Colegio de San Gabriel Arcangel

Founded 1993
Area E, Fatima I, Sapang Palay, City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan
Recognized by the Government: DepEd, TESDA and CHED;
PACUCOA Accredited - Level 1

Course Code: GEC09

Subject: RIZAL I
LEARNING SHEET NO. 13
Name:_____________________ Score _________________
Date: _____________________ Section: _______________

Topic: The Worthiness of Rizal to Become our National Hero

Learning Outcomes: 1. Appreciate the life of our national hero.

2. Recognize Rizal’s God – given talent.
3. Discuss the comments of different sectors of Filipino society

References: Rizal and Other Philippine Heroes and Heroines

A Primer Teaching Strategies
Dionesio C. Rivas, M.A. Ed.D
Michael Molina Nael, M.A. PhD.
Discussions:

For more than a century now, Rizal was widely known as the Philippines national hero.
From that day when he was executed in Bagong Bayan until now, his heroism was
recognized by those who believed that he sacrificed his life for the love of our country.

His full name is Jose Protacio Mercado Rizal Alonzo Y Realonda, born on June 19,
1861 and died on December 30, 1896. The national hero of the Philippines and pride of
the Malayan race was born in the town of Calamba, Laguna. He was the seventh child
in the family of eleven children (2 boys and 9 girls). Both parents were educated and
belonged to distinguished families. His father, Francisco Mercado Rizal, an industrial
farmer whom Rizal called a “model of fathers”, came from Biñan, Laguna; while his
mother, Teodora Alonzo Y Quintos, a highly cultured and accomplished woman whom
Rizal called “ loving and prudent mother”, was born in Meisic, Sta. Cruz, Manila. At the
age of three, he learned the alphabet from his mother and at the age of five, while
learning to read and write, he already showed inclinations to be an ar`tist. He astounded
his family and relatives by his pencil drawings and sketches as well as his mouldings of
clay. At the age of eight, he wrote a Tagalog poem, “Sa aking mga Kababata”, The
theme of which revolves on the love of one’s language. The surname “Rizal” was only
added to his name upon his enrollment in Ateneo de Manila to protect him from those
who were after him and his family.

Did you know that Rizal was half Spanish - half Chinese? Yet he remained loyal to
our country. Few people knew this maybe because of the reason that his family brought
him into thinking that the Philippines is his home and that he should be thankful of that.
It is indeed evident for he has very few traces of Filipino blood, yet all Filipino in heart
and in mind!

There are a lot of names that are quite worthy of the recognition “The Philippine
national hero,” some of them died in battle for the love of our country, some made a
difference by changing the lives of many, some served the government honestly and
some made our people proud by doing things that made us known all over the world;
but, only Rizal had a unique way of doing so. He is the only hero who fought his
enemies without killing anyone. He used paper and pen to open the eyes of the Filipinos
and encourage them to fight for their rights and stand for their beliefs.

Jose Rizal was recognized for offering his talents for the country. He was an artist,
an athlete and a doctor. He engaged in agriculture, fishing and business. He maintained
and operated a hospital; He conducted classes and taught his students English and
Spanish languages, arts and sciences, vocational courses including agriculture,
surveying, sculpturing and painting, as well as the art of self defense. He did some
researches and collected specimens, he entered into correspondence with renowned
men of letters and science abroad and with the help of his pupils, he constructed water
dams and relief maps of Mindanao – both considered remarkable engineering feats. His
sincerity and friendliness won for him the trust and confidence of even those assigned to
guard him; his good manners and warm personality were found irresistibly by women of
all races with whom he had personal contacts. His intelligence and humility gained for
him the respect and admiration of prominent men of other nations; while his undaunted
courage and determination to uplift the welfare of his people were feared by his
enemies. Not only here in the Philippines but other countries as well did Rizal make a
remarkable difference.

His works inspired many of our countrymen to seek reform, to seek freedom. His
literary masterpieces like “Noli Me Tangere”, “El Filibusterismo”, “A la Juventad Filipina”
and The Indolence of the Filipinos were reflections of the injustices committed by the
Spaniards on the Filipinos. These are just examples of Rizal’s famous works, his
weapons as what others called them. He tackled the Government’s bias over powerful
people, the hidden agendas of the church, the people of the organizations that run the
country and the colonization, also, the involvement of foreign culture was a big question
mark; yet, he explained himself quite convincingly.

Rizal’s talents were recognized and renowned worldwide. He had used his talents to
serve his country. He dedicated them to his motherland. Jose Rizal’s life and works
served as an inspiration that ignited the Philippine Revolution that defeated the
Spaniards. Many may have suspected that Rizal was exaggerating everything. He
should have never found faults on the way the Spanish friars ran the government, he
should have earned a lot of money instead by writing good things in favor of them; but,
he did not do that not once, not twice, never, not even the thought of it. Isn’t sacrificing
his life not enough?

It is eminently proper that Rizal has become the acknowledged national hero of the
Philippine people. The American administration has ever lent assistance to this
recognition, setting aside the anniversary of his death to be a day of observance,
placing his picture on the postage stamp most commonly used in the islands. The public
schools teach the young Filipinos to revere his memory as the greatest of the Filipino
patriots.

Even after his death, Filipinos continue to recognize his heroisms. After a lot of
doubts enlightened, questionings and thinking twice, we finally agreed that Rizal really is
worthy of becoming our national hero and he will forever remain in our hearts in our
minds and in our souls. He is someone we Filipinos should be proud of.

What are the comments of different sectors of Filipino society about Jose
Rizal?

The following are the different comments about Jose Rizal (Some names were
withheld on request):

“Now I can say unquestionably that Rizal is worthy to become our national hero. No
Filipino has yet been born who could equal or surpass Rizal as a ‘person of
distinguished valor or enterprise in danger, or fortitude in suffering.”

“What is the most admirable in Rizal,” wrote Rafael Palma “is his complete
abandonment of his personal interests in order to think only of those of his country. He
could have been whatever he wished to be, considering his natural endowments, he
could have earned considerable sums of money from his profession; he could have lived
relatively rich, happy prosperous, had he not dedicated himself to public matters. But in
him the voice of the species was stronger than the voice of personal progress or private
fortune, and he preferred to live far from his family, and to sacrifice his personal
affections for an ideal he had dreamed of. He heeded not his brother, not even his
parents, whom he respected and venerated so much, in order to follow the road his
conscience had traced for him.”

“He did not have great means at his disposal to carry out his campaign, but that did
not discourage him; he contented himself with what he had. He suffered rigors of the
cold winter of Europe, he suffered hunger, privation and misery; but when he raised his
eyes to heaven and saw his ideal, his hope was reborn. He complained of his
countrymen, he complained of some of those who had promised him help and did not
help him, until at times, profoundly disillusioned, he wanted to renounce his campaign
forever, giving up everything. But such moments were evanescent, he soon felt
comforted and resumed the task of bearing the cross of his suffering.”

“It has been a hundred years ago since Rizal died and I could say that he is really
worthy to be named so. When I was in my younger years, I only knew Rizal a little. But
as I was able to take up history and Rizal course in college, I got to know him further
and deeper. And so, I could say that he really deserved the title. My approval was not
only based on the fact that he was a well-educated person but because of his ideals and
his achievements for his motherland. I believe that he is one of the greatest men in this
world. He had accomplished a lot of things for himself and for our country. All his ideas
and deeds had enlightened the Filipinos not only during his time but also until now. It
was he who first thought of our national freedom from the foreign invaders. His means of
fighting for freedom was shown in a subtle way for he knew that engaging in that battle
without proper arms could be very disadvantageous. He believed that to raise a bloody
fight against the Spanish colonizers was not the only solution to the problem. Rather he
chose to awaken his fellow Filipinos to be united and to condemn the maltreatment the
Spanish government extended unto them through his writings. For him, the ‘pen is
mightier than the sword.’”

“Although the propaganda movement he joined did not succeed, he still found a way
to continue his mission – to free the Filipino people from the Spanish oppression by
seeking total independence from the Spanish government. He opted to travel to Europe
to seek knowledge and information as to how these countries had tried to run their own
government with the hope that Filipinos could also rule their own country by themselves
one day. He also managed to show to other people in other countries how great
Filipinos could be by his achievements making the rest of the Filipinos proud of him. He
excelled in many fields while in Europe. When he came back to his native land, he has
done a lot of generous acts to his fellows and helped them uplift their way of living. He
tried his very best to free them from the tyranny until he was sentenced to death. By
being able to sacrifice everything this much for the love of his country, Rizal is justly to
be well noted of his extraordinary deeds. That is why I do well think he deserves to be
our national hero.”

“Though this generation and the generation before us did not live during the time
when the National Hero was being chosen, we do not protest Dr. Jose Rizal’s selection.
When we were in grade school, we were taught that the Philippine National Hero was
Jose Rizal and we acknowledged him to be worthy of such title. Questions were raised
later when we got to know of other hero’s valor and works. Still in the end we personally
recognize him, this time not dictated by others but by our own conviction.”

“Rizal is indeed worthy of this title and to represent our country. Filipinos,
themselves, called him SUPERMAN – “ Superior Man”. To them this man had raised
himself above his contemporaries. His ways were different, not only because he was an
educated man, for most of his contemporaries were also learned, but because he was a
man who gave careful thought to his ways. He carefully weighed and valued things. He
believed in freedom but resolved to obtain it in an educated and uncommon way. His
perspectives were not narrowly drawn. Rather his vision encompasses the future.”

“The vast number of his works and accomplishments were the fruits of his genius
mind. These works, especially Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, sparked the
nationalistic torch in the Filipino’s hearts, fanning the Revolution into a raging flame.
Without Rizal's masterpieces the Revolution could not have materialized. Our hero’s
death had accomplished a multitude over what he had done when he was alive.”

“This man epitomizes a proud and noble Filipino. He was intelligent, skilled, patriotic,
pious, disciplined and dignified, even Bonifacio looked up to him, our Filipino youth
admired him, an exemplary model, one whom they want to be. He is an inspiration that
a brown-skinned race can rise up and is equal to the other races”

“Yes, I am in favor of Jose Rizal as our national hero. Because of all the heroes , Dr.
Jose Rizal was the only one who influenced mostly all of the Filipinos to revolt against
the Spanish government. He was the author of the two famous books/novels the ‘Noli
Me Tangere’ and ‘El Filibusterismo’ that became the wick of the revolution.”

“Dr. Jose Rizal was also an educated person who thought that the ‘pen is mightier
than the sword’ unlike Andres Bonifacio, Rizal brought prestige to our country. He
studied in Barcelona and Madrid, Spain. He dealt with other races and because of that
he knew how to think rationally. He was not in favor of violence as the solution to have
freedom.”

“Dr. Rizal outnumbered other heroes in terms of his talents, nobility and patriotism.
He did the non-violent way of fighting and suffered political martyrdom. No one could
stop Dr. Jose Rizal’s ideas up to the point that he was exiled in Dapitan and was shot at
Bagumbayan. Talking about his life, he set aside things for his self-interest for the sake
of our country. He could have been whatever he wished to be or even earned a lot of
money from his profession as a doctor or lived a prosperous and happy life rather than
thinking of writing and doing as his other contributions for the country.”

“Dr. Rizal passed the definition and criteria of being a hero. He was the man honored
after death by the public and most people speak of his greatness. Many politicians and
writers used his famous quotations and sayings in their speeches and works. Rizal was
a man of dignity, respect and loyalty. He deserves to be the Philippine
National Hero.”

“About his works, like El Filibusterismo that Simoun never succeeded to oppose the
Spanish government, like his aim to save our country to get rid of the Spaniards, he
thinks that in Rizal’s time, it is hard for any Filipino to get over the hands of the
Spaniards, Spanish was too powerful who can even do whatever they want to do. But
Rizal did whatever the best he can, to enlighten the Filipinos about the government. He
wanted us to do something that he didn’t do to fight for our rights as Filipino in our own
country.”
 “Jose Rizal does not only exist especially on the youth, not only during Rizal’s
subject, or only during examination and researching for their assigned topic. That kind of
person is concerned about his/her grade and not for the life and works of Jose Rizal.
Filipinos should maintain in their heart how Rizal loved our country.”

“Dr. Jose P. Rizal was truly a masterpiece of God for He made him a multi-intelligent
person. Of all persons, this man was blessed having been able to get what he wants for
his fellowman, though he risks his life before achieving what he wants.”

“As he said “human sufferings is a cancer of so malignant a character that least

touch irritates it and awakens in it the sharpest pains.” He seeks the best treatment for
his country, he does what the ancients did with their sick, exposing them on the steps of
the temple so that everyone who came to invoke the Divinity might offer them a
remedy.”

“No doubt Rizal raised the name of the Filipino diminishing the evil and sacrificing his
own life. Jose Rizal ought to become a treasured possession, not only of one nation, but
of the human race. It will a be better world when more men have touched his noble
spirit. No conditions will change the national hero inside JOSE RIZAL... “

“Dr. Jose Rizal was certainly a national hero of all times for he wants freedom for his
motherland and he also gave his life for this aim to be done. He doesn’t want Filipinos to
be called as Indios that’s why he had done something to diminish this, by giving his life
and knowledge to his nation.”

“I think Rizal became the Philippine National Hero because he gave his life to his
nation. He founded a brotherhood/samahan to be a foundation to achieve freedom. He
used his pen in fighting against his enemy.”

“He’s worthy to be called the national hero because he is a splendid person having a
multiple intelligent characteristics.”

“Rizal really deserves to be named as our national hero, because of his full
dedication and immeasurable love for our country. He also meets all the criteria of being
a national hero. It really affected the Filipinos at their time because only Rizal stood and
realized the abuse and misuse of power by the Spanish assailant. In his works he
revealed what is the true condition of our country and its people. The friars are the ones
being knocked by his works that make people realize the true character of the friars. We
believe that Rizal’s principles and ideas should be remembered, but it is sad to say that
only a few treasure the sacrifices and hardships of Rizal.”

“This is without a doubt a contentious question whose answer depends on the

respondent’s criteria of what a “national hero” means. Using my own criteria, I believe
him worthy of being named hero because his writings expressed the ideology of
nationhood. If I remember it correctly, he was the first writer to use the word “Filipino” to
include all inhabitants of the archipelago irregardless of descent or origin (mestizos,
Chinese immigrants, natives.)”

“I can say that he’s worthy to be our national hero. Others may think that he’s not
brave enough to fight and face the enemies because he went abroad. Maybe they only
knew few things about Rizal. They don’t know what’s the reason behind going to other
country.”

“He believes that pen is mightier than sword. He doesn’t want to see blood of his
fellowmen. War in a silent manner is what he intended to do, that’s why he secretly
wrote the two popular novels that attacked the Spaniards, especially the priests, and
other persons in authority. His main objective in pursuing his two great paper works was
to have fair treatment between Filipinos and Spaniards, he also wants Filipinos to be
literate in knowing the Spanish language. Rizal gave his life to his nation not thinking
twice.”

“About my own point of view on Rizal’s credibility as the chosen national hero of the
Philippines, I definitely agree with it, because among all the heroes that we have in our
country he’s the only one who really make huge impact in our country. We have all
known that he is not the only hero who made use of his mind in fighting the Spaniards
but the mere fact that his works such as his two great novels Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo, were the only writings that the Filipino are being familiar with, we can say
that these novels are really significant in appreciating his heroism. He is a person of
distinguished valor; I can say that among the list of our heroes he’s the one and only
who initiates to fight against the Spaniards by the use of his talent in writing. Thus, it just
shows that Rizal is very calm and intelligent person of his time.”

“Yes I agree that Rizal is our national hero because through his writings the Filipinos
were awakened to the reality that we should be united in order to have independence.
For me, one of the qualifications to be a national hero is that you fight for independence
and peace and not by any bloody action but through a peaceful way that Rizal did. His
studies give a deep structural change in the country during the time of colonial
occupation. And also he became the leader of the Propaganda Movement, contributing
numerous articles to its newspaper, La Solidaridad, published in Barcelona which is
anti-friars.”

“Rizal was given the knowledge to be an instrument in achieving freedom in our

country. Even though he died without seeing the “fruits” of his sacrifices still his writings
serve as an inspiration for the Filipinos. He is a peace loving person and devotes his
time even when he’s in Spain and other countries for the welfare of the Filipino nation. I
also like him for being calm and wise person. As much as possible he did not like that
the Filipinos will engage in bloody actions to achieve freedom. He serves as an example
to us that , still education is the best way to achieve one’s goal in life. He is best
example of a Filipino whom his people can be proud of. Even Marcelo H. Del Pilar,
Luna, Bonifacio, and other heroes admired him for being very bright and wise person.
His two novels are the great weapons against the Spaniards. Studying Rizal’s
biography, I learned that he has a good heart, devoted to his country and always looked
into a way to help his country by using his knowledge and what he has learned through
education. He did not fail his brother’s (Paciano) dream that he be an instrument in our
country’s independence. That’s why I agree that Rizal is our national hero.”

“Yes, I am in favor of JOSE RIZAL as our National Hero. Obviously he died for our
country. He used his intelligence and wisdom through his writings which aroused the
awareness of the Filipino people. He offered his life to regain our freedom.”

“If we look beyond the different facts which are presented to us at present, we might
be confused but if we dig deeper, we’ll find out that among our other heroes, he much
deserves to be our national hero.”

“His heroic deeds awakened our countrymen to pursue the achievement of total
freedom through peaceful means. Rizal fought calmly. He didn’t use any means of
violence. He did many charitable acts. Besides, if we still remember before he died we
can see how we suffered from the hands of colonists/oppressors.”

“Rizal, truly dedicated his life for the Philippines, his love for the country was
immeasurable and gave up his personal dream for his nation. Rizal was the ultimate
Filipino who ever lived, primarily because he is patriotic, nationalistic, intelligent,
talented, wise etc…Rizal never turned down the Philippines though he had the chance
never to return to his motherland, he did not take that, instead, he came back and died
for the country. Rizal used his intelligence and talents to study in different countries and
used his wisdom to help his motherland.”

“I believe that Rizal is worthy to be our National Hero because based on what I had
learned in our subject Rizal, even before he was a child he had a genuine love for
reading and writing. He also had a strong foundation on his education through his
mother as his first teacher and guided by his brother Paciano in fighting for our country’s
freedom. Rizal traveled across the country to investigate if our government is doing what
is right and if people from such countries have given the right to speak against their
government. He also suffered from diseases and tried to cure himself. His own way of
fighting for our freedom is truly admirable and, in fact, his writing inspires people and
most important of all, he had touched the hearts and minds of the Filipino people.”

“I agree that Rizal is worthy to be our National Hero for he had used his intelligence
to fight the Spanish Government and did it in a creative way like “writing”. I love to read
poems of Rizal and I think it inspires me and it really made an impression that Rizal is a
romantic, nationalistic and a nature-lover person. Education is really the answer and
Rizal made it an instrument to achieve our freedom. In addition, I was a bit sad for if
Rizal is still alive during the year that the Philippines has achieved its freedom, then he
would see the fruit of his suffering; but on the other hand, if he was not executed he
wouldn’t deserve to be called our National Hero and Filipinos might not be able to
realize his contribution to our country.”

“Rizal must be called our National Hero for he had contributed a lot for our country,
he used his writings and, furthermore, spent his life to fight for our country. Rizal’s
strategy is a form of a “silent-but-a-loud-fight”, it means that he used his writings that
made an innocent man to be aware of what was happening around and try to build an
impression on the Filipino’s way of living so that they maybe able to fight for what is
right. He also used his writings to be able to deliver his message to the Filipinos for
them to visualize Spanish’s cruelty. Rizal’s achievement is, until now, incomparable to
other heroes.”
“Rizal is worthy to be called the national hero of Filipinos. He fought for freedom and
education in a manner that captivates the heart of the readers, meaning through writing.
I’m really inspired by his personality as an individual because he seeks for the good of
his fellowmen. He sees the truth behind all the sacrifices done by our ancestors. His
patriotism inspired a lot of people to become more sensitive and awake of the situation
the Filipinos had before. His integrity through writings contributes much for the freedom
of his country. Although he knew that the consequence of all his efforts was death, he
still fought for others. In that, he is a great Filipino that everyone can be proud of.”

“After having a class in “RIZAL”, I realized that Rizal is really a great man. Since he
was a young boy, his way of thinking was very different when you compare to other
boys with the same age. He showed already his love not only to his family but also to his
homeland. In addition, he studied very hard for his loved ones especially for our
country.”

“Dr. Jose Rizal made different actions just to save his fellowmen and his country
from the hands of the Spaniards. Through his writings, he enlightened the minds of the
Filipinos and gave lessons to us in different aspects of life. And besides all his
blessings, he had a good concept when it comes to God. He died for his country. That’s
why for me he deserves to be our national hero.”

“Rizal is the only hero who initiated to fight the Spaniards in a peaceful way. His
story really inspires each and everyone of us. He is one of a kind and even the
foreigners adore him for his great works. Like what Blumentritt said, Rizal is like a rare
comet that comes once in a million year. According to the interviewee, we should be
proud of him because he’s the only Filipino hero who has been known in the whole
world because of his cleverness and bravery.”

“Rizal truly deserves to be our national hero because he made use of his knowledge
appropriately as an instrument against the Spaniards. Rizal fought in a peaceful manner
and that is through his writings that our fellow Filipinos gained the freedom from the
Spanish Government.”

“Kasi kakaiba si Rizal sa lahat. Napakatalinong tao, maraming nalalaman, at hangad

talaga ang makatulong sa bayan niya. Ginamit niya ang kanyang natutunan sa ibang
bansa upang makatulong sa Pilipinas. Lalo na ang paggamit ng salitang Español upang
makagawa ng libro ukol sa mga mapang-aping Kastila. Ipinahayag niya ang ninanais
niyang pagbabago gamit ang panulat. Ayaw niyang gamitin ang dahas at pagdanak ng
dugo upang makamit lang ang inaasam na kalayaan sagkat alam kong naniniwala siya
na di iyon makakabuti para sa bansa.”

“A hero is somebody who does something extraordinary. What Dr. Jose Rizal did
was that, He fought through the pen so that the Filipinos were made aware to fight
because of their realization through his writings. The two prominent books are the Noli
Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. It’s not the mighty weapon he used but the power of
pen!”

“Of course yes! Dr. Jose Rizal has the right to become our national hero because of
his vast accomplishments. He fought for the freedom of Filipino people through his pen
and wisdom. Although I’m not a History professor it is enough to know that because of
him we have our freedom.”

“Yes, Dr. Jose Rizal is worthy to become our National Hero because of his countless
contribution to our country. Everyone knows that he fought through the pen but he was
the one who made an initial move to lead La Liga Filipina. He promoted nationalism and
patriotism to the Filipinos through his own life. Although he is already dead his legacy to
our Motherland is still alive.”

“He is worthy for that name because he has shown his true and deep love for our
country... and his principle that the pen is mightier than the sword… he enlightened the
minds of our countrymen to all the unjustly acts done by the Spanish government…and
so of all the Filipino heroes, I can say that he is too unique. He conceptualized the
rebellion against the Spaniards for all our countrymen.”

“Oo naman karapat dapat si Rizal na maging pambansang bayani natin. Ikaw ba
naman pipiliin mo ba na magsulat ng laban sa mga Kastila kung alam mong buhay mo
ang nakataya? Siyempre hindi diba? Pero siya ginawa pa rin nya, isang malaking
sakripisyo yun. Kung tutuusin mayaman naman sila, makabayan pa siya kaya karapat
dapat siyang maging pambansang bayani.”

“Ang katangiang ipinamalas ni Rizal ay natatangi sa lahat ng mga bayaning sumibol

noong mga panahong iyon…. Ang pamamaraan niya upang ipakita ang dakila niyang
pagmamahal sa bayan na di nangangailangan ng anumang dahas o kinakailangan ng
isang madugong labanan…ang prinsipyo niya bilang isang mahinahong tao ang ating
dapat tularan.”

“…sumasang-ayon ako na si Dr. Jose Rizal ang naging pambansang bayani sa

kadahilanang ipinaglaban niya ang kalayaan ng Pilipinas at ipinakita niya ang dakilang
pagmamahal. Dito kahit na buhay pa man niya ang kapalit…at isa siyang dakilang tao
sa mundo na maituturing dahil sa mga katangian niya….”
 “Rizal proved that pen is mightier than sword because he opened the hearts and the
minds of the Filipinos on what was really happening in the Philippines under the
Spanish Government by writing and not by bloody revolution.”
There are a lot of characteristics that Rizal had but for these said achievements of
him, I can say that Rizal is indeed worthy to become the national hero.

“As a teacher, I can say that Rizal is worthy to be our national hero because, he is a
good example to our youth by showing his good characteristics as a student. As a
Filipino citizen, he is great because he sacrificed everything for our beloved motherland.
He is a good example as a son through the respect and love to his parent and a good
brother to his sisters as well as to his big brother.”

“Jose Rizal should be our national hero because he is an inspiration to a lot of

people during his time. He awakened the mind of the people in fighting for our freedom.
He also sets an example to many people and he became an inspiration to some writers
to write the real situation of the Philippines under the Spanish regime.”

“Dr. Jose Rizal should stay as the Philippines’ national hero because of his work
during his time. His intelligence helped some Filipino people to see what they are worth
of, and that is freedom. He looked for a way on how to make the people stand in their
own country and that is by means of education. In that way, he wrote many
commentaries which prompted some people to fight for their right as a Filipino.”

“Dr. Jose P. Rizal, as he played a vital part in our country’s history, I think, should
stay as our national hero. Nothing could be more qualified than his own intelligence,
skills and abilities to achieve a way of freedom for his fellow countrymen of his time.”

“As a national hero, a person should stand as a model,, a source of inspiration and
strength to everyone who looks up into him. Dr. Rizal shows not only these, but also the
courage which fueled many emotions of other latter heroes like Gat. Andres Bonifacio,
Marcelo H. del Pilar. Gen. Antonio Luna to relentlessly fight for the right and for the
identity of a free land.”

“I agree because aside from his writings that awakened the nationalism of Filipinos
and opened the eyes of the Europeans to the reality that the Spaniards abused our
ancestors, he also organized the La Liga Filipina where the Katipunan came from or
originated and besides Jose Rizal was one of the inspirations in the struggle for
independence.”

“Rizal is very nationalistic. He used his knowledge to fight for freedom. His life
inspires most of the Filipinos. His death became a wake-up call for the Filipinos to fight
for freedom. His weapon for achieving independence is not a sword but his pen that’s
why the best way to gain freedom is still through a peaceful way.”
 “I’m sure he’s worthy to become our national hero because of his exemplary
characters shown to us. And Rizal gave his all for the freedom of our nation.”

“He’s worthy to be our national hero because he possessed all the qualities that befit
a hero.”

“He was an intelligent person and he had his own way of fighting for freedom. He
had all the talent and experience that others did not have and his life was very ideal.”
“With his timeless influence to all of us, shown by the fact that his principles are still
applicable until today, he is worthy to be the country’s national hero.”

“He set good example to Filipinos, love of country, industry, intelligence and above
all fear of God.”

“Dr. Jose Rizal deserved to be our national hero because of his writings, that he
used this as his sword instead of arms or weapons.”

“He was an epitome of intellectual prowess which serves as a good example for us,
to remind everyone on the importance of education.”

“He made our country proud with his great works. This is enough reason for me to
consider him worthy to become the national hero.”

“He represents each one of us, having multiple professions (e.g. doctor, scientist,
etc.)”

“Indeed, Rizal deserved to be our hero. No single person or groups of persons were
responsible for making the Greatest Malayan, the number one hero of his people. Rizal
himself, his own people, and the foreigners all contributed to make him the greatest hero
and martyr of his people. No amount of adulation and canonization by both Filipino and
foreigners could convert Rizal into a great hero if he did not possess in himself what
Palma calls “excellent qualities and merits.”

Review Question
1. Discuss how worthy is Rizal as the National Hero.
- Jose Rizal’s designation as the national hero of the Philippines is richly
deserved, owing to his profound intellectual contributions, commitment to
peaceful reforms, symbolic role in resistance, martyrdom, influence on
cultural identity, and lasting legacy of values. A polymath, Rizal excelled
in literature, medicine, and sciences, with his seminal works, “Noli Me
Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo,” serving as catalysts for Filipino
awakening against Spanish colonial oppression. Advocating for peaceful
reforms, Rizal believed in the transformative power of education and the
pen as instruments for societal progress. His martyrdom at the hands of
 the Spanish authorities elevated him as a symbol of sacrifice and ignited
the flames of the Philippine Revolution.
-
- Rizal’s legacy extends to shaping Filipino cultural identity by celebrating
indigenous language, history, and values. His teachings, emphasizing
love of country, human rights, and the pursuit of knowledge, continue to
inspire generations, offering timeless lessons on citizenship and
patriotism. While debates persist about the choice of a national hero,
Rizal’s enduring impact on Filipino consciousness and his pivotal role in
the nation’s history undeniably make him a worthy and iconic figure,
symbolizing the aspirations of the Filipino people for freedom, justice,
and national dignity.