H i sto stor i cal cal B ackgro ckgr ound Before delving into the life of Rizal, it is important that one sets the stage. Rizal was born in the second half of the 19th century. During this period, the political stability of Spain is withering. Since the reign of King Ferdinand VII, chaos was prominent in their government resulting to “party strifes, revolutions and political upheavals” due to the tension between despotism and liberalism in the country. This clearly affected the Philippines as a colony, having over 50 governor-generals in a span of 62 years, therefore having constant changes in the ruling scheme and a rise in the number of corrupt and incompetent officials appointed in the Philippine government (Zaide & Zaide, 1999). In Rizal’s early years, the Philippines was still then under the rule of the Spaniards with General Carlos Maria de la Torre as the most prominent governor-general (1869). Unlike the other governor-generals governor-generals who stepped foot on Philippine soil, de la Torre “showed his democratic tendencies when he dismissed the palace halberdiers, lived simply within his means, walked in the streets in mufti, and abolished flogging as a punishment” which the middle middle class took as a chance to enter the political scene and showcase their potential (Agoncillo, 1990). Another important event in this century would be the rise of the middle class, the mestizos who mestizos who had the means to acquire tertiary education and were given opportunities to travel and study abroad. They played an important role in the reform movements in the late 19th century. Reform movements were also taking place to recognize the Philippines as a province of Spain and consequently become represented in the Spanish Cortés. Cortés. With this, Filipinos would become Spanish citizens and therefore free from the abuses and mistreats of the Spaniards, as well as paying unreasonable taxes — the the root of the dissatisfaction of most Filipinos (Agoncillo, 1990). Talks and and plans about a revolution were also taking place especially after Rizal’s deportation to Dapitan in 1896. Led by the Katipuneros the Katipuneros,, the Filipinos were now yearning for complete freedom from the Spaniards, not a colony nor a province but a free country (Agoncillo, 1990). Overseas, countries especially in Europe have become liberal and are open to new ideas and reforms. This platform was where Rizal and other prominent historical figures such as Luna were exposed to in the height of their youth. This is the setting in which Rizal was born into and lived his relatively short yet profound life. Now that the stage is set, the first step is to look into Rizal’s first relationships relationships is family
Rizal and Politics. Noli Me Tangere. One of Rizal’s first major contributions in the reform propaganda was his novel, Noli Me Tangere, published in Berlin in 1887. Latin for “Touch Me Not”, the novel is based on the real situations and events happening in the Philippines. According to Rizal, everything in the book really happened — the characters, the places, the events (Zaide & Zaide, 1999). His novel gained praises as well as criticisms especially from his enemies. This was probably the official revolt of Rizal against the Spaniards. From his close friend, Blumentritt, he was told that his work has received praises from around the world and is a novel written “with the blood of the heart” (Zaide & Zaide, 1999). Evidently, the Spaniards saw Rizal as their enemy and a front liner in the revolt against their rule. The novel was deemed heretic and subversive. In his first homecoming, he was already met with charges and accusations led by Governor General Terrero to which he simply stated that he merely exposed the truth therefore the novel is not subversive. Being the liberal-minded Governor General that he is, Terrero assigned Don Jose Taviel de Andrade as Rizal’s bodyguard in which a friendship was formed (Zaide & Zaide, 1999). Prominent friars such as the Archbishop of Manila, Msgr. Pedro Payo, Father Rector Gregorio Echevarria and Fr. Salvador Font all concluded that the novel was subversive against both the Church and Spain. Most defenders of the novel also rose such as Marcelo del Pilar, Graciano Lopez Jaena and Mariano Ponce. Even Father Sanchez supported Rizal’s novel. Rev. Vicente Garcia debunks the arguments previously made by Father Rodriguez regarding the novel (Zaide & Zaide, 1999). This proves that Rizal’s novel got the response it deserved: it exposed the wrongdoings of the corrupt officials and friars and expressed the desire for change and reform. The reactions and movement to accuse Rizal and imprison him seals the efficacy of his novel as a tool for change. During his second voyage abroad, Rizal’s comrade, Graciano Lopez Jaena was able to establish La Solidaridad in 1889 in Barcelona. The main purpose of this newspaper was to become an organ in the Propaganda Movement gearing towards political and social reforms, basically (Zaide & Zaide, 1999). Rizal was an avid contributor in the newspaper, clearly stating his stand in the Propaganda Movement (Guerrero, 1974).
In 1891, the sequel to Noli Me Tangere was published in Ghent entitled El Filibusterismo. The second novel lean towards a political stand compared to the first novel which was a romantic novel of sorts. Even so, both novels describe the situation in the Philippines (Zaide & Zaide, 1999). This change in the mood of the novel can be attributed to the fact that Noli was written during Rizal’s first trip abroad still harbouring much of his romantic feelings toward Leonor Rivera. While his intentions of exposing the truth regarding the Spanish rule in the Philippines, he manages to include wit, humor and lightness to the novel since during that time he still hasn’t faced as much problems as he did during the writing of El Fili. After he came back the first time, he was immediately faced with crimes and charges, his family was exiled from Calamba, his mother was imprisoned once again and more. One can say that compared to the environment and setting he had when he was writing Noli, the drive to write El Fili was driven more by the injustice and the desire for reforms in the country. That is why El Fili is considered to be a “work of the head” and a “book of the thought” compared to Noli which is a “work of the heart” and a “book of feeling”. Another significant contribution of Rizal to the Propaganda Movement was his establishment of La Liga Filipina, a civic league of Filipinos in 1892 (Guerrero, 1974). From the constitution drafted by Rizal for Liga, it has become clear that he is not for the revolution for he simply sees that the Filipinos are not yet ready to stand on its own. He stated that the members are to study all areas concerning reform and changes in the management of the Philippines by the Spanish government. He was aiming for a long term change that would slowly guide the Filipinos into learning how to handle their own affairs. Not long after, Rizal was sentenced to exile in Dapitan, Cebu. During his exile, Rizal did not cease to help his fellow Filipinos. He was spearheaded community projects and created a water system in Dapitan. He was constantly sought for advice for the apparently ongoing revolution against the Spaniards led by the Katipuneros. He was a farmer, an engineer, a doctor, a teacher, a husband in his days of exile (Zaide & Zaide, 1999). This attitude of Rizal shows that he is always able to find a way to be productive and helpful to those around him. In Rizal’s final voyage abroad, he was informed of the impending revolution against the Spaniards. Rizal was not too happy about the decision for he was not for the revolution from the start. He believes that it will only cause more problems for both parties and would push back reforms even further.
After his trip to Barcelona, Rizal was arrested and came back to the Philippines on October 6, 1896. In a span of three months, he was persecuted and sentenced to death on December 30, 1896 (Zaide & Zaide, 1999). Until his death, Rizal fought for the change he desired for his fellow Filipinos. With his final strength he brought forth the hope for freedom from the oppression of the Spaniards. It is just regretful that he may have contributed a lot more to the Propaganda Movement and that history may have taken a different path if he had not been killed. Nevertheless, his life proved to be very significant and offered more than just novels and poems that rival the greatest.
