The problems being experienced by the Order of the Knights of Rizal (OKOR) -- from its Supreme Council in Manila to some chapters abroad -- can be traced mainly to the meaningless quarrel over sashes, medals and ribbons (that represent fame, glory, if not vanity). We in the budding "International Society of Rizal Advocates (ISRA)" want to do away with the uniform, the sashes, medals and ribbons and even the use of "Sir" in addressing ourselves. Since the OKOR was founded on Dec. 30, 1911, it had always been viewed as a elitist organization. The poor farmers, the marginal fishermen, the daily-wage earners and the ordinary folks never joined the OKOR for they could not afford the membership fee, the uniform, the medals, the pomp and the pageantry that all involved modest expenditures. The OKOR failed in even organizing a chapter in every Philippine province and much more in the barrios high on the boondocks.
Let me quote a portion of the legislative bill that became Republic Act 646 that recognized the OKOR: " . . . official recognition . . . of the inestimable value to the nation of his teachings and examples and of the wisdom and necessity of inculcating them in the minds and hearts of our people so they may strive to follow and practice them . . . if the purposes thereof are faithfully and effectively carried out, social discipline, civic virtues and love of justice will be fostered, promoted and enhanced in this country, and that the Knights of Rizal as chartered entity is the most-convenient instrumentality by which this (sic) desirable ends can be attained: Let Rizal's life and martyrdom influence and guide the destiny of the nation. Let this and future generations live the Rizal way."
Since the bill was signed into law as R.A. 646 on June 14, 1951, not much was done to make "Rizal's life and martyrdom influence and guide the destiny of the nation." And many Overseas Filipinos and foreign friends of the Philippines now frequently ask: How come a people that produced one of the greatest men in the world could be, and are still, led by crooks, scoundrels and nincompoops -- for majority of the time since July 4, 1946?
Perhaps during the Toronto, Canada, convention of brothers and sisters in Rizal, on Sept. 11-13, 2008, we may be able to seize the defining moment and find the motivation that can reinvent the Rizalian movement so that we can bring not only back to life the purposes stated in R.A. 646 but also do the unfinished work of Jose Rizal. Perhaps after the Toronto convention, we may be able to start turning Philippine towns and barrios into the modern-day version of Rizal's Dapitan so that in a matter of decades -- not generations -- we will be able to succeed in making "social discipline, civic virtues and love of justice" as permanent and active components of the Filipino way of life -- all the way from Batanes to Sulu.
In the meantime, I wish to suggest respectfully that we just ignore all the brouhaha in the Supreme Council in Manila, all the different chapters in the Philippines and abroad. We must give the quarrelsome (and even the corrupt) Knights all the freedom to make fools of themselves and appear naked like the fabled emperor without clothes but of course with their ubiquitous sashes, medals and ribbons intact.
Let us no longer talk about the quarrels but the ways and means that we can use to complete the works of Jose P. Rizal, our hero, our inspiration and our motivation. Life is too short to be devoting the remaining days of our respective lives to in-fighting, debate on whether Tagalog is the language of Filipino nationalism, etceteras, etc., and what not.
Mabuhay,
Bobby M. Reyes
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