Philippine National Hero Jose P. Rizal Day is commemorated every 30th of December in the Philippines.
In our nation’s history, his name can never be removed as he was one of the greatest Filipino heroes who fought hard for freedom from the hands of Spanish colonizers back in late 1800’s.
I am rooting for the youth of today to uphold on the value he imparted on our race, to love our nation. With the advancement of technology, our young generation of today are becoming more empowered than ever before through the presence of social media. Anyone can now voice out his/her thoughts with just a tap or click on their screens.
But this power greatly comes with a responsibility to analyze and think first before posting. Social media is a diverse virtual world consisting of people from all ages, from all walks of life. I am urge the people to use social media to advocate for peace instead of just merely ranting and post negative matters on the web.
This way, we can have a social media that is more positive, more encouraging, and more peaceful. Jose Rizal may not have social media during his time but he knew how to use his pen and brain to free us. The same goes with us all today. We have to learn to embrace the fact that we are what we say. If all we say is negative—either to our neighbors, friends, or the government—we become no better than the terrorists and rebels who just exist to be antagonists of progress in this country.
After all, the last thing that our heroes in past would want is for us to forget about the concept of unity and peace. They fought for it. And we must sustain. Sustain the love. Sustain the peace. Sustain the nationalism.
We do not have to destroy one another. Instead, we have to do our own ways in nation-building—that we, too, can become heroes on our own.
Chissan Rae Balderas