Jose Rizals Doa Victorina as a lesson on citizenship

By Marisse T. Sonido Philippine Daily Inquirer

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012 (Editors Note: The following is excerpted from the first-prize-winning essay in the PreMYo Rizal Nationwide Essay Writing Contest for high schools sponsored by Binhi English Literacy Foundation and MyRizal150. The author is a third-year student at Assumption Antipolo.)

Doctora Doa Victorina de los Reyes de Espadaa . Even her name has
pomp and frills. Meet Rizals effusive and self-proclaimed doa from Noli Me Tangere As amusing as I found her, I soon realized that her character had a greater purpose than to provide a satirical image of a vain woman. Like any character of Rizals, I realized she was meant to teach us something about our society I understood how Rizal used Victorina (to show us) our own flaws From the very start, it was easy to see that Doa Victorina was all about appearances. She was described as wearing European dresses, her hair curly and her face heavily made up. Her appearance was an indication not just of her shallow nature but also her obsession with prestige and admiration. It was perhaps this obsession that fueled her lifelong effort to pretend to be something she was nota Spanish woman. Filipino by birth, Doa Victorina abandoned her true identity to get to a higher place in life. A domineering person, she was committed to do anything to gain esteem, even pressuring her husband to improve their social standing by lying about his profession. Victorina easily turned her back on her own people, caring nothing for the fact that she had become one of their abusers. Feeling inferior

It was easy to see how Doa Victorina became the kind of person she was. She lived, after all, at a time when being an Indio made you automatically inferior to the Spanish colonizers. She saw that she would get none of the prestige she desired unless she became one of those who were on top. Her way of seeing things was not something she could completely be blamed for. Almost everyone tried to do the same, as they saw how the Spaniards controlled every aspect of life and how they were prosperous as a nation. Even Rizal acknowledged that Filipinos had much to learn from our colonizers. Victorina, though, brought her obsession to the point where she rejected her heritage. This, Rizal showed us, was what really made Victorina corrupted: She knowingly turned her back on her country for her selfish ambitions. Victorina, the consummate social climber, showed that people would do anything to get attention and respect. And people like her are still present today. Doa Victorina contributed nothing to her society, just as the social climbers of today do nothing to help our society, as they step on each other to reach the highest pedestal. I admit that, at some point in my life, I also worked to earn the approval of others to make me feel self-important. Rizal taught us, as we read about Victorinas shallow desires, that there was a difference between appearing to be great and being truly great as a person, and that respect earned through petty, shallow means was not worth it. Esteem must be gained through sincerity, honesty and hard work.

Cosmetic change Doa Victorina was a character who never seemed to find security in who she really was. Aside from denying her nationality, she covered herself in cosmetics and frills to improve the appearance she valued so greatly. The improvements helped her mask her Filipino identity to assume a more Spanish-like appearance: pale skin and curly hair. For her, these physical attributes represented her integration into Spanish society. Todays Victorinas, dissatisfied with their true identities, adopt the traits most desired by the majority, or those they believe are superior to their own. Today, people use treatments like glutathione to whiten their skin, still believing that pale skin makes one more attractive. Often, people undergo procedures to make their hair straighter, curlier or even lighter in color. Rizal said Doa Victorina was an example of how one could forget the value of nationalism

Colonial mentality is something most of us have in common with the Filipinos of Rizals time, who were made to believe that they were inferior to those who ruled over them. In attaching a sense of inferiority to the word Filipino, we destroy our own opportunities for growth by assuming we can never be greater as a nation.

Pride in who we are In his time, Rizal saw this notion of inferiority as a hindrance to achieving our full potential as a nation. Through Victorina, he wanted to show Filipinos that the only way they could rise above oppression was to embrace their national identity. Rizal also showed us we would remain enslaved by our countrys present problems and our colonial mentality if we could not find enough pride and love to make the Philippines a better place. Through Victorina, Rizal asked us all a crucial question: If even we cannot stay in our own country and work for its growth, who else will bother to make the difference? In Doa Victorinas greed and superficiality, I learned the harm that yearning for undeserved respect could bring to me and everyone around me. I realized I should concentrate on doing what I could for my community, instead of what I could gain. Most importantly, through Doa Victorinas colonial mentality, I learned what nationalism really meant. It meant embracing your countrys flaws to be able to work towards progress and growth; to see that there was something better out there and, using that knowledge, helping your country instead of giving up on it. Rizal showed me that I, too, could help make the Philippines greater, even if it was just by studying well and equipping myself with knowledge I could use to help my country in the future. I am glad Doa Victorina caught my interest so strongly. In the story of a Filipino woman who held no love for her country, Rizal renewed my sense of nationalism and armed me with knowledge and insight Doa Victorina would never gain. Rizal inspired me with his novel to be proud of the heritage Victorina denied and to make myself a better person by becoming a better Filipino.

Nominations for Rizal Awards now accepted

ABS-CBNnews.com Posted at 01/30/2012

MANILA, Philippines - The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) recently announced that it is now accepting nominations for this year's Rizal Awards, which aims to recognize people and organizations who embody the ideals of national hero Jose Rizal. Eligible for the awards are Filipino and foreign individuals and groups who "have an unassailable track record of stimulating and encouraging works toward the Rizalian concept of love of country." Nominations will be accepted until April 15, 2012 at the NHCP office in Ermita Manila or via e-mail at rizalawards@nhcp.gov.ph. "Posthumous nominations are also accepted; of meritorious achievement, individual or institutional, in a profession with a strong orientation toward service to the community and/or country at large in light of Rizal's teaching and way of life; or promoting and encouraging civic competence and integrity," NHCP said in a statement. It added that the following nominations will not be accepted: elected and appointed officials of government, members of the board of government-owned and controlled corporations and government financial institutions, members of the Rizal@150 executive committee and descendants of the Rizal family, and employees of NHCP.

Rizal was known for exposing various problems in the Spanish colonial society through his written works, particularly Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. On December 30, 1896, he was executed by firing squad in Bagumbayan, which is now called Luneta or Rizal Park.

Irony of Rizal: Many written works but few Pinoys read them
By: Rizal Raoul Reyes, Business Mirror Posted at 12/30/2011

MANILA, Philippines - For a nation that does not have a reading culture, the National Hero, Jos Rizal, must have overdone himself by producing 25 types of work including novels, essays and poems, among others. In his lecture Jos Rizal and Switzerland, historian Ambeth Ocampo said this is the irony of Rizals life as he tried to enlighten his countrymen to become better Filipinos. He wrote a lot for a nation that does not read, said Ocampo, history department chairman of the Ateneo de Manila University, and former chairman of the National Historical Commission. Ocampo pointed out that it is important to read the works of the National Hero because by reading his works, Filipinos will better understand him. Maybe we can see ourselves in his writings, said Ocampo. Ocampo finds it amusing that Rizal had enemies even after his execution. He cited the opposition of the conservative elements and the Roman Catholic Church over the Noli-Fili bill which calls for the teaching of the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo in high school. In the Senate, the bill was supported by Sens. Claro M. Recto, Jose Laurel and Domacao Alonto. In the House of Representatives, the supporters were Congressmen Jacobo Z. Gonzalez, Emilio Cortez and Mario Bengzon.

On the other side, the original bill was opposed by Sens. Francisco Soc Rodrigo, Mariano J. Cuenco and Decoroso Rosales. Rodrigo, a former Student Catholic Action president, later became a member of Lakas ng Bayan (Laban) party led by former Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. which ran and lost in the 1978 Interim Batasang Pambansa elections. Cuenco was the brother of a Roman Catholic archbishop. In the Lower House, the bill was also opposed by Congressmen Ramon Durano, Jose Nuguid, Marciano Lim, Manuel Zosa, Lucas Paredes, Godofredo Ramos, Miguel Cuenco, Carmen Consing and Tecla San Andres Ziga. Fortunately, the bill was passed, thus paving the way for the teaching of Rizals works. In another lecture, National Artist F. Sionil Jose said the current generation must continue to pursue the vision and ideals of Rizal because of the very strong antiintellectualism currently prevailing in Philippine society. He pointed out that the current situation is being exacerbated by the proliferation of telenovelas shown during prime time on television. Telenovelas are useless in educating the Filipinos because theyre generally irrelevant, senseless and stupid, he said. Furthermore, Sionil Jose said Filipinos particularly the writers must embody the virtues of Rizal because he represents the true Filipino. In his concluding note, Ocampo pointed out that history is not to blame for the tragedies in Philippine history. It is the people that should be blamed because they have been there playing the events, he said.

Rizal descendant urges gov't officials to emulate national hero

By: Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News Posted at 12/30/2011

MANILA, Philippines - A descendant of national hero Jose Rizal called on Filipinos to remember the ideals that the hero stood for and the reasons why he sacrificed his life 115 years ago. Tomas Lopez Consunji said government officials and civil servants should emulate Rizals example and continue his legacy. Maganda yung maituro natin mabuti yung morality at yung ethics ni Jose Rizal. At pag yun ang masundan natin ay gaganda ang bayan, Consunji said. Ang kagustuhan niya ay ang kabutihan ng Pilipino at ang kabutihan ng Pilipinas at sana maalala ng lahat ng ating mga kababayan at mga opisyales natin na hinalal at yung mga nagtatrabaho sa gobyerno, he added. Consunji was among the descendants of Rizal who attended the program in Rizal Park commemorating the 115th anniversary of the national hero's martyrdom. He is a descendant of the national hero through Rizals third sibling Narcisa.

At 7 a.m., the Philippine flag was raised simultaneously at different parts of the country with President Aquino raising the flag at the Luneta Park. Aquino was joined by Vice President Jejomar Binay, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, National Historical Commission of the Philippines chairperson Maria Serena Diokno, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson, political adviser Ronald Llamas, AFP chief of staff Lt. Gen. Jessie Dellosa, and Regis Romero II, acting supreme commander of the Knights of Rizal. Aquino also laid a wreath at the foot of Rizals monument before unveiling the marker of the renovated Rizal fountain, a gift of the German government to the Filipino people, which was turned over in 1964.