MACABUDBUD, CELINA ADELLE Q.

BSCE – 3A
GEC 04 – Life and Works of Rizal

If I were a lawmaker at the time, what stand will I take?

“The youth is the hope of the Fatherland”, such a great quote from Dr. Jose Rizal that
have inspired people especially the youth to do more for the country. This quote has influenced
me to study hard to be able to contribute to the development of our country and prove Dr. Rizal
right. Now, where did it led me? Well here I am, speaking in front of you as a lawmaker. Though
it’s not the only thing that pushed me to where I am today but it is one of the things that
influenced me. Why am I telling you this? I’m telling you this because I want you to know how
the great hero, Jose Rizal could inspire and motivate people with his words. The Rizal Law, is
about giving a mandate to all educational institutions to study about the life and works of Dr.
Jose Rizal. This is my first reason to why we should agree to this law. If a single quote from him
could inspire someone to do great things, how much more if we study about his life?

Secondly, we have to agree into making this Law to keep Dr. Jose Rizal’s legacy alive
through the years. We should not forget his contributions to freedom. I believe that all Filipino
generations should be knowledgeable of the story on how Dr. Jose Rizal used his powerful mind
and intelligence bravely by leading a reformist movement for political and social freedoms,
writing unceasingly for the La Solidaridad hoping that the pleas of the Filipinos would be heard,
and publishing the novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo which eventually awakened
and moved the other patriots, our other heroes to rebel to fight for injustice and defend our
country against the Spanish colonizers and which is one of the reasons that led to our country’s
independence. Though some people will disagree with this because of Dr. Pio Valenzuela’s
account on 1896 in which he stated that Rizal opposed to the idea of revolution. But for the
information of everybody, Dr. Pio Valenzuela reversed that story two decades after. According
to him, Dr. Rizal was not actually against the revolution but advised the Katipuneros to wait for
the right timing, secure the needed weapons and get the support of the rich and scholarly class.
And that his 1896 statements were embellished due to duress and torture. This would mean that
there is no doubt that Dr. Rizal really contributed to achieving freedom for the country. He once
wrote to his friend Ferdinand Blumentritt: “You know very well that always at all times, I am
ready to serve this country not only with the pen but also with my life whenever my country
would demand of me this sacrifice.”

Third reason I agree to this law is that Dr. Jose Rizal values education so much. He was a
genius. According to history, he was a scientist, a doctor, a writer, an artist, a businessman, etc.
He was everything he wanted himself to be. He made it possible through allocating time for
education and even though he was very intelligent already, he is still open for new learnings.
This information can inspire and influence students to pursue everything they wanted to be. For
me, it’s like Dr. Rizal’s way of saying “There are no limits to our dreams, if you can dream it,
you can be it”. How inspiring, isn't it?

And now, my fourth and final reason is that we can learn a lot of lessons and virtues from
Dr. Rizal’s life and his written works that every Filipino generation should learn. Some of these
lessons are fighting against all odds - he fought for freedom even if it costed his life, being and
acting professional - keeping personal life away from work, valuing time to the fullest – he
spent his free times in self-educating, and the virtue of giving – he spent his money for the
betterment of the people and offered free medical treatment. Those mentioned are only few from
the many lessons we could learn from Dr. Rizal. If we’re equipped with these learnings we will
be able to overcome some of the same situations from the past, in the present and in the future.
As he quoted: “I do not write for this generation. I am writing for other ages. If this could read
me, they would burn my books, the work of my whole life. On the other hand, the generation
which interprets these writings will be an educated generation; they will understand me and say:
Not all were asleep in the nightmare of our grandparents.” In my own understanding, this means
that Dr. Rizal wrote for us, he himself wanted to learn from the past which also means that we
need to study his works.

As the youth of today, to study about his life and works maybe is the least that we could
do to commemorate Dr. Rizal's heroism. If he believes that we, the Filipinos are worth dying for,
I, myself also believe that he deserves to be remembered by all generations of Filipinos in the
present and in the future.