UNIT Vil = Learning Outcomes At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to: v_ interpret views and opinions about bayani and kabayanihan in the context of Philippine history and society assess the concept of bayani and kabayanihan in the context of Philippine societyFilipino Nationalism Filipino nationalism began with an upsurge of patriotic sentiments and nationalistic ideals in the 1800s Philippines that came as a consequence of more than three centuries of Spanish rule. This served as the backbone of the first nationalist revolution in Asia, the Philippine Revolution of 1896. These nationalistic sentiments have led to a wide-ranging campaign for political, social, and economic freedom in the Philippines. Bayani and Kabayanihan in the context of society Five (5) Factors That Led to the Development of Filipino Nationalism 1. the revolution in Europe and Latin America (opened the Philippines to international trade) 2. the rise of a Middle Class from which came the “Ilustrado” or elites that soon became the main agitators against the Spanish Regime. the bureaucratic centralized government established in Manila caused widespread discontent in the entire archipelago. 4. the execution of the GOMBURZA became a spark among, the educated lustrados. 5. the Propaganda Movement (1872-1892) called for the assimilation of the Philippines as a province of Spain so that the same laws will be applied in the Philippines and that the inhabitants of the Philippines will experience the same civil liberties and rights as that of a Spanish citizen. The Concept of “Bayani* and “Kabayanihan” the Context of Present Philippine Society Ang isang bayoni (hero) ay isang taong mayroong kabayanilian (heroism) at mayroong kaugnayan sa pagiging magiting o matapang, Sa mitolohiya (mythology) at kwentong-bayang Griyego, ang isang bayani ay orihinal na isang demi-diyos (demi-god), na ang kulto ay ang pagiging isa sa pinakatangi-tanging mga tampok ng sinaunang relihiyon ng Gresya. Ang isang demi-diyos ay ang anak na lalaki o babae ng isang magulang na mortal, na ang isang halimbawa ay si Herkules (Hercules) ang na lalaki ng reynang mortal na si Alcmene at ang diyos si Zeus. Sa paglaon, ang salitang bayani ay naging tumutukoy na sa mga sikat na tao sa lipunan. Here is an uncut version of a Rizalist whose talk is about hero (bayani) and heroism (kabayani) in context of our present society and culture, 192 | Be Lye and rs o Re Physiolog reciprocity, Se (no wonder! Heroism, In as what w served, etc., s want to be tre is called tul isang kayod put, reward w of Filipinos is addition to this people who an by sticking we base it on This idea m according to # of being rever of the funeral « Criminals we loved befor about police of like lawbreake: foul when a su officer is Killed people we ma Ah yes, “s instead of com in the streets someone. Some But whai from others is others since th (social mobili webmasterBen what we have result, we are servile, since if around may be actually be doistiments and ence of more = Philippines to tes that soon Manila caused BE the educated Emilation of the i be applied in “a yerience the (heroism) | Sa mitolohiya prihinal na isang skatangi-tanging mi-diyos ay ang alimbawa ay Bene at ang diyos g sa mga sikat na ero (bayani) and e Physiological and security. needs are equated to Filipino familism and reciprocity, Self-Esteem needs according to the Filipino are met by Social Mobility (no wonder!), and Self-Actualization is met by the concept of Pagkabayani or Heroism. Interesting, The ultimate Filipino goal is to be a “bayani” or hero that makes sense. Some of us know heroes are people who sacrifice for others. But heroes in the Filipino context, in practice, are quite different. It seems that Filipinos see heroes as what warlords are - people who are respected, pampered, praised, flattered, served, etc., simply because they are. Going back to another opinion, Filipinos want to be treated like kings without doing anything to merit it. In Tagalog, it is called tuka na walang kayod (or peck without work, taken from the saying, isang kayod, isang tuka, or one unit of work, one peck to feed onself); simply put, reward without work. Indeed, we have always said the moocher mentality of Filipinos is one of the serious obstacles to improvement of our society. But in addition to this, our concept of heroes is also twisted, because moochers cling to people who are “heroes” to them, while they themselves, vainly, feel like heroes by sticking to such “heroes.” Perhaps the real national hero of the Philippines, if we base it on this observation, is Juan Tamad, This idea may be odious to some, but among those who would self-actualize according to the Filipino concept would be drug lords. They fit the description of being revered. Skeptical? Just recall the pictures spread around a while back of the funeral of the slain drug lord nicknamed Jaguar. ‘Criminals being revered in the Philippines? It seems to show in the movies we loved before, like Nardong Putik, Boy Negro and Asiong Salonga. Movies about police officers and soldiers seem to pale in comparison. Filipinos actually like lawbreakers. This might be why some “social media influencers” are crying foul when a suspected drug dealer is killed, but seemingly not when a police officer is killed in trying to catch the drug dealer. ‘Thus, it is not farfetched that people we may revere as “heroes” may actually behind killings in society. Ah yes, “social media influencers” who attack people with sensible ideas instead of coming up with sensible ideas of their own. And that picture of people in the streets holding placards and shouting at the top of their lungs decrying someone. Some people feel that this is valid heroism. But what if you are not a hero or someone revered? Then the likely comment from others is, “Nakakahiya ka (You're shameful)!” Fililpinos are into shaming, others since they have a compulsion to assert class dominance over the others (social mobility as the way to meet self-esteem needs). And, as our esteemed webmaster Benign0 always says, itisa cultural hobble. It hobbles us from realizing, what we have to change and instead we keep the causes of our problems, result, we are fried in our own oil. But it may also serve to keep the society servile, since if one sane mind may refuse to worship a “hero,” the sycophants around may be used to vilify him. Ah yes, what “social media influencers” may actually be doing Bie Lif end Wis of Heal 1983In the western orientation, work is work and personal life is personal life: never mix the two. As the action movie line goes, “trabaho lang, walang personalan.” When you are a leader at work in suich places, that does not mean you are a leader in life. Because those two areas are separate and unrelated according to a more practical, equality-based culture. But in Filipino culture, authority in one field is expected to carry over to another. A manager is expected to mess with employee's personal lives. The archaic tradition seems to prevail today — if one is a leader in an organization, he is. thought to also be a leader in life, outside of the organization. With the truth about how people are today, that is likely to lead to disaster. A manager can tell their subordinate to forget their problems at home by going toa beerhouse and drinking, the night away or making out with the pokpoks there. Sometimes the subordinate is unable to refuse, especially if the manager is the type who can’t take “NO” for an answer. Perhaps the manager is seen as a “hero” or “lord” in this context. Still a recipe for disaster. This is also likely what Filipinos really want as heroes — control of others. If one goes through the whole Pinoy Management slideshow again, they might catch the hint that the Filipino is all about trying to outdo and dominate others. That still makes up the underlying concept of the Filipino view of “heroism.” Some people say, we have to teach what the good heroes really are, so people may try to emulate and be like them, and thus establish the true meaning of heroism. But for me, the exalting of heroes is a flawed concept. Aside from what we have explained about, readers of history would know how “heroes” like Aguinaldo, Del Pilar and Luna actually squabbled and screwed up in the end. And some would argue these figures had ulterior motives behind their heroism. Perhaps there are acts that these people did right, and thus it’s better to exalt the acts and not the people. Exaltation of heroes could also be a form of inequality perpetuation, So all these, desire to be heroes, the compulsion to shame others, the desire to become above others, the compulsion to “win,” we better drop. Being a decent, contributing person to society is better. Heroes are something better confined to comic books. We should see being a hero as a want, not a need. Of course, we should still honor a firefighter who gave his life while saving people from a burning building, or someone who shielded people from an amok gunman. But really, heroism is something done when the situation calls for it, not because we want it, Also, let us honor even the businessperson who provides jobs for people. They also are contributing to society, as our webmaster Benigno wrote. Being. an 80's music fan, Ill conclude with famous words from a Tina Turner Classic: “We don’t need another hero!” 194 | ie Lib and Wok of Ri ‘Name: 1