Shaun Patrick P.

Albao BSChE-2A RIZAL 001

MODULE 1
Lesson 1: The Making of the Rizal Law
Warm Up Activity
Mother
His full name was Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda. He was famous for
his two great novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. The purpose of his novels and
other writings was to awaken the minds of the Filipinos during his time. Furthermore, he
belonged to a wealthy family. Lastly, he was a polymath, a person who has a wide-ranging
knowledge or learning.
Christian
Jose Rizal was a doctor, particularly an ophthalmologist. He was handsome and was
known to be charismatic. Also, he does not read much but scores high grades in school. In
addition, he made many writings. Finally, he was shot at the back with his eyes blindfolded.
Kylle
First, he was widely known for using only a pen against his enemies. Next, because of
his intellect, he knows many languages. Then, he was captured because the Spaniards thought
that his writings were sparking a revolution. In the end, his death was the inspiration of Andres
Bonifacio.
Barbie
Fun fact: Jose Rizal had only one brother and nine sisters. He and Gregorio del Pilar
were also known to be womanizers. I can even remember in our AP class wherein our teacher
told us that this quote, “Hindi masama ang magmahal ng marami, maliban nalang kung may
masasaktan,” is a quote coming from Rizal. To add something, his works were to show to the
Spaniards that we Filipinos should not be belittled.
Kurt
He is widely known for his quotes like, “Ang hindi marunong magmahal sa sariling wika
ay higit na mabaho sa malansang isda,” and “The youth is the hope of the nation.” Because of
his life and works, he is wholly recognized as the national hero of the Philippines.
Shaun Patrick P. Albao BSChE-2A RIZAL 001

Share your Thoughts

As the old saying goes, “History repeats itself.” Some of the events that happened
recently might have occurred in the past, although not entirely the same. Specifically, this was
the case of the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill in 2012 and the Rizal (Noli-Fili) Bill in 1956 which
were known as two of the most controversial events in the history of Philippine legislation. The
two similarities wherein both cases of the RH Bill and Rizal Bill have in common are the
involvement of the Catholic Church and the inclusion of their literatures in the curricula of
educational institutions.
The Roman Catholic Church has great influence towards Filipinos, and their involvement
with the proposed bills made issues grew rapidly. With regards to the RH Bill, the bishops of the
religious institution stated that it is “anti-life” and even declared that “contraception is corruption”
(Robles, 2015). Their justification was the bible since it was stated that when God commanded
our first parents, He told them to go, be fruitful and multiply. On the other hand, the high priests
identified the novels of Rizal as portraying priests to be antagonists and is remarked to be
religiously scandalous, in response to the Noli-Fili Bill. During the time of Rizal, most of the
church officials (especially the Spanish ones) were too abusive of the Indios (Natives) which is
why they were illustrated in that manner.
In addition, the inclusion of their literatures in the curricula of educational institutions
were also eminently opposed by the bishops and some government officials. In response to the
proposal of sex education in schools, colleges and universities, senior bishops believe that the
task of telling children about sex and relationships should be up to the parents themselves
(McGeown, 2010). This is because Philippines is known to be a conservative country and
talking about sex or adult themes is simply not a good topic to be discussed. Meanwhile,
Francisco Rodrigo, the leader of the opposition of Rizal Bill, said that he would not allow his 16-
year-old son to read the novels without advice from elders. The priests dealt with the
“unreasonableness” and “injustice” of the Senate bill making it obligatory for Catholic students to
read attacks on their faith. For them, such a law would, under the guise of nationalism, violate
"one of the fundamental freedoms of our country, viz., their freedom of conscience".
In conclusion, the involvement of the predominant Catholic Church and the inclusion of
their literatures in the curricula of educational institutions resembled a correspondence between
the hearings of the Rizal Bill and the Reproductive Health Bill.
Shaun Patrick P. Albao BSChE-2A RIZAL 001

Share your Thoughts

Fr. Dela Costa Fr. Cavanna Own views

Rizal's novels were not attacks on
the Catholic Church but on its
abuses through castigating
"superstitious observances".
Rizal was only portraying fictional
crimes with fictional characters in
his novels, which had a basis in fact.
While Rizal's novels should be
made familiar to the students,
annotated editions must be
prepared by scholars familiar with
the ecclesiastical and civil history of
Rizal's period.
There is nothing in the novels that
constitutes a danger to the faith
and morals of mature, well-
instructed Catholic.
Rizal's novels were purely attacks
on the Catholic Church through
castigating some of the Catholic
practices.
There are some passages where it
is not anymore the novel's
characters but is Rizal himself who
speaks.
The "Statement" quoted a canon
law forbidding certain types of
books, under whose categories it
declared the novels fell, unless
permitted by the ecclesiastical
authority.
The "Statement" suggested
isolating the patriotic passages with
the social and political
philosophies.
Rizal's novels are clearly attacks on
the Catholic Church because of the
abuses and hypocrisy of its
hierarchies.
Rizal, like any other novelist, was
only trying to portray the
characters the way they should act,
speak, or think.
The novels of Rizal are to be read
with high comprehension and
proper guidance since most of his
writings are written figuratively and
holistically, not merely as a
collection of parts.
Rizal's objectivity on his novels was
quite astonishing, since he
recognized the mistakes on both
Catholic Church and the Filipino
people. Hence, nothing is wrong
with his novels.
Shaun Patrick P. Albao BSChE-2A RIZAL 001

Lesson 2: The Conditions of the Philippines in the Advent of Rizal

Warm Up Activity
William Wallace, at his childhood witnessed the cruelty by Longshanks, a pagan English
ruler. He witnessed the death of his father and brother and was taken overseas on a journey all
through Europe by his fatherly uncle Argyle. After years have passed, Longshanks gave his
noblemen privileges, particularly “Prima Nocte” where they could have sexual relations with
subordinate women on their wedding rights.
Wallace then returned to Scotland and fell in love and secretly married his childhood
friend Murron MacClannough. Wallace saved Murron from being assaulted by English Troopers,
but as she resisted the second time around, Murron was captured and executed. In reprisal,
Wallace led his clan to butcher the English army in his hometown and sent the involving
battalion at Lanark back to Britain.
Wallace led his armed force to triumph at the Battle of Stirling and after that annihilated
the city of York, murdering Longshanks’ nephew and sending his disjoined head to the ruler.
Wallace looked for help from Robert the Bruce who is a contender for the Scottish crown.
Robert is ruled by his leper father, who wished to secure the position for his son through
submitting to the English.
Isabella of France, captivated of Wallace’s charm, warned him about the coming
invasion. He told the nobles to counter the threat and take back the country, where Bruce would
be the one to lead. During the battle at Falkirk, it turned out that Bruce was in favor of
Longshanks. After witnessing his own betrayal, the Bruce reprimanded his father and pledges
not to be on the wrong side anymore.
Robert set up an assembly with Wallace in Edinburgh, but his father has planned to
capture and hand over Wallace to the English. After knowing his father’s disloyalty, Robert
repudiated and banished him. Isabella takes her revenge on the terminally sick Longshanks,
who cannot speak, by whispering him that his bloodline is crushed upon his death since she
was pregnant of Wallace’s child.
After being captured, Wallace was tried for treachery and condemned to public torment
and decapitation. While being hanged, drawn, and quartered, Wallace denied to labor under the
ruler. Because the crowd cried for mercy, the magistrate gave him a chance to say “mercy” to
grant him quick death. Wallace instead yelled “freedom” and saw a vision his wife Murron in the
crowd, smiling at him.
In 1314, Robert, presently Scotland’s king, led a Scottish army to ceremonial line of
English troops where he was to submit himself to the English rule. As he started to ride towards
them, he stopped and brought about Wallace’s memory, begging his men to battle with him as
they did with Wallace. After throwing sword towards the English army, the Scots chanted the
name of Wallace. The Brute then led his army into battle against the stunned English and
eventually obtained their independence.
As presented in the narration of events, the conflict started when Murron was killed by
the English Troopers. Wallace only wanted to live peacefully and be happily married despite
Shaun Patrick P. Albao BSChE-2A RIZAL 001

witnessing the corpses of his own father and brother in his childhood. To summarize, the death
of her wife was a turning point for him to stand up and revolt against the abusive English
colonizers in order to attain Scotland’s freedom. Another conflict would be within the Scots
themselves since not all of them came up with the same idea as Wallace’s. While many clans
volunteered to join his quest for independence, some chose to submit themselves to the English
rule to avoid further loss of lives and maintain peace in their land. Those beliefs eventually led to
the betrayal of both Robert and his father against Wallace and their own countrymen.
The cry of William Wallace at the time of his execution was the most climactic moment in
the movie because even at the last moments of his life, he still fought for what he believed in,
that was freedom. He presented his selfless and unconditional love towards his own native land
by crying “freedom” instead of “mercy” in exchange of his own life. He viewed freedom as a
Scot’s dignity in which no one can take it away, not even the oppressive ruling of the English
colonizers. In addition, at the time when they were outnumbered by their enemies, Wallace
encouraged his troops by saying, “They may take our lives, but they’ll never take away our
freedom.” Indeed, he kept his words until the very end. In conclusion, he proved to everyone
that he had a “brave heart” for his own country.
Shaun Patrick P. Albao BSChE-2A RIZAL 001

Share your Thoughts

The mestizos just like their Chinese ancestors were proficient merchants. They
established a strong retail connection in the cities and provinces. In addition, my elders told me
that these people accept even the least amount of profit just to let the money go round. Because
of their attributes, they have brought economic fortune to their families. Chinese entrepreneurial
dominance has a big impact in the Philippine economy, more specifically in the field of
agriculture and industry since through their proficiency in merchanting led to the increase in
export of native products, the manpower in the agricultural sector, and the physical capital and
consumer goods from the Western countries.
The increase in export of native products ensured increasing sales and sales potential in
general. Those businesses which focused on exporting expanded their vision and markets
regionally, internationally, or even globally. To be specific, the Chinese and the Mestizos (as
opportunity seekers) viewed the abolition of the Galleon Trade as an opening to expand their
trading activities in a multinational scale wherein the exports consisted of rice, sugar, and
abaca.
In effect, the export activities resulted to an increase amount of manpower in the
agricultural sector. It created many job opportunities for the native Filipinos who were known for
their skills in farming and manufacturing raw products. In addition, it also paved the way for the
utilization of land resources to be converted to farmlands, croplands, and industrial
infrastructures. Because of these benefits, the hacienderos, friars including the inquilinos
(laborers) enjoyed such prosperity.
If there is export, then there should be importing of physical capital and consumer goods
from the Western countries because they also were rapidly developing in terms of machines
and commercial products. Doing so gives a bunch of benefits like introducing new products to
the market, reducing costs, and providing high quality products. Specifically, the influx of the
technologies by the West boosted the agricultural and industrial sector through easing the
efforts of man and improving time efficiency.
In conclusion, expanding the export of agricultural products, boosting the manpower in
the agricultural sector, and increasing the physical capital and consumer goods from the
Western countries made a big impact in the Philippine economy because of the Chinese
entrepreneurial dominance.
Shaun Patrick P. Albao BSChE-2A RIZAL 001

Test your Understanding

Secularization Controversy in the Philippines: A Political Conflict

in the Roman Catholic Church

Achieving priesthood was one of the things that male members of principlia families
must do to increase their power and social status. During the Spanish Colonization Period, most
of the parishes were handled by the regulars or friars since they lacked Spanish seculars.
Conflict began when the bishops insisted on visiting the parishes that were being run by regular
priests. It was their duty to check on the administration of these parishes, but the regular priests
refused these visits arguing that they were not under the bishop’s jurisdiction. They threatened
to abandon their parishes if the bishops persisted. Since there were not enough seculars to fill
all the vacancies, the Archbishop hastened the ordination of Filipino seculars which eventually
led to the secularization controversy. In connection to the above mentioned, the main objective
of this paper is to elaborate the things that accompanied the dispute between the native priests
and the friars, together with the colonial officers. To begin with, the three important factors that
contributed to the secularization controversy were claims about the incompetence of native
priests, contention for the position of parish priest, and the continued official support of the
friars.
First, some archbishops hastily ordained native secular priests where in fact, it was
difficult for them (many of whom were poorly trained) to immediately take over the majority of
the parishes. The clashes deteriorated to a very low level wherein both the friars and native
priests accused each other of incompetence, immorality, greed, etc. Some of the friars’
supporters even said that the Archbishop was so desperate that even Manila rig drivers and
cargo men were recruited for the study of priesthood. On the contrary, this was not wholly true.
According to the testimony of Juan Delgado, a Jesuit priest, written around 1751, all natives
studying for priesthood were sons of pricipales. He asserted that the principales kept their noble
status and together with the native priests, they were very much esteemed and respected by the
native population. In addition, the candidates for the native clergy would normally originate from
the families of the principales. This can be explained by the fact that the principalia, being the
most aggressive and relatively most literate segment of the native population, would grab the
position since it carried civil, economic, and religious power.
Another factor would be the powers vested upon the parish priest which made it difficult
for the friars to abandon their parishes to the extent that they had to defame the character and
competence of native priests. The testimony of Juan Villegas, a friar who had served as parish
priest for about twenty years, before the Philippine Commission in 1900, revealed some of the
actual powers and duties of the parish priest. According to Villegas, the parish priest had
supervisory powers on education, taxation, and sanitation. He had responsibilities on the
census and other statistics. He issued certificates of character and civil status. He had
something to do in the drawing of lots for those who were to serve in the Army. He had to be
present at the election for municipal offices and served as adviser to the municipal council. He
was president of the prison board as well as member of the provincial board. He was a member
Shaun Patrick P. Albao BSChE-2A RIZAL 001

of the board for the partitioning of Crown lands and often served as auditor at the provincial
level, etc. Although some were only relevant in the 19 th century, many have been practiced
since the early days of conquest. In any case, the bulk of historical evidence points to the friar
parish priest as the real ruler of the pueblo.
Even more important is the unfair treatment of the colonial officers towards the native
clergy and their adherence towards the Spanish friars. The fact that the number of parishes
under the native clergy had been reduced in proportion to those held by the friars can be
explained by the fierce opposition of the friars and their support from colonial officials against
the secularization of the parishes. In 1870, Gregorio Meliton Martinez, the Archbishop of Manila
and a well-known supporter of the native clergy, wrote a letter to the Spanish Regent where he
exposed the injustices to the native clergy and the increasing resentment against the friars. He
warned that the continued support of the friars would turn the resentment of the native priests
into an "anti-Spanish sentiment"— a thought that would eventually be shared by the whole
Filipino people with the result that the danger would assume a grave character. The Archbishop
then noted that the conflict was rapidly assuming a racial tone. In 1873, three native priests
were executed by the Spanish government for alleged insurgency of native troops. People
began to call them "martyrs". Significant about the outcome of the above mutiny was that many
principales and priests were exiled from the Philippines on the charges that they were also
involved.
To sum it up, the views about the unsuitability of native seculars to handle parishes, the
rivalry for the position of parish priest due to the power and privileges it offers, and the
inclination of the colonial officers towards friars and against the native seculars were the three
important factors that led to the secularization controversy. It cannot be overemphasized that
the blocking of the aspirations and expectations of the native secular clergy also served to
frustrate those of the principalia families from which they originated. In this moment, it is clear to
say that there existed a belittlement and racial discrimination against the native priests since
among other reasons the regulars cited the Filipinos’ brown skin, lack of education, and
inadequate experience. Also, their greed for maintaining the monopoly of power and the fear of
being superseded made them do things that would hinder the natives to raise their prestige and
influence in the society. In the end, the antagonism between the friars and the secular native
clergy eventually transformed itself into a racial issue and then finally, a national one.
Shaun Patrick P. Albao BSChE-2A RIZAL 001

Inspire Others

Sources:
http://chonzskypedia.blogspot.com/2015/04
/claro-m-recto.html
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/16104/rh-raging-
debates-sound-like-noli-fili-bill-dispute
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sangley
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gomburza
Shaun Patrick P. Albao BSChE-2A RIZAL 001

Share your thoughts about this module. What three important things have you learned
from the lessons? Why?
1. One thing that surprised me in this module is the scope of the involvement of the
Chinese people from the pre-colonial period to the current times. I never
expected that the Chinese made a huge contribution not only in the growth of the
country’s economy but also in the political and social aspects during the advent
of Rizal and up until now. I think my bias is due to the present times wherein
there is a dispute between Philippines and China, and maybe because the virus
originated from them. Nonetheless, we can see in our present society that most
of the rich and successful businesses are owned by Chinese or Filipino-Chinese.
Somehow, we can say that some of todays patterns already happened in the
past.
2. Another thing that I learned in this module is about the controversial debate
about the Rizal Bill or Noli-Fili Bill in the history of Philippine legislation. In the
“broaden your understanding” section, I accessed the website links and I saw
how the senators and bishops were throwing fiery flames at each other. Not only
that, I also heard a YouTube video which stated two representatives even
engaged in a fist fight while there was a senate hearing due to bitter
disagreements about the issue. In short, this event was a significant one because
it provoked the idea of the separation of the church and state which for me is one
step towards democracy and free will. It also invoked the idea of nationalism and
patriotism to every Filipino.
3. The last thing which I think is the most important one is about the value of
education as shown in the “social conditions” part of lesson two. I even heard my
father saying that when you go abroad and stay there for a while, you will learn
new things that you will never know in your own country. As an old saying goes,
“Only those who have the courage to leave the sight of the shore can know what
lies beyond the horizon.” Since the Western countries are already developing the
idea of liberalism, those people who went abroad were enlightened wherein they
saw the mistakes committed by the Spaniards and demanded for reforms. In
short, being educated is important for you to avoid being exploited and
mistreated by someone else.
Shaun Patrick P. Albao
Tell us your impression
In my view, the overall content
was good. The flow of the
contents were arranged in such a
way that a connection is
established in topic. However, I
would like to recommend in the
"broaden your under-standing"
section that if the source is in a
form of a written text (especially
if it contains pages), please
indicate the specific page or
paragraph which we really need
to study. Because as a chemical
engineerig student, we have lots
of problem sets involving
calculations which takes time
before I get the point. If it's not
an additional load, please
consider this suggestion since any
student can benefit from this
pedagogical technique.
BSChE-2A RIZAL 001
What two things did you What topic/s did you not
find difficult in this understand?
module? So far as my learning progress is
concerned, I think that the topics
First is the extensive reading
were not that difficult to
especially in the "broaden your
understand, especially since there
understanding" portion of the
are additional references that
lesson. Since I don't really know
must be read if you want to
the necessary parts of the reading
broaden your understanding
material which are relevant to the
about the lesson. I am thankful
topic, I have no choice but to read
for these references since I prefer
them all which consumes a lot of
an in-depth analysis and
my time.
understanding. Once again, I
Second is that some questions are
vague where I go to the point that would like to recommend that the
pages or paragraphs related to
I haven't written anything
because there are lots of possible the lesson be highlighted in order
to ease up my load as a chemical
answers which depends upon the
understanding of the student. engineering student. Good day
and may God bless us always.
Since I want my answer to be
accurate as possible, I would like
to suggest again to simplify the
questions for us students to
answer the questions quickly.