Historical

and Legal
Basis of Rizal
Day and
Other
Memorials in
honor of Jose
Rizal
 President Emilio Aguinaldo
 Two years after the execution
of Rizal in Bagumbayan,
Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo
issued on Dec. 20, 1898 a
decree designating Dec. 30
as the anniversary of Jose
Rizal’s death and also as “a
national day of mourning”
for Rizal and other victims of
the Spanish government
throughout its three centuries
of oppressive rule.
President Emilio Aguinaldo
He made a directive that all national flags
shall be hoisted at half-mast from 12 noon
on Dec. 29 and all offices of the government
shall be closed the whole day on December
30 as a sign of mourning. On December 30,
1898, Filipinos celebrated Rizal Day for the
first time and chose Club Filipino in Manila
to be the venue.
American Period
On June 11, 1901, Rizal
acquired the recognition as
‘Philippine National Hero’
under the first American
Governor William Howard Taft.

The Taft Commission issued Act

No. 137 renaming the district of
Morong as Rizal Province.
This was one of the first official
steps taken by the Taft
Commission to honor Rizal.
Since then, Jose Rizal came to
be known as the National Hero.
American Period
Further, on September 28, 1901, the Taft
Commission enacted Act No. 243 granting the
right to use a public land at the Luneta in
Manila where the statue of Dr. Jose Rizal was
erected and remains are buired in the said area.
On February 1, 1902, Act No. 345 was
enacted by the Philippine Commission setting
December 30 of each year as Rizal Day and
making it one of the ten official holidays of
the Philippines.
President Elpidio Quirino
So important was the
observation of Rizal Day
that President Quirino
approved on June 9, 1948
Republic Act No. 229
which prohibits
cockfighting, horse racing
and jai-alai every 30th of
December of each year, in
order to have proper
observance of Rizal Day.
President Ramon Magsaysay
Jose Rizal’s vast role in
the attainment of the
nation’s freedom led to
the issuance of Republic
Act 1425 on June 12,
1956. Commonly known
as the Rizal Law. It was
sponsored by Senator
Claro M. Recto and co-
authored by Senator Jose
P. Laurel, Jr.
President Ramon Magsaysay
It requires the curricula of private and
public schools, colleges and universities
courses to include the life, works and
writings of Jose Rizal, particularly his
novels Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo in order to educate the
students about the concept of nationalism
To sum up…

 Rizal monuments are concrete memorials to his

legacy and worthy of emulation, especially among
the country’s youth.
 Rizal Day is a day of appreciating Jose Rizal as a
hero, an icon and a perfect example on how to be
a Filipino.
To quote the late Sen. Blas Ople, “Jose Rizal
remains the supreme hero of the Philippines
because of the quality of his sacrifice, his absolute
dedication to the interest of his people, and his
achievement in many fields of endeavors”.