Dr. Jose P. Rizal: The Timeless Filipino by Rowena A. Pila and Cecilio D. Duka

In an era swamped by thoughtless content, fake news, and alternative truths, crucial lessons from our history seem to be fading into obscurity. The younger generation, overwhelmed by endless streams of information that challenge their narrowing attention spans, face the risk of forgetting the invaluable insights and timeless wisdom imparted to us by our national heroes, especially Jose Rizal. This textbook, Dr. Jose P. Rizal: The Timeless Filipino, is a response to this challenge. It serves as a valuable resource that will enable students to engage in meaningful discussions, critical analyses, and intellectual explorations of Rizal’s life and works.

Anchored on the Republic Act No. 1425, also known as the “Rizal Law,” which stipulates the inclusion of Jose Rizal’s life and works in the curriculum of all educational institutions in the country, the Dr. Jose P. Rizal: The Timeless Filipino aims to reignite students enthusiasm and reintroduce them to the profound ideas of our national hero and transformative experiences that shaped his intellect and heroism.

The textbook helps students navigate through Rizal’s life, ideas, and creative works. It gives a deep understanding of his formative years, the people and events that molded his character, and how he became a symbol of inspiration for future generations. It also invites them to reflect on the consequences of colonialism, the struggle for identity, the enduring power of literature as an agent of change, and the transformative power of a single individual in shaping a nation. The authors hope that by letting the learners immerse themselves in Rizal’s narrative, they can give readers a full picture of the national hero’s ideas and works and encourage them to think critically about his lasting legacy.

The book is presented to make the learning of the text inquiry-based and collaborative through the end-of-the-chapter assessments. Learning objectives, exercises, enrichment activities, chapter summaries, trivia, and suggested readings are logically articulated to facilitate students’ mastery of the subject matter and develop critical thinking skills in line with the provisions of the General Education Curriculum (CMO 08 Series 2017).

Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Course: Republic Act No. 1425
Chapter 2: Rizal in the Context of Nineteenth-Century Philippines
Chapter 3: Rizal’s Life: Family and Childhood
Chapter 4: Rizal’s Education
Chapter 5: Rizal’s Life Abroad
Chapter 6: Rizal’s Second Travel Abroad and the Last Homecoming
Chapter 7: Rizal in Dapitan
Chapter 8: Trial and Execution
Chapter 9: Annotation of Antonio de Morga’s Sucesos de las islas Filipinas
Chapter 10: Noli me tangere
Chapter 11: El Filibusterismo: The Sequel of the Noli 
Chapter 12: Rizal’s Selected Essays and His Letter to the Young Women of Malolos
Chapter 13: Jose Rizal