Republic of the Philippines

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY

The National Engineering University
Lemery Campus
Rajah Matanda St., Brgy. Bagong Sikat, Lemery, Batangas, Philippines 4209
Tel Nos.: (+63 43) 980-0385; 980-0387; 980-0392 to 94; 425-7158 to 62 loc. 5101/5102
E-mail Address: lemery@g.batstate-u.edu.ph | Website Address: http://www.batstate-u.edu.ph

ERICA B. MENORIAS FM2201

#IAmRizal #BeLikeRizal
FM Rizal as a Sanitary Engineer

As an engineer, Rizal put his skills to use by building a waterworks system in Dapitan.
Returning to his academic career, Rizal was awarded the status of expert surveyor (perito
agrimensor) by the Ateneo Municipal. He broadened his expertise as an agrimensor (surveyor) via
reading engineering-related publications. Therefore, despite the insufficiency of the equipment at
his disposal, he was able to establish a competent water system in the province. Modern engineers
were astonished at Rizal's ability to construct such a waterworks system, given his lack of
equipment and materials, as well as his restricted financial resources. He was able to provide an
excellent water infrastructure to Dapitan without any government assistance. With the assistance
of his Jesuit tutor, Fr. Rizal established a public plaza and streetlights, as well as a large relief map
of Mindanao in front of the parish church, which is now designated as a National Historical
Landmark by the NHI and an important cultural item by the National Museum. In Talisay, he
constructed three unique bamboo and nipa buildings of square, hexagonal, and octagonal designs,
which functioned as the family dwelling, chicken coop, and dormitory for his students,
respectively.
I'm impressed that even though Rizal was in exile, he didn't mind being transported to Dapitan
to live like a prisoner and yet managed to achieve so much. In the sense that he created a
cooperative even in exile, he has taught the impoverished Mindanao folk to join for commerce in
order to become independent and liberate themselves from the Chinese, and therefore become less
exploited. While many individuals might fear, despair, or lose hope in their life as a result of their
exile, Jose Rizal remained to serve his nation. This is what distinguished Jose Rizal as a national
hero above the others.