Jose Protasio Rizal

by Joshua from Newark

Dr. Jose P. Rizal is the national hero of the Philippines. He was the one who led the Filipinos to
start a revolution against the Spanish Government to attain freedom and to gain control of the
country. He is well-known for being a propagandist and his way of fighting the Spanish
Government through his writing by revealing the inhumane manipulation of the Spanish
Government in the Philippines. He chose to have a silent war and not a bloody war because he
thinks that it is the only way to gain freedom. Through that, other Filipinos were motivated to get
that freedom. They started many revolts against the Spanish Government. Personally, I admire
Dr. Jose P. Rizal because he made a difference for the country to have that freedom. And I am
thankful for what he did because I am proud to say that I am a true FREE Filipino.
Dr. Jose P. Rizal's real name is José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda. He was born
on June 19, 1861 in Calamba, Laguna, Philippines. He died on December 31, 1896 in
Bagumbayan Manila, Philippines. Jose Rizal's parents are Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado y
Alejandro (1818–1898)and Teodora Morales Alonzo Realonda y Quintos (1826–1911). Rizal
was the seventh child of their eleven children. He wrote these two books, Noli Me Tangere and
El Filibusterismo.

Dr. Jose P. Rizal's death on December 31, 1896, changed the Philippines. The Filipinos were
truly affected by his death in a sense that they were urged to start a revolution against the
Spanish government to gain control of the Philippines. Yearly, there is a commemoration of his
death called Rizal Day. This is the day where Filipinos remember his death and his sacrifice for
the country. He greatly influenced the Filipino people because of what he did for the country.
Most of the Filipino people started to strive really hard for their education to have a successful
life.
Dr. Jose P. Rizal's concept of the importance of education is clearly shown in his work entitled
Instruction wherein he sought improvements in the schools and in the methods of teaching. He
knows that the backwardness of his country during the Spanish era was not due to the Filipinos’
indifference, apathy or indolence as claimed by the rulers, but to the neglect of the Spanish
authorities in the islands. For Rizal, the mission of education is to elevate the country to the
highest seat of glory and to develop the people’s mentality. Since education is the foundation of
society and a prerequisite for social progress, Rizal claimed that only through education could
the country be saved from domination. Rizal’s philosophy of education, therefore, centers on the
provision of proper motivation in order to bolster the great social forces that make education a
success, to create in the youth an innate desire to cultivate his intelligence and give him life
eternal.

Dr. Jose Rizal has influenced me to strive really hard in life. Education is the important key to
this success. Living his principles will get me somewhere in this life. Remembering his
principles teaches me how to be like him in a way that he made a difference for the country. I
want to do the same thing to in which I am doing something for my country. And I'm not going
to forget about his legacy. With the best of my ability, I will try to continue this legacy.