RIZAL

BILANG ISANG BAYANI

José Rizal is remembered today throughout the Philippines for his brilliance, courage, peaceful
resistance to tyranny, and compassion. Filipino schoolchildren study his final literary work, a
poem called "Mi Ultimo Adios" ("My Last Goodbye"), and his two famous novels. Spurred by
Rizal's martyrdom, the Philippine Revolution continued until 1898. With assistance from the
United States, the Philippine archipelago defeated the Spanish army. The Philippines declared
independence from Spain on June 12, 1898, becoming the first democratic republic in Asia.

Jose Rizal is considered a hero in the Philippines because of his patriotism and devotion
towards his country, his persuasive writing, novels, and propaganda, and the significance of his
execution.

His kind heart won over many Filipinos to follow his cause and his competence as a public
speaker made him popular. José brought a new era for the Filipino people. His ability to inspire
others and his compassion for his people made him a national hero. José inspired and unified
the Filipino people with his aptitude to motivate and inspire others. José did not want to be a
spectator and witness what the Spanish would do to his nation, instead he joined associations
to speak out against the Spanish and he shared his opinions on civil rights.

José Rizal changed the Philippines and forever engraved his legacy on this Earth through his
ability to inspire and his compassion for others. José questioned the Spanish tyranny and
caused a movement that forever altered the history of the Philippines. His campaign made the
Filipinos more aware of their rights and caused them to demand equality. He taught the Filipinos
how to be nonviolent and mindful. José stood up for what was right and reasonable. Despite the
overwhelming odds that stacked up against him, José managed to bust out the courage to be
the beacon of light the Filipinos needed in their time of crisis. In a time when there were
supposed to be no heroes, he came out of the shadows and rose. His actions and words still
affected the Filipinos and the Philippines even up to this day. His legacy has and will still inspire
people throughout the world forever.

BILANG ISANG ANAK

José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was born on June 19, 1861, at Calamba,
Laguna, the seventh child of Francisco Rizal Mercado and Teodora Alonzo y Quintos. The
family was wealthy farmers who rented land from the Dominican religious order. Descendants of
a Chinese immigrant named Domingo Lam-co changed their name to Mercado ("market") under
the pressure of anti-Chinese feelings among the Spanish colonizers. From an early age, Rizal
showed a precocious intellect. He learned the alphabet from his mother at the age of 3 and
could read and write at age 5.

As a son, Rizal implied he was grateful to his parents. "He always treasured the care
demonstrated to him by his parents due to his poor health." As a loyal son, Rizal began to have
misgivings on friendship and started to be suspicious of his fellowmen because of the
incarceration of his mother.

BILANG ISANG MAG-AARAL

Rizal attended the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, graduating at age 16 with the highest honors.
He took a post-graduate course there in land surveying. Rizal completed his surveyor's training
in 1877 and passed the licensing exam in May 1878, but he could not receive a license to
practice because he was only 17. He was granted a license in 1881 when he reached the age of
majority. In 1878, the young man enrolled in the University of Santo Tomas as a medical
student. He later quit the school, alleging discrimination against Filipino students by the
Dominican professors.

Rizal was an excellent student and had garnered high scholastic records in all subjects. On
March 23, 1877, the 15-year old Rizal received his Bachelor of Arts diploma (equivalent to
present-day high school diploma) and was among the nine sobresaliente or outstanding
students of their class.