Malacañang yesterday called on the youth to take inspiration from the life story of national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal as the country commemorates the 122nd anniversary of his martyrdom today.
“Today, Dec. 30, we reminisce and honor the martyrdom of our beloved national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, whose ultimate sacrifice awakened the entire Filipino race from its peonage to a colonial master for more than 30 decades,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said.
“More than one century has passed since his execution in Bagumbayan, but his influence on our nation’s evolution remains relevant today as it was 122 years ago,” he added.
Panelo said the legacy of Rizal’s life and death is a walking testament to a person’s magnificent and consuming love for his country that sparked a leap for freedom and an assertion of national dignity.
“As we commemorate the anniversary of his death, we ask our people, the youth in particular, to take inspiration from Rizal’s life story and emulate the principles that made him the country’s greatest hero, taking a leaf from one of his immortal legacies and a truism that it is a useless life that is not consecrated to a vision and fulfillment of a great idea,” he said.
Panelo said that the Philippines needs people who are brave and principles in order to solve the country’s problems.
“In these challenging and crucial times, we need equally courageous and principled Filipinos, stripped of apathy and selfishness, to become modern-day heroes to sustain our fight for freedom from all the ills of society,” he said.
“Jose Rizal’s martyrdom should propel us to rise to the challenge of the times and unchain ourselves from our stupor of indifference and race to the finish line of genuine change and prosperity,” he added. (Argyll Geducos)30