GERIZAL Notes
Life and Works of Rizal
The Debate Over the Rizal Bill
In Favor of the Rizal Bill (Non-religious sector)
●​
●​
●​
●​
●​
●​
●​
●​
●​
●​
●​
●​
●​
●​
●​
●​
●​
●​
Senator Jose P. Laurel and Senator Claro M. Recto
Manila Mayor Arsenio Lacson
Judge Guillermo Guevarra
Former Justice Roman Ozaeta
Vice-President Carlos P. Garcia
100 UP faculty members
The College Editors’ Guild
The Knights of Rizal
The Women Writers of the Vernacular
Magtanggul Asa
Fr. Joaquin Jaromillo
Rizalist group Spirit of 1896
The Association of Public Secondary School
Administrators
The Philippine Public School Teachers Association
Religious group Bathalismo
The Batangas provincial government
Philippine Veterans Legion of Cavite
The Baguio City Council
Against the Rizal Bill (Religious sector, particularly
Roman Catholics that are in positions)
●​ Archbishop of Manila Rufino Santos and other Catholic
bishops
●​ Senator Decoroso Rosales
●​ Senator Mariano Cuenco
●​ Senator Francisco Rodrigo
●​ The Catholic Action of the Philippines
●​ The Holy Name Society of the Philippines
●​ The Legion of Mary
●​ The Knights of Columbus
●​ The Daughters of Isabela
●​ Catholic Welfare Organization
The Story of the Rizal Bill
●​ Senator Jose P. Laurel filed Senate Bill 438 on April 17,
1956. The bill aimed to make Noli and Fili required
reading for public and private colleges and universities.
●​ Laguna Rep. Jacabo Gonzales told Senator Laurel he
would introduce a similar measure in the House
(House Bill 5561).
●​ Senator Laurel argued that the reading of Rizal’s two
books would teach the people to resist tyranny and
oppression of all forms.
●​ Catholic lay people and clergy opposed the measure in
hearings of the Senate Committee on Education. They
said the Noli and Fili have numerous attacks on
dogmas and practices of Catholicism.
●​ Municipal councils sent in resolutions endorsing the
Bill. Catholic organizations also launched a national
campaign against it.
●​ Senator Recto branded criticism of Rizal’s novels by
the Church as unfair and unjustified presentation of the
national hero’s writings.
●​ He pointed out that Rizal wrote the books to inculcate
civic consciousness, national dignity, personal pride
and patriotism.
●​ He also said that the charges leveled against Rizal by
the Filipino Church hierarchy were also the ones made
by the Spanish friars.
●​ Senator Recto also pointed out to Senator Rodrigo that
the Filipino Church hierarchy found 170 passages in
the Noli and 50 instances in the Fili that are offensive to
the Catholic faith.
●​ Fr. Joaquin Jaromillo was discredited by the Catholic
Welfare Organization, saying he was not allowed by
the Church hierarchy to speak in the Senate in favor of
the Rizal Bill.
●​ Senator Rosales, although conceding that Rizal is the
greatest of Filipino heroes, said that the novels were
partially rotten apples that everyone would be
compelled to eat.
●​ He also threatened that all Catholic schools would
close if the Bill passed. Recto said that the government
would just nationalize all of them.
●​ Senator Recto clarified that the Bill only required
students to read the books, not to force them to believe
Rizal’s opinions. He also said that professors and
teachers could challenge Rizal.
●​ Senator Recto said that Rizal deserves to remain
forever a “living and decisive symbol” in the national life
of the Philippines. He also believed that reading his
writings would lead to a revival of national awareness.
●​ Senator Recto also pointed out that the Vatican and the
Catholic hierarchy in Spain did not even place the Noli
and Fili in the Index Librorum Prohibitorum.
●​ Senator Rodrigo proposed the following:
○​ 1) school authorities would keep unexpurgated
copies of the books
○​ 2) use expurgated copies at the discretion of
the school
○​ 3) include the two novels in their unexpurgated
form in a list of required readings
○​ 4) use of footnotes to explain controversial or
derogatory portions
●​ Bishop Manuel Yap of Bacolod reportedly said that
Catholics should not read Rizal’s novels and warned
that legislators in favor of the Rizal Bill would be voted
out of office in the next election.
●​ Senator Recto blasted Bishop Yap and the Catholic
hierarchy for wanting not only eternity, but also worldly
possessions. He even offered to campaign for
supporters of the Rizal Bill in the next elections.
●​ At last, the Senate unanimously approved Senator
Laurel’s substitute measure on May 12, 1956, making
the original and unexpurgated editions of the Noli and
Fili basic texts in college courses.
●​ As a compromise, a paragraph was inserted that
college students could be exempted from reading the
unexpurgated texts for reasons of religious belief.
Highlights of “The Story of ther Rizal Bill”
Purpose of the Bill:
●​ Filed by Senator Jose P. Laurel as Senate Bill 438 on
April 17, 1956, it aimed to make José Rizal’s Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo required reading in
public and private colleges and universities.
●​ A similar measure, House Bill 5561, was introduced by
Laguna Representative Jacobo Gonzales.
Arguments for the Bill:
●​ Advocates believed the novels would teach Filipinos to
resist oppression and tyranny, inculcate civic
consciousness, national pride, and patriotism.
●​ Senator Claro M. Recto argued that Rizal’s works were
critical for national awareness and dignity. He clarified
the Bill only mandated reading the novels, not adopting
Rizal’s opinions.
Opposition to the Bill:
●​ Mainly led by the Catholic Church, which argued the
novels contained attacks on Catholic dogmas and
practices.
●​ Religious leaders like Senator Decoroso Rosales and
Bishop Manuel Yap voiced strong resistance, citing
moral and doctrinal concerns. Some even threatened
to close Catholic schools if the Bill was passed.
Debate Highlights:
●​ The Catholic hierarchy highlighted offensive passages
in the novels. Senator Recto rebutted these criticisms,
stating that neither the Vatican nor the Catholic Church
in Spain banned the novels.
●​ Proposed amendments included using expurgated
versions or providing explanatory footnotes for
controversial passages.
Resolution and Compromise:
●​ The Senate unanimously approved a substitute
measure on May 12, 1956, requiring the original and
unexpurgated texts of the novels in college courses.
●​ A compromise allowed exemptions for students who
objected to reading the texts based on religious beliefs.
Readings on Perspectives on
Rizal as the National Hero
Veneration Without Understanding by Renato Constantino
●​ Rizal’s Stance on the Philippine Revolution:
○​ Rizal repudiated the revolution and opposed the
revolutionary efforts of the Katipunan, led by
Andres Bonifacio.
○​ He believed in reforms through education and
non-violent means rather than armed
resistance.
●​ American Influence on Rizal’s Heroism:
○​ The elevation of Rizal as the national hero was
influenced by American colonial authorities,
particularly Governor William Howard Taft.
●​
●​
●​
●​
○​ Rizal was favored because his reformist views
aligned with the Americans’ colonial agenda,
unlike other heroes like Bonifacio or Mabini,
who advocated for independence.
The Limitations of Rizal’s Heroism:
○​ Rizal’s approach was shaped by his ilustrado
(educated elite) background, which limited his
understanding of and connection with the
Filipino masses.
○​ His vision of freedom was more aligned with the
aspirations of the elite rather than full
independence for the nation.
Critical Evaluation of Hero Worship:
○​ Constantino argues for a more critical and
historical analysis of Rizal's contributions,
emphasizing the need to understand the
context and limitations of his era.
○​ Blind adoration of Rizal has overshadowed
other revolutionary figures and historical
movements.
Nationalism and the Role of the Masses:
○​ The essay highlights the role of the masses,
especially through the Katipunan, as the true
drivers of the revolution.
○​ Rizal’s ideals, while significant, should not
overshadow the broader anti-colonial struggles
led by the Filipino people.
The Evolving Concept of Filipino Identity:
○​ Rizal contributed to the development of Filipino
consciousness by elevating the term "Filipino"
from a racial label to a marker of national
identity.
○​ However, true decolonization and
independence remain unfinished tasks for
contemporary Filipinos.
Perspectives on Rizal as the
National Hero
Constantino, Veneration Without Understanding
●​ Unlike Washington, Lenin, Bolivar, Sun Yat Sen, Mao,
and Ho Chi Minh, who were leaders of their revolutions
and principal heroes of their peoples, Rizal was not the
leader of the Philippine Revolution.
●​ Rizal’s pre-eminence among Filipino national heroes
was partly the result of American sponsorship, which
manifested in 1) encouraging a Rizal cult and 2)
minimizing the importance of other heroes or vilifying
them.
●​ William Howard Taft supposedly suggested to the
Philippine Commission in 1901 that Filipinos be given a
national hero, saying “And now, gentlemen, you must
have a national hero.”
●​ American colonial officials chose Rizal over Aguinaldo
(too militant), Bonifacio (too radical), and Mabini
(unregenerate).
●​ American sponsorship of Rizal as the national hero
resulted in the following:
○​ 1) Act No. 137 which renamed Morong as the
province of Rizal
○​ 2) Act No. 243 which authorized a public
subscription for the erection of the Rizal ​
monument at Luneta
○​ 3) Act No. 346 which set aside the anniversary
of his death as a day of observance
●​ The Americans sponsored Rizal, according to Forbes,
because “Rizal never advocated independence, nor did
he advocate armed resistance to the government. He
urged reform from within by publicity, by public
education, and appeal to the public conscience.”
●​ The attention lavished on Rizal relegated other heroes
to the background, since these heroes’ revolutionary
example and anti-American pronouncements might
have stiffened Filipino resistance to American rule.
De Ocampo, Who Made Rizal our Foremost National Hero,
and Why?
●​ Rizal is the Philippines’ foremost national hero because
he took an “admirable part” in the Propaganda
Movement from 1882 to 1896.
●​ Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere contributed tremendously to
the formation of Filipino nationality more than any
single work by a Filipino writer.
●​ No Filipino has yet been born who could equal or
surpass Rizal as “a person of distinguished valor or
enterprise in danger, or fortitude in suffering.”
●​ Rizal is the greatest Filipino hero because he is “a man
honored after death by public worship, because of
exceptional service to [hu]mankind.”
●​ Even before the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution,
Rizal’s leadership was already recognized by Filipinos
in the Philippines and abroad.
●​ The Katipunan recognized Rizal’s leadership and
greatness by making him its Honorary President and
using “Rizal” as the password for third-degree
members.
●​ On December 29, 1897, General Emilio Aguinaldo
commemorated Rizal’s death in Hong Kong.
●​ On December 20, 1898, Aguinaldo proclaimed
December 30 as Rizal Day and held a Rizal Day
program on December 30 in Manila.
●​ Dr. T.H. Pardo both denied that Rizal was made a hero
by the Americans.
●​ Even if Rizal was chosen by the Taft Commission as
the national hero, he was alreadde Tavera, a Filipino,
was the one who said that Morong should be renamed
as the province of Rizal.
●​ Americans Justice George A. Malcolm and Dr. Frank
C. Laubach y accepted by the Filipino people as the
foremost hero and martyr of the Philippines.
Malay, Veneration With Understanding
●​ A man becomes a hero, or a national hero, not
because he leads a revolution, but because he is
admired for his achievements and noble qualities, and
considered a model or ideal.
●​ A man becomes a hero, or a national hero, if he
accomplishes some achievement or achievements that
his people admire so much that they would place him
in higher regard than any man of the country.
●​ Malay contests Constantino’s criterion that
“revolutionary leadership” should govern the choice of
who the national hero is. He further criticizes
●​
●​
●​
●​
Constantino’s contention that our veneration of Rizal as
the national hero is “veneration without understanding.”
Rizal continues to be venerated with understanding
because the masses continue to admire him for his
achievements and noble qualities, and consider him a
model or ideal.
With regard to Rizal being an American-sponsored
hero:
○​ 1) Rizal was already honored when Aguinaldo
declared December 30, 1898 as a ​ day of
mourning
○​ 2) The Katipunan already regarded Rizal as a
sort of national hero. He was the honorary
president of the Katipunan, and Rizal’s picture
was displayed in meeting rooms.
To say that Rizal was chosen by the Americans is an
insult to the masses who, according to Rizal’s
detractors, have allowed themselves to be duped for so
long.
Detractors also underestimate the intelligence and
understanding of the masses, for they know that Rizal
lived and died for all of us, not only for an elite class.
The Rizals got rich by selling sugar
Economic Conditions in Rizal’s
Time
●​ A characteristic of the 19th century was the shift of
trade from low-bulk high-priced commodities like spices
to bulky goods of low unit-value like sugar, coffee,
fibers, and oil seeds.
●​ The Philippines rode the wave of bulk commodity
trading that characterized 19th-century commerce.
●​ Exports rose from one million pesos in 1825 to 36.6
million pesos in 1895; imports from 1.85 million pesos
to 25.4 million pesos in the same years.
●​ The British and American merchants made both spot
purchases and crop advances and even stimulated
some development, as the Americans did with abaca.
●​ There was some correlation between geographic
concentration and commodity concentration. The top
four exports—sugar, abaca, tobacco, and
coffee—made up between 56 percent and 95 percent
of total exports.
●​ For imports, textiles made up 30-60 percent of the
imports.
●​ For the whole Philippines, cane sugar production rose
from 6,000 tons in 1810 to 233,000 tons in 1894.
●​ The trade in domestically grown crops meant that the
effects of international commerce reached far into the
countryside and drew new participants into the money
economy.
●​ The new rich were labeled “brutes loaded with gold.”
Displaying their intelligence and aspirations, they sent
their sons to study in Manila and later abroad, and
●​
●​
●​
●​
●​
acquired furniture and other articles of luxury for their
personal use.
The new rich went to Manila to make their purchases
from the leading merchants, who welcomed their
patronage.
In the 19th century, the Philippines greatly expanded its
volume of foreign trade and diversified its economic
structure, with the new money flows circulating far into
the countryside and giving an impulse to the formation
of a native middle class.
Those who controlled large rice-, sugar-, and
abaca-growing lands in Central Luzon, Batangas, parts
of the Bikol region, Negros, and Panay profited the
most.
These included not only the Filipino hacenderos of
Pampanga, Batangas, and Western Visayas, and the
friar orders owning the large haciendas of Bulacan,
Laguna, and Cavite, but also the inquilinos (lessees) of
the friar haciendas.
The prosperity which the new export economy had
brought to some may be illustrated by the case of
Rizal’s Chinese ancestor Domingo Lam-co. When he
had come to the Biñan hacienda in the mid-18th
century, the average holding of an inquilino was 2.9
hectares. When Rizal’s father moved to the Calamba
hacienda, the Rizal family in the 1890s rented from the
hacienda over 390 hectares.
Politics in the Spanish Philippines
●​ The king or queen of Spain was the ruler of the
Philippines. The country was ruled through Mexico via
the Consejo de las Indias or Council of the Indies.
●​ The governor general represented the king or queen.
He had blanket authority during typhoons, floods,
epidemics, earthquakes, etc.
●​ The Real Audiencia was the supreme court. It was
composed of oidores (judges) who checked the
activities of the governor general.
●​ The Real Audiencia gave power to the Residencia to
check the governor general. However, the governor
general was also honorary head of the Real Audiencia.
●​ There was a union of Church and State during the
Spanish Occupation, meaning the Church could
meddle in government matters and the government
could meddle in Church matters. The governor general
was also vice-patron of the Church.
●​ The ayuntamiento in Intramuros was the office of the
governor general. Malacañang Palace was his summer
residence.
●​ Only a peninsular (a Spaniard who was born in Spain)
could become governor general. An insular (a Spaniard
born in the Philippines) and a mestizo could not.
●​ There were two kinds of provinces: the corregimiento
and the alcaldia. A corregimiento, headed by a
corregidor, still had resistance and could not pay taxes.
A corregidor had to be a man knowledgeable in military
strategies.
●​ An alcalde mayor also had to be a peninsular. Most of
the time, he was also a lawyer. What made an alcalde
●​
●​
●​
●​
●​
●​
mayor rich and powerful was his right to engage in
trade.
Under the provincial government was the municipal
government. A town or pueblo was headed by a
gobernadorcillo, also called capitan municipal or simply
capitan.
There were gobernacillos de naturales and
gobernadorcillos de mestizos in some towns. In
Binondo, they were also gobernadorcillos de chinos.
He was voted by thirteen electors, composed of six
former cabezas de barangay (village heads), six
current cabezas and the outgoing gobernadorcillo.
The parish priest had to approve the election of a
gobernadorcillo. If approved, his name was sent to the
alcalde mayor and afterwards forwarded to the
governor general for final approval.
Gobernadorcillos and cabezas were in charge of the
collection of taxes. They had to be rich because they
had to pay for the taxes of people who went to the
mountains.
The highest position a Filipino could occupy was that of
gobernadorcillo.
Social and Cultural Conditions
Under Spain
●​ Spanish influence made its impact on our indigenous
culture. It can be seen through the change in Filipino
names, intermarriages, the plaza complex, fiestas and
●​
●​
●​
●​
●​
other religious rituals, attire and ornaments, house
styles, religion and education.
Many Filipinos did not change their names. They used
names such as Gatmaitan, Gatbonton, Dimalanta,
Dimagiba, Bayani, Magtanggol, Magiting, etc.
At first, the Spaniards did not attempt to change our
naming practices. Those who became Christians chose
Spanish names, usually the names of saints.
Many Filipinos still did not have surnames so confusion
arose. To remedy the situation, Governor General
Narciso Claveria issued a decree in 1849 allowing
Filipinos to change their names.
The Spaniards as a rule did not intermarry with
Filipinos. There were exceptions to this rule, of course.
A child of a Filipino woman and a Spaniard was called
mestizo Español. A child of a Chinese man and a
Filipino woman was called mestizo de Sangley.
Children of Filipinos were called indios (Indians).
Technically those who could be called Filipinos were
the insulares, Spaniards born in the Philippines.
Social Stratification
1.​ Peninsulares
2.​ Insulares
3.​ Mestizos de Español
4.​ Indios
5.​ Mestizos de Sangley
6.​ Chinos
7.​ Infieles (Infidels)
●​ The Spaniards introduced the type of house called
antillean. They are now usually called bahay na bato.
●​
●​
●​
●​
●​
The first floor of the house is made of stone, while the
second floor is made of first-class wood.
Many Filipinos who had contacts with the Spaniards
learned the Spanish language. Such contacts led to
adoptions of Spanish words among many Filipino
languages.
During the early period of Spanish rule, public
education was not available to majority of Filipinos.
In 1863, public primary and secondary schools were
opened to Filipinos. Despite the move, many children
were afraid to go to school because teachers were
often brutal.
With the rise of the middle class, many Filipinos were
able to go colegios such as Ateneo Municipal and San
Juan de Letran. Later, they were admitted to UST.
Filipinos were given a chance to become lawyers,
physicians, teachers, etc., unlike people in other
colonies.
The Rise of Philippine Nationalism
●​ Louis L. Snyder defines nationalism as “a condition of
mind, feeling, or sentiment of a group of people living in
a well-defined geographical area, speaking a common
language, possessing a literature in which the
aspirations of the nation have been expressed, being
attached to common traditions, and, in some cases,
having a common religion.”
●​ A nation is, according to Benedict Anderson, an
“imagined community.”
●​ A nation is limited because it has an official boundary.
A nation is sovereign because it has supreme
authority inside its boundary.
●​ A nation is imagined because it allows members of
the nation to feel a connection with one another even
though they will never meet all other members of the
nation.
●​ A nation is a community because members of the
nation have a deep horizontal comradeship regardless
of their background.
The Opening of Suez Canal
●​ The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 resulted in the
shorter route and travel time between the Philippines
and Spain.
●​ Many progressive Spaniards migrated to the
Philippines.
●​ These Spaniards influenced some educated Filipinos
and soon both were advocating changes in the
administration of the Philippines.
●​ Another effect of the opening of the Suez Canal was
the influx of progressive books and periodicals to the
country.
●​ Educated Filipinos who read about these ideas learned
about democratic practices in Europe such as freedom
of the press and freedom of speech.
●​ Shorter travel time and distance encouraged and
allowed many educated Filipinos to study in European
universities.
Liberalism in the Philippines
●​ The revolutionaries in Spain overthrew Queen Isabella
II and established the Provisional Government in 1868.
The revolution brought some liberal and progressive
Spanish leaders to the Philippines.
●​ One of them was Governor-General Carlos Maria de
la Torre, who arrived in Manila in 1869.
●​ De la Torre’s administration was significant because he
abolished censorship of the press, among other things.
●​ De la Torre’s tenure lasted until 1871. He was replaced
by Rafael de Izquierdo who boasted that he would rule
the Philippines “with a cross in one hand and a sword
in the other.”
The Campaign for Secularization
●​ Priesthood during the Spanish Occupation was
composed of two classes: the regular and the secular.
●​ In the Philippines, the friars or members of religious
orders not only led evangelization among
non-Christians but also held parishes.
●​ The friars had to administer the parishes because there
were only a few seculars in the first century of Spanish
rule.
●​ When Filipinos became seculars they were given
subordinate positions because the friars refused to
vacate the parishes.
●​ This refusal led to controversy between the regulars
and the seculars. This controversy started when the
seculars asked for their right to administer the
parishes.
●​ The first leader of the secularization campaign was Fr.
Pedro Pablo Pelaez (1812-1863), a Spanish mestizo.
●​
●​
●​
●​
●​
After his death, he was succeeded by Fr. Jose Burgos
(1837-1872), also a Spanish mestizo.
Other member priests of the campaign were Spanish
or Chinese mestizos or Filipinos. Among them were
Fr. Mariano Gomez and Fr. Jacinto Zamora.
The mutineers included Filipinos, mestizos and
creoles.
The government ordered the arrest of Filipinos and
mestizos who were allegedly behind the rebellion.
Many priests who were part of the secularization
campaign were arrested. Civilians were also arrested.
Those arrested were exiled to Guam, while Fr. Gomez,
Fr. Burgos and Fr. Zamora were sentenced to death.
The Execution of Gomburza
●​ During the trial of Gomburza, the government failed to
prove convincingly that they were part of the Cavite
Mutiny.
●​ Governor-General de Izquierdo promised to present
documents that would prove the three priests’
involvement but he never did.
●​ In spite of the lack of evidence, the three priests were
sentenced to death by garrote.
●​ On February 17, 1872, the three priests marched from
Fort Santiago to Bagumbayan Field.
●​ Gomburza maintained their innocence until the end.
●​ The Spaniards fled towards Intramuros because they
thought the Filipinos were about to rebel.
●​ The importance of Gomburza’s execution rested on the
fact that the Filipinos who witnessed the event began
to think of themselves as Filipinos, not Ilocanos,
Tagalogs, Visayans etc.
●​ The Filipinos suspected that because they belonged to
a different race, the Spaniards (who thought
themselves superior to Filipinos) took them beasts of
burden.
●​ From that time on, Filipinos began to feel the need for
unity. Jose Rizal, 11 years old in 1872, would later
dedicate El Filibusterismo to Gomburza.
The Life of Jose Rizal
Rizal’s Family
●​ Jose Rizal was born on June 19, 1861 in Calamba,
Laguna.
●​ Rizal’s father, Francisco Engracio Mercado, was a
wealthy farmer who leased lands from the Dominican
friars.
●​ Don Francisco’s earliest ancestors were Siang-co and
Zun-nio, who later gave birth to Lam-co. Lam-co was
from Fujian and migrated to the Philippines in the
1600s. In 1697, he was baptized, adopting Domingo as
his first name. He married Ines de la Rosa of Binondo.
In 1731, they had a son whom they named Francisco
Mercado.
●​ Francisco Mercado became one of the richest persons
in Biñan. His son Juan Mercado married Cirila
Alejandra of Biñan. One of Juan and Cirila’s 13 children
was Francisco Engracio Mercado (1818-1898).
●​ Francisco Engracio Mercado married Teodora Alonso
(1826-1911), who belonged to one of the richest
families in Manila.
●​ Because of Francisco and Teodora’s industry and hard
work, their family became one of the most prominent
principalia families in Calamba.
●​ Jose Rizal (1861-1896) was the seventh among the 11
children of Francisco and Teodora. Jose’s relationship
with his only brother, Paciano (1851-1930), was more
than that of an older brother. Jose highly respected him
and valued his advice.
Childhood and Early Education
●​ Rizal had good memories of his childhood in Calamba.
As a family, the Rizals prayed the Angelus together.
Rizal’s childhood was full of love and care shown to
him by his parents and siblings.
●​ Because of his poor health, Rizal had a personal
servant who would tell him legends and fairy tales.
●​ Doña Teodora was Rizal’s first teacher. Later, he had
private tutors just like the children of the principalia. His
private teachers were Maestro Celestino, Maestro
Lucas Padua, and Maestro Leon Monroy.
●​ At the age of nine, Rizal left Calamba with his brother
to study in Biñan. In Biñan, Rizal excelled in Latin and
Spanish. He also studied painting under Maestro
Juancho.
●​ Rizal returned to Calamba on December 17, 1870 after
one-and-a half year of schooling in Biñan.
Student of Manila
●​ Rizal was sent by Don Francisco to Ateneo Municipal
to study Bachiller en Artes (Bachelor of Arts). He took
the entrance exam on June 10, 1872, four months after
the execution of Gomburza.
●​ Rizal took Paciano’s advice to use the name Jose Rizal
instead of Jose Mercado.
●​ Ateneo was known to offer the best education for boys.
Ateneo was managed by the Jesuits, who were not
regarded as friars.
●​ Students in Ateneo were divided into two groups, the
Romans (boarding students) and the Carthaginians
(non-boarding students). After a month in Ateneo, he
became “emperor,” the most outstanding student in
class.
●​ Rizal was an excellent student at the Ateneo, where he
studied from 1872 to1877. He graduated in 1877 with
the degree of Bachelor of Arts with the highest honors
(sobresaliente).
●​ After finishing Bachelor of Arts, Rizal was sent by Don
Francisco to UST. Rizal studied Philosophy and Letters
during his first year (1877-1878) at UST, while studying
a surveying course in Ateneo.
●​ In his second year at UST, Rizal shifted to Medicine
after learning his mother’s failing eyesight. He took the
Pre-Medical and Medical courses at the same time.
●​ Rizal’s academic performance in UST was not as
impressive as his performance in Ateneo. Nonetheless,
he was still one of seven students who remained in the
Medicine course in his last year at UST out of the
original batch of 24.
Rizal in Europe
●​ In 1882 Rizal and Paciano decided that Rizal would go
to Europe to complete his medical studies. On May 3,
Rizal left the Philippines for Spain.
●​ Rizal arrived in Barcelona on June 16. His former
Ateneo classmates organized a welcome party for him
at a coffee house in Plaza de Cataluña. In Barcelona,
Rizal found time to write the essay “El Amor Patrio,”
which was later published on August 20, 1882 in
Diariong Tagalog where he used the pen name Laong
Laan.
●​ Rizal moved to Madrid where he enrolled in Medicine
and Philosophy and Letters at the Universidad Central
de Madrid on November 3, 1882.
●​ He also took lessons in painting and sculpture at the
Academia de San Fernando, and classes in French,
English, and German at the Madrid Ateneo. He also
enrolled in fencing at the schools of Sanz and
Carbonell.
●​ Rizal obtained the degree of Licentiate in Medicine for
passing the medical examinations in June 1884. With
the Licentiate in Medicine, Rizal was able to practice
medicine.
●​ Rizal continued to courses that would lead to a
Doctorate in Medicine but the degree was not awarded
to him because he could not pay the fees required to
defend his thesis.
●​ Rizal also obtained the degree Licentiate in Philosophy
and Letters from the Universidad Central de Madrid on
June 19, 1885 with a rating of sobresaliente (excellent).
●​ In between his studies, Rizal made time for meeting
fellow Filipinos in Madrid. Known as ilustrados
(enlightened ones), these Filipinos formed the Circulo
Hispano-Filipino which had activities such as poetry
reading and debates.
●​ In a reunion of Filipinos in the Madrid house of Pedro
Paterno on January 2, 1884, Rizal proposed the writing
of a novel about Philippine society. It was in Madrid that
Rizal wrote the first half of Noli Me Tangere.
●​ While in Madrid, Rizal was exposed to liberal ideas
through the masons he met. He was impressed with
the masons’ view about knowledge and reasoning and
how they valued brotherhood. Rizal joined the Lodge
Solidaridad on November 15, 1890.
●​ Rizal joined fellow Filipinos at the house of Don Pablo
Ortiga y Rey where he met and became attracted to
Consuelo, Don Pablo’s daughter. However, Rizal did
not pursue her because of his commitment to Leonor
Rivera.
●​ Rizal specialized in ophthalmology and trained under
the leading ophthalmologists in Europe like Dr. Louis
de Wecker of Paris for whom he worked as an
assistant from October 1885 to March 1886.
●​ In Germany, he also worked with expert
ophthalmologists Dr. Javier Galezowsky and Dr. Otto
Becker in 1886 and Dr. R. Schulzer and Dr.
Schwiegger in 1887.
●​ In Germany, Rizal befriended scholars such as
Fredrich Ratzel, Ferdinand Blumentritt, Feodor Jagor,
and Hans Virchow.
●​ Rizal wrote a paper entitled Tagalische Verkunst
(Tagalog Metrical Art). It was also in Berlin where Rizal
finished Noli Me Tangere which was published on
March 21, 1887 with a loan from his friend Maximo
Viola.
●​ Rizal went back to Calamba on August 8, 1887. He
spent his time with his family and kept himself busy by
opening a medical clinic and curing the sick. He
became known as Doctor Uliman because he was
mistaken for a German.
●​ Rizal’s vacation was interrupted because of the friars’
negative reaction to the Noli Me Tangere. He left the
Philippines for the second time on February 16, 1888.
Rizal in Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, and the United States
●​ Rizal met in Hong Kong Jose Ma. Basa and Balbino
Mauricio who were exiled after the events of 1872. He
also visited nearby Macau.
●​ Rizal arrived in Yokohama on February 28, 1888 and
stayed in Tokyo. Rizal thought Japan was beautiful and
the Japanese people were industrious, clean, honest,
and polite. He also thought Japanese women were
charming.
●​ Rizal also met and became attracted to Usui Seiko
(Osei San), who worked at the Spanish Consulate in
Tokyo.
●​ Rizal left Japan on April 13, 1888 and arrived in San
Francisco on April 28, 1888. He landed in San
Francisco on May 5, 1888. He crossed the continent
and arrived in New York City on May 13, 1888.
●​ Rizal thought that the United States was a land of great
opportunity especially for immigrants. However, Rizal
complained about the racial prejudice of the
Americans. According to him, “America is the land par
excellence of freedom but only for the whites.”
●​ Rizal left New York on May 16, 1888 and arrived in
Liverpool on May 24, 1888.
Rizal’s Second Trip to Europe
●​ In his second trip to Europe, Rizal became more active
in the Propaganda Movement with fellow ilustrados
such as Marcelo H. Del Pilar, Graciano Lopez Jaena,
Antonio Luna, and Mariano Ponce.
●​ The Propaganda Movement campaigned for the
following:
○​ The Philippines to be made a province of Spain
(not an “overseas province”) so that Filipinos
would have the same rights accorded to
Spaniards
○​ Representation of the Philippines in the
Spanish Cortes
○​ Secularization of the parishes
●​ Rizal published articles and essays in the Propaganda
Movement’s newspaper, La Solidaridad. Among them
were Sobre La Indolencia de los Filipinos (On the
Indolence of the Filipinos) and Filipinas Dentro de Cien
Años (The Philippines a Century Hence).
●​ Rizal also published in Europe his annotation of
Antonio de Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas
(Events in the Philippine Islands)
●​ By July 1891, while in Brussels, Rizal completed his
second novel, El Filibusterismo, which was published
on September 18, 1891 in Ghent through the help of
his friend, Valentin Ventura.
●​ Rizal left Europe for good on October 18, 1891 and
arrived in Hong Kong on November 20, 1891. Rizal set
up two medical clinics in Hong Kong.
●​ Rizal decided to return to the Philippines thinking that
the real struggle was in his homeland. He arrived on
June 26, 1892 and he encouraged his friends to join La
Liga Filipina, which he later established on July 3,
1892.
●​ Unfortunately, Rizal was arrested on July 6, 1892 and
brought to Fort Santiago. He was accused of bringing
from Hong Kong leaflets called Pobres Frailes (Poor
Friars). In spite of his denial, Rizal was exiled to
Dapitan in Mindanao.
Exile in Dapitan
●​ Dapitan became Rizal’s home from 1892 to 1896. He
practiced medicine, pursued scientific studies, and
continued his artistic pursuits.
●​ Rizal established a school for boys and engaged in
farming and commerce.
●​ On September 21, 1892, Rizal won second prize in a
lottery together with Dapitan commandant Captain
Ricardo Carnicero. Rizal’s share, 6,200 pesos, was
used to buy land in Talisay, approximately one
kilometer away from Dapitan. Rizal built a house,
school, and hospital in Talisay.
●​ George Taufer travelled to Dapitan from Hong Kong.
He was accompanied by his adopted daughter,
Josephine Bracken, who fell in love with Rizal.
●​ Rizal and Josephine lived as husband and wife in
Rizal’s house after being denied the sacrament of
marriage by Father Obach, the parish priest of Dapitan,
due to Rizal’s refusal to retract his statements against
the Church.
●​ On the eve of June 21, 1896, Dr. Pio Valenzuela visited
Rizal in Dapitan and informed him about the Katipunan
and the impending revolution. Rizal objected to it, citing
the importance of a well-planned movement with
sufficient arms.
●​ Meanwhile, Rizal asked Governor-General Ramon
Blanco for a review of his case. He said that if his
request would not be granted, he would volunteer to
serve as a surgeon under the Spanish army fighting in
the Cuban revolution.
●​ Rizal’s request to go to Cuba was approved on July 30,
1896. The next day, he left for Manila. On August 6,
1896, he boarded Castilla. On September 2, Rizal left
onboard Isla de Panay.
●​ Upon arriving in Barcelona, Governor-General
Despujol told him that there was an order to ship him
back to Manila. On November 3, 1896, Rizal arrived in
Manila and was immediately brought to Fort Santiago.
Trial and Execution
●​ The preliminary investigation of Rizal’s case began on
November 20, 1896. He was accused of being the
main organizer of the revolution by proliferating ideas
of rebellion and of founding illegal organizations.
●​ Rizal pleaded not guilty and even wrote a manifesto
appealing to the revolutionaries to discontinue the
fighting. However, the Spanish authorities were not
happy with the manifesto and did not issue it.
●​ Rizal’s lawyer, Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade, tried his best
to save Rizal. On December 26, 1896, the trial ended
and the sentence was read. Rizal was found guilty and
sentenced to death by firing squad.
●​ On December 28, 1896, Governor-General Camilo de
Polavieja signed the court decision and decreed that
Rizal be executed at 7:00am on December 30, 1896.
●​ Rizal, on his last remaining days, composed his
longest poem, Mi Ultimo Adios, his farewell to the
Filipino people.
●​ When his mother and sisters visited him on December
29, 1896, Rizal gave away his remaining possessions.
●​ Rizal handed his gas lamp to his sister Trinidad and
murmured softly in English, “There is something
inside.” Trinidad and Maria would later extract from the
lamp the copy of Rizal’s last poem.
●​ After his family left, Jesuits Father Jose Vilaclara and
Father Vicente Balaguer arrived to convince him to
retract from freemasonry.
●​ At around 10:00pm a draft of retraction arrived from
Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda. Father Balaguer
showed Rizal another draft made by Jesuit Father Pio
Pi. Rizal liked Father Pi’s draft but wanted to include
his Catholic upbringing and education. At 11:30pm
Rizal signed the retraction document.
●​ After signing the document, Rizal had confession with
Father Vilaclara.
●​
●​ At 1:30am on December 30, 1896, Rizal woke up,
prayed, and confessed again. He confessed four times.
Rizal also prayed the Rosary in between confessions.
●​ After confessing for the last time, Rizal heard Mass and
received Communion on his knees.
●​ At 5:00am, Rizal ate breakfast and autographed his
books. Narcisa Rizal and Josephine Bracken arrived.
Rizal requested that he and Josephine finally be
married. Father Balaguer married Rizal and Josephine.
Rizal gave Josephine his autographed copy of The
Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis.
●​ At 6:30am on December 30, 1896, Rizal walked to
Bagumbayan. The orders were given and shots were
fired. “Consummatum est (It is finished!),” Rizal cried
when he was shot. Rizal died offering his life for his
country and its freedom.