Roar of Thy Soul: Memoir of a Hero
Ryan R. Pecson, MAEd
(The Official Oration for Cluster III Oration Contest, Division of Pampanga)
One and
a half centuries have passed and the memory of the man still lingers and transcends
through generations of young and old alike. His name is Jose Protacio Mercado Rizal
y Alonzo de Realonda – a multi-faceted and splendid hero: martyr, genius,
physician, and the like.
As the
skirmishes of political turmoil and civil disobedience tarnish the country’s
stability today and plunder the innocence of our beliefs, the memory of that
man, how he struggles to liberate this land from the bondage of tyranny is
worth remembering. A liberator as we may speak!
As it has been
said, a man’s greatness is reflected by his masterpieces. As his trail leaves
a mark to his followers, the peculiarity of his ideals roars even to those
blistered and shattered folks.
His writings
mirrored our centuries of infamy to colonial atrocities. Colonial rulers doomed
us in our own misery, silenced the whispers of our women and children, daunted
us with the grandeur of their white race, succumbed us with their power and
machinery, and left us bleeding with their forced slavery. These tainted our
character – the start of the decadence in our own identity as we've been abused
by those rude and heartless people – rubbled our heart with their luxurious
desires and personal gains. As we yield the uncapped fruits of our labor, they
accused us as indolent, ignorant, traitor, and liar.
For in time where colonial rulers plundered the sanity of our faith, the vanity of our
race, and the fragility of our being, his ideals transpired to the hearts of
the revolutionists - a call for change ignited. Those tyrants made us victims
of their greed and lust for power. As his pen transpired his love and care, he
fired up the restless hearts of his people, battered by faulty and treacherous
accusations thundered by blasphemous attacks on the purity of our culture and
the serenity of our glorious past, and perished by pernicious deterioration in
our revered principles, to free ourselves and move for a cause – liberation.
My dear
friends, these are the hardships that established firmly our identity and crave
for freedom. These made us united as we unraveled in ourselves the mask of
illusion, delusion, and persecution they had been engraved in our innocent
souls. These lay the foundation for our pursuit of justice, truth, and equity. We must then stand up for our ideals and enjoy the savviness of freedom.
Tyranny no more...
For with valor we've fought!
Indolence no more...
For the enlightenment, we've soared!
Murmuring of grief no more...
For the pity-days are over!
Forlorn no more...
For victory has been ours!
Rizal
lit those paths of thorns. His ideals lifted us from the bandage of the colonial past
and lessen our resentment, grief, and agony. For him, this nation will not
perish anymore. For as great as he, the Filipino galore of gallantry and
bravery prevails amidst of adversity. Above the glamor and prestige of
martyrdom, apart from the far-cry of his achievements, in the eye of a layman,
he is a hero.
My hero
died for the sake of his Fatherland. As I stand here today, I shall say what
Elias had spoken "I shall die without seeing the dawn break upon my
homeland. You, who shall see it, salute it! Do not forget those who have fallen
during the night." I will not die doing nothing for this country, for I
will stand still and open up a beckon in the pages of our history. Yes, I will
not forget those who have fallen, but with
conviction; I will continue the trail they have started.
Where
Rizal left his marks through his works, I will plant a seed of hope for our people!
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