10 Questions
Rizal participated in an angry protest against the ______
Dominicans
The Church is exempted from paying taxes for activities connected with the propagation of the ______
faith
Emilio Terrero, the Governor General, wanted to investigate the Dominicans to see if they were paying the "proper ______"
taxes
Rizal helped draft information regarding the agrarian situation in the Hacienda de ______
Calamba
The tenants in Calamba were dispossessed of their lands because of high ______ rates
interest
Rizal questioned the legitimacy of the Dominicans' landholdings in Calamba or at least parts of it because they illegally extended their landholdings to cover areas not in the legal documents such as the Dominican hacienda of Silang, which extended to Santa Rosa, leaving the farmers tilling the lands between the two haciendas ______ and turned them to tenants when they could not show a document of ownership.
landless
Despite being a beneficiary of the kindness of the Dominicans, Rizal's actions were beyond logic to some because he had been to Europe, especially Germany, where Karl Marx stirred the working masses to rise against their bourgeois masters. The Dominicans were clearly angry at Rizal who received letters accusing him of being an ingrate, a protestant convert, and an agent of ______.
Bismarck
In reply to Rizal's accusations, the Dominicans said that they controlled the town, and Hacienda of Calamba, as well as the neighboring towns of Biñan, San Pedro, and Santa Rosa. All of these lands were properly titled in the name of the ______.
Order
The Dominicans said that many lands were leased to settlers free of rent for some period and Rizal's family was one of those who benefited from this policy. As for the yearly increases in the rent, the Dominicans said that in many of the lands that were rent-free for many years, it was just right for them to recover their ______.
investments
Regarding the income derived from the haciendas, the Dominicans said that income from these lands supports churches and institutions like the University of Santo Tomas and the College of San Juan de Letran. They never received any subsidy from the Spanish government and they had to support these institutions as well as those ______.
abroad
Study Notes
Rizal's Protest Against the Dominicans
- In 1887, Rizal participated in a protest against the Dominicans, despite the favors they had given to him and his family.
- The protest was sparked by the Governor General's investigation into the Dominicans' tax payments, as they were exempt from paying taxes for religious activities, but not for economic activities.
Rizal's Accusations
- Rizal alleged that the Dominican administrators were taking advantage of the tenants in the Hacienda de Calamba, causing them to lose money.
- He claimed that the Dominicans controlled not only the farm areas but also the entire town of Calamba, including the houses of the people.
- He accused the Dominicans of raising the rent every year, dispossessing tenants of their lands due to high interest rates, and charging high penalties for late rent payments.
- He also claimed that the Dominicans confiscated the carabaos, tools, and homes of tenants who couldn't pay their rent.
The Dominicans' Response
- The Dominicans responded that the lands were properly titled in the name of the Order, and that they had leased lands to settlers, including Rizal's family, free of rent for some period.
- They justified the yearly increases in rent as a way to recover their investments, and claimed that the income from the haciendas supported churches and institutions, including the University of Santo Tomas and the College of San Juan de Letran.
- They blamed the farmers' loss of income on their own laziness and addiction to gambling, even citing an instance of gambling in the house of Rizal's sister, Lucia.
The Outcome
- In a reconciliatory move, the Dominicans allowed the tenants to have control over their lands, but the exact terms of the agreement are not specified.
Learn about Jose Rizal's actions against the Dominicans despite the favors his family received from them. Explore the reasons behind his participation in a protest against the religious order.
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