RIZAL: LIFE WORKS AND WRITINGS 5. 4.

The final criterion examines the influence of the person to

his age and the succeeding eras.
RIZAL AS A NATIONAL HERO
Currently the Philippines has set 4 days to honor its heroes, three of
Why nations have their hero? which honor specific persons namely: Jose Rizal – Every Dec. 30-the
origin of this commemoration comes from the decree issued by Gen.
- Every country has its heroes. They may have been responsible for
Emilio Aguinaldo on Dec. 20, 1898.
inspiring the people to fight for their freedom such as Benjamin
Franklin, George Washington, Gandhi, Ho Chi Minh and others. Though Aguinaldo’s decree did not specifically declare Rizal as a
national hero, it was a tribute to his heroism.
Having heroes is important in the history every country. They
demonstrate the bast of what a person can be. Andres Bonifacio –every November 30, The celebration of bonifacio
day was made possible by the issuance of Act No. 2946 by the
It is important to study what makes a hero because by looking
Philippine Legislature on February 16, 1921.
at our heroes in the context of our country’s history, we properly owe
our debt of gratitude to them and appreciate their role in the building The third is National Heroes Day which is celebrated every last Sunday
of the nation-state. of August. It honors all the heroes of the Philippines including those
who are unknown. The celebration of this holiday became possible in
CRITERIA FOR HEROES
accordance to Public Act No. 3827 which was passed by the Philippine
Legislature on October 28, 1931.
There is no law or official proclamation which directly made
Rizal into a hero. Rizals hero status was made by the acclamation of the
The fourth holiday was recently created by Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo on
Filipino people.
December 25, 2004 when she signed into law R.A. 9256, which
created Ninoy Aquino Day that is commemorated every August 21,
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines is in
the anniversary of Ninoy’s assassination.
charge of historical matters, prescribes the passage of fifty years before
a person is finally confirmed as a hero. If the person is still being
R.A. No. 1425 (House Bill No. 5561 –Senate Bill No. 438)- an act to
admired after that period and his ideas and ideals are still invoked and
include in the curricula of all Public and Private Schools, Colleges and
appreciated, that person has passed the test of time and is considered
Universities courses on the Life Works and Writings of Jose Rizal
a hero.
particularly Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
DEFINITION OF A HERO
The story of Rizal Law- Claro M. Recto’s original Bill
According to NHC, “an admirable leader towering over his peers, who
-After a month –long standoff with the Catholic Church, a
serves a noble cause, possessing exceptional talent, distinguished valor
compromise bill authored by Senator Jose P. Laurel was filed.
and/or hold enterprise, exercising a determinative over the spititual life
of his people in a particular remarkable event.” - Finally on June 12, 1956, the R.A. No. 1425 better known as RIZAL
LAW came into effect.
From round table discussion (June 3, 1993-Ramos Regime) the body
adopted the definiton of a hero by Dr. Onofre Corpuz “ Heroes are THE WORLD DURING RIZAL’S TIME
those who have a concept of nation and thereafter aspire and struggle
for the nation’s freedom…heroes are those define and contribute to a RIZAL’S CENTURY: 19TH CENTURY
system of life and freedom and order for a nation. Freedom without
order will only lead to anarchy.” Age of Enlightenment reached its height in France culminating in the
Revolution of 1789.
The historical committee of the National Heroes Commission came out
with the characteristics of a person to be examined before he could be During Napoleon’s time Spain was part of France’s alliance against
considered a hero: Britain in Continental System

1. The extent of the person’s sacrifices for the welfare of the Outside the Philippines the struggle for equal has spread over the
country world. Europe went up in revolution.

2. Motive and methods employed in the attainment of the ideal, In the Philippines, meanwhile, liberal stirrings from Europe
reached the country.
3. Did the person concerned sacrificed purely and exclusively for
the welfare of the country or was there any selfish or ulterior Important Dates in the Life of Rizal
motive in the making of such sacrifices? Were the methods
 19 JUNE 1861- Birth of Jose Mercado, the 7th child of
employed in the attainment of the ideal morally valid?
Francisco Mercado Rizal and Teodora Alonso y Quintos
4. 3. The moral character of the person. If there was any
 1869- at the age of eight Jose writes in Tagalog the poem SA
immorality, did it affect his work, his society or the ideal?
AKING MGA KABABATA
  1870 – Paciano takes Jose to Binan to study Latin and Spanish
under Justinian Aquino Cruz
 17 December 1870 – Jose returns to Calamba aboard the
motorboat TALIM. His parents plan to transfer him to Manila
to continue his studies
 1871 Jose’s mother is imprisoned for allegedly trying to
poison his aunt.
A Manila Student: The Ateneo Years, 1872-1877
●10, June 1872- Jose takes the entrance examination for the
secondary course at the Colegio De San Juan de Letran
● 26, June 1872 – He attends classes for the first time at the Ateneo
Municipal and boards at a house of an elderly spinter named Titay.
 5 December 1875- Writes the poems El Combate; Urbiztondo,
Terror de Jolo, El Embarque, Y Es Espanol, Elcano El Primero en dar
Vuelta al Mundo
 14 March 1877- Rizal finihes the course Bachiller en Artes
with the general average of Sobresaliente or EXCELLENT.
 June 1877 Meets Segunda Katigbak
 15 December 1877- Rizal rides his white horse on his way to
meet Segunda Katigbak who is set to marry Arturo Luz in Lipa.
In the University of Santo Tomas, 1877-1882
 6 January 1878 – Rizal returns to Manila to resume his
studies; takes a course in Surveying at the Ateneo and at the
same time
 Taking up Philosophy and Letters at the University of Santo
Tomas.
 12 May 1878- Rizal passes the examination for surveyors but
is not issued the diploma for being under aged.
 2 June 1878 Enrols in the Medicine course at the University of
Santo Tomas
 22 November 1879- Rizal receives an award a silver pen for
his winning poem A La Juventud Filipina.
 "A la juventud filipina" was written by Rizal when he was only
eighteen years old, and was dedicated to the Filipino Youth.
 13 April – Rizal receives the 1st prize for his play El Consejo de
los Dioses
 25, November 1881- Rizal is granted the title of Surveyor by
the Direccion General de Administracion Civil
 1 May 1882- Rizal leaves Calamba for his first trip abroad
Rizal in Europe, 1882-1885
 9 may 1882- Stop over at Singapore and tours the colony.
 12 June 1882- Arrives in Marseilles, France and explores the
city.
 15 June 1882- Leaves Marseilles for Barcelona by train
 Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and it is the second
Spain’s largest city.
 2 Oct. 1882- attends his first day of classes for medical course
at Universidad Central de Madrid
 Pawn his jewels to pay for his examination
 21 June 1884- Rizal finishes his Licentiate in medicine with the
grade of Aprobado
 22 June 1884- delivers a speech honouring Juan Luna and
Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo
 5 November 1884- Rizal receives news that his speech in
Spain made many enemies and had caused his mother’s
illness.
 19 June 1885 –Rizal finishes the degree of Licentiate in
Philosophy and letters from the Universidad Central de
Madrid with a grade of Sobresaliente
 4 December 1885- Rizal practices ophthalmology with Dr.
Wecker at the Crugen clinic
 11 March 1886- He writes a letter to his sister Trinidad
describing the admirable qualities of German women
 22 April 1886- Rizal writes A las Flores de Heidelberg
 11 January- Rizal meet Feodor Jagor who invites him to come
to the meetings of the German Anthropological
 13 March 1887- The Noli Me Tangere comes off the press in
Berlin
 13 May 1887- Rizal and Maximo Viola arrive in Leitmeritz and
meet Dr. Ferdinand Blumentritt
HOME AFTER FIVE YEARS
 5 August 1887 – Rizal arrives in Manila after staying five years
in Europe
 15 August 1887- Archbishop Pedro Payo instructs UST Rector
to review Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere. The committee later issues
negative information about the novel
 30 August 1887-Gov.Gen. Emilio Terrero requests from Rizal a
copy of the Noli Me Tangere
 October 1887- Rizal introduces gymnastics and other sports
to discourage his townmates from gambling
 29 December 1887- The Permanent Board of Censors under
Fr. Salvador Font issues a final judgment prohibiting the
distribution of the Noli Me Tangere
 January 1888 – Rizal writes a report outlining the grievances
of the tenants of the Calamba Estate to Gov. Gen. Terrero
2nd SOJOURN ABROAD, 1888-1892
 19 February 1888- visits Macau
 22 February 1888- Arrives Yokohama and observes he
customs of the Japanese
 7 March 1888- He engages with Usui Seiko
 13 April he departs Japan for San Francisco aboard the Belgic
and arrives there on April 28, 1888.
 Rizal lands in San Francisco; checks in at the Palace Hotel and
explores the city
 He begins crossing the United States by rail and arrives New
York on May 13, 1888
 18 Sept. 1891- El Filibusterismo comes off the press
 3 Oct. 1891- with 600 copies of El Filibusterismo Rizal decides
to leave for Hongkong
 7 Oct. 1891- Rizal informs Marcelo H. del Pilar that he is no
longer writing for La Solidaridad as he said it was being run
like a private enterprise.
 Rizal begins his work on his third novel.
 18 Oct. 1981- he arrives Hongkong
ARREST AND EXILE TO DAPITAN, TRIAL AND EXECUTION
 26 June 1892 – After almost two years in Hongkong Rizal
Arrives Manila
 27 June 1892- He tours town in Tarlac, Bulacan and
Pampanga
 29 June 1892 – Meets Gov. Gen. Eulogio Despujol and
discusses the North Borneo resettlement project.
 3 July 1892 – Founds La Liga Filipina in Ilaya St., Tondo Manila
 7 July 1892- Rizal is summoned by Despujol to Malacanan and
confronted by Handbills (Pobres Frailes), arrested and
deported to Dapitan.
 Rizal is taken to the steamer Cebu for deportation to Dapitan
 17 July 1892- Rizal arrives Dapitan
 7 Sept. 1892- Beginning of Rizal correspondence with Fr.
Pablo Pastells, S.J. as the Jesuits were trynig to win him back
to the Catholic fold but the Jesuits failed
 28 August 1893- He meets Josephine Bracken with whom he
falls in love and later proposes
 4 November 1893- Rizal reports that he met certain Pablo
Mercado, who disguised as his relative but in reality was an
assassin Who named Florencio Namaan who was hired by the
Friars to kill him
 1894- he reports that he was busy treating patients in Dapitan
 May 1895- Rizal requests to be transferred to the Ilocos or to
Spain on account of his ailing health.
 15 Dec. 1895- Rizal volunteers to serve as a medical doctor in
Cuba to Gov. Gen. Ramon Blanco
 Rizal was visited by Dr. Pio Valenzuela who seeks his advice
about launching the revolution against Spain.
 Rizal refuses to have any part in the movement.
 1 July 1896- a letter arrives from Manila informing Rizal that
his offer to serve as a medical doctor in Cuba was accepted.
 He leaves Dapitan on July 1, 1896 for Manila on the first leg of
his trip to Cuba.
 6 August 1896- Rizal boards the cruiser Castilla while waiting
to leave for Spain
 4 Sept. 1896- Rizal is informed that he was the cause of the
disturbances in Manila as the Philippine Revolution had broke
out.
 30 Sept. 1896- After sailing through the Suez Canal, Rizal was
placed under arrest aboard the Isla de Panay.
 He was taken to Montjuich castle before being shipped back
to manila on Oct. 6 aboard the cruiser Colon
 He was taken to Montjuich castle before being shipped back
to manila on Oct. 6 aboard the cruiser Colon
 20 November 1896- He is taken before Col. Francisco Olive for
questioning and on 11 December.
 He was informed of the charges against him. He chooses Lt.
Luis Taviel de Andrade as his defender
 15 December 1896- Rizal writes a manifesto urging the
people to stop the rebellion and accused the revolutionaries
of using his name without permission.
 26 December 1896- Actual trial of Rizal. The court martial
reached its decision on the same day and recommended
death by musketry. (Military / Firearms, Gunnery, Ordnance
& Artillery) the technique of using small arms
 28 December 1896- Gov. Gen. Camilo de Polavieja approves
the death sentence of Rizal
 29 December 1896- Rizal met his close relatives for the last
time and asks for forgiveness.
 He signs his declaration of retraction from free- masonry.
 30 December 1896- During early morning hours he had four
 Confessions and received communion. He marries Josephine
Bracken. At 6:30 in the morning Rizal begins his march
towards Bagumbayan and is executed at 7:03 in the morning