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Rizal

Dr. Jose Rizal, the Philippine hero, expressed in a manifesto while awaiting trial that he did not support Philippine independence if it simply meant replacing Spanish tyranny with tyranny by Filipinos. He believed change should come from political reforms and representation, not revolution. While most see Rizal as a revolutionary leader, he actually opposed the Katipunan uprising because he knew it would lead to much bloodshed without guaranteeing real change. Rizal wanted Filipinos to have representation in the Spanish Cortes to limit Spanish power and influence laws and governance. He warned that any group using brute force to enact change would continue wielding it against opponents. The document discusses debates around Rizal's views

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Jhay Carbonel
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71 views

Rizal

Dr. Jose Rizal, the Philippine hero, expressed in a manifesto while awaiting trial that he did not support Philippine independence if it simply meant replacing Spanish tyranny with tyranny by Filipinos. He believed change should come from political reforms and representation, not revolution. While most see Rizal as a revolutionary leader, he actually opposed the Katipunan uprising because he knew it would lead to much bloodshed without guaranteeing real change. Rizal wanted Filipinos to have representation in the Spanish Cortes to limit Spanish power and influence laws and governance. He warned that any group using brute force to enact change would continue wielding it against opponents. The document discusses debates around Rizal's views

Uploaded by

Jhay Carbonel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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On 1986 contrary to popular beliefs. The Philippine hero- Dr. Jose P.

Rizal known for his


intellect and writings stated through a manifesto while waiting for his trial, his side on the issue
of his country the Philippines colonial state. Rizal wrote “What is the use of independence if the
slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow? And no doubt they will, because whoever
submits to tyranny loves it!”
This is different to what we usually learn in books and school especially when most historians
immortalize Rizal in a way that he became a leader of the revolution but in fact he was not and
was actually against the thought of an uprising. Dr. Rizal knew the dangers of an insurgence, via
his travels and studies abroad. He knew the catastrophe that will struck his beloved country once
the people rebel, of how much bloodshed and suffering it will bring to his people. That is why he
was against the notion and cause of the Katipunan. Rizal believed and explained that change
must come from above and not from below, for changes made only by the people as seen in the
events of other countries is done by paving bones of countless innocent patriots.
From Rizal’s passage above, he said that whoever made use of tyranny will surely submits to it,
is similar to Lord Acton’s “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. This
phrase is both targeted to the Spaniards and Filipinos alike. Rizal wanted to bring back the
representation of Filipinos in Spanish Cortes to not give the whole power to judge and make law
solely by Spaniards but also with the help of Filipinos. And to the Filipino who made use of
brute force to coerce change, will surely be led to paths where they would need to use it again
and again and again, even to his countrymen.
I both agree and disagree on Rizal’s ideal. I share the same view on how dangerous and idiotic a
war is, especially when the one waging is a country that has yet transitioned nor prepared to face
guns and intellectually adept soldiers and tacticians. But what is the use of tomorrow if people
can’t feel the life and enjoy the present, if one cannot see the beauty of today why would they
hope for another one. Over all Rizal contributed a lot on our country despite the modern notion
of “Veneration without Understanding” toward him. But from what we can see now, I ask you a
question. Were we truly ready and prepared to govern ourselves? Base from your observation did
the Indio’s of the past became the tyrants of today? Or did the Filipinos got addicted to power to
the extent where force was used even to their own people?

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