LESSON 7: RIZAL’S LIFE: EXILE, TRIAL AND DEATH

I. OBJECTIVES

1. Discuss the factors that led to Rizal’s executions.

2. Analyze the effects of Rizal’s execution on Spanish colonial rule and the Philippine Revolution.
3. Assess the concepts of bayani and kabayanihan in the context of Philippine society.

II. CONTENT

MAIN IDEA

Dr. José Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines, is not only admired for possessing intellectual
brilliance but also for taking a stand and resisting the Spanish colonial government. While his death
sparked a revolution to overthrow the tyranny, Rizal will always be remembered for his compassion
towards the Filipino people and the country.

Jose Rizal is, in the annals of heroism, an anomaly. He was a man of science, a scholar and
writer, and to many young Filipinos is idealized as a model son and something of a ladies’ man.

Unlike other national heroes, he did not bear arms or lead an army. Indeed, he preached against
an armed rebellion, believing his countryfolk were yet unprepared for battle and so concluded that a
revolution was bound to fail. But neither was he a milquetoast. While in Madrid, he challenged fellow
propagandist Antonio Luna to a duel after Luna disparaged Nellie Boustead while in a drunken rage.
Nellie apparently favored Rizal over Luna, and hearing the young lady maligned, Rizal challenged Luna to
a gun duel. The gunfight did not proceed, fortunately, after Luna sobered up. Reports have it that, while
a superior swordsman, Luna was not as good with a pistol as Rizal was.

Rizal also challenged to a duel Wenceslao Retana, a minor official in the Spanish colonial
bureaucracy who became the foremost opponent of Filipino propagandists in Spain. In an article in an
anti-Filipino newspaper in Madrid, Retana claimed that the reason Rizal’s family and friends were
ejected from their Calamba properties was that they failed to pay rent. It was an injustice that rankled
Rizal deeply, especially since stories reached him that his beloved mother was paraded before the
townsfolk with her hands in shackles. It is believed to have sparked Rizal’s simmering anti-Spanish
sentiment.

And so an incensed Rizal challenged the Spaniard to a duel, a challenge left unmet after Retana
retracted his claims in a later article. The Spaniard would later become an ardent devotee, and after the
hero’s death wrote the first book-length biography of Rizal.

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 Proud and quick to take offense, sensitive to slights and determined to prove by personal
example the superiority or at least the equality of Filipinos to any other peoples on earth, Rizal was
uniquely situated to take on the mantle of national hero.

Some have claimed that Rizal was nothing more than a “creation” of the American colonial
powers who deemed the scholar-writer a safer and thus more palatable model of heroism than the
more volatile Andres Bonifacio, whose enduring image is, despite contrary scholarship, the firebrand in
peasant wear holding aloft a bolo and the Katipunan flag.

But this flies against accounts of how Rizal—and later, his surviving family—was beheld by his
contemporaries. During his exile in Dapitan, Rizal was visited by an emissary of the Katipunan who
sought to convince him to lend his person and reputation to the revolutionary cause. Rizal rebuffed him.

Historian and Inquirer columnist Ambeth Ocampo, in an account of Rizal’s execution, describes
the scene as Rizal is led on foot from his cell in Fort Santiago to Bagumbayan: “The streets were lined
with people who wanted to see the condemned man, since Rizal was many things to different people:
‘leader of the revolution,’ physician, novelist, poet, sculptor, heretic, subversive. Rizal was a person one
could not be neutral about. Like him or hate him, he was a celebrity.”

In a time when it took at the very least some weeks for news to cross the ocean from Spain to
these islands, Rizal and his fellow propagandists were virtually the sole voices of Filipino opposition to
Spanish colonial policy. His novels articulated the inchoate anger of the people against the symbols of
Spanish oppression: the military, the civil authorities, the clergy. At a time when armed conflict
consisted of bolos and spears and a few rifles employed against a well-armed military force with long
arms, cannons, swords and mounted troops, Rizal chose to fight with words—scathing, bitter, pained
and pointed—and aimed these at the heart of the colonizer. He may have eschewed active, bloody
battle, but he was no coward.

His words were missiles that covered a broad ground and outlasted his own brief life. And their
enduring influence explains why he is a hero.

RIZAL’S EXILE IN DAPITAN

Jose Rizal's arrival in Manila on June 26, 1892 had become very sensational among the Filipinos.
His popularity feared the Spaniards, and as such, payed careful attention to his every moves – all houses
where he had been were searched and the Filipinos seen in his company were suspected. As he had
planned, on July 3, 1892 he founded the La Liga Filipina in the house of Doroteo Ongjunco in Tondo,
Manila. (For a more comprehensive discussion on the La Liga Filipina, click here).

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 Four days after the civic organization's foundation, Jose Rizal was arrested by the Spanish
authorities on four grounds:
1. for publishing anti-Catholic and anti-friar books and articles;
2. for having in possession a bundle of handbills, the Pobres Frailes, in which advocacies were
in violation of the Spanish orders;
3. for dedicating his novel, El Filibusterismo to the three “traitors” (Gomez, Burgos and
Zamora) and for emphasizing on the novel's title page that “the only salvation for the
Philippines was separation from the mother country (referring to Spain)”; and
4. for simply criticizing the religion and aiming for its exclusion from the Filipino culture.

Arrival in Dapitan

Aboard the steamer Cebu and under heavy guard, Rizal left Manila, sailing to Mindoro and
Panay, until he reached Dapitan at seven o'clock in the evening of June 17. From that day until July 31,
1896, Dapitan became the bare witness to one of the most fruitful periods in Rizal's life. His stay in the
province was more than “he” living in exile – it was the period when Rizal had been more focused on
serving the people and the society through his civic works, medical practices, land development and
promotion of education.

Challenging the Religion

In Dapitan, Rizal had a scholarly debate with Father Pablo Pastells regarding religion. This
exchange of heated arguments revealed the anti-Christian Rizal – his bitterness on the abuses
performed by friars, doing such under the name of the sacred religion. Father Pastells tried his best to
win Rizal back to the faith but fortunately or unfortunately, in vain. These series of debate ended
inconclusively in which neither of them convinced the other of his judgments/arguments.

Careers and Contributions

Rizal had maximized his stay in Dapitan by devoting much of his time in improving his artistic
and literary skills; doing agricultural and civic projects; engaging in business activities, and writing letters
to his friends in Europe, particularly to Ferdinand Blumentritt and Reinhold Rost. His careers and
achievements in different fields were as follows:

As a physician, Rizal provided free medicine to his patients, most of them were underprivileged.
However, he also had wealthy patients who paid him well enough for his excellent surgical skill.
Among them were Don Ignacio Tumarong who gave Rizal 3000 pesos for restoring his sight, an
Englishman who gave him 500 pesos, and Aklanon haciendero, DonFrancisco Azcarraga, who
paid him a cargo of sugar. His skill was put into test in August 1893 when his mother, Doña

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Teodora Alonzo, was placed under opthalmic surgery for the third time. The operation was a
success, however, Alonzo, ignored her son's instructions and removed the bandages in her eyes
which lead to irritation and infection.

As an engineer, Rizal applied his knowledge through the waterworks system he constructed in
Dapitan. Going back to his academic life, Rizal obtained the title of expert surveyor (perito
agrimensor) from the Ateneo Municipal. From his practical knowledge as agrimensor, he
widened his knowledge by reading engineering-related books. As a result, despite the
inadequacy of tools at hand, he successfully provided a good water system in the province.

As an educator, Rizal established a school in Dapitan which was attended by 16 young boys from
prominent families. Instead of charging them for the matriculation, he made the students do
community projects for him like maintaining his garden and field. He taught them reading,
writing in English and Spanish, geography, history, mathematics, industrial work, nature study,
morals and gymnastics. He encouraged his students to engage in sports activities to strengthen
their bodies as well. There was no formal room, like the typical classroom nowadays. Classes
were conducted from 2 p.m to 4 p.m. with the teacher sitting on a hammock while the students
sat on a long bamboo bench.

As an agriculturist, Rizal devoted time in planting important crops and fruit-bearing trees in his
16-hectare land (later, reaching as large as 70 hectares). He planted cacao, coffee,sugarcane,
and coconuts, among many others. He even invested part of his earnings from being a medical
practitioner and his 6000-peso winnings from a lottery on lands. From the United States, he
imported agricultural machinery and introduced to the native farmers of Dapitan the modern
agricultural methods. Rizal also visualized of having an agricultural colony in Sitio Ponot, within
the Sindañgan Bay. He believed that the area was suitable for cattle-raising and for cash-crops as
the area had abundant water. Unfortunately, this plan did not materialized.

As a businessman, the adventurous Rizal, with his partner, Ramon Carreon, tried his luck in the
fishing, hemp and copra industries. In a letter to his brother-in-law, Manuel T. Hidalgo, he
pointed out the potential of the fishing industry in the province (as the area was abundant with
fish and good beach). He also requested that two good Calamba fishermen be sent to Dapitan to
teach the fisher folks of the new fishing methods, using a big net called pukutan. But the
industry in which Rizal became more successful was in hemp, shipping the said product to a
foreign firm in Manila.

As an inventor, little was known of Rizal. In 1887, during his medical practice in Calamba, he
invented a special type of lighter called sulpukan which he sent to Blumentritt as a gift.
According to Rizal, the wooden lighter's mechanism was based on the principle of compressed
air. Another of his inventions was the wooden brick-maker can manufacture about 6,000 bricks
a day.

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 As an artist, he had contributed his talent in the Sisters of Charity who were preparing for the
arrival of the image of the Holy Virgin. Rizal was actually the person who modeled the image's
right foot and other details. He also conceptualize its curtain, which was oil-painted by a Sister
under his instruction. He also made sketches of anything which attracted him in Dapitan. Among
his collections were the three rare fauna species that he discovered (dragon/lizard, frog and
beetle) and the fishes he caught. He also sculptured the statuette called “The Mother's
Revenge” which represented his dog, Syria, avenging her puppy to a crocodile which killed it.

As a linguist, Rizal was interested in the languages used in Dapitan, thus, studied and made
comparisons of the Bisayan and Malayan languages existing in the region. In fact, Rizal had
knowledge in 22 languages: Tagalog, Ilocano, Bisayan, Subanun, Spanish, Latin, Greek, English,
French, German, Arabic, Malayan, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Dutch, Catalan, Italian, Chinese, Japanes,
Portuguese, Swedish and Russian.

As a scientist, Rizal shared his interest with nature to his students. With his boys, they explored
the jungles and searched for specimens which he sent to museums in Europe, particularly in
Dressed Museum. In return, scientific books and surgical instruments were delivered to him
from the European scientists. He also made a bulk of other researches and studies in the fields
of ethnography, archaeology, geology, anthropology and geography. However, Rizal's most
significant contribution in the scientific world was his discovery of three species:
1. Draco rizali – flying dragon
2. Apogonia rizali – small beetle
3. Rhacophorus rizali – rare frog

Rizal also partakes in civic works in Dapitan. Upon arriving in the province, he noticed its poor
condition. He drained the marshes of Dapitan to get rid of malaria-carrying mosquitoes. He also
provided lighting system – coconut oil lamps posted in dark streets – in the province out of what he
earned from being a physician. He beautified Dapitan by remodelling the town plaza, with the aid of his
Jesuit teacher, Fr. Francisco Sanchez, and created a relief map of Mindanao (footnote: using stones, soil
and grass) right in front the church.

Romantic affair with Josephine Bracken

Rizal had always been missing his family and their happy moments together in Calamba and his
despair doubled upon the announcement of Leonor Rivera's death. Not soon, to his surprise, an Irish girl
enlightened his rather gloomy heart. This girl was the 18-year old Josephine Bracken who, to Wenceslao
Retana's words, was “slender, a chestnut blond, with blue eyes, dressed with elegant simplicity, with an
atmosphere of light (gaiety).”

From Hongkong, she arrived in Dapitan in February, 1895 with his blind foster father, George
Taufer, and a Filipina named Manuela Orlac. Rizal's fame as an opthalmic surgeon reached overseas, and

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one of Rizal's friends, Julio Llorente referred the group to Rizal. Rizal and Bracken instantly fell in love
with each and in just one month, they agreed to marry which appalled and disturbed Taufer. However,
the parish priest of Dapitan, Father Pedro Obach, refused to do so unless they be permitted by the
Bishop of Cebu.

On the other hand, Taufer returned to Hongkong uncured. Because no priest was willing to
marry the two, the couple exchanged their vows before God in their own way, which scandalized Fr.
Obach. In 1896, their love bear its fruit – Josephine was pregnant. Unfortunately, Bracken gave birth to a
one-month premature baby boy who lived only for three hours. The child was buried in Dapitan, bearing
the name Francisco, after Rizal's father.

Katipunan seek Rizal’s Advice

Prior to the outbreak of the revolution, the Katipunan leader, Andres Bonifacio, seek the advise
of Jose Rizal. In a secret meeting on May 2, 1896 at Bitukang Manok river in Pasig, the group agreed to
send Dr. Pio Valenzuela as a representative to Dapitan who will inform Rizal of their plan to launch a
revolution against the Spaniards. On board the steamer Venus, Valenzuala left Manila on June 15, 1892
and in 6 days, arrived at Dapitan with a blind companion, Raymundo Mata. At night, Rizal and
Valenzuela had a talk in the former's garden. There, Valenzuela told him of the Katipunan's plan.
Regarding this, Rizal outspokenly objected Bonifacio's “premature” idea for two reasons:
1. the Filipinos were still unready for such bloody revolution; and the Katipunan lacked
machinery – before plotting a revolution, there must be sufficient arms and funds collected.
2. Valenzuela also told Rizal of their plan to rescue him in Dapitan. Again, the exiled hero
disagreed because he had no plan of breaking his word of honor to the Spanish authorities.

As a Volunteer in Cuba

During the peak of the Cuban revolution, Rizal offered his services as a military doctor to
compromise with the shortage of physicians in the said country. It was his friend Ferdinand Blumentritt
who informed him of the situation in Cuba and suggested that he volunteer himself as army doctor. On
December 17, 1895, Rizal sent a letter to Governor General Ramon Blanco rendering his service for
Cuba. But for months Rizal awaited in vain for the governor's reply, and loss hope that his request will be
granted. It was only on July 30, 1896 when Rizal received a letter from Governor Blanco, dated July 2,
1896, accepting his offer. The letter also stated that Rizal will be given a pass so that he can go to
Manila, then to Spain where its Minister of War will assign shim to the Army of Operations in Cuba.

Farewell in Dapitan

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 At midnight of July 31, 1896, Jose Rizal left Dapitan on board the steamer España, together with
Narcisa, Josephine, Angelica (Narcisa's daughter), three nephews and six of his students. Many were
saddened as the adopted son of Dapitan left.

In Cebu, on their way to Manila, Rizal successfully performed an opthalmic operation to a

merchant who paid him fifty silver pesos. After almost a week, on August 6, 1896, España arrived in
Manila. Rizal was supposedly to board the Isla de Luzon for Spain, but unfortunately, left ahead of time.
Instead, he was transferred to the Spanish cruiser Castilla to stay and wait for the next mail boat that
woul sail for Spain next month. He was prohibited from leaving the vicinity but was allowed to accept
visitors so long as they were his immediate family. Of course, all these delays were part of the drama –
Rizal has now fallen to the critical/deadly Spanish trap.

Rizal lived in exile in far-away Dapitan, a remote town in Mindanao which was under the
missionary jurisdiction of the Jesuits, from 1892 to 1896. This four-year interregnum in his life was
tediously unexciting, but was abundantly fruitful with varied achievements (Zaide, 2008).

THE TRIAL, THE EXICUTION AND THE DEATH OF JEOSE RIZAL

The Trial

On 20th December, 1896, Rizal together with his counsel, Lt. Taviel de Andrade of the Spanish
Artillery, prepared for his defense.

Five days later, on 25th December, Christmas Day, Rizal was informed that on the following day,
at 10:00 am, the Council of War would convene. Rizal wrote his counsel Taviel, asking for a conference
prior to appearing before the Council. However, it was not known whether such pre-trial conference
between Rizal and his counsel took place.

On 26th December, at the Cuartel General de Espana, a soldier’s dormitory was converted into
an improvised courtroom.

The trial proceeded with the reading of the accusations against Rizal “as principal organizer” and
“moving spirit of the Philippine insurrection, founder of societies, of newspapers and [who] has written
books designed to foment and propagate ideas of rebellion and sedition among the people, as well as
the principal leader of the anti-government in the country.”

Taviel de Andrade, Rizal’s defense counsel, argued that in the law applying the Penal Code of
Spain in the Philippines, none exists to establish the guilt of the accused; he likewise challenged the
veracity and impartiality of those who had given statements incriminating Rizal; he closed his defense
requesting the court to reject the images of war, for they could only provoke ideas of vengeance, and
that judges should not be vengeful but fair and just.

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 After giving Rizal an opportunity to speak in his defense, the Court after deliberations rendered
its decision finding Rizal the author of rebellion and sentenced him to death.

On 28th December, Governor General Polavieja approved the sentence of the Council of War
after knowing that none of the members of the Council of Authorities recommended the commutation
of the sentence against Rizal.

On 29th December, Judge Dominguez went to Fort Santiago to notify Rizal officially of the
sentence. Rizal read the report or verdict but refused to sign it, stating that he was innocent. He also
alleged that he was not a Chinese mestizo as stated by the auditor in the report but a pure Indio. Rizal
was informed that no modifications were allowed in the text of the judgment.

In the morning of 30 December, 1896, Rizal was executed at Bagumbayan field by musketry.

“Eight native soldiers composed the firing squad. Behind them were eight Spanish soldiers with
Mauser rifles, ready to shoot the native soldiers if they refused to shoot Rizal.”

The Execution

At 6:30 a.m. on 30 December 1896, Jose Rizal, bound elbow-to-elbow, left Fort Santiago by foot
for Bagumbayan field, accompanied by a bugler, a drummer and two Jesuit priests, Fr. Estanislao March
and Fr. Jose Villaclara. They took the Paseo de Maria Cristina, now called Bonifacio Drive. Behind Rizal
was his defense counsel Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade. A squad of soldiers surrounded them as they walked
slowly. Upon reaching Bagumbayan field, Rizal placed himself in the middle of the square, filled with
400 men, with a band playing.

Eight native soldiers composed the firing squad. Behind them were eight Spanish soldiers with
Mauser rifles, ready to shoot the native soldiers if they refused to shoot Rizal.

Rizal refused to be shot in the back, saying he had not been a traitor to the country or to Spain.
But the Spanish captain in charge of the execution told him that he had orders to shoot him in the back.
Rizal reluctantly agreed, but he firmly refused to kneel or be blindfolded. One last request of Rizal was
that the soldiers spare his head and instead shoot him in the back near the heart. The captain agreed.
Rizal then shook hands with his defense counsel, Lt. Taviel de Andrade and thanked him for his efforts in
defending him. A military doctor came to take his pulse; it was normal. The Jesuits raised a crucifix for
him to kiss, but Rizal had already turned away silently and prepared himself for death.

The order to fire was given. Before the shots rang out, Rizal shouted, “ Consumatum est!” (It is
finished!). When the bullets hit their mark, Rizal made a last effort to turn around, thus, falling lifeless
with his back on the ground, his face to the sky. Another soldier gave the body a “tiro de gracia” -- one

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last shot to make sure Rizal was dead. Shouts of “Viva Espana!” rent the air. The band of the regiment
struck the first chords of “Marcha de Cadiz.” By 7:03 a.m. the execution was over.

It is said that a dog (mascot) ran around the lifeless body, whining. Whose mascot was it?
Nobody knows, or nothing was written about it except that it was captured by the camera’s eye as being
among the crowd that witnessed the execution that morning.

Rizal Buried Without a Coffin

After the execution of Rizal his body was placed in a van and with utmost secrecy buried in the
old Paco Cemetery. Sra. Teodora, the mother of Rizal, wanted to comply with the last wish of her son,
that the family take charge of his remains. After several objections on the part of some Spanish officials,
Civil Governor Manuel Luengo agreed to her petition. However, when the funeral coach left, they had
already secretly taken the body away, and Rizal's sister, Narcisa, went to all the cemeteries of Manila
looking for the remains in vain.

On the way back, she saw, through the open gate of the Paco Cemetery, some guardia civiles.
This gave her a hint. She entered the cemetery and after much searching found a freshly dug grave
covered with earth. She gave the gravedigger some money and placed a plaque with the initials of her
brother in reverse, R.P.J., which means Rizal, Protacio Jose. (Jose Rizal, Filipino Doctor and Patriot, by
Jose Baron Fernandez, Paragon Printing Corporation, Manila, 1992, pp 370-371).

A few days after the Americans occupied Manila in August 1898, Rizal's sister Narcisa asked
permission from the new authorities to exhume the remains of Rizal. Permission was granted. When the
body was exhumed, it was discovered that Rizal's body had not even been placed in a coffin. The shoes
were identified, but whatever had been hidden inside them had already disintegrated (Fernandez, p.
393).

In 1911, Rizal’s remains were transferred from the Paco Cemetery to the base of the monument
which had earlier been erected at the Luneta (now Rizal Park). His aged, beloved mother was still able to
attend the ceremonies of the transfer. A few weeks later Sra. Teodora Alonso Quintos died. It appears
she made the effort to survive her son, to go on living until such time that her son’s memory would be
officially vindicated.

THE CONCEPT OF BAYANI AND KABAYANIHAN

Bayani

Most people conceive the idea of a hero as a person who after their death has been recognized
by a nation. The Oxford dictionary defines a hero as “a person, typically a man, who is admired or

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idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities” (Oxford Dictionary, 2007). It would
be easier to define the word Bayani to the English translation of hero, but to the Filipino people, it has
more elements. First, Bayani is not gender specific. Second, the definition of Bayani, in a Filipino
traditional sense, is an unselfish act towards the human race; a person with extraordinary courage or
bravery that ignores extreme danger and exhibits strength to overcome difficulties. Lastly, a Bayani
never concern their own personal pleasure nor do they expect compensation for what they do, rather
their actions are done out of kindness. In other words, a Bayani is one that humbly recognizes the
interest of what is bigger that the individual, like the group, the community, the nation, humanity and
the environment. The need to improve the state of humanity is instinctive and habitual.

Kabayanihan: Our Collective Heroism

The first thing to be learned here is that the meaning of the English word "hero" is not exactly
the same as that of our very own "bayani".

My 336-page Webster's Dictionary "for home, school and office" gives only one definition of the
word hero: "A figure in mythology and legend renowned for exceptional courage and fortitude." The
bigger and much bulkier dictionary at home, with 1,560 large pages, gives the following definitions: "1
a:a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability. b:
an illustrious warrior. c: a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities. d: one that shows
great courage. 2a: the principal male character in a literary or dramatic work. b: the central figure in an
event, period of movement. 3: submarine. 4: an object of extreme admiration and devotion: IDOL.
(Etymology is given as "akin to Latin "servare," to protect.)

How about "bayani"? Let's read these entries in Diksyunario ng Wikang Pilipino published in
1989 by the Linangan ng mga Wika sa Pilipinas (LWP), formerly known as the Surian ng Wikang
Pambansa:
- ba-ya-ni png. (pangngalan) Taong matapos mamatay ay ipinagbubunyi ng bayan dahil sa
kanyang hindi pangkaraniwang paglilingkod sa bayan o sangkatauhan; taong may di
pangkaraniwang tapang at tigas ng loob sa harap ng panganib o kaya ay katatagan ng kalooban
sa paghihirap at pasakit.
- ba-ya-ni, pd. (pandiwa) Nauukol sa paggawang hindi binabayaran ang gumagawa. sk
(singkahulugan): pakisuyo, tulong, bataris, suyuan.

After taking note of parallels in descriptions such as bravery and toughness, we realize the
glaring disparity in situating the phenomenon: the English, or Western "hero" is mythological or
legendary, and often "of divine descent" in the mold of the Greek and Roman gods; the Tagalogs'
"bayani" is situated in his or her (the word "bayani" is not gender-specific) relation to the community
spirit -- working for free the way we have always known the "bayanihan" spirit to be.

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 The word "exceptional" in the small dictionary's definition grates against the envisioned theme
and message of the TV show being planned, the heroism can be discovered and cultivated in each of us.
This is also found in the LWP Diksyunaryo's first definition, although counterbalanced somewhat by the
second meaning, which stresses the community and one's service to it, thus allowing ordinary folk to
qualify for the attribute. What disturbs me more is the qualifier in LWP's definition that says "matapos
mamatay."

Dictionaries are made on the basis of statistics on how this word and that is actually used by
speakers of the language. [This is why no amount of protesting can remove the meaning, "domestic
helper", attached to the word "Filipina" in British dictionaries. That is what most English-speakers in
Britain mean when they use the word Filipina and the correction should be focused on the social reality
and not on its reflection in such surveys as dictionaries.]

The sense that one has to be dead to be a "bayani" in the first meaning given by the LWP 's
Diksyunaryo is disturbing. It may have discouraged many of us from aspiring to be heroes. But this
meaning has been attached only during this almost one century that has passed since the days of the
Katipunan. Rizal's execution at Bagumbayan and his proclamation as "pambansang bayani" may have
contributed much to it. And I have very recently come across a proof that death as a qualifier for
"bayani" was not in the meaning attached to the word by the majority of those who used it during the
Spanish period.

The point is that you may not simply translate because what we think are word equivalents are
sometimes as varied as the cultures that used them. Of course, I will still use the word "heroism" but this
time I'll try to be closer to its "bayani" sense.

The qualifier in the first meaning of "bayani" given in the Diksyunaryo produced by the Linangan
ng mga Wika sa Pilipinas, to the effect that one becomes a hero upon being recognized as such after
death was not there much earlier in the history of usage of the word. The Katipunan, under the
leadership of Andres Bonifacio, used the word "bayani" as the label for its third- grade members, the
highest rank in their "katipon" and "kawal." One became a "bayani" after being elected to any of the
organization's collegial leadership councils. Surely, these were not posthumous awards being given!

Why Jose Rizal our National?

A hero symbolizes goodness. Rizal gave us freedom by using goodness.Jose Rizal became the
Philippine national hero because he fought for freedom in a silent but powerful way. He expressed his
love for the Philippines through his novels, essays and articles rather than through the use of force or
aggression. He was a very amazing person at his time. He was humble, fighting for reforms through his
writings instead of through a revolution. He used his intelligence, talents and skills in a more peaceful
way rather than the aggressive way.

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 Rizal is an American-sponsored hero: he opted for a non violence reform in the government.
Instead he used his writings to open the eyes of the Filipinos. He dedicated his life for his countrymen
without hesitation.

He was known for his meekness and coolness, but he never fought on a war. Most of the world
Heroes was elevated as such because of their war exploits. Rizal never did it. He was using his pen for
criticism about the handling of the Spanish government in the Philippines. He fought to have the
Philippines a permanent representation in the Spanish Cortes. That's why when the US accepted the
Philippines as a vassal country, Gen. Taft who was the Governor general here, appointed Jose Rizal as
the National Hero for the Philippines, to douse the fighting fervor of the Filipinos who are fighting for
freedom at that time.

The Americans decided for him being a nataional hero at their time in the country. It is said that
the Americans, Civil Governor William Howard Taft, chose Jose Rizal to be the national hero as a
strategy. Rizal didn't want bloody revolution in his time. So they wanted him to be a "good example" to
the Filipinos so that the people will not revolt against the Americans.

Rizal became a National Hero because he passed the criteria by being a National Hero during the
American period.

Adding that, Rizal passed Criteria for National Heroes

1. Heroes are those who have a concept of nation and thereafter aspire and struggle for the
nation’s freedom. In reality, however, a revolution has no end. Revolutions are only the
beginning. One cannot aspire to be free only to sink back into bondage.
2. Heroes are those who define and contribute to a system or life of freedom and order for a
nation. Freedom without order will only lead to anarchy. Therefore, heroes are those who
make the nation’s constitution and laws. To the latter, constitutions are only the beginning,
for it is the people living under the constitution that truly constitute a nation.
3. Heroes are those who contribute to the quality of life and destiny of a nation. (As defined by
Dr. Onofre D. Corpuz)

Additional Criteria for Heroes

1. A hero is part of the people’s expression. But the process of a people’s internalization of a
hero’s life and works takes time, with the youth forming a part of the internalization.
2. A hero thinks of the future, especially the future generations.
3. The choice of a hero involves not only the recounting of an episode or events in history, but
of the entire process that made this particular person a hero.

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SOURCES:
1. https://theculturetrip.com/asia/philippines/articles/the-life-and-legacy-of-jose-rizal-the-
philippines-national-hero/
2. https://pia.gov.ph/features/articles/1032427
3. http://nhcp.gov.ph/jose-rizal-a-hero-saint/
4. https://www.biography.com/political-figure/jos%C3%A9-rizal
5. http://rizalisthename.blogspot.com/2014/07/group-8-rizals-exile-in-dapitan-1982.html
6. https://www.juanderfulpinoy.com/11-interesting-facts-about-rizal-in-dapitan/
7. https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/796/today-in-philippine-history-december-6-
1896-the-trial-of-dr-jose-rizal
8. https://www.joserizal.com/death-jose-rizal/
9. https://www.bayaniart.com/learn-more-about-our-bayani/

III. APPLICATION

1. View one of the following suggested films:

a. Jose Rizal, GMA Films, directed by Marilou Diaz Abaya
b. Rizal sa Dapitan, directed Tikoy Aguilus
c. Jose Rizal: Sa Landas ng Paglaya a documentary by Moshe Ladanga

Write a short reflection about the film, below are the questions:
a. Describe the life of Jose Rizal as represented in the film.
b. Based on your reading and class discussion, what can you say about the film’s
representation of Jose Rizal?
c. What is the main question that the film seeks to answer?
d. What is your own reflection based on the film and your understanding.

IV. Assessment

INSTRUCTION: Select the correct answer from the choices and answer only the letter.

1. Which of the following is not one of the grounds why Spanish authorities arrested Jose Rizal?
a. for dedicating his novel, El Filibusterismo to the three “traitors” (Gomez, Burgos and
Zamora)
b. for publishing anti-Catholic and anti-friar books and articles
c. for organizing the La Liga Filipina
d. for simply criticizing the religion and aiming for its exclusion from the Filipino culture.

2. Which of the following is the correct combination of events and dates?

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 a. June 26, 1892 – Founded La Liga Filipina
b. June 17, 1896 – Jose Rizal left Dapita
c. December 25, 1896 – the execution of Rizal
d. June 15, 1892 - Rizal and Valenzuela had a talk

3. Who was Taviera de Andrade?

a. Rizal’s defense counsel
b. General Governor
c. Rizal’s Brother-in-law
d. The owner of the hose where Rizal organized La Liga Filipina

4. Which of the following works done by Rizal when he was in Dapitan that probes him as an
engineer?
a. Rizal contracted made the planning in the construction of the municipal hall of Dapitan
b. He constructed the waterworks system in Dapitan
c. he invented a special type of lighter called sulpukan
d. Rizal established a school in Dapitan which was attended by 16 young boys from prominent
families.

5. Which of the following is a false statement?

a. Rizal became a National Hero because he passed the criteria by being a National Hero during
the American period.
b. Rizal read the report or verdict brought to him by Judge Dominguez but refused to sign it,
stating that he was innocent.
c. The meaning of the English word "hero" is exactly the same as that of our very own
"bayani".
d. As an additional criteria for heroes, he should be part of the people’s expression.

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