30th of December 1896, Jose Rizal was shot in Bagumbayan, now renamed and

memorialized as Luneta Park. His Noli Me Tangere crossed examined the ills of
Philippine society during the Spanish regime, as well as his El Filibusterismo made great
contribution to the formation of the Filipino's nationality. Yes, his writings surely had a
great influence on the course of our history, he sure is a Philippine hero, but is he worthy
to be the Philippine national hero just by his writings and ideals alone?
Rizal does not deserve to be the Philippine national hero.
First because factors that made Rizal or national hero, were not reasonable
enough. Rizal did not support the revolution. In fact he repudiated it.
Accordingly, in the manifesto of 15 December 1896 written by Rizal himself
which he addressed to the Filipino people, he declared that when the plan of revolution
came into his knowledge, he opposed its absolute impossibility and state his utmost
willingness to offer anything he could to stifle the rebellion. (C. Pugay 1998)
Rizals weakness for this matter was his failure to fully understand his people. He
was unsuccessful in empathizing with the true sentiments of the people from below in
launching the armed rebellion.

He repudiated the revolution because he thought that

reforms to be successful should come from above. It could be understandable that the
hero thought of such because it was the belief of the prevailing class to which Rizal
belonged. It is also possible that Rizal disproved the revolution due to his belief that
violence should not prevail.

In this case, Rizal unintentionally underestimated the

capacity of those from below to compel changes and reforms.

It was the Americans who influenced the Filipinos in making Jose Rizal our
national hero during the Spanish colonization. Moreover, Dr. Jose Rizal, being a national
hero is questioned because he was said to be an American sponsored hero, and William
Howard Taft was the man behind those line suggesting to the Philippine commission that
they should have a national hero on 1901 and that should be Jose Rizal.
The reason for the enthusiastic American attitude becomes clear in the following
appraisal of Rizal by Forbes: Rizal never advocated independence, nor did he advocate
armed resistance to the government. He urged reform from within by publicity, by public
education, and appeal to the public conscience. Tafts appreciation for Rizal has much the
same basis, as evidenced by his calling Rizal the greatest Filipino, a physician, a novelist

and a poet (who) because of his struggle for a betterment of conditions under Spanish
rule was unjustly convicted and shot. The public image that the American desired for a
Filipino national hero was quite clear. They favored a hero who would not run against the
grain of American colonial policy. We must take these acts of the Americans in
furtherance of a Rizal cult in the light of their initial policies which required the passage
of the Sedition Law prohibiting the display of the Filipino flag. The heroes who
advocated independence were therefore ignored, for to have encouraged a movement to
revere Bonifacio or Mabini would not have been consistent with American colonial
policy. (R. Constantino, 1970)
Several factors contributed to Rizals acceptability to the Americans as the official
hero of the Filipinos. In the first place, he was safely dead by the time the American
began their aggression. No embarrassing anti-American quotations could ever be
attributed to him. Moreover, Rizals dramatic martyrdom had already made him the
symbol of Spanish oppression. To focus attention on him would serve not only to
concentrate Filipino hatred against the erstwhile oppressors, it would also blunt their
feelings of animosity toward the new conquerors against whom there was still organized
resistance at that time. His choice was a master stroke by the Americans. The honors
bestowed on Rizal were naturally appreciated by the Filipinos who were proud of him.
(R, Constantino, 1970).
Rizal was a member of the Propaganda Movement. Members of the Propaganda
Movement were called propagandists or reformists. They worked inside and outside the
Philippines. Their objectives were to seek: recognition of the Philippines as a province of
Spain, equal status for both Filipinos and Spaniards, Philippine representation in the
Spanish Cortes, Secularization of Philippine parishes and recognition of human rights.
The Propaganda Movement never asked for Philippine independence because its
members believed that once Spain realized the pitiful state of the country, the Spaniards
would implement the changes the Filipinos were seeking. (M. Impreso)
This has been the greatest controversy and most talked about and most debated
about Rizal. Below is Rizals retraction letter originally written in Spanish translated into

English. However, the said retraction has some sorts of copy issuesquote issues and
formula issues.
If the document is genuine, those who favour the Retraction have nothing to
lose; in that case the cause of truth will gain. Jose Rizal was a genius and may have been
earnest in his love and passion for Filipino people, but still his lack of discernment of
other significantly important issues and conceivably he even lack the right spirit. He may
have been afraid of the risks when partisan a movement for change, he would ,to a certain
extent, conjecture that Spain will grant the Filipinos better conditions in the future and
would be willing to wait, meaning to say the Philippines will be a province of Spain
rather a country led by Filipinos. Rizal, being a mestizo, was experiencing internal
conflict for the love his own fellowmen, but at the same time he also love Spain and also
enjoy the benefits of being in elite class.
On the other hand, he made his own grand involvement and contribution in his
own way as a Filipino hero in the history. As with regards to his status among the other
national heroes, we should not consider him above the others, all of them made their own
contributions and many, to say the least, have made bigger moves and made their ideals
into action.
Be open with ourselves and accept the responsibilities that had been left to us. We
need spirit that manifest in action, for what is a great idea without action?