Rizal—Foremost National Hero: Comprehensive Study Notes

Introduction: Jose Rizal – Identity & Ubiquity

• Full name : Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda; commonly "Jose Rizal".

• Lifespan : $1861\text{–}1896$.

• Universally revered across the Philippines & among overseas Filipinos:

  • Birth ( $19\,\text{June}\,1861$ ) and execution ( $30\,\text{December}\,1896$ ) commemorated nationwide.

  • Name & likeness present on postage, currency, town/​street names, schools, societies, commercial brands.

  • Inspires personal names – "Rizal", "Rizalina" – among Filipinos & foreigners.

  • Frequently quoted by writers, orators, legislators; regarded as intellectual touch-stone of national ideals.

Defining “Hero” (Webster’s New International Dictionary)

• "Prominent or central personage taking admirable part in any remarkable action."

• "Person of distinguished valor or enterprise in danger."

• "Man honored after death by public worship because of exceptional service to mankind."
  → Rizal matches all three criteria.

Core Question Set by Esteban A. De Ocampo

1. Who made Rizal the foremost national hero?

2. Why is Rizal our greatest national hero?

The Propaganda Movement ( $1882\text{–}1896$ ) & Rizal’s Central Role

• Period when Filipino ilustrados campaigned for reforms via press, literature, lobbying.

• Rizal hailed as the movement’s “towering figure” because of:

  • Publication of Noli Me Tangere ( Berlin, $1887$ ).

  • Follow-up works: El Filibusterismo, essays, letters, satire.

• Comparison with contemporaries’ works:

  • Pedro Paterno – Ninay ( Madrid, $1885$ ).

  • M. H. del Pilar – La Soberania Monacal ( Barcelona, $1889$ ).

  • Graciano Lopez Jaena – Discursos y Articulos Varios ( Barcelona, $1891$ ).

  • Antonio Luna – Impresiones ( Madrid, $1893$ ).

  • N* one equalled the impact of the Noli.

Immediate Praise for Noli Me Tangere

• Antonio Ma. Regidor ( Filipino exile, London ):

  • Declared the novel "superior"; predicted Rizal’s immortality akin to Cervantes’s Don Quixote.

• Prof. Ferdinand Blumentritt ( Austrian ethnologist ):

  • Praised the book as "written with the blood of the heart"; forecast lifelong influence on Filipino spiritual development.

Ferocious Opposition to the Noli

• University of Santo Tomas faculty committee ( $1887$ ): labelled it "heretical, impious, scandalous, unpatriotic, subversive".

• Permanent Censorship Commission: recommended absolute ban on importation & circulation.

• Spanish Cortes debates ( $1888$–$1889$ ) – Sen. Vida, ex-Gen. Luis de Pando, Premier Sagasta attacked Rizal.

• Philippine Senate Bill on Noli–Fili ( $1956$ ): heated hearings culminated in Republic Act $1425$ – a compromise mandating collegiate study.

Global & Colonial Political Impact

• U.S. Congressman Henry Allen Cooper ( Wisconsin ) read “Mi Ultimo Pensamiento” ( English ) on House floor ( leads to Philippine Bill of $1902$ ).

• Demonstrated to U.S. legislators “capacity of Filipinos for self-government.”

Rizal’s Personal Virtues – Testimonies

• Rafael Palma:

  • Emphasized self-denial, sacrifice of wealth & family comfort, persistence through poverty, cold European winters, periodic disillusionment yet constant renewal of purpose.

• Dr. Frank C. Laubach:

  • Highlighted "moral courage"; decisions to face danger: returning from Hong Kong to Manila "trap", refusing escape chances in Dapitan & Singapore, calm walk to firing line on $30 Dec\,1896$.

Trial & Execution ( $30\,Dec\,1896$ )

• Mock trial by Spanish military court; swift guilty verdict for sedition & rebellion.

• Public shooting at Bagumbayan Field ( now Luneta ); final stance: requested to face firing squad, turned after volley so he would fall facing sky.

Recognition by Filipino Contemporaries (Pre-Revolution)

• M. H. del Pilar ( $10\,Mar\,1889$ ): called Rizal "purest, most immaculate flag" of aspirations.

• Fernando Acevedo, Dr. Tomas Arejola, Guillermo Puatu: lauded Rizal’s "moral influence", reconciliatory charisma.

Recognition by Foreign Scholars

• Blumentritt: "greatest product of the Philippines" – likened to a rare comet.

• Napoleon M. Kheil: "noble representative of colonial Spain".

• Dr. Reinhold Rost: called Rizal "una perla hombre" ( a pearl of a man ).

• Vicente Barrantes: conceded Rizal "first among Filipinos".

Organizational Leadership Roles

• Honorary President – La Solidaridad ( Barcelona/Madrid, early $1889$ ).

• Founder/Chief – Indios Bravos ( Paris, $1889$ ).

• Responsable ( leader ) – Asociación Hispano-Filipina ( Madrid, Jan $1891$ ).

• Founder – La Liga Filipina ( Manila, $03\,Jul\,1892$ ).

• Katipunan ( secret revolution society ):

  • Made him Honorary President.

  • Used password "Rizal" for $3^{rd}$-degree initiation.

Revolutionary Government Tributes

• Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo:

  • Invoked Rizal’s spirit in inaugural Malolos Congress speech ( $15\,Sep\,1898$ ).

  • Proclamation ( $20\,Dec\,1898$ ) designated $30\,Dec$ as first official "Rizal Day"; ordered flags at half-mast & office closures.

• Newspapers La Independencia & El Heraldo de la Revolución issued special Rizal supplements ( Dec $1898$ ).

Poetic Homage

• Fernando Ma. Guerrero ( $25\,Sep\,1898$ ): glorified immortality of Rizal.

• Cecilio Apostol ( $30\,Dec\,1898$ ): contrasted Spanish bullet vs. Rizal’s idea "destroying an empire".

Worldwide Scientific & Literary Obsequies

• Anthropological Society of Berlin memorial ( $20\,Nov\,1897$ ) led by Dr. Rudolph Virchow; Dr. Ed Seler recited German Mi Último Adiós.

• Flood of condolence letters from academics: Braustetter, Jagor, Ratzel, Palma (Peru), Buchner, Planchet, Joest, Kern, Montano, Mueller, Wittich, Betances, Boettger, Meyer, Odekerchen, Seler, Bray, Foreman, Heller, Stolpe, Lelinsky, Podhovsky, etc.

• Newspapers across Europe, U.S., Latin America, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Switzerland carried obituaries & tributes.

The “American-Made Hero” Myth

• Claim: Gov. William Howard Taft told Filipino commissioners ( Pardo de Tavera, Legarda, Luzuriaga ) "You must have a national hero" and selected Rizal.

• Evidence disproving myth:

  • Filipinos & world already venerated Rizal before U.S. occupation ( $1898$–$1900$ ).

  • Act No. $137$ ( $11\,Jun\,1901$ ) naming Province of Rizal originated from Dr. Pardo de Tavera’s suggestion; Taft merely concurred.

  • U.S. Justice George A. Malcolm & biographer Laubach reject idea of American fabrication; state Americans only "paid tribute".

  • American assistance: Rizal Day institutionalization, picture on currency & stamps, preservation of Dapitan school, Luneta monument construction.

Pen vs. Sword – Comparison with Andres Bonifacio & Military Icons

• Critics argue great heroes elsewhere are soldier-generals ( Washington, Napoleon, Bolívar, San Martin, O’Higgins, Jimmu Tenno ) whereas Rizal was pacifist.

• Rafael Palma’s rebuttal:

  • Rizal’s pen spiritually prepared revolution; Bonifacio’s sword delivered immediate but shorter-lived results.

  • Intellectual emancipation precedes armed insurrection; Rizal’s influence more durable & permanent.

• Classic quotations supporting intellectual power:

  • Napoleon I – "Two powers in the world: sword & pen; in the end the former is always conquered by the latter."

  • Sir Thomas Browne – Scholars’ pens "carry further & give a louder report than thunder".

  • Edward Bulwer-Lytton – "Take away the sword; states can be saved without it; bring the pen!"

Retaña’s Comprehensive Appraisal

• Points out Rizal never reached absolute summit in any single discipline, yet eclipsed all compatriots through:

  • "Exquisite finesse of spirit".

  • "Quixotic nobility of heart".

  • Romantic, dreamy, compassionate psychology that mirrored collective Filipino suffering & aspiration.

• Notes ironic popular neglect of Bonifacio ( originator of armed uprising ) versus deification of pacifist Rizal – reveals spiritual orientation of Filipino people.

Taft Commission’s Concrete Honors ( Post-$1900$ )

• Province of Rizal – first official American-era tribute.

• Luneta Monument project overseen during Gov-Gen William Cameron Forbes period; he applauded Filipino reverence: streets, schools, public rituals.

Synthesis – Who & Why

• “Who made Rizal hero?” – Combination of:

  1. Rizal himself – literary genius, moral courage, martyrdom.

  2. Filipino people – spontaneous acclamation, organizational elections, revolutionary decrees, cultural memory.

  3. Foreign admirers – academics, politicians, journalists providing international validation.

• “Why greatest?” – He uniquely fulfilled the triple Websterian definition:

  • Central figure in peaceful reform movement.

  • Person of valor choosing death over compromise, embodying fortitude in suffering.

  • Continues to receive public worship for exceptional service to humanity and nation – a legacy transcending epochs, institutions, and colonial powers.

Ethical, Philosophical & Practical Implications

• Demonstrates supremacy of ethical persuasion over coercive force.

• Highlights importance of intellectual freedom & human rights vs. colonial despotism.

• Serves as blueprint for non-violent social change.

• Raises discourse on authentic vs. manufactured nationalism – cautions against political instrumentalization of historical figures.