POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

STA. MESA, MANILA

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Department of Computer Engineering

LIBRE, MARIA ANGELA P.

BSCOE 2-3
Life and Works of Rizal – GEED 10013
Prof. Jacinto R. Valila Jr.

Was Rizal a traitor to the country and the Katipunan? Was he a non-nationalist but simply an
assimilationist and reformer?

Is Rizal a Traitor to the Country?

There are such questions that arose questioning if Jose Rizal is a traitor as he did not
support and was against the Revolution planned by the Katipunan with Andres Bonifacio leading
it inspired by Jose Rizal’s works and writings. Was Jose Rizal really a traitor to the Country and
the Katipunan?

Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan short for Katipunan

is a group of Andres Bonifacio for Philippine Revolution back then which has a goal of
independence under the Spanish colonialism. Katipunan was actually inspired by the organization
founded by Jose Rizal upon his return to the Philippines on July 3, 1892. It is called La Liga
Filipina. La Liga Filipina was organization derived from La Solidaridad and the Propaganda
movement.

The organization’s goal is to help the Filipinos fund scholarchip for education, to help the
Filipinos to be a responsible citizen, protection to everyone, defense against violence and slavery,
to unite Filipinos in the Philippines to defend themselves and fellow Filipinos the injustice and
brutality Filipinos were experiencing under the Spanish colonialism and many more. The
Propaganda movement created their own newspaper called La Solidaridad. La Solidaridad aims
to raise awareness to the Spanish the needs of the Philippines and to suggest a closer relationship
between the two countries, the Philippines and Spain. Actually, the organization La Liga Filipina
failed their goal because the Spanish saw a threat. They saw the organization La Liga Filipina of
Jose Rizal as a threat to Spain. Spanish authorities arrested Jose Rizal and was deported to
Dapitan. The Reform Movement after what happened to Jose Rizal still continued. They failed
their goals. There are a lot of factors like funds, illnesses, personal problems and more.

Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan was inspired by the

La Liga Filipina. It is like “Rizal’s La Liga Filipina gave birth to Bonifacio’s Katipunan”. Andres
Bonifacio and Domingo Franco continued the La Liga Filipina through a two-separate organization
Cuerpo de Compromisarios on Domingo Franco and Katipunan for Andres Bonifacio. That is how
the Katipunan was born. Cuerpo de Compromisarios continued the goal of La Solidaridad while
Katipunan’s goal was to create a Revolution with the desire to gain independence from the
Spanish. It also has a goal to help the poor, to teach good moral to spread to the Filipinos the
learnings from Jose Rizal, and many more. It is as if they moved based on Jose Rizal’s teachings.
Andres Bonifacio is the third leader of Katipunan, and Emilio Jacinto was the secretary of state.
Katipunan was a secret organization. Pio Valenzuela was a Filipino physician and was also a
revolutionary leader of the Katipunan. Katipunan members treats Jose Rizal as an honorary
member and a leader. Pio Valenzuela asked Jose Rizal for some advice to the Katipunan’s
revolution plan. Jose Rizal did not agree with the Revolution they are planning According to Jose
Rizal, Filipinos are not yet ready. He also added that the Katipunan itself is not yet ready for the
Revolution as they will be needing funds and weapons for the bloody revolution they are planning.
Jose Rizal suggested for them to go to the rich Filipino people to ask for the battle funds. In
addition, Jose Rizal also recommended Antonio Luna to be the commander of the Katipunan’s
armed forces. Antonio Luna have the ability to lead the armed forces for their upcoming revolution
because he studied military science. After relaying the message to Andres Bonifacio, he still
continued the revolution they wanted.

Based on this, I think Jose Rizal also have a point. He thinks Filipinos are not yet ready
for the Revolution. They cannot handle the bloody revolution. He is against the armed revolution.
People have different ways on how they can help, and people have different ideas on effective
way for the fight of their independence. Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio has the same goal.
They both want the Filipinos and the Philippines to be free. They do what they think is the best to
do for their country. It is just that they both have a different way. Jose Rizal fight through his
writings while Andres Bonifacio who got inspired of the works of Jose Rizal put it in action, which
is the Revolution. The Revolution made the Filipino youth united. They were united. As the
katipunan grows, it shows that unity can make a change. Despite of the traitor’s incidents, the
Katipunan still made a change.

In my opinion, Jose Rizal was neither a traitor to the Katipunan nor the country. To the
Katipunan, he was not a traitor, as he did not even create the organization. He was against it.
When the Spaniards found out the Katipunan, they thought that Jose Rizal was the leader of it.
Jose Rizal was arrested without concrete evidence. Jose Rizal advocates reform but not
revolution but his works did fuel the revolution. I think he was not fully against it as he still gave
advice when Pio Valenzuela asked for his advice. It is like to him, Filipinos are not yet ready. Who
knows he may be planning it too in the future. In his novel, “Noli Me Tangere,” it emphasizes
reforms while in his second novel which is the sequel novel, “El Filibusterismo,” actually preached
revolution.

When it’s the time for Jose Rizal’s execution, he refused to be shot as a traitor. He refused
to be shot in the back and with blindfold. He wanted to face the firing squad. With everything Jose
Rizal did, I don’t consider him as a traitor. There may be an argument with who should be the
national hero of the Philippines, but he should not be treated as a traitor. Traitors are people like
Emilio Aguinaldo. He is a real traitor. He killed Andres Bonifacio and his brother. Then when he
became the first president, he is a corrupt politician. He sold the Philippines to the United States.
It was said that Philippine got it independence from Spain because Emilio Aguinaldo sold the
Philippines to the United States.

Jose Rizal wrote his novels and advocates reform. He wrote those novels knowing that
something might happen to him as it is against the Spaniards. I don’t think that is a trait of a traitor.
He even died for the country. His written farewell poem was found hidden in his gas lamp in his
prison cell. It was entitled “Mi ultimo adios” translated as “Last Farewell”. Saying goodbye to his
beloved country, countrymen, family and friends. He said these words “tamis ang kamatayan
upang ikaw ay mabuhay". He sacrificed his life and knew that eversince he fought through his
writings he seems like he already accepted and knew what his faith will be. A person willing to die
just to fight for his country land’s freedom is something I believe not a trait of a traitor.
 Nationalist is a person who strongly identifies with their own nation and supports it’s the
nation’s interests. Nationalists are proud of their own country. Nationalism being devoted and
loyal to the nation. Nationalism desires unity by their way of a cultural background, including
language and heritage. Jose Rizal is a nationalist himself. He wrote his two novels entitled “Noli
Me Tangere” and the sequel “El Filibusterismo” to convey message of how Spanish treats the
Filipino under the Spanish colonialism. This is his way of nationalism. Fought through words and
novels which is a nonviolent reform. Nationalism for Jose Rizal is education. He believed that
Filipinos could achieve the freedom and independence they wanted with the use of education. He
especially payed attention to the education of the Filipino women. He actually supported the group
of women in malolos. He wrote a letter ‘Letter to the Women of Malolos”. In the letter, he praised
and encourage the women to continue their works and plans for education. He said that he is
rooting for them. He said, “it is the women who open the minds of men.” He has a caring and kind
nationalism.

Jose Rizal is also a reformer. Jose Rizal created the organization La Liga Filipina. It was
a nonviolent reform society. It aims to protect the Filipino people and is a defense for the violence,
abuses and injustices. Jose Rizal’s reform is having an equal treatment for Filipinos. It is like he
wants a settlement between the Filipinos and Spaniards. Jose Rizal chose to seek for reform
rather than revolution that is why he is against the Katipunan’s plan for revolution. According to
Jose Rizal, the Philippines are not yet ready for the Revolution and there are many reasons why.
He also used his two novels for the reform. The novels show what is happens and what is the
situation in the Philippines. He aims to awaken both Filipinos and the Spaniards through his
novels. Propaganda Movement was organized to use for the reforms. The movement to asks for
reforms to the Spanish Government.

It is said that Jose Rizal said that the assimilation to the Spain was actually a mistake. He
said the Filipinos had wished for Hispanization. It is the other way. It is actually Spain who wants
the assimilation of the country. He said that Filipinos do not want separation from Spain. What
they want was a better education, a better government not the friars, greater security, etc. Rizal
abandoned his hope for assimilation and wanted freedom from Spain.
 For me, Jose Rizal is both a nationalist, reformer, a revolutionist and was an
assimilationist. At first, he only advocates a reform for both Spain and the Philippines, he
disagreed with the Revolution planned by the Katipunan. There were a lot of important factors
why he didn’t agree, and it make sense. But it can be observed in his novels. In the “Noli Me
Tangere”, it emphasizes reforms while in his second novel which is the sequel novel, “El
Filibusterismo,” preached revolution. In the Noli Me Tangere, Ibarra is the reformist. He believes
that the education is needed rather than violence to fight while Elias is a revolutionist but, in the
end,, he died in the novel. In the second novel, Simoun was a revolutionist. He planned a
revolution to seek revenge. These characters represent Jose Rizal himself and explains what he
thinks and his personalities.