A country’s past is also its present and its future. It’s no less the same in our province – and only through (re)discovering the heroes, the men and women who wrote their own pages in our province’s history, can we be motivated to move our province forward into the prosperous future that our heroes had envisioned for us.
This week, Laguna province will commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of its most illustrious son and national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal.
Amidst all the (deserving) honors and plaudits to the Lagunense who, through his writings, inspired countless Filipinos to shake off the yoke of colonialism and seek their own destiny as a free nation, let us not forget that our province has been, for decades, the “cradle of heroes.”
It’s an encouraging sign that, in the past few months, several local government units in Laguna province have embarked on a self-discovery of sorts, revisiting their rich history and cultural heritage.
Sure, these projects may be geared more towards finding a unique way of marketing their towns as tourism returns to full normal after the Covid-19 pandemic, but it is in revisiting our history and culture that we realize heroism is part and parcel of the Lagunense’s blood.
For instance, Jose Rizal isn’t the only Calambeño who, by his life and death, showed his love for his country and his countrymen. The city also has Vicente Lim, a soldier who fought against racial prejudicism, sought to modernize the Philippines’ armed forces, and later sacrificed his life in the defense of the country during World War II.
What about Abelardo “Capitan Remo” Remoquillo of San Pedro City, one of the leaders of the famed “Hunters ROTC” guerilla squad during World War II?
And Biñan’s Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, the author of the Philippines’ Declaration of Independence and was the one (not Emilio Aguinaldo, contrary to popular belief) who first waved the flag of the Philippines on June 12, 1898?
A country’s past is also its present and its future. It’s no less the same in our province – and only through (re)discovering the heroes, the men and women who wrote their own pages in our province’s history, can we be motivated to move our province forward into the prosperous future that our heroes had envisioned for us.