Looking Back

Why Rizals house turned green

By Ambeth Ocampo Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 01:19:00 06/03/2009 Filed Under: history, Heroism, People, Places, Monuments & Heritage Sites

There is a brewing controversy in Calamba these days, and fortunately it has nothing to do with sex videos or corruption in government. Residents of this sleepy but traffic-prone Laguna town woke up one morning to see the Rizal Shrine painted a light shade of green. Generations used to the old, dirty gray color, or older folks who imagine all bahay na bato to be white reacted negatively. Within days a text brigade began, and some of the irate texts were forwarded to me. Cultural Center of the Philippines president Emily Abrera and photographer Dulzzi Gutierrez sent me one text from potter Tessy Pettyjohn which began, Some idiot has painted Rizals house green! I owned up to the deed and texted, Hi Tessy, this is Ambeth, the idiot who painted Rizals house green. Pettyjohn may not have been convinced by my reasons but at least she listened. Then a descendant of Rizal was brought into the fray. Barbara Gonzales, who is descended from Rizals sister Maria, was appalled by the color but was objective enough to print in her column the reason for the color change. In many columns and lectures, I have always pointed out that Filipinos go through life seeing things but rarely noticing them. Rizal is a fine example: He is everywhereon the one-peso coin, Rizal monuments gaze at all public schools, municipios, and capitolios all over the archipelagobut have we read his works? Do we know him at all? Rizals house in Calamba is not just the place of his birth and early life, it should open our eyes to the agrarian roots of social unrest in the country. While our lawmakers debate the pros and cons of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, while farmers march to Congress to push for the implementation of CARP, we should remember that one of the seeds of Rizals heroism was that his family was evicted not just from Calamba but from Laguna. Contrary to popular belief, the Rizals did not own land; they were tenants of the Dominican hacienda. They refused to pay increased rent, went to court and lost. In our imagination, we see Guardia Civil driving them away like the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) does to squatters. Contrary to popular belief, the Rizal house was not burned and razed to the ground. They took what they could and used the materials to build a new home and life in Manila. The eviction of the Rizal family made Rizal speak out as forcefully and directly in El filibusterismo. Rizals house in Calamba is not just a tourist spot, it is a place that should inform, educate and inspire. It should open our eyes to new ways of seeing. Most negative reactions are understandable. It should be painted the way Rizal saw it, the way history unfolded it. For most people, Rizals house should be white and to paint it another color would be like, dressing a 90-year-old woman in a tube and miniskirt. Only the Rizalistas were open enough to change and took the new green color to mean that Rizal was an environmentalist. Lets go into some history. Contrary to popular belief, the present Rizal Shrine is not the original home of the National Hero. It is not covered by the same rigid conservation principles applied to a 19th century house. The present Rizal Shrine is but half a century old, having been reconstructed by Juan Nakpil in the 1950s and funded by donations from schoolchildren. Nakpil based the reconstruction on a faded photograph of the house, and what was left of the original foundation found on the empty lot. The interiors are divided based on floor plans of existing colonial-period houses. The interior is bare because some descendants of Rizal refuse to loan pieces of furniture to the Calamba Shrine and insist that these should stay in Fort Santiago. Contrary to popular belief not all bahay-na-bato were white. Based on archival research, Martin Tinio, formerly of the Intramuros Administration, suggests that houses had color in Spanish times, but were limited to available paint colors: blue, yellow, red and green. However, during the cholera epidemics in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, most bahay-na-bato were whitewashed with kalburo or lime in the belief that this was a disinfectant that would repel the plague. Hence, old houses in living memory are white. Finally, the reason for painting Rizals house green highlights and informs visitors of the meaning of his surname. Following the 1849 Claveria decree giving surnames to Filipinos for tax and census purposes, the Rizals who were also known by their other surname Mercado (market) chose Risal from the Catalogo alfabetico de apellidos. The word comes from the Spanish ricial which describes a green field ready for harvest. It was hoped that after asking, Why is Rizals house green? the visitor will get a relevant answer: the green hues are meant to honor the memory of the Rizal family and their way of life.

My only regret is that despite our repeated instructions to find a green the color of palay or ripe rice stalk, the NHI historical preservation division didnt take the initiative to have paint mixed specially for the Rizal Shrine and depended on the offensive, commercially available green paint. Nevertheless, it is hoped that the educational purpose of the new coat of paint far outweighs personal preferences.

Rizals
by Mona Lisa H. Quizon

Thoughts

on

Education

The writings and various events on the life of Jose Rizal are filled of ideas concerning education. He recognized the importance of education in the development of a nation and its people. Crisostomo Ibarra, the principal character of his novel Noli Me Tangere possesses a desire to establish a suitable school. Ibarra mentioned in the novel what he considered a modern school. According to him the building should be spacious and hygienic, the site should be large and provided with playground and garden. Rizal himself dreamed of founding a school in accordance with the demands of modern times and circumstances. According to Austin Craig, Rizal ambitioned to make education accessible to all, the teaching instinct that led him to act as mentor to the Filipino students in Spain and made him the inspiration of a mutual improvement club of his young countrymen in London, suggested the foundation of a school in Paris. Later a Pampangan youth offered him $40,000 with which to found a Filipino college in Hong Kong, where many young men from the Philippines had obtained an education better than their own land could afford but not entirely adapted to their needs. The scheme attracted Rizal and a prospectus for such an institution which was later found among his papers not only proves how deeply he was interested, but reveals the fact that his idea of education were essentially like those carried out in the present public school course of instruction in the Philippines. Rizal also showed his support to the group of women in Malolos when their petition of establishing a school was denied by Gen. Weyler. He wrote a letter to the ladies in support to their courageous action. Rizal preaches the need of education and said that ignorance is slavery. Rizal always reminded his sisters the value and importance of education thus when Josefa and Trinidad visited Rizal in Hong Kong he encourage the two to learn the English language. Perhaps Rizals appreciation of education was influenced by his mother, Doa Teodora Alonzo. His mother was considered his first teacher. At the age of three he learned the alphabet and also taught him to appreciate Spanish poetry. He even recognized the importance of industrial education as well. Rizal included this concept in the five purposes of the La Liga Filipina which he founded, the development of instruction, agriculture and commerce. When Jose Rizal was deported in Dapitan on 1893, he devoted his time in teaching young children. Rizal applied the learning he acquired in the different school that he visited during his travels. It was in Dapitan particularly Talisay where Rizal used his talents and limited resources to serve his countrymen during the four years of his exile. He practiced his profession as a doctor, farmer, teacher, community developer, engineer and scientist. Rizal opened a school for young boys in the community. They were given subjects in reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, geometry, languages, history and good conduct. Rizal even gave practical lessons on the use of their hands, for he believed that education should be inculcated or integrated with the development of the community. He also taught his students different kinds of sport activities such as boxing, swinging on parallel bars and rings, swimming and arnis on account of his belief that a sound body makes a sound mind. Rizals method of teaching is different compared from other schools of his time. He saw to it that learning should be adaptable to the needs or actual life of the people. Rizal is not just a conventional type of teacher; his visions were not just for himself but for the benefits of his countrymen. The effort of our present Department of Education and other learning institutions in curriculum development is in harmony with the ideas and visions of Rizal. The government is also giving its full support and prioritizes the education of Filipinos. But we should also remember that the time and needs of the learners during Rizals time is different to the learners of today. There might be ideas or methods which are no longer needed in the present. But still we owe him for pioneering a technique in teaching. Our educators should also follow and be motivated by the exemplar deeds of Rizal. If he were living today, he would definitely continue his undertakings in molding the minds of our youth. Just as what he had told Ang mga kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan.

1. What is the complete legal name of Dr. Jose Rizal?

Your Answer: [No Answer] The correct answer was Dr.

Jose Protacio Alonso Realonda Mercado Rizal

Jose and Protacio are his baptismal names,Alonso Realonda Mercado Rizal is his family's quadruple surname.
86% of players have answered correctly.

2. What was the date of birth of Dr. Jose Rizal?

Your Answer: [No Answer] The correct answer was June

19, 1861

It was on a moonlit night, between eleven and twelve, that Rizal was born.
72% of players have answered correctly.

3. What is the Spanish name for a Filipino native, which the Filipinos resented?
Your Answer: [No Answer] The correct answer was Indio

Spanish mestizos hatefully call Filipinos 'Indios Chonggo!'

83% of players have answered correctly.

4. Name Rizal's host at Wilhelmsfeld.

Your Answer: [No Answer] The correct answer was Karl

Ulmer

Karl Ulmer helped Dr. Rizal brush up his German language upon knowing that Rizal was having difficulty communicating himself.
34% of players have answered correctly.

5. At 16, Rizal experienced his first romance. He fell in love with which girl?
Your Answer: [No Answer] The correct answer was Segunda

Katigbak

It was on a Sunday when Rizal, together with his friend Mariano Katigbak visited his maternal grandmother in Trozo, Manila that he came upon the most attractive girl---Segunda Katigbak. Segunda was the sister of his friend, Mariano.
54% of players have answered correctly.

6. Who is the older brother of Dr. Jose Rizal?

Your Answer: [No Answer] The correct answer was Paciano

Mercado

Not only was Paciano an older brother of Jose Rizal but he was also more like a father of Rizal.
50% of players have answered correctly.

7. "Noli me tangere" is a Latin phrase. What does it mean?

Your Answer: [No Answer] The correct answer was Touch

me not

88% of players have answered correctly.

8. He was an Austrian and he became the best friend of Dr. Jose Rizal. Who was he?
Your Answer: [No Answer] The correct answer was Dr.

Ferdinand Blumentritt

75% of players have answered correctly.

9. Governor General Terrero assigned a bodyguard to Rizal. And between them, a wonderful friendship blossomed. Who was this bodyguard?
Your Answer: [No Answer] The correct answer was Lt.

Jose Taviel de Andrada

61% of players have answered correctly.

10. What is the real name of O-Sei-San?

Your Answer: [No Answer] The correct answer was Seiko

Usui

Seiko Usui is a Japanese girl whom Rizal fell in love with. Jose Rizal affectionately call her O-Sei-San.
56% of players have answered correctly.

Jose Rizal Short Quiz (15 items)

Correct

1.

Complete birth date of Jose Rizal A. June 16 1861 B. June 17 1861 C. June 19 1861(your answer)

Jose Rizal Short Quiz (15 items)

Correct

2.

The priest who baptized Rizal A. Fr. Rufino Collantes(your answer) B. Fr. Rufino Guererro C. Fr. Rufino Sanchez

Jose Rizal Short Quiz (15 items)

Wrong

3.
Philippine president who made December 30 as Day of National Mourning in Rizal honor A. Osmena(your answer) B. Aguinaldo(correct answer) C. Quezon
Jose Rizal Short Quiz (15 items)

Wrong

4.
Spanish mestizos hatredly called Filipinos with this A. Indios Perros(correct answer) B. Indios Champurados C. Indios Chonggos(your answer)
Jose Rizal Short Quiz (15 items)

Correct

6.

Considered as Rizal's first teacher A. Trinidad Alonso Mercado B. Francisco Mercado C. Teodora Alonso Mercado(your answer)
Jose Rizal Short Quiz (15 items)

Correct

7.
The Rizal family had this many siblings A. 9 B. 10

C. 11(your answer)
Jose Rizal Short Quiz (15 items)

Correct

9.
In 1868, Don Kiko brought Rizal to this pilgrimage A. Turumba B. Penafrancia(your answer) C. Kalibo
Jose Rizal Short Quiz (15 items)

Correct

12.

Don kiko banned this name in their home A. Gomez B. Burgos(your answer) C. Zamora

Jose Rizal Short Quiz (15 items)

Correct

13.

Rizal's uncle who inspired him to develop his artistic ability A. Tio Jose Alberto(your answer) B. Tio Manuel

C. Tio gregorio
Jose Rizal Short Quiz (15 items)

Correct

14.
Rizal started his formal schooling in A. Calamba B. San Pablo C. Binan(your answer)
PROCLAMATION NO. 154 DECLARING MONDAY, JUNE 20, 2011, AS SPECIAL (NON-WORKING) DAY THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY WHEREAS, Sunday, June 19, 2011, marks the 150 birth anniversary of Dr. Jose P. Rizal, our national hero; WHEREAS, to give all Filipinos the opportunity to commemorate Rizals patriotic deeds and sacrifices for the country, rekindle their admiration and respect for him, and to celebrate this milestone with appropriate ceremonies, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) requested that Monday, June 20, 2011, be declared as special non-working holiday instead of June 19, 2011, which falls on a Sunday. NOW, THEREFORE, I, BENIGNO S. AQUINO III, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby declare Monday, June 20, 2011, as special (non-working) day throughout the country. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the Republic of the Philippines to be affixed. Done in the City of Manila, this 26 day of April, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Eleven. Read more: http://ikuwaderno.com/june-20-2011-special-non-working-holiday-proclamation-no154.html#ixzz1PUrEx8Kb

MALACAAN PALACE
Manila BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES PROCLAMATION NO. 154 DECLARING MONDAY, JUNE 20, 2011, AS SPECIAL (NON-WORKING) DAY THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY WHEREAS, Sunday, June 19, 2011, marks the 150th birth anniversary of Dr. Jose P. Rizal, our national hero; WHEREAS, to give all Filipinos the opportunity to commemorate Rizals patriotic deeds and sacrifices for the country, rekindle their admiration and respect for him, and to celebrate this milestone with appropriate ceremonies, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) requested that Monday, June 20, 2011, be declared as special non-working holiday instead of June 19, 2011, which falls on a Sunday. NOW, THEREFORE, I, BENIGNO S. AQUINO III, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby declare Monday, June 20, 2011, as special (non-working) day throughout the country.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the Republic of the Philippines to be affixed. Done in the City of Manila, this 26th day of April, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Eleven. (Sgd.) BENIGNO S. AQUINO III By the President:

(Sgd.) PAQUITO
Executive Secretary

N. OCHOA JR.