Jose P. Rizal - a traveller and considered as
the“Most Travelled Filipino Hero”.
-He travelled almost 20 countries and about 40
island cities.
-He became a reformist not only because of his
isolation in the Philippines, but also because of
his journeys abroad.
RIZAL IN EUROPE
The First Voyage to Spain: Views and
Impressions
Rizal had a secret trip. The parents of Rizal,
Leonor, and the Spanish authorities did not know
much about his decision to move abroad. Just his
older brother Paciano, Uncle Antonio Rivera
(father of Leonor Rivera), Sisters Neneng and
Lucia, the Valenzuela family and their daughter
Orang, Pedro A. Paterno, his companion Mateo
Evangelista, the Jesuit priest of Ateneo, and
some intimate friends knew of his silent departure.
Before Rizal’s secret departure, he penned a
letter of good-bye to his parents and his
sweetheart, Leonor Rivera, which had been
handed over to them after he had sailed abroad.
Rizal left the Philippines to Spain on 3 May
1882. He was 20 years old at the time. The first
leg of his journey to Spain on the Salvadora ship
proved to be a young man's learning experience.
On his travel documents, he used Jose Mercado
as his name. His key reason for leaving the
Philippines was to move to the Universidad
Central de Madrid, Spain, and to finish his degree
in medicine. This reflects Rizal's determination to
attain achievements and flourishing his academic
standing. From our previous module, we can note
that the passion of learning originated from his
mother. So Rizal brought this value until he grew
up. 16 passengers, including Rizal, were on
board the steamer. He was the only Filipino, the
others were Spanish, British and Indian Negroes.
Keenly, an observer, made drawings of the things
he saw — the coast of Manila Bay, the coast of
Palawan and Borneo, and his fellow passengers.
Most of his fellow travelers were foreign nationals
and Spanish workers on their way back to Spain.
Almost all of them, he said, talked ill of the
Philippines, where they had gone for monetary
purposes. He observed the people and places
and compared them to those in the Philippines.
Singapore was Rizal's first stop on his trip to
Europe, and he had to change ships. He
remained there for two days and, on May 9, 1882,
stayed at the Hotel de Paz. While in Singapore,
Jose had the chance to visit the British Colony
and was fascinated by its development and
beautiful sites, including the botanical garden,
temples and art galleries. He even saw the
founder of Singapore – Sir Thomas Stanford
Raffles. The people of Singapore seemed to
have the trust of their British administrators,
unlike the Filipinos who feared their rulers.
In May 11, Rizal boarded the Djemnah, a
vessel operated by Messageries Maritimes, a
French company. Comparing it to the Salvadora
one, Rizal said it was bigger and cleaner. Its
interior was carpeted and even the bathrooms
were excellent. French was mostly spoken on
board because it was a French vessel. Jose
attempted to speak French to his fellow travelers,
and he found that French he learned from Ateneo
could not be understood. He was in contact with a
smattering of Latin and Spanish and with hand
movements to be understood. He tried to improve
his communication by reading a French
newspaper.
From Singapore, Djemnah made brief stops
at Point de Galle (Punta De Gallo) and Colombo
in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) where he went
onshore for sightseeing. He said that Galle was a
sleepy port. The Djemnah then continued its
crossing of the Indian Ocean and landed in
present-day Yemen at the port of Aden. There
Rizal saw merchants selling lion and leopard
skins. He found the city hotter than Manila. He
saw camels for the first time. He drank
refreshments, cooled with ice split by a nail,
which was placed by the sellers using bare hands.
He had a view of the Arabian Peninsula to his
right and the African continent to his left as he
approached the Suez Canal. He said that Africa
was an inhospitable but popular country. The sun
was shining over the Arabian Desert, and he
could feel the heat rising from its sandy sands.
On June 2, 1882, the Djemnah went
through the Suez Canal and Rizal landed at Port
Said (Mediterranean terminal of Suez Canal) in
Egypt to see the sights of this part of the region.
Port Said, he commented, was a multicultural
city. People spoke numerous languages, such as
Arabic, Greek, Egyptian, Italian and Spanish. He
toured a number of churches, mosques and
temples. He said the city was a blend of the
vibrant traditions of the East and the West.
On June 11, 1882, the Djemnah stopped by
Naples in Italy, which Rizal admired for the city's
panoramic beauty of the bay and the liveliness of
the inhabitants. Rizal was fascinated by Mount
Vesuvius, the castle of St. Telno, and the historic
sights of the city. The next day, Rizal got off at
Marseilles, which was the end of the Djemnah.
He bade farewell to his fellow passengers and
visited this French town and saw for himself the
Château d'If, the site of his favorite book, The
Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas. After
spending three days in Marseilles, Rizal boarded
a train to Spain on June 15. His documents were
reviewed by immigration officers at the Spanish
border in Portbou, in the Spanish province of
Catalonia. He noted the indifference of the
Spanish immigration officers to their courteous
French counterparts.
On June 16, 1882, Rizal landed in
Barcelona, the cosmopolitan capital of Spain’s
Catalonia region and the second largest city in
Spain. Comparing it with the other European
cities he saw so far, it was dim, filthy and ugly.
There were tiny inns, and the inhabitants were
not very hospitable. He stayed in a dingy inn on
the most unattractive side of the area. The guests
were indifferent to him, too. Since Rizal arrived
during the summer vacation for students, he
traveled to other areas of the city and noticed that
Barcelona, like other parts of Spain, embraced
freedom and liberalism, unlike the Philippines. At
this point, he changed his unfavorable opinion of
the city and concluded that Barcelona was really
a great city and that its people were open-hearted,
hospitable and brave. He enjoyed strolling along
Las Ramblas Lane, the popular lane in Bacelona.
Rizal remained in Barcelona over the
summer holidays. He met former classmates
from the Ateneo who brought him a party at their
favorite café in Plaza de Cataluña. They shared
toast and told Rizal about the attractions and
customs of the citizens of Barcelona. In contrast,
Rizal brought the Philippines news and gossips.
Rizal got two bad news while in Barcelona. The
first bad news was about the cholera epidemic
that destroyed Manila and the provinces. The
second bad news was Chenggoy's chatty letter
recounting the unhappiness of Leonor Rivera,
who was becoming thinner due to the loss of a
loved one.
He found time to compose a nationalist
essay named Amor Patrio (Love of Country) with
the pen name Laon-Laan. The essay was
published in Diariong Tagalog on August 20,
1882. Encouraged by the positive reception of his
post, Francisco Calvo, the editor of the Diario
asked Rizal for more posts. He has dutifully
submitted two papers entitled Los Viajes and
Revista de Madrid (Review of Madrid). The last
story never saw print since the publication went
out of business.
The University Student in Madrid
At the close of the summer break, Rizal
moved to Madrid and, on 3 November 1882,
enrolled in two courses of Medicine and
Philosophy and Letters at the Universidad
Central de Madrid. He has studied painting and
sculpture and French, German and English at the
Academy of San Carlos. He also took lessons
from a private coach who instructed him shooting
and fencing in the Sanz and Carbonell Halls. His
appetite for information was insatiable,
considering the fact that Paciano had given him
700 pesos and allowed himself to spend 35
pesos a month on food, clothes and books. Both
his expenses were seen down to the last peseta
in his diary.
Rizal lived frugally, budgeting his income
carefully. Since it was cold in Spain, Rizal took
baths less frequently than not. Baths were also a
drain on the wallet, costing 35 centavos each.
Rizal once boasted that his last bath was a month
ago. Perhaps his only addiction was a gamble in
which he invested 3 pesetas (equivalent to 1.02
peso) on a draw. Another thing he enjoyed was
attending in plays at the Madrid Theaters.
He never lost time, either, and spent time
visiting libraries, attending lectures, religious
events and operas. Rizal spent his leisure time by
reading books, such as on military engineering to
broaden his cultural background. Also, his
pastime was spent entertaining friends at the
residence of Paterno or sipping coffee at the
Puerta del Sol. There was no time or money for
women and wine.
Like the University of Santo Tomas, the
Universidad Central de Madrid housed a the Circulo Hispano-Filipino. The collective was
combination of citizens of different beliefs. There
was a combination of socialists, progressives,
republicans, monarchists, and radicals. Rizal was
drawn to the liberals, especially to Dr. Miguel
Morayta, who was a champion of the freedom
and self-determination of all peoples. While
liberal students, including those from South
America and the Spanish colonies, hailed Dr.
Morayta as their champion, he was seen as a
maverick by his colleagues. The university
authorities considered him a supporter of the
anarchists and expelled him. Morayta 's followers
fought with their critics on campus and in the
streets of Madrid.
Romantic Episode with Consuelo Ortiga
It has become a tradition for Rizal to
frequent the house of Don Pablo Ortiga y Rey, a
Spanish liberal who lived in the Philippines during
the tenure of Governor General Carlos Ma. De la
Torre. He came to his house every Saturday
where he came to know about Don Ortiga's two
lovely daughters, Consuelo and Pilar. Rizal was
drawn to Consuelo and gave flowers to her. Rizal
wrote her love poem A la Senorita C.O. Y R-The
initials of Consuelo. However, Rizal did not allow
the romance to thrive because he was still
engaged to Leonor Rivera. His friend Eduardo
de Lete was in love with Consuelo, too. He left
Madrid for Paris in the summer of 1883 to ignore
Consuelo. Later she married de Lete, who later
became Rizal’s secret enemy.
Consuelo writes on Jan. 18, 1883: “Rizal
talked with me for a long time, almost the whole
night. He told me that I was very talented, that I
was very diplomatic, and that he was going to see
if he could extract some truth from me within two
weeks; that I was mysterious and that I had a veil
over my ideas …”
Meeting with Future Reformists: The Circulo
Hispano-Filipino
Rizal’s encounter with fellow Filipinos and
liberal Spaniards opened the way for him to join
generally a social conglomeration and organized
casual programs that involved poetry reading and
debates. Discovering that Rizal was a poet, his
members asked him to write a poem. He wrote a
poem for them that expressed the sentiments of a
poet who was forced to have something that
would satisfy his listeners. This poem was entitled
Me Piden Versos (You Ask Me for Verses).
Inevitably, politics became part of the group
's discussion of the need for reform in the
Philippines, and Rizal became an active
discussant. In later years, conservative elements
in the Circulo distanced themselves from the
group that eventually faded away.
Entry into the Freemasonry
Many of the liberal and republican citizens
whom Rizal met and made friends in Madrid were
masons. Freemasonry is banned by the Church
because its views are contradictory to its
teachings. Members of the Masonic societies are
considered sinners and are obliged to leave until
they can receive any of the sacraments. When
they die, they are refused.
Rizal was impressed by the mason's vision
on life and took the opinion that understanding
should be obtained by the light of rationality and
the universal brotherhood of man. The masons
criticized the Church for what they thought was
the propagation of moral superstition
obscurantism, or the covering of the truth behind
the veil of religion.
Government policies that promoted
despotism have also been targeted. Rizal joined
the Freemasonry in 1883 through the Acacia
Lodge, which was based in Madrid. His Masonic
name was Dimasalang (unstoppable
untouchable). He entered the masonry because
he opposed the activities of the many friars in the
Philippines. He believed in the ideals that
fraternity was fighting for, and also because he
wanted the support of fellow masons who were
influential in Spanish society. Since joining the
Freemasonry, he avoided going to church
regularly and started to doubt matters of faith,
God and religion choosing to accept them only by
the light of reason. Nevertheless, his faith in the
presence of God remained deeply rooted in his
deepest convictions as seen in his writings and
letters.
Rizal moved up the ranks of
Freemasonry and became master mason at the
Lodge Solidaridad on November 15, 1890. Two
years later, while living in Paris, Rizal became
master mason of Le Grand Orient of France on
15 February 1892.
The Avid Book Collector
While in Spain, Rizal was introduced to
further readings that broadened his academic
scope. He wasted no money in purchasing books
from second-hand bookstores. He was able to
acquire quite a library in time. Among his books
was The Holy Bible; The Lives of the Presidents
of the United States from (George) Washington to
(Andrew) Johnson; The Complete Works of
Voltaire consisting of nine volumes; The
Complete Works of C. Bernard (16 volumes);
Complete Works of Horace (3 volumes); Ancient
Poetry; Works of Thuycidides; The Byzantine
Empire; The Renaissance; Hebrew Grammar,
The Characters of La Bruyere; History of the
French Revolution; Eugene Sue's The Wandering
Jew; Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin;
and The Works of Alexander Dumas; Louis XIV and
His Court; and numerous books on medicine,
politics, politics,
The books that most affected him were
Beecher Stowe 's Uncle Tom's Cabin and
Sue's The Wandering Jew, close to El
Filibusterismo, and the novels by the Spanish
/ writer Benito Perez Caldos, one of which was
Desnerada, which inspired his two later novels,
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. The novel
Noli Me Tangere was also influenced by Benito
Pérez Caldós' novel Doña Perfecta, written in
1876, eleven years before the publication of Noli
Me Tangere. Doña Perfecta reveals the immense
influence the church has wielded. It also shows
the disparities between the conventional, rural
outlook and the new, urban outlook of Madrid, the
capital of Spain.
During Rizal’s time in Spain, his family went
through a financial crisis in Calamba. In 1883, the
world price of sugar had fallen and the sugar had
the not been sold. The rent of land had risen that year.
The concern was that the manager of the
Dominican estate made it more difficult for the
Rizal family. According to Rizal's account, the
manager normally fell by asking his father for a
free fat turkey. The pest destroyed most of the
turkeys that year, and those remaining are kept
for breeding. That year, there was no turkey to
give away. The manager was dismayed at his
boss, and for this reason he declined to give any
thought, demanding that the family of Rizal
should pay the increased fee. As a result of the
economic problems, Rizal’s allowance was cut
and Paciano had to sell his pony to pay for his
brother's allowance.
The Speech that Attracted the Attention of
Reactionary Spaniards in the Philippines
On June 25, 1884, Rizal joined a Greek
university competition. With empty stomach, he
participated in the contest. In spite of the
challenges, he won gold medal. On the evening
of the same day, he gave an eloquent speech at
a banquet in honor of the Filipino painters Juan
Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo, who
received top prizes at the National Exhibition of
Fine Arts. Juan Luna won the first prize for his
Spoliarium, which portrayed the bodies of
deceased Roman gladiators being carried out of
the bowels of the Coliseum, while Hidalgo won
the second prize for his Virgenes Cristianas
Exposiciones al Populacho (Christian Virgins
Unveiled to the Populace).
Rizal’s speech was his first address to a
general audience. Rizal extemporarily said that
Luna and Hidalgo were the pride of the Filipino
people, and he proved that genius is not the
monopoly of any race. The two painters, the
titans of their craft, are the creations of the
Philippines and Spain, and their works unite both
cultures. Near the end of his speech, Rizal scored
with refined sarcasm the ill-wishers of the
Filipinos who were emerging as an intellectual
force. In the end, Rizal shared the hope that
someday Spain will give the changes required by
the Filipinos. At the end of his address, he gave a
toast to Luna and Hidalgo, for which there was a
thunderous applause.
Rizal’s speech was mentioned in the
newspaper El Liberal, and news of the case
reached the Philippines. Some of the elements in
the Philippines were not satisfied, and Rizal was
said to have made enemies with his speech. It
was said that Rizal can never return to the
Philippines. Dona Teodora was fraught with fear,
and she had been unable to eat for days. She fell
ill, and Paciano wrote to Rizal about the impact of
his homage to the two Filipino painters. He
warned him to be more vigilant of his actions. He
warned him to stop writing papers that could
offend the friars and other reactionary Spaniards,
and that he should not fail in his Christian duties,
and eventually ordered her son to stop
undertaking studies that could lead to his
destruction.
Rizal had heeded these warnings, but he
pursued his life as if he had been attracted to
destiny.
Completion of Studies in Spain
Rizal completed his medical studies and was
awarded the title of Licenciado in Medicina,
which would allow him to practice medicine. His
academic records at the Universidad Central de
Madrid are as follows:
Fifth Year (1882-1883) - Continuation of
Medical Course in the University of Santo
Tomas
Medical Clinic 1 - Bueno (Good)
Surgical Clinic 1 - Bueno (Good)
Obstetrical Clinic - Aprobado (Fair)
Legal Medicine - Sobresaliente (Excellent)
Sixth Year (1883-1884)
Medical Clinic - Bueno (Good)
Surgical Clinic - Notable (Very Good)
The degree of Licentiate in Medicine was
conferred on June 21, 1884 with the rating of
"Aprobado" or "Fair." Rizal was actually
granted lower grades in Spain than at the
University of Santo Tomas.
Rizal continued to research subjects that
would have led to a doctorate of medicine. He
passed all the subjects leading to the Degree of
Medicine. His grades were:
Seventh Year (1884-1885)
History of Medical Science - Aprobado (Fair)
Surgical Analysis applied to the Medical
Science - Bueno (Good)
Advanced Normal and Pathological Histology
- Sobresaliente (Excellent)
He, however, was not conferred the
degree of Doctor of Medicine for failure to
present a thesis required for graduation and
pay for the corresponding fee.
Nevertheless, by obtaining a degree of
Licentiate in Medicine, he became a full-fledged
physician and qualified to practice medicine. He
was not interested in taking the post-degree of
Doctor of Medicine because such a degree is
good only for teaching purposes, and he knew
that no friar-owned university in the Philippines
would accept him for teaching position because
of his brown color. In reality, the name "Dr. Rizal"
is a misnomer as he has never been given the
title of Doctor. The inability to pay the related fees
also represented Rizal's financial troubles at the
time. It was with the aid of his friend Maximo Viola
who borrowed him money that Rizal was able to
acquire his medical degree and practice.
Rizal was also able to complete his
education in Philosophy and Letters, where he
received a higher degree. On his 24th birthday,
June 19, 1885, Rizal graduated from the
Universidad Central de Madrid with a Bachelor's
degree in Philosophy and Letters (Licenciado en
Filosofia y Letras). His grades were as follows:
1882-1883
Universal History - Saliente
General Literature - Sobresaliente
1883-1884
Universal history 2 - Sobresaliente
Greek and Latin Literature - Sobresaliente with
prizes)
Greek 1 - Sobresaliente (with prizes)
1884-1885
Spanish Language - Sobresaliente (with
scholarship)
Arabic Language - Sobresaliente (with
scholarship)
Rizal Outside School
Rizal had a stopover in Barcelona on his way to
Paris in October 1885. He saw his friend Maximo
Viola, a wealthy family member from San Miguel,
Bulacan. He lived with Maximo Viola for a week at
the Vergara No.1 lodge on the Room 2 of 3rd
floor.He also befriended Eusebio Corominas,
publisher of the newspaper La Publisidad.
His other degree qualified him to work as a
professor of humanities at any university in Spain.
Nevertheless, he chose to develop his medical
qualifications by specializing in ophthalmology by
working as assistant to Dr. Louis de Wecker, a
leading French ophthalmologist in Paris from
October 1885 to March 1886, and later in
Germany as assistant to numerous professional
ophthalmologists such as the Polish Dr. Javier
Galezowsky and the German Otto Becker in
Heidelberg in 1886 and another German eye
doctor named Dr. R. Schulzer and a Dr.
Schiwiegger in 1887. Outside his working hours,
he relaxed by visiting his friends. He also went to
Luna’s studio. He helped by posing as a model in
several paintings. Rizal posed as Egyptian priest
in Luna’s canvass “The death of Cleopatra” and
Sikatuna in Luna’s great painting “The Blood
Compact”
In the course of his additional research, he
broadened his experience by studying several
new things. After finishing his work with Dr.
Weckert in Paris, he moved to Heidelberg ,
Germany, on 8 February 1886. He worked there
as an assistant at De Galezowsky 's clinic. He
stayed in a boarding house with some German
law students to save rent. He quickly got
acquainted with them, befriended them and was
playing chess. He took time to attend lectures at
the University of Heidelberg, which
commemorated its fifth centenary during his visit.
Rizal was enamored by his peaceful
surroundings and made drawings of what he saw
and also published the poem A las Flores de
Heidelberg, inspired by the flowering flowers of
the university town along the Neckar River. He
also took note of how the Germans lived and
what was the secret of their success since being
united as a nation in 1871.
Later, he went to the house of Karl Ulmer, a
Protestant minister with whom he became close
friends. Since he was a mason at the time, Rizal
said that Catholicism was better than
Protestantism.
He took advantage of the fact that his stay in
Germany was the hub of scientific science. He
went to Leipzig, Dresden, and Berlin, which are
renowned for their universities dating back to the
Middle Ages. On August 14, 1886, he was able to
visit Fredrich Ratzel, a German historian in
Leipzig. There he translated Scheller’s William
Tell to Tagalog.
On October 29, 1886, he arrived in Dresden,
Germany, and met with Dr. Adolf B. Meyer,
director of the Museum of Anthropology and
Ethnology. He heard the mass here in the
morning. He remained in the city for two days.
On November 1, 1886, Rizal left Dresden by
train and reached Berlin in the evening. Rizal met
for the first time Dr. Feodor Jagor, famous
German scientist-traveller and author of Travels
in the Philippines.
With the aid of Blumentritt, Feodor Jagor
and Hans Virchow were introduced to Rizal, both
anthropologists and students of the Philippine
culture. Rizal had to learn the German language
in dealing with these reputable characters. His
linguistic skills fascinated his new friends. He
managed to write a scholarly paper called
Tagalische Verkunst or Tagalog Metrical Art.
Rizal has always been busy working as a
doctor's assistant by day and taking classes at
the University of Berlin at night. He was taking
classes in French. It was in Berlin that he finished
his novel Noli Me Tangere and found the proper
printing house, the Berliner-Bruckrucrei-Action
Gesselchaft, to get it published. Meanwhile, Rizal
was working on a very small budget. His
allowance from the Philippines did not arrive due
to a locust attack in Calamba. His book was
almost unpublished, but for Dr. Maximo Viola,
who visited him in Berlin. Viola paid for the
expenses of printing the novel and even looked at
Rizal 's health because he was spitting up blood.
Physical inspection revealed that Rizal's way of
life was more than frugal. Later, Rizal and Viola
decided to a grand tour of Europe. They visited
Blumentritt in his hometown of Leitmeritz from 13
to 17 May 1887, followed by Brunn and Prague,
in what is now the Czech Republic, then Vienna,
Lintz and Salzburg, Austria. They returned to
Germany, where they visited Munich and Ulm
before heading to Switzerland, where they visited
Basel, Bern, Lasusanne and Geneva. After
visiting Geneva, Viola returned to Spain while
Rizal crossed the border to visit Milan, Venice
and Rome. After a week in Rome, Rizal left for
Marseille, France then boarded a steamer bound
for the Philippines.
THE PROPAGANDA MOVEMENT AND LA
SOLIDARIDAD
Propaganda Movement
According to Dr. Domingo Abella, former
head of the National Archives, the term
"Propaganda Movement" has been misnamed. It
was to be called the Counter Propaganda
Movement, and their key goal was to combat the
wave of disinformation that some Spanish
organizations had disseminated in Spain, and
later in Rome.
The propaganda campaign was directed at
peaceful assimilation, leading to the
transformation of the Philippines from becoming a
colony to a province of Spain. Propagandists
claimed that if the Philippines were Spanish
citizens, they would benefit with the same rights
and privileges. Their advocates wanted not
independence from Spain but reforms.
Aims of Propaganda Movement were:
• Representation of the Philippines to the Cortes
Generales, the Spanish Parliament.
• Secularisation of the church
• Legalization of equality between Spain and the
Philippines
• Establishment of a public school system
independent of the Catholic friars;
• Abolition of polo y servicio (labor force) and
bandala (forced selling of local goods to the
government)
• Protection of fundamental freedoms
• Equal opportunities for the Filipinos and the
Spanish to enter the civil service
Many who supported this peaceful
movement were the Filipino exiles in 1872, the
patriots who fled the islands to avoid persecution,
and others who had been to Spain to study.
Although not all the propagandists were the sons
of the rich Filipinos, they were scions of decent
families. The prominent members of the
Propaganda movement were: Jose Rizal,
Graciano Lopez Jaena; Mariano Ponce; and
Marcelo H. del Pilar.
The Propaganda Movement
The Filipinos in Europe have been much
more involved in pursuing reforms than those in
Manila. They could be split into three groups: the
first included Filipinos who had been exiled to the
Marian Islands in 1872 after being involved in the
Cavite Mutiny. After two years in the Marian
Islands, they went to Madrid and Barcelona
because they could no longer return to the
Philippines. The second group consisted of
Illustrados in the Philippines who had been sent
to Europe for schooling. The third group was
made up of Filipinos who had left their country to
escape prosecution for a crime, or merely
because they could no longer tolerate Spanish
atrocities. But not all the Filipinos residing in
Spain were part of the propaganda movement.
One of the vocal leaders of the reform
movement was the lawyer, man, and
pamphleteer Marcelo H. del Pilar who was also
the brother of Fr. Toribio del Pilar who was led to
Guam in 1872. Imbued with an urge to promote
the wellbeing of his countrymen, he went about
promoting the importance of service and
selfdignity in public places such as cockpits and
shops or village stores. In 1888, he led the
boldest reform protests of his followers shouting
Viva la Reina, Viva El Ejercito, Fuera Los Frailes!
(Long live the Queen, long live the army, out with
the friars) He mocked the friars with his
pamphlets, particularly Caiigat Cayo (Be Slippery
as an eel), which was the answer to Caiingat
Cayo (Beware) by Fr. Jose Rodriguez, who
attacked Rizal 's novel Noli Me Tangere.
Del Pilar 's political practices were no longer
accepted by the Spaniards. This is the reason
why he was forced to flee to Spain to join other
reformers who were already there. In Spain, he
took over the editorship of La Solidaridad, which
was first edited by Graciano Lopez Jaena. The
threat of reprisals by conservative Spaniards
forced them to flee the region.
Graciano Lopez Jaena, who satirized the
friars and officials he found violent and
incompetent, was another significant leader of the
reform movement that started his campaign in the
Philippines. Graciano Lopez Jaena was a brilliant
speaker. In addition, he was dubbed "Prince of
the Filipino Orators." In his story, Fray Botod,
he pilloried the immorality and misuse of authority
by the friars who forced him to be imprisoned.
The story of Fray Botod by Graciano Lopez
Jaena portrayed an early Spanish priest from the
colonial era of the Philippines as greedy, corrupt,
hypocrite, gluttonous, and lustful. Fray Botod
means "Big - Bellied Friar". Lopez Jaena left for
Spain in 1880, where he practiced medicine at
the University of Valencia. As an undergraduate,
he got active in political movements by speaking
out against the friars in the Philippines and
advocating for change in the Philippines.
The Filipinos, who came to study in Spain,
joined the reformers. Among them was Jose Rizal
who arrived in 1882 others were Jose Alejandrino,
Edilberto Evangelista, Galicano Apacible, Antonio
and Juan Luna, Felix, Resurreccion Hidalgo,
Eduardo de Lete, Mariano Ponce, and others.
Aside from this group which was composed of
young students, there were others who were in
Europe even earlier than Marcelo H. del Pilar and
Graciano Lopez Jaena. These were Antonio
Regidor and Joaquin Pardo de Tavera who were
not allowed to return to the Philippines after their
deportation following the events of 1872.
Realizing the need for a publication to promote
Filipino interests, Lopez Jaena with the financial
help of Pablo Rianzares established the
newspaper La Solidaridad in 1889. The
newspaper became the organ of the reformists in
Spain. Among its contributors were Rizal who
wrote under the pseudonyms Dimas-alang and
Laong Laan, Marcelo H. del Pilar as Plaridel,
Antonio Luna, Taga-ilog: Mariano Ponce,
Kalipulako, Naning and Tikbalang. Other
reformists were Jose Ma. Panganiban, Isabelo de
los Reyes, Pedro Serrano Laktaw, Jose
Alejandrino Laktaw, and others. Pen name or
Pseudonym becomes a kind of cover that helps
the author to protect his or her identity. Thus, this
was the strategy of reformists to hide their real
identity.
Others such as Del Pilar and Lopez Jaena
ordered the removal of the friars who had been
accused of promoting religious fanaticism and
hindering Filipino development. In addition to a
political platform, Jose Rizal called for a
nationalistic recovery in refusing to recognize
international cultural practices in general and to
rediscover the glory of the Philippine race. During
the time that he founded a party in Europe known
as Indios Bravos, he invited the Philippines not to
shame on "Indian" but rather urged them to
aspire for intellectual prominence as a way of
undermining the illusion of Caucasian racial
dominance. He admired the efforts of the women
in Malolos who overcame friars' resistance to the
creation of the Spanish school and thanked Juan
Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo for their
prestigious awards in drawing.
In two new novels, Noli Me Tangere and
Elfilibusterismo, which targeted all facets of the
Spanish rule in the Philippines, Rizal hoped to lift
the nationalistic conscience of the Filipinos. The
first one was published in Berlin , Germany and
the second one was published in Ghent, Belgium.
The friars investigated when copies of Noli Me
Tangere entered the Philippines, and the book
was promptly banned because it represented the
Spanish authorities malignantly on the islands.
This led Rizal to write its sequel: El Filibusterismo.
The friars prohibited the import and reading of
these two books immediately. In addition, Rizal
took time to annotate Dr. Antonio Morga 's book
Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, the Spanish official
of the 17th century who corrects the anti-Filipino
tendencies. This is one of the most important
publications on the early history of the
Philippines' Spanish colonization. Sucesos de
Las Islas Filipinas was based on the individual
memories of Antonio de Morga and other facts of
incidents like the participants of the voyage to the
Philippines of Miguel López de Legazpi. The title
means The Events in the Philippine Islands and
hence the primary purpose of the books is to
record events in the Spanish Philippines colonial
period, as the writers themselves have noted.
The book covers the customs, etiquette and
beliefs of Philippines after the invasion of the
Spanish Republic.
Other Propagandists/Propaganda Literature
Literature x Author
1. Ninay and Sampaguita - Pedro Paterno
2. El Progreso de Filipinas - Gregorio Sanciangco
3. Impresiones - Antonio Luna
4. La Universidad de Pilipinas: Plano de Estudios
- Jose Maria Panganiban
5. Celebres Filipinos - Mariano Ponce
6. Historia de Ilocos and El Folklore Filipino -
Isabelo delos Reyes
La Solidaridad The reform movement was
supported by foreigners like Dr. Miguel Morayta,
the former Spanish minister and professor and
the Austrian ethnologist Ferdinand Blumentritt.
On December 13, 1888, an organization called
"La Solidaridad" was born. It was headed by
Galicano Apacible. Jose Rizal who was in
England at that time became its honorary
president. This organization gave birth to La
Solidaridad, the newspaper. Its editor was
Graciano Lopez Jaena. Take note that La
Solidaridad (organization) adapted a newspaper
La Solidaridad (newspaper). The Soli, as the
reformists fondly called their official organ, came
out once every two weeks. The first saw print was
published on November 15, 1895.
Solidaridad’s first editor was Graciano Lopez
Jaena. Marcelo H. del Pilar took over in October
1889. Del Pilar managed the Soli until it stopped
publication due to lack of funds. Jose Rizal,
Marcelo H. del Pilar, and Mariano Ponce
comprised the main staff of La Solidaridad. They
were called the “Glorious Trinity of
Propaganda Movement”.
Aims of La Solidaridad
1. To work for political and social reforms
peacefully
2. To present the sad conditons in the Philippines
so that Spain can remedy them
3. To oppose the evil influences of reaction and
outmoded beliefs and practices
4. To advocate liberal ideas and progress
5. To champion the just aspirations of the
Filipinos to life, democracy, and happiness
On February 15, 1889, the first issue of La
Solidaridad came out and its editorial expressed
its aim.
Contributors of the La Solidaridad:
Dr. Jose Rizal - Laon Laan
MArcelo H. del Pilar - Plaridel
Mariano Ponce- Naning, Kalipulo, Tigbalang
Antonio Luna - Taga Ilog
Jose Ma. Panganiban - Jomapa
Dominador Franco - Ramiro Franco
Dr. Pedro Paterno
Antonio Ma. Regidor
Isabelo Delos Reyes
Eduardo de Lete
Jose Alejandrino
Professor Blumentritt (Austrian ethnologist)
Dr. Miguel Morayta (Spanish Historian, university
professor and statesman)
In the last issue of La Solidaridad (November 15,
1895), M.H. del Pilar wrote his farewell editorial
saying:
We are persuaded that no sacrifices are too little
to win the rights and the liberty of a nation that is
The oppressed by slavery.
Asociacion Hispano-Filipino
Other reformists headed by Miguel Morayta
formed the Asociacion Hispano-Filipino in Madrid
on January 12, 1889. The Asociacion drew up
petitions instituting reforms. It succeeded in
having passed a law making the teaching of
the Spanish compulsory in the Philippines and laws
improving the judiciary. The organization,
however, died out because of lack of funds and
the change of government in Spain. Other
reforms obtained were the abolition of the
tobacco monopoly in 1882; the tax reform of 1884
abolishing the tribute and its replacement by the
cedula or poll tax; the provincial reform of 1886
creating the office of civil governors and reducing
the alcalde mayor to the category of judges of first
instance; the Royal Decree of 1887 extending the
Spanish Code to the Philippines; the Becerra Law
of 1889 establishing the city governments of
Cebu, Iloilo, Jaro, Batangas, Legazpi, Nueva
Caceres, and Vigan; and the Maura Law of 1893
introducing autonomy to the municipal
governments. These reforms did not address the
demands of the Filipino reformists and their calls
remained unheeded because of Spain's
preoccupation in other matters.
The Role of Freemasonry
Many of the Filipino reformists joined the
Freemasonry as a mean of finding support from
the Spanish liberals who had become the masons
themselves. Among the leading masons was
Marcelo del Pilar, who was the oldest. Already as
early as 1856 these were masons in the
Philippines. In Spain, Lopez Jaena established a
lodge named Revolucion, which was recognised
in April 1889 by the Spanish lodge Gran Oriental
Español. Del Pilar, for his part, coordinated Unity,
which included Rizal, Serrano Laktaw, Galicano
Apacible and Baldomero Roxas as participants.
Serrano Laktaw, on the orders of Del Pilar, went
to the Philippines in 1891 and established the
lodge Nilad on 6 January 1892. The Filipino
masons have promoted a dignified and stable
country with good governance. More Masonic
lodges were founded in 1893; they authorized the
entry of women including Rosario Villaruel,
Josefa Rizal, Marinao Dizon, Sixta Fajardo,
Purificacion Leyva and others.
MASONIC LODGES
Revolucion - first masonic lodge in Barcelona
founded by Lopez Jaena
Solidaridad - founded by M. del Pilar in Madrid
Nilad - first masonic lodge in the Philippines
founded by Pedro Serrano Laktaw
Meanwhile, disunity among the reformists in
Spain has started to manifest itself. Del Pilar and
Lopez Jaena claimed that their Spanish brothers
were too sluggish and too traditional. Among the
Filipinos, the reformers broke into camps. Soon,
Lopez Jaena left the campaign accompanied by
Rizal. The remaining reformers remained poor
and fragmented. Funds were disbursed and the
newspaper La Solidaridad had to step down on
15 November 1895. Having no way of funding
himself, Del Pilar managed to compose until he
was afflicted by tuberculosis. In despair, he sent a
letter to Teodoro Plata, who was his cousin,
instructing him to establish an organization that
would fight for freedom. Del Pilar died in
Barcelona on 4 July 1896. While he died as a
disappointed man, the organisation he inspired
became the Katipunan, founded by Teodoro
Plata, Andres Bonifacio, Valentin Diaz, and
others in 1892. Spain, on the other hand, has its
own domestic issues. The revolt had broken out
in Cuba, while the unjust conditions remained in
the Philippines, as the reforms achieved by the
reformists were too weak and too late. The nation
was entering a revolutionary period, when there
were movements established to overturn colonial
rule.
La Liga Filipina (The Philippine League)
Rizal tried to move his campaign for reforms
to the Philippines where he believed that the
struggle should be. Actually he had already
sealed his fate as his enemies had him where
they wanted. Because Rizal knew that he would
be risking his life by returning to the Philippines,
which before leaving Hong Kong in 1892, he left
two letters with Jose Ma. Basa to be opened after
his death. In one of these letters, Rizal wrote:
"What matters death, if one does for what one
loves, for native land and being held dear!" Rizal
arrived in Manila on June 26, 1892. He had an
audience with Governor General Eulogio
Despujol to seek the latter's permission to
establish a Filipino colony in Borneo. His request
to establish such a colony was denied. Despujol
reasoned that the colony would deprive the
country of valuable workers.
On July 3, 1892, at the house of Doroteo
Onjunco at Ilaya Street, Tondo, Rizal founded the
La Liga Filipina. The Liga picked up where the La
Propaganda left off. It was established
simultaneously with the masonry and contributed
funds to support the reformists in Spain. By 1892,
it went out of existence.
The constitution was written in Hong Kong
with the help of Jose Ma. Basa. The Constitution
stipulates:
1. unity of the archipelago into a compact,
vigorous and homogenous body;
2. mutual protection against all cases of pressing
necessity;
3. defense against violence and injustice;
4. encouragement of education, agriculture and
commerce; and
5. study and application of reforms.
It had a motto in Latin Unus Instar Omnium (One
Like All). The organization had governing bodies
consisting of a Supreme Council, a popular
council, and a provincial council. The members,
who should be Filipinos, were to pay 10 centavos
as monthly dues. Each member was free to
choose a symbolic name. Its officers were
Ambrosio Salvador, president; Agustin de la
Rosa, fiscal; Bonifacio Arevalo, treasurer; and
Deodato Arellano, secretary. Its members were
Andres Bonifacio, Jose A. Dizon, Moises
Salvador, Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, Mamerto
Natividad, Timoteo Paez, Domingo Franco,
Numeriano Adriano,Arcadio del Rosario, Timoteo
Lanuza, and Doroteo Onjunco. The funds of the
organization were to be used for protecting the
rights of the poor against the powerful. It aimed to
lend capital to any member who may need it for
industry or agriculture, introduce machines and
industry, and to establish stores and
establishments to run by Filipinos
The Spanish authorities considered the Liga
as a seditious organization. Rizal was quietly
arrested on July 6, 1892. Rizal was also accused
of having subversive publications in his baggage
from Hong Kong. On the following day he was
exiled to Dapitan on orders of Governor General
Eulogio Despujol. The arrest of Rizal effectively
signified the end of the Propaganda movement.
Though the Liga lingered for a while, it was not
able to make substantial progress. It had a new
hierarchy consisting of Domingo Franco as its
president; Deodato Arellano, secretary-treasurer;
Isidoro Francisco, fiscal; Juan Zulueta and
Timoteo Paez as members of the Supreme
Council. Later Apolinario Mabini became its
secretary. The Liga lasted for a few months but
soon some members who became tired of paying
their dues ceased to become active. The poor
members led by Andres Bonifacio felt that the
campaign for reforms was going nowhere. Later
the Liga reorganized itself as the Cuerpo de
Compromisarios (Body of the Committed) which
was composed of middle class members. It too
lived for a few months and eventually became
inactive.
Why the Propaganda Movement Failed?
The propaganda movement did not succeed
in its pursuit of reforms. The colonial government
did not agree to any of its demands. Spain itself
was undergoing a lot of internal problems all that
time, which could explain why the mother country
failed to heed the Filipino’s petitions. The friars,
on the other hand, were at the height of their
power and displayed even more arrogance in
flaunting their influence. They had neither the
time nor the desire to listen to the voice of the
people.
There were also emerging problems of the
propagandists. Most of them have different
opinions and had personal problems. Financial
problem was also the major reason for its
downfall. Health problems and homesickness of
the reformists were also one of the reasons why it
downgraded.
Many of the reformists showed a deep love
for their country, although they still failed to
maintain a united front. Because most of them
belonged to the upper middle class, they had to
exercise caution in order to safeguard their
wealth and other private interests. Personal
differences and petty quarrels, apart from the lack
of funds, were also a hindrance to the
movements success. Lastly, no other strong and
charismatic leader emerged from the group aside
from Jose Rizal.
THE MAKING OF NOLI ME TANGERE
Noli Me Tangere is one of the Philippine
literature's most popular books, describing the
conditions of the Philippines during the Spanish
colonization. Noli Me Tángere is considered to be
one of the most significant written works of the
national hero at the height of his scholarly efforts
in Europe. It was not only because it was
published by the National Hero, Jose Rizal, but
also because it revealed the socio-historical
status of the Filipinos under the Spanish rule. In
this book, Rizal gathered his intellectual
experiences as he tapped his experience of
different fields and woven a story that tried to
reflect, if not reveal, the complexities of colonial
life in the Philippines in the nineteenth century.
Jose Rizal 's novel opened the eyes of the
revolutionists to see the stereotypes and
wrongdoings of the Spaniards.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF WRITING
THE NOVEL
As a tourist in Europe, Rizal joined in the
Illustrado Movement to use propaganda to
advocate for improvements in the Philippines.
Using their intellectual prowess, the illustrados
published numerous written outputs from news
pieces, feature posts, and commentaries. They
also created artistic works from ironic pieces to
world-class paintings. In this artistic and literary
set, Rizal 's outstanding mastery of words was
evident in one of his most celebrated novels, his
first book, Noli Me Tangere. The bleak winter of
1886 was an extraordinary one in Rizal's life for
two reasons: first, it was a harrowing episode
because he was starved, sick, and destitute in a
foreign country; and second, it brought him
enormous pleasure after suffering too much,
because his first book, Noli Me Tangere, came
out of the press in March 1887. Like the
legendary Santa Claus, Dr. Maximo Viola, a
friend of his from Bulacan, came to Berlin at the
height of his despondency and offered him the
money he needed to write the novel.
Idea of Writing a Novel on the Philippines
Dr. Rizal was influenced by his reading of
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe,
which describes the brutalities of American
slave-owners and the pathetic lives of the poor
Negro slaves, to plan a novel that would show the
miseries of his people under the lash of Spanish
tyrants. He was an undergraduate at Madrid's
Central University. The biographers of Rizal also
state that the Spoliarium of Juan Luna, which
represented the sufferings of mankind in the face
of inequality, was also an influence in the writing
of his first book.
On January 2, 1884, at a Filipino gathering
at the Paterno residence in Madrid, Rizal
recommended the writing of a novel by a group of
Filipinos about the Philippines. The Paternos
(Pedro, Maximino, and Antonio), Graciano Lopez
Jaena, Evaristo Aguirre, Eduardo de Lete, Julio
Llorente, Melecio Figueroa, and Valentin Ventura
were among those present who unanimously
accepted his plan. Rizal 's project, sadly, did not
materialize. Nothing was written by those
compatriots who were supposed to collaborate on
the book. The book was planned to cover all
stages of life in the Philippines. Nearly everybody
decided to write about women, though. At such
flippancy, Rizal was disgusted. He was more
disgusted to see that his companions spent their
time gambling or flirting with Spanish señoritas,
instead of focusing seriously on the book.
Undaunted by the indifference of his friends, he
decided to write the novel alone.
As a surmise, the novel has four purposes
(Jesus, 2017):
1. To picture the past and realities of Philippines;
2. To reply to insults heaped on the Filipinos and
their country;
3. To unmask the hypocrisy that have
impoverished and brutalized the Filipino people;
4. To stir the patriotism of the Filipinos.
The Title of the Novel
The title Noli Me Tangere is a Latin phrase which
means "Touch Me Not” or in Filipino, Huwag Mo
Akong Salingin. It is not originally conceived by
Rizal, for he admitted taking it from the Bible.
Rizal, writing to Felix R. Hidaldo in French on
March 5, 1887, said: "Noli Me Tangere,words
taken from the Gospel of Saint Luke, signify "do
not touch me.” In citing the Biblical source, Rizal
made a mistake. It should be the Gospel of St.
John (Chapter 20, Verses 13 to 17). According to
St. John, on the First Easter Sunday. St. Mary
Magdalene visited the Holy Sepulcher, and to her
Our Lord Jesus, just arisen from the dead, said:
"Touch me not; I am not yet ascended to my
Father, but go to my brethren, and say unto them,
I ascend unto my Father, and your Father, and to
my God and your God." The choice of title
according to Rizal was because he intended to
write about themes that were taboo in the
Philippines for centuries; things that people dared
not touch. According to his biographers, Rizal
intended to write his first novel in French, which at
the time was known to be the language of
intellectuals in Europe. He, however, turned to
Spanish because in the Philippines he intended
to reach out to his countrymen.
The Author's Dedication
Rizal dedicated his Noli Me Tangere to the
Philippines - "A Mi Patria" (To My Fatherland)
The Writing of the Noli Me Tangere
Rizal started writing the novel in Madrid at
the end of 1884 and completed about onehalf of it.
He started to compose the novel as he went to
Paris in 1885, after ending his studies at the
Central University of Madrid, finishing half of the
second half. In Germany, he completed the last
fourth of the book. In April-June, 1886, he
published the last few chapters of Noli at
Wilhelmsfeld. Over the winter days of February
1886 in Berlin, the final revisions to the Noli
manuscript were carried out by Rizal. Sick and
penniless, he had no chance of making it
released, so he nearly threw it into the flames in a
momentary fit of desperation. Years later he told
his good friend and former classmate, Fernando
Canon: "I did not believe that the Noli Me
Tangere would ever be published when I was in
Berlin, broken-hearted, weakened, and
discouraged from hunger and deprivation. I was
on the point of throwing my work into the fire as a
thing accursed and fit only to die."
Viola, Savior of the Noli
In the centre of his suffering and his
despondency. From Dr. Maximo Viola, who was
going to Berlin, Rizal got a telegram. This friend
of Rizal's was a scion of the affluent San Miguel
Bulacan family. This means that he was rich. He
was saddened to see Rizal living in poverty and
deplorably sickly due to lack of adequate
nourishment when he arrived in Berlin shortly
before Christmas Day of 1887. Viola, being filled
with sufficient money, gladly decided to cover the
printing expense of the Noli after seeing the plight
of his talented friend. He loaned Rizal some cash
for living expenses as well. Thus, it happened
that Rizal and Viola were able to celebrate
Christmas in Berlin in 1886 with a sumptuous
feast. Rizal put the final touches to his novel after
the Christmas season. He omitted some
passages in his manuscript to save printing costs,
including a whole chapter—"Elias and Salome.
The Noli was fully completed and ready for
printing on February 21, 1887. Rizal went to
numerous printing shops in Berlin with Viola, the
savior of the Noli, to survey the printing prices.
They eventually found a Berliner
Buchdruckrei-Action-Gesselschaft printing shop
after a few days of enquiries, which paid the
lowest cost, that is, 300 pesos for 2,000 copies of
the book. It must be noted that in Berlin, Germany,
Noli Me Tangere was published.
Rizal Suspected as Frenchy Spy
An unusual incident occurred in Rizal during
the printing of Noli. One morning, the Berlin police
chief paid a surprise visit to Rizal's boarding
house and demanded to see the passport of the
latter. Unfortunately, Rizal was unable to produce
a passport, for he had none - it was possible to fly
without a passport in those days. The police chief
then instructed him, within four days, to obtain a
visa, or he would be deported. Rizal, followed by
Viola, then went to the Spanish embassy to
request the assistance of the Spanish
ambassador, the Count of Benomar, who had
agreed to deal with the matter. The ambassador,
however, refused to keep his word, and it turned
out he had no authority to grant the appropriate
passport.
 Rizal introduced himself at the office of the
German police chief at the expiration of the
four-day ultimatum, apologizing for his inability to
acquire a visa, and respectfully asked the latter
why he should be deported when he had not
committed any crime. The police chief told him
that he had received intelligence reports that he
(Rizal) had made repeated visits to rural villages
and cities, raising the suspicion of the German
government that he was a French spy, because
he had entered Germany from Paris, where he
had been staying for many years, and was clearly
a lover of France, whose language and culture he
knew so well. On account of Alsace-Lorraine,
relations between France and Germany were
strained at the time.
Rizal explained to the police chief, in fluent
German, that he was not a French spy, but a
Filipino physician and scientist, especially an
ethnologist. He toured the rural regions of the
countries he toured as an ethnologist to study the
customs and life-styles of their everyday
inhabitants. The police chief was delighted and
allowed him to remain openly in
Germany,favourably impressed with Rizal 's
description and intrigued by his mastery of the
German language and personal charisma.
Printing of the Noli Finished
Rizal oversaw the printing of the Noli, with
the aid of Viola, after the incident of his aborted
deportation as a suspected French spy. They
were at the printing shop proof-reading the
printed pages day by day. On March 21, 1887,
the Noli Me Tangere came off the press. Rizal
immediately sent the first copies of the printed
novel to his intimate friends, including Blumentritt,
Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor, G. Lopez Jaena,
Mariano Ponce, and Felix R. Hidalgo. In his letter
to Blumentritt, dated March 21, 1887. he said: "I
am sending you a book. It is my first book, though
I have already written much before it and
received some prizes in literary competitions. It is
the first impartial and bold book on the life of the
Tagalogs. The Filipinos will find it the history of
the last ten years. I hope you will notice how
different are my descriptions from those of other
writers. The government and the friars will
probably attack the work, refuting my arguments:
but I trust in the God of Truth and in the persons,
who have actually seen the sufferings at close
range. I hope I can answer all the concepts which
have been fabricated to malign us.”
On March 29, 1887, Rizal, in token of his
appreciation and gratitude, gave Viola the galley
proofs of the Noli carefully rolled around the pen
that he used in writing it and a complimentary
copy, with the following inscription: "To my dear
friend, Maximo Viola, the first to read and
appreciate my work - Jose Rizal."
Symbolisms of Noli Cover Page
Each element of the cover page has its own
meaning or symbolism. Just one look at the cover,
it already tells us every bit of what's in the novel.
Rizal also purposely designed the title to be
placed diagonally so that it can divide an upper
and lower triangle. (Bernus & Hermoso, n.d.)
UPPER TRIANGLE
1. Silhoutte of a Filipina - Maria Clara or as the
"Inang Bayan" to whom Rizal dictates the novel
2. Bay leaves/ Laurel leaves -Honor and Fidelity
3. Cross - Catholic faith as it rises above Inang
Bayan and Filipinos (shows dominance). It also
symbolizes sufferings and death.
4. Burning Torch - Olympic torch
- awakening of Filipino consciousness
- it also sheds light to the text of the manuscript
5. Sunflower -new beginning
- it is compared to the happiness of which
appears to be always bowing down
LOWER TRIANGLE
6. Year 1887 - publication of Noli
7. Bamboo Stalk - Filipino resiliency
- despite the sufferings, Filipinos can still stand
tall and firm
8. Chain and Whip -slavery and imprisonment
(Chain)
- abuses and cruelties done by the Spaniards and
friars (Whip)
9. Helmet - helmet of Guardia Civil
-arrogance of those in authority
10. Hairy Legs- Legend of the Wolf
- wolf shape shifts just like how friars hide their
true nature and character
Reactions to the Noli
The Noli produced reactions from readers,
Filipinos and strangers alike in the immediate
months and years after its publication in 1887.
Answers varied from praise to outright mockery.
One sector that espoused utmost disdain for the
novel was the Spanish clergy as well as some
Spanish colonial officials. It is
understandable that in 1887, when Fray Salvador
Font, chair of the censorship board, banned the
reading and possession of Rizal 's book, Spanish
friars vehemently prohibited the dissemination of
the book. The book was assessed and judged as
pernicious by several other friars. In order to stop
committing capital sins, they told
Catholics not to read the book. Not only did
disapproval of the novel from Spanish officials
and scholars persist in the Philippines, it was also
voiced in Spain. Vicente Barrantes, who wrote
several pieces in Spanish newspapers ridiculing
Rizal's inconsistencies, was a staunch opponent
of the book. Barrantes described Rizal as man of
contradiction whose criticisms of friars and the
Spanish regime were actually an insult to the
Filipino themselves.
The book was also attacked by Fr. Jose
Rodriguez. As he was intimidated, he issued a
pamphlet titled “Caingat Cayo”, which warned the
Filipinos against reading the Noli. In 1889, Rizal
published his answer to Fr. Rodriguez in the
pamphlet La Vision de Fr. Rodriguez, a brilliant
satire in which exposed the ignorance of the friar
(Agoncillo, 1990)
His novel also found passionate defenders
among his peers, just as Rizal's detractors came
from diverse fields. His book was lauded by many
of his peers in the Propaganda movement.
Marcelo H. del Pilar, who also wrote essays in
response to the Noli critics, is one example.
Support for the novel was also shared by Rizal 's
friend, Ferdinand Blumentritt, also an academic.
Blumentritt noted that Rizal’s work “has been
written with the blood of the heart, and so the
heart also speaks.” Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor,
Filipino patriot and lawyer, also read the novel.
He felicitated Rizal saying “Every Filipino patriot
will read your book with amity and upon
discovering in every line a veracious idea and in
every word a fitting advice, he will be inspired and
he will regard you book as the masterpiece of a
thus Filipino and the proof that those who thought us
incapable of producing great intellects are
mistaken or lying.” (Zaide & Zaide, 1994)
As the Noli in the Philippines of the
nineteenth century stirred outrage in social circles,
it is surprising to learn that the novel continued to
be a topic of discussion and discussion well past
devout its time. In the immediate years after its
publication, the Noli was translated into several
languages. One of the earliest translations of the
novel was done in French. Many scholars posit
that there were early attempts to translate the
novel into German (by Blumentritt) and even
Tagalog (by Rizal's brother, Paciano) but these
plans never came to fruition. At the turn of the
twentieth century, during the American colonial
period, several other translations and editions of
the novel came out. Arguably the most circulated
versions were the English translations of Charles
Derbyshire. By the 1930s, Rizal's Noli and
several Spanish editions, translations into English,
French, Japanese, and also into several
languages in the Philippines including Tagalog,
Cebuano, Waray, Iloko, and Bikol.
Distribution of the novel to the Philippines
 In the middle of the tight censorship the picture. At the time, Catholic figures in the
imposed by the Spaniards, the story of how Noli Philippines viewed the book as heretical,
Me Tangere was spread in the Philippines can be although it was considered rebellious and against
traced to the efforts of Jose Basa, the the government by the Spanish colonial
herosmuggler of the Propaganda movement. He authorities. From his book, they found their
was able to organize Hong Kong-Manila trips for immorality, their bogus culture, and their vices
Filipinos through his contacts and flourishing were faithfully mirrored in the novel. As Dr.
business, which became the route for subversive Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera, an Insular, said:
and anti-friar pamphlets to enter Filipinos' hands. “The prestige which the friars had enjoyed, and
Noli Me Tangere was one of them. The Filipino which was based only on the ignorance of the
travelers who worked as couriers were allegedly masses, crumbled away when the private lives of
told to disembark the ships without the books the member of the religious orders in the
commonly concealed in the ship's coal bin. They provinces were described in the pages of Rizal’s
would then hire a carretela and the books, usually book and the immorality and the viciousness of
placed inside buri sacks, would be loaded to the the friars were exposed to the public view”
carretela. Afterwards, they would pretend to After publication, Noli me Tangere was
forget something in the ship. They would ask a considered to be one of the instruments that
permission from a crew member to walk back to initiated Filipino nationalism leading to the 1896
the ship leaving the buri sacks in the carretela. Philippine Revolution. The novel did not only
After sometime, the cochero would inspect the awaken sleeping Filipino awareness, but also
buri sacks and find the books. He would either established the grounds for aspiring to
dispose or leave them and another arranged independence. Underground copies were
carretela would pick up the sacks for people to distributed, so Rizal decided to increase the price,
freely get copies, thus disseminating them to the demand was so high.
Filipinos. The impact also included the expulsion of
Rizal's clan in Calamba, Laguna. Extradition
Impact of Noli Me Tangere cases were filed against him. This led to his
Noli Me Tangere is considered romantic, but decision to write the sequel of Noli Me Tangere,
because of its nature, it is more sociohistorical. the El Filibusterismo. Unlike El Fili, Noli Me
Today, much of the issues addressed in Noli can Tangere was more delicate and did not invoke
still be found. The novel quickly gained attention, rebellion. as El Fili does. So, to ensure
but only a small number of copies reached the revolutionary ideas and patriotic reaction, Rizal
Philippines, for it was forbidden to be read by the redefined his careful concepts in Noli to
Spanish authorities, in particular the friars whom aggression in El Fili.
Rizal mocked in the novel. Anyone who was
found reading it was harshly disciplined. Naturally, LESSON X: PLOT, CHARACTERS, AND
the ban made more Filipinos much more THEMES OF NOLI ME TANGERE
interested about the book. This is called PLOT OF THE NOVEL NOLI ME TANGERE
Streisand effect. Originally, Noli was written in The story of the Noli Me Tangere followed
Spanish, so the chance of Spanish officials the life of Juan Crisostomo Ibarra after he
reading it first was very high, which is what Rizal returned to the Philippines from studying in
chose to do. Copies of books have been Europe. The novel opened with Capitan Tiago
redirected to churches, many have been burned, preparing a homecoming gathering for the young
many anti-Noli authors have been brought into ilustrado. Throughout the pages of the novel, the
characters could be seen navigating the complex
realities of colonial Philippines. Ibarra was shown
to be rekindling links with his betrothed Maria
Clara. But not everything was fine and dandy for
Ibarra. Upon his return, he learned about the ills
that plagued his town as well as the abuses of the
friars to which his late father fell victim to. Ibarra
found an antagonist in Padre Damaso, the former
curate of San Diego who ordered that the corpse
of his father be exhumed and reburied in the
Chinese cemetery.
Despite these personal travails, Ibarra
persevered to fulfill the plan of building a school in
San Diego, staying true to his belief that
education was crucial for his nation's progress.
Ibarra almost got killed had it not for Elias, a
boatman, who saved him. Elias also previously
cautioned Ibarra about his actions that could
anger the friars. After the incident, Ibarra
organized a luncheon.
Here, another confrontation occurred
between Ibarra and Damaso who attended the
luncheon uninvited. In a fit of Ibarra took a knife
against Damaso's neck and threatened to slit his
throat as he told everyone of the abuses
committed by Damaso and the desecration he did
to Ibarra's father. Maria Clara calmed Ibarra and
prevented him from killing the friar. Damaso, in an
act of revenge, persuaded Capitan Tiago, the
father of Maria Clara, to not allow his daughter to
marry Ibarra.
After some time, a revolt was blamed on
Ibarra, which caused his incarceration. With the
help of Elias, he escaped and went to see Maria
Clara who was soon marrying the man her father
chose for her. In a heartbreaking confrontation,
Ibarra and Maria Clara exchanged accusations
and in the revealed that Damaso was the true
father of Maria Clara
As turmoil and confusion engulfed the town,
Maria Clara thought Ibarra had been killed. This
caused her endless grief. She asked to be
confined to a nunnery lest she take her own life. It
was later revealed that Ibarra was not dead and
that Elias was the one fatally shot. In the latter
passages, the dying Elias was waiting for Ibarra
but instead, met and talked to the young Basilio.
He instructed the orphaned boy (his mother Sisa,
who became insane looking for her young sons,
had died) to find the treasure of Ibarra buried in
the cemetery and use it to get an education. He
reminded Basilio to never lose hope and if one
day, freedom and progress would come to his
country, to not forget those who labored in the
night.
Within this general contour of the narrative,
Rizal wove a complex story and subplots.
Reading through the novel, different characters
and their corresponding stories unfolded as told
through the voice of an unseen narrator. Truly,
the Noli reflected the lives of people living in the
complicated world of colonial Philippines.
CHARACTERS OF THE NOVEL
JUAN CRISÓSTOMO IBARRA Y MAGSALIN
(IBARRA)
Ibarra, a rich young mestizo who has just
returned to the Philippines after studying in
Europe for seven years, is sophisticated, highly
regarded, and highly idealistic. Due to his
extremely liberal education and contacts, the
priests of San Diego all treat him with
considerable wariness. His father, Don Rafael,
who was similarly idealistic, was branded a
subversive and a heretic by the oppressive
priesthood and imprisoned, finally leading to his
death. Ibarra hopes to establish a school in San
Diego to carry out the dreams and aspirations of
his father, but as a result of a plot led by the
scheming Father Salví, he becomes embroiled in
disputes with the church and is forced to leave
San Diego. Ibarra usually wishes to work inside
institutions to change the Philippines, rather than
abolish them, in comparison to his more radical
friend Elías, but he changes to the values of Elías
as the novel progresses.
MARIA CLARA
She is believed to be the daughter of
Captain Tiago, a lady of high social status, and
the goddaughter of Father Dámaso. Actually, she
is Father Dámaso's biological daughter, the result
of a scandalous arrangement between the old
priest and the wife of Captain Tiago. María Clara
grew up alongside Ibarra and decided to marry
him, but the marriage was disapproved of by
Father Dámaso. Her guardians set her up to be
married to Linares, a rich young man of Spanish
descent, after Ibarra is excommunicated from the
church, and she tries to go along with the
arrangement to avoid upsetting her father, the
weak-willed Captain Tiago. She is coerced into
surrendering the letters Ibarra gave her as proof
of his guilt as Ibarra is put on trial for sedition.
Ultimately, she refuses to marry Linares and
enters a convent when she learns about Ibarra's
sudden death.
FATHER DAMASO
Father Dámaso is an aged, power-hungry and
shamelessly corrupt Spanish priest who, for
nearly two decades, has lived among the native
Filipinos. The years have done little to endear him
or build much sympathy for his "flock," despite
having spent all that time with them. He is deeply
racist, as well as petty and vindictive, and he
thinks little about using his immense influence to
ruin the lives of others who have slighted him,
regardless of how minor the crime is. He
masterminded the assassination of Don Rafael
Ibarra, then taunted the younger Ibarra brazenly.
Ibarra threatens him after he openly insults Ibarra
's father and he excommunicates Ibarra from the
church. He is also María Clara's godfather (and,
technically, the biological father), granting him
control over her relationship with Ibarra
ELIAS
Elías, an enigmatic character, is a man on the run
from the law who, amid his firm religious beliefs,
resents both the Spanish colonial government
and the Catholic Church. When Ibarra bravely
saves him from a crocodile, he crosses paths with
the more temperate Ibarra. Elías discovers a
scheme against Ibarra 's life and deals closely
with him in the second half of the book. He and
Ibarra had some lengthy debates on the ethics of
politics and government, with a more
revolutionary approach held by Elias.
FATHER SALVI
A younger, more cunning Spanish priest who
takes over the role of Father Damaso as San
Diego's Friar Curate. He is more dangerous than
his predecessor in many ways, as he is a more
skilled strategist who uses his religious position
for political influence and personal vendettas. He
frequently fights with the town's ensign for power .
His most significant role in the novel comes
through his plot to ruin Ibarra, who is engaged to
María Clara, who he is in love with.
CAPTAIN TIAGO (DON SANTIAGO DE LOS
SANTOS)
Capitan Tiago is a rarity to the fact that he is a
rich Filipino native. Despite really showing little
regard for religion, he retains strong relations with
high-ranking Catholic Church officials, and
shamelessly shares in the racial insults of others
towards his own people. His primary interest is to
marry a wealthy man from a prominent family with
his daughter, María Clara. This is one of the key
reasons that when he is branded a subversive, he
is able to toss aside his loyalties to Ibarra. As a
possible new fit for his daughter, his desire for
favorable social pairings makes him easy to
agree with Linares.
DOÑA CONSOLACION
Doña Consolación, the combative wife of The
Ensign, is an elderly Filipino woman who is
ashamed of her ethnicity and who pretends to be
unable to understand Tagalog, her own native
tongue. She also argues with her husband and
takes much of her husband's decisions for him.
She is proud, despite being portrayed as very
ugly, and she demands respect from everyone
DON RAFAEL IBARRA
The father of Crisóstomo Ibarra is mentioned in
the novel posthumously. Critic of the corrupt
practices of the Spanish friars, he receives the
wrath of hateful Father Dámaso, who accuses
him of sedition and heresy. He dies in custody
before his name can be cleared. His remains are
buried in the Catholic cemetery in the town of San
Diego, but Father Dámaso employs a momentarily regains her wits, and then dies of
gravedigger to did up his body to be buried in the
Chinese cemetery because of his status as a
heretic.
DOÑA VICTORINA
Doña Victorina, a brave and determined social
climber from the Philippines, is the wife of
Tiburcio de Espadaña, a fake doctor. Well past
her prime, she depends on garish make-up to
take on the youthful façade. She eagerly seeks to
marry her nephew to María Clara, perhaps as a
way to further advance her social standing.
CRISPIN
A young boy training to be a church keeper,
Crispín and his brother Basilio are constantly
working to give help money to their demoralized
mother, Sisa. Crispín is accused of taking money
from the church suitcases by the head sexton and
is kept a virtual hostage until the debt is settled.
The night that he and his brother visited their
mother, the head of the sexton held them until the
curfew, essentially preventing the brothers from
moving. The head sexton beat him and he was
never seen again afterwards, potentially dying at
the hands of the ruthless head sexton, even
though another church official believed he had
escaped.
BASILIO
Crispín's older brother is Basilio. Like his younger
brother, he works like a sexton. Basilio takes a
desperate run to their home the night that Crispín
is taken away and manages to find his younger
brother the next day, but his search efforts are
fruitless. The next day, the Civil Guard arrives to
look for him and his brother. Fearing his life, he
escapes to the forest where he goes into hiding,
staying with a kind family until Christmas Eve.
When he eventually locates Sisa, he discovers
that she has gone insane because of her grief
and is thus unable to recognise him as her
mother. He follows her to the trees, where she
shock.
SISA
She goes insane at the loss of her sons, the
longsuffering mother of sextons-in-training,
Crispin and Basilio. Poor and married to a brutal
intoxicated man, she is only allied with her sons.
She wanders through the city, her clothing
tattered and her hair disheveled, and calls for her
sons. She is unable to remember him until she
finally encounters Basilio.
LT. GUEVARRA
The lieutenant of the Civil Guard is also a morally
upright man of Spanish extraction who keeps
both Crisóstomo Ibarra and the late Don Rafael in
high regard. He is one of the few who support the
Ibarras publicly and he is outspoken about his
disapproval of the control of Father Dámaso. He
tells Crisóstomo Ibarra of his father's fate and of
the role of Father Damaso in his passing.
LINARES
Dr. de Espadaña’s nephew, a respectable young
Spanish man. Like his uncle, he has forged
credentials and hopes to climb through the social
ranks.
FATHER SALVI
A priest serving in the Binondo district in the city
of Manila, Father Sibyla serves as a foil to the
otherwise largely corrupt Father Dámaso and the
perverse Father Salví as he is rational and calm.
Father Sibyla is an adept and shrewd orator who
takes obvious delight in antagonizing the
pompous Father Dámaso at Ibarra’s return party.
Understanding the Themes of the Filipino
Novel "Noli Me Tangere"
Freedom from Spain
Noli Me Tangere portrays the hardships that
Filiipinos experienced during the Spanish Regime.
Rizal tried to expose all of these in this novel and
the ways Filipinos tried to gain independence
from Spain. This novel is a great novel of how
Filipinos were being maltreated.
Social Climbers
Just like in present times, social climbers also
existed in 1900s in the Philippines. Rizal included
this mentality in the persona of Doña Victorina
and Capitan Tiago. These characters as seen in
the novel, tried to blend themselves with higher
classes and educated ones. Doña Victorina,
shows her eagerness to become Spanish looking
person. It is evident as she likes to cover her face
with too much makeup, dressing like a Spanish
woman, and speaking the foreign language
despite being Filipino.
Sisa, on the other hand, definitely shows her
devotion to her family by doing everything to
serve her family. Considering her children (Basilio
and Crispin) as her treasures, she endures the
trials she goes through just to keep them
secured.
Purity and Faithfulness
Purity and Faithfuless is one of the highlights of
the novel. Maria Clara, despite being engaged to
a Spaniard, she remained faithful to Ibarra to
show her true love to the main character. She
preferred to become a nun and hence dies
afterward when Padre Salvi rapes her
Patriotism
Patriotism could be one of the obvious themes of
the novel. Aside from Ibarra which obviously
portrayed a man with patriotism, Elias created a
revolt against the Spaniards, findings all means to
lead a revolution against the friars, civil guards
and government officials. Believing that God will
bring forth justice over Filipinos depicts patriotism
by all means. These two characters badly want to
be free from the oppressors.

Abusive Power
Filipinos suffering from civil guards, friars and
government officials were excessive that hinders
Filipinos to live freely day by day. These were
exposed by Rizal in the novel. One concrete
example was the death of his father, Don Rafael
that made Ibarra continuously seek for justice.

Family Devotion
One best trait of a Filipino is being family oriented.
Rizal tried to highlight this in the characters of
Crisostomo Ibarra, Maria Clara and Sisa. With the
death of Don Rafael, Ibarra traces all means to
achieve justice for his father. Maria Clara being
so kind and obedient daughter to Capitan Tiago.