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Does Rizal Deserves to be the National Hero

Article · December 2021

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Joshua Carl Gabito Mendoza

Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Sta. Mesa
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Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
College of Engineering
Sta. Mesa, Manila

GEED 10013
LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL

Submitted by:

JOSHUA CARL G. MENDOZA

BS – Mechanical Engineering 2 – 2

Submitted to:

JACINTO VALILA JR.

Associate Professor IV

AY: 2021 – 2022

Joshua Carl G. Mendoza

BSME 2-2

Rizal As The National Hero?

Should Rizal be considered as the Philippines National Hero? Filipinos are still debating
whether Rizal should be the Nation’s Hero because some say he sacrifices his own life for our
country’s freedom. But Renato Constantino, the author of the article Veneration Without
Understanding, debunks the belief that Rizal sacrifices his life for the country. This article explores
the debate over Rizal’s status as a national hero of the Filipino people. It exposes the Filipino
people’s ignorance of Rizal and nationalism. In order to be a national hero in another country, you
must lead a revolution. However, as a national hero in the Philippines, Rizal criticized the
movement and was strongly opposed to it. People grew up knowing Rizal as a writer, a role model,
and a national hero because this was never mentioned in history books. People thought of him
as someone who would do anything for the sake of the country’s independence.

Starting in elementary, most of our teachers, especially Filipino teachers, introduced Dr.
Jose Rizal as our National Hero. To be honest, if you ask me back then when I was in high about
“who is the national hero of the Philippines?” I would definitely say Rizal without a second thought
in my mind. We were taught more about how great Rizal did when the Spaniards colonized us
than Andres Bonifacio did for our country’s freedom. Misleading information about Rizal’s life has
been passed, and the history passed down through the generations. We were taught by the
history textbooks and lecturers about how Rizal sacrificed his life for our beloved country and
served the country during the colonization and national revolt by the Spaniards. Well, in fact, Rizal
was against and opposed the idea of Andress Bonifacio of revolting. He opposes Bonifacio and
the Filipinos who were striving for the country’s independence. In the article of Renato
Constantino entitled Veneration Without Understanding, he discusses here why Rizal should not
be our National Hero. He really believes that he does not qualify and is overrated. His idea
somehow convinces me. His idea has evidence, and he even critically analyzes Noli Me Tangere
and El Filibusterismo’s message to support his argument. Constantino makes us realize that we
need to understand the life of someone before idolizing someone completely.

Constantino’s position in his article is that he firmly rejects what other people’s beliefs
about how great Rizal is. He also stated that Rizal is not deserving to be called a national hero
for some reason. He turned down the offer to join the revolutionary army. He underestimated the
strength and wisdom of the masses. He never genuinely championed actual democracy because
he believes it is a privilege reserved for the educated rather than a universal right.

Most of the Filipinos idolize Rizal so much, to the point that they even study his famous
literary works like Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Filipinos appreciate Rizal’s works so
highly that the ordinary people have forgotten about the other heroes who fought the usurpers in
our nation.

Some have questioned Rizal’s heroism because he was not actually fighting for Philippine
independence but rather for the country’s continuing dependency on Spain as a Spanish territory
or Spanish province. During Rizal’s time, Spain was divided into various kingdoms or provinces,
each of which was independent but yet a part of the entire. The United States is made up of
republics and commonwealths that have come together to form a federation. Each state is
independent, but they are interdependent on mutually agreed-upon terms.

I was surprised to know that there is no proclaimed national hero in the Philippines. Ever
since I was in school, all I know is that Rizal is the national hero who sacrificed his life for our
country’s freedom. But then again, there is no law, presidential order, or proclamation designating
any Filipino historical figure as a national hero has been enacted or issued. However, laws and
proclamations recognizing these heroes have been passed due to their significant contributions
to the nation-building process and contributions to history.

The most popular definition of a hero is someone who committed a heroic act that resulted
in death. As a result, soldiers who die in battle are regarded as true heroes. Writers, politicians,
and other public figures are not required to divulge their identities. Typically, heroic efforts are
repaid with one’s life. The term “heroic role” refers to a hero’s attributes, which may or may not
be Rizal, the type of hero. Each character has a backstory that explains how they came to be a
hero. I think there are reasons why Rizal is known as the national hero of the Philippines and also
there are also reasons many people oppose the idea of Rizal as our national hero.

There are some reasons why Rizal should be the national hero and why he does not
deserve to be one. The Americans suggested to the Philippine Commission, which was
sponsored by the US that Jose Rizal be declared a national hero for the Filipinos. This is through
the American Governor William Howard Taft. Because of his execution by the Spaniards and his
peaceful approach to achieving liberation, the Americans supported Rizal. Unlike Andres
Bonifacio, whose yearning for independence for his homeland necessitated the use of force. The
Americans viewed Andres Bonifacio’s approach to independence as undesirable, fearing that it
might incite other Filipinos to struggle against American control. This is why Jose Rizal was picked
as the national hero instead of Bonifacio. After the Aguinaldo-led armed forces were defeated
during the Philippine-American conflict, Jose Rizal was considered the greatest Filipino hero
during the American colonization. But when the Americans colonized the Philippines and declared
that Rizal was the national hero, Rizal was already dead. He should never be held responsible
for anti-American sentiments that are offensive.

Moreover, Rizal had already become a symbol of the harsh, cruel, and unfair government
by the Spaniards as a result of his tragic death. Putting all of the spotlights on him (Rizal) would
not only focus Filipino fury on their previous oppressors, the Spaniards, but it would also calm
their view toward the new colonizer, the Americans, who were still confronting organized
resistance at the moment. Rizal made the Filipinos feel honored by awarding and accepting it,
and they were pretty proud of it.

For some reason, Rizal still deserves to be called a hero. Upon the return of Rizal in July
1892, Rizal founded the La Liga Filipina, which was a step advance in reformist thinking at the
time since the new organization attempted to include the people in the reform process directly.
Many members of society seeking change were drawn to the Liga, including Andres Bonifacio,
who became one of the organization’s founders. The Liga aims to bring the entire archipelago
together into a single, compact, vibrant, and homogeneous body, in every need and circumstance,
mutual protection is provided, defense against all violence and injustice during the Spanish era,
instruction, agriculture, and commerce are all encouraged, and study the reforms and application
of reforms. As time went by, La Liga Filipina became inactive and dissolved. The council of La
Liga Filipina decided to split into two: Cuerpo de Compromisarios and the Katipunan, which is
organized and led by Bonifacio after Rizal was deported Dapitan. Katipunan is a secret
organization that initiated the revolution.

In 1896, the friars found out about the Katipunan. Following the Katipunan’s discovery,
Spanish authorities made multiple arrests in order to identify its members. Bonifacio and his
comrades were plotting a national uprising. This resulted in the ‘Cry of Pugad Lawin’, in which
revolutionaries tore cedulas, the community tax certificates, in bulk to symbolize their fight against
Spain. At the same time, Bonifacio was plotting an attack on Manila. They were, however, caught
off guard because, even though the revolutionaries were more prominent in number, the Spanish
authorities were better armed. Cavite’s insurgents eventually tasted victory after a series of failed
revolts. The Philippine Revolution was in full swing under Emilio Aguinaldo, the mayor of Cavite,
and Mariano Alvarez, Bonifacio's uncle. The revolt pulled down Rizal’s name. He was accused of
being a member of a hidden militant group. Rizal was sentenced to death by firing squad after
being charged with treason, conspiracy, and insurrection. So technically speaking, Rizal was not
involved in the revolution and never wanted to be involved. He was just accused of being a
member of Katipunan. He died because the Spaniards thought that Rizal was one of them, and
he was the reason for revolution, which is not true.

Regardless of Rizal’s weaknesses and shortcomings as a hero, we cannot deny that his
contributions to our country, particularly his works and some of his philosophies and principles,
have aided in the emergence of the patriot spirit among Filipinos. Up until now, we can still use
his philosophies in today’s society. His knowledge dramatically contributes to our country, not just
in the Spanish era. His philosophies also can still be used in today’s society. But this is not enough
for him to be called the national hero or the greatest among the other Filipino heroes who fought
for our freedom.

But if you will ask me if Rizal deserves to be the country’s national hero, I would definitely
say no. Rizal deserves to be a hero but not a national hero. Based on the reasons I have read in
some secondary sources, why Rizal is deserving to be a national hero, all I see is that Rizal chose
a pen instead of a sword. He decided not to be violent to achieve the freedom of our country.
Which I think is not true. He opposes the idea of revolting headed by Bonifacio not because he
wants a peaceful way for Philippine independence. Also, most of them say that Rizal is the catalyst
of the revolution. Because of his works, specifically Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, the
revolution started, and the Filipinos were awakened. Well, this reason is kind of true. If we analyze
the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo and also if we read the article of Constantino, we will
know that Rizal did not write these two novels for the purpose of awakening the Filipinos.

The first reason is that these two novels are written in Spanish. Back then, education was
limited only for ilustrados, so many Filipinos didn’t know how to understand or speak fluently in
Spanish. He wrote these novels directly to the Spanish government because Rizal wanted reform.
The Spanish friars are abusing their powers. They were controlling the Filipinos with threats,
punishments, accusations, and also, they were being oppressed. Rizal wants this to be resolved.
In his two novels, it is emphasized how powerful and how abusive the friars which he relates to
what really is happening and the situation of the Filipinos. But Rizal’s novels were misinterpreted
by Bonifacio. Bonifacio thinks that the message of the novel is to ignite a revolution to free the
country from the Spanish government. But this is not what Rizal meant in his novels. This is one
of the reasons why Rizal is the known national hero, but in fact, he is just an accidental hero. He
became a hero accidentally.
 In my opinion, we should not give too much attention to Rizal alone. We have so many
heroes in our country that do not give much appreciation. For me, Rizal does not deserve the
attention and appreciation that we are giving to him in this generation. And the fact that we don’t
have a declared national hero, we should give an equal acknowledgment and admiration. If we
continuously focus our attention on Rizal’s works and lives alone in our education system, it
might be possible that in the near future, the other heroes might be already forgotten.
 Bibliography

Constantino, R., & Constantino, L. (1975). The Philippines: A Past Revisited. Tala Pub.

Constantino, R. (1969). Veneration Without Understanding. National Historical Commission.

The Manila Times (2015). The Making of a Philippine National Hero. The Manila Times.

Retrieved from: https://www.manilatimes.net/2015/08/29/weekly/the-sunday-times

/the-making-of-a-philippine-national-hero/213977

Valdeavilla, R. (2018). The History of The Philippine Revolution. Culture Trip. Retrieved

from: https://theculturetrip.com/asia/philippines/articles/the-history-of-the-

philippine-revolution/?fbclid=IwAR3IMNhPpWq0GhErjWN1BZ5btpU4pAIJuHxxQ

CBnVUzr88FepR6MVlskc08

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