In his novels and newspaper editorials, Rizal called for a number of reforms of the Spanish colonial system in the Philippines. He advocated freedom of speech and assembly, equal rights before the law for Filipinos, and Filipino priests in place of the often-corrupt Spanish churchmen. In additi...
Rizal used elaborate characters to symbolize the different personalities and characteristics of both the oppressors and the oppressed, paying notable attention to Filipinos who had adopted the customs of their colonizers, forgetting their own nationality; the Spanish friars who were portrayed as lustful ...
Rizal’s last words were those of Jesus Christ, “consummatum est” meaning“it is finished” before his execution on December 30, 1896. His poem “Mi Ultimo Adios” was assumed to have been written days before his execution and was found hidden in an alcohol stove. His body was secret...
Rizal was arrested and tried forseditionby the military. Found guilty, he was publicly executed by a firing squad in Manila. His martyrdom convinced Filipinos that there was noalternativeto independence from Spain. On the eve of his execution, while confined in Fort Santiago, Rizal wrote “Últ...