As 2011 draws to a close, Jose Rizal and his selfless sacrifice continues to echo in the consciousness of every Filipino.
Much as the decision to execute Rizal seemed harsh and unjust, it was an expected verdict since Spain was facing a difficult time in quelling the revolution in Cuba and could ill afford another rebellion in her colony in the Orient.
The easy way out, the Spanish colonial authorities must have presumed, was to snuff out swiftly the leading voice of reform, and Rizal was the perfect fall guy. In their zealousness to hold him accountable, they even imprisoned Paciano and mercilessly tortured him to implicate his younger brother.
It was a veritable open-and-shut case: Rizal inspired the revolution through his writings and the insurgents were his henchmen carrying out his call for freedom. Did he not establish an illegal association called the La Liga Filipina, which was a precursor to the Katipunan?
The verdict
One wonders how Rizal acted when the verdict was read. Was he impassive, maintaining the august air of a gentleman patriot when Judge Advocate General Nicolas de la Peña’s declared: “Rizal has therefore been well and truly identified as the prime mover of the consummated crime of rebellion by means of the crime of illegal association. The sentence passed on him is just, and may lawfully be confirmed on its own merits.”
Musketry seemed to be an apt death sentence for a traitor.
The verdict aimed as well to cripple Rizal’s finances by asking him to indemnify the state by paying “the amount of one hundred thousand pesos (100,000 pesos) …and should be paid by his heirs in case he cannot pay it in his lifetime.”
5-point manifesto
But did Rizal inspire the Philippine Revolution? Of the numerous preserved notes and letters of Rizal, one intriguing document was his Manifesto a Algunos Filipinos (Manifesto to Certain Filipinos) written on Dec. 15, 1896 during his incarceration in Fort Santiago.
The manifesto, which tried to convince Filipinos to end the revolt, had five points. First, he absolved himself by declaring that he was never a part of the revolution; his name was used to attract Filipinos to join the revolution.
Second, he was consulted about the planned revolution but he advised the perpetrators to abandon it. Third, he wanted to stop the rebellion by offering his services to the people. Fourth, he condemned the revolution as ridiculous and barbarous. Fifth, uprising was not an option at that time, that reforms should be the authorities’ initiative, not the citizens’.
Rizal made it clear that the people’s education was potent in inducing changes in society.
Education is crucial
The manifesto is an illuminating statement of Rizal’s raison d’être as stipulated in the “Noli Me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo.”
Although Rizal loathed the abusive practices of the friars and the colonial government, he never advocated for an abrupt and chaotic approach to independence. He believed that the Filipinos’ enlightenment was crucial:
“I have given proofs as one who most wants liberties for our country and I continue wanting them. But I put as a premise the education of the people so that through education and work, they might have a personality of their own and make themselves worthy of them. In my writings, I have recommended study, civic virtues, without which redemption is impossible.”
Unfortunately, the manifesto was never made public. It was not enough to convince his accusers of his innocence and acquit him of the charges.
Sowing the seed
According to De la Peña: “Dr. Jose Rizal limits himself to criticizing the present insurrectionary movement as premature.” He also noted that “as far as Rizal is concerned, the whole question is one of opportunity, not of principles and objectives.” Finally, De la Peña reasoned out that “a message of this sort, far from promoting peace, is likely to stimulate for the future the spirit of rebellion.”
Rizal knew that his life was at an end, but he was satisfied that he had stood up for his principles and that the seed sown would bear fruit among the heroes after him.
“Patriotism… is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.” This was what Rizal wanted us to understand—that we can change and improve ourselves through a circumspect understanding of life’s benefits and pitfalls, instead of engaging in flaring emotions and disregard for consequences.
Rizal, as always, is the greatest Filipino of all time.