Rizal Essay (Finals)

1. Compare the agrarian problem in Rizal’s time to that of today.
Do you see the

relationships of the past in the problem affecting small farmers?
In republic act no.6657 The agrarian reform program is founded on the right of
farmers and regular farmworkers, who are landless, to own directly or collectively the
lands they till or, in the case of other farm workers, to receive a just share of the fruits
thereof. Agrarian reform in the Philippines has an extensive history manifested by
unsteadiness and irregularities in its implementation. Land was not unequally
distributed before the Spaniards came to the Philippines. In Rizal’s time farmers are
very affected because of the Spanish colonization in the Philippines, farmers are the
tenants of their own land because Friars claimed that they owned the hacienda in
Calamba. It made an impact not only to Farmers but also to all Filipino who
experienced the abuses and crimes of Spaniards.
Rizal was already aware about the worsening land conflict in the town of Calamba,
Laguna between the hacienda management and the group of tenants before he returned
home, after many years of his stay in Europe in 1887. These tenants, including his
family and some relatives, leased tracts of agricultural lands from the Dominican Order,
owner of the vast productive hacienda in the province of Laguna. The conflict rose from
the continued unreasonable increased of rentals, land confiscation and other exploitative
practices of the hacienda management. These caused financial hardships to the
tenants, and worsened by other factors such as poor harvests, crops destroyed by
unfavorable weather and pestilence. The agrarian problem in Rizal’s time is that
farmers are only tenants and not owner. farmers suffered since many years due to the
unjustified taxes they had to pay, even if there was an economic crisis or the harvest
was bad, the rent and taxes still went up. Wherein the agrarian problem in Rizal’s time
to that of today land related remedies offered by previous administrators have failed
the quality of life of landless owners. Until today small farmers still affected because
they are landless, and the cost are low. I see the relationships of the past in the
problem affecting small farmers because of poor agricultural prices, high interest rates,
the high transportation cost and the debt which is the most issues in our country today.
Small farmers greatly affected because the lower the price drops, the bigger the supply
of a certain crop on the market. Small farmers can make less money when production
is high since consumers buy roughly the same amount of food from week to week.
Small farmers are being hampered by constraints such as small land sizes, a lack of
resources, and growing soil degradation, all of which impede long-term crop
productivity and food security. Therefore, the farmer is poorer because of the agrarian
problem. They cannot afford to pay higher taxes, and as a result, the government is
unable to raise sufficient revenue to support its operations. Farmers in the Philippines
have repeatedly asked for secure land rights and urged lawmakers to pursue agrarian
reforms. Protesters have, however, often been considered as criminals and their
demands have been answered with violence. Relations between landlords and tenants
have also been strained and cases of landlords using coercive means to evict tenants
with the help of local public authorities have been reported, including the harassment,
incarceration and killing of many farmers asserting their rights to land (Tadem, 2016).
In conclusion I conclude that the agrarian problem is one of the big issues that needs
an action because this is the causes of inequality, poverty, and conflicts. Small farmers
experience discriminatory railroad rates, monopoly pricing imposed for farm machinery
and fertilizer, an oppressively high tariff, an unjust tax structure, an inflexible banking
system, government corruption, and businesses that bought up large tracts of land
have all been. Land is a scarce natural resource. For the land-dependent rural poor
land is a basic requirement for a dignified existence. In the Philippines, this has been a
major demand of the rural poor, a demand that has historical, moral, legal, and political
bases. This demand, unfortunately, remains largely unfulfilled. Thus, a rural insurgency
is continuing to grow because of this unkept promise. Agrarian reform, therefore,
remains relevant to peacebuilding in the Philippines.
2. What prompted Rizal to leave the Philippines for the second time? How did his
experienced during his brief visit changed him?
Rizal leave Philippines for the second time for many reasons. He left with
a heavy heart because he didn’t see Leonor Rivera and He wanted to be with
his family but there was nothing he could do to stay because the whispering
campaign against him to breakdown his moral and drive him out of the
country. Wherein the people at that time blame him because of his novels
and reports who causes the loathe of Dominican Friars. He was also involved
in a Calamba controversy where he wrote a report about the friar’s land
holdings, which also intimidated further the Dominican Friars to hate him and
his family. Yet Rizal choose to leave the country second time for his safety.
He was advised to leave the Philippines a second time by no less than

Governor General Emilio Terrero because he stirred up a hornet’s nest
when he got involved in the Protest de Calamba affair. At that time
Governor Terrero was investigating the Dominicans who were the owners of
many haciendas in the Philippines and suspected the order of not paying
the proper taxes to the government. Rizal got involved by adding fuel to the
fire by writing a report that the friar order did not just own the haciendas but
owned whole towns, that they never contributed a single cent to the fiestas
on which they presided on; that the Dominicans unjustly raised the rent of
the land to be paid by the tenant farmers; that the increased rent was
charged even when the harvests were bad and the price of products like
sugar was low, that the Dominicans charged rent without issuing receipts
and lastly Rizal insinuated that the ownership of the land was obtained
through land-grabbing. When Rizal returned from Europe in 1887, he
already upset the friars and conservative Spaniards because copies of his
first novel, Noli Me Tangere which demonized the clerics by painting them
and some Filipinos as villains. There was real danger on the life of Rizal that
Governor Terrero had to assign a bodyguard to protect Rizal as well as to
report on his activities. With the protest and the farmers of Calamba
becoming very militant, Terrero advised Rizal to leave the Philippines. Jose
Rizal experienced during his brief visit changed him because he saw the
wrong doings and abuses of Dominican friars to his fellow Filipinos
especially to farmers on how they treat the farmers unequally. In addition, it
changed him because he personally saw how Dominican friars greatly
affected of his novel Noli me tangere, and that evoke Rizal to wrote also the
El Filibusterismo. His experienced cause him to become a brave and with
integrity who stands for what he believes is right, even if consequences
arrived. Which really shows the love of Rizal to his fellowmen and to his
country Philippines.
In conclusion I conclude that Rizal leave for the second time around
because of the heated conflict between him and friars. His novel Noli has
already aroused speculations a great deal of discussions, speculations
which made his novel banned. He leaves for his safety because Gov. Emilio
has nothing to do because he was replaced by Valeriano Wayler. He was
also forced to leave because his activities in Calamba were limited because
of the daily treat in his life. That changed him to be braver in his writings
which is also to start the El Filibusterismo.

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1. Compare the agrarian problem in Rizal’s time to that of today.

Do you see the

He was advised to leave the Philippines a second time by no less than

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