THE DEATH OF A

HERO
MODULE 2
J O S É P R O TA S I O R I Z A L M E R C A D O
Y A LO N S O R E A LO N D A
• A Filipino nationalist and polymath during the tail
end of the Spanish colonial period of the
Philippines. 
• June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896
• He was executed by the Spanish colonial
government for the crime of rebellion after the 
Philippine Revolution, inspired in part by his
writings, broke out.
• He was the author of the novels Noli Me Tángere
 and El filibusterismo, and a number of poems
and essays.
BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
DID YOU KNOW THAT JOSE RIZAL IS
NOT THE PHILIPPINES’ NATIONAL
HERO?

ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL

COMMISSION FOR CULTURE AND THE
ARTS (NCAA 2011), THERE HAS BEEN
NO OFFICIAL PROCLAMATION OF
ANY FILIPINO HISTORICAL FIGURE
AS OUR NATIONAL HERO
THE NCAA STATES, “ EVEN JOSE RIZAL,
CONSIDERED AS THE GREATEST AMONG THE
FILIPINO HEROES, WAS NOT EXPLICITLY PROCLAIMED
AS A NATIONAL HERO. THE POSITION HE NOW
HOLDS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY IS A TRIBUTE TO THE
CONTINUED VENERATION OR ACCLAMATION OF THE
PEOPLE IN RECOGNITION OF HIS CONTRIBUTION TO
THE SIGNIFICANT SOCIAL TRANSFORMATIONS THAT
TOOK PLACE IN OUR COUNTRY.”
PA D R E FA U R A W I T N E S S E S T H E
EXECUTION OF RIZAL
BY DA N T O N R E M O T O

I S TA N D O N T H E R O O F
O F T H E AT E N E O M U N I C I PA L
SHIVERING
ON THIS DECEMBER MORNING

MONTHS AGO,
PEPE CAME TO ME
I N T H E O B S E RVAT O RY
I T H O U G H T W E W O U L D TA L K
A B O U T T H E S TA R S
T H AT D O N O T C O L L I D E
 I N T H E S K Y:
INSTEAD, HE ASKED ME ABOUT
P U R G AT O RY
( H I S C H E E K S S T I L L R U D DY
FROM THE SUDDEN SUN
AFTER THE BITTER WINTER
IN EUROPE)

A N D O N T H I S D AY
WITH THE YEARS BEGINNING TO
TURN,
S A LT T H I N G S M Y E Y E S .
I SEE PEPE,
 A B LU R
BETWEEN THE SOLDIERS
WI TH TH E I R M AU S ERS RAI SE D
A N D T H E E A R LY M O R N I N G ’ S

S TA R :
STILL SHIMMERING
EVEN IF MILLIONS OF MILES
AWAY,
T H E S TA R I T S E L F
I S A L R E A DY D E A D
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY WAS
RIZAL’S GREATEST
CONTRIBUTION TO
PHILIPPINE SOCIETY?
EXPLAIN.