From Our Readers
Rizal’s 113th year of martyrdom
Dec. 30, is the 113th anniversary of the martyrdom of Dr. José Rizal. Rizal would be 138 years old today. That would have entitled him to a senior citizen card with the full 20% discount compliments of Senators Ed Angara and Pia Cayetano.
None of his children are known. Consul Florencio Dumapias said that in L. A. in the 60’s he found Filipino old timers (first- generation grape pickers) crying on Rizal Day reception. “Why?” he asked. They answered, “Patay na pala si Rizal…”
At the Daitokai restaurant in Hamburg, Indonesian Consul General Sarni asked Consul Dumapias, matter of factly, “Mr. Consul, did you know that your people almost killed your national hero?”
“What do you mean, Mr. Consul General?” “Filipino seamen stabbed an Indonesian student named ‘José Rizal’…”
Rizal is revered beyond our shores. Malaysian Ambassador Kadir Deen, who said that “Rizal does not belong to the Philippines… but to the world!” He did not mean to take Rizal from us, but to share him with the larger world.
When Tony Lopez’s Asiaweek ran a series on the Great Movers of Asia, the paeans were written on Indonesia’s Sukarno by his daughter Megawatti, on India’s Jawaharalal Nehru by a grandson, on China’s Dr. Sun-Yatsen and all Asian greats by nationals of those countries.
Only the piece on the Filipino, Dr. José Rizal, was not written by a relation or a compatriot… but by Anwar Ibrahim, then the Malaysian fair-haired boy to succeed Mahatir.
Divine inspiration revealed to President McKinley his mission to “Christianize the Catholics,” and America chose Rizal as the Philippine Commonwealth’s national hero …a safer choice over the firebrand Andres Bonifacio, who might ignite trigger-happy Pinoy revolutionaries.
Rizal is ideal national hero and role model… a man of letters, erudite, patient propagandist, polyglot, physician, artist, sportsman, masterful swordsman, etc, etc.
Without benefit of a PC or google, Rizal met his deadline and finished Ultimo Adios for posterity.
Rizal said the hope of our country is in our youth. We have had several generations of our youth grown old since Bagumbayan…but hindi pa nagbabago ang bayan.…
SENEN ALFONSO, Chicago
Rizal would have approved hero Penaflorida
Dear Editor,
There is reason to celebrate the memory of national hero Jose Rizal today. This year education took center stage in national life after a teacher received international recognition as a “hero” for his novel way of bringing education to the poorest of the poor. Efren Peñaflorida, CNN “Hero of the Year,” struggled out of poverty and became a teacher to help others less privileged like him.
Rizal would have approved. The inspiration for many Filipino rebels against Spain famously refused to endorse an armed uprising, instead advocating liberation for the masses through education. Well-traveled and educated in Europe, Rizal knew the value of a good education and wanted it for his compatriots. He was an early advocate of non-violent change, but the Spanish colonizers saw him merely as a threat and executed him 113 years ago today, triggering the Philippine revolution.
The commemoration of Rizal’s death, and the honors heaped on Peñaflorida, should trigger another revolution, this time in education. His “kariton” or pushcart classrooms are being replicated to reach poorly served communities nationwide. The informal, mobile setting greatly reduces the costs of sending a child to school. Those costs are among the biggest reasons for the high national dropout rate despite the fact that basic education is free and mandatory.
In addition to improving universal access to education, the government should complement private initiative with efforts to improve the quality of Philippine education. This includes training more top-quality teachers and upgrading the quality of textbooks, a number of which continue to be riddled with factual and grammatical errors, as Antonio Calipjo-Go will attest.
Peñaflorida led the way in innovation. There must be other innovative ways of expanding education facilities. The country continues to suffer from an acute lack of classrooms, computers, textbooks and other basic school supplies. Teachers, overworked and underpaid, complained of delays in the release of their Christmas bonus this year. A commitment to improving the quality of education would be a fitting way of remembering Jose Rizal.
Gregorio dela Merced, Chicago, IL.
