IN MEMORIAM. Local officials of the city government of Dumaguete pay their respects before the monument of Dr. Jose Rizal at the Quezon Park on Saturday (Dec. 30, 2023). The commemoration ceremony was for the 127th anniversary of Rizal’s martyrdom. (PNA photo by Mary Judaline Flores Partlow)
DUMAGUETE CITY – A youth leader and former city official of this Negros Oriental capital on Saturday called on the youth to emulate the national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, and be catalysts for change in promoting peace, progress, and nation-building.
“The youth are not merely the future. We are the present. Let us foster our potential, not just for personal gain but for the collective betterment of our beloved country,” Renz Macion, a former Sangguniang Kabataan Federation president and city councilor, said as he addressed the public during the city’s commemoration of the 127th martyrdom of Rizal at Quezon Park here.
Macion said Rizal was 26 when he published his novel, Noli Me Tangere, while Andres Bonifacio was in his late 20s when he joined La Liga Filipina and founded the Katipunan. Both were in their prime when they led the revolution.
He, however, stressed that while Rizal died a martyr for his country, the youth of today need not go to extreme lengths to become modern heroes as they can “actively contribute to society and work towards making our freedom more robust and inclusive”.
Vice Mayor Ma. Isabel Sagarbarria, who led the commemoration ceremonies, later said in an interview that the Filipino people should remember the sacrifices of their national hero while calling on her constituents to “selflessly serve” the community.
She said she believes the youth should take part in nation-building while asking the elders to give the youth the chance to serve while giving them the guidance they need.
The early morning commemoration of Rizal’s martyrdom started with the sounding of sirens and pealing of church bells and an inter-faith prayer.
The flag was raised to half-mast during the flag-raising ceremony and followed by a wreath-laying at Rizal’s monument.
A 21-gun salute and the playing of “Taps” by soldiers of the 11th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army added meaning to the ceremony in honor of the national hero.
Aside from city government employees, representatives from various government agencies, non-government organizations and civil society attended the commemoration. (PNA)
