FINALS COVERAGE

CHAPTER 10 Jose Rizal and Philippine Nationalism – Bayani and Kabayanihan

CHAPTER 11 Jose Rizal and Philippine Nationalism – National Symbol

The Opening of the Philippines to the World Commerce in 1834

The Influx of Liberal Ideas

THE SECULARIZATION CONTROVERSY

Two congregation of priests served the Catholic Church in the Philippines. These were the regulars and the seculars. Regular priests
belonged to religious orders. Their main task was to spread Christianity. The examples were the Franciscans, Recollects, Spanish
church in Cavite circa 1899 Dominicans, and Augustinians. Secular priests did not belong to any religious order. They were trained
specifically to run the parishes and were under the supervision or the bishops.

Conflict began when the bishops insisted on visiting the parishes that were being run by regular priests. It was their duty, to check
on the administration of these parishes. But the regular priests refused the visits, saying that they were not under the bishop's
jurisdiction. They threatened to abandon their parishes if the bishops persisted.

In 1774, Archbishop Basilio Santa Justa decided to uphold the diocese's authority over the parishes and accepted the resignations of
the regular priests. He assigned secular priests to take their place. Since there were not enough seculars to fill all the vacancies the
Archbishop hastened the ordination of Filipino seculars. A royal decree was also issued on November 9, 1774, which provided for the
secularization of all parishes or the transfer of parochial administration from the regular friars to the secular priests.

The regulars resented the move because they considered the Filipinos unfit for the priesthood. Among other reasons they cited the
Filipinos' brown skin, lack of education, and inadequate experience.

The controversy became more intense when the Jesuits returned to the Philippines. They had been exiled from the country because
of certain policies of the order that the Spanish authorities did not like. The issue soon took on a racial slant. The Spaniards were
clearly favored their own regular priest over Filipino priests.

Monsignor Pedro Pelaez, ecclesiastical governor of the Church, sided with the Filipinos. Unfortunately, he died in an earthquake that
destroyed the Manila Cathedral in 1863. After his death, other priests took his place in fighting for the secularization movement.
Among them were Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora.

The Cavite Mutiny

The Cavite mutiny of 1872 was an uprising of Filipino military personnel of Fort San Felipe, the Spanish arsenal in Cavite, Philippine
Islands (then also known as part of the Spanish East Indies) on January 20, 1872. Around 200 locally recruited colonial troops and
laborers rose up in the belief that it would elevate to a national uprising. The mutiny was unsuccessful, and government soldiers
executed many of the participants and began to crack down on a burgeoning Philippines nationalist movement. Many scholars believe
that the Cavite Mutiny of 1872 was the beginning of Filipino nationalism that would eventually lead to the Philippine Revolution.

The primary cause of the mutiny is believed to be an order from Governor General Rafael de Izquierdo to subject the soldiers of the
Engineering and Artillery Corps to personal taxes, from which they were previously exempt. The taxes required them to pay a monetary
sum as well as to perform forced labor called, polo y servicio. The mutiny was sparked on January 20, when the laborers received their
pay and realized the taxes as well as the falla, the fine one paid to be exempt from forced labor, had been deducted from their salaries.

Their leader was Fernando La Madrid, a mestizo sergeant with his second in command Jaerel Brent Pedro, a moreno. They seized Fort
San Felipe and killed eleven Spanish officers. The mutineers thought that fellow Filipino indigenous soldiers in Manila would join them
in a concerted uprising, the signal being the firing of rockets from the city walls on that night. Unfortunately, what they thought to be
the signal was actually a burst of fireworks in celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Loreto, the patron of Sampaloc. News of the
mutiny reached Manila, the Spanish authorities feared for a massive Filipino uprising. The next day, a regiment led by General Felipe
Ginovés besieged the fort until the mutineers surrendered. Ginovés then ordered his troops to fire at those who surrendered, including
La Madrid. The rebels were formed in a line, when Colonel Sabas asked who would not cry out, "Viva España", and shot the one man
who stepped forward. The remainder were sent to prison.

In the immediate aftermath of the mutiny, some Filipino soldiers were disarmed and later sent into exile on the southern island of
Mindanao. Those suspected of directly supporting the mutineers were arrested and executed. The mutiny was used by the colonial
government and Spanish friars to implicate three secular priests, Mariano Gómez, José Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, collectively known
as Gomburza. They were executed by garrote on the Luneta field, also known in the Tagalog language as Bagumbayan, on 17th
February 1872. These executions, particularly those of the Gomburza, were to have a significant effect on people because of the
shadowy nature of the trials. José Rizal, whose brother Paciano was a close friend of Burgos, dedicated his work, El Filibusterismo, to
these three priests.

On January 27, 1872, Governor-General Rafael Izquierdo approved the death sentences on forty-one of the mutineers. On February 6,
eleven more were sentenced to death, but these were later commuted to life imprisonment. Others were exiled to other islands of the
colonial Spanish East Indies such as Guam, Mariana Islands, including the father of Pedro Paterno, Maximo Paterno, Antonio M. Regidor
y Jurado, and José María Basa. The most important group created a colony of Filipino expatriates in Europe, particularly in the Spanish
capital of Madrid and Barcelona, where they were able to create small insurgent associations and print publications that were to advance
the claims of the seeding Philippine Revolution.

Finally, a decree was made, stating there were to be no further ordinations of Filipinos as Roman Catholic parish priests. In spite of
the mutiny, the Spanish authorities continued to employ large numbers of native the 1870s-1890s until Filipino troops, carabineros and
civil guards in their colonial forces through the 1870s-1890s until the Spanish-American War of 1898.

THE TRIAL

During the short trial, the captured mutineers testified against José Burgos. The state witness, Francisco Saldua, declared that he had
been told by one of the Dasa brothers that the government of Father Burgos would bring a navy fleet or the United States to assist a
revolution with which Ramón Maurente, the supposed field marshal, was financing with 50,000 pesos. The heads of the friar orders
held a conference and decided to dispose Burgos by implicating him to a plot. The Franciscan friar disguised as Burgos and suggested
a mutiny to the mutineers. The senior friars used an una fuerte suma de dinero or a banquet to convince Governor-General Rafael de
Izquierdo that Burgos was the mastermind of the coup. Gómez and Zamora were close associates of Burgos, so they too were included
in the allegations. This action led to the movement of propagandist.

THE EXECUTION OF FATHERS GOMEZ, BURGOS, AND ZAMORA

When Governor-General Izquierdo abolished the exemption of Filipino workers to forced labor and tributes in 1872, about 200 Filipino
soldiers and workers in the Cavite arsenal mutinied.

The mutiny gave lzquierdo a justification to persecute the leaders of the Secularization movement and liberal oriented Filipino patriots.
It was magnified by the Spaniards as a full-blown conspiracy against Spanish authority instigated by Fathers Jose Burgos, Mariano
Gomez and Jacinto Zamora.

On February 17, 1872, the three priests were escorted from Fort Santiago to Bagumbayan (Luneta). To instill fear and stoke error into
the hearts and minds of people, the execution was done in public. They were garroted one by one while the bells were tolling as tribute
to their martyrdom.

That fatal day, national consciousness among Filipinos emerged. They felt great anger and indignation. They began to forget their
regional hostilities and ethnic differences and that it was necessary to unite for a common cause. "Remember GomBurZa" became the
battle cry of the Propaganda Movement. Jose Rizal dedicated his second novel El Filibusterismo to their memory.

THE PROPAGANDA MOVEMENT

The Propaganda Movement was a period of time when native Filipinos were calling for reforms, lasting approximately from 1880 to
1886, with the most activity between 1880 and 1895.

The word "propaganda" in English has acquired a pejorative connotation that is absent from the original Latin word. One can see its
true meaning in the Roman institution called "Congregatio de propaganda fide" - the Secretariate for the Spread of the Faith (or, as
the modern translation has it, For the Evangelization of Peoples). It was in the latter sense that the word was used by the Filipino
group that sent Marcelo H. del Pilar to Spain to continue the "propaganda" on behalf of the Philippines. It was essentially a campaign
of information, as well as a bid for sympathy. Dr. Domingo Abella, the learned Director of the National Archives, has made the
suggestion that the so-called Propaganda Movement was misnamed. It should have been called the Counterpropaganda Movement
because its essential task was to counteract the campaign of misinformation that certain Spanish groups were disseminating in Spain
and later in Rome.
Prominent members included José Rizal, author of Noli Me Tangere (novel) and El Filibusterismo, Graciano López Jaena, publisher of
La Solidaridad, the movement's principal organ, Mariano Ponce, the organization's secretary and Marcelo H. del Pilar.

Many Filipinos took refuge in Europe and initiated in Spain a crusade for reforms in the Philippines. The emergence of more Filipino
illustrados gave birth to a unified nationalist movement. This campaign was known in our history as the Propaganda Movement.

The aim of the Propaganda Movement was peaceful assimilation, referring to the transition of the Philippines from being a colony to a
province of Spain. The propagandists believed that it would be enjoying the same rights and privileges or the latter. Its adherents did
not seek independence from Spain but reforms.

These reforms were as follows:

1. Equality of Filipinos and Spaniards.

2. Restoration of the Philippine representation in the Spanish Courts.
3. Secularization of the Philippine Parishes and the expulsion of the friars.
4. Human rights for Filipinos: freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom to meet and petition for redress of
grievances.
5. Creation of a public-school system independent of Catholic friars.
Abolition of polo y servicios (labor service) and the bandala (forced sale of local products to the government) guarantee of basic
freedoms and equal opportunity for Filipinos and Spanish to enter government service

La Solidaridad

La Solidaridad (The Solidarity) was an organization created in Spain on December 13, 1888. Composed of Filipino liberals exiled in
1872 and students attending Europe's universities, the organization aimed to increase Spanish awareness of the needs of its c olony,
the Philippines, and to propagate a closer relationship between the colony and Spain.

Headed by Jose Rizal's cousin, Galicano Apacible, it also issued a newspaper of the same name which was published in Barcelona,
Spain on rebruary 15, 1889. It was edited by Graciano López Jaena and later on by Marcelo H. del Pilar. The social, cultural, and
economic conditions of the colonial Philippines was published in La Solidaridad. Speeches of the Spanish liberals about the Philippines
was also featured in the newspaper.

La Solidaridad Prime Member

Successor: Cuerpo de Compromisarios Katipunan
Formation: 1892; 126 years ago
Founder: José Rizal
Founded at: Ondo, Manila, Captaincy General of the Philippines
President: Ambrosio Salvador
Affiliations: Propaganda Movement
La Liga Filipina (lit. The Philippine League) was a progressive organization created by Dr. José Rizal in the Philippines in the house of
Doroteo Ongjunco at Ilaya Street, Tondo, Manila in 1892.

The organization derived from La Solidaridad and the Propaganda movement. The purpose of La Liga Filipina is to build a new group
sought to involve the people directly in the reform movement. The aim of La Liga is to unite the whole archipelago into one vigorous
and homogenous organization; Mutual protection in every want and necessity; Defense against all violence and injustice,
Encouragement of instruction, agriculture, and commerce and study the application of reforms.

The league was to be a sort of mutual aid and self-help society dispensing scholarship funds and legal aid, loaning capital and setting
up cooperatives, the league became a threat to Spanish authorities that they arrested Rizal on July 6, 1892 on Dapitan.

During the exile of Rizal, the organization became inactive, through the efforts of Domingo Franco and Andres Bonifacio, it was
reorganized. The organization decided to declare its support for La Solidaridad and the reforms it advocated, raise funds for the paper,
and defray the expenses of deputies advocating reforms for the country before the Spanish Cortes. Eventually after some disarray in
the leadership of the group, the Supreme Council of the League dissolved the society.

The Liga membership split into two groups when it is about to be revealed: the conservatives formed the Cuerpo de Compromisarios
which pledged to continue supporting the La Solidaridad while the radicals led by Bonifacio who devoted themselves to a new and
secret society, the Katipunan (KKK).

THE PHILIPPINE REVOLUTION

After Rizal's deportation to Dapitan, the conservative members of the Liga like Apolinario Mabini, Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, Domingo
Franco organized themselves into a group called Los Compromisarios. They pledged to give financial support to Marcelo H. del Pilar
in Madrid for the continuous publication of the La Solidaridad. Ultimately, the members of this group stopped sending dunds to the
reformists in Spain. The campaign for reforms ended in failure.

Andres Bonifacio of plebeian roots and a member of the radical wing of the Liga did not join the conservative intellectuals that composed
the compromisarios. He firmly believed that social and political changes could not be achieved by peaceful means but by the use of
force or violent revolution.

THE FOUNDING AND SPREAD OF KATIPUNAN

On the night of July 7, 1892, Bonifacio and his radical members met in the house of Deodato Arellano's at #72 Azcarraga Street (now
Claro M. Recto) near Elcano St.Tondo, Manila. He formed a secret revolutionary society called the Katipunan or "Kataas-taasang,
Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan" (KKK) (Highest and Most Respected Society, the Sons of the Country). The
main objective of the Katipunan was to unite the Filipino people and struggle for separation from Spain through a revolution. The
people wanted the abolition of Spanish rule. The organization of the Katipunan was a clear rejection by the lower middle classes led
by Bonifacio.

THE POLITICAL STRUCTURE OF THE KATIPUNAN

Jose P. Rizal's influence on Andres Bonifacio manifested itself when the Katipunan copied the organizational structure of the Liga
Filipina. The Katipunan had also a Supreme Council (Kataastaasang Sanggunian) composed of the President or Supremo, a Fiscal, a
Secretary, and a Treasurer. The Supreme Council was the Central Organ of the Katipunan. A Provincial Council (Sangguniang Bayan)
in each province and a Popular Council (Sangguniang Balangay) in each town were also established as provided by the constitution of
the society.

Deodato Arellano, the brother-in-law of Marcelo H. del Pilar became the first President or Supremo of the Katipunan. But in a meeting
in February 1893, Andres Bonifacio disgusted over Arellarno's weak leadership, deposed him and put Roman Basa in his place as
President or Supremo. It was only 1895, when Andres Bonifacio himself assumed the position of Supremo, when he also deposed Basa
due to the latter's ineffective leadership.

Katipunan or KKK Membership

The first members of the society were recruited by means of the "triangle system". Andres Bonifacio, Teodoro Plata and Ladislaw
Diwa formed the first triangle. The initiator of the triangle knew the two new recruits, but the latter did not know each other. The
recruitment through the triangle system proved to be slow and complicated, thus, it was replaced by a faster and simpler system: the
use of secret rites copied from Masonry. A successful beginner who passed the test on his courage and love for country swore to guard
and defend the secrets of the Katipunan, and be then signed his name in the society's roster in his own blood (Sanduguan). The new
members then adopted a Katipunan name.

The list of the Supreme Council Officers was chosen during the first election.

1. President: Deodato Arelleano

2. Comptroller: Andres Bonifacio
3. Fisccal: Ladislao Diwa
4. Secertary: Teodoro Plata
5. Treasurer: Valentin Diaz
To ensure the secrecy of the association, trusted women secured the secrets documents of the KKK. Some women members of the
KKK who participated were the wives, daughters, or sisters of the KKK male members. Some of the women members were Gregoria
de Jesus (wife of Andres Bonifacio), the Lakambini of the KKK; Benita Rodriguez (wife of Katipunero Restituto Javier); and Josefa and
Trinidad Rizal (sisters of Jose P. Rizal).

ANDRES BONIFACIO

Andres Bonifacio, the "Great Plebeian" (working class) was born in Tondo, Manila on November 30, 1863. His formal education
was limited, he supplemented this by self-study. His own library included books on the two novels of Dr. Jose P. Rizal: Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo, the lives of United States Presidents, the History of the French Revolution, Victor Hugo's Les
Miserables, Eugene Sue's Wandering Jew, and the Penal and Civil Codes and various collection of La Solidaridad.

Bonifacio had the insight to organize a revolutionary movement for he knew that Spain would never bulge an inch in granting reforms.
It was Bonifacio who correctly pointed out the necessity of armed struggle to force the issue on the Spaniards.

Andres Bonifacio wrote a Decalogue or Ten Commandments entitled Katungkulang Gagawin ng mga Anak ng Bayan (Duties to
be Observed by the Sons of the Country) to lay down the guidelines for good citizenship. The rules include love of God, love of country
and one’s fellowmen; diligence in word; sharing of one’s means with the poor; punishment of scoundrels and traitors; and the guarding
of the mandates and aims of the Katipunan movement.

THE TEACHINGS OF THE KATIPUNAN

To guide the Katipuneros, Andres Bonifacio wrote a Decalogue or known as The Commandments titled "Duties to be Observed by the
Sons of the Country" ("Katungkulang Gagawin ne mga Anak ng Bayan"). The rules include love of God, country, and ones' fellowmen:
diligence in work; sharing of blessings win the poor, punishments of scoundrels and traitors; and the guarding of the mandates and
objectives of the K.K.K.

"Duties to be Observed by the Sons of the Country”

("Katungkulang Gagawin ng mga Anak ng Bayan")

1. Love God with all your heart.

2. Bear always in mind that the love of Cod is also love of Country, and this, too, is love of one's fellowmen.
3. Engrave in your heart that the true measure of honor and happiness is to die for the freedom of your country.
4. All your good wishes will be crowned with success if you have serenity, constancy, reason, and faith in your acts and endeavor.
5. Guard the mandates and aims of the K.K.K. as your honor.
6. It is the duty of all to defend, at the risk of their own lives and wealth, anyone who runs great risks in the performance of his
duty.
7. Our responsibility to ourselves and the performance of our duties will be the example set for our fellowmen to follow.
8. Insofar as it is within your power, share your means with the poor and the unfortunate.
9. Diligence in the work that gives sustenance to you is the true basis of love – love for your own self, for your wife and children,
and for your brothers and countrymen.
10. Punish any scoundrel and traitor and praise all good work. Believe, likewise, that the aims of KKK are God-given, for the will
of the people is also the will of God.
EMILIO JACINTO
The "Brain of the Katipunan" was born in Tondo on December 15, 1875. His parents were Mariano Jacinto, a bookkeeper and Josefa
Dizon, a midwife. He studied law in University of Sto. Tomas (UST) and when the revolution broke out, he was one of those who were
first initiated into the Katipunan. He was the youngest member of the revolutionary society at the age of eighteen.
Jacinto was designated as Commander of the revolutionary forces in Majayjay, Laguna in April 16, 1899, during the Filipino-American
War; he was wounded in battle which eventually caused his death at the early age of twenty-three years old.
Emilio Jacinto became the editor of the "Kalayaan", the organ of the Society. He authored the "Kartilla ng Katipunan" (The
Primer of the Katipunan). The Kartilla spread the revolutionary principles that successfully motivated the Katipunan members.

APOLINARIO MABINI
Apolinario Mabini was born of poor parents, Inocencio Mabini and Dionisia Maranan, in Barrio Talaga, Tanauan, and Batangas in 1864.
He finished his law degree at UST in 1894. The "Sublime Paralytic” joined Rizal's civic organization the La Liga Filipina where he
worked for reforms in the administration of government. In 1898, Aguinaldo recruited him as his private counselor for the Revolutionary
Government. His detractors called him "The Black Chamber of Aguinaldo" while his admirers called him the "Brains of the
Revolution".
When Aguinaldo reorganized his Cabinet on January 2, 1899, he appointed Mabini as President of the Cabinet and Secretary of Foreign
Affairs. The Mabini Cabinet had always stood for stronger powers for the executive and an unqualified stand for independence with US
protection in regard to foreign relations of the Malolos Government.
Among his best-known writings were the True Decalogue, the Constitutional Program of the Philippine Republic, and the Philippine
Revolution.
In 1901, Mabini, together with the 57 "irreconcillables" was deported to Guam on orders of General Arthur Mac Arthur. While under
deportation he wrote memoirs including one which is entitled "The Rise and Fall of the Philippine Republic" which constitutes one of
the most valuable historical documents about the Philippine Revolution.

THE UPRISING IN 1896

The violent struggle of the Filipinos against the Spaniards started in 1896. In August, the members of the KKK from the eight provinces
of the country, Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Batangas, Laguna and Pampanga joined the uprisings against the
Spaniards.
THE START OF THE UPRISINGS
In August 19, 1896, Father Mariano Gil was able to know the information about KKK because of the confession of Honoria. She is the
sister of Teodoro Patino, a member of KKK who revealed the secret of the organization because he had the conflict with the other
members of KKK. But according to other sources, the Spanish government already had the idea about KKK since May, 1896 and it is
confirmed when they discovered copy of Kalayaan in one printing house. The discovery of KKK leads to the imprisonment of Dr. Jose
Rizal because the Spaniards accused him as the founder of KKK and the imprisonment of all suspected members of KKK.
The leadership of KKK met in the cave in Bitukang Manok (Pasig) to plan the start of their uprising even the organization is not yet
ready to launch the attack because the Spaniards were doing the mass arrest on the suspected members of KKK.

In August 21, 1896, the katipuneros went to Kangkong as their meeting place and when they arrived in the house of Melchora Aquino,
known as the mother of the Katipuneros, Andres Bonifacio asked the katipuneros if they are willing to fight the Spaniards until the end
of their lives and most of the katipuneros answered yes. And then he asked them to put out their cedula and tear it as the sign of the
end of the Spanish dominance over them. This event is known as the Cry of Pugad Lawin however the real date and place of the event
is still under research because the primary sources have different date and venue for the said event.
In the succeeding days of battle from August 25 until August 30, 1896, Andres Bonifacio together with the other Katipuneros suffered
in a big loss because of the inferior weapons and lack of military tactics since the discovery of KKK happened in the time that the group
is not yet ready for the battle. In fact, in the battle in San Juan del Monte, the Spanish forces are weak and outnumbered but because
they use the delaying tactics in war, while waiting for the reinforcements and again the group of Andres Bonifacio had no choice but
to retreat.

In the month of September, the uprisings spread out in Manila and other provinces and so Governor General Ramon Blanco declared
Martial Law in eight provinces who participate in the uprising. The suspected members of KKK can be executed without due process
and numerous numbers of people were imprison and tortured. Those people who could not bear the pain will shout the names of the
members of KKK or even the name of those who do not have connection to KKKK just to avoid the torture. The other Katipuneros were
imprisoned in Fort Santiago and experience suffocation and torture while others were exile to Carolinas. The wealthy families who did
not support the KKK and had no connection to the group became also the victim of extortion from the Spaniards.

In September 5, 1896, the forces the Magdalo headed by General Emilio Aguinaldo was able to defeat Gen Aguirre in the battle in
Imus.
In September 12, 1896, the Governor General Ramon Blanco ordered the execution of thirteen people from Cavite as warning for the
public that they should not join the uprising. The thirteen people are known as the Trece Martirez. In December 30, 1896 Dr. Jose P.
Rizal was executed in Bagumbayan (Luneta).
In December 31, 1896, Andres Bonifacio went to Cavite to resolve the conflict between the Magdiwang and the Magdalo group however
he was not able to resolve the problem since the issue is about the leadership.

In February 17, 1897, the bloodiest encounter between the Spanish and Filipino forces happened in the Battle of Zapote Bridge. The
Magdiwang group led by Edilberto Evangelista prevents the passage of the Spanish reinforcement in Cavite. Because Evangelista is an
engineer, they planted dynamites in the bridge so that the Spanish forces could not pass the bridge however, Evangelista was shot
during the battle because he had the poor eyesight and was not able to see the Spaniard that will shot him.
CHAPTER 11
RIZAL’S CONCEPT OF NATION BUILDING
The Reforms Needed by the Philippines According to Rizal as Stated in His Works
Rizal's Blueprint in Nation Building
Despite political inhibitions, Rizal aimed at the restoration of his people's dignity and the recognition of their natural rights. Rizal's
political conviction and concept of nationalism matured between 1882 and 1887. From a distance he gained a better perspective of his
country's problems. He saw his country abused, maligned by vices of the Spaniards and the Filipinos alike, helpless with their oppressed
unhappy people. The country inspired in him not inky sympathy but an enduring love. He began to understand now that the prolonged
subjugation of his people was caused primarily by two factors, namely, the absence of national consciousness and the poor training
and education of the people. Gradually, his own lifetime plan emerged into a reality of direction and dedicated leadership.

He not only showed his people how to live nationalism; he also conceived an idealism of dedication and intrepidity for the betterment
of Philippine society. Hence, his blueprint for nation building includes the importance of education, instilling racial pride and dignity
among the people, the promotion of national consciousness, the re-orientation of values and attitudes, and the willingness to sacrifice
for the country.

Rizal looked upon education as a prerequisite to the realization of a people's freedom. It is through education that people obtain
knowledge of themselves as individuals and as members of a nation. He insisted on educating his people so that they may successfully
eradicate the vices of their society. He wanted them to develop a national awareness of their rights and pride in their country's heritage
and culture.

The long period of colonial domination and the constant humiliations and discrimination experienced by the Filipino people from their
colonial masters produced a feeling of inferiority and a lack of racial pride and dignity. This attitude must give way to a restoration or
the people's sense of pride in them as a nation. Rizal wanted to inculcate into his people an understanding of history, from which, he
believed sprang the roots of genuine nationalism. Without these roots, nationalism would degenerate into a flippant, flag-waving
category, which he criticized in Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

He wanted his people to dedicate their thoughts, words and actions not solely to themselves as individuals but to themselves as citizens
of a nation. National consciousness is a key to the attainment of a better society. The people must reorient their values and attitudes
in order to contribute to the task of nation building.

Rizal emphasized that the task of nation building is accompanied by hardships and sufferings which the people must inevitably
experience to bolster their courage. The sacrifices experienced by a people strengthen their bonds of unity and their sense of
independence.

The paramount problem during Rizal's time was the development of a national consciousness, that is, the creation of the spirit of
nationhood in the minds of the people. It was important that the people realized the sordid facts of their existence, the cause of their
oppression, and the sacrifices they must endure to be freed from colonial domination. Rizal felt the need for a psychological approach
to rouse the people's pride of their ancient heritage. This was necessary to restore the native dignity which had been denied them by
three centuries of systematic humiliation and degradation. Once stirred from their inertia of servility and apathy, they should organize
themselves and direct their efforts and action toward building a nation. Rizal envisioned a nation of individuals who would make
responsible and independent judgment and who would think in terms the welfare of the whole community. Hence, a national community
would be created where the fruits of Filipino labor would benefit the people and not a foreign master.

RIZAL'S PROGRAM OF ACTIONS

His program of action consisted of a plan to:
1. Organize a group of Filipino students in Madrid and to form the nucleus group that in the future would use their varied talents
to work for solutions to the Philippine problems.

2. Proposed to them the writing of a book similar to Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin and Eugene Sue's The Wandering
Jew which would deal with the various aspects of Filipino life. The book would be the project of the Circulo Hispano-Filipino
with each member contributing a chapter. (This book was entitled Noli me Tangere, 1887)

3. From the records in the vast Filipiniana collection of the British Museum, Rizal had pieced together the past history of the
Philippines which revealed that even before the coming of the Spaniards; the Filipinos already had a developed culture. And
of these records, he chose to annotate Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas. (Excerpt from his dedicatory remarks "It is
necessary to first lay bare the past in order to better judge the present and to survey the road trodden during three centuries."

4. He wrote "The Indolence of the Filipinos" which came out as a series of articles in La Solidaridad from 15 July to 15 September,
 1899.

5. Feared the possibility of the Filipinos resort to arms as a desperate means to fight, he wrote El Filibusterismo to show his
countrymen the price they should be willing to pay and the problems they would have solve first before plunging the country
to revolution. He warned his countrymen to consider seriously its decision to revolt against Spain if no reforms were granted.

6. He thought of showing the people how to organize themselves into a compact homogeneous body in the Philippines. Rizal's
major plan of organization was the establishment of La Liga Filipina (Philippine League).

7. When he was deported to Dapitan he had already accomplished a major part of a self-imposed mission of redeeming the
Filipinos from medieval colonialism. His exile demonstrated the hero's untiring efforts at continuing the program of action that
he relentlessly pursued for the realization of his blueprint of nation building. Establishment of a school and a clinic therein,
the community development projects he undertook.

RIZAL'S PROGRAM OF REFORMS

The nationalism he taught his people did not end with the attainment of independence. He looked beyond independence to the
progressive development of a new nation in politics, economics, technology and education. His writings conveyed concepts that are
applicable for all time especially to the present in all major areas of political, socio-economic and educational reforms and his moral
teachings and principles convey the essence of national awareness. His profound ideas and teachings have become the model and
inspiration for Philippine national leaders.

Political and Economic Reforms

"Rizal's Socio, Political and Economic Thought: Thought of Change" is about his main political thought, his objective for the Philippines
the politics of change, a thought of change. His literature would be lead to the independence of the Philippines from Spanish colonial
rule. His whole works would determine his political thought yet there is still complexity whether he supports reforms or revolution. This
now would assess his political beliefs and to what certain degree is his position towards the political spectrum. His political thought
between reform and revolution will also determine his thought regarding the society and economy.

According to Jose Rizal governments are established for the welfare of the people..."- similar to Lincolnian democracy he wanted to
inflict the following of Rights,

1. Magna Carta protecting the life, liberty and property of Filipinos.

2. Restoration of Filipino representation in the Spanish Cortes.
3. Freedom of the press, of association, of religion and equality before the law and
4. Freedom assimilation of the Philippines.
EDUCATIONAL REFORM

Rizal insisted that education is necessary condition to a free society. Mass education for all the people opted for a school that would
respect academic freedom and develop the potentials of student’s education. Education should liberate Filipinos from ignorance because
education is as important ingredient in the task of nation building.

Rizal always considered education as a medicine or something that could cure the problems of colonial Philippines. He believed in
education that is free from political and religious control. He asserted that reform cannot be achieved if there is no suitable education,
a liberal one available to Filipinos.

In 1893, Rizal’s idea of education as an instrument of change has not diminished a bit. In one of his letters to Alfredo Hidalgo, a
nephew, Rizal stated: Life is very serious thing and only those with intelligence and heart go through it worthily.

He left the UST to pursue his studies at the Madrid Central University was in conformity with the ideas of Fr. Jose Burgos, one of the
three martyred priests of 1872. Fr. Burgos strongly advocated that Filipinos should study abroad because overseas education was
considered an essential step to achieving reform. And this thinking he shared with his only brother, Paciano Rizal.

He wrote in 1890 which described the education of the masses under the Spanish regime. Rizal said the education of the Filipinos from
birth until the grave is brutalizing, depressing, and anti-human.
It is through this scenario that we could better understand why Rizal was clamoring for a different education, a new idea of teaching
the Filipino youth. Rizal believed that even modest education, no matter how rudimentary it might be, if it is the right education for
the people, the result would be enough to awaken their ideas of perfection and progress and eventually, change would follow.

This is the situation how education was acquired during that period. Rizal’s idea of education was therefore the most enlightened. His
concept of education was felt as early as when he was only 16 years old.

In brief, Rizal's idea or concept of education is determined by the following requirements:

1. The curriculum of a modern liberal education should include either: religion, hygiene, mathematics, the physical, natural and
social sciences, literature (Spanish, rhetoric and poetry), languages (Spanish, English, French, German, Chinese and Tagalog),
physical culture, and the arts.
2. There should be a weekly accounting by teachers of student progress and conduct, the well-behaved ones to be rewarded
with a posting of their names, and parents should be informed monthly of the progress, conduct, and health of their children.
3. The school should insist on accuracy and punctuality.
4. Teachers ware to be employed on passing an admission examination on a competitive basis if there are several applicants.
5. There is to be no racial discrimination in the admission of students.
6. Gymnastics and swimming are obligatory.
7. Classes would be six hours a day including a total of two hours of physical culture and the arts.
8. Human relations between teachers and pupils should not be ignored. The teacher should work with the students and be their
leader and co-workers as well as their mentor.
9. Instruction should be practical and should stimulate thinking' rather than be a parrot like reproduction of book learning.
Students should learn by participation in a natural situation. Field work has its place in effective instruction.
10. Education should receive substantial aid to make instruction effective. It is not sufficient that there are students to be taught.
There must be proper accommodation and equipment conducive to learning.
11. The teacher should have prestige, reputation, moral strength and some freedom of action on Socio-Economic Reforms.