Lesson 2: Philippine Nationalism: Heroes and their Ideas

Hero in Western Tradition

 Heroe: The plural form is "heroes." Found in North America, Europe, and
South America.
 Greek Tradition: Includes “diyos” (god), “diyosa” (goddess), and
demigods.
 Definition in Western Culture: A person with great valor (value, merit,
courage).

Introduction of Heroes to the Philippines

 Propagandists brought the concept of heroes, influenced by Western
figures like Napoleon (Napoleon Bonaparte, the French military and
political leader)
 Marcelo del Pilar specifically introduced this attitude.
 Propagandists believed they were greater than average Filipinos as they
sought ways to fight the Spanish (Kastila) even while outside the
Philippines.

Does we have Heroe concept in the Philippines?

 Bayani: “Bagani” na ngangahulugang “kawalang takot”
 Popular in Southeastasian, comes from the word: Wani
 (1)Wani – may kinalaman sa pagtulong sa kakayanan/kahusayan at sa
pagsasaayos ng alinmang gawain. (Javanese,in Indonesia)
 Wani – ang kahulugan ay suplica (pakiusap), ruego (pagsusumamo)
upang protektahan ang mga humihingi ng tulong. (Tagalog – Pedro
Serrano Laktaw)
 For example: kawani ng gobyerno, means tulungan ang mga kapwa mo
to avail government services.

Pagkakaiba ng Bayani at Heroe is introduced by Zeus Salazar

Bayani
 Magsaayos ng kalagayang bayan o ng grupong kanyang kinabibilangan.
 Tumulong sa kapwa – lalo na laban sa panganib, upang protektahan ang
bayan at kapwa.
 Isa pang katangian na nabanggit din bilang kahulugan ng wani:
ang‘ingat’/malasakit/kabaitan o aseo sa kastila. – Dr Zeus Salazar

Who is Our Official National Hero?

 Some people consider Andres Bonifacio to be greater than Jose Rizal.

 For many, Bonifacio’s revolutionary actions overshadow Rizal’s literary
contributions.
 There is no law, executive order, or proclamation officially declaring Jose
Rizal as the national hero of the Philippines.
 The Filipino people have their own idols or perceived “national” heroes,
but there is no government-mandated official national hero.
 The idea of a national hero is more of a long-standing tradition (a belief
upheld by a group of people over time) rather than an official designation.
 Who is to Blame for the Controversy?
 The Role of Americans: Americans influenced the selection of Rizal as the
national hero.
 Their choice was strategic: Rizal’s non-violent approach, through his
writings, was seen as less threatening compared to the revolutionary
stance of figures like Bonifacio.

Why Did Filipinos Choose Rizal?

 Mind Conditioning by Americans:
 Filipinos were influenced by the Americans, who promoted Rizal as the
ideal hero.
 Rizal was "pedestaled" through several acts and memorials:
 Batas Bilang 137: The province of Morong was renamed Rizal Province.
 Batas Bilang 243: Established the National Monument of Jose Rizal in
1913.
 Batas Bilang 346: Declared December 30 as Rizal Day, a national
holiday.

Renato Constantino: Veneration without Understanding (Book)

Veneration Without Understanding: Bulag na Pagdakila. Pagdakila sa
isang tao without knowing kung anong nagawa ng taong iyon. Naniniwala si
Renato na ito ang nangyayari sa paniniwala ng mga Filipino na si J. Rizal
ang national hero. But for Renato, hindi hero si Rizal sapagkat tinanggihan
ni Rizal ang rebolusyon ni Andres Bonifacio.

Why did Americans chose J. Rizal as the national hero?

Because pumili sila ng hero na hindi magrerebolusyon laban sa mga
Amerikano. Because J. Rizal only uses his writings which is less harmful
than magrebolusyon. The idea of Americans is that: “I am different from the
Spaniards. I did not kill J. Rizal, but I pedestaled him as the national hero’’.
It is to avoid Filipino from revolutionizing. Rizal was being used as a tool or
mechanism by the Americans to control the Filipinos, mind games and all.

“The public image that the Americans desired for a Filipino national
hero was quite clear. They favored a hero who would not run against the
grain of American colonial policy……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.

What makes a National Hero?

 There is a criteria on March 28, 1993.
 Executive Order Number 75: creating the National Heroes Committee
under the office of the president (President Fidel V. Ramos)
 Three Layunin ng National Heroes Committee:
“Evaluate, Recommend, and Develop Criteria”
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) has
collected these profound definitions of a hero from three government
initiatives to proclaim "national heroes" in 1965, 1993, and 1995. These were
formulated by no less than the National Scientists in the field of Social
Sciences: Teodoro Agoncillo who prepared the first set of four criteria, Onofre
D. Corpuz the next three, and Alfredo Lagmay the remaining three. The first
set was adopted by the Philippines Historical Committee (PHC) to help the
then National Heroes Commission (NHC) in celebrating the milestones of
other nationally significant heroes aside from Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio,
and Apolinario Mabini. (Due to overlapping mandates, President Ferdinand
Marcos merged the two agencies and other history-related committees into
one as National Historical Institute [NHI] upon the imposition of Martial Law in
1971.) While the last two sets were considered by the National Heroes
Committee* in an attempt to proclaim the official "national heroes" of the
country, although nothing happened. State-sponsored proclamation of heroes
has been an issue among the historians, including those who succeeded in
running the NHI, stressing that a hero must be a product of public acclamation
and of time.
Upholding the principle of public acclamation, NHCP reuses the criteria
it acquired from its predecessors (i.e., PHC, NHC, NHI) by codifying these for
internal use.
These criteria were not recognized as official definitions of a hero by
the Supreme Court during the oral arguments on President Marcos' burial at
the Libingan ng mga Bayani in 2016. “There is no established body or agency
who can determine who is a hero or not… not the Supreme Court, the
legislative or the President,” said Associate Justice Jose Perez during the said
oral arguments. Then Associate Justice and later Supreme Court Chief
Justice Teresita de Castro reiterated that “there seems to be no established
guidelines as to who are heroes, who are disqualified.”

It started from the criteria from 1965 on the time of Ferdinand Marcos.
1965
1. The extent of a person’s sacrifices for the welfare of the country.
2. The motive and methods employed in the attainment of the ideal (welfare
of the country)
In the attainment of the ideal, did the person concerned sacrifice purely
and exclusively for the welfare of the country or was there any selfish or
ulterior motive in making such sacrifices? Were the methods employed in
the attainment of the ideal morally valid?
3. The moral character of the person concerned.
Did he do anything immoral to taint his personal character? If there was
any immorality, how far did it affect his work or society or the ideal?

4. The influence of the person concerned on his age and/or the succeeding
age.
1993
5. Heroes are those who have a concept of nation, and aspire and struggle
for the nation’s freedom
One cannot aspire to be free only to sink back into bondage.
“Sila ang nagbigay kahulugan bakit tayo
nagsasasalo sa iisang pangalan, pamahalaan,
awit, at bandila…”
6. Heroes define and contribute to a system or life of freedom and order for
a nation
“Hindi lamang natatapos sa pagpapalaya ang pagiging bansa…”
7. Heroes contribute to the quality of life and destiny of a nation
“Kahit sino ay maaaring makalikha ng pagbabago sa lipunan…”

1995
8. Heroes are part of the people’s expression
But the process of a people's internalization of a hero's life and works takes
time, with the youth forming a part of the internalization.
“Taumbayan ang siyang magtatakda sino
para sa kanila ang bayani. Hindi man ngayon,
sa susunod na panahon ay lilitaw ang bagong
hanay ng mga bayani batay na rin sa pagkilatis
ng mga kabataan sa naging buhay at ambag ng
isang tao…”

9. Heroes think of the future, especially of the future generations

“Nag-iisip ang bayani para sa hinaharap…”

10. The choice of heroes involves not only the recounting of an episode or
events in history, but of the entire process that made this particular person
a hero.
“Naging totoo ba ang isang tao sa kaniyang
inaadhika para ituring siyang bayani?
Isinabuhay ba niya ang kaniyang iniambag
para matawag na bayani?...”
FURTHER INFORMATION/DISCUSSION:
1. The extent of a person’s sacrifices for the welfare of the country.
kung ano ang sacrifice na ginawa
2. The motive and methods employed in the attainment of the ideal (welfare
of the country)
Kung ano ang ways o methods na ginawa.
MAKAPILI
 Hango sa Makabayang Katipunan ng mga Pilipino noong 1940s, sa

panahon ng Hapon.
 Mga Pilipino na may bayong o sako sa ulo, inatasang ituro ang mga

kalaban ng pamahalaang Hapones.

 Agad pinapatay ang mga itinuturo nila.

 Mga Pilipino na inutusang magturo ng mga kasapi ng rebolusyon laban sa

mga Hapones.
HUKBALAHAP (Hukbong Bayan Laban sa Hapon)
 Isang armadong pakikipaglaban sa mga Hapones.

 Ang Hukbalahap ay isang organisasyong binubuo ng mga gerilyang

mandirigma sa pamumuno ni Luis M. Taruc. Sila ay lumaban sa mga
Hapones noong sinakop ang Pilipinas.
 Isang komunistang gerilyang binuo ng mga magsasaka sa Central Luzon.
  Unang layunin: labanan ang mga Hapones. Ngunit pinalawak ang
kanilang laban upang magrebelde sa pamahalaan ng Pilipinas noong
1946.
 Ang Hukbalahap ang naging pinakamalaking grupong gerilya sa Pilipinas.

Controversial: Jose P. Laurel – A Traitor or Not?

 Nanilbihan sa mga Hapones sa ilalim ng puppet government noong

Japanese Government (Second Republic).

 Walang president noong panahon na iyon dahil tumakas si Manuel L.

Quezon upang iligtas ang sarili. Kung siya’y nahuli, mangangahulugan ito
ng tuluyang pagkatalo ng Pilipinas, kaya siya tumakas.
 Sa kabila ng mantsa sa pangalan ni Laurel, pinili niyang maging
presidente. Ginawa niya ang lahat upang protektahan at iligtas ang mga
Pilipino sa abot ng kanyang makakaya.

[Link] influence of the person concerned on his age and/or the succeeding
age.
GOMBURZA
 Pebrero 17, 1872: Ang tatlong paring sina Mariano Gómez, José
Burgos, at Jacinto Zamora ay binitay ng mga Espanyol.
 Ang El Filibusterismo ay inialay ni Jose Rizal sa GOMBURZA.
 Si Rizal ay 11 taong gulang nang bitayin ang GOMBURZA.
 Labing-siyam na taon matapos ang kanilang pagkamatay, inilathala ni
Rizal ang El Filibusterismo

November 15, 1993

 naglabas ng listahan ng mga pagpipiliang bayani, 7 na lalaki at 2 babae.

Jose Rizal (1861 – 1896) (Laguna)

 Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) – 1887

 El Filibusterismo (The Reign of Greed) – 1891

 Rizal chose to fight with quill and paper.

 Rizal’s Death awakens the Filipino’s nationalism.

Andres Bonifacio (1863 – 1897) (Manila)

 head of KKK

 killed due to conflict

 uses guns, revolvers, and itak

 we celebrate his birthday, November 30 unlike Rizal’s death anniversary

on Dec. 30
 no Death anniversary because it is not clear when, where he was killed

 pinapatay ni Emilio Aguinaldo

Emilio Aguinaldo (1869-1964)

 Leader of the de-facto government that continued the revolution started by

the Katipunan. Noong namatay si Bonifacio, Emilio took over.

 He was recognized as the first president of the First Republic

Apolinario Mabini (1864-1903)

 Regarded as “Utak ng Himagsikan”

 Kanang kamay ni Emilio.

  prominent member of cuerpo de compromisarios(september 1984,after
the La Liga Filipina),organization formed when Rizal was captured and
ipatapon sa Dapitan noong 1892.
 He became the political adviser to Aguinaldo during the short-lived
Philippine Republic.

Marcelo Del Pilar (1850-1896)

 Man that the Spaniards fear the most…

 “Very Superior to Rizal”

 Propagandist like Rizal

 Founder of the Diarong Tagalog.

 Contributed around 150 essays and 66 editorials in La Solidaridad against

the friars.

Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat (1581-1671)

 Regarded as the Most Powerful Sultan in Mindanao.

 Successfully opposed and prevented Spanish conquest in his land.

 He managed to keep the peace in his land until he died at 90 years old.

Juan Luna (1857-1899)

 Antonio- sundalo: Juan-pintor

 Well-known painter, sculptor, and political activitist.

 He painted literary and historical scenes with political commentaries.

 Spoliarium (1884)

 The Blood Compact (1886)

Melchora Aquino (1812-1919) Tandang Sora

 Gave shelter, food, and aided the wounded Katipuneros with her own

resources.

Gabriela Silang (1731-1763)

 The First Filipina to lead an uprising against the Spaniards.

 Took over the movement started by her spouse Diego Silang who was

assassinated in 1763 at Ilocos.

 Rallied the Ilocanos to revolt against Spain until she was captured and

executed.
 Inspired the Gabriela Women’s Party

Despite the lack of actual proclamations that solidify the status of the 9 figures
as OFFICIAL NATIONAL HEROES, specific laws are existing to recognize
their contributions respectively.

Approaches to recognize historical figures

• Depiction in Bank Notes
• Public Holidays
• Official Shrines
• Commemorations
• Events/Seminars
• Monuments
• Toponymy
• Inclusion in Curriculum

Ang naturang rekomendasyon ay isinumite kay Ricardo Gloria – noo’y kalihim

ng Department of Education, Culture and Sports noong ika-22 ng Nobyembre,
1995 ngunit wala nang sumunod na aksyon na isinagawa ang pamahalaan.