A re-enactment of the Philippines’ national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal’s execution by firing squad at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center on Fifth Avenue, NY, on December 29, 2023. Jiano Magdaraog played Rizal. | Photo via Elizabeth Cueva
One-hundred-twenty-seven years ago, the man whose life and legacy we celebrate and emulate paid the ultimate price for his convictions. 127 years. Can you imagine? How far we’ve come? Please close your eyes for a few seconds and briefly paint a picture of life for our people back then in your mind. Feel the salt in the eyes of the Indios, unable to set their gaze to higher aspirations with their backs bent low by heavy burdens, the labors, and laments of life under exclusion and exploitation.
Imagine, if you will, Dr. Rizal in his last days and moments, contemplating the dreams of his own dreaming and others, dreams that he would die for. Imagine him doing what we just did a minute ago, imagining a distant day but in the opposite direction. Imagine that, in Rizal’s mind’s eye, he happened to see us, see you.
And here and now you stand, eyes open, Filipinos. Capable, confident, courageous in each one’s manner. Rizal sees us. Sees you. Would he feel pride? Hope? Relief that he will not have lived in vain? Perhaps in this glimpse of the future, he would see a reflection of his past. To be sure, the few, the favored, the fortunate, modern-day ilustrados.
“Rizal stood for the rights of our peoples. He believed in our potential and that we could stand among the giants of the world and look them in the eye with confidence. Rizal strived to live a life that stood as proof of this belief, and each and all present here reinforces this idea.”
–JIano magdaraog
But if Rizal sees the ilustrado in you, then that would beg the question: what about the folks back home? Have they been uplifted? Can they take time and lift their gaze from the mud to the stars? Or are they still weighed down by the whims of uncaring lords?
Rizal stood for the rights of our peoples. He believed in our potential and that we could stand among the giants of the world and look them in the eye with confidence. Rizal strived to live a life that stood as proof of this belief, and each and all present here reinforces this idea.
But for all his accolades and accomplishments, Rizal did not see his hopes realized in his lifetime. It takes more than one person, even the most exceptional, to awaken and inspire a nation. It carries the combined and sustained belief of many to bring a dream so grand into the fullness of reality, and with any and every effort we make, great or small, we can do our part to kindle the spark of greatness Rizal believed lies in the core of the Filipino.
Now is not a time for closed eyes. We must remember to see with the same keen vision of Rizal. Reflective of the past, perceptive of the present, and determined to build a better future.
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NOTE: This essay was the author’s acceptance speech on behalf of his fellow brother Knights, who were admitted on December 29, 2023, during the Knights of Rizal New York Chapter’s (KORNY) commemoration of Dr. Jose P. Rizal’s death anniversary.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Juan Mariano “Jiano” C. Magdaraog is a new Knights of Rizal New York (KORNY) chapter member. A lifelong lover of stories, he developed an appreciation of history as a child and a passion for performing arts as a young man. He has taken the stage in three countries’ musicals, straight plays, and improvised theater shows. He has a Bachelor of Science in Geography from the University of the Philippines, Diliman.
