STATEMENT OF SENATOR RICHARD J. GORDON ON THE 122TH ANNIVERSARY OF DR. JOSE P. RIZAL'S DEATH

Today we mark the 122nd anniversary of the death by execution in the fields of Bagumbayan (now the historic Luneta Park) of our national hero, Jose Rizal. We give honor to his heroism in starting the Philippine revolution against the Spanish colonizers through his writings that included among others, the Noli Me Tangere, El Filibusterismo and to the Women of Malolos. These writings helped break the walls in the minds of his compatriots minds by awakening them to the country's plight at the hands of the foreign colonizers.

Instead of taking arms, Rizal used his mighty pen to fight for our country to be free from foreign rule and sacrificed his own life to help attain this goal. May his death inspire all of us to work towards achieving genuine freedom for our country by overcoming all threats that may hinder our flag from swaying proudly in the air.

Let us all work together in starting a national transformation that would enable us to reach the Bagumbayan that Rizal and our other heroes deemed worth dying for.