MODULE 1

The World During the Time of Rizal

The Babyhood Years

Prepared by:

Flor A. Docusin
Introduction

The 19th century was a dynamic and creative age especially in

Europe and the United states. During this period such concepts as
industrialism, democracy and nationalism triggered revolutionary
changes in science, technology, economics and politics. These changes
in science, technology, economics and politics. These changes enabled
men to achieve the heights of prosperity and dignity.

The Spanish misdeeds awakened his boyish heart a great

determination to fight tyranny. Rizal made a vow dedicating himself
someday to avenge the many victims.
God blessed the marriage of Francisco Mercado Rizal and Teodora
Alonso Realonda with eleven children.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of the lesson you will be able to:
Define the secularization and the relevance to the church.
Draw a diagrammatic sketch of the structure of the Philippine
government during the Spanish period.
Compare and contrast the government of the Philippines during the
Spanish period with our present government.
Elaborate the social, political and educational structure of the Philippines.
Describe the birth of Rizal.
Explain the conditions and events influence Rizal’s life.
Enumerate the eleven children of Don Francisco and Dona Teodora in
order.
 RIZAL'S LIFE WORKS AND WRITINGS

Module 1-The World During the Time of Rizal

Chapter 1
1. Social Structure
Philippine society was predominantly feudalistic, the results of the Spanish
landholding system imposed upon the country with the arrival of the conquistadores. The
Spaniards exacted all forms of the taxes and tributes and drafted the natives for manual
labor. the pyramidal structure of the 19th century Philippine society favored the
Spaniards. Racial discrimination was prevalent as the Spanish born peninsular is were
given the highest offices and positions in society, while the creoles, the Philippine-born
Spaniards the half- breed or mestizos enjoyed second priority, and the natives or Indio's
were looked down upon.
2. Political System

Spain governed the Philippines through the Ministro de Ultramar (Ministry of the
Colonies) established in Madrid in 1863, This body helped the Spanish monarchs
manage the affairs of the colonies and governed the Philippines through a
centralized machinery exercising executive, legislative, judicial, and religious
powers.

The Governor general appointed by the Spanish monarch headed the central
administration in Manila. He was the king's representative in all state and
religious matters and as such he exercised extensive powers.
He issued executive orders and proclamations and he had supervision and
disciplinary powers over all government officials. He was commander-in-chief of
the Armed forces of the Philippines. He had supreme authority in financial matters
and as such he exercised extensive powers.

He issued executive orders and proclamations and he had supervision and

disciplinary powers over all government officials. He was commander-in-chief of
the Armed Forces of the Philippines. He had supreme authority in financial matters
until 1784.
The smallest unit of government was the barangay or barrio. Each barangay was
controlled by a cabeza de barangay, whose main responsibility was to maintain
peace and order and to collect tributes and taxes in his barrio.

The guardia civil and cuadrilleros performed police duties and helped maintain
peace and order. The Alferez (Second lieutenant), usually a Spaniard, headed the
corps of Guardia civil in each town.
3.Educational System

For almost three hundred years since the Spaniards established the first settlement
in the Philippines, there was no systematic of government supervision of schools.
The schools were free to administer their own curricula and prescribe the
qualifications of their leaders.
The most serious criticisms against the system were: the overemphasis on
religious matters, the obsolete teaching methods, the limited curriculum, the very
poor classroom facilities, and the absence of teaching materials such as books in
the elementary and high school levels.
town principalia, a body of citizens of high standing, The Governor
General was theoretically responsible for all government and religious
activities during the term including petty official negligence and faulty
administration of justice.

Next to the central government in the hierarchical structure were the

provincial governments or alcaldias led by alcaldes mayors (civil
governors); and the city governments called cabildo or ayuntamiento
administered by two alcaldes en ordinario (mayor and vice mayor).
The gobernadorcillo fondly called captain by his continents, was the
chief executive and chief judge of a town. He was elected at the
beginning of very year by a board composed of members of the
usually made up of the incumbent or ex-cabeza de barangay.
Primary education was neglected; the absence of academic freedom, the prejudice
against Filipinos in the schools of higher learning, and the friar control over the
system were also reported.

The friars occupied a dominant position in the Philippine educational system for
religion was the main subject in schools. Fear of God was emphasized and
obedience to the friars was instilled in the minds of the people. They were
constantly reminded that they had inferior intelligence and they were fit only for
manual labor. These practices resulted in a lack of personal confidence and a
development of inferiority complex.
The absence of academic freedom is Spain's educational system was extended to
the schools that the Spaniards established in the Philippines. Learning in every
level was largely by rote. Students memorized and repeated the contents of books
which they did not understand.

At the end of the Spanish period, the college of San Juan de Letran was the only
official secondary school in the Philipines although secondary education was also
offered at the Ateneo de Manila. Seven provinces had private colleges and Latin
schools for general studies, and secondary education for girls was furnished by
five colleges in Manila-Santa Isabel, La Concordia, Santa Rosa, Looban, and
Santa Catalina.
 Up to the end of the Spanish regime, the University of Santo Tomas was the
only institution of university level in Manila. Initially established solely for
Spaniards and mestizos, it opened its doors to Filipino students for decades
before the end of the Spanish rule.

The educational Decree of 1863 marked a milestone in the history of

education in the Philippines under Spain. For the first time system.
 The Philippines of Rizal Times

1. Instability of Colonial Administration

King Ferdinand VIII (1808-1833) frequent shift of policies owing to
struggle between Liberalism and Despotism; From 1835-1897 there
were 50 governor general.

2.Corrupt Colonial Officials

a. General Rafael de Izquierdo (1871-1873), incompetent and cruel,
boastful, ruthless, executed GOMBURZA in 1872.
b. Admiral Jose Malcampo (1874-1873), was a good moro fighter
but was inept and weak administrator.

c. General Fernando Primo de Rivera, Governor general for two

terms (1880-83) and 1897-98), enriched himself by accepting bribes
from gambling casino in Manila which he permitted to operate.

d. Gen. Valeriano Weyler (1888-91), a cruel and corrupt governor

general of Hispanic German ancestry, arrived in Manila a poor man
and returned to Spain a millionaire.
3. Philippine Representation in the Spanish Cortes

1st Philippine Delegates Ventura de los Reyes

Constitution of 1812
Abused Galleon trade
Propaganda Movement was not heard
Representation of Spanish colonies (including the Philippines) was
abolished in 1837

4. Human Rights denied to Filipinos.

No freedom of expression
5. No equality before the law
Filipinos were abused, brutalized, persecuted and slandered

Spanish missionaries taught that all men irrespective of color and

race are children of God and as such they are brothers, equal before
God and not before the law…not in practice.

Leyes Indies (Laws of the Indies) rarely enforced

-Spanish Civil Code imposed light penalties on Spaniards but
heavier penalties to Indios.
6. Maladministration of justice

Courts were notoriously corrupt Judges, fiscals, and court

officials-inept, venal and oftentimes ignorant of the law.

Justice-costly, partial and slow. Poor Filipinos has no access to the

courts.

Dona Teodora Rizal was jailed on flimsy ground in 1871; Dr. Jose.
Rizal was deported in July 1892 without trial; Paciano and several
brothers-in-law were exiled without due process. GOMBURZA and
RIZAL were executed.
7. Racial descrimination

Spain introduced Christianity’s egalitarian concept of the

BROTHERHOOD OF ALL MEN under GOD THE FATHER, but
Filipinos were regarded as inferior beings underserving of rights
enjoyed by the Spaniards.
Filipinos were called brown-skinned and flat nosed Indios.

8. Frailocracy-a government by friars, union of church and state.

In 19th century they came to acquire tremendous political power,
influence and riches.
9. Forced Labor (Polo servicio) compulsory labor imposed by the
Spanish colonial authorities on adult Filipino males in the construcrion
churches, schools, hospitals, building, roads and bridges, ships, etc.
Wealthy ones were able to evade forced labor by paying a falla a
sum of money.

10. Haciendas owned by the friars

Friars owned the best haciendas and the folks who had been living in
these haciendas and cultivating them generation to generation
became tenants.
11.The Guardia Civil
The Guardia Civil (Constabulary) which was created by the Royal
Decree of February 12, 1852, as amended by the royal Decree of
March 24, 1888, for the purpose of maintaining internal peace and
order in the Philippines.
It is true that the Guardia Civil in the Philippines had rendered
meritorious services in suppressing the bandits in the provinces,
they later became infamous for their rampant abuses, such as
maltreating innocent people, looting their carabaos, chickens and
valuable belongings, and raping helpless women.
 Babyhood Years
Dr. Jose Rizal-is a unique example of a many-splendored geniusk
who became the greatest hero of a nation.
He was a:
Physician (ophthalmic surgeon), poet, dramatist, essayist, novelist,
historian, architect, painter, sculptor, educator, linguist, musician,
naturalist, ethnologist, surveyor, engineer, farmer businessman,
economist, geographer, cartographer, bibliophile, philologist
grammarian,
Folklorist, philosopher, translator, inventor, magician, humorist,
satirist, polemicist, sportsman, traveller, and prophet.

Above and beyond all these, he was a hero and political martyr who
consecrated his life for the redemption of his oppressed people.

Birth of a hero
June 19, 1861-Jose Rizal was born in the lakeshore town of
Calamba, Laguna Province, Philippines.
His mother almost died during the delivery because of his big head.
Father Pedro Casanas-Rizal's godfather, native of Calamba and close friend of the
Rizal family.
He was baptized in the Catholic Church of his town on June 22, aged three days
old, by the parish priest, Father Rufino Collantes.
Lieutenant-General Jose Lemery-the governor general of the Philippines when Rizal
was born.
Rizal's Parents
Don Francisco Mercado (1818-1898)
-born in Binan, Laguna on May 11, 1818
-studied Latin and Philosophy at the college of San Jose in Manila
-became a tenant-farmer of the Dominican-owned hacienda
-a hardy independent minded man, who talked less and worked
more
 -and was strong in body and valiant in spirit
-died in Manila on January 5, 1898 at the age of 80
-Rizal affectionately called him “ a model o fathers”

Dona Teodora Alonso Realonda (1826-1911)

-born in Manila on November 8, 1826

-educated at the College of Sata Rosa, a well-known college
for girls in the city
 -a remarkable woman, possessing refined culture, literary talent,
business ablity, and the fortitude of Spartan women
-is a woman of more than ordinary culture: she knows literature
and speaks Spanish (according to Rizal)
-died in Manila on August 16, 1911 at the age of 85

The Rizal Children

Eleven children-two boys and nine girls
1. Saturnina (1850-1913)
-oldest of the Rizal children
 -nicknamed Neneng
-married Manuel T. Hidalgo of Tanawan, Batangas

2. Paciano (1851-1930)
-older brother and confident of Jose Rizal
-was a second father to Rizal
-immortalized him in Rizal's first novel Noli Me Tangere
as the wise Pilosopo Tasio
-Rizal regarded him as the “most noble of Filipinos”
-became a combat general in the Philippine Revolution
 -died on April 13, 1930, an old bachelor aged 79
-had two children by his mistress (Severina Decena)
3. Narcisa (1852-1939)
-her pet name was Sisa
-married to Antonio Lopez (nephew of Father Leoncio Lopez), a
school teacher od Morong

4. Olimpia (1855-1887)
-Ypia was her pet name
-married Silvestre Ubaldo, a telegraph operator from Manila
5. Lucia (1857-1919)
-married to Mariano Herbosa of Calamba, who was a nephew of
-father Casanas
-Herbosa died of cholera in 1889 and was denied a Christian burial
-because he was a brother-in-law of Dr. Rizal

6. Maria (1859-1945)
-Biang was her nickname
-married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Binan, Laguna
7. Jose (1861-1896)
-the greatest Filipino hero and peerless genious; his nickname was
Pepe
-during his 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 his
birth; Rizal named him “Francisco” after his father and buried him
in Dapitan.
8. Concepcion (1862-1865)
-her pet name was as Concha
-she died of sickness at the age of 3, her death was Rizal's first sorrow.

9. Josefa (1865-1945)
-her pet name was Panggoy
-she died an old maid at the age of 80

10. Trinidad (1868-1951)

-Trining was her pet name
-she died also an old maid in 1951 aged 83
11. Soledad (1870-1929)
-youngest of the Rizal children
-her pet name was Choleng
-married Pantaleon Quintero of Calamba
Rizal's Ancestors
-Like most Filipinos, Rizal was mixed racial origin
-in his veins flowed the blood of the East and West

Domingo Lamco-the chinese immigrant from the Fukien city of

Changchow, who arrived in Manila about 1860
Married to Ines de la Rosa, a chinese christian girl of Manila
1731-assumed the surname Mercado
Mercado-means market in Spanish
Rizal's maternal ancestor was Lakandula, the last native king of Tondo
Eugenio Ursua-his maternal great-great-grandfather of Japanese ancestry
Benigna (surname unknown)- wife of Eugenio Ursua

The Surname Rizal

Mercado-the real surname of Rizal family, which was adopted in
1731 by Domingo Lamco (the paternal great-great-grandfather of
Jose Rizal) who was a full-blooded Chinese.
 Rizal's family acquired a second surname-Rizal-which was given by a
by a Spanish alcalde mayor (provincial governor) of Laguna, who was a
family friend

The Rizal Home

Was one of the distinguished stone houses in Calamba during Spanish times. It was a
two-storey building, rectangular in shape, built adobe stones and hard-woods, and roofed
with red tiles. It is described by Dr. Rafael Palma.
A Good and Middle-Class Family
The Rizal family belonged to the principalia-a town aristocracy in Spanish
Philippines.
By dint of honest and hard work and frugal living. Rizal's parents
were able to live well.
They owned a carriage, which was a status symbol of the illustrados
in Spanish Philippines and a private library (the largest in Calamba)
which consisted of more than 1,000 volumes.
Summary
During the time of Rizal, the sinister shadows of Spain
decadence darkened Philippines skies. The Filipino people
agonized beneath the yoke of Spanish misrule, for they were
unfortunate victims of the evils of an unjust, bigoted, and
deteriorating colonial power.