GE-JR - BSA 3A JACINTO, Jacob

GREGORIO, Marinelle REFORMO, Joshtin Marcel

DAYAO, Sophia REFORMO, Joshtine Mariel

What is it to be a hero?

The book “Veneration without Understanding”, written by Renato Constantino asks

the question if Rizal really is the national hero of the Philippines or should it be him alone.
This written literature discusses the idea of nationalism and how it correlates to what Rizal
did for the nation and how he was classified as the national hero. Additionally, it is portrayed
to help achieve a better understanding of our own history in different perspectives.
Constantino’s work highlights the ideology of how Rizal may perceive to attain freedom and
that is in contrast to the ideology of other heroes, such as Bonifacio that ought to start a
revolution which was then condemned by Rizal. With such an act of refusal, resulted in a
conundrum for the Filipinos because of the contradiction of having either the idea of a
revolution or Rizal’s way of attaining freedom were mistaken but neither can be disowned.
The book also pointed out that the concept of having a national hero was brought by the
American Colonizers who thought we needed help with our own national identity and in
which case they favoured Rizal because of his supposed ideology of never advocating
independence, nor did he advocate armed resistance towards the government and such other
factors that made him the national hero which then made the idea of him being an American
Sponsored hero arise.

In addition, the idea of properly assessing our history was remarked as a way of
knowing and re-evaluating who we should call heroes and it also highlighted the fact that
Rizal does have limitations, errors, and weaknesses and having such awareness leads to our
own liberation but we are blinded by how altered his greatness is overshadowing the truth of
his epoch .Moreover, it gives importance to what is the proper role of a hero and how Rizal
fulfilled that responsibility with his own principles. Renato Constantino’s work also
discussed how Rizal viewed the words “liberty” and “independence” with distinction and how
he elevated the “indio” to the level of Hispanization which would then escalate to separation.
Conclusively, it tackles the limitation of Rizal’s social consciousness with the given fact that
we are living in an age of anti-colonial revolutions and how we need new heroes to resolve
our pressing problems and that we have to adapt to new creative energies in achieving
human development and the goals of the people and the nation.
 José Rizal was born into a rich family, the son of a Filipino father and a Chinese
mother. Despite their fortune, his family was discriminated against since neither parent was
born on the peninsula. In 1892, he went back to Manila and founded the Liga Filipina, a
political organization dedicated to bringing peace to the Philippines. Nonetheless, Rizal was
banished to the island of Mindanao by Spanish rulers, who were dissatisfied. He performed
medicine, instructed pupils, and gathered local samples of flora and wildlife while recording
his findings throughout his four years there. He immediately rejected the movement when it
turned violent and revolutionary, despite having lost connection with those who were
striving for Filipino independence.

In an article entitled Veneration with Understanding by Armando Malay, a Filipino

journalist, said that, “A man becomes a hero, or a national hero, not because he leads a
revolution – but because he is admired for his achievements and noble qualities, and
considered a model or ideal.” Rizal had too many achievements that most Filipinos admired
him for. These achievements stand out that he has become an admirable icon. The criteria of
being a revolutionary leader should not limit the becoming of a national hero. It is true that
Rizal did not want to be part of the revolution though he wanted to gain Philippine
Independence in a less harmful way or movement.

“A people can be free without being independent, and a people can be independent
without being free.” Rizal did not join the revolution but it doesn’t mean that he did not care
for the welfare of the nation. He is smart enough to know that the Filipinos at that time had
no resources and knowledge to be independent of Spain. He believes that the relationship of
the Spaniards with the Filipinos is not parasitic but rather mutualistic. Imagine the life of
Spaniards staying longer in our country and Rizal got the equal rights he is demanding with
Spain. More Filipinos will be educated, they can teach us commerce and trade that can help
the Philippine Economy, more people will learn the basics of more advanced countries. With
this knowledge plus our talents, we can have a more independent country than we have
today. We are free now, but we are still struggling because it seems that everyone we elect is
not smart, nationalistic, and caring enough for our country. We are still suffering and not
advancing, unlike the other countries. We are being left behind. It is safe to say that Rizal is
more futuristic than the rest of the Filipino people at that time. He did not let his mind be
influenced by his emotions like most of the Filipinos and acted carelessly. Physical power is
not the only factor that can help the nation, for him mind is power.

Within the context of nationalism, national heroes serve as an essential component

that both supports and is supported by national narratives (Valenzuela, 2014). History really
forms part of our identity as a nation, as an individual. That is why all of us have our own
perspective of history, especially in terms of our heroes that made the impossible possible for
all of us. Jose Rizal, our national hero, has been and is still the topic of debates whether he is
really eligible to be acknowledged as our national hero due to his non-violence revolution
against the spaniards colonizers. Moreover, we have seen from the “Veneration Without
Understanding” by Renato Constantino the different point of view on why Jose Rizal has the
chances of not being considered as our national hero. As we deepen our understanding about
the idea of Constantino, we will see that this is society's distorted mentality, which is the
product of distorted notions in Philippine textbooks, which are taught in school and even
university education. Rizal, on the other hand, is more than we already know. We overlook
the fact that Rizal was a human being like us. He blundered and had flaws of his own
(Warquez, 2020). Nevertheless, history may not and cannot be undone. Hence, we should be
grateful of the achievements and noble qualities of our national hero. Whatever the decisions
and actions they have made at their time, in their perspective, was the best for the whole
country. Truly, it shows that an act of heroism may be done armed or unarmed. You just
have to have the courage, love, and dedication to serve for the whole nation and aspire to the
common goals of the nation.

References:

Constantino, R. (n.d.). Veneration without Understanding.

Malay, A. (n.d.). Veneration With Understanding. StuDocu. Retrieved September 13, 2021,
from https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/university-of-the-east/life-and-works-of-
rizal/veneration-with-understanding-by-armando-malay/11223440

Valenzuela, M. (2014). Constructing National Heroes: Postcolonial Philippine and Cuban

Biographies of José Rizal and José Martí. 37(3), 745-761. Retrieved September 13, 2021,
from https://www.jstor.org/stable/24570270

Warguez, K. (2020, April 29). Reaction Paper on “Veneration Without Understanding" by

Renato Constantino. Medium. https://kawarguez.medium.com/reaction-paper-on-
veneration-without-understanding-by-renato-constantino-60a562772bbb