Spaniards and install Father Burgos as the future leader of the Philippines. Despite the protests and
insufficient evidence, the three priests were garroted at Bagumbayan on February 17, 1872. The other
who were identified as sympathizers of the secularization issue also underwent trial and were found
guilty. They were sentenced with deportation to Guam in the Marianas and were never allowed to
return as long as Spain ruled the Philippines.

Reinforcing Spanish denomination in the country were the Spanish clergymen. At the beginning of
Spanish rule, they helped establish the country’s parishes and even several towns in the course of their
evangelization. Through centuries of Spanish rule, they performed an important role not only as
spreaders of the Christian faith but also as representative of the colonial government. Very often, the
Spanish religious officials acted as the eyes and ears of the colonial government, and in many cases,
they served or held positions in the government. They also controlled education in the country as the
country’s educational institutions were controlled by the religious orders. In the local level, the Church
operated parish schools which were the primary schools until the enactment of religious reforms in
1868. Religious officials were also guardians of public morals as they sat on bodies such as those
concerning censorship. In the local level, the parish priest often endorsed candidates for political
positions. This gave him a political role in addition to a religious role. In the national level, religious
officials acted as advisers to the governor general. Many of these officials belong to the regular orders
such as friar orders. More often than not, religious officials serve longer than the governor general
whose average term lasted around three years. Given this condition, the religious officials were deep[ly
entrenched and it was difficult for a new governor general to enforce sweeping reforms especially those
that threaten the supremacy of the religious officials. With the cries for reform, especially those
concerning secularization, the religious orders strongly opposed the efforts.
LESSON 4: THE RIZAL LAW

The Story of the RizaL Law

In 1956, Senator Claro M. Recto filed a measure, which became the original Rizal Bill, recognizing the
need to instill heroism among the youth at the time when the country was experiencing social turmoil. It
was a time when the country was being ravaged by the Hukbalahap insurgency. The imperialist presence
in the form of American influence was strong in the country’s economy and political policies. The
communist insurgency was fought through American guidance and material aid. The Philippines became
part of the global network to contain the spread of communism with the conclusion of a mutual defense
agreement with the United States in 1951 and its joining the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization
(SEATO). On the economic front, the United parity rights granted in the Philippine Constitution which
allowed the Americans to exploit the country’s natural resources. In 1956, the Laurel-Langley Agreement
ensured the free entry of American products, thus ensuring the preference of Filipinos for American
goods. Internally the country was buffeted by corrupt party politics and news political corruption was
rampant. The 1950’s was indeed confusing times.

This was the period when Recto submitted his bill, calling for a return to patriotic values enunciated by
Filipino heroes like Rizal. Under the bill, it shall obligatory for college and university student to study the
life and works of Jose Rizal. The issuance of the bill was not welcomed by various quarters. The Catholic
Church assailed the Rizal Bill as anti-Church because it forces the students to read Rizal’s works like the
NOLI ME TANGERE and EL FILIBUSTERISMO which contain passages that were anti-Church. They
presented fears that the religious beliefs of the young students would be harmed by reading Rizal’s
works while they were at their formative years. Forcing the students to read Rizal’s works which have
religious overtones would be a violation of the constitutional freedom of religion and conscience. The
Church made use of lobbyists as well as priests in opposing the Rizal Bill. Among them were Catholic
organizations such as the Accion Catolico which was formerly headed by Senator Francisco “Soc”
Rodrigo. Priests attended and actively participated in the hearings of the Senate.

Many of these priests were foreigners who sought audience with senators to convince them to oppose
the bill. This was a clear interference of the Church on the making of policies by the State.

Seminars were held across the countryside to oppose the bill. In one seminar, one of the oppositors, Fr.
Jesus Cavanna, commented that Rizal’s novels belonged to the past and it would be harmful to read
them because they presented a false picture of the conditions of the country at that time. He also said
out of 333 pages of the NOLI ME TANGERE, there were only 25 patriotic statements compared to 120
anti-Catholic statements. O(ne commentator, Jesus Paredes, said that the novels contain objectionable
matters and Catholics had the right to refuse to read them, so as not to endanger their faith. Another
commentator, Narciso Pimentel, offered he speculation that Recto introduced his Rizal to get back at the
Catholic voters, who, together with Pres. Magsaysay, were responsible for his poor showing in 1955
elections. Lawmakers such as Representative Miguel Cuenco and Senator Francisco “Soc” Rodrigo voiced
the opposition of the Church in Congress. Senator Rodrigo commented that he would not let his teenage
son read the NOLI ME TANGERE and EL FELIBUSTERISMO lest he endangers his Catholic faith. He
proposed that the footnoted or annotated versions of the novels be used instead of the unexpurgated
versions required in the Recto Bill.

The Church continued its opposition of the bill by calling all Catholic voters to reject lawmakers who
supported Recto’s Rizal Bill. Pastoral letters were read in masses voicing opposition. Bishops threatened
to close down Catholic schools if the bill was approved. Recto, however, stood his ground and dated the
Catholic Church to shut down their schools, knowing that this was only an idle threat since the Catholic
learning institutions were its major source of income. He also rejected Senator Rodrigo’s suggestion that
the annotated or edited versions of the NOLI ME TANGERE and EL FILIBUSTERISMO should be used.

After a month-long standoff, a compromise bill was filed. It was authored by Senator Jose Laurel and it
was based on the proposals of Senators Roseller Lim and Emmanuel Pelaez. On June 12, 1956, Republic
Act No. 1425, better known as the Rizal Law, came into effect. The law accommodated the objections of
the Catholic Church. This could be seen in the second paragraph of Section 1, allowing students to seek
exemption from reading Rizal’s works for religious reasons. To the authors of the original bill, it was a
complete victory but its oppositions felt satisfied that at least they achieved something. The law,
however, still requires the reading of the unexpurgated versions of Rizal’s novels. It also provided the
funding of publication of Rizal’s works and their distribution to the countryside. It was, however, a one-
time appropriation and provisions, for future publication was not given. The Rizal Law is more than 50
years old now, and it may need revisions to make it relevant.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1425

HOUSE BILL NO. 5561

SENATE BILL NO. 438

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 rededication to the
ideas 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 devotiontheir lives an works that have shaped the national
character;

WHEREAS, the life, works, and writings of Jose Rizal, particularly his novels NOLI ME TANGERE AND EL
FELIBUSTERISMO, 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 novels NOLI ME
TANGERE AND EL FILIBUSTERISMO, shall be included in the curricula of all schools, colleges, and
universities, public or private: Provided, that in the collegiate courses, the original or unexpurgated
editions of the NOLI ME TANGERE AND EL FILIBUSTERISMO or their English translation shall be used as
basic texts.

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 Rizal’s other works and biography.

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;

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 doctrine 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.