Emilio Aguinaldo, and made second fiddle to the illustrado, Dr. Jose Rizal, who was sponsored by the Americans to be declared our national hero. The debate on who should be a better hero for us started even when the two were still alive. Bonifacio was a co-founder of La Liga Filipina, which was Rizal's platform for propaganda in seeking peaceful reforms.
Rizal was essentially a peaceful reformist. Bonifacio was a passionate warrior and revolutionary. Rizal was like his own creation, Crisostomo Ibarra, educated in Spain and coming home to build schools so as to bring enlightenment to the native Indios. Bonifacio was like Rizal's characterization of Elias, the filibuster and rebel, and who did not believe that the oppressors would ever accept peaceful reforms.
Both Ibarra and Elias hated the Spanish government personified by the arrogant, haughty, and corrupt Capitan Tiago. Damaso represented the Church at that era, manned by priests who were too filled with imperfections to the point of monopolizing the seven cardinal sins. Of course, there were few good priests like Padre Florentino who loved the poor, not like Padre Salve who loved to ravish poor women.
Rizal created all those characters like Sisa, symbol of the ravished women, Crispin and Basilio, symbols of the oppressed and the exploited. There are Filipinos who believe that it should be Bonifacio who should be honored as our national hero because Rizal was all theories and no action. But the pro-Rizal adherents counter that Bonifacio was all action without enough thoughts and philosophy.
Rizal was a pacifist, a conciliator and a man of reason and negotiation. Bonifacio was not content with words. He wanted to gain freedom through a bloody revolution. That was why the Americans did not like Bonifacio. He was not a good copy, lacking in a college degree, he was impatient, impulsive, and hot-headed. Rizal was cool, a doctor, novelist, and a lover of women, wine and song. That is why today Dr. Jose Rizal's statue dominates Luneta, now called Rizal Park, our national hero clad in European attire, nice to show off to tourists, dignitaries, diplomats, and academicians.
The choice of a hero involves not only the recounting of an episode or events in history, but of the entire process that made this particular person a hero. Alfredo Lagmay. On November 15, , the Technical Committee after deliberation and careful study based on Dr.
Jose Rizal b. Andres Bonifacio c. Emilio Aguinaldo d. Apolinario Mabini e. Marcelo H. Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat g. Juan Luna h. Melchora Aquino i. Gabriela Silang 1. Gloria of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports on November 22, , no action has been taken. This was probably because this might trigger a flood of requests for proclamations. Another possibility is that the proclamations can trigger bitter debates involving historical controversies about the heroes.
Jose Rizal and other victims of the Philippine Revolution. Fidel V. But those who did, like Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto, inserted his ideas into their own writings, which made them more accessible in language and concept.
So much so that the Katipunan was able to convince 30, members to fight and die for freedom. That is why Rizal and Bonifacio complement each other as the Fathers of the Nation. And then of course, people are scandalized by the contents, I am sure they gossiped about it.
This was said referring to Bonifacio: "Hindi ba't nakakaapekto sa bawat kabataan ang pinapakita ng puso ng isang bayani? Kung nagiging marahas ka, mai-a-apply natin ito sa ngayon, magiging padalos-dalos din tayong mga kabataan na hindi iniisip kung ano ang magiging epekto ng ating gagawing plano at magiging solusyon sa ating problema.
Of course, there's violence, but the Katipunan members were not mindless. Bonifacio and Jacinto articulated a concept of freedom based on kaginhawahan, mabuting kalooban, kapatiran and love of fellow Filipinos! Hindi siya sumulat lamang ng libro, hindi lang siya umupo sa upuan. Hindi siya humawak ng lapis. Tumayo si Bonifacio, humawak siya ng sandata, at ito ang simbolo ng pagmamahal niya sa bayan.
There is also no one way of standing up for country. In the end, there is no law that proclaims an official National Hero, although Rizal was referred to in some laws as such. The Americans referred to him as National Hero and used him because even before their arrival, Rizal was already acclaimed as the most popular hero.
They just rode on the public acclamation. Even Bonifacio's Katipunan revered Rizal's efforts while he was still alive and appropriated him after his death by distributing his farewell poem in the language they understand.
But we can have other national heroes, those that contributed significantly to creating the nation.
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