2. RIZAL: AMERICAN DICTATED HERO?
Claro M. Recto was the main proponent of the Rizal Bill. Recto fought
“tooth and nail” to get the Rizal Bill passed into law in 1956.
R.A. 1425
the law was enacted on June 12, 1956
through the initiative of Senator Jose P.Laurel
it was executed by the National Commission on Education
thirty days after its publication from the “Official Gazette”
(August 16, 1956).
the law primarily mandates all private and public schools to
include in their curricula the life and works of Dr. Jose P.
Rizal
it also aims to promote nationalism as exemplified through
the life of the Filipino hero; our independence and Filipino
values should be inculcated in the minds of the Filipino youth
3. PROVISIONS OF THE RIZAL LAW (R.A. 1425)
Rationale of the law
To promote nationalism as exemplified through the life
of the Filipino hero.
To appreciate the importance of valuing our
independence and values as Filipinos.
Section 1
The law mandates all private and public schoolsto
include in their curricula the life and works of Jose P.
Rizal, including NoliMe Tangereand El Filibusterismo.
The unabridged versions of NoliMe Tangereand El
Filibusterismoshall be used as basic texts in tertiary
level.
4. R.A. 1425
factors in determining the greatness of a person
(according to Xenophon):
just
patient
courageous
bearer of wisdom
respectful
nationalist
Rizal – “one of the greatest Filipinos”
5. The First Philippine Commission, which was headed by
William Howard Taft, enumerated the qualifying criteria in
choosing the Philippines’ national hero. These are:
Filipino citizen Patriot/nationalist
Has already been dead Patient
nominees aside from Dr. Rizal
Marcelo Del Pilar Graciano Lopez-Jaena
Antonio Luna Emilio Jacinto
Marcelo Del Pilar – garnered the majority of votes
issues about Dr. Rizal:
Rizal was rumored as the illegitimate son of Hitler
Rizal should not be proclaimed as the national hero because of
his cowardice to fight the colonizers through revolution
Rizal was considered as an “American made hero”
6. Ocampo’s Arguments
Rizal is known in the Philippine history as a hero who opposed
the Philippine revolution against Spain. According to him, the
uprising against a Western colonial power was premature
because of his countrymen’s level of maturity on nationalism at
that time.
Rizal’s heroism was overemphasized by the Americans. Such
American-sponsored veneration brought Andres Bonifacio,
Apolinario Mabini, and Emilio Aguinaldo, among others as
second-rate heroes. The thing is, Rizal was already viewed as a
hero even before his execution in Bagumbayan on December 30,
1896.
o As a matter of fact, President Emilio Aguinaldo declared the
day of Rizal’s death on December 30, 1896 as an “annual day of
national mourning in honor of Rizal.”
o Granted that he did not participate in any of the revolutionary
activities against Spain but he served as the inspiration of our
freedom fighters to continue the revolution. Rizal was truly “the
soul of the Philippine Revolution” (Ocampo, 2000)
7. CONSTANTINO’S ARGUMENTS
Rizal’s pre-eminence among other Filipino heroes
was partly the result of American sponsorship.
Governor William H. Taft was quoted in one of his
statements that Rizal was “the greatest Filipino, a
physician, a novelist and a poet (who) because of his
struggle for a betterment of conditions under Spanish
rule, was unjustly convicted and shot…”
The Americans wanted a national hero who would not
oppose policies with regard to American colonial rule in
the Philippines.
8. INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL EVENTS DURING THE BIRTH
OF THE NATIONAL HERO
On April 12, 1861 the issue on slavery was raised in American
public arena; “Emancipation Proclamation”
Benito Juarez was elected as the president of Mexico.
Emperor Napoleon III decided to conquer Mexico but he failed to get
military support from the U.S.
Juarez still defended his state by organizing Indian and Mexican
fighters
emergence of Western Imperialism in England
On July 8, 1853, Commodore Matthew C. Perry re-opened
Japan to the international community
After two hundred years of its isolation (protectionism), the Japanese
society and government embracedsome Western influences.
9. The Holy Father issued his decision on the conflict
between Spain and Germany with regard to the
sovereignty of Carolines and Palau on October 22, 1885.
He favored Spain over Germany and provided two
concessions to the latter state. These were:
Germany should not be restricted to trade with Carolines and
Palau.
Germany has all the rights to erect a coaling station in Yap.
Italy and Germany successfully united against France.
Spain colonized Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.
This was the result of its weakening influence to Latin
American and Central American countries.
10. LOCAL EVENTS
Political unrest in the Spanish government
the political instability was reflected through the frequent
amendments in their constitutions (total of four
constitutions), elections of twenty eight parliament
members, revolutions, among others
Representation in the Spanish Cortes
the Philippines was granted the opportunity to send a
representative to the Spanish Parliament.
The first recorded Filipino representative in the Spanish Cortes is
Delos Reyes
Deprivation of human rights
despite the adoption of the Spanish Constitution of 1812,
the colonial Spain continued to violate the rights of every
Filipino people
11. Corrupt Spanish Officials
Spain’s government officials were classified into two groups:
Incompetent and corrupt government officials
Siglo de Oro – ‘lesser evil’ government officials; ORO = GOLD
Inequality
Such inequality is reflected through colonial laws, code and religion.
Racial Discrimination
unequal treatment of the Spanish colonizers towards the natives.
The colonizers equated being a Filipino as an inferior characteristic.
As a result, racial prejudice was widespread in the military,
educational institutions, and social Circles
Emergence of Landlordism and Feudalism
The king owns a vast majority of estate.
large mass of land is divided (which is according to the desire of the
king) and distributed in various sizes to the
‘feudal lords.’ ( feudal lords can be a military general, a well-
skilled)
soldier, a religious leader, among others
12. JOSE RIZAL’S FAMILY
Jose P. Rizal, considered as one of the greatest men in the world, was
blessed by the Lord with so much talents and skills which he used to help his
countrymen.
For the record, Jose Rizal was:
Satirist – a writer of literary compositions which reflect humorous but
ironical works
Polemicist – a person who is engaged in religious controversy
Bibliophile – a person who is fond of collecting books
Philologist – closely associated to being a linguist Geographer
Grammarian Magician
Novelist – El Filibusterismo and Noli Me Tangere Martyr
Physician – ophthalmic surgeon Painter
Poet Engineer Folklorist
Cartographer – a person who drafts/draws maps, Sportsman
Surveyor Ethnologist Architect
Educator Sculptor Businessman (farmer)
“Jack-of-all-trade”
13. FAMILY PEDIGREE
Profile:
Date of birth: June 19, 1861 (Wednesday)
Place of birth: Calamba, Laguna (Rizal’s residence)
He was baptized on June 22, 1861 by Father Rufino Collantes.
His god father is Father Pedro Casanas
The child was named after St. Joseph. Doña Teodora Alonzo was a
devotee of the aforementioned saint.
Parents:
Father: Francisco Mercado Rizal
Date of birth: May 11, 1818
Place of birth: Biñan, Laguna
Educational Background: Degree in Latin and Philosophy at Colegio
de San Jose, Manila
Mother: Teodora Alonzo
Date of birth: November 8, 1826
Educational Background: Colegio de Santa Rosa (She was a
mathematician and she was fluent in speaking Español).
14. Siblings:
Saturnina (1850-1913)
Pet name: Neneng
Husband: Manuel T.
Hidalgo (from Batangas)
Paciano (1851-1930)
Wife: Severina Recena
Narcisa (1852-1939)
Pet name: Sisa
Husband: Antonio Lopes
(Teacher from Morong)
Olimpia(1855-1887)
Pet name: Ympia
Husband: Silvestre Ubaldo
(Telegraph operator
fromManila)
Lucia (1857-1919)
Husband: Mariano Herbosa
of Calamba (nephew of
Father Casanas)
Maria(1859-1945)
Pet name: Biang
Husband: Daniel Faustino
Cruz (from Binan, Laguna)
Jose (1861-1896)
Concepcion(1862-1865)
Pet name: Concha
Josefa(1865-1945)
Pet name: Panggoy
Trinidad(1868-1951)
Pet name: Trining
Soledad(1870-1929)
Pet name: Choleng
Husband: Pantaleon Quintero
(from Calamba)
15. RIZAL’S FOREFATHERS
Rizal’s blood had the combination of the following
races:
Negrito Indonesian Malay
Chinese Japanese Spanish
Rizal also had a good Asian appearance in terms
of physical features
His ancestor on his father’s side was
Domingo Lamco, a Chinese immigrant from Fukien
City, Changcow, China
Dona Teodora’s ancestor was the great Lakandula
of Tondo; she also had a blood from her
Japanese ancestor Eusebia Ursua who was
married to Benigna
16. ‘RIZAL’ AND THE CALAMBA RESIDENCE
The original surname of the Rizal family is ‘Mercado’
the surname ‘Rizal’ was given to the clan by a Spanish
alcalde mayor
Calamba residence: a two-storey building with a
rectangular shape which depicts the simplicity of a
colonial town
Some of their properties:
Horse carriage
A library with 1,000 volumes of books
