Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila

College of Humanities and Social Science

Readings in Philippine History

Secondary Source Analysis

Title: Veneration Without Understanding

Type of Secondary Source: Essay or Article

1. Who is the author of Veneration Without Understanding? What do you know about the author that may shape his perspective?
- Renato Constantino wrote the Veneration Without Understanding to critique Rizal if he deserves to be our national hero. Renato
Constantino was a Filipino historian and scholar who taught us to reexamine our colonial history, to rectify it and to learn from the past. He wanted
Filipinos to have a useful memory of a past to advance the Filipino’s quest for genuine nationhood. He learned about patriotism from his
grandmother, who told him endless stories about friar abuses and her family’s sufferings under American rule, and from his lawyer-father, who
was critical of leaders who did not fight for the country’s independence.

2. Who is the intended audience of the Veneration Without Understanding?

- The totality of Filipinos who were under the American Imperialism. For them to better understand that they were being clouded
by the ideology that Jose Rizal being our national hero was a dogma by the Americans so we will still be living in the past and hating the Spanish
colonizers while the Americans are spoon feeding the Filipinos with false outlook. Also, the future Filipino who will be reexamining the Philippine
History and how the ideology of national heroes arises. It will help us to correct the perspective of the past and learn from it.
3. Where and when was the Secondary Source published or created?
- It was written during 1970 and was published at Quezon City by Malaya Books. During this time was the term of former President Marcos
who put Renato Constantino under house arrest for publishing the Marcos Watch.

4. Describe the Historical Context.

- The Veneration Without Understanding of Renato Constantino talks about the critique of Rizal being the National Hero. It started
when the William Howard Taft, the 27th President of the United States, suggested in 1901 that the Philippine Commission to the must have a
national hero. Different candidates were taken into account by the American Imperialist and some other Filipino conservative. They chose Rizal
for a reason that the other candidates are didn’t met their standard; Aguinaldo too militant, Bonifacio too radical, Mabini unregenerate. The
American administration gave recognition such as, setting aside the anniversary of his death to be a day of observance, placing his picture on
the postage stamp most commonly used in the islands, and on the currency. With these, American’s motives were exposed. Rizal’s perspective
of reforming the country without separation and his dramatic martyrdom took consideration by the Americans. It did not only make the Filipino
concentrate the hatred against the erstwhile oppressors, it also makes the Filipino be blinded by the ideologies of the American Imperialist.
Considering the life of Rizal being an ilustrado, he wants to make a social change by fighting the rights of the indios. He became the voice of their
human dignity and human liberty and thus encompassed the wider aspirations of all the people. He noble began the national consciousness that
became the realm of Filipino nationhood - the winning of our name as a race, the recognition of our people as one, and the elevation of the indio
into Filipino. According to Renato Constatino, Rizal lacks patriotism because he repudiated the one act which really synthesized our nationalist
aspiration, and yet we consider him a nationalist leader.” That “one act” is the revolution of 1896. He also said that, we need a new hero today
who can solve the problem of our country whether political or social. Being hero is an accident of history who’s a person stand above the masses
and apart from them. Today we see the unfolding of the creative energies of a people who are beginning to grasp the possibilities of human
development and who are trying to formulate a theoretical framework upon which they may base their practice.
 Observe
 The article contains
different citation and
excerpt.
 It has different topics that
connect each other into
forming a new perspective.
Explain
 The article explains how Rizal
became a tool of the American
Imperialist on implementing their
ideology.
 The article presents different facts
that shows why Rizal does not
deserved to be our national hero
even though he started the
national awareness of Filipinos. It
is because he lacks patriotism
when he opposed the 1896
revolution. He only shows solution
to a growing problem but can’t
alter the history like Andres
Bonifacio and the Katipuneros.
 We must be critical and historical
in choosing a hero because it
twists one’s perspective regarding
the past, present and the future.
Infer Wonder
 Hero is just a form without content,  What if Rizal led
a fad that can be used for almost the 1896
anything. It is an American Ideology Revolution? Will
that following one’s footstep can there be a fight in
lead us to the promise land. Yet it Dapitan?
promotes nationalism and
patriotism.  What if Rizal didn’t
came back to
Philippines from
 We need a modern hero who can being exiled?
make a worst situation into our
favor. Rizal is long gone yet his
teachings and thoughts will be  What if the treaty
treasured within us but different of Paris didn’t push
time needs a different hero. through and we
won the war
 Overall, we are living in a world against the
without the imprint of oppression. It Spaniards, Can the
doesn’t matter who’s getting the Philippines stand
honor of uplifting our liberty, what alone without the
matters now is that we enculture help of other
what Rizal and other countrymen country?
did.