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"National Hero of the Philippines"

Full name: José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda.

Birthdate and place: He was born on June 19, 1861, in Calamba, Philippines, and died on December 30, 1896, in Manila.

He was a Filipino physician, poet, and writer who inspired the Philippine nationalist movement. He received his education in Manila and at the University of Madrid. He was a skilled medical student who dedicated himself to reforming Spanish authority in the Philippines, though he never called for independence.

Works

Noli Me Tangere (“The Social Cancer”), Rizal’s first novel, was released in 1887 and was an expose of the evils of Spanish authority in the Philippines. His status as the foremost speaker of the Philippine reform movement was cemented by a sequel, El Filibusterismo (1891, “The Reign of Greed”).

Published a lot of pieces on La Solidaridad ( "The Solidarity").

He created the Liga Filipina ("The Philippine League"), a peaceful reform movement in Manila.

“Ultimo Adiós” (“Last Farewell”), wrote this while he was imprisoned in Fort Santiago.

Aims
Dr. Jose Rizal’s aims included the integration of the Philippines as a province of Spain, representation in the Cortes (the Spanish parliament), the replacement of Spanish friars with Filipino priests, freedom of assembly and expression, and equality of Filipinos and Spaniards before the law.

Death
His support for reforms in the Philippines at the hands of Spanish colonial authorities led to his early demise at the age of 36. On December 30, 1896, he was executed by a firing squad in Bagumbayan, now known as Luneta, in Manila. His death persuaded Filipinos that independence from Spain was the only option.

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"Father of the Katipunan"

Full name: Andrés Bonifacio y de Castro.

Birthday and place: November 30, 1863, Manila and died May 10, 1897, in Mt. Buntis, Philippines.

Before becoming involved in revolutionary activity, Bonifacio had little formal education and worked as a messenger and warehouse keeper. Nonetheless, he was a passionate reader.

Contributions

Creator and head of the nationalist Katipunan organization, who led the revolution against the Spanish in August 1896.

He formed the Katipunan in Manila in 1892, based on the Masonic order’s organization and ceremony.

In August 1896, Bonifacio led the long-planned insurgency in Luzon, but his men were defeated by Spanish troops, forcing him to flee to Montalban in the north, where one of his lieutenants, Emilio Aguinaldo, continued the fight.

Aim
Unlike José Rizal, who fought for reforming Spanish authority in the Philippines, Bonifacio advocated for total independence.

Death
As the Spanish crushed the insurgency, it became clear that Bonifacio was an inept military commander. Aguinaldo, not Bonifacio, was named president of a new Philippine republic at a conference in Tejeros in March 1897. After refusing to accept the decision, Bonifacio attempted to form his own rebel government. Andres Bonifacio was executed by the firing squad after being apprehended and tried for treason by Aguinaldo in April 1897.

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Andrés Bonifacio (Filipino Revolutionary Leader) _ Bio Wiki _ Photos _ Videos

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"First president of the Philippines."

Full name: Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy.

Birthday and Birthplace: March 22, 1869, near Cavite, Luzon, Philippines, and died February 6, 1964, in Quezon City.

He was a Filipino leader and politician who battled for the Philippines’ independence, first from Spain and then from the United States.

Aguinaldo attended Colegio de San Juan de Letran but was forced to stop his studies due to a cholera outbreak. Aguinaldo returned to Kawit, where he became increasingly aware of Filipino frustration with Spanish colonial rule.

Contributions

He led his country to achieve independence after fighting off both the Spanish and the Americans.

He signed the Pact of Biac-na-Bató with the Spanish governor-general in December 1897. Aguinaldo agreed to leave the Philippines and live in exile in exchange for a substantial financial reward from Spain and the promise of liberal reforms. While in Hong Kong and then Singapore, he made arrangements with representatives of American consulates and Commodore George Dewey to return to the Philippines and aid the US in its war against Spain.

After his capture on March 23, 1901, Aguinaldo agreed to swear allegiance to the United States and then left public life. His dream of Philippine independence came true on July 4, 1946.

Death
Aguinaldo died of a heart attack on February 6, 1964, in Quezon City, Philippines.

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Full Size Picture 220px-Emilio Aguinaldo ca_ 1919 (Restored)

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"Father of Philippine Journalism"

Full name: Marcelo Hilario del Pilar y Gatmaitán

Birth date and birthplace: Born on August 30, 1850, in Bulacan, Captaincy General of the Philippines, Spanish Empire
and died on July 4, 1896, at the aged of 45 in Barcelona, Spain.

He was a writer, lawyer, and journalist.

After finishing law, he petitioned the Spaniards to create schools for Filipinos throughout the country, certain that Universal Education would benefit his compatriots. Believing him to be an enemy of the state, the Spanish banished him from the Philippines.

Contributions

He met La Solidaridad founder Graciano Lopez Jaena. Marcelo succeeded Jaena as editor, wrote about his people’s suffering, and continued his reform work. When the publication of the paper ceased due to a lack of funds, he began to lose hope in peaceful reform and instead advocated revolution.

In 1882 he founded the Diariong Tagalog where he exposed the atrocities committed by the Spanish friars against the Filipinos of the time.

His mastery of Tagalog, his native language, enabled him to arouse the consciousness of the masses to the need for unity and sustained resistance against the Spanish tyrants.

Death
His illness worsened so he had to cancel his journey. On June 20, 1896, he was taken to the Hospital de la Santa Cruz in Barcelona. Del Pilar died at 1:15 a.m. on July 4, 1896, over a month before the Cry of Pugad Lawin.

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"The brain of revolution"

Full name: Apolinario Mabini y Maranan

Birthday and Birthplace: Born on July 23, 1864, in Talaga in Tanauan, Batangas, and died on May 13, 1903, in Manila.

Apolinario Mabini was a Filipino thinker and speaker of the Philippine Revolution who prepared the constitution for the short-lived republic of 1898–99.

He began his studies at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran in 1881 and received his law degree in 1894 from the University of Santo Tomas. To survive, he earned his living by teaching Latin and then serving as a copyist in the Court of First Instance in Manila.

Disability struck in the life of Apolinario Mabini when he was in his 30s at the prime of his life. But disability did not stop him to show his courage in the midst of revolutionary exigency during his time. With his physical limitations on the actual battlefield, Mabini armed himself with an impressive mind, soul, and deep patriotism that made him a martyr to the cause of the country’s freedom.

Contributions

In 1898 General Emilio Aguinaldo summoned him to serve as his chief adviser. He drafted decrees and crafted the constitution for the First Philippine Republic, including the framework of the revolutionary government which was implemented in Malolos, Bulacan in 1899.

He joined the armies of patriot general Emilio Aguinaldo in an insurgency planned by nationalists in August 1896.

When the Spanish–American War broke out in 1898, Mabini advocated for cooperation with the US as a means of gaining independence from Spain.

When the US proclaimed its intention to occupy the Philippines, Mabini joined Aguinaldo in a renewed fight for independence. He was kidnapped by US troops in December 1899 and deported to Guam after refusing to swear allegiance to the US.

He was a member of the reform association of Jose Rizal, the La Liga Filipina.

Death
On May 13, 1903 Mabini died of cholera in Manila, at the age of 38. Mabini’s life despite of disability was selfless and motivated by high ideals.

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Colorized photo of a mugshot of Apolinario Mabini

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"The Philippines’ Most Powerful Sultan"

Full name: Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat

Birthday and Birthplace: 1581 Maguindanao died in 1671 in Simuay, Maguindanao.

Contributions

He is well-known in Mindanao for his bravery and leadership. Between 1619 and 1671, the Muslim Filipinos of Mindanao were not yet under Spanish rule. Sultan Kudarat was responsible for maintaining unity in Mindanao as Filipino Muslims struggled against the invaders.

Sultan Kudarat’s leadership inspired his people to fight the Spaniards, eventually beating them back.

He successfully fought off Spanish invasions and halted the spread of Catholicism on the island of Mindanao.

He united the Muslims of Lanao, Cotabato, Davao, Sulu, Zamboanga, and North Borneo, and resisted bitterly the Spanish Invasion of his domain. He was a fearless fighter and Filipino hero in defense of the Islamic faith and Philippine liberty.

Death
Kudarat died of old age in 1671, never surrendering to the Spanish authorities. The Filipino government named parts of Mindanao after him in recognition of his contributions, including the province of Sultan Kudarat.

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"Filipino painter, sculptor, an influential activist"

Full name: Juan Luna de San Pedro y Novicio Ancheta
Birthday and Birthplace: October 23, 1857 in Badoc, died on December 7, 1899 in Hong Kong.

Contributions

He was one of the first well-known Filipino artists. He earned a gold medal in the 1884 Madrid Exposition of Fine Arts, along with the silver medal of fellow Filipino painter Félix Resurrección Hidalgo.

Luna was known for painting literary and historical settings in the style of European academies of the period, some of which included political commentary. His allegorical compositions often contained theatrical poses inspired by scenes from the classics. Famous Juan Luna paintings include Spoliarium, The Parisian Life, and Tampuhan.

Luna's victory also inspired expatriate Filipinos to work for reforms to the Spanish-Filipino relationship that eventually led to the Philippine Revolution against Spain in 1896, and the establishment of the First Philippine Republic in 1899.

Because of his bravery, Luna was named director of War on September 26, 1898.

Death
He traveled to Hong Kong and died there on December 7, 1899, from cardiac arrest. His remains were buried in Hong Kong and in 1920 were exhumed and kept in Andrés Luna's house, to be later transferred to a niche at the Crypt of San Agustin Church in the Philippines

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"Grand Woman of the Revolution" and the "Mother of Balintawak"

Full name: Melchora Aquino de Ramos

Birthday and Birthplace: January 6, 1812 Barrio Banlat, Caloocan, Tondo, Captaincy General of the Philippines, Spanish Empire (now Tandang Sora, Quezon City)
Died | February 19, 1919 (aged 107) Banlat, Caloocan, Rizal, Philippine Islands (now Tandang Sora, Quezon City)

Contributions

She was 84 years old when the revolution started. She risked her life to tend to Andres Bonifacio and other Katipuneros in 1896, providing them with food and nursing the wounded. Her bravery became evident after she was captured by Spanish officials, who subjected her to torture and interrogation in the hopes of extracting information about the Katipunan hideout. She refused to submit and was exiled to Guam on the orders of Governor General Ramon Blanco.

During The 1896 Philippine Revolution, Tandang Sora operated a store, which became a refuge for the sick and wounded revolutionaries providing them with medical support, a safe refuge, and motherly care.

Death

Tandang Sora quietly passed away at the age of 107, on February 20, 1919, in the house of her daughter Saturnina in Banlat. Her remains were interred in the Mausoleo de los Veteranos de la Revolucion in Manila North Cemetery, where it remained until 1969.

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"First female leader of the revolutionary movement against the Spanish colonizers"

Full name: María Josefa Gabriela Cariño de Silang

Birthday and Birthplace: March 19, 1731, in Barangay Caniogan, Santa, Ilocos Sur died on September 20, 1763, in  Vigan's central plaza.

Contributions

Gabriela Silang was a fierce Ilocano warrior who, after her husband’s killing in 1763, took over as commander of rebel troops. She recruited military forces, including native Itnegs, to continue the war against Spain in Ilocos, launching guerrilla raids against Spanish garrisons.

In her final engagements at the liberation of Vigan, she commanded nearly 2,000 troops against an army of over 6,000 Spanish soldiers. Silang lost the battle, so she and her surviving 80 troops retreated to uncharted territory in Abra, where they were eventually caught. Before publicly hanging the General herself in September 1763, the Spanish forced her to witness the public killings of her soldiers. Despite her defeat, Gabriela Silang is remembered for her incredible bravery in fighting for the freedom of the Ilocos.

She is one of the most prominent figures of the revolution and one of the most distinguished women in Philippine history.

Death
On September 20, 1763, Silang and her troops were executed by hanging in Vigan's central plaza.