Page |1

Republic of the Philippines

PRESIDENT RAMON MAGSAYSAY STATE UNIVERSITY
(Formerly Ramon Magsaysay Technological University)
College of Teacher Education
Iba, Zambales, Philippines

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Introduction

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1425

AN ACT TO INCLUDE IN THE CURRICULA OF ALL PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS,

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES COURSES ON THE LIFE, WORKS AND WRITINGS OF JOSE
RIZAL, PARTICULARLY HIS NOVELS NOLI ME TANGERE AND EL FILIBUSTERISMO,
AUTHORIZING THE PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION THEREOF, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

WHEREAS, today, more than any other period of our history, there is a need for a re-dedication to the ideals of
freedom and nationalism for which our heroes lived and died;

WHEREAS, it is meet that in honoring them, particularly the national hero and patriot, Jose Rizal, we
remember with special fondness and devotion their lives and works that have shaped the national character;

WHEREAS, the life, works and writing of Jose Rizal, particularly his novels Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo, are a constant and inspiring source of patriotism with which the minds of the youth, especially
during their formative and decisive years in school, should be suffused;

WHEREAS, all educational institutions are under the supervision of, and subject to regulation by the State, and
all schools are enjoined to develop moral character, personal discipline, civic conscience and to teach the duties
of citizenship; Now, therefore,

SECTION 1. Courses on the life, works and writings of Jose Rizal, particularly his novel Noli Me Tangere and
El Filibusterismo, shall be included in the curricula of all schools, colleges and universities, public or private:
Provided, That in the collegiate courses, the original or unexpurgated editions of the Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo or their English translation shall be used as basic texts.

The Board of National Education is hereby authorized and directed to adopt forthwith measures to implement
and carry out the provisions of this Section, including the writing and printing of appropriate primers, readers
and textbooks. The Board shall, within sixty (60) days from the effectivity of this Act, promulgate rules and
regulations, including those of a disciplinary nature, to carry out and enforce the provisions of this Act. The
Board shall promulgate rules and regulations providing for the exemption of students for reasons of religious
belief stated in a sworn written statement, from the requirement of the provision contained in the second part of
the first paragraph of this section; but not from taking the course provided for in the first part of said paragraph.
Said rules and regulations shall take effect thirty (30) days after their publication in the Official Gazette.

SECTION 2. It shall be obligatory on all schools, colleges and universities to keep in their libraries an adequate
number of copies of the original and unexpurgated editions of the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, as
 Page |2

well as of Rizal’s other works and biography. The said unexpurgated editions of the Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo or their translations in English as well as other writings of Rizal shall be included in the list of
approved books for required reading in all public or private schools, colleges and universities.

The Board of National Education shall determine the adequacy of the number of books, depending upon the
enrollment of the school, college or university.

SECTION 3. The Board of National Education shall cause the translation of the Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo, as well as other writings of Jose Rizal into English, Tagalog and the principal Philippine
dialects; cause them to be printed in cheap, popular editions; and cause them to be distributed, free of charge, to
persons desiring to read them, through the Purok organizations and Barrio Councils throughout the country.

SECTION 4. Nothing in this Act shall be construed as amendment or repealing section nine hundred twenty-
seven of the Administrative Code, prohibiting the discussion of religious doctrines by public school teachers
and other person engaged in any public school.

SECTION 5. The sum of three hundred thousand pesos is hereby authorized to be appropriated out of any fund
not otherwise appropriated in the National Treasury to carry out the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Learning Outcomes:

1. It embraces the youth’s role in national building. It shall also include the important episodes in Rizal’s
life with emphasis on his literary works; Novels, Poems, essays and letters. It presents a new perspective
on Rizal true worth as a conscientious builder of the Filipino nation with a clear view of its aspirations
and as a champion of the rights of the Filipinos. It presents a new dimension to Rizal’s role as a citizen
of the world in espousing and defending human rights ad fundamental freedom.

2. Students understand and appreciate the contributions of Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal and heroines to our
national heritage, the influences of their thoughts on our basic life and destiny of the Philippine
Republic, and the universality of their principles.

19TH CENTURY PHILIPPINES AS RIZAL CONTEXT:

- Philippine era was the era of challenges and responses.

- It is the period of major changes that affect man and society.
- Age of enlightenment.

GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONALISM

Nationalism- is a sense of loyalty or psychological attachment that members of a nation share, based on a
common language, history, culture, and desire for independence. It is a feeling that drives a people together as a
nation. It is love of country expressed in devotion to and advocacy of national interest and independence.

The growth of nationalism can be attributed to two major revolution of the earlier century;

- The American revolution of 1776; and

- The French revolution
 Page |3

The American Revolution gave birth to the United States of America. On the other hand, French Revolution led
to the Bourbon Dynasty and the abolition of the feudal system.

The ideology of the French Revolution;

Liberty
Fraternity
Equality
It had influenced subject peoples to cast off the yoke of colonialism by means of armed uprising.
There are three points that stand out in this complex ideology;

1. Nationalism has evolved from a real and or imagined cultural unity manifesting itself in a common
language, history and territory.
2. Nationalists have usually sought to turn this cultural unity into political reality so that the territory of
each people coincides with its state boundaries.
3. Nationalist believed that every nation has the right to exist in freedom and develop its character and
spirit.

a. Negative side of Nationalism:

- The ideas of national superiority and national mission can lead to aggressive crusades and counter
crusades.
- Nationalism can also stress differences among peoples.

b. Rise and gradual spread of liberalism and democracy

- The principal ideas of liberalism- liberty and equality- were first realized successfully in the American
Revolution and then achieved in part in the French Revolution. This political and social philosophy
challenged conservatism in the European continent.
- Liberalism demanded representative government as opposed to autocratic monarchy, equality before the
law as opposed to legally separate classes. The idea of liberty also meant to specific individual
freedoms: freedom of the press: freedom of speech, freedom of assembly; and freedom from arbitrary
arrest.
- Democracy became a way of life in many European countries, like Britain, Belgium, and Switzerland.
- Democracy was gradually established thru the following means:

 Promulgating of laws that advance democracy;

 Undertaking of reforms thru legislation; abolition of slavery;
 Adoption of a liberal constitution: providing the citizens the:
 Opportunity to propose laws:
 Adoption of manhood suffrage: and
 Granting of political, economic, and social rights to the people.

The Industrial Revolution

One of the most crucial developments in the 19 th century was the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial
Revolution refers to the transformation of manufacturing brought about by the invention and use of the
machines. This development started in England and later on spread into Belgium, France, Germany, and even in
the United States.

I. Positive effects of Industrial Revolution:

 Page |4

1. The rise of the factory system;

2. Mass production of essential and non-essentials goods;
3. Improvement of peoples standard of living
4. Greater urbanization of society
5. Beginnings of specialization or division of labor;
6. Invention of labor-saving devices;
7. The beginnings of industrial capitalism
8. Fostering of liberalism and nationalism; and
9. Encouragement of people’s mobility.

II. Negative effects of Industrial Revolution:

1. Widening of gap between the rich and the poor:
2. Unending economic warfare between labor and capital and other environment problems
3. Beginning of child and women labor; and
4. Intensification of imperialistic rivalry between and among industrialized countries.

In the Philippines, it caused the displacement of the farmers from their lands.

6 important changes in the 19th century

1. Struggle for nationalism
2. Gradual spread of democracy
3. Modernization of living through the Industrial Revolution
4. Advance of Science
5. March of Science
6. New current in the movement of thought and growing confidence on progress.

NATIONS STRUGGLE FOR NATIONALISM

Nationalism? A feeling of oneness by a group of people who believe that they possess common traditions,
culture and common ideals or goals.

 Greece became independent nation from the Turks on 1830.

 Norwegians won their freedom from Swedes in 1905.
 Italy became a free and united nations through the work of Camillo Cavour, Joseph Mazzini, and Joseph
Garibaldi in 1861.

RIZAL LIFE’S
DR. JOSE PROTACIO MERCADO RIZAL ALONZO Y REALONDA

MEANINGS OF NAME
 Page |5

• Doctor- completed his medical course in Spain and was conferred the degree of Licentiate in Medicine by the
Universidad Central de Madrid
• Jose- was chosen by his mother who was a devotee of the Christian saint San Jose (St. Joseph)
• Protacio- from Gervacio P. which come from a Christian calendar
• Mercado- adopted in 1731 by Domigo Lamco (the paternal great-great-
Grandfather of Jose Rizal) which the Spanish term mercado means ‘market’ in English
• Rizal- from the word ‘Ricial’ in Spanish means a field where wheat, cut while still
Green, sprouts again
• Alonzo- old surname of his mother
• Y- and
• Realonda- it was used by Doña Teodora from the surname of her godmother based on the culture by that time
• June 19, 1861- moonlit of Wednesday between eleven and midnight Jose Rizal was born in the lakeshore
town of Calamba, Laguna.
• June 22, 1861- aged three days old, Rizal was baptized in the Catholic Church.
• Father Rufino Collantes- a Batangueño, the parish priest who baptized Rizal
• Father Pedro Casanas- Rizal’s godfather, native of Calamba and close friend of the Rizal family
• Lieutenant-General Jose Lemery- the governor general of the Philippines when Rizal was born.

RIZAL: Family, Early Childhood and Education.

The Mercado - Rizal Family

The Rizal’s is considered one of the biggest families during their time. Domingo Lam-co, the family's
paternal ascendant was a full-blooded Chinese who came to the Philippines from Amoy, China in the closing
years of the 17th century and married a Chinese half-breed by the name of Ines de la Rosa.Researchers revealed
that the Mercado-Rizal family had also traces of Japanese, Spanish, Malay and Even Negrito blood aside from
Chinese.Jose Rizal came from a 13-member family consisting of his parents, Francisco Mercado II and Teodora
Alonso Realonda, and nine sisters and one brother.

(PARENTS)

FRANCISCO MERCADO (1818-1898) Father of Jose Rizal who was the youngest of 13 offspring’s of Juan
and Cirila Mercado. Studied in San Jose College, Manila; and died in Manila.
 Born in Biñan, Laguna on May 11, 1818
 studied Latin and Philosophy at the College of San Jose in Manila
 became a tenant-farmer of the Dominican-owned hacienda
 a hardy and independent-minded man, who talked less and worked more, and was strong in body and
valiant in spirit
 Page |6

 died in Manila on January 5, 1898 at the age of 80

 Rizal affectionately called him “a model of fathers”

TEODORA ALONSO (1827-1911) Mother of Jose Rizal who was the second child of Lorenzo Alonso and
Brijida de Quintos. Was a business-minded, religious and hardworking individual was born in Santa Cruz
Manila on November 9, 1827. She studied at the Colegio de Santa Rosa. She was a business-minded woman,
courteous, religious, hard-working and well-read. She was born in Santa Cruz, Manila on November 14, 1827
and died in 1911 in Manila.

(SIBLINGS)
 SATURNINA RIZAL (1850-1913) Eldest child of the Rizal-Alonzo marriage. Married Manuel
Timoteo Hidalgo of Tanauan, Batangas. Nickname “Neneng”.
 PACIANO RIZAL (1851-1930) only brother of Jose Rizal and the second child. Studied at San Jose
College in Manila; became a farmer and later a general of the Philippine Revolution.
-immortalized him in Rizal’s first novel Noli Me Tangere as the wise Pilosopo Tasio
-Rizal regarded him as the “most noble of Filipinos”
-became a combat general in the Philippine Revolution
-died on April 13, 1930, an old bachelor aged 79
-had two children by his mistress (Severina Decena)—a boy and a girl
 NARCISA RIZAL (1852-1939) the third child married Antonio Lopez at Morong, Rizal; a teacher and
musician.
 OLYMPIA RIZAL (1855-1887) the fourth child. Married Silvestre Ubaldo; a telegraph operator from
Manila died in 1887 from childbirth.
 LUCIA RIZAL (1857-1919) the fifth child. Married Matriano Herbosa.
MARIA RIZAL (1859-1945) the sixth child. Married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Biñan, Laguna.
 JOSE RIZAL (1861-1896) the second son and the seventh child. He was executed by the Spaniards on
December 30, 1896.
 CONCEPCION RIZAL (1862-1865) the eight child. Died at the age of three.
 JOSEFA RIZAL (1865-1945) Tthe ninth child. An epileptic, died a spinster.
 TRINIDAD RIZAL (1868-1951) the tenth child. Died a spinster and the last of the family to die.
 SOLEDAD RIZAL (1870-1929) the youngest child married Pantaleon Quintero.

EARLY CHILDHOOD

In Calamba, Laguna, 19 June 1861 JOSE RIZAL, the seventh child of Francisco Mercado Rizal and
Teodora Alonso y Quintos, was born in Calamba, Laguna 22 June 1861. He was baptized JOSE RIZAL
MERCADO at the Catholic of Calamba by the parish priest Rev. Rufino Collantes with Rev. Pedro Casañas as
the sponsor. 28 September 1862 the parochial church of Calamba and the canonical books, including the book
in which Rizal’s baptismal records were entered, were burned.1864 Barely three years old, Rizal learned the
 Page |7

alphabet from his mother. 1865 when he was four years old, his sister Conception, the eight child in the Rizal
family, died at the age of three. It was on this occasion that Rizal remembered having shed real tears for the first
time.1865 – 1867 during this time his mother taught him how to read and write. His father hired a classmate by
the name of Leon Monroy who, for five months until his (Monroy) death, taught Rizal the rudiments of Latin.
At about this time two of his mother’s cousin frequented Calamba. Uncle Manuel Alberto, seeing Rizal frail in
body, concerned himself with the physical development of his young nephew and taught the latter love for the
open air and developed in him a great admiration for the beauty of nature, while Uncle Gregorio, a scholar,
instilled into the mind of the boy love for education. He advised Rizal: "Work hard and perform every task very
carefully; learn to be swift as well as thorough; be independent in thinking and make visual pictures of
everything."6 June 1868 With his father, Rizal made a pilgrimage to Antipolo to fulfill the vow made by his
mother to take the child to the Shrine of the Virgin of Antipolo should she and her child survive the ordeal of
delivery which nearly caused his mother’s life.From there they proceeded to Manila and visited his sister
Saturnina who was at the time studying in the La Concordia College in Sta. Ana.1869At the age of eight, Rizal
wrote his first poem entitled "Sa Aking Mga Kabata." The poem was written in tagalog and had for its theme
"Love of One’s Language."

EDUCATION

• The first teacher of Rizal was his mother, who was remarkable woman of good character and fine culture
—her mother
• Maestro Celestino - Rizal’s first private tutor
• Maestro Lucas Padua - Rizal’s second tutor
• Leon Monroy - a former classmate of Rizal’s father became Rizal’s tutor that instructed Jose in Spanish and
Latin. He died five months later
• Sunday afternoon in June, 1869- Rizal left Calamba for Biñan accompanied by Paciano
• Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz - Rizal’s teacher in a private school in Biñan
-Rizal described his teacher as follows: He was thin, long-necked, with a sharp nose and a body slightly bent
forward
• Pedro - the teacher’s son which Rizal challenged to a fight
• Andres Salandanan - challenged Rizal to an arm-wrestling match
• Juancho -an old painter who was the father-in-law of the school teacher; freely give Rizal lessons in
drawing and painting
• Jose Guevara - Rizal’s classmate who also loved painting, became apprentices of the old painter
• “the favorite painters of the class”- because of his artistic talent
• Christmas in 1870-Rizal received a letter from his sister Saturnina, informing him of the arrival of the
steamer Talim which would take him from Biñan to Calamba
• Saturday afternoon, December 17, 1870- Rizal left Biñan after one year and a half of schooling
• Arturo Camps- a Frenchman friend of Rizal’s father who took care of him on board

Early Education in Calamba and Biñan

Rizal had his early education in Calamba and Biñan. It was a typical schooling that a son of an ilustrado family
received during his time, characterized by the four R’s- reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion. Instruction
was rigid and strict. Knowledge was forced into the minds of the pupils by means of the tedious memory
method aided by the teacher’s whip. Despite the defects of the Spanish system of elementary education, Rizal
was able to acquire the necessary instruction preparatory for college work in Manila. It may be said that Rizal,
who was born a physical weakling, rose to become an intellectual giant not because of, but rather in spite of, the
 Page |8

outmoded and backward system of instruction obtaining in the Philippines during the last decades of Spanish
regime. The Hero’s First Teacher The first teacher of Rizal was his mother, who was a remarkable woman of
good character and fine culture.

On her lap, he learned at the age of three the alphabet and the prayers. "My mother," wrote Rizal in his
student memoirs, "taught me how to read and to say haltingly the humble prayers which I raised fervently to
God. "As tutor, Doña Teodora was patient, conscientious, and understanding. It was she who first discovered
that her son had a talent for poetry. Accordingly, she encouraged him to write poems. To lighten the monotony
of memorizing the ABC’s and to stimulate her son’s imagination, she related many stories. As Jose grew older,
his parents employed private tutors to give him lessons at home. The first was Maestro Celestino and the
second, Maestro Lucas Padua. Later, an old man named Leon Monroy, a former classmate of Rizal’s father,
became the boy’s tutor.
This old teacher lived at the Rizal home and instructed Jose in Spanish and Latin. Unfortunately, he did
not lived long. He died five months later. After a Monroy’s death, the hero’s parents decided to send their gifted
son to a private school in Biñan. Jose Goes to Biñan One Sunday afternoon in June, 1869, Jose, after kissing the
hands of his parents and a tearful parting from his sister, left Calamba for Biñan. He was accompanied by
Paciano, who acted as his second father. The two brothers rode in a carromata, reaching their destination after
one and one-half hours’ drive. They proceeded to their aunt’s house, where Jose was to lodge. It was almost
night when they arrived, and the moon was about to rise. That same night, Jose, with his cousin named Leandro,
went sightseeing in the town. Instead of enjoying the sights, Jose became depressed because of homesickness.
"In the moonlight," he recounted, "I remembered my home town, my idolized mother, and my solicitous sisters.
Ah, how sweet to me was Calamba, my own town, in spite of the fact that was not as wealthy as Biñan."First
Day in Biñan School.

The next morning (Monday) Paciano brought his younger brother to the school of Maestro Justiniano
Aquino Cruz. The school was in the house of the teacher, which was a small nipa hut about 30 meters from the
home of Jose’s aunt. Paciano knew the teacher quite well because he had been a pupil under him before. He
introduced Jose to the teacher, after which he departed to return to Calamba. Immediately, Jose was assigned his
seat in the class. The teacher asked him: "Do you know Spanish?" "A little, sir," replied the Calamba lad. "Do
you know Latin?" "A little, sir." The boys in the class, especially Pedro, the teacher’s son laughed at Jose’s
answers.The teacher sharply stopped all noises and begun the lessons of the day. Jose described his teacher in
Biñan as follows: "He was tall, thin, and long-necked, with sharp nose and a body slightly bent forward, and he
used to wear a sinamay shirt, woven by the skilled hands of the women of Batangas. He knew by the heart the
grammars by Nebrija and Gainza. Add to this severity that in my judgement was exaggerated and you have a
picture, perhaps vague, that I have made of him, but I remember only this. "First School Brawl In the afternoon
of his first day in school, when the teacher was having his siesta, Jose met the bully, Pedro. He was angry at this
bully for making fun of him during his conversation with the teacher in the morning.

Jose challenged Pedro to a fight. The latter readily accepted, thinking that he could easily beat the
Calamba boy who was smaller and younger. The two boys wrestled furiously in the classroom, much to the glee
of their classmates. Jose, having learned the art of wrestling from his athletic Tio Manuel, defeated the bigger
boy. For this feat, he became popular among his classmates. After the class in the afternoon, a classmate named
Andres Salandanan challenged him to an arm-wrestling match. They went to a sidewalk of a house and wrestled
with their arms. Jose, having the weaker arm, lost and nearly cracked his head on the sidewalk. In succeeding
days he had other fights with the boys of Biñan. He was not quarrelsome by nature, but he never ran away from
a fight. Best Student in School In academic studies, Jose beat all Biñan boys. He surpassed them all in Spanish,
Latin, and other subjects. Some of his older classmates were jealous of his intellectual superiority. They
wickedly squealed to the teacher whenever Jose had a fight outside the school, and even told lies to discredit
him before the teacher’s eyes. Consequently the teacher had to punish Jose. Early Schooling in Biñan Jose had a
 Page |9

very vivid imagination and a very keen sense of observation. At the age of seven he traveled with his father for
the first time to Manila and thence to Antipolo to fulfill the promise of a pilgrimage made by his mother at the
time of his birth. They embarked in a casco, a very ponderous vessel commonly used in the Philippines. It was
the first trip on the lake that Jose could recollect.

As darkness fell he spent the hours by the katig, admiring the grandeur of the water and the stillness of
the night, although he was seized with a superstitious fear when he saw a water snake entwine itself around the
bamboo beams of the katig. With what joy did he see the sun at the daybreak as its luminous rays shone upon
the glistening surface of the wide lake, producing a brilliant effect! With what joy did he talk to his father, for
he had not uttered a word during the night! When they proceeded to Antipolo, he experienced the sweetest
emotions upon seeing the gay banks of the Pasig and the towns of Cainta and Taytay. In Antipolo he prayed,
kneeling before the image of the Virgin of Peace and Good Voyage, of whom he would later sing in elegant
verses. Then he saw Manila, the great metropolis, with its Chinese sores and European bazaars. And visited his
elder sister, Saturnina, in Santa Ana, who was a boarding student in the Concordia College. When he was nine
years old, his father sent him to Biñan to continue studying Latin, because his first teacher had died. His brother
Paciano took him to Biñan one Sunday, and Jose bade his parents and sisters good-bye with tears in his eyes.
Oh, how it saddened him to leave for the first time and live far from his home and his family! But he felt
ashamed to cry and had to conceal his tears and sentiments. "O Shame," he explained, "how many beautiful and
pathetic scenes the world would witness without thee!” They arrived at Biñan in the evening. His brother took
him to the house of his aunt where he was to stay, and left him after introducing him to the teacher. At night, in
company with his aunt’s grandson named Leandro, Jose took a walk around the town in the light of the moon.
To him the town looked extensive and rich but sad and ugly. His teacher in Biñan was a severe disciplinarian.
His name was Justiniano Aquino Cruz. "He was a tall man, lean and long-necked, with a sharp nose and a body
slightly bent forward. He used to wear a sinamay shirt woven by the deft hands of Batangas women. He knew
by memory the grammars of Nebrija and Gainza. To this add a severity which, in my judgement I have made of
him, which is all I remember. "The boy Jose distinguished himself in class, and succeeded in surpassing many
of his older classmates. Some of these were so wicked that, even without reason, they accused him before the
teacher, for which, in spite of his progress, he received many whippings and strokes from the ferule. Rare was
the day when he was not stretched on the bench for a whipping or punished with five or six blows on the open
palm. Jose’s reaction to all these punishments was one of intense resentment in order to learn and thus carry out
his father’s will.

Jose spent his leisure hours with Justiniano’s father-in-law, a master painter. From him he took his first
two sons, two nephews, and a grandson. His way life was methodical and well regulated. He heard mass at four
if there was one that early, or studied his lesson at that hour and went to mass afterwards. Returning home, he
might look in the orchard for a mambolo fruit to eat, then he took his breakfast, consisting generally of a plate
of rice and two dried sardines. After that he would go to class, from which he was dismissed at ten, then home
again. He ate with his aunt and then began at ten, then home again. He ate with his aunt and then began to
study. At half past two he returned to class and left at five. He might play for a short time with some cousins
before returning home. He studied his lessons, drew for a while, and then prayed and if there was a moon, his
friends would invite him to play in the street in company with other boys. Whenever he remembered his town,
he thought with tears in his eyes of his beloved father, his idolized mother, and his solicitous sisters. Ah, how
sweet was his town even though not so opulent as Biñan! He grew sad and thoughtful. While he was studying in
Biñan, he returned to his hometown now and then. How long the road seemed to him in going and how short in
coming! When from afar he descried the roof of his house, secret joy filled his breast. How he looked for
pretexts to remain longer at home! A day more seemed to him a day spent in heaven, and how he wept, though
silently and secretly, when he saw the calesa that was flower that him Biñan! Then everything looked sad; a
flower that he touched, a stone that attracted his attention he gathered, fearful that he might not see it again upon
his return. It was a sad but delicate and quite pain that possessed him.
 P a g e | 10

DAILY LIFE IN BIÑAN

-Heard the four o’ clock mass then at ten o’ clock went home at once and went at school at two and came out at
five
-The day was unusual when Rizal was not laid out on a bench and given five or six blows because of fighting

MARTYRDOM OF GOM-BUR-ZA
• Night of January 20, 1872- about 200 Filipino soldiers and workmen of the Cavite arsenal under the
leadership of Lamadrid, Filipino sergeant, rose in violent mutiny because of the abolition of their usual
privileges
• Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora- were executed at sunrise of February 17,
1872, by order of Governor General Izquierdo
• The martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za in 1872 truly inspired Rizal to fight the evils of Spanish tyranny and
redeem his oppressed people
• Rizal dedicated his second novel, El Filibusterismo, to Gom-Bur-Za

INJUSTICE TO HERO’S MOTHER

• Before June, 1872- Doña Teodora was suddenly arrested on a malicious charge that she and her
brother, Jose Alberto, tried to poison the latter’s perfidious wife
• Antonio Vivencio del Rosario- Calamba’s gobernadorcillo, help arrest Doña Teodora
• After arresting Doña Teodora, the sadistic Spanish lieutenant forced her to walk from Calamba to Santa
Cruz (capital of Laguna province), a distance of 50 kilometers
• Doña Teodora was incarcerated at the provincial prison, where she languished for two years and a half
• Messrs. Francisco de Marcaida and Manuel Marzan- the most famous lawyers of Manila that defend Doña
Teodora.

SCHOLASTIC TRIUMPHS AT ATENEO DE MANILA (1872-1877)

• Ateneo Municipal- a college under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuits

• Escuela Pia (Charity School)- formerly name of Ateneo, a school for poor boys in Manila which was
established by the city government in 1817
• Escuela Pia--- Ateneo Municipal--- Ateneo de Manila
• June 10, 1872 - Rizal accompanied by Paciano went to Manila
• Father Magin Ferrando - was the college registrar, refused to admit Rizal in Ateneo for two reasons: (1) he
was late for registration (2) he was sickly and undersized for his age
• Manuel Xerez Burgos - because of his intercession, nephew of Father Burgos, Rizal was reluctantly admitted
at the Ateneo.
• Jose was the first of his family to adopt the surname “Rizal”. He registered under this name at Ateneo because
their family name “Mercado” had come under the suspicion of the Spanish authorities
• Rizal was first boarded in a house outside Intramuros, on Caraballo Street. This was owned by a spinster
named Titay who owed the Rizal family the amount of 300 pesos

JESUIT SYSTEM OF EDUCATION

-it trained the character of the student by rigid discipline and religious instructions
-Students were divided into two groups:
 P a g e | 11

• Roman Empire- consisting of internos (boarders); red banner

• Carthaginian Empire - composed of the externos (non-boarders); blue banner
• Emperor- the best student in each “empire”
• Tribune- the second best
• Decurion- the third best
• Centurion-the fourth best
• Stand-bearer- the fifth best
• The Ateneo students in Rizal’s time wore a uniform which consisted of “hemp-fabric trousers” and “striped
cotton coat” The coat material was called rayadillo

Exercises:

Fill in the blanks.

In Calamba, Laguna, 19 June 1861 1.___________________the seventh child of Francisco Mercado

Rizal and 2.__________________, was born in Calamba, Laguna 22 June 1861. He was baptized JOSE RIZAL
MERCADO at the Catholic of Calamba by the parish priest Rev. Rufino Collantes with Rev. Pedro Casañas as
the sponsor. 28 September 1862 the parochial church of 3.____________and the canonical books, including the
book in which Rizal’s baptismal records were entered, were burned.1864 Barely three years old, Rizal learned
the alphabet from his 4._________ 1865 when he was four years old, his sister Conception, the eight child in
the Rizal family, died at the age of three. It was on this occasion that Rizal remembered having shed real tears
for the first time.1865 – 5.________ during this time his mother taught him how to read and write. His father
hired a classmate by the name of 6.______________ who, for five months until his (Monroy) death, taught
Rizal the rudiments of Latin. At about this time two of his mother’s cousin frequented Calamba. Uncle
7.______________seeing Rizal frail in body, concerned himself with the physical development of his young
8.__________ and taught the latter love for the open air and developed in him a great admiration for the beauty
of nature, while 9.______________, a scholar, instilled into the mind of the boy love for education. He advised
Rizal: "10.____________ and perform every task very 11.__________ learn to be swift as well as thorough; be
independent in thinking and make visual pictures of everything."6 June 1868 With his father, Rizal made a
pilgrimage to 12.___________ to fulfill the vow made by his mother to take the child to the Shrine of the Virgin
of Antipolo should she and her child survive the ordeal of delivery which nearly caused his mother’s life. From
there they proceeded to Manila and visited his sister Saturnina who was at the time studying in the
13._______________College in Sta. Ana.1869At the age of 14.________ Rizal wrote his first poem entitled
"Sa Aking Mga Kabata." The poem was written in tagalog and had for its theme "15.________ of One’s
Language."

B. Identification.
Direction: Read carefully and write the correct answer.

1. Who is the most famous lawyers of Manila that defend Dona Teodora? (_____________________)
(____________________)
2. Who is the Gobernadorcillo help arrest Dona Teodora? (_____________________)
3. Rizal was boarded in Intramuros, who owned by? (__________________)
4. Who is Rizal’s classmate who also loved painting, became apprentices of the old painter?
(_____________________)
5. When Rizal left Calamba for Biñan accompanied by Paciano? (________________________)
 P a g e | 12

EDUCATION

FIRST YEAR IN ATENEO (1872-1873)

• Father Jose Bech- Rizal’s first professor in Ateneo whom he described as a “tall thin man, with a body
slightly bent forward, a harried walk, an ascetic face, severe and inspired, small deep-sunken eyes, a sharp nose
that was almost Greek, and thin lips forming an arc whose ends fell toward the chin
• A Religious picture- Rizal’s first prize for being the brightest pupil in the whole class
• To improve his Spanish, Rizal took private lessons in Santa Isabel College during the noon recesses. He paid
three pesos for those extra Spanish lessons
• At the end of the school year in March, 1873, Rizal returned to Calamba for summer vacation
• When the summer vacation ended, Rizal returned to Manila for his second year term in Ateneo. This time he
boarded inside Intramuros at No. 6 Magallanes Street. His landlady was an old widow named Doña Pepay.

SECOND YEAR IN ATENEO (1873-1874)

-At the end of the school year, Rizal received excellent grades in all subjects and a gold medal
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas- the first favorite novel of Rizal which made a deep
impression on him.
• Universal History by Cesar Cantu- Rizal persuaded his father to buy him this set of historical work that was
a great aid in his studies.
• Dr. Feodor Jagor- a German scientist-traveler who visited the Philippines in 1859-1860 who wrote Travels in
the Philippines.

-Rizal was impressed in this book because of (1) Jagor’s keen observations of the defects of Spanish
colonization (2) his prophecy that someday Spain would lose the Philippines and that America would come to
succeed her as colonizer.

THIRD YEAR IN ATENEO (1874-1875)

-Rizal grades remained excellent in all subjects but he won only one medal—in Latin
-At the end of the school year (March 1875), Rizal returned to Calamba for the summer vacation. He himself
was not impressed by his scholastic work.

FOURTH YEAR IN ATENEO

• June 16, 1875- Rizal became an interno in the Ateneo

• Padre Francisco de Paula Sanchez- a great educator and scholar, one of Rizal’s professors who inspired him to
study harder and to write poetry
-Rizal described this Jesuiot professor as “model of uprightness, earnestness, and love for the advancement of
his pupils”
• Rizal topped all his classmates in all subjects and won five medals at the end of the school term

LAST YEAR IN ATENEO (1876-1877)

-Rizal’s studies continued to fare well. As a matter-of-fact, he excelled in all subjects. The most brilliant
Atenean of his time, he was truly “the pride of the Jesuits”
 P a g e | 13

• March 23, 1877- Commencement Day, Rizal, who was 16 years old, received from his Alma Mater, Ateneo
Municipal, the degree of Bachelor of Arts, with highest honors
• Marian Congregation- a religious society wherein Rizal was an active member and later became the secretary.
• Rizal cultivated his literary talent under the guidance of Father Sanchez
• Father Jose Vilaclara- advised Rizal to stop communing with the Muse and pay more attention to more
practical studies.
• Rizal studied painting under the famous Spanish painter, Agustin Saez, and sculpture under Romualdo de
Jesus, noted Filipino sculptor
• Rizal carved an image of the Virgin Mary on a piece of batikuling (Philippine hardwood) with his pocket-
knife.
 Father Lleonart- impressed by Rizal’s sculptural talent, requested him to carve for him an image of Sacred
Heart of Jesus.

ANECDOTES ON RIZAL, THE ATENEAN

• Felix M. Roxas- one of Rizal’s contemporaries in the Ateneo, related an incident of Rizal’s schooldays in
Ateneo which reveals hero’s resignation to pain and forgiveness. “Neither bitterness nor rancor towards the
guilty party”
• Manuel Xerez Burgos- This anecdotes illustrates Rizal’s predilection to help the helpless at the risk of his
own life.

POEMS WRITTEN IN ATENEO

It was Doña Teodora who was first discovered the poetic genius of her son, and it was also she who first
encouraged him to write poems. However it was Father Sanchez who inspired Rizal to make full use of his
God-given gift in poetry
• Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration), 1874- the first poem Rizal probably wrote during his days in
Ateneo which was dedicated to his mother on her birthday; Rizal wrote it before he was 14 years old

A. In 1875, inspired by Father Sanchez, Rizal wrote more poems, as such:

1. Felicitacion (Felicitationi)
2. El Embarque: Himno a la Flota de Magallanes (The Departure: Hymn to Magellan’s Fleet)
3. Y Es Espanol; Elcano, el Primero en dar la Vuelta al Mundo (And He is Spanish: Elcano, the First to
Circumnavigate the World)
4. El Combate: Urbiztondo, Terror de Jolo (The Battle: Urbiztondo, Terror of Jolo)

B. In 1876, Rizal wrote poems on various topics-religion, education, childhood memories and war. They were
as follows:
1. Un Recuerdo a Mi Pueblo (In Memory of My Town)- a tender poem in honor of Calamba, the hero’s natal
town
2. Alianza Intima Entre la Religion y la Buena Educacion (Intimate Alliance between Religion and Good
Education)- Rizal showed the importance of religion in education
3. Por la Educacion Recibe Lustre la Patria (Through Education the Country Receives Light)- Rizal believed in
the significant role which education plays in the progress and welfare of a nation
4. El Cautiverio y el Triunfo: Batalla de Lucena y Prision de Boabdil (The Captivity and the Triumph: Battle of
Lucena and the Imprisonment of Boabdil)- this martial poem describes the defeat and capture of Boabdil, last
Moorish sultan of Granada
 P a g e | 14

5. La Entrada Triunfal de los Reyes Catolices en Granada (The Triumphal Entry of the Catholic Monarchs into
Granada)- this poem relates the victorious entry of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel into Granada, last Moorish
stronghold in Spain
-A year later, in 1877, Rizal wrote more poems. It was his last years in Ateneo. Among the poems written that
year were:
1. El Heroismo de Colon (The Heroism of Columbus)- this poem praises Columbus, the discoverer of America
2. Colon y Juan II (Columbus and John II)- this poem relates how King Kohn II of Portugal missed fame and
riches by his failure to finance the projected expedition of Columbus to the New World
3. Gran Consuelo en la Mayor Desdicha (Great Solace in Great Misfortune)- this is a legend in verse of the
tragic life of Columbus
4. Un Dialogo Aluviso a la Despedida de los Colegiales (A Farewell Dialogue of the Students)- this was the last
poem written by Rizal in Ateneo; it is a poignant poem of farewell to his classmate
• Al Niño Jesus (To the Child Jesus)- this poem was written in 1875 when Rizal was 14 years old; it was a brief
ode
• A La Virgen Maria (To the Virgin Mary)- another religious poem which doesn’t have exact date when it was
written
• San Eustacio, Martir (St. Eustace, the Martyr)- a drama based on the prose story of St. Eustace which he wrote
in poetic verses during the summer vacation of 1876 and finished it on June 2, 1876

MEDICAL STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS (1877-1882)

-After finishing the first year of a course in Philosophy and Letters (1877-1878), Rizal transferred to the
medical course
-“Don’t send him to Manila again; he knows enough. If he gets to know more, the Spaniards will cut off his
head.”- Doña Teodora, vigorously opposed the idea that Rizal pursue higher learning in the university

• April 1877- Rizal who was then nearly 16 years old, matriculated in the University of Santo Tomas, taking the
course on Philosophy and Letters because (1) his father like it (2) he was “still uncertain as to what career to
pursue”
• Father Pablo Ramon-Rector of Ateneo, who had been good to him during his student days in that college,
asking for advice on the choice of a career but unfortunately he was in Mindanao
• It was during the following term (1878-1879) that Rizal, having received the Ateneo Rector’s advice to study
medicine
• During Rizal’s first school term in the University of Santo Tomas (1877-1878), Rizal also studied in
Ateneo. He took the vocational course leading to the title of perito agrimensor (expert surveyor)
• Rizal excelled in all subjects in the surveying course in Ateneo, obtaining gold medals in agriculture and
topography
• November 25, 1881- the title was issued to Rizal for passing the final examination in the surveying course
• Liceo Artistico-Literario (Artistic-Literary Lyceum) of Manila- a society of literary men and artists, held a
literary contest in the year 1879
• A La Juventud Filipina (To the Filipino Youth) - Rizal, who was then 18 years old, submitted this poem
-is an inspiring poem of flawless form. Rizal beseeched the Filipino youth to rise from lethargy, to let genius fly
swifter than the wind and descend with art and science to break the chains that have long bound the spirit of the
people
-this winning poem of Rizal is a classic in Philippine literature for two reasons: (1) it was the great poem in
Spanish written by a Filipino, whose merit was recognized by Spanish literary authorities (2) it expressed for
the first time the nationalistic concept that the Filipinos, and not the foreigners, were the “fair hope of the
Fatherland”
 P a g e | 15

• The Board of Judges, composed of Spaniards, was impressed by Rizal’s poem and gave it the first prize which
consisted of a silver pen, feather-shaped and decorated with a gold ribbon
• El Consejo de los Dioses (The Councils of the Gods)- an allegorical drama written by Rizal which he
entered in the literary contest of Artistic-Literary Lyceum in 1880 to commemorate the fourth centennial of the
death of Cervantes
-was a literary masterpiece based on the Greek classics
• The prize was awarded to Rizal, a gold ring on which was engraved the bust of Cervantes
• D.N. del Puzo - a Spanish writer, who won the second prize
• Junto al Pasig (Beside the Pasig)- a zarzuela which was staged by the Ateneans on December 8, 1880, on the
occasion of the annual celebration of the Feats Day of the Immaculate Conception, Patroness of the Ateneo
- Rizal wrote it as President of the Academy of Spanish Literature in Ateneo
• A Filipinas- a sonnet written by Rizal for the album of the Society of Sculptors; in this sonnet, he urged all
Filipino artists to glorify the Philippines
• Abd-el-Azis y Mahoma- Rizal composed a poem in 1879 which was declaimed by an Atenean, Manuel
Fernandez, on the night of December 8, 1879, in honor of the Ateneo’s Patroness
• Al M.R.P. Pablo Ramon- Rizal composed a poem in 1881, as an expression of affection to Father Pablo
Ramon, the Ateneo rector, who had been so kind and helpful to him
• Vicenta Ybardolaza- a pretty girl colegiala who skillfully played the harp at the Regalado home, whom
Rizal was infatuated in Pakil
• Rizal mentioned Turumba (wherein the people dancing in the streets during the procession in honor of the
miraculous Birhen Maria de los Dolores) in Chapter VI of Noli Me Tangere and Pagsanjan Falls in his travel
diary (united States—Saturday, May 12, 1888), where he said that Niagara Falls was the “greatest cascades I
ever saw” but “not so beautiful nor fine as the falls at Los Baños, Pagsanjan”
• Compañerismo (Comradeship)- Rizal founded a secret society of Filipino students in University of
Santo Tomas in 1880
• Companions of Jehu- members of the society who’s after the valiant Hebrew general
• Galicano Apacible-Rizal’s cousin from Batangas who is the secretary of the society.

UNHAPPY DAYS AT THE UST

Rizal found the atmosphere at the University of Santo Tomas suffocating to his sensitive spirit. He was
unhappy at this
Dominican institution of higher learning because (1) the Dominican professors were hostile to him (2) the
Filipino students were racially discriminated against by the Spaniards (3) the method of instruction was obsolete
and repressive
In Rizal’s novel, El Filibusterismo, he described how the Filipino students were humiliated and insulted
by their
Dominican professors and how backward the method of instruction was, especially in the teaching of the natural
sciences.

He related in Chapter XIII, “The Class in Physics”

SHATTERING THE MYTH ABOUT RIZAL AND THE PONTIFICAL UST

This can be very exhaustive as I deal with historical facts apropos of the relationship of Jose Rizal with
the University of Santo Tomas. I am indebted to Fr. Fidel Villaroel, OP, the eminent historian and former
archivist of the UST Archives for giving me the distinct privilege (without going through the norms and
policies) of touring the archives and letting me examined some important documents pertaining but not
principally to the history of the Philippines. As a pioneering institution of learning – from the martyrdom of
Gomez, Burgos and Zamora, to the propaganda movement, to the revolution of 1896, to the birth of the
 P a g e | 16

Republic in 1898, to the commonwealth period and finally to the restoration of independence in 1946 – it is
therefore presumptuous to assume the UST has had a hand in the making of the history of the Philippines.
Sadly, in spite of some efforts of few academicians and historians to present a more truthful history of the UST
during the
Spanish era, many still were caught off guard and instead decided to rely on meager source materials. Worse,
some merely copied what pre-war and post-war authors written in the past 100 years. New generation writers,
historians and biographers of Jose Rizal are no exception to such historians like Retana, Craig, Russel,
Laudback, Coates, Hernandez and Zaide who had pictured a villain character of the university.
As what Fr. Villaroel said, none of the biographers and historians took the time of looking into the
original academic records of Rizal. Neither there were efforts on their part to make a study on UST based on the
archival records of the
Pontifical University. “It has been treated inadequately, at times, with a good deal of misunderstanding,
exaggeration or prejudice.”

The second confusion was their failure to understand the underlying principles behind the anti-friars and
anti-UST writings of Rizal particularly the El Fili.
After seeing the documents at the UST Archives and reading Fr. Villaroel’s well-written study on Rizal and the
University of Santo Tomas, I can only scoff at those who bask at their ignorance and use many of the myths to
advance their cause.
Such is the case of some pexers here who undoubtedly use these myths for their own good. In the words of Dr.
Serafin Quiason, former chairman of the National Historical Institue, “it is a great virtue of his (Fr. Villaroel)
study that he sweeps away many of the myths which have passed for facts for almost three quarters of a century.
He has solved many difficult
questions and the readers can be grateful for a valuable and devoted piece of work.”
This thread intends to rectify some issues pertaining to the negative pictures projected about Rizal’s
relationship with his alma mater, the University of Santo Tomas based on the study by Fr. Villaroel who had
diligently dug through the archival materials of UST and Archivo de la Provincia del Sto. Rosario. Was Rizal
discriminated and treated shabbily by the
Dominicans? Why did he leave UST? Why did he criticize the University years later? How are the stories of El
Filibusterismo to be understood?
Here are some excerpts from Fr. Fidel Villaroel’s study:

MYTH:
Rizal complained about his grades in UST and was discriminated and treated shabbily by the Dominicans.
FACTS:
(1) Rizal entered the UST in 1877, enrolling in the Pre-Law Course, which was made up of
philosophical subjects. The course was commonly called metaphysics. He passed the course brilliantly with the
highest grades in spite of his initial indifference to philosophy and his youthful distractions through the year.
Then he opted for the career of medicine. And in 1878-1879 he took simultaneously the Pre-Medical Course
and the First Year of Medicine; this was against the rules, but Rizal was favored with a dispensation. The Pre-
Medicine Course was also called Ampliacion, because the student, having taken already Physics, Chemistry and
Natural History in the high school, now took an advanced course on the same subjects (Rizal did not take in
Santo Tomas the “class of physics” described in El Fili but rather in Ateneo).
In his courses of medicine, Rizal was a good student, above-average, though not excellent; but none of
his classmates were excellent either. Summing up, in the 21 subjects taken in UST, Rizal obtained one aprobado
(passing grade), eight bueno (good), six notable (very good) and six sobresaliente (excellent). Majority of
students in Rizal’s time, or in any time, would have been satisfied with the above grades. It is possible that
Rizal was not, but it is a fact that he never complained about his grades, there is not a single word in his works
showing displeasure at the unfairness of UST.
 P a g e | 17

Yet many of his biographers are angry, unreasonably angry (including anti-ust pexers?) at the treatment given to
the national hero by his alma mater. How could Rizal, after a perfect record of “Excellent” in the high school
(Ateneo) now receive such “low” grades at UST? The critics had to look for an explanation, and since they did
not find fault in Rizal, then they had to blame the Dominicans and UST. And from Retana to Austin Craig, from
Frank Lauback to Austin Coates and to quite a long line of Filipino biographers (with some exceptions), we
only hear the same repeated lamentation that every school child must now learn in the textbooks: that Rizal was
“below his usual standards”, and for the extremely serious charge that the “Dominican professors were hostile
to him” and “the Filipino students were racially discriminated” (Zaide), and that there was “excessive harping
on the alleged intellectual superiority of the Spanish (because he was white) to the
Filipino, a brown man, and Indio (JM Hernandez), and so on. An objective historian must squarely face and
honestly answer these grave statements, which sound like accusations.
Was Rizal “far below his usual standards”? What standards, in the first place? If by usual standards we
mean the grades of his Ateneo high school studies, the comparison is unfair. Nobody places elementary or high
school standards against college or University standards. They belong to different levels. At Ateneo municipal,
Rizal was excellent, though not the only excellent student. At the UST, none of his classmates ever got near to
keeping a straight record of Excellent. And this was because Medicine was a different kind of stuff altogether.
Therefore, if we are to arrive at a just appreciation of Rizal’s performance at the UST, we should
compare, not his grades in the high school with those in the university, but Rizal’s grades in Medicine against
those of his classmates. In the first year of medicine, Rizal’s class was made up of 24 students, but due to
academic failures, seventeen of them were left by the roadside before they reached the fourth year, when only
seven took the final examinations. And in this fourth (and for Rizal last) year, he landed in second place behind
Cornelio Mapa. A persecuted Rizal would have probably ended by the same roadside as the seventeen
“debarred” classmates, or would have never boasted of being second when he left for
Spain in 1882.
(2) It can hardly be said that Rizal was discriminated and treated shabbily by the Dominicans since he
was granted the rare privilege of studying simultaneously in the Preparatory Course of Medicine and the First
Year of Medicine.
Records likewise show that six Spaniards were enrolled with Rizal in the first year of Medicine, of whom three
were Peninsular and three Philippine-born. If the criticism of some biographers were true, these six students
would have been favored by the friars. Yet at the end of the fourth year there remained only one Philippine-born
Spaniard, Jose Resurreccion y Padilla, who managed to get only a poor passing grade (aprobado), last among
successful students, and who in the following year received a crushing suspenso. It would be unkind to rejoice
over failures, whether of Spanish or of Filipinos, but the biographers of Rizal will not be convincing unless they
prove with valid documents the existence of “racial discrimination” in UST in the 19th century when it came to
academic grades.
(3) Rizal’s inclinations and abilities must be taken into account. While he was undoubtedly inclined to,
and remarkably fitted for, the arts and letters, he was not much attracted to Medicine. “Perhaps – says Leon Ma.
Guerrero – Medicine was not his real vocation”. Medicine was a convenient career taken up in consideration of
the poor health of Rizal’s mother, whom he wanted to help, and eventually helped as a physician.
(4) When Rizal transferred to Spain and continued his studies at the University of Madrid, he showed
there similar characteristics. He was sobresaliente in the humanistic studies (literature, languages, history),
while in Medicine he fared worse than at the University of Santo Tomas. Ye no historian or biographer has ever
complained about his poor performance in Madrid or hinted that Rizal was discriminated against in that Central
University.
(5) Rizal had Dominican friends in the persons of Fr. Evaristo Arias and Fr. Joaquin Fonseca. It was
while studying at
UST that Rizal obtained public recognition as a poet. It was the Dominican; Fr. Arias who helped him cultivate
his craft in poetry. During his Thomasian years, Rizal composed the best poems of his pre-European period, one
of them being A la
 P a g e | 18

Juventud Filipina, winner of the first prize in the contest organized by the Liceo Artistico-Literario in 1879.

MYTH:
Rizal is said to have left UST for the following reasons:
A. because a certain professor of UST caused him displeasure (P. Pastells, SJ, 1897)
B. because the atmosphere in UST (meaning Thomistic atmosphere) suffocated him, and “it is presumed
that because of it he left” (E. Retana, 1907)
C. because in his class of medicine the lay professor made a statement contrary to the textbook and then
he refused to permit discussion or to give explanations; “so Rizal decided he was wasting his time to
remain in the University”(Craig, 1909)
D. because he found unfriendliness in the University, (Lauback, 1936)
E. because UST could not give “fuller learning” to the youth, and its “usefulness was almost, if not
altogether nil.” (D. Abella, 1965)

FACT:
Twenty authors quoting from the same erroneous source commit the same error twenty times over.
Therefore, what the quoted authors have said must be submitted to scrutiny. More significantly, all the authors
quoted above have one thing in common: none of them quote any historical source, like words from Rizal’s
correspondence, his articles, etc. If any source is ever mentioned it is infallibly the novel El Fili.
But is there not, we ask, a better source to support historical facts than a novel? In the present case, there seems
to be no other, and for one fundamental reason: because Rizal never revealed in clear terms why he left the
Philippines in 1882.
Neither he nor his brother Paciano, nor his uncle Antonio Rivera, nor his most intimate friends. Not a
clear word from them, who were the only persons who could have known. This fact leads us to conclude that
the writers who put the blame for Rizal’s departure on the University of Santo Tomas are only guessing,
honestly guessing of course, but mistakenly.
It is almost needless to enter into discussion with those writers who lay the responsibility for Rizal’s
departure at the door of UST. But let us face the question squarely.
(1) It has been stated that a certain professor, more concretely a lay professor of medicine, disagreed
with the textbook and refused to entertain discussion on the topics of his subject (so Pastells and Craig). This
professor is identified by
Craig as one who, some years later, was classmate of Rizal at the University of Madrid. He was Dr. Jose Franco
who, as professor of Rizal in Santo Tomas, had threatened to fail the whole medical class (P. Pastells). But
granting that Professor Franco was speaking seriously, it is quite improbable that Rizal decided to leave the
Philippines for an incident with one professor, who besides did not fail him in the final examinations. Rizal’s
companions and friends did not seem to have noticed any misunderstanding between Rizal and any professor, as
shown in a letter of Jose M. Cecilio: “Your departure without notice has caused surprise among many friends to
the point of stirring their curiosity. They ask whether there were serious matters going on which prompted you
to leave.”
(2) To attribute Rizal’s departure to what oneauthor calls “rampant bigotry, discrimination and
persecution” existing in UST, whether said in general or whether specifically referring to Rizal, is a gratuitous
accusation expressed in ready- made phrases loaded with feeling. I presume that an educational policy like the
one implied in such words has never existed in any school or university anywhere in any period. As for Rizal,
we have already explained with academic records on hand, that there was in fact a discrimination in his favor
when he was allowed to take simultaneously the Preparatory course of Medicine and the First Course of
Medicine Proper. And finally, he was one of the seven, out of 26, who reached the beginning of the fifth year
course, which he started in Madrid. All this has been shown here without rhetoric, without feeling and only with
the aid of laconic, diplomatic record as basis.
 P a g e | 19

(3) That the UST did not provide “fuller learning” to its students, and that this prompted some of them
like Rizal to go abroad, as suggested by some authors, might be as true then as it can be true at any other period
of her history. This can also be said of any Philippine university today. The temptation to try better institutions
abroad is always better, and those who can afford it, occasionally fall for it. There is no denying that, in the last
quarter of the 19th century, Europe offered to the students of science, philosophy, literature and every aspect of
material progress, horizons of learning that no colonial land in other continents could possibly give in such
measure. But if many student like Rizal went abroad is search of “fuller learning” and profited from that
experience, it would be wrong to conclude that a university like UST was therefore worthless. Whether by
choice or by the force of circumstances many more students stayed behind than left for Europe, and those who
remained received a tertiary education of such quality that enabled them to become builders of the
Philippine Republic. Thomasians trained here and only here were Pedro Pelaez and Jose Burgos, Apolinario
Mabini and Cayetano Arellano, Manuel Araullo and the Mapa brothers, Sergio Osmena and Manuel L. Quezon,
Leon Maria Guererro and Anacleto del Rosario, Felipe Calderon and Epifanio de los Santos, etc. and most of
the men of the Malolos Congress, all belonging to the generation of Rizal.
Until further historical research can project more light on the life of Rizal, little more remains to be said
on this point. This little more is reduced to the following: If neither the UST records nor the correspondence of
Rizal with Paciano and his family nor his letters to or from his intimate friends can support the alleged
misunderstanding between Rizal and the University; if those documents do not explain the reasons for Rizal’s
departure for Spain, then i believe that the only valid recourse left to the historian is the recourse to the oral
tradition. And two traditions come handily on our way, one preserved in Rizal’s own family and another in the
University of Santo Tomas.

MYTH:

The “Class of Physics” (Chapter 13) in El Filibusterismo is autobiographical of Rizal’s stay in UST and
that Rizal’s anti-
friars and anti-UST writings are reflective of how the national hero loathed the University.

FACT:
(1) While in Europe (1882-1892), Rizal changed considerably in at least one aspect, in his attitude
towards religion. He gave up some basic and essential tenets of his faith and ceased to be a practicing Catholic.
This was due mainly to his continuous association with many rationalist thinkers and liberal politicians of Spain
and other countries of Europe. A new rationalistic approach to life and his affiliation to freemasonry
accentuated his anti-clerical sentiments and his antipathy for the Catholic Church, for her belief and external
manifestations (dogmas, rites and rituals and devotional life). These changes in Rizal must be taken into account
when assessing his ironic criticism of the Church, the religious Orders and the University of Santo Tomas.
History showed that the attacks thrown by propagandists at Santo Tomas, particularly the Church, were just part
and parcel of the clash between liberalism and Thomism. And that the attack thrown at Santo Tomas, which was
under the Royal patronage of Spain, was not unique since every university in Europe like Oxford received the
same fate for upholding Thomism. The Vatican in an encyclical endorsed Thomism as an instrument to
counteract rationalism, which at that time began to penetrate all spheres of society.
(2) Crucially affecting this new attitude of criticism were the events that occurred in Calamba from 1887
onwards as a result of the famous agrarian litigation between his family and the Dominican Hacienda. Whatever
reasons for dissension might have existed in previous years due to worsening economic conditions affecting the
country at large, Rizal’s personal intervention in the affair in 1887 precipitated the legal suit. The case ended in
the courts with an adverse sentence against the family and other tenants and the tragic deportation of some of
Rizal’s immediate relatives. That social question and lawsuit had nothing to do with the UST, but it surely
soured Rizal’s pen when writing about an educational institution that was run by the owners of Calamba
 P a g e | 20

Hacienda. We have here another factor for his critical attitude; again he had not in mind any past academic
experience.
(3) The novel El Fili was written precisely during the years of the Calamba agrarian crisis (any student
of literature or a practicing writer would agree that if there are things that affect the consciousness of a writer, it
would be the moment, the milieu, and the race).
The “Class of Physics” is the subject of chapter 13 of the Fili, a subject that some historians and
biographers have used and abused lavishly. They have a reason, because the story comes in very handily to
illustrate the student years of Rizal at the UST, regardless of the novelistic character of the source.
The practical question here is whether the story of the “Class of Physics” really happened on even one day,
whether it reflects educational methods practiced in UST in the 19th century, or whether Rizal was just creating
a scene suitable to the aims of the novel, that is, to attack and discredit the religious institutes. Some biographers
easily believe Retana’s remark that “this chapter is an accurate picture of what happened in the Pontifical
University of Manila when Rizal studied
there.” a remark written of course, when Retana had turned into a bitter enemy of the religious orders.
But even taking for granted that Rizal based his story on some incident that happened during his
university years, this is no reason to conclude that the general life of the University was similar. And as for the
bleak picture of the physical classroom itself, the UST still possess the schedules of classes in those years, and
the Class of Physics is invariably assigned to the Physics Laboratories, not to an ordinary classroom.
Finally, Austin Coates’ statement that this chapter of the Fili is “clearly autobiographical” is totally
unacceptable, if by autobiographical he meant that the experience of Placido was actually felt by Rizal
personally or by some of his classmates. And the reason is very simple: Rizal did not take Physics at the UST.
He had taken that course at the Ateneo Municipal in 1876-1877. Rafael Palma who took up Physics and
Chemistry in 1890 at Ateneo Municipal, a little over ten years after Rizal, recalled later that the laboratory
materials in use at the Ateneo for teaching Natural History and Physics were “very poor” (Rafael Palma, My
Autobiography, Manila 1953).
The whole chapter is a caricature, very useful for the aims of the novel; it is not Rizal’s biography.

IN SUNNY SPAIN (1882-1885)

After finishing the 4th year of the medical course in the University of Santo Tomas, Rizal decided to
complete his studies in Spain.
Aside from completing his studies in Spain, Rizal has his “secret mission”—was to observe keenly the
life and culture, languages and customs, industries and commerce, and government and laws of the European
nations in order to prepare himself in the mighty task of liberating his oppressed people from Spanish tyranny.
This Rizalian secret mission was likewise disclosed by Paciano in his letter to his younger brother dated
Manila, May 20, 1892.
Rizal’s departure for Spain was kept secret to avoid detection by the Spanish authorities and the friars.

• Jose Mercado - Rizal used this name; a cousin from Biñan

• May 3, 1882 - Rizal departed on board the Spanish streamer Salvadora bound for Singapore

SINGAPORE

• Donato Lecha - the ship captain from Asturias, Spain befriended Rizal
-Rizal described him as an affable man, “much more refined than his other countrymen and colleagues that I
have met.”

• Rizal played chess with his fellow passengers who were much older than he
• May 8, 1882 - while the steamer was approaching Singapore, Rizal saw a beautiful island, fascinated by its
scenic beauty, he remembered “Talim Island with the Susong Dalaga”
 P a g e | 21

• May 9, 1882 - the Salvadora docked at Singapore

• Hotel de la Paz- Rizal registered here and spent two days on a sightseeing soiree of the city, which was a
colony of England.

FROM SINGAPORE TO COLOMBO

• In Singapore, Rizal transferred to another ship Djemnah, a French steamer, which left Singapore for Europe
on May 11, 1882.
• May 17, 1882- Djemnah reached Point Galle, a seacoast town in southern Ceylon (now Sri Lanka)
• Rizal wrote on his travel diary: “The general appearance of Point Galle is picturesque but lonely and quiet and
at the same time sad”
• Colombo- capital of Ceylon
Rizal was enamoured by Colombo because of its scenic beauty and elegant buildings
“Colombo is more beautiful, smart and elegant than Singapore, Point Galle and Manila”
• For the first time, Rizal sighted the barren coast of Africa, which he called an “inhospitable land but famous”
• Aden- city hotter than Manila
-Rizal was amused to see the camels, for the first time
• City of Suez- the Red Sea terminal of the Suez Canal
-Rizal was impressed in the beautiful moonlight which reminded him of Calamba and his family
• Suez Canal- canal which built by Ferdinand de Lesseps (French diplomat-engineer) which was inaugurated on
November 17, 1869
• Port Said- the Mediterranean terminal of the Suez Canal

NAPLES AND MARSEILLES

• June 11, 1882- Rizal reached Naples

-Rizal was pleased on this Italian city because of its business activity, its lively people, and its panoramic beauty
• Night of June 12, 1882- the steamer docked at the French harbor of Marseilles
• Rizal visited the famous Chateau d’If, where Dantes, hero of the Count of Monte Cristo, was imprisoned
• Rizal stayed two and a half days in Marseilles

BARCELONA

• Afternoon of May 15, 1882- Rizal left Marseilles by train for the last lap of his trip to Spain
• Rizal crossed the Pyrenees and stopped for a day at the frontier town of Port Bou
• June 16, 1882- Rizal finally reached his destination—Barcelona
• Rizal’s first impression of Barcelona, the greatest city of Cataluña and Spain’s second largest city, was
unfavorable
• Las Ramblas- the most famous street in Barcelona
• Amor Patrio (Love of Country)- nationalistic essay, Rizal’s first article written on Spain’s soil.
-under his pen-name Laong Laan, appeared in print in Diariong Tagalog on August 20, 1882
-it was published in two texts—Spanish and Tagalog—the Spanish text was the one originally written by Rizal
in
Barcelona, the tagalog text was a Tagalog translation made by M.H. del Pilar

• Basilio Teodoro Moran- a friend of Rizal in Manila and the publisher of Diariong Tagalog where Rizal sent
this article
• Diariong Tagalog- the first Manila bilingual newspaper (Spanish and Tagalog)
• Los Viajes (Travels)- Rizal’s second article for Diariong Tagalog
 P a g e | 22

• Revista de Madrid (Review of Madrid)- Rizal’s third article written in Madrid on November 29, 1882 but
returned to him because the Diariong Tagalog had ceased publication for lack of funds
• Rizal received sad news about the cholera that was ravaging Manila and the provinces according to Paciano’s
letter, dated September 15, 1882
• Another sad news from the Philippines was the chatty letter of Chengoy recounting the unhappiness of
Leonor Rivera
• In one of his letters (dated May 26, 1882), Paciano advised his younger brother to finish the medical course in
Madrid
• Rizal left Barcelona in the fall of 1882 and established himself in Madrid, the capital of Spain

LIFE IN MADRID

November 3, 1882- Rizal enrolled in the Universidad Central de Madrid (Central University of Madrid)
in two courses—Medicine and Philosophy and Letters
Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando- Rizal studied painting and sculpture. Rizal’s only extravagance was
investing a few pesetas for a lottery ticket in every draw of the Madrid Lottery. Rizal spent his leisure time
reading and writing at his boarding house, attending the reunions of Filipino students at the house of the Paterno
brothers (Antonio, Maximo and Pedro) and practicing fencing and shooting at the gymnasium. Antigua Café de
Levante-during the summer twilights, this is where Rizal sipped coffee and fraternized with the students from
Cuba, Mexico, Argentina, et. On Saturday evenings, Rizal visited the home of Don Pablo Ortiga y Rey who
lived with his son (Rafael) and daughter (Consuelo). Circulo Hispano-Filipino (Hispano-Philippine Circle)- a
society of Spaniards and Filipinos which Rizal joined shortly after his arrival in Madrid in 1882.

Me Piden Versos (They Ask Me For Verses)- upon the request of the members of this society, Rizal’s
wrote this poem which he personally declaimed during the New Year’s Eve reception of the Madrid Filipinos
held in the evening of December 31, 1882
-in this sad poem, Rizal poured out the cry of his agonizing heart
• Rizal economized on his living expenses, and with the money he saved, he purchased books from a second-
hand book store owned by a certain Señor Roses
• Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Eugene Sue’s The Wandering Jew- these two books aroused Rizal’s
sympathy for the oppressed and unfortunate people

FIRST VISIT TO PARIS (1883) (outline)

-During his first summer vacation in Madrid, Rizal went to Paris, gay capital of France
-The prices of food, drinks, theatre, tickets, laundry, hotel accommodations, and transportation were too high
for Rizal’s slender purse so that he commented in a letter to his family: “Paris is the costliest capital in Europe.”
• June 17 to August 20, 1883- Rizal sojourn in Paris
• Hotel de Paris- located on 37 Rue de Maubange wherein Rizal billeted but later, he moved to a cheaper hotel
on 124 Rue de Rennes in the Latin Quarter
• Laennec Hospital- where Rizal observed Dr. Nicaise treating his patients
• Lariboisiere Hospital- where Rizal observed the examination of different diseases of women
• Rizal was impressed by the way the Spanish Mason openly and freely c riticized the government policies and
lambasted the friars, which could not be done in Philippines
• March 1883- Rizal joined the Masonic lodge called Acacia in Madrid
• Rizal’s reason for becoming a mason was to secure Freemansory’s aid in his fight against the friars in the
Philippines
• Lodge Solidaridad (Madrid) – Rizal transferred where he became a Master Mason on November 15,
1890
 P a g e | 23

• February 15, 1892- Rizal was awarded the diploma as Master Mason by Le Grand Orient de France in
Paris
• Science, Virtue and Labor- Rizal’s only Masonic writing; a lecture which he delivered in 1889 at Lodge
Solidaridad, Madrid
• After Rizal’s departure for Spain, things turned from bad to worse in Calamba: (1) harvests of rice and
sugarcane failed on account of drought and locusts (2) the manager of the Dominican-owned hacienda increased
the rentals of the lands (3) a dreadful pest killed most of the turkeys. Due to hard times in Calamba, the monthly
allowances of Rizal in Madrid were late in arrival and there were times when they never arrived. June 24, 1884-
a touching incident in Rizal’s life in Madrid wherein he was broke and was unable to take breakfast. Rizal
attended his class at the university, participated in the contest in Greek language and won the gold medal.
Evening of June 25, 1884- a banquet was sponsored by the Filipino community to celebrate the double victory
of the Filipino artist in the National Exposition of Fine Arts in Madrid—Luna’s Spoliarium winning the first
prize and Hidalgo’s Christian Virgins Exposed to the Populace (Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho),
second prize, November 20, 21, and 22, 1884- the serene city of Madrid exploded in bloody riots by the
students of the Central University.

These student demonstrations were caused by the address of Dr. Miguel Morayta, professor of history, at
the opening ceremonies of the academic year on November 20, in which he proclaimed “the freedom of science
and the teacher”. The Rector, who also took the side of the students, was forced to resign and was replaced by
Doctor Creus, “a very unpopular man, disliked by everybody”. November 26, 1884- Rizal wrote the recounting
tumultuous riots to his family, June 21, 1884- Rizal completed his medical course in Spain; he was conferred
the degree of Licentiate in Medicine by the Universidad Central de Madrid. The next academic year (1884-
1885), Rizal studied and passed all subjects leading to the degree of Doctor of Medicine but he did not present
the thesis required for graduation nor paid the corresponding fees, he was not awarded his Doctor’s diploma,
June 19, 1885- on his 24th birthday, Rizal was awarded the degree of Licentiate in Philosophy and Letters by
the Universidad Central de Madrid with the rating of “Excellent”: (Sobresaliente). November 26, 1884- a letter
to Rizal’s family written in Madrid wherein he said “My doctorate is not of very much value to me... because
although it is useful to a university professor, yet, I believe they (Dominican friars—Z) will never appoint me as
such in the College of Santo Tomas. I say the same thing of philosophy and letters which may serve also for a
professorship, but I doubt if the Dominican fathers will grant it to me.”

PARIS TO BERLIN (1885-1887)

-Rizal went to Paris and Germany in order to specialize in ophthalmology—Rizal chose this branch of medicine
because he wanted to cure his mother’s eye ailment.

IN GAY PARIS (1885-1886)

• Maximo Viola- a medical student and a member of a rich family of San Miguel, Bulacan, Rizal’s friend.
Señor Eusebio Corominas- editor of the newspaper La Publicidad and made a crayon sketch of Don Miguel
Morayta, owner of La Publicidad and a stasman. Rizal gave Editor Corominas an article on the Carolines
Question, then a controversial issue, for publication, November 1885, Rizal was living in Paris where he
sojourned for about four months. Dr. Louis de Weckert (1852-1906)- leading French ophthalmologist wherein
Rizal worked as an assistant from November 1885 to February 1886. Paz Pardo de Tavera- was a pretty girl,
who was engaged to Juan Luna.
At the studio of Luna, Rizal spent many happy hours. Rizal helped Luna by posing as model in several
paintings. In Luna’s canvas “The Death of Cleopatra,“ Rizal posed as an Egyptian priest. In another of Luna’s
great paintings, “The Blood Compact,” he posed as Sikatuna, with Trinidad Pardo de Tavera taking the role of
Legazpi. November 27, 1878- Rizal told Enrique Lete that he “learned the solfeggio, the piano, and the voice
culture in one month and a half”, By sheer determination and constant practice, Rizal came to play the flute
fairly well. He was a flutist in various impromptu reunions of Filipinos in Paris. Alin Mang Lahi (Any Race)-a
 P a g e | 24

patriotic song written by Rizal which asserts that any race aspires for freedom. La Deportacion (Deportation)- a
sad danza which Rizal composed in Dapitan during his exile

IN HISTORIC HEIDELBERG

• February 1, 1886- Rizal reluctantly left gay Paris fro Germany

• February 3, 1886- Rizal arrived in Heidelberg, a historic city in Germany famous for its old university and
romantic surroundings
• Chess Player’s Club- a club wherein the students made Rizal as a member because of being a good chess
player
• Dr. Otto Becker- distinguished German ophthalmologist where Rizal worked—University Eye Hospital.
• April 22, 1886- Rizal wrote a fine poem “A Las Flores de Heidelberg” (To the Flowers of Heidelberg)
• In the spring of 1886, Rizal was fascinated by the blooming flowers along the cool banks of the Neckar
River. Among them was his favorite flower—the light blue “forget-me-not”
• Wilhelmsfeld- a mountainous village near Heidelberg where Rizal spent a three-month summer vacation
• Dr. Karl Ullmer- a kind Protestant pastor where Rizal stayed, who became his good friend and admirer
• June 25, 1886- Rizal ended his sojourn at Pastor Ullmer’s home
• May 29, 1887- Rizal wrote from Munich (Muchen) to Friedrich (Fritz), son of Pastor Ullmer.
• July 31, 1886- Rizal wrote his first letter in German (which he had improved after his stay with the
Ullmers) to Professor Blumentritt, Director of the Ateneo of Leitmeritz, Austria
• Aritmetica (Arithmetic)-Rizal sent this book he mentioned and was published in two languages—
Spanish and Tagalog—by the University of Santo Tomas Press in 1868. the author was Rufino Baltazar
Hernandez, a native of Santa Cruz, Laguna
• August 6, 1886- the famous University of Heidelberg held its fifth centenary celebration

IN LEIPZIG AND DRESDEN

• August 9, 1886- Rizal left Heidelberg

• August 14, 1886- boarded by a train. Rizal arrived in Leipzig
• Professor Friedrich Ratzel- a famous German historian, Rizal befriend with him
• Dr. Hans Meyer- German anthropologist, a friend of Rizal
• In Leipzig, Rizal translated Schiller’s William Tell from German into Tagalog so that Filipino might know
the story of that champion of Swiss independence.
• Rizal also translated into Tagalog for his nephews and niece Hans Andersen’s Fairy Tales
• Rizal found out that the cost of living in Leipzig was cheapest in Europe so that he stayed two months and a
half.

• Because of his knowledge of German, Spanish, and other European languages, Rizal worked as proof- reader
in a publisher’s firm.

• October 29, 1886- Rizal left Leipzig for Dresden where he met Dr. Adolph B. Meyer, Director of the
Anthropological and Ethnological Museum.
• Rizal heard Mass in a Catholic church; evidently, this Mass impressed him very much, for he wrote on his
diary: “Truly I have never in my life heard a Mass whose music had greater sublimity and intonation.”
• Morning of November 1, 1886- Rizal left Dresden by train reaching Berlin in the evening.

BERLIN
• Rizal was enchanted by Berlin because of its scientific atmosphere and the absence of race prejudice
 P a g e | 25

• Rizal met for the first time Dr. Feodor Jagor, celebrated German scientist-traveler and author of Travels in the
Philippines, a book which Rizal read and admired during his student days in Manila
• Dr. Rudolf Virchow- introduced to Rizal by Dr. Jagor; famous German anthropologist
• Dr. Hans Virchow- son of Dr. Rudolf Virchow, professor of Descriptive Anatomy
• Dr. W. Joest- noted German geographer
• Dr. Ernest Schweigger (1830-1905)- famous German ophthalmologist where Rizal worked
• Rizal became a member of the Anthropological Society, the Ethnological Society, and the Geographical
Society of Berlin, upon the recommendation of Dr. Jagor and Dr. Meyer
• Tagalische Verkunst (Tagalog Metrical Art)- Rizal wrote this scholarly paper in German which he read before
the society in April 1887
-this paper was published by the society in the same year, and elicited favorable comments from all scientific
quarters.

• Rizal lived in Berlin, famous capital of unified Germany for five reasons: (1) to gain further knowledge of
ophthalmology (2) to further his studies of sciences and languages (3) to observe the economic and political
conditions of the German nation (4) to associate with famous German scientists and scholars (5) to publish his
novel, Noli Me Tangere
• Madame Lucie Cerdole-Rizal’s professor of French in order to master the idiomatic intricacies of the
French language
• Unter den Linden- the most popular boulevard of Berlin wherein Rizal enjoyed promenading, sipping beer in
the city’s inns and talking with the friendly Berliners
• March 11, 1886- one of Rizal’s important letters written while he was in Germany that addressed to his sister,
Trinidad
-in this letter, Rizal expressed his high regard and admiration for German womanhood
-The German woman, said Rizal to his sister, is serious, diligent, educated, and friendly. She is not gossipy,
frivolous and quarrelsome

• Aside from the German women, Rizal admired the German customs which he observed well

NOLI ME TANGERE PUBLISHED IN BERLIN (1887)

The bleak winter of 1886 in Berlin was Rizal’s darkest winter because no money arrived from Calamba
and he was flat broke. The diamond ring which his sister, Saturnina, gave him was in the pawnshop. It was
memorable in the life of Rizal for two reasons
(1) It was a painful episode for he was hungry, sick and despondent in a strange city
(2) It brought him great joy after enduring so much sufferings, because his first novel, Noli Me Tangere
came off the press in March, 1887.

• Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin- inspired Dr. Rizal to prepare a novel that would depict the
miseries of his people under the lash of Spanish tyrants
• January 2, 1884- in a reunion of Filipinos in the Paterno residence in Madrid, Rizal proposed the writings of a
novel about the Philippines by a group of Filipinos
• Toward the end of 1884, Rizal began writing the novel in Madrid and finished about one-half of it.
• When Rizal went to Paris, in 1885, after completing his studies in the Central University of Madrid, he
continued writing the novel, finishing one half of the second half
• Rizal finished the last fourth of the novel in Germany. He wrote the last few chapters of the Noli in
Wilhelmsfeld in April-June, 1886
• In Berlin during the winter days of February, 1886, Rizal made the final revisions on the manuscript of the
Noli.
 P a g e | 26

• Maximo Viola- Rizal’s friend from Bulacan, arrived in Berlin at the height of Rizal despondency and loaned
him the needed funds to publish the novel; savior of Noli
• After the Christmas season, Rizal put the finishing touches on his novel. To save printing expenses, he deleted
certain passages in his manuscript, including a whole chapter—“Elias and Salome”
• February 21, 1887- the Noli was finally finished and ready for printing
• Berliner Buchdruckrei-Action-Gesselschaft- a printing shop which charged the lowest rate, that is, 300 pesos
for 2,00 copies of the novel. March 21, 1887- the Noli Me Tangere came off the press, March 29, 1887 Rizal, in
token of his appreciation and gratitude, gave Viola the galley proofs of the Noli carefully rolled around the pen
that he used in writing it and a complimentary copy, with the following inscription: “To my dear friend,
Maximo Viola, the first to read and appreciate my work—Jose Rizal”. The title Noli Me Tangere is a Latin
phrase which means “Touch Me Not”. It is not originally conceived by Rizal, for he admitted taking it from the
Bible. Rizal, writing to Felix Hidalgo in French on March 5, 1887, said: “Noli Me Tangere, words taken from
the Gospel of St. Luke, signify “do not touch me” but Rizal made a mistake, it should be the Gospel of St. John
• Rizal dedicated his Noli Me Tangere to the Philippines—“To My Fatherland”
• The cover of Noli Me Tangere was designed by Rizal. It is a ketch of explicit symbols. A woman’s head atop
a Maria Clara bodice represents the nation and the women, victims of the social cancer. One of the causes of the
cancer is symbolized in the friar’s feet, outsized in relation to the woman’s head. The other aggravating causes
of oppression and discrimination are shown in the guard’s helmet and the iron chains, the teacher’s whip and
the alferez’s scourge. A slight cluster of bamboo stands at the backdrop; these are the people, forever in the
background of their own country’s history. There are a cross, a maze, flowers and thorny plants, a flame; these
are indicative of the religious policy, the misdirected ardor, the people strangled as a result of these all

• The novel Noli Me Tangere contains 63 chapters and an epilogue.

• Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor- Filipino patriot and lawyer who had been exiled due to his complicity in the Cavite
Mutiny of 1872, read avidly the Noli and was very much impressed by its author.

CHARACTERS OF NOLI

1. The Noli Me Tangere was a true story of the Philippine conditions during the last decades of Spanish
rule
2. Maria Clara-was Leonor Rivera, although in real life she became unfaithful and married an Englishman
3. Ibarra and Elias- represented Rizal himself
4. Tasio-the philosopher was Rizal’s elder brother Paciano
5. Padre Salvi-was identified by Rizalists as Padre Antonio Piernavieja, the hated Augustinian friar in
Cavite who was killed by the patriots during the Revolution
6. Capitan Tiago-was Captain Hilario Sunico of San Nicolas
7. Doña Victorina- was Doña Agustina Medel
8. Basilio and Crispin- were the Crisostomo brothers of Hagonoy
9. Padre Damaso- typical of a domineering friar during the days of Rizal, who was arrogant, immoral and
anti-Filipino.

RIZAL’S GRAND TOUR OF EUROPE WITH VIOLA (1887)

After the publication of Noli, Rizal planned to visit the important places in Europe. Dr. Maximo viola agreed to
be his traveling companion. Rizal received PAcianos remmiitance of P1000 which forward by Juan Luna from
Paris and immediately paid his debt to Viola which he loaned so that Noli could be printed.
• May 11, 1887- Rizal and Viola left Berlin by train. Spring was anideal season for travel.
 P a g e | 27

• Dresden- one of the best cities in Germany. They visited Dr. Adolph B. Meyer, who was overjoyed to see
them.
• Prometheus Bound-painting wherein Rizal was deeply impressed
• Teschen (now Decin, Czechoslovakia) - next stopover after leaving Dresedn.

LEITMERITZ

• At 1:30pm of May 13, 1887- the train, with Rizal and Viola on board, arrived at the railroad station of
Leitmeritz, Bohemia
-for the first time, the two great scholars—Rizal and Blumentritt—met in person
• Professor Blumentritt- a kind-hearted, old Austrian professor
• May 13 to May 16, 1887- Rizal and Viola stayed in Leitmeritz
• Burgomaster- town mayor
• Tourist’s Club of Leitmeritz-which Blumentritt was the secretary; Rizal spoke extemporaneously in fluent
Germany to the officers and members
• Dr. Carlos Czepelak- renowned scientist of Europe
• Professor Robert Klutschak- an eminent naturalist
• May 16, 1887 at 9:45 AM- Rizal and Viola left Leitmeritz by train

PRAGUE

Rizal and Viola visited the historic city of Prague. They carried letters of recommendation from blumentritt to
Dr. Wilkom, professor of natural history in the University of Prague. According to Viola, “nothing of
importance happened” in this city. Rizal and Viola visited the “Tomb of Copernicus”.

VIENNA

• May 20, 1887- Rizal and Viola arrived in the beautiful city of Vienna, capital of Austria-Hungary
• Vienna was truly the “Queen of Danube” because of its beautiful buildings, religious images, haunting waltzes
and majestic charm. Norfentals is one of the greatest Austrian novelists was favorably impressed by Rizal, and
years later he spoke highly of Rizal, “whose genius he so much admired.” Rizal and Viola stayed at Hotel
Metropole. In Vienna, Rizal received his lost diamond stickpin

DANUBIAN VOYAGE TO LINTZ

• May 24, 1887- Rizal and Viola left Vienna on a river boat to see the beautiful sights of the Danube River
• Rizal particularly noticed that the passengers on the river boat were using paper napkins during the meals,
which was a novelty to him. Viola, commented that the paper napkins were “more hygienic and economical
than cloth napkins”

FROM LINTZ TO RHEINFALL

• Munich- where Rizal and Viola sojourned for a short time to savor the famous Munich beer, reputed to be the
best in Germany
• Nuremberg- one of the oldest cities of Germany
• The Cathedral of Ulm- the largest and tallest cathedral in all Germany
 P a g e | 28

• From Ulm, they went to Stuttgart, Baden and then Rheinfall (Cascade of the Rhine). At Rheinfall, they saw
the waterfall, “the most beautiful waterfall of Europe”

CROSSING THE FRONTIER TO SWITZERLAND

• June 2 to 3, 1887- stayed at Schaffhausen, Switzerland

GENEVA

• This Swiss city is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, visited by world tourists every year
• June 19, 1887- Rizal treated Viola to a blow-out. It was his 26th birthday
• Rizal and Viola spent fifteen delightful days in Geneva
• June 23, 1887- Viola and Rizal parted ways—Viola returned to Barcelona while Rizal continued the tour to
Italy.
• Exposition of the Philippines in Madrid, Spain- Rizal was outraged by this degradation of his fellow
countrymen the Igorot’s of Northern Luzon

Reasons Rizal was sent to Dapitan:

1. He published books and articles abroad that shows disloyalty to Spain, anti- catholic, and anti-friar.
2. He was accused that the novel “El Filibusterismo” was dedicated to the three priest (GomBurZa) which
was proven traitors against Spain.
3. He was also believed to be an advocate pf separation from Spanish for “El Filibusterismo” contained
an inscription written by Bluementritt stating that “Filipino, there is no salvation except through
separation from the Mother country”.
4. He was also charged for seeking to “de-catholicize” Philippines.

RIZAL’S ARRIVAL in DAPITAN

DAPITAN is a province in Zamboanga Del Norte, Mindanao.
On July 15, 1892, aboard a streamer from Cebu, Rizal sailed to Dapitan. He arrived at Dapitan at July 17, 1892
at 7 in the evening. Captain Delgra handed Rizal to Don Ricardo Carcinero who was the Spanish commandant
of Dapitan.

Rizal’s could live under the parish convent under the following conditions:

 Rizal publicly retract his errors concerning religion, and make statements that were clearly pro-Spanish
and against revolution.
 That he perform church rites and make a general confession of his past life.
 He conduct himself as a model for Spanish subject and man of religion.
Important Individuals:

(Don Ricardo)
10. Rizal lived with Don Ricardo Carcinero’s house for him to oversee Rizal activities.
11. Rizal admired the kind, generous Don Ricardo even though he is a Spanish captain. In return, Don
Ricardo sent good reports regarding Rizal to Gov. Despujol.
 P a g e | 29

(Josephine Bracken)
12. Josephine with his step Father Mr. Taufer arrived at Dapitan at 14 th of March 1894 in search for cure
for Mr. Taufer’s blinding eye illness.
13. Rizal fell in love with Josephine Bracken which led to Rizal asking for her hand in marriage.
14. They applied for marriage while in Dapitan however it was denied by Padre Obach unless Rizal was
willing to retract his anti-friar views.

(Padre Balaguer)
15. One of the priest present when Rizal applied for church ceremony for his marriage with Josephine.

(Pio Valenzuela)
16. Pio arrived at Dapitan on June 15, 1896. He was a member of the Katipunan seeking advice from
Rizal regarding the upcoming revolution.
17. However, according also to Pio Valenzuela that Rizal opposed the armed rebellion for it was
premature.

Activity 1

Direction: Read carefully the questions and write the correct answer.

1. What is the reasons why Jose Rizal was sent in to Dapitan? Discuss.

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

2. Discuss the important individual of Jose Rizal?

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

RIZAL IN ITALY

• June 27, 1887- Rizal reached Rome, the “Eternal City” and also called the “City of the Caesars”
 P a g e | 30

• Rizal was thrilled by the sights and memories of the Eternal City. Describing to Blumentritt, the “grandeur
that was Rome”, he wrote on June 27, 1887.
• June 29, 1887- the Feast Day of St. Peter and St. Paul, Rizal visited for the first time the Vatican, the
“City of the Popes” and the capital of Christendom
• Every night, after sightseeing the whole day, Rizal returned to his hotel, very tired. “I am tired as a dog,” he
wrote to Blumentritt, “but I will sleep as a God”
• After a week of wonderful sojourn in Rome, Rizal prepared to return to the Philippines. He had already
written to his father that he was coming home

FIRST HOMECOMING (1887-1888)

-Because of the publication of the Noli Me Tangere and the uproar it caused among the friars, Rizal was warned
by
Paciano (his brother), Silvestre Ubaldo (his brother-in-law), Chengoy (Jose M. Cecilio) and other friends not to
return home.
-Rizal was determined to return to the Philippines for the following reasons: (1) to operate on his mother’s eyes
(2) to serve his people who had long been oppressed by Spanish tyrants (3) to find out for himself how Noli and
his other writings were affecting Filipinos and Spaniards in the Philippines and (4) to inquire why Leonor
Rivera remained silent
• July 29, 1887- Rizal wrote to his father, announcing his homecoming, “on the 15th of July, I shall embark for
our country, so that from the 15th to the 30th of August, we shall see each other”

DELIGHTFUL TRIP TO MANILA

-Rizal left Rome by train for Marseilles, a French port, which he reached without mishap.

• July 3, 1887-Rizal boarded the steamer Djemnah, the same streamer which brought him to Europe 5 years ago
• July 30, 1887-at Saigon, Rizal transferred to another steamer, Haiphong, which was Manila-bounded
• August 2, 1887- the steamer left Saigon for Manila

ARRIVAL IN MANILA

• August 3, 1887- the moon was full and Rizal slept soundly the whole night. The calm sea, illuminated by the
silvery moonlight, was a magnificent sight to him
• Near midnight of August 5, 1887, the Haiphong arrived in Manila.

HAPPY HOMECOMING

• August 8, 1887- Rizal returned to Calamba

• In Calamba, Rizal established a medical clinic. His first patient was his mother, who was almost blind.
• Rizal, who came to be called “Doctor Uliman” because he came from Germany, treated their ailments and
soon he acquired a lucrative medical practice
• Rizal opened a gymnasium for young folks, where he introduced European sports
• Rizal suffered one failure during his six months of sojourn in Calamba—his failure to see Leonor Rivera

STORM OVER THE NOLI

• Governor General Emilio Terrero (1885-1888)-requesting Rizal to come to Malacańang Palace

• Don Jose Taviel de Andrade-a young Spanish lieutenant assigned by Governor General Terrero to posed as
bodyguard of Rizal
 P a g e | 31

• Msgr. Pedro Payo (a Dominican)- sent a copy of Noli to Father Rector Gregorio Echavarria of the University
of Sto. Tomas for examination by a committee of the faculty
• The report of the faculty members of University of Santo Tomas stated that the Noli was “heretical, impious,
and scandalous in the religious order and anti-patriotic, subversive of public order, injurious to the government
of Spain and its function in the Philippine Islands in the political order”
• Permanent Commission of Censorship-a committee composed of priest and laymen
• Fr. Salvador Font- Augustinian cura of Tondo, head of the committee
-found the novel to contain subversive ideas against the Church and Spain, and recommended “that the
importation, reproduction, and circulation of this pernicious book in the islands be absolutely prohibited.”
• Fr. Jose Rodriguez- Augustinian priest, published a series of eight pamphlets under the general heading
Cuestiones de Sumo Interes (Questions of Supreme Interest) to blast the Noli and other anti-Spanish writings.
• Vicente Barrantes- Spanish academician of Madrid, who formerly criticized the Noli in an article published in
La Espańa Moderna (a newspaper of Madrid) in January 1890.
• What marred Rizal’s happy days in Calamba with Lt. Andrade were (1) the death of his older sister, Olimpia,
and (2) the groundless tales circulated by his enemies that he was “a German spy, an agent of Bismarck, a
Protestant, a Mason, a witch, a soul beyond salvation, etc.”
• Rev. Vicente Garcia-a Filipino Catholic priest-scholar, a theologian of the Manila Cathedral and a Tagalog
translator of the famous Imitation of Christ by Thomas A. Kempis
-writing under the penname Justo Desiderio Magalang, wrote a defense of the Noli which was published in
Singapore as an appendix to a pamphlet dated July 18, 1888, he blasted the arguments of Fr. Rodriguez

• Rizal, himself defended his novel against Barrantes’ attack, in a letter written in Brussels, Belgium in
February 1880.

FAREWELL TO CALAMBA

• The friars asked Governor General Terrero to deport him, but latter refused because there was no valid charge
against Rizal in court.
• Rizal was compelled to leave Calamba for two reasons: (1) his presence in Calamba was jeopardizing the
safety and happiness of his family and friends (2) he could fight better his enemies and serve his country’s
cause with greater efficacy by writing in foreign countries
• Shortly before Rizal left Calamba in 1888, his friend from Lipa requested him to write a poem in
commemoration of the town’s elevation to a villa (city) by virtue of the Becerra Law of 1888
• Himno Al Trabajo (Hymn to Labor) - a poem written by Rizal dedicated to the industrious folks of Lipa.

IN HONGKONG AND MACAO (1888)

-Hounded by powerful enemies, Rizal was forced to leave his country for a second time in February 1888. He
was then a full-grown man of 27 years of age, a practicing physician, and a recognized man-of-letters
THE TRIP TO HONGKONG

• February 3, 1888-Rizal left Manila for Hong Kong on board the Zafiro
• February 7, 1888- Zafiro made a brief stopover at Amoy
• Rizal did not get off his ship at Amoy for three reasons: (1) he was not feeling well (2) it was raining hard (3)
He heard that the city was dirty.
• February 8, 1888- Rizal arrived in Hong Kong
• Victoria Hotel- Rizal stayed while in Hong Kong. He was welcomed by Filipino residents, including Jose
Maria Basa, Balbino Mauricio, and Manuel Yriarte (son of Francisco Yriarte (son of Francisco Yriarte, alcalde
mayor of Laguna).
 P a g e | 32

• Jose Sainz de Varanda- a Spaniard, who was a former secretary of Governor General Terrero, shadowed
Rizal’s movement in Hong Kong
-it is believed that he was commissioned by the Spanish authorities to spy on Rizal
• “Hong Kong”, wrote Rizal to Blumentritt on February 16, 1888, “is a small, but very clean city.”

Exercises 2

Identification.
Direction: Read carefully and write the correct answer.

_____________________1. This poem written by Rizal dedicated to the industrious folks of Lipa.
_____________________2. He is a Augustinian priest, published a series of eight pamphlets under the general
heading Cuestiones de Sumo Interest (Questions of Supreme Interest) to blast the Noli and other anti-Spanish
writings.
_____________________3. This hotel Rizal stayed while in Hong Kong. He was welcomed by Filipino
residents, including Jose Maria Basa, Balbino Mauricio, and Manuel Yriarte.
_____________________4. She arrived at Dapitan at 14th of March 1894 in search for cure for Mr. Taufer’s
blinding eye illness. Rizal fell in love with her which led to Rizal asking for her hand in marriage.
_____________________5. He is a Filipino Catholic priest-scholar, a theologian of the Manila Cathedral and a
Tagalog translator of the famous Imitation of Christ by Thomas A. Kempis.
_____________________6. He is a medical student and a member of a rich family of San Miguel, Bulacan,
Rizal’s friend.
_____________________7. When Rizal saw a beautiful island, fascinated by its scenic beauty, he remembered
“Talim Island with the Susong Dalaga”
_____________________8. When Rizal wrote from Munich (Muchen) to Friedrich (Fritz), son of Pastor
Ullmer.
_____________________9. Rizal’s cousin from Batangas who is the secretary of the society.
_____________________10. When Rizal left Leipzig for Dresden where he met Dr. Adolph B. Meyer, Director
of the Anthropological and Ethnological Museum.

ESSAY.

1. Give the characteristic and importance of Noli Me Tangere. Discuss.

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
 P a g e | 33

2. Give the two reasons why Rizal was compelled to leave Calamba. Explain each reasons.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

RIZAL BECOMES LEADER OF FILIPINOS IN EUROPE

• Asociacion La Solidaridad (Solidaridad Association) - a patriotic society, which cooperate in the crusade for
reforms, was inaugurated on December 31, 1888, with the following officers: Galicano Apacible (president);
Graciano Lopez Jaena (vice president); Manuel Santa Maria (secretary); Mariano Ponce (treasurer) and Jose
Ma. Panganiban (accountant)
• By unanimous vote of all members, Rizal was chosen honorary president
• January 28, 1889- Rizal wrote a letter addressed to the members of the Asociacion La Solidaridad

RIZAL AND THE LA SOLIDARIDAD NEWSPAPER

• February 15, 1889- Graciano Lopez Jaena founded the patriotic newspaper called La Solidaridad in Barcelona
• La Solidadridad-fortnightly periodical which served as the organ of the Propaganda Movement
• Its aims were as follows: (1) to work peacefully for political and social reforms (2) to portray the deplorable
conditions of the Philippines so that Spain may remedy them (3) to oppose the evil forces of reaction and
medievalism (4) to advocate liberal ideas and progress (5) to champion the legitimate aspirations of the Filipino
people to life, democracy and happiness
• Los Agricultores Filipinos (The Filipino Farmers)- Rizal’s first article which appeared in La Solidaridad
which is published on March 25, 1889, six days after he left London for Paris

ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN LA SOLIDARIDAD

-Rizal wrote articles for La Solidaridad in defense of his oppressed people and to point out the evils of Spanish
rule in the
Philippines
1. “A La Defensa” (To La Defensa), April 30, 1889- this was a reply to an anti-Filipino writing of a Spanish
author
Patricio de la Escosura which was published by La Defensa on March 30, 1889
2. “La Verdad Para Todos” (The Truth For All), May 31, 1889- Rizal’s defense against the Spanish charges that
the native local officials were ignorant and depraved
3. “Vicente Barrantes’ Teatro Tagalo”, June 15, 1889- in this article, Rizal exposes Barrabtes’ ignorance on the
Tagalog theatrical art
4.“Una Profanacion” (A Profanation), July 31, 1889- a bitter attack against the friars for denying Christian
burial to Mariano Herbosa in Calamba because he was a brother-in-law of Rizal. Herbosa, husband of lucia died
of cholera on May 23, 1889
5. “Verdades Nuevas” (New Truths), July 31, 1889- a reply to Vicente Belloc Sanchez’ letter published in La
Patria, Madrid newspaper, on July 4, 1889, which asserted that the granting of reforms in the Philippines would
ruin the “peaceful and maternal rule” of the friars
 P a g e | 34

6. “Crueldad” (Cruelty), August 15, 1889- a brilliant defense of Blumentritt from the scutrillous attack of his
enemies
7. “Diferencias’ (Differences), September 15, 1889- a reply to a biased article entitled “Old Truths” published
in La Patria on August 14, 1889, which ridiculed those Filipinos who asked for reforms
8.“Inconsequencias” (Inconsequences), November 30, 1889- a defense of Antonio Luna against the attack of
Pablo Mir Deas in the Barcelona newspaper El Puieblo Soberano
9. “Llanto y Risas” (Tears and Laughter), November 30, 1889- a denunciation of Spanish racial prejudice
against brown Filipinos
10. “Ingratitudes” (Ingratitude), January 15, 1890- a reply to Governor General Valeriano Weyler who, while
visiting Calamba, told the people that they “should not allow themselves to be deceived by the vain promises of
their ungrateful sons.”
• Simultaneous with Rizal retirement from the Propaganda Movement, Rizal ceased writing articles for La
Solidaridad
• August 7, 1891- M.H. Del Pilar wrote to Rizal begging forgiveness for any resentment and requesting Rizal to
resume writing for the La Solidaridad
• Rizal stopped writing for La Solidaridad, it was because of several reasons: (1) Rizal need to work on his book
(2) He wanted other Filipinos to work also (3) Rizal considered it very important to the party that there be unity
in the work (4) Marcelo H. del Pilar is already at the top and Rizal also have his own ideas, it is better to leave
del Pilar alone to direct the policy

WRITINGS IN LONDON

• While busy in research studies at the British Museum, Rizal received news on Fray Rodriguez’ unabated
attack on his Noli
• La Vision Del Fray Rodriguez (The Vision of Fray Rodriguez)-pamphlet wrote by Rizal which published in
Barcelona under his nom-de-plume Dimas Alang in order to defense his novel
-In La Vision del Fray Rodriguez, Rizal demonstrated two things: (1) his profound knowledge of religion (2) his
biting satire

• Letter to the Young Women of Malolos- a famous letter wrote by Rizal on February 22, 1889 in Tagalog
-this letter is to praise the young ladies of Malolos for their courage to establish a school where they could learn
Spanish, despite the opposition of Fr. Felipe Garcia, a Spanish parish priest of Malolos

• The main points of this letter were: (1) a Filipino mother should teach her children love of God, fatherland,
and mankind (2) the Filipino mother should be glad, like the Spartan mother, to offer her sons in the defense of
the fatherland (3) a Filipino woman should know how to preserve her dignity and honor (4) a
Filipino woman should educate herself, aside from retaining her good racial virtues (5) Faith is not merely
reciting long prayers and wearing religious pictures, but rather it is living the real Christian way, with good
morals and good manners
• Dr Reinhold Rost, editor of Trubner’s Record, a journal devoted to Asian studies, request Rizal to contribute
some articles. In response to his request, the latter prepared two articles—(1) Specimens of
Tagal Folklore, which published in the journal in May, 1889 (2) Two Eastern Fables, published in June,
1889
• March 19, 1889- Rizal bade goodbye to the kind Beckett Family and left London for Paris

RIZAL’S SECOND SOJOURN IN PARIS AND THE UNIVERSAL EXPOSITION IN 1889

-In March, 1889, it was extremely difficult for a visitor to find living quarters in Paris
 P a g e | 35

• Valentin Ventura- a friend of Rizal where he lived—No. 45 Rue Maubeuge, where he polished his annotated
edition of Morga’s book
• Rizal used most of his time in the reading room of the Bibliotheque Nationale (National Library) checking up
his historical annotations on Morga’s book
• Rizal was a good friend of the three Pardo de Taveras—Dr. Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera, a physician by
vocation and philologist by avocation, Dr. Felix Pardo de Tavera, also physician by vocation and an artist and
sculptor by avocation, and Paz Pardo de Tavera, wife of Juan Luna
• June 24, 1889- a baby girl was born to Juan Luna and Paz Pardo de Tavera, she was their second child
• Her baptismal godfather was Rizal, who chose her name “Maria de la Paz, Blanca, Laureana, Hermenegilda
Juana Luna y Pardo de Tavera”
• May 6, 1889- opening of Universal Exposition of Paris
• The greatest attraction of this exposition was the Eiffel Tower, 984 feet high, which was built by Alexander
Eiffel, celebrated French engineer

KIDLAT CLUB

• March 19, 1889-the same day when he arrived in Paris from London, Rizal organized his paisanos
(compatriots) into a society called Kidlat Club
• Kidlat Club-purely a social society of a temporary nature
-founded by Rizal simply to bring together young Filipinos in the French capital so that they could enjoy their
sojourn in the city during the duration of the Universal Exposition

INDIOS BRAVOS

• Rizal was enchanted by the dignified and proud bearing of the American Indians in a Buffalo Bull show
• Indios Bravos (Brave Indians)- replaced the ephemeral Kidlat Club
-its members pledged to excel in intellectual and physical prowess in order to win the admiration of the
foreigners

-Practised with great enthusiasm the use of the sword and pistol and Rizal taught them judo, an Asian art of
self- defense that he learned in Japan

R.D.L.M SOCIETY (REDENCION DE LOS MALAYOS)

• Sociedad R.D.L.M. (R.D.L.M Society)- a mysterious society founded by Rizal in Paris during the
Universal Exposition of 1889
-its existence and role in the crusade reforms are really enigmatic
-Of numerous letters written by Rizal and his fellow propagandists, only two mentioned this secret society, as
follows (1) Rizal’s Letter to Jose Maria Basa, Paris, September 21, 1889 (2) Rizal’s Letter to Marcelo H. del
Pilar, Paris,
November 4, 1889

• According to Dr. Leoncio Lopez-Rizal, grandnephew of the hero, the society has a symbol or countersign
represented by a circle divided into three parts by two semi-circles having in the center the intwerlocked letters I
and B meaning Indios Bravos and the letter R.D.L.M. placed outside an upper, lower, left and right sides of the
circle
• The letters R.D.L.M. are believed to be the initials of the society’s secret name Redencion de los Malayos
 P a g e | 36

(Redemption of the Malays)—Redemption of the Malay Race

• It was patterned after Freemasonry. It had various degrees of membership, “with the members not knowing
each other.”

• The aim of the secret society, as stated by Rizal, was “the propagation of all useful knowledge—scientific,
artistic, and literary, etc.—in the Philippines. Evidently, there was another aim that is, the redemption of the
Malay race
• It must be noted that Rizal was inspired by a famous book entitled Max Havelaar (1860) written by
Multatuli (pseudonym of E.D. Dekker, Dutch author)

ANNOTATED EDITION OF MORGA PUBLISHED

• Rizal’s outstanding achievement in Paris was the publication in 1890 of his annotated edition of Morga’s
Sucesos, which he wrote in the British Museum. It was printed by Garnier Freres. The prologue was written by
Professor Blumentritt upon the request of Rizal
• Rizal dedicated his new edition of Morga to the Filipino people so that they would know of their glorious past
• The title page of Rizal’s annotated edition of Morga reads: “Paris, Liberia de Garnier Hermanos, 1890”
• The Philippines Within a Century-article written by Rizal which he expressed his views on the Spanish
colonization in the Philippines and predicted with amazing accuracy the tragic end of Spain’s sovereignty in
Asia
• The Indolence of the Filipinos- other essay of Rizal is also a prestigious work of historical scholarship. It is an
able defense of the alleged indolence of the Filipinos
-Rizal made a critical study of the causes why his people did not work hard during the Spanish regime. His
main thesis was that the Filipinos are not by nature indolent

• International Association of Filipinologists-association proposed by Rizal to establish taking advantage of

world attention which was then focused at the Universal Exposition in 1889 in Paris and have its inaugural
convention in the French capital
• Project for Filipino College in Hong Kong- another magnificent project of Rizal in Paris which also fizzled
out was his plan to establish a modern college in Hong Kong
• Por Telefono-another satirical work as a reply to another slanderer, Fr. Salvador Font, who masterminded the
banning of his Noli, in the fall of 1889
-it was published in booklet form in Barcelona, 1889, this satirical pamphlet under the authorship of “Dimas
Alang” is a witty satire which ridicules Father Font

• Shortly after New Year, Rizal made a brief visit to London. It may be due to two reasons: (1) to check up his
annotated edition of Morga’s Sucesos with the original copy in the British Museum (2) to see Gertrude
Beckett for the last time
IN BELGIAN BRUSSELS (1890)
-January 28, 1890- Rizal left Paris for Brussels, capital of Belgium
-Two reasons impelled Rizal to leave Paris, namely (1) the cost of living in Paris was very high because of the
Universal
Exposition (2) the gay social life of the city hampered his literary works, especially the writing of his second
novel, El Filibusterismo.

LIFE IN BRUSSELS

• Rizal was accompanied by Jose Albert when he moved to Brussels. They lived in a modest boarding house on
38 Rue Philippe Champagne, which was run by two Jacoby sisters (Suzanne and Marie). Later
 P a g e | 37

Albert, left the city and was replaced by Jose Alejandro, an engineering student
• Rizal was the first to advocate the Filipinization of its orthography
• Sobre la Nueva Ortografia de la Lengua Tagala (The New Orthography of the Tagalog Language)- was
published in La Solidaridad on April 15, 1890
-in this article, he laid down the rules of the new Tagalog orthography and with modesty and sincerity, he gave
credit for the adoption of this new orthography to Dr. Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera, author of the celebrated
work El
Sanscrito en la Lengua Tagala (Sanskrit in the tagalog Language) which was published in Paris, 1884
** “I put this on record,” wrote Rizal, “so that when the history of this orthography is traced, which is already
being adopted by the enlightened Tagalists, that what is Caesar’s be given to Caesar. This innovation is due
solely to Dr. Pardo de
Tavera’s studies on Tagalismo. I was one of its zealous propagandists.”**

• Letters from home which Rizal received in Brussels worried him. (1) The Calamba agrarian trouble was
getting worse (2) the Dominican Order filed a suit in court to dispossess the Rizal family of their lands in
Calamba
• In his moment of despair, Rizal had bad dreams during the nights in Brussels when he was restless because he
was always thinking of his unhappy family in Calamba
• Rizal feared that he would not live long. He was not afraid to die, but he wanted to finish his second novel
before he went to his grave.
• In the face of the sufferings which afflicted his family, Rizal planned to go home. He could not stay in
Brussels writing a book while his parents, relatives, and friends in the distant Philippines were persecuted
• July 29, 1890- another letter to Ponce written at Brussels by Rizal, he announced that he was leaving Brussels
at the beginning of the following month and would arrive in Madrid about the 3rd or 4th (August)
• “To my Muse’” (A Mi...)- 1890, Rizal wrote this pathetic poem, it was against a background of mental
anguish in Brussels, during those sad days when he was worried by family disasters

MISFORTUNES IN MADRID (1890-91)

-Early in August, 1890, Rizal arrived in Madrid
-Upon arrival in Madrid, Rizal immediately sought help of the Filipino colony, The Asociacion Hispano-
Filipina, and the liberal Spanish newspaper in securing justice for the oppressed Calamba tenants

• El Resumen- a Madrid newspaper which sympathized with the Filipino cause, said: “To cover the ear, open
the purse, and fold the arms—this is the Spanish colonial policy
• La Epoca- an anti-Filipino newspaper in Madrid
1. Jose Ma. Panganiban, his talented co-worker in the Propaganda Movement, died in Barcelona on August
19, 1890, after a lingering illness
2. Aborted Duel with Antonio Luna—Luna was bitter because of his frustrated romance with Nellie
Boustead. Deep in his heart, he was blaming Rizal for his failure to win her, although Rizal had previously
explained to him that he had nothing to do about it. Luna uttered certain unsavory remarks about Nellie, Rizal
heard him and angered by the slanderous remarks, and he challenged Luna, his friend, to a duel. Fortunately,
Luna realized that he had made a fool of himself during his drunken state, he apologized for his bad remarks
about the girl and Rizal accepted his apology and they became good friends again
3. Rizal challenges Retana to Duel—Wenceslao E. Retana, his bitter enemy of the pen, a talented Spanish
scholar, was then a press agent of the friars in Spain. He used to attack the Filipinos in various newspapers in
Madrid and other cities in Spain. Retana wrote an article in La Epoca, asserting that the family and friends of
Rizal had not paid their rents so they were ejected from their lands in Calamba by the Dominicans. Such as
insult stirred Rizal to action, immediately he sent his seconds to Retana with his challenge to a duel
 P a g e | 38

4. Infidelity of Leonor Rivera—Rizal received a letter from Leonor, announcing her coming marriage to an
Englishman (the choice of her mother) and asking his forgiveness
5. Rizal-Del Pilar Rivalry—toward the closing days of 1890 phere arose an unfortunate rivalry between Rizal
and M.H. Del Pilar for supremacy. Because of this, the Filipinos were divided ibto two hostile camps—the
Rizalistas and the Pilaristas. The sitqation was becoming explosive and critical. Despite of winning the votes,
Rizal graciously Declined the coveted position

• Rizal wrote a brief note thanking his compatriots for electing him as Responsible. It was the last time he saw
Madrid

BIARRITZ VACATION
-To seek solace for his disappointments in Madrid, Rizal took a vacation in the resort city of Biarritz on the
fabulous French Riviera. He was a guest of the rich Boustead family at its winter residence—Villa Eliada

• February, 1891- Rizal arrived in Biarritz

• Frustrated in romance, Rizal found consolation in writing. Evidently, while wooing Nellie and enjoying so
“many magnificent moonlight nights” with her, he kept working on his second novel which he began to write in
Calamba 1887
• March 29, 1891- the eve of his departure from Biarritz to Paris, he finished the manuscript of El
Filibusterismo.
• March 30, 1891-Rizal bade farewell to the hospitable and friendly Bousteads and proceeded to Paris by train
• April 4, 1891-Rizal wrote to his friend, Jose Ma. Basa, in Hong Kong from Paris, expressing his desire to go
to that British colony and practice ophthalmology in order to earn his living
• Middle of April, 1891- Rizal was back in Brussels
• Since abdicating his leadership in Madrid in January, 1891, owing to the intrigues of his jealous compatriots,
Rizal retired from the Propaganda Movement or reform crusade
• May 1, 1891-Rizal notified the Propaganda authorities in Manila to cancel his monthly allowance and devote
the money to some better cause
• Rizal’s notification was contained in a letter addressed to Mr. A.L. Lorena (pseudonym of Deodato Arellano)
• May 30, 1891-revision of the finished manuscript of El Filibusterismo was mostly completed
• June 13, 1891-Rizal informed Basa that he was negotiating with a printing firm

EL FILIBUSTERISMO PUBLISHED IN GHENT (1891)

-Rizal was busy revising and polishing the manuscript of El Filibusterismo so that it could be ready for the press
-Rizal had begun writing it in October, 1887, while practicing medicine in Calamba, the following year (1888),
in London; he made some changes in the plot and corrected some chapters already written. He wrote more
chapters in Paris and
Madrid, and finished the manuscript in Biarritz on March 29, 1891. It took him, therefore, three years to write
his second novel.

• July 5, 1891- Rizal left Brussels for Ghent, a famous university city in Belgium
• Rizal reasons for moving to Ghent were (1) the cost of printing in Ghent was cheaper than in Brussels (2) to
escape from the enticing attraction of Petite Suzanne
23

• Rizal met two compatriots while in Ghent, Jose Alejandro (from Pampanga) and Edilberto Evangelista (from
Manila), both studying engineering in the world-famed University of Ghent
• F. Meyer-Van Loo Press (No. 66 Viaanderen Street)-a printing shop that give Rizal the lowest quotation for
the publication of his novel, who was willing to print his book on installment basis
 P a g e | 39

• August 6, 1891-the printing of his book had to be suspended because Rizal could no longer give the necessary
funds to the printer
• Valentin Ventura- the savior of the Fili
-When Ventura learned of Rizal’s predicament and immediately sent him the necessary funds.

• September 18, 1891- El Filibusterismo came off the press

-Rizal immediately sent on this date two printed copies to Hong Kong—one for Basa and other for Sixto Lopez

• Rizal gratefully donated the original manuscript and an autographed printed copy to Valentin Ventura
• La Publicidad- a Barcelona newspaper, wherein it published a tribute eulogizing the novel’s original style
which “is comparable only to the sublime Alexander Dumas” and may well be offered as “a model and a
precious jewel in the now decadent literature of
Spain”
• El Nuevo Regimen- the liberal Madrid newspaper that serialized the novel in its issues of October, 1891
• Rizal dedicated El Filibusterismo to Gom-Bur-Za (Don Mariano
Gomez, 73 years old; Don Jose Burgos, 35 years old; Jacinto Zamora, 37 years old)
• The original manuscript of El Filibusterismo in Rizal’s own handwriting in now preserved in the Filipiana
Division of the Bureau of Public Libraries, Manila. It consists of 270 pages of long sheets of paper
• Two features in the manuscript do not appear in the printed book, namely: the FOREWORD and the
WARNING. These were not put into print to save printing cost
• The title page of El Filibusterismo contains an inscription written by Ferdinand Blumentritt
• El Filibusterismo is a sequel to the Noli. It has little humor, less idealism and less romance than the Noli Me
Tangere. It is more revolutionary, more tragic than the first novel
• The characters in El Filibusterismo were drawn by Rizal from real life. Padre Florentino was Father Leoncio
Lopez, Rizal’s friend and priest of Calamba; Isagani, the poet was Vicente Ilustre, Batangueño friend of Rizal in
Madrid and Paulita Gomez, the girl who loved Isagani but married Juanito Pelaez, was Leonor Rivera.

COMPARISON BETWEEN NOLI and FILI

NOLI ME TANGERE EL FILIBUSTERISMO

 Noli is a romantic novel

 it is a “work of the heart”—a book of feeling”
 it has freshness, color, humor, lightness, and wit
 it contains 64 chapters
 Fili is a political novel
 it is a “work of the head”—a book of the thought
 it contains bitterness, hatred, pain, violence, and sorrow
 it contains 38 chapters

• The original intention of Rizal was to make the Fili longer than the Noli
• The friends of Rizal and our Rizalistas today differ in opinion as to which is the superior novel—the Noli or
the Fili. Rizal himself considered the Noli as superior to the Fili as a novel, thereby agreeing with M.H. del Pilar
who had the same opinion
• September 22, 1891-four days after the Fili came off the press, Rizal wrote to Blumentritt: “I am thinking of
writing a third novel, a novel in the modern sense of the word, but this time politics will not find much space in
it, but ethics will play the principal role.”
• October 18, 1891- Rizal boarded the steamer Melbourne in Marseilles bound for Hong Kong
-during the voyage, Rizal began writing the third novel in Tagalog, which he intended for Tagalog readers
 P a g e | 40

• The unfinished novel has no title. It consists of 44 pages (33cm x 21 cm) in Rizal’s handwriting, still in
manuscript form, it is preserved in the National Library, Manila
-The story of this unfinished novel begins with the solemn burial of Prince Tagulima. The hero of the novel was
Kamandagan, a descendant of Lakan-Dula, last king of Tondo
-It is said that Rizal was fortunate not to have finsihed this novel, because it would have caused greater scandal
and more Spanish vengeance on him

• Makamisa- other unfinished novel of Rizal in Tagalog written in a light sarcastic style and is incomplete for
only two chapters are finished. The manuscript consists of 20 pages, 34.2cm x 22cm

• Dapitan-another novel which Rizal started to write but it is unfinished, written in ironic Spanish. He wrote it
during his exile in Dapitan to depict the town life and customs. The manuscript consists of 8 pages,
23cm x 16cm
• A novel in Spanish about the life in Pili, a town in Laguna, is also unfinished. The manuscript consists of
147 pages, 8” x 6.5”, without title
• Another unfinished novel of Rizal, also without title is about Cristobal, a youthful Filipino student who has
returned from Europe. The manuscript consist of 34 pages, 8 1⁄2” x 6 1⁄4”
• The beginnings of another novel are contained in two notebooks—the first notebook contains 31 written
pages, 35.5 cm x 22 cm and second 12 written pages, 22cm x 17cm. this unfinished novel is written in
Spanish and style is ironic

OPHTHALMIC SURGEON IN HONG KONG (1891-1892)

-Rizal left Europe for Hong Kong, where he lived from November, 1891 to June, 1892. His reasons for leaving
Europe were (1) life was unbearable in Europe because of his political differences with M.H. del Pilar and other
Filipinos in Spain
(2) To be near his idolized Philippines and family

• October 3, 1891-two weeks after the publication of Fili, Rizal left Ghent for Paris, where he stayed a few days
to say goodbye to the Lunas, the Pardo de Taveras, the Venturas and other friends; Rizal proceeded by train to
Marseilles
• October 18, 1891- Rizal boarded the steamer Melbourne bound for Hong Kong
• Father Fuchs- a Tyrolese, Rizal enjoyed playing chess. Rizal describe him to Blumentritt as “He is a fine
fellow, A Father Damaso without pride and malice”
• November 20, 1891-Rizal arrived in Hong Kong
• Rizal established his residence at No. 5 D’ Aguilar Street No. 2 Rednaxola Terrace, where he also opened his
medical clinic
• December 1, 1891- Rizal wrote his parents asking their permission to return home.
-On the same date, his brother-in-law, Manuel T. Hidalgo, sent him a letter relating the sad news of the
“deportation of twenty-five persons from Calamba, including father, Neneng, Sisa, Lucia, Paciano and the rest
of us.”

• The Christmas of 1891 in Hong Kong was one of the happiest Yuletide celebrations in Rizal’s life: For he had
a happy family reunion
• January 31, 1892- Rizal wrote to Blumentritt, recounting pleasant life in Hong Kong
• To earn a living for himself and for his family, Rizal practiced medicine
• Dr. Lorenzo P. Marques- a Portuguese physician, who became Rizal’s friend and admirer, who helped him to
build up a wide clientele. In recognition of Rizal’s skill as an ophthalmic surgeon, he turned over to him many
of his eye cases
 P a g e | 41

• Rizal successfully operated on his mother’s left eye so that she was able to read and write again.

BORNEO COLONIZATION PROJECT

• Rizal planned to move the landless Filipino families Filipino families to North Borneo (Sabah), rich British-
owned island and carve out of its virgin wildness a “New Calamba”

• March 7, 1892- Rizal went to Sandakan on board the ship Menon to negotiate with the British authorities for
the establishment of a Filipino colony
• Rizal looked over the land up the Bengkoka River in Maradu Bay which was offered by the British North
Borneo Company
• April 20, 1892- Rizal was back in Hong Kong
• Hidalgo- Rizal’s brother-in-law, objected to the colonization project
• Governor Valeriano Weyler- Cubans odiously called “The Butcher”
• Governor Eulogio Despujol- the Count of Caspe, a new governor general after Weyler
• December 23, 1891- first letter of Rizal to Governor Despujol
• March 21, 1892- Rizal’s second letter and gave it to a ship captain to be sure it would reach Governor
Despujol’s hand
-in this second letter, he requested the governor general to permit the landless Filipinos to establish themselves
in Borneo

• Despujol could not approve the Filipino immigration to Borneo, alleging that “the Philippines lacked laborers”
and “it was not very patriotic to go off and cultivate foreign soil.”

WRITINGS IN HONG KONG

• “Ang Mga Karapatan Nang Tao- which is a Tagalog translation of “The Rights of Man” proclaimed by the
French Revolution in 1789
• “A la Nacion Española” (To the Spanish Nation)- Rizal wrote in 1891, which is an appeal to Spain to right the
wrongs done to the Calamba tenants
• “Sa Mga Kababayan” (To my Countrymen)- another proclamation written in December, 1891 explaining the
Calamba agrarian situation

• The Hong Kong Telegraph- a British daily newspaper whose editor is Mr. Frazier Smith, a friend of
Rizal
-Rizal contributed articles to this newspaper
• “Una Visita a la Victoria Gaol” (A Visit to Victoria Gaol)- Rizal wrote on March 2, 1892, an account of his
visit to the colonial prison of Hong Kong
-in this article, Rizal contrasted the cruel Spanish prison system with the modern and more humane British
prison system

• “Colonisation du British North Borneo, par de Familles de Iles Philippines” (Colonization of

British North Borneo by Families from the Philippine Islands)- an article in French which Rizal elaborated on
the same idea in aonther article in Spanish, “Proyecto de Colonizacion del British North
Borneo por los Filipinos” (Project of the Colonization of British North Borneo by the Filipinos)
• “La Mano Roja” (The Red Hand)- Rizal wrote in June, 1892, which was printed in sheet form in Hong Kong
-it denounces the frequent outbreaks of intentional fires in Manila
 P a g e | 42

• Constitution of La Liga Filipina- the most important writing made by Rizal during his Hong Kong sojourn,
which was printed in Hong Kong, 1892
-to deceive the Spanish authorities, the printed copies carried the false information that the printing was done by
the LONDON PRINTING PRESS

• Domingo Franco-a friend of Rizal in Manila whom the copies of the printed Liga constitution were sent

DECISION TO RETURN TO MANILA

• May, 1892- Rizal made up his mind to return to Manila.

• This decision was spurred by the following: (1) to confer with Governor Despujol regarding his Borneo
colonization project (2) to establish the La Liga Filipina in Manila (3) to prove that Eduardo de Lete was wrong
in attacking him in Madrid that he (Rizal), being comfortable and safe in Hong Kong, had abandoned the
country’s cause
• Lete’s attack, which was printed in La Solidaridad on April 15, 1892, portrayed Rizal as cowardly, egoistic,
opportunistic—a patriot in words only
• June 20, 1892- Rizal wrote two letters which he sealed, inscribed on each envelope “to be opened after my
death” and gave them to his friend Dr. Marques for safekeeping
• The first letter, addressed TO MY PARENTS, BRETHREN, AND FRIENDS. The second letter, addressed
TO THE FILIPINOS
• June 21, 1892- Rizal penned another letter in Hong Kong for Governor Despujol, incidentally his third letter
to that discourteous Spanish chief executive
• Immediately after Rizal’s departure from Hong Kong, the Spanish consul general who issued the government
guarantee of safety, sent a cablegram to Governor Despujol that the victim “is in the trap”.
On the same day (June 21, 1892), a secret case was filed in Manila against Rizal and his followers “for anti-
religious and anti-patriotic agitation”
• Luis de la Torre- secretary of Despujol, ordered to find out if Rizal was naturalized as a German citizen

SECOND HOMECOMING AND THE LIGA FILIPINA

-Rizal’s bold return to Manila in June, 1892 was his second homecoming
-Rizal firmly believed that the fight for Filipino liberties had assumed a new phase: it must be fought in the
Philippines not in Spain. “The battlefield is in the Philippines,” he told countrymen in Europe, “There is where
we should meet...
There we will help one another, there together we will suffer or triumph perhaps.”
ARRIVAL IN MANILA WITH SISTER

• June 26, 1892- Sunday at 12:00 noon, Rizal and his widowed sister Lucia (wife of late Mariano Herbosa)
arrived in Manila
• In the afternoon, at 4:00 o’clock, he went to Malacañang Palace to seek audience with the Spanish governor
general, General Eulogio Despujol, Conde de Caspe
• June 27, 1892- at 6:00pm, Rizal boarded a train in Tutuban Station and visited his friends in Malolos
(Bulacan), San Fernando (Pampanga), Tarlac (Tarlac), and Bacolor (Pampanga)
• Rizal returned by train to Manila on the next day, June 28, at 5 o’clock in the afternoon

FOUNDLING OF THE LIGA FILIPINA

• July 3, 1892- on the evening of Sunday, following his morning interview with Governor General Despujol,
Rizal attended a meeting with patriots at the home of the Chinese-Filipino mestizo, Doroteo Ongjunco, on
Ylaya Street, Tondo, Manila
 P a g e | 43

• Rizal explained the objectives of the Liga Filipina, a civic league of Filipinos, which he desired to establish
and its role in the socio-economic life of the people.
• The officers of the new league were elected, as follows: Ambrosio Salvador (President); Deodato Arellano
(Secretary); Bonifacio Arevalo (Treasurer); and Agustin de la Rosa (Fiscal)
• Unus Instar Omnium (One Like All)- the motto of the Liga Filipina

• The governing body of the league was the Supreme Council which had jurisdiction over the whole country. It
was composed of a president, a secretary, a treasurer, and a fiscal. There was a Provincial
Council in every province and a Popular Council in every town
• The duties of the Liga members are as follows (1) obey the orders of the Supreme Council (2) to help in
recruiting new members (3) to keep in strictest secrecy the decisions of the Liga authorities (4) to have symbolic
name which he cannot change until he becomes president of his council (5) to report to the fiscal anything that
he may hear which affect the Liga (6) to behave well as befits a good Filipino (7) to help fellow members in all
ways

RIZAL ARRESTED AND JAILED IN FORT SANTIAGO

• July 6, 1892- Wednesday, Rizal went to Malacañang Palace to resume his series of interviews with governor
general
• Pobres Frailles (Poor Friars)- incriminatory leaflets which allegedly found in Lucia’s pillow cases; it is under
the authorship of Fr. Jacinto and printed by the Imprenta de los Amigos del Pais, Manila
• Rizal was placed under arrest and escorted to Fort Santiago by Ramon Despujol, nephew and aide of Governor
General Despujol
• July 7, 1892- the Gaceta de Manila published the story of Rizal’s arrest which produced indignant commotion
among the Filipino people, particlarly the members of the newly organized Liga Filipina
• The same issue of the Gaceta (july 7, 1892) contained Governor General Despujol’s decree deporting Rizal to
“one of the islands in the South”
• July 14, 1892, shortly after midnight (that is 12:30 am of July 15, 1892) – Rizal was brought under heavy
guard to the steamer Cebu which was sailing for Dapitan. This steamer under Captain Delgras departed at 1:00
AM, July 15, sailing south, passing Mindoro and Panay and reaching Dapitan on
Sunday, the 17th of July at 7:00 in the evening

• Captain Ricardo Carnicero- Spanish commandant of Dapitan whom Captain Delgras handed Rizal
• July 17, 1892- July 31, 2896- Rizal began his exile in lonely Dapitan, a period of four years.

EXILE IN DAPITAN, 1892-1896

-Rizal lived in exile far-away Dapitan, a remote town in Mindanao which was under the missionary jurisdiction
of the Jesuits, from 1892 to 1896
-Rizal practiced medicine, pursued scientific studies, continued his artistic and literary works, widened his
knowledge of languages, established a school for boys, promoted developments projects, invented a wooden
machine for making bricks, and engaged in farming and commerce

BEGINNING OF EXILE IN DAPITAN

• The steamer Cebu which brought Rizal to Dapitan carried a letter from Father Pablo Pastells, Superior of the
Jesuit Society in the Philippine, to Father Antonio Obach, Jesuit parish priest of Dapitan
• Rizal lived in the house of the commandant, Captain Carnicero
 P a g e | 44

• A Don Ricardo Carnicero- Rizal wrote a poem on August 26, 1892, on the occasion of the captain’s birthday
• September 21, 18792- the mail boat Butuan was approaching the town, with colored pennants flying in the sea
breezes
• Butuan- the mail boat, brought the happy tidings that the Lottery Ticket no. 9736 jointly owned by Captain
Carcinero, Dr. Jose Rizal, and Francisco Equilior (Spanish resident of Dipolog, a neighboring town of
Dapitan) won the second prize of P20,000 in the government-owned Manila Lottery
• Rizal’s winning in the Manila Lottery reveals an aspect of his lighter side. He never drank hard liquor and
never smoked but he was a lottery addict—this was his only vice
• During his exile in Dapitan, Rizal had a long and scholarly debate with Father Pastells on religion.
• In all his letters to Father Pastells, Rizal revealed his anti-Catholic ideas which he had acquired in Europe and
embitterment at his persecution by the bad friars
• According to Rizal, individual judgment is a gift from God and everybody should use it like a lantern to show
the way and that self-esteem, if moderated by judgment, saves man from unworthy acts
• Imitacion de Cristo (Imitation of Christ)- a famous Catholic book by Father Thomas a Kempis which
Father Pastells gave to Rizal
• Mr. Juan Lardet- a businessman, a French acquaintance in Dapitan, Rizal challenge in a duel—this man
purchased many logs from the lands of Rizal
• Antonio Miranda- a Dapitan merchant and friend of Rizal
• Father Jose Vilaclara- cura of Dipolog
• Pablo Mercado-friar’s spy and posing as a relative, secretly visited Rizal at his house on the night of
November 3, 1891
-he introduced himself as a friend and relative, showing a photo of Rizal and a pair of buttons with the initials
“P.M.” (Pablo Mercado) as evidence of his kinship with the Rizal family

• Captain Juan Sitges- who succeeded Captain Carnicero on May 4, 1893 as commandant of Dapitan,
Rizal denounced to him the impostor

• Florencio Namanan- the real name of “Pablo Mercado”

-a native of Cagayan de Misamis, single and about 30 years old. He was hired by the Recollect friars to a secret
mission in Dapitan—to introduce himself to Rizal as a friend and relative, to spy on Rizal’s activities, and to
filch certain letters and writings of Rizal which might incriminate him in the revolutionary movement.

• As physician in Dapitan—Rizal practiced Medicine in Dapitan. He had many patients, but most of them were
poor so that he even gave them free medicine.
-As a physician, Rizal became interested in local medicine and in the use of medicinal plants. He studied the
medicinal plants of the Philippines and their curative values.

• August 1893- Rizal’s mother and sister, Maria, arrived in Dapitan and lived with him for one year and a half.
Rizal operated on his mother’s right eye
• Rizal held the title of expert surveyor (perito agrimensor), which obtained from the Ateneo
-In Dapitan, Rizal applied his knowledge of engineering by constructing a system of waterworks in order to
furnish clean water to the townspeople

• Mr. H.F. Cameron-an American engineer who praised Rizal’s engineering

COMMUNITY PROJECTS FOR DAPITAN

• When Rizal arrived in Dapitan, he decided to improve it, to the best of his God-given talents and to awaken
the civic consciousness of its people
 P a g e | 45

(1) Constructing the town’s first water system

(2) Draining the marshes in order to get rid of malaria that infested Dapitan
(3) Equip the town with its lighting system—this lighting system consisted of coconut oil lamps placed in the
dark streets of Dapitan
(4) Beautification of Dapitan—remodeled the town plaza in order to enhance its beauty
• Rizal as Teacher—Rizal exile to Dapitan gives him the opportunity to put into practice his educational ideas.
In 1893 he established a school which existed until the end of his exile in July, 1896. Rizal taught his boys
reading, writing, languages (Spanish and English), geography, history, mathematics (arithmetic and geometry),
industrial work, nature study, morals and gymnastics. He trained them how to collect specimens of plants and
animals, to love work and to “behave like men”
• Hymn to Talisay (Himno A Talisay)- Rizal wrote this poem in honor of Talisay for his pupils to sing
• Contributions to Science—during his four-year exile in Dapitan, Rizal built up a rich collection of concology
which consisted of 346 shells representing 203 species. Rizal also conducted anthropological, ethnographical,
archaeological, geological, and geographical studies, as revealed by his voluminous correspondence with his
scientists friends in Europe.
• Linguistic Studies—In Dapitan, he learned the Bisayan, Subanum, and Malay languages. He wrote Tagalog
grammar, made a comparative study of the Bisayan and Malayan languages and studied Bisayan (Cebuan), and
Subanum languages
-By this time, Rizal could rank with the world’s great linguists. He knew 22 languages—Tagalog, Ilokano,
Bisayan, Subanun, Spanish, Latin, Greek, English, French, German, Arabic, Malay, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Dutch,
Catalan, Italian,
Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Swedish, and Russian

• Artistic works in Dapitan—Rizal continued his artistic pursuits in Dapitan. Rizal made sketches of persons
and things that attracted him in Dapitan.
-The Mother’s Revenge- a statuette made by Rizal representing the mother-dog killing the crocodile, by way of
avenging her lost puppy
-Other sculptural works of Rizal in Dapitan were a bust of Father Guerrico (one of his Ateneo professors), a
statue of a girl called “the Dapitan Girl”, a woodcarving of Josephine Bracken (his wife) and a bust of St. Paul
which he gave to Father Pastells

• Rizal as Farmer—In Dapitan, Rizal devoted much of his time to agriculture. Rizal introduced modern methods
of agriculture which he had observed in Europe and America. He encouraged the Dapitan farmers to discard
their primitive system of tillage and adopt the modern agricultural methods
• Rizal as Businessman—Rizal engaged in business in partnership with Ramon Carreon, a Dapitan merchant, he
made profitable business ventures in fishing, copra, and hemp industries
-January 19, 1893-Rizal wrote a letter to Hidalgo expressing his plan to improve the fishing industry of Dapitan
-The most profitable business venture of Rizal in Dapitan was in the hemp industry. May 14, 1893-Rizal formed
a business partnership with Ramon Carreon in lime manufacturing
-January 1, 1895-Rizal organized the Cooperative Association of Dapitan Farmers to break the Chinese
monopoly on business in Dapitan

• Rizal’s Inventive Ability—Rizal invented a cigarette lighter which he sent as a gift to Blumentritt. He called it
“sulpukan”. This unique cigarette lighter was made of wood. “It’s mechanism”, said Rizal “is based on the
principle of compressed air.”
-During his exile in Dapitan, he invited a wooden machine for making bricks
• My Retreat (Mi Retiro)- Rizal wrote this beautiful poem about his serene life as an exile in Dapitan and sent it
to her mother on October 22, 1895, which acclaimed by literary critics as one of the best ever penned by Rizal.
 P a g e | 46

RIZAL AND THE KATIPUNAN

• Andres Bonifacio- the “Great Plebeian”, sowing the seeds of an armed uprising—the secret revolutionary
society, called Katipunan, which he founded on July 7, 1892
• May 2, 1896- a secret meeting of the Katipunan at a little river called Bitukang Manok near the town of
Pasig, Dr. Pio Valenzuela was named emissary to Dapitan, in order to inform Rizal of the plan of the Katipunan
to launch a revolution for freedom’s sake
• June 15, 1896-Valenzuela left Manila on board the steamer Venus
• To camouflage Valenzuela’s real mission, he brought with him a blind man Raymundo Mata and a guide,
ostensibly going to Dapitan to solicit Rizal’s expert medical advice
• June 21, 1896-evening, Dr. Pio Valenzuela arrived in Dapitan
• Rizal objected to Bonifacio’s audacious project to plunge the country in bloody revolution because he was of
sincere belief that it was premature, for two reasons: (1) the people are not ready for a revolution (2) arms and
funds must first be collected before raising the cry of revolution
• Rizal had offered his services as military doctor in Cuba, which was then in the throes of a revolution and a
ranging yellow fever epidemic. There was a shortage of physicians to minister to the needs of the Spanish
troops and the Cubans people
• December 17, 1895- Rizal wrote to Governor General Ramon Blanco, Despujol’s successor, offering his
services as military doctor in Cuba
• July 30, 1896- Rizal received the letter from Governor General Blanco dated July 1, 1896 notifying him of
acceptance of his offer.
• “The Song of the Traveler” (El Canto del Viajero) -Rizal wrote this heart-warming poem because of his joy in
receiving the gladsome news from Malacañang
• July 31, 1896- Rizal’s four-year exile in Dapitan came to an end
-Midnight of that date, Rizal embarked on board the steamer España
• As farewell music, the town brass band strangely played the dolorous Funeral March of Chopin. Rizal must
have felt it deeply, for with his presentment of death, it seemed an obsequy or a regimen
• Rizal wrote in his diary, “I have been in that district four years, thirteen days and a few hours”

LAST TRIP ABROAD (1896)

-No longer exile Jose Rizal had a pleasant trip from Dapitan to Manila, with delightful stop-overs in
Dumaguete, Cebu, Iloilo, Capiz, and Romblon.

• Isla de Luzon-a regular steamer that Rizal missed which sailed to Spain the day before he arrived in Manila
Bay
• Castilla- a Spanish cruiser wherein Rizal was kept as a “guest” on board
• August 26, 1896- Andres Bonifacio and the Katipunan raised the cry of revolution in the hills of Balintawak, a
few miles north of Manila
• September 3, 1896- Rizal left for Spain on the steamer Isla de Panay
• July 31, 1896- Rizal left Dapitan at midnight on board the España sailed northward
• August 1, 1896- at dawn of Saturday, it anchored at Dumaguete, capitan of Negros Oriental
-“Dumaguete” wrote Rizal in his travel diary “spreads out on the beach. There are big houses, some with
galvanized iron roofing. Outstanding are the house of a lady, whose name I have forgotten, which is occupied
by the government and another one just begun with many ipil post

• Herrero Regidor- Rizal friend and former classmate, who was the judge of the province, Dumaguete
• The España left Dumaguete about 1:00pm and reached Cebu the following morning
 P a g e | 47

“In Cebu, Rizal wrote in his diary “I did two operations of strabotomy, one operation on the ears and another of
tumor.”

• In the morning of Monday, August 3, 1896, Rizal left Cebu going to Iloilo. Rizal landed at Iloilo, went
shopping in the city and visited Molo. From Iloilo, Rizal’s ship sailed to Capiz. After a brief stopover, it
proceeded towards Manila via Romblon
• August 6, 1896- morning of Thursday, the España arrived in Manila Bay
• Rizal was not able to catch the mail ship Isla de Luzon for Spain because it had departed the previous day at
5:00pm
• Near midnight of the same day, August 6, Rizal was transferred to the Spanish cruiser Castilla, by order of
Governor General Ramon Blanco. He was given good accommodation by the gallant captain, Enrique
Santalo
• August 6 to September 2, 1896, Rizal stayed on the cruiser pending the availability of Spain-bound steamer.

OUTBREAK OF PHILIPPINE REVOLUTION

• August 19, 1896- the Katipunan plot to overthrow Spanish rule by means of revolution was discovered by
Fray Mariano Gil, Augustinian cura of Tondo
• August 26, 1896- the “Cry of Balintawak” which raised by Bonifacio and his valiant Katipuneros

• August 30, 1896- sunrise, the revolutionists led by Bonifacio and Jacinto attacked San Juan, near the city of
Manila
-in the afternoon, after the Battle of San Juan, Governor General Blanco proclaimed a state of war in the first
eight provinces for rising in arms against Spain—Manila (as a province), Bulacan, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna,
Pampanga,
Nueva Ecija, and Tarlac.

• Rizal learned of the eruption of the revolution and raging battles around Manila through the newspapers he
read on the Castilla. He was worried for two reasons: (1) the violent revolution which he sincerely believed to
be premature and would only cause much suffering and terrible loss of human lives and property had started (2)
it would arouse Spanish vengeance against all Filipino patriots
• August 30, 1896- Rizal received from Governor General Blanco two letters of introduction for the Minister of
War and Minister of Colonies, which a covering letter which absolved him from all blame for the raging
revolution
• September 2, 1896- the day before Rizal departure for Spain, Rizal, on board the Castilla, wrote to his mother
-At 6:00pm, Rizal was transferred to the steamer Isla de Panay which was sailing for Barcelona, Spain
• The next morning, September 3, this steamer left Manila Bay
• The Isla de Panay arrived at Singapore in the evening of September 7
• Don Pedro Roxas- rich Manila creole industrialist and Rizal’s friend that advised him to stay on
Singapore and take advantage of the protection of the British law
• Don Manuel Camus- headed several Filipino residents in Singapore, boarded the steamer, urging Rizal to stay
in Singapore to save his life
• The Isla de Panay, with Rizal on board, left Singapore at 1:00pm, September 8
• September 25, 1896- Rizal saw the steamer Isal de Luzon, leaving the Suez Canal, crammed with Spanish
troops
• September 27, 1896- Rizal heard from the passengers that a telegram arrived from Manila reporting the
execution of Francisco Roxas, Genato and Osorio
• September 28, 1986- a day after the steamer had left Port Said (Mediterranean terminus of the Suez Canal), a
passenger told Rizal the bad news that he would be arrested by order of Governor General
 P a g e | 48

Blanco and would be sent to prison in Ceuta (Spanish Morocco), opposite Gibraltar
• September 29, 1896- Rizal wrote in his travel diary: There are people on board who do nothing but slander me
and invent fanciful stories about me. I’m going to become a legendary personage
• September 30, 1896- at 4:00pm, Rizal was officially notofied by Captain Alemany that he should stay in his
cabin until further orders from Manila
-about 6:25pm, the steamer anchored at Malta. Being confined to his cabin, Rizal was not able to visit the
famous island-fortress of the Christian crusaders

• October 3, 1896- at 10:00am, the Isla de Panay arrived in Barcelona, with Rizal, a prisoner on board
• The trip from Manila to Barcelona lasted exactly 30 days. Rizal was kept under heavy guard in his cabin for
three days
• General Eulogio Despujol- military commander of Barcelona who ordered his banishment to Dapitan in
July 1892
• October 6, 1896- at 3:00am, Rizal was awakened by the guards and escorted to the grim and infamous prison-
fortress named Monjuich
• About 2:00 in the afternoon, Rizal was taken out of prison by the guards and brought to the headquarters of
General Despujol
• Colon- a transport ship back to Manila
• Rizal was taken aboard the Colon, which was “full of soldiers and officers and their families.”
• October 6, 1896- at 8:00pm, the ship left Barcelona with Rizal on board

INTRODUCTION TO JOSÉ RIZAL’S NOLI ME TANGERE

Written in Spanish and published in 1887, José Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere played a crucial role in the
political history of the Philippines. Drawing from experience, the conventions of the nineteenth-century novel,
and the ideals of European liberalism, Rizal offered up a devastating critique of a society under Spanish colonial
rule.
The plot revolves around Crisostomo Ibarra, mixed-race heir of a wealthy clan, returning home after seven
years in Europe and filled with ideas on how to better the lot of his countrymen. Striving for reforms, he is
confronted by an abusive ecclesiastical hierarchy and a Spanish civil administration by turns indifferent and
cruel. The novel suggests, through plot developments, that meaningful change in this context is exceedingly
difficult, if not impossible.
The death of Ibarra’s father, Don Rafael, prior to his homecoming, and the refusal of a Catholic burial by Padre
Damaso, the parish priest, provokes Ibarra into hitting the priest, for which Ibarra is excommunicated. The
decree is rescinded, however, when the governor general intervenes. The friar and his successor, Padre Salvi,
embody the rotten state of the clergy. Their tangled feelings—one paternal, the other carnal—for Maria Clara,
Ibarra’s sweetheart and rich Capitan Tiago’s beautiful daughter, steel their determination to spoil Ibarra’s plans
for a school. The town philosopher Tasio wryly notes similar past attempts have failed, and his sage
commentary makes clear that all colonial masters fear that an enlightened people will throw off the yoke of
oppression.
Precisely how to accomplish this is the novel’s central question, and one which Ibarra debates with the
mysterious Elias, with whose life his is intertwined. The privileged Ibarra favors peaceful means, while Elias,
who has suffered injustice at the hands of the authorities, believes violence is the only option.
Ibarra’s enemies, particularly Salvi, implicate him in a fake insurrection, though the evidence against him is
weak. Then Maria Clara betrays him to protect a dark family secret, public exposure of which would be ruinous.
Ibarra escapes from prison with Elias’s help and confronts her. She explains why, Ibarra forgives her, and he
and Elias flee to the lake. But chased by the Guardia Civil, one dies while the other survives. Convinced
Ibarra’s dead, Maria Clara enters the nunnery, refusing a marriage arranged by Padre Damaso. Her unhappy fate
 P a g e | 49

and that of the more memorable Sisa, driven mad by the fate of her sons, symbolize the country’s condition, at
once beautiful and miserable.
Using satire brilliantly, Rizal creates other memorable characters whose lives manifest the poisonous
effects of religious and colonial oppression. Capitan Tiago; the social climber Doña Victorina de Espadaña and
her toothless Spanish husband; the Guardia Civil head and his harridan of a wife; the sorority of devout women;
the disaffected peasants forced to become outlaws: in sum, a microcosm of Philippine society. In the afflictions
that plague them, Rizal paints a harrowing picture of his beloved but suffering country in a work that speaks
eloquently not just to Filipinos but to all who have endured or witnessed oppression.

Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere is perhaps the Philippines’ most influential novel.It stirred the nationalist
sentiments of the 19th and 20th centuries. Its influence can be seen in present-day works of fiction, drama and
films. It continues to be popular even in the contemporary Philippine setting because the reflections and insights
of the book remain true today.

Noli Me Tangere was written in Spanish and was published in 1887 in Berlin. The first publication was
in Spanish and there was an initial 2,000 copies. Thereafter, the novel was translated into Filipino, French,
German, Chinese and other Philippine dialects. The best known English translation of the book was done by
Charles Derbyshire in 1912 and by Leon Maria Guerrero in 1961. This book together with El Filibusterismo is
part of the school curriculum for Philippine junior and senior high school students, and the mandatory Jose
Rizal course in college.

EL FILIBUSTERISMO
PLOT SUMMARY:
Thirteen years after leaving the Philippines, Crisostomo Ibarra returns as Simoun, a rich jeweler sporting
a beard and blue-tinted glasses, and a confidant of the Captain-General. Abandoning his idealism, he becomes a
cynical saboteur, seeking revenge against the Spanish Philippine system responsible for his misfortunes by
plotting a revolution. Simoun insinuates himself into Manila high society and influences every decision of the
Captain-General to mismanage the country’s affairs so that a revolution will break out. He cynically sides with
the upper classes, encouraging them to commit abuses against the masses to encourage the latter to revolt
against the oppressive Spanish colonial regime. This time, he does not attempt to fight the authorities through
legal means, but through violent revolution using the masses. Simoun has reasons for instigating a revolution.
First is to rescue María Clara from the convent and second, to get rid of ills and evils of Philippine society. His
true identity is discovered by a now grown-up Basilio while visiting the grave of his mother, Sisa, as Simoun
was digging near the grave site for his buried treasures. Simoun spares Basilio’s life and asks him to join in his
planned revolution against the government, egging him on by bringing up the tragic misfortunes of the latter's
family. Basilio declines the offer as he still hopes that the country’s condition will improve. Basilio, at this
point, is a graduating student of medicine at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila. After the death of his mother,
Sisa, and the disappearance of his younger brother, Crispín, Basilio heeded the advice of the dying boatman,
Elías, and traveled to Manila to study. Basilio was adopted by Captain Tiago after María Clara entered the
convent. With Captain Tiago’s help, Basilio was able to go to Colegio de San Juan de Letrán where, at first, he
is frowned upon by his peers and teachers not only because of the color of his skin but also because of his
shabby appearance. Captain Tiago’s confessor, Father Irene is making Captain Tiago’s health worse by giving
him opium even as Basilio tries hard to prevent Captain Tiago from smoking it. He and other students want to
establish a Spanish language academy so that they can learn to speak and write Spanish despite the opposition
 P a g e | 50

from the Dominican friars of the Universidad de Santo Tomás. With the help of a reluctant Father Irene as their
mediator and Don Custodio’s decision, the academy is established; however they will only serve as caretakers
of the school not as the teachers.
Dejected and defeated, they hold a mock celebration at a pancitería while a spy for the friars witnesses
the proceedings. Simoun, for his part, keeps in close contact with the bandit group of Kabesang Tales, a former
cabeza de barangay who suffered misfortunes at the hands of the friars. Once a farmer owning a prosperous
sugarcane plantation and a cabeza de barangay (barangay head), he was forced to give everything to the greedy
and unscrupulous Spanish friars. His son, Tano, who became a civil guard was captured by bandits; his daughter
Hulî had to work as a maid to get enough ransom money for his freedom; and his father, Tandang Selo, suffered
a stroke and became mute. Before joining the bandits, Tales took Simoun’s revolver while Simoun was staying
at his house for the night. As payment, Tales leaves a locket that once belonged to María Clara. To further
strengthen the revolution, Simoun has Quiroga, a Chinese man hoping to be appointed consul to the Philippines,
smuggle weapons into the country using Quiroga’s bazaar as a front. Simoun wishes to attack during a stage
play with all of his enemies in attendance. He, however, abruptly aborts the attack when he learns from Basilio
that María Clara had died earlier that day in the convent. A few days after the mock celebration by the students,
the people are agitated when disturbing posters are found displayed around the city. The authorities accuse the
students present at the pancitería of agitation and disturbing peace and has them arrested. Basilio, although not
present at the mock celebration, is also arrested. Captain Tiago dies after learning of the incident and as stated
in his will—forged by Irene, all his possessions are given to the Church, leaving nothing for Basilio. Basilio is
left in prison as the other students are released. A high official tries to intervene for the release of Basilio but the
Captain-General, bearing grudges against the high official, coerces him to tender his resignation. Julî, Basilio’s
girlfriend and the daughter of Kabesang Tales, tries to ask Father Camorra’s help upon the advice of an elder
woman. Instead of helping Julî, however, the priest tries to rape her as he has long-hidden desires for Julî. Julî,
rather than submit to the will of the friar, jumps over the balcony to her death. Basilio is soon released with the
help of Simoun. Basilio, now a changed man, and after hearing about Julî's suicide, finally joins Simoun’s
revolution. Simoun then tells Basilio his plan at the wedding of Paulita Gómez and Juanito, Basilio’s hunch-
backed classmate. His plan was to conceal an explosive inside a pomegranate-styled Kerosene lamp that
Simoun will give to the newlyweds as a gift during the wedding reception. The reception will take place at the
former home of the late Captain Tiago, which was now filled with explosives planted by Simoun. According to
Simoun, the lamp will stay lighted for only 20 minutes before it flickers; if someone attempts to turn the wick, it
will explode and kill everyone—important members of civil society and the Church hierarchy—inside the
house. Basilio has a change of heart and attempts to warn Isagani, his friend and the former boyfriend of
Paulita. Simoun leaves the reception early as planned and leaves a note behind: “ Mene Thecel Phares. ” —Juan
Crisostomo Ibarra Initially thinking that it was simply a bad joke, Father Salví recognizes the handwriting and
confirms that it was indeed Ibarra’s. As people begin to panic, the lamp flickers. Father Irene tries to turn the
wick up when Isagani, due to his undying love for Paulita, bursts in the room and throws the lamp into the river,
sabotaging Simoun's plans. He escapes by diving into the river as guards chase after him. He later regrets his
impulsive action because he had contradicted his own belief that he loved his nation more than Paulita and that
the explosion and revolution could have fulfilled his ideals for Filipino society. Simoun, now unmasked as the
perpetrator of the attempted arson and failed revolution, becomes a fugitive. Wounded and exhausted after he
was shot by the pursuing Guardia Civil, he seeks shelter at the home of Father Florentino, Isagani’s uncle, and
comes under the care of Doctor Tiburcio de Espadaña, Doña Victorina's husband, who was also hiding at the
house. Simoun takes poison in order for him not to be captured alive. Before he dies, he reveals his real identity
to Florentino while they exchange thoughts about the failure of his revolution and why God forsook him.
Florentino opines that God did not forsake him and that his plans were not for the greater good but for personal
 P a g e | 51

gain. Simoun, finally accepting Florentino’s explanation, squeezes his hand and dies. Florentino then takes
Simoun’s remaining jewels and throws them into the Pacific Ocean with the corals hoping that they would not
be used by the greedy, and that when the time came that it would be used for the greater good, when the nation
would be finally deserving liberty for themselves, the sea would reveal the treasures.

ANG MAKAMISA

Ang Makamisa is an unfinished novel written by Jose Rizal. Discovered by the Historian Ambeth Ocampo in
1987, it is thought to be the intended sequel to El Filibusterismo.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Makamisa is the unfinished novel of Dr. Jose Rizal written in Tagalog. It starts with a mass supervised by Fr.
Agaton in the small town of Tulig where the rest of the story focuses. Among the characters named in the novel
are Capitan Lucas, Marcela, Capitan Tibo, Don Segundo, Teniente Tato and Aleng Anday. Unlike Rizal's Noli
Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo,Makamisa was written in a rather comical way.

Huling Paalam Salin ito ng huling sinulat ni Rizal nguni’t walang pamagat. Sinulat niya ito sa Fort Santiago,
isinilid sa kusinilyang dealkohol, at ibinigay sa kapatid na si Trinidad nang huling dumalaw sa kaniya bago siya
(Rizal) barilin.

“Ultimo Adios”

Ang tulang kilala ngayon sa pamagat na “Ultimo Adios” o “Huling Paalam” ang likhang-guro o obra maestra ni
Rizal. Ang orihinal sa kastila ay isinalin na sa mga pangunahing wika sa daigdif, tulad ng Ingles, Prances,
Aleman, Italyano, Nippongo, Malyo, at marami pang iba, gayon din sa iba’t ibang wikain sa Pilipinas, tulad ng
Tagalog , Ilokano, kapampangan, Pangasinan, Bikol, Sugbuhanion, Hiligaynon, at iba pa.
Maraming nagsalin ng tula sa Tagalog, nguni’t ang pinakakaraniwang bigkasin at siyang matatagpuan sa Luneta
ay ang salin ni Jose Gatmaytan na matutunghayan dito. Ang kahuli-hulihang tulang ito ni Rizal ay tigib ng
kalungkutan pagka’t maiiwan na niya ang kaniyang mga minamahal sa buhay at mawawalay na siya sa
kaniyang bayan. Sa harap ng kamatayan, wala siyang hiniling para sa sarili; ang lahat ay para sa kapakanan ng
kaniyang mga kababayan at ng kaniyang bayan.

Huling Paalam

Paalam na, sintang lupang tinubuan,

Bayang masagana sa init ng araw,
Edeng maligaya sa ami’y pumanaw
At perlas ng dagat sa dakong Silangan.

Inihahandog ko ng ganap na tuwa

Sa iyo yaring buhay na lanta na’t aba;
Naging dakila ma’y iaalay rin nga
Kung dahil sa iyong ikatitimawa.

Ang nanga sa digmaan dumog sa paglaban

Handog din sa iyo ang kanilang buhay,
Hirap ay di pansin at di gunamgunam
 P a g e | 52

Ang pagkaparool o pagtagumpay.

Bibitaya’t madlang mabangis na sakit

O pakikibakang lubhang mapanganib,
Pawang titiisin kung ito ang nais
Ng baya’t tahanang pinakaiibig.

Ako’y mamamatay ngayong minamalas

Ang kulay ng langit na nanganganinag
Ibinababalang araw ay sisikat
Sa kabila niyang mapanglaw na ulap.

Kung dugo ang iyong kinakailangan

Sa ikadidilag ng iyong pagsilang,
Dugo ko’y ibubo’t sa isa man lamang
Nang gumigiti mong sinag ay kuminang.

Ang mga nasa ko, mulang magkaisip,

Magpahanggang ngayon maganap ang bait,
Ang ikaw’y makitnag hiyas na marikit
Ng dagat Silangan na nakaliligid.

Noo mo’y maningning at sa mga mata

Mapait na luha bakas ma’y wala na,
Wala ka ng poot, wala ng balisa,
Walang kadungua’t munti mang pangamba,

Sa sandaling buhay maalab kong nais

Ang kagalingan mo’t ang paiwang sulit
Ng kaluluwa king gayak ng aalis:
Ginhawa’y kamtan mo! Anong pagkarikit!

Nang maaba’t ikaw’y mapataas lamang,

Mamatay at upang mabigyan kang buihay,
Malibing sa lupang puspos ng karika’t
Sa silong ng iyong langit ay mahimlay.

Kung sa ibang araw ikaw’y may mapansin

Nipot na bulaklak sa aba kong libing,
Sa gitna ng mga damong masisinsin,
Hagka’t ang halik mo’y itaos sa akin.

Sa samyo ng iyong pagsuyong matamis,

Mataos na taghoy ng may sintang sibsib,
Bayang tumaggap noo ko ng init,
Na natatabunan ng lupang malamig.
 P a g e | 53

Bayan mong ako’y malasin ng buwan

Sa liwang niyang hilano’t malamlam;
Bayan ihatid sa aking liwayway
Ang banaang niyang dagling napaparam.

Bayaang humalik ang simoy ng hangin;

Bayaang sa huning masaya’y awitin
Ng darapong ibon sa kurus ng libing
Ang buhay payapang ikinaaaliw.

Bayaang ang araw na lubhang maningas

Pawiin ang ulan, gawing pawang ulap,
Maging panganuring sa langit umakyat,
At ang aking daing ay mapakilangkap.

Bayaang ang aking maagang pagpanaw,

Itangis ng isnag lubos na nagmamahal;
Kung may umalala sa akin ng dasal,
Ako’y iyo sanang idalangin naman.

Idalangin mo rin ang di nagkapalad,

Na nangamatay na’t yaong nanganhirap
sa daming pasakit, at ang lumalangap
naming mga ina luhang masaklap.

Idalangin sampo ng bawa’t ulila ‘

at nangapipiit na tigib ng dusa;
idalangin mo ring ikaw’y matubos na
sa pagkaaping laong binata.

Kung nababalot na ang mga libingan

Ng sapot na itim ng gabing mapanglaw,
at wala ng tanod kundi pawing patay,
huwang gambalain ang katahimikan.

Pagpitagan mo ang hiwagang lihim,

at mapapakinggan ang tinig marahil,
ng isang saltero: Ito nga’y ako ring
inaawitanka ng aking paggiliw.

Kung ang libingan kong limot na ang madla

ay wala nang kurus at bato mang tanda
sa nangangabubukid ay ipaubayang
bungkali’t isabog ang natipong lupa.

Ang mga abo ko’y bago pailanglang

mauwi sa wala na pinaggalingan,
ay makalt munag parang kapupunanng
iyong alabok sa lupang tuntungan.
 P a g e | 54

Sa gayo’y walaa ng anoman sa akin,

na limutin mo ma’t aking lilibutin
ang himpapawid mo kaparanga’t hangin ‘
at ako sa iyo’y magiging taginting.

Bango, tinig, higing, awit na masaya

liwanag aat kulay na lugod ng mata’t
uulit-ulitin sa tuwi-tuwina.

Ako’y yayao na sa bayang payapa,

na walang alipi’t punoing mapang-aba,
doo’y di nanatay ang paniniwala
at ang naghahari Diyos na dakila.

Paalam anak, magulang, kapatid,

bahagi ng puso’t unang nakaniig,
ipagpasalamat ang aking pag-alis
sa buhay na itong lagi ng ligalig.

Paalam na liyag, tanging kaulayaw,

taga ibang lupang aking katuwaan,
paaalam sa inyo, mga minamahal;
mamatay ay ganap na katahimikan.

The Last Poem of Rizal His friend Mariano Ponce gave it the title of MI ULTIMO ADIOS, as it originally had
none.
The Last poem of Rizal
Farewell, my adored Land, region of the sun caressed,
Pearl of the Orient Sea, our Eden lost,
With gladness I give you my Life, sad and repressed;
And were it more brilliant, more fresh and at its best,
I would still give it to you for your welfare at most.

On the fields of battle, in the fury of fight,

others give you their lives without pain or hesitancy,’
The place does not matter: cypress laurel, lily white,
Scaffold, open field, conflict or martyrdom's site,
It is the same if asked by home and Country.

I die as I see tints on the sky b'gin to show

And at last announce the day, after a gloomy night;
If you need a hue to dye your matutinal glow,
Pour my blood and at the right moment spread it so,
And gild it with a reflection of your nascent light!

My dreams, when scarcely a lad adolescent,

 P a g e | 55

My dreams when already a youth, full of vigor to attain,

Were to see you, gem of the sea of the Orient,
Your dark eyes dry, smooth brow held to a high plane
Without frown, without wrinkles and of shame without stain.

My life's fancy, my ardent, passionate desire,

Hail! Cries out the soul to you, that will soon part from thee;
Hail! How sweet 'tis to fall that fullness you may acquire;
To die to give you life, 'neath your skies to expire,
And in your mystic land to sleep through eternity!

If over my tomb some day, you would see blow,

A simple humble flow'r amidst thick grasses,
Bring it up to your lips and kiss my soul so,
And under the cold tomb, I may feel on my brow,
Warmth of your breath, a whiff of your tenderness.

Let the moon with soft, gentle light me descry,

Let the dawn send forth its fleeting, brilliant light,
In murmurs grave allow the wind to sigh,
And should a bird descend on my cross and alight,
Let the bird intone a song of peace o'er my site.

Let the burning sun the raindrops vaporize

And with my clamor behind return pure to the sky;
Let a friend shed tears over my early demise;
And on quiet afternoons when one prays for me on high,
Pray too, oh, my Motherland, that in God may rest I.

Pray thee for all the hapless who have died,

For all those who unequalled torments have undergone;
For our poor mothers who in bitterness have cried;
For orphans, widows and captives to tortures were shied,
And pray too that you may see your own redemption.

And when the dark night wraps the cemet'ry

And only the dead to vigil there are left alone,
Don't disturb their repose, don't disturb the mystery:
If you hear the sounds of cittern or psaltery,
It is I, dear Country, who, a song t'you intone.

And when my grave by all is no more remembered,

With neither cross nor stone to mark its place,
Let it be plowed by man, with spade let it be scattered
And my ashes ere to nothingness are restored,
Let them turn to dust to cover your earthly space.

Then it doesn't matter that you should forget me:

 P a g e | 56

Your atmosphere, your skies, your vales I'll sweep;

Vibrant and clear note to your ears I shall be:
Aroma, light, hues, murmur, song, moanings deep,
Constantly repeating the essence of the faith I keep.

My idolized Country, for whom I most gravely pine,

Dear Philippines, to my last goodbye, oh, harken
There I leave all: my parents, loves of mine,
I'll go where there are no slaves, tyrants or hangmen
Where faith does not kill and where God alone does reign.

Farewell, parents, brothers, beloved by me,

Friends of my childhood, in the home distressed;
Give thanks that now I rest from the wearisome day;
Farewell, sweet stranger, my friend, who brightened my way;
Farewell, to all I love. To die is to rest.

To The Philippines

Aglowing and fair like a houri on high,

Full of grace and pure like the
Morn that peeps When in the sky the clouds are tinted blue,
Of th' Indian land, a goddess sleeps.

The light foam of the son'rous sea

Doth kiss her feet with loving desire;
The cultured West adores her smile
And the frosty Pole her flow'red attire.

With tenderness, stammering, my Muse

To her 'midst undines and naiads does sing;
I offer her my fortune and bliss:
Oh, artists! her brow chaste ring
With myrtle green and roses red
And lilies, and extol the Philippines!

Our Mother Tongue A poem originally in Tagalog written by Rizal when he was only eight years old.

IF truly a people dearly love

The tongue to them by Heaven sent,
They'll surely yearn for liberty
Like a bird above in the firmament.

BECAUSE by its language one can judge

A town, a barrio, and kingdom;
And like any other created thing
Every human being loves his freedom.
 P a g e | 57

ONE who doesn't love his native tongue,

Is worse than putrid fish and beast;
AND like a truly precious thing
It therefore deserves to be cherished.

THE Tagalog language's akin to Latin,

To English, Spanish, angelical tongue;
For God who knows how to look after us
This language He bestowed us upon.

AS others, our language is the same

With alphabet and letters of its own,
It was lost because a storm did destroy
On the lake the bangka 1 in years bygone.

Memories of My Town

When I recall the days

That saw my childhood of yore
Beside the verdant shore
Of a murmuring lagoon;
When I remember the sighs
Of the breeze that on my brow
Sweet and caressing did blow
With coolness full of delight;

When I look at the lily white

Fills up with air violent
And the stormy element
On the sand doth meekly sleep;
When sweet 'toxicating scent
From the flowers I inhale
Which at the dawn they exhale
When at us it begins to peep;

I sadly recall your face,

Oh precious infancy,
That a mother lovingly
Did succeed to embellish.
I remember a simple town;
My cradle, joy and boon,
Beside the cool lagoon
The seat of all my wish.

Oh, yes! With uncertain pace

I trod your forest lands,
And on your river banks
 P a g e | 58

A pleasant fun I found;

At your rustic temple I prayed
With a little boy's simple faith
And your aura's flawless breath
Filled my heart with joy profound.
Saw I God in the grandeur
Of your woods which for centuries stand;
Never did I understand In your bosom what sorrows were;
While I gazed on your azure sky
Neither love nor tenderness
Failed me, 'cause my happiness
In the heart of nature rests there.

Tender childhood, beautiful town,

Rich fountain of happiness,
Of harmonious melodies,
That drive away my sorrow!
Return thee to my heart,
Bring back my gentle hours
As do the birds when the flow'rs
Would again begin to blow!
But, alas, adieu! E'er watch
For your peace, joy and repose,
Genius of good who kindly dispose
Of his blessings with amour;
It's for thee my fervent pray'rs,
It's for thee my constant desire
Knowledge ever to acquire
And may God keep your candour!

Kundiman Truly hushed today

Are my tongue and heart
Harm is discerned by love
And joy flies away,
'Cause the Country was
Vanquished and did yield
Through the negligence
Of the one who led.

But the sun will return to dawn;

In spite of everything
Subdued people
Will be liberated;
The Filipino name
Will return perhaps
And again become
In vogue in the world.

We shall shed
 P a g e | 59

Blood and it shall flood

Only to emancipate
The native land;
While the designated time
Does not come,
Love will rest and anxiety will sleep.

Ang Awit ni Maria Clara

Ang tulang ito'y matatagpuan sa Noli Me Tangere ang inawit ni Maria Clara, kaya gayon ang pamagat. Ito’y
punung-puno ng pag-ibig sa bayang tinubuan.

Kay tamis ng oras sa sariling bayan,

Kaibigan lahat ang abot ng araw,
At sampu ng simoy sa parang ay buhay,
Aliw ng panimdim pati kamatayan.

Maalab na halik ang nagsaliw-saliw

Sa labi ng inang mahal, pagkagising;
Ang pita ng bisig as siya’y yapusin,
Pati mga mata’y ngumgiti mandin.

Kung dahil sa bayan, kay tamis mamatay,

Doon sa kasuyo ang abot ng araw;
Kamatayan pati ng simoy sa parang
Sa walang pag-ibig, ni ina, ng Bayan.

Sa kabataang Pilipino Salin ito ng tulang “A La Juventud Filipina” na sinulat ni Rizal sa Unibersidad ng Santo
Tomas noong siya’y labingwalong taong gulang. Ang tulang ito ang nagkamit ng unang gantimpala sa
timnpalak sa pagsulat ng tula, na itinaguyod ng Liceo Artistico Literario, sanahang binubuo ng mga taong
mahilig sa panitikan at sa sining. Mga Kastila’t katutubo ang lumahook na sa paligsahan nguni’t ang Lupon ng
Inampalang binubuo ng mga kastila ay humanga sa tula ni Rizal at ipinagkaloob ditto ang unang gantimpala.
Ang tulang ito ang kauna-unahang lantarang pagpapahayag ni Rizal ng kaniyang damdaming makabansa.
Hinihimok niya ang kabataang Pilipino upang mamukadkad at linangin ang kaniyang masisining na
katalinuhan, tinatawag itong “Magandang Pag-asa ng Bayan Kong Mutya,” na ngayo’y isang pariralang malimit
banggitin.

Sa tula’y ipinahahayag na ang Pilipinas ay bayan ng mga Pilipino at ang salitang “Pilipino” ay unang ginagamit
upang tawagin ang mga katutubo ng Pilipinas, hindi ang mga kastilang ipinanganak sa Pilipinas, na siyang
gamit ng salitang ito.

Sa Kabataang Pilipino

Itaas ang iyong Malinis na noo

Sa araw na ito, Kabataang Pilipino!
Igilas mo na rin ang kumikinang mong
 P a g e | 60

Mayamang sanghaya
Magandang pag-asa ng Bayan kong Mutya!
Makapangyarihang wani’y lumilipad,
At binibigyang ka ng muning mataas,
Na maitutulad ng ganap na lakas,
Mabilis na hangin, sa kanyang paglipad,
Malinis na diwa, sa likmuang hangad.
Ikaw ay bumaba Na taglay ang ilaw
Ng sining at agham
Sa paglalabanan,
Bunying kabataan,
At iyong kalagiun ang gapos mong iyang
Tanikalang bakal na kinatalian
Ng matulain mong waning kinagisnan.

Ikaw na lagi nang pataas nag lipad,

Sa pakpak ng iyong Mayamang pangarap,
Na iyong Makita sa Ilimpong ulap
Ang lalong matamis
Na mag tulaing pinakananais,
Ng higit ang sarap Kaysa “ambrosia” at “nectar” na awagas
Ng mga bulaklak.

Ikaw na may tinig Na buhat sa langit,

Kaagaw sa tamis
Na kay Filomenang Malinis na hiomig,
Sa gabing tahimik
Ay pinaparam mo ang sa taong sakit,
Ikaw, na ang batong sukdulan ng tigas
Sa lakas ng iyong diwa’y nagagawad
Ng buhay at gilas,
At ang alaalang makislap
Ay nabibigayan ng kamay mong masikap
Ng buhay na walang masasabing wakes.

At ikaw, na siyang
Sa may iba’t ibang Balani ni Febong kay Apelas mahal,
Gayundin sa lambong ng katalagahan,
Na siayng sa guhit ng pinsel mong tanga’y
Nakapaglilipat sa kayong alinman;
Hayo na’y tumakbo! Sapagka’t ang banal
Na ningas ng wani’y nais maputungan
Kayong naglalama’y,
At maipamansag ng tambuling tangan,
Saan man humanggan,
Ang ngalan ng tao, sa di matulusang
Lawak ng palibot na nakasasaklaw.

Malwalhating araw, Ito,

 P a g e | 61

Pilipinas, sa lupang tuntungan!

Ang Lumikha’y dapat na pasalamatan,
Dahilan sa kanyang mapagmahal,
Na ikaw’y pahatdan.

To the Philippine Youth

Unfold, oh timid flower!

Lift up your radiant brow,

This day, Youth of my native strand!
Your abounding talents show
Resplendently and grand,
Fair hope of my Motherland!

Soar high, oh genius great,

And with noble thoughts fill their mind;
The honor's glorious seat,
May their virgin mind fly and find
More rapidly than the wind.

Descend with the pleasing light

Of the arts and sciences to the plain,
Oh Youth, and break forthright
The links of the heavy chain
That your poetic genius enchain.

See that in the ardent zone,

The Spaniard, where shadows stand,
Doth offer a shining crown,
With wise and merciful hand
To the son of this Indian land.

You, who heavenward rise

On wings of your rich fantasy,
Seek in the Olympian skies
The tenderest poesy,
More sweet than divine honey;

You of heavenly harmony,

On a calm unperturbed night,
Philomel's match in melody,
That in varied symphony
Dissipate man's sorrow's blight;

You at th' impulse of your mind

The hard rock animate
 P a g e | 62

And your mind with great pow'r consigned

Transformed into immortal state
The pure mem'ry of genius great;

And you, who with magic brush

On canvas plain capture
The varied charm of Phoebus,
Loved by the divine Apelles,
And the mantle of Nature;

Run ! For genius' sacred flame

Awaits the artist's crowning
Spreading far and wide the fame
Throughout the sphere proclaiming
With trumpet the mortal's name
Oh, joyful, joyful day,
The Almighty blessed be
Who, with loving eagerness
Sends you luck and happiness.

To Josephine Rizal dedicated this poem to Josephine Bracken, an Irish woman who went to Dapitan
accompanying a man seeking Rizal's services as an ophthalmologist.

To Josephine
Josephine, Josephine
Who to these shores have come
Looking for a nest, a home,
Like a wandering swallow;
If your fate is taking you
To Japan, China or Shanghai,
Don't forget that on these shores
A heart for you beats high.

To Virgin Mary

Mary, sweet peace, solace dear

Of pained mortal! You're the fount
Whence emanates the stream of succor,
That without cease our soil fructifies.

From thy throne, from heaven high,

Kindly hear my sorrowful cry!
And may thy shining veil protect
My voice that rises with rapid flight.

Thou art my Mother, Mary, pure;

Thou'll be the fortress of my life;
Thou'll be my guide on this angry sea.
 P a g e | 63

If ferociously vice pursues me,

If in my pains death harasses me,
Help me, and drive away my woes!

For Dr. José Rizal, the well-respected national hero of the Philippines, “the pen is mightier than the sword.”
Through his literary masterpieces, he voiced strong opposition to the abuse of Spaniards and conveyed
messages that he hoped would inspire his fellow countrymen. We round up his best works and uncover the
underlying meaning behind them.

1. To the Filipino Youth

Rizal wrote this literary poem when he was still studying at the University of Sto. Tomas (UST). Originally
written in Spanish (A la juventud filipina), Rizal submitted this piece for a poem contest organized for Filipinos
by the Manila Lyceum of Art and Literature. At the age of 18, this work is beaming with strong messages to
convince readers, the youth in particular, that they are the hope of the nation. He also stresses the importance of
education to one’s future. Rizal won the first prize and was rewarded with a feather-shaped silver pen and a
diploma.

2. Goodbye to Leonor

This literary piece gives an insight into the romantic relationship of Rizal and his beloved, Leonor Rivera. The
two met when in the province of Dagupan when Rivera was only 13-years-old. Rivera’s parents were not in
favor of their relationship and though distance separated them, the two kept in touch by sending letters and
photographs to each other. Rizal later found out that her lady love would soon tie the knot with Henry Kipping,
and the news definitely disheartened him. The lonely, heartbreaking feelings he felt, resulted in this melancholic
poem.

3. To the Young Women of Malolos

Addressed to the Filipino women, Rizal’s letter entitled To the Young Women of Malolos reflects his inheritance
and issues reminders to Filipino women. In his letter, he addresses all kinds of Filipino women – mothers,
wives, and even the single women. Throughout this literary piece, he highlights the qualities that Filipino
mothers should possess, the duties of wives to their husbands and children, and a counsel on how young women
should choose their lifetime partners. The idea behind this letter sparked after he was impressed by the women
of Malolos who won the battle they fought. Rizal advises women to educate themselves, protect their dignity
and honor, and live with good manners – setting up as a role model.

4. Kundiman
 P a g e | 64

A kundiman traditionally refers to a love song where a man serenades the woman he loves. For scholars, this
word was derived from the Tagalog phrase “Kung Hindi man” (if it should not be so) which suggests that
people put their faith in a Higher Being who decides whether or not something is meant for them. But in Rizal’s
literary work, he wrote a kundiman to profess his intense love for his motherland. This piece reflects his high
hopes that one day, the Philippines would be free from treachery and injustice. At the time, the country faced
great threats while he was in Europe. And, through this work, he voices his hopeful thoughts despite being far
away from the country.

5. Junto Al Pasig

When translated into English, the title of this work means Beside Pasig River. In response to the Jesuits’
request, Rizal wrote this one-act play in the Spanish language for the velada – a gala variety program during the
principal feast days. The play centers around Leonido (a young Filipino who has a strong faith in the Virgin)
and the Diwata/Satan, which symbolizes the Spanish oppression towards Filipinos. Its theme highlights
Christianity, good vs. evil, and paganism. The Philippines’ national hero wrote it in honor of the Our Lady of
Peace and Voyage of the UST, and the play was staged on December 8, 1880.

6. Noli Me Tángere

One of the most sought-after books in Philippine literature until today, is Rizal’s famous novel titled Noli Me
Tángere (Touch Me Not). Driven by his undying love for his country, Rizal wrote the novel to expose the ills of
Philippine society during the Spanish colonial era. At the time, the Spaniards prohibited the Filipinos from
reading the controversial book because of the unlawful acts depicted in the novel. Yet they were not able to ban
it completely and as more Filipinos read the book, it opened their eyes to the truth that they were being
manhandled by the friars. In this revolutionary book, you’ll learn the story of Crisostomo Ibarra, how he dealt
with Spanish authorities, and how he prepared for his revenge, as told in Rizal’s second book, El
Filibusterismo.

7. El Filibusterismo

This is Rizal’s sequel to his first book, Noli Me Tángere. In El Filibusterismo (The Reign of the Greed), the
novel exhibits a dark theme (as opposed to the hopeful atmosphere in the first novel) in which it depicts the
country’s issues and how the protagonist attempts a reform. The story takes place 13 years after Noli Me
Tángere, where revolutionary protagonist Crisostomo Ibarra is now under the guise of Simoun – a wealthy
jewelry tycoon. Because the novel also portrays the abuse, corruption, and discrimination of the Spaniards
 P a g e | 65

towards Filipinos, it was also banned in the country at the time. Rizal dedicated his second novel to the
GOMBURZA – the Filipino priests named Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora who were
executed on charges of subversion. The two novels of Rizal, now considered as his literary masterpieces, both
indirectly sparked the Philippine Revolution.

8. Mi último adiós

After being associated with the Katipuneros, Rizal was arrested and later sentenced to death by firing squad for
acts of sedition and rebellion. During his final days in Fort Santiago of Manila, Rizal bid farewell to his
motherland and countrymen through letters. Mi último adiós or My Last Farewell is one of the few last works
that Rizal wrote.

Some historical accounts say he wrote it on the eve before his execution, while others claim that he wrote the
poem a few days before his death in Manila on December 30, 1896. But, because there was no title ascribed to
this poem, his good friend and fellow reformist Mariano Ponce came up with the title.

Today, Rizal’s literary works, specifically his two novels, are alive and continuously being analyzed by students
and professionals. Colleges and universities in the Philippines even require their students to take a subject
which centers around the life and works of Rizal. Through his work, the country’s national hero is always
remembered and looked upon with high regard for his contribution towards the Philippine independence.

Rizal wrote the poem entitled “Sa aking mga Kabata” when he was eight years old. This poem had a strong
sense of nationalism expressing Rizal’s love for our own language. He emphasized the significance and the
usage of our mother tongue. Mother tongue was the language we learned since birth (which was Filipino). It
gave us a sense of identity. Language could not only be our way to communicate but it also served as the
reflection of our culture. Rizal also highlighted on this poem that all languages were equal in terms of its
significance and usage. Filipino language like other languages had its own alphabet and words. The values and
attitude that still valid and usable today is we should be more proud of our nationality and identity, and by
enriching our language we could show our sense of pride as Filipinos.

Sa Aking Mga Kabata

Kapagka ang baya’y sadyang umiibig

Sa kanyang salitang kaloob ng langit,
Sanlang kalayaan nasa ring masapit
Katulad ng ibong nasa himpapawid.

Pagka’t ang salita’y isang kahatulan

Sa bayan, sa nayo’t mga kaharian,
At ang isang tao’y katulad, kabagay
Ng alin mang likha noong kalayaan.
 P a g e | 66

Ang hindi magmahal sa kanyang salita

Mahigit sa hayop at malansang isda,
Kaya ang marapat pagyamaning kusa
Na tulad sa inang tunay na nagpala.

Ang wikang Tagalog tulad din sa Latin

Sa Ingles, Kastila at salitang anghel,
Sapagka’t ang Poong maalam tumingin
Ang siyang naggawad, nagbigay sa atin.

Ang salita nati’y huwad din sa iba

Na may alfabeto at sariling letra,
Na kaya nawala’y dinatnan ng sigwa
Ang lunday sa lawa noong dakong una.

SUMMARY:

This is a course that designed to familiarize the students with the role of Rizal and other National Heroes in the
development of nationalism and national independence movement. It shall also include the important episodes
in Rizal’s life with emphasis on his literary works: Novels, poems, essays, and Letters.

Activity:

1. Make an interpretation of the Poem “Sa aking mga Kabata” (Per Stanza).

2. Choose 5 poems. Read carefully the poem/s and make a moral lesson on the poem/s.

ESSAY.

1. Who is Maestro Celestino and Maestro Lucas Padua? Explain each characteristics and importance.

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

2. What is the impotance or character of father Pablo Ramon? Explain.

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

3. What is the impotance or character of father Jose Bech? Explain.

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
 P a g e | 67

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Reflection: Write reflection about Jose Rizal life and Works.

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Suggested readings:
Jose Rizal book (Gregorio F. Zaide) El filibusterismo book (translated by Soledad Locsin) noli me tangere book
(Soledad Locsin)

References:
Books
Britannica.com/biography/jose-rizal
https:/docs.google.com/viewer?
a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxzcHVwb2NwfGd4OjcwMNkOTZjMjl0NTAzY2M