Historical context of the Rizal Law

The Rizal Law, also known as RA 1425, mandates the study of Rizal’s life and
works, as shown in section 1. This Republic Act calls for an increased sense of
nationalism from the Filipinos during a time of a dwindling Filipino identity. According to
the judicial system, a republic act is a law that has already been passed and implemented.
In contrast to this, a bill is merely a proposed law, in other words it may or
may not be passed by the Congress.

This was enacted last June 12, 1956 with the sponsorship of Claro M. Recto. He
believed that Rizal is a great example of nationalism in the Philippines and was showed
through his life, works and writings. The Rizal Law would benefit the Filipino youth in
acquiring certain traits such as courage and determination through Rizal’s example of
patriotism which can strengthen nation building and Filipino identity. Studying the life,
works and writings of Rizal also may serve as an encouragement to every Filipino to have
nationalism and to cherish the freedom which wouldn’t be possible without the national
heroes especially Jose Rizal.

The 19th century

By the late 18th century, political and economic changes in Europe were finally
beginning to affect Spain and, thus, the Philippines. Important as a stimulus to trade was
the gradual elimination of the monopoly enjoyed by the galleon to Acapulco. The last
galleon arrived in Manila in 1815, and by the mid-1830s Manila was open to foreign
merchants almost without restriction. The demand for Philippine sugar and abaca (hemp)
grew apace, and the volume of exports to Europe expanded even further after the
completion of the Suez Canal in 1869.

The growth of commercial agriculture resulted in the appearance of a new class.

Alongside the landholdings of the church and the rice estates of the pre-Spanish nobility
there arose haciendas of coffee, hemp, and sugar, often the property of enterprising
Chinese-Filipino mestizos. Some of the families that gained prominence in the 19th
century have continued to play an important role in Philippine economics and politics.

Not until 1863 was there public education in the Philippines, and even then the
church controlled the curriculum. Less than one-fifth of those who went to school could
read and write Spanish, and far fewer could speak it properly. The limited higher
education in the colony was entirely under clerical direction, but by the 1880s many sons
of the wealthy were sent to Europe to study. There, nationalism and a passion for reform
blossomed in the liberal atmosphere. Out of this talented group of overseas Filipino
students arose what came to be known as the Propaganda Movement. Magazines,
poetry, and pamphleteering flourished. José Rizal, this movement’s most brilliant figure,
produced two political novels—Noli me tangere (1887; Touch Me Not) and El
filibusterismo (1891; The Reign of Greed)—which had a wide impact in the Philippines.
In 1892 Rizal returned home and formed the Liga Filipina, a modest reform-minded
society, loyal to Spain, that breathed no word of independence. But Rizal was quickly
arrested by the overly fearful Spanish, exiled to a remote island in the south, and finally
executed in 1896. Meanwhile, within the Philippines there had developed a firm
commitment to independence among a somewhat less privileged class.

José Rizal called for peaceful reform of Spain's colonial rule in the
Philippines. After his 1896 execution, he became an icon for the nationalist
movement.

José Rizal was born on June 19, 1861, in Calamba, Philippines. While living in
Europe, Rizal wrote about the discrimination that accompanied Spain's colonial rule of his
country. He returned to the Philippines in 1892, but was exiled due to his desire for reform.
Although he supported peaceful change, Rizal was convicted of sedition and executed
on December 30, 1896, at age 35.
 On June 19, 1861, José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was born in
Calamba in the Philippines' Laguna Province. A brilliant student who became proficient
in multiple languages, José Rizal studied medicine in Manila. In 1882, he traveled to Spain
to complete his medical degree.

While in Europe, José Rizal became part of the Propaganda Movement,

connecting with other Filipinos who wanted reform. He also wrote his first novel, Noli Me
Tangere (Touch Me Not/The Social Cancer), a work that detailed the dark aspects of
Spain's colonial rule in the Philippines, with particular focus on the role of Catholic friars.
The book was banned in the Philippines, though copies were smuggled in. Because of
this novel, Rizal's return to the Philippines in 1887 was cut short when he was targeted
by police.

Rizal returned to Europe and continued to write, releasing his follow-up novel, El
Filibusterismo (The Reign of Greed) in 1891. He also published articles in La Solidaridad,
a paper aligned with the Propaganda Movement. The reforms Rizal advocated for did not
include independence—he called for equal treatment of Filipinos, limiting the power of
Spanish friars and representation for the Philippines in the Spanish Cortes (Spain's
parliament).

Rizal returned to the Philippines in 1892, feeling he needed to be in the country to

effect change. Although the reform society he founded, the Liga Filipino (Philippine
League), supported non-violent action, Rizal was still exiled to Dapitan, on the island of
Mindanao. During the four years Rizal was in exile, he practiced medicine and took on
students.
 In 1895, Rizal asked for permission to travel to Cuba as an army doctor. His
request was approved, but in August 1896, Katipunan, a nationalist Filipino society
founded by Andres Bonifacio, revolted. Though he had no ties to the group, and
disapproved of its violent methods, Rizal was arrested shortly thereafter.

After a show trial, Rizal was convicted of sedition and sentenced to death by firing
squad. Rizal's public execution was carried out in Manila on December 30, 1896, when
he was 35 years old. His execution created more opposition to Spanish rule.
Spain's control of the Philippines ended in 1898, though the country did not gain lasting
independence until after World War II. Rizal remains a nationalist icon in the Philippines
for helping the country take its first steps toward independence.