A House Not Big Enough For Two Rebels

 



He was given a name quiet unheard of even during his time. How many people shared the name "Paciano"? On the other hand his younger brother was called Jose or Pepe, a very common name that even has popular Americanized versions like Joe, Joseph or Joey. Actually their names could also be taken as a mirror of the big disparity of fate and personality. But on close scrutiny we maybe are looking at the alter ego of each one-- Each one a mirror of the other?
Much of what can be said about the Pepe-Paciano relationship could be deciphered in their collected correspondence. Yet many people would find it odd that brothers communicated mostly in Spanish, somehow too formal and stiff to be labeled as correspondence between siblings. It will not also help our understanding of the said relationship if we consider the writing style of Jose Rizal in many of his letters. Somehow one has this feeling that our national hero was not only writing to the person to whom the letter was addressed but it seems to be that Rizal was also speaking to the people who will eventually read these exchanges in the future -- The Filipinos of the next generation who will understand better?
Paciano was the older brother, the guardian, and the other important father figure in the life of Pepe. It can be said that he geared his younger brother to the path that he himself laid out. It could be that Paciano saw in the young Jose Rizal the continuity of his own battle. The time when he was the right hand man of Padre Burgos, during those turbulent times of struggle for social reforms which culminated in the events of 1872-- Indeed, the continuation of Paciano's own generation that was abruptly silenced and forgotten.
When it was time to chose the country where the young Jose Rizal should continue his study, Paciano wanted Jose to go to France- A manifestation of Paciano's continuing mistrust of Spain? But Jose Rizal chose Spain. Right then the creator was starting to have problems of control to his creation, like a struggle of a master against his insolent apprentice.
Sometime in 1887, Jose Rizal confided in a letter to Paciano his desire to go home and just continue his career in the country. Paciano was against it and was even adamant. He answered his younger brother with some strong worded advice: Pepe must not come home, not with the controversy that the Noli started, not with friends telling them that its better for him and the family that he is in Europe, and not with the name Rizal slowly gaining the reputation of an agitator.
But he still went home. According to Rizal's British biographer Austin Coates, there were sweet scenes of homecoming in the Mercado-Rizal household that day, except for the two brothers. When they finally met again there were no words, Paciano just cast a cold stare at his younger brother and was taciturn the whole day.
Maybe saying; "This house ain't big enough for two Filibusteros!


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