Paper on Dr.

Jose Rizal: Ang Bayaning Third World

By: Rica Joy V. Dela Cruz

Every Filipino knows who Dr.Jose Rizal is and his role in the Philippine revolution.

Everybody recognizes him when he’s mentioned and they all know that he’s a hero.

However, do we really know him? He was The Great Malayan, The First Filipino,

The Indio Bravo. He was revered by many. Fr. Gregorio Aglipay even considered

him as a saint,he proclaimed him”Santo ng Bagumbayan”. Rizal died 7:30 in the

morning of December 30,1896 and his death made a profound effect on Filipinos. He

died a martyr. He died trying to make a difference.

He was persecuted by the church as the leader of the rebellion and the very soul of

the revolution. Rizal denied the accusations of political conspiracy and sedition and

rebellion against Spanish government.

Dr. Pio Villanueva was named emissary to Dapitan, in order to inform Rizal of the

plan of the Katipunan to launch a revolution for freedom’s sake (Craig,1913).

Rizal objected to Bonifacio's audacious project to plunge the country in bloody

revolution because he believed that it was premature for two reasons; the people are

not ready for revolution and arms and funds must be first be collected before raising

the cry of revolution. There are some who believe that Rizal rejected taking part in

the revolution for other reasons. There were speculations that he wanted to lead the

revolution but these were never proven.Bonifacio called Rizal a coward when he

heard his emissary’s report, and enjoined Valenzuela to say nothing of his trip

(Craig,1913) .

There were also speculations that Rizal retracted and renounced his beliefs and ideas

to go back to the church.The original copy Rizal’s Retraction was lost and only the
Jesuit priest bared witness to the birth of said document. These were not believed and

rejected by The Rizal family and the Filipinos as well.Almost 40 years after his

death, the so called original copy of Rizal’s Retraction. It was found by Fr. Manuel

A. Garcia at the Catholic hierarchy’s archive in Manila,but the original document was

never shown to the public, only reproductions of it (Uckung,2012).

The said document casted doubt on the identity and heroism of Dr. Jose Rizal. Fr.

Balaguer testified that the document was real along with other Jesuit priests who

witnessed the event. Fr. Balaguer said that Rizal was repenting and asked to confess

3 times the day before his death and even requested for a mass. However, the

authenticity of the retraction is questioned.The contents of the document were

genuine but Rizal’s signature wasn’t.

Rizal’s Dulce Extanjera ,Josephine Bracken said in her autobiography that he

wanted to marry her and that was his main reason for allegedly retracting.Since the

authenticity of the document was question her marriage with him was also questioned

(de Viana,2012).

For those who strongly believe that the retraction is fake, there were reports of a a

man named Roman Roque who allegedly forged Rizal’s signature.the was also the

one who forged the signature of Urbano Lacuna, which was used to capture Pres.

Emilio Aguinaldo. It was revealed by Antonio K. Abad who heard it from Roque

himself (Uckung,2012). There are also those who believe that Josephine Bracken’s

autobiography written in February 22, 1897 was forged badly. There was a allegedly

a big difference between the penmanship between the document and the letters she

sent to her “Jo”.

My opinion Rizal’s affiliation with KKK is that there was none.I believed that Rizal

favored reform over revolt. He was trying to make a difference through speech and
not by force. He tried to gain the attention of those in office and those oppressed to

seek common ground and make for better living conditions. One without fear,

abuse,and discrimination.If it truly came to the point where revolt was needed and the

Filipinos were ready, I think that Rizal would’ve taken part but only as a last resort to

attain freedom for the Filipinos.

The controversial retraction of Rizal is still debated to this day.Many believe that he

retracted and abandoned his beliefs and there is also a sum of people who believe he

didn’t. Did Rizal retract or not? I say No, I think it was a propaganda of the church to

weaken and discourage the Filipinos from crying for revolution.Did it work? No. I

think that if Rizal really meant to retract he wouldn’t have only Jesuit priests as

witnesses, if he retracted he should have lived and not execute.He was more of use to

the Spaniards if he retracted and was alive.

I know fully that it was possible for Rizal to retract but, the description of Rizal Fr.

Balaguer has described hours before his death was not the Rizal we came to know at

all. He was weak willed and repenting for seeking knowledge. He was not the Rizal I

knew in books and stories. I don’t believe that he will abandon his ideology even for

love. I believe that he wanted to change the Philippines and he did. He was the one

who started to try breaking the chains that bound the Filipino people for more than

300 years.

Josephine Bracken says that she and Rizal were married in Dapitan..The legality and

mere existence of there marriage was questioned.Bracken’s autobiography stating her

marriage to Rizal was thought by others to be forged. Did Rizal love Josephine? Yes,

he did love her but not to the point where he would give up on everything he stands

for just so he could get married.I think of him as a man who would stand for his

ideals and aspirations until the very end.

Was he a coward? No, he wasn’t. He believed that violence isn’t always the answer.

He believed that the pen was mightier than a sword. He believed that there are other

ways. He believed in reforms and greater knowledge.

Even if the Retraction documents were real or fake one thing still remain true, he

made a difference. He gave the people a voice and something to think about. He gave

them power.If he didn’t share his voice, the Philippines wouldn’t be free from

oppression. He started a movement,his books gave as courage to fight for what’s

right. He books and poems will echo freedom,patriotism,honor and courage for

generations.

References;

Craig,A.(1913).Lineage, Life and Labors of José Rizal, Philippine Patriot.Tutis

Digital Publishing Pvt. Ltd.

Uckung, P.J.(2012,September 19) The Rizal Retraction and Other Cases.

https://nhcp.gov.ph/the-rizal-retraction-and-other-cases/#:~:text=The%20document

%20of%20the%20retraction,viewing%20on%20May%2013%2C%201935

de Viana,A. (2012,September 18) A Glimpse Into The Life of Josephine Bracken.

https://nhcp.gov.ph/a-glimpse-into-the-life-of-josephine-bracken/