"2. Having volunteered attendance and participation in such a activity, I take it as my responsibility..."'In the first place, we didn't even volunteer! But anyhow, my nationalistic responsibility took over me. So, I did go.
Born on June 19, 1861, José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda is the country's most distinguished national hero. He was also the only renaissance man in Asia! And today marks the 150th celebration of Rizal Day! Many might wonder, why on June 19? Originally, Rizal day was observed every 30th of December as this was the death anniversary of the late hero. This was the practice for more that a century, until House Bill 5408 was approved--the bill that seeks to move Rizal day from December 30 to June 19. The reason behind it? According to Reps. Raul T. Gonzales, Jr., Birth anniversaries are celebrated more than death anniversaries. That made perfect sense. I mean, when did we ever celebrate when someone dies? We only celebrate birthdays! Added to that, December 30 was actually a day of mourning. I must agree that Rizal Day is better off celebrated every 19th of June.
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| A sea of people in white and yellow greeted me |
The morning preparations in Luneta Park started as early as 4am, though the actual call time for the event was around 6am. Traffic was intensely heavy as rain poured in continously and as people from all walks of life came to celebrate the birthday of lolo Rizal. The usual 40-minute ride for me turned out to be more than an hour. Upon my arrival, a sea of people in white and yellow greeted me. Though most came in white, a lot of them were also in yellow--just when I thought that only Thomasians will wear yellow for the event. I was so wrong. The first hour was spent in constant wandering around Luneta, I can't contact my classmates. They won't reply. I'm lost!
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| Though it doesn't seem to be raining in the picture, it really did rain. Hard. |
I arrived five minutes to seven actually. Blame the traffic. Though I was late, I was hoping that maybe I can still catch up. I was just minutes late, anyway. As they say, "Better late than never." I catch my breath as I hurriedly walked, almost running, towards the Lapu-lapu monument. That landmark was our meeting place as according to some UST official, it was supposedly the venue where people would be less dense, as compared in other areas of the park. But then, as I soon realized, it was the most congested!
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| Intermissions were delivered to please the white and yellow crowd |
I was near to the idea of going home when a really good friend called, looking for me. We were on the same boat anyways, we were lost. SALVATION!
Honestly, I didn't feel that the event was actually happening. Everything was almost in disarray! Though for the organizers, it was the most successful celebration of Rizal Day. The number of people exceeded expectations. An estimated 250,000 people gathered together for the said event. So yeah, based on the statistics, it was a tad successful. Maybe I should anticipate next year's celebration before I make a comparison?
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| Ang ika-150 na kaarawan ni Lolo Rizal |
After the intermission numbers, supposedly, there was a fun run to take place. It was called Takbo ni Pepe. I wasn't so sure if it really did push through since weather was quite harsh on them. The road would be too slippery for them to run on.
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