THE IRONY OF FATE

by Jose Sison Luzadas, KGOR

Scarborough Chapter

CANADA

In his introduction to Leon Ma.Guerrero's award winning biography of Dr Jose Rizal, Carlos Quirino boastfully repeated that the history of the Philippines under Spain begins and ends with the Spanish FRIAR. So is Dr. Jose Rizal! Let us examine to unravel the exciting fate of our national hero.

Our history tells us that there were Spanish friars who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan who offered the first mass at Limasawa in 1521.

When the king decided to have permanent Spanish settlement in the Philippines , another conquistador arrived, Miguel Lopez de Legaspi. With him was his cousin and navigator, Father Urdaneta who together with fellow Spanish friars were primarily responsible in bringing pagan Filipinos to embrace Christianity and the Iberian civilization.

There was also another friar, Father Collantes who baptized the little boy from Calamba destined to be dubbed as "The First Filipino" born to carry a mission of exposing the abuses of the friars.

In Calamba, the Rizal family was a respected member of the Ilustrado or principalia of the Filipino upper class society created by the Spaniards. However, when economic prosperity put them at odds with the Dominican Order, filibusterism became a deadly excuse, a virus inflicting fear of imaginary charges. When the natives were restless they began to find ways to beat the odds.

Jose Rizal was one of the boys from middle class Filipino families who surreptitiously left for Europe in the guise of pursuing studies to escape the fates of three native priests Gomez, Burgos and Zamora , fallen victims

of filibusterism, scapegoats in the Cavite Mutiny of 1872. Ten years later, Rizal was with them again in Madrid , Barcelona , Berlin , Ghent , Paris and London sporting the names we are now familiar like Marcelo del Pilar,

Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, Pedro Paterno, Graciano Lopez Jaena, Mariano Ponce, Jose Alejandrino, Juan, Antonio and Joaquin Luna and other expatriates.

No longer boys but dedicated young men calling themselves Los Indios Bravos, who volunteered editing, managing, selling, soliciting ads and funds for the survival and continued publication of La Solidaridad,

the fortnightly journal and the voice of the Propaganda Movement. Dr Rizal?s love of his country has been the hallmark of his leadership. There were some who hated and disliked his moral precept for he cannot stand watching his countrymen wasting money and time for gambling, whiskey and women. Overall, Rizal was highly respected for his intelligence, matured thinking and idealism.

An eye doctor by profession, he forfeited a lucrative medical practice to give priority working for his countrymen the needed reforms and simple basic rights that denied them by a yawning insensitivity of the Spanish colonial government and the Catholic Church. In his impassioned speech on behalf of Juan Luna and Resurrecion Hidalgo , two Filipino artists awarded respectively gold and silver medals in a painting competition in Madrid Exposition, Rizal reminded his audience of Spanish and expatriates that genius is free like air and because it is everywhere it could never be a monopoly of one race, people or region.

The most acerbic among propagandists, Rizal jolted the lethargic colonial masters and domineering influence of the friars through his vitriolic attacks in the pages of La Solidaridad. Realizing that the fortnightly newspaper lacked the deadly punch, he resorted to writing novels where there was a bigger reading audience to address his favorite theme: the abused and misused of religion and the ugly face of colonialism.

Ever since the day the Noli and Fili were distributed for public reading consumption, Rizal's enemies, primarily the frailocracy, never slept nor were they contented with mere idle threats. Because he was the root cause to their wretchedness, Rizal knew the dire consequence of his actions. The friars mobilized all the resources they can muster to insure that Rizal and his immediate and extended family suffer all imaginable charges and harassment. Ironical as it may seem that the Noli and Fili, two killer bees, were made the stinging reasons for Rizal?s death. Death to their tormentor is the friars' version of a bittersweet revenge.

To friends and foes, Rizal is known for his revolutionary ideas. His literary works were at most times inflammatory and seditious. His name with or without his consent was used as the rallying cry and password of Bonifacio's Katipunan. All of these and the forced extracted confessions of known Filipinos he has associated with, led to his arrest, court martial and conviction that culminated with his execution by firing squad on December 30, 1896.

Unlike Father Jose Burgos, Rizal did not cry when confronted with the reality of death. Like Socrates of ancient Athens accused of poisoning the minds of the youth and insulting the gods, consented to drinking the hemlock, Rizal despite protesting his guilt of personal involvement calmly took the decision of the military tribunal and bravely faced the firing squad in the same Bagumbayan grounds where twenty-four years earlier he dedicated his FILI to the three GUMBURZA martyrs. Rizal shared the fate of the martyrs, a victim of filibusterism synonymous to subversion.

Rizal cannot escape to have Father Collantes, as the first friar he met in his life for having baptized him and Father Vilaclara whom he said his last good bye. What an irony of Fate!

It appears that all the sacrifices Rizal did, were done on purpose without qualms or regrets. He was in all appearances, "digging his own grave" despite having read so to speak `the handwritings on the wall'. Call it……. a calculated risk?

Martyrdom like heroism is not for everyone 'where many were called and few are chosen'. Heroes are made, not born and they are the products of their times.