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Today and every 30th of December, we Filipinos celebrate Rizal Day in remembrance of the death anniversary of our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal.

Dr. José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896), variously called the “Pride of the Malay Race,” “The Great Malayan,” “The First Filipino,” “The Messiah of the Revolution,” “The Universal Hero,” “The Messiah of the Redemption,” was an eye surgeon and is the national hero of the Philippines.

Rizal was a polyglot. He mastered 22 languages which included Catalan, Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Latin, Malay, Sanskrit, Spanish, Tagalog, Cebuano and other Philippine languages.

As a polymath, he was also an architect, artist, educator, economist, ethnologist, scientific farmer, historian, inventor, journalist, musician, mythologist, internationalist, naturalist, novelist, ophthalmologist, physician, poet, propagandist, sculptor, and sociologist.

click here to read more about Dr. Jose Rizal.

As time goes by, we slowly forget and take for granted what Dr. Jose Rizal and many others has done and sacrificed in order for us to gain our independence from our oppressors. I hope this serves as a reminder to us all. Let us be thankful for our freedom and honor Dr. Jose Rizal and the other revolutionary heroes who served and died for our country.