UNIT V

Rizal in Europe, the

Propaganda Movement, and
Noli Me Tangere

INTRODUCTION
Without the Propaganda Movement, there might never have been a Philippine
Revolution. The Propaganda Movement (1872-1892) was the first Filipino nationalist
movement, led by a Filipino elite and inspired by the pronationalist activism of figures such as
José Burgos and by his execution at the hands of colonial authorities. Through which the
famous La Solidaridad and the La Liga Filipina were immortalized and became a spark that
started the journey of the country towards liberation.

TOPIC LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this chapter, students are expected to:

1. Discuss relevant events and circumstances surrounding the life and works of Rizal;
2. Analyze how external events affect the course of life and works of Rizal;

WARMING UP:
Identify a person in your community that you can call a “Rizal” of today’s generation.
What are his/her characteristics that made say he/she is “Rizal” of today’s generation?

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 LESSON 1: RIZAL IN EUROPE

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOME

At the end of this lesson, students are expected to:

1. Discover Rizal’s intention in traveling to Europe; and

Lesson Discussion
It is very clear that Rizal was going to Europe not just to compete his medical studies,
there were hidden purposes for his voyage to a new world. It can be inferred from Paciano's
letter to Rizal that the following were the real purposes of Rizal’s voyage to Europe: to make
a name for himself in the realm of journalism; to observe and study European society; & to
prepare himself for the task of liberating the Filipinos from Spanish tyranny.

Rizal’s departure for Spain was kept secret to avoid detection by the Spanish
authorities and the friars. Even his own parents did not know because his mother would not
allow him to do so. Only his older brother, his uncle, his sisters Neneng and Lucia, the
Valenzuela family, Pedro Paterno, Mateo Evangelista, the Ateneo Jesuit fathers, and some
intimate friends. The Jesuit priests gave him letters of recommendation to the members of
their Society in Barcelona. He used the name Jose Mercado.

It was a constitutional monarchy that governed Spain when the 21year-old student
Rizal arrived in Spain in 1882. Within a few months of his arrival in Spain, Rizal met a
socialist republican by the name Pi y Margall, who became his intellectual mentor, political
ally, and personal friend. And from the revolutionary vision of Pi y Margall, Rizal was able
to conceive the logic of his emancipatory discourses and display the groundings of his
political economic program of La Liga Filipina, which was patterned from the early 19th-
century mutualist traditions of the European Left.

José Rizal was so blessed with many gifts, talents and treasures, but he, like
everyone else did not have everything. In the economic sense, they did not possess the infinite
resources of certain Spanish mestizos and creoles like the Legardas who controlled the Manila
distilleries and cigar factories, Pardo de Taveras who were trendsetters with all kinds of
international connections. As a result, while Rizal was in Madrid, he led a frugal life while in
Europe. He knew that he came to Spain to study and prepare himself for service to his
motherland. Accordingly, he rigidly budgeted his money and time. He lived frugally,
spending his money on food, clothing, lodging, and books – his only extravagance was
investing a few pesetas for a lottery ticket in every draw of the Madrid Lottery. All the while
he spent his leisure time reading and writing at his boarding house, attending reunions of
Filipino students at the house of

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the Paterno brothers – who in their Madrid mansion entertained the alta sociedad of Spain
– and practicing fencing and shooting.

After obtaining his degree of Licentiate in Philosophy and Letters and his separate
degree of Licentiate in Medicine, Rizal went to Paris and Germany in order to specialize in
ophthalmology. He particularly chose this branch of medicine because he wanted to cure
his mother’s eye ailment. He also continued his travel and observations of European life
and customs, government and laws in Paris. All the while his merits as a scientists were
recognized by eminent scientists of Europe.

1.
1. What was the propaganda movement and what did it stand for?

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 LESSON 2: THE PROPAGANDA MOVEMENT

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this lesson, students are expected to:

1. Explain the principle of assimilation advocated by the Propaganda Movement;
2. Discuss the significance of the establishment of LaLiga Filipina

Lesson Discussion
Between 1872 and 1892, a national consciousness was growing among the Filipino
immigrants who had settled in Europe. After encountering first-hand, the tumult of 19th
century political movements inspired by Enlightenment thought, individual rights,
constitutionalism, and anti-clericalism. These emigrants – liberals exiled in 1872 and students
attending European universities – formed the Propaganda Movement. The propagandists
were largely young men, often mestizos and creoles whose families could afford to send them
to study in Spanish universities in Madrid and Barcelona.

It was an assimilationist movement in that the propagandist – many of whom were of

half Spanish parentage and saw themselves as inheritors of Spanish civilization. Influenced by
the Spanish Constitution, things became clear for them that, whether the Philippines was
going to be an autonomous member in the Federation, it must be a nation first. They believed
that the Philippines should be fully incorporated into Spain as a Spanish province and not
merely as a colony, with Filipinos granted the same citizenship rights accorded to Spanish
citizens. Second, it sought the expulsion of the Spanish friars from the Philippines and the
empowerment of a native Filipino clergy. Lastly, as a cultural movement, it showcased the
writing and artistic production of the young Filipino elite as a means of demonstrating their
intellectual sophistication, on par with their Spanish peers.

It was in this juridical framework that the Filipino ilustrados waged their propaganda
movement in Spain to gain parliamentary representation for their country and to work for the
much-needed reforms. Their hope was to win the support of a sufficient number of diputados
to sponsor bills in the Cortes for these ends.

Rizal posed the Filipinos’ demands to Spain as a constitutional – contractual

– matter: does she recognize Filipinas as a province to be represented in the Cortes, an
integral part of Spain, with all the civil rights accorded to the Filipino people, as she had
done before with the Constitution of Cádiz? By Spain’s own constitutional traditions since
1812 and centuries earlier, the Filipinos now pressed their demands as a matter of right.

Rizal’s summation to Carnicero of what their goals were: grant representation in the
Cortes to the country; secularize the friars, thus removing their influence over

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government and country; reform the Administration in all its branches; promote primary
education freed from all intervention by the friars; share in halves the country’s governmental
posts between peninsulares and insulares ; clean up the Administration; and create schools
of arts and trades in all provincial capitals with more than 16,000 people (Retana 1907).
These reforms were perfectly consistent with the principles and goals of Spain’s noblest
statesmen from the ilustrados of the Enlightenment to the federalistas of the day. But those
who held the reins of power in Madrid and in Manila were not of this persuasion, so the
reformists, after years of hard work and sacrifice, were going nowhere.

Rizal came with concept of establishing the Estatuto de la Liga Filipina upon his
return to Manila in 1892. Though there has been record of what he said at those gatherings it
was clear that it was there where he presented his proposal for an organization, so all we have
is the publication itself.

It will be seen that La Liga is at bottom a mutualist association; its goal: to create a
compact, vigorous and homogeneous Civil Society. The basic unit, the building block out of
which Civil Society is to be constructed, is the people’s council (consejo popular) to be
established at the local level all over the country. The councils are to be as numerous as
possible and must regenerate themselves continuously. Most of all, they are all integrated
within a pyramidal structure of councils from the ground level of consejo popular (popular
council) through the consejo provincial (provincial council) up to the consejo supremo
(supreme council), which is the highest level and situated at the capital of the Archipelago.
Each council functions as a mutualist association where the members relate to each other in
mutually beneficial ways which are well spelt out in the Statutes. The nature of these
interrelationships both within and outside a particular council and the Liga as a whole is
summed up in the last article of the Statute, Article 15 of General Provisions.

“Beyond the confines of the council and in all matters not affecting generally the rule
of conduct of La Liga Filipina, all members from the highest supreme chief (gefe supremo)
to the last member shall in all social dealings regard themselves as brothers in blood; for such
fraternal reason are all obliged to defend mutually the interests of all members, to console and
comfort them in misfortune; let it be understood that what a member suffers from and endures
is also what all the others suffer from and endure” (Ibid.). The last embodies all. The Liga’s
motto: Unus instar Omnium (One is equal to all.)

The basic economic principle at work in the Liga, is the organization of credit. The
associated workers – artisans, peasants, workers, professionals – are enabled to produce and
exchange on the basis of loans made available to them by the association itself; with the
loans, they can invest in capital goods – their means of production, the tools of their trade –
and working capital. Note that all the rights of the members of the Liga are economic in
nature, designed to promote and facilitate the growth of productive enterprises and
professional services through the extension of credit, discount on purchases and services, and
other forms of support including protection and defense against injury or injustice. The credit
proposed here is interest-free and is based on mutual lending via a people’s bank. Liga
members are to pay dues – one-time entry and monthly quotas – and are expected to
make, as

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contributions to the council, an undertaking, an idea, a study, or a new applicant for
membership. With these funds the Liga functions as a people’s bank or as a development
agency directly involved with the members as they strive to develop their businesses. Thus,
the Liga grows in assets and strengths.

The rest of the duties of the members have to do with the security of La Liga itself.
There is an unsaid presumption in Rizal’s statutes that La Liga must grow and survive in a
hostile environment and must protect itself at all moments. Hence the dictatorial command
and communication structure of the organization: top-to-bottom channels of communication:
immediate implementation of orders without question; absolute secrecy of everyone on
everything; information on a need-to-know basis only; the use of pseudonyms and codes for
members and councils; constant and systematic reporting of any signs of trouble; no
horizontal sharing of information but bottom-to-top flow only; and readiness to replace any
post or part of La Liga which may be rendered disabled for any reason whatsoever (Estatuto,
Disposiciones generales). La Liga appears as a conspiratorial or revolutionary organization,
like a Leninist vanguard party or, the argument could well be advanced: from the start La
Liga is already designed to act as a revolutionary party if and when the moment comes: La
Liga awaits Ang Katipunan.

La Liga was Rizal’s answer to ever present question of how the country would break
away from Spain and show its capacity of being independent and self- sufficient. Its
architectural structure rests on an integration of building blocks, people’s councils spread all
over the country, mutualist associations of producers and consumers united on the basis of
cooperation and reciprocity. La Liga Filipina is at the national level an association of
associations, vertically integrated but self- managing at all levels. Through the organization of
credit and mutual help, the association aims to promote individual and cooperative
entrepreneurship, a step towards the ideal of a non-exploitative social order because workers
and peasants can possess their means of production, and each identifies his interests in
relation to the whole.

Theoretically, Rizal already knew, before he conceived La Liga, that the autonomous
union with Spain would never happen because it would have required as a precondition the
transformation of Spain herself into a federation, and the balance of forces was against that.
The only course of action, therefore, was to work for the independence of the Philippines.
Rizal came back to his country for that, and, organizationally and conceptually, La Liga
Filipina was to be the first step to freedom.

1. Discuss the principle of assimilation manifested in the

Propaganda movement.
2. For not more than 250 words, explain the significance of
the establishment of the La Liga.

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 LESSON 3: NOLI ME TANGERE

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the lesson, students are expected to:

1. Appraise important characters in the novel and what they represent.

Lesson Discussion
After reading Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin
which portrayed the brutalities of American slave- owners and the
general situation of the Negro slaves, Rizal was inspired to create a
novel that would depict the miseries and the plight of his people. At
that time, he was then living as a student in Madrid.

He proposed his idea of creating a novel about the

Philippines with his friends, who at first were eager about writing it
but later did not follow because most did not write anything, while
others wanted only to write about women. He brought it upon
himself to finish the daunting task of writing a novel that would shed
light to the situation of his country. Towards the end of stay in
Madrid he was able to finish about one-half of it, and after
completing travelling to Paris he continued to write the second half.
He was finally able to finish his novel when he wrote his last chapter
when he was in Germany. But he saw no hope of having it Figure 9 Noli Me Tangere book.
published for he Source: joserizal.com
was already penniless during the time that he completed his work. Amid his despondency he
met Dr. Maximo Viola, who was from a rich family in Bulacan, gladly financed the
publication of his book and supported him financially. In order to save printing cost, Rizal
decided to delete certain parts in his book, including a whole chapter – Elias and Salome.

The title Noli Me Tangere is a Latin phrase which means “Touch me not.” It is not
originally conceived by Rizal, for he admitted taking it from the Bible. It was taken from the
Gospel of John 20: 13-17. It the story after the First Easter Sunday, when Mary Magdalene
visited the Holy Sepulcher and was surprised to see the Lord has risen from dead, who
admonished her by saying: “Touch me not; I am not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my
brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God and
your God.”

Rizal dedicated his work to the Philippine, his “Fatherland”. His dedication
goes:
Recorded in the history of human sufferings is a cancer so malignant a
character that the least touch irritates it and awakens in it the

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 sharpest pains. Thus, how many times, when in the midst of modern civilizations I
have wished to call thee before me, now to accompany me in memories, now to
compare thee with other countries, hath thy dear image presented itself showing a
social cancer like to that other!

Destiny thy welfare which is our own, and seeing the best treatment, I
will do with thee what the ancients did with their sick, exposing them on the steps
of the temple so that everyone who care to invoke the Divinity might offer then a
remedy.

And to this end, I will strive to reproduce thy condition faithfully, without
discrimination; I will raise a part of the veil that covers the evil, sacrificing to truth
everything, even vanity itself, since, as thy son I am conscious that I also suffer
from thy defects and weaknesses.

The plot revolves around Crisostomo Ibarra, mixed-race heir of a wealthy clan,
returning home after seven years in Europe and filled with ideas on how to better the lot of his
countrymen. Striving for reforms, he is confronted by an abusive ecclesiastical hierarchy and
a Spanish civil administration by turns indifferent and cruel.

The death of Ibarra’s father, Don Rafael, prior to his homecoming, and the refusal of
a Catholic burial by Padre Damaso, the parish priest, provokes Ibarra into hitting the priest,
for which Ibarra is excommunicated. The decree is rescinded, however, when the governor
general intervenes. The friar and his successor, Padre Salvi, embody the rotten state of the
clergy. Their tangled feelings—one paternal, the other carnal—for Maria Clara, Ibarra’s
sweetheart and rich Capitan Tiago’s beautiful daughter, steel their determination to spoil
Ibarra’s plans for a school. The town philosopher Tasio wryly notes similar past attempts
have failed, and his sage commentary makes clear that all colonial masters fear that an
enlightened people will throw off the yoke of oppression.

Precisely on how to accomplish this is the novel’s central question, and one which
Ibarra debates with the mysterious Elias. The privileged Ibarra favors peaceful means, while
Elias, who has suffered injustice at the hands of the authorities, believes violence is the only
option.

Ibarra’s enemies, particularly Salvi, implicate him in a fake insurrection, though the
evidence against him is weak. Then Maria Clara betrays him to protect a dark family secret,
public exposure of which would be ruinous. Ibarra escapes from prison with Elias’s help and
confronts her. She explains why, Ibarra forgives her, and he and Elias flee to the lake. But
chased by the Guardia Civil, one dies while the other survives. Convinced Ibarra’s dead,
Maria Clara enters the nunnery, refusing a marriage arranged by Padre Damaso. Her unhappy
fate and that of the more memorable Sisa, driven mad by the fate of her sons, symbolize the
country’s condition, at once beautiful and miserable.

The Noli Me Tangere, was based on the condition of the Philippines during the
last decades of the Spanish rule. The places, the characters, and the situation really existed.
Rizal said, “The facts I narrate there, are all true and have happened; I

46
can prove them.” The characters were drawn by Rizal from individuals who existed during
his times.

The Main Characters

1. Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra y Magsalin – Crisostomo Ibarra is depicted as one of
the Filipinos who managed to finish their studies abroad. He had been living
abroad for seven years. Unlike his countrymen, he has a liberal mind, outspoken and
idealistic. Crisostomo Ibarra exemplified the vision that Jose Rizal had aimed for the
youth of the Philippines during his time. Others attribute Ibarra as Rizal’s reflection
of himself.
2. María Clara de los Santos – Maria Clara's character is related to Rizal's
childhood sweetheart, Leonor Rivera. Like the real-life Leonor, she plays the piano
and the harp and has a sweet voice. She was portrayed as a faithful sweetheart, a good
friend, and an obedient daughter. She portrayed as the ideal woman during her time.
She does not impose her will except when she refused being married off to Linares.
Maria Clara symbolizes the purity and innocence of a sheltered native woman during
the time of Spanish occupation. She does not value material things that were
abundantly bestowed upon her by admirers and family alike but holds in high esteem
her parents’ honor and the promise she had given to her sweetheart
3. Padre Damaso Verdolagas – He’s a Franciscan friar and the former parish curate
of San Diego. He is best known as a notorious character who speaks with harsh
words and has been a cruel priest during his stay in the town. He is the real father of
María Clara and an enemy of Crisóstomo's father, Rafael Ibarra. He symbolizes the
Spanish friars of Rizal's time and is a comment on the Spanish control of the
Philippines
4. Elias – He is a former boatman who became one of the most wanted criminals in
San Diego. He distrusts human judgment and prefers God's justice instead. He is
acquainted with the tulisanes and other crooks, which he uses to his advantage in
discerning the troubles of the town. Elias represents the common Filipino who is not
only aware of the injustices done to their countrymen but would also like to deliver
them from their oppressors. He is said to be the personification of Andres Bonifacio.
5. Pilosopo Tacio – Known by his Filipinized name Pilosopo Tasyo, is another major
character in the story. Seeking for reforms from the government, he expresses his
ideals in paper written in a cryptographic alphabet similar from hieroglyphs and
Coptic figures hoping "that the future generations may be able to decipher it" and
realized the abuse and oppression done by the conquerors. Tasio symbolizes the
learned Filipinos who had once embraced the culture of the Spanish regime. They
eventually became disenchanted when they return to the Philippines and observe the
stark contrast their countrymen receive from their colonizers. The more they turn to
learning, the more they become eccentric to the masses they seek to enlighten.
6. Padre Salvi – He has a secret admiration to Maria Clara. On the Later part of the story
he and padre Damaso devised a plan to break Ibarra and Maria Clara apart.
Symbolizes the lecherous friars of Rizal's time.

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The Undesirables -- These are characters that portray the pervading social cancer in the
novels of Rizal.

1. Capitán Tiago – Don Santiago de los Santos, known by his nickname Tiago and
political title Capitán Tiago is a Filipino businessman and the cabeza de barangay or
head of barangay of the town of San Diego. He is also the known father of María
Clara. Capitan Tiago was a typical character during the time of Jose Rizal. He is a
rich native-born Filipino who rubbed elbows with the powers that be during that time.
He symbolizes the rich Filipinos who oppress their fellow countrymen in exchange
for the influence and the riches that they might gain from their powerful associations.
2. Donya Concolacion – her adulation of the Spaniards leads her to imitate the very
actions and attitudes of the Spanish women. She symbolizes the Filipinos in society
who are ashamed of their race and nationality.
3. Doña Victorina – Commonly known as Doña Victorina, is an ambitious Filipina
who classifies herself as a Spanish and mimics Spanish ladies by putting on heavy
make-up. As one of the lesser evils in the novel, Doña Victorina symbolizes those
who have a distorted view of their identity. Everything that is indigenous is inferior
and everything foreign as superior. It is the comedic form of ‘’colonial mentality’’.
4. Don Tiburcio de Espadana – Don Tiburcio is the husband of Doña Victorina. He
was introduced as one of the invited guests of Capitan Tiago in the latter's welcome
party for Juan Crisostomo Ibarra. He was known for charging exorbitant fees for his
medical treatment. He is a caricature of ignorant Spaniards who wreak havoc in the
provinces during the colonial era. His countrymen condone his actions for they do not
want him to become a burden to them.

The Supporting Characters – they are the victims of poverty and ignorance, who
represent a Filipino family persecuted by the Spanish authorities.

1. Sisa – Sisa(Narcisa) is the typical native wife. She endures her husband's beatings
and irresponsibility. She had been stripped of her few jewels by her husband, Pedro,
an inveterate gambler. Despite the abuse, she considers him her god. She is
described as a mother who considers her sons her only treasure. Sisa is thought to
have represented the motherland who was suffering as her character have suffered
with the loss of her children. The tragic events that ruined her life represented the
abuse that the motherland received from her colonizers.
2. Basilio – Sisa's 10-year-old son. An acolyte tasked to ring the church bells for the
Angelus, he faced the dread of losing his younger brother and the descent of his
mother into insanity. At the end of the novel, Elías wished Basilio to bury him by
burning in exchange for a chest of gold located on his death ground. He will later play
a major role in El Filibusterismo
3. Crispin – Crispin represents the innocents who have been wrongly accused of the
crime they did not commit. The injustice they suffered under the hands

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 of the authorities during their time were silenced by their
deaths and the cover-ups that follow it.

1. Relate yourself to one of the characters of Noli Me Tangere and

justify your answer.

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