Jose Rizal with Philippine Sun
January 29, 2009 by Christian
Here’s a good looking shoulder tattoo with the American made Filipino hero, Jose Rizal with the Philippine Sun with eight rays. I find this odd for the following reasons:
Jose Rizal was a conformist. He did not want to join the revolution to oust the Spanish. He actually wanted the group of islands named the Philippines to become a province of Spain.
The “Philippine” Sun’s eight rays represent the eight provinces that rebelled against Spain.
Again, is this tattoo representative of the duality of the so-called Filipino, misunderstanding of history, or blind pride? What do you think? Read something I wrote about 10 years ago on this subject after the jump….
Did you know that it was the Americans who made Rizal our national hero? In 1901 the Governor of the so-called Philippines, William Howard Taft suggested to the Philippine Commission that we so-called Filipinos be given a national hero. He boldly states,
“And now, gentlemen, you must have a national hero.” “Taft with other American colonial officials and some conservative Filipinos, chose him (Rizal) as a model hero over other contestants – Aguinaldo too militant, Bonifacio too radical, Mabini unregenerate.”*
Charles Bohlen, one-time ambassador to the Philippines, described Taft’s motivations like this: “Taft quickly decided that it would be extremely useful for the Filipinos to have a national hero of their revolution against the Spanish in order to channel their feelings and focus their resentment backward on Spain. But he told his advisers that he wanted it to be someone who really wasn’t so much of a revolutionary that, if his life were examined too closely or his works read too carefully, this could cause us any trouble. He chose Rizal as the man who fit his model.”**
There is no doubt that Rizal was a great man and was unjustly murdered. But by elevating him to national hero, we neglect the other great men. In school, media, government and etc we hear Rizal this, Rizal that, until our ears bleed. What about our heroes who advocated independence for us? Rizal pointed out problems in the Spanish colonial society, but he did not want to drive out the Spanish. He never wanted independence for the so-called Philippines. That was the important factor because it would be a contradiction for the so-called Filipino people to advocate independence from the USA. He did not join Bonifacio and Katipunan. He was a conformist. He wanted better conditions for so-called Filipinos under Spanish rule. Taft also picked Rizal because he was already dead and he could not speak against the American neocolonialism.
Every aspect of so-called Filipino live is infested by our colonial and neocolonial past, even our heroes have become used against us.
*Between Two Empires by Theodore Friend, 1965, p.16
**Portrait of A Cold Warrior by Joseph B. Smith, 1976, p.283
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my tattoo is about me being a filipino and a proud calambenyo like dr.jose rizal.
WHEN Jose Rizal was still alive, his countrymen had already looked up to him as their guide towards reforms, revolution, and independence from Spanish rule. And when he had died, it was also the Filipino people who eventually recognized him as their greatest national hero.
Andres Bonifacio, as the supreme leader of the Katipunan, he ordered that the word Rizal be used as the password of Bayani (Patriot), the highest-grade Katipunero; that Rizal’s pictures be hung in the meeting hall of the Katipunan Supreme Council and in other meeting places; and that Rizal’s name be used as a Katipunan cry for unity and liberty. He also elected Rizal as the Katipunan honorary president, and solicited Rizal’s views regarding their plans against Spain. In early 1897, he issued a proclamation condemning the Spanish atrocities against Filipinos, and “the brutal execution of our most beloved countryman, the Honorable Jose Rizal.”
General Emilio Aguinaldo and his comrades issued a proclamation in April 1898, whose concluding part said that Jose Rizal was the “greatest patriot our country has seen.”
On Dec. 20, 1898, President Aguinaldo issued a decree designating December 30 as a national day of mourning “in memory of the great Filipino patriot Dr. Jose Rizal and others who faithfully loved the native land and were martyred by the former Spanish domination.”
There is a theory which claims that it was the American colonial authorities, particularly William Howard Taft, who declared Rizal as the national hero, encouraged the cult venerating Rizal as the country’s greatest patriot, and made December 30 a holiday.
The theory has it that because Taft, who arrived in the country on June 3, 1900, during a session of the Commission, decided that Rizal be the national hero, Rizal Day has become a public holiday since then. Taft’s decision became the genesis of Rizal Day.
This theory is an insanity, if not stupidity, because how can the alleged decision of Taft making Rizal the national hero be the origin of Rizal Day when before Taft arrived in the country, the Filipinos had already recognized Rizal as their greatest patriot and had already celebrated December 30 as their first-ever national holiday?
Kultong Rizalismo (sanaysay ni Jon E. Royeca) | FilipinoWriter.com
what an awesome tattoo you’ve got wat’s ur name