What is the summary of Veneration Without Understanding by Renato Constantino?

Renato Constantino is a Philippine historian. "Veneration Without Understanding" was actually a stand-alone essay or article that later formed Chapter 9 of his book, "Dissent and Counter-Consciousness." In the article, Renato Constantino talks about Rizal as an American-sponsored hero. Unlike heroes in other countries who led their respective countries' fight for freedom, Rizal did not only not take part in the Philippine revolution, but even did his best to stifle it. Renato Constantino cited Rizal's manifesto addressed to the Filipino people (December 15, 1896) to prove this point. According to Constantino, Rizal's unequivocal position against the Philippine Revolution was a glaring contradiction, coming from a man who was believed to have dedicated his life for the freedom of his country and countrymen. Constantino called Rizal an American-sponsored hero because it was Governor William Howard Taft and some conservative Filipinos who named Rizal as the Philippine national hero, over Aguinaldo, Bonifacio and Mabini. The rationale for the choice, as written later by Governor W. Cameron Forbes in his book, "The Philippine Islands," was: "Rizal never advocated independence, nor did he advocate armed resistance to the government."

In the article, Constantino also talks about the concept of Filipino nationhood.