INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — As it remembered national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal’s dedication to service on his 159th birth anniversary, Malacañang on Friday lauded the frontliners battling the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic (COVID-19 as) “modern-day heroes.”
“The life of our greatest national hero is a testament of how a single person’s deep love for his country could spark the re-awakening of our forefathers’ desire for freedom and change. This occasion reminds us of Dr. Rizal’s young life, dedicated to service, which rings a bell in these challenging times,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.
“We are proud to see today modern-day heroes — our courageous frontliners — who rise up to the challenge and serve as beacons of hope to a people weary and fearful of the present global health scare,” Roque added.
Roque also asked the youth to draw inspiration from Rizal’s life and emulate his principles as “hope for our future.”
“We ask our people, the youth in particular, whom our beloved hero referred to as the ‘hope for our future,’ to take inspiration from his life and emulate his principles to be agents of genuine transformation for a better Philippines,” Roque said.
Rizal, born in 1861, sparked the Filipino revolution against the Spaniards through his novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
Due to his influential writings, Rizal was exiled to Mindanao and was executed on December 30, 1896 which is now commemorated as Rizal Day.