JOSE RIZAL AND THE AMERICAN

MADE HERO CONTROVERSY

LESSON 13
 Rizal, an American-Made Hero?
According to Renato Constantino, the choice for Rizal was made during the time when the
United States was trying to pacify the Filipinos to accept American rule in the islands.

Basis: Statement of Gov. Gen. William Howard Taft in addressing the members of
the Philippine Commission, “And gentlemen, you must have a national hero.”

During their deliberation they considered Marcelo H. Del Pilar, Emilio Jacinto, Graciano
Lopez Jaena, Andres Bonifacio, General Antonio Luna and Jose Rizal. It then narrowed
down to Marcelo H. Del Pilar and Rizal, which was reminiscent of the election of the leaders
of the Reform Movement in Spain. But this Rizal was chosen.
 Constantino stated that the choice for Rizal as
national hero suited the American objectives
Rizal was made Rizal stood for peaceful and revolutionary change through education-
The Americans were doing exactly that by teaching American culture and values to Filipino
students. Filipino pensionados or scholars were being sent to American universities.
On the other hand, Bonifacio stood for a bloody struggle- To allow Bonifacio to be the
national hero would push back the pacification efforts.
The cult of Rizal was promoted and his picture adorned the classrooms.
Monuments were built around the country in his honor. The construction of Rizal’s
monument in Luneta and the reinterment of his remains inside the structure was well-
attended by American officials.
 Choice of Rizal as a national Hero

AMERICAN FILIPINO
“You cannot legislate heroism. Rizal was already a hero before the Americans came to
the Philippines. Wherever you ask Filipinos, Rizal is their hero. In short, it’s a kind of
consensus that shouldn’t be questioned. No elaboration was offered.”
-Ambeth Ocampo

Then it came as a realization to some in the audience that there is

no law declaring Rizal the country’s national hero. There is, in fact,
research done on this issue of American involvement in selecting
Rizal as the Philippine national hero, putting him in the league of
George Washington of the United States, Mahatma Ghandi of
India, Jose Marti of Cuba, Sun Yan Sen and Mao Zedong of China,
etc.
 “And now, gentlemen, you must have a national hero”
-William Howard Taft

It was Governor William Howard Taft who in 1901 suggested that

the Philippine Commission that the Filipinos be given a national
hero. The Free Press of December 28, 1946 gives this account of a
meeting of the Philippine Commission.
 Theodore Friemd in his book, Between Two
Empires, says that:

“with other American colonial of icials and some conservative Filipinos, chose
him (Rizal) as a model hero over other contestants – Aguinaldo too militant,
Bonifacio too radical, Mabini unregenerate.”
 The decision to sponsor Rizal was implemented with the
passage of the following Acts of the Philippine Comission:
1. Act No. 137 which organized the politico-military district of Morong and named it the
province of Rizal “in honor of the most illustrious Filipino and the most illustrious Tagalog
the islands had ever known”

2. Act No. 243 which authorized a public subscription for the erection of a monument in
honor of Rizal at the Luneta, and

3. Act No. 346 which set aside the anniversary of his death as a day of observance.
Early example of American “aid” is summarized by Governor W.
Cameron Forbes who wrote in his book, The Philippine Islands:

The American administration has lent every assistance to this recognition,

The reason for the enthusiastic American attitude becomes clear in the following appraisal of
Rizal by Forbes: Rizal never advocated independence, nor did he advocate armed
resistance to the government.
Americans favored a 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.
The Americans especially emphasized the fact that Rizal was a reformer, not a separatist.
Do you think the Americans promoted
Rizal as the National hero instead of
Bonifacio or Aguinaldo?
Do you agree with Constantino’s
arguments?
 Other historians insist that it was the Filipinos themselves, not
the Americans were responsible for putting Rizal in the pedestal
as a national hero
Though many Filipinos especially those with leftist tendencies believed Constantino’s
argument , on the other hand, other historians insist that it was the Filipinos themselves, not
the Americans were responsible for putting Rizal in the pedestal as a national hero. Even
before the beginning of the American period, the Filipinos already had high regard for
Rizal. The decree of General Aguinaldo which he issued on 30 December 1898 was the
first sign of honor for Rizal. The decree mandating December 30 of every year should be
celebrated as a day of mourning for Rizal for Rizal and the other victims of the Philippine
revolution became the basis of Rizal Day.
 It should be remembered that the members of the
Commission were Filipinos
On December 30, 1898, the first monument to Rizal was inaugurated. It was a simple
monument with three sides bearing the words À Jose Rizal at the base with the words Noli
Me Tangere, El Filibusterismo and Morga written on the sides. Those were Rizal's two novels
and the author of the Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas which Rizal annotated. These are among
the first signs of public acclamation for Rizal.

While the Philippine Commission endorsed Rizal as a hero for the Filipinos, it should be
remembered that the members of the Commission were Filipinos. And while it is true that
the Americans allowed the erection of the Rizal monument at the Luneta, it was
Filipino money that was used. No American tax money was ever used in the construction
of the monument. It was funded through a public subscription paid for by the Filipinos
 Do you want to learn more?
Watch Bayaning 3rd World (lit. '3rd World Hero’). This is a
1999 Philippine mockumentary film directed by Mike de Leon
and written by De Leon and Clodualdo del Mundo Jr. It
examines the heroism of Philippine national hero Jose Rizal,
particularly on his supposed retraction of his writings against
the Catholic Church in the Philippines during the Spanish
colonization period in the country
https://youtu.be/xsvkWJDM1sE
JOSE RIZAL AS AN ASIAN
NATIONALIST
LESSON 14
Nationalism is the idea of oneness by a group of people who possess
common traditions, shared history, a set of goals and belief in a specific
future. There is a strong identification with the values, the heroes, and the
traits of a country.
Democracy comes from the Greek word demos, which means people. It is a
government in which all the power is shared the democracy by citizens.
Democracy is sometimes known as representative government. Under this
form of government., the people have the right to sit in a chamber that
determines their future.
Imperialism is the policy of extending a nation control and authority beyond
its territorial boundaries through the acquisition of new territories
 Rizal's Concept of Filipino Nationalism
Nationalism as a concept was still vague from its humble beginnings in 1872,
particularly for the poor people in the Philippines. Jose Rizal and other
reformers at the time had but a scant idea of what it is all about.
Rizal’s concept of nationalism is parallel with that of Hans Kohn, who is
nationalism is first and foremost a state of mind an act of consciousness. It is a
group consciousness that strives towards achieving homogeneity within the
group, conformity and like- mindedness which will lead to and facilitate
common action.
 Rizal's Concept of Filipino Nationalism

Rizal showed national sentiment throughout his career even as a youth through
his poem “A la Juventud Filipina” , which was dedicated to the youth. He
admonished the Filipino youth to strive hard because they are considered the
fair hope of the motherland. He nurtured the same ideals during his manhood
as manifested in all his writings like Noli and Fili. Even in his personal letters,
when he called to all women of the Philippines to poverty, illiteracy and
ignorance. All his efforts were concentrated on achieving his goal.
Factors in the Early Development of Rizal's Nationalism
Rizal emphasize the importance of the Tagalog Language and its impact upon
the Philippines. He realized that a national culture was needed to develop a
sense of nationalism. He was openly critical of the friars. The injustice in the
Cavite incident, the haughty attitude of many of the Spanish friars and the
increasing liberalism of the Filipino friars prompted Rizal to hammer away on
the inequities of the church.
He defended Filipino civil rights. When his mother was jailed for her role in
a family dispute, Rizal systematically exposed the doubled standard of justice
that Filipinos had faced since Magellan
Factors in the Early Development of Rizal's Nationalism
He discovered the power of the pen. Not only did Rizal consider
pamphleteering important, he was also an active literacy critic.

He conceived a form of gradual nationalism. What Rizal demanded was

an education, a commitment to Filipino culture, and a vision of a bright
future.
 Reasons for Modern Philippine Nationalism
The city of Manila and its relationship to the Spanish government and the
church helped to foment revolution
Relationship between the friars and Spanish Government was a tenuous and
often fragile one. The end result was that they took turns manipulating each
other, and the controversies they created with the Indios produced a
revolutionary class.
“Backwater” nationalism implies a highly developed form of government that
took place in the Philippines. It describes Rizal Calamba nationalism or
Bonifacio’s Katipunan vision for the Philippines.
 Nationalism in the Philippine Context

The story behind the image according to former President Diosdado Macapagal was that the
house stood on a land, which did not belong to the house owner. When the owner of the
land demanded that he leaves his property, the neighbors of the house owner took pity upon
him and with the help of the other neighbors lifted the house to its new location.
 Bayanihan
Connotes a sense of community. The pain suffered by one i.e. being evicted from the land
was felt by the neighbors who decide to help him. This is called damayan.
Filipinos were always looking for better and less oppressive conditions and in
moving the house to the new location, it was expected that the house owner
and his family will live a better, more comfortable and contented lives. The
state of contentment is called kaginhawaan.
Filipinos who experience the same harsh economic and social conditions feel a natural
cohesion with each other and they would help each other in times of crisis. Bayanihan
happens every time there is a calamity like a flood or an earthquake. And when a foreign
enemy threatens the bayan like during World War Il, the sense of bayanihan demands that
they resist the enemy no matter what the costs are. Filipinos live and die because of their
nationalistic ideals.
 Nationalism and Patriotism
Just before the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution, Katipuneros held recruitment
rites in a cave in Montalban. The cave had a symbolic importance: it was the womb of
the Inang Bayan.
During the initiation rites, they dedicate themselves to break the chains that bound their
mother to the colonizer. As they emerge from the cave, they believe that they have been
reborn and with the new mission to liberate their motherland from the oppressive
colonizer. As they prepare to take up arms to fight for the freedom of the Motherland,
nationalism is now transformed into patriotism. Patriotism is the willingness to
suffer for the nation including to the point of losing ones' life.
Rizal and How His Works Helped Develop Nationalism
In his desire to develop and instill a sense of nation in the minds of the
people of his time Rizal looked back to the past through the history of
the Philippines. In his essay, "The Philippines A Century Hence, " he
begins with a line "In order to know the destiny of a nation, it is important to
open the book of its past." Rizal was living in a time when there was a
wholesale adoption of everything that was European and the rejection
of what is,native. The Spanish colonizers thought of themselves as
uperior to the indios and without their help the natives of the
Philippines will remain backward.
 How did Rizal become a nationalist?
Rizal was not born to be a nationalist though he had shown such inclination. When he
was studying at the Ateneo in Manila, he studied under the sculptor Teodoro Romualdo
de Jesus. Known as "Lolong" de Jesus impressed on the young Rizal the need to
preserve the heritage of the ancestors of the Filipinos. He taught Rizal about the
greatness of the Filipino culture before the arrival of the Spaniards. The character in the
novel Noli Me Tangere Filosofo Tasio was inspired by his mentor Teodoro Romualdo
de Jesus who in 1888 founded a group called Katipunan. Its objective was to tell the
Filipinos about their glorious past and the need to go back to their roots. De Jesus'
Katipunan antedated the Kataastaasang Kagallanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng
Bayan (KKK) founded by Teodoro Plata, Deodato Arellano and Andres Bonifacio in
July 1892.
 How did Rizal become a nationalist?
The Spanish colonizers considered the Filipinos as lazy people, indolent and
scandalous. Rizal would counter these assertions by stating that colonial
practices and false beliefs made them like that, and instead of accepting that
the Filipinos were indolent, it was the Spaniards who were indolent as they
had to be attended to by servants and there were servants who were there just
to remove their shoes. As to the poverty of the natives, Rizal said that it
was the colonizers who were poor. They came to the islands to enrich
themselves and to gain riches by taking the gold and other riches
In one of his novels, El Filibusterismo speaking
as the character Simon, he wrote, "How pitiful
are the Filipinos! Even their defects are
borrowed."
Putting Rizal in the Proper Perspective
Rizal was an extraordinary man.
Rizal lived the life of one having a family.
Rizal has an imperfections too.
Though the life of the young Rizal was generally happy, it
had its sad times. Rizal also had his share of mischief.
Aside from being a mischievous boy, Jose was known for his
stubbornness.
Putting Rizal in the Proper Perspective
His love for personal independence was evident
Rizal's life was also formed by what happened in his family
Rizal knew that ones' achievement may lead to his
improvement as a person.
Rizal was also known as an educator.
In his exile Rizal was also a farmer and a businessman.
 GROUP 5

Boniza, Laarni Jane Cubero, Kimberly Denisse De Chavez, Ica Geiel Dela Vega, Ashley Nicole

Magpantay, Chinchin Magpantay, Jazmin Kaizl Toledo, Jessa Jane