BAUTISTA, Rafael Antonio M.

Date: 9/3/2020
2018117113 UST College of Science – 3MBIO3

“Pepe Rizal: The Prophet of the Filipino Youth”

I recall my and elementary and high school days with great fondness and clarity, times
where I began looking at the world around me from an entirely different light. It is also when I
first heard of the name "Dr. Jose Rizal", or as I would like to call him back then, "The man with
a swift mustache". My primary and secondary education introduced him to myself as merely the
"Philippines' National Hero", a pretty illustrious distinction for a man who stands barely 5 feet
tall. High school was a great turning point in my Rizal repertoire of knowledge, as that was when
we were presented two of his greatest works, the "Noli Me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo”,
novels written with deep words, and even deeper meanings. Rizal, time and time again, has
stressed great importance in the youth. From his conception of the characters "Crispin" and
"Basilio" in his novel to his notorious quotation "The Youth is the hope of tomorrow", he placed
such great hopes and merit towards the youth. Is he just making an optimistic assumption? Or
did he firmly believe that the youth would eventually live up to their potential as the anchors of
our nation? The works of our national hero speak volumes to his love for his country, and it’s up
for us, the light of tomorrow, to lead our nation with the race against the dying light.

As someone who is still scratching the surface of what person I could become, it may be
too early to tell whether Dr. Rizal is just delusional, or his points are said with great validity.
Characteristic of a Rizal novel, his works are layered with symbolism and profound underlying
messages. Crispin and Basilio weren't just characters to add spice to his novels, they are
characters that personify the innocence and vulnerability of the youth. But at the same time, their
subtle personality perfectly depicts the Filipino youth. Naïve in their little ways, their love for
family is also a reflection of Rizal's love for the country.

Dr. Rizal’s patriotism is largely predicated on his ability to use his mind and
subsequently, his pen to give everyone a piece of the truth, a blueprint that every individual,
especially the youth, should follow. All of his efforts were products of patriotism, his undying
love for his “Tinubuang Lupa”, and his vision that we are not made to be slaves of the Spaniards.
He envisioned the Philippines as a country of sophistication, elegance, and unity, and he, in my
opinion, was shot in Bagumbayan still firm on that belief. He did not precisely put all the burden
of carrying tomorrow to the youth, but everyone should be supplements to this mission and
catalysts for change. By reading his works and listening to famous historians’ accounts, such as
Fr. Schumacher, Prof. Tan, and Prof. Ocampo, on his life, we Filipinos, of people, should be well
aware by now of his advocacies. He was an icon of education, and we, the Youth, should stand
for the same things as well.

Dr. Rizal’s literary works are meant to be timeless by design, and for good reason, he
wants his narrations of yesterday to transcend time and reach the Filipinos of today. He wants to
bridge the gap that spans more than a hundred years. Quite frankly, in that period, a lot can
change, especially in this dynamic world, we're living in, where pieces of information are
seemingly transmitted in the speed of light. But we should not fret, for, from the onset of his
novels and poems, he put constant emphasis on the power of knowledge, education, and love for
the country. As alluded to in the addressed to the youth entitled Sa Kabataang Pilipino, we the
youth must be well aware of our mission, “Ikaw na lagi nang pataas ang lipad, sa pakpak ng
iyong mayamang pangarap”, and our exceptional ability to carry out those missions. With the
might of our pens instead of a sword and the grace of our desire to educate and be educated, we
can be the lanterns to guide our people in the darkest of times, the same way Dr. Rizal was the
light of our nation during the prime of his fruitful life. As a generation vastly consumed by
materialism and proliferated discord, we must step up to the plate and accept Dr. Rizal's
invitation to be stalwarts of peace, education, and inspiration to guide our nation towards a
brighter tomorrow. We must look past the corrupt system and let our voices be heard, and love is
felt. See the worth of our nation the way Dr. Rizal did.

“Itaas ang iyong malinis na noo, Sa araw na ito, Kabataang Pilipino! Igilas mo na rin
ang kumikinang mong, Mayamang sanghaya, Magandang pag-asa ng Bayan kong Mutya”.
Words spoke with a heavy overtone, just as intense as Rizal’s love for his nation and perfectly
encapsulates his aspirations towards the youth. Knowing our national hero had such high hopes
for the youth gave a renewed sense of aspirations for not only my future but the future of my
homeland as well. It is indeed a worthy cause to love your country so much, the same way Dr.
Rizal did. We may choose to go different paths and sacrifice our minds and hearts towards
different things, but a certain twist of fate would always lead us back to where our souls as
Filipinos belong, which is in the arms of our homeland. Dr. Rizal did not demand that the youth
to live life the way he did, but rather live a life according to what a true Filipino should; selfless,
strident in their dispositions, and genuinely in love with their country.

REFERENCES
Journal Article:
Arcilla, Jose. “Rizal and Poltergeists in Dapitan”. Philippine Studies: Historical and
Ethnographic Viewpoints, vol. 49, no. 2. (2001).  

Juan, Jr. E. San. “Sisa's Vengeance: Rizal and the Mother of All Insurgencies.” Kritika Kultura,
no. 17 (2011). https://doi.org/10.13185/kk2011.01702.

Juan, Jr. E. San. “Response: Metakomentaryo Sa Pagkakataon Ng Kolokyum Ukol Sa ‘The

Places of E. San Juan, Jr.’” Kritika Kultura, no. 26 (2016): 468–78.
https://doi.org/10.13185//kk2016.02625.

Mojares, Resil. “Jose Rizal and the Birth of the Social Sciences in the Philippines.” Budhi: A
Journal of Ideas and Culture 16, no. 2 (2012). https://doi.org/10.13185/bu2012.16202.
Ocampo, Estaban A. De. “Dr. Jose Rizal, Father of Filipino Nationalism.” Journal of Southeast
Asian History 3, no. 1 (1962): 44–55. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0217781100000545.
Sánchez, Louie Jon. “Ilang Eksplorasyon Sa Pag-Aaral Ng Kulturang Popular Sa Filipinas.”
Kritika Kultura, no. 33/34 (2019). https://doi.org/10.13185/kk2020.03318.
Tan, Michael. “Rizal and Science: A Struggle for Faith, Religion, and Knowledge.” Budhi: A
Journal of Ideas and Culture 16, no. 2 (2012). https://doi.org/10.13185/bu2012.16201.
Book:
De Viana, Augusto V. (2018). “Laon-Laan: A Guide for the Study and Understanding of the Life
and Contributions of Jose Rizal to Philippine Nationhood and Society.Mandaluyong City:
Books Atbp. Publishing Corp