Rizal Reloaded: Still Heroic, Still Asking Questions

If Rizal were judged by today’s standards, I believe he would still stand as our national hero—not because he was without weakness, but because his love for the Filipino was wide, deep, and restless. His greatness was not the greatness of someone who never struggled. It was the greatness of someone who saw the suffering of his people and refused to look away. 

Today, we speak of critical thinking, human dignity, education, peaceful reform, and the courage to speak truth to power. Rizal lived these values. His weapon was not the sword, but the word. And sometimes, the word is more dangerous than the sword, because the sword can wound the body, but the word can awaken the soul. 

But perhaps we should not ask, “Should Rizal be replaced?” Maybe the better question is, “Have we learned to see heroism in many faces?” Bonifacio teaches us courage. Mabini teaches us principle. Gabriela Silang teaches us bravery. Rizal teaches us vision—the ability to see not only what is broken in the nation, but what can still be healed. 

If Rizal were alive today, I think he would speak about corruption, fake news, poverty, poor education, historical distortion, and the abuse of power. But more than that, he would speak to the Filipino heart. He would ask: Why do we sometimes love the nation in speeches, but neglect it in daily life? Why do we defend truth only when it is convenient? Why do we desire freedom, yet allow our minds to be enslaved by lies? 

So yes, Rizal would still matter today. Not as a cold statue in Luneta, but as a living question in our conscience: Are we truly free, or have we only changed the names of our chains?