Rizal

José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Realonda, commonly known as José Rizal, was a Filipino nationalist, novelist, and polymath whose writings and ideas helped catalyze the movement for independence from Spanish colonial rule.

Born on June 19, 1861, in Calamba, Laguna, Rizal came from a well-educated family. He studied at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila and the University of Santo Tomas, and pursued medical studies in Europe, earning training in ophthalmology in Paris and Heidelberg, while developing skills in languages, science, and the arts.

Rizal's major works, Noli Me Tangere (1887) and El Filibusterismo (1891), critiqued social injustices under colonial rule and exposed abuses in church and state. He also wrote essays and letters advocating reform and civic rights, contributing to the reform movement La Liga Filipina.

In the early 1890s he lived in self-imposed exile in Dapitan, where he engaged in education, public health, and scientific projects, while remaining a prominent voice for peaceful reform.

Arrested by Spanish authorities, Rizal was executed by firing squad on December 30, 1896, at Bagumbayan in Manila. His death became a rallying point for Filipino nationalists and a symbol of resistance to colonial oppression.

Rizal is widely regarded as the national hero of the Philippines. His life and works are studied in schools, and his legacy is commemorated in monuments, streets, and institutions named after him. The Rizal Law (Republic Act No. 1425, 1956) requires the teaching of his life and writings in the Philippine educational system.