"There is no true civil liberty in America"-- Rizal





I was reading the reports about the riots in the US brought by the death of a black suspect in the hands of a white policeman when I recalled one popular impression of Jose Rizal has had on the country. In a letter to his friend Mariano Ponce dated 27 July 1888, Rizal wrote:

"Visité las más grandes ciudades de América, con sus grandiosos edificios, sus luces eléctricas y sus concepciones grandiosas. La América es indudablemente un gran país, pero tiene aún muchos defectos. No hay verdadera libertad civil...."

~ " I visited the largest cities in America, with its great buildings, its electric lights, and its great concepts. America is undoubtedly a great country, but it still has many flaws. There is no true civil liberty."

A few years later, in his essay "Filipinas dentro de cien años" (The Philippines a century hence), Rizal predicted the possibility of the US intervening in the Philippines. He was correct.

I always wonder whether Rizal would also have such revulsion if he would come to know what many of his countrymen went trough in their war against the Americans: Double-crossed by the US military, the mock battle of Manila, the water torture, Balangiga massacre. etc. But isn't it proverbial that his commentaries more than a century ago about America are still up to now a burning issue in that country?

Pasig City. May 30, 2020

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