For one thing, he had a very impressive resume. I felt then, as I still do now, that no one from among our countrymen - even from the entire Malay race, it seems - could even come close to all the talents and attributes Rizal has been known for. 1/ And, I was totally taken by "Mi Ultimo Adios," where, on the eve of his execution, he poured out his love and devotion to his country in breathtaking poetry. I said to myself, wow, this man is amazing. He's about to die in a few hours - very unjustly, too - and this is what's in his heart. 2/
An impressive resume and a magnificent farewell paean were just part of his allure: he had that quality of greatness that set him head and shoulders above all the other heroes who walked the long arduous path for our country's freedom. He was a man of intelligence and means, extremely gifted, who could have chosen to live a comfortable existence pursuing life's pleasures; but he chose instead to live and die for his country. In the 35 years, 6 months and 11 days of his life, Rizal achieved what most men twice his age never would in their lifetime. Herein lay his greatness -- it was not so much because of his many gifts; I believe it was more because of the choices he made and why he made them.
Which is why I'm so happy and proud that five decades ago, on the occasion of Rizal's 100th birth anniversary, our hometown Malabon chose to remember and celebrate this great Filipino by putting up a monument to him at Plaza Rodriguez, Barangay San Agustin.
Now that we're celebrating Rizal's 150th birth anniversary, this monument becomes a focal point once more for all of us to remember and be inspired.
RIZAL IN MALABON
The monument was from an effigy designed by National Artist Guillermo Tolentino. The arc and pedestal were done by Engr. Angel Lazaro, Jr. and the statue was carved by Federico Alfato. 3/
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| The arc or parabola makes this monument unique and serves as an excellent frame for the statue. |
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| Rizal the educator. This statue serves to remind us that Rizal considered the youth "the hope of the Fatherland." |
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The monument was put up through the efforts of the Knights of Rizal, whose members made the rounds of prominent people in Malabon and Navotas in order to raise funds. According to Angeles Santos in his book "Ang Malabon," during their rounds, a foreigner offered to pay for the entire cost of the monument as long as the marker would indicate that he alone paid for it. The committee did not accept his offer as it was inappropriate that a foreigner should pay for Rizal's monument. 3/
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| The Rizal monument c. 1963 at the town plaza. (Photo from Arch. Richard Bautista and the Malabon City Library) |
RIZAL AND MALABON
It seems that Malabon somehow found a place in Rizal's consciousness because the character Capitan Tiago from his novel "Noli Me Tangere" was supposed to be "the only son of a sugar merchant in Malabon." (Chapter 6, "Capital Tiago," Noli Me Tangere). 4/
Malabon is mentioned again twice in Chapter 7, "Idyll at the Azotea," of the Noli.
It is also believed that the fictitious town of San Diego in the Noli was a composite of the towns of Binan, Calamba and Malabon. A historical entry in 1894 says that Rizal went to the house of Don Pedro Camus in Malabon to meet the Masons for the purpose of reuniting them. It would thus seem that Rizal had some familiarity with the town of Malabon and its people. 5/
RIZAL IN OUR HEARTS
Is Rizal today still relevant? Or has he become nothing more than just another hero from another era, a hero we can't feel connected to anymore?
I believe that relevance is something subjective: you can't box in or label something as relevant and force it on anyone. You can read or listen to 100 reasons why Rizal is still relevant but if those 100 reasons just stay in your head and don't reach your heart, it doesn't matter: Rizal just won't be relevant to you.
But I still hope that every Filipino will take the time or care enough to read or listen to the 100 reasons, because I believe that somewhere, somehow, there'll be a part of us deep down that can relate to Rizal in some way, even though he seems so "up there" on a pedestal and so "out there" in the distant past.
There is, after all, a thread of shared humanity that runs through time and space and binds us all - past, present and future. Rizal can thus be relatable and relevant - but only if we open our hearts and let him be.
In the end, I can only hope that more Filipinos will begin to see Rizal in a new light: that Rizal represents the best in us.
And even though we can never hope to be all that he was or achieve everything that he did, he can be and we should let him be, the beacon that helps us keep our shadows behind us - whether as an individual or as a people.
References:
1/ The Jose Rizal website: The Many-Sided Personality
2/ Mi Ultimo Adios - Dr. Jose Rizal
3/ Ang Malabon (Kaipunan ng Mahahalagang Kasulatan Tungkol sa Bayang Malabon, Lalawigan ng Rizal),
by Angeles S. Santos, 1975.
4/ The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Social Cancer (Noli Me Tangere) by Jose Rizal
5/ From Tambobong to City of Malabon by Nonoy Marcelo, 1974.
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