Editor’s Note: The following is excerpted from the essay that won third prize in the recently concluded Anvil-PDI Writing Contest to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal. The author is a high school senior at St. Paul College Pasig.
Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda seems quite long for a username.
He prefers the shorter version, Jose Rizal, which is easier to remember, or his aliases: Laong-Laan, Dimasalang and Pepe.
He is a rather well-known personality, the subject of a lot of intrigue and gossip. His life may be a little more dramatic than that of a typical seventh child of a middle-class Filipino family.
Jose Rizal is also a blogger.
JoseRizal: #FREEDOM
A hashtag on Twitter symbolizes more than just something you want to give importance to. Hashtagged words or phrases start trending when more and more people use it.
But a trend usually starts with one person, and once it’s trending worldwide, everyone sees it and everyone acknowledges it.
Although it was a little over 140 characters, Jose Rizal once said, “When the people reaches that height, God will provide a weapon, the idols will be shattered, tyranny will crumble like a house of cards, and liberty will shine out like the first dawn.”
Rizal writes about patriotism, as in the poem “El Amor Patrio.” He writes about the Filipinos’ fight for equality, as in the novel “Noli Me Tangere.” He writes about parity of East and West in another poem, “A Las Flores del Heidelberg.”
His passion for Philippine liberty isn’t just becoming a trending topic. It’s becoming the inspiration of an entire nation.
JoseRizal: I pray for the safety of my mother. @TeodoraAlonso
Rizal’s mother, Teodora Alonso, is imprisoned by Spanish officials on suspicion that she and her brother Alberto poisoned the latter’s wife. Many people know the real reason is because Rizal’s father, Francisco, talked back to a Spanish lieutenant. And a Spanish judge who visited their home felt insulted for not being treated the way he expected.
At age 14, Rizal discovers how cruel the world is, as he witnesses Teodora’s ordeal. But he never loses faith in his mother’s strength, and she in his. Even when the Spaniards target Rizal directly, she does not try to stop him. In fact, she becomes his motivation to stay strong and fight back.
JoseRizal reblogged from Gomburza
Some people say reblogging from Tumblr is a high form of flattery. This shows that people agree with what has been posted and they want their own followers to see it. When something is reblogged it means that people are listening to what you have to show or say.
In 1872, Filipino friars Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora were executed in Bagumbayan. Rizal is inspired and a raging fire for justice is ignited in him. He knows the priests were innocent. The Spaniards had gone too far.
Rizal wants others to see Gomburza’s strength and sacrifice. He reblogs their struggle and courage to stand up for what they believed was right. He dedicates his second novel, “El Filibusterismo,” to the three brave men.
“Were it not for 1872, Rizal would now be a Jesuit, and instead of writing the ’Noli Me Tangere,’ would have written the contrary. At the sight of those injustices and cruelties, though still a child, my imagination awoke, and I swore I would dedicate myself to avenge one day so many victims, and with this idea I have gone on studying, and this can be read in all my works and writings. God will one day grant me the opportunity to fulfill my promise,” he writes.
JoseRizal “likes” The Propaganda Movement
Facebook makes it easier to show what you are interested in, what you believe in and what you support. The most popular pages never stop gaining “likes.”
The Ilustrados create The Propaganda Movement page as their platform for reform. People begin to “like” it and they link their friends to “La Solidaridad,” where Rizal posts his own opinions on the Philippines’ situation. He uses the page to open the eyes of the people to Spanish cruelty. In a note, “Una Profacion,” he attacks the friars for refusing to bury a Filipino in a Catholic cemetery.
JoseRizal creates “La Liga Filipina”
Rizal starts the group “La Liga Filipina,” continuing what the Propaganda Movement started. He wants to bring together people concerned about the country’s future. He adds more and more friends, like Apolinario Mabini and Andres Bonifacio.
La Liga’s constitution is posted for everyone to know and understand. He posts reminders and notes for members. He does not want a revolution. He simply wants to unify the archipelago, defend against violence and injustice, and implement reform. All he wants is to develop the Filipino community, and prepare it to take over when the time is right.
JoseRizal posts a blog
Nothing can replace writing about whatever you want without restrictions, letting the world know your views and opinions, expressing yourself. What matters in blogging is how you feel and you want people to know it.