WHY STUDY RIZAL: BECAUSE IT IS MANDATED BY LAW

The teaching of Jose Rizal’s life, his works and writings are mandated by Republic Act 1425, otherwise
known as the Rizal Law. Senator Jose P. Laurel, the person who sponsored the said law, said that since
Rizal was the founder of Philippine nationalism and has contributed much to the current standing of this
nation, it is only right that the youth as well as all the people in the country know about and learn to
imbibe the great ideals for which he died. The Rizal Law, enacted in 1956, seeks to accomplish the
following goals:

1. To rededicate the lives of youth to the ideals of freedom and nationalism, for which our heroes
lived and died.

2. To pay tribute to our national hero for devoting his life and works in shaping the Filipino character

3. To gain an inspiring source of patriotism through the study of Rizal’s life, works, and writings.

Likewise,

“As mandatory law (R.A 1425), the study of Rizal’s life, works, and writings is a requirement for all non-
degree courses in tertiary education. Primarily, its rationale is to foster in the Filipino youth a
nationalistic sentiment both for their appreciation and emulation.”

For more information:

Laws on Rizal

There are at least two Republic Acts and two Memorandum Orders pertaining to Jose Rizal:

 Republic Act N. 1425 or the Rizal Law

 Republic Act No. 229 or the Celebration of Rizal Day’
 Memorandum Order No. 247 by President Fidel V. Ramos
 CHED Memorandum No. 3, s 1995 by Commissioner Mona D. Valismo

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 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.

Approved: June 12, 1956

Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 52, No. 6, p. 2971 in June 1956.

BACKGROUND/HISTORY OF THE RIZAL LAW

It was filed by the Committee on Education on April 3, 1956 as Senate Bill No. 438. Senator Claro
M. Recto was the main proponent of the Rizal Bill. He sought to sponsor the bill at congress. However,
this met with stiff opposition from the Catholic Church. During the 1955 senate election, the church
charged Recto with being a communist and an anti-Catholic. After Recto’s election, the Church
continued to oppose the bill mandating the reading of Rizal’s novels Noli Metangere and El
Filibusterismo, claiming that it would violate freedom of conscience and religion.

The Catholic elements in and outside congress, were quick to assail the measure as an attempt to
discredit their religion, claiming that the two novels contain views inimical to the tenets of their faith.
Principal basis of their opposition was a Pastoral Letter which while praising Rizal, practically branded his
novels as heretical and impious. Rufino Santos, Archbishop of Manila, in his pastoral letter protested
that Catholic students would be affected if compulsory reading of the unexpurgated version were
pushed through.
 Below is the last paragraph of the Pastoral Letter of Archbishop Santos:

“We, the Catholic Philippine Hierarchy maintain that these novels do contain teachings contrary
to our faith and so, we are opposed to the proposed compulsory reading in their entirety of such books
in any school in the Philippines where Catholic students maybe affected…”

On May 12, 1956, a compromise inserted by the committee on Education chairman Jose Laurel
that accommodated the objections of the Catholic Church was approved unanimously. The bill specified
that only college (university) students would have the option of reading unexpurgated versions of
clerically-contested reading material, such as Noli Metangere and El Filibusterismo. The bill was enacted
on June 12, 1956.

Source:

Galicia, Reynaldo, Solmerano, Ernesto, Palencia, Marjueve. The Life and Works of Rizal. Manila: Fastbook
Educational Supply, Inc., 2018.

WHY STUDY RIZAL: BECAUSE OF THE LESSONS CONTAINED WITHIN THE COURSE

Aside from those mentioned above, there are other reasons for teaching the Rizal course in Philippine
schools:

 To recognize the importance of Rizal’s ideals and teachings in relation to present conditions and
situations in society.
 To encourage the application of such ideals in current social and personal problems and issues.
 To develop an appreciation and deeper understanding of all that Rizal fought and died for.
 To foster the development of the Filipino youth in all aspects of citizenship.

Take note, Rizal’s legacy is very important in changing the condition of our present society. His
teachings challenge us all Filipinos to make a difference for the future of our country by living the
teachings of Rizal. Likewise, it teaches us to be more responsible and brave enough to face the
challenges in our present society by acting on the principles that Rizal had strongly spoken and lived.
Development Of Rizal’s Nationalism

Jose Rizal was born on June 19, 1861. It was a Wednesday evening in Calamba, Laguna, and his mother
nearly died in the process. He was baptized three days later, on June 22, by the parish priest of the
Catholic Church in his town, Fr. Rufino Collantes from Batangas. His godfather, Fr. Pedro Casanas, was a
close family friend. Rizal's mother named him after St. Joseph, to whom she was ardently devoted.

THE SURNAME

Mercado was the original surname of the Rizal family. Domingo Lamco, Jose's great-great-
grandfather, adopted the name Rizal in 1731 and it became a second surname of the family. In Jose's
letter to Ferdinand Blumentritt, he says:

"I am the only Rizal in because at home my parents, my sisters my brother and my relatives have
always preferred our old surname Mercado. Our family name was in fact Mercado, but there were many
Mercados in the Philippines who are not related to us. It is said that an alcalde mayor, who was a friend
of our family added Rizal to our name. My family did not pay much attention to this, but now I have to
use it. In this way, it seems that I am an illegitimate son."

RIZAL'S BAPTISMAL CERTIFICATE

His baptismal certificate reads:

"I, the undersigned parish priest of Calamba, certify that from the investigation made with proper
authority, for replacing the parish books which were burned September 28, 1862, to be found in Docket
No. 1 of Baptisms, p.49, it appears by the sworn testimony of competent witnesses that Jose Rizal
Mercado is the legitimate son, and of lawful wedlock, of Don Francisco Rizal Mercado and Dona Teodora
Realonda, having been baptized in this parish on the 22nd day of June in the years 1861, by the parish
priest Rev. Rufino Collantes, Rev. Pedro Casanas being his godfather. -- Witness my signature."

(Signed): Leoncio Lopez

Rizal’s complete name:

RizaJosé Protacio Mercado Rizal Alonzo Y Realonda

This outline shows the following:

Multiracial Ancestry/Mixed racial ancestry

Birth and Early Childhood

Studies/Education in the Philippines

Travels,lovelife,ideals, aspirations and

The meaning of his fall

The objectives of this lesson are:

 To identify the significant factors contributed to Rizal's being a hero;

 To know how his parents mold him to become a better person;
 To appreciate the qualities of Rizal as a child to his parents, student, champion and genius.

Let me introduce the description of who Rizal is?

He is a Patriot, a Physician, a Man of Letters who was an inspiration to the Philippine nationalist
movement (La Solidaridad --- Katipunan ), and a National Hero and pride of the Malayan race.

In terms of his ancestry, Rizal has a Mixed Racial Origin.

From his father side:

Domino Lam-Co (a full-blooded Chinese from Amoy, China) - - Ines de la Rosa (Chinese half-breed)

Francisco Mercado - - Bernarda Monicha (21 children)

Juan Mercado - - Cirila Alejandra (14 children)

Francisco Mercado Rizal

RIZAL'S FAMILY

Francisco Mercado Rizal was born on May 11, 1818 in Binan, Laguna. He was a graduate of the
College of San Jose in Manila, studying Latin and Philosophy. Francisco moved to Calamba to become a
tenant-farmer of a hacienda owned by the Dominicans. He died at the age of 80 on January 5, 1898 in
Manila. About his father, Jose Rizal says that he is "a model of fathers."

Teodora Alonso Realonda was born on November 8, 1826 in Manila. She was a graduate of the
College of Santa Rosa. She died at the age of 85 on August 16, 1911 in Manila. About his mother, Jose
Rizal says, "My mother is a woman of more than ordinary culture; she knows literature and speaks
Spanish better than I. She corrected my poems and gave me good advice when I was studying rhetoric.
She is a mathematician and has read many books."

Rizal is the seventh of eleven children:

Saturnina

Paciano

Narcisa

Olimpia

Lucia

Maria

Jose

Concepcion

Josefa

Trinidad

Soledad

Rizal's family was a mixture of races. They were a combination of Negrito, Malay, Indonesian,
Japanese, Chinese, and Spanish, though Jose was predominantly Malayan.
Rizal’s Multiracial Ancestry are the following:

Spanish

Chinese

Japanese

Malayo-Polynesian

Negrito

This is what makes us unique from all other nations. Our uniqueness is our differences. We are a
combination of some races. It is what makes us a Filipino.

It is difficult to say when Filipinos began to think of themselves as Filipinos and not simply as
Tagalogs, Ilokanos or Visayans. Probably the preliminary stage in the development of national
consciousness was reached when indios realized that they have something in common, that is, a
common grievance against the Spaniards (De la Costa 1965: 213). Our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, was
the first to think the indios as one nation when he first used the word “Filipino” to refer to all
inhabitants in the country whether they are of Spanish or Filipino blood. During the Spanish period, the
native inhabitants were called “Indios” while only the inhabitants with Spanish blood
(peninsulares,insulares or mestizos) were regarded as Filipinos. Rizal could not have thought of one
people and one nation which include all people in archipelago without the influence of the social milieu
of his time. Rizal was born and grew up in the 19th century, a period of massive changes in Europe,
Spain and in the Philippines. During this era, the glory and power of Spain had waned both in her
colonies and in the world.

With respect to Rizal’s Immediate Family

This is his Father

- Studied Latin & Philosophy at the College of San Jose (Manila)

- described by Rizal as “model of fathers”

- he inherited . . . Profound sense of dignity, self-respect, seriousness and self-possession

- a successful farmer

- he loved books
- an excellent model for Rizal that molded him up into a man of honor

- understood the world of humanity which furnished him with greater respect for other people, and a
greater respect to the dignity of labor.

This is her Mother

- born in Meisik, Sta. Cruz Manila.

- talented and remarkable woman

- he inherited . . . temperament of the poet and dreamer and bravery for sacrifice

- his first teacher

- inculcated the value of knowledge and education to the young Rizal

- a good Mathematician and Manager of business of the Rizal family.

Rizal mentioned something about his mother, he said:

“My mother is not a woman of ordinary culture. She knows literature and speaks Spanish better
than I do. She even corrected my poems and gave me wise advice when I was studying rhetoric. She is a
mathematician and has read many books.”

It is Rizal’s mother that influenced him alot. His mother encouraged him to express his ideas and
sentiments in verse.

It was the “story of the Moth” that changed the life of Rizal. “The Story of the Moth” is about the
mother moth warning its offspring of the danger of fluttering to close to flame. The little moth did not
heed the advice, thus it was burned by the flame.

This gave him the moral lesson that if one must succeed, he must take risks and prepare for the
worst consequences. Without courage, there will be no glory.

His mother knew of the consequences of Rizal’s ideals and aspirations in changing the Philippines
as he fought against the Spaniards. He conquered death with his principles and fought well against his
enemies.
Rizal’s Birth and Early Childhood

In Calamba, Laguna:

19 June 1861 – birth

22 June 1861 – baptized

1864 - learned the alphabet from his mother

1865 - his sister Conception (8th child) died at the age of three.

1865 – 1867 - his mother taught him how to read and write

Leon Monroy - taught Rizal the rudiments of Latin

Uncle Manuel Alberto - taught the latter love for the nature

Usman – Rizal’s dog

Uncle Gregorio - instilled love for education

1869 - he wrote "Sa Aking Mga Kabata."

In Biñan, Laguna :

1870 - His brother Paciano brought Rizal to Biñan, Laguna

Justinian Aquino Cruz – taught Rizal Latin and Spanish

Juancho Carrera – taught him the art of painting

On 17th of December 1870 - Rizal returned to Calamba after he finished his studies in Biñan.

Back in Calamba:

1871 - His mother was imprisoned in Sta. Cruz, Laguna for allegedly poisoning the wife of Jose
Alberto

1872 - Cavite Mutiny on January 20, 1872; his father forbid the words:

Burgos

filibustero

Cavite
Rizal Education here and abroad

In Binan and 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 Church 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 burned.

1864

Barely three years old, Rizal learned the alphabet from his mother.

1865

When he was four years old, his sister Conception, the eighth 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.

1869

At 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."

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 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 live 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.

Early Schooling in 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 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.

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.

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, and 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, and 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.

First School Brawling

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.

Life and Studies at Ateneo

The Jesuits were considered the best educators of Spain, and perhaps of Europe, and so, when they
were permitted to return to the Philippines, although their power to administer parishes was restricted
except in the remote regions of Mindanao, the privilege of founding colleges, they had to apply to the
City of Manila for subsidies. That is why the college which began to function in the year 1865 was called
the Ateneo Municipal.

To enter the Ateneo, a candidate was subjected to an entrance examination on Christian doctrine,
reading, writing, grammar, and elementary arithmetic. Jose did not take his entrance examinations Jose
did not remain in Manila but returned first to his town to celebrate the fiesta of its patron saint; it was
then that his father changed his mind and decided to send him to the Ateneo instead.

Since Mercado, the first surname of the family, had come under suspicion of the authorities because it
was the name used by Paciano when he was studying and working with Father Burgos, in whose house
he lived, Jose adopted the second surname, Rizal.

Paciano who accompanied Jose, found him a house in Walled City, but Intramuros looked gloomy to
Jose, and he later found lodging outside, in the house of a spinster situated on CalleCarballo, district of
Santa Cruz. As if chance would furnish him data for his future campaigns, he became acquainted in that
house with various mestizos, begotten by friars.

The Jesuitical system of instruction was considered more advanced than that of other colleges in that
epoch. Its discipline was rigid and its methods less mechanical. It introduced physical culture as part of
its program as well as the cultivation of the arts, such as music, drawing, and painting. It also establishes
vocational courses in agriculture, commerce, and mechanics as a religious institute, its principal purpose
was to mold the character and the will of the boys to comply more easily with the percepts of the
Church. The students heard mass before the beginning of the class, which was opened and closed with
prayers.

On June 10, 1872, Jose together with his brother went to Manila to grant his wish of enrolling Jose in
San Juan de Letran. Jose Rizal took the entrance examination and passed them with flying colors, and
then he went back to Calamba to stay for a while with his family and attend their town fiesta only to find
out that his father’s wish changed instead of enrolling him to San Juan de Letran he wished to enroll him
to Ateneo de Manila.

Thus, being an obedient child, upon his return to Manila accompanied again by his brother Paciano, they
proceeded to Ateneo Municipal. At first Father Magin Fernando, who was the college registrar, denied
them of admittance for two reasons:

Late for registration

Sickly and undersize for his age. Jose Rizal was then eleven years old.

However, they sought the intercession of Manual Xerez Burgos, nephew of Father Burgos. As a result, he
was reluctantly admitted at the Ateneo.

First Year in Ateneo (1972-73)

Jose Rizal belonged to the class composed of Spaniards, mestizos and Filipinos. His first teacher was Fr.
Jose Bech. As a newcomer and knowing little Spanish, he was considered as inferior and placed at the
bottom of the class. He was an externo hence he was assigned to the Carthaginians, an occupant of the
end of the line.

He proved he was no inferior for at the end of the month he became the emperor and received a prize,
a religious picture. To improve his Spanish, Jose Rizal took private lesson in Santa Isabel College during
the noon recess while students were playing and gossiping. In the second half of the first year, his
performance declined and was not able to maintain his academic supremacy that he held during his first
half of the term for the reason that he was affected so much by the remarks of some professors. He
placed second at the end of the year although his grades were marked excellent.
According to AmbethOcampo there were only twelve students in a class, nine of which, including Jose
Rizal, graduated sobresaliente with the same excellent mark in all their subjects in school year 1876-77.

In the first two terms the classes were divided into groups of interns and externs: the first constituted
the Roman Empire and the second, the Carthaginian Empire. In each empire there were five dignitaries:
Emperor, Tribune, Decurion, Centurion, and Standard-Bearer. These dignities were won by means of
individual competitions in which it was necessary to catch one’s adversary in error three times. The
empires considered themselves in perpetual warfare, and when an individual of one empire was caught
in error by one belonging to the enemy empire, a point was counted in favor of the latter. At the end of
each week or two, the points in favor of each were added and the empire, which obtained more point,
was declared winner.

There was a fraternity of Mary and Saint Louis Gonzaga, to which only those who distinguished
themselves in the class for their piety and diligence could belong. This fraternity met on Sundays and
after mass held public programs in which poems were recited or debates were held. With all these
inducements it was only natural that should be a spirit of emulation, a striving to surpass ones
colleagues found in the Ateneo.

The first professor Jose had was Fr. Jose Bech, whom he describes as a man of high stature; lean body,
bent forward; quick gait; ascetic physiognomy, severe and inspired; small, sunken eyes; sharp Grecian
nose; thin lips forming an arch with its sides directed toward the chin." He was somewhat of a lunatic
and of an uneven humor; sometimes he was hard and little tolerant and at other times he was gay and
playful as a child. Among Jose’s classmates were Peninsulares and sons of Peninsulares; Francisco G.
Oliva, very talented but not very studious; Joaquin Garrido, endowed with a poor memory but with
much talent and industry; and Gonzalo Marzano, who occupied the throne of Emperor.

From the first days Jose learned to systematize his work; he fixed a program of what he had to do in the
twenty-four hours of the day and did not in the least deviate from it. Thus he disciplined his will and
subjected it to the commands of his reason.

As a newcomer, Jose was at first put at the tail of the class, but he was soon promoted and kept on
being promoted so that at the end of one month he had attained to the rank of Emperor. At the end of
the term he obtained marks of excellent in all the subjects and in the examinations. He had reason to
feel proud of his advancement; and so when he went home on vacation that year, he ran alone to see
his mother in the prison and tell her the happy news.

He must have uttered this exclamation on learning from his mother that they had played her a mean
trick. The judge, who was a blind partisan of the friars having been a domestic of theirs, told her that if
she confessed her culpability he would release her at once. With the desire to see her children again,
she pleaded guilty; but the judge, instead of releasing her, convicted her. In a few months the judge
asked her forgiveness for what he had done because according to him his conscience hurt him, but the
case had no remedy because it was already on appeal.

Second year in Ateneo (1873-74)

The second year, Jose had the same professor as in the previous year; but instead of lodging outside the
City, he resided at No. 6 CalleMagallanes. At the end of the term he obtained a medal, and upon
returning to his town, he again visited his mother in jail alone. This was three months before her release.

The rejoicing that her release produced in his spirit had much influence on the result of his studies in the
third year, for he began to win prizes in the quarterly examinations.

About that time he devoted himself to reading novels, and one of those he enjoyed most was Dumas’
(father) The Count of Monte Cristo, the sufferings of the hero of twelve years. He also asked his father to
buy him a copy of The Universal History by Cesar Cantanu, and according to himself he profited much
from its perusal.

The family, who saw in Jose great aptitude for study, decided to place him as intern or boarding student
in the college the following year. In the corner of the dormitory facing the sea and the pier Jose passed
his two years of internship. Jose Rizal repented having neglected his studies the previous year. He
studied harder this year and regained his leadership composure and became an emperor again.

His Favorite Books

‘Count of Monte Cristo’ (Alexander Dumas) – characterized by Edmond Dantes (the hero) in prison, is
spectacular escape from the dungeon of Chateau d’ If, the finding of buried treasure on the rocky island
of Monte Cristo, and his dramatic revenge on his enemies who had wronged him;

‘Travels in the Philippines’ (Dr. Feodor Jagor) – a German scientist-traveler who visited the Philippines
in 1859-1860. What struck him most in this book were Jagor’s keen oberservations of the defects of
Spanish colonization and his prophecy that someday Spain would lose the Philippines and that America
would come to succeed her as colonizer;
 ‘Universal History’ (Cesar Cantu) – a non-fiction historical work. He was able to acquire an expensive
set of this book by convincing his father that this book would be of great aid in his studies and enabled
him to win more prizes.

Third year in Ateneo (187-75)

Jose Rizal returned to Ateneo shortly before the classes began to start his junior year. He met his mother
and informed him that she was finally released from prison, just as he predicted when he visited her to
her prison cell in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

However, he was disappointed to the result of his class performance as in the previous year, although
his grades remained excellent in all subjects. He won a single medal in Latin. He failed to win a medal in
Spanish because his spoken Spanish was not that fluent. A Spaniard who delivered Spanish with fluency
and right accentuation defeated him.

Fourth Year in Ateneo (1875-76)

On June 16, 1875, he became a boarder in Ateneo. He befriended his professor Fr. Francisco de Paula
Sanchez, whom he regarded as great educator and scholar. He inspired him to write poetry and to study
harder. Fr. Sanchez recognized his God-given talents. Because of the inspiration and recognition given,
he regarded the Jesuit professor as “model of uprightness, earnestness, and love” for the advancement
of his students.

Consequently, he resumed his studies with vigor and dedication and topped all his classmates in all
subjects and won five medals at the end of the school term.

In the fourth year of his course he had Fr. Francisco Sanchez as professor. Jose describes him as a model
of rectitude, a solicitude, and love for the student, and his studied mathematics, rhetoric, and Greek,
and he must have progressed much, for at the end of the year he-obtained five medals, which pleased
him immensely because with them I could repay my father somewhat for his sacrifices.

His aptitude for poetry revealed itself early, and from that time on he did not cease to cultivate it.
An incident which demonstrates Jose’s independence of character took place at this time. Fr. Leoncio
Lopez, parish priest of the town, who was a great friend of his father, also liked Jose as a little friend. He
was cultured but at the same time timid and tender. One day Jose’s mother showed Father Lopez a
poem of his young friend and that the latter must have copied it from a book. Jose, who heard this,
answered the priest violently, for which his mother reprehended him. Afterward Father Lopez came to
know from the Jesuits themselves that Jose was a pupil who excelled in poetry; and, in spite of his age,
made a trip to Manila expressly to apologize to Jose. That gesture of Father Lopez’ won him Jose’s
esteem and they became good friends again, lending each other the books they had.

Last year in Ateneo (1876-77)

In the fifth years Jose had other professors: Frs. Vilaclara and Mineves. He studied philosophy, physics,
chemistry, and natural history, but his devotion to poetry was such that his professor in philosophy
advised him once to leave it, which made him cry. But in his rest hours he continued cultivating the
Muses under the direction of his old professor, Father Sanchez. Jose had then written a short story
(leyenda), which was only slightly corrected by his professor, and a dialogue, which was enacted at the
end of the course, alluding to the collegians’ farewell. However, philosophy, just and serve, inquiring
into the wherefores of things, interested him as much as poetry; physics, drawing back the veil that
divine drama of nature was enacted, natural history seemed to him somewhat uninteresting although
he much liked the shells and sometimes imagined seeing a goddess in each shell he was on the shelf.

Jose was considered small of stature and he tried to correct this defect by applying himself regularly to
gymnastics in the college. He also engaged in other physical exercises, such as fencing. After his
baccalaureate, he surprised his family with his skill in handling the sword when he gave an exhibition
bout with the best swordsman of the town.

He also devoted time to painting and sculpture. In drawing and painting he was under the guidance and
direction of the Ateneo professor, the Peninsula Don AugustinSaez, who honored him with his affection
and consideration because of his progress. In sculpture his instructor was a Filipino, Romualdo de Jesus,
who felt proud in the last years of his life of having had such an excellent pupil.

Although there was a great improvement in his performance but his previous years of performance
made a great effect, he graduated on March 23, 1877 (16 years old) and received the degree of Bachelor
of Arts, with highest honors and not a valedictorian.
Extra-Curricular Involvement

-an emperor inside the classroom

-campus leader

-active member and became a secretary, the Marian Congregation Religious Society

-member of the Academy of Spanish Literature and the Academy of Natural Sciences

-poet

-studied painting under the famous Spanish Painter, Agustin Saez

-improved his sculpture talents under the supervision of Romualdo de Jesus

-Engaged in gymnastics and fencing and continued the physical training under his sports-minded Tio
Manuel.

Finishes Surveying course in Ateneo (1878)

During his term in University of Santo Tomas (1877 – 78), Rizal also studied at Ateneo; he took the
vocational course leading to a title of porito agrimensor (expert surveyor)). In those days it should be
remembered, the college for boys in Manila offered vocational courses in agriculture, commerce,
mechanics and surveying.

Rizal’s unhappy days at UST. Rizal’s Ateneo boy wonder, found the atmosphere at the UST a suffocating
to his sensitive spirit. He was unhappy of this Dominican Institution of high learning because:

the Dominican professors were hostile to him

the Filipino students were racially discriminated, and

the method of teachings were obsolete and repressive

Discontented days at UST

Fearful of the Spanish authorities who seem to frown on those Filipinos who learn too much, she
warned her husband. “Do not send Jose again to Manila. If gets to know too much, they will cut off his
head!” Jose, who was present in their family council when his mother said this, was shocked. He knows
her mother was a woman of education and culture: she even taught him and inspired him to write
poetry; she came from a family of high learning – her own brother (and his uncle) Jose Alberto Alonso
had been educated abroad and could speak multiple Spanish, French, English and German.

Rizal enters the university. In April 1877, Rizal, who was barely 16 years old, matriculated in the
University of Santo Tomas taking up Philosophy and Letters. He enrolled in this course for two reasons:
(1) his father like it and (2) he was “still uncertain to what career to follow”. He had written to father
Pablo Ramon, Rector of the Ateneo, who had been good to him during his days in Ateneo, asking for
advice in the choice of career. Unfortunately, Father Rector was in Mindanao and during those days it
several months to travel a letter from Manila to Mindanao. Consequently during his first term (1877-78)
in the University of Santo Tomas he studied Cosmology, Metaphysics, Theodicy and History of
Philosophy.

It was during the school term (1878-79) that Rizal took up medicine, enrolling simultaneously in
preparatory medical course and the regular first year medical course.

The reasons why he studied medicine:

He wanted to be a physician so that he may cure his mother’s failing eyesight.

The Father Rector of the University, whom he consulted for a choice of career, finally answered his
letter, and recommended medicine.

Decision to study abroad

After finishing the fourth year of his medical course, Rizal decided to study in Spain. He could no longer
endure the rampant bigotry, discrimination, and hostility at UST. His uncle, Antonio Rivera, Leonor’s
father, encouraged him to go abroad. Both Paciano and Saturnina, whom he contacted secretly, were of
similar opinion.
For the first time, Rizal did not seek his parent’s decision and blessing to go abroad, because he knew
that they, especially his mother will disapprove his plan. He did not also bring his beloved Leonor in his
confidence. He had enough common sense to know that Leonor, being a woman, and young and
romantic at that, could not keep a secret. Thus, Riza’s parent, Leonor, and the Spanish authorities knew
nothing of his decision to go abroad in order to finish his medical studies in Spain, where the professors
were more tolerant and understanding than those of the University of Santo Tomas.

With his parent’s blessings and unknown to Spanish authorities, Rizal left Manila on May 8, 1882. He
went to Spain where he completed his university study, improved his knowledge in language and arts. At
that time, the government in Spain was a constitutional monarchy.

Secret departure on Spain

Rizal’s departure in Spain was kept secret in order to avoid detection by the colonial officials and the
friars. Even his own parents did not know that he was leaving. Only Uncle Antonio Rivera, Paciano and
sisters and some close friends knew. Paciano gave him 700 pesos. Saturnina gave hima diamond ring
which helped him very much during his days of poverty in Europe. To maintain his studies and Sojourn
abroad, he needed a monthly allowance of 35 pesos, and this amount Paciano promised to send
regularly through Uncle Antonio.

Rizal used a passport obtained by a cousin named “Jose Mercado”. To outwit the Spanish authorities, he
went to Calamba ostensibly to attain the town fiesta. A cryptic telegram by Manuel T. Hidalgo from
Manila arrived, announcing that the Spanish steamer Salvadora was scheduled to sail Singapore. Early in
Morning in May 1, 1882, he left Calamba by carromata, reaching manila after 10 hours of travel. He had
time to book travel. He had time to book passage on the Salvadora, to write farewell letters to his family
and friends, and bid good-bye to his friends. The kind Jesuit father, whom he visited to say adios, gave
him letters of recommendation to members of their Society in Barcelona. He said also a tearful farewell
meeting to his beloved, Leonor. This proved to be their last meeting, for they were destined never to
meet again.

Singapore

During the voyage, Rizal keenly observed the persons and things around him and compared him with
those in Philippines. He was the only Filipino on board. His fellow passengers were foreign travelers and
some Spanish imployees and merchants returning to Spain. “Almost all of those men” he wrote,
speaking of the Spanish travelers, “spoke ill of the country for which they have gone for pecuniary
reasons”.

After five days of sailing, the Salvadora reached the English colony in Singapore. For the first time, Rizal
saw Singapore and was impressed by its progress and beautiful sights. He particularly admired “the
confidence which the native Singapore seemed to have their government” surely a great contrast to
“the fear of their shown in the Filipinos”.

First trip through Suez Canal

In Singapore, Rizal boarded in Djemnah, a French steamer, which was sailing to Europe. It was Larger
and cleaner than the Salvadora. He tried to Speak French in some passengers, but to his surprise, the
bookish French which he learned in Ateneo could not be understood. He had to speak it with a mixture
of Latin and Spanish words, aided with much gesticulation and frequent sketching on paper, to him
understood.

A week after leaving Singapore, the steamer reached Point de Galle. In the morning of May 18, voyage
was resumed, and in the afternoon on the same day the steamer docked at the Colomb, Ceylon. From
Colombo the steamer crossed the Indian Ocean to Café Guardafui in Africa. On May 18, he saw for the
first time the coast of Africa.On June 2, he arrived in the city of Suez, the Red Sea terminal of the Suez
Canal.

Naples and Marseilles

From Port Said, the Djemnah proceed to its way to Europe. On June 11, Rizal reached Naples. On the
night of June 12, the steamer docked at the French harbor of Marseilles.
Barcelona

At Marseilles, Rizal took the train for the last lap for his trip to Spain. After the passport inspection on
Port-Bou, Rizal continued his trip by rail, finally reaching destination, Bacelona.

Rizal became a Mason

In Spain, Rizal came in contact with the liberal and republican elements, most of whom were Masons.
Being young and lonely in foreign country, he was easily impressed by the way of the prominent Spanish
attacked the government and the Church.

In due time, his friends who were Masons persuade him to join Masonry. In 1883 he joined the Masonic
Lodge Acacia in Madrid. His Masonic name was Dimasalang.

Two reasons why he joined Masonry:

The bad friars in the Philippines, by their abuses unworthy of their priestly habit or calling, Rizal drove
to desperation and Masonry.

He needed the help of Masons to fight the bad friars in the Philippines, for Masonry, to Rizal, was a
shield to use in his fight against the evil forces of tyranny.

Rizal became a master of Masons in Lodge Solidaridad on November 15, 1890. Later, on February 15,
1892, he became a Master Mason of Le Grand Orient France in Paris.
Rizal’s salute to Luna and Hidalgo.

At the National Exposition of Fine Arts in Madrid in 1884, both Luna and Hidalgo won signal honors for
their country. They entered this art competition against many painters in Europe, and emerged
triumphant.

Studies completed in Spain.

Rizal completed his medical course in Spain. He was awarded the degree of Licentiate in Medicine by the
Universidad Central de Madrid on June 21, 1884. The next academic year (1884-85) he studied and
passed all subjects leading to the degree of Doctor of Medicine. “Due to the fact that he did not present
the thesis required for graduation nor paid the fees, he was not awarded his Doctor’s Diploma”.

Paris to Berlin

After completing his studies in Madrid, Rizal went to Paris and Germany in order to specialize in
ophthalmology.

In Gay Paris (1885-86)

Shortly after terminating his study in Universidad Central de Madrid, Rizal, who was then 24 years old
and already a physician, decided to go to Paris in order to acquire more knowledge in ophthalmology.
On his way to Paris, he stopped at Barcelona to visit his friend, Maximo Viola, a medical student and a
member of rich family in San Miguel, Bulacan.

In October, 1885, Rizal was living in Paris, where his sojourned for about four months. He worked as an
assistant to Dr. Louis de Weckert (1852-1906), leading French ophthalmologist.

In Historic Heidelberg

After acquiring enough experience as an ophthalmologist in Dr. Weckert’s clinic, Rizal reluctantly left
Gay Paris, where he spent so many happy days.

First letter to Blumentritt

On July 31, 1886, Rizal wrote his letter in German to Professor Ferdinand Blumentritt, Director of the
Ateneo of Leitmeritz, Australia. He had heard of this Australia ethnologist and his interest on Philippine
language.

Fifth Centenary of Heidelberg University

Rizal was fortunate to be sojourned in Heidelberg when the famous University of Heidelberg held his
fifth centenary celebration on August 6, 1886. It was two days before his departure, and he was sad
because he came to love the beautiful city and its hospitable people.

Rizal welcomed in Berlin’s Scientific Circles. Rizal was enchanted by Berlin because of its scientific
atmosphere and the absence of race prejudice.
Rizal’s life in Berlin

In Berlin, Rizal was not a mere student or a curious tourist. He lived in this famous capital for five
reasons:

 To gain further knowledge in ophthalmology.

 To further his studies in sciences and languages.
 To observe the conditions of German Nation.
 To finish his novel, Noli Me Tangere

Rizal’s tour of Europe with Viola, 1887

After the Noli came off the press in Berlin, Rizal planned to visit the important places in Europe. Dr.
Maximo Viola agreed to be his traveling componion. Rizal had received Paciano’s remittance of 1,000
pesos which was forwarded by Juan Luna to Paris. He immediately paid Viola the sum of 300 pesos
which the latter kindly loaned so that the Noli could be printed. Having paid his debt, and with adequate
fund in his pocket, he was ready to see Europe before returning to Calmba. First, he and Viola visited
Potsdam, a city near berlin, which Frederick the Great made famous.

The tour begins

At the dawn of May 11, 1887, Rizal and Viola, two brown-skinned doctors on roaming spree, left Berlin
by train. It was an ideal reason for traveling. Spring was in the air, and all over the Europe the flowers
were blooming, the meadows were turning green and the villagers were humming with activity.
According to Viola the luggage of Rizal included all the letters he had received from his (Rizal’s) family
and friends. Their destination was Dresden, “one of the best cities in German.”

Dresden

Rizal and Viola tarried for some times in Dresden. Their visit coincided with the regional floral
exposition. Rizal was interested in botany, studied the “numerous plant varieties of extraordinary
beauty and size.” They visited Dr. Adolph B. Meyer, who was overjoyed to see them. In the Museum of
Art, which they also visited, Rizal was deeply impressed by a painting of “Prometheus Bound” and
recalled seeing a representation of the same idea in an art gallery in Paris.

Beautiful Memories of Leitmeritz

Rizal had beautiful memories of his visit to Leitmeritz. He enjoyed the warm hospitality of the
Blumentritt family. The proffesor’s wife Rosa, was a good cook, and she prepared special Australian
dishes which Rizal liked very much. Prague. After Leitmeritz, Rizal and Viola visited the historic city of
Prague. Vienna. On May 20, Rizal and Viola arrived in the beautiful city of Vienna, capital ofd Australia-
Hungary. Danubian Voyage to Lintz. On May 25, Rizal and Viola left Vienna on a rivedr boat to see the
beautiful sights of a Danube river.

From Lintz to Rheinfall

The river voyage ended in Lintz. They traveled overland to Salzburg, and from there to Munich where
they sojourned for a short time savor the famous Munich beer, reputed to be the best in Germany.

Crossing the Frontier to Switzerland

From Rheinfall, they crossed the frontier to Schaffhausen, Switzerland. They continued their tour to
Bassel, Bern, and Lausanne.

Geneva

After sightseeing in Lausanne, Rizal and Viola left on a little boat, crossing the foggy Leman Lake to
Geneva.
Rizal in Italy

From Geneva, Rizal went to Italy. He visited Turin, Milan, Venice, and Florence. On June 27, 1887, he
reached Rome, the “City of the Ceasar”. After a week, he prepared to return in Philippines

Women in the Life of Rizal

There are ten (10) recorded women in Rizal's life; however some historians suggest that there have been
more. Below are brief accounts of Jose Rizal's romances

 Julia/ Ms.L
 Segunda Katigbak
 Leonor Valenzuela
 Leonor Rivera
 Consuelo Ortiga
 Gertrude Beckette
 Sei San
 Suzanne Jacoby
 Nelly Boustead
 Josephine Bracken

Rizal was only 15 when he first saw Julia by accident in a river in Los Baños a few days after Easter in
1877. She was wearing a red wraparound skirt. “Julia could not catch the butterfly she was chasing.
Rizal, ever gallant, caught two,” Trillana wrote. Heart beating with strange fondness, Rizal offered her
the butterflies and she laughed with innocent pleasure. He was instantly attracted to her.

Rizal next met Segundina Katigbak, a charming girl from Lipa, Batangas.She was his puppy love,
accordingto Trillana. Unfortunately, his first love was engaged to be married to a town mate- Manuel
Luz.

Jose Rizal was only a young boy of sixteen (16) when he first fell in love, and it was with Segunda
Katigbak, a girl from Lipa, Batangas and two years his junior. According to Rizal,"She was rather short,
with eyes that were eloquent and ardent at times and languid at others, rosy-cheeked, with an
enchanting and provocative smile that revealed very beautiful teeth, and the air of a sylph; her entire
self diffused a mysterious charm."
Stolen Glances

Rizal went to Trozo, Manila one day to visit his grandmother. His friend, Mariano Katigbak,
accompanied him. Mariano's family were close with Rizal's grandmother, and upon arrival at Lipa,
Mariano's sister Segunda was there at the old woman's house along with other guests. Rizal was drawn
to hear instantly.

Some of the other guests knew that Rizal was a skilled painter and asked him to draw a portrait of
Segunda. He obliged, and reluctantly worked on a pencil sketch of the girl. "From time to time, she
looked at me, and I blushed."

A Blossoming Love

Rizal's sister Olympia was a close friend of Segunda and a student at La Concordia College, and Rizal
went to visit her every week, during which he came to know Segunda more intimately. Their affection
for each other grew deeper with every meeting, one that began with "love at first sight."

Hopeless from the Beginning

Unfortunately, Segunda was already engaged to be married to her townmate, Manuel Luz, and although
Rizal had gotten hints of the lady's affection for him, he timidly decided to back away and did not
propose. Years later Segunda returned to Lipa and wed her betrothed, leaving a frustrated Rizal to the
mercy of his nostalgic memories. Rizal said while recording his first romance three years later, "Ended,
at an early hour, my first love! My virgin heart will always mourn the reckless step it took on the flower-
decked abyss. My illusions will return, yes, but indifferent, uncertain, ready for the first betrayal on the
path of love."

After his admiration for a short girl in the person of Segunda, then came Leonor Valenzuela, a tall girl
fromPagsanjan. Rizal sends her love notes written in invisible ink thatcould only be deciphered over the
warmth ofthe lamp or candle. He visited her on the eve of his departure to Spain.
When Rizal was a sophomore at the University of Santo Tomas and was boarding in the house of Dona
ConchaLeyva in Intramuros he met Leonor "Orang" Valenzuela, his next-door neighbor and daughter of
Capitan Juan and Capitana Sanday Valenzuela. She was a tall girl who carried herself with grace and
elegance.

Exchanging Love Notes

Rizal was always welcome at the Valenzuela home. He eventually courted Leonor by sending her love
notes, which he wrote in invisible ink made from a mixture of water and table salt. He taught Leonor
how to read his letters by heating them over a lamp or a candle to allow the words to surface.

Almost simultaneously, Rizal was meeting another Leonor. The girl, Leonor Rivera, would be his
girlfriend for the next 11 years. The two were distant cousins. Rivera was to him his ideal woman, his
model for Maria Clara, one of the main characters in his first novel, “Noli Me Tangere.”

He was ready to marry her; unfortunately, Rivera’s mother disliked Rizal who was then earning the
reputation of being a dissident. The two last saw each other before Rizal left for Spain in May 1882. The
mother hid from Rivera all the letters that Rizal was sending from Spain. After a passage of many years,
thinking that Rizal had abandoned her, Rivera sadly consented to marry Henry Kipping, an Englishman
who was her mother’s choice. Rizal was said to have cried shamelessly when news of the wedding
reached him. Rivera never got to know that Rizal loved her just as much.

Rizal met Consuelo Ortiga y Rey, the prettier of Don Pablo Ortiga’s two daughters, in Madrid. She fell in
love with him after only a few dates. He dedicated to her “A la Senorita C.O. y R,” which became one of
his best poems. The Ortigas residence in Madrid was frequented by Rizal and his compatriots. He
probably fell in love with her and Consuelo apparently asked him for romantic verses.

Rizal's romance with Consuelo did not turn into a serious affair; he decided to take a step back for two
reasons: first, he was still engaged to Leonor Rivera at that time; and second, he was aware of his
friend's (Eduardo de Lete) affection for the girl and he did not want to ruin their friendship over her.

While Rizal was in London annotating theSucesos de las Islas Filipinas, he boarded inthe house of the
Beckett family, withinwalking distance of the British Museum. Shefell in love with Rizal. Tottie helped
him inhis painting and sculpture. But Rizalsuddenly left London for Paris to avoidGertrude, who was
seriously in love withhim.
The Artist's Right Hand

Gertrude was a buxom young lady with blue eyes and brown hair. She fell in love with Rizal and gave
him all of her attention during the family picnics and gatherings. When Rizal stayed indoors during rainy
days painting and sculpting, she helped him mix his colors and prepare his clay.

Rizal enjoyed her company. Eventually their flirtatious friendship drifted towards a blossoming
romance. He affectionately called her "Gettie," and in return she called him "Pettie."

Leaving for a Higher Cause

Rizal withdrew before his relationship with Gettie could become more serious, realizing that he had a
greater mission to fulfil and that in order to accomplish it he could not yield to the option of marrying
her. He suppressed the yearnings of his heart and decided to leave so that the lady may forget him.
Before he did, however, he finished a number of sculptural works, one of which was a carving of the
heads of the Beckett sisters.

On his second trip to Europe in1888, Rizal stopped by Japan wherehe met O Sei San, a lovely
andintelligent daughter of a samurai.

When Rizal was in Tokyo a few days after he had moved to the Azabu district in 1888, he spotted a
pretty Japanese girl walking past the legion gate. He was captured by the lady's regal air and charisma
and endeavored to find ways to meet her. The girl's name was Seiko Usui. She lived with her parents
and often took afternoon walks by the legation. Rizal waited by the gate one afternoon and introduced
himself.

An Exploration of Beauty

Rizal and O-Sei-San, as he fondly called her, met almost daily. They toured the beautiful city spots,
enjoyed the scenery, and visited the picturesque shrines. Rizal was then a lonely young physician,
disillusioned by his frustrated romance with Leonor Rivera and burdened by soured hopes for justice in
his country. O-Sei-San provided the beautiful escape that he deeply needed, and he saw in her the
qualities of his ideal woman. He was her first love.

Sayonara

Because of his deep affection for her, Rizal was almost tempted to settle down in Japan. Conveniently
enough, he was also offered a good position at the Spanish Legation during that time. Rizal, however,
had set his sights on other matters. He decided to leave Japan and forget his romance, which pained
him gravely as attested by an entry in his diary. His 45-day sojourn in Japan was one of the happiest
interludes in his life.
In 1890, Rizal moved to Brusselsbecause of the high cost of living inParis. In Brussels, he lived in
theboarding house of the two Jacobysisters. In time, they fell deeply in lovewith each other. Suzanne
cried whenRizal left Brussels.

On January 28, 1890, Rizal left for Brussels, Belgium. He stayed for a considerable time, paying for room
and board. His landladies had a pretty niece named Petite Suzanne Jacoby. She was taken by Rizal's
charm and gallantry, and provided him good company. Rizal could have flirted with the lady,
considering that his beloved Leonor was far away and he was a lonely man in a strange and foreign land,
but he realized he could not deceive her.

A Broken Heart

Suzanne fell in love with Rizal, and wept when he left for Madrid in July 1890. She wrote to him in
French:

"Where are you now? Do you think of me once in a while? I am reminded of our tender conversations,
reading your letter, although it is cold and indifferent. Here in your letter I have something which makes
up for your absence. How pleased I would be to follow you, to travel with you who are always in my
thoughts.

You wish me all kinds of luck, but forget that in the absence of a beloved one a tender heart cannot feel
happy.

A thousand things serve to distract your mind, my friend; but in my case, I am sad, lonely, always alone
with my thoughts -- nothing, absolutely nothing relieves my sorrow. Are you coming back? That's what
I want and desire most ardently -- you cannot refuse me.

I do not despair and I limit myself to murmuring against time which runs so fast when it carries us
toward a separation, but goes so slowly when it's bringing us together again.

I feel very unhappy thinking that perhaps I might never see you again.

Goodbye! You know with one word you can make me very happy. Aren't you going to write to me?"

In 1891, Rizal took a vacation in Biarritz in order to find reprieve from his troubles in Madrid. He was a
guest of the Boustead family in their winter residence, Villa Eliada. Mr. and Mrs. Boustead had two
beautiful daughters, Adelina and Nellie.

An Emotional Rebounce

Rizal having lost Leonor Rivera, entertained the thought of courting other ladies. While a guest of the
Boustead family at their residence in the resort city of Biarritz, he had befriended the two pretty
daughters of his host, Eduardo Boustead. After having lamented his frustrated romance with Leonor
Rivera on account of the lady's engagement to another man, Rizal came to develop considerable
affection for Nellie, the prettier and younger daughter of Mr. Eduardo Boustead. He found her to be
intelligent, morally upright, and full of life. Rizal wrote to his closest friends about his intention to marry
her.

Consent from the Lady's Past Love

Rizal used to fence with the sisters at the studio of Juan Luna. Antonio Luna, Juan’s brother and also a
frequent visitor of the Bousteads, courted Nellie but she was deeply infatuated with Rizal. In aparty held
by Filipinos in Madrid, a drunken Antonio Luna uttered unsavory remarks against Nellie Boustead. This
prompted Rizal to challenge Luna into a duel. Fortunately, Luna apologized to Rizal, thus averting
tragedy for the compatriots. Rizal's friends were delighted to hear that he had found a suitable girl
whom he at last wished to settle down with. Even Antonio Luna, who had previously loved Nellie,
encouraged Rizal to court her and ask for her hand in marriage. With all the encouragement from the
friends he held dear, Rizal wooed Nellie (also called Nelly) who, in turn, returned his affections.

A Broken Engagement

Rizal's marriage proposal failed for two reasons: first, Nellie demanded that he give up his Catholic faith
and convert to Protestantism, which was her religion. Rizal did not like this idea. Second, Nelly’s
mother did not approve of Rizal, as she had no desire to entrust her daughter to a man that was wanting
in wealth and persecuted in his own country. In spite of the circumstances, Rizal and Nellie parted as
good friends.

Rizal's exile in Dapitan was one of the most lonesome and sorrowful periods of his life. He missed the
company of his friends and family, and the death of Leonor Rivera on August 28, 1893 left a gaping void
in his heart.

Josephine Bracken arrived at the shores of Dapitan accompanying her blind adoptive father, Mr. George
Taufer. No ophthalmologist in Hong Kong, their home country, could cure the man's blindness and so
they sought the services of the famous Dr. Jose Rizal.

While on exile in Dapitan, Zamboanga, in early February 1895, Rizal met an 18-year-old petite Irish girl,
with bold blue eyes, brown hair and a happy disposition. She was Josephine Bracken, the adopted
daughter of George Taufer who had traveled to Dapitan from Hong Kong to have his eye treated by
Rizal. Josephine stayed with Rizal’s family in Manila. Upon her return to Dapitan, Rizal tried to arrange
with Father Antonio Obach for their marriage.
Overcoming Barriers

Rizal was immediately attracted to Josephine. He called her “dulceestranjera,” or sweet foreigner. The
loneliness and boredom of exile may have taken its toll as he found himself falling in love quite easily.
However, Rizal’s sisters suspected Josephine of being a spy for the Spanish authorities and a threat to
his security. Rizal and Josephine fell in love at first sight. Their romantic interlude went on for about a
month, after which they decided to marry. The priest of Dapitan, however, refused to conduct the
ceremony without consent from the Bishop of Cebu.

When Mr. Taufer heard of his daughter's plan to marry he became so enraged at the thought of losing
Josephine that he attempted to kill himself with a razor to his throat. Rizal prevented this tragedy by
holding the man's wrists back. Josephine left with her father on the first available steamer to Manila in
order to avoid more trouble. Since Mr. Taufer's blindness was venereal in nature, it was incurable.

Exchanging Vows

Mr. Taufer went back to Hong Kong alone, and Josephine stayed in Manila with Rizal's family. At length,
she returned to Dapitan. Since no priest would marry them, Rizal and Josephine held hands, exchanged
vows, and married themselves before God.

Romantic affair with Josephine Bracken

Rizal had always been missing his family and their happy moments together in Calamba and his despair
doubled upon the announcement of Leonor Rivera's death. Not soon, to his surprise, an Irish girl
enlightened his rather gloomy heart. This girl was the 18-year old Josephine Bracken who, to Wenceslao
Retana's words, was “slender, a chestnut blond, with blue eyes, dressed with elegant simplicity, with an
atmosphere of light (gaiety).”

From Hongkong, she arrived in Dapitan in February, 1895 with his blind foster father, George Taufer,
and a Filipina named Manuela Orlac. Rizal's fame as an opthalmic surgeon reached overseas, and one of
Rizal's friends, Julio Llorente referred the group to Rizal. Rizal and Bracken instantly fell in love with each
and in just one month, they agreed to marry which appalled and disturbed Taufer. However, the parish
priest of Dapitan, Father Pedro Obach, refused to do so unless they be permitted by the Bishop of Cebu.
The rise and cause of the propaganda is due to the Cavite mutiny of the GOMBURZA. This drove Rizal
and companions to organize a propaganda movement. Read carefully and understand well the topic
below:

The Death of Gomburza& the Propaganda Movement

In February 17, 1872, Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jocinto Zamora (Gomburza), all Filipino
priests, were executed by the Spanish colonizers on charges of subversion. The charges against Fathers
Gomez, Burgos and Zamora were their alleged complicity in the uprising of workers at the Cavite Naval
Yard. The death of Gomburza awakened strong feelings of anger and resentment among the Filipinos.
They questioned Spanish authorities and demanded reforms. The martyrdom of the three priests
apparently helped to inspire the organization of the Propaganda Movement, which aimed to seek
reforms and inform Spain of the abuses of its colonial government.

The illustrados led the Filipinos’ quest for reforms. Because of their education and newly acquired
wealth, they felt more confident about voicing out popular grievances. However, since the illustrados
themselves were a result of the changes that the Spanish government had been slowly implementing,
the group could not really push very hard for the reforms it wanted. The illustrados did not succeed in
easing the sufferings of the Filipinos; but from this group arose another faction called the intelligentsia.
The intelligentsia also wanted reforms; but they were more systematic and used a peaceful means
called the Propaganda Movement.

THE PROPAGANDA MOVEMENT

CONSOLIDATION OF PROPAGANDA ACTIVITIES: THE FINAL PUSH FOR REFORMS

Unifying Forces during the unorganized years - The propaganda worked individually, in the beginning,
writing articles expressing their nationalistic sentiments for liberal and radial Spanish newspapers.

Revival of Activities in the Philippines - As the campaign for reforms In Spain became more intense, the
nationalist reformists in the Philippines were busy with their won plans led by Marcelo H, delPilar.

Filipino Nationalists formally organized - Since the propagandists had started their crusade for reforms
in Spain in the 1880.
Movement inspired by GomBurZa - Fathers Mariano Gomez , Jose Burgos , Jacinto Zamora who were
executed on February 17, 1872. Awakened Filipinos and inspired the organization of the Propaganda
Movement.

Glimpses of propaganda Literature - The spirit of the movement was predominantly political, however, it
produced nationalistic literary works which contributed to the blossoming Filipino literature.

Masonry and the Propaganda movement - Disgusted with the role of the friars in the Philippine affairs,
the Filipino propagandists in Spain affiliated with the Masonic lodges in Spain.

Between 1872 and 1892, a national consciousness was growing among the Filipino émigrés who had
settled in Europe. In the freer atmosphere of Europe, these émigrés--liberals exiled in 1872 and students
attending European universities--formed the Propaganda Movement. Organized for literary and cultural
purposes more than for political ends, the Propagandists, who included upper-class Filipinos from all the
lowland Christian areas, strove to 'awaken the sleeping intellect of the Spaniard to the needs of our
country' and to create a closer, more equal association of the islands and the motherland.

It aims is to increase Spanish awareness of the needs of its colony to propagate a closer relationship
between the colony and Spain. Members (“propagandists” or “reformist”) were from the middle class
families representing the group of Filipino Inteligencia.

The limited higher education in the colony was entirely under clerical direction, but by the 1880s many
sons of wealthy Filipinos were sent to Europe to study. There, nationalism and a passion for reform
blossomed in the liberal atmosphere.

Out of this talented group of overseas Filipino students arose the so-called Propaganda Movement. On
Dec 13, 1888 they established in Barcelona the La Solidaridad. This movement called for the annexation
of the Philippines, Filipino representation in the Spanish legislature, freedom of speech and the press,
and Filipino equality before the law.

It was not a radical agitation to overthrow Spanish rule by a bloody revolution but instead it was a
peaceful campaign following these aims:

Equality of Filipinos and the Spaniards before the law

Assimilation of the Philippines as a regular province of Spain

 Restoration of Philippine representation in the Cortes, the law making body of Spain

Filipinization of Philippine parishes, Secularization of the clergy

Guarantee basic freedoms of speech and association; Individual liberties for the Filipinos, such as
freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to assembly and freedom of petition for action on all
complaints

Equal status and opportunities for both Filipinos and Spaniards especially when entering to
government service

Creation of a public school system independent of the friars

Abolishment of polo (labor service) and vandala (forced sale of local products to the government)

The reformists did not demand separation from Spain for they believed that their people were not yet
ready for an independent life. The only reform they demanded were those conducive to the
preservation of harmonious relation between their country and Spain and the advancement of the
Filipino people.

The Propaganda Movement never asked for Philippine independence because its members believed
that once Spain realizes the pitiful state of the country, the Spaniards would implement the changes the
Filipinos were seeking.

The Propagandists

The Filipinos in Europe were much more active in seeking reforms than those in Manila. They could be
divided into three groups: The first included Filipinos who had been exiled to the Marianas Islands in
1872 after being implicated in the Cavite Mutiny. After two many years in the Marianas, they proceeded
to Madrid and Barcelona because they could no longer return to the Philippines. The second group
consisted of illustrados in the Philippines who had been sent to Europe for their education. The third
group was composed of Filipinos who had fled their country to avoid punishment for a crime, or simply
because they could not stand Spanish atrocities any longer. Still, not all Filipinos living in Spain were
members of the Propaganda Movement. Jose Rizal, Graciano Lopez Jaena and Marcelo H. delPilar were
it most prominent members.

Lopez Jaena was a brilliant orator; Fray Botod, & Esperanza; La Hija del Fraile; which all criticized the
abuses of Spanish friars in the Philippines. Del Pilar was an excellent writer and speaker who put up the
newspaper Diarion Tagalog in 1882. His favorite topic was the friars. Some of his most popular writings
included CaiingatCayoDasalan at Tocsohan; AngSampungKautusanngmgaPrayle; CaingatCayo" was a
pamphlet answering the criticisms received by Jose Rizal’s novel Noli Me Tangere; Dasalan was parody
of the prayer books used by the Church, while; AngSampungKautusan…; was a satirical take on the Ten
Commandments, which highly ridiculed the Spanish friars.

Jose Rizal was recognized as the great novelist of the Propaganda Movement. He was the first Filipino
become famous for his written works. He wrote a poem entitled “Sa Akingmga Kababata” when he was
only eight years old. His novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, clearly depicted the sufferings of
the Filipinos and the rampant abuses committed by the friars in the colony. Because of his criticisms of
the government and the friars, Rizal made a lot of enemies. He was executed at Bagumbayan (later
renamed Luneta Park and now called Rizal Park) on December 30, 1896.

José Rizal and the Propaganda Movement

The most outstanding Propagandist was José Rizal, a physician, scholar, scientist, and writer. Born in
1861 into a prosperous Chinese mestizo family in Laguna Province, he displayed great intelligence at an
early age. After several years of medical study at the University of Santo Tomás, he went to Spain in
1882 to finish his studies at the University of Madrid. During the decade that followed, Rizal’s career
spanned two worlds: Among small communities of Filipino students in Madrid and other European
cities, he became a leader and eloquent spokesman, and in the wider world of European science and
scholarship--particularly in Germany--he formed close relationships with prominent natural and social
scientists. The new discipline of anthropology was of special interest to him; he was committed to
refuting the friars’ stereotypes of Filipino racial inferiority with scientific arguments. His greatest impact
on the development of a Filipino national consciousness, however, was his publication of two novels--
Noli Me Tangere (Touch me not) in 1886 and El Filibusterismo (The reign of greed) in 1891. Rizal drew on
his personal experiences and depicted the conditions of Spanish rule in the islands, particularly the
abuses of the friars. Although the friars had Rizal’s books banned, they were smuggled into the
Philippines and rapidly gained a wide readership.

Other important Propagandists included Graciano Lopez Jaena, a noted orator and pamphleteer who
had left the islands for Spain in 1880 after the publication of his satirical short novel, Fray Botod (Brother
Fatso), an unflattering portrait of a provincial friar. In 1889 he established a biweekly newspaper in
Barcelona, La Solidaridad (Solidarity), which became the principal organ of the Propaganda Movement,
having audiences both in Spain and in the islands. Its contributors included Rizal; Dr. Ferdinand
Blumentritt, an Austrian geographer and ethnologist whom Rizal had met in Germany; and Marcelo
delPilar, a reformminded lawyer. Del Pilar was active in the antifriar movement in the islands until
obliged to flee to Spain in 1888, where he became editor of La Solidaridad and assumed leadership of
the Filipino community in Spain.

In 1887 Rizal returned briefly to the islands, but because of the furor surrounding the appearance of Noli
Me Tangere the previous year, he was advised by the governor to leave. He returned to Europe by way
of Japan and North America to complete his second novel and an edition of Antonio de Morga’s
seventeenth-century work, Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (History of the Philippine Islands). The latter
project stemmed from an ethnological interest in the cultural connections between the peoples of the
pre-Spanish Philippines and those of the larger Malay region (including modern Malaysia and Indonesia)
and the closely related political objective of encouraging national pride. De Morga provided positive
information about the islands’ early inhabitants, and reliable accounts of pre-Christian religion and social
customs.

After a stay in Europe and Hong Kong, Rizal returned to the Philippines in June 1892, partly because the
Dominicans had evicted his father and sisters from the land they leased from the friars’ estate at
Calamba, in Laguna Province. He also was convinced that the struggle for reform could no longer be
conducted effectively from overseas. In July he established the Liga Filipina (Philippine League), designed
to be a truly national, nonviolent organization. It was dissolved, however, following his arrest and exile
to the remote town of Dapitan in northwestern Mindanao.

The Propaganda Movement languished after Rizal’s arrest and the collapse of the Liga Filipina. La
Solidaridad went out of business in November 1895, and in 1896 both delPilar and Lopez Jaena died in
Barcelona, worn down by poverty and disappointment. An attempt was made to reestablish the Liga
Filipina, but the national movement had become split between ilustrado advocates of reform and
peaceful evolution (the compromisarios, or compromisers) and a plebeian constituency that wanted
revolution and national independence. Because the Spanish refused to allow genuine reform, the
initiative quickly passed from the former group to the latter.

The writings produced by the Propaganda Movement inspired Andres Bonifacio and other radicals to
establish the Katipunan and set the Philippine Revolution in place.

Major Propagandists

Graciano Lopez Jaena

A native of Jaro, Iloilo.

Famous for his satirical work entitled “Fray Botod”

Founded “La Solidaridad” in 1889

Marcelo del Pilar

A fierce lawyer and writer from Malolos, Bulacan

Identified by Spanish authorities in Madrid as “the most dangerous Indio”

Founded the “Diariong Tagalog” in 1882, the first Filipino newspaper written in the vernacular.

Used the pennames “Plaridel”, “Dolores Manapa”, “Piping Dilat”

Famous works include:

La SoberaniaMonacal en Filipinas (Monastic Supremacy in the Philippines)

La Frailocracia Filipina (The Friars in the Philippines)

Caiingat Kayo

Dasalan at Tocsohan (parody of the Lord’s prayer)

KadakilaanngDiyos

SagotngEspanyasaHibikngPilipinas

Ten Commandments of the Friars

Jose Rizal

Known for his novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo

Founded La Liga Filipina after the failure of the Propaganda Movement

Other Propagandists/Propaganda Literature

Ninay – Pedro Paterno

Sampaguitas – Pedro Paterno

El Progreso de Filipinas – Gregorio Sanciangco

 Impresiones – Antonio Luna

La Universidad de Pilipinas: Plano de Estudios – Jose Maria Panganiban

Celebres Filipinos – Mariano Ponce

Historia de Ilocos – Isabelodelos Reyes

El Folklore Filipino – Isabelodelos Reyes

Masonry

One of the oldest fraternities in Europe

Became a popular organization for Filipino liberals and democrats

Revolucion – 1st Filipino Masonic lodge in Barcelona founded by Lopez Jaena

Solidaridad – Founded by M. del Pilar in Madrid

Nilad – 1st Masonic Lodge in the Philippines founded by Pedro Serrano Laktaw.

La Solidaridad

In order to help achieve its goals, the Propaganda Movement put up its own newspaper, called La
Solidaridad. The Soli, as the reformists fondly called their official organ, came out once every two weeks.
The first issue saw print was published on November 15, 1895. The Solidaridad’s first editor was
Graciano Lopez Jaena. Marcelo H. delPilar took over in October 1889. Del Pilar managed the Soli until it
stopped publication due to lack of funds.

Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. Del Pilar and Mariano Ponce comprised the main staff of La Solidaridad, official
organ of the Philippine propaganda movement in Spain; they were called the “Glorious Trinity of the
Propaganda Movement”.

Aims:
 To work for political and social reforms peacefully

To present the sad conditions in the Philippines so that Spain can remedy them

To oppose the evil influences of reaction and outmoded beliefs and practices

To advocate liberal ideas and progress

To champion the just aspirations of the Filipinos to life, democracy and happiness

Pen Names of the Members

(1) Marcelo H. Del Pilar- Plaridel

(2) Jose Rizal- LaongLaan and Dimasalang

(3) Mariano Ponce- Naning, Tikbalang or Kalipulako

(4) Antonio Luna- Taga-ilog

(5) Jose Ma. Panganiban- Jomapa

(6)Dominador Gomez- Ramiro Franco

Rizal, Del Pilar and Ponce

Magazines, poetry, and pamphleteering flourished. The president of La Solidaridad was Rizal’s cousin,
GalicanoApacible. Among the other officers were Graciano Lopez-Jaena, vice-president, and Mariano
Ponce, treasurer. Rizal, in London at the time, was named Honorary President. Unfortunately, Apacible
could not hold the wrangling reformists together. It took the prestige of Rizal and the political wisdom of
delPilar to unite the Filipinos in Spain and to coordinate their efforts. Jose Rizal was this movement’s
most brilliant figure and his writings had a wide impact in the Philippines. Marcelo H. Del Pilar joined the
Masonic Order in Spain in 1889, one of the first Filipinos initiated into the mysteries of Masonry in
Europe. He co-founded Logia Revoluccion in Barcelona and revived Logia Solidaridad 53 when it
floundered into stormy seas where he became its Worshipful Master and with Jose Rizal as Orator.

He was crowned 33° by the Gran OrienteEspanol. He spearheaded the secret organization of Masonic
lodges in the Philippines as a means of strengthening the propaganda movement. Mariano Ponce also
became a mason in Spain and became Secretary of Logia Revoluccion and Logia Solidaridad 53. He
attained the rank of 33° mason under the auspices of the Gran Oriente Español.

La Asociacion Hispano-Filipino

-Established in January 12, 1889

-A civic society in Madrid of the propagandists and their Spanish friends

-Miguel Morayta was the first president

Problems of the Propagandist

1. Differences of opinion and personal problems

2. Their inadequate financial resources

3. The patience of the people back home was rapidly waning

4. The publication of La Sol ceased to exist

5. Personal and health problems of reformists

6. Homesickness

Rizal attempts to carry on the propaganda in the Philippines. Rizal came home with the hope working for
reforms on the Philippine soil.

La Liga Filipina

In 1892, Jose Rizal returned to the Philippines and proposed the establishment of a civic organization
called “La Liga Filipina” with the motto Unus instar Omnium (One like All). On July 3, 1892, the following
were elected as its officers: Ambrosio Salvador, president: Agustin dela Rosa, fiscal; BonifacioArevalo,
treasurer; and Deodato Arellano, secretary, Rizal functioned as its adviser.

La Liga Filipina had no intention of rising up in arms against the government; but the Spanish officials still
felt threatened. On July 6, 1892 only three days after La Liga Filipina’s establishment, Jose Rizal was
secretly arrested. The next day, Governor General EulogioDespujol ordered Rizal’s deportation to
Dapitan, a small, secluded town in Zamboanga. La Liga Filipina's membership was active in the
beginning; but later, they began to drift apart. The rich members wanted to continue supporting the
Propaganda Movement; but the others seemed to have lost all hope that those reforms could still be
granted. Andres Bonifacio was one of those who believed that the only way to achieve meaningful
change was through a bloody revolution.

The constitution was written in Hong Kong with the help of Jose Ma. Basa.The Constitution states:

Union of the Philippine Archipelago into a compact, strong and homogeneous body.

Mutual protection of the members

Defense against all violence and injustice

Encouragement of education, agriculture and commerce

Study and application of reforms

Objectives:

Unification of the archipelago into a one compact, vigorous and homogenous body;

Mutual protection in every want and need;

Defense against all forms of violence and injustices;

Encouragement of education, agriculture and commerce;

The study of application of reforms

Significance of the Movement

Succeeded in influencing profound political developments

Politicized a great number of Filipinos

Establishment of a group that yearned for reforms, the Katipunan

The Arrest of Jose Rizal

The La Liga Filipina almost died when Rizal was arrested three days after its founding. On July 7, 1892
the order of his deportation to Dapitan was published in the newspaper. Rizal’s attempt to carry on the
reform movement in the Philippines failed.

July 7, 1892: Gen. EulogioDespujol ordered Rizal’s arrest and imprisonment at Fort Santiago

July 15: He was put into exile in Dapitan

This marked the fall of the La Liga Filipina

Some members, led by ApolinarioMabini, tried to revive the league but the failed because many
members, including Andres Bonifacio, believed that it was useless to expect reforms from the corrupt
Spaniards.

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

Give the meaning of national consciousness

Describe the process of acculturation

Determine the factors that contributed to the failure of revolutions

Birth of National Consciousness/ Filipino Nationalism

National consciousness binds together men of diverse castes and creeds, clans and colors, and
unites them into one people, one family, one nation with common aspirations and ideals

The Philippine experience in the formation of national identity had its roots in the pre-hispanic period.
 Foundation of our Indigenous Culture

Our racial origin and the types of cultures the early migrants brought to the Philippines, have
hypothesized that: (1) our indigenous culture began do develop on the pre-historic and pre-Christian
eras (2) these early cultures ranged from the crude Old Stone Age to the Metal Age with organized
community life; and (3) the early settlers came from Borneo, Indo-China, South China and other parts of
Southeast Asia.

Unification of the country by Spain

The more than three centuries of Spanish domination in the Philippines was one of the longest in the
Southeast Asia by a Western colonizer. In those times, they have done so many things in the Philippines
like Unification of a widely scattered people, bringing Catholicism and a system of education.

3. Early Revolt

Because of the unjust way the Spanish are treating the Filipinos, the Filipinos revolted for reasons like
exploitation of manpower and many more.

Challenge of the 19th Century

Meantime, economic and political developments that were to affect the Philippines either directly or
indirectly were shaping up in Europe.
 5. The Challenge of Industrialization

Industrialization rapidly gained momentum in the second half of the 19th century as the knowledge of
man gets vaster. These changes fueled the industrial revolution

The Altered Position of the Catholic Church in the 19th Century

The Catholic Church in Europe was a most powerful and influential institution. The church has been
identified with the monarchy and aristocracy since the medieval era

The Philippine is drawn Within the Orbit World trade

The beneficial effect of economic liberalism in Europe and the United States had finally convinced Spain
to abandon mercantilism and reluctantly open the Philippines to world trade

The New Breed of Native middle class

These 19th century economic and social stimuli effected a marked improvement in the standard of living
of small group of indios and mestizos who were engaged in commercial agriculture and trade.
 Initial Response to 19th Century Challenges

Even before the emergence of an active educated middle class, which directly worked for
reforms, Francisco “Balagtas “ Baltazar (1788-1862) had already voiced his disgust in the prevailing social
order through his literary pieces, particularly Florante at Laura

Francisco Baltazar

Futile Spanish Attempt to initiate

Sensing the prevalent social discontent, political insecurity and the growing anti Spanish feelings in the
islands.

Also, we might want to consider our understanding towards our Filipino Nationalism.

Let us specifically determine what Filipino Nationalism really means:

Filipino Nationalism

Filipino Nationalism is an upsurge of patriotic sentiments and nationalistic ideals in the Philippines of the
19th century that came consequently as a result of more than two centuries of Spanish rule and as an
immediate outcome of the Filipino Propaganda Movement (mostly in Europe) from 1872 to 1892. It
served as the backbone of the first nationalist revolution in Asia, the Philippine Revolution of 1896.

The Creole Age (1780s-1872)

The term 'Filipino' in its earliest sense referred to Spaniards born in the Philippines or Insulares (Creoles)
and from which Filipino Nationalism began. Traditionally, the Creoles had enjoyed various government
and church positions—composing mainly the majority of the government bureaucracy itself. The decline
of Galleon Trade between Manila and Acapulco and the growing sense of economic insecurity in the
later years of the 18th century led the creole to turn their attention to agricultural production.
Characterized mostly in Philippine history as corrupt bureaucrats, the Creole gradually changed from a
very government-dependent class into capital-driven entrepreneurs. Their turning of attention towards
gild soil caused the rise of the large private haciendas.

The earliest signs of Filipino Nationalism could be seen in the writings of Luis Rodriquez Varela, a Creole
educated in liberal France and highly exposed to the romanticism of the age. Knighted under the Order
of Carlos III, Varela was perhaps the only Philippine Creole who was actually part of European nobility.
The court gazzette in Madrid announce that he was to become a Conde and from that point on proudly
called himself 'Conde Filipino'. He championed the rights of Filipinos in the islands and slowly made the
term applicable to anyone born in the Philippines. However, by 1823 he was deported together with
other creoles (allegedly known as HijosdelPais), after being associated with a Creole revolt in Manila led
by the Mexican Creole Andres Novales.

Varela would then retire from politics but his nationalism was carried on by another Creole Padre
Pelaez, who campaigned for the rights of Filipino priests and pressed for secularization of Philippine
parishes. The Latin American revolutions and decline of friar influence in Spain resulted in the increase
of the regular clergy (friars) in the Philippines. Filipino priests were being replaced by Spanish friars and
Pelaez demanded explanation as to the legality of replacing a secular with regulars—which is in
contradiction to the Exponinobis. Pelaez brought the case to the Vatican almost succeeded if not for an
earthquake that cut his career short and the ideology would be carried by his more militant disciple,
Jose Burgos. Burgos in turn died after the infamous Cavite Mutiny, which was pinned on Burgos as his
attempt to start a Creole Revolution and make himself president or 'reyindio'. The death of Jose Burgos,
and the other alleged conspirators Mariano Gomez and Jacinto Zamora, seemingly ended the entire
creole movement in 1872. Governor-General Rafael de Izquierdo unleashed his reign of terror in order
to prevent the spread of the creole ideology—Filipino nationalism.

But the creole affair was seen by the other natives as a simple family affair—Spaniards born in Spain
against Spaniards born the Philippines. The events of 1872 however invited the other colored section of
the Ilustrado (intellectually enlightened class) to at least do something to preserve the creole ideals.
Seeing the impossibility of a revolution against Izquierdo and the Governor-General’s brutal reign
convinced the ilustrado to get out of the Philippines and continue propaganda in Europe. This massive
propaganda upheaval from 1872 to 1892 is now known as the Propaganda Movement. Through their
writings and orations, Marcelo H. delPilar, Graciano Lopez Jaena and Jose Rizal sounded the trumpets of
Filipino nationalism and brought it to the level of the masses. Rizal’s Noli me tangere and El
filibusterismo rode the increasing anti-Spanish sentiments in the islands and was pushing the people
towards revolution. By July 1892, an ilustrado mass man in the name of Andres Bonifacio established a
revolutionary party based on the Filipino nationalism that started with ' los hijos del pais'—
KatipunanngmgaAnakng Bayan. Ideology turned into revolution and gave Asia its first anti-
imperialist/nationalist revolution by the last week of August 1896.

Causes of the Awakening of the Filipinos’ National Consciousness

The 19th century was the birth of Filipino nationalism. This important phenomenon was caused by the
following:

The opening of the Philippines to world trade

The influx of liberal ideas into the country

The rise of the intelligentsia

Opening of Suez Canal

The liberal regime of Governor-General de la Torre

The martyrdom of Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora

The opening of Manila (1834) and other parts of the Philippine to foreign trade brought not only
economic prosperity to the country but also a remarkable transformation in the life of the Filipinos. As
the people prospered, their standard of living improved. They came into contact with foreign ideas and
with travelers from foreign lands. They read periodicals and books, including those brought in from
abroad. As a result, their mental horizons were broadened. They became discontented with the old
order of things and wanted social and political changes that were in harmony with the freer spirit of the
times.

Economic prosperity produced a new class of Filipinos–the intelligentsia–educated, widely read, and
enlightened individuals. Many Filipinos had learned Spanish, and some knew other Western languages
such as French, English, and German. Boldly patriotic, they discussed social and economic problems and
advocated reforms to remedy the evils of colonialism. Many of them sent their children to colleges and
universities not only in Manila but in Europe too.

From the intelligentsia came patriotic leaders who sowed the seeds of Filipino nationalism. Among these
were Father Pedro Pelaez, Father Jose Burgos, Dr. Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. delPilar, the Luna Brothers
(Juan and Antonio), Jose ma. Panganiban, Mariano Ponce, Graciano Lopez Jaena and Pedro A. Paterno.
Through the newly opened ports of the Philippines streamed liberal and modern idea. These ideas were
contained in books and periodicals brought in by ships form Europe. These included ideas of freedom of
the American and French revolutions and enlightened thoughts of Montesquieu, Rousseau, Voltaire,
Locke, Jefferson, and other philosophers of freedom. The Filipinos began to wonder at the deplorable
situation in the Philippines. In their minds sprouted the aspirations for reforms, justice, and liberty.

The opening of the Suez Canal which was built by Ferdinand de Lesseps to world shipping on November
17, 1869, linked the Philippines closer to Europe. It promoted the flow of ideas of freedom into the
Philippines.

Opening of the Philippines to world trade from 1834 to 1873

This stimulated the economic activities in the country which brought prosperity to some of the
Filipinos but most of all to the Chinese and the Spaniards.

It resulted to the rise of a new social class referred to as “Middle Class” or the “Illustrados”

Acquired material wealth

Improved their social stature and influence

Clamored for social and political equality with the colonial masters.

Influx of Liberal Ideas

With the opening of the Philippines to world trade, European ideas freely penetrated the country
in form of printed books, newspapers, and treatises made available to the natives as they participated in
the process of exchange of goods and products. The new knowledge and current events they learned
and acquired outside affected their ways of living and the manner of their thinking

The Rise of the Middle Class

 The middle class or the Illustrado family sent members of their family particularly male children
to study abroad.

These students would be exposed to European thoughts and would later lead in call for reforms

Filipino patriots and propagandist mostly came from this class

Opening of Suez Canal

The Suez Canal was created by a French engineer named Ferdinand de Lesseps

This man-made canal made transportation easier, making the transfer of goods and ideas better
and faster.

SUEZ CANAL

Aside from these three great revolutions and the declining influence of the Church during this period,
there were also other factors that facilitated the growth of nationalistic aspirations of Dr. Jose Rizal and
other Filipino ilustrados. Foremost among them is the opening of the Suez Canal to international
shipping on November 17, 1869. This canal is 103 miles long and connects the Mediterranean with the
Gulf of Suez and hence with the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Its significance could not be
underestimated. With the opening of this canal, the distance of travel between Europe and the
Philippines was significantly shortened and brought the country closer to Spain. In previous years, a
steamer from Barcelona had to sail around the Cape of Good Hope, and reached Manila after a
hazardous voyage of more than three months. With this canal, the trip was reduced to only 32 days
(Zaide 1999: 215).

The opening of the Suez Canal facilitated the importation of books, magazines and newspapers with
liberal ideas from Europe and America which eventually influenced the minds of Jose Rizal and other
Filipino reformists. Political thoughts of liberal thinkers like Jean Jacques Rousseau (Social Contract),
John Locke (/two Treatises of Government), Thomas Paine (ommon Sense) and others entered the
country (Maguigad & Muhi 2001; 62). Moreover, the shortened route encouraged more and more
Spaniards and Europeans with liberal ideas to come to the Philippines and interact with Filipino
reformists.The opening of this canal in 1869 further stimulated the local economy which give rise—as
already mentioned above--to the creation of the middle class of mestizos and ilustrados in the 19th
century.

The shortened route has also encouraged the ilustrados led by Rizal to pursue higher studies abroad and
learn liberal and scientific ideas in the universities of Europe. Their social interaction with liberals in
foreign lands has influenced their thinking on politics and nationhood.

Liberal Regime of Carlos Ma. Dela Torre

The first-hand experience of what it is to be liberal came from the role modeling of the first liberal
governor general in the Philippines—Governor General Carlos Ma. Dela Torre. Why Govenor Dela Torre
was able to rule in the Philippines has a long story. The political instability in Spain had caused frequent
changes of Spanish officials in the Philippines which caused further confusion and increased social as
well as political discontent in the country. But when the liberals deposed Queen Isabela II in 1868
mutiny, a provisional government was set up and the new government extended to the colonies the
reforms they adopted in Spain. These reforms include the grant of universal suffrage and recognition of
freedom and conscience, the press, association and public assembly. General Carlos Ma. De la Torre was
appointed by the provisional government in Spain as Governor General of the Philippines (Romero et al
1978: 21).

The rule of the first liberal governor general in the person of General de la Torre became significant in
the birth of national consciousness in the 19th century. De la Torre’s liberal and pro-people governance
had given Rizal and the Filipinos during this period a foretaste of a democratic rule and way of life. De la
Torre put into practice his liberal and democratic ways by avoiding luxury and living a simple life. During
his two-year term, Governor De la Torre had many significant achievements. He encouraged freedom
and abolished censorship (Maguigad & Muhi 2001: 63). He recognized the freedom of speech and of the
press, which were guaranteed by the Spanish Constitution. Because of his tolerant policy, Father Jose
Burgos and other Filipino priests were encouraged to pursue their dream of replacing the friars with the
Filipino clergy as parish priests in the country (Zaide 1999: 217).
Governor De la Torre’s greatest achievement was the peaceful solution to the land problem in Cavite.
This province has been the center of agrarian unrest in the country since the 18thcentury because the
Filipino tenants who lost their land had been oppressed by Spanish landlords. Agrarian uprisings led by
the local hero, Eduardo Camerino, erupted several times in Cavite. This agrarian problem was only
solved without bloodshed when Governor De la Torre himself went to Cavite and had a conference with
the rebel leader. He pardoned the latter and his followers, provided them with decent livelihood and
appointed them as members of the police force with Camerino as captain (Ibid).

It was during his term as governor general that freedom of speech was allowed among the Filipinos

De la Torre was a well-loved leader because he was concern with the needs of the natives

He ordered the abolition of flogging as punishment for military disobedience

He implemented the Educational Decree of 1863 and the Moret Law which delimit the
secularization of educational institutions and allowed the government to take control among different
schools and academic institutions.

Spanish Revolution of 1868

The period when Queen Isabella was ousted by Generals Francisco Serrano and Juan Prim

This incident had proven that Spain was not invincible and that even how powerful it was it cannot
escape social unrest and political upheavals.

In 1873, the first Spanish Republic was established and the Liberals installed Carlos Ma. Dela Torre
as the governor general in the Philippines.
 The Cavite Mutiny and the Martyrdom of GOMBURZA

The Three Martyr Priest

Jose Burgos

Born in Vigan, Ilocos Sur

Youngest among the three

One of the major advocates of secularization

Born on 9 February1837

During that time was the curate of the Cathedral and CanonigoMagistral

Mariano Gomes

Born in Sta. Cruz, Manila

First to be executed

Founded La Verdad, which served as the mouthpiece of secularization

Oldest among the martyr priests

Jacinto Zamora

Born August 14, 1835

He already lost his mind during the proceedings

 GOMBURZA were suspected to be involved in the Cavite Mutiny

Two historical events in the late 19th century that hastened the growth of nationalism in the minds of
Rizal, reformists and the Filipino people is the Cavite Mutiny and the martyrdom of Fathers Gomez,
Burgos, and Zamora or popularly known as GOMBURZA. The Cavite Mutiny is a failed uprising against
the Spaniards due to miscommunication. On the night of January 20, 1872, a group of about 200 soldiers
and workers led by Lamadrid, a Filipino sergeant, took over by force the Cavite arsenal and fort. Before
this, there was an agreement between Lamadrid and his men and Filipino soldiers in Manila that they
would join forces to stage a revolt against the Spaniards, with firing of rockets from the city walls of
Manila on that night as the signal of the uprising. Unfortunately, the suburbs of Manila celebrated its
fiesta on that very night with a display of fireworks. The Cavite plotters, thinking that the fighting had
been started by Manila soldiers, killed their Spanish officers and took control of the fort. On the
following morning, government troops rushed to the Cavite arsenal and killed many mutineers including
Lamadrid. The survivors were subdued, taken prisoners and brought to Manila (Zaide 1999: 218-220).

This unfortunate incidence in Cavite became an opportunity, however, for the Spaniards to implicate the
three Filipino priests who had been campaigning for Filipino rights, particularly the right of Filipino
priests to become parish priests or “Filipinization” of the parishes in the country. These three priests,
especially Father Jose Burgos, the youngest and the most intelligent, championed the rights of the
Filipino priests and were critical of Spanish policies. The Spanish government then wanted them to be
placed behind bars or executed. To do this, it magnified the event and made it appear as a “revolt”
against the government. Thus, after the mutineers were imprisoned, Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose
Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora (GOMBURZA) were arrested and charged falsely with treason and mutiny
under a military court. To implicate them, the government bribed Francisco Zaldua, a former soldier, as
the star witness. With a farcical trial, a biased court, and a weak defense from their government-hired
lawyers, the three priests were convicted of a crime they did not commit. Governor Izquierdo approved
their death sentence and at sunrise of February 17, 1872, Fathers Gomez, Burgos and Zamora were
escorted under heavy guard to Luneta and were executed by garrote (strangulation machine) before a
vast crowd of Filipinos and foreigners (Ibid.).

The execution of GOMBURZA had hastened not only the downfall of the Spanish government but also
the growth of Philippine nationalism. The Filipino people resented the execution of the three priests
because they knew that they were innocent and were executed because they championed Filipino
rights. Among those in the crowd who resented the execution was Paciano, the older brother of Jose
Rizal, who inspired the national hero to follow the cause of the three priests. Rizal dedicated his novel
Noli Me Tangere to GOMBURZA to show his appreciation to the latter’s courage, dedication to Filipino
rights, and sense of nationalism.

An uprising of the arsenal and shipyard workers of Cavite as a response to the repeal of their
privileges such as exemption from paying tributes and performance of forced labor.

This took place on January 20, 1872 and was headed by Sergeant La Madrid

This small mutiny was magnified by Spanish to make it appear that it was a wide-scaled conspiracy
and that even Filipino clergy were part of it.

Restoration of the Monarch and the Installation of Izquierdo as Gov. Gen. of the Philippines ; cause
of Cavite Mutiny

In 1870, Spanish monarchy was restored with Amadeo de Savoy as new king.

This king eventually sent Rafael Izquierdo as the governor general in Manila

Izquierdo was the exact opposite of De la Torre

He ordered that the exemptions and privileges enjoyed by workers of the arsenals and ship yards
be repealed, giving reason for these workers to launch a mutiny that took place in 1872.

Significance of the martyrdom of the three priests

Filipinos forgot their regional hostilities and felt the need of being united for a common cause

The Filipinos instead of developing fear from the Spaniards, developed hatred instead

The GOMBURZA served as inspiration to future patriots to selflessly fight the Spaniards in order to
put a stop on injustices and abusiveness committed by the colonizers.

Secularization Movement
 An interest group consisted of Filipino priests who demanded that they be allowed to handle
parishes in accordance with the provisions of the Council of Trent

It was once headed by Father Pedro Pelaez and was followed by Fr. Jose Burgos.

Below this area are the topics: Who made Rizal our foremost National Hero? The objectives of this topic
are the following: Reasons why Rizal is a National Hero and basis and importance of having Rizal as our
National Hero; Why was Rizal hero a Creole? The objective of this topic is: Service to the Filipino people
qualifying it as a creole”.

Who Made Rizal Our Foremost National Hero, and Why?

BY: ESTEBAN A. DE OCAMPO

Dr. Jose Rizal Mercado y Alonso, or simply Jose Rizal (1861-1896), is unquestionably the greatest hero &
martyr of our nation. The day of his birth & the day of his execution are fittingly commemorated by all
classes of our people throughout the length & breadth of this country & even by Filipinos & their friends
abroad. His name is a byword in every Filipino home while his picture adorns the postage stamp & paper
money of widest circulation. No other Filipino hero can surpass Rizal in the number of towns, barrios, &
streets named after him; in the number of educational institutions, societies, & trade names that bear
his name; in the number of persons, both Filipinos & foreigners, who were named "Rizal" or "Rizalina"
because of their parents’ admiration for the Great Malayan; & in the number of laws, Executive Orders
& Proclamations of the Chief Executive, & bulletins, memoranda, & circulars of both the bureaus of
public & private schools. Who is the Filipino writer & thinker whose teachings & noble thoughts have
been frequently invoked & quoted by authors & public speakers on almost all occasions? None but Rizal.
And why is this so? Because as biographer Rafael Palma (1) said, "The doctrines of Rizal are not for one
epoch but for all epochs. They are as valid today as they were yesterday. It cannot be said that because
the political ideals of Rizal have been achieved, because of the change in the institutions, the wisdom of
his counsels or the value of his doctrines have ceased to be opportune. They have not."

Unfortunately, however, there are still some Filipinos who entertain the belief that Rizal is a "made-to-
order" national hero, & that the maker or manufacturer in this case were the Americans, particularly
Civil Governor William Howard Taft. This was done allegedly, in the following manner:
"And now, gentlemen, you must have a national hero". These were supposed to be the words addressed
by Gov. Taft to Mssrs. Pardo de Tavera, Legarda & Luzurriaga, Filipino members of the Philippine
Commission, of which Taft was the chairman. It was further reported that "in the subsequent discussion
in which the rival merits of the revolutionary heroes (M. H. del Pilar, Graciano Lopez Jaena, Gen. Antonio
Luna, Emilio Jacinto, & Andres Bonifacio—O.) were considered, the final choice—now universally
acclaimed a wise one—was Rizal. And so history was made."(2)

This article will attempt to answer two questions: 1) Who made Rizal the foremost national hero & 2)
Why is Rizal our greatest national hero? Before proceeding to answer these queries, it will be better if
we first know the meaning of the term hero. According to Webster’sNew International Dictionary of the
English Language, a hero is "a prominent or central personage taking admirable part in any remarkable
action or event". Also, "a person of distinguished valor or enterprise in danger". And finally, he is a man
"honored after death by public worship, because of exceptional service to mankind".

Why is Rizal a hero, nay, our foremost national hero? He is our greatest hero because as a towering
figure in the Propaganda Campaign, he took an "admirable part" in that movement w/c roughly covered
the period from 1882-1896. If we were asked to pick out a single work by a Filipino writer during this
period, more than any writer writing, contributed tremendously to the formation of Filipino nationality,
we shall have no hesitation tin choosing Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere (Berlin, 1887). It is true that Pedro
Paterno published his novel, Ninay, in Madrid in 1885; M. H. del Pilar his La Soberania Monacal in
Barcelona in 1889, Graciano Lopez Jaena, his Discursos y Articulos Varios, also in Barcelona in 1891; &
Antonio Luna, his Impresionesin Madrid in 1893, but none of these books had evoked such favorable &
unfavorable comments from friends & foes alike as did Rizal’s Noli.

Typical of the encomiums that the hero received for his novel were those received from Antonio Ma.
Regidor & Prof. Ferdinand Blumentritt. Regidor, a Filipino exile of 1872 in London, said that "the book
was superior" & that if "don Quixote has made its author immortal because he exposed to the world the
sufferings of Spain, your Noli Me Tangere will bring you equal glory…" (3) Blumentritt, after reading
Rizal’s Noli, wrote & congratulated its author, saying among other things: "Your work, as we Germans
say, has been written w/ the blood of the heart... Your work has exceeded my hopes & I consider myself
happy to have been honored by your friendship. Not only I, but also your country, may feel happy for
having in you a patriotic & loyal son. If you continue so, you will be to your people one of those great
men who will exercise a determinative influence over the progress of their spiritual life." (4)

If Rizal’s friends & admirers praised w/ justifiable pride the Noli & its author, his enemies were equally
loud & bitter in attacking & condemning the same. Perhaps no other work has, up to this day, aroused as
much acrimonious debate not only among our people but also among reactionary foreigners as the Noli
of Rizal. In the Philippines the hero’s novel was attacked & condemned by a faculty committee of a
Manila university (UST) & by the permanent censorship commission in 1887. the committee said that it
found the book "heretical, impious, & scandalous to the religious order, & unpatriotic & subversive to
the public order, libelous to the govt. of Spain & to its political policies in these islands", while the
commission recommended that "the importation, reproduction, & circulation of this pernicious book in
the islands be absolutely prohibited." (5) Coming down to our time, during the congressional discussions
& hearings on the Rizal (Noili-Fili) in 1956, the proponents & opponents of the bill also engaged
themselves in a bitter & long drawn-out debate the finally resulted in the enactment of a compromise
measure, now known as RA 1425.

The attacks on Rizal’s 1st novel were not only confined in the Philippines but were also staged in the
Spanish capital. There, Sen. Vida, Deputy (& ex-general) Luis de Pando & Premier Praxedes Mateo
Sagasta were among those who unjustly lambasted & criticized Rizal & hisNoli in the 2 chambers of the
Spanish Cortes in 1888 & 1889. (6) it is comforting to learn however, that about 13 years later, Cong.
Henry Allen Cooper of Wisconsin delivered an eulogy of Rizal & even recited the martyr’s Ultimo
Pensamiento on the floor of the U. S. House of Representatives in order to prove the capacity of the
Filipinos for self- government. He said in part: "It has been said that, if American institutions had done
nothing else to furnish to the world the character of George Washington, that alone would entitle them
to the respect of mankind. So Sir, I say to all those who denounces the Filipinos indiscriminately as
barbarians & savages, w/o possibility of a civilized future, that this despised race proved itself entitled to
their respect & to the respect of mankind when it furnished to the world the character of Jose Rizal."(7)
The result of this appeal was the approval of what is popularly known as the Philippine Bill of 1902.

The preceding paragraphs have shown that by the Noli alone Rizal, among his contemporaries, had
become the most prominent/ the central figure of the Propaganda Movement.

Again, we ask the question: why did Rizal, become the greatest Filipino hero? Because in this writer’s
humble opinion, no Filipino has yet been born who could equal or surpass Rizal as a "person of
distinguished valor/enterprise in danger, fortitude in suffering." Of these traits of our hero, let us see
what a Filipino & an American biographer said:

"What is most admirable in Rizal," wrote Rafael Palma, is his complete self-denial, his complete
abandonment of his personal interests to think only of those of his country. He could have been
whatever he wished to be, considering his natural endowments; he could have earned considerable
sums of money from his profession; he could have lived relatively rich, happy, prosperous, had he not
dedicated himself to public matters. But in him, the voice of the species was stronger than the voice of
personal progress or of private fortune, & he preferred to live far from his family & to sacrifice his
personal affections for an ideal he had dreamed of. He heeded not his brother, not even his parents,
beings whom he respected & venerated so much, in order to follow the road his conscience had traced
for him.
He did not have great means at his disposal to carry out his campaign, but that did not discouraged him;
he contented himself w/ what he had. He suffered the rigors of the cold winter of Europe, he suffered
hunger, privation, & misery; but when he raised his eyes to heaven & saw his ideal, his hope was reborn.
He complained of his countrymen, he complained of some of those who had promosed him help & did
not help him, until at times, profoundly disillusioned, he wanted to renounce his campaign forever,
giving up everything. But such moments are evanescent, he soon felt comforted & resumed the task of
bearing the cross of his suffering." (8)

Dr. Frank C. Laubach, an American biographer of Rizal, spoke of the hero’s courage in the following
words:

His consuming life purpose was the secret of his moral courage. Physical courage, it is true, was one of
his inherited traits. But that high courage to die loving his murderers, w/c he at last achieved--that
cannot be inherited. It must be forged out in the fires of suffering & temptation. As we read through his
life, we can see how the moral sinew & fiber grew year by year as he faced new perils & was forced to
make fearful decisions. It required courage to write his 2 great novels telling nothing that no other man
has ventured to say before, standing almost alone against the powerful interests in the country & in
Spain, & knowing full well that despotism would strike back. He had reached another loftier plateau of
heroism when he wrote those letters to Hong Kong, "To be opened after my death", & sailed to the
"trap" in Manila w/o any illusions. Then in his Dapitan exile when he was tempted to escape, & said
"No", not once but hundreds of times for 4 long years, & when, on the way to Cuba, Pedro Roxas
pleaded w/ him to step off the boat of Singapore upon British territory & save his life, what an inner
struggle it must have caused him to answer over & over again, "No, no, no!" When the sentence of
death & the fateful morning of his execution brought the final test, 30 Dec 1896, he walked w/ perfect
calm to the firing line as though by his own choice, the only heroic figure in that sordid scene." (9)

To the bigoted Spaniards in Spain & in the Philippines, Rizal was the most intelligent, most courageous,
& most dangerous enemy of the reactionaries & the tyrants; therefore he should be shot publicly to
serve as an example & a warning to those of his kind. This was the reason why Rizal, after a brief mock
trial, was sentenced to death & made to face the firing squad at Bagumbayan Field, now Luneta, in the
early morning of 30 Dec 1896.

And for the 3rd & the last time, we repeat the question: Why is Rizal the greatest Filipino hero that ever
lived? Because "he is a man honored after death by public worship, because of exceptional service to
mankind". We can say that even before his execution, Rizal was the already acclaimed by both Filipinos
& foreigners as the foremost leader of his people". Writing from Barcelona to the Great Malayan on 10
Mar 1889, M. H. del Pilar said: "Rizal no tiene aun derecho a morir: su nombre constituye la mas pura e
immaculada bandera de aspirationes y Plaridel los suyos no son otra causa ma que immaculada unos
voluntarios que militan bajo esa bandera."(10) Fernando Acevedo, who called Rizal his distinguido
amigo, compañero y paisano", wrote the letter from Zaragoza, Spain, on 25 Oct 1889: "I see in you the
model Filipino; your application to study & you talents have placed on a height w/c I revere & admire."
(11) The Bicolano Dr. Tomas Arejola wrote Rizal in Madrid, 9 Feb 1891, saying: "Your moral influence
over us is indisputable." (12) And Guillermo Puatu of Bulacan wrote this tribute to Rizal, saying: "Vd. a
quien se le puede (llamar) con razon, cabeza tutelary de los Filipinos, aunque la comparacion parezca
algo ridicula, porque posee la virtud la atraer consigo enconadas voluntades, zanjar las discordias y
enemistades renorosasnreuniren fiestas a hombres que no querian verse ni en la calle… (12a)

Among the foreigners who recognized Rizal as the leading Filipino of his time were Blumentritt,
Napoleon M. Kheil, Dr. Rheinhold Rost, & Vicente Barrantes. Prof. Blumentritt told Dr. Maximo Viola in
May 1887 that "Rizal was the greatest product of the Philippines & that his coming to the world was like
the appearance of a rare comet, whose rare brilliance appears only every other century." (13) napoleon
Kheil of Prague, Austria, wrote to Rizal & said: "admiro en Vd. a un noble representante de la España
colonial." (13a) Dr. Rost, distinguished Malayologist & librarian of the India office of London, called Rizal
"una perla hombre" (14) , while don Vicente Barrantes had to admit that Rizal was ‘the first among the
Filipinos" (14)

Even before the outbreak of the revolution against Spain in 1896, many instances can be cited to prove
that his country here & abroad recognized Rizal’s leadership. In the early part of 1899 he was
unanimously elected by the Filipinos in Barcelona & Madrid as honorary pres. of la Solidaridad. (17)
Some months later in Paris, he organized & became chief of the Indios Bravos. In Jan 1891, Rizal was
again unanimously chosen Responsable (chief) of the Spanish-Filipino Association. (18) He was also the
founder & moving spirit in the founding ofla Liga Filipina on Manila in 3 Jul 1892.

History tells us tat the revolutionary society known as Katipunan likewise acknowledged Rizal’s
leadership & greatness by making him its honorary President & by using his family name Rizal as the
password for the 3rd-degree members. (19)

A year after Rizal’s execution, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo & the other revolutionary chiefs exiled to Hong
Kong held a commemorative program there on 29 Dec 1897 on the occasion of the 1stanniversary of the
hero’s execution & martyrdom. (20)

Of utmost significance in the public’s appreciation for Rizal’s patriotic labors in behalf of his people were
the tributes paid by the revolutionary government to his memory. In his opening address at the congress
assembled at Malolos, Bulacan on 15 Sep 1898, Pres. Aguinaldo invoked the spirits of the departed
heroes of the fatherland, thus:
Illustrious spirits of RIZAL, Lopez Jaena, of Marcelo del Pilar! August shades of Burgos, Pelaez &
Panganiban! Warlike geniuses of Aguinaldo! (Crispulo---O.), & Tirona, of Natividad & Evangelista! Arise a
moment from your unknown graves! (21)

Then on 20 Dec 1898 at the revolutionary capital of Malolos, Pres. Aguinaldo issued the 1stofficial
proclamation making 30 Dec of that year as "Rizal Day". The same proclamation ordered the hoisting the
Filipino flags at half-mast "from 12:00 noon on 30 Dec 1898" and the closing of "all offices of the
government" during the whole day of 30 Dec. actually, the impressive Rizal Day program, sponsored by
the Club Filipino, was held in Manila on 30 Dec 1898. (22a)

It should be further noted that both the La Independencia, edited by Gen. Antonio Luna, & the El
Heraldo de la Revolucion, official organ of the revolutionary government, issued a special supplement in
honor of Rizal in one of their December issues in 1898.

Two of the greatest of Filipino poets in the Spanish language paid glowing tributes to the martyr of
Bagumbayan in acknowledgement of the hero’s labors & sacrifices for his people. Fernando Ma.
Guerrero wrote on 25 Sep 1898, thus:

"No has muerto, no. La Gloria es tu destino; tu corona los fuegos de la aurora, y tu inviolable altar
nuestra conciencia." (23)

And Cecilio Apostol, on 30 Dec of the same year, wrote these lines:

"!Duerme en paz las sombras de la nada,

Redentor de una Patria esclavizada!

!No llores de la tumba en el misterio

Del español el triunfo momentaneo:

Que si Una bala destrozo tu craneo,

Tambien tu idea destrozo un emperio! (24)

The Filipinos were not alone in grieving the untimely death of their hero & idol, for the intellectual &
scientific circles of the world felt keenly the loss of Rizal, who was their esteemed colleague & friend. Dr.
Camilo Osias & Wenceslao E. Retaña both spoke of the universal homage accorded to Rizal immediately
after his death. Dr. Osias wrote thus:

Expressions of deep sympathy came from Blumentritt & many others such as Dr. Renward Braustetter of
Lucerne, a scholar on things Malay; Dr. Feodor Jagor, a German author of Philippine Travels; Dr.
Friedrich Ratzel, an emeinent German geographer & ethnographer; Señor Ricardo Palma, a distinguished
man of letters from Peru; Prof. M Buchner, director of the Ethnographic Museum of Munich & a noted
Malayologist; Monsieur Edmont Planchut, a French Orientalist, author of various works & writer on
Philippine subjects; Dr. W. Joest, eminent German geographer & professor at the University of Berlin;
Dr. H. Kern, professor of Sanskrit in the University of Leiden & celebrated authority on Malay affairs; Dr.
J. Montano, a distinguished French linguist & anthropologist & author of a Memoria on the Philippines;
Dr. F. Mueller, professor of the University of Vienna & a great philologist; a noted Dutch literary woman
who signed H. D. Teenk Willink, author of a touching & conscientious biography of Rizal; Herr Manfred
Wittich, writer of Leipzig; Dr. Betances, Cuban political leader; Dr. Boettger, a noted German naturalist &
author of works on the fauna of the Philippines; Dr. A. B. Meyer, director of the Museum of Ethnography
at Dresden & eminent Filipinologist; M. Odekerchen of Leige, director of l’Express, a newspaper where
Rizal wrote articles; Dr. Ed Seler, translator in German of Rizal’s My Last Farewell; Mr. H. W. Bray, a
distinguished English writer; Mr. John Foreman, author of works on the Philippines & Rizal; Herr C. m.
Heller, a German naturalist; Dr. H. Stolpe, a Swedish savant who spoke & published on the Philippines &
Rizal; Mr. Armand Lelinsky, Austrian engineer & writer; Dr. J. M. Podhovsky, a notable Czech write,
author of various works on the Philippines & Dr. Rizal. (25)

Among the scientific necrological services held especially to honor Rizal, the one sponsored by the
Anthropological Society of Berlin in 20 Nov 1897 at the initiative of Dr. Rudolph Virchow, its president,
was the most important & significant. Dr. Ed Seler recited the German translation of Rizal’s "My Last
Farewell" on that occasion. (26)

The newspapers, magazines, & other periodicals throughout the civilized world – in Germany, Austria,
France, Holland, London, the US, Japan, Hong Kong & Macao, Singapore, Switzerland, & in Latin
American countries—published accounts of Rizal’s martyrdom in order to render homage to his
greatness. (27)
Did the Americans, especially Gov. W. H. Taft, really choose Rizal out of several Filipino patriots as the
No. 1 hero of his people? Nothing could be farther from the truth. In the preceding pages, we have
shown beyond the shadow of a doubt that the Great Malayan, by his own efforts & sacrifices for his
oppressed countrymen, had projected himself as the foremost leader of the Philippines until the
moment of his immolation, & this fact was spontaneously acknowledged not only by his own people but
also the elite of other lands who intimately knew his patriotic labors. We have likewise shown that
immediately after his execution, his own people had justly acclaimed him as their foremost hero &
martyr. The intellectual & scientific world, as we have also demonstrated, was not slow in according him
signal honors as a hero of humanity & as an apostle of freedom.

Mr. Taft, as chairman of the 2nd Philippine Commission, arrived in the Philippines in June 1900. This
commission began its legislative functions on 1st September of the same year. On June 11 of the ensuing
year the Philippine commission approved Act no. 137, w/c organized the "politico-military district of
Morong" into the "Province of Rizal". This was the 1st official step taken by the Taft commission to
honor our greatest hero & martyr. It should be borne in mind that 6 days before the passage of Act no.
137, the Taft commission held a meeting at the town of Pasig for the purpose of organizing the province.
In that meeting attended by the leading citizens of both Manila & Morong, a plan was presented to
combine the 2 districts into one, but this proposal met w/ determined & vigorous objections from the
leaders of Morong.

"At this point", reads the ‘Minutes of Proceedings’ of the Taft commission, "Dr. Tavera, of the Federal
Party, who accompanied the commission, asked that he might make a suggestion w/ reference to the
proposed union of Manila & Morong provinces. It was his opinion that in case of union neither the name
of Morong nor Manila ought to be retained. He then stated the custom w/c prevailed in th US & other
countries of naming important localities/districts in memory of some illustrious citizen of the country. In
line w/ this he suggested that the united provinces be named ‘Rizal’ in memory & honor of the most
illustrious Filipino & the most illustrious Tagalog the islands had ever known. The president (Taft—O.)
stated that the commission, not less than the Filipinos, felt proud to do honor to the name of Rizal, & if,
after consideration, it decided to unite the 2 provinces, it would have the pleasure, if such action met
the desires of the people, in giving the new province the name of Rizal". (28)

It is obvious then that the idea of naming the district of Morong after Rizal came from Dr. Pardo de
Tavera, a Filipino, & not from Judge Taft, an American. It is interesting to know that 2 countrymen of Mr.
Taft—Justice George A. Malcolm & Dr. Frank C. Laubach—who both resided in the Philippines for many
years & who were very familiar w/ the history & lives of great Filipinos—do not subscribe to the view
that Jose Rizal is an American-made hero. Justice Malcolm has this to say:

In those early days (of the American occupation—O.), it was bruited about that the Americans had
‘made’ Rizal a hero to serve their purposes. That was indeed a sinister interpretation of voluntary
American action designed to pay tribute to a great man. (29)
Dr. Laubach’s view about the question is as follows:

The tradition that every American hears when he reaches the Philippine Islands is that W. H. Taft, feeling
that the Filipinos needed a hero, made one out of Rizal. We trust this book (Rizal: Man & Martyr—O.)
will serve to show how empty that statement is. it speaks well for Taft that he was sufficiently free from
racial prejudice to appreciate in some measure the stature of a great Filipino. It was a Spaniard who did
more than any other to save Rizal for posterity—Retaña whose work (Vida Escritos del Dr. Jose Rizal,
Madrid, 1907), is by far the most complete & scholarly than we have(in1936—O.). like Rizal, he lost all
his money in the cause of the Filipinos, & died a poor man. (30)

Granting for the sake of argument that the Taft commission chose Rizal out of several great Filipinos as
the No. 1 hero of his people, still we can say that what the commission did was merely to confirm a sort
of fait accompli, & that was that Jose Rizal had already been acclaimed by his countrymen & the
scientific world as the foremost hero & martyr of the land of his birth. Nay, we can go even farther &
concur w/ Prof. Blumentritt, who said in 1897:

Not only is Rizal THE MOST PROMINENT MAN OF HIS OWN PEOPLE but THE GREATEST MAN THE
MALAYAN RACE HAS PRODUCED. His memor ywill never perish in his fatherland, & future generations of
Spaniards will yet toutter his name w/ respect & reverence. (31) (capitalization supplied)

Perhaps the following quotation from the late William Cameron Forbes, an ardent admirer of Rizal & the
governor-general of the Philippines during the construction of the Rizal Mausoleum on the Luneta, is
appropriate at this point. He said:

It is eminently proper that Rizal should have become the acknowledged national hero of the Philippine
people. The American administration has lent every assistance to this recognition, setting aside the
anniversary of his death to be a day of his observance, placing his picture on the postage stamp most
commonly used in the Islands, & on the currency, cooperating w/ the Filipinos in making the site of his
school in Dapitan a national park, & encouraging the erection by public subscription of a monument in
his honor on the Luneta in Manila near the place where he met his death. One of the longest & most
important street in Manila has been named in his memory—Rizal Avenue. The Filipinos in many cities &
towns have erected monuments to his name, & throughout the Islands the public schools teach the
young Filipinos to revere his memory as the greatest of Filipino patriots. (32)

Now and then we come across some Filipinos who venture the opinion that Andres Bonifacio, & not Jose
Rizal, deserves to be acknowledged & canonized as our first national hero. They maintain that Rizal
never held a gun, a rifle, or a sword in fighting for the liberty & independence of our country in the
battlefield. They further assert that while the foremost national heroes of other countries are soldier-
generals, like George Washington of US, Napoleon I & Joan of Arc of France, simon Bolivar of Venezuela,
Jose de San Martin of Argentina, Bernardo O’Higgins of Chile, Jimmu Tenno of Japan, etc., our greatest
hero was a pacifist & a civilian whose weapon was his quill. However, our people in exercising their good
sense, independent judgment, & unusual discernment, have not followed the examples of other nations
in selecting & acknowledging a military leader for their greatest hero. Rafael Palma has very well stated
the case of Rizal versus Bonifacio in these words:

It should be a source of pride & satisfaction to the Filipinos to have among their national heroes one of
such excellent qualities & merits w/c may be equaled but not surpassed by any other man. Whereas
generally the heroes of occidental nations are warriors & generals who serve their cause w/ the sword,
distilling blood & tears, the hero of the Filipinos served his cause w/ the pen, demonstrating that the
pen is as mighty as the sword to redeem a people from their political slavery. It is true that in our case
the sword of Bonifacio was after all needed to shake off the yoke of a foreign power; but the revolution
prepared by Bonifacio was only the effect, the consequence of the spiritual redemption wrought by the
pen of Rizal. Hence not only in the chronological order but also in the point of importancethe previous
works of Rizal seems to us superior to that of Bonicacio, because although that of Bonifacio was of
immediate results, that of Rizal will have more durable & permanent effects.(33)

And let us note further what other great men said about the pen being mightier & more powerful than
the sword. Napoleon I himself, who was a great conqueror & ruler, said: "There are only two powers in
the world; the sword & the pen; and in the end the former is always conquered by the latter". (34) The
following statement of Sir Thomas Browne is more applicable to the role played by Rizal in our
libertarian struggle: "Scholars are men of peace; they bear no arms; but their tongues are sharper than
the sword; their pens carry further & give a louder report than thunder. I had rather stand in the shock
of a basilisk than in the fury of a merciless pen". (35) And finally, let us quote from Bulwer: "take away
the sword; states can be saved w/o it; bring the pen!

For those who may still doubt & question the fact that Rizal is greater, far greater than Bonifacio, or any
other Filipino hero, the following observation by Retaña will be sufficient:

Todos los paises tienen su idolo mas ninguno tiene un mayor idolo; que Filipinas. Antes desaparecera de
los Estados Unidos---!y ya decir!---la memoria de Washington, que de Filipinas la memoria de RIZAL. No
fue rizal, como medico, un Mariani, ni como dibujante un Gustavo Dore, ni como antropologo un
Virchow, ni como poeta un Goethe, ni como filipinista un Blumentritt, ni como historiador un Macaulay,
ni como pensador un Hervas, ni como malayologo un Kern, ni como filiosofo un Descartes, ni como
novelista un Zola, ni como literato un Menendez y Pelayon in como escultor un Querol, ni como
geografo un Reclus, ni como tirador un Pini…Distinguiose en muchas disciplinas; pero en ninguna de
ellas alcanzo ese grado supremo que asegura la inmortalidad. Fue patriota; fue martir del amor a su
pais. Pero en caso de Rizal hay otros Filipinos; y ?en que consiste que rizal esta a miles de cudos sobre
todos ellos? Sencillamente, en la finura exquisita de su espiritu, en la nobleza quijotesca de su corazon,
en su psicologia toda, romantica, soñadora, buena, adorable, psicologia que sintelizo todos los
sentimientos y aspiraciones de un pueblo que sufria viendose victima de un regimen oprobioso…El
espiritu de la Revolucion tagala se juzga por este solo hecho; Fue, como es sabido, el brazo armado de
aquel movimiento Andres Bonifacio; he ahi el hombre que dio el primer grito contra tirania el que
acaudillo las primeras huestes el que murio en la brecha…Y a ese hombre apenas se le recuerda; no se la
eregido ningun monumento; los vates populares no le han cantado…Mientras que a RIZAL, enemigo de
le Revolucion, que califico de salvaje y deshonrosa, le glorifica el pueblo deificarle…?No se ve en esto un
pueblo eminentamente espiritual, que tuvo en RIZAL un resumen viviente? Todo Filipino lleva dentro de
si algo del demagogo Bonifacio.

La inmortalidad de RIZAL esta asegurada de cien maneras. Pero como mas asegurada esta es poque los
millones de Filipinos de hoy, de mañana y de siempre beben y beberan espiritu de RIZAL; no se nutren
de otra cosa. (37)

In the preceding pages we have tried to show that Rizal was not only a great hero, but the greatest
among the Filipinos. As a matter of fact, the Austrian savant Prof. Blumentritt judged him as "the most
prominent man of his own people" and "the greatest man the Malayan race has produced". We have
also shown during his lifetime, Rizal was already acclaimed by both Filipinos & foreigners as the
foremost leader of his people & that this admiration for him has increased w/ the passing of time since
his dramatic death on the Luneta that fateful morning of 30 December 1896. Likewise, we attempted to
disprove the claim made by some quarters that Rizal is an American-made hero, & we also tried to
explain why Rizal is greater than any other Filipino hero, including Andres Bonifacio.

Who made Rizal the foremost hero of the Philippines? The answer is: no single person or groups of
persons were responsible for making the Greatest Malayan the No. 1 Hero of his people. Rizal himself,
his own people, & the foreigners all together contributed to make him the greatest hero & martyr of his
people. No amount of adulation & canonization by both Filipinos & foreigners could convert Rizal into a
great hero if he did not possess in himself what Palma calls "excellent qualities & merits" or what Retaña
calls "la finura exquisite de su espiritu,…la nobleza quijotesca de su corazon,… su psicologia toda,
romantica, soñadora, buena, adorable, psicologia que sintetizo todos los entimientos y aspiraciones de
un pueblo que sufria, viendose victima de su regimen oprobioso…."