Raphael John P.

Dimalanta 2019-11724

PI 100

1. What message did Rizal wish to transmit to his fellow Filipinos?

2. How did the Noli Me Tangere become the charter of nationalism for Filipinos during Rizal’s
time?

Revolution in Slumber

Perhaps the most compelling message Rizal was trying to convey in the gravity of his
writings and letters in the sum of his life was this: awaken your Filipino national
consciousness, be bewildered by the travesty of justice among our countrymen, and stir the
revolution in slumber.

Although one could argue that Rizal was more reformist than revolutionary, observing his
actions in his formative years would tell us that Rizal could only achieve genuine and tangible
liberation through a revolution against Spain. Chronicling his life draws upon the fact that while
he initially favored reform and peaceful resistance, Rizal became more aware of the limitations
of these methods in achieving genuine liberation.

Rizal saw personally the harsh oppression and exploitation that his countrymen faced
under Spanish colonial rule. From his mother’s imprisonment to the martyrdom of the
Gomburza. He grew increasingly disillusioned with the Spanish authorities handling of the
Filipino people's legitimate demands. Rizal's experiences, combined with Gomburza's
martyrdom and growing discontent among Filipinos, prompted him to understand the necessity
for more forceful action.

In his later years, Rizal became more open to the idea of armed struggle and recognized
that genuine liberation from Spanish colonialism might require a revolution. He saw the
limitations of reform in a system that was inherently oppressive and resisted change. Rizal's
writings and speeches took on a more assertive tone, calling for unity, self-defense, and even
sacrifice in the pursuit of national freedom.

Though Rizal did not actively participate in the armed revolution himself, his writings
and ideas greatly influenced and inspired future revolutionary leaders such as Andres Bonifacio.
Rizal's martyrdom further fueled the flames of revolution, as his execution became a rallying
point for the nationalist movement. In retrospect, it can be argued that Rizal's initial reformist
stance evolved as he witnessed the increasing injustices and limitations of peaceful means. While
he may not have directly called for armed revolution, his advocacy for national unity, self-
defense, and sacrifice laid the groundwork for the revolutionary sentiments that eventually led to
the Philippine Revolution against Spain.

Until his untimely death, Rizal's message to awaken the Filipino national consciousness
was manifested in his novels that were instrumental in collective resistance against Spain.
Without being present in the revolution launched by Bonifacio after his death, Filipinos were
empowered to liberate themselves from the travesty of justice being conducted by Spain and in
some way or another, continue to stir the revolution in slumber in whatever oppressor a Filipino
can find themselves in. May it be their shortsightedness, their power lust, or another colonizer,
Rizal reminds us to look inwards and challenges us to aim for genuine liberation.
 Whose head rolled in 1872

At the height of imperialist aggression, the tension between Spanish Friars and Secular
priests in the Philippines resulted in the untimely demise of the three martyr priests namely;
Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, and one Filipino soldier, Francisco Zaldua.
This begs the question as to whose head truly rolled in 1872 if it was the literal lifeless heads of
the four individuals judged for their alleged involvement at the Cavite mutiny or the head and
spirit of the nation at the time was scattered and unable to launch a united front against Spain.

History will tell us that without the martyrdom of the Gomburza, it would have taken
longer to incite the desire for a sense of national identity that ignited the uprising against Spain.
Jose Rizal’s call to action enters the fray when he learned of the martyrdom and decided to
organize and mobilize the Ilustrados in Europe to address the centuries-long tyranny of Spain
towards his home country. He recognized the need to awaken his fellow Ilustrados to the harsh
realities they were facing and to encourage them to take action for their liberation.

One of these actions included his initiative to write his novel "Noli Me Tangere" in 1887,
in which he illustrated the injustices and abuses committed by the Spanish friars and colonial
authorities in the Philippines through nuanced characters. In a sense, with the country losing its
head in the fight for liberation against Spain, Noli Me Tangere became the medium to present the
tragedy of the commons where people find their commonalities of suffering, marginalization,
and prejudice against Spain. These include social injustices inflicted by the Spanish colonial
government and the influential friars, extrajudicial killing, and treating Filipinos as inferiors. Its
depiction of oppression fostered a sense of shared experiences and grievances, igniting a desire
for change and a quest for national identity.

This quest enabled Rizal to paint Spanish colonialism as a phenomenon of upheaval

among Filipinos. In the novel, he illustrates the forces and elements acting on behalf of Spain as
antagonists abusing their power. One example of this is through the juxtaposition of the main
character, Crisostomo Ibarra, and the antagonist, Padre Damaso. Ibarra represents the patriotic
and idealistic Filipino who is determined to fight for his country's freedom, while Padre Damaso
represents the corrupt Spanish friar who uses his power and influence to exploit and oppress the
Filipino people. Through this narrative, he highlights the need for reform and liberation among
his countrymen. A narrative that has proven to be effective as it challenged the authority and
power being exercised by Spain thereby influencing the oppressed to rise and find the courage to
create a united stand against their colonizer.

Therefore, in the absence of a head or a united front from 1872 until the publication of
the novel in 1887, Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere served as the vanguard that shaped the national
consciousness. This allowed Filipinos to find a sense of identity, pride, and unity among their
shared struggles. It became a charter of nationalism, a figurehead of sorts to unite all Filipinos to
be inspired and empowered to launch a collective force against Spain and awaken the Filipino
national consciousness.
 Reclaiming the Filipino

In Mindanao studies, I have learned that the Muslim people of Mindanao used the term
“Moro” as a collective term to call themselves as a way of reclaiming their identity against the
Spaniards. Friars and conquistadors alike called them the people of the moors which was later
more crudely known as "moro" as time goes by. I believe the same concept of reclaiming identity
is present in Rizal's consciousness and the root of his nationalism.

For years, Spain has indoctrinated the pre-colonial Filipinos that their existing culture and
mores were primitive and paganistic. This indoctrination was given justification by the Spanish
church as a method of colonization thereby erasing and revising pre-colonial history and
knowledge. Rizal saw fit to correct the inaccuracies in these methods of indoctrination to reclaim
the Filipino identity, not the identity being imposed by Spain.

To illustrate this he regarded that a nuanced understanding of our origin and history could
provide a framework for understanding the present and ultimately, guide the future. By studying
the history of Spanish colonization, Rizal aimed to uncover the mechanisms of oppression and
exploitation that had shaped Filipino society. He highlighted the injustices suffered by the
Filipino people under colonial rule, exposing the abuses of the Spanish authorities and the
powerful friars. Rizal's historical analysis revealed the enduring impact of colonization on the
social, political, and economic fabric of the Philippines.

His annotations of Antonio de Morga Sánchez Garay’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas are a
manifestation of this reclamation. In this, he annotated over 639 items, or almost two annotations
for every page. This allowed him to dismantle the racist and colonialist narratives perpetuated by
Morga's work. He highlighted the rich pre-colonial history and achievements of the Filipino
people, challenging the notion of their supposed inferiority. Rizal presented evidence of the
advanced indigenous societies that thrived in the Philippines before Spanish colonization,
countering the erroneous stereotypes propagated by Morga.

These annotations also shed light on the atrocities committed by the Spanish colonizers
against the indigenous population. He exposed the brutalities, forced labor, and economic
exploitation that were inflicted upon the Filipino people. Rizal's meticulous documentation of
these injustices served to counter the prevailing racist notions that portrayed Filipinos as passive
and docile subjects of Spanish rule.

On a personal note, if Rizal was a student of Dr. Zeus Salazar, his annotations would
solidify Salazar’s Pantayong Pananaw method which is the concept of a self-reflective view in
the study of Philippine history; a way of viewing the Filipinos and the ethnolinguistic groups
present in the pre-colonial period as empowered groups of people with efficient economic
systems, sustainable agriculture, and a prevailing justice system. Truths that have been either
warped or distorted by colonizers that have prevented us to reclaim our identity as Filipinos.