Rizal Reviewer

The Essence of Research in the Study of Rizal

The study of the life and works of Jose Rizal is a result of decades of research about Jose Rizal, as well as
the study about the conditions of the Philippines during the Spanish Colonization. In essence, the life of
Jose Rizal and the country's social conditions during the Spanish Colonization are inextricable. Since the
term "research" has been mentioned, let us define what it is.

Research is a systematic method of investigating and studying materials to establish facts and
conclusions. Thus, we establish truths and information based on concrete, substantial evidence.

Interview is the method of obtaining information through an interchange of questions and answers.
The researcher personally asks someone about something, which is reciprocated with information,
which can be scrutinized later when corroborated with other pieces of evidence obtained in other
means.

The Philippines During the Spanish Colonization

The Philippines, before it was colonized, had been a thriving civilization, with its own established
cultures, traditions, ways of living, religions, and laws. This was also when we had established trade
relations with nearby countries, such as China and Indonesia, among others.

Junk (i.e., trading boat).

Datu, the leader, and prime defender of the community

Casta - The casta is divided into sections, which dictated their tax value.
Tax-Free
 Peninsulares
 Americano
 Insulares
Variable Tax Value
Mestizaje:
 Mestizo de Español
 Mestizo de Bombay
 Mestizo de Sangley
 Tornatras
Filipinos and the Negritos pay only the base value, making them the only ones who pay the minimum
amount. The Sangleys are the pure-blooded Chinese who lived in the country. They pay to quadruple the
base amount because of their business and labor skills. The mestizaje is the racially ambiguous people
who paid tax based on their lineage and status. As an example, if a Sangley businessman had a mestiza
de Sangley, daughter, the daughter would pay half as much as her father's tax rate. However, should the
mestiza daughter marry an Americano, who paid zero tax alongside the insulares and the peninsulares,
her tax would be removed altogether.

However, the treatment she would receive from the masses would remain the same. Indians also lived in
the country, but they were not part of the casta. Below the blancos (i.e., the "tax-free" casta) were the
mestizaje, whose casta were based on their parentage. Mixed blood by nature, their status often
fluctuated, and their taxes were the same as the indios (except for the mestizo de Sangleys). Of the four
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(4) mestizos, the Tornatras were the lowest because they had more than two (2) racial parentages,
hinting that the Tornatras had the most intermingling of races.

We can use the following celebrities and heroes as examples:

 Paul Patrick Gruenberg "Polo Ravales
Heritage: Filipino-German (possibly multiracial to his Filipino side)
Casta: Tornatras

 Trinidad Hermenigildo Pardo de Tavera

Heritage: Spanish (born in the Philippines)
Casta: Insulares (Mestizo de Español in some references)

 Kristina Bernadette Aquino "Kris Aquino"

Heritage: Filipino-Chinese
Casta: Mestizo de Sangley

 Cesar Manhilot "Cesar Montano"

Heritage: Filipino
Casta: Indio

 Ramon Bagatsing III "Raymond Bagatsing"

Heritage: Filipino-Indian (surname Filipinized from Indian Bhagat Singh)
Casta: Mestizo de Bombay

 Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda

Heritage: Multiracial
Casta: Tornatras (however, he was considered a mestizo de Sangley)

Along with the establishment of the casta was the implementation of the polo and bandala. Polo is the
forced labor imposed upon Filipino men aged 16-60 years. They were required to do skilled labor for 40
days, which was reduced to 15 days. Filipinos can be exempted from this labor in two (2) ways: 1. They
had to pay a fine (called a falla); or 2. Work until they paid their debt.

The History of Land Ownership and Peasantry in the Philippines

During Rizal's education in the Philippines, Paciano provided ample funding for his younger brother to
study abroad. This made Rizal a member of the ilustrado, an expatriate whose sole purpose abroad was
to study. However, when Rizal arrived and settled in Europe, problems began to rise in Calamba
regarding the lands owned by his family. The problems with agrarian ownership have been a long-
standing problem in the country, which was more evident during the Spanish Occupation. This was when
the local serfs (i.e., the aliping namamahay) were stripped of their lands by the Spaniards, who used
these lands for their own. These lands were cultivated by the same natives who were once the former
owners. Such problems began to expound when friars became the owners, particularly in Negros and
Calamba. In Calamba, the Dominicans began to exploit the natives with their ever-fluctuating tax values.
This was viewed by the Calambeños as abusive and began to argue with the abusive Dominicans --
especially when they grabbed the lands owned by the Mercados. They at first appealed to the local
government but were ignored due to the influence of the Dominicans in the place. Thus, they prompted
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Rizal to conduct an investigation, whose reports would be submitted to a local judge connected to
Paciano to even the odds. However, in the end, their protestations fell onto deaf ears.

The Cavite Mutiny

The Cavite Mutiny was one (1) of the aftermaths of the civil war that erupted in Spain during Queen
Isabella II's reign. On 27 February 1767, King Carlos III of Spain ordered the complete expulsion of the
sect of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) from Spain and all her colonies. Then Governor-General Raon tried
to help the religious order in exchange for bribes. Once the Jesuits destroyed their documents and hid all
their possessions, there was a shortage of priests when Raon died before being punished by his
successor. Then Manila archbishop Basilio Sancho de Santa Justa spearheaded the conversion and
ordainment of Filipinos into the priesthood, which was heavily opposed. This argument came to be
known as the secularization issue. Back then, news traveled slowly. When then Governor-General Carlos
Maria de la Torre was still in the country, he received a letter about his reinstatement without knowing
about the civil war in Spain. Upon his departure, his liberal program was stunted upon the sudden arrival
of Rafael Geronimo Cayetano Izquierdo. Izquierdo noted that he would rule the Philippines "with a cross
in one hand and a sword in the other". Thus, with a strict regime, the lives of the Filipinos began to
crumble. When the mutiny occurred, the Spanish friars accused Filipino priest Jose Burgos, along with a
few other secular priests, to be the masterminds of the event, despite being truly driven by the Filipinos'
desires of escaping polo in Cavite, the "Land of the Brave". Due to the friar's influence, three (3) Filipino
priests -- Mariano Gomez, Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora -- were implicated in the trial by another fellow
Filipino, Francisco Zaldua (Saldua in other references). This event, among many others, paved the way to
drive out Spain.

ALL ABOUT CAVITE

 It is located in the south portion of Luzon island.
• Tinapa is widely regarded as the one (1) of the products being sold and exported from this place.
• It owns Corregidor island, one of the naval defenses of the country.
• It’s been nicknamed “Land of the Brave” and the “History Capital” of the country because of its
involvement in our history.
• Emilio Aguinaldo was here

Defining Expatriates and Novels Expatriate

• An expatriate is someone working outside their home country.
o Ex, [Latin] “out”
o Patros, [Greek] “father”
▪ Patriotes, [Greek], “someone devoted to his country”
We all have our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who serve as our expatriates [Gk. ex- ("beyond,
outside") + patros ("father"), "beyond the father's abode"], people who work outside the country. There
are many reasons why people work abroad, with one most common reason being to support their
families because of meager job opportunities in the country. Particularly in our country, we had been
sending expatriates since the Spanish Occupation, which can be seen in the ilustrados.

About Novels
• A novel is a longer piece of narrative fiction that is often published as a book and written in prose.
o Novus, [Latin] “new”
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Deconstructing Noli Me Tangere Basic Information

Novel:Title Noli Me Tangere

Publication; Year 1887
Chapters: 64 (one [1] is hidden)
Main Protagonist: Crisostomo Ibarra
Main Antagonist: Corrupt friars and members of the Blancos
Literary Style: Fiction, Satire
Inspiration: Expose the social cancers in the Philippines
Emphasis
- Filipina devotion and influence over man
- Gratitude
- Filipino common sense

 The title Noli Me Tangere is a Latin phrase which means "Touch me not." This has been the
common translation known by many, but only a few know its origin. The Latin phrase was
explained by Rizal as a response by Jesus after Mary Magdalene had touched him, as mentioned
in the Bible (David, n.d.). Literally translated as "Don't touch me," it can also be translated as
"Don't cling to me."
 Noli Me Tangere is originally published in 1887 in Europe. It took all of Rizal's money, time, and
effort to do this. It was supposed to be a collection of stories made by him and his Ilustrado
friends that would provide a window to the slice-of-life tales in the Philippines, as well as the
social conditions and injustices that were happening back then. But, due to their constant
partying and gambling, Rizal himself was offended and took the responsibility himself to write
the book
 The novel has 63 known chapters, but some modern-day books used in junior high schools
feature a copy of the novel with an extra hidden chapter explaining the origin of Elias (Rizal,
1887). This is in part of Rizal writing the chapter but left unmarked because he didn't know
where to place it in the established continuum of Noli Me Tangere.
 A protagonist is a character that plays a pivotal part in the story regardless of their role, but
many interpret it as the "good guys" in the story
 An antagonist is a character that provides conflict to the story. This is usually attributed to the
villains of the story. In Noli Me Tangere, there are various antagonists with varying degrees of
villainy.
 A story's literary style, or genre, is the element that drives a story. It can be based on reality or in
a completely made-up world. Noli Me Tangere, as a novel, is considered both as a fiction and
satire.

• Fiction is a genre that describes a story that isn't found or based on reality. Fictional stories
are the ones that can be a completely made-up world, scenarios, and people, or it can be based
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on real ones with made-up elements mixed in between. Most TV dramas are fictional in nature.
Noli Me Tangere is a fictional novel because it takes some real-life places in the country, but Rizal
added a few fictional places and people to represent the small barrios and slice-of-life activities.

• A satire is a genre that uses exaggeration, humor, irony, or ridicule to expose human stupidity
or vices. This is an excellent genre to use if the story revolves around politics or major issues.
Noli Me Tangere satirizes the Roman Catholic church, the Colonial government, and the
Peninsulares.

The Reasons Why Noli was Written

• Disprove accusations made by Spaniards to Filipinos
• Express the true social conditions of the country
• Express the plight of the Filipinos
• Expose the wrong doings of the friars

The Effects
• Established the Filipino national identity and consciousness
• Indirectly influenced the Philippine Revolution
• Openly expressed the wrongdoings of friars

The Controversies
• Rizal was accused as a German spy
• The novel was “heretical”, “impious”, and “scandalous”
• The Calamba Land Dispute
• The Trials of the Rizal Law

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