Malacañang on Friday reminded all Filipinos that in order make Philippines a “better” nation, citizens need to look at the life of Dr. Jose Rizal, our country’s national hero, and emulate his deeds to become “agents of genuine transformation.”
to emulate the country’s national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, and become “agents of genuine transformation” to make the Philippines a “better” nation.
“The Palace joins the entire Filipino nation in celebrating Jose Rizal’s 159th birth anniversary,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a press statement commemorating the 159th birth anniversary of Rizal.
He specifically urged the young people, the “hope for our future” as Jose Rizal put it, to see the hero as a guiding light.
“We ask our people, the youth in particular, whom our beloved hero referred to as the ‘hope for our future,’ to take inspiration from his life and emulate his principles to be agents of genuine transformation for a better Philippines.”
Rizal’s influential works, including his novels “Noli Me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo,” sparked the Filipino revolution against the Spaniards.
Rizal’s advocacy for reforms in the Philippines during Spain’s colonial rule led to his early death. He was convicted of sedition and executed in Bagumbayan, now called Luneta, in Manila on Dec. 30, 1896.
Roque said Rizal’s life is a testament of “how a single person’s deep love for his country could spark the re-awakening of our forefathers’ desire for freedom and change.”
“This occasion reminds us of Dr. Rizal’s young life, dedicated to service, which rings a bell in these challenging times,” he said.
