About Jose Rizal
Filipino nationalist and polymath José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) had a net worth of $5 million, according to estimates. In the Philippines’ Laguna Province, Rizal was born into a prosperous family. He went to school in Manila before traveling covertly to Spain to pursue medical school in Madrid. After that, Rizal continued his education in Heidelberg, Germany, and Paris.
Rizal: Reforms are Needed
Rizal developed his support for and leadership in the movement for change in Spain’s policies toward the Philippines as a colony while he was still living in Europe. Rizal advocated for improved rights for Filipinos as well as the Philippines’ inclusion as a province of Spain and participation in the Spanish legislature.
Coming back to the Philippines
In 1892, Rizal made his way back to the Philippines and started the La Liga Filipina social movement. The governor quickly dissolved it. After publishing a very contentious book that made him an enemy of the Spanish state, Rizal was exiled to the southern Philippines and eventually accused in the actions of a revolt. Authorities viewed him as involved in the Philippine Revolution despite his criticism of it because his four years in exile coincided with its development.
José Rizal’s Detention and Death
In order to distance himself from the revolution, which was in full swing by 1896, Rizal requested and was granted permission to go to Cuba and work as a doctor. However, he was stopped in Barcelona on his route to Cuba and deported back to the Philippines to face trial for taking part in the revolution by Spanish authorities. He published a manifesto criticizing the revolution while he was incarcerated. However, a court martial found him guilty of insurrection, sedition, and conspiracy. José Rizal was murdered by a firing squad on December 30, 1896.
Legacy of Rizal
Since then, Rizal has gained popularity among Filipinos and is regarded as Asia’s first nonviolent revolutionary. A monument honoring him has been built in Manila, and his birthplace has been turned into a museum.