JOSE RIZAL AND PHILIPPINE NATIONALISM

NATIONAL SYMBOL

Objectives:
1. Examine the values highlighted by various representations of Rizal’s as a
national symbol and;
2. Advocate for the values Rizal’s life encapsulates.

RIZAL AS NATIONAL SYMBOL

Symbols express thoughts that are represented by things. Those things are
conventionally associated with meanings that made them called to be symbols.

Two (2) types of symbols

1. Officially/ National
2. Traditionally

Basic Facts
National symbols represent and distinguish a certain country
from other country. It also somehow unites its people and
provoke some sense of nationalism.
The National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA) of
thePhilippines defined that national symbols represent the
country’s traditions and ideals that also convey the principles
of the Philippine sovereignty (self-governing state) and national
solidarity (unity).

According to NCCA, official national symbols of the Philippines are the following:

•Philippine National Flag •Philippine eagle

•Lupang Hinirang •Philippine pearl

•Sampaguita, •Arnis.
•Narra
Unofficial but traditional national symbols.

These are the following:

•Anahaw •Bangus

•Mango •Tinikling or cariñosa

•Carabao or Tamaraw •Adobo or sinigang
•Bahay kubo
Dr. Jose Rizal is the country’s well-known national hero but
nonetheless belongs to the unofficial national symbol
category. However, this does not make him less of a symbol
of the Philippines. Rizal’s name elicits the name of our
country internationally. The monuments built by people in
countries where he had been and his books in foreign
libraries bear the name of the Philippines.

The saber and revolver are his symbols. All had heroic strengths and powerful
symbols. The rebel, the officer and the writer—all three were patriots who stood
at the cusp of the biggest political upheaval of Spain’s 350 years of hegemonic
rule of the Philippines.
According to Dr. Esteban De Ocampo, no other Filipino Herocan surpass Rizal. He
said that his birthdate and day of his execution are constantly commemorated
by the Filipino people.
Rizal’s name is a byword and his picture are evident in the Postage stamps and
the one-peso coin. Numerous towns, barrio sand streets were named after him as
well as educational institutions, societies and trade names.
Some people were even named “Rizal” or “Rizalina” by their parents because of
their adoration to Jose Rizal.
He also emphasized that Rizal as the Filipino writer whose teachings and noble
thoughts are frequently invoked and quoted by authors and public speakers on
most occasion and it is because according to Rafael Palma, the doctrines of Rizal
are not for one epoch but for all epochs and they are today as they are valid
yesterday.

Values Highlighted by Rizal’s Life

The following are the values of Rizal as a National symbol:
1. Nationalism

Nationalism desires to attain freedom and political independence especially by

a country under foreign power. Jose Rizal’s life works, and writings radiates this
value.
2. Patriotism
Patriotism denotes proud devotion and loyalty to one’s nation.

3. Faith in God
When Rizal was studying in Madrid, Spain, Rizal through his letters assured his
mother of his faith in God.
4. Love of Fellowmen
Rizal’s thought on love for our fellowmen is biblical and timeless.
5. Love of Parents
Rizal’s love for his parents is great and very admirable.
 6. Devotion to Truth
Rizal’s persevering search for truth in serving his country was a motivating virtue.

7. Purity and Idealism

Rizal was guided by his ideals and he was extraordinary in the purity of his
thoughts.
8. Noble Thought and Conduct
Rizal’s works and writing promoted good conduct, clean conscience, and upright
thinking.
9. Charity
All his sacrifices for his country were charitable acts for his fellowmen.

10. Dedication to Duty

Dedication was one of Rizal’s virtues; he dedicated his whole life in securing
freedom for his country.
11. Moral Courage
The moral courage that Rizal had signified is worth imitating by our present
leaders.
12. Willpower

This strong determination of Rizal, allowed him to express his ideas and wills
through calmness and peace.
13. Integrity

This refers to the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.
14. Sincerity

Rizal’s sincerity is manifested in his acceptance that whatever he possessed he

owed them to God who had planned a duty he had to carry out.
15. Self-Denial

The self-denial of Rizal involved self-sacrifice and altruism.

16. Perseverance
This value let him show his strength in meeting and enduring pain, adversity, and
peril.
17. Discipline and Self-Control

Rizal used reason to determine his actions regardless of his desires. In fact, he
deprived himself of many unsound pleasures.
18. Initiative

The ability to asses and initiate things independently.

19. Prudence

This is care, caution, and good judgment, as well as wisdom in looking ahead.
 20. Chivalry, Courtesy, and Politeness
Rizal was an ideal gentleman, one of the qualities of being a chivalry. In addition,
he was always ready to help the weak or women.
21. Frugality

He also showed the quality of being economical with money and any other
resources; in simple way,thriftiness.
22. Love for Justice

Rizal found his joy in being just and in fighting for justice.

CRITERIA FOR NATIONAL HEROES

In 1993, President Fidel V. Ramos created the National Heroes Committee to study
and recommend the proclamation of National Heroes. The commission came up
with the new criteria comprising 10 points or standards (Galang, 2012):
1.The extent of a person’s sacrifices for the welfare of the country;
2.Was his ideal purely for the welfare of the country? Most of all, most
importantly, the means by which he achieved it should be moral and ethical;
i.e. The motive and methods employed in pursuit of the ideal.

3. The moral character of the person concerned; (The person should not have
any immorality issue that affected his ideal).
4. The influence of the person concerned on his age/generation and/or the
succeeding one;
5. Heroes are those who have a concept of nation and thereafter aspire and
struggle for the nation’s freedom; (They must have desired the country’s
freedom in any situation especially when there’s a threat of invasion in any
form).

6. Heroes are those who define and contribute to a system of life of freedom
and order for a nation; (For instance, someone who helps in the orderliness and
betterment of the country).

7. Heroes are those who contribute to the quality of life and destiny of a nation;
8. A hero is part of the people’s expression; (The citizen must have recognized
and acknowledged the person as a hero.)
9. A hero thinks of the future, especially the future generations;(His concern for
the future generations must be seen in his decisions and ideals.)

10. The choice of a hero involves not only the recounting of an episode or
events in history but also the entire process that made his particular person a
hero.

RECOMMENDED FIGURES AS NATIONAL HEROES (Galang,2012):

1. Jose Rizal 2. Andres Bonifacio
 3. Emilio Aguinaldo 7. Juan Luna
4. Apolinario Mabini 8. Melchora Aquino
5. Marcelo H. del Pilar 9. Gabriela Silang
6. Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat

However, no law, executive order, or proclamation has been officially enacted

or issued proclaiming any Filipino historical figures a national figure. But, in spite of
the absence of any official declaration openly proclaiming them as national
heroes, “they remain admired and revered for their roles in Philippine history.
Some Filipino Heroes who are not officially proclaimed was given an implied
recognition by making the significant days in their lives a national holiday.

NATIONAL HOLIDAYS:
1. December 30 – Jose Rizal’s day of execution.
2. November 30- Andres Bonifacio’s date of birth.
SUMMARY

Nationalism and Symbol Summary The national symbols of the Philippines are
primarily made up of those things that embody Philippine culture, traditions,
customs and ideals and communicate the idea of independence and national
unification. Symbols are very, very important to people, especially if these symbols
are related to a sense of nationalism. The national symbol of Philippines consist of
symbols that represents the Philippine traditions and ideals and convey principles
of sovereignty and national solidarity of Filipino people. Some of this symbol
namely the flags, the great seal, the coat of arms and the national motto of are
stated in the flag and heraldic code of the Philippines. which is also known as
Republic act 8491. In the Constitution of the Philippines, the Filipino language is
stated as the national language of the Philippines. Aside from those stated
symbols in the Constitution and in republic act 8491, there are only six official
national symbols of the Philippines enacted through law namely, sampaguita as
national flower, narra as national tree, the Philippine eagle as national bird,
Philippine pearls as national gem, Arnis as national martial art and sport and the
Filipino sign language as the national sign language. Thus, there is a total of twelve
official national symbols pass through Philippine laws. There are symbols such as
the carabao, mango and anahaw that are widely known as national symbols but
have no laws recognizing them as official national symbols.
Dr. Jose Rizal is known as one of our national heroes even if he is unofficially
announced as one. He was considered to be our national hero because of the
actions that he did to save our country from Spanish colonization. He fought for
our independence by enlightening us using his powerful words through his novels.
He may encounter a lot of challenges because of the Spaniards, but he never
backs down to his will in fighting what truly belongs to us. Along the way of
educating us about the Spanish movement, he was able to advocate for us to
embody values that one every Filipino should possess. Some of the highlighted
values that Filipinos get from Rizal are having a sense of nationalism and
patriotism, having a faith in God, and having discipline and self-control. He also
taught us to love our fellowmen and parents. Not only that, he also trained us to
preserve and be courteous and polite.
ASSESSMENT
1.The Philippine president who created the National Heroes
Committee.
Answer: Fidel V. Ramos
(2-10) Who are the nine national heroes recommended by the
technical committee?
Answer: Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo,
Apolinario Mabini, Marcelo H. Del Pilar, Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat, Juan
Luna, Melchora Aquino, Gabriela Silang
(11-15) Give at least five values of Rizal as a national symbol
Answer: Love of God, Purity and Idealism, Noble Conduct, Love
of Fellowmen, Love of Parents, Love of Country, Devotion of truth,
Fortitude, Obedience , Thrift, Love for Justice.
16. What is the Philippine National bird?
Answer: Philippine Eagle
17. Sampaguita symbolizes the ________ of the Filipinos.
Answer: Purity of the heart
18. The national anthem of the Philippines.
Answer: Lupang Hinirang
19. Jose Rizal’s day of execution.
Answer: December 30
20. Andres Bonifacio’s date of birth.
Answer: November 30
EVALUATION
All in All, Group Evolution:
Base on my observation about the discussion given to the other groups all I can
say that they tackled all the important in-depth details and information that is
necessary and needed though when it comes to the creativity in the whole
reporting is quite undelightful and unexciting due to the limited time.

But also, the discussions are clear and concise.

They engaged their classmates to participate.
They use tools during reporting like laptop and projector so that their classmates
were comfortable and understand the discussions.
Motivates and challenge their classmates such as giving quizzes and homework
to further develop their knowledge.
They use language like Tagalog to explain and better understand the discussion.

One thing that I notice is when they're preparing the PowerPoint presentation is it
takes time to start and wasted the time. Some of the other discussion are too
lengthy and makes the student feel bored. Although they put efforts too but it
was a little messy. It seems that they are not really prepared but they are pushing
their best to share knowledge and facts about the topic—it was an effort too.

The Others are came unprepared; it feels like they just do it because it is needed
and the sincerity was not visible. The pressure is visible in every group, we all know
that. But how I like is their willingness and confidence to deliver all topics and it's
appreciative also how their PowerPoints presentation looks prolific and fit the
theme of the topic. They have a good job for presenting and the hard work and
effort was visible too. Their presentation were learnable and they gave quiz after
that. They did their best—each of the members did.