Rizal's Life, Trial, Exile and Death PDF

Chapter 5 Rizal’s Life: Trial, Exile and Death Introduction T his chapter addresses the events that occurred during Rizal's last days. After being summoned at Malacaang, Rizal was banished to Dapitan. During his four years in exile in Dapitan, he demonstrated practical nationalism and urged...

Chapter 5 Rizal’s Life: Trial, Exile and Death Introduction T his chapter addresses the events that occurred during Rizal's last days. After being summoned at Malacaang, Rizal was banished to Dapitan. During his four years in exile in Dapitan, he demonstrated practical nationalism and urged the locals to do the same. Rizal attempted to keep his hands busy in order to alleviate the boredom of life in exile. Rizal spent four years in the tiny village of Dapitan running various errands. He practiced as a physician, continued his scientific studies, continued his artistic and literary works, expanded his knowledge of languages, established a school for boys, actively pushed for community development projects, invented a wooden machine for making bricks, and became involved in farming and commerce. Governor Blanco made the following observations in a letter to Manuel Azcarraga of the Ministers of War and Overseas Territories in Madrid: “His conduct during the four years he stayed in Dapitan as a deportee proved that he was an exemplary character worthy of pardon. He was not involved in the conspiracy or in any of the secret societies that have been formed.” Rizal's exile ends on July 31, 1896. He stepped aboard the ship Espana. Many people sobbed as the boat sailed away, with strange music playing in the background, Chopin's somber Funeral March. Rizal must have felt it strongly as its mournful tune hung in the air, for it resembled a requiem to him, given his impending death. Lesson 1: Exile in Dapitan Second Homecoming and The Liga Filipina Rizal’s bold return to Manila in June 1892 was his second homecoming. Rizal firmly believed that the fight for Filipino liberties had assumed a new phase: it must be fought in the Philippines not in Spain. “The battlefield is in the Philippines,” he told countrymen in Europe, “There is where we should meet. There we will help one another, there together we will suffer or triumph perhaps.” On June 26, 1892, Sunday at 12:00 noon, Rizal and his widowed sister Lucia (wife of late Mariano Herbosa) arrived in Manila In the afternoon, at 4:00 o’clock, he went to Malacañang Palace to seek audience with the Spanish governor general, General Eulogio Despujol, Conde de Caspe. June 27, 1892- at 6:00pm, Rizal boarded a train in Tutuban Station and visited his friends in Malolos (Bulacan), San Fernando (Pampanga), Tarlac (Tarlac), and Bacolor (Pampanga). Rizal returned by train to Manila on the next day, June 28, at 5 o’clock in the afternoon. Foundling Of the Liga Filipina On July 3, 1892, evening of Sunday, following his morning interview with Governor General Despujol, Rizal attended a meeting with patriots at the home of the Chinese-Filipino mestizo, Doroteo Ongjunco, on Ylaya Street, Tondo, Manila. Rizal explained the objectives of the Liga Filipina, a civic league of Filipinos, which he desired to establish and its role in the socio-economic life of the people. The officers of the new league were elected, as follows:  Ambrosio Salvador (President);  Deodato Arellano (Secretary);  Bonifacio Arevalo (Treasurer); and  Agustin de la Rosa (Fiscal). “Unus Instar Omnium (One Like All) is the motto of the Liga Filipina” The governing body of the league was the Supreme Council which had jurisdiction over the whole country. It was composed of a president, a secretary, a treasurer, and a fiscal. There was a Provincial Council in every province and a Popular Council in every town. The duties of the Liga members are as follows: (1) obey the orders of the Supreme Council (2) to help in recruiting new members (3) to keep in strictest secrecy the decisions of the Liga authorities (4) to have symbolic name which he cannot change until he becomes president of his council (5) to report to the fiscal anything that he may hear which affect the Liga (6) to behave well as befits a good Filipino (7) to help fellow members in all ways. Exile in Dapitan Rizal arrived in Dapitan on board the steamer Cebu on July 17, 1892. Dapitan (Now a city in Zamboanga del Norte) was a remote town in Mindanao which serves as a politico-military outpost of the Spaniards in the Philippines. It was headed by Captain Ricardo Carnicero, who became a friend of Rizal during his exile. He gave Rizal the permission to explore the place and require him to report once a week in his office. The quite place of Dapitan became Rizal’s home from 1892-1896. Here he practiced medicine, pursued scientific studies and continued his artistic pursuits in sculpture, painting, sketching and writing poetry. He established a school for boys and promoted community development projects. He also found time to study the Malayan Language and other Philippine Languages. h manage himself in farming and commerce and even invented a wooden machine for making bricks. On September 21, 1892, Rizal won the second prize in lottery together with Ricardo Carnicero and another Spaniard. his share amounted 6, 200 pesos. A portion of Rizal’s winnings was used in purchasing land approximately one kilometer way from Dapitan in a place known as Talisay. He built his house on the seashore of Talisay as well as a school and hospital within the area. In his letter to Bluementritt (December 19, 1893) Rizal described his daily activities in Dapitan: “I am going to tell you how we live here. I have a square house, another hexagonal, and another octagonal - all made of bamboo, wood and nipa. In the square one my mother, my sister Trinidad, a nephew, and I live. In the octagonal my boys live - some boys whom I teach arithmetic, Spanish, and English - and now and then a patient who has been operated on. In the hexagonal are my chickens. From my house I hear the murmur of a crystalline rivulet that comes from the high rocks. I see the beach, the sea where I have two small crafts - two canoes or  barotos, as they call them here. I have many fruit trees - mangoes, lanzone, guayabanos, baluno, nanka, etc. I have rabbits, dogs, cats, etc. I get up early - at 5:00. I visit my fields, I feed the chickens, I wake up my folks, and start them moving. At 7:30 we take breakfast - tea pastry, cheese, sweets, etc. Afterwards I treat my poor patients who come to my land. I dress and go to the town in my baroto, I treat the people there and I return at 12:00 and take lunch. Afterwards I teach the boys until 4:00 and I spend the afternoon farming. I spend the evening reading and studying.” Relative to Rizal’s project to improve and beautify Dapitan, he made a big relief map of Mindanao in the plaza and used it to teach geography. With this map, which still exists today, he discussed to the town people the position of Dapitan in relation to other places of Mindanao. Assisted by his pupils, Rizal also constructed a water system to supply the town with water for drinking and irrigation. he also helped the people in putting up lampposts at every corner of the town. Having heard of Rizal’s fame as an ophthalmologist, George Taufer who was suffering from an eye ailment traveled from Hong Kong to Dapitan. He was accompanied by his adopted daughter, Josephine Bracken, who eventually fall in love with Rizal. They lived as husband and wife in Rizal’s octagon house after being denied the sacrament of marriage by Father Obach, the parish priest of Dapitan, due to Rizal’s refusal to retract his statements against the Church and to accept other conditions. On the eve of June 21, 1896, Dr. Pio Valenzuela visited Rizal in Dapitan and informed him about the founding of Katipunan and the planned revolution. Rizal objected to it, citing the importance of a well-planned movement with sufficient arms. Meanwhile, Rizal had been sending letters to Governor General Ramon Blanco. Twice he sent letters, one in 1894 and another in 1895. He asked or a review of his case. he said that if his request would not be granted, he would volunteer to serve as a surgeon under the Spanish army fighting in the Cuban revolution. On July 30, 1896, Rizal’s request to go to Cuba was approved. The next day he left for Manila on board the steamer Espana. And on September 3, 1896, he boarded the steamer Isla de Panay which would bring him to Barcelona. Upon arriving at the fort, however Governor- General Despujol told him that there was an order to hip him back to Manila. on November 3, 1896, Rizal arrived in Manila and was immediately brought to Fort Santiago. Lesson 2: Trial of Jose Rizal Andres Binifacio and his dauntless Katipuneros, on August 26, 1896, raised the cry of rebellion in the hills of Balintawak (popularly known as “Cry of Balintawak”), a few miles in north of Manila. In August 30, they assaulted San Juan, near the city of Manila, but they were repelled with massive losses. In the aftermath of the Battle of San Juan, Governor General Blanco declared a state of war in the eight provinces for their insurgency against Spain-Manila (as a provice), Bulacan, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Pampanga, Nueva Vizcaya, and Tarlac. Jose feared that the turbulent insurrection would only beget much suffering and horrifying decimation of human lives and property. He was also frighten of the likelihood of Spanish reprisal against all Filipino patriots. Amidst the chaos created by the uprising, Jose received from Governor General Blanco two letters which exculpated him from the raging insurrection. In his last trip abroad, Jose  troubled by the violent attempt of the Katipuneros to end the rule of the Spanish government, left for Spain on September 3, 1896. He, however, was transferred to another steamer which he thought would take him from Spain to Cuba to carry out his humanitarian offer which is to serve as military physician. Unexpectedly, he was apprehended and unlawfully detained as a prisoner in a Spanish steamer before reaching Barcelona. He was informed that he would be shipped back to Manila on board the transport ship Colon. Upon arriving in Manila, on November 3, 1896, the heavily guarded Jose was transferred from the Colon to Fort Santiago. A Severe five-day preliminary investigation began on November 20, 1896. Jose appeared before the Judge Advocate, Colonel Francisco Olive who detailed the charges against him. Two types of evidence, documentary and testimonial, were presented against Jose Rizal. Palma (1949) in his translated work, Pride of Malay Race, made available the documentary evidence which consisted of fifteen exhibits, as follows: 1. A letter of Antonio Luna to Mariano Ponce, dated Madrid, October 16, 1888, showing Rizal's connection with the Filipino reform campaign in Spain. 2. A letter of Rizal to his family, dated Madrid, August 20, 1890, stating that the deportations are good for they will encourage the people to hate tyranny. 3. A letter from Marcelo H. Del Pilar to Deodato Arellano, dated Madrid, January 7, I 889, implicating Rizal in the Propaganda campaign in Spain. 4. A poem entitled Kundiman, allegedly written by Rizal in Manila on September 1891. This poem is as follows: KUNDIMAN In the Orient beautiful Where the sun is born In a land of beauty Full of enchantments But bound in chains. Where the despot reigns, The land clearest to me. Ah! That is my country, She is slave oppressed Groaning in the tyrant's grips; Lucky shall he be Who can give her liberty! 5. A letter of Carlos Oliver to an unidentified person, dated Barcelona, September 18, 1891, describe Rizal as the man to free the Philippines from Spanish oppression. 6. A Masonic document, dated Manila, February, 9, 1892, honoring Rizal for his patriotic services. 7. A letter signed Dimasalang (Rizal's pseudonym) to Ter:.luz (Juan Zulueta's pseudonym), dated Hong Kong, May 24, 1892, stating that he was preparing a safe refuge for Filipinos who may be persecuted by the Spanish authorities. 8. A letter to Dimasalang to an unidentified committee, dated Hong Kong, June 1, 1892, soliciting the aid of the committee in the, "patriotic work." 9. An anonymous and undated letter to the Editor of the Hong Kong Telegraph, censuring the banishment of Rizal to Dapitan.  10. A letter of Ildefonso Laurel to Rizal, dated Manila, September 3, 1892, saying that the Filipino people look up to him (Rizal) as their savior. 11. A letter of Ildefonso Laurel to Rizal, dated Manila 17, 1893, informing an unidentified correspondent of the arrest and banishment of Doroteo Cortes and Ambrasio Salvador. 12. A letter of Marcelo Del Pilar to Don Juan A Tenluz (Juan Zulueta), dated Madrid, June l, 1893 recommending to establishment of a special organization, independent of Masonry, to help the cause of the Filipino people. 13. Transcript of a speech of Pingkian (Emilio Jacinto), in a reunion of the Katipunan on July 23, 1893, in which the following cry was uttered "Long Live the Philippines! Long Live Liberty! Long Live Doctor Rizal! Unity!" 14. Transcript of a speech of Tik-Tik (Jose Turiano Santiago) in the same Katipunan reunion, where in the katipuneros shouted: "Long live the eminent Doctor Rizal! Death to the oppressor nation!'' 15. A poem by Laong Laan (Rizal), entitled A Talisay, in which the author makes the Dapitan schoolboys sing that they know how to fight for their rights. The oral testimonies of the following persons: Martin Constantino. Aguedo de! Rosario, Jose Reyes, Moises Salvador, Jose Dizon, Domingo Franco, Deodato Arellano. Ambrosio Salvador, Pedro Serrano Laktaw, Dr. Pio Valenzuela, Antonio Salazar, Francisco Quison, and Timoteo Paez were forwarded as testimonial evidence against Jose. On November 26, 1896, Judge Advocate, Colonel Francisco Olive forwarded the records of the case to Governor General Ramon Blanco, who designated Captain Rafael Dominguez as special Judge Advocate to initiate proceeding against Jose. Captain Dominguez submitted a summary of the action to Governor General Ramon Blanco who thereupon, send it to the Judge Advocate General, Don Nicolas De la Pena. After studying the papers, Pena submitted the following recommendations: (1) the accused be immediately brought to trial; (2) he should be kept in prison; (3) an order of attachment be issued against his property to the amount of one million pesos as indemnity; and (4) he should be defended in the court by an army officer, not by a civilian lawyer (Zaide and Zaide, 2014). With his counsel by his side, charges were read to Jose in his prison cell on December 1 L 1896. He was accused, Medina (1998) disclosed, of being "the principal organizer and the living soul of the Filipino insurrection, the founder of societies, periodicals and books dedicated to fomenting and propagating ideas of rebellion." Jose was not against the jurisdiction of the court, but asserted that he was not guilty of revolution. He acknowledged that he authored the Constitution of the Liga Filipina and empliasized that it was simply a civic alliance. He reiterated that he had no political involvement si11 his exile to Dapitan. Or: December 13, 1896, Captain Dominguez transmitted Jose's case to the new Governor General of the Philippines, General Camilo G. de Polavieja who replaced General Ramon Blanco. During the time Jose was in prison cell at Fort Santiago, he penned a manifesto seriously asking the Filipino people to cease the needless anct tumultuous war. He encouraged them to attain freedom through education and habit of working hard and steadily. Palma (1964) promulgated this manifesto as follows: My Countrymen: On my return from Spain, I learned that my name had been used as a war cry among some who were in arms. The news painfully surprised me, but believing it was all over, r kept silent over what r considered irremediable. Now I hear rumors that the disturbances continue, and lest any person should still go on using my name in bad or good faith, to remedy this abuse and to undeceive the unwary, I hasten to address you these lines so that the truth may be known. From the beginning, when I had news of what was being planned, I opposed it, fought it, and demonstrated its absolute impossibility. This is the truth, and witnesses to my word are still living. I was convinced that the idea was highly absurd and, what was worse, would bring great suffering. I did more. When later, in spite of my counsels, the movement broke out, I spontai1eo11sly offered not only my services, but my life, and even my name so that they might use them in the manner they saw fit to suppress the rebellion, for, convinced of the evils that would befall them, I considered myself fortunate if, at any sacrifice, I could prevent such useless misfortunes. This is equally of record. My countrymen: I have given proofs, more than. Anybody else, of desiring liberties for our country and I still desire them. But I place as a premise the education of the people so that by means of education and of labor they might have a personality of their own and make themselves worthy of liberties. In my writings I have recommended redemption. I have also written (and my words have been updated) that reforms, to be fruitful, have to come from above, that those that come from below are irregular and unstable. Imbued with these ideals, I cannot but condemn and I do condemn this absurd, savage uprising Planned behind my back, which dishonors us, the Fiiipinos, and discredits those who may advocate our cause. I abhor its criminal methods and disclaim all participation therein, pitying from the bottom of my heart the unwary who have allowed themselves to be deceived. Return then to your homes, and may God forgive those who have acted in bad faith. The trial of Rizal was an eloquent proof of Spanish injustice and misrule. More than a farce, it was patently a mistrial. Rizal, a civilian, was tried by a military court composed of alien military officers. His case was prejudged; he was considered guilty before the actual trial. The military court met not to give him justice, but to accuse and condemn him. lt accepted all charges and testimonies against him, and ignored all arguments and proofs in his favor. Moreover, Rizal was not given the night (which any accused is entitled to have in a real court of justice) to face the witnesses against him in open court. The trial of Jose commenced in the Cuartel de Espana, a military building, on December 26, 1896, at eight o'clock in the morning. Present in the trial were seven members of the military court: Lt. Col. Jose Togores Arjona (President), Capt. Ricardo Munoz Arias, Capt. Manuel Reguerra, Capt. Santiago Izquierdo Osorio, Capt. Braulio Rodriguez Nunez, Capt. Manuel Diaz Escribano, and Capt. Fermin Perez Rodriguez. Also in the military court were Lt. Don LuisTaviel de Andrade (Jose's defense counsel) Capt. Rafael Dominguez (Judge Advocate) Lt. Enrique de Alconcer (Prosecuting Attorney) and observers which included Josephine Bracken, a sister of Jose, newspapermen, and other Spaniards. Judge Advocate Capt. Rafael Dominguez began the trial and explained the case leveled against Jose. Jose was charged of three crimes: rebellion, sedition, and illegal association. Lt. Enrique de Alconcer, prosecuting lawyer, advanced a gingerly harangue, detailing accusations against Jose. He mercilessly made an effort topersuade the members of the military court to punish the accused with death sentence. Lt. Don Luis Taviel de Andrade, defense counsel of Jose tried hard to come up with a convincing defense. He brought an end to his defense by  reminding the judges to be fair and avoid vindictiveness in their judgment. After Lt. Don Luis Taviel de Andrade's defense, the court queried Jose if there is anything he wanted to say. Jose confidently read a supplement to his defense. De Viana, Augusto V. et al (2011) put forward Jose's supplementary defense as follows: 1. He could not be guilty of rebellion, for he advised Dr. Pio Valenzuela in Dapitan not to rise in revolution. 2. He did not correspond with the radical, revolutionary elements. 3. The revolutionists used his name without his knowledge. If he were guilty, he could have escaped in Singapore. 4. If he had a hand in the revolution, he could have escaped in a Moro vinta and would not have built a home, a hospital, and bought lands in Dapitan. If he were the chief of the revolution. Why has not he consulted by the revolutionists? 1. It was true he wrote the by-laws of the Liga Filipina, on this a civic association- not a evolutionary society. 2. The Liga Filipina did not live long, for after the first meeting he was banished to Dapitan and it died out. 3. If the Liga was reorganized nine months later, he did not know about it. 4. The Liga did not serve the purpose of the revolutionists, othenvise they would not have supplanted it with the Katipunan. 5. If it were true that there were some bitter comments in Rizal's letters, it was because they were written in 1890 when his family was being persecuted, being dispossessed of houses, warehouses, lands, etc. and his brother and all his brother-in-law were deported. 6. His life in Dapitan had been exemplary as the politico-military commanders and missionary priests could arrest. It was not true that the revolution was inspired by his one speech at the house of Dorotea Ongjunco, as alleged by witnesses whom he would like to confront. His friends knew his opposition to armed rebellion. Why did the Katipunan send an emissary to Dapitan who was unknown to him? Because those who knew him were aware that he would never sanction any violent movement. The biased military court was apathetic to Jose's appeal. After a brief deliberation, the members of the military court agreed to convict Jose and sentenced him to death. On December 26, 1896, the unjust military court decision was given to Governor General Camilo G. de Polavieja who asked the judgment of judge advocate General Nicolas de la Pena who confirmed the death verdict. On December 28, 1896, Governor General Camilo G. de Polavieja signed the court- martial's decision to execute Jose Rizal. Medina (1998) presented this decree as follows: Manila, December 28, 1896 Conformably to the foregoing opm10n. I approve the sentence dictated by the Court Martial in the present case, by virtue of which the death penalty is imposed on the accused Jose Rizal Mercado, which shall be executed by shooting him at 7:00 o'clock in the morning of the 30th of this month in the field of Bagumbayan. For compliance and the rest may correspond, let this be returned to the Judge Advocate, Captain Don Rafael Dominguez, and Camilo G. de  Polavieja. Lesson 3: Death of Jose Rizal After learning the unjust decision of the court martial, Jose spent the next twenty fours of his remaining life seeing and speaking to his friends, family and Josephine Bracken whom he tied the knot with canonically on December 30, 1896 officiated by Fr. Balaguer. After the reading of the death penalty, Jose opted to spent quiet moments in the prison chapel. He turned into writing when he was left alone in his cell. He penned a letter to his brother Paciano, another one to his best friend Dr. Ferdinand Blumentritt, and another letter addressed to his father and mother. It was also assumed that he signed a docunent abjuring Masonry (which some scholars doubted). It is commonly believed that on December 29, 1896, Jose composed his last poem, Mi Ultimo Adios (My Last Farewell). He was able to thrust it inside an alcoh0I cooking stove which he gave to his sister Trinidad to whom, he divulged 'There is something in it.' Jose's last poem, composed without a title and unsigned was translated in English by Charles E. Derbyshire, which runs below: My Last Farewell Farewell, dear Fatherland, clime of the sun caress' d Pearl of the Orient seas, our Eden lost! Gladly now I go to give thee this faded life's best, And were it brighter, fresher or more blest Still would I give it thee, nor count the cost. On the field of battle, mid the frenzy of light, Others have given their lives, without doubt or heed; The place matters not - cypress or laurel or lily white, Scaffold or open plain, combat or martyrdom's plight, 'Tis ever the same to serve our home and country's need. I die just when I see the down break, Through the gloom of riight, to herald the day; And if color is lacking my blood thou shalt take, Pour'd out at need for thy dear sake, To dye with its crimson the walking ray. My dreams, when life first opened to me. My dreams, when the hopes of youth beat high, Were to see thy lov'd face, O gem of the orient sea From gloom and grief, from care and sorrow free; No blush on thy brow, no tear in thine eye. Dream of my life, my living and burning desire, All hail! cries the soul that is now to take flight; All hail! And sweet it is for thee to expire, To die for thy sake, that thou mayst aspire, And sleep in thy bosom eternity's long night. If over my grave someday thou seest grow, In the grassy sod, a humble flower, Draw it to thy lips and kiss my soul so, While I may feel on my brow in the cold tomb below The touch of thy tenderness, thy breath's warm power. Let the moon beam over me soft and serene, Let the dawn shed over me its radiant flashes Let the wind with the sad lament over me keen; And if on my cross a bird should be seen,  Let it trill its hymn of peace of my ashes. Let the sun draw the vapors up to the sky, And heavenward in purity bear my tardy protest; Let some kind soul o'er my untimely fate sigh, And in the still evening a prayer be lifted on high, From thee O my country, that in God I may rest. Pray for all those that hapless have died. For all who have suffered the unmeasur'd pain; For our mothers that bitterly their woes have cried, For widow and orphans, for captives by torture tried; And then for thyself that redemption thou mayst gain. And when the dark night wraps the graveyard around, With only the dead in their vigil to see; Break not my repose or the mystery profound, And perchance thou mayst bear a sad hymn resound, 'Tis I, O my country, raising a song unto thee. When even my grave is remembered no more, Unmark' d by never a cross or a stone; Let the plow sweep through it, the spade‚’ tum it o'er That my ashes may carpet thy earthly floor, Before into nothingness at last they are blown. Then, will oblivion bring to me no care; As over thy vales and plains I sweep: Throbbing and cleansed in thy space and air, With color and light, with song and lament I fare, Ever repeating and faith that I keep. My Fatherland ador'd that my sadness to my sorrow lends, Beloved Filipinas, hear now my last good-bye! I give thee all; parents and kindred and friends; For I go where no slave before the oppressor bends, Where faith can never kill, and God reigns e'er on high! Farewell to you all, from my soul torn away, Friends of my childhood in the home dispossessed! Give thanks that I rest from the wearisome day! Farewell to thee; too, sweet friend that lightened my way; Beloved creatures all, farewell! In death there is rest! On December 30, 1896, approximately at six thirty in the morning. Jose's walk towards his death commenced signaled by a trumpet sound at Fort Santiago. The death march was delineated by Zaide and Zaide (2014) as follows: The advance guard of four soldiers with bayoneted rifles moved. A few meters behind, Rizal walked calmly, with his defense counsel (Lt Luis Taviel de Andrade) on one side and two Jesuit priests (Fathers March and Vilaclara) on the other. More wellarmed soldiers marched behind him. Rizal was dressed elegantly in a black suit, black derby hat, black shoes, white shirt and a black tie. His arms were tied behind from elbow to elbow, but the rope was quite loose to give his arms freedom of movement.  To the muffled sounds of the drums, the cavalcade somnolently marched slowly. There was a handful of spectators lining the street from Fort Santiago to the Plaza de! Palacio in front of the Manila Cathedral. Everybody seemed to be out at Bagumbayan where a vast crowd gathered to see how a martyr dies. As Jose calmly made his way to Bagumbayan, he remarked about the beauty and serenity of the morning, uttered a few observations about Corregidor, the mountains or Cavite and the Ateneo College. Upon reaching the place of execution, Jose noticed the very large number of prying persons and soldiers waiting for them. After final blessings were bestowed on him he said his adieu to Fr. March, Fr. Villaclara and Lt. Taviel de Andrade. Jose's request that he be shot facing the firing squad was denied because there was an order to shoot him in the back. The normal pulse of Jose, felt by Dr. Felipe Ruiz Castillo, a Spanish military doctor, proved that he did not fear death. Above the beating of the drums that filled the air was the cold- blooded command "Fuego" (Fire) which ended Jose's life. He fell to the ground three minutes past seven o'clock in the morning and was declared dead. Expectedly, the passing away of Jose Rizal's was greeted with joy by his enemies. On the contrary, those who love, respected and supported him were brokenhearted and painfully inflamed. For them, he died a hero and martyr to Philippine fre Chapter 6 Rizal’s Annotation on Antonio Morga’s Succesos de las Islas Filipinas Introduction This module provides relevant historic information and foundational knowledge about the events that happened inside and outside the Philippines in the pre-colonial period. This also emphasizes politics, economic possessions, culture, and traditions of Filipino before. To put it simply, this will help you understand the situation of the country in the pre-colonial times and describe the occurrences and systems the country practice before the colonizers arrived. Moreover, this lesson also gives deeper realization to one of the profound annotations to Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas - a work done by Dr. Jose P. Rizal. Antonio Morga discussed the state of the Philippines in the advent of Spaniards. His book focused primarily on the following categories: geography, society, faith, and economy during the pre-colonial era. For geography, location, climate, and plant species are among the things that are discussed in the book and these particular categories are mentioned. Lesson 1: Sucesos De Las Islas Filipinas Dr. Antonio de Morga Dr. Antonio de Morga (1559-1636) was an energetic, gifted and versatile bureaucrat who served under three kings in the audiencias of the Philippines, Mexico, and Quito. Pious and sensual, petty and gifted with vision, his career represents some of the strengths and weaknesses of that incipient professional bureaucracy that bore the main responsibility for governing the empire. His career ended in disgrace in 1636 during a turbulent visita general. Dr. Morga as President of the royal audiencia of Quito was convicted of a whole series of infractions ranging from his weaknesses for the ladies to illegal mercantile interests to smuggling Chinese silks disguised as his personal library. Whatever may have been his personal shortcomings, Dr. Morga was a vigorous and able administrator. Image Source: https://filipinohistory.tripod.com/sucesos-de-las-islas-filipinas.html Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas Considered the most valuable text on Philippine history written by a Spaniard, Antonio de Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (“Events of the Philippine Islands”) is lauded for its truthful, straightforward, and fair account of the early colonial period from the perspective of a Spanish colonist. A lawyer, lie utenant of the Governor-General of the Philippines (second only to the Governor- General), and judge of the Audiencia (highest tribunal justice) in Manila, Morga the historian achieved a comprehensive and balanced report and was even critical of his fellow colonists at times, the missionaries in particular. The present book is one of only 25 copies of the 1609 original printed in Mexico. Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas is composed of eight chapters: the first is on Magellan’s and Legazpi’s seminal expeditions, the second to seventh is a chronological report on the government administration under several Governor-Generals, and the final eighth provides a general “account of the Philippines Islands, the natives there, their antiquity, customs, and government, both in the time of their paganism and after their conquest by the Spaniards; and other particulars.” The book is based on Morga’s personal experience and documentary research in the many years that he lived in the Philippines. For instance, Morga interviewed survivors of Legazpi’s expedition in Manila. In his words, Morga’s main purpose for writing the book is to commemorate the “achievements of our fellow Spaniards in these days, in their discovery, conquest and conversion of the Philippine Islands and the varied adventures they have had at the same time in the great heathen kingdoms surrounding these islands.” Lesson 2: Rizal’s Annotation to Antonio Morga’s Sucesos De Las Islas Filipinas If the book (Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas) succeeds to awaken your conciousness of our past, already effaced from your memory, and to rectify what has been falsified and slandered, then I have not worked in vain, and with this as a basis, however small it may be, we shall be able to study the future. -- Dr. Jose Rizal Europe, 1889 When Rizal published his annotation of Antonio de Morga's Sucesos in 1890, he had already travelled in parts of Spain, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, China, Hong Kong, Japan, the United States and England. He could converse in Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese and English. He was only 29-years- old! In his travels he familiarized himself with each country's history, customs, ways of life and language. He held the common-sense belief that learning a people's language "will open... the treasures of a country, that is, the knowledge, the learning" and "its own way of thinking." Although he was interested in the social and scientific progress he witnessed abroad and understood the factors that lead to such advancement, he was even more fascinated by the collage of cultural symbols that become embraced by a people as their own national identity. A consummate student of ancient and modern history, Rizal was convinced that the enduring and unifying strength of all great societies lies in their collective sense of tradition -- a tradition that is carried forth and becomes that people's cultural history. By publishing his annotated version of de Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (Events of the Philippine Islands, originally published in 1609), Rizal's intent was not only to provide the Filipino people their early history, a pre-Spanish history, but to present to them their own authentic culture and identity. Aware of most of the books written about the Philippines, he selected the Sucesos because he "considered it necessary to invoke the testimony of an illustrous Spaniard who governed the destinies of the Philippines in the beginning of her new era and witnessed the last moments of our ancient nationality." His annotations included clarifications and amplifications of details, refutations of statements where necessary, and confirmations when checked against other sources. Rizal offered the annotated Sucesos to the Filipinos with the wise counsel that "to foretell the destiny of a nation, it is necessary to open the books that tell of her past." Chapter 7 Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo (Synopsis, Comparison and Character Analysis) Introduction As a result of their long period of colonial control and the numerous humiliations and bigotry they faced from their colonial master, the Spaniards fostered in the Filipinos a sense of inferiority and a lack of ethnic pride and dignity. Therefore, Rizal dedicated his God-given abilities and even gave his life for the salvation of his people. His entire political life, both in thought and action, was devoted to applying morality to politics, with the underlying view that "violence fosters violence" and that there is no good that can come from it. He was motivated to assist a young people in developing their own identity as a future nation. Rizal thought that his life and death had a purpose, and that God wanted him to act the way he did. In his two timeless works, Noli Me Tangere (Social Cancer) and El Filibusterismo (The Reign of Greed), he clearly and heroically fought to free his countrymen from ignorance and exploitation. Lesson 1: Noli Me Tangere Introduction Jose Rizal’s first novel, Noli Me Tangere, is considered one of the most important written outputs by the national hero at the height of his intellectual endeavors in Europe. In this novel, Rizal mustered his academic acumens as he tapped his knowledge of various fields and wove a narrative that aimed to represent, if not expose, the realities of the nineteenth century colonial life in the Philippines. Many appreciate the Noli for its narrative that takes the readers, through the eyes of its characters, on a journey of love and deception, struggles and triumphs; and in process, presents pressing questions about power and social inequalities. The Publication of the Noli As a sojourner in Europe, Rizal participated in the movement of the ilustrados to utilize propaganda to campaign from reforms in the Philippines. Utilizing their intellectual prowess, the ilustrados released various written outputs from news bits, to feature articles, and commentaries. They also produced creative outputs from satirical pieces to world-class paintings. Within this artistic and literary collection, Rizal’s exemplary mastery of words are clearly evident in one of his most celebrated works, his first novel, Noli Me tangere. The idea of publishing a book was not alien to Rizal. In a meeting of the illustrados in 1884, he proposed to write a book project to be done collaboratively with his fellow writers.Unfortunately, the project did not materialize. He eventually decided to write a novel on his own. He started ti work on the project in 1884 and completed in 1887. Many of his biographers cite several works that influenced Rizal in the writing of the Noli. One of these is Juan Luna’s painting, Spolarium, which depicted the sufferings faced by the humanity in the face of inequalities. Another is Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a novel by harriet Beecher Stowe that dealt with slavery in America. Rizal finished the first half of the novel in Spain, supposedly the other half in France, then completed the draft in 1886. The novel was published the following year in Germany. Lack of funds delayed the book’s publication until a fellow ilustado, maximo Viola, insisted on lending him 300 pesos for the printing of the first 2,000 copies. By 1887, Rizal was already sending out copies of the Noli to his friends and the book began to take flight. Motivations behind Writing Noli The title, Noli Me Tangere, had Biblical reference to the Gospel of John in which Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene and uttered this words: “Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father.” The choice of the title according to Rizal was fitting because he intended to write about themes that were taboo in the Philippines for centuries; things that people dared not touch. According to his biographers, Rizal planned to write his novel in French, considered to be the language of the intellectuals in Europe at that time. He, however, shifted to Spanish because he intended to reach out to his countrymen in the Philippines. Rizal explained: “I must wake from its slumber the spirit of my country… I must first propose to my countrymen an example with which they can struggle against their bad qualities, and afterwards, when they have reformed, many writers would rise up to present my country to proud Europe” (Schumacher, 1991, p. 93). In the initial pages of the Noli, the dedication articulated Rizal’s purpose for writing the novel: To The Filipinos In the Noli Me Tangere, I started to sketch the present state of our Fatherland: the effect which my attempt produced made me realize, before proceeding to develop before your eyes other pictures to follow, the necessity of first giving an understanding of the past in order the better to judge the present and measure the path traversed during the tree centuries. Born and reared in ignorance of our past like almost all of you: without voice nor authority to speak of what we have not seen nor studied I deemed it necessary to invoke the testimony of an illustrious Spaniard who controlled the destinies of the Philippines at the beginning of its new era and personally witnessed the last days of our ancient nationality. It is, therefore, the shadow of your ancestors’ civilization which the author now shall call before you. I transmit to you faithfully his words without changing them nor mutilating them, adapting, only in so far as possible, to modern orthography and introducing greater clearness in the rather defective punctuations of the original, to facilitate its reading. The office, the nationality, and the virtues of Morga, together with the date and testimonies of his contemporaries, Spaniards for the most part, commend the work to your serious consideration. If the book succeeds in awakening in you, the consciousness of our past blotted from memory, and in rectifying what has been falsified and calumniated then I shall not have labored in vain, and with this basis, slight though it be, we can all devote ourselves to the study of the future. The project of writing the Noli, as stated, was geared towards exposing the ills of Philippine colonial society under Spain. Thus, though the passages within Noli, readers also glimpse of how Rizal saw his country. The Plot Juan Crisostomo Ibarra is a young Filipino, who, after studying for seven years in Europe, returns to his native land to find that his father, a wealthy landowner, has died in prison as the result of a quarrel with the parish curate, a Franciscan friar named Padre Damaso. Ibarra is engaged to a beautiful and accomplished girl, Maria Clara, the supposed daughter and only child of the rich Don Santiago de los Santos, commonly known as "Capitan Tiago," a typical Filipino cacique, the predominant character fostered by the friar regime. Ibarra resolves to forego all quarrelsand to work for the betterment of hispeople. To show his good intentions, he seeks to establish, at his own expense, a public school in his native town. He meets with ostensible support from all, especially Padre Damaso's successor, a young and gloomy Franciscan named Padre Salvi, for whom Maria Clara confesses to an instinctive dread. At the laying of the corner-stone for the new schoolhouse a suspicious accident, apparently aimed at Ibarra's life, occurs, but the festivities proceed until the dinner, where Ibarra is grossly and wantonly insulted over the memory of his father by Fray Damaso. The young man loses control of himself and is about to kill the friar, who is saved by the intervention of Maria Clara. Ibarra is excommunicated, and Capitan Tiago, through his fear of the friars, is forced to break the engagement and agree to the marriage of Maria Clara with a young and inoffensive Spaniard provided by Padre Damaso. Obedient to her reputed father's command and influenced by her mysterious dread of Padre Salvi, Maria Clara consents to this arrangement, but becomes seriously ill, only to be saved by medicines sent secretly by Ibarra and clandestinely administered by a girlfriend. Ibarra succeeds in having the excommunication removed, but before he can explain matters an uprising against the Civil Guard is secretly brought, about through agents of Padre Salvi, and the leadership is ascribed to Ibarra to ruin him. He is warned by a mysterious friend, an outlaw called Elias, whose life he had accidentally saved; but desiring first to see Maria Clara, he refuses to make his escape, and when the outbreak °ccurs he isarrested as the instigator of it and thrown into prison in Manila. On the evening when Capitan Tiago gives a ball in his Manila house to celebrate his supposed daughter's engagement, Ibarra makes his escape from prison and succeeds in seeing Maria Clara alone. He begins to reproach her because it is a letter written to her before he went to Europe which forms the basis of the charge against him, but she clears herself of treachery to him. The letter had been secured fromher by false representations coat in exchange for two others written by her mother just before her birth, which prove that Padre Damaso is her real father. These letters had been accidentally discovered in the convento by Padre Salvi, who made use of them to intimidate the girl and get possession of Ibarra's letter, from which he forged others to incriminate the young man. She tells him that she will marry the young Spaniard, sacrificing herself thus to save her mother's name and captain Tiago's honor and to prevent a public scandal, but that she will always remain true to him. Ibarra's escape had been effected by Elias, who conveys him in a banka up the Pasig to the Lake, where they are so closely beset by the Civil Guard that Elias leaps into the water and draws the pursuers away from the boat, in which Ibarra has concealed. On Christmas Eve, at the tomb of the Ibarras in a gloomy wood, Elias appears, wounded and dying, to find there a boy named Basilio beside the corpse of his mother, a poor woman who had been driven to insanity by her husband’s neglect and abuses on the part of the Civil Guard, her younger son having disappeared some time before in the convent, where he was a sacristan. Basilio, who is ignorant of Elias’s identity, helps him to build a funeral pyre, on which his corpse and the madwoman’s are to be burned. Before Elias died, he instructed Basilio to find the treasure of Ibarra buried in the cemetery and use it to get an education. He reminded Basilio to never lose hope and if one day, freedom and progress would come to his country, not to forget those who labored in the night. Upon learning of the reported death of Ibarra in the chase on the Lake, Maria Clara becomes disconsolate and begs her supposed godfather, Fray Damaso, to put her in a nunnery. Unconscious of her knowledge of their true relationship, the friar breaks down and confesses that all the trouble he has stirred up with the Ibarras has been to prevent her from marrying a native, which would condemn her and her children to the oppressed and enslaved class. He finally yields to her entreaties and she enters the nunnery of St. Clara, to which Padre Salvi is soon assigned in a ministerial capacity. Within the general contour of the narrative, Rizal wove a complex story and subplots. Reading through the novel, different characters and their corresponding stories unfolded as told through the voice of an unseen narrator. Truly, the pages of the Noli reflected the lives of people living in the complicated world of colonial Philippine Lesson 2: El Filibusterismo EL Filibusterismo is the second and last novel by Dr. Jose Rizal (1861-1896). It was his sequel to the Noli Me Tangere known by its alternative English title The Reign of Greed. It is a novel about revolution that failed which was orchestrated by Simoun. He described the government in a very cynical way by lambasting the friars and the Spanish officials for their greed, corruption, exploitation and injustice to satisfy their evil desires and to seek their own interest. Noli and Fili illustrated the actual conditions in the Philippines during the time of Rizal which became instrumental in awakening the spirit of Filipino nationalism. The Writing and Printing of Fili Rizal started writing El FIlibusterismo in October 1887 in Calamba during his first homecoming. The novel was thus written against the background of threats and oppressions he and his family suffered because of the Noli and the so called Calamba agrarian trouble. He continued working on it making some revisions in London in 1888. Rizal then went on to write the novel in Paris and then in Brussels where distractions were less, and the cost of living was cheaper. Being able to focus on finishing the book, Rizal had finally completed it by March 29, 1891 in Biarritz. Jose Alejandrino, Rizal’s roommate in Belgium related that he was the one who looked for a printing press for El Filibusterismo. He delivered proofs and revisions of F. Meyer Van Loo in Ghent. For his assistance, Rizal gave him the El Fili „s corrected proofs and the pen used in doing the corrections. Unluckily, these historical souvenirs were either lost or destroyed during the revolution (Ocampo,2012. P. 111) (For Rizal’s collaboration and relation with Jose Alejandrino, read Appendix O of “Rizal’s Relations with other Filipino Patriots and Heroes.”) Alejandrino, who later became a general in the Philippine revolution, might have possibly been the first person to read the novel aside from the author. However, the honor of being called “the savior of the “Fili” had gone to Valentin Ventura, Rizal’s friend who partially financed the novel’s publication. (Ventura’s steal of the title, one may argue, in another classic elucidation of the expression” That‟s what money can do”) Initially, Rizal financed El Fili‟s printing by pawning his properties. In a letter to Jose Basa dated July 9,1891, he related: For the past three months I have not received a single centavo, so I have pawned all that I have in order to publish this book. I will continue publishing it as long as I can, and when there is nothing pawnable I will stop” (El Filibusterismo” n.d.) 1. Compare and contrast the characters, plot and theme of the Noli and the El Fili 2. Value the role of the youth in the development and future of society. Rizal’s next letter to Basa carried the sad news that the printing had to be suspended for lack of funds, and it was at this point where Valentin Ventura came into the picture. Having known Rizal’s predicament, Ventura offered him financial help in hindsight, we can assume that Ventura was bothered by his conscience, hence his generous monetary assistance for Rizal‟s novel. Remember that Ventura was one of the Filipinos who promised to co- author Rizal’s proposed first book but ended up contributing nothing. But even with Ventura’s help, Rizal found it necessary to fundamentally shorten the novel, erasing 47 whole pages from the 279page manuscript to save expenses (Ocampo, 2012.p111.) Thus, the printed El Fili, which came off the press by the middle of September 1891, turned out comprising only 38 chapters compared with the 64 of the Noli contrary to his original plan to made a longer sequel. For Ventura’s salvific act, Rizal gave him the novel’s original manuscript, a pen and an autographed printed copy in 1925, the Philippine government bought the El Fili manuscript from Ventura fo a large sum of 10,000 pesos G. Zaide. (G. Zaide & S. Zaide, 194) It is now being kept in the National Library. Filibustero and Gomburza The Filibusterismo in the novel’s title is derived from the simple term filibuster. Rizal defined the word (filibustero) to his friend Ferdinand Blumentritt who encountered but did not fully comprehend the word in the Noli. Rizal, thus explained in a letter (“El Filibusterismo” 2011). The word filibuster is little known in the Philippines, I heard it for the first time in 1872 when the tragic executions (of Gomburza) took place. I still remember the panic that this word created. Our father forbade us to utter it, as well as the words Cavite, Burgos (one of the executed priests) etc. The Manila newspaper and the Spaniards apply this word to one whom they want to make a revolutionary suspect. the Filipinos belonging to the educated class fear the reach of the word. It means a dangerous patriot who will soon be hanged or well a presumptuous man” The word filibustero thus, contextually means subversive, dissident, revolutionary, seditious, insurrectionary and treasonous. Fittingly Rizal dedicated the book to the memory of the Gomburza, the three Filipino, patriotic priest who were accused of being filibuster and thus, executed. In his dedication, Rizal fearlessly declared his conviction that the Spanish officials‟ treatment of the priest‟ case was unjust as [their] complicity in the Cavite Mutiny  is not clearly proved. The dedication partly reads “To the memory of the priest, Don Mariano Gomez (85 years old). Don Jose Burgos (30 years old) and Don Jacinto Zamora (35 years old). Executed in the Bagumbayan Field on the 28th of February 1872, I have the right to dedicate my work to you as victims of the evil which I undertake to combat. “(“El Filibusterismo,” n.d.) Rizal however made mistakes in indicating the ages of the priest and the date of their execution. During their martyrdom on the 17th (not 28th) of February, 1872. Gomez was then 73 (not 85) Burgos was 35 (not 30) and Zamora was 37 (not 35). Like many other students today (especially men), Rizal was perhaps not that good in memorizing historical details like dates and ages. The foreword of the Fili was nonetheless addressed “To the Filipino People and Government. “The original manuscript also included a “warning “and an “inscription” on the title page written by the author’s friend, Ferdinand Blumentritt. Themes of Fili Indeed, a continuation of the Noli, the El Filibusterismo exposes the real picture of Filipino society at the hands of the Spanish authorities. Socio- political issues mentioned in the Noli are also dealt with in its sequel: abuses and hypocrisy of the members of the Spanish Catholic clergy, superstitions disguising as religious faith, the need for reform in educational system, the exploitation and corruption of government officials, and the pretenses of some social – climbing Filipinos and Spaniards. What makes El Fili essentially different from its prequel is that it offers various means of attaining social reform and somewhat hinted what the author believed was ideal. Some dialogues and incidents seem to suggest the apparent improbability of any radical socio- political change. The main character’s persistence to push through with the rebellion, on the other hand, seems to suggest that independence is attainable through revolution. However, the closing chapters rather insinuate that freedom must be attained without bloodshed as the story ends with the failure of Simoun’s planned uprising. The novel’s ending some scholars explain, however, should not be interpreted as Rizal’s categorical stand against revolution. At best, Rizal can be said to be against unprepared and disorganized rebellion of uneducated people, which could have a slim chance of victory. It is important to note that Rizal once commented that an upright, patriotic and selfless individual like Noli’s Elias would be a viable revolutionary leader. In fact, Rizal was said to have confessed that he seriously regretted having killed Elias instead of Ibarra. These seem to prove that Rizal, though practically promoting the attainment of reforms peacefully, also advocated the idea of armed revolution under some conditions. Intelligent as he was, what Rizal would never subscribe to is the “useless spilling of blood “but not the uprising itself. Lesson 3: Comparison of Noli and El Fili Rizal wrote the El Filibusterismo about four years after the Noli. The experiences he had in those four years spelled a lot of differences in the way he treated his two novels. In depicting the social conditions in the country both novels employ satire and caricatures. El Fili however is more serious as there is less humor and more bitterness in the treatment of situations. In the Noli, the author reveals the cruelty and exploitation suffered by the natives at the hands of the colonizers. In El Fili, Rizal depicts a society at the brink of rebellion as the native’s minds have been awakened and revolutionary forces have been found formed. Generally, El Fili presents a gloomier depiction of the country under the Spanish regime. More radical and revolutionary, the novel has less idealism and romance than the Noli. The El Fili manifest Rizal’s more mature and less hopeful attitude toward the sociopolitical situation in the country. The grimmer outlook and more tragic mood can be attributed to the persecutions and sufferings the author and his family experienced from the Spanish friars and officials in the years he was writing the novel. Notwithstanding the sufferings caused by the Spaniards to the Rizal family, the Fili its author claimed, is not a matter or revenge. Jose wrote to Blumentritt: “I have not written in it [ Fili] any idea of vengeance against my enemies, but only for the good of those who suffer for the rights of Tagalogs. Some of Rizal’s friends like Blumentritt and Graciano Lopez Jaena, expressed that Fili was superior o Noli. Rizal himself apparently once believed in the superiority of the Fili. When its printing had to be stopped for lack of funds, he wrote to Basa: “It is a pity because it seems to me that this second part [the Fili] is more important than the [Noli]” (“The El Filibusterismo,”2013) After the Fili was published, nonetheless, Rizal appeared to have a change of heart. In his October 13, 1891 letter to Marcelo Del Pilar, he said: I appreciate what you say about my work, and I value your opinion highly that considered my Filibusterismo inferior to the Noli I, too frankly, without irony or words with a double meaning share your opinion. For me, the Filibuserismo as a novel is inferior to the Noli. You are the first one to tell me the truth and I agree with you. This flatters me as it proves that I still know how to judge myself (“Rizal and Other Reformers,” n.d) As regards his friends who told him that Fili was better, Rizal explained in the same letter “Blumentritt, all those in Paris and Barcelona, for their benevolence towards me say the Fili is superior, I attribute it only to their benevolence” NOLI ME TANGERE EL FILIBUSTERISMO Romantic Novel Political Novel Work of the Heart Work of the Head A book of Feeling A book of thought It has freshness, color, humor, It contains bitterness, hatred, pain, lightness and wit violence and sorrow 64 chapters 38 chapters Chapter 8 The Philippines: A Century Hence Introduction “History does not record I its annals any lasting domination by one people over another, of different races of diverse usages and customs, of opposite and divergent ideas. One of the two had to yield and succumb.” - Jose Rizal Jose Rizal’s Filipinas Dentro De Cien Años or the The Philippines a Century Hence was serialized on September 30, October 31, December 15, 1889 and February 15, 1890 in the fortnightly review La Solidaridad of Madrid. The essay talked about the glorious past of the Philippines, recounted the deterioration of the economy and exposed the causes of the natives’ sufferings under the cruel Spanish Rule. Part of the purpose in writing the essay was to awaken the minds and the hearts of the Filipinos concerning the oppression of the Spaniards and encouraging them to fight for their right. This Chapter shows the situation of the Philippines during Spanish Regime and arguments based on evidences of what may happen to the country after a hundred year. Lesson 1: The Philippines: A Century Hence Chapter I Following our usual custom of facing squarely the most difficult and delicate questions relating to the Philippines, without weighting the consequences that our frankness may bring upon us, we shall in the present article treat of their future. Causes of the miseries suffered by the Filipino people: 1. Spain’s implementation of her military policies – because of such laws, the Philippine population decreased dramatically. Poverty became more rampant than ever, and farmlands were left to wither. The family as a unit of society was neglected, and overall, every aspect of the life of the Filipino was retarded. 2. Deterioration and disappearance of Filipino indigenous culture – when Spain came with the sword and the cross, it began the gradual destruction of the native Philippine culture. Because of this, the Filipinos started losing confidence in their past and their heritage, became doubtful of their present lifestyle, and eventually lost hope in the future and the preservation of their race. 3. Passivity and submissiveness to the Spanish colonizers – one of the most powerful forces that influenced a culture of silence among the natives were the Spanish friars. Because of the use of force, the Filipinos learned to submit themselves to the will of the foreigners. The question then arises as to what had awakened the hearts and opened the minds of the Filipino people with regards to their plight. Eventually, the natives realized that such oppression in their society by foreign colonizers must no longer be tolerated. Will the Philippine Islands continue to be a Spanish colony, and if so, what kind of colony? Will they become a province of Spain, with or without autonomy? And to reach this stage, what sacrifices will have to be made? Will they be separated from the mother country to live independently, to fall into the hands of other nations, or to ally themselves with neighboring powers? One question Rizal raises in this essay is whether or not Spain can indeed prevent the progress of the Philippines: 1. Keeping the people uneducated and ignorant had failed. National consciousness had still awakened, and great Filipino minds still emerged from the rubble. 2. Keeping the people impoverished also came to no avail. On the contrary, living a life of eternal destitution had allowed the Filipinos to act on the desire for a change in their way of life. They began to explore other horizons through which they could move towards progress. 3. Exterminating the people as an alternative to hindering progress did not work either. The Filipino race was able to survive amidst wars and famine, and became even more numerous after such catastrophes. To wipe out the nation altogether would require the sacrifice of thousands of Spanish soldiers, and this is something. Spain, therefore, had no means to stop the progress of the country. What she needs to do is to change her colonial policies so that they are in keeping with the needs of the Philippine society and to the rising nationalism of the people. Chapter II A. For those who have strong spirit over the liberty of the country, independence was assured. B. But for those who are discouraged and disillusioned by sad experiences shall be a  Prison of the colony forever What will become of the Philippines within a Century? Will they continue to be a Spanish Colony? A. For the Liberal Spaniards: The ethical condition of the people remained the same B. For the Friars and their followers: They have progressed C. For many Filipino ethics: They have retrograded The Spanish were able to take hold of the Philippines for three centuries because the Filipinos remained faithful during three centuries, giving up their liberty and their independence, sometimes dazzled by the hope of the Paradise Promised, sometimes cajoled by the friendship offered them by a noble and generous people like Spanish Filipinos see them as protectors but sooner they realize that they are exploiters and executers. Enlightment is spreading and the persecution it suffers quickens it. If this state of affair continues, what will become in the Philippines within a century? People start to awaken and if the government doesn’t change its acts, a revolution will occur. What do people like? 1. A Filipino representative for the Cortes and an authorized to cry out against all kinds of abuses. 2. To practice their human rights. Possible Outcomes 1. The Philippines will remain under Spanish colonization, but with more law and greater liberty 2. They will declare themselves independent. The following situations explains that Rizal just wanted liberty from Spaniards not total separation. In his essay we see his urge to put freedom in our land through peaceful negotiations with the Spanish Government in Spain. Chapter III If the Philippine will remain under the control of Spain, transformation will eventually happen and will affect the people. In this case, some governors have been trying to introduce needed reforms. But it produced scanty result for the government as well as to the country. With this, our country is most likely reminded to Sancho Panza in Barataria Island where he took his seat on appointed table covered with fruits and variety of food but when Pedro Rezio interposed Sancho was as hungry as ever. That he should not eat except according to the usage and custom of another island. Sancho Panza = Philippines Dishes = Reforms Pedro Rezio= many people interested in not having the food touched. The result is the long suffering of Sancho (Philippines) misses his liberty and ends up rebelling. In this manner as long as the Philippines have no liberty of press, all the efforts of the colonial ministers will meet the fate like the dishes in Barataria Island. The minister who wants his reforms be reforms must begin by declaring the press in the Philippines free and by instituting Filipino delegates. A government that governs in a country may even dispense with the press, because it is on the ground, it has eyes and ears, and directly observes what is rules and administers. But a government that governs a far requires that the truth and facts reach its knowledge by every possible channel that it may weigh and estimate them better, and this need increases when a country like Philippines is concerned. What risk does the government see in them? One of the three things either that they will prove unruly, become political trimmers, or act properly. Supposing that we should yield to the most absurd pessimism and admit the insult. Great for the Philippines but still greater for Spain. Certainly, the Spanish people does not spare its blood where patriotism is concern but would not a struggle of principles in parliament be preferable to the exchange of lands. Because the Spanish parliament especially abounds in oratorical paladin’s invisible in debate. So, we see no serious reason why Philippines may not have representatives. We know that the lack of enlightenment, the indolence, the egotism may convert reform into a harmful instrument. When the laws and the acts of officials are kept under surveillance the word justice may cease to be a colonial jest. The things that make the English most respected in their possessions is their strict and speedy justice so that the inhabitants repose entire confidence in the judges. Justice is the foremost virtue of the civilized races. We could add other minor reforms touching commerce, agriculture, security of individual and of property education and others. To recapitulate: The Philippines will remain Spanish if they enter upon the life of law and civilization, if the rights of their inhabitants are respected, if the other rights due them are granted, if the liberal policy of the government is carried out without false interpretation. Otherwise, if an attempt is made to see in the islands a love to be exploited, a resource to satisfy ambitious, however great may be the loyalty of Filipinos and it will be impossible to hinder the operations of the laws of history. Close indeed are the bonds that unite us to Spain. Two peoples do not live for three centuries in continual contract, sharing a same lot, holding their same belief, worshipping the same GOD but that ties are formed between them stronger than those engendered by affection. We, who today are struggling by the legal and peaceful means of debate so understand it without going beyond the pale of the law, but if violence first silences us we have to misfortune to fall then we do not know what course will be taken that will rush in to occupy the places that we leave vacant. In contemplating such an unfortunate eventually, we must turn away in horror, and so instead of closing our eyes we will face what the future may bring. Chapter IV “History does not record in its annals any lasting domination exercised by one people over the another, of different races, of diverse usages and customs, of opposite and divergent ideals. One of the two has to yield and succumb.” “The existence of a foreign body within another endowed with strength and activity is contrary to all natural and ethical laws. Science teaches us that it either assimilated, destroys the organism, is eliminated or becomes encysted.” Now, applying these considerations to the Philippines, we must conclude, as a deduction from all we have said, that: 1. if their population will not assimilate to the Spanish nation 2. if the dominators do not enter into the spirit of their inhabitants 3. if equitable laws and free liberal reforms do not make each forget that they belong to different races  4. If both peoples be not amalgamated to constitute one mass, socially and politically, homogeneous, that is, not harassed by opposing tendencies and antagonistic ideas and interests someday the Philippines will fatally and infallibly declare themselves independent. Eventually, the natives realized that such oppression in their society by foreign colonizers mist no longer be tolerated.  Keeping the people uneducated and ignorant had failed. National consciousness had still awakened, and great Filipino minds still emerged from the rubble. Eventually, the natives realized that such oppression in their society by foreign colonizers must no longer be tolerated.  Keeping the people impoverished also came to no avail. On the contrary, living a life of eternal destitution had allowed the Filipinos to act on the desire for a change in their way of life. They began to explore other horizons through which they could move towards progress.  Exterminating the people as an alternative to hindering progress did not work either. The Filipino race was able to survive amidst wars and famine, and became even more numerous after such catastrophes. To wipe out the nation altogether would require the sacrifice of thousands of Spanish soldiers, and this is something Spain would not allow. “We have said and statistics prove that it is impossible to exterminate the Filipino people” The Philippines is in danger in falling into other hands again. Who are the possible colonizers?  England  Germany  France  Holland  Japan  US “Spain, must we someday tell Filipinas that thou hast no ear for her woes and that of she wishes to be saved, she must redeem” What can you say about Rizal’s prediction? What Rizal had envisioned in his essay came true. In 1898, the Americans wrestled with Spain to win the Philippines, and eventually took over the country. Theirs was a reign of democracy and liberty. Five decades after Rizal’s death, the Philippines gained her long- awaited independence. This was in fulfillment of what he had written in his essay: “History does not record in its annals any lasting domination by one people over another, of different races, of diverse usages and customs, of opposite and divergent ideas. One of the two had to yield and succumb.” Chapter 9 Jose Rizal and Philippine Nationalism – National Symbol Introduction  “I have observed that the prosperity or misery or each people is in direct proportion to its liberties or its prejudices and, accordingly, to the sacrifices or the selfishness of its forefathers.” -Juan Crisostomo Ibarra According to National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), official national symbols of the Philippines represent the country’s traditions and ideals and convey the principles of Philippine sovereignty and national solidarity. With this, a country has their own national symbols to identify themselves from others and to unite its citizens through nationalism. Lesson Proper National Flag The Philippines national flag, as defined by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, is made of silk, had a white equilateral triangle at the left containing a sunburst of eight rays at the center, a five-pointed star at each angle of the triangle, an upper stripe of blue and a lower stripe of red. The sun stands for liberty; the sunburst of eight rays for the first eight provinces to take up arms against Spain; and the three stars for the three island groups of the Philippines – Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The white triangle signifies Filipino hope for equality; the upper blue stripe stands for peace, truth and justice; while the lower red stripe stands for patriotism and valor. You don’t throw away an old Philippine flag. Section 14 of Republic Act 8491 (Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines) states that a flag worn out through wear and tear, shall not be thrown away. It shall be solemnly burned to avoid misuse or desecration. The flag shall be replaced immediately when it begins to show signs of wear and tear. That is why the CCP was doing the right thing when it burned 100 worn-out out flags recently. National Anthem For more than a year, the national anthem, Lupang Hinirang remained without words. Our national anthem was just music when it was first played by Banda San Francisco de Malabon on the occasion of the declaration of Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898. The words of Jose Palma’s ―Filipinas, Letra Para La Marcha Nacional‖ published on September 3, 1899 was used as lyrics for the national anthem. In 1943, the Institute of National Language was ordered by the late President Jose P. Laurel to translate the original Spanish text into Filipino and English. But a more spontaneous and apt translation was produced by a committee formed by the Department of Education thirteen years later. This was entitled ―Lupang Hinirang.‖ Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag Patriotic Oath of the Philippines Ako ay Pilipino Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas, aking lupang Buong katapatang nanunumpa sinilangan, Sa watawat ng Pilipinas Tahanan ng aking lahi, kinukupkop ako at At sa bansang kanyang sinasagisag tinutulungang Na may dangal, katarungan at kalayaan Maging malakas, masipag at marangal Na pinakikilos ng Dahil mahal ko ang Pilipinas, sambayanang Maka- Diringgin ko ang payo ng aking magulang, Diyos Susundin ko ang tuntunin ng paaralan, Maka-tao Tutuparin ko ang mga tungkulin ng isang Makakalikasan at mamamayang makabayan, Makabansa. Naglilingkod, nag-aaral at nagdarasal  nang buong katapatan. pangarap, pagsisikap Sa bansang Pilipinas. Iaalay ko ang aking buhay, National Flower: Sampaguita The Philippine national flower is called ―sampaguita‖ which is generally known as the Arabian Jasmine. Its white color symbolizes purity, simplicity, humility and strength. Sampaguita or Arabian Jasmine (Jasminium sambac)- Philippine Sampaguita flower is a white, star-shaped blossom which has a sweet fragrance. It opens at night and droops in less than a day. The white flowers are often made into wreath and its extract made into perfumes. Sampaguita is not a tree but a woody vine. The flower called was accepted as the National Flower of Philippines in 1934 which also happens to be the National Flower of Indonesia. The national flower sampaguita symbolizes purity, simplicity, humility and strength. Declared as the national flower by Gov. Gen. Frank Murphy through Proclamation No. 652 s. 1934, the sweet-smelling white flowers of sampaguita (the plant is a woody vine or shrub) has long been celebrated in song, stories and legends. Originally from India, they are often made into garlands and its essence made into perfumes. The tiny flowers display their purity in the evening when the flower buds begin to open at dusk. National Tree: Narra The Philippine national tree is called ―narra‖ generally known as rosewood. It was made official by Gov. Gen. Frank Murphy through Proclamation No. 652 s. 1934. In fact, under the DENR Memorandum Order dated February 5, 2013, cutting of Narra needs to be approved by the DENR Central Office, particularly by the Office of the Undersecretary for field Operations. Narra tree is a striking, large and strong shady tree. It is one of the most wanted wood for furniture but because there are only a few trees left, cutting down a Narra tree is no longer allowed. It is mostly found in Bicol, Mindanao and the Cagayan Valley forests. The Narra trees grow all over the Philippine islands and are mostly found and grown in Bicol, Mindanao and the Cagayan Valley forests. A special permit is needed when cutting Narra, our national tree which is already considered an endangered specie. It was declared by Gov. Gen. Frank Murphy as the national tree through Proclamation No. 652 s. 1934. Narra and other premium hardwood trees require a special permit under DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) Adm. Order No. 78, S. of 1987 and DENR Memo Circular No.22, S. of 1990. And under DENR Memorandum Order dated February 5, 2013, the cutting of Narra needs to be approved by the DENR Central Office, particularly by the Office of the Undersecretary for field Operations. National Bird: Philippine Eagle The Philippine national bird is called ―Philippine eagle‖ scientifically known as Pithecophaga jeffery. It was made official in 1978 by former President Ferdinand Marcos through Proclamation No. 1732. Philippine Eagle or also known as the monkey eating eagle stands over 3 feet (1m) tall. It has a large, sharp, curved beak. It has feathers that seem to bristle on its head. It is a giant forest raptor and is considered excellent hunters. It is considered one of the largest and most powerful eagles in the world and one of the world's rarest and definitely one of the world’s most seriously endangered vertebrate bird kind with only about 500 birds in the wild. It lives in tropical rain forests and it lays only one or two eggs each year. There are only a few of them now because of the disappearance of trees in our mountains. The Philippine Eagle knows a thing or two about monogamy. Declared by Pres. Fidel V. Ramos as the national bird through Proclamation No. 615 s. 1995, the Philippine eagle is monogamous, with pairs mating for life. If one of the pair dies, however, the surviving eagle will usually find another companion. National Gem: Philippine Pearl The Philippine national gem is called ―Philippine Pearl‖ as declared by Former President Fidel V. Ramos through Proclamation No. 905 s. 1996. It is scientifically known as Pinctada Maxima. In fact, world’s largest pearl was discovered by a Filipino diver in a giant Tridacna (mollusk) under the Palawan Sea in 1934. The world’s largest pearl was discovered by a Filipino diver in a giant Tridacna (mollusk) under the Palawan Sea in 1934. Known as the ―Pearl of Lao-Tzu‖ and ―Pearl of Allah,‖ the gem weighs 14 pounds and measures 9 1/2 inches long and 5 1/2 inches in diameter. As of May 1984, it was valued at US$42 million. It is believed to be 600 years old (Department of Tourism). Though it has now been trumped by another pearl in the Guiness World Records, its size is still worthy of adoration. The Philippine pearl was declared as the national gem by Pres. Fidel V. Ramos through Proclamation 905 s. 1996. National Sport: Arnis Arnis is to the Philippines like Japan’s Karate and Korea’s Taekwondo. It’s both a martial art and a sport whose origins are still largely unconfirmed because of lack of documentation. It’s known by two other names: Kali and Eskrima, and makes use of both bladed weapons, batons/sticks, and bare hands. It became a national symbol in 2009 when then-Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Republic Act 9850 into law. The official adoption of arnis as the national martial art and sport shall be promulgated by inscribing the symbol of arnis in the official seal of the Philippine Sports Commission and by making it as the first competition to be played by participating teams on the first day in the annual Palarong Pambansa. The Philippine Sports Commission is the lead agency to implement the provisions of this Act. What follows here is the list of our country’s unofficial national symbols Dr. Jose Rizal: National Hero Long recognized in the country’s history books as our National Hero, Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda’s status as our national hero has not been the subject of debate for the common Juan. Scholars, however, still argue about who should be given the title: Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo, Apolinario Mabini, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat, Juan Luna, Melchora Aquino, and Gabriela Silang were listed down by former President Fidel V. Ramos as those worthy of being given the title of National Hero. This list has not been acted on since being submitted by the National Heroes Committee on November 22, 1995. Anahaw: National Leaf Often referred to as the National Leaf, the anahaw or round-leaf fountain palm is not part of the country’s national symbols. Normally seen in the countryside as a roofing material, anahaw leaves are seen as decorative pieces/plants in the metro. The Filipino word "Anahaw" (ana-how) are nice-looking, tropical palm known for its round fan-shaped leaves. Its leaf has some uses like: to fan yourself during hot days. The Tagalogs of Quezon Province even use it to wrap their brown and delicious tikoy. Anahaw leaves are also a widespread symbol in the Philippines that is often used in awards and medals to represent high achievement, strength, and loyalty. The Anahaw leaf features a large, round outline and is glossy green in color. It spreads out grandly from the center of the shaft and opens to a full crest divided shallowly at the ends and is known to be one of the most beautiful plant in the Philippines. Mango (Mangifera indica): National fruit A common sight in Philippine wet and dry markets, the mango has long been seen as the National fruit. As popular as it is for making desserts, there is no law that proclaims it as a national symbol. Philippine Mango is a bizarre tropical fruit prevalently known to be yellow in color which achieves its addictive taste through its scrupulous harvest procedures. Philippine Mango is recognized worldwide for its best qualities, which cannot be beaten by any kind of mangoes around the globe. It is a wonder fruit of versatile ways to enjoy its taste. Green mango can be served as a salad constituent, while golden yellow mango has diversities of ways to relish its uniqueness. It can be served as plain, processed, dried or frozen, this delicious fruit is world known for its sweetest character. Philippine mango is an ideal dessert served in many ways and has been known as the ―Fruit of the Gods‖. Carabao: National Animal If common men have dogs as their best friend, then the carabao or Philippine water buffalo is the Filipino farmer’s best friend. They’re beasts of burden, able to do almost everything that needs to be done on the rice fields, including carry the farmer and his goods. But, without any laws to recognized them, they’ll remain an unofficial symbol of the country. The carabao or kalabaw in Filipino is a tamed type of water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis or sometimes bubalus carabanesis) in the Philippines. Being the farm animal of choice for pulling the plow and cart used to tow farm produce to the market, carabaos are warmly associated with farmers. Its life span is 18 to 20 years and the female carabao can deliver one calf each year. Bahay Kubo: National House The humble bahay kubo or nipa hut is still seen in some parts of the country, particularly in the provinces. While it has long been a symbol of Filipino homes, it has not been recognized as a national symbol. Bahay kubo is a shelter made out of bamboo and palm leaves. It is a good place to take rest and eat typical food in the farm because of its material which allows good ventilation. The roof of the first Philippine houses, nipa huts, or bahay kubo, were high inclined and typically open gabled to allow for ventilation. The steeply sloping pitch also protected from the wind and rain in the typhoon season. The roof also provides wide extension roof space to provide shade from the hot sun. Bangus: National Fish Bony, yet prized for its belly fat, which almost everyone fights for on the dinner table. The bangus or milkfish has long been seen as the country’s national fish, yet without a law, it’s status will never be official. Deboned milkfish, or "boneless bangus," has become popular in stores and markets because milkfish is known for being bonier than other food fish in the Philippines. Bangus is a popular table fare among Filipinos. To the biologist, it is a naturally strong fish since it is capable in adapting and thrives even in the limited, unusual environment of the fishpond. This feature is not frequently found in most other fish class. Lechon or Roasted Pig: National Dish The lechon is a very popular and famous food among Filipinos. Lechon (litson in tagalong) is roasted whole pig cooked over burning charcoals. It is a dish that is almost a fixed part and menu centerpiece of any Filipino celebration which is usually prepared for fiestas, family celebrations (like parties and marriages) and also a favorite dish during Christmas. Lechon is the Spanish name for pig, in the Philippines it means a spit-roasted pig. Lechon is prepared by filling the inside of the animal pig with herbs and vegetables. The pigs are slowly hand roasted on top of charcoal for hours till their skin turns into reddish brown and the inside flesh becomes tender. Philippine Lechon is often served with a thick liver sauce cooked with vinegar, sugar and herbs. Philippine National Costume for Men Barong Tagalog is an untucked or loose shirt of delicate fabric showing Chinese, airy tropical appearance Indo-Malayan and elongated effect of Hindu influences and the decorative captivity of European men's clothing. The barong appears to have preserved its fundamental look since it was first worn. Almost unnoticeably, through the years, the barong's round neck, straight long sleeves and mid-thigh hemline were resourcefully customized with collar, cuffs and side slits. Philippine National Costume for Women Baro't Saya is a collarless blouse and skirt which means baro at saya (blouse and skirt). From the original, half-naked style, the bare upper torso was slowly covered with a short-sleeved, collarless blouse called "baro". The whole look has developed into a many- layered collection of the kimona or inner shirt, the baro outershirt with its typically delicate materials, fine embroidery and wide sleeves. Bakya: National Footwear This footwear is made from local light wood like santol and laniti. It is cut to the desired foot size before being shaven until smooth. The side of the bakya is thick enough to be carved with floral, geometric or landscape designs. Afterwards, the bakya could then be painted or varnished. Uppers of plastic or rubber will then be fixed firmly using clavitos or tiny nails and the bakya is now ready to wear. The word bakya may also be used in the Philippines to indicate something that is of "low class", "unsophisticated" or "cheap". Kalesa: National Vehicle Philippine kalesa is a horse-driven carriage that looks like an inclined cart, was introduced during the 18th century. The kalesa has two round wheels on each side and two rows of seats that can accommodate four persons. The driver sits on a block of wood located at the front of the cart near the horse. This was one of the methods of transportation introduced in the Philippines in the 18th century by the Spaniards that only nobles and high ranked Spanish officials could afford. The Ilustrados, who are the rich Filipinos who had their own businesses, used the kalesa not only for traveling but as a way of transporting their goods as well. They are hardly ever used in the streets nowadays except in tourist spots and some rural areas. Other things have been cited over time as a national symbol, yet have never been recognized. The battle has raged on between which should be recognized as the National Dance: Tinikling or Cariñosa. A still-to-be-settled debate has also raged online between those who love sinigang (sour soup) and those who love adobo as to which should be recognized as the national dish. Find and allocate distinct time comprehending the key information and ideas from these texts.  Republic Act No. 8491- An act prescribing the code of the national flag, anthem, motto, coat-of-arms and other heraldic items and devices of the Philippines. o https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1998/02/12/republic-act-no-8491/  Selection and Proclamation of National Heroes and Laws Honoring Filipino Historical Figures o https://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/selection-and- proclamation-of-national-heroes-and-laws-honoring-filipino-historical- figures/   Republic Act No. 9850 An Act Declaring Arnis As The National Martial Art And Sport Of The Philippines o https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2009/12/11/republic-act-no-9850/ Chapter 10 Jose Rizal and Philippine Nationalism – Bayani and Kabayanihan Introduction “I have observed that the prosperity or misery or each people is in direct proportion to its liberties or its prejudices and, accordingly, to the sacrifices or the selfishness of its forefathers.” -Juan Crisostomo Ibarra According to National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), official national symbols of the Philippines represent the country’s traditions and ideals and convey the principles of Philippine sovereignty and national solidarity. With this, a country has their own national symbols to identify themselves from others and to unite its citizens through nationalism. Bayani at Kabayanihan The word “Bayani” or hero in Filipino is someone who saves somebody’s lives. However, this word carries a deeper context wherein only those people who are willing to suffer and sacrifice themselves for the good of the country are worthy enough to be called as such. Being called a hero requires a greater act of bravery. Dr. Jose P. Rizal was a man of intellectual power and artistic talent whom Filipino’s honor as their national hero (Szczepanski, 2019). Rizal is not only admired for possessing intellectual brilliance but also for taking a stand and resisting the Spanish colonial government. While his death sparked a revolution to overthrow the tyranny, Rizal will always be remembered for his compassion towards the Filipino people and the country. Another remarkable hero that we all know is Andres Bonifacio. The Kataas- taasang, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan or KKK played a huge role in the revolt of the Filipinos against the Spaniards. In the center of that revolution was its founder, Supremo Andres Bonifacio. Furthermore, according to Vallejo Jr., (2010), Filipinos also remember General Antonio Luna as a brilliant, brave soldier and tactician of the second phase of the Revolution and the proverbial hothead but never as the excellent scientist. He has no epitaph but perhaps his words before leaving exile in Europe for Manila are apt: “I will fight and offer my life, my small knowledge and science for the liberation of the Motherland.” What does it take to be a hero? The heroism in real life does not require someone to sacrifice his or her life to be called a bayani. The people that we set up as heroes are people that generally go above and beyond in terms of the call of duty, they do things that are extraordinary. The act of heroism is debatable to some people however, for any hero, it's enough just knowing they helped someone else. That's what makes them a true hero. Dr. Jose P. Rizal José Protasio Rizal Mercado Y Alonso Realonda was born on June 19, 1861 to Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonzo in the town of Calamba in the province of Laguna. He had nine sisters and one brother. At the early age of three, the future political leader had already learned the English alphabet. And, by the age of five, he could already read and write (Valdeavilla, 2018). Rizal had been very vocal against the Spanish government, but in a peaceful and progressive manner. For him, “the pen was mightier than the sword.” And through his writings, he exposed the corruption and wrongdoings of government officials as well as the Spanish friars. While in Barcelona, Rizal contributed essays, poems, allegories, and editorials to the Spanish newspaper, La Solidaridad. Most of his writings, both in his essays and editorials, centered on individual rights and freedom, specifically for the Filipino people. As part of his reforms, he even called for the inclusion of the Philippines to become a province of Spain. But, among his best works, two novels stood out from the rest – Noli Me Tángere (Touch Me Not) and El Filibusterismo (The Reign of the Greed). In both novels, Rizal harshly criticized the Spanish colonial rule in the country and exposed the ills of Philippine society at the time. And because he wrote about the injustices and brutalities of the Spaniards in the country, the authorities banned Filipinos from reading the controversial books. Yet they were not able to ban it completely. Days before his execution, Rizal bid farewell to his motherland and countrymen through one of his final letters, entitled Mi último adiós or My Last Farewell. Dr. José Rizal was executed on the morning of December 30, 1896, in what was then called Bagumbayan, now referred to as Luneta). Upon hearing the command to shoot him, he faced the squad and uttered in his final breath: “Consummatum est” (It is finished). According to historical accountsonly one bullet ended the life of the Filipino martyr and hero. The Americans decided for him being a national hero at their time in the country. It is said that the Americans, Civil Governor William Howard Taft, chose Jose Rizal to be the national hero as a strategy. Rizal didn't want bloody revolution in his time. So, they want