Call to action by Rizal still resonates, says Aquino

WHO’S NOT LOOKING UP? President Aquino (at right) leads the flag-raising rites to commemorate the 118th anniversary of the martyrdom of
Dr. Jose Rizal at Rizal Park. From left, National Historical Commission of the Philippines Chair Serena Diokno, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chair Francis Tolentino, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and a grim-faced Vice President Jejomar Binay. JOAN BONDOC

MANILA, Philippines–President Aquino early Tuesday led the commemorative rites on the 118th death anniversary of the national hero, José Rizal, and changed into a tuxedo later in the day for the wedding of one of the country’s most popular show-biz celebrity couples.

At 7 a.m. at the Luneta, Aquino led the flag-raising at the Rizal Monument, assisted by Vice President Jejomar Binay and Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, among others.

As tradition dictates, the President also laid a wreath before the tomb of the national hero who was executed by the Spaniards on Dec. 30, 1898, for leading the fight for Filipino freedom.

It was a brief formal ceremony without any fanfare that was also attended by descendants of Rizal and members of the Order of the Knights of Rizal.

Mr. Aquino did not deliver a speech, but his office sent out a Rizal Day message to media outlets, in which the President emphasized how Rizal was the epitome of a real Filipino.

“We discover an exemplar citizenship in our national hero; and in his triumphs and sacrifice, we imbibe the inspiration to continue the fight for the Filipino. May this commemoration invigorate and impassion us as a people, that we may remain unwavering in the duty to bequeath succeeding generations with the dignified, progressive future they deserve,” he said.

Rizal, the precedent

Aquino stressed that while the battles the current generation of Filipinos faced were different from their forebears, “the call and action they once heard remains resonant and clear.”

“Rizal served as our precedent for prodigious acts: He took it upon himself to alleviate the despair of others and cast his stake for a tomorrow of peace and liberty,” President Aquino said.

He urged today’s generation of Filipinos to “walk the path of accountability and commit ourselves to the task of nation-building.”

Binay said the commemoration of Rizal’s ultimate sacrifice for the nation was one of the moments that should make the Filipino proud.

Still unable to escape questions about his presidential bid, Binay said there was no turning back, “particularly when you are faced with accusations left and right.”

“If you don’t go through with it (his presidential candidacy), it could become another big issue, that the accusations are true after all,” he said in an interview.

Later Tuesday afternoon, Aquino attended the wedding of movie stars Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera, one of the rare times that the bachelor President was seen in a tuxedo, as shown in a photo posted by his younger sister, TV host Kris Aquino, on her Instagram.

In Ligao, Albay, heavy rains failed to dampen the government employees, nongovernment organizations and ordinary people who commemorated the national hero’s death anniversary by offering flowers before his statue beside the city hall.

Mayor Patricia Gonzalez-Alsua said honoring Rizal on Dec. 30 had been the culture of the city with each barangay (village) council, city government and national agency always ensuring they had a wreath or bouquet of flowers to offer at his monument.

She said the gesture was clear proof that “we value and honor the heroic act of Rizal and what he had done for the country in order to attain freedom from colonizers.”–With a report from Michael B. Jaucian, Inquirer Southern Luzon