RIZAL ON THE REVOLUTION PRESENTED BY VEINCENT CHRISTIAN F. PEPITO TO PROF. BENJAMIN MANGUBAT PHILIPPINE INSTITUTIONS 100 (TFC) 12 MARCH 2013 UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES MANILA ERMITA, MANILA Outline Page Thesis: Rizal believed that a bloody revolution with ample preparations must only be a last resort, opting instead for peaceful and diplomatic means to attain ends as much as possible. I.Life, Works and Aims of Jose Rizal a. Life and Works of Jose Rizal b. Pacifism and Objectives of Rizal c.Rizal, Katipunan and the revolution II.lzal's vlews on Lhe revoluLlon a. lo valenzuela's vlslL b. His views on the revolution as seen in his works III. Rizal and the Revolution Rizal on the Revolution Life, Work and Aims of Jose Rizal Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda Rizal (commonly known as Jose Rizal) is a Filipino nationalist,reformistandpolymath.HewasbornonJune19,1861atCalamba,Laguna.Hewasthe seventh child of Francisco Mercado Rizal and Teodora Alonso y Quintos.From a very young age, Rizal had an unquenchable thirst for learning. At 3, he was able to learn thealphabetfromhismother.At5,hehadshownhisinclinationtoart(Montemayor,2004).Laterin life,hewassenttotheColegiodeSanJuandeLetranforhisstudies,butonlystayedthereforthree monthsashewassentofftoAteneoMunicipaldeManilaforhisboldandradicalquestionswhich angered the Dominican friars. HeexcelledunderthepatronageoftheJesuitfathersattheAteneo,wherehewasrated sobresalienteduringgraduation.HethenwenttotheUniversity ofSanto Tomastotakeapreparatory courseinlaw.Knowingthathismotherwasgoingblind,hethenswitchedtoMedicineandeventually became an ophthalmologist. HelaterwenttoMadridwlLhouLhlsparenLs'knowledgeon1882,aged21LocompleLehls medical studies. He later received a Licentiate in Medicinefrom the Universidad Central de Madrid. He furtheredhismedicalstudiesbyattendinglecturesinmedicineattheUniversityofParisandthe UniversityofHeidelberg.Aroundthistime,healsotravelledwidelyaroundEurope,reachingSpain, France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and even England. Rizalwasapolymath;besidesexcellinginmedicineasanophthalmologist,hewasalso conversanton22languages.Hewasalsoanexpertswordsman,andalsopossessedagoodshot(Jose Rizal, 2013). He was also a scientist on his own right, having collected specimens, observing nature, and had corresponded with Adolf Meyer and Rudolf Virchow, two great names in the history of science. He alsoimprovedthequality oflifeof Dapitenyosduringhisexilethere;puttinggaslamps tolightupthe roadsonthemiddleofthenight,providingwatertothelocalsandteachingthelocalboyssome agriculture and swimming, life skills needed for survival in the area.Healsoexcelledinthearts,havingmademanysculptures,portraits,poemsandevennovels. The latter two media were used by him extensively to show his ardent nationalism and critical thinking, which was evident from such a young age. He was even expelled by the Dominican fathers at Letran for his critical questions and methods. The poem Sa Aking Mga Kabata, widely attributed to Rizal, was said to be written by him while he was still eight years of age. 1hls poem shows one man's love for hls naLlve tongue.Hisnovels,theNoliMeTangereandElFilibusterismo,nowrequiredreadingsinFilipinohigh schoolsandcolleges,landedhlmonceln[allforLhe'subverslveandrebelllousconLenL'foundlnLhe manuscripts.Evenhisswansong,presumablywrittenduringthenightbeforehisexecution,wasstill verypatrioticinits tone.EntitledMiUltimoAdios,it wastranslated to42differentlanguagesand was perhaps, the swan song with the greatest number of translations (Mi Ultimo Adios, 2013). Asmentioned,his workscontainedinflammatoryremarks thatangeredtheSpanishclergyand government of his time. During his return from Europe on 1892, he was imprisoned, tried for charges of rebellion, sedition and conspiracy due to his works and his establishment of La Liga Filipina. He was then exiledtoDapitan,Zamboanga.Hespentthenextfouryearsofhislifethere,makingthelifeofthe people better. On October 1896, he applied as a medical doctor for the Spanish army in Cuba, ostensibly to distance himself from the revolution which he did not support, and was accepted. But while sailing to Cuba,hewasarrestedbySpanishauthorities,sentbackhomeonthesameday,andwastriedfor rebellion,seditionandconspiracyduetotheoutbreakofthePhilippinerevolution.Thecourtmartial tryinghimrecommendeddeathbyfiringsquad,andwasdonesoonDecember30,1896(JoseRizal, 2013).Rizalwasinfavourofarevolutiononlyifithassufficientarms,solidplansandacapable bureaucracy involving different members of the social strata. Even then, he said that a revolution, even afullypreparedone,mustonlybeameansoflastresort.Hebelievedthatsucharevolution,done prematurely with no sufficient armaments, would not stand a chance; the revolutionists have a massive shortageofarmamentandthattheirweaponsandtacticswouldbemuchinferiorcomparedtotheir Spanish counterparts. Thus, he believed that a revolution would cause so much bloodshed and that too many lives would be lost without attaining the goal of independence (Valenzuela, 1992). He was also not in favour of the uneducated masses revolLlng. 1he saylng 1he slaves of Loday wlll become Lhe LyranLs of Lomorrow",oftenattributedtoRizal,whollyencapsulatesthereasoningbehindhisreluctanceto supporL Lhe revoluLlon by Lhe uneducaLed masses, ln parLlcular, and 8onlfaclo's ploLLed revolution as a whole(lzal'sLandonlreedom,2013).TheseviewsofRizalwereshownonhisadvicestothe Katipunan,andeveninhisliteraryworks.Insteadoftakingtherevolutionaryway,headvocated peacefulmeansofreformanduniversaleducationforeverybodytotheveryendsoLhaLwemaybe worLhyofpralse".HedidthisthroughtheestablishmentoftheLaLigaFilipinaduringhisreturnfrom Europe on July 1892. The La Liga Filipina is a progressive organization whose main objectives are to make the people moreactivelyinvolvedinthereformmovementandunitethewholearchipelagointoonecompact, vigorousandhomogeneousbody(Capino,1971).Specifically,thegroupaimedto:(1)unitethe Philippineprovinces,(2)protectandassistallmembers,(3)Fightviolenceandinjustice,(4)support educationand(5)studyandimplementreforms(LaSolidaridadandLaLigaFilipina,2012).Butshortly aftertheestablishmentoftheLaLiga,RizalwasimprisonedandtheLaLigawassplitintotwo,the conservativeandsomehowpacifisticCuerpodeCompromisarios,whowishedtocontinueextending supporttothethen-ailingLaSolidaridadandtheradical,revolutionaryKatipunan,whichAndres Bonifacio had established (La Liga Filipina, 2013). TheKatipunanwasestablishedonAugust1892byAndresBonifacio.ComparedtotheLaLiga whichadvocatedpeacefulreform,theKatipunanaimedtogainindependencefromSpainthroughan armedrevolution.Itoriginatedasasecretsociety,butfouryearslater,on1896,itsidentitywas discovered by theSpanish, causing them to tear their cedulas and revolt (prematurely) againstSpanish rule(Katipunan,2013).CneofLhekaLlpunan'smembers,lovalenzuela,amedlcaldocLorllkelzal, wasLaskedofgeLLlnglzal'sopinionontherevolutionduringhisexileinDapitan,waybeforethe revolution had even started. lzal's vlews on Lhe evoluLlon 1heasserLlonsonlzal'svlewsregardlnganarmedrevoluLlonpresenLedearllercanbe substantiated with literary analyses of his works and his correspondence with Dr. Pio Valenzuela during Lhe laLLer's vlslL durlng hls exlle in Dapitan. Pio Valenzuela was a member of the Katipunan tasked by the secret society to head to Dapitan askingforadviceregardingtherevolution.Asamedicaldoctorbyprofessionandamemberofthe KatipunanTriumvirate,hewastheFiscalGeneralandSurgeonGeneraloftheKatipunan.Amongthe organization, he was said to have one of the highest academic degrees, and was sent to meet with Rizal for this reason. OnJune15,1896,ValenzuelaboardedtheshipSSVenusonafirst-classticket,underthe assumed name'rocoplo 8onlfaclo'. Pe was accompanled by aymundo MaLa, a bllnd man and uflno Magos,theaideoftheblindman.Incidentally,JosephineBracken,NarcisaRizal-LopezandAngelica Lopez,lzal'smlsLress,slsLerandnlecerespecLlvely,werealsoaboardLheshlpwlLhflrsL-class accommodations. The ship arrived in Dapitan on the 21st of !une. When Lhey arrlved aLlzal's home,hewasnoL there,buteventuallyrevealedhimselfbeforethem.Notlongafter,theyatedinnerandValenzuela approached Rizal thereafter, wanting to talk in private; Rizal was assenting on his reply. Bythistime,RizalandValenzuelawerealreadyinprivate.ValenzuelaintroducedRizaltothe Katipunan.HetoldRizalitsobjectivesandtheresolutionstheyarrived,whichwere(1)toattractthe intelligentandrichFilipinostotheirfold,(2)collectcontributionsforthepurposeofpurchasingarms and ammunition, (3) to send a delegation to Japan to take charge of the purchase of arms, (4) to bring about the separation of the Philippines from Spain through violent means, (6) in the event that the rich llllplnos won'L cooperaLe, each member of Lhe socleLy musL conLrlbute all that he possibly could. lzalwasassenLlnglnhlsreply,saylngLhaL1heresoluLlonsofLheassoclaLlonarevery[usL, patrioticandaboveall,timelybecausenowSpainisweakenedbytherevolutioninCuba.Iapprove these resolutions and suggestthatthey be complied with as early as possible to take advantage of the opporLunlLy." valenzuela Lhen responded l belleve LhaL Lhe revoluLlon wlll break ouL premaLurely, even wlLhouL arms", Lo whlch lzal replled uneaslly, LhaL, l do noL approve. A revolution without arms should never be started against an armed nation. Its consequences will be fatal and disastrous to the country. The Filipinos will necessarlly lose due Lo lack of arms" Astheycontinuedtheirdialogue,RizaladvisedValenzuelathatasleaders,itistheirdutyto preventthesecretsocietyfrombeingknownbytheSpaniardsandtopreventtheprematureflowof bloodas muchaspossible.WhenRizalaskedValenzuelaforthemembershipdetailsofthe Katipunan, thelatterrevealedthatonlyahundredorsobelongedtothemiddleclassandhigher,whiletherest were poor. lzal Lhen sald 1here ls no oLher remedy Lhan Lo aLLracL Lo your assoclaLlon all Lhe rlch and influentialpersonsofManilaandtheprovinces.YoumayavailyourselvesoftheservicesofAntonio LunaPe ls a very lnLelllgenL man who has a free access Lo Lhe homes of wealLhy llllplnos. Luna, aL Lhe same Llme, can dlrecL Lhe campalgn ln case hosLlllLles break ouL". lzal furLher warned Lhem LhaL should the revolution startprematurely, the wealthyFilipinos would then betheir worstenemies(Valenzuela, 1992). 1hlsshorLdlalogueaboveencapsulaLeslzal'svlewsonLherevoluLlon.AlLhoughhewas assentingontheresolutionsreachedbytheKatipunan,hewasscepticalofarevolutionperse.He advised them instead to prepare for it very well, and invoke the help of the rich and intelligent Filipinos, whowillserveasfinanciersandleadersofthearmy.AsRizalbelievedineducationsomuchasan emancipatory key, he was also sceptical of the revolution by the masses. The Rizal saylng 1he slaves of Loday wlll be Lhe LyranLs of Lomorrow" was reasoned ouL by lzal ln such a way LhaL Lhe glfL of reason, withwhichweareendowed,mustbebrightenedandutilizedinordertoovercomeignorancewhich causes slavery". 1hls ls Lhe reason why lzal assenLlng ln lnvoklng Lhe help of Lhe lnLelllgenL and mlddle-class Filipinos (ilustrados). Rizal also reasoned out his perennial scepticism of an armed revolution by the massesthroughthlsquoLe:eformsmusLalsocomefromabove,becauseLhereformsLhaLcome frombelowareupheavalswhlchareboLhvlolenLandLranslLory."1hus,Lheupperclass,Lherlch,ellLe members of society must be involved so that the resulting reforms would bepeaceful and long-lasting, minimizinglossofmoneyandlife,inadditiontobeingpotentialsourcesoffundsforafull-scaleof revolution. The funds would then be used for armaments, supplies and rations in case a revolution will break ouL (lzal's Land on Freedom, 2013). lzal's pollLlcal vlews, mosL especlally hls sLand on Lhe revoluLlon, can also be seen ln hls works. IntheNoliMeTangere(publishedon1887),heallowedtheabusestogounpunished,killingthe character that could incite a rebellion from below, Elias. Elias has all the hatred and the connections for a revolution. Although he may not have sufficient arms, Rizal could allow him to play an important role in the revolution. But why did Rizal do this? Rizal did this because Elias did not receive proper education, or was a member of Lhe llusLrados Lo whlch lzal dld belong. A revoluLlon from Lllas' class ls someLhlng thatrunscontrarytolzal'sandhlsclass'sldeals.lurLhermore,Lhlsechoeslzal'svlewsLhaL'Why revolt, if the slaves of Loday wlll become Lhe LyranLs of Lomorrow?'In the same line of reasoning, Rizal subsLanLlaLedLhaLollLlcs,whenlLblazesbeLweenLyranLsandoppressedpeoples,hasnohearLor bralns,buLfangs,polsonandvengeance."1hesewereLhereasonswhyRizalwasagainstarevolution frombelow.lzalbellevedLhaLeducaLlonlsverylmporLanL,suchLhaLheremarked1hecauseofLhe backwardnessandlgnoranceofLhellllplnoslsLhelackofmeansofeducaLlon."Itisthroughthese teachingsthatRizalgaveutmostimportancetotheparticipationofallclassesintheeventofa revolution, as well as the education of the future leaders of the country. After all, Rizal wrote the Noli Me Tangere to stir the patriotism of the Filipinos. He also wrote it toexposetheproblemsoftheSpanishgovernanceinthePhilippines,aswellasoffersolutionsand encourageotherpeopletoprovidesolutionstothesaidproblems.Attheveryleast,Rizalwrotethe novelfortheFilipinos,andwishedthatallFilipinoscanreadit(Capino,1971).Rizal,therefore,must have thought of a revolution due to his works, but he remained reluctant to the end, as shown in his El Filibusterismo. Lllas'sdeaLhgiveswayforarevolutionfromallclassesasRizalhadwantedduringthesequel andinreality.RizalusedSimounontheElFilibusterismo(publishedon1891),astheinstigatorofthe revolution,involvingtherich(inSimoun),theeducatedyouth(Isagani,Basilio)andthemasses (tulisanes).ButeventherevoluLlonwasfolledbylsaganl,showlnglzal'sLoLalreluctanceinabloody revolution.AfLer all, Lhe reason lzal publlshed Lhe Ll llllbusLerlsmo was Lo puL hls ldeas of revenge agalnsL his enemies, but only what is for the good of those who are suffering; for the rights of the Tagalog race, Lhough brown and may noL have good feaLures!". Pe dedlcaLed Lhe works Lo Lhe Lhree marLyred prlesLs, PadreJacintoZamora,PadreMarianoGomezandPadreJoseBurgos,whowereunjustlyexecutedon February 17, 1872 (Capino, 1971).Inaseparateliteraryanalysis,RizalwasshowntohavepresentedtheNoliMeTangereasan idealistic novel with an idealistic protagonist in Ibarra. Through it, Rizal espoused that a revolution was not necessary; the Filipinos are not yet ready for it and should it happen, it would only end disastrously. Throughthenovel,RizalespousededucationforhisfellowFilipinosasakeytoself-improvementand development. Through the El Filibusterismo however, Rizal showed his revolutionary side. Although the ElFilibusterismodetailsasinisterplotforarevolution,Rizalfoileditintheend,showinghisoverall dlsagreemenLwlLhLherevoluLlon.1hellLeraryanalysLsseeLhlssuchLhaL'Lhemlndmustalwaysbe above Lhe hearL'. uesplLe lzal's dlsagreemenL wlLh Lhe revoluLlon, Lhe llLerary analysLs belleve LhaL lzal didsomethingfortherevolution.InconjunctionwithotherRizalscholarsandacademics,theybelieve thattherevolution would notbeposslblelfnoLfor lzal'snovels.PlsnovelsalsoshowedLhellllplnos howwrongthesystemwasforthem.Hisviewsonthishowever,asshowninhisworks,makehima reformist (instead of a revolutionary) in the end (Rizal: Repormista o Rebolusyonaryo?, n.d.). Rizal and the Revolution lrom lzal's correspondences wlLh ur. lo valenzuela, as well as from Lhe llLerary analyses of hls works, it can be concluded that Rizal was in favour of an armed revolution, only if it is the last resort, if therearesufficientarmaments,therichandpoortakepartintherevolutiontogetherandthatthe leaders are educaLed. As much as posslble, lzal wanLed a peaceful means Lo aLLaln one's ends Lhrough the education and the homogenization of the Filipinos. From this, it can be known that Rizal, for all his life, was a reformist, a nationalist, but never a revolutionary. WORKS CITED Capino, D. (1971). Jose Rizal: Character, Teaching and Example. Quezon City, Philippines. Jose Rizal. (2013). Wikipedia.org. Retrieved on March 7, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jose_Rizal Katipunan (2013). Wikipedia.org. Retrieved on March 10, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katipunan La Liga Filipina (2013). Wikipedia.org. Retrieved on March 10, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Liga_Filipina La Solidaridad and La Liga Filipina (2012). Philippine-History.org. Retrieved on March 10, 2013 from http://www.philippine-history.org/la-solidaridad.htm Mi Ultimo Adios. (2013). Wikipedia.org. Retrieved on March 7, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mi_Ultimo_Adios Montemayor, T. D. (2004). Jose Rizal: A Biographical Sketch. Jose Rizal University. Retrieved on March 7, 2013 from http://www.joserizal.ph/bg01.html Rizal: Repormista o Rebolusyonaryo (n.d.). Wordpress.com. Retrieved on March 10, 2013 from http://rizalmuna.wordpress.com/mga-kontrobersiya/ lzal's Land on lreedom (2013). Ayala loundaLlon, lnc.: llllplnas PerlLage Llbrary. eLrleved on March 9, 2013. Valenzuela, A. E. Jr. (1992). Dr. Pio Valenzuela and the Katipunan. Manila, Philippines: National Historical Institute.