The 9 national heroes of the Philippines and their contributions The final Monday in August is designated as National Heroes Day and is a regular national holiday. It is referred to as "Araw ng mga Bayani" in Tagalog. Since 1931, National Heroes Day has been commemorated as a day to honor and remember all national heroes of the Philippines, particularly those who do not have their own specific anniversaries or days of remembrance. National Heroes Day honors not just well-known Filipinos from the past and present, despite its honorific title, but also anonymous Filipinos who have made major contributions to the causes of freedom, justice, and Philippine nationhood. Although no laws exist to name a Filipino a national hero, there are variables that decide if a historical figure satisfies the requirements. Former President Fidel Ramos formed the National Heroes Commission on March 28, 1993, with the task of proposing national heroes for recognition for their character and contribution to the country. In addition, the panel was tasked with reviewing and formulating criteria for determining whether a historical figure is a national hero. The following criteria were developed by the committee: Heroes are persons who have a strong sense of nation and work to liberate their homeland. They define and contribute to the freedom and order of a nation. Heroes improve a country's standard of living. The National Heroes Committee's Technical Committee set the following new criteria on November 15, 1995. The national consciousness includes the hero. Heroes think about the future, especially future generations. The procedure that led to the formation of a hero is included in the choosing of heroes. The National Heroes Commission's technical committee selected nine Filipino historical figures as official national heroes on November 15, 1995. The 9 national heroes of the Philippines 1. Jose Rizal - José Rizal, full name José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda, was a Filipino physician, poet, and writer who inspired the Philippine nationalism movement. He was born on June 19, 1861, in Calamba, Philippines, and died on December 30, 1896, in Manila. Rizal was born to a rich landowner and obtained his education in Manila and at the University of Madrid. He was a talented medical student who committed himself to changing Spanish rule in the Philippines, yet he never advocated for independence. Between 1882 and 1892, he lived in Europe and composed most of his works. Rizal's first novel, Noli Me Tangere ("The Social Cancer"), was published in 1887 and was an exposé of the ills of Spanish power in the Philippines. A sequel, El Filibusterismo (1891, "The Reign of Greed"), solidified his position as the chief spokesperson of the Philippine reform movement. He ascended to become the Propaganda Movement's head, penning several articles in its Barcelona-based publication, La Solidaridad. The unification of the Philippines as a province of Spain, representation in the Cortes (the Spanish parliament), the replacement of Spanish friars with Filipino priests, freedom of assembly and speech, and equality of Filipinos and Spaniards before the law were among Rizal's goals. Rizal returned to the Philippines in 1892. In Manila, he founded the Liga Filipina, a nonviolent reform organization, and was exiled to Dapitan in northwest Mindanao. He lived in exile for the next four years. In 1896, the Katipunan, a covert Filipino nationalist organization, rose up against Spain. Despite the fact that he had no links to that organization and had played no role in the revolt, troops captured and prosecuted Rizal for sedition. He was found guilty and publicly killed by firing squad in Manila. The death of José Rizal convinced Filipinos that independence from Spain was their only alternative. Rizal authored the renowned 19th-century Spanish poetry "Ultimo Adiós" ("Last Farewell") while imprisoned in Fort Santiago on the eve of his execution. 2. Andres Bonifacio - Andres Bonifacio (1863-1897) founded and commanded the nationalist Katipunan organization, which led the revolt against the Spanish in August 1896. Before being involved in revolutionary action, Bonifacio had no formal education and worked as a courier and warehouse keeper. Nonetheless, he was an avid reader. Unlike José Rizal, who worked for reforming Spanish power in the Philippines, Bonifacio called for absolute independence. In 1892, he founded the Katipunan in Manila, based on the Masonic order's organization and ceremonial. In August 1896, Bonifacio led the longplanned rebellion in Luzon, but his forces were defeated by Spanish troops, forcing him to retreat to Montalban in the north, where Emilio Aguinaldo, one of his lieutenants, resumed the struggle. As the Spanish defeated the insurgency, it became clear that Bonifacio was an inept military commander. Aguinaldo, not Bonifacio, was named president of a new Philippine nation during a convention in Tejeros in March 1897. After refusing to accept the ruling, Bonifacio sought to organize his own rebel government. Andres Bonifacio was killed by firing squad after being apprehended and tried for treason by Aguinaldo in April 1897. 3. Emilio Aguinaldo - Emilio Aguinaldo (1869-1964) was a Filipino statesman and politician who fought for the independence of the Philippines from Spain and later from the United States. Aguinaldo was born to Chinese and Tagalog parents. He was the local leader of the Katipunan, a revolutionary organisation that fiercely opposed the Spanish, and was elected mayor of Cavite Viejo (now Kawit) in August 1896. He and the Spanish governor general signed the Biac-na-Bató Pact in December 1897. In exchange for a significant monetary payment from Spain and the promise of liberal changes, Aguinaldo agreed to depart the Philippines and live in exile for the remainder of his life. While in exile, he made plans to return to the Philippines to aid the Americans in their struggle against Spain. Aguinaldo returned to the Philippines on May 19, 1898 and proclaimed a new insurrection against Spain. The Filipinos proclaimed independence from Spain on June 12, 1898, and founded a temporary republic, with Aguinaldo as president. A revolutionary assembly met in September and declared Filipino independence. Spain, on the other hand, surrendered the Philippines, along with Puerto Rico and Guam, to the United States. Tensions between Americans and Filipinos rapidly grew. On January 23, 1899, the Malolos Constitution, which declared the Philippines a republic and was adopted by both the legislature and Aguinaldo, was proclaimed. After serving as president of the interim government, Aguinaldo was elected president. On February 4, the anticipated violence between Americans and Filipinos erupted in Manila. By the morning of February 5, the Filipinos, who had fought heroically, had been beaten on all fronts. After three years of expensive combat, what remained of the rebellion was ultimately put down on March 23, 1901, when Aguinaldo was apprehended in his concealed headquarters at Palanan in northern Luzon in an operation led by Gen. Frederick Funston. Aguinaldo took an oath of allegiance to the US, got a government pension, and retired to private life. President Elpidio Quirino appointed Aguinaldo to the Council of State after the country's independence. In his later years, Emilio Aguinaldo's accomplishments included the promotion of Philippine nationalism and democracy, as well as the development of ties between the Philippines and the United States. 4. Apolinario Mabini - Apolinario Mabini was a Philippine Revolutionary thinker and speaker who drafted the constitution for the short-lived republic of 1898-99. Mabini was born into a peasant family and attended San Juan de Letran College in Manila before graduating with a law degree from the University of Santo Tomás in 1894. In August 1896, he joined the army of patriot commander Emilio Aguinaldo in an insurrection planned by nationalists, and rapidly became his right-hand man. When the SpanishAmerican War began in 1898, Mabini urged for cooperation with the United States in order to obtain independence from Spain. When the United States announced its plan to invade the Philippines, Mabini joined Aguinaldo in resuming the battle for independence. In December 1899, he was seized by US forces and exiled to Guam after refusing to pledge allegiance to the US. Only a few months before his death was he permitted to return home. 5. Marcelo H. Del Pilar - Marcelo H. is a writer, lawyer, and journalist. Del Pilar was born into a family of lawyers. During the Spanish government, Marcelo was the mayor of Cupang, Bulacán. After completing his studies in law, he petitioned the Spaniards to establish schools for Filipinos throughout the nation, confident that universal education would help his countrymen. The Spanish expelled him from the Philippines, believing him to be an enemy of the state. He travelled to Barcelona, where he met La Solidaridad founder Graciano Lopez Jaena. Marcelo succeeded Jaena as editor, wrote about his people’s suffering, and continued his reform work. When publication of the paper ceased due to lack of funds, he began to lose hope in peaceful reform and instead advocated revolution. He intended to return to the Philippines, but died of tuberculosis before he could make the journey. 6. Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat - Sultan Kudarat, also known as Muhammad Kudarat, was well-known for his courage and leadership in Mindanao. Mindanao's Muslim Filipinos were not yet subject to Spanish control between 1619 and 1671. As Filipino Muslims fought the invaders, Sultan Kudarat was in charge of keeping Mindanao together. Sultan Kudarat, also known as Muhammad Kudarat, was well-known for his courage and leadership in Mindanao. Mindanao's Muslim Filipinos were not yet subject to Spanish control between 1619 and 1671. As Filipino Muslims fought the invaders, Sultan Kudarat was in charge of keeping Mindanao together. 7. Juan Luna - Luna was recognized for painting literary and historical scenes in the manner of European academies of the time, with political criticism thrown in for good measure. His allegorical works sometimes included dramatic stances inspired by classic movie sequences. Paintings by Juan Luna include Spoliarium, The Parisian Life, and Tampuhan. Juan Luna, full name Juan Luna de San Pedro y Novicio Ancheta, was a latenineteenth-century Filipino painter, sculptor, and political activist who took part in the Philippine Revolution. He was one of the country's earliest well-known artists. In the 1884 Madrid Exposition of Fine Arts, he received a gold medal, as did fellow Filipino painter Félix Resurrección Hidalgo, who received a silver medal. 8. Melchora Aquino (Tandang Sora) - Melchora Aquino, also known as Tandang Sora, was renowned as "The Mother of the Revolution," and her nickname derives from the Tagalog term for "old," as she was 84 when the revolution began. In 1896, she risked her life to care for Andres Bonifacio and other Katipuneros, supplying food and treating the injured. Her gallantry was revealed after she was apprehended by Spanish officials, who tortured and interrogated her in the hopes of gaining information about the Katipunan hideaway. She refused to surrender and was deported to Guam on Governor General Ramon Blanco's orders. 9. Gabriela Silang - Gabriela Silang was a formidable Ilocano warrior who seized command of rebel soldiers after her husband was killed in 1763. She gathered armed troops, including native Itnegs, to fight Spain in Ilocos, leading guerrilla attacks against Spanish garrisons. During the liberation of Vigan, she commanded almost 2,000 troops against a Spanish force of over 6,000 soldiers. Silang lost the fight, so she and her remaining 80 warriors fled to unexplored Abra region, where they were finally apprehended. The Spanish compelled the General to watch the public executions of her men before publicly hanging her in September 1763. Despite her failure, Gabriela Silang will be remembered for her amazing bravery in fighting for Ilocos independence. The accomplishments and efforts of the Philippines' national heroes are worth remembering and honouring - no matter how humdrum our own lives are, we may be inspired by their perseverance, bravery, and resilience in the face of hardship.