Dr.

Jose Rizal

NAME: José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda

BIRTHDAY: June 19, 1861, Calamba, Laguna, Philippines

DEATH: Died December 30, 1896, Manila

EDUCATION: José Rizal received his secondary education at the Ateneo in Manila; studied medicine at
the University of Santo Tomas in Manila; medicine and philosophy at the Universidad Central de
Madrid in Spain; ophthalmology at the University of Paris and the University of Heidelberg.

WHAT IS THE EVENTS

1. Rizal, working on his first novel, Noli Me Tangere. Through the medium of fiction, he portrayed a
vivid and realistic picture of the social conditions in the Philippines. According to his own
explanation:

 Noli me tangere, a phrase taken from the Gospel of St. Luke, means "touch me not." The book
contains things that nobody in our country has spoken of until the present. They are so delicate that
they cannot be touched by anyone.. . . I have attempted to do what nobody had wished to do. I
have replied to the calumnies that for so many centuries have been heaped upon us and our
country. . . . I have unmasked the hypocrisy that under the cloak of religion has impoverished and
brutalized us. . . . I have lifted the curtain in order to show what is behind the deceitful and
dazzling promises of our government.2(p7-8).

2. Rizal wrote the sequel El Filibusterismo or the sequel (of sorts) to Rizal's Filipino classic, Noli me
tangere. It is set some thirteen years after the events of the earlier book.

 The novel along with its predecessor were banned in some parts of the Philippines as a result of
their portrayals of the Spanish government's abuse and corruption. These novels along with Rizal's
involvement in organizations that aim to address and reform the Spanish system and its issues led to
Rizal's exile to Dapitan and eventual execution.

WHERE THE EVENT HAPPENED

1. Europe, City of Madrid
2. It was first published in 1891 in Ghent, Belgium.
WHERE THE EVENT TOOK PLACE
1. In the Philippines during the Spanish colonization.
WHO WHERE INVOLVED
1. Filipino people, politicians, Spaniards and Catholic church
2. Jose Rizal, and Spanish government
WORKS:
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.

INTRO OR ENDING
A hero represents goodness. Rizal gave us independence through goodness. Jose Rizal became a national
hero in the Philippines because he battled for freedom in a quiet but powerful way. Rather than using
force or violence, he expressed his love for the Philippines through his novels, essays, and writings. He
was a very amazing person at his time. He was humble, fighting for reforms through his writings instead
of through a revolution. He used his intelligence, talents and skills in a more peaceful way rather than
the aggressive way.

Rizal is an American-sponsored hero: he opted for a non violence reform in the government. Instead he
used his writings to open the eyes of the Filipinos. Without hesitation, he dedicated his life to his
countrymen.

DETAILED:
José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was born on June 19, 1861, in Calamba, Laguna
Philippines. José Rizal received his secondary education at Ateneo in Manila, where he was a star pupil.
From 1879 to 1882, he studied medicine, agriculture, surveying, and philosophy and letters at Santo
Tomas University,

where he excelled academically and learned a variety of languages. In 1884 Rizal earned licentiates in
medicine and in philosophy and letters from the Central University of Madrid, and it was there that he
started writing Noli Me Tangere. The following academic year, he studied and passed all subjects
leading to the doctor of medical degree. He was unable to submit the thesis required for graduation, nor
pay the costs associated, with that, he was not awarded his Doctor’s Diploma. Jose Rizal went to Paris
and Germany to specialize in ophthalmology. Of all the branches, he chose this specialization because
he wanted to cure his mother’s failing eyesight. In 1887, he completed his ophthalmology course at the
University of Heidelberg. In the same year, Rizal's first novel was published in Berlin.

Rizal wrote “Noli Me Tangere” (Touch Me Not/The Social Cancer) in Spanish; The novel was a strong
accusation against the Catholic Church and Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines, and its publication
confirmed Rizal’s position on the Spanish colonial government's list of troublemakers. When Rizal
returned home for a visit, the governor-general summoned him, and he had to defend himself against
accusations of spreading subversive notions. Rizal's explanations were accepted by the Spanish
governor, but the Catholic Church was less willing to forgive. In 1891, Rizal returned to Europe and
continued to write, publishing El Filibusterismo, his second novel (The Reign of Greed). He also
contributed to La Solidaridad, a publication affiliated with the Propaganda Movement. Rizal's reforms
did not involve independence; instead, he fought for equal treatment of Filipinos, restrictions on the
power of Spanish friars, and Philippine representation in the Spanish Cortes (government).

He returned to Manila in 1892 and created the Liga Filipina, a political group that called for peace
change for the islands. Nevertheless, Spanish officials were displeased and exiled Rizal to the island of
Mindanao. During his four years there, he practiced medicine, taught students, and collected local
examples of flora and fauna while recording his discoveries. Even though he lost touched with others
who were working for Filipino independence, he quickly denounced the movement when it became
violent and revolutionary. After Andrés Bonifacio issued the Grito de Balintawak in 1896,

He was arrested by the Spanish on the way, taken to Barcelona, and then extradited to Manila for trial.
Rizal was tried by court-martial and charged with conspiracy, sedition, and rebellion. Despite a lack of
evidence of his complicity in the Revolution, Rizal was convicted on all counts and given a death
sentence.

He also won the heart of Josephine Bracken, an Irish woman who had accompanied her foster father to
his eye operation. He was allowed to marry Bracken two hours before his execution by firing squad in
Manila on December 30, 1896. Rizal was just 35 years old.

Spurred by Rizal's martyrdom, the Philippine Revolution continued until 1898. With assistance from
the United States, the Philippine archipelago defeated the Spanish army. The Philippines declared
independence from Spain on June 12, 1898, becoming the first democratic republic in Asia.

“A hero thinks of the future, especially the future generations.”

Sources of info.

https://unveilingrizal.weebly.com/why-rizal.html
https://loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/rizal.html
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaophthalmology/JoseRizal/execution/Spanishcolonizers.