Group marks national hero’s 156th birthday by sharing Jose Rizal’s story to Operation Second Chance children

Some 100 children in conflict with the law got a glimpse of the life of the country’s national hero, Jose Rizal, after members of the Knights of Rizal held a storytelling session yesterday at the Operation Second Chance in Barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City.

The activity is part of the celebration organized by the Cebu City government’s Cultural and Historical Affairs Office (CHAO) commemorating the 156th birth anniversary of Rizal.

Ka Bino Guerrero, a local history enthusiast, heritage guide and a member of Knights of Rizal, said that they were hoping to inspire children and help them to aspire to be more useful citizens.

“After all the ‘Hope of our Fatherland’ is not exclusive to the free. They too deserve a second chance,” Guerrero told Cebu Daily News about the reason of their activity at the facility for children in conflict with the law.

The Cebu chapter of the Knights of Rizal, which is a civic group formed through Republic Act No. 646, partnered with CHAO to hold the storytelling session yesterday.

Aside from the activity, the children were also shown a film about Rizal entitled, “Jose Rizal: Sa Landas ng Paglaya.”

At the Cebu City museum along Fuente Osmeña, Cebu City, a Rizaliana Exhibit was also opened.

The exhibit, which runs for two weeks, puts on display items where faces of Rizal can be seen. These include paintings, stamps and boxes of matches.

News clips about Rizal dating back to the 1950s preserved by the Cebu City Library are among the exhibits put on display.

The activities to commemorate the national hero’s birthday started at the Plaza Sugbo where a flag-raising ceremony was held led by Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella.

Dr. Jose Rizal was born on June 1861 in Calamba, Laguna. His parents were Francisco Mercado Rizal and Teodora Alonso Realonda.

Rizal is known for his novels “Noli Me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo,” which started the Filipino revolution against the Spaniards.

He was exiled in Dapitan from 1892 to 1896.

On Dec. 30, 1896, Rizal was executed by the Spanish colonial government at the Bagumbayan (now known as Luneta or Rizal Park), Manila, for the crime of rebellion after the Philippine revolution broke out, which was inspired in part by his writings. He was then 35 years old.

Yesterday, at the Plaza Sugbu, Knights of Rizal members and students of the Cebu Normal University also offered flowers at the Rizal Monument.