Why Rizal is an Overused Statue in the Philippines: An Essay

Jose Rizal is considered the national hero of the Philippines because of his efforts
to preserve Filipino nationalism through writing. His actions are proof that “the pen is
mightier than the sword,” because Rizal did not need to physically fight against the
Spaniards; he did it through his writing. After his death in the 30 th of December, 1896,
Rizal was revered as a hero; people talked about the man who sparked a revolution,
and helped awaken the Filipinos’ nationalism in order for them to fight back against the
Spaniards; they put up monuments to commemorate this great hero.
At present, there are at least 118 Rizal monuments around the nation, and at
least 10 Rizal monuments located outside the country 1. No matter where you go in the
Philippines, there is at least one statue of him in a town, city, or province. Look it up on
Google; it shouldn’t be too hard to find where your local Rizal statue is. Now to the
matter at hand: why is the Rizal statue overused in the Philippines?
The answer takes us to what these Rizal statues depict Rizal as. What is he doing
in these? Most of the ones I’ve seen in person and online depict Rizal as a man
standing proud and tall while holding a book. One even depicts his execution. I believe
these depictions of Rizal are overrated. Is that all the Philippines wants the general
public to know about their national hero?
If you ask a random citizen about Rizal’s contributions, they will tell you he wrote
two novels that sparked the Philippine Revolution against the Spaniards, they will tell
you he’s the national hero of the Philippines, they will tell you he died for this country.
But that isn’t all off Rizal’s accomplishments. That barely scrapes the surface of what
that man achieved in his relatively short lifetime.
At the age of 21, Rizal had travelled to different parts of the world from
Singapore all the way to Spain and back to the Philippines. Rizal was a polymath;
someone who excelled in many talents, and was not defined by any particular field
because he excelled in both academics, and the arts. He was proficient in many
languages, and even completed a medical degree in dentistry during his time in Spain.
Rizal was human—just like us. He’s not some unreachable god; he is like us. He fell in
love, just like us; he wrote love letters, just like us; he had dreams he wanted to fulfill,
just like us2.
It’s time to do away with the notion that Rizal is an untouchable being all
Filipinos should strive to be, because he had his faults. The statues of Rizal are
overused because they only ever showcase one aspect of the man’s personality—
Filipinos revere him, and refuse to acknowledge that Rizal was once like us. If the
Philippines really wanted to give Rizal justice for all that he’s done for our country, then
they better do it by highlighting everything that he was able to achieve; not by putting
him up on a pedestal.

1
Pinoy visits 118 Rizal monuments in PHL, https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/travel/314079/pinoy-visits-
118-rizal-monuments-in-phl/story/

2
COMMENTARY: Live Rizal Out, https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/opinion/content/506818/commentary-live-rizal-
out/story/