Module 3

The Development of Rizal’s

Nationalism
This module discusses Rizal’s Chinese lineage and
the role of Chinese mestizo in the Philippine
society, the family, childhood, education, and
travels of Dr. Jose Rizal. It also provides a
comprehensive knowledge on Propaganda
Movement that led to his exile, trial and
execution.
 LEARNING OUTCOMES:

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. discuss Rizal’s family, childhood and early

education;
2. evaluate the people and events and their
influence on Rizal’s early life.;
3. explain the principle of assimilation advocated by
the Propaganda Movement;
4. analyze Rizal’s growth as a propagandist and
disavowal of assimilation;
5. analyze the factors that led to Rizal’s execution;
 LEARNING OUTCOMES:

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

6. critically discuss the issue of Rizal’s alleged

retraction etter;
7. analyze the effects of Rizal’s execution on
Spanish colonial rule and the Philippine
Revolution.; and
8. exhibit the value of justice, freedom, and
democracy.
CHILDHOOD,
EDUCATION,
AND TRAVEL
José Protasio Rizal Mercado Y Alonso
Realonda

Born: June 19, 1861, Calamba, Laguna

Parents: Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado

y Alejandro and Teodora Morales
Alonzo Realonda y Quintos

Class principalia
How did you learn the
alphabet?
Who was you first
teacher?
Rizal’s First Teacher
 Doña Teodora
was Jose’s
first non-
formal
teacher
 On her lap,
Jose learned
prayers and
the alphabet at
the age of
three
Father’s Mother’s influence
influence
- temperament of the poet
-modesty, - dreamer
integrity, and - bravery for sacrifice
honesty - learned the rudiments of
mathematics, grammar, and
-profound sense
poetry
of dignity and
- influenced in Rizal positive
self-respect values and a deep sense of
-seriousness and spirituality and religiosity
self-possession - inculcated value of education
and the value of time
Since early boyhood he had scribbled verses on
loose sheets of paper and on the textbooks of his
sisters.
At the age of eight, Rizal wrote his first poem in the
native language entitled Sa Aking Mga Kababata
(To My Fellow Children)
Based on the readings,
Memoirs of a Student in Manila
by P. Jacinto (a Pen Name of
José Rizal) each group will
create a timeline of Rizal’s
Childhood and Early
Education. Present group
output in class
Reflect on why Rizal highlighted
the story of the moth in the last
chapter of his Memorias. What
was the message intended by
Rizal through this story? Is the
moral of the story still applicable
for today’s generation? What
does the light symbolize?
The Story of the
Moth

• 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.
What is the relevance
of the ‘’Story of the
Moth’’ in Rizal’s life?
Do you think Jose
Rizal felt that the
moths' tale could
serve as an allegory
of his own destiny?
How did the story of
the moth and the
flame shaped Rizal’s
social and political
ideas?
Rizal associated himself with
the moth who was fond of the
light. He ultimately wanted to
reach and touch the light like
the moth. The light of which he
compared to wisdom. Although
his mother warned him of the
possibilities of him dying, he
was still attracted to the light.
He wanted to seek wisdom. He
wanted to be enlightened. And
so what happened? Like the
moth, he died..
“Don’t send him to Manila
again; he knows enough. If he
gets to know more, the
Spaniards will cut off his head”
 -peaceful crusade or campaign for
reforms.

 It was organized and participated by

the illustrados.
 Dr. Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar
and Graciano Lopez Jaena are the
leaders of the said movement.
 It began in 1872, when Fathers Mariano
Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora
were executed at the Luneta.
 The Filipino exiles of 1872 and many
patriotic students abroad met in Hong
Kong, Singapore, Barcelona, Madrid, Paris,
London and other foreign cities.
 Work of promoting the welfare and
happiness of the fatherland.

Aggressively but peacefully, by means

of writing and speeches, they crusaded
for reforms to rectify the evils of the
Spanish colonial system.
1) Equality of the Filipinos and
Spaniards before the laws.
2) Assimilation of the
Philippines as a regular
province of Spain.
3) Restoration of the Philippine
representation in the Spanish
Cortes.
4) Filipinization of the
Philippine parishes and
expulsion of the friars.
5) Human rights for Filipinos,
such as freedom of speech,
freedom of the press, and
freedom to meet and petition
for redress of grievances.
How?
Through
Writings
 They were scions of good
families, highly
intelligent, educated, patriotic, and
courageous, who symbolized the flower
of Filipino manhood.
Marcelo H. del Pilar
Jose Rizal
Graciano Lopez Jaena
Mariano Ponce
Other Propagandists…?
Juan Luna
and The masters of brush.
Felix Hidalgo

Pedro Paterno
A lawyer and man of letters

Antonio Luna Pharmacist and essayist

Teacher-tutor of Prince
Alfonso de Bourbon (later
Pedro Serrano Laktaw
King Alfonso XIII of
Spain)
 Linguist and essasyist
Jose Ma. Panganiban

Fernando Canon Engineer and musician

Jose Alejandrino An engineer and a political

writer

Isabelo delos Reyes Folklorist, newspaperman

and a scholar

Dominador Gomez Physician, orator

 Many Filipino patriots became
masons (del Pilar, Jaena, Rizal, Ponce)
because they needed the help of the
masons in Spain and in other foreign
countries for their fight for reforms.
 Rizal’s arrest to Dapitan marks the
end of the Propaganda movement.
 Radical members like Andres Bonifacio
separated from the movement, believing
that it was useless to expect reforms from
the Spaniards.
Los Compromisarios
- a group organized in purpose of
prolonging the movement
* Each member promised to
contribute financially to aid the Propaganda
movement in Spain.
(…Los Compromisarios)
-among the active members were:
• Apolinario Mabini
• Domingo Franco
• Numeriano Andriano
• Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista
• Timoteo Paez (..etc...)
 (…Los Compromisarios)
- For some months, the
Compromisarios sent funds to M.H. del
Pilar in Madrid for the continued printing
of La Solidaridad.
- Later, many members stopped
paying their contributions so that the flow
of funds to Spain ceased.
 (…Los Compromisarios)
- For some months, the
Compromisarios sent funds to M.H. del
Pilar in Madrid for the continued printing
of La Solidaridad.
- Later, many members stopped
paying their contributions so that the flow
of funds to Spain ceased.
 For lack of funds, La Solidaridad died
out after its last issue on November 15,
1895.

 With the demise of the La

Solidaridad, the Propaganda
Movement consequently ended.
 The Propaganda Movement failed,but
the ideas of freedom and justice which it
sowed paved the ground for the
Philippine Revolution that the
Katipunan and Andres Bonifacio began
in the hills of Balintawak in August 1896.
 Assessment
Read: First Issue of The La
Solidaridad and analyze
the aims stated therein:
Write your insight or
reaction in a piece of
paper.
 Life in Exile, Trial and Execution
July 17, 1892 – Rizal arrived in Dapitan

Rizal’s Description of Dapitan

 It was lonely and desolate but it has a good harbor, vast
fertile virgin lands, brooks, and abundant flora and fauna.
 The town was swampy with unplanned streets, no
potable water and lighting system, and no provisions for
medical services
 The people still practiced primitive agricultural methods,
the fishing industry was underdeveloped, and the trade
was controlled by a few Chinese inhabitants.
Rizal Comes Home

 In his letter “To The Filipinos” he wrote that the final

decision he made was very risky but he had to come
home partly because “I also want to show those who
deny our patriotism that we know how to die doing our
duty and for our convictions. What does death matter if
one dies for what one loves, for one’s country and loved
ones ... I shall die blessing her and wishing her the dawn
of her redemption.”
 Together with his sister Lucia, he arrived in the Philippines
on Sunday, June 26, 1892.
July 6, 1892 – Rizal was summoned to Malacañang
Palace because of a charge having brought with him
from Hong Kong leaflets entitled Pobres Frailes
(“Poor Friars”). This article is a satire by “P Jacinto”
against the rich Dominican friars who had violated
their vow of poverty.

 He was arrested and brought to the Royal Fortress

of Santiago for detention.

July 14, 1892 - Rizal was deported to Dapitan in

Mindanao on board steamship Cebu.
 What Rizal did?
 He practiced his profession as a doctor, farmer, teacher,
businessman, community redevelopment leader,
engineer, and a scientist.
☻ Captain Ricardo Carnicero, the politico military
governor, gave Rizal a free rein with his ingenuity to help
improve the community and allowed him all the liberties
except leaving the place.
◘ he purchased a parcel of land near the town plaza and 16
hectares of agricultural land in Talisay where he built a
house, a school and a clinic. His property totaled 70
hectares where, with the help of his pupils, he planted
coconuts, sugar cane, corn, coffee, cacao, and fruit trees of
different varieties.
As a DOCTOR
 woke up early in the morning and attend to his
patient; board his baroto to attend his patients in
town
 charged his wealthy patients fees proportionate to
their capacity to pay, he rendered free medical
services to the poor.
 provided his poor patients with medicine and drugs
which he himself concocted from his knowledge of
the curative value of local medicinal plants
 constructed small houses which he called casitas de
salud where his patients and their families stayed
during the treatment period.
● Mr. George Taufer of Hong Kong used his savings to come for
treatment; he was accompanied by his adopted daughter,
Josephine Bracken.
As a TEACHER
 Accommodated 16 boys in a house near his own to apply
some of his modern ideas
 Gave the boys vocational and academic training to integrate
their education toward home and community development
 He taught the boys to earn their living from their labor and
skill
 He charged no tuition fees, but the boys helped him in his
clinic and worked in his farm where they were taught better
methods of agriculture and stock raising.
 Formal classes were held daily from 2 to 4 o’clock in the
afternoon
● The lessons were supplemented with field trips
● Rizal believed in the dictum that a sound body makes a sound
mind
As a COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT LEADER
 he made a big relief map of Mindanao in the main plaza

As an ENGINEER
 Constructed street in the town
 Provided the town with a water system from the
mountain several kilometers away from the town proper
 Provided the town with a lighting system which
consisted of coconut oil lamps placed in dark streets
 He invented a wooden machine for making bricks
As a BUSINESSMAN

 Setting an example of self-help to curb Chinese control

of domestic trade, he and a business partner, Ramon
Carreon, ventured into the hemp and copra trade and
into the fishing business.
 Bought big net for trawl fishing
 He promoted the establishment of a Dapitan farmers’
cooperative association, managed by the people
themselves, to improve farm products, promote
cooperative marketing, and extend protection to its
members.
These work experiences in Dapitan enhanced Rizal’s
concept of practical nationalism. He was more than ever
fully convinced that self-improvement and community
improvement were an impetus to national governance,
respect and integrity.
 Rizal’s Reaction to the Katipunan

 On the eve of June 21, 1896, Dr. Pio Valenzuela visited Rizal
in Dapitan to inform him about the founding of the
Katipunan on July 7, 1892.

▪ His mission was to secure the approval of Rizal of the

resolutions passed by the general assembly which included
the objectives of the revolutionary association

 Rizal considered the resolutions just and patriotic but

warned that a premature revolution without sufficient arms
would be a veritable suicide. Nonetheless, he instructed
Valenzuela to get the support of the rich and the influential
sectors of Manila for stronger unity.
 ♦ Before the two parted ways, Rizal said to Valenzuela
: “To die and conquer is pleasant but to die and be conquered
is painful.”

 He also informed Valenzuela regarding his pending

application as volunteer surgeon in the Spanish army
fighting the Cuban revolution.

Reason?

► Once in Cuba he would study the war in a practical

way: mix with the Cuban soldiers he could find solutions to
the Philippines situation.
 End of Rizal’s Exile

July 30, 1896 - Rizal received a notice that he would be

pardoned; his request to go to Cuba was also approved.
September 3, 1896 – Rizal left for Barcelona on board the
“Islas de Panay”
 Rizal was not surprised when he learned through the
newspaper about the outbreak of the Philippine revolution.
 He had heard rumors on board the ship that he was being
blamed for the outbreak of the revolution in the
Philippines. The ship docked at Barcelona harbor on the
early afternoon of October 6, 1896 and after a few hours’
stay at cell no. 11 at Montjuich Castle, he was brought to
the SS “Colon” bound for Manila which was carrying
soldiers to fight the Filipino revolutionists.
Before his diary was confiscated, Rizal wrote an accurate
prognosis:
“I think God is doing me good by allowing me to return
to the Philippines in order to disprove so many charges against
me. Either they will give justice and acknowledge my
innocence, and then I shall have all my rights restored, or they
will condemn me to death and then I shall have expiated my
supposed crime in the eyes of society. She will forgive
me later, without any doubt, I shall be given justice, and
become one martyr more.”

November 3, 1896 – SS “Colon” reached Manila and Rizal was

brought directly to Fort Santiago under heavy guard.
 The Trial and Execution

December 29, 1896 – Rizal was formally notified of the

court’s verdict: DEATH
The verdict had been reached after an unprecedented one
day trial held the day after Christmas by a military court
Lieutenant Luis Taviel de Andrade – defense lawyer of
Rizal; brother of Rizal’s body guard in Kalamba in 1887 –
1888.
Rizal was condemned for “founding illegal associations and
of promoting and inducing rebellion, the first being the
necessary means to the second.”

Trinidad – given a little alcohol burner saying, in English, :

“There I something in it.”
While waiting for Josephine he wrote a final letter to his family:

“… I ask for you forgiveness, for the pain I cause you, but
someday I shall have to die, and it is better that I die now in the
plentitude of my conscience.
Dear parents and brothers: give thanks to God that I may
preserve my tranquility before my death. I die resigned, hoping
that with my death you will be left in peace. Ah! It is better to die
than to live suffering. Console yourselves.
I enjoin you to forgive one another the little vexations of life
and try to live in peace and harmony. Treat our old parents as you
would like to be treated by your children later. Love them very
much in my memory.
Bury me in the ground. Place a stone or a cross over it. My
name, the date of my birth and of my death. Nothing more. If later
you wish to fence in my grave, you can do so. But no
anniversary celebrations. I prefer Paang Bundok.”
Imitation of Christ – book given to Josephine

 At the execution square he was blessed and given the crucifix to

kiss. The army doctor, Dr. Felipe Ruiz Castillo, felt his pulse and
found it normal and steady.

 Just before the order to fire was given, Rizal requested that he
be shot in the front for he was not a traitor. But the explicit
orders were otherwise. His second request, that his head be
spared, was granted.

 The orders rang out and a volley of shots were fired. As the
bullets pierced him, Rizal tried to turn right about and fell. He
had proudly offered his life as a supreme sacrifice for his country
that the wisdom of his example would serve as an inspiration to
his fellowmen.
Group Activity:

Form a group and research Rizal’s life during

his exile in Dapitan. Then create a collage
that show Rizal’s life as an
exile. Present collage in an oral
report to the class.
Controversy on Rizal as a
hero
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DWgWPbtbZaFM&psig=AOvVaw1a5EWGVWr
H6Oaw-9E4Aawu&ust=1630504134490000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAsQjRxqFwoTCLDegoSV2_ICFQAAAAAdAAAAABAY
 Retraction Controversy
This has been the
greatest controversy
which is most talked
about and most
debated about Rizal.
An issue in Rizal’s life that historians have
debated on several occasions but remains a
hot topic even now. That is whether Rizal, on
the eve of his death in 1896, re-embraced
the Catholic faith and disassociated himself
from Masonry.
An issue in Rizal’s life that historians have
debated on several occasions but remains a
hot topic even now. That is whether Rizal, on
the eve of his death in 1896, re-embraced
the Catholic faith and disassociated himself
from Masonry.
Primary Source: Rizal’s Retraction
Translated from the document found by Fr. Manuel Garcia in May 18, 1935

I declare myself a catholic and in this religions in which I was born and
educated I wish to live and die.

I retract with all my heart whatever in my words, writings, publication and

conduct that has been contrary to my character as son of the Catholic
Church. I believe and I confess whatever she teaches and I submit to
whatever she demands. I abominate Masonry, as the enemy which is of the
Church, and as a Society prohibited by the Church. The Diocesan Prelate
may, as the Superior Ecclesiastical Authority, make public this spontaneous
manifestation of mine in order to repair the scandal which my acts may have
cause and so that God and people may pardon me

Manila 29 of December of 1896

Jose Rizal
The night before the death of Dr. Jose Rizal,
accounts exist that he allegedly retracted his
Masonic ideals and his writings and reconverted
to Catholicism following several hours of
persuasion by Jesuit priests.
The pro-retraction camp is represented by the
Jesuits, the archbishop of Manila, and a few other
members of the Catholic hierarchy. Their
opponents are the members of Masonry, an
organization that promotes brotherhood, integrity,
decency, and professionalism.
Fr. Vicente Balaguer’s Testimony
Doubt on the retraction document abound,
especially because only one eyewitness
account of the writing of the document exist
– that of the Jesuit friar Fr. Vicente
Balaguer. According to his testimony, Rizal
woke up several times, confessed four
times, attended a mass, received
communion, and prayed the rosary, all of
which seem out of character. But since it is
the only testimony of allegedly a “primary”
account that Rizal ever wrote a retraction
Fr. Vicente Balaguer was one of the Jesuit
priests who visited Rizal during his last hour
in Fort Santiago and claimed that he
managed to persuade Rizal to denounce
Masonry and return to the Catholic fold.

Of all the Jesuits whom Fr. Pio Pi (Jesuit

Superior in the Philippines during the time
Rizal was executed) commissioned to deal
with Rizal, it was Fr. Vicente Balaguer who
wrote extensively about what happened in
Rizal’s detention cell the day before he was
executed. His version of the story is narrated
In both documents, Fr. Balaguer used the
first person pronoun, which suggests that
he was personally present and involved in
the negotiation. He even claimed that he
“was the one who assisted Rizal most of
that sad day’s hours. I argued with him and
demolished his arguments” (Cavanna
1956, 115). He also persuaded everyone to
take his affidavit as a primary source
because he had personal knowledge of
Rizal’s retraction.
In his sworn affidavit he wrote:

“Of all that has been narrated, I am

positive by personal knowledge. I have
personally intervened and witnessed it
myself; and I subscribed and confirmed it
with an oath. And lest, perhaps, someone
may think that I could not remember it
with so many details, after twenty years. I
testify that on the very day of Rizal’s
death, I wrote a very detailed account of
everything. The original of this account I
Testimony of Cuerpo de Viligancia
Another eyewitness account surface in
2016, through the research of Professor
Rene R. Escalante. In his research,
documents of the Cuerpo de Vigilancia,
included a report on the last hour of Rizal,
written by Federico Moreno. The report
details the statement of the Cuerpo de
Vigilancia to Moreno.

Primary Source: Eyewitness account of

the Last Hours of Rizal
Most Illustrious Sir, the agent of the
Cuerpo de Viligancia
The Cuerpo de Vigilancia de Manila
(Security Corps of Manila) was the
intelligence service that the Spanish
colonial government created in 1895.
Agents of Cuerpo de Vigilancia consisted
of mestizos and native Filipinos under the
command of Inspector Jefe Federico
Moreno. It was organized primarily to
gather information on the activities of
Katipunan members and supporters.
Cuerpo agents were tasked to monitor the
activities of suspected Katipunan
There are at least eight Cuerpo
documents that may be considered of
great importance because they may be
used as primary sources in clarifying
certain controversies connected with
Rizal’s alleged “retraction” and other
interrelated issues. These documents
include a surveillance report written by
Federico Moreno, two documents
allegedly written by Rizal, and five
newspaper clippings from Diario de Manila
and La Voz Española (National Archives
The report of Moreno (National Archives of
the Philippines (NAP) Manuscript A-6, Doc.
1) presents another eyewitness account of
what transpired in Rizal’s prison cell before
he was executed. It contains several details
that could be used for and against the claim
that Rizal returned to the Catholic fold and
renounced Masonry. The account may be
considered more objective than earlier ones
because Moreno was neither a member of
the Catholic hierarchy nor a known Mason.
He was in Fort Santiago not to serve a
particular interest group but simply to
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dpj83eZR3BpM
&psig=AOvVaw3YTfyG1ggrc8cARKy2BzRZ&ust=1630550311925000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAwQjhxqF
woTCPjq8PXA3PICFQAAAAAdAAAAABAJ
Did Rizal really retract?

How do you think the history of the

Philippines would be written it were true
that Rizal retracted and that he was not
executed as a result?

What do you think is the possible effect of

Rizal’s retraction to his image as a national
hero?

What is the relevance of Rizal’s retraction?

References:
Analysis Rizal's Retraction (2004). Jose Rizal University.
http://www.joserizal.ph/rt03.html

Cruz, B. (2012). Controversy and Execution. November 5, 2012. Retrieved from URL:
https://www.slideshare.net/bencruz2005/rizal-contro-and-exec

Escalante, R. (2019). Did Jose Rizal Die a Catholic? Revisiting Rizal’s Last 24 Hours
Using Spy Reports. Vol. 8, No. 3. Department of History, De La Salle University, 1501
Taft Avenue, Malate, Manila, Metro Manila 1100, Philippines. December 26, 2019.
DOI: 10.20495/seas.8.3_369.
https://englishkyoto-seas.org/2019/12/vol-8-no-3-rene-escalante/
End!
 References:

Josefino Tulabing Larena Jr.,KCR ,CPS,MPA

https://www.slideshare.net/PennVillanuev
a/rizals-cultural-roots?from_action=save.
March 23, 2020

Melanie Joy Amoy

https://www.slideshare.net/yeoja05/rizals-
chinese-ancestry. February 20, 2019
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal
http://www.scribd.com/doc/8424021/Dr-Jose-Rizal-at-the-University-of-Santo-
Tomas
http://www.scribd.com/doc/21694647/Life-and-Works-of-Rizal
http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~fasawwu/resources/rizal/biography.htm
http://asianhistory.about.com/od/profilesofasianleaders/p/joserizalbio.htm
http://www.joserizal.ph/ed02.html
http://joserizal.info/Biography/man_and_martyr/chapter04.htm
https://www.slideshare.net/eiluds/rizalseducation-15229096
REFERENCES:

Romero, Sta. Romana, Santos (1978). Rizal and the Development of

National Consciousness, Quezon City, Philippines:
JMC Press.

The Travels of Rizal

By Filipinas Heritage Library
https://www.filipinaslibrary.org.ph/articles/the-travels-of-rizal/

Rizal’s Chinese Ancestry. Retrieved from URL:

https://www.slideshare.net/yeoja05/rizals-chinese-
ancestry?from_action=save
Antonio Delgado, BSEd IV
Early Education in Calamba and Binan
https://www.slideshare.net/kazekage15/rizal-chapter-3-early-
education-in-calamba-and-bian
Thank you