Mea Katreena M. Cadiente Mar.

25, 2013 Rizal as the Greatest National Hero In a bowl goes a long range of Filipinos who fought for Filipinos freedom , may it be in the past or at present. One stood out among them and that was Dr. Jose Rizal. The book, Why is Rizal the Greatest Filipino Hero? by Esteban A. de Ocampo, proves that Rizal was meant to be declared such. The author attested the very importance of Jose Rizals rol e in the Philippine revolution and by how well the inspiration of his being sporadically affects other people that even on his death the great Filipino still inspires a lot. The book indeed much conveys on how his death has so much awaken the senses of the Filipino minds. His fellowmen shows reverence in many ways. Example was the monuments that were erected on his honor. Also, several towns and avenues were named after Rizal. Filipinos even adapt his name like Rizal or Rizalina because their parents are inspired by the great honor that Rizal has brought them. Moreover, biographers all over the world try to relive every bit of life of Jose Rizal just to communicate his greatness. The history tells us that the Philippines was one of those countries who played a role in the colonization craze, a play that was dominated by powerful countries. The story that was very important to us, Filipinos was the one when Spaniards drawn the first blood on a big battle of invading our land. Obviously, they won and stayed for more than three centuries. It was then that during this span of time that the Philippines had given birth to the wisest and bravest batch of people who will free the Filipinos not only from the invaders exploitation to them but also to the resources of our country. I only know recently that the proclamation of Rizal as a national hero was not yet in the Constitution. Because as what I thought in my grade school and high school, Rizal was the one and only National hero, and no one could contest everyone about it. Little did I know that there were a lot of things going in order to declared as a national hero? At a very young age, I could not care any less about the proclamation of a national hero. I could never see the importance of such. But then now, there is more substance to it. It could not be said that the country will have its national integrity degraded without the appointment of a national hero. But in the present

situation of our country, it is good to know that there are people whom you can see inspiration to especially those people whom you know are humans, who have mistaken ways but still has the hope of moving on. Heroes who, however imperfect, tried their best for their love of the fellowmen. Heroes who are remembered because they define and contribute to a system of life of freedom and to the order of the nation. In a list that was displayed in the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, there are nine people who are recommended as National Heroes, they were Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo, Apolinario Mabini, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat, Juan Luna, Melchora Aquino, and Gabriela Silang. Since 1995, no action has been taken as this may cause the flooding for nominees. In the opinion of the author, Jose Rizal is the greatest hero because, as a towering figure in the Propaganda campaign, he took an admirable part in the movement. The writing of Jose Rizal contributed mostly on the creation on the Filipino nationality. Indeed there are several books that were written in those era from writers, Petro A. Paterno, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Graciano Lopez Jaena and Antonio Luna but it could be attested that Rizals Noli Me Tangere had evoked the most number favorable and unfavorable impression from both Spaniards and Filipinos. This famous novel of Rizal received a lot of good impressions from prominent people like Antonio Regidor and Ferdinand Blumentritt. The book will give him immortal glory just like the author of the Don Quijote who in his book exposed the pain that was experienced by Spain. Rizal has certainly put his heart in creating the book. To be able to know its weight, it would be helpful to compare it with a real present situation. He would be a newspaper who exposes the every scandal and other forms of indignity of a, lets say, berdugo ng Dabaw. It must be chilling even for the part of those who read it. What if Rizal will be murdered and or be a victim of sorts of dehumanizing acts? Expectedly, that was what really happened to Rizal. Definitely, Rizal has put a lot of courage in creating his novels. He is the most dangerous enemy of the conservative and the tyrants. In addition to Rizals courage, it cannot be denied that he was probably the most intelligent of his generation. His intelligence was put into its capacity for the benefit not of himself but for the common people. It can be expected that the talent of Rizal would make him rich and famous but instead, he refuse to assume such brand. Although being intelligent is not directly a factor in considering the man hero, it is important because he had to find a strategic

way to break through to the hearts of the many. To make the best out of logic, he interests himself to learn to speak multilingually and to learn science at the same time. The prominence of Rizal in the scientific world was emphasized also in the book. In fact, a necrological service was held in Berlin on November 20, 1987 to pronounce how a great loss it is when Rizal died. The intellectual and scientific world has not reconsidered in according him honors as a hero of humanity and as an Apostle of Freedom. In spite of this greatness of Rizal, there are still many people who considered that he was a made-to-order hero, a label that was allegedly pressured to the Filipinos by William Howard Taft. And now, gentlemen, you must have a national hero, stated by Taft to the members of the Philippine Commission. Yet, even before the appointment was made, Filipinos had beforehand acclaimed him as the foremost hero and martyr of the land of his birth. Therefore, his countrymen could concur to what Blumentritt had said, Rizal was the greatest man the Malayan race has produced. His memory will never perish in his fatherland, and future generations of Spaniards will yet to utter his name with respect and reverence. No literate Filipino could describe well of Rizal without knowing about his masterpieces. His name was indefinitely connected to two of his greatest works, the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Unfortunately his works did not go smooth-sailing in his very own country in the hands of his fellowmen. His books were heavily criticized. The Noli, especially, was attacked and condemned by a Faculty Committee of a Manila University saying that it was a heretic, impious, and scandalous to the religious order and libelous to the Government of Spain. Therefore reproduction should be prohibited in the Island. Even more disapproval has Rizal received in Spain. Senator Fernando Vida, Deputy ex-General Luis M. Pando, and Premier Praxedes Mateo Sagasta have unjustly lambasted and criticized Rizal. Long after, debates and bitter discussions were witnessed in 1956 whether Noli and Fili should be part of the education curriculum. However, it did not prevent for the bill to be approved which was now implemented as the Republic Act. 1425. With this, the doctrines of Rizal persist. Even today, he still competes with the Church because a lot of books are created in inspiration of him. He is never absent in every book that talks about nationalism because he indeed is the perfect scout on who showed the Philippines the truth about their identity. As Rafael Palma, quoted in the book, said, The doctrines of Rizal are not for one epoch only but for all epochs. They are as valid today as they are were

yesterday. There is always something in the problems of the Philippines that we could relate to the writings of Rizal and the teachings that were acquired will make each reader to linger on what could have Rizal thought or what could have Rizal did. The great thinkers of the Philippines would think over Rizals works and find solution that was never even thought. Indeed, his works will forever live as long as the Philippines is in trouble. The book had also brought its focus to the suggestion for Andres Bonifacio as the National Hero instead of Rizal. There is no doubt that Bonifacio has contributed tremendously to the Philippine revolution. People who are pro-Bonifacio assert that while other countries national heroes are soldier-generals, like George Washington of the United States of America, Napoleon I and Joan of Arc of France, Simon Bolivar of Venezuela, the chosen hero was a pacifist and a civilian whose weapon was his quill. It was therefore interesting how Filipinos decline to categorize a national hero that way. We Filipinos instead chose to have faith in the popular phrase, The pen is mightier than the sword. So, how then the pen becomes mightier than the sword in liberating Filiipinos in political slavery? It is true that in the case of the Philippines, Bonifacio was the final partaker of the retaliation in order to completely free the Filipinos. But the revolution that was prepared by Bonifacio was only the effect, the consequence of the spiritual redemption wrought by the pen of Rizal. So not just chronologically was considered to know what is more important but also the degree of durability and its permanent effects. Rizal was the first one who sought to unite the whole archipelago and envisioned a compact and homogeneous society of all the old tribal communities. Rizal was also the first in the hearts of the Filipinos. Rizal was not the only one who gave birth to Filipino nationalism; there was del Pilar who fought Spanish friar; Mabini, the prime minister of war against the United States, and of course, Bonifacio and Aguinaldo. Indeed, every now and then, some people would be convinced into considering Bonifacio, or other heroes greater Rizal. Ambassador Leon Ma. Guerrero somehow call a halt to this discussion by saying, the Filipinos had chosen Rizal (to be the greatest) even before he died, and his final martyrdom was the only confirmation of a spiritual dominion that even the Katipunan acknowledged by rising his name. Although Rizal died without witnessing the fruits of his hardwork unlike Bonifacio, everyone should know that a great hero give more importance to sacrifice than to success. As what Rizal wrote, Redemption presupposes virtue; virtue, sacrifice; sacrifice, love.

The book clearly shows the evidences by which Rizal should not only be regarded as a great hero but the greatest among Filipinos. Rizal was acclaimed by his own fellowmen and foreigner even, on his actions on being the foremost leader of his people. Every now and then I read books that talk about Rizal conveying more or less the same thing, over and over again. But each book is a new discovery because a new attitude is upgraded from the previous books that were read with the same topic. I could say that this book was one of those. This is full of interesting facts about the struggle of those believers of Rizal to be the National Hero. This book is therefore recommended to readers because a lot of passages here are quoted from people who had been with Rizal or knew Rizal personally.