Veneration without Understanding: Does Rizal deserve to be our national hero?
National revolution a period when the people were most united, most involved, and most decisively active in the fight for freedom almost always the leader of the rev becomes the principal hero of his people eg. Washington-US, Lenin-Soviet Union, Sun Yat Sen and Mao-China, Ho Chi Minh-Vietnam Philippines’ case national hero was not the leader of the Rev in fact he rejected it Rizal was against Bonifacio and those who were fighting for the country’s liberty him wanting to go to Cuba to render medical service was an act of betrayal December 15, 1896 Manifesto since the beginning, Rizal o opposed the Revolution; for him, reforms are beneficial o condemn the uprisings that o dishonors Filipinos and discredits the likes of him abhors its criminal methods and o disclaim all part in it and pitied those who take part in the Revolution Rizal and the Revolution
Contradictions exist on whether Rizal was wrong or the Revolution was wrong Rizalists had different approaches in dealing with the issue o Silent on the issue of Rizal’s condemnation of the Katipunan o Embarrassed by his refusal to align with the revolutionaries Agree on Rizal on the primacy of o education o Praised Rizal’s stand against the Rev Choose not to dwell on the issue o
Rizal’s reaction toward the Revolution is treasonous in the light of Filipino’s struggle against Spain Irony: Rizal rejected the one act that synthesized our nationalist aspiration yet we consider him a nationalist leader Has dangerous implications: can o be used to excuse those who actively betrayed the Revolution and may serve to diminish the passion of those at present who supports nationalist undertaking An American-Sponsored Hero
Rizal was already a revered figure—had the qualities of greatness, patriotic, martyr to oppression, obscurantism, and bigotry —more so after his martyrdom. However, it can’t be denied that his pre-eminence among our heroes was a result of American sponsorship How was it done? Encouraging a Rizal cult o Minimizing/Vilifying the o importance of other heroes Governor William Howard Taft 1901: suggested that the Philippine Commission be given a national hero Free Press of December 28, o 1946: Gov. addressed to the Filipino members of the commission to declare a Rizal Day Theodor Friend Book: Between Two Empires Taft with American officials and o some conservative Filipinos chose Rizal over Aguinaldo (too militant), Bonifacio (too radical) and Mabini (unregenerate)
Sponsorship of Rizal was implemented thru Acts of Philippine Commission: Act No. 137- organized the politicomilitary district of Morong and named it the province of Rizal “in honor of the most illustrious Filipino and the most illustrious Tagalog the islands had ever known” Act No. 243- authorized a public subscription for the erection of a monument in honor of Rizal at the Luneta Act No. 346- anniversary of death as a day of observance Governor W. Cameron Forbes Book: The Philippine Islands Public schools are teaching that o Rizal is the greatest of Filipino patriots Reason of Rizal’s acceptability as national hero: Rizal never advocated o independence, nor did he advocate armed resistance to the government. He urged reform from within by publicity, by public education, and appeal to the public conscience. he was safely dead by the time o America began colonizing Rizal's death symbolizes Spanish o oppression. This way the Americans were able to divert the attention of the Filipinos from questioning the Americans. Emphasis on reformist and not a o separatist in order not to encourage people from seeking
o
Context at this time: Filipinos were desperate to have someone to look up to or the need for a hero to bolster their national identity thus they allowed to be carried by the American’s propaganda Why is it important to understand or re-evaluate our history? serve to develop how our present has been distorted by a faulty knowledge of our past we become confronted with the present already as future effects: might down-grade some heroes and even discard others (can’t spare Rizal) The Role of Heroes (Importance of Historical Materialism)
independence o
Members of Philippine Commission were conservative illustrados, also the class were Rizal came from—right social lass that was cultivating and building up for leadership
American’s desired hero: someone who would not run against American colonial policy
With or without Rizal and the others, the social and economic conditions brought by Spanish colonialism will still produce nationalist movement another type of talent would have appeared who might have given a different style to the historic struggle; but the general trend engendered by the particular social relations would have remained the same. That Rizal possessed a particular talent that influenced the style of the period was accidental Holds true at present: fundamental cause of mass action is not because of the presence of a leader rather these leaders were brought up by historical forces unleased by social development Rizal was a hero: he was able to see the problems generated by historical forces, discern the new social needs created by the historical development of new social relationships, and take an active part in meeting these needs.
Rizal was not a hero: he could have stopped and altered the course of events o
o
demonstrated by the fact that the Revolution broke out despite his refusal to lead it and continued despite his condemnation of it He was the first Filipino but he was only a limited Filipino, the ilustrado Filipino who fought for national unity but feared the Revolution and loved his mother country, yes, but in his own ilustrado way.
Ideological Framework
Innovation and Change
Context: great economic changes
Factors that led to an economic re-thinking by Liberal Spanish officials: English occupation End of galleon trade Latin-American revolutions Establishment of non-Hispanic commercial houses as well as shipping that monopolized the import-export trade Opening of ports: Sual, Cebu, Zamboanga, Legaspi, and Tacloban that further increase cosmopolitan penetration
Economic developments (eg export economy thru European and American activities) lead to improvement in communications as well as opening to the world due to the opening of Suez Canal Functional road system o o Opening of railroad lines o Postal services as well as telegraph Submarine cable to Hongkong o o Manila’s water system modernized These material progress lead to o social and cultural changes cosmopolitan attitudes heightened opposition to clerical control
Spawned discontent when the natives saw better opportunities: equality with the peninsulares in economic and political sphere; Equality with the Spaniard meant equality of opportunity Hispanization and assimilation Constituted the ideological o expression of economic motivations of idios and mestizos o Initial phase of nationalist consciousness made possible by the market situation at the time Anti-clericalism Ideological style of the period o targets the lordly friar who had o been responsible for the isolation of the islands Rizal was an ilustrado and was a product of his society and as such could be expected to voice only those aims that were within the competence of his class For Constantino: real equality must be based on national freedom and independence
Concept of Filipino Nationhood Rizal’s contribution -growth of national consciousness -Filipino nationhood; the winning of our name as a race, recognition of our people as one, and the elevation of the indio into Filipino
mendicants
