JOSE RIZAL: Life, Works and Writings (Gregorio F. Zaide)

Jose Rizal: Life, Works and Writings

Gregorio F. Zaide



Years ago a handful of dedicated souls—the scholars and Rizalists—cared to know Rizal, the peerless genius and greatest hero of our nation. Most of our people—including the youth whom the hero once hailed as the ”bella esperanza de la patria mia!”—were woefully unfamiliar with his life’s story and achievements, so that they knew little of his sublime martyrdom, much less of his writings, especially Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

Recently, the trend of events has fortunately drifted towards a better understanding of a once neglected national hero. The approval of Republic Act. No. 1425, otherwise called the “Rizal Law” on June 12, 1956, and its implementation by the Department of Education awakened greater interest on things Rizaliana. This law provides that “courses on the life, works and writings of Jose Rizal, particularly his novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, shall be included in the curricula of all schools, colleges and universities, public or private.