GE 112: The Life and Works of Rizal

Jose Rizal and Philippine Nationalism

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
 Interpret views and opinions about bayani and kabayanihan in the context of Philippine
history and society
 Asses 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.
3. The Bureucratic centralized government established in Manila caused wide spread discontent
in the entire archipelago.
4. The execution of the GOMBURZA became a spark among the educated Ilustrados.
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 bayani (hero) ay isang taong mayroong kabayanihan (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). Ang isang demi-god ay
ang anak na lalaki o babae ng isang magulang na mortal. Sa paglaon, ang salitang bayani ay
naging tumutukoy na sa mga sikat na tao sa lipunan.
Physiological and security needs are equated to Filipino familism and reciprocity, Self-
esteem needs according to the Filipino are met by Social Mobility, and Self-Actualization is met
by the concept of Pagkabayani or Heroism. 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 oneself); 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.
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, seemingly not
when 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.
But what if you are not a hero or someone revered? Then the likely comment from others
is, “Nakakahiya ka (You’re shameful)!” Filipinos 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 Benigno always says, it is a cultural hobble. It
hobbles us realizing what we have to change and instead we keep the causes of our problems. As
a 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.
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 such places, which 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 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. A manager can tell their subordinate to forget their problems at home
by going to beerhouse and drinking the night away. 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.
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 this
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 is 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 business person who provides jobs for people because they are also
contributing to our society.

Grace Za F. Falsis