ILOILO City – Did you know that the life-size statue of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal at Plaza Libertad is over a century old already?
The stone statue was inaugurated on Dec. 30, 1917 or just 21 years after the hero was executed by firing squad in Bagumbayan (now Rizal Park) in Manila by Spanish authorities on Dec. 30, 1896.
Today, the city government is leading rites marking the martyrdom of Rizal at the 102-year-old statue.
A program will be held at the historic Plaza Libertad at 7 a.m. After the flag-raising ceremony, wreaths will be offered at the statue standing tall at the plaza’s center.
To honor Rizal, the Philippine Commission on Sep. 28, 1901 passed Act No. 243 authorizing the construction of a national monument “for (the) Filipino patriot and reformist.”
Subsequently, public schools, municipalities, and cities all over the country built their own versions of Rizal monuments.
These monuments in various forms, magnitude and designs represented local flavors blended on architectural styles of the period.
In Iloilo City, the spot identified where to erect the Rizal statue – the left arm stretched forward, its back facing the Spanish era-built San Jose de Placer Church – was the center of Plaza Libertad. It was an inspired choice.
It was in Plaza Libertad where the Philippine flag was raised on Dec. 25, 1898 during the Philippine Revolution – two years after Rizal’s execution – after Spaniards surrendered to the local troops led by Ilonggo hero General Martin Delgado.
Rizal was widely deemed to have inspired the revolution seeking to free the Philippines from Spanish colonization.
On Nov. 17, 2003 the National Historical Institutedeclared Plaza Libertad a national historical landmark.
Today’s Rizal Day program guest speaker at Plaza Libertad is Joyce Christine Colon of West Visayas State University’s Center for West Visayan Studies. She will also be leading a ceremonial planting of the “Tree of Hope” at the plaza.
Outside Iloilo City, other towns in Iloilo province also erected Rizal statues. Most of them took after the Plaza Libertad statue.
But one unique and imposing Rizal statue is located in Zarraga, Iloilo 16 kilometers north of Iloilo City.
While other Rizal statues are standing, this one is sitting. This is the reason why Zarraga is also referred to as “The Home of the Sitting Hero.”
It was unclear why the town decided to make such Rizal statue but Ilonggo historian and former Iloilo Sangguniang Panlalawigan member Demy Sonza shared an amusing local explanation: Zarraganhons were just being polite and kind to Rizal, they did not want to tire him standing all the time so they let him sit down.
“Kay iban nga mga banwa ayawan si Rizal tindog, waay sila ya naluoy,” said Sonza in jest./PN
