biography jose rizal

Biography of José Rizal, National Hero of the Philippines

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Novels and other writing, program of reforms, exile and courtship, trial and execution.

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José Rizal (June 19, 1861–December 30, 1896) was a man of intellectual power and artistic talent whom Filipinos honor as their national hero. He excelled at anything that he put his mind to: medicine, poetry, sketching, architecture, sociology, and more. Despite little evidence, he was martyred by Spanish colonial authorities on charges of conspiracy, sedition, and rebellion when he was only 35.

Fast Facts: José Rizal

• Known For : National hero of the Philippines for his key role inspiring the Philippine Revolution against colonial Spain
• Also Known As: José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda
• Born : June 19, 1861, at Calamba, Laguna
• Parents : Francisco Rizal Mercado and Teodora Alonzo y Quintos
• Died : December 30, 1896, in Manila, the Philippines
• Education : Ateneo Municipal de Manila; studied medicine at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila; medicine and philosophy at the Universidad Central de Madrid; ophthalmology at the University of Paris and the University of Heidelberg
• Published Works : Noli Me Tangere, El Filibusterismo
• Spouse : Josephine Bracken (married two hours before his death)
• Notable Quote: "On this battlefield man has no better weapon than his intelligence, no other force but his heart."

José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was born on June 19, 1861, at Calamba, Laguna, the seventh child of Francisco Rizal Mercado and Teodora Alonzo y Quintos. The family were wealthy farmers who rented land from the Dominican religious order. Descendants of a Chinese immigrant named Domingo Lam-co, they changed their name to Mercado ("market") under the pressure of anti-Chinese feeling among the Spanish colonizers.

From an early age, Rizal showed a precocious intellect. He learned the alphabet from his mother at the age of 3 and could read and write at age 5.

Rizal attended the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, graduating at age 16 with the highest honors. He took a post-graduate course there in land surveying.

Rizal completed his surveyor's training in 1877 and passed the licensing exam in May 1878, but he could not receive a license to practice because he was only 17. He was granted a license in 1881 when he reached the age of majority.

In 1878, the young man enrolled in the University of Santo Tomas as a medical student. He later quit the school, alleging discrimination against Filipino students by the Dominican professors.

In May 1882, Rizal got on a ship to Spain without informing his parents. He enrolled at the Universidad Central de Madrid after arriving. In June 1884, he received his medical degree at the age of 23; the following year, he graduated from the Philosophy and Letters department.

Inspired by his mother's advancing blindness, Rizal next went to the University of Paris and then to the University of Heidelberg for further study in ophthalmology. At Heidelberg, he studied under the famed professor Otto Becker (1828–1890). Rizal finished his second doctorate at Heidelberg in 1887.

Rizal lived in Europe for 10 years and picked up a number of languages. He could converse in more than 10 different tongues. While in Europe, the young Filipino impressed everyone he met with his charm, intelligence, and mastery of a range of different fields of study. Rizal excelled at martial arts, fencing, sculpture, painting, teaching, anthropology , and journalism, among other areas.

During his European sojourn, he also began to write novels. Rizal finished his first book, " Noli Me Tangere " (Latin for "Touch Me Not"), while living in Wilhelmsfeld, Germany, with the Rev. Karl Ullmer.

Rizal wrote "Noli Me Tangere" in Spanish; it was published in 1887 in Berlin, Germany. The novel is a scathing indictment of the Catholic Church and Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines, and its publication cemented Rizal's position on the Spanish colonial government's list of troublemakers. When Rizal returned home for a visit, he received a summons from the governor-general and had to defend himself against charges of disseminating subversive ideas.

Although the Spanish governor accepted Rizal's explanations, the Catholic Church was less willing to forgive. In 1891, Rizal published a sequel, titled " El Filibusterismo ." When published in English, it was titled "The Reign of Greed."

In his novels and newspaper editorials, Rizal called for a number of reforms of the Spanish colonial system in the Philippines. He advocated freedom of speech and assembly, equal rights before the law for Filipinos, and Filipino priests in place of the often-corrupt Spanish churchmen. In addition, Rizal called for the Philippines to become a province of Spain, with representation in the Spanish legislature, the Cortes Generales .

Rizal never called for independence for the Philippines. Nonetheless, the colonial government considered him a dangerous radical and declared him an enemy of the state.

In 1892, Rizal returned to the Philippines. He was almost immediately accused of being involved in the brewing rebellion and was exiled to Dapitan City, on the island of Mindanao. Rizal would stay there for four years, teaching school and encouraging agricultural reforms.

During that period, the people of the Philippines grew more eager to revolt against the Spanish colonial presence. Inspired in part by Rizal's progressive organization La Liga , rebel leaders such as Andres Bonifacio (1863–1897) began to press for military action against the Spanish regime.

In Dapitan, Rizal met and fell in love with Josephine Bracken, who brought her stepfather to him for a cataract operation. The couple applied for a marriage license but were denied by the Church, which had excommunicated Rizal.

The Philippine Revolution broke out in 1896. Rizal denounced the violence and received permission to travel to Cuba to tend to victims of yellow fever in exchange for his freedom. Bonifacio and two associates sneaked aboard the ship to Cuba before it left the Philippines and tried to convince Rizal to escape with them, but Rizal refused.

He was arrested by the Spanish on the way, taken to Barcelona, and then extradited to Manila for trial. Rizal was tried by court-martial and charged with conspiracy, sedition, and rebellion. Despite a lack of evidence of his complicity in the Revolution, Rizal was convicted on all counts and given a death sentence.

He was allowed to marry Bracken two hours before his execution by firing squad in Manila on December 30, 1896. Rizal was just 35 years old.

José Rizal is remembered today throughout the Philippines for his brilliance, courage, peaceful resistance to tyranny, and compassion. Filipino schoolchildren study his final literary work, a poem called " Mi Ultimo Adios " ("My Last Goodbye"), and his two famous novels.

Spurred by Rizal's martyrdom, the Philippine Revolution continued until 1898. With assistance from the United States, the Philippine archipelago defeated the Spanish army. The Philippines declared independence from Spain on June 12, 1898, becoming the first democratic republic in Asia.

• de Ocampo, Estaban A. " Dr. Jose Rizal, Father of Filipino Nationalism ." Journal of Southeast Asian History .
• Rizal, José. "One Hundred Letters of José Rizal." Philippine National Historical Society.
• Valenzuela, Maria Theresa. " Constructing National Heroes: Postcolonial Philippine and Cuban Biographies of José Rizal and José Martí ." Biography .
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• The Life And Legacy Of...

The Life and Legacy of José Rizal: National Hero of the Philippines

Dr. José Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines, is not only admired for possessing intellectual brilliance but also for taking a stand and resisting the Spanish colonial government. While his death sparked a revolution to overthrow the tyranny, Rizal will always be remembered for his compassion towards the Filipino people and the country.

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Humble beginnings

José Protasio Rizal Mercado Y Alonso Realonda was born on June 19, 1861 to Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonzo in the town of Calamba in the province of Laguna. He had nine sisters and one brother. At the early age of three, the future political leader had already learned the English alphabet. And, by the age of five, José could already read and write.

Upon enrolling at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila (now referred to as Ateneo De Manila University ), he dropped the last three names in his full name, after his brother’s advice – hence, being known as José Protasio Rizal. His performance in school was outstanding – winning various poetry contests, impressing his professors with his familiarity of Castilian and other foreign languages, and crafting literary essays that were critical of the Spanish historical accounts of pre-colonial Philippine societies.

A man with multiple professions

While he originally obtained a land surveyor and assessor’s degree in Ateneo, Rizal also took up a preparatory course on law at the University of Santo Tomas (UST). But when he learned that his mother was going blind, he decided to switch to medicine school in UST and later on specialized in ophthalmology. In May 1882, he decided to travel to Madrid in Spain , and earned his Licentiate in Medicine at the Universidad Central de Madrid.

Apart from being known as an expert in the field of medicine, a poet, and an essayist, Rizal exhibited other amazing talents. He knew how to paint, sketch, and make sculptures. Because he lived in Europe for about 10 years, he also became a polyglot – conversant in 22 languages. Aside from poetry and creative writing, Rizal had varying degrees of expertise in architecture, sociology, anthropology, fencing, martial arts, and economics to name a few.

His novels awakened Philippine nationalism

Rizal had been very vocal against the Spanish government, but in a peaceful and progressive manner. For him, “the pen was mightier than the sword.” And through his writings, he exposed the corruption and wrongdoings of government officials as well as the Spanish friars.

While in Barcelona, Rizal contributed essays, poems, allegories, and editorials to the Spanish newspaper, La Solidaridad. Most of his writings, both in his essays and editorials, centered on individual rights and freedom, specifically for the Filipino people . As part of his reforms, he even called for the inclusion of the Philippines to become a province of Spain.

But, among his best works , two novels stood out from the rest – Noli Me Tángere (Touch Me Not) and El Filibusterismo ( The Reign of the Greed).

In both novels, Rizal harshly criticized the Spanish colonial rule in the country and exposed the ills of Philippine society at the time. And because he wrote about the injustices and brutalities of the Spaniards in the country, the authorities banned Filipinos from reading the controversial books. Yet they were not able to ban it completely. As more Filipinos read the books, their eyes opened to the truth that they were suffering unspeakable abuses at the hands of the friars. These two novels by Rizal, now considered his literary masterpieces, are said to have indirectly sparked the Philippine Revolution.

Rizal’s unfateful days

Upon his return to the Philippines, Rizal formed a progressive organization called the La Liga Filipina. This civic movement advocated social reforms through legal means. Now Rizal was considered even more of a threat by the Spanish authorities (alongside his novels and essays), which ultimately led to his exile in Dapitan in northern Mindanao .

This however did not stop him from continuing his plans for reform. While in Dapitan, Rizal built a school, hospital, and water system. He also taught farming and worked on agricultural projects such as using abaca to make ropes.

In 1896, Rizal was granted leave by then Governor-General Blanco, after volunteering to travel to Cuba to serve as doctor to yellow fever victims. But at that time, the Katipunan had a full-blown revolution and Rizal was accused of being associated with the secret militant society. On his way to Cuba, he was arrested in Barcelona and sent back to Manila to stand for trial before the court martial. Rizal was charged with sedition, conspiracy, and rebellion – and therefore, sentenced to death by firing squad.

Days before his execution, Rizal bid farewell to his motherland and countrymen through one of his final letters, entitled Mi último adiós or My Last Farewell. Dr. José Rizal was executed on the morning of December 30, 1896, in what was then called Bagumbayan (now referred to as Luneta). Upon hearing the command to shoot him, he faced the squad and uttered in his final breath: “ Consummatum est” (It is finished). According to historical accounts , only one bullet ended the life of the Filipino martyr and hero.

His legacy lives on

After his death, the Philippine Revolution continued until 1898. And with the assistance of the United States , the Philippines declared its independence from Spain on June 12, 1898. This was the time that the Philippine flag was waved at General Emilio Aguinaldo’s residence in Kawit, Cavite.

Today, Dr. Rizal’s brilliance, compassion, courage, and patriotism are greatly remembered and recognized by the Filipino people. His two novels are continuously being analyzed by students and professionals.

Colleges and universities in the Philippines even require their students to take a subject which centers around the life and works of Rizal. Every year, the Filipinos celebrate Rizal Day – December 30 each year – to commemorate his life and works. Filipinos look back at how his founding of La Liga Filipina and his two novels had an effect on the early beginnings of the Philippine Revolution. The people also recognize his advocacy to achieve liberty through peaceful means rather than violent revolution.

In honor of Rizal, memorials and statues of the national hero can be found not only within the Philippines, but in selected cities around the world. A road in the Chanakyapuri area of New Delhi (India) and in Medan, Indonesia is named after him. The José Rizal Bridge and Rizal Park in the city of Seattle are also dedicated to the late hero.

Within the Philippines, there are streets, towns/cities, a university (Rizal University), and a province named after him. Three species have also been named after Rizal – the Draco rizali (a small lizard, known as a flying dragon), Apogania rizali (a very rare kind of beetle with five horns) and the Rhacophorus rizali (a peculiar frog species).

To commemorate what he did for the country, the Philippines built a memorial park for him – now referred to as Rizal Park, found in Manila . There lies a monument which contains a standing bronze sculpture of Rizal, an obelisk, and a stone base said to contain his remains. The monument stands near the place where he fell during his execution in Luneta.

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Jose Rizal Biography

Jose Rizal was a Filipino polymath whose martyrdom helped spark the revolution of the Philippines from Spanish occupation. Read about his life, works, and legacy.

On June 19th 1861, the Mercado Family from the town of Calamba in the province of Laguna in the Philippines, happily greeted the birth of their newest member — a baby boy born as the seventh child to proud parents Francisco Rizal Mercado y Alejandro and Teodora Alonso Realonda y Quintos. They named the bouncing baby boy Jose Protasio Rizal Mercado .

Being the seventh of a brood of eleven, Jose Rizal Mercado demonstrated an astounding intelligence and aptitude for learning at a very young age when he learned his letters from his mother and could read and write at the age of five.

Educational Foundations

The Mercado family enjoyed relative wealth as landowners who rented the land of their hacienda to the Dominican friars in Laguna. Hence, education was a priority for the Mercado family and young Jose Protacio was sent to learn from Justiniano Aquino Cruz, a tutor from nearby Binan, Laguna. But the education of a small town and a tutor did not sufficiently quench the young man’s thirst for knowledge and soon, the family began to make preparations for his admission to the Ateneo Municipal de Manila , in the capital of the Philippines.

The school was run by the Jesuit Order and was one of the most prominent and academic institutions in the country which catered to the rich, the powerful and most intelligent students that country had, certainly a place for a young man like Jose Protasio Mercado.

Studying in Manila

Prior to his enrollment in this prominent learning institution, his older brother Paciano Rizal Mercado, insisted that Jose drop the surname “Mercado”, to ensure that the younger Mercado would be disassociated with the outspoken and borderline subversive reputation of his older brother. As such, the young man known as Jose Protasio Rizal enrolled at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila.

Being the child of a family of wealthy landowners, Jose Rizal decided to study for a degree in Land Surveying and Assessment at the Ateneo de Municipal de Manila where he graduated on March 14, 1877, with honors or sobresaliente . He took and passed the licensure exam for land surveying and assessment in 1878 but was not given a license until 1881 when he turned 21.

In 1878, after his completion of his degree from Ateneo Municipal de Manila, he pursued, his passion for the arts as he enrolled at the Faculty of Arts and Letters for a degree in Philosophy at the University of Santo Tomas . Although he excelled at philosophy, the news of his mother’s impending blindness convinced him to study Medicine, and in 1878 he enrolled in the Faculty of Medical Sciences at University of Santo Tomas to specialize in ophthalmology. Citing discrimination against Filipino students by the Dominican professors in Medicine, Rizal left the medical program in 1882.

Believing that education in the country was limited, he boarded a ship to Spain with the support of his older brother Paciano but without informing his parents. The ten years he would spend on the European continent would leave an indelible mark on his personality and open his eyes to the world, develop his natural talents and strengthen his devotion to his motherland.

Academics in Europe

In Spain, he continued the studies that were stalled in the Philippines and enrolled at the Universidad Central de Madrid where he graduated in 1884 with a degree in Medicine, and a year later with a degree in Philosophy and letters from the same institution. Even after the completion of these two degrees, he still was not satisfied and traveled to France and studied at the University of Paris .

In his pursuit to further increase his knowledge in his chosen field of specialization — ophthalmology — he studied at the University of Heidelberg under the distinguished eye specialist, Professor Otto Becker .

Recognition in Europe

Born a few centuries too late, Rizal could have been an ideal Renaissance Man , he was a polymath who excelled at anything he put his considerable mind and talents to. The study of land assessment, medicine, and literature are just a few of his known accomplishments but he also excellent in arts such as sculpting, painting, architecture; physical activities such as martial arts, fencing, pistol shooting were also where he demonstrated his prowess; he was well read could discuss agriculture, economics, sociology, anthropology and history at will.

117 years after Rizal’s death , the government where his family hailed in Calamba, Laguna recognized Rizal’s ability in various sports during his lifetime.

READ:  Jose Rizal as a hero sportsman , the great “eskrimador” or dueler.

Apart from these, he was also multilingual and was known to have been able to converse in over 10 languages including Filipino, Spanish, English, French, German, and Dutch, among others.

Rizal was also a member of the Freemasons . It is therefore no surprise that wherever he went, people were drawn to his charm, wit, intelligence and personality. He made friends and lovers wherever he went and left an impression and reputation that would outlive him.

Foundations for Reform

Even as a youth, Jose Rizal had been exposed to the difficulties of being under the Spanish colonial government, which had instilled in him the need for change in the system of how the country was being run. Jose Rizal spent most of his time with his older brother Paciano, a man who had been linked to Filipino priests, Gomez, Burgos and Zamora , who sought reform within the catholic church by advocating equal rights for Filipino and Spanish priests in the Philippines. The three priests were later accused of being subversive and were executed by the Spanish colonial government.

Even closer to home, Rizal saw the treatment accorded to his beloved mother by the Spanish authorities who accused her of attempting to poison her cousin and sent her to jail in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Teodora Mercado was made to walk sixteen kilometers from their home to the prison and was incarcerated for two and a half years until a successful appeal at the highest court of the Spanish government cleared her of the charges.

During his stay in first stay in Europe, Rizal wrote his novel, Noli Me Tangere .The book was written in Spanish and first published in Berlin, Germany in 1887. The Noli , as it is more commonly known, tells the story of a young Filipino man who travels to Europe to study and returns home with new eyes to the injustices and corruption in his native land.

Rizal used elaborate characters to symbolize the different personalities and characteristics of both the oppressors and the oppressed, paying notable attention to Filipinos who had adopted the customs of their colonizers, forgetting their own nationality; the Spanish friars who were portrayed as lustful and greedy men in robes who sought only to satisfy their own needs, and the poor and ignorant members of society who knew no other life but that of one of abject poverty and cruelty under the yoke of the church and state. Rizal’s first novel was a scalding criticism of the Spanish colonial system in the country and Philippine society in general, was met with harsh reactions from the elite, the church and the government.

Upon his return to the country, he was summoned by the Governor General of the Philippine Islands to explain himself in light of accusations that he was a subversive and an inciter of rebellion. Rizal faced the charges and defended himself admirably, and although he was exonerated, his name would remain on the watch list of the colonial government. Similarly, his work also produced a great uproar in the Catholic Church in the country, so much so that later, he was excommunicated.

Despite the reaction to his first novel, Rizal wrote a second novel, El Filibusterismo , and published it in 1891. Where the protagonist of Noli Me Tangere , Ibarra, was a pacifist and advocate of peaceful means of reforms to enact the necessary change in the system, the lead character in Fili , Simeon, was more militant and preferred to incite an armed uprising to achieve the same end. Hence the government could not help but notice that instead of being merely a commentary on Philippine society, the second novel could become the catalyst which would encourage Filipinos to revolt against the Spanish colonizers and overthrow the colonial government.

Arrest, Exile, and Incarceration

Upon his return to the Philippines in 1892, he was arrested by the Spanish government for being a subversive and for his reported involvement in the rebellion. He was then exiled to the island of the Dapitan in the southernmost island group of the Philippines, Mindanao. There he established a school that taught English to young boys, he worked on agricultural projects on abaca , a plant used for rope, and he continued to practice medicine, eventually meeting one of the most famous women in his life, Josephine Bracken .

Although Jose Rizal had repeatedly said that he advocated peaceful reforms in the Philippines, the Spanish government were correct in assuming that his novels would indeed stir up  a hornet’s nest of unrest in the islands. One of the leaders of the revolutionary group called Katipunan , Andres Bonifacio , had read the Rizal’s novels and had used these as a basis for the revolution. So influential was Rizal that even without his permission they named him as a member and Katipuneros shouted his name as part of the their battlecry.

With no wish to be further implicated in the revolution, Rizal asked and was granted permission by then governor General Ramon Blanco to travel to Cuba, another Spanish Colony at the time, to support in the medical efforts needed to suppress an outbreak of yellow fever. On the way to Cuba, Rizal was arrested and incarcerated in Barcelona due to the political manoeuvrings of the friars which saw Blanco removed from office and replaced by Camilo de Polavieja.

Execution and Death

READ:  Rizal on trial

Rizal was then brought back to the Philippines to face charges of rebellion due to his reported association with the revolutionary movement. The court found him guilty and sentenced him to death. Jose Rizal was executed by a firing squad on December 30 1896, at 7:00am, in Bagumbayan (now called Rizal Park ) and his remains were buried in an unmarked grave in the nearby Paco Cemetery.

Through the years, Rizal’s works and ideals have been cited by many reformists, such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Sun Yat Sen and even Ghandi as the means for peace reforms. As the national hero of the Philippines, his works, are required reading for all students and streets, buildings, and parks have been named after him and the 30th of December, his death anniversary, was declared a national holiday.

What made Jose Rizal worthy of becoming the Philippines’ national hero was not merely his intelligence, personality, literary acumen, or his pacifist ideals. Rather, it was his patriotism, optimism, undying love for his country and his belief in his countrymen which set him apart. He believed not merely in freedom but in the potential of the Filipino people to surpass what they were under the Spanish colonial government, and all he wished was for them to be given the chance to tap into that potential. And for that, he has earned his right place as a symbol of what a Filipino can do in one short lifetime.

104 thoughts on “Jose Rizal Biography”

RIZAL WORK IS AN EXPRESSION OF WORDS THAT HURTS WITHIN THE HEART OF TO ANY PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING BAD BUT EVEN SPANISH GONE STILL THEIR RACE FROM “QUEREDA” WORDS THAT CONTINUE AND THIS ARE FROM MOSTLY FROM LOWLAND BUILD THEIR ORGANIZATION THAT IS STRONG AND DANGER TO OTHERS. LAPU- LAPU, ANDRESS BONIFACIO AND BENIGNO AQUINO 11 ARE VICTIM OF DOGS. DOGS BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT TRUE FILIPINOS. THE WISDOM OF FERDINAND MARCOS IS WISDOM NOT FROM OF GOD BUT THE WISDOM OF CORY AQUINO IS FROM GOD.I RATHER BELIEVE TO MC ARTHUR THAN TO FERDINAND MARCOS WERE BRINGS MORE BETTER TO FILIPINOS.

Join the discussion…Baligtad ata isip nitong kumag na ito. Marcos made the Philippines productive not Cory or any other ponce pilato, O sige ano ano naipatayo in Cory copared to Marcos? Wala….

My gosh, you still believe that Marcos is great? Yes, he built many infrastructures but do you know where those are from? All of those are debts that he loaned from other countries. Those are debts that the Philippines is still paying up until now. Cory did not focus on making more infrastructures because during those times, the Philippines has enough and our country is still paying the debt of Marcos from building those infrastructures. Paano ka makakapagpatayo kung baon na baon pa rin tayo sa utang? Ang mga karaniwang Pilipino ay mabilis mauto gaya mo. Paano? Ang mga pulitiko ay nagpapatayo ng malalaking imprastraktura upang sabihin ng mga tao na ito ang nagawa niya, mabilis makita kasi kongkreto. Ganyan ang ginagawa ng mga politiko para iboto sila ulit ng mga tao. Kaya nga ngayon makakakita ka ng mga infrastructures na may pangalan ng politiko. Anong kapalit ng ginawa ni Marcos? Pagkakabaon ng kaapu-apohan niya sa utang at ang pagpatay at pagpapahirap sa libo-libong kababayan niya. Tingnan mo, yan din ang ginagawa ni Duterte, nagpapatayo ng mga infras para maalala siya na magaling siyang presidente pero ang totoo, lalo tayong nangungulelat. Mas baliktad ka mag-isip, COMMONER!

But during Marcos Time yun din yung time na ang taas ng utang ng bansa. Kaya mo maging presidente utang ka dito patayo ka ng ganyan pero paano yung return of Income? Paano mo sya babayadan? Yes, we acknowledge yung mga pinatayo nila mga pinagawa nila indeed maganda yung mga platform nila those time. Pero yung meron din naman downside and please do not disregard that kasi yun yung malaking topic na until now binabayadan natin.

Better read the history Sir/Maam.

he made us study his history and made the subjects harder

Sa lahat ng mga minamahal kong mga kababayan. Please google his name, and a lot of articles will appear, e.g. Wikipedia, Phil. History, etc. I have the privileged of being his town mate dahil taga Calamba rin po ako. Ang aking maternal grandfather ( Lolo Ambo as we fondly call him, was a neighbour of the Rizal family, pero mas kakilala at kalaro , ni Dr.Jose P.Rizal ang mas matandang kapatid niyang babae, si Lola Sisa, nee Alcala). Were he alive today, things might have turned out better or differently. He was born too soon, and I am emphatic that not one Filipino will “hold a candle” to our world famous “National Hero of the Philippines”.

Hello i just want to ask..did jose rizal really retracted?

Hoy, mga bobo, bayani ba kamo si Rizal? Ngo-ngo…Mason si Rizal kaya sya pinapatay, not katoliko. E kaso mo mali rin pananampalataya ni Rizal, so in my book he aint no hero. Kung Iglesia sana s’ya baka sakali, kaso mo FreeMason sya e, yun bang mga moron, este, Mormon daw. Nakoooh, e ano naman ang ituturong aral nila mula sa Jos? Sila ba ang isinugo para mangaral ng salita ng Jos? Nope, 3 nga Jos nila, Ama, anak & spirit. Anong kabobohan yun? Di ba iisa Jos at sya ay ispirito, hindi pati anak at santong ispirito Jos din. Isa lang ang sinabing Jos sa Biblya. E me nanay ba ang Jos? Si Maria? Nanay sya ni Jesus, gawa lang ng Jos. kaaway din sya ng Iglesia sa mga mali nilang aral, do some research man…I didn’t have I just type Dr. Jose Rizal and read his biography and found out he’s a freemason, or mason. Babaero rin si Rizal o ano pa……

Kawawa ka mali ang kulto mong napasukan kilalanin mo dapat si Gat Jose Rizal bago ka maghusga.

puro ka Jos hindi naman ganyan spelling ng Diyos. siguraduhin mong tama ka sa lahat kung manghuhusga ka rin lang para wala kaming masabi sayo.

Actually, being a member of the FreeMason Organization is does not negatively and heavily affect the public. Jose Rizal, the Hero of the Philippines, did not die ng dahil sa FreeMason siya, but because he had adequate knowledge of the deep secrets beneath the big churches and the government of the Philippines. Being a ‘babaero,’ as you blame does not mean na babaero na ang lahat. Although, I do agree with your ‘thoughts’ about Catholicisim but discriminating their organization and belief like that is vehemently evil. I suggest you do further analyzation sa mga researches mo, whoever you are, dahil you are stating so many fallacious words against our hero na wala ka naman talagang masyadong alam. Your religion is not the only religion on Earth, and therefore, it is wrong of you to claim that INC is a safe religion. The organization of Freemason holds the deepest secrets of the world at kasama na doon ang history ng Diyos. I did a further study on this, and I suggest you do that, too. This organization began long before your relatives have been born.

The same power that executed Rizal… Is also the power that crucified Jesus Christ???

dami mong sinasabi maniwala ka nalang sa alam mo… judge me if your perfect but if not, please shut up!! read the bible and understand…. nan dawit ka pa judge mental ka hoy mga bobo kung ikaw palabasa lang ya ammuna opopyaka na muncomment a pay why not to appreciate and respect those because actually that is them not you… understood… hoy mga bobo grabe siya palakpakan na yan genius.. pero atlist si jose rizal famous ikaw hinde hahaha hoy mga bobo pa daw oh grabe ka umayos ka nga jan…

May I know the name of author who wrote this article? Thank you.

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Jose Rizal: 12 facts you need to know about Philippines’ national hero

Asia philippines.

Read part of his “Farewell”: His 125th death anniversary is marked today

During his time, Jose Rizal was considered a subversive. A pariah who deserved nothing but death. He advocated non-violence, but was executed anyway on December 30, exactly 125 years ago today, in a place reserved for public executions. He was made a glaring example for anyone who dared to stand up against the mighty.

Rizal, a reformist doctor and a prolific writer, is revered as the national hero of the Philippines. He lived, and died, towards the end of the 350-year Spanish colonial rule. After he died, his ideas thrived. And became a pulsating reality. Filipinos eventually broke free from Spain. Today, the sun never sets on places where Rizal's monuments are found, spread across the planet.

Some of the facts to know about Jose Rizal:

1. FULL NAME

His full name is José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda . He was a patriot, physician, poet par excellence and novelist who inspired the Philippine nationalist movement. He died at age 35, executed by Spanish colonial masters, who ruled the Philippines for 350 years.

2. BIRTHPLACE

Rizal was born on June 19, 1861 in Calamba town, Laguna province, 54 km south of Manila, to Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado y Alejandro and Teodora Morales Alonzo Realonda de Rizal y Quintos.

The son of a well-to-do landowner, Rizal was a brilliant student. He initially studied medicine in Manila. At the age of 21, he traveled to Spain to complete his medical degree at the Universidad Central de Madrid, where he was conferred the degree of Licentiate in Medicine. He went to Paris and Germany to specialise in ophthalmology, in part because he wanted to cure his mother’s failing eyesight.

4. POLYMATH

In Germany, he worked at the University Eye Hospital under Dr. Otto Becker. During his stay in Europe between 1882 and 1892, he wrote several poems and two novels.

A polyglot, he learnt several languages — Arabic, Hebrew, Filipino, Ilokano, Bisayan, Subanon, Chinese, Latin, Spanish, Greek, English, French, German, Malay, Sanskrit, Dutch, Japanese, Catalan, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish and Russian — according to historians.

While in Europe, Rizal wrote two novels, which the Spanish colonial government found subversive. His novels had been turned into a number of period movies.

5. EUROPEAN EDUCATION

While in Europe, Rizal committed himself to the reform of Spanish rule in his home country, through peaceful means. He was a passionate writer and published his first novel Noli Me Tangere (Touch me Not/The Social Cancer , 1887), in Berlin. Noli highlighted the evils of Spanish rule in his homeland.

A sequel, El Filibusterismo (1891; The Filibuster/The Reign of Greed ), established his reputation as the leading spokesman of the Philippine reform movement. He also published an annotated edition (1890) of Antonio Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas , hoping to show that the native people of the Philippines had a long history before the coming of the Spaniards.

Rizal’s political reform programme included integration of the Philippines as a province of Spain, representation in the Cortes (the Spanish parliament), the replacement of Spanish friars by Filipino priests, freedom of assembly and expression, and equality of Filipinos and Spaniards before the law.

In 1895, Rizal sought permission to travel to Cuba as an army doctor. His request was approved, but a year later, in August 1896, the armed revolt lead by the Katipunan, a nationalist Filipino society, erupted. Its leader, Andres Bonifacio, took inspiration from the French. Rizal was implicated and jailed. After a show trial, Rizal was convicted of sedition and sentenced to death.

7. EXECUTION

Though José Rizal called for peaceful reform of Spain's colonial rule in the Philippines and abhorred violence in his writings, a colonial court sentenced him to death by musketry. At age 35, Rizal was executed on December 30, 1896 in Bagumbayan (now Rizal Park in Luneta, Manila).

After the execution, Rizal fired up the Philippine nationalist movement. Filipino revolutionary forces under General Emilio Aguinaldo (first president) declared independence on June 12, 1898.

8. RIZAL MONUMENTS

Today, Rizal is one of the most revered of Filipino heroes. His monuments are found in different parts of the world: in Germany, Spain, Australia, Austria, China (Hong Kong, Fujian), Canada, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Japan, UK, US (California, Hawaii, Texas, Illinois, Washington).

The late Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III is seen delivering his message during the unveiling of the five- meter bronze statue of Dr. Jose P. Rizalat the Rizal Park, Rosemeadow, City of Campbelltown, Australia on October 26, 2012.

9. NATIONAL ICON

Rizal’s main monument today stands in Luneta, the main execution spot of Spanish colonial masters enriched by the blood of Filipino martyrs. The Americans, who succeeded Spain in colonising the Philippines (for about 50 years), emphasised Rizal's views on Filipino nationalism rather than those of the more action-oriented Emilio Aguinaldo and Andrés Bonifacio.

At the turn of the 20th century, however, some in the US media portrayed the people of the Philippines as “pirates”, “barbarians”, “savages”, “incapable of civilisation”.

It was the story and poetry of Rizal that "did something to the House (of US Congress) akin to a miracle,” according to Rep. Henry R. Cooper, author of the Philippine Bill of 1902 — also known as the Cooper Act.

This organic act about the Philippines provided for the following: 

• Extension of the Bill of Rights to Filipinos;
• Establishment of an elective Philippine Assembly, after the proclamation of peace and two years after the publication of the Philippine census;
• Appointment of two resident commissioners to represent the Filipino people in Washington;
• Retention of the Philippine Commission as the upper house of the legislature, with the Philippine Assembly as the lower house; and
• Conservation of the natural resources of the Philippines for the Filipinos”.

My Last Farewel  is Rizal’s 14-verse valedictory written shortly before he was put to death. It expresses love, unfathomable grief and shows a man with unwavering convictions. His words honoured his homeland (“our Eden lost”), the lost culture of pre-Hispanic Philippines, his parents and friends and points to the injustices he had witnessed at the hands of colonial masters:

“Farewell, dear Fatherland, clime of the sun caressed Pearl of the Orient seas, our Eden lost!

“Gladly now I go to give you this faded life’s best. And were it brighter, fresher, or more blessed, Still would I give it thee, nor count the cost.”

“I die without seeing the dawn brighten over my native land... You who have it to see, welcome it — and forget not those who have fallen during the night.”

“And if colour is lacking my blood you shall take, poured out at need for thy dear sake. To dye with its crimson the waking ray.”

“My dreams, when life first opened to me, My dreams, when the hopes of youth beat high, Were to see thy loved face, O gem of the Orient sea, from gloom and grief, from care and sorrow free; No blush on thy brow, no tear in thine eye.”

“Dream of my life, my living and burning desire, All hail! cries the soul that is now to take flight; All hail! And sweet it is for thee to expire; To die for your sake, that you may aspire; And sleep in thy bosom eternity’s long night.” -

“Dream of my life, my living and burning desire, All hail! cries the soul that is now to take flight; All hail! And sweet it is for thee to expire; To die for your sake, that you may aspire; And sleep in thy bosom eternity’s long night.”

"If over my grave some day you see grow, In the grassy sod, a humble flower, Draw it to thy lips and kiss my soul so, While I may feel on my brow in the cold tomb below, the touch of thy tenderness, thy breath’s warm power.”

“Let the moon beam over me soft and serene, Let the dawn shed over me its radiant flashes, Let the wind with sad lament over me keen; And if on my cross a bird should be seen, Let it trill there its hymn of peace to my ashes.”

“Let the sun draw the vapors up to the sky, And heavenward in purity bear my tardy protest Let some kind soul over my untimely fate sigh, And in the still evening a prayer be lifted on high; From thee, O my country, that in God I may rest.”

“Pray for all those that hapless have died, For all who have suffered the unmeasur'd pain; For our mothers that bitterly their woes have cried, For widows and orphans, for captives by torture tried. And then for thyself that redemption thou mayst gain.”

“And when the dark night wraps the graveyard around, With only the dead in their vigil to see, Break not my repose or the mystery profound, And perchance you may hear a sad hymn resound It is I, O my country, raising a song unto thee.”

“And even my grave is remembered no more, Unmarkedd by never a cross nor a stone, Let the plow sweep through it, the spade turn it over,. That my ashes may carpet earthly floor, Before into nothingness at last they are blown. Then will oblivion bring to me no care, As over your vales and plains I sweep; Throbbing and cleansed in you space and air, With colour and light, with song and lament I fare; Ever repeating the faith that I keep.”

“My Fatherland adored, that sadness to my sorrow lends, Beloved Filipinas, hear now my last goodbye! I give you all: parents and kindred and friends. I go where there are no slaves, hangmen or oppressors; where faith does not kill; where the one who reigns is God.”

“Farewell to you all, from my soul torn away, Friends of my childhood in the home dispossessed! Give thanks that I rest from the wearisome day! Farewell to thee, too, sweet friend that lightened my way; Beloved creatures all, farewell!”

"Mi Ultimo Adios". Poem by José Rizal, translated by Charles Derbyshire (1897).

11. KILOMETRE 0

The remains of Rizal, after exhumation on August 17, 1898, were kept in the Rizal family house in Binondo until they were brought to their final resting place in Luneta. On December 30, 1912, a solemn ceremony was held to finally bury the remains in the base of the monument dedicated in memory of Rizal. The Philippines' main Kilometre 0 is found in Luneta, across the Rizal statue.

An Italian sculptor Carlo Nicoli of Carrara, Italy, won a design contest for the Rizal memorial. Nicoli’s scaled plaster model was titled Al Mártir de Bagumbayan  (To the Martyr of Bagumbayan), besting 40 other accepted entries. Nicoli won the ₱5,000 prize for this design.

12. BRP RIZAL FRIGATE

The naval ship BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150) is the lead ship of her class of guided missile frigates of the Philippine Navy. Built by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and launched in 2019, the 108-metre vessel is the first purpose-built frigate of the service.

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"The First Filipino: A Biography of Jose Rizal"

A summarization of Dr. Jose Rizal's biography containing his life' work, journeys and upbriniging.

Related Papers

Cyrille Mae Valdepeña

Critical Paper about the "The First Filipino: A Biography of Jose Rizal" by Leon Ma. Guerrero. It reflects and analyzes Rizal's life, struggles, development, and protests against the Spanish colonial rule. This paper includes personal opinions and claims with a historical basis about the life and works of Rizal.

Niña Angeline Infante

Activity No.1: Buhay at Mga Sinulat ni Rizal Write a critical paper summarizing the life and works of Rizal. Reflect on Rizal’s struggles, intellectual development, and protests against Spanish colonialism.

Reflection Paper: The First Filipino

Lara Cagayan

Advent of a National Hero Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines and pride of the Malayan race, was born on June 19, 1861, in the town of Calamba, Laguna. He was the seventh child in a family of 11 children (2 boys and 9 girls). Both his parents were educated and belonged to distinguished families. His father, Francisco Mercado Rizal, an industrious farmer whom Rizal called "a model of fathers," came from Biñan, Laguna; while his mother, Teodora Alonzo y Quintos, a highly cultured and accomplished woman whom Rizal called "loving and prudent mother," was born in Meisic, Sta. Cruz, Manila. At the age of 3, he learned the alphabet from his mother; at 5, while learning to read and write, he already showed inclinations to be an artist. He astounded his family and relatives by his pencil drawings and sketches and by his moldings of clay. At the age 8, he wrote a Tagalog poem, "Sa Aking Mga Kabata," the theme of which revolves on the love of one's language. In 1877, at the age of 16, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree with an average of "excellent" from the Ateneo Municipal de Manila. In the same year, he enrolled in Philosophy and Letters at the University of Santo Tomas, while at the same time took courses leading to the degree of surveyor and expert assessor at the Ateneo. He finished the latter course on March 21, 1877 and passed the Surveyor's examination on May 21, 1878; but because of his age, 17, he was not granted license to practice the profession until December 30, 1881. In 1878, he enrolled in medicine at the University of Santo Tomas but had to stop in his studies when he felt that the Filipino students were being discriminated upon by their Dominican tutors. CHAPTER 2 Childhood Years in Calamba Jose Rizal, like many Filipino boys, had many beautiful memories of childhood. His was a happy home, filled with parental affection, impregnated with family joys, and sanctified by prayers. In the midst of sue peaceful, refined, God-loving family, he spent the early years of his childhood. The beauties of Calamba impressed him as a growing child and deeply influenced his mind and character. The happiest period of his life was truly his childhood days in his natal town.

Robin Art Berja

Mariam Juanday

Atamosa Harly

A Critical Exploration of Jose Rizal's Life and Legacy

Russel James Barua

Daphne Baybayan

Precious Lara Dadonza

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