Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda
Ipinanganak noong Hunyo 19, 1861 sa Calamba, Laguna at Namatay noong Disyembre 30, 1896 sa Bagumbayan( isa nang Luneta ngayon )
Siya ay anak nina Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado y Alejandro at Teodora Morales Alonzo Realonda y Quintos.
Pampito siya sa labing-isang magkakapatid.
Ang kanyang mga naging kasintahan ay sina:
•Julia/Minang
•Segunda Katigbak
•Jacinta Ibarda Laza/Binibining L
•Leonor “Orang” Valenzuela
•Leonor Rivera
•Consuelo Ortega y Rey
•Gertrude Beckett
•Nellie Bousted
• Seiku “O Sei San” Usui
•Suzanne Jacoby
•Josephine Bracken
In 1887, while studying medicine in the Universidad Central de Madrid, he wrote the novel ‘Noli Me Tangere’. He harshly criticized the Spanish colonial rule in Philippines and wrote of the injustices and brutalities suffered by the native people. His novel was banned by the government due to its scathing contents.
He had been exposed to the problematic life under the Spanish government and was aware of the difficulties experienced by the Filipinos. He became the leader of the reform movement of Filipino students in Spain and wrote several articles and essays in the Spanish newspaper ‘La Solidaridad’.
He believed that Philippines was struggling with the twin problems of corrupt friars and bad government. Ideas of progressive ideals, peaceful reforms, individual rights and rights for the Filipino people formed the foundation of his writings.
The main focus of the reforms he advocated were freedom of assembly and speech, representation in the legislature, equal rights before the law for both Filipinos and Spanish, and that the Philippines be a province of Spain. However, the colonial authorities did not favor these reforms.
In 1891, his second novel ‘El Filibusterismo’ was published as a sequel to his first novel. The novel dealt with dark and violent themes that were considerably different from the theme of its predecessor. The novel profoundly impacted the Philippine society’s views about national identity and was banned in some parts of the country for its portrayal of the Spanish government’s corruption.
He returned to Philippines in 1892 as he felt he needed to be in the country to effectively bring about reforms. He formed a civic movement called La Liga Filipina which campaigned for social reforms through peaceful and legal means.
By the early 1890s the government had branded Rizal an enemy of the State in spite of the fact that he advocated peaceful reforms; the authorities were angry with his novels and writings which had exposed the corruption of the Spanish Colonial government. He was exiled to Dapitan in July 1892.
In Dapitan he continued his reform work by building a school for young boys, a hospital and a water supply system. He also taught farming and worked on agricultural projects using abaca, a plant used for making rope.
In 1895, Cuba was engulfed by an epidemic of yellow fever and Rizal volunteered to serve as an army doctor. His request was accepted by the Governor-General Ramon Blanco.
By August 1896, a secret society Katipunan started a violent revolution. Even though Rizal was in no way associated with the revolution, he was arrested enroute to Cuba.
He was sent back to Manila where he was tried for rebellion, sedition and conspiracy and convicted of all these charges.
