Immortalized

Had he been immortal, Jose Rizal, the Philippines’ national hero, would have turned 162 yesterday, 19 June 2023. But Rizal need not be god-like as envisaged by the cult-like organization that has appropriated his name.

As the Austrian ethnographer, Dr. Ferdinand Blumentritt, so famously said: Rizal was the “greatest man the Malay race ever produced.” Despite dying 126 years ago at the tender age of 35, Rizal has been immortalized enough because of his writings and deeds.

Without question, Rizal was a brilliant man, being a writer, poet, sculptor, and linguist, in addition to being a doctor. He was also a patriot who battled for Philippine independence from Spain, although some would contend he was more of a pacifist who sought mere assimilation.

Rizal was born in Calamba, Laguna in 1861, the seventh of 11 children of Francisco Mercado Rizal and Teodora Alonso Realonda, who were both well-educated and relatively rich as farmer-tenants of the landed friars from whom they leased land.

Francisco and Teodora instilled a passion for learning and a strong sense of social justice in their children, especially Jose and his elder brother Paciano, who would later become a general of the revolutionary Katipunan.

Rizal studied at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, where he excelled. He then studied medicine at the University of Santo Tomas, where he considered himself a mediocre student, deciding to travel to Spain in 1882 to finish schooling and become a doctor.

In Spain and during his visits to other European countries, Rizal would write several essays and his literary masterpieces, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterimo, thereby stoking the fires of rebellion in other heroes like Andres Bonifacio.

Rizal was a firebrand in his discourses that when the Noli was released in 1887, mere possession of the book was made a crime by the Spanish authorities who jailed a UST student just for having a copy.

Having formed the La Liga Filipina, acknowledged by some as the precursor and inspiration for the founding of the Katipunan, Rizal would be arrested, exiled to Dapitan and eventually tried and found guilty of treason by a kangaroo court.

He was executed on 30 December 1896 after his trip to serve as a field doctor during Spain’s efforts to stem the Cuban revolution was cut short by accusations he was among the leaders of the revolution that broke out that year.

Rizal’s death marked a watershed moment of the revolution, galvanizing more Filipinos to seek freedom by bearing arms and fighting the hated Spaniards. A fascinating and complex man Rizal was: A free thinker, a mason, and also a romantic lover.

He was also a man of inconsistencies — both a fervent Catholic and a harsh opponent of the Catholic Church. He was a scientist who believed in the power of magic.

While it’s difficult to put a finger on what kind of a man Rizal really was, undoubtedly, he was a product of his milieu. The Age of Enlightenment, the Romantic movement, and the ideas of the French Revolution all affected him, as much as he was angered by the corrupt and brutal Spanish colonial regime.

Rizal’s life and actions continue to be important and relevant today. One only has to look at his works to see the unending struggle of Filipinos for justice and equality, if not against colonial masters, against homebred tyrants who continue to visit misfortunes on the country since the Spaniards left in 1898 and the Americans in 1946.

As a national hero, considered the first among other heroes like Bonifacio, Apolinario Mabini and Emilio Jacinto, Rizal had amply demonstrated how a single person could make a difference.

Like everyone else, Rizal was a mere mortal. He was imperfect and made errors. He was, nonetheless, a remarkable man who made enormous contributions to the Philippines. At least on his birthday, like yesterday and every 30th of December to commemorate his martyrdom, Rizal deserves to be remembered and appreciated.

True, Rizal had complicated and often tragic relationships with women, including one that nearly led to a fatal duel abroad with Antonio Luna over Nelly Boustead, and the last, with Josephine Bracken, who did not find favor with his family.

Those relationships, however, reflect Rizal’s humanity and capacity for love. Rizal was a man who was enthusiastic about life and the people he cared about.

Rizal left a legacy of love, optimism, and independence. He was a man who battled for his people’s rights and inspired them to fight for their own independence.

Credit belongs to : tribune.net.ph