Heroes

Who Made Rizal As Our Foremost Philippine National Hero?

INTRODUCTION

As we take a look at our history, populous citizenry dedicated their lives for their country—people who made such of their significant addition to make part on aiming the freedom and democracy whom everyone wants to have from the rivals colonizing their countrymen; people whom at first do not recognized well by many. But of their contributions and augmentations, they were deputized as heroes of the country they bear.

In the Philippines, Dr. Jose P. Rizal was the chosen national hero. Now, these questions may come up to your minds: Who made him as the Philippine national hero? What significant additions did he do to let his countrymen be freed? From what family did he come from? What were his characteristics as an individual? Did he deserve to be our national hero? Let us try to analyze and answer this curiousity of yours.

But  Before proceeding to answer these queries, it will be better if we first know the meaning of the term hero. According to Webster’s New International Dictionary of the English Language, a hero is "a prominent or central personage taking admirable part in any remarkable action or event". Also, "a person of distinguished valor or enterprise in danger". And finally, he is a man "honored after death by public worship, because of exceptional service to mankind".

Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was born on June 19, 1861, in the town of Calamba, Laguna. He was the seventh child of his parents’ eleven children. He happened to be a child of two who also came from distinguished families. His father, Don Francisco Mercado, was a conscientious and persevere farmer who came from Biñan, Laguna. He has a blood of Chinese in which, I think, influenced him to his economic thing. Don Francisco made his name highly honored in Laguna. Jose Rizal’s mother was Doña Teodora Alonso Realonda, a hands-on, loving and prudent mother, who came from the clan...