Life, Works, and Writings of Jose Rizal and 19th-Century Philippines

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering the life, ancestry, education, exile, martyrdom of Jose Rizal, the Rizal Law (RA 1425), criteria for heroism, and the 19th-century Spanish colonial government structure.

Executive Order No. 75

The executive order issued on March 23, 1993, by President Fidel V. Ramos that created the National Heroes Committee to study, evaluate, and recommend Filipino national personages as national heroes.

NHCP 50-Year Rule

A historical guideline prescribed by the National Historical Institute (now NHCP) requiring a period of 50 years to pass before a person is confirmed as a hero, ensuring their ideals pass the test of time.

Event-Making Man

A concept adapted by Dr. Serafin Quiason from Sidney Hook defining a hero as an individual who helps create a fork in historical time and stands as a major figure in thought, ideas, and social vision.

Ricial

The Spanish term meaning a green field or new pasture where wheat, cut while still green, sprouts again; it was the origin of the surname adopted by Francisco Mercado.

Claveria Decree of 1849

A colonial decree issued by Governor-General Narciso Claveria on November 21, 1849, requiring Filipinos to adopt standardized surnames from the Catalogo Alfabetico de Apellidos for legal and civil purposes.

Daet Rizal Monument

The first monument dedicated to Jose Rizal, erected by Filipino masons in Camarines Norte on December 30, 1898, bearing inscriptions of Noli Me Tangere, El Filibusterismo, and Morga.

Republic Act No. 1425 (Rizal Law)

A Philippine law approved on June 12, 1956, authored by Claro M. Recto and signed by President Ramon Magsaysay, mandating courses on the life, works, and writings of Jose Rizal in all educational institutions.

Section 1 of RA 1425

The statutory clause requiring courses on Rizal's life, works, and writings in all school curricula, specifying that unexpurgated editions of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo be used as basic texts in collegiate courses.

Section 3 of RA 1425

The provision mandating the Board of National Education to translate Rizal's works into English, Tagalog, and principal dialects, print them in cheap editions, and distribute them free through Purok organizations and Barrio Councils.

Section 5 of RA 1425

The financial provision authorizing the appropriation of the sum of three hundred thousand pesos ($300,000$) from the National Treasury to implement the Rizal Law.

León Monroy

A former schoolmate of Francisco Mercado who lived in the Rizal home as a private tutor to give Jose instruction in Spanish and Latin before dying a few months later.

GOMBURZA

The secular Filipino priests Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, executed by garrote at Bagumbayan on February 17, 1872, following the Cavite Mutiny, to whom Rizal dedicated El Filibusterismo.

Roman and Carthaginian Empires

The two competing academic cohorts at the Ateneo Municipal: the Roman Empire, consisting of boarding students (internos) with red banners, and the Carthaginian Empire, consisting of non-boarding students (externos) with blue banners.

Rayadillo

The striped cotton coat that served as the school uniform of the Ateneo Municipal, which later became the military uniform worn by Filipino soldiers during the First Philippine Republic.

Father Francisco de Paula Sánchez

A Jesuit professor at the Ateneo Municipal whom Rizal considered his finest teacher; he inspired Rizal to cultivate poetry, rhetoric, and classical languages.

Perito Agrimensor y Tasador de Tierras

The vocational credential in land surveying and assessment completed by Rizal at the Ateneo Municipal in 1878 and formally issued on November 25, 1881.

La Compañerismo

A patriotic secret society of Filipino students founded by Jose Rizal in 1880 while studying medicine at the University of Santo Tomas.

Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas

A 1609 historical account of the Philippines written by Antonio de Morga, which Rizal meticulously annotated at the British Museum in London to demonstrate pre-colonial Filipino civilization.

La Solidaridad

The official reformist newspaper organ of the Propaganda Movement, founded in Barcelona on February 15, 1889, advocating for legal equality, individual liberties, and representation in the Spanish Cortes.

La Liga Filipina

A progressive civic organization founded by Jose Rizal on July 3, 1892, in Tondo, Manila, designed to foster national unity, mutual protection, and socioeconomic development through peaceful reform.

Pobres Frailes

A bundle of satirical anti-clerical leaflets mocking the Dominican order found in Rizal's baggage, which served as the official pretext for his arrest and deportation to Dapitan by Governor-General Despujol.

Captain Ricardo Carnicero

The Spanish politico-military commander of Dapitan who hosted Rizal in his official quarters, formed a close friendship with him, and co-purchased the winning lottery ticket No. 9736.

Talisay

The coastal tract of land in Dapitan acquired by Rizal using his lottery prize winnings of $6,200$ pesos, where he established his farm, rural clinic, stone waterworks, and school for boys.

Mi Último Adiós

The untitled 14-stanza patriotic poem composed by Rizal during his final hours at Fort Santiago, celebrating sacrifice and offering his life for the redemption of the Philippines.

Bagumbayan

The public execution field outside Intramuros (now Luneta/Rizal Park) where Jose Rizal was executed by firing squad at seven o'clock on the morning of December 30, 1896.

Governor-General

The chief representative of the Spanish Crown in the Philippines who exercised executive, military, supervisory, and legislative authority over the centralized colonial government.

Residencia

A special judicial court in the Spanish colonial system that conducted a formal investigation into the conduct and performance of an outgoing Governor-General before he vacated office.

Visitador General

An autonomous investigator dispatched by the Council of the Indies in Spain to observe conditions in the colony and report official abuses directly to the King.

Royal Audiencia

The supreme judicial body and advisory council to the Governor-General in the Philippines, responsible for auditing colonial expenditures and checking executive abuses.

Alcaldía

A provincial administrative division established in fully pacified and subjugated territories, headed by an alcalde mayor.

Corregimiento

A provincial administrative division governed by a corregidor, assigned to frontier provinces that were not yet fully subjugated by Spanish military forces.

Gobernadorcillo

The chief municipal official who governed a pueblo or town, responsible for local order and tribute collection, chosen from literate native or mestizo men aged 25 or older.

Teniente de Sementeras

The municipal field lieutenant assisting the gobernadorcillo who was tasked with overseeing farmland, crops, and agricultural production in a pueblo.

Teniente de Ganados

The municipal lieutenant assisting the gobernadorcillo whose specific responsibility was supervising and registering livestock within the town.

Cabeza de Barangay

The village leader who administered a barrio, responsible for preserving peace, collecting tributes, and drafting polo laborers; exempt from polo after 25 years of service.

Ayuntamiento

The city government administration established in major urban and commercial centers during the Spanish colonial period.

Cabildo

The governing city council of an ayuntamiento, composed of the alcalde (mayor), regidores (councilors), alguacil mayor (police chief), and escribano (secretary).