Perception of Grade 12 students of Colegio de Naic on who

should be the Philippine National hero: Jose Rizal or Andres

Bonifacio

A Research Study

Presented to

Faculty of Colegio De Naic

SY 2018-2019

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in

Research

By:

Vladimere Duag

Mhark Anthony Martinez

Grace Panganiban Noveno

Jhon Reigh Talactac

 CHAPTER I

This chapter shows the background of the study, statement of the problem, conceptual

framework, significance of the study, scope and limitation, and definition of terms being used in

this study.

Background of the Study

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself”

-Joseph Campbell

Every other country has someone who they called a national hero. America has George

Washington China has Yüeh Fei. What we and those countries have in common is that we all

have history, where one individual did something so important that it change the history forever.

In 1995 the Philippine National Heroes Committee officially recommended several people for

the designation, but this was not acted upon. As of 2007, no one had ever been officially

recognized as a Philippine national hero.

José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda is a very significant figure in the

Philippines. He was the one that led our people to have a revolution against our Spanish

oppressors. He did not only used his knowledge to improve his life but also to help his country

men. Both his life and death affected the Filipinos back then when they have no hope. His work

inspired various Filipinos to fight for their freedom and his iconic death is one of the most

significant milestone in the history of the Philippines. He is so special to the hearts of the

Filipinos and his wisdom is passed down up to this generation.

 Andrés Bonifacio y de Castro is also one of the key figures in the history of the

Philippines. He led the organization called Katipunan, who fought the Spaniards using his great

tactical skills and braveness to fight for his country’s freedom. He contributed to the basic

elements of our country by commissioning our national anthem. Some may even call him the

first president of the Philippines. His death hailed him as a a hero of our country.

Statement of the Problem

This study entitled “Perception of Grade 12 students of Colegio de Naic on who should

be the Philippine National hero: Jose Rizal or Andres Bonifacio.”, generally aims to know the

Perception of Grade 12 students of Colegio de Naic on who should be the Philippine National

hero.

This also specifically answers the following questions:

Significance of the Study

This study entitled “Perception of Grade 12 students of Colegio de Naic on who should

be the Philippine National hero: Jose Rizal or Andres Bonifacio.” Will give more insight on who

shall be the national hero of the Philippines should it be when it comes to Grade 12 students. It

will also evaluate what the modern generation thinks of our beloved national figures and how

they assess our history.

Scope and Limitation

 This study is only limited only on who should be the Philippine national hero based on

the perception of the grade 12 students of Colegio de Naic. The will conduct interviews as its

research method. The study is conducted at Colegio de Naic compound.

Definition of Terms

Assess - to estimate or judge the value, character, etc., of; evaluate

(https://www.dictionary.com/browse/assess?s=t)

Evaluate - to determine or set the value or amount of; appraise

(https://www.dictionary.com/browse/evaluate?s=t)

Insight - an instance of apprehending the true nature of a thing, especially through intuitive

understanding

(https://www.dictionary.com/browse/insight?s=t)

National Hero - someone who beyond that has made significant positive contributions to the

growth and development of society, and represents all of us.

(http://www.communityandculture.bm/pages/national-heroes-day)

Perception - immediate or intuitive recognition or appreciation, as of moral, psychological, or

aesthetic qualities; insight; intuition; discernment

(https://www.dictionary.com/browse/perception?s=t)

Significant - important; of consequence

(https://www.dictionary.com/browse/significant)
 CHAPTER II

This chapter shows the related literature and studies that give background for better

understanding of the topic being studied.

Jose Rizal

On June 19, 1861, the Mercado Family from the town of Calamba in the province of
Laguna in the Philippines, happily greeted the birth of their newest member — a baby boy born
as the seventh child to proud parents Francisco Rizal Mercado y Alejandro and Teodora Alonza
y Quintos. They named the bouncing baby boy Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado. Being the seventh
of a brood of eleven, Jose Rizal Mercado demonstrated an astounding intelligence and aptitude
for learning at a very young age when he learned his letters from his mother and could read and
write at the age of five.

Educational foundations

The Mercado family enjoyed relative wealth as landowners who rented the land of
their hacienda to the Dominican friars in Laguna. Hence, education was a priority for the
Mercado family and young Jose Protacio was sent to learn from Justiniano Aquino Cruz, a tutor
from nearby Binan, Laguna. But the education of a small town and a tutor did not sufficiently
quench the young man’s thirst for knowledge and soon, the family began to make preparations
for his admission to the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, in the capital of the Philippines.

The school was run by the Jesuit Order and was one of the most prominent and academic
institutions in the country which catered to the rich, the powerful and most intelligent students
that country had, certainly a place for a young man like Jose Protacio Mercado.

Studying in Manila

Prior to his enrollment in this prominent learning institution, his older brother Paciano
Rizal Mercado, insisted that Jose drop the surname “Mercado”, to ensure that the younger
Mercado would be disassociated with the outspoken and borderline subversive reputation of his
older brother. As such, the young man known as Jose Protacio Rizal enrolled at the Ateneo
Municipal de Manila.

Being the child of a family of wealthy landowners, Jose Rizal decided to study for a
degree in Land Surveying and Assessment at the Ateneo de Municipal de Manila where he
graduated on March 14, 1877, with honors or sobresaliente. He took and passed the licensure
exam for land surveying and assessment in 1878 but was not given a license until 1881 when he
turned 21.
 In 1878, after his completion of his degree from Ateneo Municipal de Manila, he
pursued, his passion for the arts as he enrolled at the Faculty of Arts and Letters for a degree in
Philosophy at the University of Santo Tomas. Although he excelled at philosophy, the news of
his mother’s impending blindness convinced him to study Medicine, and in 1878 he enrolled in
the Faculty of Medical Sciences at University of Santo Tomas to specialize in ophthalmology.
Citing discrimination against Filipino students by the Dominican professors in Medicine, Rizal
left the medical program in 1882.

Believing that education in the country was limited, he boarded a ship to Spain with the
support of his older brother Paciano but without informing his parents. The ten years he would
spend on the European continent would leave an indelible mark on his personality and open his
eyes to the world, develop his natural talents and strengthen his devotion to his motherland.

Academics in Europe

In Spain, he continued the studies that were stalled in the Philippines and enrolled at
the Universidad Central de Madrid where he graduated in 1884 with a degree in Medicine, and a
year later with a degree in Philosophy and letters from the same institution. Even after the
completion of these two degrees, he still was not satisfied and traveled to France and studied at
the University of Paris.

In his pursuit to further increase his knowledge in his chosen field of specialization —
ophthalmology — he studied at the University of Heidelberg under the distinguished eye
specialist, Professor Otto Becker.

Recognition in Europe

Born a few centuries too late, Rizal could have been an ideal Renaissance Man, he was a
polymath who excelled at anything he put his considerable mind and talents to. The study of land
assessment, medicine, and literature are just a few of his known accomplishments but he also
excellent in arts such as sculpting, painting, architecture; physical activities such as martial arts,
fencing, pistol shooting were also where he demonstrated his prowess; he was well read could
discuss agriculture, economics, sociology, anthropology and history at will.

117 years after Rizal’s death, the government where his family hailed in Calamba,
Laguna recognized Rizal’s ability in various sports during his lifetime. Apart from these, he was
also multilingual and was known to have been able to converse in over 10 languages including
Filipino, Spanish, English, French, German, and Dutch, among others.Rizal was also a member
of the Freemasons. It is therefore no surprise that wherever he went, people were drawn to his
charm, wit, intelligence and personality. He made friends and lovers wherever he went and left
an impression and reputation that would outlive him.

Foundations for reform

 Even as a youth, Jose Rizal had been exposed to the difficulties of being under the
Spanish colonial government, which had instilled in him the need for change in the system of
how the country was being run. Jose Rizal spent most of his time with his older brother Paciano,
a man who had been linked to Filipino priests, Gomez, Burgos and Zamora, who sought reform
within the catholic church by advocating equal rights for Filipino and Spanish priests in the
Philippines. The three priests were later accused of being subversive and were executed by the
Spanish colonial government.

Even closer to home, Rizal saw the treatment accorded to his beloved mother by the Spanish
authorities who accused her of attempting to poison her cousin and sent her to jail in Santa Cruz,
Laguna. Teodora Mercado was made to walk sixteen kilometers from their home to the prison
and was incarcerated for 2 and a half years until a successful appeal at the highest court of the
Spanish government cleared her of the charges.

Novels

During his stay in first stay in Europe, Rizal wrote his novel, Noli Me Tangere.The book
was written in Spanish and first published in Berlin, Germany in 1887. The Noli, as it is more
commonly known, tells the story of a young Filipino man who travels to Europe to study and
returns home with new eyes to the injustices and corruption in his native land.

Rizal used elaborate characters to symbolize the different personalities and characteristics
of both the oppressors and the oppressed, paying notable attention to Filipinos who had adopted
the customs of their colonizers, forgetting their own nationality; the Spanish friars who were
portrayed as lustful and greedy men in robes who sought only to satisfy their own needs, and the
poor and ignorant members of society who knew no other life but that of one of abject poverty
and cruelty under the yoke of the church and state. Rizal’s first novel was a scalding criticism of
the Spanish colonial system in the country and Philippine society in general, was met with harsh
reactions from the elite, the church and the government.

Upon his return to the country, he was summoned by the Governor General of the
Philippine Islands to explain himself in light of accusations that he was a subversive and an
inciter of rebellion. Rizal faced the charges and defended himself admirably, and although he
was exonerated, his name would remain on the watch list of the colonial government. Similarly,
his work also produced a great uproar in the Catholic Church in the country, so much so that
later, he was excommunicated.

Despite the reaction to his first novel, Rizal wrote a second novel, El Filibusterismo, and
published it in 1891. Where the protagonist of Noli,Ibarra, was a pacifist and advocate of
peaceful means of reforms to enact the necessary change in the system, the lead character
in Fili,Simeon, was more militant and preferred to incite an armed uprising to achieve the same
end. Hence the government could not help but notice that instead of being merely a commentary
on Philippine society, the second novel could become the catalyst which would encourage
Filipinos to revolt against the Spanish colonizers and overthrow the colonial government.

Arrest, exile, and incarceration

Upon his return to the Philippines in 1892, he was arrested by the Spanish government
for being a subversive and for his reported involvement in the rebellion. He was then exiled to
the island of the Dapitan in the southernmost island group of the Philippines, Mindanao. There
he established a school that taught English to young boys, he worked on agricultural projects
on abaca, a plant used for rope, and he continued to practice medicine, eventually meeting one
of the most famous women in his life, Josephine Bracken.

Although Jose Rizal had repeatedly said that he advocated peaceful reforms in the
Philippines, the Spanish government were correct in assuming that his novels would indeed stir
up a hornet’s nest of unrest in the islands. One of the leaders of the revolutionary group
called Katipunan, Andres Bonifacio, had read the Rizal’s novels and had used these as a basis for
the revolution. So influential was Rizal that even without his permission they named him as a
member and Katipunerosshouted his name as part of the their battlecry.

With no wish to be further implicated in the revolution, Rizal asked and was granted
permission by then governor General Ramon Blanco to travel to Cuba, another Spanish Colony
at the time, to support in the medical efforts needed to suppress an outbreak of yellow fever. On
the way to Cuba, Rizal was arrested and incarcerated in Barcelona due to the political
manoeuvrings of the friars which saw Blanco removed from office and replaced by Camilo de
Polavieja.

Execution and death

Rizal was then brought back to the Philippines to face charges of rebellion due to his
reported association with the revolutionary movement. The court found him guilty and sentenced
him to death. Jose Rizal was executed by a firing squad on December 30 1896, at 7:00am, in
Bagumbayan (now called Rizal Park) and his remains were buried in an unmarked grave in the
nearby Paco Cemetery.

Through the years, Rizal’s works and ideals have been cited by many reformists, such as
Jawaharlal Nehru, Sun Yat Sen and even Ghandi as the means for peace reforms. As the national
hero of the Philippines, his works, are required reading for all students and streets, buildings, and
parks have been named after him and the 30th of December, his death anniversary, was declared
a national holiday.
Legacy

What made Jose Rizal worthy of becoming the Philippines’ national hero was not merely
his intelligence, personality, literary acumen, or his pacifist ideals. Rather, it was his patriotism,
optimism, undying love for his country and his belief in his countrymen which set him apart. He
believed not merely in freedom but in the potential of the Filipino people to surpass what they
were under the Spanish colonial government, and all he wished was for them to be given the
chance to tap that potential. And for that, he has earned his right place as a symbol of what a
Filipino can do in one short lifetime.

(https://www.joserizal.com/)

Andres Bonifacio

Bonifacio's Birth and Early Life

Andres Bonifacio was born on November 30, 1863, in Tondo, Manila. His father
Santiago was a tailor, a local politician and a boatman who operated a river-ferry; his mother,
Catalina de Castro, was employed in a cigarette-rolling factory. The couple worked extremely
hard to support Andres and his five younger siblings, but in 1881 Catalina caught tuberculosis
("consumption") and died. The following year, Santiago also became ill and passed away.

At the age of 19, Andres Bonifacio was forced to give up plans for higher education and
begin working full-time to support his orphaned younger siblings. He worked for the British
trading company J.M. Fleming & Co. as a broker or corredor for local raw materials such as tar
and rattan. He later moved to the German firm Fressell & Co., where he worked as
a bodeguero or grocer.

Family Life

Andres Bonifacio's tragic family history during his youth seems to have followed him
into his adulthood. He married twice but had no surviving children at the time of his death.His
first wife, Monica, came from the Palomar neighborhood of Bacoor. She died young of leprosy
(Hansen's disease).Bonifacio's second wife, Gregoria de Jesus, came from the Calookan area of
metro Manila. They married when he was 29 and she was just 18; their only child, a son, died as
an infant.

Establishment of Katipunan

In 1892, Bonifacio joined Jose Rizal's new organization La Liga Filipina, which called
for reform of the Spanish colonial regime in the Philippines. The group met only once, however,
since Spanish officials arrested Rizal immediately after the first meeting and deported him to the
southern island of Mindanao.
 After Rizal's arrest and deportation, Andres Bonifacio and others revived La Liga to
continue pressure on the Spanish government to free the Philippines. Along with his friends
Ladislao Diwa and Teodoro Plata, however, he also founded a group called Katipunan.

Katipunan, or Kataastaasang Kagalannalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan to

give its full name (literally "Highest and Most Respected Society of the Children of the
Country"), was dedicated to armed resistance against the colonial government. Made up mostly
of people from the middle and lower classes, the Katipunan organization soon established
regional branches in a number of provinces across the Philippines. (It also went by the rather
unfortunate acronym KKK.)

In 1895, Andres Bonifacio became the top leader or Presidente Supremo of the
Katipunan. Along with his friends Emilio Jacinto and Pio Valenzuela, Bonifacio also put out a
newspaper called the Kalayaan, or "Freedom." Over the course of 1896, under Bonifacio's
leadership, Katipunan grew from about 300 members at the beginning of the year to more than
30,000 in July. With a militant mood sweeping the nation, and a multi-island network in place,
Bonifacio's Katipunan was prepared to start fighting for freedom from Spain.

Philippines Uprising Begins

Over the summer of 1896, the Spanish colonial government began to realize that the
Philippines was on the verge of revolt. On August 19, the authorities tried to preempt the
uprising by arresting hundreds of people and jailing them under charges of treason - some of
those swept up were genuinely involved in the movement, but many were not.

Among those arrested was Jose Rizal, who was on a ship in Manila Bay waiting to ship
out for service as a military doctor in Cuba (this was part of his plea bargain with the Spanish
government, in exchange for his release from prison in Mindanao). Bonifacio and two friends
dressed up like sailors and made their way onto the ship and tried to convince Rizal to escape
with them, but he refused; he was later put on trial in a Spanish kangaroo court and executed.

Bonifacio kicked off the revolt by leading thousands of his followers to tear up their
community tax certificates or cedulas. This signaled their refusal to pay any more taxes to the
Spanish colonial regime. Bonifacio named himself President and commander-in-chief of the
Philippines revolutionary government, declaring the nation's independence from Spain on
August 23. He issued a manifesto, dated August 28, 1896, calling for "all towns to rise
simultaneously and attack Manila," and sent generals to lead the rebel forces in this offensive.

Attack on San Juan del Monte

Andres Bonifacio himself led an attack on the town of San Juan del Monte, intent on
capturing Manila's metro water station and the powder magazine from the Spanish garrison.
Although they were vastly outnumbered, the Spanish troops inside managed to hold off
Bonifacio's forces until reinforcements arrived.
 Bonifacio was forced to withdraw to Marikina, Montalban, and San Mateo; his group
suffered heavy casualties. Elsewhere, other Katipunan groups attacked Spanish troops all around
Manila. By early September, the revolution was spreading across the country.

Fighting Intensifies

As Spain pulled all its resources back to defend the capital at Manila, rebel groups in
other areas began to sweep up the token Spanish resistance left behind. The group in Cavite (a
peninsula south of the capital, jutting into Manila Bay), had the greatest success in driving the
Spanish out. Cavite's rebels were led by an upper-class politician called Emilio Aguinaldo. By
October of 1896, Aguinaldo's forces held most of the peninsula.

Bonifacio led a separate faction from Morong, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) to the east
of Manila. A third group under Mariano Llanera was based in Bulacan, north of the capital.
Bonifacio appointed generals to establish bases in the mountains all over Luzon island .

Despite his earlier military reverses, Bonifacio personally led an attack on Marikina,
Montalban, and San Mateo. Although he initially succeeded in driving the Spanish out of those
towns, they soon recaptured the cities, nearly killing Bonifacio when a bullet went through his
collar.

Rivalry with Aguinaldo

Aguinaldo's faction in Cavite was in competition with a second rebel group headed by an
uncle of Gregoria de Jesus, Bonifacio's wife. As a more successful military leader and a member
of a much wealthier, more influential family, Emilio Aguinaldo felt justified in forming his own
rebel government in opposition to Bonifacio's. On March 22, 1897, Aguinaldo rigged an election
at the rebels' Tejeros Convention to show that he was the proper president of the revolutionary
government.

To Bonifacio's shame, he not only lost the presidency to Aguinaldo but was appointed to
the lowly post of Secretary of the Interior. When Daniel Tirona questioned his fitness even for
that job, based on Bonifacio's lack of a university education, the humiliated former president
pulled a gun and would have killed Tirona if a bystander had not stopped him.

Sham Trial and Execution

After Emilio Aguinaldo "won" the rigged election at Tejeros, Andres Bonifacio refused
to recognize the new rebel government. Aguinaldo sent a group to arrest Bonifacio; the
opposition leader did not realize that they were there with ill intent, and allowed them into his
camp. They shot down his brother Ciriaco, seriously beat his brother Procopio, and some reports
say that they also raped his young wife Gregoria.

Aguinaldo had Bonifacio and Procopio tried for treason and sedition. After a one-day
sham trial, in which the defense lawyer averred their guilt rather than defending them, both
Bonifacios were convicted and sentenced to death.
 Aguinaldo commuted the death sentence on May 8 but then reinstated it. On May 10,
1897, both Procopio and Andres Bonifacio likely were shot dead by a firing squad on Nagpatong
Mountain. Some accounts say that Andres was too weak to stand, due to untreated battle wounds,
and was actually hacked to death in his stretcher instead. Andres was just 34 years old.

Legacy

As the first self-declared President of the independent Philippines, as well as the first
leader of the Philippine Revolution, Andres Bonifacio is a crucial figure in that nation's history.
However, his exact legacy is the subject of dispute among Filipino scholars and citizens.

Jose Rizal is the most widely recognized "national hero of the Philippines," although he
advocated a more pacifist approach of reforming Spanish colonial rule rather than overthrowing
it by force. Aguinaldo is generally cited as the first president of the Philippines, even though
Bonifacio took on that title before Aguinaldo did. Some historians feel that Bonifacio has gotten
short shrift, and should be set beside Rizal on the national pedestal.

Andres Bonifacio has been honored with a national holiday on his birthday, however, just
like Rizal. November 30 is Bonifacio Day in the Philippines.

(https://www.thoughtco.com/andres-bonifacio-of-the-philippines-195651)

National Heroes Committee

On March 28, 1993, President Fidel V. Ramos issued Executive Order No.75 entitled
“Creating the National Heroes Committee Under the Office of the President”.

The principal duty of the Committee is to study, evaluate and recommend Filipino
national personages/heroes in due recognition of their sterling character and remarkable
achievements for the country.

Findings and Recommendations of the National Heroes Committee

In compliance with Executive Order No. 75 dated March 28, 1993 , the National Heroes
Committee submitted its findings and recommendations.

Criteria for National Heroes

The Technical Committee of the National Heroes Committee held a series of meetings on
June 3, 1993, August 19,1993 , September 12, 1994 and November 15, 1995 , defining,
discussing and deliberating upon the merits of the various definitions and criteria of a hero. The
Committee adopted the following criteria as basis for historical researchers in determining who
among the great Filipinos will be officially proclaimed as national heroes:
Criteria for National Heroes

(Adopted by the Technical Committee of the National Heroes Committee on June 3,

1993, Manila . Members of the Committee included Drs. Onofre D. Corpuz, Samuel K. Tan,
Marcelino Foronda, Alfredo Lagmay, Bernardita R. Churchill, Serafin D. Quiason, Ambeth
Ocampo, then known as Dom Ignacio Maria, Prof. Minerva Gonzales and Mrs. Carmen
Guerrero-Nakpil)

1. Heroes are those who have a concept of nation and thereafter aspire and struggle for the
nation’s freedom. Our own struggle for freedom was begun by Bonifacio and finished by
Aguinaldo, the latter formally declaring the revolution’s success. In reality, however, a
revolution has no end. Revolutions are only the beginning. One cannot aspire to be free only to
sink back into bondage.

2. Heroes are those who define and contribute to a system or life of freedom and order for a
nation. Freedom without order will only lead to anarchy. Therefore, heroes are those who make
the nation’s constitution and laws, such as Mabini and Recto. To the latter, constitutions are only
the beginning, for it is the people living under the constitution that truly constitute a nation.

3. Heroes are those who contribute to the quality of life and destiny of a nation. (As defined by
Dr. Onofre D. Corpuz)

Additional Criteria for Heroes

(Adopted by the Technical Committee of the National Heroes Committee on November 15,
1995, Manila)

1. A hero is part of the people’s expression. But the process of a people’s internalization of a
hero’s life and works takes time, with the youth forming a part of the internalization.

2. A hero thinks of the future, especially the future generations.

3. The choice of a hero involves not only the recounting of an episode or events in history, but of
the entire process that made this particular person a hero. (As defined by Dr. Alfredo Lagmay)
Historical Figures Recommended as National Heroes

On November 15, 1995, the Technical Committee after deliberation and careful study
based on Dr. Onofre D. Corpuz’ and Dr. Alfredo Lagmay’s criteria selected the following nine
Filipino historical figures to be recommended as National Heroes:

a. Jose Rizal
b. Andres Bonifacio
c. Emilio Aguinaldo
d. Apolinario Mabini
e. Marcelo H. del Pilar
f. Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat
g. Juan Luna
h. Melchora Aquino
i. Gabriela Silang

Status of the Report/Recommendations Submitted by the National Heroes Committee.

Since the submission of the report/recommendations by the National Heroes Committee

to then Secretary Ricardo T. Gloria of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports on
November 22,1995, no action has been taken. This was probably because this might trigger a
flood of requests for proclamations. Another possibility is that the proclamations can trigger
bitter debates involving historical controversies about the heroes.

Laws Honoring/ Commemorating Filipino Historical Figures

Decree of December 20, 1898, issued by General Emilio Aguinaldo, declared

December 30 of every year a day of national mourning in honor of Dr. Jose Rizal
and other victims of the Philippine Revolution.

Act No. 137, which organized the politico-military district of Morong into the
Province of Rizal, was the first official step taken by the Taft Commission to
honor our greatest hero and martyr.

Act No. 2946, enacted by the Philippine Legislature on February 16, 1921 , made
November 30 of each year a legal holiday to commemorate the birth of Andres
Bonifacio

Act No. 2760, issued on February 23, 1918 , confirmed and ratified all steps taken
for the creation, maintenance, improvement of national monuments and
particularly for the erection of a monument to the memory of Andres Bonifacio

Other Heroes

Act No. 3827, enacted by the Philippine Legislature on October 28, 1931 ,
declared the last Sunday of August of every year as National Heroes Day.
 Proclamation No. 510, issued by Pres. Fidel V.Ramos on November 30, 1994 ,
declared the year 1996 as the year of Filipino Heroes as a tribute to all Filipinos
who, directly and indirectly, gave meaning and impetus to the cause of freedom,
justice, Philippine independence and nationhood.

R.A. No. 9070, April 8, 2001, declaring the eighteenth of December of every year
as a special working public holiday throughout the country to be known as the
Graciano Lopez-Jaena DayOther Historical Figures

R.A. No. 6701, February 10, 1989, declaring September One of every year, the
death anniversary of Gregorio Aglipay y Labayan, as Gregorio L. Aglipay Day
and a special non-working holiday in the Municipality of Batac, Province of
Ilocos Norte

R.A. No. 7285, March 24, 1992, declaring February Nineteen of each year as
Doña Aurora Aragon Quezon Day a special nonworking holiday in the Province
of Aurora in order to commemorate the birth anniversary of Doña Aurora Aragon
Quezon, the first President of the Philippine National Red Cross, and Foundation
Day of the Province

R.A. No. 7805, September 1, 1994, declaring January 28 of every year as a non-
working special public holiday in the City of Cavite to be known as Julian Felipe
Day

R.A. No. 7950, March 25, 1995, declaring December Eighteen of every year as
“Araw ng Laguna” and a special working day in the Province of Laguna and the
City of San Pablo to commemorate the memory and death of the late Governor
Felicisimo T. San Luis

R.A. No. 9067, April 8, 2001, declaring April 15 of every year as President
Manuel A. Roxas Day which shall be observed as a special working public
holiday in the Province of Capiz and the City of Roxas

(http://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/selection-and-proclamation-of-
national-heroes-and-laws-honoring-filipino-historical-figures/)