The anniversary was marked with a simple program held at the newly-rebuilt School of Rizal Site and Museum, where a historical marker was unveiled at the site where the young Rizal started his formal education.
THE city government of Biñan, Laguna commemorated on Friday (December 17) the 150th anniversary of "Rizal in Biñan.”
On this day in 1871, according to historical archives, national hero Jose Rizal finished his schooling in Biñan, Laguna, where he studied for a year and a half under the tutelage of Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz.
"One day I received a letter from my sister Saturnina informing me of the arrival of steamship Tallim, which was due to take me away on a certain day. It seems that I had a premonition that I would not be back and so I went often and thoughtfully to the chapel of Nuestra Señora dela Paz y Buen Viaje. I left Biñan on the 17th of December 1871,” Rizal wrote in his memoir “Memorias de Un Estudiante de Manila.”
Simple ceremony
The anniversary was marked with a simple program held at the newly-rebuilt School of Rizal Site and Museum, where a historical marker was unveiled at the site where the young Rizal started his formal education.
The event was also marked by performances prepared by different youth and artists' groups in the city, led by the Biñan City History, Arts and Tourism Office (BCHATO).
The finalists for the BCHATO’s contest for the official portrait of Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz were also presented during the event.
Senator JV Ejercito, one of the principal authors of the Free Tertiary Education Law, joined local officials led by Mayor Arman Dimaguila, Vice Mayor Gel Alonte, and Representative Len Alonte.
Key to progress
In her speech during the event, Rep. Alonte highlighted how Rizal’s formal schooling in Biñan was the spark that led the national hero to champion quality education for Filipinos, recognizing the key role of education in the socio-economic development of a country.
“Sana ang kanyang [Rizal] pagpapahalaga sa edukasyon ay manatili sa ating krusada. Sana ay ipagpatuloy natin ang pakikipaglaban sa kamangmagan at ipaglaban natin ang edukasyon para sa lahat,” Alonte said.
Alonte also highlighted the current programs being implemented by the city government under Dimaguila to strengthen Biñan City’s education sector even amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
During the pandemic, the city government has given its full support to both students and teachers as they continue their schooling under the “new normal” in education, through free equipment, financial assistance, and the completion of a free Wi-Fi network in the city that students can use for online learning.
“Gusto ko pong kilalanin ang mga gurong patuloy na humuhubog sa mga kabataan, nagmamahal at nagsasakripisyo para mabigyan ng magandang edukasyon ang bawat isang mag-aaral,” the representative said in her speech.
Tags: #OpinYonLaguna, #BinanCity, #JoseRizal, #RizalInBinan