CHAPTER 1: Life and Works of Rizal

Claro M. Recto was the main proponent of the Rizal Bill. Recto fought “tooth and nail” to get
the Rizal Bill passed into law in 1956.
R.A. 1425
 the law was enacted on June 12, 1956
 through the initiative of Senator Jose P. Laurel
 it was executed by the National Commission on Education thirty days after its
publication from the “Official Gazette” (August 16, 1956).
 the law primarily mandates all private and public schools to include in their curricula the
life and works of Dr. Jose P. Rizal
 it also aims to promote nationalism as exemplified through the life of the Filipino hero;
our independence and Filipino values should be inculcated in the minds of the Filipino
youth
 factors in determining the greatness of a person (according to Xenophon):
 just
 patient
 courageous
 bearer of wisdom
 respectful
 nationalist
 Rizal – “one of the greatest Filipinos”
PROVISIONS OF THE RIZAL LAW (R.A. 1425)
 Rationale of the law
 To promote nationalism as exemplified through the life of the Filipino hero.
 To appreciate the importance of valuing our independence and values as Filipinos.
Section 1
 The law mandates all private and public schoolsto include in their curricula the life and
works of Jose P. Rizal, including NoliMe Tangereand El Filibusterismo.
 The unabridged versions of NoliMe Tangereand El Filibusterismoshall be used as basic
texts in tertiary level.
The First Philippine Commission, which was headed by William Howard Taft, enumerated
the qualifying criteria in choosing the Philippines’ national hero. These are:
 Filipino citizen
 Patriot/nationalist
 Has already been dead
 Patient
Nominees aside from Dr. Rizal
 Marcelo Del Pilar - garnered the majority of votes
 Graciano Lopez-Jaena
 Antonio Luna
 Emilio Jacinto
Issues about Dr. Rizal:
 Rizal was rumored as the illegitimate son of Hitler
 Rizal should not be proclaimed as the national hero because of his cowardice to fight
the colonizers through revolution
 Rizal was considered as an “American made hero”
Ocampo’s Arguments
 Rizal is known in the Philippine history as a hero who opposed the Philippine revolution
against Spain. According to him, the uprising against a Western colonial power was
premature because of his countrymen’s level of maturity on nationalism at that time.
 Rizal’s heroism was overemphasized by the Americans. Such American-sponsored
veneration brought Andres Bonifacio, Apolinario Mabini, and Emilio Aguinaldo, among
others as second-rate heroes. The thing is, Rizal was already viewed as a hero even
before his execution in Bagumbayan on December 30, 1896.
 As a matter of fact, President Emilio Aguinaldo declared the day of Rizal’s death on
December 30, 1896 as an “annual day of national mourning in honor of Rizal.”
  Granted that he did not participate in any of the revolutionary activities against Spain but
he served as the inspiration of our freedom fighters to continue the revolution. Rizal was
truly “the soul of the Philippine Revolution” (Ocampo, 2000)
Constantino’s Arguments
 Rizal’s pre-eminence among other Filipino heroes was partly the result of American
sponsorship.
 Governor William H. Taft was quoted in one of his statements that Rizal was “the
greatest Filipino, a physician, a novelist and a poet (who) because of his struggle for a
betterment of conditions under Spanish rule, was unjustly convicted and shot…”
 The Americans wanted a national hero who would not oppose policies with regard to
American colonial rule in the Philippines.
International and Local Events During the Birth of the National Hero
 On April 12, 1861 the issue on slavery was raised in American public arena;
“Emancipation Proclamation”
 Benito Juarez was elected as the president of Mexico.
 Emperor Napoleon III decided to conquer Mexico but he failed to get military
support from the U.S.
 Juarez still defended his state by organizing Indian and Mexican fighters
 Emergence of Western Imperialism in England
 On July 8, 1853, Commodore Matthew C. Perry re-opened Japan to the international
community
 After two hundred years of its isolation (protectionism), the Japanese society and
government embracedsome Western influences.
 The Holy Father issued his decision on the conflict between Spain and Germany with
regard to the sovereignty of Carolines and Palau on October 22, 1885. He favored
Spain over Germany and provided two concessions to the latter state. These were:
 Germany should not be restricted to trade with Carolines and Palau.
 Germany has all the rights to erect a coaling station in Yap.
 Italy and Germany successfully united against France.
 Spain colonized Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. This was the result of its
weakening influence to Latin American and Central American countries.
Local Events
 Political unrest in the Spanish government the political instability was reflected through
the frequent amendments in their constitutions (total of four constitutions), elections of
twenty eight parliament members, revolutions, among others
 Representation in the Spanish Cortes
 The Philippines was granted the opportunity to send a representative to the
Spanish Parliament.
 The first recorded Filipino representative in the Spanish Cortes is Delos Reyes
 Deprivation of human rights
 despite the adoption of the Spanish Constitution of 1812, the colonial Spain
continued to violate the rights of every Filipino people
Corrupt Spanish Officials
 Spain’s government officials were classified into two groups:
 Incompetent and corrupt government officials
 Siglo de Oro – ‘lesser evil’ government officials; ORO = GOLD
 Inequality
 Such inequality is reflected through colonial laws, code and religion.
 Racial Discrimination
 unequal treatment of the Spanish colonizers towards the natives. The colonizers
equated being a Filipino as an inferior characteristic. As a result, racial prejudice
was widespread in the military, educational institutions, and social Circles
 Emergence of Landlordism and Feudalism
 The king owns a vast majority of estate.
 large mass of land is divided (which is according to the desire of the king) and
distributed in various sizes to the
o ‘feudal lords.’ ( feudal lords can be a military general, a well-skilled)
 o soldier, a religious leader, among others

JOSE RIZAL’S FAMILY

Jose P. Rizal, considered as one of the greatest men in the world, was blessed by the Lord
with so much talents and skills which he used to help his countrymen.
For the record, Jose Rizal was:
 Satirist – a writer of literary compositions which reflect humorous but ironical works
 Polemicist – a person who is engaged in religious controversy
 Bibliophile – a person who is fond of collecting books
 Philologist – closely associated to being a linguist
 Geographer
 Grammarian
 Magician
 Novelist – El Filibusterismo and Noli Me Tangere
 Martyr
 Physician – ophthalmic surgeon
 Painter
 Poet
 Engineer
 Folklorist
 Cartographer – a person who drafts/draws maps,
 Sportsman
 Surveyor
 Ethnologist
 Architect
 Educator
 Sculptor
 Businessman (farmer)
“Jack-of-all-trade”

Family Pedigree
Profile:
 Date of birth: June 19, 1861 (Wednesday)
 Place of birth: Calamba, Laguna (Rizal’s residence)
 He was baptized on June 22, 1861 by Father Rufino Collantes.
 His god father is Father Pedro Casanas
 The child was named after St. Joseph. Doña Teodora Alonzo was a devotee of the
aforementioned saint.
Parents:
 Father: Francisco Mercado Rizal
 Date of birth: May 11, 1818
 Place of birth: Biñan, Laguna
 Educational Background: Degree in Latin and Philosophy at Colegio de San Jose,
Manila
Mother: Teodora Alonzo
 Date of birth: November 8, 1826
 Educational Background: Colegio de Santa Rosa (She was a mathematician and she
was fluent in speaking Español).
SIBLINGS:
 Saturnina (1850-1913)
 Pet name: Neneng
 Husband: Manuel T. Hidalgo (from Batangas)
 Paciano (1851-1930)
 Wife: Severina Recena
  Narcisa (1852-1939)
 Pet name: Sisa
 Husband: Antonio Lopes (Teacher from Morong)
 Olimpia (1855-1887)
 Pet name: Ympia
 Husband: Silvestre Ubaldo (Telegraph operator fromManila)
 Lucia (1857-1919)
 Husband: Mariano Herbosa of Calamba (nephew of Father Casanas)
 Maria (1859-1945)
 Pet name: Biang
 Husband: Daniel Faustino Cruz (from Binan, Laguna)
 Jose (1861-1896)
 Concepcion (1862-1865)
 Pet name: Concha
 Josefa (1865-1945)
 Pet name: Panggoy
 Trinidad (1868-1951)
 Pet name: Trining
 Soledad (1870-1929)
 Pet name: Choleng
 Husband: Pantaleon Quintero (from Calamba)

Rizal’s Forefathers
Rizal’s blood had the combination of the following races:
 Negrito
 Indonesian
 Malay
 Chinese
 Japanese
 Spanish
Rizal also had a good Asian appearance in terms of physical features
His ancestor on his father’s side was
 Domingo Lamco, a Chinese immigrant from Fukien City, Changcow, China
Dona Teodora’s ancestor was the great Lakandula of Tondo; she also had a blood from her
Japanese ancestor Eusebia Ursua who was married to Benigna

‘Rizal’ and the Calamba Residence

The original surname of the Rizal family is ‘Mercado’ the surname ‘Rizal’ was given to the clan
by a Spanish alcalde mayor
Calamba residence: a two-storey building with a rectangular shape which depicts the simplicity
of a colonial town
Some of their properties:
 Horse carriage
 A library with 1,000 volumes of books