TO THE MEMORY OF
JOSE RIZAL
PATRIOT AND MARTYR
EXECUTED ON BAGUMBAYAN FIELD DECEMBER
THIRTIETH 1896. THIS MONUMENT IS DECICA-
TED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINE
ISLANDS
In 1901 the Philippine government authorized the construction of a monument honoring Rizal to be place in La Luneta, the public park area where he had been executed near Manila Bay. An international competition was held resulting in forty entries. The first place award was giving to Italian sculptor Carlos Nicoli. Either for technical reasons or for lack of sufficient bond for the project, the eventual contract went to second-place winner Swiss sculptor Richard Kissling, famed for his statue of William Tell.
The decision was controversial and the design brought criticism from many quarters. But, the bronze figures were cast in Switzerland and on September 30, 1912, the monument was unveiled accompanied by a solemn processional to place the physical remains of Rizal in a mausoleum at the base of the monument.
The monument rises 12.7 meters (41 1/2 ft.)on a rough granite base topped with bronze figures, with Rizal in the center in overcoat and holding a book. At the feet of Rizal, on the left is a figure of a woman with an infant, and on the right a boy reading a book on a man's lap. These may represent the younger days of Rizal, but no official information seems available.
According to the
National Commission for Culture and the Arts, "The design of the Motto Stella, according to Kissling, took into account the numerous natural calamities that visit the country. His design represents piles of rocks as the base of an obelisk, at the foot of which is the larger than life statue of Dr. Rizal holding a book. The body of the monument is made of ordinary, unburnished granite, while its figures are in bronze. "
Since the monument also enshrines the earthly remains of Rizal, a 24-hr honor guard of two Kabalyeros de Rizal (Knights of Rizal) stand watch in front of the monument.
The Rizal Monument is also the "zero point" from which all distances in Manila are measured. Many important events are held here, and at the nearby Quirino Stadium which it overlooks. Visiting dignitaries will often place wreaths here, honor the Philippines most revered hero.
José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was born on June 19, 1861, to a wealthy farmer, direct descendant of a Chinese immigrant, and soon distinguished himself as a person of intellect and learning. He eventually received a medical degree from the University of Madrid, studied at the University of Paris, and the University of Heidelberg where he obtained a second doctorate. He is said to have been fluent in as many as ten languages.
While in Spain, Rizal underwent induction into the Masonic order, taking the name, Dimasalang, later advancing to new degrees while in Germany. Later, he would be designated, "Honorable Venerable Master" by a newly formed Masonic Lodge in Manila. It is not clear how much Masonic belief and practice influenced his own thought, but he undoubtedly helped bolster the stature of the Masonic Lodges in the Philippines and many of the revolutionary leaders were ardent Masons.
Jose Rizal was an artist, sculptor, poet, and author as well. His first novel, published when he was 26, Noli Me Tangere, is still required reading, and has had many translations and adaptations. This, together with his sequel, El Filibusterismo, engendered great controversy as it helped establish a Philippine national identity while bringing to light the abuses of the Spanish friars and government authorities. Probably from that time, he was marked as a dangerous subversive and constantly pursued in one way or another.
In 1892 he was exiled to Dapitan, a remote town on the island of Mindanao in the south. There he founded a hospital, taught farming, set up a water system and built a school, being a master of many skills and professions. By 1896, a full-scale rebellion was in the making. And, although Rizal was associated with many of the agitators, he was not part of the actual plans. In fact, to distance himself from such, he obtained leave by the Governor-General to travel to Cuba to minister to the needs of victims of yellow fever.
Dr. Rizal was arrested en route to Cuba and imprisoned in Barcelona before being returned to Manila where he was tried on the triple charge of sedition, rebellion and conspiracy. Found guilty, he was sentenced to death, and on December 30, 1896, as age 35, with great calm, dignity and peace, he faced a firing squad.
Ironically, the armed revolution which he had opposed as being premature and ill-advised, and the cause for which he had been martyred, gained such impetus from his death, that it drew in the entire nation resulting in the ultimate defeat of the tyrannical rule of the Spanish and the corrupt, abusive clerics.
Though not without controversy, along with Bonifacio, there is no more revered figure in the history of the Philippines.
ESTE MONUMENTO ESTA DEDICADO
AL HEROE Y MARTIR
JOSE RIZAL
QUE MURIO FUSILADO POR DEFENDER LAS LI-
BERTADES DE SU PATRIA, EL DIA 30 DE DICIEM-
BRE DE 1896, EN ESTE SITIO, CAMPO DE BAGUM-
BAYAN. HA SIDO ERIGIDO POR SUSRCIPCION PU-
BLICA. SEGUN LA LEY NO 243
COMISION
MARIANO I IMJAP .. ARTISTON BAUTISTA
RAMON B. GILNATO . TEODORO R. YANGCO
PACIANO RIZAL . JUAN TUASON
PASCUAL H. POBLETE
W.H. TAFT Y W . CAMERON FORBES
TOMAS G. DEL ROSARIO . MAXIMINO M. PATERNO
PRESIDENTE. SECRETARIO.
UNDER THESE STONES
LIFE IN ETERNAL REPOSE
THE MORTAL REMAINS
OF
DR. JOSE PROTACIO RIZAL