THE LIFE OF OUR NATIONAL HERO

Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado Y Alonso Realonda was born on June 19, 1861, in the
town of Calamba, Laguna, to Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonzo. He was the youngest of
ten siblings, with nine sisters and one brother. He was the only one of his siblings to bear the
Rizal surname.
Rizal's mother was his first teacher. He was able to read at the age of three. For nine
years, he attended Justiniano Cruz's school in Binan, Laguna. He enrolled in the Ateneo
Municipal de Manila in 1872 and graduated with a land surveyor and assessor's degree. He also
attended the University of Santo Tomas, where he enrolled in a law preparatory course.
However, after learning that his mother was going blind, he chose to enroll in UST's medicine
school and later specialize in ophthalmology. He opted to travel to Madrid, Spain, in May 1882,
and received his Licentiate in Medicine from the Universidad Central de Madrid.
Rizal was outspoken in his criticism of the Spanish government, yet he did so in a
peaceful and progressive manner. "The pen was mightier than the sword" for him, and he
exposed the corruption and wrongdoings of government officials as well as Spanish friars
through his writings.
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo are Rizal's two masterpiece novels. The story
denounced the abuse perpetrated in the Philippines by the Spanish government and priests. The
Spaniards who dominated the Philippines regarded Rizal an adversary as a result of his works,
and he was also the catalyst for his early death.
He was a member of the Propaganda movement, a group of Filipinos who wanted to see a
peaceful transition in Spanish authority in the Philippines. He formed the La Liga Filipina
association on July 3, 1892. He was deported to Dapitan four days later on suspicion of being
part in the insurgency movement of the time.
Rizal treated the sick Rizal is accused of being the catalyst for Andres Bonifacio's
revolution. Rizal wrote one of his final letters, Mi ltimo adiós or My Last Farewell, to his
motherland and people just days before his execution. On the morning of December 30, 1896,
Dr. José Rizal was executed at what was then known as Bagumbayan and is now known as
Luneta or Rizal Park. When he heard the order to shoot him, he turned to face the squad and said,
"Consummatum est" (It is finished). According to historical records, the Filipino martyr and hero
was killed by a single gunshot.
Rizal's self-sacrifice has earned him the title of Philippine hero. He will be remembered
as the heart of the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine National Hero, and as the best
National Hero of our country in the hearts of all Filipinos.in Dapitan. He also created a tiny
school for fourteen children and educated them. He also met his wife, Josephine Bracken, here.