LIFE AND WORKS OF JOSE RIZAL

Jose Rizal’s Life, Works and Studies in

Europe (1888-1892)

Welcome to the fifth lesson of the course on the Life and Works of
Jose Rizal. This lesson is a continuation of our previous lesson about
Jose Rizal life and experiences in Europe. This lesson provides a
discussion on the life and experiences of Jose Rizal while he was in
Europe in 1888-1892.

Objectives:
The following are the learning outcomes we are expected to achieve at
the end of the lesson:
Discuss the reasons of Jose Rizal‟s second travel to Europe
Describe the experiences of Jose Rizal in Europe
Identify the works done by Jose Rizal during his stay in Europe
Explain the reasons why Rizal returned to the Philippines
Explain how Jose Rizal‟s experiences influenced his ideals and
philosophies in life and for the country

Activities/Exercises

Accomplish the module execises. Watch a movie clip about Rizal‟s life and
experiences in Europe. Read some of Jose Rizal‟s works.

Jose Rizal’s Life, Works and Studies in Europe (1888-1892) 1

I. Jose Rizal’s Return to the Philippines
August, 1887 : Rizal arrived in the Philippines from Europe
Prior to his homecoming, Jose Rizal was advised by his friends not to go back
to the country due to the impact created by the Noli Me Tangere which has
made him more popular even to the authorities.
While in Calamba, Laguna he operated his mother‟s cataracts. It is the first
time that such operation was done in the Philippines at that time. He also put
up a clinic for eye operations/surgery and was successful in his operations
on people with cataracts. People flocked to Calamba and he became
famous.
Jose Rizal was also summoned to Malacañan Palace by the governor-general
regarding the Noli Me Tangere. A committee was formed in order to review
the novel. In an attempt to spy on Jose Rizal, the governor-general assigned
a personal escort for Jose Rizal.

The committee‟s review of the Noli stated that the novel is :

 “impious, heretical, or scandalous”
 It is against the doctrine, against the church and the religious orders
 It is against the institutions, civil, military, social and political which the
government of Spain implanted in the Philippines
 It aims to inspire among the loyal and submissive sons of Spain in these
distant islands, profound, and furious hate to the mother country…"

In January 1888, Jose Rizal wrote a petition to the Administrator of Public

Islands of Laguna about the Haciendas of the friars in Calamba. He cited all
the grievances of the Calamba folks and tenants against the supposed owner
of the hacienda. He said the owner didn‟t help in the improvement of
agriculture, in the celebration of the town fiesta, in the education of the
children, and that the profit of the hacienda increased due to the increased
rentals
In March 1888, a manifesto was sent to the governor-general to petition the
ouster of Spanish friars from the Philippines. It was considered as the first
public reaction to the Noli Me, Tangere. The manifesto was regarded by
Spanish authorities as subversive and anti-clerical and the 28 people who
signed it were jailed and punished. The manifesto was also debated in the
Senate of Spain and all of the legislators agreed to the action done by the
Spanish authorities in the Philippines.

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LIFE AND WORKS OF JOSE RIZAL

II. Reasons of Jose Rizal’s return to Europe

The friars became furious with Jose Rizal because of the Noli Me
Tangere and the petition regarding the grievances of Calamba people and
tenants. They lobbied for the confiscation and prohibition of the Noli and the
consequent arrest of Jose Rizal. In order to avoid persecution, Paciano and
Narcisa Rizal convinced Jose to leave the country. Through the help of some
of his family members, Rizal left the Philippines in February, 1888.

III. Jose Rizal in Hong Kong, Macau and Japan

Jose Rizal reached Hong Kong on February 08, 1888 and boarded in the house
of Jose Maria Basa. After visiting Hong Kong, he left and visited Macau then left for
Japan. In Japan, Rizal studied the habits and customs of the Japanese people, their
language, theaters and commerce.He wrote Blumentritt about the honesty, courtesy,
cleanliness and industry of the Japanese people. However, he also expressed his
disgust on the use of the man drawn jinrikisha. Rizal met Usui Seiko [O Sei-san]
They had love affair but it was short lived. On April 13, 1888, Rizal left Yokohama
for San Francisco, on board the Belgic.

IV. Jose Rizal in U.S.A.

Jose Rizal allotted three weeks to tour around U.S. but it was not followed because he
was quarantined for eight days in San Francisco for the custom officials refused to admit the
800 Chinese on board the ship. He was not greatly impressed of the U.S. and he noted the
prevalence of rampant discrimination especially to the Chinese and „negro‟. From New York,
he boarded the ship City of Rome and reached Liverpool, on May 24, 1888. From there, he
went to England.

IV. Jose Rizal in England

While in England, he started to work in the British Museum Library for the
annotation of Antonio de Morga‟s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas [Events in the Philipines -
1609]. He refuted the accusations of prejudiced Spanish writers against Filipinos and
presented the 16th century Filipino culture showing that the Filipinos had developed culture
even before the coming of the Spaniards.

Read an article about Jose Rizal‟s annotation of Antonio de Morga‟sSuccesos de las Islas
Filipinasin http://www.philippinestudies.net/ojs/index.php/ps/article/viewFile/662/663

While completing his annotation to the Sucesos, he also began writing the El
Filibusterismo, the sequel of the Noli Me Tangere.

Jose Rizal’s Life, Works and Studies in Europe (1888-1892) 3

 In December 1888, Filipinos in Barcelona, Spain, the Ilustrados established the La
Solidaridad (Constantino, 1975). The publication of the newspaper started in Feb 1889. The
organization through the La Solidaridad demanded for reforms and the assimilation of
Philippines to Spain. Jose Rizal continued to contribute articles in the La Solidaridad such as
„The Philippines: A century hence‟ and „To the Young Women of Malolos‟.

Read these essays on these websites:

 The Philippines: A Century Hence
http://www.rizalinfo.net/MemPolDetails.asp?TableIndex=14
http://www.rizalinfo.net/MemPolDetails.asp?TableIndex=15

 To The Young Women of Malolos

http://www.rizalinfo.net/MemPolDetails.asp?TableIndex=10

VI. The El Filibusterismo

Jose Rizal finished the El Filibusterismo in 1891 in Ghent, Belgium. It
is a sequel to the Noli Me Tangere and was dedicated to the Gomburza. Due
to lack of money, Rizal almost decided not to publish it. Fortunately for him
he got financial help from Valentin Ventura who lent him money for the
printing of the novel.

VII. Jose Rizal in Hong Kong

In December, 1891, the Rizal family met in Hong Kong. Jose Rizal
expressed to his family his plan of establishing a colony in Borneo in order to be
free from the Spaniards but they did not approve it.

He put up a clinic in Hong Kong and became known as the „Spanish doctor‟.
On June 21, 1892, together with his sister Lucia sailed back to Manila. When they
arrived in Manila, authorities who searched their luggage claimed that his sister
carried with her seditious writings under her pillow case. The package included
copies of a tract called “The Poor Friars - a caustic attack on the Dominicans.

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LIFE AND WORKS OF JOSE RIZAL

References
Coates, Austin. (1969). Rizal: Philippine Nationalist and Martyr. Quezon
City: Malaya Books
Craig, Austin. Lineage Life and Labors of Jose Rizal Philippine Patriot
Ocampo, Ambeth R, (2000). Rizal Without The Overcoat. Pasig City: Anvil Pub.
Ocampo, Nilo S. (1995). Rizal: Makabayan at Martir. Diliman, Q.C.:
University of the Philippines Press
Schumacher, John SJ. (1996). The Making of a Nation. Quezon City: Ateneo
de Manila Press

Internet Sources:

http://joserizal.nhcp.gov.ph/Biography/e-europe.htm
http://www.filipinaslibrary.org.ph/filipiniana-library/filipiniana/70-features/221-
the-travels-of-rizal
http://g2joseriz.weebly.com/review-page.html
http://joserizal.ph/tr27.html
http://joserizal.info/
http://www.rizalinfo.net/
http://elearning.nhcp.gov.ph/rizal-shrine
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=jose+rizal
http://philhist.pbworks.com/w/page/16367051/Rizaliana#OtherWritings

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