Why rizal is the greatest filipino hero?

       Governor William Howard Taft declared to the Philippine Commission, that we Filipinos should have a national hero in 1901. Governor Taft spoke Pardo de Tavera, Legarda and Luzuriaga, the Filipino members of the civil commission, to impose the beginning of Rizal day. With this decision, Philippine Commission implemented: (1) Act No. 137, in which the district of Morong is named after Rizal; (2) Act No. 234, in which Rizal should have a monument at Luneta; and (3) Act No. 345, setting aside the anniversary of his death to be a day of observance, placing Rizal’s picture on the postage stamp and on the currency and teach the young Filipinos to revere his memory as the greatest of the Filipino patriots. With all of these overflowing honors for Rizal, does he deserve to be our national hero?

            Governor Taft said that Rizal is the greatest Filipino, a physician, a novelist and a poet who struggle for the betterment of conditions under Spanish rule. By the day Rizal has been executed in December 1896, Philippines is still not independent. Even Rizal wrote novels and poems on how Filipinos hated to be ruled by Spaniards at that time, still Rizal should not be honored as national hero.

            “National hero”, are those who patronize his or her own dialect or word, who serves and fights for his or her country. But why Rizal wrote his sets of novels and poems written in Spanish. Even if Philippines have been ruled by Spaniards at that time, Rizal should use Filipino as his medium or language in writing his novels and poems.

            For me, Rizal should not really have to be our national hero. Rizal was only recognized as a hero because he is illustrado. He had finished a lot of course degree and had an opportunity to study abroad. Rizal traveled Spain to serve the Spaniards with his medical skills. He should stay in the Philippines and serve his own country and cure those who are in need of his service. Although, he cured his own mother, he should continue serving his own nation.

            Emilio Aguinaldo should be honored as hero, not only as President. Even if he was under American colonization, he still fights for the rights of the Filipino people. When Rizal was honored as our national hero by the Americans, Philippines is still colonized by many countries and it is advised not to bring out or wave the Philippine flag. Philippines is still not democratic. With Aguinaldo’s military act, he fights for the right of the Filipinos. Philippines receive its independence in June 12, 1898. 

            Rizal’s writings are not sufficient in declaring that he should be our national hero. People who really rebel and build a revolution should be claimed as a national hero.