Post by ernesto thaddeus m. solmerano on Jun 12, 2008 6:54:09 GMT -5
How Rizal Became The Philippine National Hero
In 1901, US President McKinley established a commission that sought to create a Philippine national hero; this commission was headed by William H. Taft. The purpose of the commission was to unite the Philippines by showing a Filipino model. It must be noted that in these times the Philippines were divided due to the fresh war that the Philippines had with its new colonizers, the Americans.
According to Charles Bohlen, one-time ambassador to the Philippines, "Taft quickly decided that it would be extremely useful for the Filipinos to have a national hero of their revolution against the Spanish in order to channel their feelings and focus their resentment backward on Spain. But he told his advisers that he wanted it to be someone who really wasn't so much of a revolutionary that, if his life were examined too closely or his works read too carefully, this could cause us any trouble. He chose Rizal as the man who fit his model." [source]
There were six (6) choices as to who would best fit to be the Philippine National Hero. These were: Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo, Antonio Luna, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Apolinario Mabini.
The criteria for judging are as follows: 1) The person must be a Filipino, 2) The person must be dead, 3) The person must have a solid sense of patriotism, 4) The person must be a calm thinking person.
Emilio Aguinaldo was instantly voted off the list since at that time he was still alive. He cannot be awarded as the Philippine National Hero since he might tarnish the award. The recognition must be made to a dead person so that he will not anymore do any damage to that title. Remember that the purpose of the award: to unite the Filipinos. Moreover, Aguinaldo was a former General of the Kataas-taasan Kagalanggalangang Katipunan (KKK) ng mga Anak ng Bayan, a revolutionary group during the Spanish time. This group was against the colonial rule of Spain ang fought a bloody revolution in order to attain independence. Unfortunately, the independence won by Aguinaldo was short-lived when the Americans started their "benevolent assimilation" right after "helping" the Philippines win its war. Clearly, Aguinaldo wasn't the type of person who the Americans wanted to be the figure shown to the public. If they chose him, they stand a problem of him being vocal of anti-American sentiments.
Save for the last requirement, all others were possible candidates for the title of Philippine National Hero. Yes... It was on the fourth requirement that Jose Rizal outbid the others (Although Marcelo H. del Pilar was somewhat like Rizal, he wasn't considered nationalistic enough). He was a calm thinking person. Unlike the others who staged a revolution through bloody fights, Rizal was a pacifist. Throughout his life, he found peaceful means in asking reforms for the Philippines. He joined the La Solidaridad, a newspaper where Filipinos in anonymity freely wrote of their nationalistic sentiments. Also, he wrote two novels: Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo which he sought to awaken the Filipinos in the quagmire they were in. Upon returning to the Philippines from Europe, he formed a civil organization, La Liga Filipina, which sought to organize a civil organization movement that will stand-up for the injustices of the Spaniards to the Filipinos. Yet, we cannot say that he was totally against a bloody revolution. When he was visited in his exile in Dapitan, Dr. Pio Valenzuela, a member of the KKK, asked for Rizal's advise regarding a revolution planned by the KKK. He refused the revolution, not because of the mere act of it, rather, he said the Filipinos were not yet ready and they were ill-equipped. He knew that the revolution was be planned well and it must succeed. Otherwise, it would be harder the second time around; also, the more reason would there for the Spaniards to torture the Filipinos.
Going back, Rizal was the one chosen by the commission. According to a website, Theodore Friend is quoted "Taft with other American colonial officials and some conservative Filipinos, chose him (Rizal) as a model hero over other contestants - Aguinaldo too militant, Bonifacio too radical, Mabini unregenerate."
Critiques:
According to a website, "Rizal pointed out problems in the Spanish colonial society, but he did not want to drive out the Spanish. He never wanted independence for the so-called Philippines. That was the important factor because it would be a contradiction for the so-called Filipino people to advocate independence from the USA. He did not join Bonifacio and Katipunan. He was a conformist. He wanted better conditions for so-called Filipinos under Spanish rule. Taft also picked Rizal because he was already dead and he could not speak against the American neocolonialism."
References:
www.geocities.com/TheTropics/8807/hero.html
Charles Bohlen: Portrait of A Cold Warrior by Joseph B. Smith, 1976, p.283
Theodore Friend: Between Two Empires by Theodore Friend, 1965, p.16
In 1901, US President McKinley established a commission that sought to create a Philippine national hero; this commission was headed by William H. Taft. The purpose of the commission was to unite the Philippines by showing a Filipino model. It must be noted that in these times the Philippines were divided due to the fresh war that the Philippines had with its new colonizers, the Americans.
According to Charles Bohlen, one-time ambassador to the Philippines, "Taft quickly decided that it would be extremely useful for the Filipinos to have a national hero of their revolution against the Spanish in order to channel their feelings and focus their resentment backward on Spain. But he told his advisers that he wanted it to be someone who really wasn't so much of a revolutionary that, if his life were examined too closely or his works read too carefully, this could cause us any trouble. He chose Rizal as the man who fit his model." [source]
There were six (6) choices as to who would best fit to be the Philippine National Hero. These were: Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo, Antonio Luna, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Apolinario Mabini.
The criteria for judging are as follows: 1) The person must be a Filipino, 2) The person must be dead, 3) The person must have a solid sense of patriotism, 4) The person must be a calm thinking person.
Emilio Aguinaldo was instantly voted off the list since at that time he was still alive. He cannot be awarded as the Philippine National Hero since he might tarnish the award. The recognition must be made to a dead person so that he will not anymore do any damage to that title. Remember that the purpose of the award: to unite the Filipinos. Moreover, Aguinaldo was a former General of the Kataas-taasan Kagalanggalangang Katipunan (KKK) ng mga Anak ng Bayan, a revolutionary group during the Spanish time. This group was against the colonial rule of Spain ang fought a bloody revolution in order to attain independence. Unfortunately, the independence won by Aguinaldo was short-lived when the Americans started their "benevolent assimilation" right after "helping" the Philippines win its war. Clearly, Aguinaldo wasn't the type of person who the Americans wanted to be the figure shown to the public. If they chose him, they stand a problem of him being vocal of anti-American sentiments.
Save for the last requirement, all others were possible candidates for the title of Philippine National Hero. Yes... It was on the fourth requirement that Jose Rizal outbid the others (Although Marcelo H. del Pilar was somewhat like Rizal, he wasn't considered nationalistic enough). He was a calm thinking person. Unlike the others who staged a revolution through bloody fights, Rizal was a pacifist. Throughout his life, he found peaceful means in asking reforms for the Philippines. He joined the La Solidaridad, a newspaper where Filipinos in anonymity freely wrote of their nationalistic sentiments. Also, he wrote two novels: Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo which he sought to awaken the Filipinos in the quagmire they were in. Upon returning to the Philippines from Europe, he formed a civil organization, La Liga Filipina, which sought to organize a civil organization movement that will stand-up for the injustices of the Spaniards to the Filipinos. Yet, we cannot say that he was totally against a bloody revolution. When he was visited in his exile in Dapitan, Dr. Pio Valenzuela, a member of the KKK, asked for Rizal's advise regarding a revolution planned by the KKK. He refused the revolution, not because of the mere act of it, rather, he said the Filipinos were not yet ready and they were ill-equipped. He knew that the revolution was be planned well and it must succeed. Otherwise, it would be harder the second time around; also, the more reason would there for the Spaniards to torture the Filipinos.
Going back, Rizal was the one chosen by the commission. According to a website, Theodore Friend is quoted "Taft with other American colonial officials and some conservative Filipinos, chose him (Rizal) as a model hero over other contestants - Aguinaldo too militant, Bonifacio too radical, Mabini unregenerate."
Critiques:
According to a website, "Rizal pointed out problems in the Spanish colonial society, but he did not want to drive out the Spanish. He never wanted independence for the so-called Philippines. That was the important factor because it would be a contradiction for the so-called Filipino people to advocate independence from the USA. He did not join Bonifacio and Katipunan. He was a conformist. He wanted better conditions for so-called Filipinos under Spanish rule. Taft also picked Rizal because he was already dead and he could not speak against the American neocolonialism."
References:
www.geocities.com/TheTropics/8807/hero.html
Charles Bohlen: Portrait of A Cold Warrior by Joseph B. Smith, 1976, p.283
Theodore Friend: Between Two Empires by Theodore Friend, 1965, p.16