PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte believes the country’s national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, and other heroes of the Philippine Revolution sought a federal form of government for the country, the Interior Department said Thursday.
Rizal, whose life and works will be commemorated in his 120th death anniversary today, had published a perceptive essay, “Filipinas Dentro De Cien Años” (The Philippines a Century Hence) published in the revolutionary newspaper “La Solidaridad” in which he predicted that the Philippines, once freed from Spanish rule, “will probably adopt a federal republic.”
Historians assume that Rizal’s foretelling was influenced by his federalist mentor, Francisco Pi y Margall, who was the short-lived President of the First Spanish Republic in 1873.
About 127 years after Rizal’s essay, the Philippine government is seriously considering the shift to a federal state, with Duterte tasking the Interior Department to undertake a nationwide information and campaign on federalism in partnership with various supporters, local government units, civil society, grassroots and faith-based organizations.
“Rizal is a visionary, prolific Filipino, yet he is as human as we are. He was able to hone his potentials through perseverance and diligence. Any Filipino can also be a global Pinoy and be worth emulating by Juans and Juanas,” Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno said.
Sueno likewise urged Filipinos to be motivated by the life story and writings of the national hero.
“The values [Rizal] espoused are still relevant up to our time, such as citizen participation and participatory governance,” he added.
Sueno noted that in 1887, Rizal wrote about the lack of civic virtues among Filipinos in his novel “Noli Me Tangere.”
Juan Crisostomo Magsalin Ibarra, the protagonist in the novel that historians consider as Rizal’s alter ego, said: “I can concede that the government has no knowledge of the people, but I believe the people know less of the government. There are useless officials, evil, if you like, but there are also good ones, and these are not able to accomplish anything because they encounter an inert mass, the population that takes little part in matters that concern them.”
Sueno likewise urged Filipino youth and citizenry to take time to read about Rizal and reflect on his work on today’s holiday.
“With the might of his ideas and writings, Rizal awakened and moved our ancestors toward reclaiming Filipino freedom and dignity. Aside from political thought, his extensive studies cover medicine, language, arts and so on. Rizal is a magnificent Filipino, and I believe that modern-day Filipinos can take much inspiration from him,” the Interior chief said.
“Rizal Day is a day of appreciating Rizal as a hero, an icon and a perfect example on how to be a Filipino,” he added in a memorandum circular to all local chief executives–provincial governors, city and municipal mayors, and barangay leaders.