the making of a national hero

7/26/2019 The Making of A National Hero

1/5

Home News Opinion Regions World Sports Business Special Reports The Sunday Times Magazine

Fast Times Maritime Life & Times Show Times Expats & Diplomats Hi! Society Health Special Features

153LikeLike Tweet

November 30 of each year is a legal holiday to commemoratethe birth of Andres Bonifacio

Jose Rizal has never been proclaimed a national hero

The making of a Philippine national heroAugust 29, 2015 8:24 pmby LEA MANTO-BELTRAN, SENIOR STAFF WRITER PHOTOS BY RENE DILAN

A s the country spends this

long weekend to mark

National Heroes Day

tomorrow, August 31, The

Sunday Times Magazine

decided to look into the

process of how a Filipino

whose love, loyalty, and

allegiance to country is both

admirable and immeasurable

is officially proclaimed a

Philippine icon of the highest

esteem.

Does a heros life story need

to be presented to a particular body? Does thorough research need be done to

authenticate ones valor for country? Does a Filipino need to be martyred to become a

national hero?

With all these questions, The Sunday Times Magazine excitedly began its own research into

the making of a Philippine national hero, only to be met, however, by surprising and

complicated revelations.

No such hero

No law, executive order or proclamation has been enacted or issued officially proclaiming

any Filipino historical figure as a national hero.

This is what the Selection and Proclamation of National Heroes and Laws Honoring Filipino

Historical Figures has stated in the 2002 executive summary report done by the National

Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP). According to Alvin Alcid, chief of research

of Publication and Heralding Division of NHCP, this was submitted to the Reference and

Research Bureau and

Legislative Research Service

of the House of Congress.

Based on this official document, even Dr. Jose Rizal who is taught in school as the Philippine

National Hero, has never actually been conferred this title. Nevertheless, NHCP clarifies that

the position Rizal now holds in the Philippine history is a tribute and honor to a national

hero.

However, the statement

clarified, because of their

Wed, Jun 15, 2016, 12:32 PMPHTLoading

FOLLOW US:341,405 people like this. Sign Upto see what your friends like.LikeLike

converted by Web2PDFConvert.com
http://twitter.com/#!/TheManilaTimeshttp://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Manila-Times/111026632011http://www.manilatimes.net/category/health-news/http://www.manilatimes.net/category/supplements/http://www.manilatimes.net/category/weekly/the-sunday-times/http://www.tmtc.edu.ph/http://www.web2pdfconvert.com/?ref=PDFhttp://www.web2pdfconvert.com/?ref=PDFhttps://twitter.com/sharehttp://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Manila-Times/111026632011http://twitter.com/#!/TheManilaTimeshttp://www.manilatimes.net/category/supplements/http://www.manilatimes.net/category/health-news/http://www.manilatimes.net/category/weekly/high-society/http://www.manilatimes.net/category/weekly/expat-diplomats/http://www.manilatimes.net/category/weekly/show-times/http://www.manilatimes.net/category/weekly/life-times/http://www.manilatimes.net/category/weekly/maritime/http://www.manilatimes.net/category/weekly/fast-times/http://www.manilatimes.net/category/weekly/the-sunday-times/http://www.manilatimes.net/category/special-report/http://www.manilatimes.net/category/business/http://www.manilatimes.net/category/sports/http://www.manilatimes.net/category/news/world/http://www.manilatimes.net/category/news/regions/http://www.manilatimes.net/category/opinion/http://www.manilatimes.net/category/news/http://www.manilatimes.net/http://www.tmtc.edu.ph/http://www.manilatimes.net/http://digital.manilatimes.net/


2/5

Emilio Aguinaldo, the first Philippine president

Marcelo H. del Pilar is the leading propagandist for reforms inthe country

significant roles in the process

of nation building and contributions to history, there were laws enacted and proclamations

issued honoring these heroes.

Implied heroes

As early as December 20,

1898, General Emilio

Aguinaldo issued a decree

declaring December 30 of

every year a day of national

mourning in honor of Rizal

and other victims of the

Philippine Revolution.

When William Howard Taft

arrived in the Philippines in

June 1900 and became the

chairman of the 2nd Philippine

Commission, the American

governor general suggested

to name Rizal a national hero.

On June 11, Act No. 137 was

formulated which organized

the politico-military district of

Morong into the Province of Rizal, in honor of Rizal, the great hero and martyr.

Another hero given an implied recognition as a national hero is Andres Bonifacio. His birth

date of November 30 was declared a national holiday through Act No. 2946, enacted by the

Philippine Legislature on February 16, 1921.

On February 23, 1918, Act No. 2760 confirmed and ratified all steps taken for the creation,

maintenance and improvement of national monuments, and particularly for the erection of a

monument in memory of Andres Bonifacio

Acclaimed heroe s

Despite the lack of any official declaration explicitly proclaiming the countrys most famous

freedom fighters and martyrs as national heroes, they remain admired and revered for their

important roles in Philippine history. For according to historians, heroes should not be

legislated; rather, their appreciation is better left to academics. Acclamation for heroes in

their opinion is recognition

enough.

Nevertheless, the Philippine government have made attempts in the past to identify and

officially recognize Filipino

heroes.

On March 28, 1993, President Fidel Ramos issued Executive Order 75 creating the National

Heroes Committee under the

Office of the President.

The committee was tasked to study, evaluate and recommend Filipino national

personages/heroes in due recognition of their sterling character aand remarkable

achievements for the country.

Dr. Onofre Corpuz and Dr. Alfredo Lagmay came up with a six-item criteria for the purpose,

which was adopted by a Technical Committee comprised of Samuel Tan, Marcelino

Foronda, Bernardita Churchill, Serafin Quiason, Ambeth Ocampo (then known as Dom

Ignacio Maria), Prof. Minerva

Gonzales, and Carmen

Guerrero-Nakpil. The criteria

contained the following:

1) Heroes are those who have

a concept of nation and

Be the first of your friends to l ike this

The Manila Times341,405 likes

Like Page Share

http://www.web2pdfconvert.com/?ref=PDFhttp://www.web2pdfconvert.com/?ref=PDFhttp://info.yahoo.com/privacy/us/yahoo/relevantads.html


3/5

Melchora Aquino, the Grand Woman of the Revolution

thereafter aspire and struggle

for the nations freedom.

2.) Heroes are those who

define and contribute to a

system or life of freedom and

order for a nation.

3.) Heroes are those who

contribute to the quality of life

and destiny of a nation.

4.) A hero is part of the

peoples expression.

5.) A hero thinks of the future,

especially the future

generations.

6.) The choice of a hero

involves not only the

recounting of an episode or

events in history, but of the

entire process that made this

particular person a hero.

After two years of deliberation,

the National Historical

Commission, comprised of the

countrys top historians,

selected nine individuals and recommended their declaration as national heroes.

Shortlisted were Rizal, Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo, Apolinario Mabini, Marcelo H. del Pilar,

Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat, Juan Luna, Melchora Aquino, and Gabr iela Silang.

Heroes in waiting

Unfortunately, the NHC recommendation submitted on November 22, 1995 to then Secretary

Ricardo Gloria of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS, now known

simply as Department of Education) was never acted upon.

NHCPs explanation regarding this pending approval states, This was probably because

[the recommendation] might trigger a flood of requests for proclamations. Another possibility

is that the proclamations can trigger bitter debates involving historical controversies about

the heroes.

The NHCP maintains, however, that the agency is certain of the laws and proclamations

made in honor of all Filipino heroes, collectively celebrated for the first time in the 1931

National Heroes Day. Moreover, the year 1996, the centennial of the Philippine Revolution,

had also been declared the Year of Filipino Heroes, with August 30 of every year

dedicated as National Heroes Day. The date of choice is the commemoration of the Cry of

Pugad Lawin, which signaled the start of Bonifacios Katipunan-led revolution in 1896.

http://www.web2pdfconvert.com/?ref=PDFhttp://www.web2pdfconvert.com/?ref=PDF


4/5

In 2007, former president Gloria

Macapagal-Arroyo issued

Republic Act 9492, which

mandated that if the date of any

regular or nationwide special

holiday falls on a Wednesday, the

holiday is to be observed on the

Monday of that week. In addition,

if a holiday falls on a Sunday,

then the holiday shall beobserved on the Monday of the

following week. In effect, the

celebration of National Heroes

Day since then has been

assigned to the last or fourth

Monday of August.

With all these facts uncovered,

celebrating National Heroes Day

is still observed by government as

a very important holiday in the

Philippines. For whether legislated

or not, Filipino heroes deserve

the veneration of generations of

Filipinos who enjoy the freedom

they now have. More importantly,

it is in remembering them and

their selfless love for country that

will inspire future Filipino heroes

to rise up.

Share this:

Facebook 153 E mail Print Google Twitter

SUGGESTED NEWS

Hurry Up To Grab Bargains Now - Only 6 Hours Left!

This Is The Online Community You Want To Belong To

Start Chatting With Like-Minded Singles Now

Your Soulmate Is Waiting For You To Contact Them

This Game Wil l Keep You Up All Night!

The Best RPG Game Is Now Free To Play For Now

You may also like

Sponsored Sponsored Sponsored Sponsored

Amazingly Dirty Photos 17 Transgender Celebs

obody Knew About

We Had No Idea These

Celebrities Were Transgender

SPECIAL REPORT: LEAN

MUSCLE IN A BOTTLE?

GET JACKED FAST WITH

http://www.web2pdfconvert.com/?ref=PDFhttp://www.web2pdfconvert.com/?ref=PDFhttp://track.trkgd.com/90f11011-d4f9-4630-ad15-cd45897cb8a7?widgetid=15522&ad=New+Ad&rate=500http://uberhavoc.com/transgender-celebrities-we-admire/10746?utm_source=cpxi&utm_medium=15522&utm_campaign=uh-desk-us-ca-tc1&utm_term=tc4http://uberhavoc.com/transgender-celebrities-we-admire/10746?utm_source=cpxi&utm_medium=15522&utm_campaign=uh-desk-us-ca-tc1&utm_term=tc1http://boreburn.com/13-perfectly-timed-photos/11270?utm_source=nativeaddiction&utm_campaign=bb-desk-au-ca-uk-us-ptk&utm_term=15522&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=14255http://www.manilatimes.net/the-making-of-a-philippine-national-hero/213977/?share=twitter&nb=1http://www.manilatimes.net/the-making-of-a-philippine-national-hero/213977/?share=google-plus-1&nb=1http://www.manilatimes.net/the-making-of-a-philippine-national-hero/213977/?share=email&nb=1http://www.manilatimes.net/the-making-of-a-philippine-national-hero/213977/?share=facebook&nb=1


5/5

Contact Info

Address:2/F Sitio Grande Building 409A. Soriano Avenue, Intramuros Manila1020 PhilippinesTel. :+63 (02) 524 5664 up to 67Fax:+63 (02) 528-1729Email:[email protected]@manilatimes.net

Roses Delivery Same Day | Quezon City Flower Shop |

Online Gift Shop Makati| Makati Flower Delivery| Cebu's

Online Flower Shop| Flower Shop in Pampanga | Gift and

Flowers Delivery Cavite | Dangwa Flower Shop with

delivery | Davao Gifts and Flowers Delivery| Send Flowers

and Gifts in Bulacan

Copy righ t 201 0-201 5 The Manila Tim es - All Rights Reserv ed. Archiv es Advertise Contact Us About Us Sitemap Privacy Policy

d b W b2PDFC
http://www.web2pdfconvert.com/?ref=PDFhttp://www.web2pdfconvert.com/?ref=PDFhttp://www.manilatimes.net/http://manilatimes.net/privacy-policy/http://manilatimes.net/sitemap/http://manilatimes.net/about-us/http://manilatimes.net/contact-us/http://manilatimes.net/advertise/http://manilatimes.net/archives/http://www.bulacanflorist.com/http://www.davaoflowershop.com/http://www.dangwaflowershop.net/http://www.caviteflowershop.com/http://www.pampangaflora.com/http://www.cebupetals.com/http://www.makatiflora.com/http://www.makatigifts.com/http://www.pilipinasflowers.com/http://www.manilablossoms.com/roses-arrangements.htmlhttp://datawrkz.com/

the making of a national hero

Documents