Hymn to Labor: Rizal

First Homecoming
From 1882 to 1887, Rizal was in Europe studying. There he was allured, fascinated and have all the beautiful memories throughout his sojourn. But this will not make Rizal forget his fatherland and his nationality. After 5 years of memorable adventure in Europe, he returned to the Philippines in August 1887 and practiced medicine in Calamba.
Although his life is threatened because his Noli Me Tangere caused uproar especially among the friars, he insists on returning home. He has his reasons of coming home, one is that he wants to operate his mother’s eyes; another is that he wants to know how his novel affected the life of the Filipino.
Rizal left Rome by train for Marseilles and on July 3, 1887 he boarded the steamer Djemnah which was the same steamer he boarded five years ago. The steamer was enroute to the Orient via the Suez Canal. Rizal saw this canal for the second time.
On July 30, he transferred to another steamer in Saigon to steamer Haiphong which was bound to Manila. On August 2, the steamer left Saigon for Manila.

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Paciano
PACIANO A. RIZAL
(1851-1930)

Revolutionary General
Don Paciano Mercado Rizal y Alonso was the only brother of Dr. Jose Rizal. Born in
Calamba, Laguna on March 7, 1851, he was the second of the eleven children of Don Francisco
Mercado Rizal and Doña Teodora Alonso. He learned his first letters and prayers from his mother who was a highly educated and cultured woman. Later, he was sent to Biñan, Laguna to study Latin under Maestro Justiniano Cruz. Then he was brought to Manila and studied for some years in the Colegio de San Jose. While in the city, he lived and worked with Fr. Jose A. Burgos, a strong advocate of the secularization movement, which the Spanish friars greatly opposed. The Spanish priests took advantage of the mutiny by workers of the Cavite Arsenal to get rid of Father Burgos. They implicated him to have a hand in the mutiny and as a result, Father Burgos was hanged to death in Bagumbayan in February 1872. the injustice done to Father Burgos could have made the liberal-minded and outspoken Paciano in denouncing the abuses of the friars. Early on, Paciano, being the elder son, was given responsibilities in the farm and in watching his younger siblings, particularly Jose, who was ten years younger. He acted as Jose’s guardian in school. Paciano had a crucial role in Jose’s going to Europe to study in 1882. With an uncle, Antonio Rivera, he helped Rizal sail to Europe and took responsibility in telling their parents about Jose’s leaving and in sustaining the financial needs of his brother abroad. For five years, he kept sending his brother a monthly pension of 50 pesos later reduced to only 35. Paciano was in fact the earliest in the family to chafe under the misrule of the Spaniards. As a student at the Colegio de San Jose, he was prevented from taking his final examinations because of his known closeness with Father Burgos and for denouncing the abuses committed against his countrymen. Later on, land troubles in Calamba with the powerful religious corporations caused his exile to Mindoro from September 1890 to about November 1891. During this time, his brother Jose, who was already in Europe, tried to appeal their case in the Spanish Cortes in Madrid to no avail. What established even more the ire of the friars against Paciano was his firm character. Once, he went to the estate house of the Dominican friars in Canlubang and was made to wait for a long time before they finally attended to him. He did the same thing to the same friars some months later when they went to his residence to buy a reputedly good horse. He made them wait for a long time before he attended to them. Although far from Europe at the height of the propaganda movement, Paciano, supported by collecting contributions to finance the movement. He also supported the Katipunan by propagating its ideals and recruiting members in Laguna.
In 1896, Paciano was arrested and tortured because he refused to sign incriminating documents that could implicate his brother to the revolution. He was released shapeless and appeared to be dying from the beatings he received.
After his brother was executed in December 1896, Paciano went to Imus, Cavite and offered his services to General Emilio Aguinaldo. The latter commissioned him as general of the Revolutionary Army and was elected secretary of finance in the Department Government of Central Luzon. Assigned as military commander of the revolutionary forces in Laguna, he fought valiantly against the Spaniards.
Paciano continued to fight for independence even against the Americans. The latter captured him in Laguna in 1900. During the revolution, he had several meetings with Apolinario Mabini. He chose to live a quiet life after the war and busied himself in the farm. It was reported that Governor William Howard Taft once offered him an important position in the government, but he courteously declined. He gracefully turned down offers for him to seek public office by prominent political leaders of Laguna.
Paciano’s strong principles was tried and tested again in 1907 when the newly created Philippine Assembly passed a resolution providing for a life pension of P200 a month for his mother for being the mother of Jose Rizal. He opposed the plan, saying that he was duty bound to aid and support his mother till her death. His mother, Teodora Alonso, also politely refused the pension saying: “My family has never been patriots for money. If the government has plenty of funds and it does not know what to do with them it should better reduce the taxes.”
On April 13, 1930, Don Paciano died peacefully at his Los Baños home at age of 79. His remains were buried in the North Cemetery in Manila.

Silvestre Ubaldo (c.1852 - 1917)

Silvestre Ubaldo was from Manila, working as a telegraph operator under the "Inspeccion General de Comunicaciones". He married Olympia Rizal, Jose Rizal's older sister. He frequently corresponded with Jose -- it was Silvestre's letter that brought news on how Rizal's tenants were being ejected from their land by the Spanish government. He was also among the many who advised Rizal not to come home from Europe. As the persecution from the Spanish officials continued, the men of the Rizal clan such as Silvestre, Paciano Rizal, Antonio Lopez, Mateo Elejorde and Leandro Lopez were deported to Mindoro. His name was included in the roster of the persecuted of Calamba in the tenth chapter of El Filibusterismo

First homecoming of rizal in the Philippines?
In: Jose Rizal [Edit categories]
Answer:
All the alluring beauties of foreign countries and all the beautiful memories of his sojourn in alien lands could neither make Rizal forget his fatherland nor turn his back to his own nationality. Thus, after five years of memorable sojourn in Europe, he return to the Philippines in August 1887 and practice medicine in Calamba. HE lived the quiet life of a country doctor. But his enemies, who resented his Noli, persecuted him, even threatening to kill him.

DECISION TO RETURN HOME
Because of the publication of the Noli Me Tangere and the uproar it caused among the friars, Rizal was warned not to return home. But he did not heed their warning. He was determined to return to the Philippines for the following reasons:

- To operate his mother's eyes
- To serve his people who had long been oppressed by Spanish tyrants
- To find out for him how the Noli and his other writings were affecting Filipinos and Spaniards in the Philippines
- To inquire why Leonor Rivera remained silent
ARRIVAL IN MANILA
August 5- the Haipong arrived in Manila. Rizal went ashore with a happy heart for he once more trod his beloved native soil. He stayed in the city for a short time to visit his friends. He found Manila the same as when he left it five years ago.
HAPPY HOMECOMING
August 8- 1887 he returned to Calamba. His family welcomed him affectionately, with plentiful tears of joy.
In Calamba, Rizal established a medical clinic. His first patient was his mother, who was almost blind. He treated her eyes, but not performed any surgical operation because her eyes cataracts were not yet ripe. News of the arrival of a great doctor from Germany spread far and wide. Patients from Manila and the provinces flocked to Calamba. Rizal, who came to be called "Doctor Uliman" because he came from Germany, treated their ailments and soon he acquired a lucrative medical practice. His professional fees were reasonable, even gratis to the poor. Within a few months, he was able to earn P900 as a physician. By February, 1888, he earned a total of P5 000 as medical Fees.

STORM OVER THE NOLI
A few weeks after his arrival, a storm broke over his novel. One day Rizal received a letter from Governor General Emilio Terrero requesting him to come to Malacañan Palace. Somebody has whispered to the Governor's ear that the Noli contained subversive ideas.
RIZAL AND TAVIEL DE ANDRADE
While the storm over the Noli was raging in Fury, Rizal was not molested in Calamba. This is due to Governor General Terrero's generosity in assigning a bodyguard to him. Between this Spanish bodyguard, Lt. Jose Taviel De Andrade, and Rizal, a beautiful friendship bloomed.
What marred Rizal's happy days in Calamba with Lt. Andrade were:
The death of his older sister, Olimpia
The groundless tales circulated by his enemies that he was "a German Spy, an agent of Bismarck, a Protestant, a Mason, a witch, a soul beyond salvation, etc."
CALAMBA'S AGRARIAN TROUBLE
Governor General Terrero, influenced by certain facts in Noli Me Tangere, ordered a government investigation of the friar estates to remedy whatever iniquities might have been present in connection with land taxes and with tenant relations. One of the friar estates affected was the Calamba Hacienda which the Dominican Order owed since 1883. In compliance with the Governor General's orders, dated December 30, 1887.The Civil Governor of Laguna. Province directed the municipal authorities of Calamba to investigate the agrarian conditions of their locality.
A POEM TO LIPA
In the few stanzas Rizal extols man's labor and industry, singing, "Praise to labor / of the country wealth and vigor." He exhorts the youth to follow in the footsteps of their industrious elders and thus be worthy of them, for "Incense does not honor the dear / As does a son with glory and valor."
A close reading of the poem will reveal to us that Hymn to Labor was Rizal's way of commending man's labor and industry and extolling the country's wealth and vigor. For him labor plays a vital role in keeping up the dignity of a man for it is work that sustains a man, the motherland, family and the home. Thus, he considered labor as the country's blood, health and life.
FAREWELL TO CALAMBA
Rizal's exposure of the deplorable conditions of tenancy in Calamba infuriated further his enemies. The friars exerted pressure on Malacañan Palace to eliminate him. They asked Governor General Terrero to deport him, but the latter refused because there was no valid charge against Rizal in the court. Anonymous threats against Rizal's life were received by his parents. The alarmed parents, relatives and friends (including lt. Taviel de Andrade) advised him to go away, for his life was in danger.