Honest-to-goodness hero worship

In observance of Jose Rizal’s 150th birthday, allow me to veer away from writing about your show-biz heroes just for today and share my blog about my visit to our national hero’s birthplace with my son IC. It’s time for honest-to-goodness hero worship.

It was such a welcome delight to visit Rizal’s ancestral home in Calamba, Laguna, with my son IC for PLDT myDSL’s Awesome Hunt. Rizal is no make-believe hero. Visiting his home made IC and me believe in patriotism all over again.

I remember visiting Rizal’s home when I was in elementary. Back then, I just coasted along because it was a required field trip. I couldn’t care less who Rizal was. Revisiting it now gave me a chance to pay homage to the man who showed us that the pen is, indeed, mightier than the sword.

Words as allies

As a writer, I am indebted to Rizal for reminding me that words are my allies. So I should keep on writing because it will take me where I want to go.

The visit to Calamba’s premier historical site was indeed lovelier the second time around. It made IC and me ponder on some of the lessons Rizal left us with. His famous quote “Ang ’di magmahal sa sariling wika ay mas masahol pa sa hayop at malansang isda” should be etched in every Pinoy’s heart.

Our national hero’s “Firefly Story” is one of our favorite “Rizalisms.” For IC and me, it serves as a daily reminder to be wary of fire since both of us have a penchant to love dangerously.

IC and I wondered what Rizal would have blogged about if he already had access to the Internet in his time. We were ecstatic to see replicas of the masterpieces “Noli Me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo” handwritten in Spanish by Rizal. IC and I wished we could be more of a Maria Clara than a Sisa. Probably in our next lifetime.

True spirit

According to museum technician Derek Villa, the only authentic remnants in Rizal’s home are the well and the flooring. The original furniture are kept in Fort Santiago. Be that as it may, the true Rizal spirit is still very much felt in his hometown.

The shrine curator, Luisa Valera, said it remains to be a most visited landmark both by locals and foreigners. On the day of our visit, they were all agog preparing a simple yet elegant white and mint green table setting in the garden for the Ambassadors of different countries who were scheduled to have merienda al fresco. It gave IC and me a renewed sense of pride knowing that the foreign dignitaries will get a glimpse of how it all began for the man who taught us love of country long before there was Edsa People Power.

Little Rizal

The statue of Rizal as a little boy displayed in the garden struck us. It was refreshing to see a different version of our hero aside from the well-known one in Luneta. The Calamba replica reflects Rizal’s roots and the Luneta monument embodies his taking on the wings of nationalism.

IC and I can now look ahead with much optimism after looking back at a chapter of our national hero’s history. In spite of all the corruption and chaos around, Rizal is immortal proof that there must be something basically good about our country after all. We just have to let our “inner Rizal” shine through. There’s a li’l bit of our national hero in each of us whether we realize it or not.

‘Sinner or Saint’

Catch the riveting story of love, deceit and betrayal in GMA 7’s “Sinner or Saint” (weekdays after “Blusang Itim” on Dramarama sa Hapon.) Featuring the promising pair of Dennis Trillo and Bianca King, it revolves around a couple whose humble dreams are shattered by a tragic accident. It marks the return of Alessandra de Rossi, who portrays the beautiful yet deceiving Corinne, to the Kapuso station.

Childhood friends-turned-lovers Raul (Dennis) and Noemi (Bianca) are set on building a life together. Things go as planned until Raul accidentally kills Noemi’s uncle, risking not only his chances of becoming a lawyer but also Noemi’s hopes of escaping from her cruel relatives. Find out who the real saint is and who should be considered the sinner.

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