happy birthday, Jose Rizal!

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JP Rizal's final resting place

If Jose Rizal were alive today, he would be 151 years old. On June 19th, since Ate Bing, Ate Mary, and I checked out Manila Ocean Park, we thought that it would be a good idea to visit the birthday boy where he actually is: at the Luneta. After all, we were on holiday that day because it was his birthday. This visit certainly beats a brief trip to his parents' house in Calamba (where I suspect most of the activities were held).

It's been a long time since I've dropped by the Luneta without planning to. Previously, I was there because of photo-walks, field trips, or the Milo marathon. During those times, the path leading to Rizal's monument were not decked out in celebration of anything. Today, however, flags lined the area not accessible to tourists; there were flowers near his monument; and there was a lively fountain show in the background. It really looked like people were celebrating someone's birthday (at least to me). I just didn't see the birthday cake, the balloons, and the party hats... BUT I did see a Jollibee staff carrying packs of spaghetti and Chicken Joy close by. I had a sneaky feeling there's a real birthday party going on but just couldn't see where.

Visiting where heroes lived and died is always a good way to celebrate national holidays. It somehow reminds people that history is alive. Going to these places makes me feel fascinated that long time ago, the greats like Rizal, the Luna brothers, Aguinaldo, and Bonifacio actually walked on the very same roads I was walking on. History is definitely not something that people just read in textbooks.

If Ambeth Ocampo is still giving tours that trace the roads in the Noli Me Tangere and the El Filibusterismo, I just might go and join one of them.

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