Rizal and The Theory of Nationalism

Nationalism is a concept that has a very broad and vague meaning. It is a concept
where the meaning lies on how people interpret it on the basis of their experiences and
preconceived beliefs. Ideally, it is understood as the feeling of belongingness, which
uplifts the spirit of oneness to fellow countrymen and, at the same time, looking up to a
common goal for the nation's development. In short, nationalism is viewed as a basic
building block in the attainment of national unity and progress (Funtecha, 2009).
Acquiring a better understanding of Rizal's life demands a deeper and more profound
analysis of his life and writings. His firm beliefs were the results of what he had seen and
experienced during his European days. Thus, to clear up vague thoughts about him
requires a glimpse into his past.
Rizal was one of the elites who demanded changes in the Philippine government
during the Spanish colonization. Together with his other ilustrado friends, Rizal voiced the
inclusion of Filipinos as representatives in the Cortes. Filipinization in churches and equal
rights were among the requests made by Rizal to the Spanish government. Rizal fought
for equality with the Spaniards; he wanted that he and his fellow ilustrados acquired the
same education and wealth as the Spanish students and families in the Philippines.
Jose Rizal came from a family belonging to the middle class. His father owned lands.
One of their most profitable goods was sugar cane, and the family lived a good life
compared with the common Filipinos during those times. Well provided and was
sustained in his studies, Rizal had a family that belonged to the wealthy few, the
ilustrados. The fortune of his family was well used; he was sent to schools run by
Dominicans and Jesuits. Rizal was able to acquire his education from Spanish schools,
allowing him to nurture his skills and talents. He excelled in almost all aspects of his
studies. He was good in language, spelling, and science, and he was able to master
numerous foreign languages. His skills grew as he increased his acquisition of various
courses. Rizal was good in Spanish, making it advantageous for him to interact in a class
dominated by Spaniards. Education led Rizal to a deeper understanding of equality and
order in society. Rizal's urge to learn also increased his desires for reforms. Education
.opened his eyes to biases in the Philippines and the abuses of the Spaniards against the
Filipinos.
The unheard cries of the natives and the increasing fame of Rizal fueled revolts in
the country. The natives organized groups and continued to engage in bloody battles to
acquire reforms and democracy. Rizal's writings made a huge impact on the minds of the
natives who wished to break free from the abuses of the Spaniards. Thus, when Rizal
was imprisoned, numerous plans to break him of out Jail were initiated by the revolting
group. Nevertheless, none of them prospered as Rizal preferred to engage in a bloodless
battle for independence.
The dilemma that Rizal faced was depicted in his two famous novels, the Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo. In Noli Me Tangere, Rizal was represented by both Elias
and Ibarra. In the chapter, "Voice of the•Hunted," Elias believed in the need for radical
reforms in the armed forces, priesthood, and administrative justice system. Meanwhile,
Ibarra did not agree with the reforms Elias wanted and believed in the power of the
authorities and the need for necessary evil. In the chapter, "Elias' Story," Elias saw the
need for an armed struggle and resistance against the opposing forces while Ibarra
disagreed and believed that education was the key to make the people liberated, so he
encouraged the building of schoolhouses to educate those who are worthy of it. But in the
chapter "Chase on the Lake," Elias suddenly had a change of heart; he believed in
reforms while Ibarra became a filibuster, initiating revolution. This change of heart in
Ibarra was a product of hardships and the desire to attain personal vengeance. This trend
of vagueness continued in the novel El Filibusterismo, where Rizal was reflected in the
characters of Simoun, Basilio, and Padre Florentino. In the chapter "Simoun" Simoun,
who was Ibarra in disguise, again being adamant for a revolution, and Basilio was being
like Ibarra initially in the Noli when he proclaimed his belief in education as a tool for
equality and freedom. In the conclusion of the Fili, Rizal has implied his resolution when
in the story, he killed Simoun, the promoter of revolution, and made Padre Florentino, an
advocate of peace, prevail. In real life, Rizal reiterated his stand regarding this issue in
his December 15 Manifesto when he declared that he was against the revolution, and he
favored the reform programs, especially that regarding education: The portrayals of Rizal
in the different characters of his novels depicted how his mind struggled on whether to
fight for revolution or reform. His mind was open as he saw the plight of his fellowmen
who suffered under the oppressive hands of Spain. With this, he allowed himself to be a
realist as he understood why there was a need for revolution. But his initial concept of
thinking dominated his mind, as he believed in an orderly and peaceful environment
wherein he did not want to see blood shed nor people hurt. This side of Rizal being an
idealist was stronger than his small portion of being a realist because he wanted to have
freedom through peaceful means. In addition to being an idealist who did not want to see
the ugly face of society, Rizal also expressed his gratitude to Spain since he did not want
to fight against it. Since Spain was also like a mother country to him, it justified why Rizal,
as a child of Spain, did not want to stab his own mother. But Rizal also loved his own
nation, so in the process of making circumstances favorable for both, his appeal was for
reforms and education. However, his plea for education and some other reforms was
impossible during those times, and those were not what the people then currently needed.
What would liberate the people was the massive movement of the natives united against
the oppressors.
Rizal was very idealistic; he wanted to set the Filipinos free from their hardships from
the hands of the Spaniards, yet he did not want to separate from Spain too, so he failed
to see what the true demand of the natives was: to totally break free from the colonizers.
Rizal's dream to set his fellowmen free from the wrath of the tyrant Spaniards
prevailed until the day he died. He was a victim of the abuses of the Spaniards. When he
died, the natives were able to push through their freedom with their strong nationalism
that had been heated up and strengthened by his artistic and realistic viewpoints in his
writings. He had influenced numerous natives to fight for independence. The result of
independence was very sweet for the Filipinos who fought and died for it, and it was a
regret feel that Rizal was not able to see that the revolution that he did not favor was what
liberated his people.
Nationalism usually springs from the consciousness of a national identity of being one
people. It is that all pervading spirit that binds together men of diverse castes and creeds,
clans and colors, and unites them into one people, one family, one nation with common
aspirations and ideals (Anderson, 1983).
 There were many things that built up nationalism in the Filipinos: the abuse of the
Spanish people, the opening of international trade, the influence of liberal thoughts in the
Philippines, the revolution in Cavite, the death of GOMBURZA, the rise of new middle
class, the secularization movement, and most of all, the death of Dr. Jose P. Rizal. These
events developed nationalism in the Philippines. They did not let the other nationality rule
the Philippines. The Filipinos believed that nationalism was the only thing that would make
them prove that they were really Filipinos and for which they were willing to fight until the
last breath of their life.
The nationalistic ideas of Rizal inspired the realization of the Filipino people of their
sense of dignity, conviction in their country, and understanding of their true identity. The
profuse declaration that Filipinos were "indios" by the Spaniards and their other
demoralizing assertions caused the Filipino people to lose their pride and self respect, so
they became blind to the ills around them. All these were reversed when
Rizal unceasingly defended his people through his writings, texts that were powerful
enough to restore pride and nationalism in the hearts of the Filipinos and influence a
revolution.
RIZAL'S NATIONALISM AS TRACED BY ITS CULTURAL ROOTS
The Philippine experience in the formation of consciousness of a national identity
had its roots in the pre-Hispanic period and developed through two difficult but significant
periods of Western colonization, culminating in the eventual inauguration of the Philippine
Republic in 1946.
Foundation of Our Indigenous Culture. According to archeologists and historians, the
origin of our culture was hypothesized based on the following: (a) our indigenous culture
began to develop in the prehistoric and pre-Christian eras; (b) these early cultures ranged
from the crude Old Stone Age to the Metal Age with organized community life; and (c) the
early settlers came from Borneo, Indo-China, South China, and some other parts of
Southeast Asia. It is believed that 25,000 years ago, the Negritos arrived in the Philippines
and were considered the first people who arrived here. The early occupants of the
Philippine islands were believed to have reached the areas through of a land bridge
connecting Malaysia and China.
Studies show that the Malays, one of the early settlers in the country, migrated around
300 to 200 B.C. They brought with them their skills in mining and smelting of iron tools,
weapons, utensils, and ornaments. Also, they developed irrigation for agriculture;
cultivated fruit trees, spices, fiber, ornamental plants, and some other agricultural
products; used carabaos and horses as working animals; and used technology in the
manufacture of ornamented pottery and glass beads and in the art of weaving. They
started the development of our indigenous culture.
The second wave of Malay immigrants brought with them the system of writing called
the syllabaries system. They arrived around 13th century, the beginning of the Christian
era. In the latter half of the 14th century and through the 15th century, the Muslim Malays,
the last group of Malays to migrate to the Philippines cames, and it marked the foundation
and development of Islam in Mindanao and Sulu.
The existence of the writing system on the islands, the use of metal and the absence
of human sacrifices and cannibalism were the results ofthe country's contacts with the
Arabs, Chinese, and Malay traders in the 9th century, the pre-Christian to the precolonial
era. As time passed by, numerous cultural migrations were experienced by the Filipinos.
The combination of numerous bloodlines coming from Asian migrants assimilated so well
to produce the Filipino people and our indigenous culture. Until the Spaniards came, the
settlers in the Philippines had established a certain culture and agricultural technology of
their own. They had their own traditions, which had been altered by the numerous
traditions and cultures of the colonizers. Trade relations with the other Asian neighbors
continued even before the arrival of the Spaniards, and the settlers developed religious
and social norms of their own. During this period, the settlers already had a shared
language, system of writing, literature, and political and judicial systems based on the
accepted standards of the period.
Remote areas in the Philippines were inhabited by the earliest descendants of the
early settlers of the island, the Negritos. The numerous historical influences made the
Filipinos a mixture of various ethnicity. Despite the countless similarities of the early
Filipino tribes and inhabitants, unity was hard to attain in the country as a whole.
Regardless of the shared territory, racial characteristics and beliefs, the Filipinos
remained disunited and were broken into different political factions during the precolonial
era. Their lack of unity and identity made it easier for the colonizers to conquer the
Philippines. The country was divided into small independent political groups called
barangays, which were constantly fighting for survival. However, it is firmly established
that these groups of people molded our identity as a people and gave us a heritage that
Western colonization could not uproot in four centuries•
The People. Filipinos belong to a mixture of races. Centuries of contact with the //
Western and Asian countries through of trade and colonization made the Filipino race
very complex. A Filipino is a combination of the East and West, so the Character
exhibits curious contradictions that foreigners find hard to understand.
Common Traits. It is difficult, if not impossible, to define what a Filipino is. Common
traits of Filipinos are difficult to depict the existence of numerous races, practices, and
beliefs have been developed and preserved with the passing of time. All that can be
done is to pick out some traits common to the average Filipinos and to separate those
that are obviously Spanish or American.
Hospitality. Hospitability is part of the Filipino culture, and it is naturally felt and
seen in every household whenever visitors come or even strangers pass by. Even a
poor Filipino would offer what he has, such as food, shelter, and accommodation to the
extent that the owner would sleep on the floor just to make the visitor or stranger feel at
home.
Close family ties. Family, the most basic unit of society where interaction starts and
simple negotiations among its members are held, may consist of grandparents, parents,
and siblings. Filipinos are family-centered; they have always viewed blood to be thicker
than water. The family comes first, creating a close relationship among the members.
The father is the head of the family while the mother is its light.
Respect for elders. Parents always remind their children and say, "Respect your
elders." It is very offending not to hear the words "PO" and "opo" when the young
address older persons. Filipinos consider this practice as a sign of good parenting.
Another one is showing parents power over their children, such as consulting them on
important matters and not talking back.
Fatalistic. Fatalism in Filipinos is best symbolized in the phrase "Bahala na." It is a
phrase that defies translation, but which may be rendered loosely as "come what may."
Filipinos' fatalistic nature is caused by their reliance on fate. Such belief has been firm
despite explanations of facts and science; no logical viewpoint could ever bend such
belief that all things are in line with fate.
Loyalty. This refers to the faithfulness and trustworthiness to a close companion or
friend. Loyalty is best portrayed through helping one another hot only the benefactor but
also his family. For Filipinos, friendship is sanctified, and a small help and favor will
always be remembered until the receiver’s last day of life.
Jealousy. A man strongly dislikes a woman who flirts with several men. For him
what is "his is his" and what is "yours is yours." What is meant for him is only for him
and even his closest friend cannot kiss his wife even as a brotherly kiss. In short,
Filipinos are territorial.
Sense of "pakikisama". Filipinos are able to fit in with other people and set aside their
selfish wants. They have an inherit sense of camaraderie, setting aside individuality and
welcoming collaboration. It is a trait of honest acceptance of the differences among
people, creating an environment suitable for everyone.
The identified traits have become an identity of Filipinos. Like all men the world over,
the Filipino has the weaknesses of the fallen Adam, but he, too, has his strengths that he
uses to become an asset to his family and the society in which he belongs.
Phelan (1957) attributes the survival ‘of our indigenous culture thus:
This indigenous culture was practiced on the islands. Under Spain's jurisdiction, there
was a blending of significant elements in the old culture coming up with a new society.
For the Filipinos, their identity remained while absorbing the cultural influences of the
Spaniards. Whatever damage they experienced, either psychologically or materially, they
survived. Phelan analyzed the factors that sustained the native culture in its survival, and
he considered the inward cohesiveness of native Philippine society as the most important.