1st Place, Esay Writing Contest48th National Rizal Youth Leadership Institute ConferenceTeachers Camp, Baguio City,16 to 19 December 2010
It was late evening, on December 29, 1896. Rizal was alone in his murky detention cell in Fort Santiago. By a small lantern, he was writing his last poem when I got the chance to talk to him.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“I am Angeli, Sir, a Filipino youth,” I replied.
“Where are you from?”
“I am from the year 2010, Sir. I got the chance to travel on a time machine,” I retorted.
His eyes glistened.
“Interesting. Come, sit beside me and tell me about the state of the Philippines, 114 years after my death,” he said.I responded to his request, and gave him my truthful account. I never dared to lie.
Suddenly, he was short of breath, tears welled in his eyes, he was saddened by my stories.
Instantly, he said: “I am leaving with this belief . . . for as long as there are among us those who share the same vision for the Philippines, a unified archipelago that is progressive in all sectors, the sun and the stars of our flag will never lose their luster. Our country may have experienced a lot of downfalls but it can never deny this fact: that there is a hero in all Filipinos. Young lady, there is a hero in you.”
Then, I left Rizal, about to die, carrying in my heart his last words to me that there is a hero in each Filipino, in me. We just have to search for it deep within the deepest core of our heart.
It is year 2010 and I'm back to reality. I realize that Rizal was right, that our shared vision for the Philippines is not impossible to achieve—if, and only if we'll unleash the heroes within us. We should not just dream. Rather we should wake up from our deep slumber and make our shared dream for the Philippines a reality. As the saying goes, “A vision without an action is merely a dream. An action without a vision just passes the time. A vision with an action can change the world.”
We should emulate what Rizal did in Dapitan. There, he practiced medicine by charging the rich and giving medicine gratis to the poor. He prescribed local medicinal plants to poor patients who could not afford imported medicines. He established a school where he imbued his students with the knowledge that each youth deserves. He taught new methods of agriculture, he established the cooperative association of Dapitan farmers to improve farm products which could be bought at moderate prices. He erected the first lighting system using coconut oil lamps. He established a system of waterworks using a system of canals made of bamboo. He drained the marshes to prevent the breeding of malaria carrying mosquitos. He invented a cigarette lighter he called ‘sulpukan’ and a machine for making bricks.
Truly Rizal was an initiator, an innovator across sectors!
“Young lady, there is a hero in you,” his words still ringing in my ears, I felt a pang in my chest. It made me reflect, would I be able to establish my own Dapitan?
Then, I realized that somehow, Rizal and I have something in common: a clamor for a social reform through the use of the mighty pen.
I am a writer. I have been following my passion for writing ever since I was in elementary years. In writing, I feel that I'm able to ventilate my clamor for a more unified, more mature citizenry.
The primordial role of a writer, or of a journalist is to be the vanguard of truth in every sense, to use the power of words and the pen to educate, to influence, and to mobilize a magnitude of people. A journalist is able to reveal the truth, without undermining any person. He is objective, unbiased, and truthful.
As a campus journalist, I feel that I have created my own Dapitan too, a Dapitan full of people who face reality and fight for truth. In my own way, I'm able to exemplify my own brand of leadership - in my organization, in my school, and in my community. In my own way, I too am able to emulate Rizal's way of innovating across sectors.
Fellow young bloods, we can build a beautiful future, if we contribute our own time, energies and efforts towards realizing our shared dream for the Philippines, a united archipelago progressive in all sectors.
We must not remain as idle stones forever scattered on a muddy ground, we should be a part of that edifice we call progress. We should harness our skills to reach the zenith of our own potentials. If we do this, we will become ripple-causing ‘stones of change.’
Compatriots, one Rizal cannot save the country. Even a few Rizals would not be enough. Our country needs us all to achieve its most sought progress.
We are the NEW RIZALS of our generation.
We are the HEROES we have been waiting for!
