The Life and Love of Dr Jose Rizal

Rizal thus placed education as the prime condition for the advancement of his people and the progress of his country. He gave the highest importance to schools.

“The school is the basis of society”, he said. “The school is the book in which is written the future of the nations. Show me the school of a people and we will show what the people is”, he challenged. Ladies and gentlemen:

The Filipino nation today is still recovering from probably the worst legacy of our misadventure in dictatorship: the degradation of our basic educational system—because the budget for it was siphoned to other ends.

Given this continuing problem and the imperative on schools advocated by Rizal, might it not be a good idea for the Knights of Rizal, Sydney Chapter, to adopt at least one elementary school somewhere in our seven thousand islands, bring to it microscopes and other equipment for science and technology, computers and books—or the basic amenities in the schools here that are so taken for granted as givens but are atrociously lacking in our schools, particularly those in the barrios?

Would it not be better still if in the adopted school, the Chapter makes sure Rizal’s ideals are brought to life, science is taught to become an integral part of daily culture, entrepreneurship made the main approach to ensuring sustenance to lessen “employee-mentality”, and each one of the young—the “fair hope of the fatherland”—is convinced: to hold every Filipino in high esteem, to expect the best of every Filipino, and to live his or her life in such a way as to merit such high esteem and best expectation?

Just an idea. If you have done it, please disregard.

But the point is, there is always something one can do without need of being a hero—like doing something for the welfare of others—little things that will redound to the betterment of Inang Bayan.

Little things that, in the view of Dr. Rizal—who now floats in our air, our space, our valleys, as fragrance, light, colours, whispers, songs and sighs, constantly repeating the essence of his faith in the Filipino—would make him say:

“ah, que es hermoso dormir la eternidad en su encantada tierra!”

“how beautiful it is to sleep the eternities in your enchanted land!”

*** Paper presented by Consul General Edwin Bael at “A Symposium on the Life and Works of Dr Jose P. Rizal” by the Order of the Knights of Rizal, Sydney Chapter, on May 30, 1999 at the Bankstown RSL Club, Bankstown, NSW.

Additional information about Dr Jose Rizal

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