LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL
Lesson 1: RIZAL LAW
The Trials of the Rizal Bill
April 3, 1956- Committee on Education filed Senate Bill No. 438
April 17, 1956- tension started when Sen. Jose P. Laurel sponsored the bill.
April 19, 1956- Cong. Jacobo Z. Gonzales introduce an identical copy of the Bill 438, the HB 5561.
April 23, 1956- debates regarding the bill started
May 9, 1956- the discussions were livelier and more impassioned that there was even a fistfight on
the floor between Cong. Emilio Cortez and Cong. Ramon Durano.
May 12, 1956- the substitute bill was approved on second reading in the Senate
May 14, 1956- Cong. Tolentino sponsored an amendment by substitution identical Sen. Laurel’s bill
was also approved on second reading at the lower house.
May 17, 1956- the Senate Bill 438 and HB 5561 was approved on the third reading.
June 12, 1956- the Bill was signed into law by Pres. Ramon Magsaysay and became Republic Act No.
1425.
The proponent of the bill was Claro M. Recto and the opposition consisted of Mariano Cuenco,
Francisco Rodrigo, and Decoroso Rosales.
The proponent argues that Rizal did not pretend to teach religion and theology and Rizal also ridiculed
and criticized the unworthy behavior of the minister but praised and favored the worthy ones.
The opposition argues that the Rizal Bill is an attempt to discredit the catholic religion and that it
violates religious freedom.
Sen. Laurel proposed an amendment by substitution, an act to include Life, Works and Writing of Rizal
in the curricula in all public and private schools, colleges and universities.
The substitute bill included not just the Noli and El Fili but all the works and writing of Rizal. Sen. Laurel
also eliminated the word “compulsory”.
Sen. Lim proposed the exemptions of students from the requirements of the bill for reasons of
religious belief.
Significance of R.A 1425
- It provides insights on how to deal with current problems;
- It helps to understand better ourselves as Filipinos;
- It teaches nationalism
- It provides various essential life lessons; and
- It serves as a worthwhile inspiration to every Filipino
Lesson 2: THE PHILIPPINES IN THE 19th CENTURY AS RIZAL’S CONTEXT: ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND
POLITICAL ASPECTIS
Nationalism is the love one’s country.
Filipino Nationalism is the product of social, economic, and political changes during the 19th century.
Although united as one in geographical unit called Las Islas Filipinas during the Spanish colonial rule,
the people called Filipinos applied only to the Spaniards born in the Philippines (Insulares), and the
indigents were derogatorily called Indios. The Indios were not united in words and in deeds, as the
Spanish church and state officials, mainly the friars, divided and ruled the natives. Thus, the Indios,
became Filipino only during the last years of Spanish regime (Agoncillo, 1990).
Events that leads to emergence of Filipino
1. Opening of the Philippines in the World Trade - the opening of the port of Manila to international
trade in 1834 resulted in tremendous socio-economic changes in the Philippines after decades
of economic stagnation brought about by Spanish monopolistic policies.
- generated a great demand for export goods such as rice, sugar, abaca, tobacco, and indigo. This
gave Filipino mestizos and Chinese merchants huge profits.
Transportation and communication system also improved.
1839- mail service between Cavite and Manila started.
1846- the first daily newspaper appeared, La Esperanza.
1852- the Banco Espanol-Filipino de Isabel II and two British banks began to issue paper money.
1880s- the Hotel de Oriente in Binondo, the first hotel in the Philippines began its operations.
2. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 - the travel between Europe and Asia was shorter, faster,
and safer which led to the influx of liberal ideas from Europe to the Philippines. The ideas of
liberty, equality, and fraternity that were legacies of the French Revolution and democratic ideas
from the United States have penetrated the minds of Filipinos in the Philippines.
3. Liberal administration and education reforms - as a result of the victory of the Liberals in the
Spanish revolution of 1868, Carlos Maria Dela Torre was sent to the Philippines to serve as
governor-general from 1869- 1871.
1863 - instructing the establishment of schools in different places and admitting indios and allowing
them to learn the Spanish language as the national language. Eventually, this led to the development
of national identity when insulares, chinese mestizos and indios began to identify themselves as
Filipinos.
4. Rise of the middle class - as a result of great economic transformations in the life of the Filipinos,
a middle class (media clase) of Asian and Eurasian mestizos emerged in the Philippine social
pyramid. They formed the town Principalia, an elite social group composed of former
gobernadorcillos, minor native bureaucrats, decorated personnel and school masters.
 LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL
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The wealth of the Principalia particularly the “inquilinos” came from the profits generated from - The failure of the Propaganda Movement led to the founding of the Katipunan, which
owned or rented islands. aimed for freedom and independence through armed struggle.
The Ilustrados (The Enlightened) emerged from the principalias or middleclass families and were The Ideals of Jose Rizal
educated in universities in the Philippines and in Europe. They rallied for reforms for the Philippines. Rizal proclaimed that all human beings without distinction of any kind are born free equal in dignity
The prominent Illustrados are; Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar, and Mariano Ponce and rights.
5. Secularization Movement - The secularization of parishes led to the Filipinization of the
church and the separation of the church from Rome. Lesson 3: RIZAL’s LIFE: FAMILY, CHILDHOODN, and EARLY EDUCATION
- The secularization of Philippine parishes was organized by Padre Mariano Gomez
and Pedro Pelaez (Godfather of the Philippine Revolution), leading to a conflict THE BIRTH OF A HERO
between regular and secular priests.
6. The Cavite Mutiny in 1872 - In January 20, 1872, 200 Filipino soldiers joined by some laborers June 19, 1861 (Wednesday) – Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was born in Calamba,
in the arsenal of artillery led by Sgt. La Madrid waged a revolt because of unjust deductions Laguna.
in their wages, high taxes and discrimination of Filipino soldiers from Spanish soldiers. June 22, 1861 – he was baptized by Rev. Rufino Collantes in the Catholic Church of Calamba.
7. The execution of GOMBURZA - Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora Rev. Pedro Casañas – his godfather.
were prominent figures in the secularization movement. They were implicated as leaders of “Jose Protacio” – was given in honor of two saints; (1) Saint Joseph, of whom Jose’s mother was a
the Cavite Mutiny. To instill fear among Filipinos, they were charged with treason and sedition, devotee, and (2) Saint Protacio, the patron saint for June 19, the birthdate of Rizal.
and subversion. Two days after their verdict, they were publicly executed on February 17, 1870 – the use of “y” (which means “and”) was sanctioned by the Ley de Registro Civil (Civil Registry
1872, in the Bagumbayan. Law), which demanded birth certificates to specify the paternal and maternal
- also inspired the Propaganda Movement and the Philippine Revolution. surnames conjoined with y.
8. The Propaganda Movement (1880-1892) - Filipinos advocated for the assimilation of the The usual order of name in Spanish World:
Philippines to Spain to ensure equal rights and freedoms. a. First name/s (given) Instead of “y,” the conjunction “e” (which also
- The Ilustrados organized the Propaganda Movement to fight for representation, b. Paternal surname/s means “and”) is used when the maternal
freedom of the press, economic liberalization, secularization, and equality for c. The conjunction particle “y” name begins with ‘I’, ‘Hi’ or ‘Y’ (e.g., Patricio
Filipinos and Spaniards. d. Maternal surname/s Diaz e Ibarra).
La Solidaridad (The Solidarity) – the official newspaper of the movement. After years of publication
from 1889 to 1895, funding of the La Solidaridad became scarce. Comite de Propaganda's contribution PARENTS
to the newspaper stopped and Marcelo H. del Pilar funded the newspaper almost on his own.
Penniless in Spain, del Pilar stopped the publication of La Solidaridad on November 15, 1895, with 7 Francisco Mercado
volumes and 160 issues. He was born in Biñan, Laguna on May 11, 1818 and died in Manila on January 5, 1898, at the age of
La Liga Filipina (The Philippine League) - was a secret organization. It was founded by José Rizal in the 80. He was an educated farmer having studied Latin and Philosophy at the College of San Jose in
house of Doroteo Ongjunco at Ilaya Street, Tondo, Manila on July 3, 1892. The organization derived Manila. He married a college-bred Manileña, Teodora Alonso Realonda, on June 28, 1848.
from La Solidaridad and the Propaganda movement. The purpose of La Liga Filipina was to build a new
group that sought to involve the people directly in the reform movement. Doña Teodora Alonso Realonda
- The league became a threat to Spanish authorities, leading to Rizal's arrest (July 6, 1892) and She was born in Manila on November 8, 1826, and died in Manila on August 16, 1911, at the age of
deportation to Dapitan. 85. A graduate of Santa Rosa College, she was a talented woman with high culture, business ability,
- Though the efforts of Domingo Franco, and Andres Bonifacio, the organization declared its and literary gift.
support for La Solidaridad, raised funds for the paper, and defrayed expenses of deputies
advocating reforms before the Spanish Cortes, but eventually dissolved due to disarray.
 LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL
The Rizal Children
1. Saturnina (1850-1913) – She was the oldest of the Rizal children. She married Manuel T.
Hidalgo of Tanauan, Batangas.
2. Paciano (1851-1930) – He was the older brother of Dr. Rizal. After his younger brother’s
execution, he joined the Revolution and became a general. After the Revolution, he retired to
his farm in Los Baños and led the life of a gentleman farmer. He died an old bachelor, though
he had a common-law wife.
3. Narcisa (1852-1939) – She married Antonino Lopez, a school teacher of Morong, Rizal,
4. Olympia (1855-1887) – She married Silvestre Ubaldo, a telegraph operator from Manila.
5. Lucia (1857-1919) – She married Mariano Herbosa of Calamba.
6. Maria (1859-1945) – She married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Biñan, Laguna.
7. Jose (1861-1896) – The “lucky-seven” in a family of eleven children. He married Josephine
Bracken, a pretty Irish from Hongkong.
8. Concepcion (1862-1865) – She died at the age of three.
9. Josefa (1865-1945) – She did not marry; she died an old maid.
10. Trinidad (1868-1951) – She died an old maid, like Josefa.
11. Soledad (1870-1929) – She was the youngest of the Rizal children. She married Pantaleon
Quintero of Calamba.
1731 – The original name of the Rizal family was “Mercado”. It was a surname adopted by Domingo
Lam-co, the paternal Chinese ancestor.
1865 – at the age of three, Concha died of sickness. Her death brought Jose’s first sorrow.
Devoted Son of Church
Evidence of his fervent Catholic spirit is seen in the poems which he wrote during his
boyhood, such as Al Niño Jesus (1876), La Alianza Intima Entre La Religion y La Buena
Educacion (1876), and A La Virgen Maria (no date).
1879-1971 – he was studying in Biñan, Laguna, he often heard Mass in the parish church at 4 AM.
June 1872 – he started his life as a student in the Ateneo with a prayer.
Father Leoncio Lopez - He used to visit this learned Filipino priest and listened to his stimulating
opinions on current events and sound philosophy of life.
Pilgrimage to Antipolo
June 6, 1868 - Jose and his father left Calamba to go on pilgrimage to Antipolo, in order to fulfill his
mother’s vow which was made when Jose was born. Doña Teodora could not accompany
them because she had just given birth to Trinidad.
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Rizal’s Three Uncle
Uncle Gregorio – he taught him to work hard, to think for himself, and to observe life keenly.
Uncle Jose – he encouraged his nephew to paint, sketch, and sculpture.
Uncle Manuel – he encouraged young Rizal to learn swimming, fencing, wrestling, and other sports,
so that in later years Rizal’s frail body acquired agility, endurance, and strength.
Prodigy of the Pen
The first know poem that he wrote was a Tagalog poem entitled Sa Aking Mga Kababata (To
My Fellow Children). He wrote it an appeal to our people to love our national language.
Before he was eight years old, he wrote a Tagalog drama. This drama was staged in Calamba
in connection with the town fiesta. It so happened that the gobernadorcillo (municipal mayor)
of Paete, a town in Laguna famous for delicious lanzones, witnessed the play and was
favorably impressed. He bought the manuscript from little Jose for two pesos, and had it
staged during the fiesta celebration in Paete.
Influences on Hero’s Boyhood
1. Hereditary Influence – Rizal inherited his passion for freedom and serenity from his Malayan
ancestors, Chinese ancestors, Spanish ancestors, and mother.
2. Environmental Influence – Jose Rizal was influenced by his environment, family, and friends,
which fostered his artistic and literary talents. He also learned the value of brotherly love,
good health, and intellectual honesty. The Spanish abuses and cruelties he witnessed in his
boyhood inspired him to dedicate his life to redeem his oppressed people.
3. Aid of Divine Providence – Divine Providence gave Rizal the talents of a rare genius, the
spirit of nationalism, and the courage to sacrifice himself for a noble cause.
School days in Biñan
1870-1871 – Rizal studied in the school in Biñan, which is near Calamba.
Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz – was his teacher in the private school that he attended.
Early Schooling
He learned the Latin alphabet and the Catholic prayers from his mother. He was given further
instruction by private tutors, such as Maestro Celestino and later Maestro Lucas Padua. Later his
father hired an old man, Leon Monroy, who had been his classmate, to give Rizal, the first lessons in
Latin. This old Latin teacher lived in the Rizal home, but he died five months later. His death cut
short Jose’s instruction in Latin.
At the age of nine, Little Jose was sent to a private tutoring school in Biñan by his father with the
approval of his mother.
Jose goes to Biñan
One Sunday afternoon in June 1870, Jose left Calamba for Biñan. That same night Jose, with his
cousin named Leandro, went sightseeing in the town.
 LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL
Jose Guevarra – was his classmate who also loved painting, became apprentices of the old painter.
December 1871 – Jose received a letter from his sister Saturnina, informing him of the arrival of the
steamer Talim which would take him from Biñan to Calamba.
December 17, 1871 – Jose left Biñan on Saturday afternoon.
Arturo Camps – a Frenchman and a friend of his father took care of Jose, while on board.
Injustice to Hero’s Mother
After the happy Christmas holiday in 1871, Don Francisco thought of sending Jose to Manila
to study.
Doña Teodora was arrested on malicious charge that she aided her brother, Jose Alberto, in
trying to poison Alberto’s wife. He found her wife living with another man. The unfaithful wife
connived with the lieutenant of the Guardia Civil to fabricate evidence that her husband attempted
to poison her, with Doña Teodora as an accomplice. This lieutenant had an ax to grind against the
Rizal family because at one time Rizal’s father refused to give him fodder for his horse.
The judge grudge against the Rizal family because he imagined that he was not accorded
greater respect than the Filipino guests in the Rizal home. He ordered that Doña Teodora a be sent
to the provincial jail in Santa Cruz, capital of Laguna instead in Calamba jail.
The lieutenant forced the hero’s mother to walk on foot from Calamba to Santa Cruz, a
distance of more than 50 kilometers. She languished in jail, for her case dragged on until it reached
the Supreme Court (Royal Audiencia).
The Martyrdom of Gomburza
January 20, 1872 – the Cavite Mutiny flared up, followed by the execution of Fathers Gomez, Burgos
and Zamora on February 17th.
Jose Rizal was nearly eleven years old when the tragic martyrdom of Gomburza took place.
Lesson 4: RIZAL’s LIFE: HIGHER EDUCATION
1817 – Escuela Pia (Charity School) a school for poor boys in Manila was established by the city
government.
1768 – the Jesuits, who had been expelled from the Philippines.
1859 – the returned in Manila and was given the management of Escuela Pia whose change to
Ateneo Municipal.
After four months, after the martyrdom of Gomburza and with Doña Teodora still in prison. Jose
studied in the Ateneo Municipal.
Rizal enters the Ateneo
June 10, 1872 – Jose, accompanied by Paciano, went to Manila. He took the entrance examinations
on Christian doctrine, arithmetic, and reading at the College of San Juan de Letran, and passed them
all.
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Father Magin Ferrando, the college registrar at the Ateneo Municipal, refused to admit Jose for two
reasons: (1) he was late for registration and (2) he was sickly and undersized for his age.
Manuel Xerez Burgos – nephew of Father Burgos
Rizal’s First Year in Ateneo (1872 – 1873)
June 1872 – Rizal’s first day of class in Ateneo. He first heard Mass at the college chapel and prayed
fervently to God for guidance and success.
Fr. Jose Bech – was his frist professor in the Ateneo.
Santa Isabel College – he took private lesson to improve his Spanish.
Summer Vacation (1873)
March 1873 – Rizal returned to Calamba for summer vacation.
Doña Pepay – widow and had a daughter and four sons, his landlady at No. 6 Magallanes Street.
Second Year in Ateneo (1873 – 1874)
Some of his classmates were new. Among them were three boys from Biñan, who had been his
classmates in the school of Maestro Justiniano.
March 1874 – he triumphantly returned to Calamba for summer vacation with excellent grades in all
subject and a gold medal.
Prophecy of Mother’s release
Doña Teodora told her son of her dream the previous night. Rizal, interpreting such dream, said to
her that she would be released from prison in three months’ time. Doña Teodora smiled, thinking
that her son’s prophecy was a mere boyish attempt to console her.
But Rizal’s prophecy became true. Barely three months passed, and suddenly Doña Teodora was set
free. By that time, Rizal was already in Manila attending his classes in the Ateneo.
Teenage interest in reading
1874 – summer vacation when Rizal began to take interest in reading romantic novels.
Third Year in Ateneo (1874 – 1875)
June 1874 – Rizal returned to the Ateneo for his junior year.
March (1875) – Rizal returned to Calamba for summer vacation. He returned dissatisfied by his
scholastic work.
Fourth Year in Ateneo (1875-1876)
June 14, 1875 – Rizal became an internee in the Ateneo.
Fr. Francisco Sanchez – inspired him to study harder and write poetry.
March 1876 – he returned to Calamba for his summer vacation and proudly offered his five medals
and excellent ratings to his parents.
Last Year in Ateneo (1876 – 1877)
June 1876 – Rizal returned to Manila for his last year in Ateneo.
Rizal finished his last year in the Ateneo in a blaze of glory. He obtained the highest grades in all
subjects--- philosophy, physics, biology, chemistry, languages, mineralogy, etc.
 LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL
Graduation with Highest Honors
March 23, 1877 (Commencement Day) – at the age of 16, he received from his Alma Mater, Ateneo
Municipal, the degree of Bachelor of Arts, with the highest honors.
Extra-curricular activities in Ateneo
Marian Congregation – a religious society, where Pepe was an active member, later a secretary.
Academy of Spanish Literature and the Academy of Natural Sciences – Rizal was also a member of
these academies.
Father Jose Vilaclara – advise Jose to stop communing with the Muses and pay more attention to
more practical studies, such as philosophy and natural sciences.
Agustin Saez – a famous painter. Jose studied painting under him.
Romualdo de Jesus – a Filipino sculptor. Jose studied sculpture with his guidance.
Sculptural works in Ateneo
One day, Jose Rizal carved an image of Our Virgin Mary on a piece of batikuling (Philippine
hardwood) with his pocket-knife.
Father Lleonhart – requested Jose to carve for him an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Poems written in Ateneo
Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration) – the first poem Rizal write which was dedicated to his
mother on her birthday. It is said that he wrote it before he was 14 years old, that is, in the year
1874.
In 1875, inspired by Father Sanchez, he wrote more poems, such as:
 Felicitacion (Felicitation)
 El Embarque: Himno a la Flota de Magallanes (The Departure: Hymn to Magellan’s Fleet)
 Y Es Español: Elcano, el Primero en dar la Vuelta el Mundo (And He is Spanish; Elcano, the First to
Circumnavigate the World).
 El Combate: Urbiztondo, Terror de Jolo (The Battle: Urbiztondo, Terror of Jolo)
In 1876, Rizal wrote poems on various topics--- religion, education, childhood memories and war.
They were as follows:
 La Tragedia de San Eustaquio (The Tragedy of St. Eustace). This poem recounts the tragic story
of St. Eustace.
 Un Recuerdo a Mi Pueblo (In Memory of My Town). A tender poem in honor of Calamba, the
hero’s natal town.
 Alianza Intima Entre la Religion y la Buena Educacion (Intimate Alliance Between Religion and
Good Education)
 Por la Educacion Recibe Lustre la Patria (Through Education the Country Receives Light).
 El Cauteverio y el Triunfo: Batalla de Lucena y Prision de Boabdil (The Captivity and the Triumph:
Battle of Lucena and the Imprisonment of Boabdil). This martial poem describes the defeat and
capture of Boabdil, last Moorish sultan of Granada.
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 La Entrada Triunfal de los Reyes Catolicos en Granada (The Triumphal Entry of the Catholic
Monarchs into Granada). This poem relates the victorious entry of King Ferdinand and Queen
Isabella into Granada, last Moorish stronghold in Spain.
A year later, in 1877, he wrote more poems. It was his last year in the Ateneo. Among the poems
written this year were:
 El Heroismo de Colon (The Heroism of Columbus). This poem praises Columbus, the discoverer of
America.
 Colon y Juan II (Columbus and John II). This poem relates how King John II of Portugal missed fame
and riches by his failure to finance the projected expedition of Columbus to the New World.
 Gran Consuelo en la Mayor Desdicha (Great Comfort in Great Misfortune). This is a legend in verse
od the voyage of Columbus.
 Un Dialogo Alusivo a la Despedida de los Colegiales (A Farewell Dialogue of the Students). This was
the last poem of farewell to his classmates.
Rizal’s Religious Poems
 Al Niño Jesus (To the Child Jesus)
 A la Virgen Maria (To the Virgin Mary). This poem was written in 1875 when he was 14 years
old. This poem is undated, so that we do not know exactly when it was written. Probably,
Rizal wrote it after his ode to the Child Jesus.
First Romance of Rizal
Segunda Katigbak – a pretty fourteen-year old Batangueña from Lipa.
Mariano Katigbak – Rizal’s friend and a brother of Segunda.
La Concordia College – his sister Olympia was boarding as a student. Rizal came to know Segunda
more intimately during his weekly visits.
Manuel Luz – Segunda’s townmate and fiancé.
December 1877 (Thursday) – He visited Segunda at La Concordia College to say goodbye because he
was going home to Calamba the following day.
The following day (Saturday) – he learned that the steamer carrying Segunda and her family would
not anchor at Calamba because of the strong winds; it would stop in Biñan.
The first girl, whom he loved with ardent fervor, was lost to him forever. She returned to Lipa and
married Manuel Luz. He remained in Calamba, a frustrated lover, cherishing nostalgic memories of
lost love.
Three years later, Rizal, recording his first and tragic romance