Jose Rizal descendant: Our responsibility is to be good citizens

EXILED RIZAL Statues depict the arrival of Dr. Jose Rizal in Dapitan City in Zamboanga del Norte province, where the national hero was exiled by the Spanish colonial government in 1892. The country observes Rizal’s 127th death anniversary today, Dec. 30, 2023. FILE PHOTO / NICO ALCONABA / INQUIRER MINDANAO

MANILA, Philippines — Jose Rizal belongs to the Filipino people, said one of his descendants during the commemoration of the national hero’s 127th death anniversary.

Paolo Lopez Azurin is the great great grandson of Jose Rizal’s brother General Paciano Rizal, who was also a hero in his own right.

READ: Rizal lives on in every Filipino

Asked if he felt any pressure being a descendent of Rizal, Azurin believed it was more of a responsibility to be good citizens.

“Di naman pressure. Responsibility. It’s a responsibility, it’s a legacy na, and yung family naman sa palagay namin, ibinigay na namin siya sa Pilipinas. Hindi nalang siya sa amin. Hindi lang namin siya kamag-anak. Atin siya, atin siyang lahat,” Azuring said in a media interview during the commemoration of Rizal Day in Luneta.

READ: Rizal and the enduring faith of his followers, believers

(Not pressure. Responsibility. It’s a responsibility, it’s a legacy, and the family, we think that we have given him to the Philippines. He is not just ours. He is not just a relative. He belongs to all of us.)

Azurin hoped that this would mean that the responsibility of being good Filipinos extended beyond Jose and Paciano Rizal’s bloodline.

“Yung responsibility namin, sana maging responsibility rin ng lahat ng Pilipino. Being good citizens, being world class, yun yung mensahe ni Rizal sa ating lahat,” he said.

(Our responsibility becomes the responsibility of all Filipinos.  Being good citizens, being world class, that is the message of Rizal to us all.)