The narrative started with a wise encounter of our national hero teaching his students not only what

they mean to learn but also for them to think quickly. The subject of this writing is a doctor, a poet, a
teacher, a painter, a man of versatility and above all, a Filipino who loves his country; a Hero.

Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado was born in a small town of Calamba, Laguna, on June 19, 1861. He had
nine sisters and one brother. Their parents, Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonso, owned the first
stoned house in Calamba, along with a flour mill, a drugstore and a store which sold a lot on market day.
Jose was the seventh child in the family. He was born with a noticeably bigger head for his body but just
like any kid he enjoyed playing outside; horseback riding, fishing which made him develop a stronger
built. Despite having the playfulness of a usual kid, Jose's development was more advanced than usual
for he could read and create art on his own at a very young age. He showed a lot of potential in the field
of art, earning him a chance to showcase his drawing skills on a fiesta, only at six years young. When he
was eight years old, he wrote a Tagalog poem for children, entitled "Sa Aking Kababata." It was about
the need to love one's native language.

Of course, we can't leave out her mother, Teodora, who was his first teacher. She was the one who
shared the story about the young moth who got enchanted by the beautiful flame; a valuable story that
still goes around even in our time. Jose was young but he understood the sentiment of the young moth
and declared that, like the moth, he also wants to be near the light. To him the light was the truth.

At a young age, Jose already learned the cold truth about his country's situation. His country was owned
by Spain and was unfairly managed by the friars. The Filipinos were abused and were forced to pay to
farm in their very own land. Jose's household also went through a lot of unjustness from the Spaniards,
with Doña Teodora being unfairly accused and sentenced to 2 years in prison, and the Cavite Mutiny of
1872 which involved the killing of three Filipino priests widely known as the GOMBURZA. One of the
priests, namely Father Burgos had been a teacher and a close friend of Paciano, Jose's brother.

At eleven years old, he enrolled at Ateneo, a school run by Jesuit priests in Manila. Due to his family's
acquaintance to Father Burgos, Paciano made him use the surname Rizal instead of Mercado, in order
for Jose to not get in trouble with the government. José was first judged by his appearance but after a
month in the academy he was branded as the "emperor" for his excellence in class.

After finishing his studies in Ateneo, he enrolled at University of Santo Tomas. He studied medicine
despite his fondness of art and poetry; for he believes that he could best serve his people as a doctor,
including the case of his mother who was going blind.
During that time, Rizal fell in love with Leonor Rivera. The feelings were mutual and Rizal even
promised her a marriage. Rivera then became his model for Maria Clara in his novel Noli Me Tangere. At
the age of eighteen, Rizal first called the Philippines as the "motherland" of Filipinos, in a poem entitled,
"To the Filipino Youth." Rizal's love for writing continued, he wrote various plays and won awards till he
turned 21 and he decided that he wanted to continue his studies in Spain.

He wrote a diary during the whole experience. People were naturally drawn to Rizal for his friendliness,
looks and politeness. He also briefly moved to Barcelona then to Madrid. He enrolled at Universidad
Central De Madrid to continue his medical course. His financial situation wasn't good so he often
skipped baths, transportation and meals. On June 25, 1884, he fortunately met two Filipinos – Juan Luna
and Felix Hidalgo in a big art contest, which gained him not only a good relationship with the two but
also, a meal. During the event, Rizal was asked to deliver a speech. The speech contained Rizal's
boldness to go against the Spaniards by saying that the Filipinos were just as good as them. Continuing
the display of Rizal's boldness was his novel called Noli Me Tangere, meaning "Touch Me Not", which
contained the sad truth of the Philippines under the hold of Spain.

In 1884, Rizal finished his medical course. He went to Paris afterwards to train in eye surgery under the
clinic of the famous Dr. Louis de Wecker. Rizal's love for writing didn't fade. During his training, he wrote
and drew pictures for the famous tale of "The Monkey and the Turtle." He also translated the works of
Hans Christian Andersen into Tagalog for his nieces and nephews. After his stay in Paris, he went to
Heidelberg, Germany to train under another eye specialist. There, he met Karl Ullmer, a pastor village
who helped him improve his German fluency. Another friend he made was Ferdinand Blumentritt, an
Austrian Professor who was interested in Philippine languages and customs. They exchanged letters for
10 years which was enough to fill in two books.

On February 1887, Rizal finished writing his novel Noli Me Tangere. The indios in the Philippines were
eager to read it and to no surprise, the friars were very angry at his guts and tried to stop the sale of his
book. Rizal's friends warned him about going home, but his love for his family prevailed. On July 3, 1887,
he bid goodbye to the "land of liberty" and sailed for Manila. His family was delighted at his presence
but they were also scared for his safety. Rizal had his medical practice to keep himself occupied and was
called as "the German Doctor" of Calamba.

All the while, he also led a protest against the raise of the land rent of the Dominicans, which once
again, angered the friars even more. Due to this, his family wanted him to rush back to Europe. He
wanted to marry Leonor during the period but he didn't have the time, as his stay only lasted for five
months till he set sailed back to Europe. On his way to Europe, he passed through Hong Kong, Japan,
and the United States.

The wrongdoings of the Spaniards continued. The land of Paciano and his four brothers-in-law was
seized while many Filipinos were also detained for speaking against the friars. Rizal hoped that every
Filipino would face danger without fear. To help the people in their homeland, the Filipinos in Barcelona
published a paper called La Solidaridad. The writers were Graciano Lopez Jaena, Marcelo Del Pilar,
Mariano Ponce, Antonio Luna, Rizal and Blumentritt. They wrote articles in defense of the Filipinos.
Almost a threat, Rizal said that Spaniards should treat Filipinos nicely, or else Filipinos would have to
seek freedom.

In May 1889, Rizal received more unpleasant news from his home. One of his brothers-in-law died but
was denied to have a Christian burial. Paciano and his other brothers-in-law were exiled in the south.
People in Calamba were forced to leave their homes and farms, including his father. Lastly, Leonor
Rivera had married an Englishman. Rizal didn’t blame her for, “An Englishman is a free man, and I am
not.” he stated.

In September 1891, Rizal finished writing his second novel entitled “El Filibusterismo.” He dedicated it
to the memory of the three Priests – Father Burgos, Gomez and Zamora. It contained much bolder
statements against the Spaniards. The word Filibustero meant “a dangerous patriot who will soon be
hanged.”

Rizal then felt that he needed to take action and that he could no longer help from overseas so on
October 18, 1891, he left Europe. “The battlefield is the Philippines,” he wrote. He first stopped in Hong
Kong to earn money and plan for the future. His father, mother, brother, and a brother-in-law escaped
from Manila and joined him in Hong Kong. At first, his mother couldn’t join them but after being set free
from her four-day hike, she went to Hong Kong with two of Rizal’s sisters. Rizal then operated his
mother’s left eye so it could see again. He had a lot of patients and was branded as “the Spanish
doctor.” Rizal liked Hong Kong but he couldn’t just turn a blind eye to what his family has suffered so he
asked a Spanish official if he could return to the Philippines.

After arriving in Manila, he rode a train to the Northern provinces. Many people recognized him and he
was their idol but the government had him followed and was ready to put a trap on him. Rizal and some
friends formed a society named La Liga Filipina. The aim of the society is to unite the Filipinos but three
days later he was arrested and jailed in Fort Santiago. He was then banished to Dapitan. News of his
exile upset people all around the world. Andres Bonifacio was one of them, he has read Rizal’s two
novels. With several friends, he organized Katipunan, a secret society that aims to free the Philippines
from Spain by force.

Rizal landed in Dapitan on July 17, 1892, it was the most boring place he had seen but his presence
made the people happy. Rizal made good use of his prize money from the lottery and bought a piece of
land by the beach. He planted pineapple, coconut, bananas, lanzones, coffee, and cacao. He also made a
house and a garden and called the place as Talisay. He donated money to towns for them to have
electric lights. He designed a water distribution system. He and his former Latin teacher, Father Sanchez,
made a huge relief map of Mindanao for the plaza. He donated an organ for the church and books for
the school. It didn’t end with that and he even opened his own school for boys. He personally taught
them reading, writing, math, geography, Spanish, English, sports and good manners. His students lived
with him with the condition that they help with the farm. They helped Rizal build a swimming pool with
a waterfall and they even learned to make furniture. He didn’t only help the youth, but the grownups as
well learned how to mend the fishing nets and how to buy and sell abaca fiber.

His mother and sisters lived with him in a square house. He built other houses of different shapes and
sizes. Rizal’s hands and mind were always active. He carved out of clay and wood. He taught himself
Russian, Malay, Visayan, and several moro languages. He sent shells and dried insects, plants, animals
to European scientists and discovered a new type of frog, beetle and lizard. The scientists named these
animals as rizali. Rizal’s Jesuit teachers visited him tried to win him back to church but they failed. Rizal
believed in God but he didn’t like the way the friars practiced their religion.

One day a man from Hong Kong came for eye treatment. With him, was his stepdaughter, Josephine
Bracken. They fell in love with each other and decided to marry each other but they weren’t able to
because Rizal had refused to return to the faith. However, they agreed to live together as husband and
wife.

On July 1, 1896, a doctor named Pio Valenzuela brought a message to Rizal from Andres Bonifacio. The
Katipunan was about to begin a revolution against Spain, and Rizal was advised to escape from Dapitan.
Rizal replied that the people were not prepared. They lack arms, money and ships; there would be much
useless suffering. Little did Rizal know that he was appointed as the honorary president of the
Katipunan.
Rizal initially planned to leave for Cuba even before Valenzuela came to him with the message. He left
Dapitan not to break his promise with the authorities but because he missed his freedom so much.
Hundreds of people bid him goodbye, he gave his students things to remember him by but he gave his
first student a piece of land. A band played a funeral march on his departure. He sailed to Manila on July
31, 1896 and stayed there for a month while waiting for the ship to depart to Cuba.

The revolt of Katipunan has been set for August 30, but the plan was leaked out on August 19. Hundreds
of rebels were jailed, and Bonifacio and his men had to start the revolution three days earlier than
planned. It angered the Spaniards; they never thought that the indios would dare raise their bolos
against their rulers.

Governor Blanco allowed Rizal to leave for Cuba on September 2 but Rizal was arrested and shipped
back to Manila when the ship landed on Barcelona. Rizal was suspected as the leader of Katipunan.
Upon reaching Manila, he was locked up in Fort Santiago. He was interrogated a lot about his
connection with Katipunan. Rizal didn’t even know Bonifacio but nobody believed him. They pointed to
his novels and to La Liga Filipina whom they thought is the same as the Katipunan.

On December 28, Rizal was found guilty of having caused the revolution. He was sentenced to be shot in
Bagumbayan on December 30 at 7 am. He was only 35 years old. Thirteen years before on 1883, he had
a dream he was dying. For years, he had thought how sweet it was to die for one’s country. The day
before the execution, Rizal’s mother, sisters, a niece, and a nephew visited him in his cell. He wasn’t
allowed to hug his mother and he could only kiss her hand. He gave his chair to Narcisa, a handkerchief
to his niece, a belt and chain to a little boy. Rizal told his sisters that his alcohol burner would be sent to
them and they would find something in it. After his family left, it was Josephine’s turn to visit him; Rizal
gave her his copy of the book Imitacion of Christ.

At 6:30 a.m. on December 30, 1896, Rizal began to march to Bagumbayan. He wore a black suit, white
shirt and a black hat; his elbows were tied with a rope. Two Jesuit priests walked beside him. Despite the
situation, Rizal remarked that it was a beautiful day. A crowd has gathered in the Bagumbayan Field.
There was no sign of fear on Rizal’s face or body. A doctor felt his pulse and it was beating normally, not
the expected pulse of a man about to shot. Rizal wanted to face the firing squad but the soldiers had
been ordered to shoot him at the back. He said he wasn’t a traitor but he obeyed and turned his back on
them. When the bullets hit him, he quickly turned around and fell with his face to the sky.
That evening, his sisters discovered his poem “The Last Farewell” in a hole at the bottom of his alcohol
burner. He wrote in the poem that he was happy to die because his death would give life to his native
land. Rizal was right, after his death, the rebels grew in numbers, like ants. They united and fought
bravely against Spain. For the first time they became a real nation – the Filipino nation.

Rizal was indeed an icon worth calling a hero. He is a writer, artist, doctor, teacher, scientist, farmer, a
speaker of eighteen languages and a person with a heart of gold. He believed that peaceful reform could
make us a part of Spain but perhaps he has changed his mind at some point. Thus in his “Last Farewell,”
he praised the Filipinos who were sacrificing their lives with joy. When home and country call you, it
does not matter how or where you answer the call. But you must answer it. Rizal not only displayed
great intelligence through his works but also his great love for his motherland and countrymen. He knew
he was against the odds but it didn’t stop him from preaching the truth. He is the icon that mended
together the silenced and fearful hearts of the Filipinos. He fought only with his pen, he only fought with
his heart; and it was more than enough to touch and wake the resiliency of the Filipinos. Rizal is a brave
man till the end; truly, a hero.