I.

The Value of Education

Education is the most important thing that a person must possess, no matter what
degree of attainment, as long as you know to do things right and with finesse. In terms of
forwarding to the more advanced age and more technological dependent, every activity
and everything we do is associated with technology. So, how important is education in
the modern age? To put it simply, education today is very important because it is the
passport to the future. Moreover, based on the new curriculum which we apply in the
classroom, we are using a spiral education, meaning that the previous lesson is important
and it is advancing once we reach every level. In addition, according to Rizal, education
is timeless and relevant, meaning every bit that the teacher teaches, lessons which are
introduced in the classroom or in home will matter throughout the years is immortal.
Among the riches and possession we hold right now, only education is the thing that can
not be taken from us. For Rizal, the mission of education is to elevate the country to the
highest seat of glory and to develop the people's mentality. Since education is the
foundation of society and a prerequisite for social progress, Rizal claimed that only
through education could the country be saved from domination. Domination from our
personal prison, binded with our earthly possession, power and reputations. If we focus
on promoting learning among the people especially to least privileged individuals,
producing accessible learning materials especially to the far flung areas of the Philippines
and funding the education based programs, surely it will boost the learning morale of the
people, and result in more literate Filipinos. We can produce more materials and products
which are durable and compete with the global market. The bottomline of this is that,
education is very important because it can help the success rate of the country and create
a better chance to fight with the global market, and hope to elevate our country
Philippines in the third world label.

II. Responding Rizal’s Letter

Dear Dr. Rizal,

As one of the Malolos women, and a proud countrymen, I am very happy to be

addressed by your presence. We really push ourselves and do our best to hold and protect our
country. I do believe that not only men can do the defending, together with my sisterhood we do
our best too. I am overjoyed because he recognizes and believes that we, as women, have potential and
deserve to be treated fairly. Women aren't just for the home. We are capable of doing everything that a
man is capable of doing. When it comes to equality, gender should not be a hindrance. They're all wrong
if they think women are weak, useless, or fragile. They should not underestimate the power and
intelligence that a woman possesses.
III. Dissecting the Brindis Speech

A toast was made during Jose Rizal's speech to the success of Juan Luna's
Spolarium painting. While the artwork by Luna is claimed to have illustrated the
struggles and predicaments faced by Filipino slaves under the Spanish colonial
government. The audience was drawn in by Rizal's manner, which was deft, powerful,
and romanticization of his surroundings despite the message's importance.Rizal found
himself in a very perilous situation because of a public speech. At that time, though, one
careless phrase may have resulted in his demise. Rizal, however, was unafraid and said
that the meeting was taking place to honor an accomplishment that used art to shed light
on what had previously been perceived as a gloomy culture. Rizal's message was
profound, comprehensive, and piercing because he used wise and deliberate word choice.
Rizal's brindis (toast speech), which also honored the memory of Luna and Hidalgo,
served another purpose. It was made clear during his address that his main objective was
to persuade and try to rally the present Spanish politicians to accept the idea of expanding
the Philippines to the Kingdom of Spain. His pursuit of the Propaganda Movement and
his desire to inform his fellow Filipino scholars in Spain about the situation the
Philippines was in at the time were both significant objectives for him. He doesn't
actually want to spark a revolution because his family is a leaseholder on the Hacienda de
Calamba and clearly benefits from the system; instead, he merely wants Filipinos to have
the same rights as Spaniards. Additionally, Rizal claimed that despite the stark racial
imbalance, Spain recognized and nurtured the innate skill of the Filipino people, and it
was in Spain that these talents were displayed for all to see. In a similar manner, the
Philippines, where raw materials were generated and gathered, served as the source of
those raw materials, but it was in Spain that these raw materials were polished and put on
display for all to see. Furthermore, Rizal's intended message is clearly evident when you
read the speech. In his statements, he frequently brought up Spain. In making this
statement, Rizal was making a dig at the Spanish troops there and implying that one day
the Philippines might become a colony of Spain. It was in this setting that Rizal used his
speech to emphasize his discontent with the Spanish government's inappropriate use of
power in the Philippines and to attract attention to the movement's objectives in addition
to congratulating his two colleagues on their win and pride in their homeland and rallying
followers for the Propaganda Movement. Through this speech he wrote, Rizal
demonstrated how he used word choice to further the goals of the Propaganda Movement.
In his ode to the two heroes, Rizal was able to achieve this by recognizing Luna and
Hidalgo's accomplishments while also highlighting the injustices that people experience
and providing answers to those issues. But it won't be sufficient. The suffering of the
Filipino people throughout his period, which was rampant with social injustice, will not
be made up by the Philippines, a territory of Spain. He was awake and conscious, but
 lacked the courage to move. Because he gains from the system, he seems to be cut off
from reality.

IV. Travel Back in Time

Filipinos
by : April Tivoli Ombay

Filipino, Meztizo or Indios whatever you call us, we are Filipino. The rightful
owner of this land, and we have the rights to protect, propagate and nurture our very own
land. No other race or country can enslave us and take away our rights for being a
Filipino. Some of us are deprived of education because of your useless law, we maybe
lack it but we have other methods to show how fierce and intellectual we are. Our land is
composed of raw material that we need to point to our capabilities. We are more
intellectual in terms of this landscape compared to you. So, to my countrymen, rise up
and defend your honor, our honor for being a filipino, defend our motherlands. Do not be
afraid of Spaniards, they are only equipped with guns and cannon but we have the wits
and strategies to overthrow them. Rise up Filipino.

V. Rizalista V.S. Pilarista

Rizal Del Pilar

Background The son of a prosperous Philippine revolutionary

landowner, Rizal was propagandist and satirist. He
educated in Manila and at the tried to marshal the
University of Madrid. A nationalist sentiment of the
brilliant medical student, he enlightened Filipino
soon committed himself to ilustrados, or bourgeoisie,
the reform of Spanish rule in against Spanish imperialism.
his home country, though he Marcelo Del Pilar was born in
never advocated Philippine Kupang, Bulacan, on Aug.
independence. 30, 1850, to cultured parents.

Major Works His only two novels, Noli me In 1887 and 1888, del Pilar
tangere (1887) and El wrote a series of anti-friar
filibusterismo (1891), which petitions to the colonial
are Rizal's best known works, authorities and the Queen
became essential manuals for Regent. On November 20 and
members of the Philippine 21, 1887, he wrote the
inde- pendence movement. complaints of two Navotas
residents, that of Mateo
Mariano and the
gobernadorcillo de naturales
of Navotas, to the civil
governor.
 Propaganda Style An unwavering campaign Operated with blasphemous
for political and social humor to wage war on the
freedoms, lobbying the friars. With his use of the
peninsular government, Tagalog language instead of
Spanish (Rizal used Spanish),
using their connections
his propaganda in the
with the liberal Spanish Philippines became a
politicians. double-edged sword: a
castigation of the friars which
agitated them, and a call to
action among Filipinos

Nationalistic Ideology tolerance, more liberty and enlightened Filipino

the need for civil ilustrados, or bourgeoisie,
government. against Spanish imperialism.

VI. Comparative Exercise

Theme:
Noli Me Tangere is a wake up call to all Filipinoes in the world, the novel shows
nationalism and accepting changes in self. However, El Filibusterismo is a novel that focuses on
the inevitable revolution and whether or not the Philippines should rebel peacefully and diplomatically or
violently. Moreover, both novels talk about the abuse of the Filipinos in the hands of the friars, the
disrespectful and the unrightful actions. It also shows corruption of power between officials and racism.

Character :
Noli showed a soft spoken, patient, compassionate and idealistic Crisostiomo Ibarra while El Fili
featured a different Ibarra who portrayed the angry and vengeful side of him and disguised himself as the
wealthy jeweler named simoun. Noli shows the reformist side of Rizal while El fili is on the
revolutionary side. The characters present in each novel are similar in that they represent real people who
are close to him or he simply knows.

Plot:
Noli is a love story or a romantic novel, dedicated to our motherland while El fili is a political
novel associated with revenge and anger and is dedicated to GOMBURZA. Moreover, this two novel
tackles the struggles, the emotion and feeling in which Rizal felt during the Spaniards' colonization in the
Philippines.

VII. Jose Rizal by profession

● Rizal as a teacher, during his exile in Dapitan he managed to teach the children in Dapitan with
various subjects. He teaches how to catch insects, gather shells, dive for rare fish, speak and write
languages like Spanish, English, French and German, as well as “practical lessons in botany and
zoology,” physical fitness and martial arts. As a teacher, Rizal developed his own practical
teaching method, learning aids and learning management.
 ● Rizal as a Farmer. Throughout the years, in the vast land of Dapitan, Rizal planted several plants
and trees. He also teaches the fellow farmer the proper way of planting and nurturing the land to
produce healthy crops. And aid some fishermen in various techniques in fishing.
● Rizal as a Surgeon. Rizal offered free services to the local people, but charged the visitors based
on their capacity to pay. From his earnings, he helped the town by building a hospital, donating
funds for public lighting, etc.
● Rizal as an Engineer. Rizal helped the town by developing its first park, with street lamps and a
garden/flower relief map of the whole island of Mindanao. With support of the local authorities
and the residents, he constructed Dapitan’s aqueduct with a length of several kilometers using
clay tiles and lime. He also initiated plaza beautification and clean-up to improve health and
sanitation.
● Rizal as a Learner. He studied Tagalog grammar, Malay and Bisaya, wrote an article on witchcraft
in the Philippines, and collected species that he sent to scientists abroad. He wrote poems and
letters that reflected his brilliant mind and carried his pains and aspirations.

VIII. Essay Writing

Dr. Jose Rizal as a hero?

A hero is a representation of virtue. By utilizing kindness, Rizal offered us freedom. Jose Rizal
battled for freedom in an incredibly quiet yet effective manner, which helped him become the Philippine's
national hero. He did not use force or hostility to demonstrate his love for the Philippines; rather, he did
so through his novels, essays, and articles. At the time, he was a remarkably extraordinary man. He
advocated for reforms through his writings rather than through a revolution since he was modest. Instead
of using them in an aggressive manner, he made excellent use of his brains, talents, and skills. Compared
to other heroes and national figures throughout the time, they fought in battles to show patriotism. They
raised their fist to eradicate the colonizer in the philippines. Power and strength may be the appropriate
method to freedom, but is mere strength and power enough? And that is how Rizal comes on stage, a jack
of all trades, with his wits and strategies he created the best way to eradicate the Spaniards. Through the
power and strength of pen and paper, words and articles are his weapon, destroying the Spaniards inside
and using their own assets as weapons to push them away. What makes Rizal unique to others is that he
uses a method that can last forever and no one can ever take it from us, and that is education. He educated
the Filipinos and let them wake up from the slumber. He let us see what these colonizers had been doing,
he gave us voices that the friars failed to hear, eyes that had been blinded with promises and unjust ways
of ruling. He boosts our morale being a Filipino and he lets us see who we really are.
Rizal had been outspoken in his criticism of the Spanish government, but he did so in an
incredibly calm and forward-thinking way. He believed that "the pen was mightier than the sword," and
he exposed the wrongdoings of Spanish friars as well as presidency officials' corruption through his
writings. Essays, poems, allegories, and editorials were all contributed by Rizal while he was living in
Barcelona to the Spanish journal La Solidaridad. The majority of his essays and editorials, as well as his
writings in general, focused on personal freedom and rights, particularly for Filipinos. He even required
the Philippines to be included in Spain as a province in order to implement his reforms. Noli Me Tángere
(Touch Me Not) and El Filibusterismo ( Reign of Greed), stood out as two of his best novels among the
rest. In one of his last letters, titled Mi ultimo adiós or My Last Farewell, Rizal said goodbye to his
countrymen and motherland just days before he was executed. On December 30, 1896, Dr. José Rizal was
put to death at what was then known as Bagumbayan (now spoken as Luneta). He turned to the squad as
he heard the order to shoot him and said, "Consummatum est," with his last breath (It is finished).
According to historical chronicles, the Filipino martyr and hero's life was taken by just one bullet.