Rizal Day moved to June 19

I'd like to share this article from Manila Bulletin which was also shared to me by Dean Jorge Bocobo..

By BEN ROSARIO June 19, 2009, 6:24pm. The century old practice of observing Rizal Day on Dr. Jose Rizal’s death anniversary is expected to end soon following the final- reading approval of a bill moving the national holiday to June 19, the national hero’s birth date.Before adjourning its regular session early this month, the Lower House disposed of House Bill 5408, unanimously approving the measure on third and final reading and sending it to the Senate for its action.HB 5408 seeks to amend the Administrative Code of 1987 to move the annual observance of Rizal Day from December 30, the date of his execution, to his birthdate.

Authored by a group of solons led by Reps. Raul T. Gonzales Jr. (Lakas-Kampi, Iloilo) and Jaime Lopez (Lakas-Kampi, Manila), approval of the measure was supported by the National Historical Institute which disclosed that the December 30 observance of Rizal Day traces its historical roots to a decree issued on December 20, 1898 by President Emilio Aguinaldo.

NHI Chairman Ambeth R. Ocampo said the decree actually declared December 30 of each year as a day of national mourning and was intended to honor Rizal and other Filipino patriots during the Spanish period.According to Ocampo, Rizal Day was declared one of the official holidays of the country with the enactment of Act No. 245 of the Philippine Commission. It was signed on February 1, 1902. Ocampo supported Gonzales’ contention that commemorating June 19 as Rizal Day is more appropriate, considering that birth anniversaries are celebrated than the death anniversary of heroes.

“The NHI maintains that the observance of Rizal Day should be done on June 19, his actual date of birth. If Rizal Day is observed on June 19, classes have just started and students would be able to actively participate in the commemorative activities,” said Ocampo.

On the other hand, Lopez noted that the Rizal’s death alone did not trigger the 1896 revolution that Filipinos thought catapulted the country to independence. “It was his life-long accomplishments done during his lifetime that inspired and pushed us Filipinos to fight and work for our greatness as a race,” Lopez said.Other authors of the bill include Reps. Justin Chipeco (NP, Laguna); Ma. Victoria Sy-Alvarado (Lakas, Bulacan) and Ma. Evita Arago (LP, Laguna).“It is only proper, and it is about time that the country bestows this great man with deference and honor by marking the day of his birth as a National Holiday, and to call it ‘The National Hero Day,” said Chipeco, who represents Calamba City, Dr. Rizal‘s birthplace.