CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION TO RIZAL COURSE AND RIZAL LAW

INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC INTRODUCTION TO RIZAL COURSE

· The study of Dr. Jose P. Rizal’s Life, works and writings has been mandated by Republic act no.
1425 known as the Rizal law, approved on June 12, 1956 provides for the integration of the study of the
life and works of Dr. Jose P. Rizal in the curriculum of the tertiary level and took effect on August 16,
1956

· In July 1956, Jose P. Laurel, Claro Mayo Recto, Jose B. Jacobo Gonzales, Lorenzo Tanada, and other
law makers sponsored R. A 1425 that would enforce the teaching of the life and works of Dr. Jose P.
Rizal.

· The law mandates that a course on the life of Dr. Jose P. Rizal should be included in the curricula
in all schools, colleges and university especially in tertiary and graduate levels both in public and private
schools.

· It should consist of the study of Rizals life, work and virtues, most notably the two great novels
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

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 than any other period of our history, there is a need for a re-dedication to the
ideals of freedom and nationalism for which our heroes lived and died;

WHEREAS, it is meet that in honoring them, particularly the national hero and patriot, Jose Rizal, we
remember with special fondness and devotion their lives and works that have shaped the national
character;
WHEREAS, the life, works and writing of Jose Rizal, particularly his novels Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo, are 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, all educational institutions are under the supervision of, and subject to regulation by the
State, and all schools are enjoined to develop moral character, personal discipline, civic conscience and
to teach the duties of citizenship; Now, therefore,

SECTION 1. Courses on the life, works and writings of Jose Rizal, particularly his novel Noli Me Tangere
and El Filibusterismo, shall be included in the curricula of all schools, colleges and universities, public or
private: Provided, That in the collegiate courses, the original or unexpurgated editions of the Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo or their English translation shall be used as basic texts.

The Board of National Education is hereby authorized and directed to adopt forthwith 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 religious belief stated in a sworn written statement, from the requirement of the
provision contained in the second part 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 shall be obligatory on all schools, colleges and universities to keep in their libraries an
adequate number of copies of the original and unexpurgated editions of the Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo, as well as of Rizal’s other works and biography. The said unexpurgated editions of the
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo or their translations in English as well as other writings of Rizal
shall 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, college or university.
SECTION 3. The Board of National Education shall cause the translation of the Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo, as well as other writings of Jose Rizal into English, Tagalog and the principal Philippine
dialects; cause them to be printed in cheap, popular editions; and cause them to be distributed, free of
charge, to persons desiring to read them, through the Purok organizations and Barrio Councils
throughout the country.

SECTION 4. Nothing in this Act shall be construed as amendment or repealing section nine hundred
twenty-seven of the Administrative Code, prohibiting the discussion of religious doctrines by public
school teachers and other person engaged in any public school.

SECTION 5. The sum of three hundred thousand pesos is hereby authorized to be appropriated out of
any fund not otherwise appropriated in the National Treasury to carry out the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved: June 12, 1956

Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 52, No. 6, p. 2971 in June 1956.

By integrating Rizal in the curriculum, this would benefit the Filipino Youth as well as the whole nation to
acquire the following traits: incorruptible, confidence, direction, courage and determination, high sense
of relationship, nationalism, and patriotism.

Department of Education (DepEd) Order No. 2 Series of 1996 directs the Committee on Education for
the inclusion of Rizal Course as 3-unit lesson with the following aims and purposes:

1. The law aims and desire to re-establish that the Filipino themselves be imbued with the principles of
freedom and a sense of nationalism. The rationale of which is to perpetuate the memories of our hero’s
death and sacrifices.

2. The law aims to honor the heroes particularly Dr. Jose P. Rizal and to remind us of his sacrifices and
his two novels – Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo that paved the way to nationalism and patriotism
of the entire country.
3. The law aims to cultivate and inculcate among the students in all schools the character development,
self discipline, civic consciousness and to teach the duties of citizenship which became the primary
reasons for the enactment of the law for reforms and changes.

· To take one’s interest of and to comprehend fully and satisfactory the life, works and writings of
Dr. Jose P. Rizal, our national hero, it is indeed indispensable to gain knowledge of the background of
world history and the Philippines during his time. The 19th century was a century of violent blow of the
winds in its history, most particularly in Asia, Europe and America. It was rigid pour of events that
emanated beyond one’s control like sea tides that ruthlessly inflicted the human lives and fortunes of
mankind.

· On June 19, 1861, Rizal was born, as the titanic chaos exploded on April 12, 1861 which resulted
into American civil war (1861-1865) that raged indignantly in the United States over the issue of Negro
slavery compelling President Abraham Lincoln to proclaim the Emancipation of Negro slaves in
September 22, 1862

· Rizal’s time was deemed to be the height of the maladministration of Spain and its decay that
observed the Philippine skies. The Filipino people suffered intensely beneath the bondage of Spanish
misrule for they were ill-fated victims of the evils, injustice, prejudice and sudden collapse of colonial
power.

Among these beneficial features were the following:

1. Instability of Colonial Administration

2. Corrupt Spanish Officials

3. No Philippine Representation to the Spanish Courts

4. Human Rights denied to the Filipinos

5. No Equality before the Law

6. Maladministration of justice

7. Racial Discrimination

8. Frailocracy and Secularization of Filipino Priest

9. Forced Labor and Excessive Taxes

11. The Abuses of the Guard Civil, Church Officials and Political Leaders

Dr. Jose Rizal’s writing summarizes his nationalistic and patriotic philosophy as well as his keen sense of
awareness of the Filipino people’s need for nation building.

· A tribute to a man and hero should be our rationale, because we believe that Dr. Jose Rizal was an
exponent of the roots of our nationhood.

· The framers of the Rizal law envisioned that by studying his life, dissecting his teachings and
literary works, the youth may gain inspiration and might personally involve them in nation building.

Dr. Jose P. Rizal was chosen as the Greatest Philippine National Hero

“I die, without seeing the Day dawning on my

Country… You see it, greet it… and forget not those who fell during the night…”

-Dr. Jose P. Rizal

· A hero is a person admired for achievements and noble qualities and a prominent or central
personage taking an admirable action. Also, a person of distinguished valor or enterprise in dagger and
an individual honored after death by public worship because of laudable and exceptional service to
mankind.

· The difference between hero and martyr is that hero is a real person of great bravery who carries
out extra ordinary deeds while martyr is one who willingly accepts being put to death for adhering
openly to one’s religious belief, notably saints canonized after martyrdom.
· Dr. Jose Protacio Mercado Y Alonzo was a man of many talents. The Noli Mi Tangere and El
Filibusterismo provided the embers that awakened Filipino nationalism and paved the way for the
Philippine Revolution of 1896. He proved that the “Pen is Mightier than the Sword” to redeem a people
from these political slavery.

· The Americans, particularly civil Governor William Howard and Taft being the Chaiman of the
Philippine commission addressed Messr. Pardo de Tavera, Leganda, Gregorio Araneta, Ayetabo, Arellano
the choosing of the Philippine National hero. Among the nominated names were Marcelo H. Del Pilar,
Gen. Antonio Luna, Gregorio Lopez Jaena, Emilio Jacinto and Jose Rizal.

Dr. Otley H. Bayer, an anthropologist and technical member of the panel of the Philippine Commission
recommended the following criteria choosing the national hero.

1. The person must be a Filipino

2. The person is a peace-loving and pacifist.

3. The person must have a great sense if patriotism

4. The person must die for country as a martyr.

Reasons why Rizal was chosen and declared as the Philippine’s National Hero.

1. He was the first Filipino to unite and awaken the Filipino People to Peacefully rise for
independence,

2. He is a model for being a peacemaker by his complete self-denial, his complete abandonment of
his personal interest and to think only of his country and people,

3. He was a towering figure in the propaganda campaign fro, 1882-1896.

4. He was a martyr at Bagumbayan where he willingly died for our country/

The concepts of “hero” and “heroism” seem to have existed in all cultures on earth, in many forms and
varieties

· The word itself has probably appeared first in ancient Greece, where it was combined in the name
of one of the greatest heroes of all times: Heracles.
CONCEPT OF A HERO

· According to Robert Graves, - an authority on Greek culture - the name Hero is derived from that
of the great goddess Hera so Hero means “Hera’s Glory.” • Heracles, then, lived, acted and died in the
name and for the glory of that goddess. Ancient Greece CONCEPT OF A HERO

· One of the most famous Greek heroes was the Athenian Theseus, who sailed from his city to Crete
to fight against the Minotaur and save his young countrymen and women, who were supposed to be
sacrificed to a monster. Ancient Greece CONCEPT OF A HERO

· In a book Graves describes important feature of life of a hero - dies not just to glorify his Mother
goddess but to save his people — the tribe of which he is chief — from all their yearly sins and all
possible punishments. Ancient Greece CONCEPT OF A HERO

· Japanese Yamato Take, who was the son of a king was accredited with slaying a dangerous serpent
of Omi. - Similar deeds were performed by Heracles. Japan CONCEPT OF A HERO

· Jesus’ heroism was not apparent in his physical powers but in doing miracles. His death in agony
on the cross presents him as a classic hero. Jesus was a classic victim - like Heracles, he went up after his
death to heaven, to become a proper deity. Christians CONCEPT OF A HERO

The Hero then possessed the three main characteristics of heroism:

1. They performed outstanding deeds

2. They risked their very being for the sake of others rather than for their own glory

3. They were all victims CONCEPT OF A HERO

Rizal as a hero

1. Performed outstanding deeds - used the pen to fight

2. Risked his very being for the sake of his countrymen - he waged a non-violent crusade against the
oppressors of his countrymen
3. He is a victim - suffered political martyrdom

WAS RIZAL AN AMERICAN SPONSORED HERO?

· The Spaniards, the Filipinos and the Americans raised Rizal to the rank of supremacy among our
heroes. - Thus Rizal’s life, works and martyrdom raised him to the highest place in the pantheon of our
revolutionary heroes His supremacy was acknowledge by his contemporaries(Aguinaldo, Bonifacio, etc.)
- Spanish writers acknowledge his fame - American colonial legislators who came to admire our people
through his history acknowledge him as well

· It is simply not true that there was ever any colonialists’ meeting or plot to impose Rizal as the
National Hero of the Philippines.

· The decision to honor him in this way was made by the Filipinos, for the Filipinos.

· The doctrines of Rizal are not for one epoch but for all epochs. They are as valid today as they
were yesterday. It cannot be said that because the political ideals of Rizal have been achieved, because
of the change in the institutions, the wisdom of his counsels or the value of his doctrines have ceased to
be opportune. They have not.“ - Rafael Palma

· As a towering figure in the Propaganda Campaign, he took an "admirable part" in that movement
w/c roughly covered the period from 1882-1896.

· Blumentritt, after reading Rizal’s Noli, wrote & congratulated its author, saying among other
things: "Your work, as we Germans say, has been written w/ the blood of the heart...

· If Rizal’s friends & admirers praised w/ justifiable pride the Noli & its author, his enemies were
equally loud & bitter in attacking & condemning the same.The proponents & opponents of the Rizal Law
engaged themselves in a bitter & long drawn-out debate the finally resulted in the enactment of a
compromise measure, now known as RA 1425.
· Cong. Henry Allen Cooper of Wisconsin delivered an eulogy of Rizal & even recited the martyr’s
Ultimo Pensamiento on the floor of the U. S. House of Representatives in order to prove the capacity of
the Filipinos for self- government.

· No Filipino has yet been born who could equal or surpass Rizal as a "person of distinguished
valor/enterprise in danger, fortitude in suffering.”

· Dr. Frank C. Laubach, an American biographer of Rizal, spoke of the hero’s great courage.

· To the bigoted Spaniards in Spain & in the Philippines, Rizal was the most intelligent, most
courageous, & most dangerous enemy of the reactionaries & the tyrants

· Fernando Acevedo, who called Rizal his distinguido amigo, compañero y paisano", wrote the letter
from Zaragoza, Spain, on 25 Oct 1889: "I see in you the model Filipino; your application to study & you
talents have placed on a height w/c I revere & admire."

· The Bicolano Dr. Tomas Arejola wrote Rizal in Madrid, 9 Feb 1891, saying: "Your moral influence
over us is indisputable."

· Guillermo Puatu of Bulacan wrote this tribute to Rizal: Among the foreigners who recognized Rizal
as the leading Filipino of his time were Blumentritt, Napoleon M. Kheil, Dr. Rheinhold Rost, & Vicente
Barrantes. Prof. Blumentritt told Dr. Maximo Viola in May 1887 that "Rizal was the greatest product of
the Philippines & that his coming to the world was like the appearance of a rare comet, whose rare
brilliance appears only every other century."

· Napoleon Kheil of Prague, Austria, wrote to Rizal & said: Dr. Rost, distinguished Malayologist &
librarian of the India office of London, called Rizal "una perla hombre"

· Don Vicente Barrantes admitted that Rizal was ‘the first among the Filipinos"
· Even before the outbreak of the revolution against Spain in 1896, many instances can be cited to
prove that his country here & abroad recognized Rizal’s leadership. In the early part of 1899 he was
unanimously elected by the Filipinos in Barcelona & Madrid as honorary pres. of la Solidaridad.

· In the early part of 1899 he was unanimously elected by the Filipinos in Barcelona & Madrid as
honorary pres.

· In Paris, he organized & became chief of the Indios Bravos. In Jan 1891, Rizal was again
unanimously chosen Responsable (chief) of the Spanish-Filipino Association.

· He was also the founder & moving spirit in the founding of la Liga Filipina on Manila in 3 Jul 1892.

· A year after Rizal’s execution, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo & the other revolutionary chiefs exiled to
Hong Kong held a commemorative program there on 29 Dec 1897 on the occasion of the 1st anniversary
of the hero’s execution & martyrdom.

· Of utmost significance in the public’s appreciation for Rizal’s patriotic labors in behalf of his people
were the tributes paid by the revolutionary government to his memory.

· On 20 Dec 1898 at the revolutionary capital of Malolos, Pres. Aguinaldo issued the 1st official
proclamation making 30 Dec of that year as "Rizal Day".

· It should be further noted that both the La Independencia, edited by Gen. Antonio Luna, & the El
Heraldo de la Revolucion, official organ of the revolutionary government, issued a special supplement in
honor of Rizal in one of their December issues in1898.

· Cecilio Apostol, on 30 Dec of the same year, wrote these lines: "!Duerme en paz las sombras de la
nada, Redentor de una Patria esclavizada! !No llores de la tumba en el misterio Del español el triunfo
momentaneo: Que si Una bala destrozo tu craneo, Tambien tu idea destrozo un emperio!
· The Filipinos were not alone in grieving the untimely death of their hero & idol, for the intellectual
& scientific circles of the world felt keenly the loss of Rizal, who was their esteemed colleague & friend.
Among the scientific neurological services held especially to honor Rizal, the one sponsored by the
Anthropological Society of Berlin in 20 Nov 1897 at the initiative of Dr. Rudolph Virchow, its president,
was the most important & significant. Dr. Ed Seler recited the German translation of Rizal’s "My Last
Farewell" on that occasion.

· The newspapers, magazines, & other periodicals throughout the civilized world – in Germany,
Austria, France, Holland, London, the US, Japan, Hong Kong & Macao, Singapore, Switzerland, & in Latin
American countries— published accounts of Rizal’s martyrdom in order to render homage to his
greatness.

· Beyond the shadow of a doubt that the Great Malayan, by his own efforts & sacrifices for his
oppressed countrymen, had projected himself as the foremost leader of the Philippines until the
moment of his immolation.

· The idea of naming the district of Morong after Rizal came from Dr. Pardo de Tavera, a Filipino, &
not from Judge Taft, an American.

· Dr. Laubach’s view about the question is as follows: The tradition that every American hears when
he reaches the Philippine Islands is that W. H. Taft, feeling that the Filipinos needed a hero, made one
out of Rizal. We trust this book (Rizal: Man & Martyr—O.) will serve to show how empty that statement
is. it speaks well for Taft that he was sufficiently free from racial prejudice to appreciate in some
measure the stature of a great Filipino. It was a Spaniard who did more than any other to save Rizal for
posterity—Retaña whose work (Vida Escritos del Dr. Jose Rizal, Madrid, 1907), is by far the most
complete & scholarly than we have(in1936—O.). like Rizal, he lost all his money in the cause of the
Filipinos, & died a poor man.

· Granting that Taft commission chose Rizal out of several great Filipinos as the No. 1 hero of his
people, still we can say that what the commission did was merely to confirm a sort of fait accompli, &
that was that Jose Rizal had already been acclaimed by his countrymen & the scientific world as the
foremost hero & martyr of the land of his birth.
· William Cameron Forbes, an ardent admirer of Rizal & the governor-general of the Philippines
during the construction of the Rizal Mausoleum on the Luneta, is appropriate at the point of
acknowledging Rizal as national hero through placing his picture on the postage stamp and currency,
naming Land marks after him etc.

· While the foremost national heroes of other countries are soldier-generals, like George
Washington of US, Napoleon I & Joan of Arc of France, simon Bolivar of Venezuela, Jose de San Martin of
Argentina, Bernardo O’Higgins of Chile, Jimmu Tenno of Japan, etc., our greatest hero was a pacifist & a
civilian whose weapon was his quill.

Great men said about the pen being mightier & more powerful than the sword. Napoleon I himself, who
was a great conqueror & ruler, said: "There are only two powers in the world; the sword & the pen; and
in the end the former is always conquered by the latter".

Other countries choose their national Hero

· The heroes of occidental nations are warriors and generals who served their cause with the sword,
distilling blood and tears. The hero of the Filipinos served his cause with the pen.

· Other countries chose their national heroes who where soldier=generals, who fought for the
country’s liberty and independence in the battlefield with their mighty “sword”.

· Among them were George Washington of USA, Joan Arc of France, Simon Bolivar of Venezuela,
Jose de San Martin of Argentina, Jimmo Tenno of Japan and others

· In comparison, Jose Rizal, the Philippine national hero was pacifist and a civilian who served his
cause with a pen through which his writings had awakened Filipino nationalism and paved the way for
the Philippine Revolution.

· What others great men said about the pen and sword. Napoleon I who was a great conqueror and
ruler said. “There are only two powers in the world, the sword and pen; and in the end the former is
always conquered by the latter.”
· Sir Thomas Browne said, “Scholars are men of Peace; they have no arms. But their tongues are
sharper than the sword. Their pens carry further and give a louder report than thunder. I rather stand in
the shock of the basilisk than in the fury of merciless pen”.

What is the most admirable in Rizal according to Palma:

“Is his complete self-denial, his complete abandonment of his personal interest in order to think only of
those of his country? He could have been whatever he wished to be, considering his natural
endowment, he could have earned considerable sum of money from his profession, he could=d live
relatively rich, happy, prosperous, had he not dedicated himself to public matters. He preferred to live
far from his family and to sacrifice his personal affection for an ideal he had dreamed of the following his
conscience. He did not have Creates means at his disposal to carry out his campaign: he contented
himself with value he had. He suffered the cold winter of Europe, hunger, privation and misery but when
he raised his eyes to heaven and saw his ideals, his hope was reborn, he soon felt, comforted and
resumed the task of bearing the cross of his suffering”.

Honors Accorded to Rizal as the Philippine National Hero

1. The day of his birth and day of his execution are fittingly commemorated by all classes of people
throughout the country and other Filipino abroad,

2. No other Filipino hero can surpass Rizal in the number of monuments erected in his honor, in
towns, barrios, and schools.

3. His name is a by-word in every home and his picture is printed and used in postage stamps.

4. The paper money/coins with his image have the widest circulation that the poorest of the poor
can take hold.

5. Streets, boulevard, educational institutions and persons were named “Rizal”.

6. His noble thoughts and teachings had been frequently invoked and quoted by speakers.

7. The union of Manila and Morong to be a province was named after the illustration of hero thus
Rizal province was established.