Jose Rizal's Life and Works

Rizal's Life in Calamba

• Rizal was a brave hero who was not afraid of anyone or death.
• He left Calamba for two reasons: his presence was jeopardizing his family's safety, and he could fight better for his country's cause by writing in foreign countries.

Poetry and Medicine

• Rizal wrote a poem, "Himno Al Trabajo" (Hymn to Labor), to commemorate Lipa's elevation to a villa.
• He established a medical clinic in Calamba and treated his mother's eyes, but couldn't perform surgery due to her cataracts.
• News of his medical practice spread, and patients from Manila and the provinces came to him, earning him P900 in a few months and P5,000 by February 1888.

Gymnasium and Sports

• Rizal opened a gymnasium for young people, introducing European sports like gymnastics, fencing, and shooting to discourage cockfights and gambling.

Failure and Parental Disapproval

• Rizal failed to see Leonor Rivera due to his parents' disapproval, as her mother didn't like him as a son-in-law.

Storm Over the Noli

• Rizal's enemies plotted against him, and a storm broke over his novel, Noli Me Tangere.
• Governor General Emilio Terrero requested Rizal to come to Malacañan Palace due to rumors of subversive ideas in the novel.
• Rizal denied the charge, explaining that he exposed the truth but didn't advocate subversive ideas.
• The governor general asked Rizal for a copy of the Noli, which he promised to secure.

Censorship and Controversy

• The Jesuit fathers refused to part with the copy of the Noli, and Governor General Terrero sent it to the Permanent Commission of Censorship.
• The commission, led by Fr. Salvador Font, found the novel to contain subversive ideas and recommended its prohibition.
• The banning of the Noli made it popular, and many Filipinos read it in secret.

Agrarian Trouble

• Governor General Terrero, influenced by Noli Me Tangere, ordered an investigation of friar estates to remedy iniquities in land taxes and tenant relations.
• Rizal helped gather facts and list grievances against the Calamba Hacienda management, leading to the submission of findings to the government for action.
• The findings included the hacienda's control over the lands around Calamba and the town itself, and the need for agrarian reforms.