Natinal Heroes Enriching History

In the course of national history one person totally inspired most of us. I am for Apolinario Mabini as national hero.

Here are some info about Apolinario Mabini courtesy of
http://philippine-revolution.110mb.com/mabini_detailed.htm

Apolinario Mabini was born on July 23, 1864 in the village of Talaga in Tanauan, Batangas. He was the second of eight children of Dionisia Maranan, a vendor in the Tanauan market and a daughter of the village schoolteacher, and Inocencio Mabini, an unlettered peasant. A show of uncommon intelligence while tagging along with an elder brother to his grandfather's classes brought him to a regular school.

While studying at a school owned by Simplicio Avelino, he worked as a houseboy for a tailor in exchange for free board and lodging. He later transferred to the school of Fr. Valerio Malabanan, a famous educator in Tanauan who is mentioned in Jose Rizal's novel El Filibusterismo.

Mabini then went to the Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Manila in 1881 as a scholar. It was there where he amazed a professor who thought of picking on him because of his bad clothes - as if poverty gave him any other choice. He was asked a series of very difficult questions, which he all answered excellently.

While studying at Letran, he earned money for his board and lodging by teaching children. Because of a chronic lack of funds, his studies in Manila went on and off.

In 1887, he completed his Bachilles en Artes with highest honors. The next year, he enrolled in law at the University of Santo Tomas. He completed his course in 1894.

Mabini, probably as a result of his wide readings, had begun to develop egalitarian ideas of sorts while a student at Letran. On one of his trips to Tanauan, he met a priest on the road. Following the custom then, the priest extended his hand to Mabini, expecting the young man to kiss it. Mabini shook the priest's hand instead, explaining to his brother afterwards that only parents' hands should be kissed. He began to take an active part in politics while studying law.

It is believed that at the University of Santo Tomas – considered Asia’s oldest university - he came into contact with fellow students who had links with the Reform Movement. He would later be given the task of corresponding regularly with Marcelo del Pilar, who was then agitating for reforms in Madrid through the paper La Solidaridad. His job was to inform del Pilar of the situation on the home front and explain what reforms were needed. He did this task assiduously even while practicing his profession.
When the revolution led by Andres Bonifacio broke out in 1896, Mabini did not immediately support it. He believed that the Reform Movement had not yet been given a full chance.

It was also in that year that he contracted a disease which paralyzed him from the waist down. He had to be confined at the San Juan de Dios Hospital.

His involvement in the Reform Movement had made him suspect in the eyes of the Spanish authorities, but his condition saved him from Bagumbayan - where a number of his friends were executed.

Apolinario Mabini
The execution of Rizal in December 1896 signified to Mabini the death of the Reform Movement. At this point he transferred his whole support to the Revolution. He wrote the pamphlets "El Verdadero Decalogo" and "Ordenanzas de la Revolucion," which were intended to inspire the revolutionaries in the fields and guide them in their conduct of the struggle; and a constitutional program for the Philippine government.

In 1898, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo invited Mabini to work in the Revolutionary Government. He helped in organizing it and wrote laws and decrees. He was appointed President of the Cabinet - a position equivalent to today's Executive Secretary, which is now manned by Alberto Romulo.

Unlike Aguinaldo, Mabini was suspicious of the Americans - who presented themselves purportedly to help the Filipinos secure liberty from Spain - early on. He was in fact against the declaration of independence on June 12, 1898; he thought it premature, as it revealed to the Americans the real objectives of the Filipinos, while the intentions of the supposed allies were unknown. But other forces within the Revolutionary Government had prevailed at that time.

Later developments would prove Mabini right. In December 1898, unknown to the Filipinos, the United States obtained the Philippines from Spain for $20 million. In February 1899, the United States launched its war of conquest against the Philippines.

Mabini would become a leading luminary of the resistance against the U.S. occupation of the Philippines. He wrote articles and pamphlets urging his compatriots to continue the struggle for freedom and condemning American military atrocities against the Philippine populace.

He also disputed U.S. propaganda which described the occupation as intending to train the Filipinos in the art of self-government: he would argue that self-government is learned by experience, as proven by the American people themselves, and that Filipinos would never learn self-government while under foreign control - and this would give the Americans "justification" for staying in the country indefinitely.

He also junked the U.S. line that the occupation of the Philippines would serve to make the country prosperous, arguing that any "prosperity" that would be derived from the American occupation would benefit the Americans and not the Filipinos.

MY CONTENTION FOR NATIONAL HERO

Ito naman ang masasabi ko sa pagiging national hero ni Mabini;

Walang kinalaman si Jose Mercado Rizal sa Araw ng Kalayaan. Sa totoo lang, tutol siya sa pagaaklas ng mga katipunero. Kung siya ang masusunod, nais niyang maging pansamantalang lalawigan ng Espanya ang Pilipinas at magpatatag ng kabuhayan at sandatahan bago tuluyang humiwalay. Ang plano niyang ito ay aabutin ng ilang taon at kung natupad, maaaring nakalaya ang Pilipinas sa taong 1917. Nangangahulugan, hindi bahagi si Rizal ng pagtatagumpay noong ika 12 ng Hunyo 1898 at dalawang taon na siyang patay. Papaano nga ba naging pambansang bayani si Jose Mercado? Siya nga ba ang nagiisang karapatdapat na Pilipino na kakatawan sa natatanging kadakilaan ng ating lahi?

Pinili si Rizal bilang pambansang bayani hindi ng mga Pilipino kung hindi ng isang sangguniang itinatag ng mga Amerikano. Pinili siya gamit ang pamantayang mula sa mga dayuhan. Kung ihahambing kay Andres Bonifacio, si Rizal ang pipiliin ng mga Amerikano. Siya ay nakapagaral sa isang pamantasang Espanyol at marunong ring magsalita ng bahagyang Ingles. Nanggaling sa nakaririwasang maganak at nakapagsuot ng mga kasuotang may hawig sa mga banyaga. Lamang ang katangian ni Rizal kay Bonifacio. Sa madaling salita, hindi naging patas ang laban sa pagitan ni Rizal at ng ibang mga bayani. At kung hindi si Rizal ang dapat maging pambansang bayani, si Bonifacio ba ang tunay na anino ng kagitingan ng kabihasnang Pilipino?

Bagama't itinuturing bilang pambansang bayani ng Hukbong Katihan si Andres Bonifacio at ako naman ay awang awa sa lahat ng sinapit niya, hindi ko rin maipaglalabang si Bonifacio na nga ang marapat sa turing ng pambansang bayani. Una, hindi mapagtitibay na dakila ang kanyang katapangan sanhi na rin ng wala sa lugar niyang pagpapasimula ng pagaaklas. Hindi naman talaga dahas ang sagot sa mapaniil na pananakop ng Espanya. patunay sa wala sa lugar niyang katapangan ang tala ng sigalot sa loob mismo ng Katipunan. Hindi maitatatwang hindi naging mabuti ang pakikitungo niya sa ilang kasama at pinatunayan ito sa isang pagpupulong na ginanap sa Tejeros. Ni isang mataas na puwesto ay hindi napanalunan ni Bonifacio. Hindi siya tunay na kinilalang ama ng buong katipunan. Pangalawa, alinsunod sa nabanggit na katayuan niya sa katipunan, hindi banyaga ang kumitil ng kanyang buhay kung hindi kapwa rin niya Pilipino. Malaking tanong kung taal ba ang pagiging martir niya. Pangatlo, hindi dahilan ang pagkamaralita niya upang maging pangunahing bayani sapagkat hindi naman lahat ng PIlipino ay maralita. Magiging dahilan ito upang ang mga nasadlak sa karukhaan ay manatili at hindi na lumaban pa paaahon mula sa kahirapan kung ang pambansang bayani nga ay nanatiling aba hanggang sa mamatay.