RIZAL COURSE
Rizal as their national hero
CHAPTER 1 – Introduction to the Study of
Rizal’s Life, Works and Writings
Rizal Law and the Teaching of Rizal Course
Republic Act 1425
→ Rizal Law
→ Mandates the teaching of the life, works, and
writings of Rizal in all schools in the country
→ Senator Jose P. Laurel – sponsored the said law
o He believed that by reading and studying
Rizal’s life, teachings, and writings, the
Filipino youth will be able to gain
incorruptible confidence, direction,
courage and determination to move
forward in our people’s journey towards an
abundant life
→ Objectives:
o Rededicate the lives of youth
o Pay tribute to our national hero
o Gain an inspiring source of patritrism
→ Goals set by the then Board on National Education
(Capino et al, 1997):
o Recognize the relevance of Rizal’s ideals,
thoughts, teachings, and life values to
present conditions in the community
o Apply Rizal’s ideas in the solution of day-
to-day situations and problems in
contemporary life
o Develop an understanding and
appreciation of the qualities, behavior and
character of Rizal
o Foster development of moral character,
personal discipline, citizenship, and
vocational efficiency among the Filipino
youth
Rizal, A True Filipino Hero
→ In many countries in the world, the leader is almost
always chosen
o Lenin of Russia, Mao Tse-Tung of China,
Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam, Washington of
the United States
→ Jose Rizal was not a man of war but a man of
peace
→ Rizal was not an American sponsored hero
→ Rizal was acceptable as a national hero to the
Americans because he was the symbol of
assimilation, which was their policy then in the
Philippines.
→ Other factors:
o Rizal was already deat at the time
Americans began their aggression in the
Philippines
o No embarrassing anti-American quotations
could ever be attributed to Rizal
o Rizal’s dramatic martyrdom had already
made him the symbol of Spanish
oppression
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→ In reality, it is the Filipinos themselves who chose
o Katipuneros considered him the honorary
leader of Katipunan
o His guidance was sought after by its
emissaries
o Rizal’s name was one of the passwords of
the secret society which swore to fight for
the country’s freedom
→ Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo issued a decree on
December 20, 1898 ordering that December 30,
the anniversary of Rizal’s execution in
Bagumbayan, be commemorated as “a day of
mourning for Rizal and other victims of the
Philippine Revolution”
o Act No. 345
→ Rizal Province was named in his honor by virtue of
Act No. 137 of the Philippine Commission
→ In making Rizal as our national hero, a number of
conclusions can be drawn:
o Filipinos love peace
o Filipinos are lovers of freedom and justice
o Filipinos prize virtue more than victory,
and sacrifice above success
Rizal, Pioneer Asian Nationalist Leader
→ Rizal was born in the decade when other
nationalist leaders of Asia were born: Mohandas
Gandhi; Rabindaranath Tagore; Sun Yat-Sen
→ Fisher (1962) called Rizal the Pioneer Exponent of
Liberal Democrazy in Asia
→ Rizal’s courage ideas on liberal democracy:
o Worth and dignity of the individual
o Inviolability of human rights
o Innate equality of all men and races
o Necessity of constitutional government
o Due process of law
o Popular sovereignty as the basis of all
political authority
o Faith in human reason and enlightenment
o Rights of the masses to public education
o Belief in social progress through freedom
→ Rizal called to be the First Asian Nationalist
Leader
Major Periods in Life of Rizal
First Period (1861-1872)
→ Young Rizal learned how to read, write and
listened to stories that triggered imaginative and
critical thinking on his part
→ Industriousness instead of idleness, creativeness
instead of unproductive-ness, rationality instead of
blind acceptance, dignity instead of servility
Second Period (1872-1882)
→ First turning point of Rizal’s life
→ He was 11 yrs old when he was enrolled at Ateneo
Municipal
→ Period when Fathers Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora
were unjustly executed by the Spanish government
→ The martyrdom of the three priests led Rizal to be
awakened to the abuses of the regime and at the
same time led him to devote himself in the future to
avenge the victims of injustices and cruelties by
the Spanish colonizers
→ Other significant developments:
o Strengthening of his religious foundation
o Cultivation of the drive toward excellence
o Conception of the Philippines as his
fatherland
o Envisioning the Philippines receiving light
thru education
o Perception of the intimate alliance
between religion and education
Third Period (1882-1892)
→ Second major turning point
→ Rizal decided to leave the Philippines to escape
persecution
→ He went to Europe
→ Rizal took part in the Propaganda Movement
Fourth Period (1892-1896)
→ Last turning point before his martyrdom on
December 30, 1896
→ Rizal was exiled in Dapitan
o He demonstrated what an individual can
do and accomplish within a short period of
time
Chapter 2 – The 19th Century World of Jose
Rizal
Growth and Development of Nationalism
Nationalism
→ A sense of loyalty or psychological attachment that
members of a nation share, based on common
language, history, culture, and desire for
independence
→ Growth of Nationalism can be attributed to two
major revolutions of the earlier century:
o American Revolution of 1776 – gave birth
to the United States of America
o French Revolution of 1789
→ Nationalism has evolved from a real or imagined
cultural unity, manifesting itself in a common
language, history, and territory
→ Nationalists have usually sought to turn this
cultural unity into political reality so that the
territory of each people coincides with its state
boundaries
→ Negative side:
o Ideas of national superiority and national
mission can lead to aggressive crusades
and counter-crusades
o Nationalism can also stress differences
among people
Rise and Gradual Spread of Liberalism and
Democracy
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→ Consequence of the growth and development of
nationalism
→ Liberalism demanded representative government
as opposed to autocratic monarchy, equality
before the law as opposed to legally separate
classes.
o The idea of liberty also meant specific
individual freedoms: freedom of press;
freedom of speech; freedom of assembly;
and freedom from arbitrary arrest.
→ Democracy was gradually established thru the
following means:
o Promulgation of laws that advance
democracy
o Undertaking reforms thru legislation
o Abolition of slavery
o Adoption of a liberal constitution
o Providing the citizens the opportunity to
propose laws
o Adoption of manhood suffrage
o Granting of political, economic and social
rights to the people
Industrial Revolution
→ Transformation of manufacturing brought about by
the invention and use of machines
→ Positive effects:
o Rise of factory system
o Mass production
o Improvement of people’s standard of living
o Greater urbanization
o Beginnings of specialization
o Invention of labor-saving devices
o Capitalism
o Fostering of liberalism and nationalism
o Encouragement of people’s mobility
→ Negative effects:
o Widening gap between the rich and the
poor
o Economic warfare
o Pollution
o Child and women labor
o Rivalry between and among industrialized
countries
→ Proposals given by concerned sectors of world
society to solve the evils created by the industrial
system:
o For the liberals – laissez-faire policy
o Socialists – control vital industries and
resources
o Communists – all factors of production be
owned and controlled by the government
o Catholic Church – calls for humane
treatment of workers
Advancement of Science
th
→ 19 Century was the time for the expansion of
scientific knowledge
o search for knowledge and truth could be
explained by a rational and empirical
approach
 th
→ result of the Age of Enlightenment during the 18 → Foreign trade brought forth wealth to more people
century → Rising class composed of merchants, mostly
→ Scientific Method – knowledge needs to be proven mestizos, who gained advantage from trade with
by a systematic and rational approach foreigners
→ Three significant consequences: → The result of greater participation in trade created
1. everyday experience and innumerable a new middle class in the colony.
scientists impressed the importance of science → Middle class family were able to send their children
on the mind of ordinary citizens to acquire higher education which gave them
2. philosophical implications of science spread to perspectives on Spain’s treatment of the
broad sections of the population Philippines.
3. methods od science acquired unrivaled o Illustrados or the “enlightened ones”
prestige o This class brought forth reformists, which
→ effects of scientific revolution spilled to the included Rizal.
challenging of traditional beliefs in religion and
politics The Philippines During Rizal’s Time

The Resurgence of Western Imperialism → As a result of the Spanish conquest of the

Philippines, the Filipinos lost their ancestral lands
→ western expansion had far reaching consequences on account of Spain’s institution of the encomienda
→ for the first time in human history, the world system.
became in many ways a single unit → They were forced to accept Spanish culture and
→ European expansion diffused the ideas and religion
techniques of a highly developed civilization
Administrative Organization
Optimism and Confidence in Progress → The Philippines was governed directly by the
Spanish Crown, thru the Ministries of Colonies in
→ Can be gleaned from the achievements of men in th
the 19 Century.
th
the 19 century → Governor General – head of the Spanish colonial
o Extension of human rights to many people government in the country
o Promotion of higher education for men and o Represented the crown in all governmental
women matters
o Education for nationalism in schools o Vice Royal Patron over religious affairs
o Investment in science to serve mankind § Could nominate priests fro
o Improvement of public health thru the ecclesiastical administration of the
establishment of numerous hospitals parishes
o Emergence of realistic literature, depicting o Commander in chief of the colonial army
the life of the time. o Chief executive of the colonial government,
he was an exofficio president of the Royal
Audencia
Chapter 3 – Spain and the Philippines in the o Had legislative powers
19th Century o Actos acordados – laws enacted by the
governor general
th
Spain in the 19 Century o Cumplase – power to decide which law or
royal decree should be implemented or
Political Instability in Spain disregarded in the colony
→ Carlist Wars → Local government units:
o Struggle for the throne between the forces o Alcaldias – provinces
loyal to Isabella and his brother Charles § Headed by the alcalde mayor or
after the death of their father Ferdinand VII provincial governor
→ Under Isabella II, Spain lost a bid to re-conquer § Provincial government was the
Peru and Chile and under continued most corrupt unit in local
mismanagement by her favorites, the empire was government then, owing to the
a shadow of its former glory privilege to engage in and
→ Canovite System/Rotativism – liberals and monopolize trade called indulto de
conservatives in Spain took turn in administering commercio
the affairs of the country o Pueblos – towns
§ Headed by the gobernadorcillo or
Abandonment of Mercantilism town mayor
→ Shift towards laissez faire or free market trade • Principal responsibility is
→ Countries and their colonies began trading with tax collection
one another o Barangays – barrios
→ There was a demand for Philippines products such § Headed by the cabeza de
as sigar, coffee, rice, indigo, and tobacco. barangay

 
 

 
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 • Maintain peace and order
o Ayuntamiento – city government
§ Governed by a cabildo or city
council
§ Composed of city mayor (alcalde
en ordinario), councilors
(regidores), chief constable
(aguacil mayor) and a secretary
(escribano)
→ Key figure in the local administrative set up was
the Spanish friar
o Frailocracia (Lopez Jaena)
→ Spain tightened her control over the country thru
the friars for fear of losing the Philippines
→ Guardia Civil – corps of native police under the
leadership of Spanish officers for the purpose of
dealing with outlaws and renegades
o Filubusteros – enemies of the government
o Erehes – enemies of the Catholic Church
→ Audenica Real – Supreme Court during those
times
→ Cortes – lawmaking body
→ Las Leyes de Indias – basic law
→ Residencia – trial of an outgoing governor-general
to account for his acts during his tenure of office
→ Visitador – investigating officer to probe on the
complaints against the governor-general
The Social Structure of Filipino Society
→ Philippine Society then was feudalistic as a
consequence of the encomienda system imposed
by the colonizers
→ Polo y servicio – forced labor
→ Social structure implemented by Spain was
pyramidial due to the colonizers’ adherence to the
doctrine of limpieza de sangre or purity of blood
→ Centered on the teaching of fear of God and
obedience to the friars
→ It was also in this century when public education
for the natives begun
→ Educational Decree of 1863 – required the
establishment of one elementary school for boys
and one elementary school for girls in each town in
the Philippines
→ Friars resisted the teaching of Spanish language to
the Filipinos
→ Weaknesses
o Over emphasis on religion
o Limited and irrelevant curriculum
o Obsolete classroom facilities
o Inadequate instructional materials
o Absence of academic freedom
o Racial prejudice against the Filipinos in
school
Economic Situation
→ The country was opened to foreign trade in 1834,
which resulted to the rapid rise of foreign firms in
Manila.
→ Consequences:
o Opportunities for trade increased Filipino
contacts with foreigners and peninsular
Spaniards
o Number of families prospered from foreign
trade and commerce and were able to
send their sons for an education in Europe
further destroying the isolation of the
country from the rest of the world
o Awareness of a completely different type
of society prevalent in Europe made these
Europe-educated Filipinos disenchanted
with Spain

Peninsulares  
(spanish  born  in  
Spain)  &  Insulares  
(spanish  born  in  the  
Philippines)  

Spanish  and  Chinese  

mestisoz  &  Principalia  

Indios  or  Natives  

→ A system of racial discrimination came to be

institutionalized because of the doctrine

Educational System
th
→ Up to the middle of the 19 century schools were
under the control of the friars
→ Primary education was not given attention despite
the establishment of parochial schools in many
towns

   
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