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Rizal Monument declared a National Cultural Treasure
The Rizal Monument in Luneta. Earl Victor Rosero
One hundred and seventeen years to the day National Hero Jose Rizal died by firing squad in Bagumbayan, the monument to commemorate this event was declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines. And just like the short life of the hero whose life and death it celebrates, the history of the monument is fraught with struggle.
A competition to design a monument to the slain hero was held from 1905 to 1907, with the American-run government inviting sculptors from Europe and the US to submit entries.
Italian artist Carlos Nicoli won the contest with his “Al Martir de Bagumbayan.” It would have featured more elaborate embellisments, been 59 feet high, and done in gray and white marble, but the entry never took shape. As to why it didn't, the accounts differ: Nicoli did not pay the P20,000 bond at any time during the monument's construction; he did not show up during the contract signing; Swiss runner-up Richard Kissling's quotation was much lower.
Kissling's now 100-year-old bronze statue “Motto Stella” (Guiding Star) was first unveiled for public viewing on December 30, 1913. Very fitting, as the base contains most of Rizal's remains—except for one vertebra, where a bullet supposedly bore through, that is in a reliquary in Intramuros.
But the Motto Stella was not always such a widely accepted part of the scenery. Local papers turned it into a caricature and called it lousy, and there were even plans for Felix Resurreccion-Hidalgo to make it more pleasing to the eye. Yet it was ultimately left as is, for the bronze casts had already been done in Switzerland.
After years of neglect and selfish lobbying for the use of the park grounds—then an area rife with crime—a pylon was attached to the statue in 1961 to make it look tall. Newspaper columnist Teodoro Valencia was none too pleased by this, asserting that one never tampers with a monument as it is a work of art. After declaring that he would give the monument a “facelift,” money began pouring in to the surprise of Valencia and his followers. The funds collected, amounting to P30,000, were used to cement the walkway to the monument, install lights, and plant trees.
Not long after, the National Parks Development Committee was formed, paving the way for further beautification of the area.
In 1966, the monument became proof of the bayanihan spirit when government corporations, private businesses, and citizens—from students to taxi drivers to cocheros—all donated money for the further improvement of the park surrounding the monument. Around half a million pesos went into making and maintaining the monument, which today stands as one of the most revered of the Rizal shrines.
The National Museum defines a national cultural treasure as a “unique cultural property found locally that possesses outstanding historical, cultural, and artistic value considered highly significant to the country.”
Truly, this is embodied by no less than the plaque on the front of the statue: “To the memory of José Rizal, patriot and martyr, executed on Bagumbayan Field December Thirtieth 1896. This monument is dedicated by the people of the Philippine Islands.” — Vida Cruz/BM, GMA News
A competition to design a monument to the slain hero was held from 1905 to 1907, with the American-run government inviting sculptors from Europe and the US to submit entries.
Italian artist Carlos Nicoli won the contest with his “Al Martir de Bagumbayan.” It would have featured more elaborate embellisments, been 59 feet high, and done in gray and white marble, but the entry never took shape. As to why it didn't, the accounts differ: Nicoli did not pay the P20,000 bond at any time during the monument's construction; he did not show up during the contract signing; Swiss runner-up Richard Kissling's quotation was much lower.
Kissling's now 100-year-old bronze statue “Motto Stella” (Guiding Star) was first unveiled for public viewing on December 30, 1913. Very fitting, as the base contains most of Rizal's remains—except for one vertebra, where a bullet supposedly bore through, that is in a reliquary in Intramuros.
But the Motto Stella was not always such a widely accepted part of the scenery. Local papers turned it into a caricature and called it lousy, and there were even plans for Felix Resurreccion-Hidalgo to make it more pleasing to the eye. Yet it was ultimately left as is, for the bronze casts had already been done in Switzerland.
After years of neglect and selfish lobbying for the use of the park grounds—then an area rife with crime—a pylon was attached to the statue in 1961 to make it look tall. Newspaper columnist Teodoro Valencia was none too pleased by this, asserting that one never tampers with a monument as it is a work of art. After declaring that he would give the monument a “facelift,” money began pouring in to the surprise of Valencia and his followers. The funds collected, amounting to P30,000, were used to cement the walkway to the monument, install lights, and plant trees.
Not long after, the National Parks Development Committee was formed, paving the way for further beautification of the area.
In 1966, the monument became proof of the bayanihan spirit when government corporations, private businesses, and citizens—from students to taxi drivers to cocheros—all donated money for the further improvement of the park surrounding the monument. Around half a million pesos went into making and maintaining the monument, which today stands as one of the most revered of the Rizal shrines.
The National Museum defines a national cultural treasure as a “unique cultural property found locally that possesses outstanding historical, cultural, and artistic value considered highly significant to the country.”
Truly, this is embodied by no less than the plaque on the front of the statue: “To the memory of José Rizal, patriot and martyr, executed on Bagumbayan Field December Thirtieth 1896. This monument is dedicated by the people of the Philippine Islands.” — Vida Cruz/BM, GMA News
