Today is the 114th death anniversary of our National Hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal. He gave up his life for the country. With his death a free Philippines was born. And will you die for the country like Rizal did? I will. And I am not a self-righteous idealist. But given the chance to die for the country, I will.
I’m not saying that we all die for the country like Rizal did. After all it is not a matter of plain, “Yes. Let me die for the Philippines.” It is not. To die for the country is a grand dream, a privilege.
To be a hero like Rizal is not an easy thing. But each one of us can be real time hero, and honestly, it doesn’t require dying in martyrdom.
It only requires a little pushing, to see the imperfections of our country and more pushing, to face and fight these imperfections. There is no need to rage a revolution to be a hero.
There is a hero in a Filipino who teaches street children. Basic or primary education is a right. But there are plenty of children we see on the streets, working at their very young ages, begging for alms, and getting exposed to many hardships and abuses. We see children deprived of education. For families who live in poverty, education rekindles the light of hope. So to every child you teach or send to study, that light, can become a flame.
There is a hero in a Filipina who speaks up against domestic violence. Long gone the inequality of men and women. Women have proven their worth parallel with men. There are almost 8,000 cases of violence against women. If every woman who is violated speaks up for herself, or if every other woman speaks up for that woman, and every body stands and fight, then abuses against women will not flourish.
There is a hero in a Filipino who bets his money on Lotto instead on jueteng. Profit earned in Lotto goes to Philippine Sweepstake Charity Office (PCSO). And PCSO has charities and beneficiaries. Spend on jueteng and your money goes to the big jueteng operators/lords in the country who are the corrupt and greedy and, more often than not, government officials who are supposed to be serving this nation good.
There is a hero in a Filipino who sees corruption and fights it. It is not enough to not be corrupted. Instead of keeping a blind eye, he pokes corruption with a stick and displays it to public's eyes like it’s a dirty pest that needs to be trampled, crushed and destroyed. No more of the million-dollar government budget that goes to the pockets of public officials.
There is also a hero in a Filipinos who doesn’t throw plastic to Pasig River; in a Filipino who crosses in the pedestrian lane; in a Filipino who doesn’t eat a dog; in a Filipino who segregates biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste; in a Filipino driver who loads and unloads passengers in the proper places; in a Filipino who votes in the elections without being bribed; in a Filipino Catholic who will respect a Filipino Muslim, and vice versa.
Rizal is a big hero. He is the national hero. That is a whole different story and a whole different period of time. We cannot push ourselves to be big time heroes. But if there is a small hero in each and every Filipino, then the Philippines can be a country of heroes. That is big time!
If Rizal is in heaven and sees us, he might go on thinking it’s his doing. After all, Philippines is free because of him. He might go on smiling and think that we’re better of than those Filipinos who witnessed his death and snatched a relic of his dead body or dipped a handkerchief in his pouring blood.
***
“It is a useless life that is not consecrated to a great ideal. It is like a stone wasted on the field without becoming part of any edifice.” –Jose P. Rizal, Philippines’ National Hero
