Jose Rizal and Philippine
Nationalism
Bayani and Kabayanhan
BAYANI VS. HERO
Hero
The Merriam Webster Online Dictionary
defines “hero” as “a mythological legendary figure
often of divine descent endowed with great strength
or ability; an illustrious warrior; a person admired for
achievements and noble qualities; one who shows
great courage.”
Bayani
The Filipino counterpart bayani has a basically
similar meaning but with some contextual
distinctions.
Bayani – her patriot (taong makabayan), cooperative
endeavor; mutual aid, a person who volunteers or
offers free service or labor to a cooperative endeavor,
to prevail, to be victorious, to prevail (mamayani),
leading man in a play (often referred to as the “bida”
– from the Spanish word for life, “vida” – who is
contrasted with the villain or “kontrabida” from the
Spanish “contra bida”, against life).
*According to Vicassan’s Dictioanary*
UP Diksyunaryong Filipino (2001)
Three meanings of Bayani:
1. a person of extraordinary courage and ability;
2. a person considered to possess extraordinary
talents or someone
who did something noble (“dakila”) and
3. a leading man in a play
Ambeth Ocampo
History professor Ambeth Ocampo sees it
significant that bayani comes a few words under
bayan, which is laso defined as: “the space between
here and the sky.
Bayan is also a town, municipality, pueblo, or
nation, and can refer o people and citizens
(mamamayan) who live in those communities, or to
those who originate or come from the same place
(kababayan) who live in those communities, or to
those who originate or come from the same place
(kababayan).
Bayan also refers to the day (araw) or a time
of day (malalim anf bayan) or even to the weather,
good or bad (masamang bayan).
– Ocampo, 2016.
Ambeth Ocampo
Ocampo, thus, conclude that “hero” and
bayani do not have the same meaning. Bayani is a
richer word than hero because it my be rooted in
bayan as a place or in doing something great, not for
oneself but for a greater good, for community or
nation” (Ocampo, 2016).
The Changing Forms and Definitions
of Bayani and Kabayanihan
Bagong Bayani
One case in point is our Overseas Filipino
Workers (OFWs) – Filipinos who are working in
foreign countries. They are often referred to as mga
bayani. Working abroad is a form of taking risks
(pakikipagsapalaran) for them as it entails sacrifices
and likely dangers, such as loneliness, anxieties,
trauma, fatigue, culture shock, and even exploitation.
OFWs play also a vital role in the progress of
the Philippine’s economic status.
 OFWs also help stabilize the Philippine peso in
relation to pesodollar exchange and also contribute to
the country’s GNP growth.
Dr. Zeus Salazar
Filipino historian and Pantayong Pananaw
proponent Dr. Zeus Salazar offers another sense of
the term bayani and believes that mga bayani are
different from “heroes.” For him, ang mga bayani ay
mga taong naglalakbay at bumabalik sa bayan…ang
mga bayani ay lumalaban ng may kooperasyon
[samantalang] ang mga hero (western concept) ay
lumalaban mag-isa…Ang bayani ay hindi kailangang
mamatay upang maging bayani, kailangan niya lang
gumawa ng magagandang impluwensya at mga
Gawain sa bayan upang tawaging bayani (“Ang Salitng
Who Made Rizal Our Foremost Bayani ?
Bayani sa Pilipinas,: n.d.)
As conclusion, De Ocampo writes:
complete abandonment of his personal
interest to think only of those of his country.
 De Ocampo porposes that Rizal “is a man
honored after death by public worship,
because of exceptional service to mankind.”
 Among the foreigners who recognized Rizal
as the leading Filipino of his time were
Blumentritt, Napoleon M. Kheil, Dr.
Rheinhold Rost, and Vicente Barrntes.
 Ferdinand Bluementritt told to Maximo Viola
in mAy 1887 that “Rizal was the greatest
product of the Philipines and that his coming
to the world was like the appearance of a
rare comet, whose rare brilliance appears
only every other century.”

The answer is: No single person or groups of

Who Made Rizal Our Foremost Bayani
Ocampo believes, and thus, justifies that Rizal
is our foremost and greatest national hero. Ocampo
uses as basis the meaning of the term hero by the
Webster New International Dictionary of the English
Language:
a. a prominent or central personage taking admirable
part in any remarkable action or event;
persons were responsible for making the Greatest
Malayan the No. 1 Hero os his people. Rizal himself,
his own people, and the foreigners all together
contributed to make him the greatest hero and martyr
of his people. No amount of adulation and
canonization by both Filipinos and foreigners could
convert Rizal into a great hero if he did not possess in
himself what alma call excellent qualities and merits.

b. a person of distinguished valor or enterprise in

danger; and

c. a man honored after death by public worship,

because of exceptional service to mankind.

Who Made Rizal Our Foremost Bayani

 In justifying the capacity of the Filipinos for

self-government, he recited Rizal’s last poem
in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1902.
 De Ocampo claims that no Filipino has yet
been born who can equal or surpass Rizal as a
“person distinguished valor/enterprise in
danger; fortitude in suffering.” De Ocampo
uses as justification the description by Rafael
Palma and Dr. Frank C. Laubach (an American
biographer of Rizal) of Rizal’s noble self-
denial, heroism, moral courage, and