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PROLOGUE
Rimi and His Times
To a.pprmatc and undentand the life of Dr. Jose Rizal, it
is necessary to know the historical background of the wortd and
of the Philippines during hi, times. The 19th century when ~c
lived wu I century or rennent caused by the blowin1 winds r1f
history. In Asia, Europe, and the Amencas, events surged 10,,•<>r·
ably like sea tides, ugnificantly affcctlng the lives and fortunes
of ,mnltind
TIN World o1 Rial's Tlaa
On February 19, 1861, four months before Rizal's birth In
CaJamba, ll1c.libcral Cur Alcundcr ll (IIISS-1881}, 10 IPf><:....C
the nsing disc:ontcnt of tbc Russian masses, issued a pnxlamahon
&em.
cmanapanng 22,500,000 When Rizal was born on Jur,,e
19, 1861, the Amencan Civt1 War (1861-65) wa. raging funouwy
in the United States over the 111Suc of Negro slavery. This titanic
conftict, which erupted on April 12, 1861, compelled President
Lincoln 10 aaue his !1JDOus Enanapauon Pr~1ion on Sq>,
tember 22, 18<>3 frCW1g the Neg,o $lava
On Jur,e I, 1861, just e1gbtccn daya before Rizal'• btrtll,
Benito Juarez, a full-blooded Zapotec lodian. was rleclcd Prea
ide111 ,of Mexico.' A yeu after his elecuon (in April 1862)
&1pcror Napol:on Ill of the Seoond Fn:nd1 Empire, in his
,we
impr riawtic desuc ro secure a colonial in Latin America,
teGl Freach troof'6 whicb i,ovaded and QODqUetcd Melico. Prc:a,
idcnt Juarez.. owing to the ragmg Amencan Civil Wu, could
not obtain military aid fl'OOI his friend, l'ruid<,nt Uncoln, but
be continued to rCJist the Frend! invaders with hit valiant Indian
and Mexican freedom fi&btcn. To consolid.tte his occupation of
Mellicx>, Napoleon Ill, installcd Ardldukc Muimilian of Austria
• puppet emperor of Mexico at Mexico aty on Juoc 12, 1864.
Finllly, lfie:r the cod of the American Civil War, JuaRZ, witll
U.S. wppon, defeated Me:rimllien'• French fon:ca in the 81tll,e
of Oueretaro (May 1S, 1867) and executed Emperor Maximilian officers.3 conquered Vietnam; annexed Cambodia (1~3) and
on June 19, 1867 (Rlzal's sixth bin~y anniversary). Thus fizzled Laos (1893); and merged all th~e cuunlnc, ,ntu • lcdc1JteJ
out Emperor Napoleon Ill'& ambition to colonize Lalin America. colony under the name of French Indochina The Outd{ 1fter
driving away the Portuguese and Spanmrds from the Ea~, Indies
In Ri:r;al's limes two European nations (Italians and Ger
m the 17th century, colonized th1, vast and nch arch,pµlago a~·j
mans) succeeded in unifying their own countries. The Italians
named it the Netherlands East lndie~ lnn11, lndone~if.t,)
under the leadership of Count Cavour and of Garibaldi and his
Jr,:,
Army of "Red Shins" drove out the Austnans and French armies Czarist Russia, unable to expand Wl's&w:H<I to Fun turned
from ltaly and proclaimed the Kingdom of Italy under King eastward to Asia, conquering Siberia and latt·r otci~p,ed Kam
Victor Emmanuel, wi1h Rome as c:ap1tal city The Prussians led cbatka, Kuriles. and Alaska (which she ,old m 1867 to the lJ.S
by Otto von Bwnarck, the "Iron Chancellor", defeated France for $7,200,000). From 11!65 10 11184, ~he: conqucr.:tJ the Mu,hm
in the Franco-Prussian War and e,ublished 1he German Empire KhBnntes of Bokhura. Khiva, and Kokond on 1,"entr.il A"a
on January 18, 1871, with King Wilhelm of Prussia as fir:s1 Kaiser Expanding tow~rds O,ma. Czarist Russ,a jn'lned Entzland,
of the Gennan Empire. With his defeat in the Franco-Prussian Fcancc, and Germany 10 the despoliation of the crumbling
War, Emperor Napoleon nt's Second French Empire collapsed, Chinese Empire, acquiring Manchuria~ a "~pberc of innucncc ..
and over its ruins the Third French Republic arose, with Adolph thus enabling her to buil~ the 5,80(1-mile Tran~•Sibcnan RailWll),
Thlers u first President. reputed to be "the world's longest railrbad" hnlung Vl:Jdi,,,~1ok
and Moscow,
The times of Rizal saw the flowcnng of Western imperiahsm
Fngland emerged as the world's leading 1mperialis1 power. On On July !I, 11!5~. an Amcncan squadron unJl!r th,: rnmm.nJ
account of her invmcibl'e navy and magnificent army, she wa~ of C.ommodore M•tthew C. Perry re-opened Jfiian II• 1h~ "orld,
able 10 conquer many countries throughout the world and to After this event, which ended Japan's 214-ye ,r isolation (1639-
c,tabh<h a global colonial empire. Thus the Bntish people during 1853), Emperor MetJi (Mutsuhtto) modermzid 1hc c:ountry by
the glonous reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901) proudly freely accepting Western influences, ,ndud,ng ,mpcriah~m Nq
=rti:d: "Britanma rules the waves." By winning , he First sooner bad Japan strengthe'1cd her navy and arm~ at.>11)! w.,.,,cm
Opium War (1~1842) against the tottering Chinese Empire lines, when she, Joining thli Western 1mpe'na1t,1 power., ht:gan
under ,~., M~ncbu dynasty, ,he acquired the ~land of llong be.r imperialist career by fighting 11,cal Clurr.; ,n the S1110 'J1w1c"'
Kong ( -,a;;nnt Harbor> In the Second Op1uln War (18S6-1860),1 War ( 1894-9$) and grabbed Formosa ('fa'1wan) and Pc mlurc,
she ••01 ,6am and forced the hel;•lcss Maochu dynasty to cede And later in 1910 she annexed Korea /
the Ko,.,loon Peninsula oppo,11e l!ong Kong. In 11!5!1, after
Germany ti should be recalled bfx:ame a "wcreigr ,utc m
,uppre,~ing the lndrnn R ·bclho~ .tnd dhmalllhng the Mogul
January 1871, and wa. late 1n the scra.mblc for colunic, ,n Asia
Empire. she impo<ed her r&J (rule) over the subcontinent of
and Africa. In search !or ooloni11I ~takc:s. ~he turned to the 1,l:ind
India (now cons,stmg of India. PakiMan, and Banglade•'1\ By
archipelagoes of the mid-Pacifi~ world On August -2~. IAA~ a
w111111ng th Three Anglo Burme,e W:1r, (1824-16, 1852, and
German warship. the llt~s. entered the harbor of Yap (an ,~land
18k'i}, she conquered Burma Other land~ ,n A"a which became
in the Carolincs). landing the German ,nannc~ who M"1zcd the
Bnush colon,~ were Ceylon (Sr, Lanka), MaJd,ve,. Aden,
island, ho.sled the C,crman flag and prod~1mcd the Carohncs
Mal~ya, Singapore, and Cgypt Australia and New Zealand in
and Palaus arcbipelagoes as colonies of German, Stran!!el\ the
the South P mfic also became Bntish colonies.
Spanish governor of the Carol ines (Don Enrique C1pnlcs) was
Other imp,. iahsts, following Britain's example, grahbed the present in the L~land, with two Spam<h \hips moored ut it. harbur.
"eak countries ,n Southeas, Asia and colomzed them. In 1858- but due to cowardice or other reasons, he d,d nut nffcr re~iMancc
ltioJ 1- Hnce, . ,11, the help of Filipino troops under Spanish to the German aggression.
h "'
The Gennan seizure or Yap Wand enraged Spain who n. n ,., , •-"' 1t1111•• n..
right
claimed 50vereia,ity over the Carolines and PalaL1S by cl During the times of Rlzal, the linister shadows of Spa.in',
discovery ft should ~ noted that the islll1l(I of Yap wu disco decadenc:e darkened Philippine sltiea. The Filipino people
vered by the Manila galleon pilot, Fr81!cisco Lezcano, who
aaonized beneath the yoke or Spanllh 1nisnale, for they were
name~ it ~Carolina" in honor of King Charles 11 (1665-1700) of unfonunate victims of the evils of an unjust, bigoted, and
Spain, which name was applied to the 01h er islands.• Spanish-Ger
deteriorating colonial power. Among these evils were as follows:
man r~~tions grew critical. In Madrid, the Spanish populace
(1) lnstabihty of cc>loni,I administration, (2) corrupt officialdom
ro5c an1t•olcn1 nots, demanding war agains1 Gennany. To aven (3) no Philippine reprcsfntation in the Spanish Cones, (4) human
ae1ual d'511 of arms, Spain and Germany suhmiltcd the Carolina
rag)\LS deDJCd to Filiptl¥)$, (S) no equality before the law, (6)
Oues1100 to Pope Leo XIII for arbitration.
m1ladmlnistre11on of justice, (7) racial discrimination (8) frailoc
racy, (9) forced labor. l10) haciendas owned by the friars, and
The Holy Fa1her, after careful study of the pertinent docu
(11) the Guardia CiVil. \
ments submitted by both panics. issued his decision on October
22, 1885 favoring Spain - recognizing Spain's sovereignty ove.r lmtabillty of Colonial Admlnlttradon. The Instability of
lhc Caroline\ and Palaus, but granting two concessions to Ger Spanish politics smce 1hc! turbulent reign of King Ferdinand VII
many - ( 1) the right to 1rade in the dispuled arc:hipclagoei and (1808-1833) marked the beginning of political chaos in Spain.
(2) the right to cS1ablish a ooaling station in Yap for the German 1'hc Spanish government underwent frequent changes owing to
navy Boll\ Spoin and Gcnnany accepted the Papal decision. so bluer struggles between the forces of despotism and liberalism
1ha1 lhc Hi!.pJno-Gcm,an War was aborted II i~ in1ercsl ing to and the explosions of the Carlast Wars. From 1834 to 1862,
recall that during the critical days of the Hispano-German imbrog Spain had adopted four constitutions, elected 28 parliaments,
ho over the ~oline~, Rizal was an Barcelona v1Siting hrs friend and installed no less than 529 ministers with ponfobos; followed
Muimo Viola Al the i.11me time he wrote an anicle on the ,n su~quent years by pany strifes, revolu1ion1, and other
Carohna Quest ,on which was published in L,i Pi,bfi<:idad, 5 a political upheavals 6
newspaper owne\t by Don Miguel Morayta.
This political in51ability in Spain adversely affe<:ted Philip
While the ill\J>Crialist powers were enjoying the fruits or pine affairs because it brought about frequent pcriooic shifts ir
1he1r colonial ventures and achaeVJng global prestige. Spain. once colonial polic:ics and a periodic rigodon of colorual o(ficials For
upon a trmc the ~mi~trc~s or 1he v.orld." wa~ StJgnating as a insiance, from 1835 10 1897, the Philippines wa~ naled hy ~
v.orld power Gone with the winds of nme v.a, 1hc dalliance of governors general, each serving an average term of only one
the 1mper1al glory l•I Ii~, vanished Siglo d, Oro (Golden Age) year and three months, 7 Al one time - from December H!53
S:i lo~_• her nch colonles ,u Laun Amenca - Paraguay ( 1811), 10 November 1854 - a period of less than a year, 1herc wer•
A•A•"'.'"a four governors-general.
(1816), ~ile (1817), Colombia and Ecuador (1819),
lhe Central Amencan countnes (Costa Rica. HonJuras. To illustrate the confusing instability of Spanish politics Jn
Gua1cmalJ, El Salvador, and Nicaragua) in 1821, Vene2:uela its anamic:al effect, an anecdote was 1old KS follows: In the year
(1112:!), Peru (1824), and Bolivia and Uruguay (1825). These 1850 a Spani~h JUriSI, who was appointed oidor (magima1e) of
fonner Sranish colonies had risen in arm~ agains1 Spanish tyranny 1hc Royal Aud,encia or Manila, left Madrid with his whole family
and achae\'cd their independence. EVJdently, Spain never learned and took the longer route via Cape of Good Hope, arnving an
a lesson from 1he loss or these colonies, for she conunued a Manila after a leisutely trip of about six months. Much to bu
despocic rule in her remaining overseas coloniei, including Cuba, surprise and discomfiture, he found out that another Jurist wa.s
Puenc, Rico, and the Philippines.
already occupying his position. During 1he six months when he
was leisurely cruising at sea. the ministry which appointed bin>
fell in Madrid, and the AK:Ceeding mlnlct.., Ii ed h' general, was widely deteated by the Filipino people for cxecullng
And th" • • -;, am 1s successor
IS new Jllnst traveled faster, taking tlhe shoner route vi~ Dr. Rizal.
the Isthmus of Suez and reached Manila earlier.
Other Spanish colonial officials were of the same evil breed of
. The frequent change of colorual offi,cials hampered the men as the corrupt and degenerate governors-general men11oncd
pol111c;al and economic development of the Philippines. Hardi above. After the loss of Mexioo, Gua1cmala, Chile, Argcnlirs,
had one governor-general begun his administration when he ~ and other colonies in Latin America, numeroUJ> job-seelcens and
soon replaced by his successor. Naturally, no chief executive penniless Spanish sycophants came to the Philippines, where they
h
no matter how able and energetic he was, could aa:om r1 5 became judges, provincial executives, anny officers, and
much for the colony P empleados (govcmmcn1 employees). They were either rcla1ive~ nr
proteges ofc ivil officials and frians. Mostly ignorant and profligate,
~rrupt Colcoial Offld•~· With few ex.cepnons, the colonial they conducted themselves with arrogance and superciliousnc,s
officials (go~ernors-general, Judges, provincial executives etc )
because of their alien wtute skin and 1all noses. They bccMm<' rich
sent by Spain to the Philippines in the 19th century we...; r~r
8 by illegal means·or by marrying the hcircsse~ of rich Filipino
cry from their a_ble and dedicated prcdeces/;;rs of the 16th, 17th,
families.
and 18th centun~. They were either highly/corrupt, incompetent, 11:no,
As early as ,n Tomas de Comyn, Spanish writer and gov
cruel, or venal. Apparently, they symbola;'ed the decadent Spa
o 1 ernment official, bewailed the obnoxious fact 1ha1 igMrunt h.ir•
of the 19th century - not Spain of the Sigl o de h · ~
produced Miguel Cervantes, Lope de Vega Calden:~ :e •~a hers and lackeys were appoinled provinciGI governors, and rough
53ilors and soldiers were named district magistrales and gam:,,.>n
8arc;a, El Gr:co (Oomeniw ~cotoc:opuli)', Velasquez, SI.
Theresa de Avda, and other glones of the Hispanic nalion. commanders. 8
Philippine Represotadon in Spanish Cortes. To win the ,up
General Rafael de ~uierdo (1871-73), a boastful and rurh
pon of her overseas colonies during the Napoleonic inv~sion,
less ~vemor _general, aroused the anger of the Filipinos by
Spain granted them representation in 1he Cones (Spanish parha•
exndccu1lll~ theZamnooent Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos,
ment). Accordingly, the Philippines experienced her fim perioJ ol
a 1acmto mora, the "M•...,,.. of 1...,.,,, H"s
Admiral 1o se Malcampo (1874--·n,) •.• was a0 g" oo• d M, orsou cfcigeshstoerr ' representation in the Cortes from 1810 10 1813 Hl\tory
demonstrates that· the first Philippine delegate, Ven1ura de In·
bu_1 was an_ _i rtepl and weak administrator. General Fernan~
Reyes, took active pan in the framing of the Constttulion of 11112,
Primo de Riv~ra, governor general for two tenns (1880-83 ,md
Spain's lirs1 democratic constitution, and was one of its 11!4 "gnen..
1897-98)_. ennc~ed himself by accepting bribes from gambling
This cons111ution was extended to the Ph11ippme• Anothct
casinoc m Manila which be scandalously permilted to operale
achievement of Delegate Delos Reyes was the abolition of the gal
General Valeriano Weyler (1888-91 ). a auel and corrupt govcr:
nor general or Hispanic-Oerman an<:estry, arrived in Manila leon trade.
8
The first period or Philippine representation m the Spanish
poor man and retu~ to Spain a ?ri"ioaaire. He received huge
bnbes and gills of ~,a~nds for bis wife from wealthy ChtnC$C Cones (1810-1813) was thus fruitful with beneficent rc<ult• for 1hc
whl> !vaded} he anti-Chi~ law. The FilipinQS scornfully called welfare of the colony. However, 1he second period of represent a•
bun tyrant . because of bis brutal persecution of the Calamblo tion (1820-23) and the third period (1834-37) were less fruitlul
tenants, particularly the family of Or. Rizal. The Cubans con because the Philippine delegates were nor M energetic and dcvot~d
tcmptuolllly _curMd him a "'lbe Butcher~ becallle of his ruthless in parliamentary work as De los Reyes.
reconcen~llon policy during his brief governorship in Cuba in Unfonunatcly, the reprCKntation or 1he oversea~ culnmc,
1896, ca~g the death of thoUWlds of Cubans. General Camilo (including the Philippines) in the Spl(llish Cones was abolished i1
tie PolavteJa (189<>-97), an able militarist but heaniess governor 1837. Since then Philippine conditions worsened beca~ there wu
ull
eo means by wblch the Filipino people Q0QJd e1pose the anomabea a.c llintcrtands of LWIIOII ud die Vilayu and ill Mindenao and
perpetrated by the colonial officials. Many Filipino pauiot• vat- =Suha) b« aioe Olrilaiam.
1antly pleaded for the rC$1onuion of Ph11Jpp,ne representahon in tn practice, however, the Spanish colonial authorilict, who
the Cones. On~ of them, the 1il\er-toniued 0radano Lopez Olnslians did not implement Christ's precept of !he brother
Jacna, implored 1D wnoroua Castilian on Oct.9b:r 12, 1883, durinc of all me~ under the fatherhood of God. Eapecially dunng
, the 391st anmven.ary of the discot'eryof America byCohimbuJ 1D I.be 11111 decade$ of Hrspanic rule, they arropntly regarded the
Madrid: ·we waot rcprcaentauon in the legislative chArnbcr 10 brown-skinned Filipino& u irtfenor bcinp, not their Omsnan
that our up1ra1iom may be known to the morhcr country and 111 brothert to be protected but rather u their ma1c.ty's subJ~_ts to be
government." 9 umentably Spam 1gno~d the fervent plea of exploited To their ,mperillllM way of tlunkmg, brown 1-tllp,nos
Lopc,z Jacna and ho:. compatnots 'Olcir g11evancc was embirtered and white Spaniardl. may be equal before God, but not before the
by 1he fact that Cuba 111d Puerto Rico were ,ranted ~prescnuhon
law and certainly not in practKZ.
in the Corta by tile Spanish Constitution of 1876 Unul the end of u
It true that the IL}C lndiaJ (1.aw, of the Indies) were
Spanuh rule n IS'lll, Ph1hpptne represcniauon m the Cortes waa II
promulgateJ by the Oms111n monan.-h1 of Spain 10 protect the
ne,.cr restored
rigllll of the nativew in Spain's overscu oolonitll and lo promote
No wQndcr. Jose Riz,11, M H. dcl Polar, Graciano Lope:, their welfare. However, these good colomal laws. infll5Cd aii they
Jacna, and other youthful pa1no11 launched the Propapnda were11>ith Chruua.nchanty andiushcc, were rarely enfo~ccd by the
Movement, which paved the way tor the Ph1hppme Revolution ol officials m the ,fotanl col<>IIIC$, partkularly the Phlhpptna, Cnn•
1896
sequcntly, the Filipmos were abuscJ, brutalized, pcr5CCUkd, and
•landcrcd by their Span1>h m~c~. 'lllcy could not appeal to the
SpanHisuhm C"a.onn ~R11ig1uh1l1lo Dn oafil 1e8d1 t2o k Fnidli optinhoesr. c oSnms1e1e1 uthtieo nasd tonp sruioccne oefd Ithnea law for 111,11cc because the law, being d1~pcnscd by Spaniards, Wal
only for the white Spani"nb.
years, the people of Sp"m enjoyed freedom ol speech, freedom pf
The Spanish Penal C.ode, which was enforced in lhc Phihp
the PrClS, freedom of assoa.111on, and other human rishts (e11,,ep1
freedom of religion). The Spaniard. ardently guarded thele riahts pi~. panicularly imposed heavier penalties on n.,uvc fihp1~ or
n~tu.o,, and hgllter penaltie. on whit1:-o->mplcx10ncd Sran11rds.
IO that no Spamih monarch dared aboli~h them.
To. . legal inequality wa, naturally ro<"ntcd hy _th<' ,Filipino~. As
Strangely enougll the Spanish authonue, who cherished Professor Ferdmand Blumenlritl wrote to Dr. Riul in 111117: The
these human riahtsorcon,11tu11onal libert1e11n Spain denied them provision of the Penal Code that a heavier penalty will be 1mpo~d
10 the Flhpm~ m A!Ja. Such inconsistency was lamented by on the lnJio or mesh.a> irritates me exceedingly. bccau\C 11 sig
S1mbaldo Jc Mu, Spanish ccono1X11St arid d1plom•t. who wrote in mfi~ that every pc,_ noc born while is 1n fact a latent cnm,nal.
1843 "Why do ,.e fall into an anomaly, such as comb1nlns our Th••
is • very great 1nJU$l1CC that seems enormous and unJust for
chum for hbeny for ounelvcs, and our wish to impoi;c our law on bc1ngcmb od1.e el1' 0 Ia w. "11
remote pt."Oples'1 Why Jo we deny to others the benefit which we
desire for our fatherlond?•10 Maladmlnlstnlloe vi Juab. The courts of JUJtice in the
Ri,al', coi:rur•
Ph1hppmc, durina time were notoriously Verily,
. No £quality Bcf'ore the Law. The Sp.tnish mlllionane$, who they were courts of MtnJUSbCC". as far a., the brown Filipinos were
llltroduccd ChnU1&1llt) IDtO the Ph1hppincs as tariy as 1n the 16th con.:crned. The SpaRQI\ iudgc:s, fise&II (pr01Ccut1ng attorney~).
century, taught 1hat all men, lm:specuvc of color a11J race are and oth,·r court offioal• were ,nept, venal, and oftentamca 11noran1
God.
c~tldren o( God and as such they are brothen, oequal before oflaw.
!'~oared by tht• noble concept of human relations and convinced Justice was costly. partial, and slow Poor Filipinos ha<I no
by the truths of the Chrntlan faith, mott Filipino• (except those In access to the courts because they could not afford the heavy
=
tnnl. His brother Paciano and severll brothers-in-law were exiled
eqie1- (If litipdoo. Wealdi, IIOdal pratige, and color of akin
to various parts of the archipelago without due process of law Like
were pn,pooderant facton in winnina a cue in coun. II 1apcctive
Fa then Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, Rita!
oft be weipt ol evldellce, a ricb man or a Spaoiard, wt:io.e skin wu
was executed - a noble v1cum of Spani•h miscamage of JI.CltKC
wlllt.e, cuily lldlieved vtetory m any litigallOIL
To the Flllplno IDUICI, a llt1gation 1n court was a ca1anuty. Racial Dllcrtaunatlon. Spain introduced Christianity into the
1be expenses inc;urred even In a simple lawsuit often ucel:dcd the Philippines with its beauuful egalitarian concept or the brother·
value of the property at mue, 10 that in many instances the litipnts hood of all men under God the Father The Spano<h au1hon11«:i.
fOWld themselves ,mpovenshedat theendorthelong tussle. Cnm civil u well as eccl~iastical. zealou.<ly propagated the Chn<t1an
inal cuesdniggedon for many years during which periode1ther1he faith but seldom practised its sublime tenets. They regarded the
delinquents took to flight, or the documencs were loat. conv~ned fihpinos not as brother Chnstians. but a, infcnnr l>cinjts
who were 1Dfin11ely uodeacrv1ngofthe rightsand prh lc2~ 1t,at the
The judicial pnlQCdure wu so llow and clumsy thac it was easy
to bave justice delayed. AJid justice delayed, as a popular maxim white Spaniards enjoyed.
states, *is justu;e denied". Thu., related John Foreman. a Bntish With this unchristian attitude, many Spaniards and 1hc1r me,
eyewitness of the last yean of Spanish sovereignty in the P1nhp dzo satellites derisively called the brown-skinned Jnd tlJt. no,cJ
p111e1:
12 Filipinos *Indios" (Indians) In retahall<>n. the r·,hp1no,1ealou_sly
It WU bard co Fl the jllClpnent executed u II WU lo win dubbed their pale-complexioned detractors with the d1<para)!ing
the C&5e. Even when the queitioo at wue wusuppoted to be term "banguJ" (m1lkfish) Ounng R,zar~ time a wh11e <km. a high
settled, a «feet in lhe acntencie could always be eoncocted to nose and Castilian lineage were a badge of vaunted \Upenorny.
reopen !ht whole affJ11r If tbe case bad been tned and iud&· Hen~. a Spaniard or a mc,1110, no matter hvw ,1up1d or mun~rcl•
-.at g,v"D undtT tbe Cavil Code, a way ,i,u found to convcn bom he was, always en)Oyed political and social prest111,c 1n the
11 mto a Cnm1nal Code. a flaw c:ould be dlscovcn:d u~r the
community.
I.Awa or the lndJes, or the Siete Pan1da1, or the Roman I.Aw,
or the NovuJma Recopllaooo. or the Anus- f11el'OI, Racial prejudice w:n prevalent e,·er,"Wherc - in &°'crnment
Decrees, Royal Orders, Orden11JU1 del Buen Goble mo, and office~. in the courts of ju.mce, 10 the armed fore.;< 1n the '<Klal <'Ir•
so forth, by,. lncft the case 00Uld be reopened cles and even 1n the educ111onal m~t1tu11on, an<1111 the cccksi,,,11
A speafic instance of Spanish maladmirustr11tion of j11$ticc cal hierarchy One of the \hiningstors of the FilipinoclerJ)', Fathcr
wu theinfamouacueof Juan Jela Cl'Ulin 1886-1898. On the night Jose Burgos (1837-1872) bewailed the Spanish ml\concepuon 1ha1
of June 7. 1886, two men were bnitally killed ID their sleep at the 1 man's ment depended on the pigment of h1> ,kin. the h, tht ,,f
waterfroot of Cavite. 1be oen day a couwain of a motor la1111ch )us nose. the color of his hair, and th~ •hare of h1> ~\.ull. ,~nd cum•
named Juan de la Cl'\ll wu arrested on mere suspicion of having plained. of the lack of opponunitie, for educated young Fihrin•.'.' to
perpetrated the murder. Without preliminary inveshgalion and rise ID the service of God and country "Why for in;1.incc. h~
1
proper trial, he wu jailed in Cavite, where he languished for Jameoted. •·shall a young man stnve 10 nse ID the profcSMon •f lav.
twelve yca.n. When the Americans landed ID Cavite after the Bat• or of theology, when he can vision no futu~e for himself ~a~e that
tie of Manila Bay (May l, 1898), they found him ID Jail 1.ull awai11ng of obscurity and jaunty unconcern? What F1hp1no will aspire to the
trial.13 seats of the wise and will devote sleepless nighb 10 ~uch an ideal.
Dr Rizal and his family were victim, of SpaniJh inJ~llcc. when he clearly sees that hil noblest feeling. are crushed down ID
the unwelcome atmosphere of contumely and obhv1on, and when
Twioe, fint m 1871 and aecond in 1891, Dona Teodor11 (Riul·s
he knows that among the pnvileged few only are dispen11ed the
mother) was UDJUllfy arrested and Jailed on fumsy lfOUllds. Rw.l
bim,elf wu deported in July, 189210 Dap1tan without benefit of a sinecures of honor and profit? .. "
av!
•J.
,..., 1 Owin1 to the Spqiah polltic&I philoeoplay ot
lllliDa of Onm:la and State, tlieff ll10IC a lllliqw form of p,•u• Q-edd mlllt certainly be s,vca tow Span• fsian Cor baviac
mcnt lti Hiapank Philippmea c:&llcd •tm1oc:ncy· (fral/Offlld4) inlroduced Ou'iltianil)' ud European~ inlO the~
~ named because it wu •• pernmc.a1 by frian• History ptnca To them, the Filipinoa owe a las!•~• debt of pbl\ldc.
dndoses that 1111CC the d.lys of the Spanish conque11, the frian Without their anapificent ICrviccs tbe F'wpiPo people would not
(Augustlnhns, O'lminicans, and Franci.1ea111) controlled the have emerged from dlc1r pa.11 as a unique Ouilti.an n.woe, lbs
rtligjous and educational life of the Pbalippinea, and later in die only nation tn A11a with an Oriental, Latin and tlispanic-Amen•
19th ccntury they tame to acquire lrtmcridou, polibcal J>C",er. CIIII cullU f1II hental'" •
in!lucna:, and n~.
Of c:ou=, 11 ii regrettable that nol alt Sr,amsh fn~ who
came 1o 1hc Ptulip~ were sood men aad wonhy mumtcn
_The frian pranically ruled the Philippines throuah a facade
of God Among the bad lnara who wtrc recreant 10 thcu ,ubbmc
of civil ,ovemmem. The coloo1.1I authorities, from the aovcmor
ailing and 10 1hc 6nnt tr.dt11on, of Jbc:rian p~r were
1encul drn.11 to the alc1tldes mayorca, were uodcr the control
Fray M1gucl Lucio Bustamante, Fray Jose Rodrif,llClt, Fray
of 0c trian Al!nosl ~ IOWD Ill the ardupcl•go. cscq,c 111 man P.":
Junomo Picmaue1a, and other rcacgadc """1,wcre
unpaafied Islamic Mindanao and Sulu and 1n the pa,an hinter,
lands, was nalcd by a friar curete AJ.ide from his priesth dutiee, traycd by Ri,..al tn hu novcb aa P;1dre Damno and I aJre Salvi
ud htlariottlly canca1urcd by Jacna IIS Froy Bot<:>d 'l'hc<e had
the fnu was the 111pav1sot of loc:&1 clcctiom, lbc w~--tor of frian besaurchcd lhc noble csmtdlcon of Spain. wnisbed the
schoob and Illes, the arbhcr of 1110ral1, the censor of bookt
repuw on 1,I hundred of 1he1r gooJ brethren (including fr~y
and CO!lledias (Jta&e pbys). 1bc superintendent of pllbhc wort,, 1
w• Andres de Urdaneta. Fray Manin Ra.la, Fray J= de Plascncu,
and the guudl3n of peace and order. So ercat bla polibcal
Bishop Doaun,:o de Sabz.u, Fray Franwco Blancas de San
1be.l~lucrcnnlc ek nthda tt hbeis rpcrcoovmtnmdacln doafUficoimal W, WHe' b ccocudlcdd &byen tdh ea 1 op~atcrmiootirc0 JOM:, and Fniy Mtpel de BcnavidCJ), and ~d the biller
luttn-d of the: t iliplnos 10. .a ril, lhe Sp111iilll religious ordcn.
Filipino to ,all or deno:mce him • a filibaaicro (traitor I to be
Hllcd 10 a distant place or to be executed II an enemy of Ood • .-a,it LMNr. Kno,r,n a, the polo. 11 was the: rompubof)
and Sp&U1.
labor impi,..·ll hy 1hc Spam~h coloni~I authonttea on adult
filipmo males in lhc comtructton of chun.hcs, acbool•, hospiUb;
Rizal, M.H dcl Pilar, G. Lopez Jaena, and other F"illptno bwldong and repair ol roach und bridges; the building of shop&
rdormulJ aSS;&ilcd frailocracy, bumina it for the prcv.Wna policy in 111(, ,hipya,d,; and other pubhc worb.
of obscurantum, fanaric1wn, and opp,eaion in the country.
Rizal, for imtana:, denounced the frian II the cncmica of liberal Ongin.tlly, F1hrino males from 16 to 61) ycan old WCK
reform, and modem proarcu tn the Phllippina. obli~I to render torccd lab<1r for 40 daya • ~car. Later, the
Royal Decree of July 12. 1883, llllf!cmcnlcJ by the New Rcg
Like the Roman god Janua, fnilo,ncy had~ faca. Iu ut..liom promulptcd ti) the Coun.:11 of State of February 3,
bad fa,-c was darkly ponrayed by Rizal and hi, oontemporarie1 HIii~ ,ncrc-d the m1rum11m ai:c of the pollitas (those wbo
by way of rttaliatiOn qainst cien.a.1n evil-hearted fnan who perl~rmc:d the fori;cJ lal11,r) frorn lb 10 IK and reduced_t he days
penecu1cd them. For the lake of lust<>tical llllth, the other,_ o( I ,1 ..r tr. ., n 40 to IS lbe umc royal decree provided !bat
of fratlocucy, 111 Sood face, lhould be known. In the felicitOlll nol only nahvc r 1hp1r,oa, hul alr,o all male Spa111~h resulcnts
llpin,oo 01 Dr, JOK P. I.Am-cl, •11 would be a arou iDVlbllldc frol'I 18 v•·•n old 10 60 mu~, render forced labor hul this
on the pan of the Filipinos 10 be oomcioua only of the abm. partu:ular p<o\llS10n ..- a. nc,cr 1mplcmcn1~ _ID the Phabpptn<:~
of the fnan, and to c:IOK the1r eyea to 1h41 bcne6ocn1 1nnue for uhviou reason,. So actuallv the hrown f-lhp,n~ d,d 1b.- dirty
of the oo:lesi1111cal elc111e'nt on the life ol 111c: Fi11plnoa~ 11 joh of bu1ldtng or rep:a1ring the public works. ~ well to-do
111nt"'1 them were able to escape tlui manl.lll labor by payui£
u rlU
l&U,
tbe /.U., wbidl .,. . a awn of money paid to the aovemment to tbc Spanish crown No wonder, these friar haciendas became
be cuaipted froo, the polo. hotbeds of agrarian revolts, in as much as the Filipino tenanu
regarded t.he fnar owners ~s usurpers of their ancntral lamls
'The Fihpiooa came to hate the forced labor because of the
One of these bloody aparian revolts wa~ the agranan upheaval
abuses conaected with it Fint of all, the white Spanish resident.•.
in 1745-1746.
contrary to law, were not recruited by the colonial authoriliti
to pcrfonn the ubliJatory labor. Second. 1be Filipino po/uuu, As early as in 1768 Governor Anda realiDng the danger
accord1n1 to law, •ere to receive a daily stapend of two ~tas of the {nar-owned haciendas to F1hpt~Sp1uush rclattons.
(SO centavos) but actually received only a pan or this 1muun1 strongly recommended to the Madrid government the. snle of
and worse, they got nothing. And, tlurdly, the annual fon:ed the friar estates Unfonunately, his wise recommendation w:i\
labor caused so much inconvenience and suffering to the common ignored Filipino odium towards the fnars. who turned hacienda
people because 11 disturbed their work m farm, 1d hops ,nd owocr5. persisted unabated unul the end of Span"h ruk
also because they were so~tuncs compelled to work m construc
tion proJCClS far from their homes and towns. Rizal, whose faMJly and rela1.-es were tenant;, of 1hc
Dominican Estate of Calumba. tncJ 1<1 i111tia1c agrunan rclorm,
A true iOCtdcnt or the; hardship suffered by the F"tl1pinos in 11187, but in vain Hi, ~dvocacy of 11grarian reforms 11n11cd
from fortcd labor "'U related by Riul, u follo,., •• the wrath of the Domirucan fnars. v.ho rctahatcd b) ramnr, the
In the to-a,n of Lot B•llos a hosp1uil was but11 by laborers rental~ or the land, leased by his family and other C'alantha
Nl&tcbcd fTOm Ill the towns of the province. Each laborer tenanu
fnr.,.d by the autbontiea w1> paid ei&(,1 cuanos (five ccn
llvoa) daily, llw onlin,ry d~dy •Hgc bcmg n.o pcw:w Of Acu>rd1ng to Riul the fnar "'"nt'--sh1p or the produ t.-e
fout peales fllcrus. In ldd1t10n. Mies and cbanly l>.u.aan tarnh contributed 10 the economic \tagn · uon of the Ph1hpptncs
"ere hc-lJ 10 defray the "'"' of 1bc buildings. The arch11ea dunng the Spanish penod. In his famou~ essay "Sobrt' lo lndo(~n
wus a Fnmruc:an brother. Tht h0ip1lal wu erected. a p•lacc cia dt los Fllip111os" (Indolence of the hhpmo;,) he wrulc
'o°f'" th"e' captain icncraJ wa, 00nst.ructcd. a,:riculturc and the
suffcreJ for lhc.ir con.trua.oo Why are the people 1be fact that the bcSl plantalJOllS, the l>c ' lla<:b of
,.1,n pay 1hcir tucs compelled lo worl,, grahs' Why do they land 1n &0me prov,o,;c1 arc 1n th< h19ds ol the r,hg1ous
pay tucs if they are 001 g01ng 10 be allowed to live wilh corporation, . i• one of lhe rea,on• why many 1<1wn~ do
their families? Do they pay taus su 1h01 they w,11 be not progress insp11, of the cf{ons ol I heir mhab1tk"l<. We
cll!bved? Will lhc mor,,y of the ta•peytr be u!ICJ to hire v.,11 be mcl w1tb the obt<ChC'fl u n ar,umcol n 1h<· olh<-r
po:«y !yrantl and 1101 to aucnd to the dcmanda or ""'''Y' \ICX, l~t lhllK which do not l>clong 10 them They <urcly
\lih11? b •he Spani.tt Oaa pc,rchancc 1he flag or the slave are! Jusl u their brethren ,n Eumpc. in lounJm~ then
lradc' convenu, knew how to r.t'lec-t lhe hc:\t ....n c\, the hc11
upland> for the C\lluvauon or 1hc """ ,, th,· f'' xloct,on ur
•ta:1 hr OwDtd bJ th.- •'rtan. Dunng Riral', tm>Q the beer. so al,o the Phibpptnc mool.< h~•c lcno"'n tov. 1 \ClcCI
Sparu.h from bcl<lnr.ing to d1fferen1 religious ord"" were the th<c bc,1 town,. the hc•u11h.l pl1111, the ..e n-w,trrcJ ftctd,.
nchct11 landlor<ll, for the) owned the be,t haciendas (agnculturat 10 male of 1hcm nch pl,in1a1ion,. For "'me time 1hc friars
!ands) in the Ph1hppin1:1 The rural folk\, who had Ileen hving have dc,civcd many b) making 1hcm hehe•c thul 11 tbc,;c
ID these hacicndiu and cull1vatina them gcnera11on aOer gene, plantaoon, 'Acre progprnnJ:. 1t "".a' ~•cau..c lhC"\ "-'Cfc unJicr
l.bOn became tenants. Naturally. they resented the loS$ of their 1hcir arc and the indolence ol 1h• na11,.-. "',.. 1hu,
lands wh,ch bclonaed to_ their all()Cstors since pre-SpantSh umcs; cmpbas,zed, t,ut they fort<>t 1ha1 1n some pro,1ncc, where
a~• f'<""'""'"
l~ally, however, the friars wcto recognized BS legal owners or they bav,· not been able IO of th~ llcM tra,1~
aaid lands becaWIC they obtained royal btlcs of ownership from of land, their planm,on.. hke Bauan and uani arc ,nfcnor
"'
IO Taal, Balayan and Lipa, rqk,01 cubivated entirely by
the nativca ..-ithout any monltilh m~nce what90eVer.
ne Guardia CMI. The last hated symbol of Spanish tyranny
was the Guardia Civil (Constabulary) which was created by the Chapter 1
Royal Decree of February 12, 1852, as amended by the Royal
Decree of March 24, 1888, for the purpose ofm aintaining internal
Advent of A National Hero
peace and order in the Philippine,. It was patterned af1er the
famo115 and well-disciplined Guardia Civil in Spain
While it is true that the Guardia Civil in the Philippines
hAd rendered meritorious services in suppressing ,e bandits in
Dr. Jose Rizal is a unique CJtamplef of ati~:"f!~~;:r:~
the provinces. thc,y later became infaJJ10~ for u1eu rampant be the greatest hero o • na ·
abuse$. such as maltreating innocent people, loo11ng their gm1us who c:i-me I ked with the world's geniuses.
God with versatile gifts, he tru Y ra_n ) poet dramatist,
can.baas, chickens, and valuable belongings. and raping helple,._, h • · (oph1halm1c surgeon , •
women. Both officen (Spania.rds) and men (natives) were ill He was a P ysici_an . ·hitect painter, sculptor, educator.
essayist, novelist, h1stonan,_arc • . . surveyor, engineer,
trained and unditeiplined, unlike the Guardia Civil 1n Spain who
l·ngu'•t musician naturahs1, cthnologis1. her bib-
were respected and well-liked by the populace 1 ~ • • · cographer cartograp ,
farmer businessm_an. cconom,~t. g, lkl st 'philosopher, trans-
~ actually witnessed the atrocities committed by the . phil h.l l .,,st grammanan • ,o on • . .
lio e, p , o o..,. • . , hurnorul saurist, polemicist,
Gulltdui Civll on the Calamba folks. He hlm$elf and his mother lator, inventor, magician, h Abov~ and beyond all these,
I
had been vicums of the hrutahtic~ of the lieutenant of the sportsman, traveler. a~ pro~p ac 7· who consecrated his life for
Guardia 0vil
he was a hero and ~bucal le. No wonder, he 1s now
the redemption ot bis opprcsse pcop . .
It was natural that Rizal directed his $tinging ~lire agam111
acclaimed as the naiional hero of the Ph1hppines '
the hated Guardia Civil. Through Ehas in Noli Me Tangere, he
. Rizal wa, born on the moonht
cJtposcd the GuarJia Civil as a bunch of ruthless ruffians good Tht- Birth of • Htro. Jo~~b i/ . the lakcshore town of
only J'for disturbing the peace" and "persecuting hone,1 men" night of Wedne~day, J_unc 86~~" His mother almost died
~Pf:
He proposed 10 improve • the! military organization by having it Calamba, L.ag~a Province, f big. head As he rccoun1ed
be oompo-.cd cf good men who possessed educi11ion and0good <!uring the dehvcry ~ausc O oirs· ,. was born in Calamba
1
prin<"iple~ nnd who were oonscious of the limuauons and respon many years later In his student mem .d 'dn1gh1 a few days
sib11Jties of authority and power "So much po.,.er io the hands 186! between eleven an mi · .
on 19, June, , dncsda and my coming out m
of men, ignorant men filled with passions, without moral trainin&, before full moon. 11 was a We ~. J \,other her lift> had she
of untned pnn,iplcs," he said thtough cllas, "is a weapon In
this vale of ICJl"S wo~ld ~aA'(e ~'; take me to her sanctuary
the hands of a madman in a dcfenscle$S multitude." not vowed to the virfllll o nupo 0
by way of pilgrimage.'' 1 J e
• • • • •
. th h 0 I church of his 1own on un
He was baptized m e Cal . ,c . 'h ric-;t Father Rufino
22, aged. three days o~d, b)', 1h;o p~: f.:dfath,er (mnong) was
Collan1C$, who wa•, a aui~g~e Calamba and close fnend of
father Pedro Casan~s. nauv~Jof chosen by his mother
Rizal f ii His- name O>'; tt wa. s
:.:, was a ~~o{e~ of lhe Otri,11an iaint San Jost (St Jo~crh)
