The Legacy A total man. National Hero. The Pride of the Malay Race.

Many accolades were given to Jose Rizal, being one of the nations symbols. Even, a child can proudly answer whos the pride of our nation. Many statues honoring him were built in and outside the countrythe vivid and concrete honors given to the most remembered hero of the land. Why was the credit all given to him when our independence is in question? Critics will agree that Rizal is never a monopolizer. There were other Filipinos who are heroes in their own rights but can never equal Rizals magnitude. How about Datu Lapu-Lapu, whos the first to revolt against the Spaniards and even killed the famous explorer Ferdinand Magellan? Why not Andres Bonifacio who was the Father of the Katipunan? Truly, we can compare the bravery of Rizal and Bonifacio. The former, an educated, cool man while the latter, an elementary dropout due to his poor economic status but a very intelligent and aggressive man. Once, these two great men of our history met and talked about revolution. Rizal said revolution can be realized through peaceful ways while Bonifacio argued that it should be through radical ways. That was more than a century ago, and I settled my doubts about those little incidents between the two. Revolutions create heroes at the expense of their lives. Fighting for freedom revealed a crystal-clear fact: The pen is mightier than the sword. We can kill thousands of enemies through arms or swords but only the pen can write the nations history to FREEDOM. Jose Rizal's Legacy: Jose Rizal is remembered today throughout the Philippines for his brilliance, his courage, his peaceful resistance to tyranny, and his compassion. Filipino school children study his final literary work, a poem called Mi Ultimo Adios ("My Last Goodbye"), as well as his two famous novels. Spurred on by Rizal's martyrdom, the Philippine Revolution continued until 1898. With assistance from the United States, the Philippine archipelago was able to defeat the Spanish army. The Philippines declared its independence from Spain on June 12, 1898. It was the first democratic republic in Asia. RIZAL AS NATIONALIST I recall one of Rizals childhood poems about how one who doesnt love their language is smellier than a fish or something, but this collectivistic statist mindset was probably something Rizal outgrew. It is likely that, in the absence of scholars who were as intellectually sophisticated as Rizal, remnants of his numerous writings have been selectively interpreted, and his legacy twisted from one of sounder logical basis, to one of typical statist baloney that is embraced by the man in the street. I may be too trusting, but Id like to give Rizal the benefit of the doubt and recognize him as an anti-statist to a greater degree than is generally acknowledged. Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook Wednesday, December 30, 2009 The Jose Rizal Legacy Jos Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realondas legacy is almost forgotten by Filipinos and most especially the youth these days. But what is Jose Rizals Legacy to us? Rizal was a different person to different people. He traveled the world, not only as a mere Official Filipino Tourist at the time but one who learned from the different places he has been and left even a mark there. Dr. Jose P. Rizal is the Philippines National Hero. He was born June 18, 1861 and died by firing squad at Luneta Bagumbayan in December 30, 1896. He is academician, a linguist, writer, historian,scientist and a doctor. He studied in Ateneo de Manila , University of Santo Thomas, Universidad Central de Madrid, Paris and Germany. In a way, he was also an activist, a reformist, a non-violence rebel and an advocate of peace. A man who changed the course of Philippine history, he influenced most of our revolutionary leaders through his writings and example. I remember taking up a Rizal subject in highschools social studies and history and also a course in

college, which was a requirement in order for us to graduate in college. At that time, I was somewhat disinterested due to the same thing being talked and presented about him over and over again. I believe one semester of a subject is not enough to fully understand and grasp the life and achievements of Jose Rizal. Other nations even recognizes his achievements, there are even Jose Rizal Monuments in Madrid, Sweden, Singapore and many more aside from what we have in Luzon. There is even a research group/center in singapore dedicated to researchin Jose Rizal's life. Not only is Rizal the most prominent man of his own people but the greatest man the Malayan race has produced. Ferdinand Blumentritt, 1897. My interest in him was re-ignited when I attended a seminar of The Brown Raise Movement. Which was basically one of the tipping points in my pursuit of not only excellence but also as my identity as a Filipino. He basically became my role model again after that seminar. Hands down, as per personal excellence he got it, no need to mention his many professions. But his love for his country and people is so much more remarkable, truly he was a man ahead of his time. I would even go far as to say he is even ahead of our time now. If Rizal were to live today, aside from his professions at the time, he will definitely be a blogger, a pro-blogger at that. His stand on education and values would be very much applicable even today. He valued education so much that the education of Filipinos and their achievement of a national identity were prerequisites to achieve freedom. So with that, no wonder we are still in the third world having to give no significant importance to our youths education and at the same time the destruction of our own culture. As Barth Suretsky, an American expat who lived and died in the Philippines said, the fundamental thing wrong with this country is a lack of pride in being Filipino. All Filipinos want to be something else. The poor ones want to be American, and the rich ones all want to be Spaniards. Nobody wants to be Filipino. No pride, no identity, no recollection of his glorious past that can project him in leading the future of his country. A people without a sense of history is a people doomed to be unaware of their own identity. The Philippines is currently the worlds leading exporter of nurses, with 164,000 or 85% of the countrys trained nurses are working abroad, with doctors becoming nurses. Add to that the other OFWs who are non nurses. And in 2006, the National Career Assessment Examination showed that out of the 1.3 million examinees, only 3.7%, or 49,066 students, are fit to enter college. The Philippines is No. 41 in Science and No. 42 in Mathematics among 45 countries. We reflect and reinvent ourselves in order to even think of achieving progress for our country and our fellow citizens. We must not succumb to the situation which forces us to go the easy way and work abroad rather than developing our nations Human Capital and overall capability. I remember the heart-wrenching dream of Rizal in El Filibusterismo: Where are the youth who will CONSECRATE their budding years, their idealism and enthusiasm to the welfare of their country? Where are the youth who will generously pour out their blood to wash away so much shame, so much crime, so much abomination? Pure and spotless must the victim be, that the sacrifice may be acceptable! Where are you, youth, who will embody in yourselves the vigor of life that has lifted our veins, the purity of ideas that has been contaminated in our hearts? We await you, O youth! Come, for we await you! The Filipino Youth in which he describes as the Hope for the motherland should take power and create a revolution of new ideas and inspiration to do away with the corrupt and ridiculously ineffective ways that the so-called adults are doing to run this country. We should take note of the path taken by Rizal in achieving his enduring legacy. And while he was among the most educated and best qualified to lead an emerging Philippine nation, he did not fight for any leadership post. Instead he focused on self-improvement, showing to Spain and the rest of the international community that, given the opportunity to achieve their full potential, Filipinos could stand alongside the best in the world and were eligible for selfrule. Then he set out to apply what he had learned as an ophthalmologist, providing a basic service that was badly needed by his impoverished compatriots. In his writings he emphasized the importance of education, seeing it as the path to national progress rather than armed revolt. He also had a religious side to him, in his letter to his mother, he somehow affirms what many theologians always taught, namely, reason and faith need not be seen as contradictory: "What I believe now, I believe through reason because my conscience can admit only what is compatible with the principles of thought . . . For me, religion is most sacred, most pure, most sublime, which shuns all human adulterations; and I believe that I would fail in my duty as a rational being were I to prostitute my reason and accept an absurdity. I believe that God would not punish me if in approaching him, I were to use his most precious gift of reason and intelligence. I believe that the best way for me to honor him is to present myself before him making use of the best things that he has given me . . ." And in conclusion:

Alas! The whole misfortune of the present Filipinos consists in that they have become only half-way brutes. The Filipino is convinced that to get happiness it is necessary for him to lay aside his dignity as a rational creature, to attend mass, to believe what is told himwithout aspiring anythingwithout protesting against any injusticeany insult that is, not to have heart, brain, or spirit; a creature with arms and a purse of gold. . . theres the ideal native!.(The Indolence of the Filipinos by Jos Rizal, 1890) Would you believe, if you reflect long enough that the quotation from Rizal more than a hundred years ago clearly defines our situation today? What we need to carry on in the years to come from the life of rizal are: 1) a life of honor and integrity; 2) a passion to excel; 3) the achievement of dreams and aspirations; 4) respect and love for parents; 5) use of God given talents; and 6) love and pride for the Filipino race.

Jose Rizal's Legacy . . . A Life Worth Emulating

By: Zigfred Diaz

More than 111 years ago, Spanish authorities shot a man in the grounds of Luneta Manila. That moment was about to change the course of Philippine history. The man who was shot during that time was Jose Rizal. Every year we continue to remember and commemorate the death anniversary of this great man. What was the reason why Jose Rizal was chosen as our national hero ? What is the greatest legacy that he gave to the Filipino people ? Majority of Filipinos believed that Jose Rizal become a national hero because of his example and his writings that greatly influenced most of our revolutionary leaders. However there are those who believe that he should only be declared a hero not "The national hero." Majority of Filipinos also believe that the greatest legacy that he gave to the Filipino people was his patriotism and his love for his country. Years ago when I was taking up the required "Rizal" course in college, I was so amazed by the story of Jose Rizal that I went through Zaide's book on Rizal in just one day. I consider Jose Rizal is one of my "Role models." When I went to Manila, I made sure that I could visit the actual grounds where Rizal was shot. Contrary to what others believe, Rizal was not shot where the Rizal shrine in Luneta stands. The actual place where he was shot is several meters away from the shrine. As you approach the area you can see a sign that says that the place is "hollowed ground." and it truly is for me. After we took the bar exams, I went with my family to Enchanted Kingdom. I also saw this as an oppurtunity to visit nearby Calamba, Laguna, Rizal's home. Hopefully, I hope to visit his place of exile in Dapitan someday. Reading so much about Rizal, being to the places where he has been, and watching so many Rizal movies, I cannot help but ask myself, how could a somebody who lived only 34 years of his life make a huge difference in this world, not only in his country but globally as well ? It is my personal belief that Jose Rizal's greatest legacy is a life that is full of meaning and purpose. Even if he lived for only 34 years, he accomplished so much because he had a vision in his mind and a mission in his heart. The strength and intensity of such mission and vision translated into action. That is why he did not waste any time in trivial matters. Rather he devoted all of his time to live out his mission and accomplish his vision. The question right now that I should be asking myself or you should be asking yourself is when the time comes for us to leave this earth, will our lives matter? Can we truly say that we have lived a full and meaningful life? If we cannot answer this question positively, than we must ask God to grant us a personal vision and a mission for our lives in order that we might not waste our time on things that does not matter at all. In so doing we might be able to live a life just like Jose Rizal did and leave a legacy for others to follow. Leaving a legacy as Rizal did is what I believe as my "higher calling."