*Selection and Proclamation of National Heroes

and Laws Honoring Filipino Historical Figures

Executive Summary

No law, executive order or proclamation has been enacted or issued

officially proclaiming any Filipino historical figure as a national hero.
However, because of their significant roles in the process of nation
building and contributions to history, there were laws enacted and
proclamations issued honoring these heroes.

Even Jose Rizal, considered as the greatest among the Filipino heroes,
was not explicitly proclaimed as a national hero. The position he now
holds in Philippine history is a tribute to the continued veneration or
acclamation of the people in recognition of his contribution to the
significant social transformations that took place in our country.

Aside from Rizal, the only other hero given an implied recognition as a
national hero is Andres Bonifacio whose day of birth on November 30 has
been made a national holiday.

Despite the lack of any official declaration explicitly proclaiming them as

national heroes, they remain admired and revered for their roles in
Philippine history. Heroes, according to historians, should not be
legislated. Their appreciation should be better left to academics.
Acclamation for heroes, they felt, would be recognition enough.

1. Selection and Proclamation of National Heroes

1.1 National Heroes Committee

On March 28, 1993 , President Fidel V. Ramos issued Executive Order

No.75 entitled “Creating the National Heroes Committee Under the Office
of the President”.

The principal duty of the Committee is to study, evaluate and recommend

Filipino national personages/heroes in due recognition of their sterling
character and remarkable achievements for the country.

1.2 Findings and Recommendations of the National Heroes

Committee

In compliance with Executive Order No. 75 dated March 28, 1993 , the
National Heroes Committee submitted its findings and recommendations.

1.2.1 Criteria for National Heroes

The Technical Committee of the National Heroes Committee held a series

of meetings on June 3, 1993 ,August 19,1993 , September 12,
1994 and November 15, 1995 , defining, discussing and deliberating upon
the merits of the various definitions and criteria of a hero. The Committee
adopted the following criteria as basis for historical researchers in
determining who among the great Filipinos will be officially proclaimed as
national heroes:
Difference between HERO from BAYANI

HERO – (WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY) A figure in mythology and legend renowned for

exceptional courage and fortitude." a mythological or legendary figure often of
divine descent endowed with great strength or ability. b: an illustrious warrior. c: a
man admired for his achievements and noble qualities. d: one that shows great
courage. 2 a: the principal male character in a literary or dramatic work. Later, hero
(male) and heroine (female) came to refer to characters who, in the face of danger
and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self
sacrifice—that is, heroism—for some greater good of all humanity.

BAYANI – (Diksyunaryo ng Wikang Pilipino) Taong matapos mamatay ay

ipinagbubunyi ng bayan dahil sa kanyang hindi pangkaraniwang paglilingkod sa
bayan o sangkatauhan; taong may di pangkaraniwang tapang at tigas ng loob sa
harap ng panganib o kaya ay katatagan ng kalooban sa paghihirap at pasakit.

After taking note of parallels in descriptions such as bravery and toughness, we

realize the glaring disparity in situating the phenomenon: the English, or Western,
"hero" is mythological or legendary, and often "of divine descent" in the mold of
the Greek and Roman gods; the Tagalogs' "bayani" is situated in his or her (the
word "bayani" is not gender-specific) relation to the community, and the verb sense,
in fact, stresses community spirit-- working for free the way we have always known
the "bayanihan" spirit to be.
Filipino Heroes

President Fidel V. Ramos formed the National Heroes Committee on March 28, 1993
under Executive Order No. 75, titled "Creating the National Heroes Committee
Under the Office of the President". The National Heroes Committee was tasked to
study, evaluate and recommend Filipino national heroes to recognize their heroic
character and remarkable achievements for the country.[1]

On November 30, 1994 (Bonifacio Day), President Ramos issued Proclamation No.
510 which declared the year 1996 (the centennial of the Philippine Revolution) as
the Year of Filipino Heroes.[1]

The National Heroes Committee recommended the following nine individuals to be

recognized as national heroes on November 15, 1995:[1]

Jose Rizal - Dr. José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (June 19, 1861
– December 30, 1896, Bagumbayan), was a Filipino polymath, patriot and the most
prominent advocate for reforms in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era.
He is considered a national hero of the Philippines,[2] and the anniversary of Rizal's
death is commemorated as a Philippine holiday called Rizal Day. Rizal's 1896
military trial and execution made him a martyr of the Philippine Revolution.

Andres Bonifacio - Andrés Bonifacio y de Castro (November 30, 1863 – May

10, 1897) was a Filipino nationalist and revolutionary. He was a founder and later
the supreme leader of the Katipunan movement which sought the independence of
the Philippines from Spanish colonial rule and started the Philippine Revolution. He
is considered a de facto national hero of the Philippines.[3] Bonifacio is also
considered by some Filipino historians to be the first president of the Philippines,
but he is not officially recognized as such.

Emilio Aguinaldo - Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (March 23, 1869 – February 6,

1964) was a Filipino general, politician, and independence leader. He played an
instrumental role during the Philippines' revolution against Spain, and the
subsequent Philippine-American War that resisted American occupation.

Aguinaldo became the Philippines' first President. He was also the youngest (at age
29) to have become the country's president, and the longest-lived (having survived
to age 94).

Apolinario Mabini - Apolinario 'Poly' Mabini y Maranan (July 23, 1864 — May
13, 1903) was a Filipino political philosopher and revolutionary who wrote a
constitutional plan for the first Philippine republic of 1899-1901, and served as its
first prime minister in 1899. In Philippine history texts, he is often referred to as
"the Sublime Paralytic", and as "the Brains of the Revolution." To his enemies and
detractors, he is referred to as the "Dark Chamber of the President."
Marcelo H. del Pilar - Marcelo Hilario del Pilar y Gatmaitan (August 30, 1850
– July 4, 1896) was a Filipino writer, journalist, satirist, and revolutionary leader of
the Philippine Revolution and one of the leading Ilustrado (Knowledgeable[1])
propagandist of the Philippine War of Independence.

He served as editor of the vernacular section of the Diariong Tagalog (Tagalog

Newspaper), the first Philippine bilingual newspaper, in 1882. From 1890 to around
1895, he edited the newspaper La Solidaridad (Solidarity), mainly through his 150
essays and 66 editorials published under the nom de plume Plaridel.

Del Pilar's militant and progressive outlook was derived from the classic
enlightenment tradition of the French philosophes and the scientific empiricism of
the European bourgeoisie. Part of this outlook was transmitted by freemasonry, to
which del Pilar subscribed.

Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat - Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat (also spelled

Qudarat) (1581–1671) was a Sultan of Maguindanao in the Philippines. During his
reign, he successfully opposed the Spaniards who attempted to conquer his land
and hindered the Christianization of the island of Mindanao. He was a direct
descendant of Shariff Kabungsuwan, a Muslim missionary who brought Islam to the
Philippines between the 13th and 14th century.[1] The Philippine province of Sultan
Kudarat is named after him.

Juan Luna - Juan Luna y Novicio (October 23, 1857 — December 7, 1899)
was an Ilocano Filipino painter, sculptor and a political activist of the Philippine
Revolution during the late 19th century. He became one of the first recognized
Philippine artists.

His winning the gold medal in the 1884 Madrid Exposition of Fine Arts, along with
the silver win of fellow Filipino painter Félix Resurrección Hidalgo, prompted a
celebration which was a major highlight in the memoirs of members of the
Propaganda Movement, with the fellow Ilustrados toasting to the two painters' good
health and citing their win as evidence that Filipinos and Spaniards were equals.

Regarded for work done in the manner of the Spanish and French academies of his
time, Luna painted literary and historical scenes, some with an underscore of
political commentary. His allegorical works were inspired with classical balance, and
often showed figures in theatrical poses.

Melchora Aquino - Melchora Aquino de Ramos (January 6, 1812 – March 2,

1919) was a Filipino revolutionary who became known as "Tandang Sora"
("Tandang" is derived from the Tagalog word matandâ, which means old) in the
history of the Philippines because of her age when the Philippine Revolution broke
out in 1896 (she was already 84 at the time). She gained the title Grand Woman of
the revolution and the Mother of Balintawak for her heroic contributions to
Philippine history.
Gabriela Silang-

Their report was submitted to the Department of Education, Culture and Sports on
November 22 of that year. However, no action was taken afterwards. It was
speculated that any action might cause a number of requests for proclamation or
trigger debates that revolve around the controversies about the concerned
historical figures.