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President Aquino’s speech on the 150th birth anniversary of Jose Rizal, June 19, 2011 (English translation)

It was these scenes of prejudice, these token acts of abuse, that, perhaps, first stirred the mind and spirit of Jose Rizal: He belonged to an unjust society that had long gotten used to its circumstances; there were not a few who were used to doing the bidding of the power-hungry, and there were Filipinos who’d been numbed by the generations-established truth of being as slaves and servants in their own homeland. Continue reading →

President Aquino’s speech on the 150th birth anniversary of Jose Rizal, June 19, 2011

Sa sunud-sunod na pagharap niya sa sangandaan—mula sa pagkabinatang pinagkaitan ng ilang karangalan, hanggang sa pagkabayaning tinawag na mag-alay ng buhay para sa bayan—hindi naligaw si Rizal mula sa tuwid na daan.

Hindi po lahat ay pinapalad na tawagin upang magbuwis ng buhay para sa bayan. Subalit para sa nakararami, nasusukat ang pagkabayani sa araw-araw nating pagharap sa maliliit na sangandaan: Ang pagsunod sa batas, ang paggalang sa kapwa, ang paggawa ng tama sa sinumpaan nating mga tungkulin, at ang manindigan sa atin pong prinsipyo. Continue reading →

Rizal exhibits extended, open on June 20 holiday

A June 16, 2011 press release from the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson: Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa today issued several memoranda effectively extending Rizal-related exhibits at the National Library, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, and the Central Post Office, in line with celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of national hero Jose Rizal. Continue reading →

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Rizal Sesquicentennial

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of the national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, we launch the new website of the Presidential Museum and Library (PML) today, June 19, 2011. The PML is the primary office within the Office of the President responsible for preserving, managing, and promoting the history and heritage of the Philippine Presidency, and particularly of Malacañan Palace as its official seat. (About the Presidential Museum and Library)

Dr. Rizal was no stranger to Malacañan Palace, and has had some encounters with the heads of the colonial Spanish government, the Governors-general, who by then resided and worked at the same location beside the Pasig. Rizal has written about these meetings: One was held in 1887, on account of the popularity, or infamy, of his first novel, Noli Me Tangere. The Governor-general Emilio Terrero y Perinat ordered Dr. Rizal to provide him with a copy of the Noli. Rizal found a dirty copy, and upon delivering it to the Governor-general, was received with warmth. In 1892, he met with the Governor-general Eulogio Despujol y Dusay on a number of occasions, but on sourer terms, which ended up in his exile to Dapitan. Years later, in 1986, it was the turn of Jose Rizal’s sisters (although the prevailing legend is it was Jose’s mother, Teodora Alonso) to visit the Palace. They cried at the feet of Camilo de Polaviej and pleaded for their brother’s life. Nevertheless, convicted of rebellion, sedition, and conspiracy, Rizal was executed at Bagumbayan. (The Sesquicentennial of Dr. Jose Rizal’s birth: An Introduction)

About the Banner: The letters in the image above are made up of full texts of Rizal’s poems: Sa kabataang Pilipino; Imno sa Paggawa; Memories of My Town; and the Mi Ultimo Adios.

For more information on the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Jose Rizal’s birth, please visit the National Historical Commission.

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  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jay-Ar-Esencia/100000101940518 Jay Ar Esencia

    Is the Scholarship for Medicine (PinoyMD) still available?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jay-Ar-Esencia/100000101940518 Jay Ar Esencia

    Is the Scholarship for Medicine (PinoyMD) still available?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jay-Ar-Esencia/100000101940518 Jay Ar Esencia

    Is the Scholarship for Medicine (PinoyMD) still available?