Prince Jharel Amabilis

With my intensive and critical studies of Rizal’s life as an individual and a hero, I concluded that
Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was not a traitor to his country, to the
Katipunan, and to the overall revolution as he only put success on the line more than anything
else. To justify my answer, I will breakdown the ideas into specifics and will put necessary
information to this paper.

Let’s start first with the question was Rizal a traitor to the country. Dr. Jose Rizal’s faith to this
country was established very early in his life, and one of the reasons is that he was born in a
nationalist family. His older brother or “kuya” Paciano who knows and experienced the positive
and negative influences of Spanish government helped him to learn and understand the concept
of nationalism or love for the country in a very young age. Rizal was also mentored of course by
his mother Teodora Alonso and just like all of us, he also started learning things inside their
home with his parents, especially with Nanay Teodora, his mother. Rizal’s father Francisco
Mercado was a very passive person, yet his unintentional contribution was so tremendous since
he’s the one who gave importance to reading and collect so many books that Rizal read during
his young years in Calamba. With the kind of family Rizal has, it is near impossible for us to
think even to conclude that he will betray his country. The fact that in a very young age he
already had some philosophical ideas in him which is not a usual character of a kid, it just made
the conclusion stronger that Rizal will develop strong and tremendous love for his country, the
Philippines.

Another reason that proved Rizal’s love for this country is his ideology about the Philippines as
well as to the Filipinos. In his Annotations to Morga”s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, Rizal
pointed out that Filipinos had their own culture before the coming of the Spaniards, and in the
first championing nationalism in Asia, Rizal became the pioneering exponent in Asia of the
universal rights of man. Rizal was one of the first icon in history who gave principled and
righteous ideas about race especially the Filipino race. Rizal believed that Filipinos despite of
cultural differences must stand together and move as one, as brothers and sisters.

Maybe some of us will say that Rizal’s choice to go abroad justifies his own ambition of pursuing
success and not think of his fellow Filipinos, but me, I have a different perspective to this based
on how he really embodied his identity as a Filipino. This information will strengthen my points
on why Rizal was not a traitor to his own land. If everything must be justified through answered
questions, then let's ask Rizal himself about his perspective to the occurrence of intellectual
persons in different parts of the world.

Rizal said in one of his speeches in Madrid that intellectual beings can exist anywhere just like
mushrooms that grows anywhere. He was marked by the Spanish scholars after his speech. We
can see that Rizal already knows that he is an intellectual influence, but still didn't consider
himself an elite one. He knows that he's just one of those who grows in another part of the
world, and no one is really controlling the existence of intellectual people. Whether you are
Asian, African, or anyone in this world, you can be an intellectual influence and an icon to your
land.

Rizal was very much aware as well to the societal issues in our country. He used his intellectual
power to tell his message to the Filipinos as well as to the Spanish Colonizers. The
manifestation of the revolution that served as voice of this country was his novel, Noli me
Tangere.

Rizal's idea about the existing cancer to the society is elaborated with this novel. The specific
cancer from the society I want to share in this paper is the Crab mentality manifested by one of
Dona Victorina, one of the characters from the novel. Aside from this idea, I want also to
elaborate in this paper my own perspective and critical interpretation of the novel.

For me, the situation clearly shows the discrimination where people who are lack in power are
suffering due to injustices and inequality that is happening within our nation. We should consider
this as a serious problem since this struggle is still existing in today’s generation.

The real message of Noli Me Tangere to us is we must promote nationalism and also the love
for the country as we represent our nation. We have also remember that being a “Filipino” in
blood and nationality is not enough for us to be called “nationalistic”, we can see it in this novel
where some of our Filipino leaders where eaten by glory, money, and power which blinded
them, and one of the concrete example is Donya Victorina. We should remember that Rizal
already stated the importance of being a nationalistic man in purpose. We should live with
integrity and great passion for our country, we should help each other and share the optimistic
ideologies to our fellow brothers and sisters. We should fight for justice in a right way, and we
must do this together, with clear understanding about the truth behind the social cancer.
The last proof of Rizal’s love for the country is his quote himself, “Ang Kabataan ang Pag asa ng
Bayan” or the youth is the hope of the nation in English translation. Rizal's quote "Ang Kabataan
ang pag-asa ng Bayan" is an example of quote that is necessary to be heared by children
nowadays and even those from future generations.

The quote signifies the importance of youth to the betterment of the country. We know that even
in Rizal's last breath, he did his best to turn around for him to see the sun before he close his
eyes. That symbolizes his fate for the future with the youth as primary source of hope. Another
reason for that is because in Rizal's novel "Noli me Tangere", his character Elias was died
during night, escaping, and wasn't able to witness the sun for the last time. Rizal is really
optimistic until his last breath, and one of the reasons is he knows that the Philippines is in good
hands, and will continue the legacy and dream for freedom and justice towards one nation.

Now that I give my perspective in this paper about Rizal being faithful to his country, let’s go
now to the second necessary question that must be answered in this paper. Is Rizal an anti-
revolution? Did he really support and recognized the establishment of the Katipunan as well as
its strong desire for the country’s independence?

According to the Filipino Historian Renato Constantino in his book “Veneration without
Understanding”, Dr. Jose Rizal is not deserving to be our Country’s National hero mainly
because of his refusal to join the revolution headed by the Supremo Andres Bonifacio.

After searching and studying Dr. Jose Rizal’s life and works. I found out that he is not against
the revolution of the Katipunan. To justify my answer, I will write to this paper the perspective
and studies of the considered greatest Rizal historian in the Philippines, Mr. Ambeth Ocampo.

In “Rumors Distort History”, one of the chapters of his book series “Looking Back”, it was said
there that according to Jose Rizal, who was consulted by Bonifacio’s emissary, Pio Valenzuela,
it was important for the Katipunan to enlist the support of the rich Filipinos because without
money, the Katipunan and the revolution would fail.

Rizal stressed that rich Filipinos had the most to lose in a revolution, so they would do
everything they could to keep the status quo: “These Filipinos will be your worst enemies if you
commit the imprudence of attacking the Spaniards without the necessary preparation. When
they see you without arms, they will go over to the Spanish side to persecute you, and being
Filipinos, and rich ones at that, they will win your soldier over with their money. See to it that
these persons are neutral. At the very last, they must non-be in a position to help neither the
Spaniards nor the Filipinos.”

Ocampo said that Rizal is not that anti-revolution, but he believes that during those times, our
country is not ready for a bloody revolution because of lack of support from those who are
entitled rich people.

Ocampo is not the only historian to believe that Rizal’s act towards revolution is a smart
approach. One of the Filipino historians Floro Quiboyen stated in his book “A Nation Aborted”
that Rizal only wants our country to consider a bloody revolution as last resort or option.
Quiboyen also added that how come that Rizal is anti revolution if he looks up and admire his
siblings who are part of the revolution. How come that he’s an anti revolution if the last love is
his life, his wife Josephine Bracken joined the Katipunan and was able to kill a Spanish army
according to some accounts. How come that Rizal is anti revolution if he praised the revolution
of the Katipunan in his last poem “Mi ultimo adios”, and how come that Rizal is an anti revolution
if he wants them or us Filipinos to be ready for it.

Rizal’s plan for revolution is the smartest and most efficient plan as this can make the Filipinos
more stable and equipped in battling strong Spanish colonizers. Rizal, I think is just a big fan of
trusting the process.

Remember that even in his movement of overthrowing Spanish colonizers, Rizal preferred to
seek reform rather than total independence. Rizal always want to make sure that everything is
under control before a big jump started. He knows that everything especially the revolution will
be not that easy for them to be achieved so he wants it to be critically evaluated and
consistently supported.

With the information I have shared in this paper, one thing that is clear to us is Rizal’s intention,
goals, accomplishments, and overall heart was dedicated to the place where he came from, the
country Philippines. His love for this country was proven and clearly legitimized by what he did
the first time he experienced education and oppression. I would also like to add here in this
paper the influence of his mother that became a strong philosophical principle that helped the
Katipunan established one of its powerful values which is do not let the fascinating light of
wisdom blind us as we search for our independence.

The influence of Rizal’s mother Teodora comes from her story, the story of the moth. Teodora
Alonzo's story of the moth didn't only affect Rizal's life, but it also plays an important role to the
philosophy of Katipunan, particularly to the philosophy of Emilio Jacinto, the Brain of the
Katipunan. The fascinating light which the fire from the gas lamp offers symbolizes the
ignorance that Jacinto considered as threat to the mission of Katipunan to achieve rights and
freedom from the Spanish colonizers. Eventually, the philosophy became more essential when it
translated into a tangible document in "Kartilya ng Katipunan". The Kartilya served as guidebook
for the members of Katipunan, which laid out the group's rules and principles. The first edition of
the Kartilya was written by the "brain of the Katipunan", Emilio Jacinto and the revised
Decalogue was later wrote by the "Supremo ng katipunan" Andres Bonifacio. As what I have
wrote in this paper earlier, the value of the story (story of the moth) told by Teodora Alonso to
her polymath Son Dr. Jose Rizal doesn't only reminds us of simple values, but we can also use
the idea of the story as a philosophy necessary in establishing an organization or even
brotherhood.

In this paper, I included prevalent information that are enough for me to say Rizal was not or
never a traitor to any of the given aspects necessary to be answered within this activity. All he
did was for the country, for his country to achieve success, for the Katipunan and revolution to
be ready, seek reform for a slowly but surely change that will favor our side, contributed
knowledge that are still valuable nowadays, and made the identity of the Philippines remarkable
together with Luna and Hidalgo in such fields like arts, academics, and medicine.

All of this information are all critically and well evaluated with the help of references, and I’m
wholeheartedly convinced that Dr. Jose Rizal who is also regarded as the country’s National
hero was never a traitor.