WHY WE CELEBRATE RIZAL DAY EVERY 30TH DAY OF DECEMBER
By: Quennie Ann J. Palafox

      On the 30th day of December yearly, the whole nation observes the death anniversary of our great national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal. This is to commemorate the nationalism and martyrdom of Rizal which is highlighted by the raising of the Philippine flag and wreath laying-ceremonies at the Luneta Park, Rizal Shrine in Calamba and Zamboanga and Rizal Monument in Baguio City. For this reason, 30 December is declared a national non-working holiday. The theme of this year’s Rizal Day celebration is “Rizalismo: Sandigan ng Kaunlaran, Pagkakaisa at Kapayapaan” which is apparently timely to the status quo with the economic crisis and political conflicts confronting the Filipinos. We often come up with a theme such as the abovementioned to arouse the nationalistic fervor of the people and join hand in hand in the celebration of Rizal’s martyrdom. Another reason for the said celebration is perhaps to bring the Filipinos together as they immortalize Rizal and his significance in contemporary times.

        It is a controversial fact that we celebrate Rizal day on December 30 of each year, since it his death anniversary it is the opposite of the more jovial occasion that is his birthday. Jose Rizal was born on the 19th of June 1861 in the town of Calamba. He was re-arrested by the Spaniards because of his alleged involvement with the series of revolts that broke out in 1896 referred to as the Philippine Revolution. Thus, from November 3, 1896, to the date of his execution, he was again committed to Fort Santiago. In order to get rid of him immediately, he was convicted of rebellion, sedition and of forming illegal association. In the morning of December 30, 1896, Rizal, then 35 years old, was shot at Bagumbayan Field. In hindsight, both the dates June 19 and December 30 are of historical relevance to the life of Rizal as the former is his date of birth while the latter is his date of death. Debates have cropped up in the past on the appropriateness of celebrating December 30 as Rizal Day.

       The observance of Rizal Day goes back to the decree issued by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo on Dec. 20, 1898 declaring Dec. 30 as the anniversary of Jose Rizal’s death and also as “a national day of mourning”, for Rizal and other victims of the Spanish dominion throughout its three centuries rule.  He issued a directive that all national flags shall be hoisted at half-mast from 12:00 noon on December 29 and all offices of the government shall be closed the whole day on December 30 as a sign of mourning.  This decree appeared in the government organ, El Heraldo de la Revolucion issued on December 25, 1898 in two languages, Tagalog and Spanish.

        The first ever celebration of Rizal Day in the Philippines was held in Manila on December 30,1898 by the Club Filipino which coincided with the unveiling of the Rizal monument in  the town Daet in Camarines Norte. The monument was the first ever erected in honor of Rizal. Aguinaldo’s revolutionary government did not last long when the Americans came in and established their rule in the country. The Americans, conscious of the veneration of Filipinos for Jose Rizal, and perhaps to enliven the sprit of the people, came out with Act. No. 243 enacted on September 28, 1901 which granted the right to use public land upon the Luneta in the City of Manila upon which to erect a statue of Jose Rizal from a fund to be raised by Public subscription. The committee tasked to raise funds by subscription and the for causing the erection of the monument and the expenditure of the funds consisted of Pascual Poblete, Paciano Rizal, Juan Tuason, Teodoro R. Yangco, Mariano Limjap, Maximo Paterno, Ramon Genato, Tomas G. del Rosario and Dr. Ariston Bautista, most of whom had personally known Rizal. The shrine was finally unveiled on December 30, 1913 during Rizal’s 17th death anniversary. On February 1, 1902, the Philippine Commission enacted Act. No. 345, which set December 30 of each year as Rizal Day, and made it one of the ten official holidays of the Philippines. 

        December 30 as national holiday continued as statutes were enacted by succeeding presidents.  Republic Act No. 229 was enacted by President Quirino on June 9, 1948 to create a committee to take charge of the proper celebration of Rizal Day in every municipality and chartered city. On November 8, 2002, Pres. Arroyo enacted Administrative Order No. 44 directing the chairman of the National Historical Institute to spearhead the observance of the 106th anniversary of the martyrdom of Dr. Jose P. Rizal on December 30, 2002.

       There are moves to change the observance of Rizal Day from December 30 to June 19 his birth date. This move is based on the argument that June 19 is a more positive celebration as it his birth anniversary, and that it is close to significant days in the formation of Filipino nationhood such as the National Flag Day on May 28 and Independence Day on June 12. Another point for the contention is that December 30 is not well attended as people are on their Christmas vacation.

        Both December 30 and June 19 are significant dates to the Filipinos and should be remembered and celebrated by the Filipinos as June 19 marks Rizal’s birth and December 30 his martyrdom, symbolizing his great love for country, the reason he gave up his life.

“BIG BROTHER’S TALE”
A Tribute to Paciano Rizal
by Chris Antonette Piedad-Pugay

    When we open the pages of history books in our country, it is not surprising to see texts about the martyrdom of Andres Bonifacio, the GOMBURZA, Apolinario Mabini and of course our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal.  Why not? They are the countries’ most celebrated heroes and it is very much fitting to immortalize them by writing their lives in books read upon by several generations.  It is a way of paying respect and gratitude to their many contributions and sacrifices for the benefit of the Filipino people and of our nation. It’s just unfortunate that while every possible means are being done to recognize all the heroes of our nation, the “others who fell during the night” as quoted from Elias, remained to be unsung, uncelebrated and worst, sometimes forgotten.

      The Philippines is no doubt a cradle of heroes.  Great men and women came from her bosom.  One of them is a great general of the revolution, a patriotic man, yet not so known and more often than not only identified as Jose Rizal’s big brother—no other than Paciano.

      Paciano Mercado was born on 7 March 1851 to Don Francisco Mercado and Doña Teodora Alonso.  He was the second of the 11 children of the couple.  As what most of us knew about him, he was the big brother of our national hero.  But more to this character, there is something more that he had offered for his family and for our country.

      Just like Pepe, his first teacher was Doña Teodora who taught him basic reading, writing and praying.  He was eventually sent to Biñan, Laguna to learn more under the tutelage of Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz.  Eventually his parents sent him to Manila to pursue further education.  For quite a while, he studied at the College of San Jose.  During his stay in Manila, he lived and worked with Father Jose Burgos, one of the three martyr priests implicated in the 1872 Cavite Mutiny.  Probably, his acquaintance with Father Burgos made him very vocal on his criticisms regarding the abuses of the Spanish friars.

      Due to their parents’ old age, Paciano was tasked to look after the education of his younger brother.  He brought his younger brother to Biñan also to study under Maestro Justiniano.  In 1872, Paciano accompanied Pepe to Manila and had him enrolled at the Ateneo Municipal.  Most biographers of our national hero believed that it was Paciano who was responsible for making his brother use the surname Rizal instead of Mercado, for he wanted his brother to enjoy a hassle-free and first-rate education, that would not be possible had he used the surname Mercado.  Due to his strong connection with Father Burgos, the friars and the Spanish authorities turned out to be very suspicious of Paciano.  As a protective brother, he changed his brother’s surname from Mercado to Rizal to prevent the friars in knowing their affiliation.  Luckily, Pepe was able to make most out of his student life in Ateneo.  Paciano also made sure that all his brother’s needs were well taken cared.

      In 1882, Pepe went abroad to continue his medical studies in Europe.  Unfortunately, the heavy tasks fell on Paciano’s shoulders—First, to inform their parents on Pepe’s real intention in leaving the Philippines; Second, to comfort them in their unspeakable sorrow and most importantly, to carry the burden of working hard to find means to finance his brother’s expenses while studying abroad.

      A Patriot in his own Right

      As a young student in Manila, Paciano saw the injustices and cruelties committed by the friars of the time.  He decided to collect donations from people he knew to support the cause of secularization and to help Father Burgos in his propaganda works.  In his letter to his brother dated 26 May of 1882, he mentioned that he was trying his best to help the Filipino crusade for reforms by making sure that many of the people of Calamba subscribe “Diariong Tagalog.”  Further, he encouraged Pepe to have his works published and sent him the needed money to put them into printing.  For a while, Paciano tried to translate “Noli me Tangere” into Tagalog with Pepe’s consent and guidance, unfortunately, Paciano’s Tagalog version was lost to posterity.

       The Prize of being involved

    In 1888, an agrarian crisis cropped up in Calamba and the Mercado family (they assumed the surname Rizal upon the hero’s death) was prominently figured out in the said dispute.  The family lost the case and was ejected from their homes and lands.  The case didn’t end there; Paciano and four other Calambeños were exiled in Mindoro from September 1890 until November 1891. Just after serving a 14-month exile in Mindoro, he was again exiled in Jolo, this time taking the place of his brother-in-law, Antonio Lopez.

       After the publication of the “Noli me Tangere” and the “El Filibusterismo,” being affiliated to the author seemed like carrying a heavy cross.  Each member of the family also suffered persecution, Paciano was not an exemption.  The worst sacrifice he had to suffer only to protect his brother took place on December of 1896 while Pepe was detained in Fort Santiago.  Not known to all, Paciano was arrested and was put into merciless and severe torture in an attempt of the Spanish authorities to extract statements from him that would incriminate his brother in the raging revolution that broke out in the islands in 1896.  Paciano chose not to speak and bore the horrible body pains and moral humiliation from his perpetuators out of his conviction for truth and love for his brother.  Family members testified that when Paciano was returned to back to his family, he was as good as dead.

       Paciano as a Revolutionary Leader

      The brutal experience he encountered in the hands of Spanish authorities not to mention the ill fate that befell upon his brother, made Paciano decide to volunteer his service to Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo.  A day after his brother’s went, he went to Cavite with his sisters to contribute to the cause of the revolution in any way they could.  When the Spanish forces took Cavite back, the revolutionary government headed by gen. Aguinaldo retreated to Biak-na-Bato in Bulacan.  It was during those time that Pedro Paterno volunteered himself as negotiator and succeeded in coming up with a peace pact between the Spanish government and the revolutionary government of Aguinaldo. 

       In compliance with the provisions of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato, the Filipino leaders voluntarily went exile in Hong Kong.  However, the truce was short-lived due to violations committed by both parties.  In 1898, Aguinaldo returned to the Philippines and immediately called for the renewal of the revolution against Spain that was temporarily put into halt by the peace pact.

      Paciano was one of the first leaders who heeded to Aguinaldo’s call.  He led his  valiant men in the battlefield and fought for the cause of the Motherland.  The outbreak of the Filipino-American War in 1899 did not stop him from fighting.  He remained loyal and fought until his capture by the Americans in 1900.

     When peace was already restored, Paciano retreated and went back to farming.  He devoted himself in the cultivation of his large estate in Calamba.  He remained in private life and refrained from political involvement until the last years of his life, believing that he and his family had already done their shares for the country’s welfare.

        More than a Big Brother

       Contrary to his brother who was much photographed and fully documented, Paciano had only two known pictures available—one was a snapshot in a family gathering and another was a shot taken of his corpse .  It was not that he was some sort of camera shy, but he refrained being photographed for the reason that he was a wanted man in the past and the absence of his photos would mean greater freedom for him since the authorities would have hard time recognizing him and finding his whereabouts.

       After his brother’s death, Paciano could have chosen to steal the limelight and make use of his brother’s martyrdom to gain popularity and fame for himself, but just like a true-blooded gentlemen, he chose a quiet life and gave to his brother the respect he deserved.  He firmly stood on the fact that their family was never patriotic for money or for anything else.

       Paciano’s contributions may not be as celebrated as that of his brother’s, but Filipinos should take note of the big influence imprinted by him to our national hero.  He served as a lighthouse to Pepe during tough and rough times and financially supported his brother’s fight for the country.  Paciano took all the responsibilities of Pepe so that his younger brother may devote his time for the motherland’s cause.  Probably, without Paciano, there could also be no Jose Rizal.  Probably when Paciano was still alive, in a period of great solitude he uttered the words, “It’s not easy to be me.”

JOSE RIZAL AND SUN YAT SEN: ASIA’S FOREMOST NATIONALISTS
by Chris Antonette Piedad-Pugay

      The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy defines “nationalism” as generally used in describing two phenomena: the attitude that the members of a nation possess about their nation’s identity and the actions that the members of a nation take to achieve and attain self-determination.  In the case of the Philippines and China, both issues of self-identity and self-determination prompted the Chinese and Filipino patriots to lead their people in freeing themselves from foreign domination and in taking actions to enjoy the benefits of liberty.

      During the late 19th century, two great Asian leaders rose and lead their people in fighting for reforms—Jose Rizal and Sun-Yat-Sen. Though their means may be totally opposite–Rizal adhered to diplomacy and peaceful reforms while Sun resorted to leading and funding revolutionary movements–both exhibited paramount love for the countries of their birth and for their people.

      Dr. Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines, also referred to as the “First Filipino” was born in Calamba Laguna on 19 June 1861.  Sun Yat Sen, on the other hand, was born on 12 November 1866 at Guandong, China.  He was a nationalist and revolutionary and is often referred to as the “Father of Modern China.”   Both received their early education in local schools in their provinces, and pursued further education abroad.  Rizal initially studied in Biñan, Laguna under the guidance of Maestro Justaniano Aquino-Cruz and went to Manila with his elder brother to continue his studies at Ateneo de Manila.  In 1882, Rizal took Licenciate in Medicine at the Universidad Central de Madrid and afterwards specialized in Ophthalmology in France and Germany under Dr. Louis de Weckert and Dr. Otto Becker.

      Sun-Yat-Sen studied in Guangdong province and pursued his higher educations at the Iolani School and later at Oahu College in Hawaii.  He also studied medicine at the Guanzhou Boji Hospital under the medical missionary John Kerr and earned the license of medical practice as a medical doctor from the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese in 1892.  Both patriots practiced their profession and established clientele in Hong Kong.

      The education of the two patriots were supported financially by their elder brothers only that Paciano was more supportive to the nationalistic activities of his brother compared to Sun Mei who showed more apprehensions.  While studying abroad, Rizal wrote the  Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo—novels that spurred nationalistic fervor among the Filipinos who felt the need of launching an armed struggle to achieve independence.  Upon his return to the Philippines, he founded La Liga Filipina, a socio-civic society that aimed to demand reforms from the Spanish government and unify the Filipinos in the entire archipelago.

      On the other hand, Sun, initially aligned with early reformists who wanted to transform China into a constitutional monarchy.  China during the time was under the foreign Qing Dynasty.  He wrote a letter that embodied his suggestions on how to strengthen China, and sent it to the governor-general of Zhili.  Unlike Rizal who was very good in letters, Sun was never trained in the classics and his opinions were rejected by the courts men on the grounds that he did not belong to the gentry.
When his diplomatic crusade did not work, he shifted to revolutionary struggles.

      For his almost ten years of stay abroad from 1882 to 1892, Rizal made sure that his time was duly spent in various efforts in securing better status for the Philippines.  He had proven that distance is not a hindrance in fulfilling one’s commitment to a noble purpose.  Sun also spent the fruitful years of his life abroad as a political exile. While in exile, he founded the Revive China Society, an organization composed of Chinese revolutionaries and expatriates belonging from the lower classes and launched a series of coups to overthrow the Chinese monarchy.

      When the Philippine Revolution broke out in 1896, Rizal was in Dapitan as an exile.  Patriotic leaders attempted to secure Rizal’s approval of the revolution, but Dr. Pio Valenzuela, Andres Bonifacio’s emissary, revealed in his 1896 account that Rizal did not favor it.  In his later account, however, Valenzuela reversed his earlier testimony by saying that the hero was not against the revolution, instead, provided advices that could be of help to the revolutionaries.  On 16 October 1911, the Wuchang Uprising took place and it initiated the struggles that put an end to the two thousand-year old imperial rule in China.  Though he was not directly involved in Wuchang Uprising, Sun’s name was evoked for keeping the spirit of revolution and nationalism aflame.

      Rizal and Sun may not be direct participants to the two phenomenons that greatly affected the Philippines and China, but their names were both evoked by the partakers and will always be honored as inspiration and guiding force in the success of the said historical episodes.

JOSE RIZAL AND THE REVOLUTION
Revisiting Renato Constantino’s “Veneration without Understanding”
By Chris Antonette Piedad-Pugay

      When we open the pages of history books in the Philippines, it is not surprising to see texts about the martyrdom of our most celebrated hero– Dr. Jose Rizal. In fact, it seems that his name already occupied a permanent and prominent place in every publication that has something to say about the Philippines.

      Truthfully, there is nothing wrong about immortalizing Rizal and his heroism in books and literatures read by several generations of Filipinos and non-Filipinos. Probably, most writers deemed that doing such is a fitting way of paying respect and gratitude to his contributions and sacrifices for the benefit of the Filipino people and of our nation. It’s just unfortunate that in trying to present him as an icon of heroism, he was placed in a pedestal that became too tough for Juan dela Cruz to reach.

      The national revolution that we had in our country from 1896 to 1901 is one period when the Filipino people were most united, most involved and most spirited to fight for a common cause—freedom.  While all aspects of Jose Rizal’s short but meaningful life were already explored and exhausted by history writers and biographers, his direct involvement in the Philippine Revolution that broke out in 1896 remains to be a sensitive and unfamiliar topic.

       Historians cannot deny that Rizal played a major part in the country’s struggle for reforms and independence.  His writings, particularly the Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo were viewed as the guiding force for other patriots to rally for the country’s cause. While most of us believed that Rizal dedicated his life and labor for the cause of the revolution and venerated him to a certain extent, a brave historian rose up and went against the tide by making known to the public his stand that Rizal was NOT an actual leader of the Philippine Revolution.  While most of his biographers avoided this topic, it is important to note that this greatest contradiction in Rizal made him more significant than ever.

      In his Rizal Day lecture in 1969 entitled “Veneration without Understanding,” Prof. Renato Constantino tried to disclose the real Rizal and the truth of his heroism stripping off the superficial knick-knacks adorned on him by hagiographers and hero-worshippers.

      The very striking fact that Constantino forwarded was the notion that Rizal was not a leader of the Philippine Revolution, but a leading opponent of it.  Accordingly, in the manifesto of 15 December 1896 written by Rizal himself which he addressed to the Filipino people, he declared that when the plan of revolution came into his knowledge, he opposed its absolute impossibility and state his utmost willingness to offer anything he could to stifle the rebellion.  Rizal thought of it as absurd, and abhorred its alleged criminal methods.

       Rizal in his manifesto put into premise the necessity of education in the achievement of liberties.  Most importantly he believed that reforms to be fruitful must come from above and that those that come from below are shaky, irregular, and uncertain.

       Rizal’s weakness for this matter was his failure to fully understand his people.  He was unsuccessful in empathizing with the true sentiments of the people from below in launching the armed rebellion.   He repudiated the revolution because he thought that reforms to be successful should come from above.  It could be understandable that the hero thought of such because it was the belief of the prevailing class to which Rizal belonged.  It is also possible that Rizal disproved the revolution due to his belief that violence should not prevail.  In this case, Rizal unintentionally underestimated the capacity of those from below to compel changes and reforms.

      This hesitation of Rizal against the revolution was supported by Dr. Pio Valenzuela’s 1896 account of the revolution after he was sent by Andres Bonifacio to Dapitan to seek Rizal’s opinion and approval in launching an armed rebellion against the Spanish administration.  In September 1896, Valenzuela before a military court testified that Rizal was resolutely opposed to the idea of a premature armed rebellion and used bad language in reference to it, the same statement was extracted from him in October 1896, only that he overturned that it was Bonifacio, not Rizal, who made use of foul words.

      However, Valenzuela after two decades reversed his story by saying that Rizal was not actually against the revolution but advised the Katipuneros to wait for the right timing, secure the needed weapons and get the support of the rich and scholarly class.  Valenzuela recounted that his 1896 statements were embellished due to duress and torture and it was made to appear that in his desire “not to implicate” or “save” Rizal, testified that the latter was opposed to the rebellion. This turn of events put historians into a great confusion, making Rizal’s stand over the Philippine Revolution, controversial and debatable, making him both hero and anti-hero.

     Constantino, in reality did not disrobe Rizal the merit he deserves, what he did was a critical evaluation of Rizal as a product of his time.  He pointed out that even without Rizal, the nationalistic movement would still advance with another figure to take his place because it was not Rizal who shaped the turn of events but otherwise.  Historical forces untied by social developments impelled and motivated Rizal to rose up and articulate the people’s sentiments through his writings.  In fact, the revolution ensued even Rizal disagreed with it.  Finally, Constantino argued that to better understand the hero, we should also take note of his weaknesses and learn from them.

RIZAL’S PATERNAL LINEAGE
by Ma. Cielito G. Reyno

      Rizal’s paternal lineage can be traced back to the village of Sionque in Chin-Chew (or Chang-chow) district in Fujian, southern China, near the prosperous and ancient trading port of Zaiton.  Among his earliest identifiable ancestors were Siang-co and Zun-nio who gave birth to a son who later acquired the name Lam-co, which in English means, “Lam, Esquire”.  Lam-co migrated to the Philippines sometime during the late 1600s.

     In 1697, at the age of 35, Lam-co was baptized at the San Gabriel Church in the predominantly Chinese community of Binondo.  He adopted “Domingo” his baptismal day, as his first name.  He married a Chinese mestiza said to be half his age named Ines de la Rosa, who belonged to an entrepreneurial family in Binondo.  Ines was the daughter of Agustin Chin-co and Jacinta Rafaela, a Chinese mestiza resident of the Parian.

     With the rigid social stratification prevailing at that time, it was evident that Lam-co did not come from the ranks of coolies, the class of migrant menial workers from China.  Through his association with two Spanish friars, Fr. Francisco Marquez, authority on Chinese grammar, and Fr. Juan Caballero, he was invited to settle in the Dominican estate of San Isidro Labrador in Biñan, Laguna.  Lam-co was said to have been instrumental in the building of the irrigation works known as Tubigan, which made the area where it was situated the richest part of the estate.  He and his family lived in the estate along with fellow immigrants from Chin-chew, China.

      Lam-co and Ines de la Rosa had a son born in 1731.  They named him Francisco Mercado, believed as a gesture of gratitude to another friar of the same name, and also after a Spanish mestizo friar renowned for his botanical studies.  The surname “Mercado”, which means “market” in Spanish, was quite appropriate, too, since many ethnic Chinese were merchants, and many having adopted the same surname.

      In 1771, Francisco Mercado married Bernarda Monica, a native of the nearby hacienda of San Pedro Tunasan, then, like Biñan, was populated by many Chinese migrants, or Chinese mestizos.  They had two sons named Juan and Clemente.  For a short period, he settled his family at the hacienda of San Juan Bautista in Calamba.  However, hostility towards the Chinese immigrants as well as natives of Chinese descent- a backlash from the British invasion of Manila in 1762, during which the local Chinese supported the British against the Spaniards- forced Francisco Mercado to return his family to Biñan.

      Francisco Mercado owned the largest herd of carabaos in Biñan.  He was active in local politics.  He was elected as the town’s capitan del pueblo around 1783.  Popular and good-natured, he often stood as godfather during baptisms and weddings, as Biñan’s church records revealed.  He died in 1801.

      His son, Juan Mercado married Cirila Alejandra, a daughter of one of Domingo Lam-co’s godsons, and who hailed from Tubigan.  The couple had 13 children.  They lived in large house made of stone in the center of Biñan.  (One of his children, Francisco Engracio, born in Biñan sometime in April 1818 was the father of Jose Rizal).

      Like his father, Juan Mercado also served as the town’s capitan del pueblo in 1808, 1813, and 1823.  On many occasions, “Capitan Juan”, as his town mates referred to him, was the hermano mayor in religious and social affairs.  Like his wife, he was benevolent and hardworking.  His status earned him the privilege of electing the Philippine representative to the Spanish parliament in 1812.

       He died when his son, Francisco Engracio, was only eight years old.

     With his sisters and brothers, Francisco Engracio helped his widowed mother in managing the family’s business.  He married Teodora Alonso Realonda de Quintos, a daughter of one of Manila’s most distinguished families in 1848.

      Sometime after 1849, in compliance with Governor Claveria’s decree ordering Filipinos to adopt Spanish surnames (to facilitate documentation, for, many Filipino families shared the same family name such as “De La Cruz”, etc.)– Francisco Engracio Mercado added added “Rizal” to the family surname, from the Spanish word “ricial”, which connotes a green field or pasture.

      Francisco moved his family to Calamba, where he farmed lands leased from the Dominican friars, growing sugar cane, rice and indigo.  He also started a mixed orchard engaged in trade, raised poultry, in all of which he was assisted by his wife Teodora.  In time, Franciso’s family became one of the wealthiest in Calamba.

RIZAL AS A LADIES’ MAN
by Quennie Ann J. Palafox

      Rizal’s immense respect to Filipino women on their vital roles as wives and mothers, being the source of values in ensuring the progress of the nation by nourishing the youth with proper values and needed knowledge and molding them to become useful and responsible citizens can be envisaged from his illustrious Letter to the Young Women of Malolos.

       On December 12, 1888, a group of twenty-one women of Malolos, belonging to the well off families in the town, sought authorization to Governor-General Weyler to open a night school so that they could learn the Spanish language under Teodoro Sandiko. The parish priest Fray Garcia went up against it for fear that such would open them up to progressive or seditious ideas from abroad. Luckily, these young women triumphed in the end to their project on the condition that Señorita Guadalupe Reyes, a nun, will serve as their teacher. Marcelo H. del Pilar, admiring these young women for their bravado, requested Rizal a letter commending the bravery of the women and with hopes that this valiant struggle against friar hegemony in the affairs of the Filipinos will enthuse all compatriots. Hence, Rizal sent del Pilar on February 22, 1889, the letter written in Tagalog for transmittal to the 21 young women of Malolos.

       The message conveyed to the young women of Malolos centered on salient points such as the denunciation of the abuse of the friars in exercising his spiritual authority bestowed upon him by the church, traits Filipino mothers must have, duties and obligations of Filipino mothers to their children, functions and errands of a wife to her husband, and guidance to young women on their choice of a lifetime partner. Rizal also expressed his philosophy of freedom and independence that he believed would be a key for the emancipation of humankind from slavery, and the necessity for education as the fundamental source of liberation. In the letter, Rizal’s enunciated his great desire for Filipino women to enjoy the privileges in education with men. Moreover, he appealed to women to be heedful over their rights and not to be docile towards many injustices forced upon them. Men are born equal, naked. God did not create men to be slaves, nor did he embellish them with reason in order to be blinded by others.

       Perhaps having experienced firsthand the warmth of his mother’s love, he defined in his letter the obligations and roles of the Filipino mothers to their children. As Rizal made mention, the youth is a flower-bed that is to bear fruit and must accumulate wealth for its descendants. The mother must raise her children according to the image of God and acclimatize the mind for pleasant idea. A mother must teach her children to prefer death with honor to life with dishonor. Rizal, nevertheless, necessitated the mothers to inculcate the following values to their children: love for honor; sincere and firm character; clear mind; clear conduct; noble action; love for one’s fellowmen; and respect for God. Ever patriotic in his views, he warned that the country will never be free and flourishing as long as the children and the women remain ignorant. With this, the education of the children should not be limited to religious activities. He stressed that obedience and reason as the highest virtues that one must posess.

       Rizal as well brought into the fore the topic of love, discussing the reputation of Filipino women being called by some peninsulars and friars of being “easy” women. He rejected this generalization, arguing women of weak character are endemic in all parts of the world. The Filipino maiden should be the pride of the country and should command the respect of everybody. As for married women, they should cooperate with their husbands, encouraging them and lifting their spirits, easing their burdens.

       This letter depicts Rizal as pioneer in advocating the promotion of the welfare of women in the society, thus, making him a true gentleman. He strongly believed that women can exert great influence towards the emancipation of their country. Rizal used the term “emancipation” as the Philippines was still under the bondage of colonialism when he wrote this letter.  This work of Rizal manifested his liberalist ideas by making us realize the indispensability of women in molding the country’s destiny by way of what the children see from them.

RIZAL AND THE LESSONS HIS MOTHER TAUGHT HIM
by Ma. Cielito G. Reyno

      Of all the persons who had the greatest influence on Rizal’s development as a person was his mother Teodora Alonso.  It was she who opened his eyes and heart to the world around him—with all its soul and poetry, as well as its bigotry and injustice.  Throughout his brief life, Rizal proved to be his mother’s son, a chip off the old block, as he constantly strove to keep faith the lessons she taught him.

      His mother was his first teacher, and from her he learned to read, and consequently to value reading as a means for learning and spending one’s time meaningfully.  It did not take long before he learnt to value time as life’s most precious gift, for she taught him never to waste a single second of it.  Thus as a student in Spain he became the most assiduous of students, never missing a class despite his activities as Propaganda leader, or an examination, despite having to take it on an empty stomach.  By his example, he inspired his compatriots – those who had sunk into a life of dissipation, wasting time and allowances on gambling and promiscuity- to return to their studies and deserve their parents’ sacrifices back home.

      From his mother he learnt the primacy of improving oneself- thus growing up he took pains to comprehend the logic of mathematics; to write poems; to draw, and sculpt; to paint.  Sadly, for all these he earned not only glory but also the fear of myopic souls.

      By taking the lead in running the family’s businesses- farms, flour and sugar milling, tending a store, even making fruit preserves, aside from running a household, Teodora imbibed in him the value of working with one’s hands, of self-reliance and entrepreneurship.  And by sharing with others she taught him generosity and helping to make the world a better place for those who had less in the material life.  All these lessons he applied himself during his exile in Dapitan, as he improved its community by building a dam; encouraging the locals to grow fruit trees, establishing a school, even documenting the local flora and fauna.

      His mother also taught him to value hard-earned money and better yet, the importance of thrift and of denying oneself, and saving part of one’s earnings as insurance against the vagaries of life.  Thus he learned to scrimp and save despite growing up in comfort and wealth.  These would later prove very useful to him during his stay in Europe as he struggled with privation, considering the meager and often delayed allowance that his family sent him (by then his family was undergoing financial reverses due to land troubles).  Whenever his precious allowance ran out, he went without lunch and supper, putting up a front before everyone by going out of his dormitory everyday to give the impression that he took his meals outside.  But, as he walked the streets of Berlin or Barcelona, his nostrils would be assailed by the delicious aroma of the dishes being cooked within buildings and houses, increasing his hunger pangs and his suffering all the more.  Other times he saved up on rent by foregoing breakfast altogether, his breakfast consisting of biscuits and water for a month.

      Above all, it was from her he learned about obedience, through the story of the moth that got burned by the flame because he disobeyed his mother moth’s warning not to get too near the flame.  But life as it often happens has poignant way of turning around, for it was obedience to the Catholic Church, as his mother taught him, which proved too hard to live by especially when he struggled with a crisis of faith in its teachings.  Teodora took none too gently his defection from the Church, which she saw was an apostasy from faith itself.

      One of the turning points of his life, which had a profound influence on his becoming a political activist later on, was the unjust arrest of his mother on the charge of conspiring to poison a relative, despite the lack of evidence against her.  But what made the arrest even worse was her humiliating treatment at the hands of authorities who made her walk all the way from Calamba to the provincial jail in Santa Cruz, which was 50 kilometers far.  There she was imprisoned for two years before gaining her freedom.  All these she took with calm and quiet dignity, which Rizal though only a child of eleven about to embark on secondary school in Manila would remember and replicate during his final moments just before a firing squad snuffed out his meaningful life on that fateful December morn in 1896.

 RIZAL’S SETTLEMENT PROJECT IN SABAH
by Quennie Ann J. Palafox

      The colonization project of Rizal in Sabah was a response to the Calamba’s land crisis which all started when Governor-General Terrero released a directive for the investigation of the friar estates to resolve the agrarian problems on the collection of land taxes and tenancy. Rizal was requested by the tenants of Calamba to conduct an investigation on hacienda owned by the Dominicans in Calamba and he submitted it to the Governor-General for appropriate actions. He found out that the hacienda of the Dominican Order comprised not only the lands around Calamba, but the whole town of Calamba.

      Rizal’s exposure of the miserable plight of the tenants drew resentment from the friars. To make things worse, the Supreme Court of Madrid sided with the Dominicans and gave its recognition of the proprietorship of the lands in Calamba. It was mandated that tenants of Calamba be expelled if they fail to leave the hacienda before the date set by the law. Rizal’s family dispossessed from the Dominican-owned hacienda in Calamba in the absence of Rizal. Governor-General Weyler, who took the place of Governor-General Terrero, was sympathetic to the friars and so he deployed 50 soldiers from the peninsular regiment of artillery to drive out the poor tenants and the soldiers showed no mercy when they burned the houses as the tenants exceeded to the given 12 days to evacuate their belongings.

      On his trip to Hong Kong, Rizal by chance met an Englishman Mr. W.B. Pryor and his wife, who were on their way to Sabah (North Borneo) to whom Rizal had shared his idea of a Filipino settlement in Sabah. The owner of the territory, the Sultan of Jolo, had it leased to the North Borneo Company in 1878 and was duly recognized by Spain, Germany and England with the condition that Spanish sovereignty over the island of Jolo will be honored. What was in the mind of Rizal that he desired to establish Filipino community in Sabah? He said in his letter to Blumentritt on February 23, 1892: “if it is impossible for me to give my country liberty. I should like to give it at least to these noble countrymen of mine in other lands”. Based on this statement, we can conclude that Rizal was apparently considering of relocating his family in Sabah where he can organize a Filipino community who would devote themselves in agriculture, he serving as the leader. He observed in Hong Kong that Englishmen governed their colony well far from the persecutions suffered by the natives of Philippines from the Spaniards.

      Jaena, Luna, Bautista, Blumentritt and his other friends in Europe were delighted upon hearing the plan and expressed their support to the noble venture. While the project was commendable for most of his friends, Manuel Hidalgo, Rizal’s brother-in-law was not in favor. By January of 1892, Rizal had already prepared the agreement which was to govern the settlement of the Filipino colony in its relations with Sabah. The North Borneo Company offered permanent settlement for the emigrants and the sale or lease of lands for 999 years. None of the settlers would render free labor or be forced to serve in the military except the territory’s sovereignty is in threat. They would rule themselves with their own laws under the safeguard of the Company. In March, Rizal received a favorable sign when Mr. Pryor saw that Sabah needed manpower, and so he invited Rizal to come over to Sandakan. The company offered to undertake construction of buildings and planting of orchards, all payable in three years. Rizal in the absence of the governor of the island entered negotiations with the acting Secretary of the Government, Mister Cook, who also had to specify in writing the conditions of the settlement. He was received by the Governor on April 6, 1892, and on the following day he left for Hong Kong on board the Memnon.

      On his arrival in Hong Kong, Rizal obtained directly from Spanish Consul Governor-General Eulogio Despujol’s position over the issue of Sabah settlement. Despujol refused to answer the letter sent by Rizal asking his permission to allow the landless Filipinos to establish a colony in Sabah. Despujol had probably played safe by not entering into an agreement involving him, nor to give publicity to the aspirations of the would-be-settlers as well as their intention to renounce their nationality. The consul whom Despujol coursed his reply, informed that the Governor-General had received his letter but he considered the Sabah project anti-patriotic as the Philippines was short of labor to cultivate its lands, and that he did not favor the establishment of Filipino community in Sabah.

A GLIMPSE INTO THE LIFE OF JOSEPHINE BRACKEN
by Augusto V. de Viana

      Called by Dr. Jose Rizal as his “dulce extranjera,” Josephine Bracken lived a short and largely sad life.  Bracken was the daughter of Irish parents, James Bracken  and Elizabeth MacBride.  Her father was a corporal in the British Army.  Her siblings consisting of one brother and three sisters were born in different places where her father was stationed.  Josephine was born in Hong Kong in 1876 where her mother died.  Her father was unable to support his children and was forced to give Josephine up for adoption. 

      Josephine lived with the family of George Taufer, a former machinist from New York.  Around 1893, Mr. Taufer started to have trouble with his eyes.  Many doctors were consulted but his condition only got worse.  Around that time Filipinos living in Hong Kong already knew him.  A Filipino resident, Julio Llorente said that Jose Rizal was an eye specialist and could cure his eyes.  On February 5, 1895, Taufer, Josephine and a lady companion from Macau named Francesca Spencer arrived in Manila looking for Rizal.  At that time Josephine was 18 years old.  The attraction between Rizal, the lonely exile, and the young woman blossomed into a relationship.  It was not a smooth one because Rizal’s sisters who were in Dapitan to make life more comfortable for their brother suspected Josephine to be a spy of the Spaniards.  Nevertheless, Rizal loved Josephine and affectionately called her Josefina.  Being a mason, Rizal and Josephine could not get married.  Josephine bore him a stillborn child, a son who would have been named Peter by Josephine or Francisco, by Rizal’s sisters, in honor of their father. Rizal the grieving father, buried his son near the gazebo of his estate where he worked as a doctor.  Just before he left for Cuba in 1896 Rizal burned down the gazebo. 

      Josephine and Rizal reunited for the last time at the latter’s cell in Fort Santiago on December 30, 1896.  The couple were married in Catholic rites by Fr. Victor Balaguer two hours before Rizal’s execution at Bagumbayan.  After his execution Josephine, accompanied by Paciano and Trinidad Rizal entered rebel territory in Cavite.  They were received by Andres Bonifacio who received from the Rizals a copy of the hero’s last poem which would be known as the Mi Ultimo Adios. 

      Josephine stayed with the Katipuneros until May 1897.  Around February Josephine wrote a short recollection of her life from her birth up to her marriage with Rizal.  It showed her sad experiences after the death of her mother, and as an adopted daughter who had problems with Mr. Taufer’s wives.  Taufer had married twice after the death of his first wife.  After the part she wrote after the death of Rizal, Josephine cryptically ended her narration: “Good bye Father I am dead.” 

      Josephine did not die after writing her recollections.  After the insurgent stronghold at San Francisco de Malabon fell to the Spaniards on April 6, 1897 she was moved to Naic and on to Maragondon the following month.  While escaping from the Spanish army she walked barefooted or was carried by a carabao.  She reached Laguna where Venancio Cueto, a Katipunan leader sneaked her into Manila and from there Josephine sailed back to Hong Kong.

      Josephine remarried in Hong Kong to another Filipino named Vicente Abad on December 15, 1898.  They had a daughter named Dolores.  While in Hong Kong, Josephine contracted tuberculosis.  She died on March 15, 1902 and was buried at the Happy Valley Cemetery.  Her grave remains unknown today since the cemetery has been converted into a racetrack.

     Sometime in 1961, the Jose Rizal National Centennial Commission published Rizal’s letters to his friends and relatives.  Included among these letters was one made by Josephine in 1897 which was a brief description of her life:

Discription (sic) of My Life
22nd February 1897 Monday

      My mother is a native of Ireland and was married to my father on the 3rd of May 1868 in Belfast, Ireland.  My father’s name is James Bracken and my mother’s maiden name was Elizabeth Jane MacBride.  We were five brothers and sisters, Charles, Agness, Nelly, Francis and myself Josephine.  Charles was born on the 10th of April 1869.  Agness was born in Malta on the 14th May 1873. Francis was born on the 2nd of June 1875 and died on the 1st April 1875.  Nelly was born at Gibraltar on the 21st July 1871 and I was born in Hong Kong at the Victoria Barracks on the 9th of August 1876.  My father is a corporal and detachment schoolmaster of a detachment at Pembroke Camp.  My mother died on the 2ndof September 1876 after giving birth to me.  After the loss of my beloved mother I was then removed to the care of a (illegible) laborer untill (sic) her burial.  As my father is a military (sic) he could not attend to all of us especially for me being so very small he gave me to a famailly (sic) to be adopted.  The kind and benevolent couple Mr. and Mrs. Taufer took very good care of me until I was seven years old.  Unfortunately at that age was when my adopted mother died.

      This is when I was seven years of age, 1882

      Mrs. Taufer died on the 8th of October 1882 with a heart disease.  A year after Mr. Taufer took to another wife, then my troubles commenced little by little.  On the 13th July 1889 we took a trip to Japan on account of Mrs. Taufer’s illness.  We stayed in Japan (for) three months; but her health did not recover we returned back to Hong Kong.  We arrived in Hong Kong on the 24th of November 1889.  But Mrs. Taufer got worse and died on the 26th April 1890.

 This is when I was fifteen years of age 1890

      On the 12th November 1891 Mr. Taufer took to a third wife which (sic) was a torment to me.  On the 12th December I left Mr. Taufer’s house and went to the Italian convent because I could not anymore attend to her troubles.  I stayed in the convent two months when Mr. Taufer came begging me to go home because his wife was starving him.  As I could not bear him complaining.  I went back on the 3rd February 1892 to take care of his house.  On the 14th September I had trouble again with Mrs. Taufer and hunted (?) her out of the house.  In 1893 Mr. Taufer got very ill and had sore eyes, as he hired several doctors but none could do him any good.

      This was when I was eighteen years of age

     On the 5th of September we went to Manila for the purpose of seeing Dr. Jose Rizal.  Unfortunately Dr. Rizal was not in Manila but up (in) the provinces.  We stayed in Manila for six months and then we went up to Dr. Rizal’s place.  We arrived in Dapitan that is the name of the province on the 14th of March 1894 in the morning at 7 ‘o clock.  We stayed there a week before Dr. Rizal operated on his eyes.  After a week’s time Mr. Taufer could see a little.  On the 22nd of February Dr. Rizal asked Mr. Taufer if he had any objection if he marry me.  But Mr. Taufer objected it, as I had affection towards Mr. Rizal.  I intended to marry him.  I accompanied Mr. Taufer back to Manila and returned to Dapitan in the next steamer.  By that time Dr. Rizal prepared everything for our marriage.  When everything was prepared I heard from a Spaniard that when we are married they would separate me from my husband.  I thought it over and told Dr. Rizal that it is better for us to waite (sic) until he gets his freedom.  Anyhow I stayed with him for one year and we lived very very happy.  Thank God I had a very peaceful life as if I were a child on (illegible)  mother(‘s) knee.  I cannot complain of his care.  (Illegible) but id did not last very long.  My happiness lasted only 20  months when my sorrows commenced again.

      This is when I was nineteen years of age. 1895

      On the 20th of July 1896, Dr. Rizal left Dapitan for Cuba as a doctor in the army.  But unfortunately they (the Spanish authorities) brought him back again and shot him on the 30th December 1896.  Before his execution he married me at 5 o’ clock in the morning. 

       This is when I am twenty years of age. 1896

       Josephine Bracken de Rizal.  A widow.

       Good bye Father I am dead.

RIZAL THE FUTURIST
by Dr. Pablo S. Trillana II on the 103rd Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal (1999)

“Protean is the word that comes to mind when we speak of the Filipino national hero Dr. Jose Rizal. Novelist, poet, teacher, linguist, ophthalmologist, sportsman, sculptor, essayist,thinker. He was all of the above. But there is one aspect of Rizal’s brilliance that is seldom discussed — Rizal as a futurist.  Rizal was always years ahead of his time.”

      Now that we are closing the door on one millennium and opening the door to the next, there could not be a more propitious time to dwell on this great man’s prophetic insights.

      Even before holism was adopted as a paradigm for the modern world, Rizal had already applied the theory to his school in Dapitan, where he strove to teach the “whole man”. In addition to offering formal academic subjects, he taught his pupils boxing, swimming, fencing, agriculture, and the need for community services. As an important part of their education, he took them on venturesome excursions to test their mettle in real situations. For he believed it was in the unpredictable world where intelligence was needed most.

      As a statesman without portfolio, his vision of the Filipino nation and his precepts for its guidance are as fresh today as they were a hundred years ago. In Noli Me Tangere, his first novel, Rizal warned Spanish authorities of the blood bath their colonial policy, or lack of policy, would lead to. In Noll’s sequel, El Filibusterismo, he predicted the coming of a revolution while hinting, in the same breath, that the revolution would fail because the Filipinos lacked the arms and organization to see it through.

     In his most prescient essay, Filipinas Dentro de Gen Anos, written in 1889, he foretold that Spain and the Philippines would eventually become equal independent partners in the world of geopolitics, that the United States, after appropriating the Philippines for herself, would emerge as a new colonial power in Asia.

     One might say that the predictions found in Noli and Fill were merely insights of an alert observer since they were based on the apparent worsening conditions of Spanish colonial rule in the country. But the predictions in Filipinas Dentro de Gen Anos is proof of a complex intellect. We must remember that at the time Rizal wrote the essay, the Revolution of 1896, which would lead to the creation of a Philippine Republic, independent of and equal to Spain, was more than six years away. And America’s presence in Asia would not happen until the turn of the nineteenth century, long after he was dead.

     Rizal foresaw the strengths and weaknesses of the Philippine nation today as it stands on the brink of a new and exciting world. Like a chastising father, he warned us, through the words of Padre Florentino in El Filibusterismo, that we will never have a successful state or bayan, until we also have a successful nation or bansa. There is a world of difference between the two. While statehood provides the infrastructure of government, it is nationhood that creates the temper of governance. What Rizal saw as an ideal nation-state was embodied in La Liga Filipina, yet another one of the hero’s scenarios for the future. Organized on the basis of regional and district councils, La Liga Filipina was envisioned to unite the archipelago into one compact, vigorous, and homogenous body. Members were pledged to mutual assistance in the face of every want and necessity, to provide defense against injustice, to encourage education, agriculture, and commerce, and to study and apply reforms. In short, La Liga was a vision of a moral community in which all of the people worked together for the common good, for a better future.

      That vision, upon which La Liga was founded, is as vital today as it was 100 years ago. Rizal, through his writings and his deeds, has given us a blueprint for our future. But what we do with it is up to us.

      To this day, we are trying to attain Rizal’s ideal of a mutual-aid society. The question is, are we trying hard enough? It is true that we have made great strides in many aspects of national life. But it is also true that all too often we lack the collective spirit to act as one in order to serve the good of all.

      I’m not saying we are unconcerned as a people. Far from it. We can look back to two revolutions – the Revolution of 1896 and the EDSA Revolution of 1986 – to remind ourselves of what we can do and be, when we unite as a people with a common purpose. Should we ever forget, we need only to summon Rizal who wrote, “Very probably the Philippines will defend with indescribable ardor the liberty she has bought at the cost of so much blood and sacrifice. With the new men that will spring from her bosom and the remembrance of the past, she will perhaps enter openly the wide road of progress.”

      If, as Rizal suggests, the past holds the contours of the future, this nation has indeed a lot of solid ground on which to build the just, caring, and progressive society of the future.

      Just as Rizal knew then, we must know now that we can move forward only if we work together, combining our energies toward a common goal and finding direction from the lessons of the past. Let the compass of history guide us into the next one thousand years.

THE VOYAGE OF FRAY ANDRES DE URDANETA
by Peter Jaynul Uckung 

       It is fitting to remember the man whose name was given to the city of Urdaneta, Pangasinan. For it was Andres de Urdaneta who recommended Miguel Lopez de Legaspi to be the captain-general of the Spanish fleet who would eventually paved the colonization Philippines. A cousin and close friend of Legaspi, Urdaneta was the one who attended to the preparations of the voyage. Legaspi, then, has no knowledge of navigation. At first, Fray Urdaneta thought that the voyage was intended to find the east coast of New Guinea and make a settlement there. But Legaspi was given the secret order to find the Philippines.

       Urdaneta was born in Villafranca de Oria, in the Basque province of Quipuzcoa. A fighting priest and an adventurer, he was born in an era where the world was just being consolidated by discoveries. It was the time of Columbus, Balboa and Magellan. His first adventure was the expedition of Loiasa. He experienced hardship during the younger years; he almost died of thirst and gunpowder wounds. But each time of dire peril, he survived. His strong faith in the Almighty probably destined him to be a member of the monastic order of the Augustinians.

      As an adventurer, he learned many languages, and has been in places where few Europeans had ever been before. He was appointed in the Spanish army. Being there, he saw the maltreatment of ethnic groups by Spanish soldiers, and deeply abhorred it.

       As an Augustinian priest, he occupied several responsible positions. He was sought by the King of Spain, Charles V, to lead the expedition to the Pacific for his experience and for the fact that he was a prudent and temperate man. The King wrote him: “I command and entrust you go with the said ships in the service of our Lord.” Although Legaspi was to be the captain of the expedition, the technical direction of the expedition was the exclusive affair of Urdaneta.

       Urdaneta was a pioneer of the Pacific navigation; he was the discoverer of the “tornaviaje”, or return route to Spain. It must be remembered that all expeditions for the Philippines before Urdaneta failed.

      In the area of Anda Circle just outside of Intramuros, there is a bronze statue erected in the memory of Legaspi together with Urdaneta. The monument shows Legazpi carrying a sword while Urdaneta at his side hold up the cross. There, an inscription reads: “he is the unparalleled cosmographer, pioneer of the Christian and Spanish civilization in the Philippines”.

       And now we honor his legacy in the town of Pangasinan which bears his name, and thus we pay homage to the circumstances that brought forth a lasting relationship between Spain and the Philippines.