Veneration Without Understanding

Dioses, Danicris Faith A. Dr. Nerissa S. Tantengco

II-15 BLIS Reaction Paper No.1

Veneration without Understanding

By Renato Constantino

Rizal’s refusal to align himself with the revolutionary forces and his vehement condemnation of the mass movement and of its leaders, have placed Filipinos in a dilemma. Rizalists, especially, have taken the easy way out, which is to gloss over the matter. They have treated Rizal’s condemnation of the Katipunan as a skeleton in his closet and have been responsible for the “silent treatment” on his unequivocal position against the Revolution.

In short, Rizal is not agreeing to the plan of the Katipunan to revolt against the colonizers. But the analysis of some of our historians about the fact why is Rizal did not agree to the revolution is superficial. Meaning they do not tackling too much about the condemnation of Rizal about the revolution planned by the Katipunan. We refuse to analyze and discuss the significance of Rizal’s repudiation that is why our understanding and his role in our national development remains superficial.

We magnified the role of Rizal to such extent that we have lost our sense of fairness and proportionality in viewing one’s role on the development of a nation and relegated to a subordinate position of our great men and heroes and historic events that they took part with.

Rizal, considered as one of the American-sponsored hero because he was been chosen by the American colonial officials and some conservative Filipinos to be a model hero which sponsored and supported by the some ordinance and laws made by the colonial officers here in the Philippines. According to Taft, Rizal is the greatest Filipino, a physician, a novelist and a poet. Also, according to the Americans, Rizal considered as an American sponsored hero because he is a reformist and not a separatist. A proper understanding of our history is very important to us because it will serve as demonstration of...