The Hero In Rizal

The Philippines is a country with many heroes.  The fighting spirit of Filipinos never ceases to amaze people of different races.  The true Malayan blood in us must have given us such a strong influence.

One great hero that has a great influence to Filipino people then as it continues now is our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.  Dubbed as the greatest hero of the Malayan race, Rizal wasn’t chosen unanimously for the title of a national hero.  It was given to him after a thorough process and debates by which he was finally chosen because of the manner by which he died.

We can say that Rizal is really the pioneer of so called People Power.  When the Filipino people victoriously launched People Power Revolution in 1986-- an event that awed and inspired the world—it was the spirit and influence of Dr. Jose Rizal that hovered over them.  His being the Philippines first and foremost advocate of peaceful, nonviolent revolution which was the essence of People Power, inspired the Filipino nation to follow similar path of a peaceful revolution.

Rizal is an enigma in itself, his life a paradox of all.  For while he was a fervent advocate of peaceful reform, his writings reveals a revolutionary streak by which led to his conviction of rebellion by the Spanish authorities and his eventual martyrdom at Bagumbayan.

His two highly influential novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, acknowledged as our bibles of nationalism remain unmatched up to this day.  In these novels, he speaks eloquently about freedom and how to attain it.  In particular, in the final chapter of his Fili novel he called for us Filipinos to secure our independence by making ourselves worthy of it, by exalting the intelligence and dignity of the individual, by loving justice, right and greatness even to the extent dying for it, and when people reaches that height, God will provide a weapon, the idols will be shattered, tyranny will crumble like a house of cards, and liberty will shine like the first dawn.

He was so genius in his attempt to wake the Filipino spirit using his greatest weapon—his pen.  True to his words, the pen is mightier than the sword and he used it to his advantage to advance his cause. With the eloquence of his pen and the quite and compelling power and strength of his idealism, this man Rizal devotedly worked for his country’s freedom.   He did not resort to rebellion.  In fact, it becomes  one of history’s most perplexing contradictions that he did not become part of the Katipunan rebellion of which he vehemently opposed because of its prematurity if not absurdity.  Rizal is against any form of bloody violence whatsoever.  He wanted his country to attain a new social order specifically through peaceful reform and not through bloody revolution.

What a true nationalist and patriot this man Rizal was.  More than that, he is likewise a very profound thinker too.  In his desire and anticipation for the Philippines to become a free country eventually, he prepared the people to their political transformation towards independence such that none of the social ills and corruption they abhorred during that time be carried over.  Unfortunately, in the process of preparing all these and gaining all these things he had hoped for his beloved country, he was directly misunderstood, incarcerated and executed.

Rizal’s putting much value to education made him an example par excellence to the youth that comes after him.  He emphasized the importance of education of his people as a basic requirement to freedom by which he said it is through knowledge and hard work that people may become worthy of liberty.  He particularly recommended education and civic virtues in his writings citing that without these two, one cannot attain true redemption.

Dr. Jose Rizal inspired Filipinos during his time and certainly the many generations after it which includes you and me.  His teachings will continue to inspire and empower his countrymen in the day to day arduous task of nation-building, particularly in the journey towards true political, economic and social progress. 

That to me is Dr. Jose Rizal, born 150 years ago.  National Hero, Educator, Linguist, Doctor, Writer, Son, Brother and many more.  For all his achievements as a person of many talents, he chose a path less travelled.  And in the pursuit of that particular path, it led to his martyrdom.