John Cedrick Ceasar A.

Capuno

Book Review of Rizal and the Development of National Consciousness

Hero, this is our first thought when we heard the name Jose Rizal. Many of us know that

he is a hero from the moment we entered school. How sad it is because many of us know him is a

hero but does not know his character - his experiences and actions for our country before he was

regarded as the national hero of our country.

Not only a hero can describe to Jose Rizal, he is also a great genius of our country. Since

his childhood, he has shown his interest in learning, which has enabled him to develop his

knowledge and talents. But, why did he become a great genius? Because he used his talents in a

good way -- to show upon Filipino minds the brutal and merciless treatment of the Spaniards to

the country, by writing, in novel form and many various ways of expressing his love for our

country. In some point, if he did not write his famous novels Noli Me Tangere and El

Filibusterismo, maybe even today we are subject and still under the reign of the Spaniards.

It is important for us to know Filipinos the life and works of our national hero, because it

gives respect and praises for his accomplishments for our country. As we know his life story, he

will serve as an inspiration to us to follow and live his footsteps.

Jose Rizal was born on 18 June 1861 in Calamba, Laguna. He is a blessing given to the

couple Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonzo. His parents decided to name him Jose Protacio
in honor of patron saints of San Jose (patron of workers and fathers in the earth of Jesus Christ)

and San Protacio (a martyr and celebrated its festival every June 19). His real name is Jose

Protacio Alonzo Mercado, but why does his last name become Rizal? This was his temporary use

in exchange for Mercado to escape the trouble at the time of Gomburza's death, as his brother

Paciano was connected with Padre Burgos.

Rizal is the seventh out of eleven children. His only brother was Paciano because nine of

his siblings were women. His siblings were: Saturnina, Paciano (Rizal's education in Europe and

the army of the Philippine Revolution), Narcisa (his name was one of the main characters of his

novel Noli Me Tangere), Olympia (died in thirteen hours of birth), Lucia, Maria, Concepcion

(followed by Jose and died at the age of three), Josefa (president of the Katipunan social group),

Trinidad (taught by Rizal of English and his illuminated lamp containing the poem Mi Ultimo

Adios), and Soledad.

Rizal's mother became her first teacher who taught her the alphabet of the Spanish

(abecedario), Latin prayer and reading. Rizal was a kind and loving child to his parents and

siblings. He also loves to play with his sister Concepcion (Concha) until she had a serious illness

that caused her death at the age of three. But it didn’t stopped Rizal from losing hope in life. He

studied very well and at the age of eight years old, he had written a poem, Sa Aking Mga Kabata,

it was written in Tagalog language and tackles about the love of a person in his or her own

language.
 In June 1896, he entered elementary school in Binan, Laguna. He was bullied and

challenged by his classmates because he performed very well in his class.

In high school, Rizal decided to study at Ateneo. He was not accepted because he was

late in the admissions and was still young for his age. He also did not pass the Ateneo exam but

was able to enter because of their acquaintance Jesuits priests and Padre Burgos. Rizal was

studious and an excellent student, and he obtained the sobreseliante or the student who got the

highest score in all subjects. He also received diploma Bachiller en Artes equivalent to college

diploma today.

In April 1877, he entered the University of Santo Tomas (UST), administered by the

Dominicans for his college degree. He took Philosophy and Letters in his first year, according to

his father's wishes. He shifted to medicine the following year, based on the advice of Father

Pablo Ramon, a rector in Ateneo.

In 1979, he won the first prize in his poem A la Juventud Filipino or Sa Kabataang

Pilipino, emphasizing that youth are the people's hope.

In 1882, he decided to study abroad because of the incompetence of academic teaching

and treatment of Filipinos in UST. The Dominicans also belittled Filipinos, and they were angry

with Rizal for the establishment of a Campanerism brotherhood. And also because of his desire

to treat his mother's eyes.

 In May 1882, he traveled to Europe from Manila. He arrived in Spain in June 1882. He

first wrote in Europe the essay of Amor Patrio or Pag-Ibig sa Bayan in the symbol of the Laong

Laan (long offering) translated into Marcelo H. Del Pilar's Tagalog language, which used pen

name Dolores Manapat. It also first appeared in Dyaryong Tagalog, the first Tagalog newspaper

in the Philippines.

He is also the speaker when Juan Luna and Felix-Resureccion Hidalgo won the National

Exposition in the Spanish Art for their artworks La Spolarium and Virgenes Expuestas Al

Populacho, who condemned the Spanish rulership of the Philippines.

In 1885, he went to Paris, France to practice at Dr. Louis de Weckert clinic, which is also a

contributor of La Solidaridad (newspaper of Propaganda Movement).

In 1887, the printing of Noli Me Tangere was completed in Germany. He was financed by

Maximo Viola, a friend from San Miguel, Bulacan, for printing the first two thousand copies of

the novel. Before returning to the Philippines to find Filipinos' approach to the novel, he traveled

to Europe with Maximo Viola.

On his first return to the Philippines, he became a medical practitioner in the name Dr.

Ulliman. Rizal was fair in charging his patients, based on their societal status.

Spanish friars was subject to attack Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere, as it tackles their unruly
reign under their administration. As a result, he was given guards by Jose Taviel de Andrade to

secure his safety. Friar Jose Rodriguez also wrote a pastoral letter entitled Caiingat Kamu or

Mag-iingat Kayo, where he forbids people to read Rizal's novel because it is subversive (against

the government) and heretical (against the Church).

Rizal decided to travel abroad to express his freedom to live and write because it was

difficult to settle in the Philippines because of his writings and strong influence of the friars.

He traveled abroad and went to Hong Kong, where he traveled to the Filipinos living there and

recognized Jose Maria Basa who helped him to pass off the copies of Noli Me Tangere. He also

went to Japan after heading straight to the United States. He was victimized by discrimination

that Rizal had said, “Bansang Malaya ngunit para lamang sa mga puti”. So decided to go to

Belgium.

In Ghent, Belgium printed El Filibusterismo, the sequel of Noli Me Tangere. It was

dedicated to three martyrs, Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora or better

known as Gomburza. Valentin Ventura lend him sufficient budget to publish it.

He made a decision to return to the Philippines to: maintain the unity of the Propaganda

Movement in which they had fought in Europe, which he was elected to be president of the

movement, talk to Despujol to find out the changes in its decisions, and to establish La Liga

Filipina o The League of Filipinos in the Philippines.

When Rizal returned to the Philippines, he founded La Liga Filipina on July 2, 1892 at
Doroteo Onjungco's home in Tondo, Manila. La Liga Filipina is a civic association for Filipinos

whose purpose is to promote Philippine reform. Andres Bonifacio was originally a member of

this organization.

On July 7, 1982, five days before La Liga Filipina was founded, he was deported to

Dapitan, Zamboanga for a copy of Pobres Frailes (a book against the Church) retrieved on his

sister Lucia's pillow and Rizal's dedication of El Filibusterismo in Gomburza against the church.

He then met Josephine Bracken who cared for him, and became his wife. They also had child,

but died after it was born.

On December 11, 1896, he was charged in court because of these accusations: the

sedition or incitement of revolt, rebellion or book writing against the government, and the

establishment of a so-called secret organization of La Liga Pilipinas.

Rizal was defended his lawyer, because all the accusations was wrong and unfounded to

his claims. Rizal said he had nothing to do with the Katipunan uprising, because he was opposed

to the bloody revolution, where he had issued manifestations to prove it but nothing happened

Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo are also not subversive because Rizal did not hide it from

anyone and his only purpose was to reveal the truth. And La Liga Filipina is no secret because

the Spaniards know about it and it does not make it wrong with the law because it only demands

reforms.

Rizal's defenses was no use because of the betrayal of former compatriot Dr. Pio
Valenzuela. Many friars were angry with Rizal because of his strong opposition of the church, so

they seized him even if he was innocent.

On December 29, 1896, Rizal wrote his last poem titled Mi Ultimo Adios or Ang Huling

Paalam. He gave it to his brother Paciano in the lamp that he used to read it to his family and to

express his farewell to the Filipinos.

On December 30, 1896, he was shot in Bagumbayan (now Luneta), while the sun was

rising in the east which meant he could no longer see the freedom of the Philippines. Because of

his actions, he was regarded as one of the people who came to the end of the Filipinos to rise in

their slavery.