Si Jose Rizal at Nasyonalismong Pilipino
READINGS
Section 1Kabayanihan: Our Collective Heroism
'KABAYANIHAN': OUR COLLECTIVE HEROISM By Ed Aurelio C. Reyes Kamalaysayan
Writers and Speakers (April 1996)
ARAW NG KAGITINGAN is celebrated by Filipinos on April 9, every year, and it seems
appropriate that we discuss the concept of heroism, that is, the Filipino concept of it.
While working on the proposed concept for a new television program to be aired for
elementary grade pupils this coming schoolyear, I confronted the question of heroism.
The word "Bayani" would be central to the title, theme and actual message of the
program, and I had to give inputs on this to the "think tank" preparing for its launching.
So off to the books I did go. Specifically, dictionaries.
The first thing to be learned here is that the meaning of the English word "hero" is not
exactly the same as that of our very own "bayani".
My 336-page Webster's Dictionary "for home, school and office" gives only one definition
of the word hero: "A figure in mythology and legend renowned for exceptional courage
and fortitude." The bigger and much bulkier dictionary at home, with 1,560 large pages,
gives the following definitions: "1 a:a mythological or legendary figure often of divine
descent endowed with great strength or ability. b: an illustrious warrior. c: a man admired
for his achievements and noble qualities. d: one that shows great courage. 2a: the
principal male character in a literary or dramatic work. b: the central figure in an event,
period of movement. 3: submarine. 4: an object of extreme admiration and devotion:
IDOL. (Etymology is given as "akin to Latin "servare," to protect.) How about "bayani"?
Let's read these entries in Diksyunario ng Wikang Pilipino published in 1989 by the
Linangan ng mga Wika sa Pilipinas (LWP), formerly known as the Surian ng Wikang
Pambansa:
1ba-ya-ni png. (pangngalan) Taong matapos mamatay ay ipinagbubunyi ng bayan dahil
sa kanyang hindi pangkaraniwang paglilingkod sa bayan o sangkatauhan; taong may di
pangkaraniwang tapang at tigas ng loob sa harap ng panganib o kaya ay katatagan ng
kalooban sa paghihirap at pasakit.
2ba-ya-ni, pd. (pandiwa) Nauukol sa paggawang hindi binabayaran ang gumagawa. sk
(singkahulugan): pakisuyo, tulong, bataris, suyuan
After taking note of parallels in descriptions such as bravery and toughness, we realize
the glaring disparity in situating the phenomenon: the English, or Western "hero" is
mythological or legendary, and often "of divine descent" in the mold of the Greek and
Roman gods; the Tagalogs' "bayani" is situated in his or her (the word "bayani" is not
gender-specific) relation to the community spirit -- working for free the way we have
always known the "bayanihan" spirit to be.
The word "exceptional" in the small dictionary's definition grates against the envisioned
theme and message of the TV show being planned, the heroism can be discovered and
cultivated in each of us. This is also found in the LWP Diksyunaryo's first definition,
although counterbalanced somewhat by the second meaning, which stresses the
community and one's service to it, thus allowing ordinary folk to qualify for the attribute.
What disturbs me more is the qualifier in LWP's definition that says "matapos mamatay."
Dictionaries are made on the basis of statistics on how this word and that is actually
used by speakers of the language. [This is why no amount of protesting can remove the
meaning, "domestic helper", attached to the word "Filipina" in British dictionaries. That is
what most English-speakers in Britain mean when they use the word Filipina and the
correction should be focused on the social reality and not on its reflection in such surveys
as dictionaries.]
The sense that one has to be dead to be a "bayani" in the first meaning given by the
LWP's Diksyunaryo is disturbing. It may have discouraged many of us from aspiring to be
heroes. But this meaning has been attached only during this almost one century that has
passed since the days of the Katipunan. Rizal's execution at Bagumbayan and his
proclamation as "pambansang bayani" may have contributed much to it. And I have very
recently come across a proof that death as a qualifier for "bayani" was not in the
meaning attached to the word by the majority of those who used it during the Spanish
period.
The point is that you may not simply translate because what we think are word
equivalents are sometimes as varied as the cultures that used them. Of course, I will still
use the word "heroism" but this time I'll try to be closer to its "bayani" sense. The
qualifier in the first meaning of "bayani" given in the Diksyunaryo produced by the
Linangan ng mga Wika sa Pilipinas, to the effect that one becomes a hero upon being
recognized as such after death was not there much earlier in the history of usage of the
word. The Katipunan, under the leadership of Andres Bonifacio, used the word "bayani"
as the label for its third- grade members, the highest rank in their "katipon" and "kawal."
One became a "bayani" after being elected to any of the organization's collegial
leadership councils. Surely, these were not posthumous awards being given!
As I write this column, I have before me a photocopy of a page from Vocabulario de la
Lengua Tagala, Compuesto por Varios Religiosos Coctos y Graves republished
("reimpresso") in Manila in 1860 by Imprenta de Ramirez y Giraudier. Page 44 of this
overly bulky dictionary, which I found at the Sentro ng Wikang Filipino at the University of
the Philippines in Diliman, carries two entries of the word "bayani." The first definition
carries the words "Valiente" and "animoso," and the second one begins with "obra
comun." These two definitions run parallel to the two entries in LWP's Diksyunaryo, but
conspicuously absent in the 1860 book's entries are the words "muerte" or anything
similar to it (like "morir"), to put in the sense of one having to die first.
The TV show we are working on will be aired for schoolchildren, and it will encourage
them to appreciate and admire our relatively well-recognized "national heroes," open
their minds to the likelihood that their very own respective grandparents were heroes in
their own right, and encourage these children to aspire to develop in themselves the
atributes of being "bayani."
Here are some of the concept points alreadu discussed by the people preparing this
program:
"Bayani" as concept and word can have any of these three applications: "bayani as a
person; "kabayanihan" as a heroic act; and "bayani"as a heroic group, community or
nation.
The core value in being "bayani" is recognition of and deference to the interest of what is
bigger than the individual, like the group, the community, the nation, even humanity and
nature. This deference is conscious even if almost instinctive and habitual.
For one to be "bayani" in meeting with various challenges both in daily life and in critical
historical moments, he or she must have all or at least most of the following:
(1)determination; (2) perseverance; (3) courage; (4) diligence; (5) enthusiasm; (6)
humility; and (7) inspiration and effect of inspiring others.
The seventh point above underscores the need to avoid putting our national heroes
on top of unreachable pedestals. They were as human as we all are. And, indeed, we
can all be heroes like them. In our own right, in our own small ways.
This is the message we are going to bring to the children through the TV sets. We
hope this can somewhat "distract" them somewhat from concentrating too much on
those hyperviolent robotic and mutant superheroes they watch on TV everyday. With
this, and the KAMALAYSAYAN's efforts to propagate the lessons from the Katipunan's
Kartilya, and parallel efforts from various directions, including parents, we may yet be
able to validate Rizal's philosophical optimism that "the youth are the hope of the
Fatherland."
(Kamalaysayan Media Service)
Section 2. Bayani at Kabayanihan: Ano ang Kahulugan ng Bayani?
Ano ang kahulugan ng "bayani"?
ni Julio Gomez de la Cruz, Jr. at Marlon C. Magtira
Ang salitang bayani ay may sariling kasaysayan. Sa kasalukuyan, itinuturing na
bagong bayani ang mga Overseaes Filipino Workers (OFW) dahil sa kanilang
kasipagan, katatagan ng loob at mga tulong pinansyal sa pamahalaan (gaya ng
remittances).
Sa pagsulong ng panahon, uminog din ang konsepto ng pagiging isang bayani.
Dati, pinagbabatayan ang pagkamatay o kailangan munang mamatay bago matawag
na isang bayani.
Kung babalikan natin ang pinagmulan ng salitang bayani, makikita natin ang ating
pagkaPilipino na kabilang sa isang bansang may mayabong na kultura.
Sa mahabang panahon bago dumating sa Pilipinas ang kolonisasyon ng mga
Kanluranin, ang mga mandirigma ang kinikilala at pinagpipitagang katangi-tanging
pangkat ng mga tao sa mga barangay. Ang responsibilidad ng mga mandirigmang ito
ay manguna sa pagtatanggol ng pamayanan laban sa kinakaharap na kaaway o
panganib. Sa iba't ibang lugar, iba-iba ang katawagan sa kanila. Subalit mahihinuha
ang pagkakatulad ng mga salita: bagani, magani, bahani, bayani at iba pa.
Hindi basta-basta ang pagsubok na kailangang daanan ng isang tao bago siya ituring
na kasapi sa pangkat ng mga mandirigma. Ang pagsubok ay karaniwang madugo
sapagkat kailangan muna na makapatay sa isang aktuwal na labanan.
May takdang bilang na kailangang mapatay mula sa kaaway na tribo bago
magpapasyang magpulong ang ibang bagani kung igagawad ang naturang titulo.
May iba't-ibang antas ang pagkabagani o pagkamandirigma - batay sa bilang ng
napatay at kung makapapasa sa isang di-karaniwang ritwal.
Makikita ang mga antas na ito sa kulay ng suot ng mandirigma.
Ang maniklad ang may pinakamababang uri. Kailangan siyang makapatay ng isa
hanggang dalawang tao, bago makasuot ng putong na pula at dilaw.
Limang kaaway naman ang kailangang mapatay bago matanghal na hanagan. Subalit
bago pa man makamit ang titulong ito, kailangan munang makapasa na maging
tagbusawan, ibig sabihin, "sasaniban" ng kaluluwa ni Tagbusaw, ang diyos ng
pakikidigma. Itinatakda ng mga matatanda sa tribo kung ang isang maniklad ay
itatanghal na tagbusawan pagkatapos ng mga ritwal. Pagkatapos nito ay saka lamang
siya makapagsususot ng pulang putong.
Ang pagsuot ng pulang jaket ay karangalang laan sa kinaboan dahil sa pagpatay ng
pito hanggang dalawampu't pitong kaaway.
Ang mga lunugum naman ay siyang nakasibat at nakapatay sa loob mismo ng
pamamahay ng kaaway. Itim ang kulay na maaari niyang isuot. Ang lahat ng bagani
ay pinaniwalaang may anting-anting na iniingatan. Ang bisa nito ay ibayong
nadadagdagan sa bawat buhay ng kanyang kaaway na makikitil. Sa maraming
pamayanan sa Mindanaw, ang bagani ay hindi lamang mandirigma kundi siyang
itinuturing na pinuno ng tribo. Kailangan niyang mag-angkin ng mga katangian bilang
pinuno ng relihiyon at panggagamot. Siya ang itinuturing na paring namamagitan sa
mga diyos at mga tao sa lupa. Dapat siyang tumulong sa nangangailangan nang
walang hinihintay na kapalit.
Ang salitang bagani sa Maranaw ay tumutukoy sa magkakaugnay na tema ng
"walang takot," "katapangan," "kasiglahan," at "kahalagahan."
Ang magkatulad na konsepto ay ipinahahayag din sa Magindanaw: barani -
katapangan, at heroism sa Ingles at Sulu: balani - katatagan ng loob at pagiging
karapat-dapat (worthy).
Ang salitang bayani sa Tagalog ay matatagpuan sa tatlong sinaunang diksyunaryong
Tagalog. Sa Vocabulario de Lengua Tagala ni San Buenaventura na lumabas noong
1613: Valiente, bayani (pp) y de fuercas, ang pagcabayani ni santos, la valentia de
Santos, bayani cang tavo, eres hombre valiente, walang cabayaning tavo, es hombre
muy valiente.
Ang diksyunaryo naman nina Juan de Noceda at Pedro San Lucar na lumabas noong
1754 ay nagbigay ng isa pang kahulugan bukod sa "matapang." Ang ikalawang
kahulugan ay tumutukoy sa "sama-samang gawa" o "gawaing panlahat" (obra
komon). Ito ay dahil sa salitang "bayanihan" na ginagamit sa Katagalugan na
tumutukoy sa "sama-samang pakikipagtulungan."
Gayundin, sa Dicccionario Tagalog Hispano ni Pedro Serrano Laktaw na lumabas
noong 1914, ay tumutukoy sa akda ni San Buenaventura, ang pagsama ng
'mandirigma' (guerrero), bihasa sa digmaan' (guerrido) at 'mapandigma' (belicoso).
Ang kasalukyang kahulugan at gamit sa salitang bayani ay makikita sa Diksyunaryo
Teasuro Pilipino ni Jose V. Panganiban na lumabas noong 1972.
Unang kahulugan nito ay katumbas ng 'hero' sa Ingles. Ito ay katumbas ng bayanii sa
mga wikang Bikol, Kapampangan, Sebwano, Samar-Leyte at Tagalog. Samantalang ito
naman ay baganihan sa Hiligaynon, banuar sa Ilokano at palbayani sa Panggasinan.
Ang ikalawang kahulugan nito ay 'cooperative endeavor, mutual aid.' Ito ay
'tulungan', 'usungan', at 'damayan' sa Filipino.
Ang ikatlong kahulugan nito ay tumutukoy sa isang taong aniya'y '…who offers free
service in a cooperative endeavour'. Ibig sabihin, sa mga taong gumagawa sa isang
kolektibong gawain na hindi binabayaran.
At ang ikaapat na kahulugan ay 'namamayani', isang pandiwa na nangangahulugang
'to prevail, predominante,be triumphant or be victorious', ibig sabihin, 'maging
matagumpay'.
Sa Kordilyera, ang salitang unbalanak sa Igorot at balanni sa Apayao ay
nangangahulugang 'kagila-gilalas' o marvel sa wikang Ingles. Ang salita namang
'magnet' o 'loadstone' sa wikang Ingles ay may mga anyong batobalani sa Tagalog,
Sebwano, Bikol, Sambal, Ilokano, Pangasinan, Akalnon at Hiligaynon; batumblani sa
Bontok; batubarani sa Maranaw; at balan sa Sulu. May paniniwala na ang 'magnet' ay
ang 'bato' ng uring mandirigma, ang kanyang anting-anting.
Ano ang kahulugan ng salitang 'bayani'? Ang ang mga Pilipino ay may tunay na
konsepto ng isang pagiging bayani. Ang mga bayani ay siyang may malasakit sa
kanyang mga kasama. Nagtataguyod ng mga bagay ukol sa kanyang pinagmulan.
Hindi lamang ito tumutukoy sa katapangan kundi sa talino, katapatan at kakayahang
nasubukan at napanday sa aktwal na labanan.
Section 3. Bayanihan (being and becoming a hero)
Bayanihan (being and becoming a hero) By Pryor Placino
https://communityeconomiesasia.wordpress.com/2018/03/07/ bayanihan-being- and-
becoming-a-hero/
In a peri-urban municipality to the east of Metro Manila in the Philippines, informal
miners devote one Sunday morning to manually crush tuff rocks. These miners are
self-employed and their livelihood could be generally considered as artisanal and
small-scale. Together, these miners gather rubbles of rocks and sell them to truckers
of building contractors. During the other days of the week, the miners crush stones
on an individual basis to support their respective families. But during that particular
weekend, the miners voluntarily work as a collective and pool together the money
they earn from selling rubbles. They will contribute their earnings for that day to a
community member who has been sick and needs hospitalization. This collective and
voluntary work is what the informal miners consider as a form of bayanihan. In this
particular example, bayanihan is mobilized as a way of extending the self to others
(pakikipagkapwa) by giving sympathy and practical aid (pagdamay) and doing
service without asking anything in return (kawanggawa).
Bayanihan as a collective endeavor among Filipinos had been documented as early as
1754 in the dictionary “Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala” by Noceda and Sanlucar.
The authors refer to bayanihan as “obra comun” (p. 72) or common work. Bayanihan
comes from the root word bayani and the suffix -han. Bayani is roughly translated to
hero in the English language. The suffix –han when added to a root word such as
bayani creates a noun and an action word. Bayanihan can then be referred to as
being and becoming a hero.
The idea of bayani as translated into the English word hero, however, is not as neat
as it appears to be. For Filipino scholar Zeus Salazar (1997), the local concept of
bayani has a different value and is a richer concept than its supposed western
counterpart. Salazar used the Spanish translation of hero, héroe, as a heuristic to
differentiate it with the local term bayani. The héroe could be likened to a martyr who
may or may not think of compatriots when making actions. For Salazar, a héroe
commonly acts as an individual and is viewed to be exceptional. On the other hand,
bayani is a counter-discourse to the western concept of héroe. In Salazar’s words:
“The summary of all of these differences could be distilled from the individualism and
preoccupation of the héroe with his own “persona,” as compared with bayani who
belongs to his own group and focused only and distinctly on advancing the interest of
the group. …The action of the bayani is based on the character of bayan, wherein
humility and being equal with others are valued more. (Salazar 1997, 3-4)
Salazar problematizes the concept of bayani vis-à-vis héroe through the lens of
Pantayong Pananaw. Pantayong Pananaw constitutes the indigenization movement in
Philippine social sciences. Pantayo comes from the prefix pan– (for/for the purpose of)
and root word tayo (we). Pananaw is direct translation of the word perspective.
According to Salazar (2000), pantayong pananaw refers to “one’s wholeness that is
contingent upon the interconnections of cultural and social elements with each other,
which is distributed and understood by an ethnolinguistic group: the self” (p. 55). In
this regard, the self is not sovereign but always co-exists in relation to others.
Pantayong Pananaw as a theoretical framework points towards the differentiation
between two Filipino translation of the English words we and us: tayo and kami.
Pantayo could be roughly translated as “from-us-for-us” while pangkami could refer to
“from-us-for-you” (Guillermo, 2003). In pantayo, the speaker and the listeners belong
to the same ethnolinguistic group and are in active conversation with each other. In
the word pangkami, the speaker only speaks of himself and the group he identifies
with while his listeners are only at the receiving end (Salazar, 2000; Guillermo 2003).
Through the pantayong pananaw, the bayani is argued to be embedded in the local
context and speaks for and together with the people he is part of (Salazar, 1997). The
héroe on the other hand is somewhere above and beyond the reach of his others
(Salazar, 1997). Unlike a héroe, the bayani always identifies him/herself with the
bayan. Bayan is a complex term in itself. It could refer to multiple scales that
constitute both people and place such as municipality, province, country, nation,
community, citizens and the public. For Filipino scholar Jaime Veneracion (1998),
bayan has originally refered to ‘the people’ but later evolved to also refer to a specific
place. He also underlines that if bayan is used to refer to the Filipino people it may be
translated similar to the concept of nation. A popularized expression “para sa bayan”
(for the bayan) could mean that any actions, accolades or feat one has persevered to
accomplish are extended to both people and place and offered for their constituted
pride and glory. In this regard, the bayani is part of bayan and among compatriots
(kababayan).
The bayani acts with the collective and with their common concern in mind. In line
with this, bayanihan can be considered as a form of active heroism (kabayanihan) of
an individual or a group of people by helping others without expecting anything in
return. In bayanihan, one who volunteers and co-develops a community spirit could
emerge as a hero in his/her own simple ways and take pride of the achievement of
the group of people in common. As illustrated in the opening story, mining together
and extending support as a collective could somehow bring a community member out
of danger, both physically and financially. Knowing that someone from their
neighborhood is not in good shape affects miners and their community. When they
would be in the same situation as the community member who is in need, the latter
might do the same thing for them as a form of solidarity with the rest the group
(pakikisama), pagdamay and pakikipagkapwa. Working together can make any action
effective and any task easier to accomplish. The achievement of one is also an
achievement of the many, and vice versa.
Watch: PWD, namalimos para may maibigay na tulong sa mga binaha sa Marikina
https://www.facebook.com/abscbnNEWS/videos/669490320427328
Instruction: Based on the video, answer the following questions:
Is there a “special calling” for one to be a hero?
____________________________________________________________________________
Are there heroes among the youth today?
____________________________________________________________________________
When we served others, to whom do we served?
____________________________________________________________________________
Who is a Filipino youth today?
____________________________________________________________________________
What is your role today as a youth of the Philippines?
____________________________________________________________________________
Do you consider yourself as the leader of tomorrow? Why?
____________________________________________________________________________
REFERENCES:
Clement, J. and Cruz, G. (2019). The Transcendent Hero. C & E Publishing, Inc. (2019):
Quezon City.
Galindo, M. The Relevance of Rizal Course. Retrieved from URL:
https://societyworld.wordpress.com/2008/08/07/the-relevance-of-rizal-course/
Magtira, C. and de la Cruz, J. Ano ang kahulugan ng "bayani"?
Mendoza, AV. (2015). Rizal and the Youth of Today. Retrieved on 12/30/15 from URL:
https://www.eaglenews.ph/rizal-and-the-youth-of-today/
PWD, namalimos para may maibigay na tulong sa mga binaha sa Marikina https://
www.facebook.com/abscbnNEWS/videos/669490320427328
Reyes, E. A. C. (1996). Kabayanihan: Our Collective Heroism
Reyno, M. C. (2012). Timeless Lessons from Rizal. Retrieved 09/19/12 from URL:
https://nhcp.gov.ph/timeless-lessons-from-rizal/
Rizal’s future today: Jose Rizal’s ideals and their relevance to the youth (The
Philippine Star ) - July 28, 2019 - 12:00am Retrieved 11/23/2020 from URL:
https://www.scribd.com/document/464474511/KONSEPTO-NG-BAYANI
Retrieved 11/23/2020 from URL:
https://www.scribd.com/document/464474511/KONSEPTO-NG-BAYANI
Retrieved 11/23/2020 from URL:
https://www.scribd.com/document/464474511/KONSEPTO-NG-BAYANI
Retrieved 11/23/2020 from URL:
https://www.facebook.com/abscbnNEWS/videos/669490320427328
Retrieved 11/23/2020 from URL:
https://www.scribd.com/document/464474511/KONSEPTO-NG-BAYANI
Retrieved 11/23/2020 from URL:
http://www.bayani.com/kuta/kah.php
Retrieved 11/23/2020 from URL:
https://nhcp.gov.ph/timeless-lessons-from-rizal/
Retrieved 11/23/2020 from URL:
https://societyworld.wordpress.com/2008/08/07/the-relevance-of-rizal-course/
Retrieved 11/23/2020 from URL:
https://www.eaglenews.ph/rizal-and-the-youth-of-today/
Retrieved 11/23/2020 from URL:
http://filipinos4life.faithweb.com/Collhero.htm#talk-back%20box
