Objection, Your Honor: The Case of Rizal’s Refutation of Reputation

History was never always composed of a simple plot, it comes with unexpected twists and
turns of events, a legal bombshell as it may be called inside the courtroom. Rizal’s story before
and after his death was no different. The case the movie “Bayaning 3rd World” bring before the
Filipinos’ eyes is its storytelling at Rizal’s controversial alleged retraction. Two characters who
seemingly travelled through time evaluated this case by means of “interviewing” different people
who were closed to Rizal, in which they will present evidence and call witness. After presentation
of all the party’s narratives, multiple contradicting statements from multiple ‘primary’ sources are
noticeable. Let the presentation commence:

Exhibit A: In pursuit of finding the truth, Josephine Bracken, Rizal’s beloved, was
subjected to inquiries about her ulterior motives. A speculation emerged that she was a spy sent by
the friars, a claim fueled by Rizal’s family’s disapproval, tarnishing her image, making her
intentions towards Rizal questionable. However, she negated all these allegations, asserting that
the love between her and Rizal was genuine.

Exhibit B: Trinidad’s statements displayed an obvious inconsistency, as her claim altered

throughout time. In 1922 she denied the said retraction, but after the release of retraction document
in 1949, she then thought that Rizal retracted.

Exhibit C: Father Balaguer and Josephine Bracken both argued that Jose Rizal retracted
because he wants the marriage to push through. On the other hand, Dona Lolay and Paciano
believed that he did not retract as they knew that his ideals and principles will not change in an
instant.

These issues of objections and inconsistencies were never directly addressed by the movie, instead
the filmmakers highlighted it in the way that stirs a drama, instilling a profound curiosity to the
viewers, allowing them to assess the veracity of each statement and formulate a personal
denouement.
 Rizal: A Hero or a Weirdo?

What really defines a hero? That’s the main question in this breaking news. Unlike the
usual movie which highlights Rizal’s heroic acts, this mockumentary mainly focused on the
mystery of Rizal’s final motives before his Ultimo Adios. Spoiler alert! Here are three things which
negatively portrayed Rizal in this movie:

• Marry Her Not: A man named Rizal defying the odds and fulfilling his destiny, despite his
family being against his marriage with Josephine Bracken, and his writings that were
against the Church. Does this make him a bad son?
• Fondness of White Flesh: What will happen to a society when they uncovered that the hero,
they look up unto was a “womanizer” after all these years? “Is this how the youth should
also behave?”
• Love is ‘Blind’: Rizal was shown as someone who took his own words back because he
wanted to marry a girl he loves, as found in a retraction document, retracting his opposition
to the Catholic writings, and that includes his two famous novels. So, should Philippines
consider someone a hero if he negated his heroic principles at the very end?

To end these controversies, both filmmakers have had enough and “resurrected” Rizal to ask
questions, and to their disappointment, they did not get a clear answer. But one thing that caught
my attention is the fact that Rizal did not ask for anything like this, to be in a center of attention
just to be a victim of cancel culture after his death. This issue of whether Rizal is a real hero or not
persists up to this day, mostly being discussed by Facebook historians. In my opinion, a hero does
not have to be entirely agreeable; a hero is relatable, a human and thus imperfect, and that makes
a hero inspirational. Whether Rizal retracted his words or not, I dare say that it does not make him
less of a hero in this country, the damage inflicted by his works towards the oppressors had been
done, and now, his legacy keeps on guiding Filipinos (not sure about 31 million) to a unified
patriotism and optimistic future. And I thank you.
 Subjectivity and Biases: Martyrdom in the Eyes of Modern Marites

The movie started and ended with two filmmakers contemplating about the value and
worthiness of Rizal’s declaration as a hero, in a way that they engage the audience to think with
them. These characters could be a symbolic representation of what Filipinos we see today in midst
of Rizal’s history, and the issue about how Filipinos perceive the history with subjectivity and
biases. First, during the events, they were seen once fighting over the legitimacy of Rizal’s
retraction and discussing their own historical interpretation. This symbolizes the unending quarrel
between those who believe Rizal is a hero and those who think other historical figures deserve it
instead. Along with the conflicting and inconsistent stories in the past shown in the movie, it
created a divisive hole to Filipinos. Second, the segment of the movie “Kanya-kanyang Rizal”
wherein both characters settled with the argument by saying that we define our own hero, and this
relates a lot of what’s happening mostly in today’s era. In so much avoidance of correcting a long-
held beliefs about Rizal, some Filipinos tend to settle for “respecting their own opinion” rather
than learning what lies behind the surface, blindly following fake news, and letting their biases
take over their judgment. Lastly, above all the controversies and Rizal’s confusing answers in the
“interview”, both filmmakers gave up on making a film about him. Sadly, some Filipinos do not
care at all and refuse to talk about Rizal and his works. At the end, the movie left many unanswered
questions, leaving the audience to make their own judgment.

My personal take, while personal interpretation of history is important, facts should never be
overridden, making me conclude that Rizal is a genuine hero. I believe that it is indeed
unreasonable for Rizal to change his mind before his death, unless if he was red-tagged and forced
to retract. Ultimately, all the negative description about our hero, such as womanizer, inconsistent,
and irrelevant, which are big words coming from some Filipinos today given the current
government, do not eclipse all the things he has done for the country. A national hero is someone
whom I can relate with, for all the beauty and the ugliness.
References:

Bayaning Third World: Unraveling Rizal's Enigma and Heroism. (2016, Mar 15). Retrieved from
http://studymoose.com/bayaning-3rd-world-essay