Rizal Park, then and now

If Jose Rizal were alive today...he'd be quite old. He'd also probably pen a great essay or letter about the brouhaha surrounding the skyline behind the statue erected in his honor.

However, if Rizal were alive, Rizal Park might also not exist and the Philippines would have instead been blessed with more of his musings.

History has been written, though, and what we have now are memories instead of a man.

Unfortunately, the memories are treated as mere history lessons for grade school children, his achievements reduced to answers on dreaded quizzes. And in the social media age, Rizal is also mostly depicted as a smooth-talking playboy in memes.

But beyond all this, Rizal maintains the honor of looking over one of the very few parks in Metro Manila.

While free, public patches of land are scarce, even in death Rizal remains the face of a openness and liberty. The park may be taken for granted, but Rizal's statue has been welcoming everyone since 1913.

Rizal Park was where the declaration of independence from the United States was made in 1946. Corazon Aquino also claimed victory over Ferdinand Marcos in this park in 1986 in a rally aptly called "Tagumpay ng Bayan."

Rizal's statue was also witness to sad events such as the Manila hostage crisis in 2010, but that's part and parcel of being a permanent fixture of the city.

On our national hero's birth anniversary, let's take a look at how Rizal Park has evolved through the years.

— Aya Tantiangco/BM, GMA News