PROJECT

SS014
B33
Maalong, Edrian A.

CAPTION: It so fun in the House of Rizal! He really must have an amazing childhood!
#YoungRizal

CAPTION: Just chillin and hanging out with my friend Ralph in an old tree near Rizals
House, its so cool

CAPTION: This certifies that Rizals house is an important part of our history
#Filipino

CAPTION: Feeling ecstatic to see the house of Rizal #OOTD

CAPTION: Me with the statue of young Rizal and his doggie! Woohoo!

REFLECTION
In this project, we are tasked to find a historically relevant location
here in the Philippines that is recognized by the National Historical
Commission of the Philippines (NHCP). The main mission of the commission
is to promote the history as well as cultural heritage of the country through
research, and most importantly, conservation and preservation of movable
and immovable objects that has historical significance. A symbol or seal is
placed on the location or object by the commission if it possesses any
historical importance.
For this project, I have visited the house of Jose Rizal located in the City
of Calamba. The house of Rizal is NHCP recognized, to which is described to
be the birthplace of Jose Rizal. The house was restored through the executive
order no. 145 by President Elpidio Quirino. I chose this location because it is
the place where Jose Rizal grew up and where most of his life took place. It is
also one of the most visited historical site in Laguna and it is near from my
house.
I was not able to go inside of the house because it is currently being
renovated by the NHCP. The house of Jose Rizal is huge, which tells me that
Rizal came from a middle-class family. When I arrived at the place, I was
astonished by the design of the house because I really like ancient houses. I
noticed that some of the parts was already painted with new colors. I was
amazed of the overall structure of the house because it is my first time to
see a Spanish colonial house. There was this nipa hut outside of the house,
where Jose and his sisters used to hang out and play. The lot area outside the
house is very big, and there were lots of trees around, making the area good
for picnic. My pictures are all taken outside the house of Rizal since were not
allowed inside until the house is finished with the touches.
I took a picture of myself with a very big poster situated in the front
side of the house of Rizal, because it contains a lot of information about the

extraordinary experiences of Rizal during his childhood. Next picture that I

had was with the statue of young Jose Rizal and a dog. I believe that the dog
was named Verguenza since it is scribed in the statue. That picture made me
very ecstatic because I thought that it would be really fun to play with Rizal
when he was a child. I took a picture of a well that turned into a wishing well
of the people visiting the house. I tried to throw some coins in that well since
I am aiming to pass a lot of exams this year, especially the chemical
engineering board exam. That well is the only surviving feature of the
Spanish-colonial house. I took a picture of the grave of the parents of Jose
Rizal, which is about 20 meters away from the wishing well. I took that
picture because Jose Rizal was goodly shaped by his mother and father.
Lastly, I took a picture of myself with the house of Jose Rizal. This will serve
as my remembrance in visiting the historically significant and captivating
house of Rizal.
I learned a lot of things from my experience visiting the house of Jose
Rizal. I realized that it is very important for Filipinos, especially those who are
living in Laguna, to take a tour in the house of Rizal in Calamba so that they
can understand Jose Rizal better by learning where he spent his childhood
days. I searched that the house was destroyed during World War II, however I
am so glad to learn that the house was reconstructed using original and
durable materials. I was shocked to learn that it was made possible through
the donations of school children of the Philippines. I am very happy since our
generation were able to appreciate the childhood home of Jose Rizal. As a
Filipino, it is very important that we conserve the historical artifacts and
places associated with the development of the Filipino nationalism because
these things symbolized our hardships towards achieving our freedom and
democracy that we enjoy today till the end of times.