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GE – 9 THE LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL

(CHAPTERS 6-9 HANDOUTS)

CHAPTER VI
Annotations Of Antonio Morga’s Sucesos De Las Islas Filipinas

Jose Rizal learned about it either from his uncle or from his “best friend”. Some references state that
Rizal as a child heard from his uncle, Jose Alberto, about this ancient history of the Philippines written
by a Spaniard named Antonio de Morga. Some other sources claim that Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas
Filipinas (Events in the Philippine Islands) was suggested by Austrian scholar Ferdinand Blumentritt
(1853-1913) for Rizal’s research on pre-Spanish Philippines.

Dr. Morga and his ‘Sucesos’

• Antonio de Morga (1559-1636) – a Spanish historian and lawyer, and a notable colonial
official for 43 years in the Philippines, New Spain, and Peru.
• 1609 – he published the book Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (considered as one of the most
significant works on the early history of the Spanish colonization of the Philippines). The
history is said to cover the years from 1493 – 1603.
• Morga’s work is based on documentary research, keen observation, and his personal
involvement and knowledge.
• The history was published in two (2) volumes, both in 1609, by Casa de Geronymo Balli, in
Mexico City.
• First English Translation was published in 1868 in London.
• What’s written on the dedication page?
“… this small book … is a faithful narrative, devoid of any artifice and ornament … regarding the discovery,
conquest and conversion of the Philippine Islands, together with the various events in which they have
taken part … specifically describing their original condition ...”

Rizal’s Annotation of the Book

• Rizal had to look for a reliable account of the Philippine before and at the onset of Spanish
colonization. Hence, his friend Dr. Ferdinand Blumentritt, a knowledgeable Filipinologist,
recommended Dr. Antonio Morga’s book of Sucesos.
• 1888 – 1889 – Rizal largely spent his many months of stay in London at the British Museum
(Bibliotheque Nationale) researching from its Filipiniana Collection, looking for Morga’s book.
• Having NO high-tech copying technology at that time, he had to painstakingly hand-copy the
whole 351 pages of Morga’s work.
• 1890 – he finished and published his annotation in Paris.
• Rizal meticulously annotated every chapter of the Sucesos, commenting even on Morga’s
typographical errors. He provided enlightenment on every statement, which he believed
misrepresenting the local’s cultural practices.
• For instance, on page 248, Morga describes the ancient culinary Philippine natives by
recording:
“They prefer to eat salt fish which begin to decompose and smell.”

Rizal’s annotative footnote explains:

“This is another preoccupation of the Spaniards who, like any other nation in the matter of food, loathe
that to which they are not accustomed or is unknown to them… The fish that Morga mentions does not
taste better when it is beginning to rot; all on the contrary: it is bagoong, and all those who have eaten
it and tasted it know that it is not or ought not to be rotten.”
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The Preface

• “Jose Rizal, Europe, 1889” – a signature to his annotations

• Rizal had the following as his Preface to his work:

To the Filipinos: In Noli Me Tangere (“The Social Cancer”) I started to sketch the present state of
our native land. But the effect which my effort produced made me realize that, before attempting
to unroll before your eyes the other pictures which were to follow, it was necessary first to post
you on the past. So only can you fairly judge the present and estimate how much progress has
been made during the three centuries (of Spanish rule).

• “If the work serves to awaken in you a consciousness of our past, and to blot from your memory or to
rectify what has been falsified or is calumny, then I shall not have labored in vain. With this preparation,
slight though it may be, we can all pass to the study of the future.”

Some Important Annotations – “For more info, you may also read the slides of Group 1.”

• Austin Craig (1872 – 1949) – early biographer of Rizal, translated into English some of
the more important of Rizal’s annotations in the Sucesos.
• Governor Morga was NOT ONLY THE FIRST TO WRITE BUT ALSO THE FIRST TO PUBLISH
PHILIPPINE HISTORY.
• Morga shows that the ancient Filipinos had army and navy with artillery and other
implements of warfare. Their prized krises and kampilans for their magnificent temper are
worthy of admiration and some of them are richly damascened.
• Cebu, which Morga calls “The City of the Most Holy Name of Jesus” was at first called “The
Village of San Miguel”
• The expedition of Villalobos, intermediate between Magellan’s and Legaspi’s gave the name
“Philipina” to one of the Southern Islands, Tendaya, now perhaps Leyte.
• Raja Soliman – Rahang Mura or young king
• Harigues or Haligui – thick hardwood posts such as the Tagalogs used for their houses.
• The southern islands, the Bisayas, were also called “The Land of the Painted People” (Pintados in Spanish)

The Value of Rizal’s Annotation

• The value of Rizal’s annotation of Sucesos is immense as through the work, he provided especially
the Filipino readers with rich annotative footnotes concerning Philippine culture and society,
coupled with complete scholarly referenced resources and full citations. Most especially, through
this work, Rizal had proved and showed that the Philippines was an advanced civilization prior
to the Spanish conquest.
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CHAPTER VII
Noli Me Tangere

It comprises of 63 chapters and an epilogue. Noli Me Tangere exposes the abuses and inequities of many
Spanish Catholic friars and government officials during his time.
Rizal was a student of medicine at the Universidad Central de Madrid when he started writing it and
was 26 years old at its publication. It was published in Berlin, Germany and its English translation is
usually titled as “Touch Me Not” and “The Social Cancer”. In a letter to Felix Hidalgo, Rizal, however,
made a mistake in attributing the quotation to the Gospel of Luke, for it was in fact recorded in John
20:17: “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father.”

The Writing of the Novel

• Influenced by Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Rizal planned to publish a book that
would reveal the ills of Spanish-colonized Philippine society.
• Leaving for France in 1885, he had written the third quarter of the novel in Paris. In
Wilhelmsfeld, he penned the last few chapters of Noli from April to June 1886. The novel was
completed in Berlin, Germany at the end of 1886, and the final draft was ready for publication
at the onset of the year 1887.
The Printing of the Noli

• The transition between 1886 and 1887 was perhaps one of the most stressful parts of Rizal’s
life.
• Maximo Viola insisted on lending money to Rizal so that the Noli could be published.
• To economize printing, Rizal deleted the chapter titled “Elias and Salome” which was
supposedly Chapter 25.
• The Php 300 Viola lent to Rizal was thus used to print the first 2,000 copies of the Noli.
• Maximo Viola – “the savior of Noli”
• Rizal gave the first copy of Noli to Maximo Viola which described Viola as the “first to read
and appreciate [Rizal’s] work.”
The Synopsis - “For more info, read the slides of Group 2.”
The Spirit of the Noli

• Noli Me Tangere – creatively depicts the real conditions of the various aspects of Filipino
society under the Spanish regime.
• Introducing the spirit of the novel to his friend Ferdinand Blumentritt, Rizal himself wrote,
“The Novel is the first impartial and bold account of the life of the Tagalogs. The Filipinos will
find in it the history of the last ten years.”
• Crisostomo Ibarra – represents the small group of Filipinos who had a chance to study abroad
and dreamt of improving the country.
• Padre Damaso – corresponds to wicked but ironically respected priests. His character reflects
the then rampant covert fathering of illegitimate children by friars.
• Maria Clara – Ibarra’s fiancee who arguably stands for the powerless Filipina then. Patterned
after that of ideal Filipina – loving and unwavering in their loyalty to their respective spouses.
• Capitan Tiago – represents the rich Filipinos who opted to be allies (as in tuta) of Spanish
officials and friars just to preserve their wealth and political position. Damaso raped Tiago’s
wife Pia Alba, but the Capitan seemed to be okay with it.
• Pilosopo Tasio – symbolizes those whose ideas were so advanced that many other people
could not understand him. It is said that Tasio’s character was patterned after that of Paciano,
Jose’s intelligent brother who also sought reforms.
• Elias – Ibarra’s mysterious friend and supporter – signifies the Filipinos who wished to
revolutionize the country by liberating it from Spanish tyranny.
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• Sisa and her sons Crispin and Basilio – epitomize a Filipino family oppressed by the Spanish
authorities.
• Dona Victorina – represents some ambitious Filipinas who wanted to be classified as Spanish.
• Don Tiburcio – husband of Dona Victorina; stands for incompetent and unqualified Spaniards
who illegally practiced their supposed profession in the Philippines.
• Padre Salvi – the curate who secretly harbored lust for Maria Clara, represents the seemingly
kind but in fact wicked Spanish friars.
• Don Rafael Ibarra – Ibarra’s father; epitomizes the rich and at the same time virtuous and
generous Filipinos during the Spanish era.

Reactions to Noli

• Governor-General Emilio Terrero summoned Rizal to Malacanang palace.

• Bernardino Nozaleda (Archbishop of Manila), petitioned to ban the Noli.
• Governor-General Emilio Terrero asked Rizal for a copy of the Noli and found nothing
“criminal” in the book.
• An ad hoc committee of the faculty of the UST formed at the request of Manila Archbishop
Pedro Payo, found and denounced Noli as ecclesiastically heretical.
• The Permanent Commission of Censorship led by Tondo Cura Salvador Font similarly found
the Noli to contain subversive ideas against the Catholic Church and Spain, thus
recommended the absolute prohibition on the importation, reproduction, and circulation of
the book.
• In Madrid, a newspaper article written by Vicente Barrantes resentfully attacked the Noli.
• Jose Rodriguez – another attacker of Noli, an Augustinian priest who even took great pains to
write 8 anti-Noli pamphlets, which were forcibly sold to churchgoers.
• Vicente Garcia (Penname Justo Desiderio Magalang) – he answered Rodriguez’ claim that
those who read the Noli committed a mortal sin by concluding that he (Rodriguez), committed
a mortal sin since he had read the novel.

Noli Artifact

• The furniture set of Dr. Karl Ullmer used by Rizal during his stay in the pastor’s house in
Wilhelmsfeld in 1886 is now displayed in the Peacock Garden Resort in Baclayan, Bohol.
• As the last few chapters of the Noli were written in Ullmer’s pastoral house.
• Ullmer’s family donated the furniture to Hans Schoof – the German owner of the resort – for
his advocacy of propagating the ideals of the Filipino hero.
• A member of the Knights of Rizal, Schoof’s better half is a Filipina.
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CHAPTER VIII
El Filibusterismo

El Filibusterismo is Jose Rizal’s second novel written as the sequel of his Noli Me Tangere. It is
commonly known in English alternative as “The Reign of Greed”.

The Writing and Printing of Fili

• Rizal started writing El Filibusterismo in October 1887 in Calamba during his 1st homecoming.
• He completed it by March 29, 1891, in Biarritz, France.
• Jose Alejandrino – Rizal’s roommate in Belgium related that he was the one who looked for
printing press for El Fili.
• Alejandrino, who later became a general in the Philippine revolution, might have possibly
been the first person to read the novel aside from the author.
• The honor of being called “the savior of the Fili” had gone to Valentin Ventura – Rizal’s friend
who partially financed the novel’s publication.
• Rizal wrote to Basa that the printing had to be suspended for lack of funds, hence, Valentin
Ventura helped him.
• Rizal found it necessary to fundamentally shorten the novel, erasing 47 whole pages from the
279-page manuscript to save expenses.
• El Fili comprises 38 chapters compared to 64 of the Noli.
• Rizal gave the original manuscript of El Fili to Ventura.
• In 1925, the Philippine Government bought the El Fili manuscript from Ventura for a large
sum of Php 10,000.

Filibustero and Gomburza

• Filibustero – subversive, dissident, revolutionary, seditious, insurrectionary, and treasonous.

• Rizal made mistakes in indicating the ages of the priests and the date of the execution of 3
martyrs.
• The foreword of the Fili was nonetheless addressed “To the Filipino People and their
government.”
• The original manuscript also included a warning and an inscription on the title page written
by Ferdinand Blumentritt.

Themes of Fili

• El Filibusterismo exposes the real picture of Filipino society at the hands of the Spanish
authorities.
• What makes El Fili essentially different from its prequel is that it offers various means of
attaining social reform and somewhat hinted at what the author believed was ideal.

Noli vs. Fili

• Rizal wrote the El Filibusterismo about 4 years after the Noli.

• El Fili is more serious as there is less humor and more bitterness in the treatment of
situations.
• Blumentritt and Graciano Lopez Jaena – expressed that FILI WAS SUPERIOR TO NOLI.
• Rizal also believes in the superiority of Fili.
• When the printing stopped for lack of funds, he wrote to Basa, “It is pity because it seems to
me that this 2nd part is more important than the first.”
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• BUT after the FILI was published, Rizal appeared to have a change of heart. He wrote to
Marcelo H. del Pilar that he also considered Fili to be inferior to Noli.

Synopsis - “For more info, read the slides of Group 3.”

Noli and Fili Stolen

• Evening of December 8, 1961 – Noli, Fili, and Mi Ultimo A Dios were stolen from the National
Library.
• The robbers demanded 1.4 million pesos.
• Education Secretary Alejandro “Anding” Roces personally met with the burglars and after
some various negotiations, the documents had been retrieved without paying any single
centavo.
• The manuscripts were returned on INSTALLMENT BASIS- (1) Mi Ultimo A Dios during the 1st
meet, (2) El Fili, and lastly the (3) Noli.

The Novel’s Legacy

• Noli and Fili reveal the true setting and condition of the Filipino society in the era.
• The novel’s characters mimic the various elements and types of individuals in that society.
• The novels influenced the revolution led by the Katipunan as they inspired Andres Bonifacio
and the other revolutionaries in their cause.
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CHAPTER IX
The Philippines A Century Hence (“Filipinas Dentro De Cien Años”)

Jose Rizal’s “Filipinas Dentro De Cien Años” (translated as “The Philippines within One Hundred Years”
or “The Philippines A Century Hence”) was serialized on September 30, October 31, December 15, 1889,
and February 15, 1890, in the fortnightly review La Solidaridad of Madrid. In the articles, Rizal
estimated future of the Philippines in the span of a hundred years and foretold the catastrophic end of
Spanish rule in Asia.

• The essay talked about the glorious past of the Philippines, recounted the deterioration of
the economy, and exposed the causes of the native’s sufferings under the cruel Spanish rule.
• In the essay, he cautioned Spain as regards the imminent downfall of its domination.
• Part of the purpose in writing the essay was to awaken the minds and the hearts of the
Filipinos concerning the oppression of the Spaniards and encouraging them to fight for their
right.
• La Solidaridad – newspaper which serialized Rizal’s “Filipinas Dentro De Cien Anos”.

Causes of Sufferings and Deterioration

• Spain’s implementation of its military policies

• Deterioration and disappearance of Filipino indigenous culture
• Passivity and submissiveness to the Spanish colonizers

The Inevitable
One of the main topics tackled by Rizal in the essay was whether the Spain could indeed prevent the
looming progress of the Philippines. But he was still HOPEFUL that the country’s eventual
improvement could not be hindered.

• Keeping the people uneducated and ignorant failed. NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS had still
awakened, and great Filipino minds still emerged from the rubble.
• Keeping the people impoverished also came to no avail.
• Exterminating the people as an alternative to hindering progress did not work either.
Hence, Rizal concluded that Spain had no means to stop the progress of the Philippines.

Rizal’s Prophecies

• Rizal prophesied the Philippine people’s revolution against Spain, winning their
independence, but later the Americans would come as the new colonizer.
• Eventually, the natives did recognize that the harassment and cruelty in their society by
foreign colonizers must no longer be tolerated. The natives thus though LACKING ARMS AND
ENOUGH TRAINING, valiantly waged war against the colonizers.
• Even the NOT-SO-PREDICTABLE element of Rizal’s prophecy true – the Americans in 1898
wrestled with Spain to win the Philippines, and in due course took over the country.

“History does not record in its annals any lasting domination by one people to another, of
different races, of diverse usages and customs, of opposite and divergent ideas. One of the two
had to yield and succumb.”
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Feodor Jagor’s Influence

• Rizal’s reference to America as a probable factor in the Philippines’ future is said to be based
upon the forecast of the German traveler FEODOR JAGOR.
• Rizal had read the Spanish Version of Jagor’s book while a student at the Ateneo de Manila
from a copy supplied by his brother Paciano.
• FEODOR JAGOR – German Ethnologists who influenced Rizal in his predictions of
Philippine’s future.
• While in Berlin, Rizal met Professor Jagor, and so the renowned geographer and his youthful
but bright admirer became fast friends, often discoursing on how the development of events
was bringing true the fortune for the Philippines.

The Essay’s Relevance Today

Rizal wrote in his Noli Me Tangere,
“I do not write for this generation. I am writing for other ages. If this could read me, they
would burn my books, the work of my whole life.” On the other hand, the generation which
interprets these writings will be an educated generation; they will understand me and say: Not
all were asleep in the night-time of our grandparents (by the Philosopher Tasio). “

Challenges to the Filipinos

• "Why independence if the slaves today become the tyrants of tomorrow?” (Rizal wrote in his
El Filibusterismo)
• Puwede na and bahala na attitudes
• Rizal’s “The Philippines A Century Hence” legacy is its timeless national message that
establishing a fairer, better society requires reminding Filipino people that our hope for
survival relies on each of us taking responsibility.

Other Related Writings

• “Sobre La Indolencia De Los Filipinos” (The Indolence of the Filipinos)

o The essay rationally encountered the accusations by Spaniards that Philippine natives
were indolent (lazy) during the Spanish reign.
o It was published in La Solidaridad in five consecutive issues in July (15 and 31),
August (1 and 31) and September 1, 1890.
o Rizal explained the alleged Filipino indolence by pointing factors. (read the slides of
Group 4)
o Rizal also explained that Filipinos were just wise in their level of work under a tropical
climate. He explained,
“violent work is not a good thing in tropical countries as it would be parallel to death,
destruction, annihilation.”
o Rizal, thus, concluded that natives’ supposed indolence was an END-PRODUCT of the
Spanish colonization.

• “Letter to the Young Women of Malolos”

o Originally written in Tagalog, this famous letter directly addressing to the women of
Malolos, Bulacan was written by Rizal as a response to Marcelo H. Del Pilar’s request.
o Rizal was greatly impressed by the bravery of the 20 young women of Malolos who
planned to establish a school where they could learn Spanish despite the opposition
of Felipe Garcia, Spanish priest of Malolos.
o Some of the points mentioned by Rizal in his letter to the young women of Malolos:
✓ The priests in the country that time did not embody the true spirit of
Christianity;
✓ Private judgment should be used;
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✓ Mothers should be an epitome of an ideal woman who teaches her children to

love God, country, and fellowmen;
✓ Mothers should rear children in the service of the state and set standards of
behavior for men around them;
✓ Filipino women must be noble, decent, and dignified, and they should be
submissive, tender, and loving to their respective husband; and
✓ Young women must edify themselves, live the real Christian way with good
morals and manners, and should be intelligent in their choice of a lifetime
partner.

Reference:
Mañebog, J. D.G., Paragas, R., Barrientos, & M., Francisco, R. (2018). Life and Works of Rizal: Biography,
Writings, and Legacies of Our Bayani. Mutya Publishing House, INC.