ACTIVITY SHEET FOR LESSON 5

(Rizal’s Life: Higher Education and Life Abroad)

Name: Sarah A. Jagolino Year & Section: OVI-2 Score:

Evaluate the Propaganda Movement.

 The Propaganda Movement (1872-1892) was the first Filipino nationalist

movement, led by a Filipino elite and inspired by the protonation list activism
of figures such as José Burgos and by his execution at the hands of colonial
authorities. 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. There, they encountered the tumult of
19th century political movements inspired by Enlightenment thought,
individual rights, constitutionalism, and anti-clericalism. It was an
assimilationist movement in that the propagandists—many of whom were of
half Spanish parentage and saw themselves as inheritors of Spanish
civilization—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. The Propaganda Movement targeted the Spanish government
and public, but as an elite movement failed to engage with the wider Filipino
population. The Spanish government was little interested in the conditions of
the Philippines, particularly with the immense political foment in the Spanish
political environment, and the movement ultimately received scant support
and made little headway in Spain. The propagandists themselves were
considered to be rebels at home in the Philippines, and many were exiled.
Despite its overall failure, the movement generated a political consciousness
that fed into the nationalist revolution of 1896 and the struggle for
independence that followed.
Explain the principle of assimilation advocated by the Propaganda Movement

 The Propaganda Movement was a literary and cultural organization formed in

1872 by Filipino émigrés settled in Europe. Composed of Filipino liberals
exiled in 1872 and students attending Europe's universities, the organization
aimed to increase Spanish awareness of the needs of its colony, the
Philippines, and to propagate a closer relationship between the colony and
 Spain. The Propaganda Movement is Rizal advocated the assimilation of the
Philippines with the help of Gomburza through writings. That propaganda is
composed of messages containing all the opinions for Filipinos to have the
same right as the Spanish citizen. The goal of assimilation is to achieve legal
equality between Spaniards and Filipinos and eliminate forced labor's annual
obligation. It aimed to make the Philippines a Spanish colony. They thought it
would be better for Filipinos to become Spanish and have equal rights and
benefits and sought a slot for representative in Spanish Cortes .
Distinguish Rizal’s involvement in the movement

 The Propaganda Movement languished after Rizal's arrest and the collapse of
the Liga Filipina. La Solidaridad went out of business in November 1895, and
in 1896 both Del Pilar and Lopez Jaena died in Barcelona, worn down by
poverty and disappointment. An attempt was made to reestablish the Liga
Filipina, but thenational movement had become split between ilustrado
advocates of reform and peaceful evolution (the compromisarios, or
compromisers) and a plebeian constituency that wanted revolution and
national independence. Because the Spanish refused to allow genuine
reform, the initiative quickly passed from the former group to the latter. Rizal
ceaselessly aspired for the ideal. When he came of age, this took the form of
fighting injustice in society. To liberate his fellow Filipinos from the bondages
of political tyranny and its corollaries, misery and ignorance, became his all-
consuming raison d’etre, pervading all aspects of his life, in the end excluding
all other considerations- family, friends, personal happiness, and life itself.
Rizal became a leader of the reformist movement called Propaganda, an
unwavering campaign for political and social freedoms, lobbying the
peninsular government, using their connections with the liberal Spanish
politicians. He wrote unceasingly for the La Solidaridad, mouthpiece of the
Propaganda, hoping as did his fellow Propagandists that the pleas of the
Filipinos would be heard by the powers-thatbe. He produced the two novels
that he hoped would succeed in achieving his goals where all other means
had failed, but which ultimately led to his death. Rizal was among the first to
affirm the Filipino. He studied Philippine history to prove Filipinos had a
culture of their own, prior to colonization, that the Filipinos were not inferior to
the white man. It was what made him take up the annotation of Morga’s
Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, and comb the shelves of the London Library for
books on Philippine history. Pride in the worth of the Filipino was what
provoked him to shatter the myth of the so-called “indolence of the Filipino”
and to reduce those Filipinos who denied their native tongue into rotten fish;
to seriously study Tagalog and attempt to produce a comprehensive Tagalog
dictionary. It was this same conviction that made him embrace the generic
term indio with all its negative connotations, and turned it into one of dignity
and nobility. Rizal put a premium on the value of time, and to make good use
of it he exerted a constant effort to improve himself, investing much time and
persistence in his own education, taking up sculpture, painting, aside from the
usual academics. He learned other languages including German, even
 translating Schiller’s William Tell into Tagalong. He constantly kept himself
abreast of the current trends in philosophy and science by reading and
attending scholarly dialogues. He learned early the virtue of denying oneself,
as when he left home to live at a boys’ school in another town. In Madrid while
studying medicine, he experienced homesickness and physical deprivation,
staying in cramped quarters in the low end of the city or skipping meals to
save money for rent. It was routine for him to forego socials to focus on his
studies. When he was in Berlin preparing the Noli for publication, and later in
Ghent, for the publication of El Filibusterismo, he again had to forego meals
for lack of funds. In Dapitan, he used his winnings from a lottery contest to
build light and water systems for the locals. He put up a school for the local
boys, with himself as teacher, treating patients for free, and spurred the locals
to plant fruit trees, sugar cane, cacao, and to form their own marketing group.

Appraise Rizal’s relationship with other Propagandists

 Antonio Luna, while he was in Europe he collaborated with the other

Filipinos, like Rizal for the Propaganda Movement. He also wrote for La
Solidaridad and contributed the article “Impressions”, which contain the
unique traditions and customs of the Spanish under the pen-name “Taga-
Ilog”.
 Mariano Ponce, in Europe he quit he’s studies to join the Propaganda
Movement and he served as the secretary of the movement. As a
propagandists, he uses various pen-names like “Naning” (his nickname),
Kalipulako (Lapu-lapu) and Tikbalang. With the help of his writings, he
disclosed the sad condition of the Filipinos under the Spanish government,
attacked the rulers, abuses and fought for the reform and equality.
 Jose Alejandro, he helped Rizal in correcting the errors in the book El
Filibusterismo, also he might have been the first person aside from the author
who reads it. He is also served as the editorial staff in the Propaganda
Movement.
 Graciano Lopez Jaena, was a Filipino propagandists, journalist and orator.
He founded the patriotic newspaper La Solidaridad, which he became the first
editor. At the age of 18, he anonymously wrote the “Fray Botod” (Big Bellied
Friar), which he revealed the friars greed, immorality, cruelty and false piety.
The Spanish authorities couldn’t prove that Jaena was the author. He was
also the publisher of La Solidaridad and wrote under his pen- name Plaridel.
 Edilberto Evangelista, he graduated as an Engineer but he refuses the
offer European companies instead he wants to serve his country. Evangelista
got involved in the Propaganda Movement, during the 1896 Philippine
revolution, the Spanish authorities suspected and arrested many Filipinos for
supposed involvement in the uprising he was one of those arrested and
imprisoned.

Analyze Rizal’s growth as a Propagandist and disavowal of assimilation

  In order to achieve its objectives, the Propaganda Movement launched its
own newspaper, La Solidaridad. The Soli, as the reformists affectionately
referred to their official organ, was published every two weeks. The first issue
was printed on November 15, 1895. Graciano Lopez Jaena was Solidaridad's
first editor. H. Marcelo In October 1889, Del Pilar took over. Del Pilar was in
charge of the Soli until it ceased publication due to a lack of funds.
1. Find out the issue of La Solidaridad and analyze the aims stated therein.

On February 15, 1889, the first issue The desire to form a purely Filipino
of La Solidaridad came out and its organization was fulfilled with the
editorial expressed its aim: establishment in Barcelona on December
13, 1888 if La Solidaridad. This
Our aspirations are modest, very
organization was a sort of rival of
modest. Our program, aside from
Morayta's Madrid group although the two
being simple, is clear: to combat
organizations joined together in a petition
reaction, to stop all retrogressive
addressed to the Minister of the Colonies
steps, to extol and adopt liberal ideas,
asking for representation in the Cortes,
to defend progress; in a word, to be a
abolition of censorship of the press, and
propagandist, above all, of
prohibition of the practice of deporting
democratic ideas in order to make
citizens merely through administrative
these supreme in all nations here and
orders.
across the seas.
The president of La Solidaridad was
The aims, therefore, of La
Rizal's cousin, Galicano Apacible.
Solidaridad are described as to
Among the other officers were Graciano
collect, to gather, libertarian ideas
Lopez-Jaena, vice-president, and
which are manifested daily in the field
Mariano Ponce, treasurer. Rizal, in
of politics, science, art, literature,
London at the time, was named
commerce, agriculture and industry.
Honorary President. Unfortunately,
We shall also discuss all problems Apacible could not hold the wrangling
relating to the general interest of the reformists together. It took the prestige of
nation and seek solutions to those Rizal and the political wisdom of del Pilar
problems in high-level and to unite the Filipinos in Spain and to
democratic manner. coordinate their efforts.

***
But finally, in February 15, 1889, the
Filipino propagandists were able to get
With regard to the Philippines, since together behind a new publication which
she needs the most help, not being they called La Solidaridad, and which for
represented in the Cortes, we shall its more than five years of its existence
pay particular attention to the defense became the principal organ of the
of her democratic rights, the propaganda movement. It was founded
accomplishment of which is our on February 15, 1889 and existed up to
patriotic duty. November 15, 1895. Its first editor was
That nation of eight million souls Graciano Lopez-Jaena but he was soon
should not, must not be the exclusive succeeded by Marcelo H. del Pilar. La
preserve of theocracy and Solidaridad was a political propaganda
traditionalism. paper with a liberal, reformist orientation
dedicated to the task of fighting reaction
in all its forms.
The contributors of the La
Solidaridad were mostly Filipinos, such
as Certainly an important factor limiting the
influence of the propagandists was the
 Marcelo H. del Pilar (Plaridel)
fact that they wrote in Spanish, a
 Dr. Jose Rizal (Laon Laan) language virtually unknown to the
masses. Furthermore, censorship
 Mariano Ponce (Naning, Kalipulo,
seriously limited the inflow of such
Tigbalang) reading matter and made possession of
 Antonio Luna (Taga Ilog) it very risky.

 Jose Ma. Panganiban (Jomapa) But despite all the foregoing, the
influence of the Propaganda on the
 Dr. Pedro Paterno revolution cannot be discounted.
 Antonio Ma. Regidor True, La Solidaridad itself, Rizal's novels,
and other propaganda material had
 Isabelo delos Reyes limited circulation, but these reached the
 Eduardo de Lete local ilustrados who in most instances
came to lead the revolutionary forces in
 Jose Alejandrino their provinces. The fund-raising efforts
Some friends of the Propaganda of local committees and masonic lodges
Movement also contributed, notably and the clandestine attempts to distribute
Professor Blumentritt ( Austrian these materials involved more individuals
ethnologist ) and Dr. Morayta ( Spanish in the campaign for reforms. The very
Historian, university professor and attempts of the government to stop the
statesman ). entry of La Solidaridad and prevent its
distribution highlighted the lack of
freedoms that the propagandists were
condemning.
In the last issue of La
Solidaridad (November 15, 1895), M.H. If readership was small, seepage of
del Pilar wrote his farewell editorial information to other groups certainly
saying : occurred. And because what the
propagandists wrote were accurate
We are persuaded that no sacrifices
reflections of reality, a feeling of empathy
are too little to win the rights and the
developed wherever news of their work
liberty of a nation that is oppressed
was heard. The articulation of their own
by slavery.
feelings of oppression heightened the
ferment of the people and herein lay the
continuity between reformism and
revolution despite their diametrically
 opposed means and goals

Project-based (Individual Thought Paper):

When Jose Rizal left the Philippines for Europe, he met many people and visited
many places. In each of Jose Rizal’s stop over, identify a person or place that he met or
visited. You may even make a scrapbook, travel journal, or just attach a photo
or portrait of the person or the place to complete your illustration of Rizal’s journey outside
the Philippines.
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