C-GEJPR – Prelims

Concept of a Hero

Hero - a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine Clay sculpture by Rizal
qualities” – Merriam Webster popularly called “Mother’s
Revenge” - created at
“A hero works beyond the scope of his or her job…responds to Dapitan, titled by citizens
a social need, or the needs of a person or group…moves out of
her comfort zone (i.e., doing something he/she has no
experience with), and may even put his or her life on the line” –
Reader’s Digest

Rizal as a Hero

He was an ophthalmologist, sculptor, painter, educator,

Juan Luna, Jose Rizal, and
farmer, historian, playwright, businessman, and journalist.
Valentin Ventura fencing
Besides poetry and creative writing, he dabbled
outside Luna's studio in
in architecture, cartography, economics, ethnology,
Paris (1889)
engineering, anthropology, sociology,
philosophy, dramatics, martial arts, fencing, and pistol shooting Dapitan/Mindanao- untouched unlike today, perceived by the
Spaniards as far by civilizations, due to that it was teaming with
Note!
wildlife such as flora and fauna
Jose Rizal
Friends from Germany/diff country- named the endemic
- a man of different hats (talents/skills)
species found by Rizal in the Philippines, but it is actually named
- a polymath
after rizal,
- Ophthalmologist – due to his mother’s eye condition
(cataract) he shifted after a year to take this course - Species of lizard – Draco Rizali
- @ Dapitan – he was an educator - Peculiar frog – Rhacophorus Rizali
- Beetle – Apogonia Rizali
His Artworks
Rizal
Wood carving made by Rizal of
- “The First Filipino”
Josephine Bracken - last and
- "Greatest Man of the Brown Race”
ultimate love [naol]
- “One of Asia's First Intellectuals”
- “Sublimation of Christ or the Tagalog Christ”

Republic Act 1425

- Otherwise known as the “Rizal Law”

- It is signed into a law on June 12, 1956 and was first
implemented on August 16, 1956 by the Board of National
Education
- Senator Claro M. Recto authored the Rizal Bill
- Senator Jose P. Laurel, Sr., who was then the Chairman of
the Committee on Education, sponsored the bill in the
Senate.
- It was filed at the time when the country was experiencing
social, economic, and political turmoil.
- Emerging from the ravages of the war and the rise of
Apparatuses used by communist insurgency
Rizal for eye surgery - Strong American influence in the country’s economy and
political policies
- Political corruption was rampant among public officials.
- They endeavoured to rekindle a lost spark in each Filipinos’
belief in their country.
- An act to include in the curricula of all public and private
schools, colleges and universities courses on the life, works
and writings of Jose Rizal, particularly his novels Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo, authorizing the printing and
distribution thereof, and for other purposes

Species named after Rizal
Purpose
The teaching of the Rizal course in the classroom is intended to
awaken the sense of patriotism and nationalism in every Filipino
youth and push them to apply the principles bequeathed by
Rizal as solutions to present day problems.

Original Version
- Obligatory for college and university students to study
the life and works of Rizal

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C-GEJPR – Prelims
- The two novels (Noli and Fili) will be compulsory
reading
- Emphasis on original editions or unexpurgated English
and national language versions
- Punishments: dismissal, disqualification and
withdrawal of school permits
Against the Rizal Bill
- The bill would violate the constitutional freedom of
conscience and religion. In particular, it is an attempt to
discredit the Catholic religion
- "The Catholic Church in itself is never against the legitimate
political and social aspirations of any people”. However, in
Rizal’s novels the Catholic beliefs are satirized and the most
heinous crimes ascribed to Catholic priests and religious.
This is a serious charge and we have to investigate it with
the utmost care" (de la Costa, 1952 as cited in
Schumacher, 2011)
- According to the CBCP, Rizal violated the Church’s laws
specifically Canon Law 1399, which forbids books that
attack or ridicule any of the Catholic dogmas or which
defend errors condemned by the Holy See
- According to Fr. Jesus Cavanna, out of the 333 pages of
Noli Me Tangere, there were only 25 patriotic statements
compared to 120 “anti-Catholic” statements.
- The Church also claimed that Rizal admitted before that in
these passages he did not only attack the friars that acted
falsely on the Filipinos but also attacked the Catholic faith
itself.
Final Version
- In this bill, Senator Laurel included other books, poems, and
other works written by Rizal and works written by other
authors about Rizal
- The reading of the unexpurgated version of the novels
would no longer be compulsory to elementary and
secondary levels, but should be read strictly in the original
and unexpurgated form in the college level.
The Construction of Rizal as the National Hero
“American-Sponsored Hero”
When William Howard Taft arrived in the Philippines in June 1900
and became the chairman of the 2nd Philippine Commission,
the American governor general suggested to name Rizal a
national hero.
American Colonial Program or Policy – Benevolent Assimilation
- kind of colonialism very different from what we
experienced from Spaniards.
- Good kind of colonialism, public health and education.
Criteria for the selection:
- a Filipino
- deceased
- had deep and profound love for the country
- had non-violent stance
Other Nominees:
- Marcelo. H. del Pilar
- Graciano Lopez Jaena,
- Gen. Antonio Luna,
- Emilio Jacinto,
- Andres Bonifacio
Americans’ Motives:
- Critics argue that Rizal never advocated independence,
nor did he advocate armed resistance to the government.
- Rizal was a reformer, not a separatist
- Rizal viewed as reformist
- The public image that the American desired for a Filipino
national hero was a kind of hero who would not run against
the grain of American colonial policy.
- Rizal’s dramatic martyrdom had already made him the
symbol of Spanish oppression which reinforces America’s
promise of benevolence.
- Rizal was an Ilustrado. For the
Americans, Rizal belonged to the right
social class - the class that they were
cultivating and building up for
leadership.
- “La Leyenda Negra” (The Black
Legend) spread by the Americans
against the Spaniards
The Rizal Cult
- Andres Bonifacio established the Rizal cult or the tradition
of venerating Rizal
- Ordered that the word Rizal be used as the password
of Bayani (Patriot), the highest-grade Katipunero
- Rizal’s name be used as a Katipunan cry for unity and
liberty.
- Also elected Rizal as the Katipunan honorary president,
and solicited Rizal’s views regarding their plans against
Spain.
Renato Constantino’s “Veneration without Understanding”
- Rizal’s becoming the national hero was the result of
American sponsorship
- Rizal’s patriotic works, including his two novels, reflected his
mestizo or Ilustrado background and were taken precisely
to protect the interests of the Ilustrado class.
- Since Rizal did not lead the revolution of 1896 – he even
discouraged and disowned it – he could not be properly
the national hero of the Philippines
Heroe and Bayani (Dr. Salazar and Dr. Guerrero)
- Heroe – a western concept; a person with exceptional
courage and nobility and strength or who fights for a cause
but acts on his own (Jose Rizal)
- Bayani – one who responds to a collective need and
seeks/musters collective effort to address the need of the
people/state (Andres Bonifacio)
Greatest Filipino Hero and the Rizal Day
- On December 20, 1898, President Aguinaldo issued a
decree designating December 30 as a National Day of
Mourning “in memory of the great Filipino patriot Dr. Jose
Rizal and others who faithfully loved the native land and
were martyred by the former Spanish domination
- The Rizal Monument in Daet, Camarines Norte was
the first monument built to honor José Rizal, and is the
oldest surviving such monument in the Philippines
- “Our unworthy names are as nothing, but one and all of us
invoke the name of the greatest patriot our country has
seen, in the sure and certain hope that his spirit will be with
us in these moments and guide us to victory our immortal
Jose Rizal” – Emilio Aguinaldo, 1897
Why Rizal?
Rafael Palma
- What is most admirable in Rizal is his complete self-
denial, his complete abandonment of his personal interests
to think only of those of his country.
- He preferred to live far from his family and to sacrifice his
personal affections for an ideal he had dreamed of
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C-GEJPR – Prelims
- He took an "admirable part" in Propaganda Campaign
movement which roughly covered the period from 1882-
1896.
- He founded the La Liga Filipina, a civic organization that
led to the creation of the Katipunan.
- For Rizal, violence or armed resistance only as a last resort
and considered the restoration of the people’s dignity as a
justification means of achieving national liberation and
self-rule.
- De La – L. F. – Adoptado para la pronta consecucion de
los fines propuestos. – 1892
- The sword of Bonifacio was after all needed to shake off
the yoke of a foreign power; but the revolution prepared
by Bonifacio was only the effect, the consequence of the
spiritual redemption wrought by the pen of Rizal.
- "There are only two powers in the world; the sword & the
pen; and in the end the former is always conquered by the
latter".
Who should be named as our national hero?
Actually, we don’t have a NATIONAL HERO, only NATIONAL
HEROES
No such Hero
- According to the National Historical Commission of the
Philippines (NHCP), “no law, executive order or
proclamation has been enacted or issued officially
proclaiming any Filipino historical figure as a national hero.”
- Rizal, who is taught in school as the Philippine national hero,
has never actually been conferred this title. Nevertheless,
NHCP clarifies that the position Rizal now holds in the
Philippine history is a tribute and honor to a national hero.
- Rizal’s hero status was made by the acclamation of the
Filipino people.
- Despite the lack of any official declaration explicitly
proclaiming the country’s most famous freedom fighters
and martyrs as national heroes, they remain admired and
revered for their important roles in Philippine history.
Criteria for Selecting National Heroes
1. Heroes are those who have a concept of nation and
thereafter aspire and struggle for the nation’s freedom.
2. Heroes are those who define and contribute to a system or
life of freedom and order for a nation.
3. Heroes are those who contribute to the quality of life and
destiny of a nation.
4. A hero is part of the people’s expression.
5. A hero thinks of the future, especially the future
generations.
6. The choice of a hero involves not only the recounting of an
episode or events in history, but of the entire process that
made this particular person a hero.
The National Historical Commission, comprised of the country’s
top historians, selected nine individuals and recommended
their declaration as “national heroes”: Rizal, Bonifacio, Emilio
Aguinaldo, Apolinario Mabini, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Sultan
Dipatuan Kudarat, Juan Luna, Melchora Aquino, and Gabriela
Silang.
Who made Jose Rizal our foremost national hero?
• The answer is: no single person or groups of persons were
responsible for making the Greatest Malayan the No. 1
Hero of his people.
• Rizal himself, his own people, & the foreigners all together
contributed to make him the greatest hero & martyr of his
people.
Nation and Nationalism
Nation – group of people that shares a common culture, history,
language, and other practices like religion, affinity to
place, etc.
State – a political entity that wields sovereignty over a defined
territory.
Nation-State – a state governing a nation.
Theories
• Primordialism
- argues that a national identity has always existed and
nations have “ethnic cores”
- nationalism is embedded in inherited biological
attributes, a long history of practicing cultural
differences (kinship), or
- both.
- irreconcilable differences due to cultural gaps cause
fear and conflict that beget violence.
• Modernity
- nation, national identity, and nationalism are products
of the modern condition.
- necessary products of social structures and culture
(emergence of capitalism, industrialization,
secularization,
- urbanization, and bureaucratization)
- guard homogeneity in society
• Constructivism/Constructive approach
- maintains that nationalism is socially constructed and
imagined by people who identify with a group.
- Benedict Anderson’s Imagined Communities (2003)
→ nation is seen as imagined because the
people who affiliate with that community
have a mental imprint of the affinity which
maintains solidarity; they do not necessarily
need to see and know all the members of
the group.
- “deep, horizontal comradeship” that maintains
harmonious co-existence and even fuels the
willingness of the people to fight and die for that
nation
• Role of mass media in constructing these “imagined
communities”
• According to Anderson, media fostered:
- unified fields of communication which allowed
the millions of people within a territory to “know”
each other through printed outputs and become
aware that many other identified with the same
community
- standardized languages enhanced feelings of
nationalism and community
Nation and Bayan
Kapwa and Bayan
• Kapwa – a term in Sikolohiyang Pilipino (Filipino
Psychology); important in the country’s social relations.
Supports the notion of unity and harmony in a community
(“shared identity,” “equality,” and “being with others.”)
• “pakikipagkapwa, pakikisama, pakikipag-ugnayan”
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C-GEJPR – Prelims
Rizal Concept of being a “Filipino” and Filipino Nationalism
- Rizal’s basic principle of a nation is the Vox populi, vox dei
(the voice of the people is the voice of God).
- For him, a community, a nation, therefore, is a moral
community founded on ethical principles of justice and the
common good
- Notion of national sentiment
→ According to Rizal, “national” means “collective”, as
opposed to “individual”. It refers to the “common
good” as against personal interest.
→ “the spirit or soul of the people” interpreted as “ the
sense of solidarity created by the realization of a
common misfortune and a common abasement”.
- “A man in the Philippines is only an individual, he is not a
member of a nation. He is forbidden and denied the right
of association and is therefore weak and sluggish.”
- What the Filipino needed to combat this was liberty and
education. These methods give “soul” necessary for a
nation.
- A nation with “soul” will encourage solidarity, sense of
dignity, and concern for justice.
- For Rizal, being a Filipino by blood was not enough. A
person who has love for the country, concern for the
common good, and realizes the collective sufferings of
Filipinos
- Thus, being a Filipino has to be proven, it is not something
that one has when born; but rather it is a project.
Rizal on the Growth of Nationalism
In his letter to his Austrian friend Ferdinand Blumentritt, Rizal
wrote,
“ I would stimulate these Philippine studies which are like nosce
te ipsum(Know Thyself) that gives the true concept of oneself
and drives nation to greatness.”
- When people become aware that they are different
from other race, they become proud and willing to
serve their nation. They become patriotic and
develop proud in their country. All these are possible
only if they know their country better
Historical Background Of The Philippines On Rizal’s Times
- Filipinos were unfortunate victims of the evils of the unjust,
bigoted and deteriorating colonial power.
- Evils of the unjust colonial power - instability of colonial
administration
- Corrupt officialdom
- No Philippine representation in the Spanish Cortes
- Human rights denied to Filipinos
- No equality before the law
- Maladministration of justice
- Racial discrimination
- Frailocracy
- Forced labor or “Polo Y Servicios”
- Haciendas owned by the friars
The guardia civil
Remembering Rizal
- Rizal’s execution on December 30, 1896 became an
important turning point in the history of the Philippine
revolution
- A Rizal monument was built in every town. In some
provinces, men – most of whom were professionals –
organized and became members of Caballeros de Rizal
(Knights of Rizal)
- Some Filipino masses likewise founded organizations that
recognize Rizal not just as an important hero but also as
their savior from all the social ills that plaque the country
- They are widely known as the Rizalistas
Caballeros de Rizal (Knights of Rizal)
- “a civic and patriotic organization recognized by law as an
instrumentality by which the teachings of Dr. Jose Rizal
'may be propagated to others who may believe in his
teachings to the end that they may emulate and follow his
examples”
- Objectives:
1. To study the teachings of Dr. Jose Rizal;
2. To inculcate and propagate them in and among
all classes of the people, and by words and
deeds to emulate and practice the example and
teachings of Dr. Jose Rizal.
3. To promote among the associated knights the
spirit of patriotism and Rizalian chivalry;
4. To develop a perfect union among the Filipinos in
reverting the memory of Dr. Jose Rizal; and
5. To organize and hold programs commemorative
of Rizal's and martyrdom.
“Tagalog Christ”
- In 1907, Spanish writer Miguel de Unamuno gave Rizal the
title “Tagalog Christ” as religious organizations venerating
him had been formed in different parts of the Philippines
- Part of the early Filipino tradition to associate religious
beliefs in the social movements.
- The pasyon is an “epic” that tells of Christ’s passion and
death recited (sometimes sung or chanted) in the local
language during the celebration of the Holy Week. It was
a literary piece that helped shape the consciousness of the
members of the groups
Origins of Religious Movements
Folk Christianity
- Fusion of the Roman Catholic tradition and indigenous
animism (anitismo)
- The belief in the spirit-world and the rituals and practices to
appease the spirits have been integrated into the Catholic
rituals and ceremonies.
- From Anitos to Santos; Babaylans to Priests
“Millenarian Groups”
- Socio-political groups who generally believe in the coming
of a major social transformation with the establishment of
the Kingdom of God.
- Teachings and traditions of political movements that were
organized to fight the Spanish and American colonial
powers were rooted in religious beliefs and practices.
Apolinario Dela Cruz or Hermano Pule (1815-1841) -founder of
the religious confraternity Confradia de San Jose
Felipe Salvador or Apo Ipe (1870-1912) -founder of the
messianic society Santa Iglesia
Vest worn by a Filipino Revolutionary during the Philippine
Revolution ca. late 1890s-early 1900s. Contains Folk-Catholic
prayers in a Filipino peasant's butchered Latin, and instructional
diagrams on when or where the shirt would work.
Anting-Anting (amulets/talisman) worn with the belief that its
spiritual and magical powers will provide invincibility, protection
or the edge that would shift the imbalances of power
Rizalista Groups
- Each group has its own teachings, practices, and
celebrations, but one common belief among them is the
veneration of Rizal as the reincarnation of Jesus Christ
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C-GEJPR – Prelims
- Rizal is worshiped for his apparent parallelism with Jesus
Christ.
- Both of them:
→ Were morally upright and exemplary in their own
rights.
→ Originated from countries which were under
foreign rule during their time.
→ Were advocates of solidarity, equality and
peaceful coexistence in spite of differences in
social status, ethnicity and creed.
→ Possess extraordinary character and have the
purest intention in pursuing their missions.
→ Were healers.
→ Were advocates of reform and peaceful means
to carry out their missions.
→ Strongly denounced prejudice, apathy,
immorality and cruelty.
→ Were messianic in their own rights.
→ Were victims of trial by mockery and executed by
their enemies.
Rizalistas believe that Rizal, just like Jesus Christ, would
eventually return to life and will save mankind
The Canonization of Rizal: Roots of Rizalistas
- Earliest record about Rizal being declared as a saint is that
of his canonization in 1903 initiated by the La Iglesia Filipina
Independiente (Philippine Independent Church or
Aglipay) a nationalist-religious institution founded in 1902.
Groups Venerating Rizal
• Iglesiang Pilipina (Adarnista)
- founded in 1901 by Candida Balantac in La Union.
- called by her followers as “Inang Adarna”
- has more than 10,000 followers, mostly in Central
Luzon. Aside from venerating Rizal, it also follows the
Roman Catholic rite
- Some of the beliefs of the Adarnistas
1. Rizal is the true god of the Filipino people
2. Rizal is true god and a true man
3. Rizal was not executed as has been mentioned
by historians
4. Man is endowed with a soul; as such, man is
capable of good deeds
5. Heaven and hell exist but are, nevertheless,
“within us”
6. The abode of the members of the sect in
Bongabon, Nueva Ecija is the New Jerusalem
7. The caves in Bongabon are the dwelling place of
God
8. There are four persons in God: including the Virgin
Mary
• Sambahang Rizal
- founded by Basilio Aromin, a lawyer from Cuyapo,
Nueva Ecija in 1918
- beliefs: Rizal was sent by Bathala to redeem the Filipino
race
- similar with the Catholic Church, they also conduct
sacraments, but consider Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo as their “bible” that shows the doctrines
and teachings of Rizal
• Bathalismo
- founded by Venancio Wagan, a former musician from
San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija, in the 1930s.
- primary objective: Unite, love, work together. Uphold
true reason, truth, and charity
- “Ang Cristo ng katagalugan ay si Dr. Jose Rizal, ang
Panginoon ng lahat dito sa Sanglibutan, Hari ng mga
Hari, Panginoon ng mga Panginoon. Sapagkat siya
ang pinagkalooban ng banal na Tipan ng Espiritu
Santong Bathalang Makapangyarihan. Sapagkat siya
ay inilagak lamang sa mag asawang Teodora Alonso
at siya rin ang Espiritu ng Panginoon kung kaya gayon
na lamang ang Pagibig sa mga anak ng Bayan.
Kaya’t sa ikapitong buhay ay hindi na mamamatay at
ititindig ang kanyang kapangyarihan at maniningil sa
mga sukaban na hindi lumingon sa lupang tinubuan
at iyan din ang Inang pinanggalingan ng gatas na
malapot na ikinabubuhay”
- Some of the beliefs of Bathalismo
1. Rizal did not die when he was shot at
Bagumbayan in 1896. Instead, he went to China
onboard a ship, and disguised as a Chinese man.
2. The Philippines is for the Filipinos only
3. There should be no rich or poor here on Earth.
Everyone should be equal.
4. The mountains are sacred and inhabited by
spirits.
5. The Philippines will become a kingdom and an
empire.
• Iglesia Watawat ng Lahi
- traces its roots from Samahan ng Watawat ng Lahi
(Association of the Banner of the Race) founded by
Arsenio de Guzman in 1911
- believes that Rizal is the “Christ” and the “Messenger
of God” and the Philippines to replace Israel as his
“new kingdom”
- in 1936, a banal na tinig (holy voice) instructed four
followers of SWL to organize a movement in Lecheria,
Calamba and established the Iglesia Watawat ng
Lahi.
- some of the beliefs of the IWL
1. The power of the Holy Spirit was given to Rizal
2. Jesus Christ is embodied in Dr. Jose Rizal and
hence, Rizal is at once a god and a man
3. Rizal is not dead; hidden in the site extending from
Mt. Makiling to Mt. Banahaw
4. If World War III breaks out, Rizal will make an
appearance to the new world, and he will lead
the army of God
• Suprema de la Iglesia de la Ciudad Mística de Dios
- biggest Rizalista group located at the foot of Mt.
Banahaw in Dolores, Quezon, founded by Maria
Bernarda Balitaan in the early 20th century.
- the group has always been led by a woman called
Suprema
- they believe that God decided to transfer “His
Kingdom” to the Philippines.
- it explains why there existed “holy stations” (called
pwesto) in Mt. Banahaw, which is equivalent to the
stations of the cross.
- For Ciudad Mistica, Jesus Christ’s work is still unfinished
and it will be continued by Rizal and the “twelve lights”
composed of the 19th century Philippine heroes.
JOVE REX AL José Rizal - “God, King of all” “Diyos, Hari ng
Lahat”