THE CONTEXT OF THE RIZAL BILL

           
The postwar period witnessed a Philippines beset by difficulties and problems.
With a country torn and tired by the stresses of World War II, the people and
government placed an utmost concern on getting back on their feet.
            As the Philippines faced numerous challenges, most notably the call for nation-
building, prominent nationalists took action. They pursued government policies aimed at
instilling patriotism and love for country in the Filipino people's hearts and minds. These
individuals drew inspiration from the Philippine experience of the revolution for
independence against Spain and from the heroes of that formative era in the country's
history.
            One of the measures sought was the passage of Republic Act No. 1425,
commonly referred to as the Rizal Law, which was primarily intended to address “a
need for re-dedication to the ideals of freedom and nationalism for which our heroes
lived and died”. The law was met with fierce opposition in both the Senate and the
House of Representatives during its passage.
 

The Rizal Law: Why Students are Required to Study the Life
of Rizal and His Works?
           The Rizal course was created as an act of Congress of the Republic of the Philippines
through Republic Act No. 1425 on June 12, 1956. This was approved during the time of
President Ramon Magsaysay. The actual title of the law is "An Act to Include in the Curricula of
All Public and Private Schools, Colleges, and Universities Courses on the Life, works, writings
of Jose Rizal, Particularly his Novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, Authorizing the
Printing and Distribution Thereof, and for Other Purposes."
          Here is the entirety and content of the said law.
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1425
AN ACT TO INCLUDE IN THE CURRICULA OF ALL PUBLIC AND PRIVATE
SCHOOLS, COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
COURSES ON THE LIFE, WORKS AND WRITINGS OF JOSE RIZAL,
PARTICULARLY HIS NOVELS NOLI ME TANGERE
AND EL FILIBUSTERISMO, AUTHORIZING THE PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION
THEREOF, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
WHEREAS
today, more man any o.ner penco or our nis.or, there is a need for a re-oec cabon to me
iceds or freedom ano
navonalismyor which our heroes lived and died,
WHaREAStis met that in honorna them paricrary the natonal nerp ano patnpti losp
Roaiw remamher wih srecial
fondness and ravton theit ines ano worxs that have shaped the nabonal characte
WHEREAS, the fle, works and writing of Jose Rizal, particularly his novels Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo, aro a constant
and inspiring source of patriotism with which the minds of the youth, especially during
their formative and decisive years in school,
should be suffused;
WHEREAS A
educational institutions are under the supervision of, and subject to requlation by the
State, and all schools are
enjoined to deve oo moral charader, personal disc line, chic conscence and to leach the
cubes of cuzenship, now, therefore,
SECTION 1. Courses on the lie, works and writings of Jose Rizal, particularly his novel
Noli Me Tangere and El Filbusterismo,
shall be indured in the curricula da echos. en
sons and universities, public or private: Provided, That in the collegiate courses,
the original or unexpurgated editions of the Noli Me Tangere and El Fibusterismo or
their English translation shall be used as
I he board of Natonal educaton is hereby authonzed and directed to adoot forthwin
measures to implement and carry out the
provisions of this Section, including the writing and printing of appropriate primers,
readers and textbooks. The Board shall, within
sixty (60) days from the effectivity of this Act, promulgate rules and regulations,
including those of a disciplinary nature, to carry out
and enforce the provisions of this Act. The Board shall promulgate rules and regulations
providing for the exemption of students for
reasons of re cous bellet stated in a swom written statement. from the requirement of
the orovision contained in the second oart
of the first paragraph of this section; but not from taking the course provided for in the
first part of said paragraph. Said rules and
regulations shall take effect thirty (30) days after their publication in the Official Gazette
SECTION 2. It shal
I be obalor on al schools, co eces and unwersibes fo keeo in the branes an adequate
number of copies
of the choinal and unexpurga.ed edibons of the oll we langere and el rioustensmo, as
well as of kears omer works anc
biography. The said unexpurgated editions of the No Me Tangere and El Flibusterismo
or their translations in English as well as
other writinas of Rizal shal be included in the list of approved books for required reading
in all public or private schools, colleges
and universities.
The Board of National Education shall determine the adequacy of the number of books,
depending upon the enrollment of the
school, cologe on unvers.y.
SECTION 3. The Board of National Education shal cause the translation of the Noli Me
Tangere and El Flibustensmo, as well as
Baro Councls throughout the country
SECTION
4. Nothing in this Act shall be construed as amendment or repealing section nine
hundred twenty-seven of the
Admins falve Code, prohibbng the discusson of re cous docines ov cub ic
schoolleachers and other person engaged in anv
public school.
SEcTIONS. The sum of three hurred thousand nosos is herphy authorized in he
annonnaten out of any find not niherwise
goproonaled in the Na
tonal Treasury to carry out the purposes of this Act
SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect woon is
Aooroved: June 12. 1850
Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 52, No. 6, p. 2971 in June 1956.

The Story of Rizal Law

          Every law in the republican system of government begin as a bill. In 1955, legislators filed
a bill upon seeing the need to promote nationalism and patriotism specially among the youths.
The original bill was filed by Sen. Claro M. Recto and it was sponsored by Sen. Jose P. Laurel.
The intent of the law was to promote patriotism and nationalism so the senators saw no problem
in legislating it.
          However, upon its introduction in the legislature, the Rizal bill encountered formidable
opposition. The Catholic church and its allies in Congress and the media were the primary
source of opposition regarding the legislation of the said bill. The original bill that would
eventually become the Rizal Law (R.A. 1425) was filed by the Committee on Education in the
Philippine Senate (Sen. Jose P. Laurel being the chairman at that time) as Senate Bill 438 on
April 1956.
          The original bill stipulated the mandatory study of Rizal's life and works especially his two
novels (Noli and El Fili) for all college and university students. After its introduction in the
Senate, the original Rizal Bill was called as "an attack on the church". The opponents said that
the novels painted a negative image of the Catholic Church and these contain messages that
are not suited to the present time.
 

The Supporters and Oppositions of Rizal Bill

          Majority of those people who took a stand against the passage of the Rizal bill was from
the church and their powerful allies in the Senate and Congress (Sen. Francisco "Soc" Rodrigo
and Congressman Miguel Cuenco). There were also catholic organizations that joined the
opposition such as Accion Catolico (Catholic Action), who were composed of conservative
Catholics: the Knights of Columbus, the Congregation of the Mission and the Catholic Teacher's
Guild.
Central argument of the opponents of the Rizal Bill was it forced young students to read Rizal's
work which had religious overtones. According to those who were against the bill, it would be a
violation of constitutional freedom of religion and the freedom of conscience. In one event
denouncing the Rizal Bill, one speaker named Fr. Jesus Cavanna said that "Rizal's novel
painted a false picture of the conditions of the country in the 19th century". Fr. Cavanna added
that the novels required for reading as stipulated in the Rizal Bill contained more anti-Church
statements rather than nationalistic statements. Fr. Cavanna pointed out that in Noli Me
Tangere displayed 120 anti-Catholic statements compared to only 25 nationalistic statements.
          Another commentator Jesus Paredes said that the novels contained objectionable
material and the Catholics have a right not to read them in order not to endanger their faith.
Opposition to the Rizal Bill escalted as the priests and bishops preached againts the Rizal Bill
during masses. The Archbishop of Manila Rufino Santos came out with a pastoral letter warning
about the dissatisfaction of the youth on the church if the Rizal Bill was approved.
          In the Senate, Senator Rodrigo who held the presidency of the Accion Catolico
denounced the Rizal Bill. He said that he would read Rizal's novels because his faith in the
Catholic Church is strong but he would not allow his teenaged son to read the Noli and El Fili
because they could harm his faith.
          In the House of Representatives, Congressman Miguel Cuenco led the opposition to the
Rizal Bill. In his privilege speech, he said that many of the anti-Catholic passages found on
Rizal's novels were against the holy sacraments and disparages devotion to the Virgin Mary, the
Saints, the use of scapulars, saying of rosaries, novenas, and indulged prayers.
         While there were opponents of the Rizal Bill, it also had its supporters. These include
groups such as the Veteranos de la Revolucion Filipina (composed of war veterans), the Alagad
ni Rizal, The Knights of the Grand Ordeal, and the Freemasons. Mayor of Manila at that time,
Arsenio Lacson, was another prominent supporter of the bill. While attending the mass, he
walked out of the church when the priest begun reading a circular from Archbishop Santos
denouncing the bill.
          Within the Catholic Church, the lone voice which supported the Rizal Bill was a Jesuit
scholar and historian Fr. Horacio de la Costa S.J. He said that Rizal's works only exposed
abuses within the Church and added that the abuses were committed by individual clergy and
should not be treated as reflective of the entire clergy.
          Due to apparently never-ending debate on the Rizal Bill, approved amendments were
formulated through ideas of three senators. Senator Laurel’ created an amendment to the
original bill in which, other than Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, works written by Rizal
and works written by others about Rizal would be included and reading of the unexpurgated
revision of the two novels would no longer be compulsory to elementary and secondary levels
but would be strictly observed to college level. Senator Roseller Lim suggested the exemption to
those students who feel that reading Rizal’s novels would negatively affect his or her faith.
Senator Primicias created an additional amendment that promulgates the rules and regulations
in getting an exemption only from reading the two novels through written statement or affidavit
and not from taking the Rizal Course. According to historian Ambeth Ocampo, no student has
ever availed of this exemption. After the revised amendments, the bill was finally passed on May
17, 1956 and was signed into law as Republic Act 1425 by President Ramon Magsaysay on
June 12 of the same year. 
          Though it was passed more than 50 years ago, it had no implementing rules and
regulations until the National Historical Institute then, now National Historical Commission of the
Philippines provided them in 2001, Republic Act No. 1425.
 
 
   

 
  
UNVEILING THE VARIOUS ECONOMIC, SOCIAL
AND POLITICAL CHANGES THE 19TH CENTURY
FOCUSING ON RIZAL’S VIEWS AND
EXPERIENCES
 1. OPENING OF THE SUEZ CANAL
Previously, Spain governed the Philippines from Mexico. The Spanish Crown assumed
direct control and administration of the Philippines from Madrid. This became more
convenient with the opening of the Suez Canal and the invention of steam ships, which
reduced the travel time from Spain to the country to 30 days.
RISE OF THE EXPORT CROP ECONOMY

The majority of Spaniards in the Philippines were involved in maritime trading between Manila and
Mexico during the Galleon Trade. Exploitation of the Philippines' natural resources and the development
of an export crop economy were phenomena of the nineteenth century, not of the Spanish rule’s early
period.
 1. MONOPOLIES
Monopoly contracting was another significant source of wealth during the post-
galleon era. After 1850, for the first time, government monopoly contracts for the
collection of various revenues were opened to foreigners. The Chinese instantly took
advantage of this commercial opportunity immediately and dominated monopoly
contracting in the Philippines for the rest of the ninth century.
THE SOCIAL BACKGROUND

Concerning the social picture of the 19th century Philippines, at least three topics are need to be
discussed: (a) education; (b) the rise of Chinese Mestizo; and (c) the rise of the Inquilinos.
THE RISE OF CHINESE MESTIZO

The sectors that greatly benefited from the changing economy were the Chinese and the
Chinese mestizos. Since pre-colonial times, the natives of the Philippine had trade relations with
the Chinese. During the height of the Galleon Trade, it was also Chinese products that
comprised most of the goods being traded.
1. THE RISE OF INQUILINOS
The term inquilino, at least in modern Spanish, has the same meaning as the English word "tenant". In
the context of the 19th century inquilino system in the Philippines, the term refers to a qualified system
of tenancy or the right to use land in exchange for rent.

As previously stated, the end of the Galleon Trade and the opening of the Suez Canal enabled more
intensive rice cultivation and crop production, including sugar cane and tobacco. As a result, many
estates gradually adopted the inquilino system of land tenure.
 THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE
      The so-called political influences that shaped the nineteenth-century Philippines
disproportionately impacted the locals, particularly Jose Rizal. Among these political
influences, the following are noteworthy: (a) Liberalism; (b) the Bourbon Reforms'
impact; and (c) the Cadiz Constitution.
 
LIBERALISM

Liberalism is a worldview founded on principles of freedom and equality. It encompasses a diverse range
of political ideologies that consider individual liberty to be the most significant political goal, and
underscore individual rights and opportunity of equality. Liberals generally believe that government is
necessary to protect individuals from abuse by others, but they also recognize that government can
pose a threat to liberty.
 CADIZ CONSTITUTION

In March 1812, during Napoleon's occupation of Spain, a liberal constitution was

promulgated in Cadiz. The Cadiz Constitution, drafted by elected representatives, was
implemented in almost all areas of the Hispanic Monarchy that remained under the
Spanish crown's control. The milestone constitution influenced numerous other
European constitutions, as well as the post-independence American states.
 IMPACTS OF THE EVENTS THAT OCCURRED
DURING THE 19TH CENTURY
It is a widely accepted principle in various social sciences that we see an
individual's life through the lens of his or her society, and society through the lens of an
individual's life. This is precisely why the nineteenth-century Philippines is discussed
here as Rizal's society as a prelude to studying the hero's life and works.

However, one distinguishing feature of Rizal is that he does not only

possess valuable knowledge about his society but also a mentality that enabled him to
apply the information in such a way that he could think about what was happening in the
world and what might be happening within himself.
 
ECONOMIC CONTEXT
 
End of Galleon Trade
Opening of the Suez Canal
Rise of the Export Crop Economy

Monopolies
THE SOCIAL BACKGROUND
Education in the 19th Century

The Rise of Chinese Mestizo

The Rise of Inquilinos
POLITICAL LANDSCAPE
Bourbon Reforms

Cadiz Constitution

GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONALISM

 Nationalism is a sense of loyalty or psychological attachment members of a nation share,
based on a common language, history, culture, and desire for independence
 A feeling that drives a people together as a nation.
 Love of country expressed in devotion to and advocacy of national interest and
independence.
 However the development of nationalism in the Philippines was very slow.
 Loyalty to the nation began only after the unjust execution of fathers Gomez, Burgos
and Zamora on February 17, 1872

 The rise and spread of liberalism and democracy was actually a consequence of the growth
and development of nationalism.
 The principal ideas of liberalism – liberty and equality- where first realized successfully in
the American revolution and then achieved in the part of French revolution
 Liberalism demanded representative government as opposed to autocratic monarchy,
equality before the laws as opposed to autocratic monarchy, equality before the law as
opposed to legally separate classes
 The idea of liberty also meant specific individual freedoms, freedom of the press; freedom
of speech; freedom of assembly; and freedom from arbitrary arrest.
 Democracy was non-existent in the Philippines in the 19th century.
 The ecclesiastical and civil authorities then were not inclined to grant basic human rights to
the Filipinos, as it will be detrimental to Spain’s colonial administration of the Philippines.

Industrial Revolution
 Refers to the transformation of manufacturing brought about by the invention and use of
machines.
 This development started in England and later on spread into the Belgium, France,
Germany, and even the United States.

Positive effects of industrialism

1. The rise of the factory system
2. Mass production of essential and non essential goods
3. Improvement of people’s standard of living
4. Greater urbanization of society
5. Beginnings of specialization or division of labor
6. Invention of labor saving devices
7. Beginnings of industrial capitalism
8. Fostering of liberalism and nationalism
9. Encouragement of mobility

To solve the evils created by the industrial system different measure were proposed:
 For the Liberals, laissez-faire(free market capitalism) policy has to be sustained
 The socialists assert that the government has to control vital industries and resources
 The communists suggest that all factors of production be owned and controlled by the
government.

THE CHALLENGES AND RESPONSES OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY

NINETEENTH CENTURY
 Era of challenges and responses
 A period of major changes which affected men and society

6 IMPORTANT CHANGES IN THE 19TH CENTU RY

 Struggle for nationalism
 Gradual spread of democracy
 Modernization of living through the Industrial Revolution
 Advance of Science
 March of Imperialism
 New Current in the movement of thought and growing confidence on progress

NATIONS STRUGGLE FOR NATIONALISM

 A feeling of oneness by a group of people wo believe that they possess common

traditions, culture and common ideals or goals.

 American Revolution (1775-1783) - Independence from Great Britain

 French Revolution (1779-1789) - Overthrowing of absolutism

HOW TO RUN THE GOVERNMENT?

Country should be free from domination and that a country should enjoy liberty, equality and
opportunity
In the “good old days” when monarchs and kings ruled over the subjects

 Greece became independent nation from the Turks on 1830.

 Norwegians won their freedom from Swedes in 1905.
 Italy became a free and united nation through the work of Camillo Cavour, Joseph Mazzini
and Joseph Garibaldi in 1861.
 Germany was united led by Iron Chancellor Otto von Bismarck who adopted the policy of
“blood and iron” in 1871.

 Simon Bolivar “The Liberator” (Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia and part of Peru)
 Jose San Martin “The Liberator” (Argentina, Chile and part of Peru)

MEN FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY

Political ideas of the nineteenth century

EFFECTS OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION ARE MULTIFARIOUS

 Series of changes in the industry:
  From hand work to machine work
 Domestic system to the factory system
 BEGAN IN ENGLAND IN 1760

Manufacturing
 Spinning jenny
 Spinning frame
 Spinning shuttle
 Cotton gin
 Sewing machine

Transportation
 Steam boats
 Steam locomotives
 Airplanes
 Automobiles
 Balloons

Communication
 Telephone
 Telegraph
 Wireless telegraphy
 Cable
 Postal service
 Newspapers

 Establishment of factories
 Employment of thousands of workers
 Large scale production of manufacturing goods
 Commodities became cheaper
 Towns and cities grew
 Improved standard of living
 Division of labor practiced (capitalists and laborers)
 Increase in population
 Advances in medical knowledge and public hygiene
 Opening of more lands for cultivation
 and commercialization
 Increase in national income
 Encouraged migration

RESPONSES TO THE GROWING SOCIAL PROBLEMS CREATED BY THE INDUSTRIAL

REVOLUTION
LIBERALS
 Adopted the laissez-faire policy to stimulate the growth of factories
 Allow everybody to expand as much as he wished in his individual enterprises
 Industrialists became powerful and rich
 Working men became poorer
 Unemployment and misery resulted

SOCIALISTS
 Government should own and manage the means of production
 Benefit of all and not only for a few individuals
 As long as the capitalists controlled the economic life of people, no democracy
 Claude Henri, Francois Fourier and Robert Owen

COMMUNISTS
 Authored Communist Manifesto
 Earliest socialists that reforms could be achieved gradually and peacefully through normal
political methods and with compensation for the private owners
 Only a violent revolution could improved the lot of workingmen
 Advocated
 abolition of private property in land
 centralization of all means of production in the hands of the state
 abolition of all rights of inheritance
 Confiscation of the property of emigrants and rebels
 Universal and equal obligation of work

CATHOLICISM
 Pope Leo XIII in Reform Novarum (The Conditions of Labor)
 Rights must be religiously respected
 Duty of public authority to prevent and punish injury
 Poor and helpless have special consideration upon questioning its rights
 State has the right to regulate the use of private property and to protect it
 Workers have the right to form unions

SCIENCE BECOMES THE SERVANT OF MAN

Soul of the Nineteenth century

MODERN IMPERIALISM STARTS A PROCESS OF HISTORIC CHANGE

 Activity of a nation in extending its control and authority beyond its territorial boundaries
through the acquisition of new territories
 Purpose of securing rea materials, markets for manufactured products, additional food
supplies, outlets for surplus population and fields for investment of surplus capital
GROWING CONFIDENCE ON PROGRESS INSPIRES OPTIMISM
Man made considerable progress in various fields
 Democracy
 Education
 Science
 Public Health
 Literature
 Music
 Art

“ The divine flame of thought is inextinguishable among Filipino people and in some way or
another it has to shine and make it known. It is not possible to brutalize the inhabitants of the
Philippines.”

QUESTIONS TO LIVE BY
 Why is nationalism a desirable national goal?
 Why is industrialism a continuing concern of society?
 Do you agree with Rizal’s point of view that the pursuit of science is an ideal of
 man? Why?

EXAMINING RIZAL’S HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL CONTEXT

THE 19TH CENTURY: THE CENTURY OF RIZAL, THE AGE OF THE COMMERCIAL AND
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTIONS
 The 19th century was the century of Rizal. 19th century was the period of the industrial
revolution, which was fueled by a commercial revolution. As the European nations
developed a desire for foreign good, these goods are including coffee, chocolate, cane
sugar, cotton and tobacco.
 And there was Philippines commodity, which was found ideal for making ropes. This
material was the abaca fiber. Unlike the original materials used for making ropes, the abaca
found to be more durable and resistant to seawater. Since it was exported from manila
abaca known as Manila hemp.
 The onset of commercial revolutions spelled the death knell of monopolies as businessmen
demanded access to markets. Corruption and inefficiency eventually led to abolition of
state monopolies and anybody wishing to engage in international trade may enter the
business. This led to laissez faire economy where there were no more government controls
and prices were dictated by supply and demand.
 The Real Compania de Filipinas, which was abolished in 1834. That year, Manila was
opened to foreign trade. This opening led to the establishment of various trading houses in
the city.

Mercantilism
 Wealth is based on the stock of gold and silver
Laissez faire
 Let alone policy
 Non interference of the govt in the conduct of trade

 With the demand for Philippine agricultural goods, anybody with the entrepreneurial
acumen can engage in trades. Usually big land owners lease their lands to primary tenants
called inquilinos. These inquilinos sublease the lands to sharecroppers or tenants known as
kasamas. It is these kasamas who do the actual cultivation of the fields.
 There is a dark side in the commercial revolution in the Philippines and the conversion of
the economy from entrepot to cash crop economy. As there is a demand for agricultural
goods, more lands had to be opened for cultivation. There were many cases farmers were
driven off their lands because they could not anymore afford to pay the rent.
 Another dark aspect in the commercial revolution would be the increasing gap between the
rich and the poor. Families of former native royalty their economic rise became possible
because of the swet and toil of the sharecroppers who did the actual cultivation of the fields,
poor tenants either had to bear the burden of sharecropping system and the taxes and
levies of the government.

CHANGE IN POLITICAL THINKING

 19th century was also a century of political change
 In the late 18th century people discovered that state sovereignty did not come from God.
 French noble De Montesquieu & Englishman John Locke
 Contract Social
 Philosophes Jean Jacques Rossueau, Locke even Amenricans like Benjamin Franklin and
Thomas Jefferson
 Right to free speech, expression, the right to be unhindered in thinking, freedom of religion,
assembly.
 These rights eventually boiled down to three words. Libert’e, Egalit’e, Fraternite’e
 The establishment of Napoleon’s Empire 1804

THE SPANISH EMPIRE IN RIZAL’S TIME

 During the 19th century the Philippines was one of the last large colonies of Spain that was
left the independence of its Latin American colonies. Spain was in decline as a world power
and it was weakened by its wars of Latin American independence. It tried to recover Chile
during the time of Isabella II but failed.
 The Spanish colonies in the America began to declare independence. By 1825 Latin
American from Mexico to Argentina was freed from Spain rule
 Communication with Spain became faster with the invention of the telegraph in the 1840s.
 Government became more accountable to the people as they had representative in the
parliament.

THE RISE OF MIDDLE CLASS

 After manila, the ports of Iloilo in the Visayas, Sual in Pangasinan and Zamboanga in
Mindanao were opened to world trade the beneficiaries of the new economic order were the
traders and inquilinos as brisk trade in agricultural products brought new wealth
 The bahay na bato
 The embroidered shirt or barong na tagalog rendered in fine jusi and pina fibers
 The headgear adorned with silver
 The house of the new rich had azoteas and balconies
 Women wore sapatillas adorned with real diamonds
 The boys can enroll Colegio y Seminario de San Juan de Letran while the girls can study at
the Colegio de Santa Isabel or La Concordaria College.

OBSTACLE OF THE MIDDLE CLASS: LIMPEIZA DE SANGRE

 Though economic affluence may improve the indio and mestizo’s standing Philippine
society some areas are still off limits to them..
 The only way the indios and mestizos can advance was through business. The Spanish
adherence to the Limpieza de Sangre (Purity of Blood) left some office sand positions off
limits to Indios and mestizos no matter how well they did in improving their economic and
social status.
 Despite their advancement in wealth and educational attainment the native and mestisoz
were looked down by the full-blooded Spaniards who were either Peninsulares or Spaniards
born in colonies.
 The officials are elected every two years at the village level were the cabezas or barrio
chiefs who did not receives salaries.
 The Philippines was an Anglo-America_Chinese colony under a Spanish Flag. The
mestisoz and the indio were still in the veneer of the society. 
  
1.Peninsulares
2. Insulares (born in colony)
3. Mestizo
4.Indios (middle class) (gobernadorcillo)

THE INTELLECTUAL SHIFT: FROM RELIGION TO SCIENCE

 The Age of Enlightenment of the earlier 18th century which gave birth to a scientific
revolutiongave emphasis to science rather than religion.
 Late Middle Age when Francis Bacon came out with his scientific method.
 Scientia or knowledge should be gained through a systematic method and the results
should be empirical and can be replicated
 Freemasonry is a brotherhood that was established on the principles of equality among
it’s member and it encouraged free speech and thought.
 Isaac Newton challenged the religious teaching of the church and scientist like Charles
Darwin contradicted the biblical version of creation.
 A new movement called secularism threatens to remove it from the center of human
society.
 Freemasonry was introducd to the Philippines by the Europeans.
POLITICAL CHANGE IN SPAIN
 Spain was very much affected by the upheavals from neighboring France. When Napoleon
became the ruler of France Spain became part of the Continental System, which tried to
starve out its enemy Great Britain through a trade of embargo.
 Fernidand
 El Desaedo (the Desired One).
 Guerrilla
 Some of the Spanish patriots were liberal and believed that power should be shared with
the people and that the government must follow a basic law that is approved by the people.
 Constitution of Cadiz in 1812
 El Rey Traidor ( The Traitor King)
 Queen Isabella II

THE SOBERANIA MONACAL-MONASTIC SUPREMACY IN THE PHILIPPINES

 The priests and friars came to the Philippines as missionaries.
 A friar is a religious person belonging to the friar orders
 They began to take advantage and brutalize the people
 Towns of Miang-ao and Oton
 Fr. Francisco Gainza,O.P.
 Marcelo H. Del Pilar
 Frailocracy
 Dominican protested vehemently arguing that this would put into wate centuries of their
work in the islands
 King Amadeo de Savoy declare spain as ungovernable
 New Colleges were added such as the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy which was
established in 1871
 Church also had a great influence in the islands
 TheCatholic Church owned lands in Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Morong and Manila.

 The Rizal course was created as an act of Congress of the Republic of the Philippines
through Republic
 Act No. 1425
 June 12, 1956
 was approved during the time of President Ramon Magsaysay
 "An Act to Include in the Curricula of All Public and Private Schools, Colleges, and
Universities Courses on the Life, works, writings of Jose Rizal, Particularly his Novels,
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, Authorizing the Printing and Distribution
Thereof, and for Other Purposes."

 In 1955, legislators filed a bill upon seeing the need to promote nationalism and patriotism
specially among the youths.
 The original bill was filed by Sen. Claro M. Recto and it was sponsored by Sen. Jose P.
Laurel.
 The intent of the law was to promote patriotism and nationalism so the senators saw no
problem in legislating it.
 The Catholic church and its allies in Congress and the media were the primary source of
opposition regarding the legislation of the said bill.
 The original bill that would eventually become the Rizal Law (R.A. 1425) was filed by the
Committee on Education in the Philippine Senate (Sen. Jose P. Laurel being the chairman
at that time) as Senate Bill 438 on April 1956.
 The original bill stipulated the mandatory study of Rizal's life and works especially his two
novels (Noli and El Fili) for all college and university students.
 After its introduction in the Senate, the original Rizal Bill was called as "an attack on the
church". 
 The opponents said that the novels painted a negative image of the Catholic Church and
these contain messages that are not suited to the present time.

The Supporters and Oppositions of Rizal Bill

  Majority of those people who took a stand against the passage of the Rizal bill was from
the church and their powerful allies in the Senate and Congress (Sen. Francisco "Soc"
Rodrigo and Congressman Miguel Cuenco).
 There were also catholic organizations that joined the opposition such as Accion Catolico
(Catholic Action), who were composed of conservative Catholics: the Knights of Columbus,
the Congregation of the Mission and the Catholic Teacher's Guild.
 According to those who were against the bill, it would be a violation of constitutional
freedom of religion and the freedom of conscience.
 In one event denouncing the Rizal Bill, one speaker named Fr. Jesus Cavanna said that
"Rizal's novel painted a false picture of the conditions of the country in the 19th century".
 Fr. Cavanna added that the novels required for reading as stipulated in the Rizal Bill
contained more anti-Church statements rather than nationalistic statements. Fr. Cavanna
pointed out that in Noli Me Tangere displayed 120 anti-Catholic statements compared to
only 25 nationalistic statements.
  Another commentator Jesus Paredes said that the novels contained objectionable material
and the Catholics have a right not to read them in order not to endanger their faith.
 The Archbishop of Manila Rufino Santos came out with a pastoral letter warning about the
dissatisfaction of the youth on the church if the Rizal Bill was approved.
 In the Senate, Senator Rodrigo who held the presidency of the Accion Catolico denounced
the Rizal Bill.          
 In the House of Representatives, Congressman Miguel Cuenco led the opposition to the
Rizal Bill.
  SUPPORTERS. These include groups such as the Veteranos de la Revolucion Filipina
(composed of war veterans), the Alagad ni Rizal, The Knights of the Grand Ordeal, and the
Freemasons.
 Mayor of Manila at that time, Arsenio Lacson, was another prominent supporter of the bill.
While attending the mass, he walked out of the church when the priest begun reading a
circular from Archbishop Santos denouncing the bill.
 Fr. Horacio de la Costa S.J. He said that Rizal's works only exposed abuses within the
Church and added that the abuses were committed by individual clergy and should not be
treated as reflective of the entire clergy.
 Senator Laurel’ created an amendment to the original bill in which, other than Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo, works written by Rizal and works written by others about
Rizal would be included and reading of the unexpurgated revision of the two novels would
 no longer be compulsory to elementary and secondary levels but would be strictly observed
to college level.
 Senator Roseller Lim suggested the exemption to those students who feel that reading
Rizal’s novels would negatively affect his or her faith.
 Senator Primicias created an additional amendment that promulgates the rules and
regulations in getting an exemption only from reading the two novels through written
statement or affidavit and not from taking the Rizal Course.
 According to historian Ambeth Ocampo, no student has ever availed of this exemption.
 After the revised amendments, the bill was finally passed on May 17, 1956 and was signed
into law as Republic Act 1425 by President Ramon Magsaysay on June 12 of the same
year. 
 Though it was passed more than 50 years ago, it had no implementing rules and
regulations until the National Historical Institute then, now National Historical Commission of
the Philippines provided them in 2001, Republic Act No. 1425.
Life, Works and

Writings of Jose

Rizal

Rizal Law

Republic Act No. 1425

- mandates all educational institutions in the

Philippines to offer courses about Jose Rizal.

- The full name of the of the law is An Act to

Include in the Curricula of All Public and

Private Schools, Colleges and Universities On

the Life, Works and Writings of Jose Rizal,

Particularly His Novels Noli Me Tangere and El

Filibusterismo, Authorizing the Printing and

Distribution Thereof, and for Other Purposes.

• Signed and enacted into law on June 12,

1956.

• Senator Claro M. Recto was the main

proponent of the Rizal bill in Congress, co-authored by Senator Jose P. Laurel.

Senator Claro M. Recto

• Main author of the

Rizal Law.

• Received opposition

from the Catholic

Church.

• Branded as a

communist and anticatholic.

• He did not agree on the

introduction of the

expurgated version of

Noli and El Fili

“The people who would eliminate the books

of Rizal from the schools would blot out from

our minds the memory of the national hero.

This is not a fight against Recto but a fight

against Rizal”

- Sen. Claro M. Recto

• On May 12, 1956, a compromise was

inserted by Committee on Education

chairman Sen. Jose P. Laurel to

accommodate the objections of the

Catholic Church.

• The compromise was that only college

(university) students would have the option

of reading unexpurgated versions of Noli

Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

The Philippines

before the birth of

Jose Rizal

March 16, 1521

• It marked the arrival of the Spaniards in

the Philippines led by Ferdinand Magellan.

• They celebrated the first Catholic mass in

the Philippines on March 31, 1521, an

Easter Sunday, on Mazaua (today

believed to be Limasawa in Southern

Leyte).

• Magellan sought alliances with local

chieftains, marking the beginning of

Spanish colinzation.

Factors which led to the rise of

Liberalism in the Philippines.

1. Opening of the Philippines to world

commerce.

2. The rise of the middle class (Clase

Media).

3. The liberal regime of Carlos Ma. Dela

Torre.

4. The Cavite Mutiny of 1872.

Opening of the Philippines to

world commerce

• It means that the Philippines could sell its

products abroad and other countries could

also sell their products in the Philippines.

• Prior to this, other Western countries are

banned from doing business in the

Philippines. But this policy does not apply

to the Chinese.

• It all started when the Real Companias de

Filipinas went bankrupt.

• Gov. Gen. Felix Berenguer de Marquina

recommended to the King of Spain to

open the Philippines to world trade.

• Thus on September 6, 1834, a royal

decree was issued opening the ports of

the Philippines to other countries.

• Manila and the Philippines garnered great

economic growth at this time.

• As the people prospered, the standard of

living also improved.

• The opening of the Philippines not only

brought economic development, it also

transformed the lives of the Filipinos.

• Along with the arrival of foreign traders

came also western ideas of liberty and

equality.

• The Filipinos came to know of two sociopolitical theories:

–Theory of Revolution by John Locke

–Social Contract Theory by Jean Jacques

Rosseau

Rise of the Middle Class

• The Middle Class had three subdivisions:

1. the Spanish mestizos or mestizos de Español

2. the principalia

3. the Chinese mestizos or mestizos de Sangley.

*From the middle class came the Illustrados or the

“Enlightened ones”

Liberal regime of Carlos

Ma. Dela Torre

• He was a Spanish soldier

and politician.

• He served as GovernorGeneral of the Philippines

from 1869 to 1871, and is

considered to be the most

beloved of the Spanish

Governors-General ever

assigned in the Philippines.

Dela Torre’s legacy

• He established the Guardia Civil in the

Philippines.

• He introduced the following:

– Freedom of expression

– Freedom of the press

– Freedom to information

– Separation of church and state

The Cavite Mutiny

• Mutiny- an open rebellion against proper

authorities, especially by soldiers or sailors

against their officers.

• The Cavite Mutiny of 1872 , as a watershed

event in Philippine history, was considered the

birth of Filipino Nationalism.

• It gave Dr. Jose Rizal the inspiration to pursue

reforms. Instead of pursuing priesthood, Rizal

dedicated his life to vindicate the victims of

Spanish oppression.

The Cavite Mutiny

• It was held at the fort of San Felipe on the night

of January 20, 1872.

• The Mutiny was led by a Sgt. Lamadrid due to

the abolition of the exemption of the native

members of the Guardia Civil from polo y

servicio.

• It was participated by 200 soldiers who believed

they will be joined by other soldiers from Manila.

• The mutiny was eventually crushed the next day.

The Gomburza

• They were the secular

martyred priests Mariano

Gomez, Jose Burgos and

Jacinto Zamora.

• The Cavite Mutiny of 1872

was used as an incident to

get rid of seculars and liberal

laymen.
• They were executed by

garrote on February 17,

1872.
Doña Teodora's family is believed to be descended from Lakandula, Tondo's last native king. Eugenio
Ursua (of Japanese ancestry) married a Filipina named Benigna. Regina, their daughter, married Manuel
de Quintos, a Pangasinan lawyer who is Filipino-Chinese. Lorenzo Alberto Alonso, a prosperous Spanish-
Filipino mestizo from Biñan, took Brigida Quintos, the daughter of Manuel and Regina Quintos, as his
"significant other." The Lorenzo-Brigida union produced five children, the second of whom was Teodora
Alonso Quintos, Jose Rizal's mother.

The Alonsos adopted the surname Realonda following the Claveria Decree of 1849, which changed the
native Filipino surnames. Rizal’s mother thus became Teodora Alonso Quintos Realonda.

The CLAVERIA DECREE of 1849

The young Jose Rizal in his
diary ‘Memorias’
By: Marc Jayson Cayabyab

 
Many people revere the national hero Jose Rizal as the icon of the Philippine
Revolution in 1896 who penned the classics Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo
that indirectly awakened Filipinos to revolt against their Spanish colonizers.
                                
People rarely look at Rizal as a child. He was no different from ordinary boys who
have received beatings, talked about their crushes and played games.
 
Such an attempt was made by Dr. Lianne Habana, an Assistant Professor at the
Ateneo De Manila University Department of History. She tackled Rizal’s childhood
and childlike mind at a conference Monday in the Ateneo to commemorate Rizal’s
155th birthday. Rizal was born on June 19, 1861.
 
In her lecture, Professor Habana, who holds a Ph.D in Philippine Studies at the
University of the Philippines, gave a glimpse of Rizal’s psyche growing up using the
national hero’s diary aptly titled “Memorias de un estudiante de Manila” or
“Memories of a student in Manila,” written by Rizal when he was between 17 and 20
years old.
 
The diary, Habana said, written in Spanish, traced Rizal’s roots growing up in
Calamba to his early studies in nearby Binyang (now Biñan) and eventually to his
formal education at the Ateneo Municipal school in Intramuros.
 
Habana said the book, penned under the pseudonym “P. Jacinto,” depicted Rizal’s
“very typical boyhood in the 19th century,” of Rizal playing games with his cousins
while growing up in Laguna.
 
Citing the book, Habana said Rizal had a typical boyhood except for the fact that he
was not born a very “cute baby,” especially with his “very big head abnormally large
for his body,” which made Rizal barely able to walk at two years old.
 
But Rizal showed his prodigy even at a young age, starting at nine years old when he
studied in his aunt’s house at Binyang where was taught by a stern tutor Rizal
described as a “tall, thin, long-necked man, with a sharp nose and a body bent slightly
forward” who gave him beatings or lashed him despite his stellar performance in
school.
 
“In Binyang, Rizal was very unhappy. He had a very inquisitive mind, and maybe,
he’s kind of pilosopo, that he would often get on the wrong side of the teacher and get
beaten up every day,” Habana said.
 
“This would really suppress the learning of a child. Then again, as a child, he could
have also made it dramatic than it really was,” she added. “When shall the night come
to shelter me so that I may rest in profound sleep?” Rizal wrote in his Sept. 11, 1878
entry (he was just 16 years old) about his childhood in Calamba. “Only God knows.
Meantime, now that I am separated in the springtime of life from those I love best in
the world, now as I sadly write these pages.”
 
What also stood out in Rizal’s Memorias was that about his mother Doña Teodora
Alonso, who was arrested when Rizal was just 10 years old on the trumped up charge
that she acted as an accomplice in the attempt to poison her brother’s wife.
 
Rizal’s mother was eventually acquitted by the Supreme Court, but only after almost
two and a half years of incarceration.
 
“Returning to Calamba, the family was in disarray. The imprisonment of his mother
(had an effect on) Rizal who suffered a bit and became very sickly,” Habana said. “I
cannot tell you the emotion and the profound grief that overempowered us. From then
on, while still a child, I lost my confidence in friendship, and I mistrusted men,” Rizal
wrote about his mother’s arrest in his diary entry on Nov. 1, 1878.
 
Habana said reading the Memorias, one gets a sense of wonder at how Rizal was just
like any ordinary child growing up – a boy struggling with the trials he has made
overly dramatic through his childlike wonder at life’s experiences.

“If you look at his Memorias, many things stand out, and for me whenever we think of
Rizal, (we see) this genius when apparently he just started as a normal child like many
of us,” Habana said.
 
“He was really a very normal person, but he was able to carve out a niche for himself
in our story as a nation,” Habana added.
“He was also the Rizal we know less, the other side of Rizal that is not connected to
how educated he was. It’s more of how he was as a Filipino.”
 
Such was the feeling that resonates after reading the Memorias, summarized best by
Leon Ma. Guerrero in his preface to the book as translator: “(The Memorias) make it
possible for every generation to believe that… they can be other Rizals.”
 
“To be like Rizal seems a much less hopeless ambition.”

Jose Rizal’s first teacher was his mother, who had taught him how to read and pray and who had
encouraged him to write poetry. Later, private tutors taught the young Rizal Spanish and Latin, before
he was sent to a private school in Biñan.

When he was 11 years old, Rizal entered the Ateneo Municipal de Manila. He earned excellent marks in
subjects like philosophy, physics, chemistry, and natural history. At this school, he read novels; wrote
prize-winning poetry (and even a melodrama—“Junto al Pasig”); and practiced drawing, painting, and
clay modeling, all of which remained lifelong interests for him.

Rizal eventually earned a land surveyor’s and assessor’s degree from the Ateneo Municipal while taking
up Philosophy and Letters at the University of Santo Tomas. Upon learning that his mother was going
blind, Rizal opted to study ophthalmology at the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery. He, however, was
not able to complete the course because “he became politically isolated by adversaries among the
faculty and clergy who demanded that he assimilate to their system.”
Rizal's Education in Ateneo and UST

Rizal entered Ateneo Municipal when he was barely 11 years old, four months after the execution of
GomBurza. His father decided not to send him at the Colegio de San Jose because of the unhappy
experience his brother Paciano had in the said school. Moreover, the mere mention of the institution
made Don Francisco remember the unjust execution of Father Burgos, Paciano’s mentor. His father
initially intended to enroll Rizal in Letran but changed his mind and enrolled him in Ateneo Municipal,
formerly known as Escuela Pia.
 Rizal's Decision to got to Europe
 
Rizal decided to leave the country for Europe after completing his fourth year of medical
school. This was partly due to his dissatisfaction with his education at the University of
Sto. Tomas. While Rizal was obviouslyt leaving the country to pursue a medical degree
in Barcelona, Spain, this was not the real reason for his abrupt departure.
 
LIFE IN EUROPE

As previously stated, Rizal ceased attending classes at UST in 1882, having grown tired of the Dominican
professors' discriminatory and oppressive behavior. He therefore left for Spain on May 03 of that year,
not only to complete his studies but also to broaden his political knowledge through exposure to
European governments. It's ironic that his departure for Spain became known as a "secret departure,"
despite the fact that at least ten people—including his three siblings and an uncle—were involved in his
departure, excluding the unnamed and unnumbered Jesuit priests and intimate friends who co-
conspired in the plan.
SECOND TRAVEL ABROAD
 What Jose Rizal did not accomplish during his six-month stay in the country during his first
homecoming was to visit Leonor Rivera in Pangasinan. His father was adamantly opposed to the idea,
fearful that the visit would jeopardize Leonor's family.

Dapitan during the

Arrival of Rizal

Rizal arrived in Dapitan

onboard the steamer
Cebu on July 17, 1892.
At the time of Rizal's
deportation to Dapitan,
the location had long
served as a political and
military outpost for
Spaniards in the Philippines. It was a forerunner in Muslim Mindanao of Spanish culture, religion, and
civilization. It was led by a politico-military commander and a parish priest tasked with the island's
conversion to Catholicism.
Rizal and Captain Carnicero

Captain Ricardo Carnicero, the politico-military commander of the town revived Rizal as a prisoner.
Originally, Rizal was to reside at the Jesuit Mission House under Father Obach, the parish priest of
Dapitan, according to a letter from Fr. Pablo Pastells, the Society of Jesus' Superior in the Philippines.
However, RIzal chose not to live with the Jesuits and instead resided at the commandant's residence,
called "Casa Real."