Mark Joren Sera 2nd Year

Ms. Mary Rose Grisola Rizal Life’s and Works

“Focus on what is not being said”

“We are not makers of history. We are made by history”- Martin Luther King Jr.

It is the time and effort of Rizal that made the Philippines special and free. We all know
that Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was the Philippine national hero. But, it sad
that only few of us Filipinos knows exactly what is the significant of the works and Life of Rizal
to our country. Philippine history would not be the same if we did not include the name of this
man. His contribution to the country greatly affected where we are now. So one of the movie
series of "GMA" Illustorado tackled and gave emphasis to the life of Rizal during the
colonization of the Spaniards in the Philippines. It is a 20 episode movie that follows the child
Rizal up to his execution in Bagumbayan. In this paper, I will only describe and give my critical
analysis and understanding of Rizal's life and works based on the book and the movie that we
saw.

In the movie, it is obvious that Rizal is living a simple life. Although their family is well
known to have a stable life, it does not affect Rizal on his character. In the early childhood of
Rizal, he loved to spend time in the forest, playing with the environment. Exploring different
species, he is brave enough to catch them and care for them. Also, Rizal's skill at sculpturing
made of wood was his innate talent. He is such an imaginative boy that he possesses adult
thinking. Rizal also was a jolly son, and he loved to listen to his mother’s fantasy stories. They
have also little nipa cottage in the garden for him to play in the day. It is good to at his early
stage that he has this kind of attitude of questioning things. Clarifying them to be sure enough
that it true. It is true that one’s lifestyle is influenced mostly by our parents. Rizal’s parents are
strict, especially his mother, Teodora. But they only do this for discipline and give them a good
and stable life in the future. His was a truly inspiring life story, to say the least. More than just a
story about a Filipino, this is about a highly intelligent and talented Filipino who is willing to put
his entire life on the line to ensure the freedom and peace of his family and country.
 Illustrado was a great movie series that represented the life and works of Rizal. However,
there are some scenes and portrayals that are impossible to imagine. According to the lessons and
books that I’ve read. The family of Rizal belongs to the Principalia. But, in the movie they are
called "Indio," which makes me confused. It is true that Rizal, at the age of five, he began to
make sketches with his pencil and mold some clay and wax to create objects. In the movie, a
particular “gwardya sibil” was impressed of by one of the artworks Rizal and it made him to
choose Rizal to create an artwork for the upcoming event in their town. But the sad reality is that
doesn’t matter how great or good you are, if you are an “Indio”, they will always discriminate
against you and view you as a slave.

I was quite disappointed with the last part of the life Rizal represented in the movie. I
think they should give justice and give more emphasis on the exile and execution of Rizal rather
than a romance type Rizal. We are all aware that Rizal's self-sacrifice was the catalyst for our
awakening to the need to fight for our country. They didn’t even include the real life of Rizal in
the prison. Overall, it's good that they're still making those kinds of films, even if they are, shall
we say not "patok" for this generation movies. Another thing that I like is they include the
discipline of Rizal in his studies. Beginning in elementary school and continuing through
college, he demonstrated that learning doesn't stop with graduation. In addition, he widened his
horizons by getting involved in various pursuits, such as music, art, fencing (especially when it
came time to face Nellie), literature, and more.

As a seminarian, I love how Rizal balances his life. In my own insights, Rizal values the
things that are important for the success of his life. That is God, family, country (Philippines)
and self. He could not have reached that far without God. Moreover, Rizal proved that the pen is
mightier than the sword.

Throughout the film, I noticed that the movie contained questions that would help us
view things differently. One of these is, "How far can we go to promote and love our own
country?" Does our own race really matter? Does the colonization of Spaniards in the Philippines
really help us? What if Rizal get tired of writing poems? Throughout the journey of the life of
Rizal, his only primary concern is his family and country. All of the questions of the Filipinos in
the Spanish period were answered by Rizal. He wrote poems and novels as a springboard for
Filipinos to fight for what is right. We should be thankful for Rizal for he is such a man to stood
up against the tyrant Spaniards.

           While others used force to fight their enemies, Rizal used what he is an expert at- writing.
His books and the idea of nationalism attracted my attention. His writings exposed the
oppression of the Spanish people to the world. Revolutions erupted as people became more
aware of what they were going through. His brand of nationalism instilled a deep respect for the
human race in us. Because of it, we now have a sense of belonging - we are Filipinos, and we
should be proud of that. I'm grateful for subjects like this one that allow us to learn more about
our National Hero's life and legacy while also increasing our appreciation for his selfless service
to the country.

To be honest, I pondered that nowadays, the love for our sister and brother Filipinos is
gone. I've noticed that the treats from the Luzon people are different, especially for us "Bisaya"
people. They sometimes think that "bisaya" people are non-educated and most of them are only
maids. I’ve also encountered many times in playing games that their term for stupid or "bobo" is
actually "Bisaya." It is sad to think that the people who hurt us most are only Filipinos. They
even think that Mindanao has no malls or large buildings. I don’t know why they acting like that.
It seems that there is a hiearchy in this country. I will end my reflection with this quote from
anonymous that say “The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemy.”