José Rizal
José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was a Philippine reformer, writer, and polymath who advocated for nationalism during Spanish colonial rule.
His novels, Noli me Tangere and El filibusterismo, inspired dissent and revolutionaries.
Rizal studied medicine and philosophy in Manila, Madrid, Paris, and Heidelberg, mastering multiple languages.
He founded La Liga Filipina, a civic organization that led to the formation of the Katipunan.
Although Rizal preferred peaceful reforms, his execution for sedition in 1896 catalyzed the Philippine Revolution.
Today, he is considered a national hero, with his death anniversary commemorated as Rizal Day.
