File:20180116 Philippines 2368 Manila sRGB (Dan Lundberg) - Flickr.jpg

Monument to national hero José Rizal in Rizal Park near where he was executed (off to the left) in 1896.

Dr. José Rizal (1861-1896) may have been merely 4' 11" tall and only lived to just 35 years of age, yet he is regarded as one of the greatest heroes of the Philippines. An ophthalmologist who spoke 22 languages and was an acclaimed artist (among many other accomplishments), he wrote two novels (published in Europe in 1886 and 1891) that were social commentaries on the Spanish colonization of the Philippines. Spanish authorities banned the books in the Philippines and declared Rizal an enemy of the state. He went on to become a leader of the Filipino reform movement, initially with Filipino students in Spain before returning to Manila in 1892 where he formed The Philippine League (La Liga Filipina) to encourage the general public to get involved. He was arrested in July 1892 and exiled to the city of Dapitan on the southern island of Mindanao. In 1896 just days before the start of the Philippine Revolution, he headed for Cuba as a volunteer doctor to minister to yellow fever victims but was arrested en route in Spain and sent back to Manila to be tried for rebellion, sedition, and conspiracy due to his relationships with the revolutionaries of the Katipunan, a secret anti-colonial organization. He was found guilty despite issuing a manifesto disavowing the revolution as premature because Filipinos needed to become educated and create a national identity first. Rizal was executed on 30 December 1896 by a squad of Filipino soldiers from the Spanish Army (backed by regular Spanish Army troops ready to shoot the executioners if they disobeyed orders).

The Republic of the Philippines is a nation of over 7,000 islands. In ancient times different societies developed on different islands. Eventually interactions occurred with Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Islamic nations. Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived in 1521 to claim the islands for Spain. He was killed just over a month later in a battle against a resisting chief, Lapu-Lapu (who is now honored as the first Philippine national hero to oppose foreign rule). The archipelago was named The Philippines (Las Islas Filipanas) in 1543 in honor of King Philip II of Spain. In 1565 the first Hispanic settlement was established by a Spanish explorer from Mexico City. The Philippines remained under the governorship of the Mexico-based Viceroyalty of New Spain until 1821 when administration was transferred to Madrid following Spain’s defeat in the Mexican War of Independence. Spanish rule brought Catholicism which is still the predominate religion today. The Philippine Revolution began in August 1896 leading to a Declaration of Independence on 12 June 1898 that was never recognized by Spain or the United States which acquired the Philippines after winning the Spanish-American War later in the year. The U.S. relinquished sovereignty on 4 July 1946.

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