United Under One Flag
UNITED UNDER ONE FLAG
by Rayos del Sol, Samantha R.
The Philippine National Flag has been a companion to us Filipinos, since the day we waged a revolution against the Spaniards in 1896-1898, to the time we carried out a war against the Americans starting in 1899 and when we resisted the Japanese occupation of our nation. Our flag is an image of our national unity, hope and love for freedom. It is the result of our nation’s long struggle for sovereignty and bears the valiant deeds of our heroes and those who sacrificed their lives for the sake of our independence, thus making it an important emblem of our nation.[1]
The story of our national flag popularly known as the “The Sun and Stars” can be traced to the second phase of the revolution when Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo came up with the idea of producing a flag and an anthem that would unite and signify the new nation. Gen. Aguinaldo personally sketched the design of the flag while he was in exile in Hong Kong. He gave the design of the flag to Doña Marcela Agoncillo, who at that time, was residing in Hong Kong. Doña Agoncillo, together with her daughter Lorenza and Delfina HerbosaNatividad,completed the sewing of the flag for five days. Gen. Aguinaldo then went back to the Philippines on the 17th of May 1898 aboard the U.S.S.McCulloch; with him was the newly sewed flag, which was delivered to him.The flag as described had a triangle that symbolized hope for equality, the red stripe for patriotism, the blue stripe for peace, justice and truth, the sun with eight rays for the first eight provinces declared under a state of war by the Spanish Governor General, and the three stars to represent Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.[2]
The new flag was first waved on May 28, 1898 near the port of Cavite Nuevo after the Battle of Alapan. On May 28, 1898 around 2000 arms and 200,000 supplies of bullets were shipped to the port of Cavite for the revolutionary forces in the small barrio called Alapang, which now part of Imus, Cavite. When the Spaniards heard the news about the shipment they sent estimated forces 270 soldiers to confiscate the said arms but the local revolutionists responded by protecting the arms. This resulted in a battle. The bloody battle between the Spaniards and the local revolutionists lasted from 10 o’clock in the morning until 3 in the afternoon. In the end the Filipinos claimed victory they marched cheerfully to the headquarters of Gen. Aguinaldo, taking with them their Spanish prisoners. Gen. Aguinaldo felt that it was the right time to display the flag that he brought from Hong Kong, thus, unfurling the flag to celebrate the victory of the Filipinos over the Spanish forces. [3]
The flag, however, was formally waved in public on a Sunday afternoon, 12th of June 1898, after the reading of the proclamation independence of the Philippines from the Spaniards; the flag was waved from the window of the house of Aguinaldo in Kawit.
The Philippine flag has gone through several struggles throughout its existence, from being a symbol of a free and sovereign nation during the inauguration of the Philippine Republic of 1899 in Malolos Bulacan, to that of a beleaguered nation fighting a stronger enemy from taking its hard-won freedom from 1899 to 1913. During the American occupation, the Flag Law of 1907 was implemented prohibiting the display of the Philippine Flag anywhere.[4] The Filipinos exerted efforts to have the Flag Law repealed, gaining victory on October 24, 1919 when Gov. Gen. Harrison signed Act No. 2871 formally lifting the Flag Law.[5]
On November 15 1935, during the Commonwealth Period, Pres. Manual Quezon issued Executive Order No. 23 containing the description and specifications of the National Flag of the Philippines. [6] All this came to naught during the Japanese occupation when the display of the Philippine flag was once again prohibited. The Japanese military administration cooperated with Pres. Jose P. Laurel in hopes of winning the cooperation of the people, establishing a government under occupation. This government known as the Second Philippine Republic, was allowed to fly the national flag was again.[7]
The Third Republic of the Philippines was inaugurated on the 4th of July 1946, the American flag was lowered and Pres. Manuel A. Roxas raised the Philippine National flag amidst the signing of the National Anthem. [8] For many years, the Filipinos celebrated Independence Day on the 4th of July, even as June 12 was celebrated as Flag Day under Proclamation No. 146 issued by Pres. Elpidio Quirino. But in 1962, Pres. Diosdado Macapagal declared that the Philippine Independence Day and the Flag Day were to be celebrated on June 12.[9] After three years, Flag Day was moved to May 28 in commemoration of the Battle of Alapan under Proclamation No. 374 of 1965 signed by Pres. Diosdado Macapagal.[10] In 1994, Pres. Fidel Ramos issued Executive Order No. 179 ordering the prominent display of the National Flag from May 28 to June 12 of every year.
Indeed, our flag tells a lot stories; it has witnessed the struggles and sacrifices of Filipinos who fought their way to freedom. In turn, we, the younger generation, are expected to give importance and pay respect to our National Flag as the embodiment of our nation’s history and Filipino identity.
References
Lugos, Modesta, and Sonia Zaide. The Philippine National Flag and Anthem. Quezon City: All-Nations Publishing Co., Inc., 1997. (accessed May 15, 2013).
Pugay, Chris. “The Controversial Philippine National Flag.”National Historical Commission of the Philippines. (accessed May 22, 2013).
Reyno, Cielo. “Celebrating Two Battles and A Patriot’s Legacy.” National Historical Commission of the Philippines. (accessed May 25, 2013).
* Samantha R. Rayos del Sol, OJT at NHCP under RPHD and currently taking up History at De La Salle University Manila
[1]ModestaLugos and Sonia Zaide, The Philippine National Flag and Anthem (Quezon City: All-Nations Publishing Co., Inc., 1997), 4.
[2] Chris Pugay, “The Controversial Philippine National Flag,” National Historical Commission of the Philippines, http://nhcp.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26&Itemid=3. (accessed May 23, 2013).
[3]CieloReyno, “Celebrating Two Battles and a Patriot’s Legacy,” National Historical Commission of the Philippines, http://nhcp.gov.ph/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=761. (accessed May 25, 2013)
[4]Ibid, 25.
[5]Pugay, The Controversial Philippine National Flag.
[6]Lugos and Zaide, The Philippine National Flag and Anthem, 29.
[7]Ibid, 30.
[8]Ibid, 35.
[9]Ibid, 36.
[10]Reyno, Celebrating Two Battles and a Patriot’s Legacy.
Dakilang Bandilang Anak sa Labanan
DAKILANG BANDILANG ANAK SA LABANAN
by Ian Christopher B. Alfonso at Reymann L. Guevarra
Nasa kabundukan na ng Cordillera, partikular sa Lubuagan, Distrito ng Lepanto (ngayon ay Kalinga) ang pamahalaang gerilyero ni Hen. Emilio Aguinaldo. Noo’y Disyembre 1899. Nasa panahon pa rin ng pagluluksa ang mga kawal Pilipino sa pagkakapaslang sa Pasong Tirad ni Hen. Gregorio del Pilar. Ang kabayanihang iyon ni del Pilar ang dahilan upang makapagtago pa sa Lubuagan sina Aguinaldo at maipagpatuloy ang pakikidigma sa mga Amerikano. Ang buhay ni del Pilar ang dahilan upang mailigtas si Aguinaldo, ang simbolo ng batang bansang Pilipinas, at makitang nakawagayway sa sariling lupain at papawirin ang Pambansang Watawat ng Pilipinas.
Sa Lubuagan ay kumatha ng isang tula si Aguinaldo ukol sa Pambansang Watawat. Binanggit niya na “sa silangan araw ay sikat na, Pilipinas [ang] unang nakakita” at “taglay [nito’y] tatlong talang maganda, pawang [makikinang] at mahalaga.” Dagdag pa, “[ang] sinag ng araw bilang ay walo, Pilipinas ang tinungo.” Inilarawan rin ni Aguinaldo na ang Pambansang Watawat ay “dakilang bandilang anak sa labanan galang sa’yo’y walang katapusan; ikaw ri’t ikaw ang [ipagdiriwang] kailan man, habang may buhay.” Ang mga taludtod na ito ay pawang mga pahayag ng pagbibigay-diin ni Aguinaldo na kailangang mabatid ng mga Pilipino na ang ating watawat ay bunga ng pakikibaka ng mga Pilipino at ito’y dapat “ipagdiwang kailan man, habang may buhay.”
Sa katunayan, bago pa man niya isulat ang tulang ito, noong 29 Setyembre 1898, sa araw ng pagratipika ng Congreso Revolucionario sa kalayaan ng Pilipinas sa Simbahan ng Barasoain, unang ipinahayag ni Aguinaldo na ang Pambansang Watawat ay “Bandilang ipinanganak sa pakikilaban” at “siya ngang tinatanghal at iginagalang sa buong Pilipinas.” Ang naturang talumpati rin ang unang pagpapahayag ni Aguinaldo sa kahulugan ng ating watawat. Ayon sa kanya, ang pula ay sagisag ng tapang at kabayanihan ng mga Pilipino at ang pinakakilalang kulay mula Cavite hanggang Biak-na-Bato. Ang asul naman, na ayon kay Aguinaldo ay itim dapat, ay kulay na nagpapahayag ng pagbabanta sa sinumang bansang nais mang-alipin muli ay mauubos ang lahat ng Pilipino bago nila makuha ang Pilipinas. Ang puti naman ay pagpapahayag ng pagsasarili ng mga Pilipino. Ang mga bituwin ay sagisag ng Luzon, Visayas at Mindanao. Ang walong sinag ng araw ay ang walong lalawigang ipinailalim ng Espanya sa estado de guerra, at ang mga lalawigang ito ang nagsilbing tanglaw sa iba pang lalawigan at mga katutubo ng kabundukan at ibang mga pulo upang sama-samang labanan ang mga Espanyol.
Nagsilbing tanglaw ng mga Pilipino sa gitna ng mga labanan ang Pambansang Watawat. Mula nang ito’y unang masilayan ng mga rebolusyunaryo sa daungan ng Cavite Nuevo noong 28 Mayo 1898 at opisyal na ipinakilala sa buong sangka-Pilipinuhan sa Cavite el Viejo (Kawit) noong 12 Hunyo 1898, ang katayugan ng ating Pambansang Watawat ay sagisag ng kagalakan ng ating mga ninuno sa pananagumpay ng ating kalayaan. Sa bisa ng Acta de la Proclamacion de Independencia del Pueblo Filipino na binasa ni Ambrosio Rianzarres Bautista, ang mga kinatawan ng iba’t ibang lalawigan ay nagkaisang gumamit ng iisang watawat at dito’y “taimtim na [nanumpa] upang kilalanin at ipagtanggol ito hanggang sa huling patak ng kanilang dugo.”
Wala na ang mga Espanyol. Naisilang na ang unang demokratikong republikang konstitusyunal sa Asya noong 23 Enero 1899 sa Malolos. Dumating naman ang banta sa kalayaan at kasarinlan ng mga Pilipino – ang mga Amerikano. Isa ang Estados Unidos ng Amerika sa mga bansang hindi kumilala sa kalayaan ng Pilipinas at kumwestiyon sa paggamit ng ating mga ninuno ng Pambansang Watawat. Ito nama’y inilaban ni Felipe Agoncillo sa kanyang paggiit na kilalanin ng Espanya, Estados Unidos at Pransya ang pamahalaang Pilipino. Ganoon pa man, pinanindigan ng mga kawal ng unang republika ang pagdala sa Pambansang Watawat — sa mga kaparangan, kapatagan, kabundukan, kung saan man sila dalhin ng kapalaran sa gitna ng Digmaang Pilipino-Amerikano. Bumagsak man ang pamahalaan ni Aguinaldo noong 23 Marso 1901 sa Palanan, hindi naman namatay ang pagtangi ng mga Pilipino sa Pambansang Watawat. May nagpatuloy sa digmaan; ang iba nama’y idinaan sa pagtatanghal ng zarzuela ang pagkondena sa mga Amerikano. Sinikil ng Pamahalaang Amerikano ang mga Pilipino sa pamamagitan ng pagbawal sa paggamit ng Pambansang Watawat noong 1907. Inilaban ito ng mga makabayang Pilipino sa lehislatura. Hanggang sa noong 1919, napagwagian ng mga Pilipino na muling maitaas ang Pambansang Watawat sa sariling lupain.
Paano naman ang mga kabataan at kawal Pilipino noong Ikalawang Digmaang Pandaigdig? Silang nanindigan na kaya rin nilang ipagtanggol ang bansa laban sa mga Hapon, gamit ang Pambansang Watawat bilang kanilang inspirasyon? Napagwagian nila ang digmaan. Kalaunan, nakita na ng Estados Unidos na dapat nang ibigay ang kasarinlan sa mga Pilipino. At noong 4 Hulyo 1946, naganap ang pinakadakilang araw ng ating pagkabansa – tuluyan nang naiwagayway sa Luneta ang Pambansang Watawat ng mag-isa, buong laya.
Sa madaling sabi, ang Pambansang Watawat ay simbolo ng buhay ng mga Pilipinong noo’y naglingkod sa ilalim nito, tangan ang diwa’t damdaming isulong ang kalayaan at panindigan ang pagsasarili.
Ang ating Pambansang Watawat ay kasa-kasama ng sangka-Pilipinuhan, simula pa noong tayo’y nag-asam na lumaya sa mga Espanyol, nakidigma sa mga Amerikano at nakibaka sa paniniil ng mga Hapon. Ang watawat na ito ay alaala ng ating pag-asa, pagkakaisa at paninidigan na maging malaya at nagsasarili bilang isang lahi. Mananatili itong nakawagayway bilang tanda na tayo’y isang malayang bansa. Ang simbolong magpapaalala sa bawat salinlahi na sa ilalim nito, nagpamalas ng kagitingan ang mga dakila nating mga ninuno; silang hindi nangiming kumilos para sa kalayaan at walang kaabug-abog na inihandog ang buhay maisulong lamang ang ipinaglalabang kalayaan. Alang-alang sa kanilang alaala, ang paggalang sa Pambansang Watawat ay paggalang sa mga ninuno nating ito.
Manatili nawa sa ating mga Pilipino ang damdaming naramdaman ng ating mga ninuno sa tuwing masisilayan nilang nakawagayway ang Pambansang Watawat.
Rizal’s Cogent Leadership Thought as a Model in Public Administration
RIZAL’S COGENT LEADERSHIP THOUGHT AS A MODEL IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
by Quennie Ann J. Palafox
Civil servants play a very important role in public administration as the partners of the government in bringing its affairs to the people, such as delivery of basic services and carrying out its day-to-day-functions. Often, civil servants or the bureaucrats are criticized for being unresponsive to the public needs. Corruption remains a malady in the bureaucracy up to now. There is very little respect for the people in the government. We cannot blame the people for the common perception that corruption is endemic in the government, considering that the Philippines has consistently been on the list of the most corrupt countries in Asia, according to surveys.
Corruption in the government had its origins during the time of the ancient Filipinos. These were exacerbated by the abuses of the Spanish friars and officials with the onset of the colonial rule. Jose Rizal, our foremost hero, vehemently condemned and exposed these abuses and cruelties in his two novels the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
One cause of corruption in the bureaucracy is the lack of adherence to the principle of merit and fitness in the selection process. To curb abuses in the government, Rizal asked that Filipinos enjoy equal rights similar to those of the Spaniards by giving them the same opportunity to work in the government. Rizal believed that the adoption of a competitive government examination will ensure that only qualified individuals regardless of race could serve in the government.
Today, political intervention and nepotism in the government are very rampant. Many incompetent officials land a career in government service- turning the bureaucracy into an inefficient organization prone to corruption and manipulation of politicians.
Realizing the negative effect of corruption in the country, progressive legislators have exerted efforts to reduce, if not eliminate once and for all, the occurrence of graft and corruption in the bureaucracy by passing several laws. But these laws have seemingly remained powerless against the persistence of corrupt practices in the government as shown by the public’s acceptance of corruption as part of everyday life. Filipinos have taken notice of the catchphrase good governance through good leadership as a possible solution in solving the problems of the bureaucracy. For good governance to be achieved, however, bureaucrats should not only possess competence, education and skills, but also exhibit a great commitment and integrity to serve the public. While the public has seen its fair share of efforts at reforming the bureaucracy, its continued support remains essential to the success of the government’s program of promoting efficiency in the government service.
Jose Rizal had known this, and for him, the people are duty-bound to be involved in the task of good government. In one of his writings, he said: “Peoples and government are correlated and complementary, an aimless government would be an anomaly among a righteous people, just as corrupt people cannot exist under just rulers and wise laws. Whatever social and political environments we are in are products of men’s deliberate choice.” As Rizal emphasized: “There are no tyrants where there are no slaves.”
Rizal was admired for being a good leader. He gained the respect of his colleagues in the Propaganda Movement like Marcelo H. del Pilar who was once his tough rival for the leadership of the organization. As a leader, Rizal was transformational, charismatic, visionary, and most importantly, incorruptible. He displayed a kind of leadership that was not motivated by personal interest but the willingness to sacrifice oneself for the good of the majority which he described in his novels as the national sentiment.
A close study of Rizal’s novels reveals how he stressed the importance of national sentiment as essential in guarding society against all kinds of injustices, and bringing about social change. A character in the novel El Filibusterismo, who lacked national sentiment, was Señor Pasta, a wealthy lawyer. In a scene in the novel where Isagani expressed his desire to help the students establish an institute for the instruction of Spanish, Pasta expressed his surprise as Isagani had already mastered the language. When Pasta made it clear to Isagani that he was unwilling to help his noble cause for education and even dissuaded him from pushing through with his plans, Isagani remarked: “When I have gray hairs like those, sir, and turn my gaze back over my past and see that I have worked only for myself, without having done for the country that has given me everything, for the citizens who have helped me live – then, sir, every gray hair will be a thorn, and instead of rejoicing, they will shame me!”
Rizal clearly realized the idea of national sentiment and its value that when developed and imbibed by the people, might bring about common good. The essence of national sentiment is the subordination of personal interests and comfort to the social good.
Basilio, also a character in the El Fili, demonstrated the lack of national sentiment because he opposed the idea that justice be served to his family. He feared that all his dreams would be shattered if he would brought the matter to the government officials. Had he had been brave enough to face social alienation, Basilio could have helped prevent the acts of injustice that transpired later in the novel.
To his fellow propagandists, Rizal advised not to derive personal benefit from their service to the country. In his letter of gratitude to the members of the La Solidaridad for appointing him Honorary President of the association, he wrote: “No member should expect rewards or honors for what he does. He who does his duty in the expectation of reward is usually disappointed, because almost no one believes himself sufficiently rewarded. And so that there may not be discontented or ill-rewarded members, it is advisable for each one to do his duty just for its own sake and at best expect to be later treated unjustly because in anomalous countries, injustice is the prize for those who fulfill their duties. [London, 28 January].”
People who seek fortune should not find employment in the government because the biggest reward from government service is the attainment of the common good served with one’s good will, integrity and a clear conscience. Public servants who accept bribe compromise their integrity. Once, Rizal was offered P100, 000, a huge amount that time, apart from a professorial chair at a university and an estate of his own if only he would renounce his two novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Rizal showed he was made of strong moral fibre for he was not tempted by these bribes, giving up his personal happiness for the welfare of his countrymen.
With the idea of good leadership that Rizal has bequeathed to us, we can change the negative image of the bureaucracy, transforming it into a more efficient instrument in bringing about social, economic and political reforms in the country, a paragon of administration as well as an agent for social change.
Sources:
Almonte, Napoleon G. Rizal is My President.40 Leadership Tips from Jose Rizal. Manila: OCCI Publications, 2009
Majul, Cesar A. Rizal on Political Affairs. Manila: Jose Rizal National Centennial Commission, 1961
Tidbits on a Boy Named Pepe
TIDBITS ON A BOY NAMED PEPE
By: Ferdinan S. Gregorio
Many articles, books, essays and literary materials were written about Jose Rizal’s life, works and ideas, but sometimes we tend to neglect knowing who Pepe was before writing the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Knowing Jose Rizal starts by knowing him as a child.
The seventh child of Don Francisco Mercado and Doña Teodora Alonso, Pepe was born on June 19, 1861, a Wednesday. After three days, Father Rufino Collantes baptized the baby, who was named Jose Protacio, in honor of Saint Joseph and Saint Protacio. Doña Teodora was a devout follower of Saint Joseph and it was their tradition to honor him every 19th day of the month. On the other hand, Saint Protacio is the patron saint for June 19, who was martyred in Milan, Italy.
Writer Felice Prudente Santa Maria’s book, In Excelsis once explained why Rizal was called “Pepe”. According to her, “Saint Joseph was the putative (commonly accepted) father of Jesus Christ. In Latin, San Jose’s name is always followed by the letters “P.P” for pater putativus. In Spanish, the letter “P” is pronounced “peh” giving rise to the nickname Pepe for Jose.”
Unfortunately, Pepe’s original baptismal record was burnt in 1862. It was only restored through the help of reliable eye witnesses, under the direction of Father Leoncio Lopez, a Filipino priest at the church across the street, and a friend of the Mercado family. As a boy, Pepe loved to visit Father Lopez, with whom he could talk about anything. The priest never got tired of answering Pepe’s questions and talked with him sensibly. Father Lopez became Pepe’s inspiration in characterizing Father Florentino in the “El Filibusterismo”.
Growing up Pepe was curious about the things around him. When his yaya Aquilina told stories about the aswang, nuno sa punso and an imaginary ghost called Bu by the Europeans locally known as parce-nobis, Pepe listened attentively. His yaya often scared him if he failed to finish his meal. Pepe remembered those spooky stories even until he went to high school, writing in his Memorias de un Estudiante that everytime his yaya frightened him, “…my heart was fed with sad thoughts”.
In 1868, six days before his seventh birthday, Pepe went to the Antipolo shrine with Don Francisco for a pilgrimage as vowed by Doña Teodora on the day he was born. There, Rizal witnessed the strong devotion of the believers. In the church patio, he saw vendors selling a variety of religious items. He bought a picture of the Virgin of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, and pasted it in his suitcase, believing that the Virgin would keep him safe in his travels.
Commenting on this event, writer Nick Joaquin wrote that Rizal would have most likely undergone a boy’s first rite of passage into manhood- circumcision: “on returning from his pilgrimage, Rizal had another event to experience; his seventh birthday – and one can guess that this was followed by still another event: his circumcision, most probably supervised by Paciano”. Joaquin explained that during Rizal’s time, the nursery limit in the Philippines was seven years old. Circumcision was a symbol of separating boys from men.
In 1872, for high school, Pepe enrolled at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila in Intramuros. The administrator refused to admit him for two reasons. First, Doña Teodora’s arrest and he was considered physically weak and small for his age of eleven. Through the intercession of Manuel X. Burgos, nephew of Father Jose Burgos, one of the martyr priests executed just four months earlier, Pepe was admitted. Perhaps, he was fated to spend his early years at Ateneo, taking subjects such as Religious Studies, Mathematics, Sciences, Languages, Geography, and History. He also attended a class on culture called “Clase de Adorno”, where he had to choose between Art and solfeggio. Solfeggio is a system of arranging the scale by the names, which includes singing lessons. While he had a passion for music, singing was not his forte, admitting in his memoirs that he had a terrible voice. He wrote that “If you hear me sing, you’d think, you were in Spain, for you’d hear the braying of an ass!” For that reason, Pepe chose Art studies. One of his works as an Art student was carving an image of the Virgin. His Jesuit professors of Ateneo were amazed upon seeing it and asked him to sculpt the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was later presented to Father P. Lleonart, who wanted to bring the statuette with him to Spain, but he forgot to put it in his trunk, leaving the image in Ateneo.
Pepe finished high school just before turning 16. His last night in the school dormitory was filled with sadness, giving him a sleepless night. As he lay in bed, he felt that the happiest days of his life were over.
On December 29, 1896, the night before his execution, Father Luis Viza brought the image of the Sacred Heart that Pepe had carved long ago at Ateneo. As the Jesuit placed the statuette on the table inside his cell in Fort Santiago, a sudden rush of memories brought him back to the happy days at Ateneo. It was a brief though bittersweet, reprieve from his impending execution. Pepe cherished his childhood so much. The passage from his Memorias, would have described that moment. ““I would give anything to get over this trying time of my youth. Goodbye, beautiful unforgettable period of my life! Farewell, fortunate hours of my lost childhood!”
REFERENCES:
Bantug, Asuncion. Lolo Jose. Vibal Publishing House Inc. 2008
Joaquin, Nick. Rizal in Saga. Philippine National Centennial Commission, Rizal Martyrdom Centennial Commission and GMA Foundation Inc. 1996
Penitente. Rizal, The Magnificent. Jose Rizal National Centennial Commission. 1960
Reminiscences and Travels of Jose Rizal. Jose Rizal National Centennial Commission. 1961
Sta. Maria Felice. In Excelsis: The Mission of Jose P. Rizal. Studio 5 Designs Inc. 1996
Maria Clara and the Golden Tara
MARIA CLARA AND THE GOLDEN TARA
By Peter Jaynul V. Uckung
It is still a popular belief that Jose Rizal’s epitome of the Filipina in bloom is Maria Clara. At least, not physically, as we all know she has reddish hair and cotton white skin, Caucasian features that cannot be denied (she is a daughter of a Spanish priest), but fundamentally in character – religious, virginal, loyal, patient, loving and elegantly graceful in manner.
If she really is Rizal’s model of womanly virtues, why then is Maria Clara’s life written to end up in the deepest pits of depravity, behind the dark and damnable walls of the nunnery. And Maria Clara’s religiosity and loyalty, it must be remembered, proved to be easy to manipulate and is preyed upon to the fullest by Padre Salvi, who blackmails her to give up her love to Crisostomo Ibarra and some letters from him (which are then used to convict Ibarra). This in exchange for some scandalous letters written by her mother.
Maria Clara, in spite of her supposed virtues, succumbed to the dark forces that will eventually father a revolution.
Another character of the Noli, though seldom considered as a contender for being a model of womanly virtues, is Salome. She is clearly described as young woman who lives alone in a nipa hut. Simple in her attire and “not beauty to strike the eye at first glance…..whose beauty can be appreciated only after a careful examination”. Seemingly euphemistic in his description, Rizal unravels her character slowly, with her every action. At the end of the chapter, she will be wholly described as romantic, confident, sensitive, in-love, assertive and independent of mind.
Her presence in the novel is fleeting, as there is only one chapter on her (and Rizal excluded this chapter to lessen the cost of Noli’s publication), but it paints a different color and perspective of the Filipina mystique. What makes her stand out among the female characters of the Noli is that she figures with Elias in a conversation devoid of inhibition, picturesquely romantic, and compelling in portraying a woman in the early stage of independent thinking.
During the domination of the Spaniards in the Philippines, a woman with independent thinking was rare, and often curtailed by a colonized society. This state of society curtailment even became the norm for awhile.
Rizal was aware of the pre-Spanish culture of Filipinos, as he had annotated Morga’s book about Philippine history and probably read about Filipino women’s assertive nature. The Filipinos have never been alien to strong-willed women. There are lots of evidence to bolster this fact.
It is a fact that religious leaders of pre-Spanish era Philippines were called Babaylans or Catalonans and most of them were females. They were highly respected and people were accustomed to fearing them. They presided over rituals and ceremonies.
Just what kind of rituals were they presiding experts could only deduce, base on evidences and reports of Spanish chroniclers.
In 1917, a 41-pound golden female deity was discovered in the bank of the Wawa River in Agusan (near the town of Esperanza). Now in the Chicago Museum of Natural History, it has an ornamented headdress, cross-legged, as if contemplating. There were many theories as to the origin of the golden statuette (now known as the Golden Tara).
There is a belief that it is a Buddhist image belonging to the Indo-Javanese Kingdom of Majapahit (1200’s A.D.), based on the flame-like projection in its ornamented headdress. Others suggest that the image’s likeliest affinity could be in the tradition of Mahayana Buddhism, as shown by its manner of sitting, calmness of facial experience, elongated ears and halo around the head. Still others claim that it was probably made during the Sri Vijaya era, during the Buddhistic rule of the Sailendras (900-950 A.D.), based on the headdress and other ornaments.
Others likened the image to a Sivaite goddess. Siva is one of the supreme deities of Hindusim, representing the principle of destruction. He also represents the reproductive or restoring power. His symbol for this matter is the linga – the phallus.
Considered unconventional by most Hindu and Buddhist practitioners, the belief in the esoteric practices invoking yoga and meditation for the fulfillment of earthly and spiritual ecstasy is known as Tantrism and was practiced extensively in Southeast East Asia, and perhaps including the Philippines, before the coming of European colonizers In Tantric belief achieving the highest transcendental ecstasy involves the methodical use of the sexual union.
Hindu Tantrism declares that the nondual absolute reality has two aspects: Shiva (male) is pure consciousness and transcendent passivity, while Shakti (female) is energy and mental activity. The psychosexual ritual of the Tantra can be realized metaphysically within the yogi’s own body, or physically between a yogi and a female partner.
In Buddhist Tantrism, the female is the passive one, the male the active force. The Buddhist Tantric female represents wisdom. The yogi practitioner seeks to unite the male and female aspects through psychosexual rites at the psychic centre in the genital region. This produces the seed of enlightenment called bodhicitta, that will eventually bring in transcendental ecstasy and the realization of the non duality of absolute reality.
Tantrism is Southeast Asia has been recorded by a Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, I-Tsing, in 671 A.D., specifically in the Srivijaya Empire.
A controversial pre-European era Indonesian king, Kertanagara, introduced the religion based on Tantric Shiva-Buddha mixture. He was reported to have been busy in a ritual ceremony when he was assassinated. Kertanagara was supposed to gain magical power to fight threats from within his kingdom and against the Mongol invasion.
His heir, Prince Vijaya, eventually drove the Mongols out, and founded the Majapahit Empire in 1293 A.D.
The Philippines is believed to have been part of the trading outposts of Sri Vijaya and Majapahit empires, and may have been influenced by Tantric practices prevalent during that time.
An observation by Antonio Pigafetta written in the 1500’s tells of Cebuanos having their “penis pierced from one side to the other near the head, with gold or tin bolt as large as a goose quill. In both ends of the same bolt, some have what resembles a spur, with points upon the ends; others are like the head of a cart nail…In the middle of the bolt is a hole, through which they urinate”. Pigafetta was told that native women “wished” it so, and sexual union was refused by the women with men without the genital paraphernalia.
Women’s rights were gradually written off with the coming of the Spaniards. The Babaylans and the Catalonans were demonized and condemned. In the 300 year- Spanish colonialistic rule of the Philippines, native women lost their ancient social and religious supremacy to be replaced by Spanish clerics with absolute power in religion and domestic affairs.
Clerics possessing power far beyond their ecclesiastical duties, which ultimately corrupted them and catalyzed Jose Rizal to write a novel of revelation on colonial priestly rapacities. The revelation became the battle cry of a revolution.
Jose Rizal: A Hero-Saint?
JOSE RIZAL: A HERO-SAINT?
by Quennie Ann J. Palafox
Many Filipinos are unaware that once upon a time Rizal was declared a saint by the Philippine Independent Church and his death anniversary was celebrated in a manner similar to those of the saints.
The Philippine Independent Church or Iglesia Filipina Independiente was founded on August 3, 1902 with Gregorio Aglipay as its first Obispo Maximo (Supreme bishop). In the beginning, the PIC became a major religious sect that attracted many followers to its anti-friar campaign and anti-imperialism campaigns. As a matter of fact, PIC churches displayed the Philippine flag at the side altar to impress to the public its reverence to the country and to the heroes who fought during the Spanish and American colonial period.
How did Rizal become a saint? Wenceslao E. Retana, a noted Spanish Filipinologist and biographer of Rizal, was the first to mention Rizal’s canonization. Retana cited the “Acta de Canonizacion de los grandes Martires de la Patria Dr. Rizal y PP. Burgos, Gomez y Zamora” (Proceedings of the Canonization of the Great Martyrs of the Country Dr. Rizal and Fathers Burgos, Gomez, and Zamora) published in Madrid in 1907 in his account of the canonization of Rizal. The Acta was published in the official organ of the sect, La Iglesia Filipina Independiente in 1903.
According to the Acta, the Council of Bishops met in Manila on September 24, 1903 but there was no mention of where they met. It was the Secretary General, Bishop Isidoro Perez who presented to the Council the canonization of heroes Dr. Jose Rizal, Jose Burgos, Mariano Gomez, and Jacinto Zamora. By anonymous decision, Rizal and the three priests were canonized following the Roman Catholic rites.
The proceedings of this canonization were recorded in the book of proceedings of the Independent Church and were signed by the following bishops: Gregorio Aglipay, the Secretary General Bishop Isidoro Perez of Cagayan, and Bishops Ponciano Manuel of Pangasinan, Gregorio Dizon of Zambales and Pampanga, Fortunato Clemeña of Cavite, Ramon Farolan of Abra and others.
Aglipay ordained that no longer would masses for the dead be offered for Rizal and the three priests; on the other hand, their birth and death anniversaries would be celebrated in their honor. Their statues were revered at the altars of the sect, their names given at baptism, and, at least in the case of Rizal, novenas were written in his honor. An example of this was Tomas Velasco’s Novena a Pagdaydayaw ken Santo Martir Dr. Jose Rizal.
Unfortunately the Acta and the Ilokano novena honoring Rizal would seem to be the only materials pertaining to Rizal’s canonization. However, former Obispo Maximo of the church Santiago Fonacier, and Isabelo de los Reyes, Jr., who were interviewed by historian Marcelino Foronda, said they were aware of the canonization of Rizal.
The account of former Obispo Maximo Santiago Fonacier corresponded to that of the Acta. In the interview with Foronda, Fonacier said that the canonization rites transpired from two to four o’clock in the afternoon of September 24, 1903 at the house of Bishop Aglipay. This house used to stand at, 54 Ezpleta St., Sibakong, Sta. Cruz, Manila. Only Bishops and some priests were in attendance, what one would call a closed door conference, not open to the public, with no laymen present.
On Sunday, September 27, 1903, considerable number of people flocked to the small chapel of the Independent Church on Calle Lemery, Tondo to listen to the Misa Cantada (Sung Mass). Instead of a requiem mass for the four martyrs, a mass proclaiming the newly canonized saints was held. The pictures of the new saints, Rizal, Burgos, Gomez and Zamora were placed on the main altar. Bishop Gregorio Aglipay officiated the mass while Bishop Gregorio Dizon of Zambales and Pampanga preached the sermon.
The proclamation was an important event in the church as high ranking government officials and the relatives of the new saints gathered to witness it. Doña Saturnina Rizal, Rizal’s eldest sister and her husband Don Manuel Hidalgo were present. Marcelino Gomez, a nephew of Fr. Gomez, Don Paulino Zamora, a relative of Dr. Zamora, and Dr. Manuel Xeres Burgos, nephew of Fr. Burgos, also attended the mass. Notable personalities such as Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, Don Felipe Buencamino, Isabelo de los Reyes, and Teodoro Gonzales also attended.
The canonization of Rizal by the Philippine Independent Church was of great significance to the church and its members. Rizal’s images and statues were displayed in churches and chapels of PIC where the devotees could pay respect and worship him. Aglipay likewise used the novena in impressing upon the church members the political ideals of Rizal by publishing his own Novena del Dr. Jose Rizal.
It is a historical fact that Jose Rizal had formidable influence on Gregorio Aglipay
and the Philippine Independent Church, and this was manifested in the canonization of Rizal. Aglipay such admiration and respect for Rizal that he gave him such titles as “glorious apostle” and the “wise apostle” of God. Aglipay also mentioned that the teaching of the Philippine Independent Church was inspired by Rizal’s ideology and writings.
Zoilo M. Galang wrote that it was Rizal who encouraged Aglipay to become a priest as he had lived with Aglipay in the house of Leonor Rivera in Intramuros. However, no other writer has corroborated the claim of Galang.
Today, one can no longer see the statue or even picture of Rizal upon the altars of the PIC. Rizal’s birthday and death anniversary are no longer celebrated by the PIC in accordance with ceremonies restricted for saints. Clearly, the church has revoked its doctrine of revering Rizal as holy figure.
Of Treasures Yet Undiscovered
OF TREASURES YET UNDISCOVERED
Despite the unremitting human assault upon Philippine waters and forests, these precious resources are still home to a wealth of species of animals and plants, to which even National Hero Jose Rizal sang praises. Although Rizal was not a scientist in the true sense of the word, as he lacked the education or specialization required for such a title, Rizal became a serious collector of animals and shells, and also an avid student of the local flora and fauna of Dapitan during his exile there from 1892 to 1896.
Rizal’s passion for Nature first took root during his childhood. Some of his sweetest reminiscences were of the fruit trees that shaded the nipa hut in their garden at Calamba, or of the birds that frequented their garden: the maria-capra, the culiauan, the maya, culae, and different kinds of pipit.
Later, as a college student at the Ateneo, his knowledge of Nature deepened through his academic studies:
“Physics, lifting up the veil that covers many things, showed me a wide stage where the divine drama of nature was performed.”
There were moments when the need to study nature in the taxonomic way as taught at school conflicted with his spontaneous appreciation of nature. For him classifying plants and animals seemed to diminish nature’s beauty:
“Ah, how beautiful is science when the one teaching it knows how to embellish it! Natural history seemed somewhat antipathetic. Why, I asked myself, if the perusal of history and the description of the birds and flowers, of animals and of crystals captivate me so much, why do I loathe seeing them reduced to a harsh order and wild animals mixed with tame ones?”
“Shells pleased me very much for their beauty and because I knew that they inhabited the beaches of which my innocent imagination dreamed and treading on them I imagined the most beautiful waters of the seas and lakes lapping at my feet. Sometimes I seemed to see a goddess with a shell that I saw in the shelf.”
When Rizal was exiled in July 1892, he proved that his life need not be paralyzed by isolation. He filled his days with varied activities: he treated patients with eye problems and opened a school for boys; he built a water system and engaged in trade; he studied the local ethnology and embarked on the preparation of a Tagalog grammar. And he became a dedicated naturalist, collecting and sending animal and plant samples to his European friends. Among the fauna that interested him were reptiles, birds, mammals, insects, fish, and shellfish.
When Rizal’s friend Ferdinand Blumentritt wrote him about his son Fritz’s inclination toward the natural sciences, Rizal wrote back, not without patriotic pride– “my country can offer him treasures yet undiscovered. There are many species still unknown in zoology and botany, judging by the discoveries that are being made.”
He corresponded with his scientist friends, exchanging ideas on the fauna of Dapitan. One of these friends was Dr. Adolph B. Meyer, whom he met in Dresden in 1886. Rizal gladly accommodated his requests for animal specimens, despite the restrictions imposed on him by authorities. Rizal wrote, “In spite of this, I shall do everything possible to serve you…” He worried about duplicating what Meyer or other scholars such as Dr. Schadenberg, already had in their collections: “However, I should like to know if Dr. Schadenberg will accept any kind of animals, reptiles, and skulls, for you may already have the kind that are here…”
For his part Meyer did not fail to acknowledge that Rizal’s help was indispensable to his work, asking him “not to stop gathering specimens [for] one always finds something valuable”.
According to Rizalist Jose Bantug, most of the specimens Rizal sent to his friends were sent to the Dresden Museum. In all according to Bantug, Rizal sent specimens of “45 reptiles, 9 mammals, 13 birds, 9 fishes, and 68 crustaceans”. These were apart from his 346-species shell collection.
While collecting did not automatically categorize Rizal as a bona fide botanist or zoologist, his efforts to promote the study of Philippine plants and animals, though focused only on Dapitan, were acknowledged by European and Filipino scientists. For his discovery of a new species of beetle, an amphibian and a reptile, he was honored by the naming of these after him: Apogonia rizali (beetle); Rachophorus rizali (frog) and Draco rizali (lizard).
At Dapitan, Rizal showed the importance of valuing life in all its forms and our country’s natural riches. Neither injustice nor despair could stop him from living a full life that was offered alone to his country, simultaneously seeking nature’s beauty and his country’s freedom, through her “treasures yet undiscovered”.
Did Rizal consider Retracting while in Dapitan?
DID RIZAL CONSIDER RETRACTING WHILE IN DAPITAN?
by Bryan Anthony C. Paraiso
The thought of a disavowal of his beliefs is almost sacrilegious and improbable to Rizal’s character and vehemence against oppression, as evidenced by a letter to Mariano Ponce on April 18, 1889: “…At the sight of those injustices and cruelties…I swore to devote myself to avenge one day so many victims, and with this idea in mind I have been studying and this can be read in all my works and writings. God will someday give me an opportunity to carry out my promise.”
Of the religious orders, he writes: “…the friars are not what they pretend to be nor are they ministers to Christ, the protector of the people, nor the support of the Spanish government…Don’t they show cruelty? Don’t they instigate the government against the people? Don’t they manifest terror? Where are sanctity, protection, and force?”
Rizal knew that his crusade might end in death, but revealed that he was unsure of his reaction: “…no one knows how one should behave at that supreme instant, and perhaps I myself who preach and brag so much might manifest more fear and less energy than (Fr. Jose) Burgos at that critical moment.”
Arguments on the retraction revolve around the veracity of the confession Rizal purportedly signed prior to his execution and testimonies of several witnesses who had seen the act carried out.
However, if Rizal did retract, when did he come to this decision? Was he weary of the struggle that he decided to give in to the continuous urgings of the Jesuit fathers who were present at his death cell? Or is it possible that Rizal had ruminated on retracting while still on exile in Dapitan?
Noted historian Fr. Jose Arcilla’s monumental multi-volume Jesuit Missionary Letters from Mindanao contains several letters of the Jesuit Antonio Obach to his Mission Superior, which may shed light on this matter. Obach wrote on July 28, 1895: “Rizal has just seen me and said (what has been jumping from mouth to mouth of some who heard it from him), ‘Father Antonio, I no longer want further battles with the friars, but live and work in peace.’
‘What you ought to do is retract all your errors and you will be at peace.’
‘I am ready to do what Your Reverence says, but under certain conditions.’
I gave him a pen and paper for him to write these conditions. In his own hand and style, he wrote: ‘Conditions I ask to retract references to the matter of the friars, and no longer meddle with them.’
—José Rizal
1. His freedom
2. Return to his family what has been confiscated or give its equivalent.
3. P50,000 to start a business to support himself
On fulfillment of these conditions, Rizal will write to the bishop.”
Does this letter provide irrefutable proof that Rizal had decided on retracting beforehand? What is intriguing is that he had arrived at this decision, evidently, to spare his family from further suffering and maltreatment.
Fr. Obach continues: “…Rizal says his family owned two houses of heavy materials, and he asks that they be returned or their equivalent…I answered that the only thing I could do was to look into the situation and if there is no difficulty, for I do not know how things are…As for the third, I said that I do not think they would give him such a big amount. His plan…is to raise a huge cement plant which, on a small scale…has been quite successful. But this third condition is not important, for without it, he is ready to make a retraction provided his family is provided for. Besides, if they grant him this amount, it would be on condition that he repays it.”
Obach’s letter also details Rizal’s initiative of opening a wholesale store in Dapitan to compete with the Chinese traders, “who do nothing but cheat the Indios.” In fact, Rizal had prepared the statutes and regulations of the Society of Dapitan Agriculturists, aiming to facilitate the easy buying, selling, and storage of products for export, and curtailing the trade monopoly of the Chinese.
Obach believed that they had successfully persuaded Rizal to turn away from his errors: “I am convinced that Rizal is now tired and wants to retract, but his pride strongly holds him back…I think he will immediately break away from everything and he would be an excellent Christian.”
In a letter on the following day, Obach reports: “Regarding the letter I sent to Your Reverence which contains Rizal’s retraction. I would ask you to send me a model retraction…In demanding that Rizal indicate what has been taken from his family, perhaps it will be humiliating for the Dominican Fathers. Rizal refuses, because in this way they will (have) him bound more tightly under obligation. On the other hand, retracting is acknowledging his errors, and so it is his turn to humble himself…I await your letter which I can read to Rizal to convince him what is better to do for God’s greater glory.”
By August 28, 1895, Obach recounted that Rizal requested for a detailed account of his errors: “…Rizal came and asked me if I could draw up a list of his errors. ‘You can tell Fr. Ricart, I am ready to write, and tell him that I myself will retract all errors I may have committed against the Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church in my writings, and that he can make this same retraction public in the manner he wants.’ But with this he stands to lose everything…”
Obach wrote that Rizal insisted that he and his family should receive some form of compensation for all the troubles they endured: “But on condition that they give me P50,000 since I have no means to support myself in decency, and with that amount I could bring my parents with me anywhere.” He no longer talks of machines and cement, and so on, and he thinks that this amount is owed him because of the harm inflicted on him.”
Are Father Antonio Obach’s letters a reliable source about Rizal’s situation? Will these revelations provide new clues to his frame of mind during the few hours before his death? The mystery of Rizal’s retraction deepens.
Rizal: A Tour in Paris
RIZAL: A TOUR IN PARIS
by: Jude Roland Ay-ay
The commemoration of Jose Rizal’s Death Anniversary is not new, at least for Filipinos who look forward to this legal non-working holiday. The thought of our national hero has represented mixed emotions of sorrow and success. Nonetheless, some of his letters rather show a quite different image of him – a fun-filled, satisfied and hopeful being. Sure thing, Rizal had better days, even better than any other individual who had the resources of enjoying life to the fullest.
Despite limited resources, the young Jose was able to maximize his experiences across borders. He traveled a lot and enjoyed every place he visited as if it were his first and last. If only digital cameras existed then, people today would have been able to witness first-hand documentation of his numerous visits to Barcelona, Madrid, Paris and Heidelberg. Nevertheless, what are left are his letters to his family and friends whom Rizal valued and loved.
In one of his letters dated July 5, 1883, Rizal wrote to his parents and brothers from Paris: “In my previous letter of 21 or 22 June I gave you some slight information about the various buildings and monuments that I have seen in this great city. I write you this to continue giving you some ideas, however slight, of all that I have seen since then”(National Historical Institute 1997, p. 240).
Rizal had detailed descriptions of the places where in he found interest and excitement. In Paris, he toured the National Panorama, a huge building constructed in 1885, designed for diverse exhibitions of arts and trades. “Admission usually costs 2 francs or 50 centimes on Sundays and Thursdays”(National Historical Institute 1997, p. 240). Moreover, Rizal had the opportunity to step inside the Hotel Dieu, France’s National Hospital – this building had three stories and had five floors on each side. “It is very clean and if I’m not mistaken, the hospital accommodates very comfortably 300 patients. It has magnificent verandahs where convalescents take a walk (National Historical Institute 1997, p. 241).
None of these, however, compare to his visit to the Museum of Orfila. The famous and extraordinary museum was named after Mathieu Orfila (1787-1853), a French physician and chemist who made significant contributions to toxicology. Orfila had an enormous popularity in France, Spain and other European countries in the nineteenth century. He participated in trials which made him famous far beyond the academic community (Richards 2008, p.148). Rizal was among those who benefited from his works and might have encountered Orfila’s name in general biographies. In Rizal’s accounts, the museum was important to medical students because: “All can go there to study human and comparative anatomy including its innermost secrets; from the dwarf to the giant, the fish to man, from the cell to the organ” (National Historical Institute 1997, p. 241).
The collections included a table made of human livers, intestines, bones, flesh, lungs and ears. Human organs were arranged in fanciful designs and hardened like marble. Rizal commented that: “The process is unknown, the secret having been lost, it seems” (National Historical Institute 1997, p. 241). Furthermore, a picture of a famous dwarf also caught the attention of Rizal; in contrast, the latter was very well proportioned, neither deformed nor hunchbacked nor is his head big like others. The dwarf was well-groomed and noble, and wore a garb similar to what he wore when he was living.
Certainly, Rizal enjoyed what he had seen and learned. “I’m planning to come back some seven times to see the museums”(National Historical Institute 1997, p. 241). The public was admitted free and so people strolled, studied, sat on benches under the trees and worked at their own convenience without admission fees. Rizal was among them – at least one of those who believed that the best things in life are free.
His collections of numerous specimens of birds, insects, butterflies, shells, snakes and plants in Dapitan have once earned him renowned scientific names like Draco rizali (a small lizard), Apogania rizali (a rare kind of beetle), Rhacophorus rizali (a peculiar frog species) and Spatholmes rizali (fungus beetle) – all gained high praises from European scientists and became useful proofs of the country’s biodiversity. On the 30th of December, Filipinos shall raise his banner once again. Surely, he will be remembered not only as the man behind the famous Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo but also as a curious collector and naturalist. His travels had shaped him for the person he had become, further earning him the belief that even the smallest of all collections have a significant impact to one’s education.
References:
“Reminiscences and Travels of Jose Rizal”; National Historical Institute; 1977.
Richards, Ira Steven; “Principles and Practice of Toxicology in Public Health”; Sage Publication; 2008.
“The Life and Works of Dr. Jose P. Rizal”: Letters received from a particular family; http://rizalinfo.net
Rizal Issues a Manifesto to Proclaim his Innocence
RIZAL ISSUES A MANIFESTO TO PROCLAIM HIS INNOCENCE
By Christian Bernard A. Melendez
However, much as Rizal’s judgment may seem to be harsh and unjust, it was an expected verdict since Spain was facing a difficult time in quelling the revolution in Cuba, ill affording to have another rebellion in her colony in the Orient. The easy way out, the Spanish colonial authorities must have presumed, was to snuff out swiftly the leading voice of reform, and Rizal was the perfect fall guy. In their zealousness to hold him accountable, they even imprisoned Paciano and mercilessly tortured him to implicate his younger brother.
It was a veritable open-and-shut case: Rizal inspired the revolution through his writings and the insurgents were his henchmen carrying out his call for freedom. Did he not establish an illegal association called the Liga Filipina,1 which was a precursor to the Katipunan? One wonders how Rizal would have acted when the verdict was read—was he impassive, maintaining the august air of a gentleman patriot? To hear out Judge Advocate General Nicolas de la Peña’s thundering statement that: “Rizal has therefore been well and truly identified as the prime mover of the consummated crime of rebellion by means of the crime of illegal association. The sentence passed on him is just, and may lawfully be confirmed on its own merits.”2 Musketry seemed to be an apt death sentence to a traitor.
The verdict aimed as well to cripple Rizal’s finances by asking him to indemnify the state by paying “the amount of one hundred thousand pesos (100,000 pesos)…and should be paid by his heirs in case he cannot pay it in his lifetime.”3
But did Rizal inspire the Philippine Revolution? Of the numerous preserved notes and letters of Rizal, one intriguing document was his Manifesto a Algunos Filipinos (Manifesto to Certain Filipinos) written on December 15, 1896 during his incarceration in Fort Santiago.
The manifesto, which tried to convince Filipinos to end the revolt, had five points. First, he absolved himself by declaring that he was never a part of the revolution; his name was used to attract Filipinos to join the revolution. Second, he was consulted about the planned revolution but he advised the perpetrators to abandon it. Third, he wanted to stop the rebellion by offering his services to the people. Fourth, he condemned the revolution as ridiculous and barbarous. Fifth, uprising was not an option at that time, that reforms should be the authorities’ initiative, not the citizens’. He made it clear that the people’s education is potent in inducing changes in society.
The manifesto is an illuminating statement of Rizal’s raison d’être–as stipulated in the “Noli me tangere” and “El Filibusterismo.” Although Rizal loathed the abusive practices of the friars and colonial government, he never advocated for an abrupt and chaotic approach to independence. He believed that the Filipinos’ enlightenment was crucial: “I have given proofs as one who most wants liberties for our country and I continue wanting them. But I put as a promise the education of the people so that through education and work, they might have a personality of their own and make themselves worthy of them. In my writings, I have recommended study, civic virtues, without which redemption is impossible.”4
Unfortunately, the manifesto was never made public. It was not enough to convince his accusers of his innocence and acquit him of the charges. According to Judge Advocate General de la Peña: “Dr. Jose Rizal limits himself to criticizing the present insurrectionary movement as premature.” He also noted that “as far as Rizal is concerned, the whole question is one of opportunity, not of principles and objectives.” Finally, de la Peña reasoned out that “a message of this sort, far from promoting peace, is likely to stimulate for the future the spirit of rebellion.”5
Rizal knew that his life was at an end, but he was satisfied that he stood up for his principles and that the seed sown would bear fruit in the heroes after him. “Patriotism… is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.” This is what Rizal wanted us to understand — that we can change and improve ourselves through a circumspect understanding of life’s benefits and pitfalls, instead of engaging in flaring emotions and disregard for consequences.
Rizal, as always, is the greatest Filipino of all time.
—————————–
1 Horacio de la Costa, The Trial of Rizal, W. E. Retana’s
Transcription of the Official Spanish Documents, edited and translated,
with notes (Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1996) 160.
2 De la Costa 160
3 De la Costa 156-157
4 Jose Rizal, Political and Historical Writings (Manila: National Historical Institute) 349.
5 Horacio de la Costa, Readings in Philippine History (Makati: Bookmark, 1965) 236 – 237.
Bibliography:
Rizal, Jose. Political and Historical Writings. Manila: National Historical Institute, 2000.
De la Costa, Horacio. Readings in Philippine History. Makati: Bookmark, 1965
De la Costa, Horacio. Trial of Rizal, W. E. Retana’s Transcription of the Official Spanish
Documents, edited and translated. Quezon City: Ateneo De Manila University
Press, 1996
Nery, John. Revolutionary Spirit: Jose Rizal in Southeast Asia. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2011