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It is not very new to us that some of the respective professors of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines are so remarkable,

honorable, versatile and very outgoing that they even have these splendid activities or experiences outside the campus. They did very well more than I could ever imagine. It was Commissioner Professor Jose David Lapuz whom I was talking about earlier and who is to accept those descriptions above. Well, anyone should agree with me for he was really an emblem, a model not only for the people of his time but also up to the present generation. Are you wondering why have I said that he is doing splendid activities outside the campus? Here is one solid proof or evidence that will clearly show you how you should be looking up to him. Last July 19, 2009, Prof. Jose David Lapuz was the Guest Speaker or Orador Invitado of the renowned LOS CABALLEROS DE RIZAL during the Unvailing of the Rizal Bust held at Calamba, July 19, 2009. Prof. Lapuz honored the great memory and legacy of the national hero on the occasion of his 148th Birth Anniversary (1861 - 1896). Los Caballeros de Rizal or The Order of the Knights of Rizal is a fraternal organization created to honor and uphold the ideals of Philippine national heroJose Rizal. Established on December 30, 1911, the organization was granted a legislative charter by the President of the Philippines as a civic and patriotic organization on 14 June 1951 by Republic Act 646. The Republic act 646 was sponsored by Congressman Manuel Zosa of Cebu and was signed into law by President Elpidio Quirino.[2] It was founded by Colonel Antonio C. Torres who would later serve as the first Filipino Chief of Police of Manila. It is characterized not only as a civic and patriotic but also as cultural, non-sectarian, non-partisan and non-racial organization as well. Since its founding the organization has grown to over 10,000 members belonging to chapters located in countries throughout the world including Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, France (four Chapters), Czech Republic, Germany, Thailand and the United States. Its international headquarters is located along Bonifacio Drive, Port Area, and Manila. The insignia of the Knights of Rizal is authorized for wearing by the diplomatic corps of the Republic of the Philippines. The Order was included in the "Amtskalender"

of the Federal Republic of Germany and ranks as lowest of the Philippine orders of merit. German citizens who are awarded a rank in the Order must request written approval from the "Bundesverwaltungsamt" before wearing the insignia. The history of the Order of the Knights of Rizal go back to December 30, 1911 when Colonel Antonio C. Torres organized a 9 group of men from different walks of life for the purpose of commemorating in a fitting manner the execution and martyrdom of our foremost national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal. Thereafter, year after year, the same group would gather to celebrate the birth and commemorate the death of Dr. Jose Rizal. During Rizal Day celebrations, this group would be seen conspicuously on horseback reminiscent of the knights of old known for their chivalry and exemplary life. To provide a continuing entity and to encourage others to join tem, these admirers of Dr. Rizal on November 16, 1916, organized a private non-stock corporation and named it the Orden de Caballeros de Rizal. The incorporators of the corporation were: Antonio C. Torres, Juan Flameo, Martin P. de Veyra, Jose A. del Barrio and Jose S. Galvez. Colonel Antonio C. Torres, who before the last war was Chief of Police of Manila, was the first Supreme Commander. The following have since then been Supreme Commanders of the Order: Martin P. de Veyra, Manuel Lim, Juan F. Nakpil, Herminio Velarde, Teodoro Evangelista, Hernenegildo B. Reyes, Santiago F. de la Cruz, Jesus E. Perpian, Vitaliano Bernardino, Jose Ma. Paredes Claudio Teehankee, Jose S. Laurel III and the incumbent, Justo P. Torres, Jr. In 1951 the Supreme e Council of the Order created a Committee on Legislation for the purpose of studying the feasibility of filing a bill in the Congress of the Philippines to be enacted into law to enable the Order to secure a legislative charter. Justice Roman Ozaeta was the Chairman of the Committee with Sirs Carlos Hilado and Pedro Sabido as members. The bill seeking to give the Order of the Knights of Rizal a legislative charter was docketed as Senate Bill No. 251, with then Senators Enrique Magalona, Lorenzo Sumulong, Esteban Abada, Emiliano Tria Tirona, Camilo Osias, Geronima Pecson, Jose

Avelino and Ramon Torres as sponsors. In the lowerhouse, Congressman Manuel Zosa of Cebu was the principal sponsor of the measure. The explanatory note of the Bill read as follows: The purpose of the attached bill is to accord to the civic and patriotic organization known as Orden de Caballeros de Rizal (Order of the Knights of Rizal) the same kind of official recognition and encourage-ment as that accorded to the Boy Scouts of the Philippines by Commonwealth Act No. 111, by grant-ing to it a legislative Charier and investing it with the necessary powers to enable it more fully and more effectively to accomplish the laudable purposes for which it was organized. This Bill if enacted into law will also serve as a historical monument to Rizal; it will constitute an official recognition by the Republic of the Philippines of the inestimable value to the nation of his teachings and examples and of the wisdom and necessity of inculcating them in the minds and -hearts of our people so they may strive to follow and practice them. The authors and proponents of this Bill believe that if the purposes thereof are faithfully and effectively carried out, social discipline, civic virtues, and love of justice will be fostered, promoted, and enhanced in this country, and that the Knights of Rizal as chartered entity is the most convenient instrumentality by which these desirable ends can be attained. Let Rizals life and martyrdom influence and guide the destiny of the nation. Let this and future generations live the Rizal Way. Recommended for approval on May 15, 1951, the measure was, signed into law by the President of the Philippines on June 14, 1951, becoming Republic Act 646. The Order maintains a year-round program of activities to carry out the objectives of the organization on a national and regional or chapter level in keeping with the teachings and examples of the National hero; to wit: To study and spread the teachings of Rizal; To organize and to hold annual programs in honor of Rizal such as June 19 (birth anniversary) and December 30 commemorating his martyrdorn;

To hold piograms, convocations, seminars, training institutes in schools and universities; To hold oratorical and essay contests among students and private citizens; To organize institutional chapters from the elementary to the college level under the auspices of the local chapter; To help organize auxiliary units composed of women civic leaders who may. function as counterpart organizations of the local chapter; To solicit and donate books, writings and- other reading materials by and about the national hero to libraries and other reading centers; To sponsor contesi and give awards to outstanding citizens for outstanding achievements in the arts and sciences, the professions, industry, agriculture Thd the promotion of international understanding. To erect, if there be none, a monument, marker or bust of Rizal within the proper vicinity or locality, To sponsor literary contests on poetry, essays and characters in Rizals novels; within the context To participate and discuss public issues of RizaIs philosophy and ideals which will promote unity, freedom and peace with justice; and any other such activity or project which will in one way of another lead to the development and perpetuation of the sublime memory of our national hero. It really was an honor to hear something from a member of The Order of the Knights of Rizal because for all we know, Jose Rizal was a doctor, a novelist, a poet, a sculptor, a painter and a lothario. He was also a swordsman, deadly with both rapier and arnis sticks; a highly regarded pistol marksman; a body builder with experience in

wrestling and judo; a freedom fighter and a wanted man. Our National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal, hailed, as The Pride of the Malay Race was a Renaissance man. Yes, Rizal honed his brawn and his blade as much as he did his wit and his word. Rizal did not become a superb physical specimen overnight. He was frail and sickly as a child. This probably prompted him to study the art of buno (wrestling) from his uncle Manuel to strengthen his body. This skill he once used to defeat a bully in class. Rizals love for the combative arts stayed with him until he became an adult. At 18-year-old, in a letter to Enrique Lete, dated November 27, 1879, he says, My hands are shaking because I have just had a fencing bout; you know I want to be a swordsman. As a student in Madrid, he practiced fencing and pistol shooting with the Paterno brothers namely Pedro, Maximino and Antonio. Rizal was a pretty good shot as indicated by his correspondence to Antonio Luna that narrates, Speaking of shooting, I am sending you a target containing 10 bullet holes; it was seven and a half meters from me. At twenty-five meters I can put all my shots into a twenty-centimeter target. Rizal had also dedicated himself to weightlifting and bodybuilding. While he was in Germany, Dr. Maximo Viola recalled Rizal lifting great weights under an unaccustomed diet in an effort to defeat the best weightlifter of one gymnasium. Unorthodox his approach maybe, Rizal succeeded in the said goal. In his brief sojourn in Japan in 1888, he witnessed and learned the art of judo newly created at that time by martial arts master and educator Dr. Jigoro Kano. Rizal later taught judo to the members of the Kidlat [Lightning] Club, which he founded in Paris. In London, Rizal trained in boxing with the sons of his friend Dr. Reinhold Rost. Rizals patriotism was evident even in his study of martial arts. While being adept in Western swordsmanship and pistol shooting, he made sure that he was also an expert in arnis, the indigenous fighting art of his Motherland. Arnis, which uses weaponry training as a primary mode of instruction was among the subjects Rizal taught to the boys of Dapitan during his last days.

Rizal nearly fought three real duels in his lifetime. The first was when he challenged Antonio Luna for uttering unsavory remarks against his love interest Nellie Boustead. The second was when he challenged his bitter enemy of the pen, the Spanish scholar Wenceslao E. Retana for writing a malicious article stating that his family was ejected from their lands in Calamba for not paying the rent. The third was when he challenged the Frenchman Juan Lardet for accusing him of cheating in a business deal in Dapitan. His duel with Luna was aborted when the latter apologized and through the intervention of his compatriots in Madrid. Retana, however, simply backed off after learning of Rizals fighting prowess. The Spaniard later became an avid biographer of the national hero. Like Retana, Lardet retracted his allegation and declined the challenge after being advised by Captain Ricardo Carcinero, the Spanish commandant of Dapitan, who knew well of Rizals fighting abilities. It was perhaps Rizals deep knowledge of the martial arts that prompted him to exercise extreme prudence in plotting the steps of the Philippine Revolution. This was evident in his dialogue with Dr. Pio Valenzuela, an envoy of Andres Bonifacios Katipunan that says, I will never lead a disorderly revolution and one which has no probability of success because I do not want to burden my conscience with an imprudent and useless spilling of blood; but whoever leads a revolution in the Philippines will have me at his side. Jose Rizal was indeed the personification of the term brain and brawn, a fighting, thinking man. Well, those that were mentioned were not the main focus of the speech of our beloved, honored, and respective professor, he mainly spoke about Rizals girls during his time. There were at least nine women linked with Rizal; namely Segunda Katigbak, Leonor Valenzuela, Leonor Rivera, Consuelo Ortiga, O-Sei San, Gertrude Beckette, Nelly

Boustead, Suzanne Jacoby and Josephine Bracken. These women might have been beguiled by his intelligence, charm and wit. Segunda Katigbak was her puppy love. Unfortunately, his first love was engaged to be married to a town mate- Manuel Luz. After his admiration for a short girl in the person of Segunda, then came Leonor Valenzuela, a tall girl from Pagsanjan. Rizal send her love notes written in invisible ink, that could only be deciphered over the warmth of the lamp or candle. He visited her on the eve of his departure to Spain and bade her a last goodbye. Leonor Rivera, his sweetheart for 11 years played the greatest influence in keeping him from falling in love with other women during his travel. Unfortunately, Leonors mother disapproved of her daughters relationship with Rizal, who was then a known filibustero. She hid from Leonor all letters sent to her sweetheart. Leonor believing that Rizal had already forgotten her, sadly consented her to marry the Englishman Henry Kipping, her mothers choice. Consuelo Ortiga y Rey, the prettier of Don Pablo Ortigas daughters, fell in love with him. He dedicated to her A la Senorita C.O. y R., which became one of his best poems. The Ortiga's residence in Madrid was frequented by Rizal and his compatriots. He probably fell in love with her and Consuelo apparently asked him for romantic verses. He suddenly backed out before the relationship turned into a serious romance, because he wanted to remain loyal to Leonor Rivera and he did not want to destroy hid friendship with Eduardo de Lete who was madly in love with Consuelo. O Sei San, a Japanese samurais daughter taught Rizal the Japanese art of painting known as su-mie. She also helped Rizal improve his knowledge of Japanese language. If Rizal was a man without a patriotic mission, he would have married this lovely and intelligent woman and lived a stable and happy life with her in Japan because Spanish legation there offered him a lucrative job. Gertrude Beckett While Rizal was in London annotating the Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, he boarded in the

house of the Beckett family, within walking distance of the British Museum. Gertrude, a blue-eyed and buxom girl was the oldest of the three Beckett daughters. She fell in love with Rizal. Tottie helped him in his painting and sculpture. But Rizal suddenly left London for Paris to avoid Gertrude, who was seriously in love with him. Before leaving London, he was able to finish the group carving of the Beckett sisters. He gave the group carving to Gertrude as a sign of their brief relationship. Rizal having lost Leonor Rivera, entertained the thought of courting other ladies. While a guest of the Boustead family at their residence in the resort city of Biarritz, he had befriended the two pretty daughters of his host, Eduardo Boustead. Rizal used to fence with the sisters at the studio of Juan Luna. Antonio Luna, Juans brother and also a frequent visitor of the Bousteads, courted Nellie but she was deeply infatuated with Rizal. In a party held by Filipinos in Madrid, a drunken Antonio Luna uttered unsavory remarks against Nellie Boustead. This prompted Rizal to challenge Luna into a duel. Fortunately, Luna apologized to Rizal, thus averting tragedy for the compatriots. Their love affair unfortunately did not end in marriage. It failed because Rizal refused to be converted to the Protestant faith, as Nellie demanded and Nellies mother did not like a physician without enough paying clientele to be a son-in-law. The lovers, however, parted as good friends when Rizal left Europe. In 1890, Rizal moved to Brussels because of the high cost of living in Paris. In Brussels, he lived in the boarding house of the two Jacoby sisters. In time, they fell deeply in love with each other. Suzanne cried when Rizal left Brussels and wrote him when he was in Madrid. In the last days of February 1895, while still in Dapitan, Rizal met an 18-year old petite Irish girl, with bold blue eyes, brown hair and a happy disposition. She was Josephine Bracken, the adopted daughter of George Taufer from Hong Kong, who came to Dapitan to seek Rizal for eye treatment. Rizal was physically attracted to her. His loneliness and boredom must have taken the measure of him and what could be a better diversion that to fall in love again. But the Rizal sisters suspected Josephine as an agent of the friars and they considered her as a threat to Rizals security.

Rizal asked Josephine to marry him, but she was not yet ready to make a decision due to her responsibility to the blind Taufer. Since Taufers blindness was untreatable, he left for Hon Kong on March 1895. Josephine stayed with Rizals family in Manila. Upon her return to Dapitan, Rizal tried to arrange with Father Antonio Obach for their marriage. However, the priest wanted a retraction as a precondition before marrying them. Rizal upon the advice of his family and friends and with Josephines consent took her as his wife even without the Church blessings. Josephine later give birth prematurely to a stillborn baby, a result of some incidence, which might have shocked or frightened her. He had also mentioned about them, the Orders members and our Professor, crossing the highway. He compared it to Rizals thinking that before he does something, he thinks of it very much, analyzes it, knows it benefits, consequences, effects, and others before doing so. It was another proof that our national hero is extravagantly not a typically-thinking person but a slowly-but-surely one. He have spoken about Placido Penitente, a very intelligent student from the University of Santo Tomas who always strives to control his temper in the face of oppression from his professors in Jose Rizals El Filibusterismo . He has lost his drive to study due to academic problems and would rather go back home to work. However, he continues to strive for a degree at the behest of his pious and self-sacrificing mother. He said that Placidos thinking nature allows him to conduct himself wisely in class and in relation to his fellow students. He recalls lessons in class and from life and applies them accordingly, making him a capable and grounded individual. He exhibits his inherent dignity as shown in his showdown with Padre Millon, the Professor who wished to humiliate him in class. As a proud native of Tanawan, Batangas, Placido endured months of persecution at the hands of his friar professors in patience and silence. Often recalling his mothers hardships and pleadings to endure, he nevertheless reaches boiling point at Padre Millons Physics class. Slow to anger, but

determined when roused, he sees reason in drastic change in order for freedom to flourish. And thats where the 2nd half of the speech ended. I have chosen these youtube videos entitled: PROF. LAPUZ BEFORE THE CABALLEROS DE RIZAL, ON 148th BIRTH OF RIZAL/CALAMBA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpDacaZhKUA&feature=relmfu PROF. LAPUZ BEFORE THE CABALLEROS DE RIZAL, ON 148th BIRTH OF RIZAL/CALAMBA. 2/4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=k1CpFg0PQHo&NR=1 The videos were connected to each other in a way that the second one is only the continuation of the first and so I only did one reaction paper for these videos.

REACTION PAPER ON THE TWO (2) CHOSEN YOUTUBE VIDEOS OF COMMISSIONER PROFESSOR JOSE DAVID LAPUZ Submitted by: Gamboa, Joelyn Marie G. BPS 3-1 Submitted to: Commissioner Professor Jose David Lapuz

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