Mercado, Michelle F.

July 13, 2018

H4T

José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda, widely known as José Rizal was a Filipino
nationalist and polymath during the tail end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines.
We all know that the Americans recommended Rizal as the National Hero of the Philippines
because of the fact that he was executed by the Spaniards and of his peaceful way to achieve liberty.
They wanted him to be a "good example" to the Filipinos so that the people will not revolt against the
Americans. Rizal became a National Hero because he passed the criteria by being a National Hero
during the American period.
They says hero symbolizes goodness. We already know that Rizal gave us freedom by using
goodness. He became the Philippine National Hero because he fought for freedom in a silent but
powerful way. He expressed his love for the Philippines through his novels, essays and articles rather
than through the use of force or aggression. He was a very amazing person at his time. He was humble,
fighting for reforms through his writings instead of through a revolution. He used his intelligence,
talents and skills in a more peaceful way rather than the aggressive way. He used his writings to open
the eyes of the Filipinos. He dedicated his life for his countrymen without hesitation. He was known for
his meekness and coolness, but he never fought on a war. Most of the world Heroes was elevated as
such because of their war exploits. Rizal never did it. He was using his pen for criticism about the
handling of the Spanish government in the Philippines. Rizal didn't want bloody revolution in his time.
Rizal was truly an inspiration to many Filipinos during the Spanish period. He founded the La
Liga Filipina, a civic organization that led to the creation of the Katipunan headed by Andres
Bonifacio. This fact may already substantiate that Rizal’s title was deserving since without the La Liga
Filipina, Andres Bonifacio and his army would have been non-existent.