MORESCO-1 joins the nation in the celebration of the martyrdom of Dr. José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda whose life and works inspired a revolution that paved the way to the establishment of the Republic of the Philippines.
In his commemorative message today, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. urged Filipinos to embody Dr. Jose Rizal’s patriotism and perseverance, as the country marks the 126th anniversary of the hero’s passing.
Marcos led a flag-raising ceremony and offered a wreath of flowers in commemoration of the hero’s death in a short program held at Rizal Park.
In his message, Marcos reminded the public of how Rizal helped enlighten Filipinos about oppression and corruption under colonizers “not through a violent uprising but through a peaceful protest.”
He said he hoped the hero’s “determination to achieve real change” would make Filipinos vigilant of the “social ills that may threaten our liberty.”
“True heroism does not only mean offering your life for your country, but also fighting your own silent battles and working within your capacities to bring about a better future we wish to see for the present and succeeding generations,” Marcos added.
Rizal’s novels “Noli me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo” “were viewed as the guiding force for other patriots to rally for the country’s cause,” in the 1896 revolution against Spanish colonial rule, according to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
Rizal was executed on Dec. 30, 1896 by a firing squad in Bagumbayan Field (now Rizal Park) on orders of Spanish authorities.
General Emilio Aguinaldo in 1898 declared Dec. 30 as a day of national mourning. In 1902, the Philippine Commission enacted a law declaring the date Rizal Day and made it an official holiday.
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