DID YOU KNOW: Rizal Day

On Dec. 30, 1896, Jose Rizal was shot at Bagumbayan. Two years later, on Dec. 20, 1898, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo issued a decree declaring Dec. 30 as Rizal Day and a “national day of mourning.” The decree appeared in the government organ, El Heraldo de la Revolucion, issued on Dec. 25 in two languages, Tagalog and Spanish. The first celebration of Rizal Day was held on Dec. 30, 1898 in Club Filipino. —Marielle Medina, Inquirer Research