Saguibo, Marwin Jann M.

January 08, 2020

RZAL 311 – 1C Prelim Project

1. In the opening statement of Dr. Rizal in the movie, he mentioned that the Philippines
is suffering from a kind of cancer. What kind of cancer does the country is suffering
from as referred by Rizal? In the present time, do you still see that our country is
still suffering from this illness?
Dr. Rizal mentioned social cancer which describe the suffering of Philippines under
the Spanish Colonization. Upon watching the film, all Rizal want is to have freedom and
give his country a new nation that would redeem the Philippines from miserable state that
Spaniards have done. Today, we still facing a societal cancer in the present time. There’s
a lot of big problems that Philippines encounter.
The number one issue is corruption. We all known corruption is still existing in
every president who are assigned to lead the country. I’m not saying literally all the
presidents continues the corruption but most of them his/her officials do this kind of doings
to gain wealth from the funds of the country. That’s why we are still in third world country
and poverty in the Philippines still increasing because of Corruption.
Also crime increase in the Philippines because of the program “drug war” that
causes Extrajudicial Killings exists. No one claims to support the killing of the innocent,
that is why they leave the judgment of innocence to the police and the vigilantes. Even
worse, many are seeing death itself as proof of one’s guilt. Many Filipinos believes that
extrajudicial killings are acceptable because they eliminated person who are involved in
drugs. How about the person who are innocent and victim of EJK? Where is the justice
behind of this killings? Example is the 3-year-old girl became the casualty of Philippine
President Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs,” which has killed thousands over the past three
years. The police defend that the suspect used his daughter as a shield. But still the
innocent child killed under the operation of the police. I observe that the government
disregards some issues of extra judicial killings. All of this done by corruption made by the
officials.
Not only the government even some of priest are like friars. There is an issue about
priest who raped an altar girl and recording their sexual act. Just like the friars, they force
Filipino women to have sex with them because they are the powerful on that time.
Nowadays, the priest is no longer powerful as they to be to deny his case not like before.
2. What political, psychological and historical issues had been discussed in the film?
Are they clearly portrayed in the film? Justify your answer by providing (2)
examples/specific situation for each.
In the film of Rizal, they discussed the political, psychological and historical issues
that Spaniards done in the Philippines. Based on the film, the Spaniards are biased
because they believe that Filipinos has no ability in terms of governing. Also they don’t
give us equal rights in our own country. The execution of all Filipino priest and
GOMBURZA done by the Spanish Colonizers awakened strong feeling of anger and
resentment among the Filipinos. Spaniards don’t give us justice or right to defend what is
being done by Filipinos in the past. That’s why the Propaganda Movement rises and they
want to be recognition of the Philippines as a province of Spain, equal status for both
Filipinos and Spaniards, Philippine representation in the Spanish Cortes, secularization of
Philippine parishes and recognition of human rights.
Another situation that shows political issue when the friars change the governor-
general in able to arrest Dr. Jose Rizal because the former governor-general doesn’t want
to sign the warrant of arrest against Dr. Jose Rizal.
The Spanish Colonizers show discrimination and well discussed in the film. The
Filipinos has brown skin, flat nose and has no elegant clothes and called us “Indios”. While
the opposite characteristics of Filipinos are the Spaniards who has everything because of
their powerful governance. The Filipinos are just like slaves under the corrupt Spanish
Colonizers. They did not give us equal living because the Filipinos has little privilege in its
own land compared to the Spaniards who has the most privilege to themselves. Dr. Rizal
wants that privilege to get to us Filipinos because this is our own land.

3. Make a stand should be Rizal be the national hero of the Philippines? Why or why
not? Provide (5) examples that will support your reflection.
First of all, we need to identify the real meaning of a hero to make it simple and
understand how Dr. Rizal became one. A hero is someone who gives of himself, often
putting his own life at great risk, for the greater good of others. So basically, if you know
Dr. Rizal you can clarify to yourself that he deserved to be national hero of the Philippines.
Dr. Jose Rizal became our national hero because he fought for our freedom by
using a paper and pen. He did not want to have a bloody war instead he uses his
intelligence by expressing love for the Philippines through his novels, essays, poems, and
articles. He was a very amazing person at his time. He is the eye opener of the Filipinos
to see what Spaniards to us when they are here in our own land. He wrote Noli Me Tangere
aims to awaken feelings of countrymen under that Spanish Rule. In his first novel, it
portrays the different aspects of gaining independence. He launched his second novel the
El Filibustirismo in dedication to the three martyred priests the GOMBURZA. It also aims
to enlightening the society and bringing the Filipinos closer to the truth that we need to
defend our country and achieve freedom for the better nation. See through his intelligence
the revolution emerged and nationalism began to the Philippines.
Dr. Rizal shows nationalism all the time started when he was child. He is expose
on the governance of Spain and corruption to our country. When he was growing, he thinks
on how Filipinos will know the truth behind the Spaniards. He did not think himself on
fighting against Spaniards instead he wants Philippines to be freedom country. Some of
us think that Dr. Rizal became a hero because of his family was rich to study to prestigious
school and sent to Span to widen his wisdom and become one of Ilustrados. But in my
own opinion, he uses the wealth of his family in a better way to enlighten Filipinos. If Dr.
Rizal didn’t grab the opportunity to study in prestigious school and in Spain, no one can
express the wrong governance of Spanish Colonizers. We might consider him as a
national hero because he’s a multifaceted individual both through the mind and
manipulative areas, his inherit character and the love to people of the Philippines.
For me, he is very brave person. Andres Bonifacio is well know the father of
Katipunan who fights the Spaniards through his bolo and cause in a bloody war. Though
Andres Bonifacio is stong person but Dr. Rizal shows his bravery through his words. When
he was writing, how strong that you put your own life for the good of his nation. Also, he
has objective and he never forget that. That characteristic impress me a lot about Dr. Rizal.
This is the reason why Dr. Rizal deserve to be our national hero. He is the
foundation of revolution that result in freedom of the Philippines. He shows unconditional
love for our country. He is open minded, intelligent and hardworking. He cared more about
helping the country. He deserved to be our national hero.