Rizal: Behind His Title "Philippines National Hero”
Rizal as a Filipino Hero
We probably know Dr. Jose Rizal as Philippines National Hero, but other seems to know only that information. I remember asking someone at my age (18 years old), I asked her if she knew Rizal and she replied, like the typical answer she said (Yes I know him, he is our National Hero), and that is the only thing she said. I observed that many of us, especially the youth of today only know Rizal as our National Hero but did not really know how he became one, we only care about his title as a Hero but did not care about behind those title and his life, works and contributions.
But who really Rizal is? how he became our national hero? what are his writings and works? in what way he contributed in achieving Philippines independence?
Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado Y Alonzo Realonda also known as Dr. Jose Rizal is one of the most significant person you should know in the Philippines. Behind the name Jose Rizal is a very sociable and passionate person, he is one of the bravest and intelligent person you should admire of. He lived a simple but a very meaningful life, he lived seeking for freedom and justice, he lived to help and protect his country and countrymen. He is a talented person, he is known as an expert in different fields such as medicine, he was a polymath skilled in both science and arts, he exhibited other amazing talents like painting, sketching and sculpting, he is also a doctor, a poet, writer and essayist. He even even master 22 languages including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew and so on.
Source: https://www.baumanrarebooks.com/rare-books/marcos-ferdinand-rizal-jose/noli-me-tangere-with-el-filibusterismo/76186.aspx
José Protasio Rizal Mercado Y Alonso Realonda was a “patriot, physician and man of letters who was an inspiration to the Philippine nationalist movement… In 1886 Rizal published his first novel, Noli Me Tangere (The Social Cancer), a passionate exposure of the evils of Spanish rule in the Philippines. A sequel, El Filibusterismo (1891; The Reign of Greed), which he dedicated to the three martyred priest of Cavite mutiny. He created this books to defend Filipino people from foreign accusations of foolishness and lack of knowledge and to expose the cruelties, graft and corruption of the false government and honestly show the wrong doings of Filipinos that led to further failure. He also established his reputation as the leading spokesman of the Philippine reform movement… Rizal’s political program included integration of the Philippines as a province of Spain, representation in the Cortes (the Spanish parliament), the replacement of Spanish friars by Filipino priests, freedom of assembly and expression and equality of Filipinos and Spaniards before the law.
This two literary works Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo are his masterpiece that awakened the national and political consciousness of our countrymen, it became essential manuals for members of the Philippines independence movement. He was the architect and the personification of Filipino aspirations. His life and works are now widely published in all parts of the country which was given a lot of Filipino an inspiration. He just not us his strength in fighting but he also use his skills and talent, he fight through is intelligence and writings.
Rizal: National Pride
Source: https://www.panaynews.net/birth-of-a-hero/?amp
Ever since he was a child, Rizal had been a devoted son of the Philippines. In time, as he grew old enough to understand not only the beauty of the nation, but also the tragedy of its political oppression, he expressed with increasing force and clarity his aspirations for a Filipino homeland that would be truly free. On the one hand, he loved the Spain of Cervantes, the MOnarchy, and the glorious Catholic faith that had repulsed the Muslim invader. On the other, he felt trapped by the inexorable forces of fate that seemed to control the destiny of his people. In El Filibusterismo, the protagonist,stark conversation;
“The strange fate of some peoples! Because a passing traveler came to their shores, they lost their freedom and became the subjects and slaves not only of the traveler or of his heirs but even of his countrymen, and not for one generation alone but for ever more! What a strange idea of justice! A situation like that one gave one more than enough right to slaughter every foreigner like the most ferocious monster spewed up by the sea. (195)”
As we have seen, Rizal did not espouse armed revolt; however, these words of his novel demonstrate that he was understanding of those who might have such leanings. Still, his way was not that of the gun but rather that of the pen, the book and the mind. The young intellectual frequently wrote of the need for education, and often represented what he believed to be the dire consequences of ignorance. For Rizal, nqtionql pride was a question of awakening in the Filipino people a sense of collective ownership of their illustrious past, while at the same time engendering in them a profound dedication to national stewardship.
RIZAL’ S VISION OF REFORM
Foremost in Rizal’s mind was the need for government to be respectful of its citizens, and to be truly concerened with the commonwealth. In the fiest of his articles to be published in La Solidaridad, “Filipino Farmers,” which appeared on March 15, 1889, the young intellectual described what he believed to be a government that was unworthy of the trust of its people, and clearly outlined the consequences of such a form of rule:
“This system of interference, of unfounded fears, of unjust suspicions not only irritates and arouses people but also reveals to them the weakness of the government; for these fears are but a manifestation of its weakness . . . This conduct of the government injures the real interests of Spain, and by thus causing discontent, the government appears to be the first filibuster. And since we believe that a country cannot be served better than by telling her the truth, we are telling it to the mother country so that she may apply the necessary remedy. (qtd. in Palma 123)
This highly significant passage reveals the fact that, even after countless sufferings at the hands of the Spanish authorities, Rizal did not openly advocate an overthrow of the colonial system. On the contrary, he had a deep and abiding love for Spain, its language, its Catholic faith, and its culture. Nonetheless, a thoroughgoing program of reform was necessary, if, as Rizal observed, Filipinos were to remain loyal to the Spanish crown.
Source: https://utpjournals.press/doi/pdf/10.3138/uram.34.1-2.113
Rizal is the national hero of the Philippines, he become a symbol of the Philippine struggle for independence. He was the one who led the Filipinos to start a revolution against the Spanish regime/government to attain freedom and to gain control of the country.
For Rizal, love of his Philippine homeland and dedication to its betterment were the unquestioned ultimate reality and meaning of his life, which he stated in the clearest, yet most elegant of words in yet another of his celebrated letters: “If one must die, at least let him die in his country, for the good of his country, and on behalf of his country” [“Si uno ha de morir, que muera al menos en su patria, por su patria y para su patria”](qtd. in Fortú 105). It is no surprise, then, that Rizal is
known to this day as the “Father of the Philippine Homeland,” and, to members of the Filipino Independent Church, as “Saint José Rizal.”
As we appreciate Rizal as our National Hero, let’s also appreciate what ‘s behind it. Let’s appreciate how he sacrifice his life for his unconditional love for the Philippines, and how he fight not just for the sake himself but the also for the sake of his countrymen.
Remember: Mindfulness improves well-being, so be aware, be mindful and be knowledgeable.
Works Cited
https://utpjournals.press/doi/pdf/10.3138/uram.34.1-2.113
https://www.baumanrarebooks.com/rare-books/marcos-ferdinand-rizal-jose/noli-me-tangere-with-el-filibusterismo/76186.aspx