kaspil

The last module basically talks about the life of Dr. Jose P. Rizal and how he was transformed from a small innocent boy that belonged to a rich family in Calamba, Laguna to the Jose P. Rizal we Filipinos know. It also talks about his works as well as the writings he made and its significance today.

As we all know Dr. Jose P. Rizal came from one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the Town of Calamba, Laguna. His Father, Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado y Alejandro, came from a family of merchants while his mother, Teodora Morales Alonso Realonda y Quintos, came from a family of politicians. At a very young age, Jose P. Rizal already had an idea of the injustice that was tormenting every Filipino during his time. Through his older brother Paciano, he learned about the execution of the three Filipino brothers, also known as the GOMBURZA execution, who were just asking for equal rights from the Spanish friars. It is through his brother Paciano as well where he acquired the idea that the Spaniards were unfair and abusive towards the Filipinos.

At a very young age, Jose P. Rizal saw how bad things were under the Spanish system. After learning about religion, how to read, and how to write from his mother, Jose P. Rizal’s parents decided that it was time for him to attend school so he could further develop his knowledge. At the age of 9 Jose was sent to Biñan, Laguna where he experienced the life of a real student for the first time under the supervision of Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz. However, life as a student in Biñan did not go well with Rizal. Despite being an excellent student, the young Rizal was not exempted from the Spanish system of education where hitting a student was encouraged. His classmates were also an issue. It is said that the young Jose P. Rizal would often get into a fight with one of his classmates because he was always teased by them.

Despite the fact that his family was wealthy and belonged to the upper portion of the so called “social classes” which the Spaniards introduced, Jose Rizal and his family experienced bad treatment form the Spaniards most particularly from the friars. When Rizal was a small boy, he was separated from his dear mother by force because Doña Teodora was falsely accused of murder and was put into prison for two years. When Rizal was a bit older and was studying abroad, money became his problem because his family was not able to produce sufficient income therefore not being able to send him his allowance on time. The Spanish friars even made things worse when they forced his family out of their own land when Rizal’s father, Don Francisco, refused to pay the additional tax that the friars had set. It is clear that even the rich and powerful Filipinos were not exempted from what the average Indio would experience from the Spaniards.

Jose P. Rizal’s strong sense of nationalism grew stronger when he left the Philippines to pursue a course in the field of medicine in Europe. It is in Europe where he grew more aware on how different life was back in the Philippines. He did not only see how liberated the Europeans were but he also saw that they were given fair an equal rights by their government. He also observed that the Europeans were enjoying the luxury of being able to express in public what they truly feel about their government without having to experience what the Indios back home would if they attempted such act.
It is during his stay in Europe where Jose P. Rizal started to transform to the Rizal that would play a vital role in the development of nationalism in every Filipino. He wrote two of his most famous novels, the Noli me Tangere and the El Filibusterismo, which would expose how the Philippines and her people were under the leadership of the government of Spain and the Catholic Church.

The life of Dr. Jose P. Rizal as well as his works and writings played a vital role in the development of the country and its people as a nation for it is in him and his works that ignited nationalism among every Filipinos. With this, we could therefore make several conclusions. First, Filipinos were already exposed to the bad system that the Spaniards have introduced at a very young age. The Spanish style of teaching in the Philippines was a big hindrance to the academic growth of a child for it involves unnecessary beatings. Second, no one was exempted from the abusive Catholic Church. Despite the fact that Jose P. Rizal belonged to one of the most wealthy and most powerful family in Calamba, Laguna, they received a lot of sufferings from the friars when they did not give them what they wanted. Third, Rizal’s sense of nationalism started when he was still in the Philippines but it grew greater when he studied in Europe. It is in Europe where he realized how the bad the government was in the Philippines compared to what he saw in Europe and that the Filipino people were deprived of freedom. Fourth, Rizal’s early exposure to the bad Spanish system at a very young age and the fact that he had knowledge of the injustice that the Filipinos were receiving from the Spaniards played a vital role in our history for it helped mould the hero that started the spark in the revolution.

Questions that were raised before the module such as: “What urged Jose P. Rizal to write against the Spanish government and the Catholic Church?”, “What caused the strong sense of nationalism of Jose P. Rizal?”, and “What was the significance of Rizal’s accomplishments today?” were successfully answered. The module discussed Jose P. Rizal’s life and it highlighted as well the important events that contributed to his growth as a Filipino hero. Although there were no more questions that were raised except the ones that were already mentioned, new ideas such as non exemption of the rich and powerful Filipinos from bad treatment of the Spaniards. Because of this new finding, I therefore raise new questions starting with why is it that Rizal still had to go to Europe to further understand and understand the bad situation in the Philippines and that its people did not have freedom. Second, why did the Spanish government let the Catholic Church continue to do its criminal acts despite the fact that there were already lots of Filipinos from different social classes that were suffering.