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**LESSON 17 RIZAL'S NATIONALISM AND PATRIOTISM (BASED FROM HIS NOVELS)** Nationalism and Patriotism sometimes interchanged since they both show their love to their nation **According to Hans Kohn** **✓Nationalism** is an ideology based on the premise that the individual's loyalty and devotion to...

**LESSON 17 RIZAL'S NATIONALISM AND PATRIOTISM (BASED FROM HIS NOVELS)** Nationalism and Patriotism sometimes interchanged since they both show their love to their nation **According to Hans Kohn** **✓Nationalism** is an ideology based on the premise that the individual's loyalty and devotion to the nation-state surpass other individual or group interests. **✓Nationalism** desires unity by their way of a cultural background, including language and heritage. **✓Patriotism** shows love country and willingness to sacrifice for it by their values and beliefs. **According to George Orwell** **✓Nationalism** is more on that one's country is superior to another **✓Patriotism** is simply a feeling of admiration for a way of life. Rizal's Nationalism as felt on his poems/essays/speeches **THROUGH EDUCATION OUR MOTHERLAND RECEIVES LIGHT.** Proved that he valued education so much that may give the power of the country to survive from any forces in the struggles of societal FREEDOM. Through education, it creates the virtue of power to human race. This gives SECURITY and PEACE to the motherland as the Filipinos would learn the sciences and arts as the bases to calm down the life of the society. **TO THE FILIPINO YOUTH.** This winning poem of Rizal is a classic in Philippine literature for2reasons: 1\) It was the first great poem in Spanish written by a Filipino whose merit was recognized by Spanish literary authorities 2\) It expressed for the first time the nationalistic concept that the Filipinos and not the foreigners are the hope of the motherland. **LOVE OF COUNTRY.** Written under his pen name Laong Laan in Barcelona, Spain. Translated into Tagalog by Marcelo H. del Pilar and published in Diariong Tagalog. On this poem, he urged his fellow Filipinos abroad to love their motherland. "...of all loves, the love of country is what produced the greatest, the most heroic, the most disinterested" **NOLI ME TANGERE.** Dedicated to his motherland, the Philippines. Getting attention of both Filipinos and Spaniards to see the deplorable conditions of the Filipino people from the Spanish tyranny. It was a way of exposing corrupt Spaniards (officials and friars) who enriched themselves while living in the country. Noli MeTangere. On this novel, Rizal shown preparation of how Filipinos can be step out from darkness. And it is through education. Crisostomo failed to build school in the community for not supported by Spanish officials and was supposed to be killed during the planning of the location of the. school community. A school teacher was reprimanded by friar of teaching students to farming. For the friars, only religious doctrines should be developed in the life of the students Rizal distinguished the true religion from the false, from the superstitious, from that which traffics with the Sacred Word to extract money, to make us believe in foolishness which Catholicism would blush at if it had knowledge of it. Moreover, he unveiled what lay hidden behind the deceptive and brilliant words of our government. Rizal did not let his fellowmen off the hook, though. He had also told our fellowmen of our faults, our vices, our culpable and shameful apathy with regards to these miseries. It may be noted that the facts Rizal had related are all true and real. Therefore, the Noli Me Tangere is not merely an attack on the Spanish colonial regime. It is a charter of nationalism. It calls on the Filipino to recover his self-confidence, to appreciate his own worth, to return to the heritage of his ancestors, to assert himself as the equal of the Spaniard **EL FILIBUSTERISMO.** A political novel which exposes a kind of Spanish government to the society. A novel which could interpret in asking REFORMS. Dedicated to GOMBURZA A sequel of the Noli El Filibusterismo. At the time that Simoun had worked out his plan of fomenting revolution, Filipino students like Basilio and his friends pressed for assimilation, the spread of the Spanish language and the appeals for loyalty and confidence in the colonial government. Simoun reacted vehemently to this program of Hispanization that young students were advocating. For Simoun, Hispanization is Death of the people Destruction of national identity Institutionalization of tyranny Noli Me Tangere. The character of Elias shown the willingness of sacrificing himself for the benefits of the many. Protecting Crisostomo for many times. This might had been due to his beliefs that the redemption of the country depends on the ilustrados. Elías discovers plots against Ibarra and does everything he can to thwart them. Elias helps Crisostomo escape from the Guardia Civil. " I die without seeing the dawn brighten over my native land! You who have it to see, welcome it and forget not those who have fallen during the night!"-Elias to Basilio (Noli Me Tangere) El Filibusterismo. Rizal advocated a revolution in effecting reforms in Filipino society through Simoun. As Simoun dies, Fr. Florention murmurs: Where are the youths who are to consecrate their budding years, their idealism and enthusiasm to the good of the country? Where are they who are to pour out their blood generously to wash away so much shame, so many crimes, and abominations? Pure and immaculate must the victim be so that the holocaust may be acceptable! Where are you, oh youth, who are to embody in yourselves the vigor of life which has been drained from our veins, the purity of ideas which has been stained in our minds, the fire of enthusiasm which has been quenched in our hearts? We await you, oh youth; come, we await you. **LESSON 18 RIZAL: THE POLITICAL, HISTORICAL, ECONOMIC AND SOCIOLOGICAL THOUGHT** **POLITICAL IDEAS** ✓ industrial democrat and, strictly in a legal and political sense ✓an anti-cleric ✓thought of the liberation of his country as a gradual process, one chiefly of education ✓freedom without the knowledge of how to use it meant absolutely nothing "If the Philippines must remain under the control of Spain, it will necessarily have to be transformed in a political sense, for the course of its history and the needs of its inhabitants require the change--- «transformation will be violent and fatal if it proceeds from the ranks of the people, but powerful and fruitful if it emanates from the upper classes."-Jose Rizal ✓ political reforms 1\. Representation of the country in the Spanish Cortes 2\. Secularization of the priesthood 3\. Reform administration in all its branches 4\. Divide civil appointments equally between Spaniard and Filipinos 5\. Cleanse the administration of justice. Spain's courts of justice were the foulest blot on her colonial administration. 6\. That the government should encourage individual incentive and striving in all fields. It should guarantee liberty, opportunity and strictly limited concentration of power. There should be different rewards proportionate to the difference in skills and abilities. "My countrymen, I have given proofs that I am most anxious for liberties for our country, and I am still desirous of them. But I place as a prior condition the education of the people, that by means of instruction and industry our country may have an individuality of its own and make itself worthy of these liberties. I have recommended in my writings the study of the civic virtues without which there is no redemption. I have written likewise (and I repeat my words) that reform, to be beneficial, must come from above, that those which come from below are irregularly gained and uncertain."-Jose Rizal **HISTORICAL VIEW** Annotation of Antonio de Morga' Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas ✓provided the seeds of the idea of how the Filipinos should view themselves amidst a growing nationalism that eventually led to the formation of a nation ✓proved that the Filipinos were already civilized before the advent of Spain The Philippines Within A Century ✓expressed his views on the Spanish colonization in the Philippines and predicted with accuracy the tragic end of Spain's sovereignty in Asia ✓portrayed the glorious past of the Filipinos and described their economic stagnation under Spanish rule ✓warned Spain of what would happen to her colonial empire in Asia if she would not adopt a more liberal and enlightened policy toward the Philippines **ECONOMIC IDEAS** He took active part in business in Dapitan, aside from fishing industry, he also engaged in buying and selling copra and hemp. Rizal imported modern-stripping machine from Manila, thereby increasing Dapitan\'s production of hemp fibers. ✓lamented that the business and commerce in his native land were in the hands of foreigners. He stated that \"Everybody engages in business in our country except ourselves." ✓organized the Cooperative Association of Dapitan Farmers to break the Chinese monopoly "Study nations that have indeed prospered and do what they are doing...And why are they prospering? (referring to the rich nations)- Simoun, El Filibusterismo **SOCIAL IDEAS** ✓frowned on immorality and always advocated a high standard of living ✓tells the Filipinos to strive for education, raise the level of morality and culture, to learn self-dependence, to think for themselves, and to become more united ✓believed that change should come from within as a result of understanding, and not from without as a result of coercion ✓worked for the union of all Filipinos and for reforms (La Liga Filipina) ✓sought to adapt the best things he found abroad to the conditions of his country ✓had the background and judgment to weigh and consider authoratively his country's intellectual and social development ✓felt that there was such a thing as universality of culture and that the Philippines should preserve the best of what they already possessed ✓wished to see his countrymen enjoy all the fruits of happy domestic existence and to know the fullest enjoyment of the nobler emotions engendered therein ✓believed in education and industry ✓believed in education as an important aspect of social relations Without education and liberty, which are the soil and the sun of man, no reform is possible, no measure can give the result desired. -- Jose Rizal **LESSON 19 RIZAL AND THE LA LIGA FILIPINA** **BACKGROUND OF LA LIGA FILIPINA** ✓ While in Hong Kong, Rizal laid down the basis of the La Liga Filipina ✓Rizal drafted the constitution with the assistance of Jose Ma. Basa ✓founded and inaugurated the La Liga Filipina at the house of Doroteo Ongjunco in Tondo, Manila (July 3, 1892) ✓It was formed not for the purpose of independence, but for mutual aid and protection of its members, and the fostering of a more united spirit among Filipinos. Its constitution declared the ends, form, duties of members and officials, rights of members and officials, the investment of funds, and general rules. **AIMS OF THE LA LIGA FILIPINA** ✓To unite the whole archipelago into one compact, vigorous, and homogeneous body. ✓Mutual protection in every want and necessity. ✓Defense against all violence and injustice. ✓Encouragement of instruction, agriculture, and commerce. ✓Study and application of reforms. Motto of the La Liga Filipina Unus instar omnium \[one like all.\] **DUTIES OF THE MEMBERS** 1\. They shall pay monthly dues of ten centimos. 2\. They shall obey blindly and promptly every order emanating from a Council or a Chief. 3\. They shall inform the Fiscal of their Council of whatever they note or hear that has reference to the Liga Filipina. 4\. They shall preserve the most absolute secrecy in regard to the decisions of the Council. 5\. In all walks of life, preference shall be given to the members. Nothing shall be bought except in the shop of a member, or whenever anything is sold to a member, he shall have a rebate. Circumstances being equal, the member shall always be favored. Every infraction of this article shall be severely punished 6\. The member who does not help another member in the case of need or danger, although able to do so, shall be punished, and at least the same penalty suffered by the other shall be imposed on him. 7\. Each member, on affiliation, shall adopt a new name of his own choice, and shall not be able to change the same unless he become a Provincial Chief. 8\. He shall bring to each Council a service \[trabajo; evidently a service done for the organization\], an observation, a study, or a new candidate. 9\. He shall not submit to any humiliation or treat anyone with contempt. **NOTABLE MEMBERS** - Andres Bonifacio; supreme head of the Katipunan, who uttered the first Warcry against tyranny, August 24, 1896. - Mamerto Natividad; seconded, in Nueva Ecija, the movement of Andres Bonifacio, August 28, 1896; shot. - Domingo Franco; supreme head of the Liga Filipina; shot. - Moises Salvador; venerable master of the respected lodge, Balagtas; shot - Numeriano Adriano; first guard of the respected lodge; Balagtas; shot. - Jose A. Dizon; venerable master of the respected lodge, Taliba; shot. - Apolinario Mabini; legislator; arrested - Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista; first patriot if '68; arrested - Timoteo Lanuza; initiator of the manifestation of the expulsion of the friars in 1888; arrested. - Marcelino de Santos; arbitrator and protector of La Solidaridad, the Filipino organ in Madrid; arrested. - Paulino Zamora; venerable master of the respected lodge, Lusong; deported. - Juan Zulueta; member of the respected lodge, Lusong; died. - Doroteo Ongjunco; member of the respected lodge, Lusong; owner of the house. - Arcadio del Rosario; orator of the respected lodge, Balagtas; arrested - Timoteo Paez; arrested - **END OF LA LIGA FILIPINA** ✓July 6, 1892 Rizal went to Malacañang as invited by the governor ✓The governor asked him about the pillows and the mats in his luggage ✓Governor Despujol ordered to arrest Rizal and incarcerate him at Fort Santiago ✓July 7, 1892, Governor Despujol ordered a decree for the deportation of Rizal ✓Rizal was detained in Fort Santiago for 9 days ✓OnJuly 15, 1892 he left Manila for Dapitan ✓TheLiga died its natural death ✓It split into 2 branches 1\. Cuerpos de Compromisarios (the rightest) 2\. the leftists, later known as the Katipunan of KKK **LESSON 20 RIZAL AND THE KATIPUNAN - "I AM NOT GUILTY OF REBELLION".-RIZAL** **Rizal and the Katipunan** ✓Bonifacio knew Rizal during the Liga days, but Rizal did not know him personally ✓Bonifacio commissioned Dr. Pio Valenzuela to go to Dapitan in June 1896 to confer with Rizal ✓Valenzuela revealed the Katipunan and its aims to Rizal Rizal and the Katipunan An important part of the conversation between Pio Valenzuela and Rizal in Dapitan. **Rizal**: Does the (Katipunan) count with its membership many persons in high society in Manila and the provinces? **Valenzuela**: Unfortunately, no: in Manila and the provinces, there are about a hundred from the middle class; the rest are poor. **Rizal**: There is no other remedy but to attract to your association all the rich and influential persons in Manila and the provinces. You may avail yourselves of Antonio Luna who is very intelligent man, who has access to the homes of wealthy Filipinos. Luna, at the same time, can direct the campaign in case hostilities break out. **Valenzuela**: What shall we do if we fail to attract these aristocratic Filipinos to the Katipunan? **Rizal**: These Filipinos will be your worst enemies if you commit the imprudence of attacking the Spaniards without the necessary preparations. When they see you without arms, they will go over to the side of Spain to persecute you; and being Filipinos and rich, too, they will win over your solders with the money **Valenzuela**: And what are we to do them? **Rizal**: See to it that these persons are at least neutral-that they help neither Spaniards nor the filipinos **Valenzuela**: Neutral? By what means can we make them neutral? **Rizal**: That is difficult to answer now. The means are born of circumstances and events. **Rizal and the Katipunan** summary of Rizal's advice to Valenzuela 1\. The revolution of Cuba against Spain failed because of lack of arms 2\. Influential and wealthy Filipinos be attracted to the cause of the society 3\. Unity among all classes of Filipinos 4\. Antonio Luna be appointed to direct all military operations **Rizal and the Katipunan** Bonifacio's Preparations ✓Following Rizal's advice, the Katipuneros contracted some millionaires to fund the Katipunan but they refused ✓Bonifacio decided to implicate the uncooperative elites with the Katipunan ✓Bonifacio hoped that once arrested and probably tortured, these rich Filipinos would then hate the Spaniards and be converted ✓This was the way of neutralizing the rich without killing them ✓Jacinto prepared a list of uncooperative Filipinos and had their movements monitored and their signatures forged on Katipunan papers which stated that they were not only sympathizers but contributors to the Katipunan fund ✓The incriminating documents were then left in Katipunan hideouts to be found by the Spanish authorities ✓A wave of arrests followed, some were executed, exiled to the Pacific after torture and imprisonment in Fort Santiago, and while others escaped the country by bribing the officials ✓While revolution broke out led by Andres Bonifacio in August 23, 1896, Rizal was in the steamer Castilla waiting for his departure for Spain **DID THE KATIPUNAN IMPLICATE RIZAL?** Rizal was in trouble During Rizal's trial, the Spanish military court presented the following evidences: 1\. Rizal's picture hung in the meeting place of the Katipunan 2\. Rizal' name was used as one of the passwords of the Katipunan (The third kind of Katipunan membership was called Bayani with a password Rizal) 3\. Without his consent and knowledge, he was the honorary president of the Katipunan 4\. Some Katipuneros carried a photograph of Rizal in their pockets like an anting-anting **RIZAL DURING THE TRIAL** 1\. I am not guilty of rebellion as I even advised Dr. Pio Valenzuela in Dapitan not to rise in revolution 2\. The revolutionists used my name without my knowledge. 3\. Ig I had a hand in the Katipunan revolution, I could have escaped Dapitan and should have not built a house there. 4\. If I were the chief of the revolution, why did they not consult me on their plans? **HISTORIANS' VIEW ON RIZAL AND THE KATIPUNAN/REVOLUTION** Renato Constantino- Rizal was against the Philippine revolution Gregorio Zaide- Rizal had given his word of honor to the Spanish authorities while in Dapitan Teodoro Agoncillo- Rizal was not against revolution only in the absence of preparation and arms. **LESSON 21 NOLI ME TANGERE: THE CONTEXT AND OVERVIEW** Noli Me Tangere "Touch Me Not" And to this end, I will strive to reproduce thy condition faithfully, without discriminations; I will raise a part of the veil that covers the evil, sacrificing to truth everything, even vanity itself, since, as thy son I am conscious that also suffer from thy defects and weaknesses. **TO MY MOTHERLAND, NOLI ME TANGERE** **Noli Me Tangere "Touch Me Not"** ✓ first started in 1884 while in Madrid, Spain ✓ Continued writing while he was in Paris, France ✓ completed in Berlin, Germany and came off the press on March 21, 1887 with the financial assistance of Maximo Viola ✓ Printed 2000 copies for P300.00 ✓ First copy delivered to Dr. Ferdinand Blumentritt, Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor, Graciano Lopez Jaena, Mariano Ponce and Felix Hidalgo ✓ A romantic novel ✓ It is a work of the heart- a book of feeling; it has freshness, color, humor, lightness and wit **NOLI ME TANGERE "TOUCH ME NOT" IDEAS/INFLUENCES OF WRITING A NOVEL** **PAINTING** Rizal's motivation to write a novel about the Philippines was Luna's Spoliarium. For Rizal, Luna's canvass conveyed the plight of the vanquished and the pathetic suffering of the human race. The Spoliarium was perceived by Rizal as a reflection of the spirit of the social, moral, and political life of his time because it clearly showed mankind under severe or deal, mankind unredeemed from bondage and repression. **THE WANDERING FEW** by Eugene Sue, anti-clerical novel which impressed Rizal. It could had probably been used by Rizal as his model to arouse the feelings against the existing Philippine situation. This novel was among Jose Rizal's favorites. An underdog taken advantage of his innocence, stripped from his rights, made to suffer, rebuilt him, avenged against his persecutors, renewed his life, walked the path of good. Philippines and her men, suffering as Edmond Dantes, needed a source of hope and this is exactly what the novel gives. He did not kill nor lead a revolution. But, apart from the certain similarities, it is noticeable that his main character in El Filibusterismo Crisostomo Ibarra and Edmond Dantes had the most commonality. Each found an amount of treasures, which were used as instruments in exacting revenge. Crisostomo Ibarra returns as Simoun, a rich jeweler, to avenge the betrayal he experienced and to recover his fiancée, MariaClara **UNCLE TOM'S CABIN** The portrays of the brutalities of American-slave-owners and the pathetic conditions of the unfortunate Negro slaves inspired Rizal to prepare a novel that would depict the miseries of his people under the lash of Spanish tyrants. Noli Me Tangere "Touch Me Not" Rizal deemed it appropriate to use the said title as his novel contained delicate things nobody wanted to talk about or touch during his time. He, therefore, walked where angels fear to tread by exposing the evils of the Church and the State, which were hazardous to touch. From his novel, he made it plain and clear that the friars were the enemies of reform, progress, and justice in the country.--Leon Ma. Guerrero The novel can be considered a charter of Filipino nationalism. It calls on the Filipino to: Regain his self-confidence Appreciate his self-worth Return to the heritage of his ancestors Assert himself as a co-equal of the Spaniards Insists on the need for; Education Dedication to the country Assimilating the aspects of western cultures that could enhance native traditions The novel does not only expose the social maladies in the Philippines during Rizal's time. It outlines the reforms needed in Filipino society then. These reforms include the following; Radical reforms in the armed forces clergy Administration of justice More respect for human dignity Greater security for the individual Less strength in the constabulary Less privileges for organizations prone to abuses and corruption Rizal, through Elias, mouthed the solution to bring about the needed reforms. For Elias, revolution was the key when he said, 'it is never a crime to fight for one's country'. The novel presented a problem, the needed for change in the country under Spanish tutelage. On the contrary, it did not offer any solution to address the same. **PHILIPPINE CONDITIONS DURING RIZAL'S TIME** **1. Instability of colonial administration.** The frequent change of colonial officials hampered the political and economic development of the Philippines. **2. Corrupt officials.** **3. No Philippine representation in Spanish Cortes (Court).** Worsened the Philippine conditions because there was no means by which the Filipinos could expose the anomalies perpetrated by the colonial officials. **4. Human rights denied to Filipinos.** Only the people of Spain enjoyed freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of association and other human rights. **5. No equality before the law.** Spaniards arrogantly the brown-skinned Filipinos as inferior beings. **6. Maladministration of justice.** Justice was costly, partial and slow. Poor Filipinos could not afford the heavy expenses f litigation. **7. Racial discrimination.** Spaniards called the brown-skinned Filipinos, "indios". **8. Frailocracy.** A government of friars. **9. Forced labor.** Compulsory labor imposed by the Spanish colonial authorities on adult Filipino males in the construction of churches, schools, hospitals, building and repair of roads and bridges, ships and other public works. **10. Haciendas owned by the friars.** Friars belong to different orders were the richest landlords for they owned the best haciendas in the Philippines. **11. Presence of guardia civil.** Infamous for their rampant abuses, such as maltreating innocent people, looting their carabaos, chickens and valuable belongings and raping helpless women **LESSON 22 NOLI ME TANGERE: MAJOR THEMES, PLOT, CHARACTERS AND THEIR REPRESENTATION IN THE SOCIETY** **DEDICATION: TO MY MOTHERLAND** *"Recorded in the history of human sufferings is a cancer so malignant, a character that the least touch irritates it and awakens in it the sharpest pains. Thus, how many times, when in the midst of modern civilizations I have wished to call thee before me, now to accompany me in memories, ow to compare thee with other countries, hath thy dear image presented itself showing a social cancer like to that other...* **LETTER SENT TO MARCELO H. DEL PILAR** *"I wrote my Noli Me Tangere to stir the patriotism of my countrymen. I would be happy if among those I have stirred, I shall find notable companions. "* Notable among his purposes for writing the novel were the following; to picture the past and the realities in the Philippines to reply to insults heaped on the Filipinos and their country to unmask the hypocrisy that have impoverished and brutalized the Filipino people to stir the patriotism of the Filipino people (to expose the exploitations committed by the Spanish friars and government officials) **THEMES** ** Revolution and Reform Revolution** (radical revolutionary ideology espoused by Elías) and Reform (political change, the moderate liberalism embodied by Ibarra) ** Education** Rizal holds up education as a way of overcoming oppression. Ibarra, fiercely advocates the importance of intellect and education by building a school in San Diego. He seeks to give the townspeople a means of empowerment outside the context of the church. ** Isolation** political isolation, religious isolation, or intellectual isolation **THE CHARACTERS** **Crisostomo Ibarra** - He has a liberal mind. - He becomes very violent and impulsive when he provoked - He symbolizes idealism of the privileged youth - Outspoken and idealistic - Patient and serious man - Ibarra as Rizal's reflection of himself **Elias** - He distrusts human judgement and prefers God's justice instead - He represents the common Filipino - He prefers a revolution over the reforms - He is said to be the personification of Andres Bonifacio **Maria Clara** - Religious woman - She portrayed as a faithful sweetheart, a good friend and an obedient daughter - She gets easily nervous - She symbolizes the purity and innocence of a sheltered native woman - She had childish simplicity - Her character is related to Rizal's childhood sweetheart, Leonor Rivera **Sisa** - Is the deranged mother of Basilio and Crispin - Described as beautiful and young, although she loves her children very much, she can not protect them from the beatings of her husband, Pedro - Personified the suffering of the motherland - Named after Rizal's older sister, Narcisa **Kapitan Tiago** - He is said to be a good Catholic, friend of the Spanish government - He symbolizes the rich Filipinos who oppress their fellow countrymen **Donya Victorina** - Wife of Don Tiburcio - An ambitious Filipina - She symbolizes those who have a distorted view of their identity **Donya Consolacion** - Wife of the Alferez of San Diego - Often has violent argument with her husband - Pretends not to know Tagalog and often uses Spanish words even if she does not the meaning - Symbolizes the Filipinos in our society who are ashamed of their own race and nationality **Pilosopo Tasyo** - Known as "Filosopo Tasyo" - He is a pessimist - Rizal can relate to his character as his oldest brother, Paciano Rizal - He spent most of his money on books and now lives in poverty - He symbolizes the learned Filipinos **Basilio** - He is 10 years old. An acolyte tasked to ring the church bells for the Angelus - They represented the innocent who were wrongly accused of crimes they did not commit - Their story was based on the true tale of the Crisostomo brothers of Hagonoy **Crispin** - He is 7 years old, often talks about silly things and is Sisa's favorite son - An altar boy, he was unjustly accused of stealing money from the church **Padre Damaso** - Talkative and cruel priest - He raped Donya Pia, Maria Clara's mother - He continually antagonizes Ibarra and prevents his marriage to Maria Clara - He symbolizes the Spanish friars of Rizal's time **LESSON 23 EL FILIBUSTERISMO: THE CONTEXT AND OVERVIEW** **EL FILIBUSTERISMO** ✓ A sequel of the Noli Me Tangere ✓ Written in Spanish ✓ Literally means "The Subversion" or in other translation or The Reign of Greed ✓ Published in Ghent, Belgium September 18, 1891 with the financial assistance of Valentin Ventura ✓ Immediately sent 2 copies to Hong Kong for Jose Ma. Basa and Sixto Lopez ✓ Copies sent to F. Blumentritt, Ponce, Lopez Jaena, T.H. Pardo de Tavera, Antonio and Juan Luna **DEDICATION** To the memory of the priests, Don Mariano Gomez (85), Don Jose Burgos (30) and Don Jacinto Zamora (35). Executed in 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. And while we wait expectantly upon Spain someday to restore your good name and cease to be answerable for your death, let these pages serve as a tardy wreath of dried leaves over your unknown tombs, and let it be understood that everyone who without clear proofs attacks your memory stains his hands in your blood. **A COMPARISON OF THE NOLI AND FILI** **Noli** - A romantic Novel - A book of the heart - A book of feeling - It has freshness, color, humor and intelligence - Contains 64 chapters - Dedication to the motherland **Fili** - A political novel - A work of head - A book of thought - It has bitterness, hatred, pain, violence, and sorrow - Contains 38 chapters - Dedicated to the memory of GOMBURZA One common trend in both the novels is the awakening of the Filipinos to the idea that they belong to one nation; to make them realize they have a motherland to love, whose welfare should be their paramount concern. Moreover, both novels are focused towards the seeking of reforms in our society during the Spanish regime. Rizal advocated peaceful reforms in the Noli through Crisostomo Ibarra. On the other hand, Rizal advocated a revolution in effecting reforms in Filipino society in the Fili, through Simoun. Both the Noli and Fili were good novels from the point of view of history. One reason for the aforementioned claim was that Noli and Fili depicted the actual conditions in the Philippines during the time of Rizal. Moreover, both novels were instrumental in awakening the spirit of Filipino nationalism, which paved the way for the outbreak of the Revolution of 1896 and the disintegration of the Spanish colonial empire in the Philippines. **EL FILIBUSTERISMO** ✓ Rizal had to define the word filibustero to his German friend, Blumentritt, who did not understand his use of the word. ✓ In a letter, Rizal explained: "The word filibustero is little known in the Philippines. The masses do not know it yet. I heard it for the first time in 1872 when the tragic executions took place. " **REASON WHY CHANGES THE PLOT AND THEME** ✓ El Filibusterismo was written about four years after Noli Me Tangere. In it, Rizal reveals a more mature and less hopeful outlook regarding the political and social situation in the Philippines. ✓ The frustrations he had experienced in his efforts toward social reform in those years account for the book\'s graver tone. **THE MESSAGE OF THE FILI** ✓The present system of government in the Philippines through corrupt officials, dominated by the friars can lead to the downfall of Spain ✓The Spanish colonial government was arbitrary, cruel, lacking in a sense of justice and responsibility, without interest in the people under its tutelage El Filibusterismo is a novel about a revolution that failed... ✓Simoun planned to seize control of Manila with the help of the outlaws and disaffected Filipino regiment. He was anesthetized upon learning that Maria Clara died at the nunnery. ✓Simoun planned to blow up the venue of the wedding feast of Paulita Gomez and Juanito Pelaez through a lamp prepared by him as a gift by the Governor General to the couple. Isagani seized the lamp and threw into the river. **RELEVANCE TO THE CURRENT SOCIETY** El Filibusterismo serves as an **inspiration** to the Filipino people. It brings a profound effect on Philippine society in terms of views about national identity, the Catholic faith and its influence on Filipino's choice, and the government's issue of corruption, abuse, and discrimination, and on a larger scale, the issues related to the effect of colonization on people's lives and the cause for independence. The book **awakened** the Filipinos in the past and is still awakening the Filipinos of today, to fight for what we believe is right. We may not be the victor always in every battle but the most important is, we continue to fight until our very last breath, just like Rizal. **LESSON 24 EL FILIBUSTERISMO: THE MAJOR THEMES, PLOTS, CHARACTERS AND IDEAS** **Major Themes** ❑Focus on how to reach a social reform and revolution. ❑Focus on the inevitable revolution and whether or not the Philippines should rebel peacefully and diplomatically or violently. Plot ✓ little humor, ✓ less idealism, and ✓ less romance ✓ revolutionary and ✓ more tragic The hero of El Filibusterismo is a rich jeweler named Simoun. He was Crisostomo Ibarra of the Noli, who, with Elias' help, escaped from the pursuing soldiers at Laguna de Bay, dug up his buried treasure, and fled to Cuba where he became rich and befriended many Spanish officials. After many years he returned to the Philippines, where he freely moved around. He is a powerful figure not only because he is a rich jeweler but also because he is a good friend and adviser of the governor general. Outwardly, Simoun is a friend of Spain. However deep in his heart, he is secretly cherishing a terrible revenge against the Spanish authorities. His two magnificent obsessions are to rescue Maria Clara from the nunnery of Santa Clara and to foment a revolution against the hated Spanish masters. The Characters and Their Representation In The Society **SIMOUN-** Crisóstomo Ibarra reincarnated as a wealthy jeweler, bent on starting a revolution. Represent the portion of Filipino society which tired of the oppressor's rule wanted that rule to be overthrown at all cost, but had no systematic plan for the society, if the old is overthrown. **MARIA CLARA-** who after suffering from untold physical and spiritual abuse for at least 13 years, at last dies, can still be made to symbolize in the Fili, the friar dominated culture, which is now ripe for revolution. **BASILIO-** the medical student who, despite the extreme sufferings undergone by his family as a result of clerical perfidy and cruelty, refuses to entertain any revolution though even in the face of rampant social injustices, could be made to symbolize that segment of the educated Filipino society which has been so brutalized that it has become insensible to the social welfare. **ISAGANI-** a young student, who is inspired by high ideals for his country but at a critical moment apparently and unwittingly forget those ideals for selfish reasons, could be made to symbolize the untested and unreliable idealism of a segment of the educated Filipino youths of the time. **PAULITA GOMEZ-** the hapless object of Isagani's affection, a girl who is more free from the fetters of convention than Maria Clara, can be made to represent that portion of Filipino womanhood-still half breed like Maria Clara-which is relatively enlightened but which is itself almost thoroughly bereft of love of country and of a desire for the social good. **JULI-** innocent-looking and unaffected daughter of Cabesang Tales and sweetheart of Basilio took her own life because of her love for honor and chastity rather than surrender her womanhood to the mundane desire of Fr. Camorra. **CABESANG TALES-** a victim of land grabbing by the friars, became desperate and joined the outlaws for personal revenge. He died of fever and found no justice in the courts. **FR. FLORENTINO-** A secular Filipino priest. Pressured by his mother, he became a priest even though he was in love. After his former sweetheart married a worthless man, he devoted himself to his priestly duties and the study of natural sciences. He prefers to live alone on his family\'s remote seaside property than to maintain the position of curate, which suggests his strong character in avoiding the temptations of a prestigious position and high income. Through his words to the dying Simoun, he reaffirms Rizal\'s stance that liberation must be achieved not through bloody revolution but through peaceful reforms. **PLACIDO PINETENTE-** is another young man who has been so disillusioned by the affairs of the state he finds himself in as a student, entertains the desire to go abroad. When shown by Simoun some signs of a possible uprising, he becomes so frightened that he could not make up his mind whether to join or not to join. He persuasively could be made to symbolize those elements of Philippine society, which had not yet been infused with a national sentiment or social conscience. **DON CUSTODIO-** a typical Spanish official in the country, who occupies several positions despite the absence of qualification, believes that any idea that does not come from him deserves no consideration. As a character in the Fili, Rizal portrayed him as one who finds pleasure in developing a feeling of inferiority among the people. **BEN ZAYB-** A journalist who thinks he is the only one thinking in the Philippines **QUIROGA-** a Chinese businessman who dreamt of being a consul of a Consulate of China in the Philippines. **OLD MAN SELO-** father of Kabesang Tales. He raised the sick and young Basilio after his mother Sisa had died **FATHER FERNANDEZ-** the priest-friend of Isagani. He promised to Isagani that he and the other priests will give in to the students\' demands **PADRE SIBYLA-** Hernando de la Sibyla, a Filipino friar and now vice-rector of the University of Santo Tomas (U.S.T.) **IDEAS** The message of the novel is clear: the present system of governing the Philippines through corrupt and self-seeking officials, dominated by the friars and being submissive to their interests in one fashion or another, can only lead to disaster for Spain. **LESSON 25 PHILIPPINES: A CENTURY HENCE** **BACKGROUND** ✓The Philippines A Century Hence, came out as a series of 4 articles in the La Solidaridad from September 30, 1889 to February 1, 1890. ✓The essay was written as a forecast of the future of the country within a hundred years. Rizal felt that it was time to remind Spain that the forces and circumstances that ushered in the French and Spanish revolutions could have a telling effect for her in the Philippines. ✓Originally known as ***Filipinas Dentro de Cien Años*** **Background The essay has 4 parts (articles)** **Part I** causes of the miseries of the people **Part II** Filipino awareness on society under Spanish rule (Filipinization) **Part III** centered on the reforms and political changes **Part IV** delved on the stages that would lead the Philippines to independence **The essay presented a radical prophesy to what will happen to the Philippines through the century.** 1\. That the Philippines will remain to be a colony of Spain, but it will be in good terms, 2\. That the Philippines will try to cut the ties of our Motherland from the captors through a revolution, and 3\. That we will be colonized by another country. **The essay start by analyzing the various causes of the miseries suffered by the Filipino people:** ✓Implementation of her military policies which dramatically decreased population. ✓Deterioration and disappearance of Filipino indigenous culture ✓Passivity and submissiveness to the Spanish rule ✓Poverty becoming rampant ✓Families becoming neglected by society **Rizal believes that with all those considered time will come that the Filipino people could not further tolerate such oppression.** ✓ Keeping the people uneducated and ignorant has failed, because the Filipino has awakened a national consciousness ✓ Keeping the people impoverished has failed, because Filipinos started to explore other horizons for progress. ✓ Exterminating the people is also an alternative. However, to wipe out the nation would also require the sacrifice of Spanish soldiers. ✓ Rizal's vision in the essay became a reality in 1898. America 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, Philippines gained her long-awaited independence **History quotes taken from Philippines A Century Hence** ✓ In order to know the destiny of a people, it is necessary to open the book of its past. ✓ 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. (Hindi naitala ng kasaysayan sa mga talaan nito ang anumang pangmatagalang dominasyon ng isang tao sa isa pa, ng iba\'t ibang lahi, ng magkakaibang paggamit at kaugalian, ng magkasalungat at magkakaibang ideya. Ang isa sa dalawa ay kailangang magbunga at sumuko. ") **A quote taken from Philippines A Century Hence** ✓ The government needs a free press, the government that still dreams of prestige, that builds on mined ground... A free press will let a government know the throbs of public opinion. **LESSON 26 LOVE OF COUNTRY** **BACKGROUND** ✓Rizal was only 21 when he wrote the essay in Barcelona, Spain ✓Published on August 20, 1882 in the Diariong Tagalog in Manila ✓Translated into Tagalog by MH del Pilar ✓The first first nationalistic essay he wrote in the soil of Spain under the pseudonym Laong Laan. ✓Originally known as **El Amor Patrio** **Background key points** Loving one's country was the greatest, mot heroic and sublime or disinterested sentiment a person could have ✓Challenge the Filipinos to sacrifice for the welfare of the country ✓Filipinos must sacrifice their youth, pleasures, splendor of genius and even their life ✓Filipinos should not fear losing their lives because they are going to live their country two immense fortunes; LIBERTY and GLORY. **Selected Texts from Love of Country** *Child, we love play; adolescent, we forget it; youth we seek our ideal; disillusioned, we weep and go in quest of something more positive and more useful; parent, the children die, and time gradually erases our pain just as the air of the sea slowly effaces the shores as the boat departs from them. But, love of country can never be effaced, once it has entered the heart, because it carries the divine stamp that makes it eternal and imperishable.* *It has always been said that love is the most potent force behind the most sublime deeds; very well, of all loves, the love of country is what produced the greatest, the most heroic, the most disinterested. Read history, if not the annals, the traditions.* **love is the most potent force behind the most sublime deeds...the love of country is what produced the greatest, the most heroic, the most disinterested** It can be inferred from his words that at this point Rizal's sense of nation was now fully-formed and complete, and perhaps not by happenstance, its expression coincides with his departure from his country. **LESSON 27 LETTER TO THE YOUNG WOMEN OF MALOLOS** **Background of LETTERS TO THE YOUNG WOMEN OF MALOLOS** ✓Agroup of 20 women of Malolos petitioned Gov. Gen. Weyler to open a night school so that they may study Spanish under Teodoro Sandiko ✓Fr. Felipe Garcia objected resulting into the turning down of the petition ✓The women courageously sustained their agitation for the establishment of the said school ✓In the end, permission were granted to their project on the condition that Señorita Guadalupe Reyes should be their teacher ✓Marcelo H. del Pilar requested Rizal to write a letter commending them for their extraordinary courage ✓Written in Tagalog while Rizal was in London ✓Addresses all kinds of women-- mothers, wives, the unmarried men and women. **LETTER TO THE YOUNG WOMEN OF MALOLOS** Now that you have responded to our vehement clamor for public welfare; now that you have shown a good example to fellow young women, who, like you, desire to have their eyes opened and to be lifted from their prostration, our hope is roused, now we are confident of victory. The Filipino woman no longer bows her heads and bends her knees; her hope in the future is revived; gone is the mother who helps t keep her daughter in the dark, who educates her in self-contempt and moral annihilation. It is no longer the highest wisdom to bow the head to every unjust order, the highest goodness to smile at an insult, to seek solace in humble tears, etc.... **MESSAGE TO FILIPINO WOMEN** ✓ultimate desire was to afford Filipino women with the same opportunities enjoyed by men in education ✓education-that will liberate women ✓emphasizes on freedom of thought and the right to education ✓emphasized the need of maintaining the independence of mind and reason with the attendant strengthening the will ✓urged women to be vigilant over their rights and not to be docile and passive in their attitude towards the many injustices forced upon them **RESPONSIBILITIES OF FILIPINO MOTHERS TO THEIR CHILDREN** ✓Whatever the mother shows to her children is what the children will also become. ✓Raise children close to the image of God ✓Awaken and prepare the mind of the child for every good and desirable idea ✓Teach children to prefer death with honor to life ✓Educate the children on the ff: love for honor, love for one's fellowmen and respect for God ✓Educate children on what is good, what is true and what is noble QUALITIES MOTHERS HAVE TO POSSESS Rizal enumerates the qualities Filipino mothers have to possess: ✓Be anoble wife. ✓Rear her children in the service of the state-- here Rizal gives reference to the women of Sparta who embody this quality ✓Set standards of behavior for men around her ADVICE TO UNMARRIED MEN AND WOMEN ✓Young men should not consider physical beauty nor the sweetness of disposition of a woman but rather give priority to firmness of character and lofty ideas ✓Young women should not surrender their womanhood to a weak and timid heart 3 Things young woman must look for a mashies going to marry ✓A noble and honored name ✓A manly heart ✓A high spirit incapable of being satisfied with engendering slaves. **Rizal's Reminders on Equality, Self-respect and True Spirit of Religion (the last part of the letter)** 1\) The tyranny of some is possible only through cowardice and negligence on the part of others. 2\) What makes one contemptible is lack of dignity and abject fear of one who holds one in contempt. 3\) Ignorance is servitude, because as a man thinks, so he is; a man who does not think for himself and allows himself to be guided by thought of another is like a beast led by a halter. 4\) He who loves his independence must first aid his fellowman, because he who refuses protection to others will find himself without it. 5\) If the Filipina will not change her mode of being, let her rear no more children, let her merely giver birth to them. She must cease to be the mistress of the home; otherwise, she will unconsciously betray husband, child, native land and all. 6\) All men are born equal, naked, without bonds. God did not create man to be a slave; nor did he endow him with intelligence to have him hoodwinked or adorn him with reason to have him deceived by others. 7\) Consider well what kind of religion they are teaching you. See whether it is the will of God or according to the teachings of Christ that the poor be succored and those who suffer alleviated. **To the Women of Malolos" centers around five salient points (Zaide &Zaide, 1999)** 1\) should teach their children love of God, country and fellowmen. 2\) should be glad and honored, like Spartan mothers, to offer their sons in defense of their country. 3\) should knowhowto protect their dignity and honor. 4\) should educate themselves aside from retaining their good racial values. 5\) Faith is not merely reciting prayers and wearing religious pictures. It is living the real Christian way with good morals and manners **LESSON 28 THE INDOLENCE OF THE FILIPINOS** **BACKGROUND** ✓the longest essay written by Rizal ✓published in 5 installments in the La Solidaridad from July 15- September 15, 1890 ✓the most important analytical study made by Rizal about the Philippine society during the Spanish regime ✓this essay represents his defense of the Filipinos from the charge that they were inherently lazy or indolent **Background key points** According to Rizal, whenever something goes wrong in the Philippines, there is a tendency to blame the Filipinos. On this basis, he tried to analyze the **social** and **political** conditions of the time to prove that indolence was the cause rather than the effect of backwardness in the country. While Rizal colleagues were on the opinion that indolence was non-existent in the country, Rizal believed otherwise. For him, indolence which was he defined as inactiveness, little love for work, or complete disregard for work, had become a way of life for may Filipinos. **Rizal's thesis in this essay was simple:** That Filipinos were not born lazy but had predisposition to become lazy. Acknowledging the tendency for the Filipinos to become indolent due to in part to the tropical climate, Rizal noted that it was the European, surrounded by servants, who was the paragon of laziness in the tropics. People in the tropics are expected to work less. Hot climate, however, was compensated by the fertility of the soil. As a consequence, the peasants did not have to work hard to insure good crops. Recognizing its existence, Rizal sought to look for the causes. The accounts of early Spanish chroniclers like Morga, San Agustin and Colin clearly showed that Pre-Spanish Filipinos were noted for their activity and honesty. Consequently, industry, manufacturing, mining and commerce flourished among the people. The social malady was thus, not something inborn of hereditary. What, therefore, led to the collapse of this natural willingness of the Filipinos to work? The deterioration of the industry of the Filipinos can be attributed to 2 sets of factors: **those attributable to the Spanish colonizers;** and **those attributable to the Filipinos' own faults**. What, therefore, were the factors that fostered indolence attributable to the Spanish colonizers? **Factors of the Indolence of the Filipinos (attributable to Spanish colonizers)** **1. Wars and Internal disorders that followed Spanish Conquest.** Thousands of Filipinos were drafted as archers and rowers to repel the Dutch and Portuguese. Many were not able to return to the islands, thus reducing the number of potential farmers, fishermen and laborers. **2. Piratical Attacks on Coastal Towns and Villages by Muslim Raiders.** These attacks, instigated and encouraged by the government further reduced the number of inhabitants on coastal towns and villages. As a consequence, people lost their interest as the frightful raids by the Muslims had deprived them the fruits of their labor. **3. Forced Labor in Shipbuilding.** Because the Filipinos were required to render forced labor in the cutting of timber for the constructions of galleons and to man ships going to Acapulco, they were hindered from cultivating their own fertile lands. Consequently, very few were left to till the fields. **4. Government's Neglect and Apathy to Agriculture, Industry and Commerce.** There was no encouragement for the manufacturer or the farmer. It did not give aid when the harvest was poor, or when typhoon destroyed the wealth of the land, nor did it seek a market for the products of the colony. Only Galleon Trade was permitted, resulting into the isolation of the colony from its previous trading partners in Southeast Asia. **5. Absence of Material and Moral Incentives to Work Harder.** Man work for a purpose; remove the purpose and you reduce him to inaction. Since Filipinos were aware that their work can cause them trouble and that only others will reap benefits from their exertion of effort, they lose interest to work. **6. The Teaching of the Spanish Missionaries that Heaven is for the Poor.** The Filipinos preferred not to work hard and remain poor so that they could enter heaven easily the moment they die. **7. Too Much Government Restrictions and Red Tape in the Approval of Permit to Transact Business.** Native enterprises practically disappeared as a consequence of too many restrictions in the approval of permits in engaging in business. **8. Encouragement and Propagation of Gambling.** Government's encouragement and propagation of gambling bred dislike for steady and difficult work due to tis promise of easy money **9. Ownership of the Big Estates by the Friars.** Since the religious corporations controlled the best tracts of lands in some provinces, manytowns did not prosper despite the efforts of their inhabitants. **10. Example Set by the Spaniards in Disdaining Manual Labor.** Dislike for manual labor reinforced by the practice of surrounding themselves by the servants created among the Filipinos the desire to equal the Spaniards in their manners. In effect, this led to creation of an aversion and hatred of manual work. **11. Deprivation of Human Rights.** The education of the Filipinos from birth to death was brutalizing, depressing, and anti-human. For 5 or 10 years the youth comes in contact with books chosen by the same priest who boldly declare that it is an evil for Filipinos to know Castillan, that the Filipinos should not be separated from his carabao and that he should not have any further ambition. Spanish education system, therefore, failed in promoting economic enterprise and activity. **Factors of the Indolence of the Filipinos (attributable to the Filipinos themselves)** **1. Feeling of inferiority.** paralyzed all tendencies towards advancement and developed in them the idea of giving up without fighting and or exerting effort **2. Placing Hopes on Miracles.** Nurtured with the stories of anchorites who lead a contemplative and lazy life, the Filipinos spent their giving money to the Church in the hope of miracles and wonderful things. **3. Lack of Spirit to Pursue Lofty Purposes.** As their mind had been conditioned that they belong to an inferior race and that they should not aspire to be greater than the curate, Filipinos sealed and shaped their actions to be in conformity with the most pernicious routines not based on reason but imposed and forced. **4. Lack of National Sentiment.** absence of any initiative that will redound to the welfare of the country For Rizal, a man in the Philippines is only an individual; he is not a member of a nation. **Factors of the Indolence of the Filipinos** **The solution, according to Rizal, would be EDUCATION and LIBERTY.** **LESSON 29 & 30 JOSE RIZAL: PHILIPPINE NATIONALISM NATIONAL SYMBOL BAYANI AT KABAYANIHAN** **DEFINITION OF BAYANI** A bayani is one that humbly recognizes the interest of what is bigger that the individual, like the group, the community, the nation, humanity and the environment. **BAYANI AND KABAYANIHAN** The bayani acts with the collective and with their common concern in mind. In line with this, bayanihan can be considered as a form of active heroism (kabayanihan) of an individual or a group of people by helping others without expecting anything in return. **FILIPINO NATIONALISM** Filipino nationalism refers to the awakening and support of a political identity associated with modern Philippines leading to a wide-ranging campaign for political, social, and economic freedom in the Philippines. This gradually emerged out of various political and armed movements throughout most of the Spanish East Indies---but which has long been fragmented and inconsistent with contemporary definitions of such nationalism---as a consequence of more than three centuries of Spanish rule. These movements are characterized by the upsurge of anti colonialist sentiments and ideals which peaked in the late 19th century led mostly by the ilustrado or landed, educated elites, whether peninsulares, insulares, or native (Indio). This served as the backbone of the first nationalist revolution in Asia, the Philippine Revolution of 1896. --Nick Joaquin During Marcos' presidency, he tasked the National Heroes Commission to come up with the criteria for national hero. On March 28, 1993, thru the President's Executive Order No. 75, the National Heroes Committee was created, commissioned to study, evaluate and recommend historical figures to be declared as national heroes. The Committee composed of worthy members, with a series of discussions came up with the new criteria. **THE GATES TO HEROISM: DEFINING A FILIPINO HERO by Diana A. Galang National Historical Commission of the Philippines** Dr. Esteban de Ocampo, a known historian, stated in his book about Rizal that a hero means a prominent or central personage taking an admirable part in any remarkable action or event; a person of distinguished valor or enterprise in danger, or fortitude in suffering; and a man honored after death by public worship because of exceptional service to mankind. **THE GATES TO HEROISM: DEFINING A FILIPINO HERO** The true heroes of Philippine history deserve to be called so for they didn't have any idea that one day they will be measured up, they just acted upon their principles. **NATIONAL SYMBOLS** National symbols intend to unite people by creating visual, verbal, or iconic representations of the national people, values, goals, or history. These symbols are often rallied around as part of celebrations of patriotism or aspiring nationalism (such as independence, autonomy or separation movements) and are -- in theory -- designed to be inclusive and representative of all the people of the national community. **RIZAL AS A NATIONAL SYMBOL** Dr. Rizal has been ranked by his biographers, both Filipinos and foreigners, as one of the great intellectual leaders of Asia- de Ocampo His death was a statement of courage, not fear; love of country, not shame; pride of honor, not sedition---the big catharsis that made Filipinos one people in one nation, bringing dishonor to Spain's colonial rule.- Ordoñez While we Filipinos commemorate the birth of our national heroes, Rizal Day is a commemoration on his heroic death. (Jose Rizal, Graciano Lopez Jaena, MH del Pilar, Antonio Luna and other propagandists in Europe) They were serious-minded young men whose faith in their country was boundless, whose idealism in a corrupt age made them think of the welfare of their country first and their personal welfare last. -Agoncillo