POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

College of Social Sciences and Development

DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR

GEED 10013: Life and Works of Rizal

PREPARED BY:

GUIEB, ELISOR C. JR.

MARAYAN, EULA JEAN L.
AGUSTIN, MA. RHODORA O.
CABANILLA, NARCISO L.
CONCILLADO, ALJON I.
MENDEZ, JEFFERSON R.

PERMEJO, JEROME P.

PASCUAL, MC DONALD DOMINGO M.

PINGUL, ARVIN LLOYD B.
TAN, RYAN
UBALDO, ABEL A.
VILLAR, PAULO BENEDICTO C.
3|Page
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 Unit Five
THE WORKS AND NOVELS OF JOSE RIZAL
Overview

This unit examines the major writings of Rizal as a contributing factor in the process of
transforming him from a propagandist to a radical. As the previous unit dealt with his life story,
this unit will cover the ideals and principles of Rizal as extracted from his writings. The selected
writings have also been chosen on the basis of the themes it manifests. Therefore, the discussion
of the writings is not based on a chronological order, but rather a thematic one. In addition, this
kind of presentation aims to enable learners to distinguish Rizal’s writings from one another and
to also extract Rizal’s convictions in his writings through a critical examination of his works.
The first of these writings is Rizal’s monumental annotation of Antonio Morga’s Sucesos
de las Islas Filipinas. The aim of the discussion on this important work is to frame Rizal’s
foundation for the retrieval of Philippine history in a manner that shifts away from the usual
colonialist-point-of-view. In this lesson, the learners will encounter the stereotypes of the
Spaniards against Filipinos that Rizal rejected and reclaimed an appropriate follow-up the
discussion on Rizal’s perpetual masterpieces Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Here, the
continuity of paradise- paradise-lost-paradise framework of Rizal, recovered, manifest it as these
novels indiscreetly show the negative effects of colonization in the Filipino society. While his
annotation on the Sucesos provided a story of deterioration in the society as Spain began to
advance its colonial pursuits, Noli and El Fili continued to showcase of the consequences of
colonization as it was rooted in the Filipino society.

This succession is sustained by the following discussion on two of Rizal’s notable

contributions to La Solidaridad; The Indolence of the Filipino and Philippines, a century hence.
Rizal’s shift of tone from asking for recognition from Spain to bluntly accusing Spain of the ills of
the archipelago dominates his The Indolence of the Filipino. Here, Rizal underscored colonialism
as the reason why the Filipino society is deteriorating in terms of its values and principles.
Meanwhile, he has shown his predictive self in Philippines a century hence for this part highlights
his forecasts for the Philippines in a century. Lastly, this unit will end with another unique piece
from Rizal, To the Women of Malolos. Here, Rizal has shown his support for equal opportunities
for both genders, a rare act for men like him, considering his milieu. Altogether, this unit will not
only dive into Rizal’s works, but also dig into his thoughts and convictions.

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 LESSON 8
Annotation of Antonio de Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas

Learning Objectives

At the end of this lesson the student should be able to:

 Differentiate the bipartite and tripartite view of Philippine history;

 Explain the differences of the views of Antonio de Morga ang Jose Rizal in culture
and history; and
 Analyze the culture present in the work of Antonio Morga that has connection inthe
present culture in the Philippines.

Course Materials

Since the Spaniards insists that there is no civilization in the Philippines when they arrived,
and they continue to say that there are only two periods in the history of the Philippines which
called as bipartite view, many propagandists were eager to study the history and culture of the
Philippines. In the case of Rizal, it was clear for him that the Philippines had its civilization before
the arrival of the Spaniards, one of the evidences of this is the contextualization the classical work
of Antonio de Morga entitled Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas.

The Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas by Antonio de Morga consists of eight chapters. In this
study, we will focus only on the chapter eight which centers on the cultures and beliefs of the
Filipinos written by Morga when the Spaniards came to the Philippines.

 Chapter 8 – “Mga Salaysay tungkol sa Sangkapuluang Pilipinas at sa mga katutubong

mamamayan, unang panahon, mga pag-uugali at pamahalaan, maging sa panahon ng
mga anito hanggang masakop ng mga Kastila at iba’t iba pang mga bagay.” Nasa Mga
pangyayari sa sangkapuluang Pilipinas / by Antonio de Morga, inilathala sa Mehiko noong
taong 1609 at inihayag sa madla at binigyan ng paliwanag ni Jose Rizal, at sinundan ng
pasimulang salita ni Ferdinand Blumentritt.

The work of Morga was annotated by Jose Rizal which is considered an important work
that deals with the Philippines at the advent of Spanish colonization.

Chapter Summary

In the chapter eight of this book, Morga discusses the beliefs and culture of Filipinos. Most
of Morga’s explanations in his work are based on personal opinions; so much of what he says
about Filipinos is opposed by Rizal in his annotation. Morga explained what he saw about the
Filipinos' belief in the Anitos, an example of which is what he wrote about how crocodiles are
worshiped. Moreover, Morga discussed one by one the characteristics, life, and culture of the
people in Luzon and Visayas, and even in some parts of Mindanao. He recorded the livelihood,
women's and men's clothing, hobbies, food, weapons, writing style, social status, marriage,
adoption, adultery, inheritance, trade, law, etc., these concepts and characteristics was his
observation during his stay in the Philippines. The content of Rizal's annotation in this chapter is
the contextualization of a culture or event, or the correction of a foreign point of view. Some of
these are the daily bathing of Filipinos, since the Philippines is a tropical country, Filipinos often
clean their bodies particularly in rivers, and Rizal says this is normal with Filipinos. Another thing

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Morga says is that the Filipinos eat rotten food, which Rizal contextualize that it is not rotten but
a preserved food, such as buro and bagoong. This is how Morga explains the culture of the
Filipinos which can be seen throughout the chapter 8.

Also, to give context to the annotation, you can read some of the articles written on the topic
under discussion.

 Rizal’s Morga and Views of Philippine History by Ambeth

Ocampohttp://philippinestudies.net/ojs/index.php/ps/article/view/662/663

Article Summary

Ocampo began to discuss the article by giving examples of what Morga said and Rizal's
annotations about Filipino food, from which it was explained that in this opinion Rizal had a
response to the writings of the Spaniards not as a novel form but an academic response in
historical writing. This work of Rizal is not much noticed because it focuses more on its two novels
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, but like Noli and Fili, it is also forbidden to spread this
copy in the Philippines during Rizal’s time and you can see an attempt by Rizal to write Filipino
history. Rizal asked his friend Blumentritt to make a history of the Philippines, but he replied that
the Filipinos should write it, and when Rizal went to the Library in London he began to read the
primary sources about the Philippines in early Spanish conquest, and it copied Morga's Sucesos
to annotate. Ocampo explains Morga's biography and the content of Morga's book. Rizal said
Ocampo chose Morga's Sucesos because its discussion was more objective than other chronicler,
particularly the missionary friars. Rizal clarified concepts such as the issue of Filipino writing
before the arrival of the Spaniards and used various sources to clarify the concepts found within
Morga’s work. This is a way to assert to the Spaniards that the Filipinos had a culture even before
it came. It is also explained that Isabelo de los Reyes' exchange of criticism with Rizal for his
method of writing is more dependent on nationalism compared to the scholarly basis. Ultimately,
Ocampo points out that this writing by Rizal is more focused from an internal perspective.

In terms of bipartite view and tripartite view in history, Zeus Salazar's work in 1983 was a
classic work published in Cologne, Germany.

• A Legacy of the Propaganda: Tripartite View of Philippine History by Zeus Salazar

https://bangkanixiao.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/zeus-salazar-tripartite-view-of-phil-
history.pdf

Article Summary

This article by Salazar is a classic work on the historical thought of the Propagandists and
Salazar says it is one of the legacies of their time. Salazar explained the idea of the Spanish
bipartite in history with two periods, the period of darkness and the period of light. During the dark
period, he said, the period before the arrival of the Spaniards was dark because the Filipinos did
not have a civilization which they called paganism or false religion, as well as the culture that the
Spaniards viewed as barbaric. When they arrived, it was said that there was enlightenment
because the people were translated to Christians and they would be taught their culture. The
tripartite view of the propagandists is an ideological response, said Salazar, which shatters foreign
ideas about Filipinos. In this idea, propagandists have been emphasized for three periods,
particularly by Marcelo H. Del Pilar, Graciano Lopez-Jaena, and Jose Rizal. Their idea of history
is not written in one publication but in their various writings on Filipino history.

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 Their ideas are divided into Pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial period of the
Philippines. The summary of what Rizal, Jaena and Del Pilar say is below.

Rizal was a very important part of Filipino history, not only because of his heroism, but
also his contribution in building the nation. Also, it is also important to note his ideas on the issue
of identity which is a very important factor in linking the Filipino Culture as archipelago and as
Malayan in its deeper sense. Its annotation in Morga's work is a key for us to recognize our history
which is a very important contribution of Rizal in writing Filipino history.

Assessment

Instruction: Discuss the following items thoroughly. Write the question before each answer.
Each answer should contain at least three (3) paragraphs of not less than four (4) sentences
each. You may write your answers in Filipino. Do not forget to write your full name in the
upper left corner of the paper and your course, year and section below it while the name of
your professors should be indicated in the upper right.

1. Create a Table of Antonio De Morga and Jose Rizal's Perspectives on Filipino culture,
compare the two based on internal and external perspectives.
2. At the end of the table, give an overall analysis of the differences between the twoin
Filipino culture.

Note: Please do not write anything unnecessary on this instructional material. Use a clean sheet
of bond paper in answering your activity/assessment task either in a type-written or hand-written
format (please see the appendices for the sample template). When doing a hand-written work,
make sure that your penmanship is legible.

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 LESSON 9
Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo

Learning Objectives:

 After successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

 Appraise important characters in the novel and what they represent
 Examine the present Philippine situation through the examples mentioned in the Noli
 Value the role of the youth in the development and future of society

Course Materials:

Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo are literary pieces from Rizal that are historical and
political in nature. Rizal's ideals and views about the social, political and economic state of the
country were reflected on his works. The novels discussed the state of religion, the clergy,
authority and government; he exposed the abuses and irregularities that have been brought by
the friars and the Spanish colonizers. The novel was intended to educate, empower the youth and
examine the problems and conditions of the Philippine society. On his Annotation of Morga’s
Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas or Events in the Philippine Islands, he presented the past of the
country and proved the existence of a civilization before the Spanish colonization. In his Noli Me
Tangere, Rizal opened a conversation and identified the problems of the society in the present
and in El Filibusterismo, he presented a different point of view, having Simon and Isagani as his
main characters, and a different idea about the future of the nation was presented through
conflicting views from the characters.

Noli me Tangere was written in Spanish, it is the unmasking of the injustices, corruption and
brutality of Spanish rule in the country. It began when the reformist Ibarra, the hero of the story went
back to San Diego with a hope of a better tomorrow for his countrymen. In Rizal's dedication of Noli
Me Tangere, he explained that in order to cure the social cancer of the country, the disease must be
exposed, and the cruelty of the colonizers must be ended. He described the characters with satire,
and it became the catalyst for the movement for the independence in the country.

The Social Cancer

Rizal’s dedication in Noli Me Tangere was addressed to the Philippines.

“In history of human ailments, a cancer was reported of such malignancy that the least contract
irritates it and awakens in it the sharpest pains. Well, then, as often as I have wished to evoke
you in the midst of modern civilizations, whether to have memories of your accompany me or to
compare you with other countries, your beloved image has appeared to me with a social cancer.”

Rizal didn’t specify who or what is the social cancer on his dedication, however, liberal
ideas and radical views were presented in his novel. Noli Me Tangere was published in 1887
during his first sojourn in Europe; he presented a variation of characters in the novel with a
different background based on the present situation of the country. He opened a conversation
about a malignant tumor that should be taken out carefully to heal the society. In Schumacher’s
The vision of Jose Rizal, he explained that Rizal’s novel was just the opposite of all this – a
scathing, full scale attack on political and religious regime of the Philippines, as well as of native
Filipino

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society. He also discussed that Rizal entitled it Noli Me Tangere (or, Touch Me Not” – the technical
name of a particularly painful type of cancer.) He proposed to probe all the cancers of Filipino
society that everyone else felt too painful to touch.

Important Characters from Noli Me Tangere

 Crisostomo Ibarra – A wealthy young man who returned to San Diego after seven years
abroad. His father Don Rafael Ibarra was imprisoned and was labelled as heretic and
subversive that led to a sentence of his death in prison. Rizal used Ibarra’s character to
voice ideas about the nature of the government. Ibarra tried to work the system with the
friars without having to eliminate the colonial forces in the country. Ibarra was convinced
that though the Catholic friars are corrupt, they provide valuable support to the country.
He was labelled as excommunicado after almost killing Padre Damaso at a dinner party.
Ibarra manages to escape prison with the help of Elias.
 Maria Clara – Ibarra and Maria Clara grew up together and was engaged to be married.
She is well-regarded as her father is a socialite and is an important member of the society.
She found out that her real father is Padre Damaso who impregnated her mother who died
at childbirth. After Ibarra was labelled excommunicado, she was arranged to be a bride to
a Spanish man named Linares. When she received the news that Ibarra’s death, she calls
off her marriage to Linares and entered the convent.
 Padre Damaso – A loudmouth and arrogant Spanish priest living in the Philippines. He is
unafraid of taking on nonreligious citizens who undermine his power. Labelled Don Rafael
as subversive because he supported secular means to empower the citizens.
 Elias – A revolutionary who despised the power of the Catholic Church. After Ibarra saved
his life from a crocodile, he promised to protect him from his enemies. He convinced Ibarra
to join him in the retaliation against the civil guards who are abusing their powers. Ibarra
and Elias have had long political discussions about the state of the society and expressed
different viewpoint on how the country can grow. Elias presented a view that the present
situation will not change if the existing power structure will remain as both the church and
the government are apathetic in the condition of its citizens.
 Don Anastasio – also known as FilosopoTasio, known as being the madman who doesn’t
believe in God with his atheistic worldview because of his education in Philosophy.

In Quibuyen’s A Nation Aborted, he discussed – The orthodoxy frames Rizal and
Philippine nationalism in terms of a set of dichotomies: Ibarra versus Elias; Rizal versus Bonifacio;
ilustrados versus masses, Reform versus Revolution. These dichotomies consist of the following
propositions:

1. In Rizal’s novels, Ibarra represented Rizal, and Elias represented Bonifacio, and the
failure of Bonifacio signified Rizal’s anti-revolutionary stance;
2. Being an ilustrado, with a bourgeois consciousness, Rizal’s goal, in direct contrast to
Bonifacio, was the assimilation of the Philippines into the Spanish nation;
3. The Reform movement only served to delay the inevitable Revolution, which
was betrayed by characteristically opportunistic ilustrados;
4. Rizal became the national hero largely through American sponsorship.

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Ways of Reading Noli me Tangere

To get the context of the novel, reading Noli needs more understanding and analysis than
just merely reading a textbook or a novel; let the imagination take you to the nineteenth century
setting. You can read Noli as a literature piece or a historical document.
1. Do not expect its story or plot to be a head-turner. If you do, you will be bound to be
disappointed.
2. Do not look for psychologically developed characters.
3. Be on alert for social criticism and social commentary. (Social criticism refers to the explicit
criticism of the society; while social commentary refers to the criticism of society implicit in
the way society is portrayed.
4. Pay close attention to discussions of political or social topics. Such discussions occur
between Ibarra and schoolmaster, Ibarra and Filosofo Tasio, Filosofo Tasio and Don
Filipo, Ibarra and Elias.
5. Be on alert for patterns – patterns of events and characters. The pattern reveals themes.
6. Be on alert for passages of costumbrismo – a literary genre popular in Spain and its
colonies in the 19th century, depicting everyday life among ordinary people in ordinary
settings. Exile’s recollection of life in the Philippines and are suffused with nostalgic
affection.
7. If you wish to know exactly what Rizal wanted his readers to take away from the Noli,
then you have to take the dedication and epigraph of the novel seriously.

In this section of the module, we will identify the social commentaries and social
criticisms from a chapter from Noli Me Tangere.

Social Commentaries from Chapter 49: Voice of the Persecuted

“Now then, the country is an organism suffering from a chronic malady, and in order to cure it, the
government sees the necessity of employing such means, harsh and violent if you wish, but useful
and necessary”Ibarra

“He is a bad doctor, sir, who seeks only to destroy or stifle the symptoms without an effort to
examine into the origin of the malady, or, when knowing it, fears to attack it.”Elias

“Has the Philippines forgotten what she owes to those orders? Has she forgotten the immense
debt of gratitude that is due from her to those who snatched her from error to give her the true
faith...”Ibarra

Ibarra and Elias agreed that there is an illness in our society; they have a contrasting
approach to addressing the problem that surrounds them. They were both in favor that the
Philippine society needs a change. In this scene, both characters were passionately debating
about their respective viewpoints. Ibarra insists upon reforming the Philippines from the inside out,
work within existing and established systems, such as making connections with the friars and
Spanish officials and making use of diplomacy and education (his plan to build a home-school). It
looks that Ibarra still has faith in the system and that we can still achieve positive change without
dismantling the entire system. However, Elias has a much radical strategy, he convinces Ibarra
to look at a different angle that nothing productive and true development will come out of Ibarra’s
plan.

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 In the context of religion, Elias holds strong Catholic convictions despite his opposition to
the church and its stipulations. He strongly disses the church hierarchy and the influence it holds
with the state government controlling and dominating every aspect in the society and oppressing
Filipino natives. They will punish anyone and label them as “heretic and filibuster” when they
question and resist their civic and religious authority. Elias also mentioned that Ibarra is blinded
to see the truth because he never experienced persecution for himself, and Ibarra is a privileged
and wealthy man living a comfortable life having the capability to study in Europe for seven years.
But as the story progresses, the author exposed Ibarra to the extent of the corruption of the
government and the church that is why he was open-minded with and he listens to the experiences
of his friend Elias, who are less privileged.

Social Criticisms from Chapter 49: Voice of the Persecuted

“Radical reforms in the armed forces, in the priesthood, and in the administration of justice; that
is to say, they ask for paternal treatment from the government.”

“For example, more respect for a man’s dignity, more security for the individual, less force in the
armed forces, fewer privileges for that corps which so easily abuses what it has.”

“These unfortunates ask for more protection against ... their oppressors, Sir.” Elias

The narratives above are all from Elias; he became the voice of the poor and pitiful, and
bravely reveals to Ibarra the brutality and injustices that were brought by the colonizers. These
were some of the radical reforms that Rizal, the Propaganda movement, and La Liga Filipina were
demanding from Spain with their peaceful cry through media publications. Here, the author, Rizal
tries to inform and enlighten the readers what specific changes they want in the colonial
government, Catholic Church, and military force.

“The Civil Guard has only this purpose: the repression of crime by means of terror and force, a
purpose that it does not fulfil or accomplishes only incidentally. “Elias

“Because one has forgotten his cedula he must be manacled and knocked about...” Elias

“To weaken the Civil Guard would be to endanger the security of the towns.”Ibarra

“Meanwhile, believe me that the government needs a corps with strength enough to make it
respected and to enforce its authority.”Ibarra

“...You saw what the people thought about these things; what have they got by repressing their
anger and hoping for human justice? Ah, sir, if that is what you call keeping the peace--”Elias

Spain’s militarized law enforcers or the infamous Civil Guard(s) has an undeniably strong
presence throughout the novel. In the above lines, it is evident that Elias and Ibarra shared
different perspectives about the authoritative power of the Civil Guard. Elias, for his part, wants to
retaliate against the brutal and abusive Civil Guard that oppresses the people they claim to
govern. Also, Elias sees the Civil Guard as a terrorizing force that turns honorable and honest
people into criminals in their own land and instill fear among these “criminals” which prevents
them to repent, giving them no choice than resort to their crimes and continue living as criminals.
Ibarra, on the other hand, believed that this power is essential in promoting order and on keeping
security in the country.

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“...a country that is obedient because it is deceived; a government that commands because it avails
itself of fraud, a government that does not know how to make itself loved or respected for its own
sake? Pardon me, sir, but I believe that our government is stupid and is working its own ruin when
it rejoices that such is the belief...”Elias

Noli me Tangere depicted the chaotic situation in our society especially between the government and
the people they ought to govern. It imposes questions about the colonial state of our country.

El Filibusterismo

Despite of the lack of financial resources, internal strife inside the propaganda movement
and family concerns the sequel of his first novel Noli Me Tangere after several revisions was finally
printed on 1891 in Ghent, Belgium. The multiple updates of the said masterpiece are still baffling
the mind of historians. What could be going through his mind in making several changes, his
correspondence with Blumentritt on March of 1891 concluded that he completed his work but
weeks after on April 29, he expresses the second time the completion of Fili. Another proof of this
revision is his letter to Basa the following month informing him that he is ready for the publication,
after a month that he already expressed to Blumentritt twice that he had done it. Then the following
month when he expresses to Basa that he still has several chapters need to be checked. We can
only speculate on the reason why the publication of his novel was delayed for months. It could be
financial reason, possibly needing to cut down some chapters or compressed some of it to
minimize the page shortening the cost. His first novel was published with help of Maximo Viola
and the second materialized because of Valentin Ventura. Or it could be something else, possibly
he must remove some of his previous thoughts, maybe his thought reflected in his writings change
over time. If that is case, what could have affected his reasoning? Nonetheless, whatever the
reason maybe, the literature that affected the course of Philippine history was published – serving
its purpose.

Jose Rizal’s annotation of Morga’s Sucesos presented its readers the forgotten past of the
Philippines while his Noli Me Tangere narrate and describes the current situation of the country.
El Filibusterismo’s plot (Schumacher, 1998) on the other hand is loose, sometimes serving more
as a framework for philosophical and political discussions on the future of the Philippines. The
end of the 19th century is a critical period for the Philippine independence, and it reflects the
culmination of Filipino struggles and enlightenment. The second novel of Rizal presented the
readers the direction where Filipino should head to in claiming their freedom. It shows the shiftof
Ibarra’s reformist character into Simoun’s radical measures in achieving his goals. It also
highlighted the many characters that represent the position of many individuals towards the
liberation of the country. In the end, Simoun’s dialogue with Father Florentino shows Rizal’s true
intention. The people must be ready in claiming their independence; they should own and be
responsible for it. Revolution should not only about preparedness and not because of hatred but
love the mother country.

Important Characters from El Filibusterismo

 Simoun – A jeweler with unknown origin who came to the Philippines with the governor
general. He constantly wore large dark glasses that hid much of the upper part of his face.
With his almost absolute control over the governor – general's patronage, he was
cultivated by everyone who hoped to profit from his connections, and

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 he in turn used his power to amass an ever-greater fortune for himself (Schumacher,
1998).
 Basilio – Sacristan from the Noli Me Tangere whose younger brother had been beaten to
death by the head sacristan of Fray Salvi and whose mother Sisa had been driven to
insanity and death. Since then Basilio had lived as a servant boy and manage by dint of
hard work to get an education, and now he would soon graduate as a Doctor of Medicine
(Schumacher, 1998).
 Isagani – A close friend of Basilio and confident young man. He is supposed to marry
Paulita Gomez but had been passed over for a rich man’s son. Basilio alerts him of
Simoun’s lethal plan and he moved to neutralized it (Dumol and Camposano, 2018).
 Father Florentino – He is the oracle of wisdom who debated with Simoun and explain
why he is wrong (Dumol and Camposano, 2018).

Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo have had different interpretations and eventually
became a way of talking about the societal nature of the Philippines. His ideology and patriotism
eventually made it into a law requiring that his books be taught in every high school, colleges and
universities in the nation. It aims to regain the nationalism in the youth of today's generation and
make them socially conscious.

For El Filibusterismo, Rizal’s dedication reads:

“To the memory of the priests, Don Mariano Gomez (85 years old), Don José Burgos (30 years
old), and Don Jacinto Zamora (35 years old). Executed in Bagumbayan Field on the 28th of
February, 1872.The Church, by refusing to degrade you, has placed in doubt the crime that has
been imputed to you; the Government, by surrounding your trials with mystery and shadows,
causes the belief that there was some error, committed in fatal moments; and all the Philippines,
by worshiping your memory and calling you martyrs, in no sense recognizes your culpability. In
so far, therefore, as your complicity in the Cavite mutiny is not clearly proved, as you may or may
not have been patriots, and as you may or may not have cherished sentiments for justice and for
liberty, I have the right to dedicate my work to you as victims of the evil which I undertake to
combat. And while we wait expectantly upon Spain someday to restore your good name and
cease to be answerable for your death, let these pages serve as a tardy wreath of dried leaves
over your unknown tombs, and let it be understood that everyone who without clear proofs attacks
your memory stains his hands in your blood!
- J. Rizal.”
Ways of Reading El Filibusterismo

1. Pay close attention to the plot – Unlike the Noli in which characters are more important than
plot, plot is fundamental in the Fili. This is because, while the Noli presents us with the problems
of Philippine society, the Fili proposes solutions. It is, therefore, necessary to note the proposed
solutions, how they are pursued, and why they fail.
2. Do not expect Rizal to transform the solutions into detailed narratives – Rizal is not interested
in the solutions as stories. What is more important for Rizal is the theoretical outlines of the
proposed solutions and the reasons they fail. In other words, the solutions proposed aretypes
of solutions, and the reasons they fail are types of reasons for failure.
3. Do immerse yourself, however, in the story of Cabesang Tales and the Story of Simoun’s
second attempt at revolution – While Simoun’s first attempt at revolution and the student’s
Spanish academy address the reader’s head, these two stories address his heart and
subsequently his head. They are directly related to the last chapter of the novel, in which we

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 have Rizal’s thoughts on the redemption of the Philippine society and on freedom and
independence.
4. The Fili is a novel of debates and discussions, try your best to follow the argumentative chapters
closely – These are especially Chapters 7 (The debate between Simoun and Basilio, 33 (Simoun’s
long speeches to Basilio and the narrator’s comment on them), and 39 (the discussion between
Simoun and Padre Florentino). Aside from these three, there are as well
Chapters 15 (Isagani’s visit to Señor. Pasta), 27 (the debate between Isagani and Padre
Fernandez) and 31 (the argument between the governor general and the high government
official).
5. Rizal was a poet before he became a novelist – in the Fili, Rizal writes as both novelist and
poet: the novelist for the most part writes literally; the poet, figuratively. One must be aware
that certain passages, characters, and events are intended by Rizal to be understood not only
literally but also figuratively. It is not good to be hunting symbols in the Fili. Let the symbols
detach themselves from their contexts whenever the right moment comes in the reading
experience of individual readers. This right moment will differ from reader to reader, but when
it comes, it will come as a gift in burst of light and with a feeling of vertigo.

In this section of the module, we will identify the social commentaries and social
criticisms from a chapter from El Filibusterismo.

Social Commentaries from Chapter 34: The Wedding

...from a poor student and servant, perhaps the sun would see him [Basilio] transformed into some
one terrible and sinister, standing upon pyramids of corpses, dictating laws to all those who were
passing before his gaze now in magnificent carriages.

Then he thought that had there been no imprisonment, he would have been betrothed, or
a husband, at this time, a licentiate in medicine, living and working in some corner of his province.
The ghost of Juli, crushed in her fall, crossed his mind, and dark flames of hatred lighted his eyes;
again he caressed the butt of the revolver, regretting that the terrible hour had not yet come.

Basilio, being imprisoned and has been experienced almost everything, seems to be
restless for their plan to succeed. As he was caressing his revolver, it appeared that he was
longing and hoping that when the Spanish reign ends, he will be one of the most feared and
respected persons in the town and be the one to make and enforce the law. Moreover, Basilio
thinks about how if notfor his arrest he would be married and practicing medicine in the province.
He thinks of Juli being dead and feels angry. This makes him more eager for the terrible hour to
come.

But the table for the greater gods was not there, being placed yonder in the middle of the
wide azotea within a magnificent kiosk constructed especially for the occasion...On this table were
laid only seven plates. The dishes were of solid silver, the cloth and napkins of the finest linen,
the wines the costliest and exquisite. Don Timoteo had sought the mostrare and expensive in
everything...

Rizal once again portrayed the different worlds between the rich and privileged citizen in
San Diego. In the aforementioned lines, Don Timoteo prepared a more luxurious and expensive
dining area at the azotea for the “greater gods”. He sought the “rarest and expensive” in
everything, from the most exquisite wines to the solid silver dishes and finest cloth and napkins.
It is obvious that there are a distinction and differences in the treatment among the people.

76 | P a g e
Social Criticisms from Chapter 34: The Wedding

He was [Don Timoteo], at last, marrying his son to the rich Gomez heiress, and, thanks to
the money Simoun had lent him, he had royally furnished that big house, purchased for half its
value, and was giving in it a splendid fiesta, with the foremost divinities of the Manila Olympus for
his guests, to gild him with the light of their prestige.

In this chapter, Rizal depicted some of many undesirable traits of many Filipinos; and one
of these is to live behind their means. DonTimoteo wanted to have an elite lifestyle and he bought
the house of Capitan Tiago half its price but doesn’t have enough money for it so he went to
Simoun and asked to lend him some money. Don Timoteo wanted to have good impression
among the townspeople for his son, Juanito Pelaez, who is marrying Paulita Gomez who is an
heiress.

With the chromos he ran no risk, as the Filipinos did not make them, they came cheaper,
the effect was the same, if not better, the colors brighter and the execution very fine. Don’t say
that Don Timoteo did not know how to comport himself in the Philippines.

The author implied that people tend to possess a colonial mentality and have a perception
of being inferior in cultural aspects. Here, Don Timoteo, even though Simoun disproved, removed
all the old drawings and pictures of saints that Capitan Tiago owned because he doesn’t want
Filipino crafted paintings so he replaced it with chromos which are Spanish-made for he doesn’t
want to be misconceived that he is patronizing local products.

Assessment

Instruction: Complete the table below by identifying what major character in Noli me Tangere and
El Filibusterismo symbolize in relation to colonial Philippine society.

Character Symbolism

Crisostomo Ibarra

Elias

Basilio

Sisa

Padre Damaso

Note: Plese do not write anything unnecessary on this instructional material. Use a clean sheet of
bond paper in answering your activity/assessment task either in a type-written or hand-written
format (please see the appendices for the sample template). When doing a hand-written work,
make sure that your penmanship is legible.

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References:

Derbyshire, Charles. The Social Cancer. New York: World Book Company. Retrieved 14 July
2010, 1912.
Dumol, PA and Camposano, C. The Nation as Project: Ways of Reading TheNoli. Vibal
Group, 2018.
Quibuyen, Floro. A Nation Aborted: Rereading and Revisioning Philippine Nationalism, 2008.
Schumacher, John (1998). Kasaysayan: The Story of the Filipino People, The Vision of Jose
Rizal, Vol 5. Asia Publishing Company Limited, 1998.

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 LESSON 10
The Indolence of the Filipinos
(SOBRE LA INDOLENCIA DE LOS FILIPINOS)

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this lesson the student should be able to:

▪ Analyze Rizal’s claims and counter-claimson the prevailing notion that the Filipinos were
indolent.
▪ Examine his points and methods as he draws ideas from earlier accounts of
the Philippines.
▪ Highlight his suggestions which would address the conditions of the Philippines
during his time.

Course Materials

Rizal’s second departure from the Philippines in 1888 led him to a new series of journeys
in which his writings became more aggressive and critical of the Spanish government. Some of
these writings were written in London as part of his productive research at the British Museum.
One of these works is Sobre La Indolencia de los Filipinos (The Indolence of the Filipinos) which
whose main goal is to counter the long-standing notion of Spaniards (and probably other
Europeans) that Filipinos are naturally and inherently lazy. The work can be considered (arguably)
as one of his earliestcritical anthropological analyses dealing with the Filipino past prior to Spanish
colonization.

According to Ambeth Ocampo, Rizal used his notes obtained from the cultural institution
intended to be used for his annotation of Morga’s Sucesos de Las Islas Filipinas (1609) for this
five-part article along with some historical accounts that allowed him to portray the pre-colonial
Philippines.

The five parts of the article can be summarized in this manner27:

A. First Part: THAT INDOLENCE AMONG FILIPINOS EXISTS.

“Man is not a brute, he is not a machine, his object is not merely to produce…”

Rizal began the first part by citing Gregorio G. Sancianco’s Progreso de Filipinas. He
argued that Sancianco himself claimed that was no indolence among the Filipinos on the
basis of what had left the accounts of the first Spanish rulers of the islands. But despite
this, accusations of indolence from the Spanish authorities, along with the friars, continue
to be echoed in the islands, Rizal continued. For him, indolence must be seen as
something we need investigate. And so, Rizal admits that there is really is indolence in his
current context. But this must be justified as “works and struggles of the Filipinos against
the climate, against nature and against men.”
27This summary was based on the English translation of the article found on a reading from Xiao Chua of DLSU. Michael Charleston
B. Chua “Reading Material: The Indolence of the Filipinos by José Rizal(English), Balanghay Pangkasaysayan WordPress (blog),
https://bangkanixiao.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/rizal-sa-katamaran-ng-mga-pilipino.pdf

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 He justified his claim by using the following points:

 Climate differences
Rizal uses geographical differences as a major factor. He believes that climate has
something to do with the indolence of some Filipinos. Working in the conditions
present in the Philippines is not of equal comparison to working in countries with
temperate climates. He even said that “an hour of work in tropical countries is a
day’s work in temperate regions.” Working “violently” in the Philippines is not good
as it is deadly.
 Unequal workloads
Rizal continued to lambast the notion by questioning the comfortable lifestyle and
work habits of Spanish officials who relies on servants to do things for them. It is
them and not the Filipinos whom Rizal find indolent as the latter are known for their
toiling hard despite their conditions. He also cited the Chinese as examples of hard
workers. He ends this part by saying that man is not a machine who is not only
meant to produce.

B. Second Part: INDOLENCE IS A CHRONIC ILLNESS.

Rizal pointed out that if we see indolence as a condition, it must be treated as an illness
which requires attention. A “proper and appropriate treatment” shall be used to address
indolence if it is really seen as a problem. Rizal argues that indolence in the Philippines is
a “chronic malady, but not a hereditary one.”

Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, early inhabitants of the islands have been trading with
neighboring states. For this part, Rizal cited a lot of historical accounts to strengthen his
claims. Among these are Chau-Ju-Kua’s “Zhu Fan Zhi” (1225) and even Antonio Morga’s
Sucesos de Las Islas Filipinas. He also made use of Pigafetta’s accounts as well as not
those of Chirino, Colin, Argensola, Gaspar de San Agustin. All of these sources were used
in this section where Rizal tried to argue about the values, work habits and attitudes of the
early Filipinos that were taken into account by the chroniclers during the 16th century.
Altogether, Rizal used these historical notes in order to justify that indolence was not
present among early Filipinos and thus, they are not inherent. But due to Spanish
colonization, indolence has become “prevalent” in many Filipinos given their working
conditions.

C. Third Part: CONSISTENT INSTABILITY CAUSED THIS INDOLENCE

“Man works for an object. Remove the object and you reduce him to inaction.”

Rizal continued to expound his claim that indolence is not inherent among Filipinos in the
third installment of the article. He argues that it was the events of the early Spanish colonial
period that brought havoc to many Filipinos are also the reason why indolence began to
be chronic among the people of the islands. He mentioned that the chaos brought by
invasions, wars and other violent events heavily decimated the native population. He also
cites the demoralization of many natives as well as the continuous activities of the
“Independent Malays of the south” (Moros) contributed to the instability in the islands on
the part of the Christianized subjects.

With an angry mood, Rizal then cited the after-effects of population decline among the
Filipinos. He pointed out the policies on forced labor that separated families from each

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 other as well as the unstable conditions that made the Filipinos “give up.” These series of
misfortunes, topping the context of colonization all led to the distrust and lack of eagerness
among Filipinos due to uncertainties of the future as well as the lack of a clear fruit of their
hard labor. Colonization gave birth to indolence.

D. Fourth Part: DEATH OF TRADE AND COMMERCE

For the fourth installment, Rizal claims that it was also the discouraging state of commerce
and trade in the Philippines that contributed to the indolence exhibited by many Filipinos.
He cited the following reasons as also the causes which brought indolence to the islands:
 Unproductive Galleon trade that was only limited to China, Mexico and
few Manila merchants
 Scarce number of work hours’ government officials would render on a daily basis.
 Introduction of gambling as a means of getting a faster change of social status.
 The bad treatment of farmers who cannot gain the fruits of his laborforcing
him to just resort to gambling given his circumstances
 Abuses committed by the encomederos which have caused great
inequality among many subjects of the colonial rule.
 The mishandling of agriculture and commerce as many fertile lands are in
the hands of friar corporations.
But above all, Rizal points out the most compelling reason why many Filipinos are
indolent is because of the poor education system in the colony. The training of an
Indio, argues Rizal, is “anti-human” as he is bound to experience a brutal treatment
from his birth down to his adulthood.
Rizal expounds this by saying:
The Filipino is convinced that to get happiness it is necessary for him tolay aside his dignity
as a rational creatures, to attend mass, to believe what is told him, to pay what is
demanded of him, to pay and forever to pay; to work, suffer, and be silent, without
aspiring anything, without aspiring to know or even to understand Spanish, without separating
himself from his carabao, as the priests shamelessly say, without protesting against any
injustice, against any arbitrary action, against an assault, against an insult; that is, not to have
heart, brain or spirit; a creature with arms and a purse of gold…there’s the ideal native!
Unfortunately, or because the brutalization is not yet complete and because the nature of man
is inherent in his being in spite of his condition, the native protests; he still has aspirations, he
thinks and strives to rise, and there’s the trouble!

E. Fifth part: LACK OF TRAINING, EDUCATION AND MOTIVATION

Rizal begins the last of the five installments by stating that the section shall discuss the
share of the people in the faulty system. While he acknowledges that the government’s
failures were analyzed in the first four installments, he still believes that the people and
the government are complementary and thus must be also discussed.
Rizal enumerated two factors that enable the Filipino himself to become indolent; (1) to
defects of training (2) and lack of national sentiment. He further emphasized these two by
his explanations:
 Stagnation of his aspirations brought by the kind of parenting the young Filipino
experienced.

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  Contentment in being a follower without even thinking ahead of beyond his
status quo.
 Extreme reliance on other’s working for the cause that also affects them.
 Extreme hope for miracles by giving out what they have and disregard for
logic and rationality
 Degrading statements from the elders about not being able to achieve anything.
 Inferiority complex as a product of colonial conditioning
 Immediate acceptance of “government positions” from persons of authority out
of feeling overwhelmed.
Wrapping it up, Rizal pointed out that the best solution for the malady that is indolence is
an effective education that Spain (hopefully) might give without any conditions as learning
and enlightenment must be considered altogether a gift.

Assessment

Instruction: Venn Diagram: Looking back at the points made by Rizal on the article Sobre La
Indolencia de los Filipinos¸ compare and contrast (A) the Shortcomings of the government and
(B) the Cultural problems among Filipinos between Rizal’s time and our current time. Use the
summary of the article to extract Rizal’s points and use your own observations to enumerate our
current conditions.
Copy the diagrams in a clean sheet of paper (allot one page per diagram) and present your
answers in bulleted forms.

A. Government’s shortcomings B. Cultural Problems

Note: Please do not write anything unnecessary on this instructional material. Use a clean sheet
of bond paper when answering your activity/ assessment task either in a type-written or hand-
written format (please see the appendices for the sample template). When doing a hand-written
work, make sure that your penmanship is legible.

Reference:
Chua, Michael Charleston B. “Reading Material: The Indolence of the Filipinos by José
Rizal(English), Balanghay PangkasaysayanWordPress, (n.d), accessed 11 July
2020, https://bangkanixiao. files.wordpress.com/2012/10/rizal-sa-katamaran-ng-mga-
pilipino.pdf Ocampo, Ambeth R. “The indolence of the Filipino,” Philippine Daily
Inquirer, 15 March 2019, accessed 11 July 2020,
https://opinion.inquirer.net/120136/the-indolence-of-the-filipino (ProjectGutenburg:
USA), accessed 11 2020, http://dev.gutenberg.org/eboo

82 | P a g e
 LESSON 11
PHILIPPINES A CENTURY HENCE
(Filipinas dentro de cienaños)

Learning Objectives

At the end of this lesson the student should be able to:

 Recognize the relevance of Rizal’s writings to the context of the 19th

century events.
 Explain Rizal’s insights and predictions based on his understanding of his time.
 Analyze his ideas of Philippine nationhood through this socio-political essay.

Course Materials

Rizal had made bold predictions in this essay but this came from an earlier prediction by
the German scholar and traveler, Feodor Jagor who came to the Philippines in the 1860’s. Von F.
Jagor’s prophecy in his work Travels in the Philippines (Reisen in den Philippinen) caught Rizal’s
attention especially this part that spoke of American’s future role in the Philippines:

“In the long run, the Spanish system cannot prevail over the American. While the former exhausts
colonies… America draws to itself the most energetic element from all the lands; and these on
her soil, free from trammels, and restlessly pushing forward…” This is cognitive background, with
Rizal’s prophecy, not to be assumed as an endorsement for federalism.

Not only did Rizal agree to this prediction, he also supplied and supplemented it with his
insights about the neighboring countries of the Philippines as well as his notions of existing
“Spheres of Influence” around the world, comprised of the super powers of his time. As a whole,
Rizal’s Cien de anos is what he thinks is the most possible status of the Philippines in the years
to come.

The essay, being presented as four installments, can be summarized by looking at each
of these parts. We can divide this summary into four parts and present the gist of each part. The
summary was derived from the publicly available translation of Charles Derbyshire who also did
translate other works of Rizal into English.

A. PART ONE
He began the essay by providing a backdrop of the history of the Philippines and Filipino
people. Being consistent with his views of Philippine society through his novels, Rizal
reaffirms what he thinks as the demoralization of the Filipino on the commencement of the
Spanish colonization.
Rizal believed that the islands and its people were in good condition prior to the arrival of
the Spaniards who have ravaged and stripped the Filipinos their glory and identity. He
went further by detailing how the Spaniards took over the mentalities of the Filipino people
to be able to subjugate them and make them far from the earlier inhabitants who were so
eager to fight for their freedom. Here Rizal admits that the Filipinos, after centuries of being
governed by Spain, no longer have that fire to be free as many of those who have tried
faced punishment and death; and that the current majority is already that Filipino who is
willing to follow orders instead.

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B. PART TWO
This is the installment where Rizal would ask the most important question in the entire
work; Will the Philippines remain to be a colony of Spain within a century?

Banking on the premises of the first part, Rizal said answering this question would be
different 300 years ago, when the Spaniards were still starting to conquer the islands.
Answering this question in his current context, Filipinos might have a not so better answer
as he had developed to become pessimistic, all caused by colonization.

Furthermore, asking a liberal and a friar about what the Filipinos had become after
centuries of colonization would yield two opposing answers. For the friar, the Filipinos were
better as they have become obedient and civilized all because of Christianity. But for a
liberal, the Filipino became a savage compared to what he was prior to the arrival of
Spaniards.

After providing his summary of the abuses of colonization for the past centuries, Rizal
made his two predictions for this part; (1) The Filipinos will become independent as it
cannot stay in an abusive relationship with Spain or (2) the Filipinos will be still under
Spain but with conditions far better than what they had in the past.

While Rizal described the Filipinos to be resilient as a response to Spanish colonization,

these sentiments will become collective and eventually be a tool for the Filipinos to topple
down Spain.

But such will not happen if the Filipinos will be given (1) opportunities for change, (2) be
represented in the Spanish Cortes and (3) be treated fairly under the auspices of the law.
For Rizal, one thing is certain; the Philippines will not remain to be under Spain in the most
pitiful way. Change is inevitable at this part.

If these changes through peaceful ways cannot be the way, then, the Filipinos will surely
be resorting to the ONLY and “desperate” solution, a bloody revolution.

C. PART THREE
We answer that the prestige of the nation is not by abetting and concealing
abuses, but by rebuking and punishing them.

For the third part, Rizal elaborated his points and claims made in the second part using
analogies. He also claimed here that the reforms done by the upper class is peaceful and
fruitful and in contrast, reforms led by the masses would probably be violent and fatal.
He also pointed out the lack of coordination and consistency on the part of Spanish officials
and authorities in terms of achieving changes in the islands. He then compares these
changes offered as “meals” only to be prohibited by someone who wants to selfishly
benefit from these changes offered to the larger public.
He also mentioned the two main problems in the Philippines; (1) lack of press freedom
and (2) the non-representation in the Spanish government. For him the consequences of
not having these are the following:

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Lack of Press Freedom

 Rizal points out that a country ruled distantly (Spain governing the Philippines)
must have freedom of press in order to monitor it better. He argued that the
farther the territory is from the Mother land, the freer the press should be as
this is one of the best ways to keep justice prevailing.
 He also pointed out that a history itself has shown that when the government
suppresses the right to information and free speech, people will have more
reasons to revolt and topple down their governments.

Lack of Representation in the Spanish government

 Rizal pushed for the representation of the Philippines in the Spanish Cortes.
He argued that petty reasons stemming from racism shall be not a hindrance
to this essential duty of hearing the woes of the Filipinos.
 Rizal highlighted that among the accusations, smelling bad because of their
color was the most common rumor among Spaniards themselves. He refuted
it by citing how often a Filipino would take a bath within a day as it has become
cultural.
 Another reason for not allowing Filipino representatives was the tendency to
become separatist. Rizal argued that with the number of Spanish legislators
versus the number of Filipinos in it, such notions would not prosper.
 He continued by explaining that instead of blaming the people for the troubles
in the colony, Spain should allow Filipinos to be heard so that their concerns
could be addressed and there would be no more complaints on their part.
 Adding to this, he asserted that while many might use reforms as tools for
abuse, Filipinos “wish” to be loyal to the government and so by being vocal,
they are expressing their intent to be still governed but with better methods.
For him, it is just right and fair that a taxpaying Filipino should have the option
of who should guide him
Rizal ended this part by emphasizing that justice is the foremost virtue of a
civilization. The Filipinos will choose to remain under Spain if their rights and
liberties were granted and respected. Otherwise, it would lead to a forced
acquisition of that freedom. This is due to the fact that Filipinos have become
resilient and silencing them will not prevent them from getting freedom in their
chosen way.

D. PART FOUR
Ending his remarkable work, Rizal manifested his knowledge on global issues on the
last installment by discussing what he believes to be “spheres of influence” during
the 19thcentury and the possible effects of the global super powers to the Philippines
in the next 100 years.

On Filipino Resilience
 Continuing his premise on the resiliency of the Filipino, Rizal stated that despite
being deprived of many liberties and rights (especially education), the Filipino
will still seek enlightenment somewhere else. They will try to get it no matter
what.
o Despite hindrances, National consciousness has still managed to be
awakened.
o Continuous hardships made Filipinos eager and desiring for a better
life

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 o That Filipinos, despite being almost exterminated survived all kinds of
havocs, and to kill every Filipino would be fatal to Spain as it would lose
almost all of its soldiers.

On the Future of the Philippines

 He then proceeds to discuss his insights of the Philippines after its inevitable
split from Spain. For him, Spain shall learn a lesson from US and France in
their respective stories of transitioning to democracy. History itself has never
witnessed any lasting colonization and it ends up being stopped by certain
circumstances.
 Rizal did not ignore the possibility of a new colonizer eyeing to get the
Philippines, but this colonizer might do or impart things that Spain never didit
while the Islands were still under its jurisdiction.
 But once free, the Philippines will adopt the freest type of government
become a federal republic.





Figure 9: Spheres of Influence in the 19th Century
Taken from the Gutenburg edition of the Translation of Philippines A Century
Hence

 Rizal mentioned spheres of influences that might affect the Philippines in the
long run. These areas were occupied by European powers along with USA
which might play a role once the Philippines become independent. The areas
are labelled as follows:
o Possessions of Spain (Philippines)
o Possessions of Holland (Present-day Indonesia)
o Possessions of England (Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands)
o Possessions of France
o Possessions of United States
 He then pondered on what these powers might do to the Philippines
o England will not give up India for a poor possession like the Philippines
but will become its active partner in commerce once the latter opens up
its ports
o Germany will not also take the risk of capturing the Philippines
o Holland will probably focus on Mollucas as it gets economic gains
from it.

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 o China will have to deal with foreign powers slicing the nation for their
own respective interests
o Japan might crush the Philippines but it shall find Korea more attractive
due to proximity and must also keep an eye on Russia on its north.
o European powers may no longer put their interest on Asia as their focus
has been shifted to Africa, the “Dark Continent” where opportunities are
greater.
o Thus, it is the United States that has the most reasons to make
Philippines its territory as it doesn’t have any interest in colonizing
Africa and is looking towards the Pacific.
 Rizal did not just predict that a colonizer will probably replace Spain, he also
imagines what would be the response of the Filipino people. And as expected,
they will do their best to protect Philippines with blood and sacrifice. They will
be so eager to see that day that the country will enter the road of progress on
its own.
 He also made a disclaimer that while these predictions might occur, history has
shown that the future is still uncertain and things may change. We should also not
rely on accident as there are ways we can control what mighthappen
 Ending the essay, Rizal called for keeping their hopes and eagerness high in
asking for rights the Filipinos deserve. That we must never get tired in asking
for accountability from Spain for everything that has happened.

Assessment
1. Examine Rizal’s predictions in the entire summary and pick at least three.
2. Provide your insights as to why these predictions HAPPENED or DID NOT HAPPEN
at all and expound your answers.
3. Each answer to each prediction must be at least a paragraph long.
4. Pick another 2 predictions that you wish HAVE HAPPENED and explain why.

Note: Please do not write anything unnecessary. Use a clean sheet of bond paper in answering
your activity/assessment task either in a type-written or hand-written format (please see the
appendices for the sample template). When doing a hand-written work, make sure that your
penmanship is legible.
References
Chua, Michael Charleston B. “Reading Material: The Philippines A Century Hence by
José Rizal” BalanghayPangkasaysayanWordPress, (n.d), accessed 12 July 2020,
https://bangkanixiao.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/rizal-ang-pilipinas-sa-loob-ng-
sandaang-taon-english.pdf
Rizal, Jose. Philippines a Century Hence, trans. Charles E. Derbyshire, Ed. Austin Craig.
(Project Gutenburg: USA), accessed 11 July 2020
http://dev.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6885

Trillana , Pablo III S. “Rizal The Futurist” In National Historical Commission of the Philippines
(18 September 2012) accessed 12 July 2020 from http://nhcp.gov.ph/rizal-the-
futurist

87 | P a g e
 LESSON 12
Liham sa Mga Kababaihan ng Malolos

Learning Objectives

At the end of this lesson the student should be able to:

▪ Matukoy ang papel ng kababaihan sa panahong kolonyal.
▪ Maipaliwanag ang konsepto ni Rizal tungkol sa kabayanihan at katapangan ayun
sa konteksto ng panahong kinabilangan.
▪ Maipaliwanag ang halaga ng mga sumusunod na panuntunang may kinalaman sa:
- “moralidad”
- “pananampalataya at ang tunay na kabanalan”
- “Pagtataya ng sarili para sa bayan”
- “pagkakamit ng katarungang –panlipunan”
- “pag-ibig”
- “katotohanan” atbp.

 Mailapit sa kasalukuyang panahon ang mga kaganapan at pagpapahalaga

Magawang konkreto ang mga panuntunan para sa pangangailangan ng bayan

Course Materials

Ang papel ng mga kababaihan sa lipunang kolonyal ay nabago bunga ng diskriminasyon hindi
lamang sa lahi kundi maging sa kasarian. Para sa isang lipunan kung saan ay sistemang
patriyarkal ang umiiral sa noong kolonyal na panahon, ang papel ng kababaihan ay hindi
kikilalanin, Ang pananatili sa loob ng tahanan ay katumbas ng kawalan ng karapatan para ng mga
kababaihan, kawalan ng karapatan sa edukasyon, kawalan ng karapatan sa pamamahayag. Sa
madaliang salita, ang mga babae ay walang na puwang sa isang lipunan.

Ang katapangan ng mga dalagang taga Malolos ay naging kalakasan ng mga babae bilang mga
katuwang sa pagbuo ng isang malaya at magaling na bayan. Sa pamamagitan ng kanilang
petisyon na makapag-aral ay, si Rizal mismo ay kanilang napahanga, kung kaya, kaagad na
lumiham si Rizal sa mga dalaga. Kanyang pinuri at binigyang halaga ang tapang ng mga dalagang
taga Malolos.

At kalakip ng paghanga ay ang maraming paalala ni Rizal kung paano pa mas kikilalanin ang
dignidad at halaga ng mga dalaga sa lipunang sinakop.

Noong ika-12 ng Disyembre, 1888 may isang grupo ng dalawampung kababaihan ng Malolos ang
nagpetisyon kay Gobernador Heneral Weyler ukol sa paghingi nila ng permiso upang mabuksan ang
isang pang gabing paaralan na magtuturo sa kanila ng wikang Kastila sa pamamatnubay ni Ginoong
Teodoro Sandiko. Ang petisyon ay tinutulan ni Padre Felipe Garcia, na siyang kura ng Malolos noon
kaya naman hindi na sumang-ayon ang Gobernador Heneral. Taliwas sa inaasahan nila, hindi ito
naging sanhi ng pagkawala ng pag-aasa ng mga kababaihan, sa halip ay ipinagpatuloy pa rin nila ang
pwtisyon, Sa huli ay pinayagan din ang mga dalaga, sa kondisyon na ang magiging guro nila ay isang
gurong pinili ng kura, si Senora Guadalupe Reyes.
Sa liham ni Rizal sa mga kadalagahan ng Malolos (1889), ipinahahayag ni José Rizal ang
kanyang papuri at paggalang sa katapangang ipinamalas ng mga ito sa pagsusulong ng

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karapatan sa edukasyon – isang di-karaniwang pagtatangka ng maraming kababaihan sa
kanyang panahon. Ayon kay Rizal, ang kababaihang Pilipino ay katuwang sa layunin para sa
ikagagaling ng bayan. Disyembre 12, 1888, isang pangkat ng kababaihan (20 DALAGA MULA
Malolos, Bulacan) ang humiling sa pamahalaang kolonyal na sila ay payagang makapag-aral.

Sa pamamagitan ni Marcel del Pilar, hiniling ng una si Jose Rizal na bigyan ng pagkilala ang
mga kababaihan sa kanilang katapangan na magkaroon ng edukasyon, partikular sa pag-aaral
ng wikang Espanyol. Agad na sumulat si Jose Rizal kung saan naglalaman ang liham ng
pitong habilin o paalala. Ayon kay Rizal, dapat magsilbing panata ng bawat Pilipina ang mga
binabanggit sa liham na habilin.

Ang mga sumusunod ay ang mga habilin ni Rizal sa mga kababaihan, na maaari ding
gawing panuntunan ng mga lalaki, ng lahat ng Pilipino.

1. “Unang-una. Nagiging taksil ang ilan dahil sa kaduwagan at kapabayaan ng iba.”

2. Ikalawa. Ang taong nagpapaalipusta ay kulang ng pagmamahal sa sarili at labis na
nasisilaw sa umaalipusta.”
3. Ikatlo. Ang kamangmangan ay pagkaalipin; sapagkat kung ano ang isip ay ganoon ang
tao: ang taong walang sariling isip ay taong walang pagkatao; ang bulag na tagasunod
sa isip ng iba ay parang hayop na susunod-sunod sa tali.”
4. “Ikaapat. Kapag nagtago ka, para mo na ring hinimok ang ibang magtago rin, dahil kung
pabayaan mo ang iyong kapwa ay pababayaan ka rin naman; madaling baliin ang nag-
iisang tingting, pero mahirap baliin ang isang bigkis na walis.”
5. “Ikalima. Kung hindi magbabago ang babaeng Tagalog, hindi siya dapat magpalaki ng
anak, at sa halip ay gawing paanakan lamang; dapat alisin sa kaniya ang
kapangyarihan sa bahay, sapagkat kung hindi ay walang-malay niyang ipapahamak
ang asawa, anak, bayan, at lahat.”
6. “Ikaanim. Ipinanganak ang tao na pare-parehong hubad at walang tali. ‘Di sila nilikha
ng Diyos upang maalipin, ‘di binigyan ng isip para magpabulag, at ‘di biniyayaan ng
katwiran upang maloko ng iba. Hindi pagmamataas ang hindi pagsamba sa kapwa-tao,
ang pagpapaliwanag ng isip, at pagiging tuwid sa anumang bagay. Ang mapagmataas
ay ang nagpapasamba, ang nambubulag sa iba, at ang ibig panaigin ang kaniyang
gusto sa matuwid at tama.”
7. “Ikapito. Pagnilayan ninyong maigi kung ano ang relihiyong itinuturo sa atin. Tingnan ninyong
mabuti kung iyan ba talaga ang utos ng Diyos o ang pangaral ni Kristong panlunas sa hirap
ng mahirap, pang-aliw sa dusa ng nagdurusa. Alalahanin ninyo ang lahat ng itinuturo sa inyo,
ang pinatutunguhan ng lahat ng sermon, ang nasa kaibuturan ng lahat ng misa, nobena,
kuwintas, eskapularyo, larawan, milagro, kandila, sinturon, at iba’t iba pang iginigiit, inihihiyaw
at idinidiin araw-araw sa inyong loob, tainga, mata. Hanapin ninyo ang puno’t dulo at ihambing
ninyo ang relihiyon sa malinis na relihiyon ni Kristo. At tingnan kung ang inyong pagka-
Kristiyano ay kapareho ng inaalagaang gatasang hayop o kaya ng pinatatabang baboy, na
pinatataba hindi dahil sa pagmamahal sa kaniya, kundi upang maipagbili nang mas mahal at
nang lalong pagkakitaan.”

Kasama sa mga habilin ni Rizal ang kanyang pagpapaala-ala sa mga kadalagahan

tungkol sa mga panuntunang dapat isabuhay para sa kagalingan ng bayan gaya ng:
- Tungkulin ng kababaihan
- Tunay na Kabanalan
- Ang babaing Pilipina bulang huwaran

89 | P a g e
 - Egaligad
- Paggamit ng karunungan at isip
- Pag-iingat at pagmamahal sa puri
- Pag-ibig sa Diyos, sa bayan at kapwa

Assessment

Gumawa ng matrix na may paghahambing ng papel ng kababaihan sa lipunan sa konteksto ng

panahong kolonyal at sa kontemporaryong panahon. Ipakita ang magkakatulad at magkakaibang
identidad ng mga kababaihan, kalakip ang kanilang mga naging tungkulin.

Papel repleksyon tungkol sa aktibong papel ng kababaihan sa pagtugon sa kasalukuyang

pangangailangan ng pamilya at bayan.

Note: Please do not write anything unnecessary on this instructional material. Use a clean sheet
of bond paper in answering your activity/assessment task either in a type-written or hand-written
format (please see the appendices for the sample template). When doing a hand-written work,
make sure that your penmanship is legible.

Reference
Guillermo, Ramon G. Si Rizal at ang Kanyang Konsepto ng Kabayanihan sa kanyang Liham
sa mga Kababaihan ng Malolos. Diliman Review 45(2-3): 26-29, 1997.

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91 | P a g e
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