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Reflection Paper

How did Jose Rizal perceive the law during his time?

Over hundreds of years have passed since the Spanish colonizers took over our

country and left, but the marks and lessons of those times still linger within us today.

Recently, the birthday of our countrys national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal has been celebrated

and his contributions remembered.

The Spanish era is said to be one of the most trying times in the history of the

Filipino people. For almost 400 years, the native Filipinos or indios suffered under the

hands of manipulative, greedy and cruel Spaniards. As colonizers, they paid little

concern to the welfare of their subordinates but instead they focused more on their

selfish motives. The Spaniards never believed that the Filipinos are capable and thought

of them degradingly. But in spite of the many negative things being said to the Filipinos

still many believed that Filipinos too could do more than they are capable of. One of

those who had faith in his countrymen was Dr. Jose Rizal.

Rizal believed that the cure to the social cancer is education. To educate the

people meant broadening their horizons and giving them more opportunities to show

their abilities. Being a man of many professions, he saw the importance of education

which the Spaniards believed otherwise.

Not only were the Filipinos, especially the indios, deprived to learn the Spanish

language and study in schools but they were also deprived of what we call today as

human rights. Rizal witnessed the injustice, discrimination and brutality of the Spanish

authorities against his countrymen. The Latin maxim Salus populi est suprema lex

means that the welfare of the people is the supreme law, but for the Spaniards the

welfare of their own interests is supreme and should not be rejected. Perhaps one of the

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factors contributing to the creation of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo was Rizal

not being able to stand doing nothing to fight for his people. He may not be like Andres

Bonifacio who wanted to take up arms against the Spanish authorities, but Rizal took his

pen and wrote two of the most inspiring novels during his time.

The characters, events and plot of Rizals two novels parallel that of the actua

situation experienced by the Filipinos during those times. From the prominent characters

of Simon/Ibarra, Maria Clara, Padre Damaso and Padre Salve, Rizal created a brilliant

way of standing against the injustices of the Spanish colonizers and abusive Spanish

friars and at the same time fuelling the Filipinos desire for freedom. Rizal ignited a spark

that would ignite the feeling of nationalism in the hearts of the Filipinos.

Dr. Jose Rizals love for his country may have cost him his life, but his sacrifice

made a big impact not only to the Filipinos of his time but also to the Filipinos of our

generation and the generations to come. In a past full of unfair and bias laws, we have

come to appreciate and give importance to the importance of justice and equal law. I

could only hope that our leaders will not cease to remember that once in our history, a

man like Dr. Jose Rizal died fighting for what he thought was right and just.