Rizal: Does His Legacy Still Lives?

When Filipinos are asked “Do you know Dr. Jose Rizal?”, most of the answers you`ll receive are he`s our national hero, he wrote Noli me Tangere and El Filibuterismo, he was shot on Bagumbayan, or Rizal Park was named after him. This is the common knowledge of what most of the Filipinos have about Dr.  Jose Rizal. Sure, they do know Rizal, but are you sure that they remember him? I mean, after all the years, does Rizal still lives in the hearts of Filipinos?

 

Rizal, as we know, is our national hero. He achieved this because he did not resort to violence and bloody forms to fight the oppression of the Spaniards. Instead, he wrote and used language to show how ruthless and cruel the Spaniards were. These things could be seen on his famous works, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Because of this, he was put to prison and was executed at Bagumbayan, where some of the riflemen were his fellow Filipinos. He did not regret anything he did. Instead, he risked everything he had, including his life, to save our country so we can attain the freedom we have today.

 

To remember and commemorate some parts of his life, we got the chance to watch a play about Rizal`s childhood. The play is titled” Batang Rizal”. I thought that the play will be all about Rizal, but instead featured a student who traveled back in Rizal`s time, where he even got the chance to meet him during his younger years. He was even mistaken to be Rizal himself! The play was funny and entertaining, and it also taught us some things we don`t know about Rizal`s childhood. After watching, I realized that I was very much like Rizal, a kid who was displayed weak and often bullied, a kid who had a strong desire to learn, a kid who dreamt to be famous and make a name someday.

 

Rizal may be gone today, but let us not forget what he has done for us in order to be able to live like we are today. If it was not for his noble actions, we would not be a free country, but under a tyrannical rule of some other country. Without him, we will not be able to experience the freedom we have today. Rizal is our national hero, but let`s make it a fact that he is. Let us not forget him, but we should be able to learn more about Dr. Jose Rizal.