Life and Works of Rizal

RA 1425: Rizal Law

mandates all the educational institutions in the Philippines to teach the life, works and writings of Jose Rizal

To inculcate in students an increased sense of nationalism at a time when the Filipino identity is threatened by various factors

What is the primary aim of the Rizal Law?

Sen. Claro M. Recto

main proponent of the Rizal Bill

Sen. Claro M. Recto

believed that studying the life and works of Jose Rizal would be instrumental in teaching the youth to stand up for their country, therefore embodying the values and ideals of Rizal

Sen. Jose P. Laurel

the head of the Senate committee on education

Sen. Jose P. Laurel

helped Sen. Recto defend the viability and practicality of having the bill enacted into law

Sen. Jose P. Laurel

firmly believed that the passing of the bill into law will be integral in achieving the noble intent of bringing to the Filipinos a sense of nationalism that would help them understand the importance and sovereignty

The Church

accused Recto of being a communist and anti-catholic

The Church

they believed that mandating students to read Rizal’s novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, would violate the freedom of conscience and religion

The Church

in an attempt to block the passing of the law, they urged their supporters to write to their congressmen and senators to show their opposition to the bill

The Church

fortifying their opposition, they organized symposiums and fora to denounce the approval of the said bill

Fr. Jesus Cavanna

a staunch oppositionist of the bill; argued that the novels belonged to the past and that teaching them would misinterpret the current conditions of the Philippines

Jesus Paredes

Radio Veritas commentator; said that Catholics had the right to refuse to read the novels as it would endanger their salvation

• Catholic Action of the Philippines

• Congregation of the Mission

• Knights of Columbus

• Catholic Teachers Guild

Who are the oppositions?

• Veteranos de la Revolucion (Spirit of 1896)

• Alagad ni Rizal

• The Freemasons

• Knights of Rizal

Who are the supporters?

Publishing a pastoral letter written by then Archbishop of Manila, Rufino Santos

What is the notable action taken by the Catholic Church to oppose the passing of the bill into law?

Catholic students would be affected if compulsory reading of the unexpurgated version would push through.

What did the pastoral letter stated?

In all the masses that were celebrated in the Diocese of Manila.

Where was the pastoral letter read?

dogmas, beliefs, practices

One oppositionist to the bill said that Rizal attacked _____, _____, and _____ of the Church.

Cuenco

another staunch opportunist; highlighted Rizal’s denial of the existence of purgatory, as it was not found in the Bible, and that Moses and Jesus Christ did not mention its existence

Catholic Schools threatened to close down if the bill was passed.

What rumor spread outside the Senate?

Sen. Claro M. Recto

refused to believe the possibility of such threat because schools would lose profit if they closed

The expurgated versions of Rizal’s novel would be used.

What was the compromise?

Sen. Claro M. Recto

supported the required reading of the unexpurgated versions

“The people who would eliminate the books of Rizal from the schools would blot out from our minds the memory of the national hero. This is not a fight against Recto but a fight against Rizal,” adding that since Rizal is dead, they are attempting to suppress his memory.

What did Sen. Claro M. Recto declare?

May 12, 1956

When was the bill, with the compromise inserted by Laurel, approved unanimously?

Only college students would have the option to read the unexpurgated versions of the clerically-contested reading materials.

What does the bill specified?

Included the teaching of Rizal’s other works, aside from the two novels.

What was the amendment made to the original bill?

Despite all the controversies, arguments, and opposition against the Rizal Bill.

What happened on June 12, 1956?

make sense of the present by looking back at the past

Studying Rizal in the 21^st century helps students _____.

remind and urge them to understand the real essence of being a Filipino

With students exposed to many foreign influences, studying Rizal may _____.

navigate Philippine History, understand why being aware of social issues are important in the formation of one’s national identity

Significant historical figures like Rizal help the younger generation _____ and _____.

practicality of studying Rizal in this day and age

seen in how Rizal’s experiences and ideologies are instrumental in grasping the current context of Philippine society

mandated course on Rizal

aids in developing the critical thinking skills of students

aware, apathetic

The different challenges and dilemmas that Rizal faced in his life teaches them to be _____ of and not _____ to the issues happening around them.

Rizal

then and now, is a worthy role model and a constant inspiration to all Filipinos

Rizal

in every aspect of his being, is worthy to emulate especially in the ideals he held as a nationalist

humane, creative, innovative

He was not only intelligent, he was also _____, _____ and _____.

Rizal

will always be a valuable subject inside and outside the classroom in understanding how Philippine nation came to be

Nationalism

set of systems - political, social, and economic - characterized by the promotion of the interests of one nation anchored on the aim to achieve and maintain self-governance or total sovereignty

Nationalism

holds that a particular nation should govern itself and should be free from external interference

Nationalism

is oriented towards developing and maintaining a national identity based on shared characteristics such as culture, language, race, and religion

Nationalism

it seeks to preserve and reshape a nation’s culture

Modern

What is the concept of nationalism?

In the late 18^th century

When did the concept of nationalism only gain recognition?

The political awakening of the lower classes

What was the conceptualization of nationalism tied to?

invariably populist, induct lower classes into political life

Nationalist movements have been _____ in outlook and sought to _____.

• Culture

• History

• Language

• Religion

• Territory

Five Basic Elements of Nationalism:

Nationalism

best understood by first looking in the term nation

Benedict Anderson

a prominent historian and political scientist who explored the origins of nationalism

a fabrication, a bond between people who did not actually exist prior to its own recognition

How did Benedict Anderson define “nation”?

“An imagined community - and imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign.”

What is “nation” for Benedict Anderson?

Benedict Anderson

argues that the nation is imagined as a community because regardless of the actual inequalities that prevail, the nation is always conceived as a deep, horizontal comradeship

Nation

is imagined because it exists in the figment of the people’s collective imagination

Nation-ness

according to Anderson, it is a cultural artifact that is felt as having existed since time immemorial but is objectively modern as it first emerged toward the end of the 18^th century

Philippine Nation

an imagined community because one who identifies himself/herself as a Filipino will never meet all the other Filipinos around the world, yet he/she is convinced that they exist and he/she is related to them

Concept of Homogeneous Empty Time

borrowed from the ideas of Walter Benjamin; replaced the idea of simultaneity-along-time

Simultaneity-along-time

referred to the medieval conception of time as situating events in the past, present, and future simultaneously

Noli Me Tangere

Anderson points out that Rizal’s _____ conjured an imagined community as readers and the author were familiar to and intimate with each other, with the characters and readers being situated in the same context of time and space.

Noli Me Tangere

provided the means of representing the nation as an imagined community that operated on empty time enabling the reader to be omniscient to see a delimited society and the actuations of key person in it

• Noli Me Tangere

• El Filibusterismo

emerged as the founding texts of Philippine Nationalism

• Noli Me Tangere

• El Filibusterismo

exposed the ills of Spanish colonial government and the evils prevailing in the Philippine Society by presenting a narrative that contextualizes the country in terms of politics, economy, and culture

literature, social change

Rizal was able to go against the colonizers and show how _____ can be used to arouse people to be catalyst of _____.

colonial mentality, willingly fought for the country at all costs

In both his novels, Rizal was able to portray the Filipino in different dimensions, from those who had _____, to those who _____.

nationalism, loving one’s country

Through his novels, Rizal emphasized the values of _____ and _____.

Rizal’s scathing national narrative

became the inspiration for strengthening the anti-colonial movement

society

The life of a person is shaped by the _____ that he/she is a part of.

The 19^th century

Where was Rizal’s social context situated in?

In the 19^th century

When was Jose Rizal born?

19^th century

during this time, Spain’s glory and rule as a colonial power was already waning

Jose Rizal

first used the word Filipino to refer to the inhabitants of the country, whether they are of Spanish or Filipino blood

indios, Filipinos

Under the Spanish rule, the native inhabitants were called _____ while inhabitants with Spanish blood (peninsulares, insulares, mestizo) were regarded as _____.