January 05, 2005 A Brief History Of The Philippines DAY 438:
December 30 is Rizal Day in the Philippines, a national holiday
celebrating the death of Filipino revolutionary Jose Rizal, who,
like Cuban rebel Che Guevarra, got his start in medicine. An
optometrist-turned-national hero, Rizal led the rebellion
against Spanish rule with his controversial eye-opening books
like Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) crying for Filipino
independence. For his insurrection he was sentenced to death and
thus became a martyr of the Filipino patriots who continued the
fight against the Spanish. The Philippines, which were named
after King Philip of Spain, has come a long way since the days
of Jose Rizal. It being Rizal Day 2004, our goal in the
beginning of the morning was to try and finish up the sites in
the Baguio area and then head to Rizal Park back in Manila to
catch the tail end of festivities if time allowed. However, with
so much history in the Philippines, we barely had enough time to
cover it all. "LOOK, THE FAMILY N