Rizal +

It is true that no Filipino has been written about as much as Jose Rizal, considered by most as our national hero. But every year, it seems that there will always be new books or essays about this hero. One of my favorites is the book RIIZAL + published in 2018 by the Water Dragon, Inc. This is actually a collection of 44 essays and the executive editor is Alfredo “Krip” Yuson who wrote in the book’s preface:

“There will always be so much more of Rizal to draw from and extrapolate on. This anthology barely scratches the surface. But we’d like to think that this tribute to an exemplary individual expands the fascination with a brief yet well lived life that spans historical romance, drama and inspiration – especially for our finest writers, journalists, historians and artists.”

This collection of well-selected essays has given me a personal glimpse of the personal life and the different influences on Rizal’s life and subsequent recognition of his heroism. I have chosen a few of the essays to write about to illustrate the vibrant contents of this anthology.

“The Rizal Bill” by Rodel Rodis traces the origin of the celebration of Dec. 30 as Rizal Day. Its historical roots are traced to a decree issued on Dec. 20, 1898 by president Emilio Aguinaldo and affirmed by the Philippine Commission on Feb. 1, 1902.

The main part of the essay is the struggle in 1956 by senators Jose B. Laurel and Claro M. Recto “…requiring the inclusion in the curricula of all private and public schools the life, works, writings of Dr. Rizal, particularly his novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo in their unexpurgated form. The main opponents were the Catholic bishops, still heavily influenced by a heritage of ‘friar rule’ ( unlike today) and three senators – Decoroso Rosales, Mariano Cuenco and Francisco Rodrigo. On June 12, the bill was signed into law by president Magsaysay after passage by both the House and the Senate.”

Today, that controversy seems like an experience of a very different era in Philippine history.

One of the shortest but very meaningful essays is “Making Rizal Obsolete.” The author Adrian Cristobal quotes Renato Constantino who said that Rizal, like other heroes, would be horrified that we are still extolling his validity for our times. He writes: “To be obsolete is probably every hero’s dream: he dies without seeing a dawn that will bless those who will come after him. A true hero does not sacrifice his life so that monuments will be built in his honor. He dies for others.”

“Jose Rizal and Ninoy Aquino: Cosmic Brothers” written by Rodel Rodis compared the uncanny similarities in how these two heroes lived and died. Both came from similar social backgrounds, traveled extensively, wrote prolifically and returned to the Philippines  “…despite warnings that they faced certain death upon setting foot on native soil.”

“Rizal’s execution triggered the Katipunan revolution that led to the Filipino people’s overthrow of Spanish rule. Ninoy’s execution sparked the People Power revolution that led to the ouster of the Marcoses from the Philippines. In their cosmic conflicts against their fates, by their words and by their deeds, Dr. Rizal and Ninoy Aquino transformed the Philippines and the Filipino people.”

I confess I have hardly read any literature on Rizal’s university life. Written by Lito Zulueta, the essay “Rizal at the University of Santo Tomas: The Misunderstood Years” was very interesting because it cites a major historical controversy. Zulueta, a UST faculty member, says: “Jose Rizal studied at the University of Santo Tomas between 1877 and 1881 but no period in his rather short life is as misunderstood as the five years he spent as a Thomasian. “Misunderstood is a kind word: historians and biographers, it appears, have been keen to portray his years there as the darkest of his life, even darker than his exile in Dapitan and his imprisonment in Fort Bonifacio and martyrdom in Bagumbayan. To them Rizal’s story was something akin to Dante’s inferno minus the allegory…”

According to Zulueta, the historian Gregorio Zaide “…belabors the point that Rizal was unhappy in Santo Tomas because he was discriminated against by the Spanish Dominicans.” The author then disproves, point by point, the “myths” about Rizal’s disappointment with UST. He writes that there was no discrimination against Rizal; that Rizal’s grades were not as good in UST as in Ateneo primarily because UST was a university and Ateneo was only a high school; that El Filibusterismo was a condemnation of the Dominicans was not true because he also included other orders like the Jesuits, that Rizal also had Dominican friends; and he left UST to go to Spain not because he was shabbily treated but because he was “ a young man in search of himself.”

I agree that Rizal’s years as a Thomasian need to be more researched and written about. All the essays in this book are fascinating reading.

Cesar Hernando wrote on “Rizal in Movies.” I did not realize that there were so many movies on Rizal’s life and his novels. The first was in 1912 produced by Gaiety theater’s owner Harry Brown, who turned the play “La Vida de Jose Rizal” into a movie. Gerardo de Leon produced  “El Filibusterismo” with Pancho Magalona and Charito Solis as Juli. Screenplay was by Adrian Cristobal.

Rizal’s life continues to provide inspiration to Filipinos. It provides countless tales of drama, romance and heroism. These are stories that illustrate the greatness that Filipinos can attain.

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