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

For those that don’t know the meaning of the Philippine sun and stars, here it is:

The 8 rays represent the “First” 8 provinces that rebelled against Spain. They were Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Manila, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, and Tarlac. Although, there probably should be a 9th ray for the Moro mutiny at Calaganan. Why leave our Muslim brothers out? The 3 stars represent Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Originally, a site-specific work commissioned by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts for SUNGDU-AN, the national survey / exhibit of contemporary art in the Philippines. This year’s theme is Sungdu-an 4 : ExTensions.

In this video, we use the concept of tattoos or pintados in going back to some of the Philippines’ most popular icons and images that have evolved through history to shape the nation and people we are today.

Lapu-lapu, originally uploaded by Atari, Gracinha & Marco.

The first known one to rebel the Spanish. While most of us will agree that he was a great man and obviously one of the 1st “Filipino” heroes, why don’t we listen to him and keep his mentality alive? Do you think Lapu-lapu would be sad as to what his people have become? I believe he would not want to be called “Filipino”.