“I want to show to those who deprive people the right to love of country, that when we know how to sacrifice ourselves for our duties and convictions, death does not matter if one dies for those one loves —for his country and for others dear to him.” — Jose Rizal.
Of all the historical figures involved in the struggles to free the Philippines from the yokes of Spanish, American and Japanese colonialism and imperialism, Jose Rizal gets the widest berth of coverage and recognition. A province was named after him. A legislative act, known as the Rizal Law, was enacted making it compulsory to study his life, works and writings in high schools, colleges and universities. Movies and TV series were produced to further enhance the depiction of his life in a visual way, thus less time and effort. But for the reading public, they could enjoy the books written by Leon Ma. Guerrero, The First Filipino: A Biography of Jose Rizal; Carlos Quirino, The Great Malayan; Camilo Osias, Jose Rizal: Life and Times; and Austin Coates, Jose Rizal: Philippine Nationalist and Martyr. I have six books in my library collection: Gregorio F. Zaide, Jose Rizal: Life, Works and Writings; Nick Joaquin, Rizal in Saga; Ambeth R. Ocampo, Rizal Without the Overcoat; Raul J. Bonoan, S.J., The Rizal-Pastells Correspondence; and National Historical Institute’s Rizal as an Internationalist and Letters between Rizal and Family Members 1876-1896.
There are monuments built to honour his martyrdom in the country, the famous one is the Rizal Monument in Luneta Park (now known as the Rizal Park). But other countries had erected monuments as well: Spain, Japan, Germany, China, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Czech Republic, and Canada. Moreover, there are plaques and busts in museums, parks, plazas, and buildings all over the world. Yearly ceremonies are held to commemorate his birth on June 19 and death on December 30. And lastly, Rizal has a strong following of various groups collectively known as the Rizalistas— one of which is the Order of the Knights of Rizal, a civic and patriotic organization that has several chapters all over the globe, including Canada. So what makes Jose Rizal the greatest Filipino of all time?
From his early upbringing, Rizal has shown the propensity to be ahead of his time and a person in a hurry. It seems like he has a premonition that his life will be cut short at a very young age of 35 (1861-1896). The first indication is his recounting of the story of the moth and the flame. His mother notices that Rizal is reading poorly the Spanish book El Amigo de los Niños (The Children’s Friend) because his focus is on the moths circling around the flame. Realizing his lack of interest, Rizal’s mother tells him about the old moth warning the young moth not to be so close to the flame. The young moth promises to be careful but as soon as the old moth is gone, the young moth flies nearer and nearer to the flame until it is burned. His mother, of course, wants Rizal to learn the lesson of disobedience. But Rizal has a different perspective. “I heard her,” Rizal writes, “but it is a curious thing that the light seemed to me each time more beautiful, the flame more attractive. I really envied the fortune of the insects. They frolicked so joyously in its enchanting splendor that the ones which had fallen and been drowned in the oil did not cause me any dread.”
Rizal learns to develop his mind and body with the support of his family. From his uncle, Gregorio Alonso, he instills in Rizal to become a reader and a lover of books; his uncle, Jose Alonso, he encourages Rizal to paint, sketch and sculpt; and uncle Manuel Alonso, he trains Rizal to keep his body in shape with sports such as swimming, fencing, and wrestling. But the most important of all is for Rizal to have the best education available in the country in which his parents have the financial means to provide it to him. He is excused from working the farm and doing household chores. All he has to do is to study, study and study. He gets private tutors then he is shipped to Manila for further higher education. He excels in his four years at the Colegio del Ateneo de Manila (1872-1877) but not as great in his four-year study at the University of Santo Tomas (1877-1882) with a degree in medicine.
Rizal knows the injustices, tyrannies, restrictions, and cruelties of the Spanish colonial rule at a very young age. He recalls his lakeshore reveries at the Laguna de Bay on the impoverished conditions of the Filipinos. He writes: “I spent many, many hours of my childhood down on the shore of the lake, Laguna de Bay. I was thinking of what was beyond. I was dreaming of what might be over on the other side of the waves…We saw no restraint put upon brutality. Acts of violence and other excesses were committed daily…I asked myself if, in the lands which lay across the lake, the people lived in this same way. I wondered if there they tortured any countryman with hard and cruel whips merely on suspicion. Did they respect the home? Or over yonder also, in order to live in peace, would one have to bribe tyrants?”
Rizal’s wondering about the lands somewhere across the oceans comes into fruition immediately after completing his studies at the University of Santo Tomas. Without seeking his parents’ consent, Rizal leaves the country for Spain on May 3, 1882. His brother Paciano, however, knows about Rizal’s plan to further his studies abroad and commits to provide the money that Rizal needs to make it happen. While in Spain, Rizal wastes no time to accomplish what he has set to do. He enrolls in two courses — Medicine and Philosophy & Letters — at the Universidad Central de Madrid. He is awarded the degree of Licentiate in Medicine on June 21, 1884 and the degree of Licentiate in Philosophy & Letters on June 19, 1885 (his 24th birthday). Upon finishing his degrees, Rizal decides to receive hands-on experience of ophthalmology. He seeks and becomes an assistant to some eminent ophthalmologists: Dr. Louis de Weckert in Paris, France (October 1885); Dr. Otto Becker in Heidelberg, Germany (February 1886), and Dr. Schulzer in Berlin, Germany (November 1886). Having earned the skill and knowledge of an eye surgeon, Rizal sets up several clinics: (1) in his hometown Calamba on August 8, 1887 and his first patient is his mother; (2) in Hong Kong on his second return to the British colony in 1891; and (3) during his exile in Dapitan (1892-1896) where he eventually meets his wife Josephine Bracken. Their relationship bears them an eight-month baby boy who is born prematurely but only lives for three hours.
Rizal is bustling with energy during his time in Europe. He joins like-minded compatriots in their efforts to persuade influential Spaniards of bringing reforms in the Philippines spearheaded by the Propaganda Movement. He contributes articles, poems and editorials to La Solidaridad in which he is also an active member of the newspaper. He observes and writes down his impressions of the places he visits. He pushes himself to learn their languages as well. Out of impulse, he attempts to form a social club called Kidlat Club, later renamed as Indios Bravos, but never comes into a well-meaning organization. But when Rizal hears about Circulo Hispano-Filipino, he enthusiastically proposes a book project where each member will write a chapter about aspects of the Philippine life. He is disappointed to find out his compatriots are more interested in women and gambling. He decides to do the project alone in the form of a novel. The results are Noli Me Tangere (1887) and its sequel El Filibusterismo (1891). Both novels plant the seed of national awareness of Spanish mismanagement in the country which eventually leads to the Philippine Revolution of 1896 waged by the revolutionary organization Katipunan.
Powerful enemies await Rizal whenever he decides to return to the Philippines. His families and friends warn him, yet Rizal is eager to prove he is not a coward. “A man ought to die for duty,” he writes, “and his principles. I hold fast to every idea which I have advanced as to the condition and future of our country, and shall willingly die for it, and even more willingly sacrifice all to secure justice and peace for you.”
Those brave words come true when he is executed by firing squad on December 30, 1896. He faces his death with courage, calmness and dignity. These are marks of heroism that require no validation. “I have always loved my poor country,” he writes, “and I am sure that I shall love her until my last moment. Perhaps some people will be unjust to me; well, my future, my life, my joys, everything, I have sacrificed for love of her. Whatever my fate may be, I shall die blessing my country and wishing her the dawn of her redemption.” His martyrdom redeems him after his baffling behaviour towards the revolution.
First, when Dr. Pio Valenzuela visits Rizal in Dapitan and informs him about the plan of the Katipunan to launch a revolution, Rizal dismisses the project outright. His reasons are two-fold: (1) the people are not ready; and (2) lack of funds and arms.
There must be a gap in Rizal’s understanding on how a revolution happens. Successful or not, a revolution is always led by a few people who are strongly dedicated, highly motivated and fiercely committed. No matter how adequately prepared and well-financed a planned revolution is, it can still fail. He has miscalculated hugely the desire of his people to get rid of the Spaniards. When the call of the revolution is sounded, they respond bravely and wholeheartedly.
Second, does it really make sense for Rizal to volunteer as a military doctor in Cuba for the hope of getting freedom and leniency in return? Given that Rizal has applied before he hears an impending revolution in his own country, will it not be better for him to stay and offer his medical services to the Katipunan instead? What happens to the belief in dying for duty and principle?
And lastly, the Katipuneros offer to rescue Rizal who is detained in the cruiser Castilla anchored at Manila Bay. Rizal refuses and naively allows himself to stand trial in a military court where fairness and justice are seldom dispensed.
Like all stories of heroism, Rizal’s martyrdom seals a good ending. His reluctance to the cause of the revolution is cast aside for he is still a victim. He is not the greatest Filipino of all time because the Americans placed him above other heroes of the revolution. It is because in his brief life he has accomplished a lot. He is a polymath and I don’t know of any Filipino who can match his talent. He is a bestseller of novels during his time where that form of writing is still in its infancy in the Philippines. He is a Renaissance man in a country impoverished by colonialism. He loves his country more than the alluring smile and intimacy of beautiful women. Several times he escapes romantic entanglements with his lame excuse of still being betrothed to Leonora Rivera, although their long-distance relationship is going nowhere. He shows maturity with profound insights early on when the youths of his age are more focused in playing games the whole day. He has his flaws, for sure, but he still pulls us in because of his interesting life. The good news is that we have lots of materials to get to know him. But the irony is that the preponderance of materials about him leads us to disregard him. That is why I have to write this article just to make sure he is still counts in this time of diminishing attention span (as well as the amnesiac effect of past history). And I’m afraid this, too, may be dismissed and ignored.
22 May 2024
