Pen Warrior
Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda (Jose Rizal)-the national hero of
the Philippines for its great distribution during war. His name was chosen by his mother,
who was a devotee of the Christian St. Joseph, Jose from Saint San Jose, Protacio from
Gervacio P. came from a Christian calendar, Mercado means "market", Rizal for "field
where wheat is cut while still green sprouts again" and the Alonzo surname of his mother,
Realonda, came from the surname of her grandmother. He was born on June 19, 1861
in the Province of Calamba, Laguna. He was baptized in 1862, in the month of June, on
the 22nd day. His parents are Francisco Mercado Rizal and Teodora Alonzo Realonda.
The first memory of Rizal, in his infancy, was his happy days in the family garden when
he was 3 years old. He was given the tenderest care by his parents because he was frail,
sickly, and undersized. As time passed by, he started school. He is a religious person
and talented. So how did Rizal become a hero or a patriot?
Rizal wrote his first book, Noli Me Tangere, for the country to expose events
happening in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. It opened the eyes of many
Filipinos that they were being manhandled by the friars. It contains the story of Crisostomo
Ibarra and his revenge on the second book. Noli Me Tangere also presents the corruption
of Filipino life under Spanish domination, perpetrated by Spanish members of Catholic
groups and El Filibusterismo. This book caused controversy, so he was forced to leave
his homeland. He was threatened by government officials and those who supported the
Spaniards. So, thinking that his book caused controversy and shaken the Spaniards
enough to give him a treat and leave, it shows that in fighting for the freedom of people
and the country, physical fights are not the only solution to win against colonizers. He
uses his knowledge to let society wake up to reality and give them the courage to fight
through his novel. He wrote different articles like The Philippines a Century, hence
offering reflection for both Spaniards and Filipinos on the development of Spain’s colony,
Concerning the Adolescence of the Filipinos, responding to the assertions of the
Spaniards that Filipinos were incapable of governance and lazy. This article he wrote
provides substantial knowledge to Filipinos, even though he knows the danger of what he
is doing.
There was an event in history called The Cavite Mutiny of 1872, wherein Filipino
soldiers and workers in Cavite rebelled against the leadership of a Filipino sergeant,
Lamadrid. The revolt caused the deaths of Spanish officers in the arsenal. The mutiny led
the Spaniards to believe that the movement was a revolt, resulting in the imprisonment of
many patriots, and some of them were executed, including the well-known three priests
of GomBurZa. These three priests were executed and sentenced by garrote. This opened
the eyes of many Filipinos to the injustice happening. The story of GomBurZa was
discovered by Rizal, Paciano, a friend of Father Burgos, who told him the story. El
Filibusterismo was written by Rizal in memory of the three priests. The story of El
Felibusterismo was one of the stories that opened the eyes of many Filipinos to the
injustice of the Spaniards. In a personal letter, Rizal stated that "I have not written in El
Filibusterismo my idea of revenge against enemies but only what is good for those
who are suffering." Although he was threatened, he ignored it and returned to his
homeland. He was exiled without trial because they said that his articles, books, and
pamphlets opposed the government. Because of this, Andres Bonifacio, an admirer of
Rizal, formed a group called Katipunan. It is a group created to fight against the Spanish
authorities. Before that, he was with the group Liga Filipina, where Rizal did not join but
spoke to the group on the same night that Rizal was exiled. It was disbanded. The
presence of Rizal and his work inspires and empowers others, such as Bonifacio.Even
after he was exiled, Rizal continued to conduct research and work in schools and
hospitals.Also, we know Katipunan is the group of people who started to fight for their
rights as Filipinos and finally went against the government of Spain. The admiration of
Bonifacio for Rizal ignited his courage to encourage other people to join forces in battling
the Spaniards. Through Rizal's continuous publication through the years of his life, he
gathered fame from the Filipinos, making the Filipinos slowly retaliate against the Spanish
government, so the Spanish felt threatened. The Katipunan was launched and Rizal was
blamed for igniting the idea of retaliation. He was charged and shot to death.
If the question is whether I agree or disagree that Rizal is a national hero, I would
have to say yes because of his contributions and sacrifices. According to what I wrote in
my past paragraph, it shows that Rizal was the eye opener for many Filipinos, giving
important information and presenting the reality happening in the country through good
means. His work at the time gave many Filipinos silent hope and courage that if everyone
was well informed and opened their eyes and ears, change would come.The abuses and
brutality of the Spanish government appear in his fictional work as an underlying
message. But in his letter, he wrote that it was for the Filipinos who were suffering. Maybe
he wanted to know that there were people who knew their suffering and sympathized.
Rizal used his knowledge and ability to write to show the Filipinos his love for his country,
saying that even if his life was threatened, he would do whatever it took to protect his
country from the enemy.
He is also a good example to society nowadays that winning a battle doesn't
always need to be physically fought or through a gun. A simple paper pen and knowledge
can make you succeed. If that is the result of his work, I totally disagree that he should
be our national hero. Rizal's importance in the event makes him the most unique hero. A
hero with a pen, paper, and knowledge. Unfortunately, he died at the hands of a Spanish
squad. It doesn’t need a person to die in a certain war to be a hero, just like Rizal. In
politics nowadays, we need someone like Rizal who has the courage to expose the reality
behind the tons of lies happening in the government, like corruption. Rizal was the old
news reporter who brought the truth, unlike now. He is very inspiring because, even
though Rizal was a genius and had a very bright future, he chose to save his country over
his good life ahead of him. As of now, Rizal has become a symbol of Philippine patriotism.
According to Jorge Mojarro, the lack of understanding of Rizal is because he was a writer
and suffers the irony of being a national hero in a country where most people do not like
to read. And I agree with that because the concept of a hero is a person who died in a
war or directly.
It is also mandated by law that it is necessary to study Rizal according to Republic
Act 1425, also known as Rizal Law. Its goal is to rededicate the lives of youth to the ideals
of nationalism and freedom for which our heroes lived and died. Another one is to gain a
source of patriotism through the study of Rizal and to pay tribute to our national hero for
dedicating his life and work to shaping Filipino character. It is just right to study the course
because Rival was the founder of nationalism and contributed to the current nation. The
subject is a way to develop the aspect of citizenship among youths. In some works of
Rizal, there is also a poem written by Rizal for the youth, so we should at least read the
literature that was dedicated to us as youths, because it is surely inspiring and beneficial
for us.
Through the subject, I was encouraged to read and research the life of Rizal, and
I also read some of the stories related to Rizal wherein the information that was given to
us when we were younger is somewhat wrong in the information that we read in different
studies or historical research. Another one is that only general knowledge is the one we
mostly discuss, but it gives us insufficient details and is somewhat confusing. In studying
the history of Rizal, it gives more complete details, and if it focused on Rizal, it is more
understandable. The contribution of Rizal is also amazing. His way of going against the
enemy is something that we should learn. For us to think that for the last time, Rizal really
is the national hero, in actions and deeds. Through his work, it also supports the other
stories from our history, because the history of the Philippines has many versions. It is
just right for people to know the life of a hero. Most importantly, it is a national hero.
Through this subject, I found his story very interesting, and I wrote it in my first paragraph
because I was fascinated by Rizal.
July-an L. Chaguna
BS Psychology 2B
REFERENCE APA FORMAT
Mark DeStephano, S.J., Ph.D. (2015) José Rizal, the Quest for Filipino Independence, and the Search for
Ultimate Reality and Meaning. Retrieved from José Rizal, the Quest for Filipino Independence, and the
Search for Ultimate Reality and Meaning (utpjournals.press)
Ronica Valdeavilla(2018) The 8 most Important Works by Rizal. Culture Trip. Retrieved from The 8 Most
Important Literary Works by Jose Rizal (theculturetrip.com)
J R Lim (2011). The Life and Works of Rizal. Retrieved The Life and Works of Rizal: Why Study Rizal?
Jorge Mojarro (2018). [OPINION] Reading, Understanding and appreciating Rizal. Rappler. Retrieved
from [OPINION] Reading, understanding, and appreciating Rizal (rappler.com)