PROJECT

SS014

B33

Mañalong, Edrian A.

CAPTION: It so fun in the House of Rizal! He really must have an amazing childhood! #YoungRizal

CAPTION: Just chillin and hanging out with my friend Ralph in an old tree near Rizal’s House, its so cool

CAPTION: This certifies that Rizal’s house is an important part of our history #Filipino

CAPTION: Feeling ecstatic to see the house of Rizal #OOTD

CAPTION: Me with the statue of young Rizal and his doggie! Woohoo!

REFLECTION

In this project, we are tasked to find a historically relevant location here in the

Philippines that is recognized by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).

The main mission of the commission is to promote the history as well as cultural heritage of the

country through research, and most importantly, conservation and preservation of movable

and immovable objects that has historical significance. A symbol or seal is placed on the

location or object by the commission if it possesses any historical importance.

For this project, I have visited the house of Jose Rizal located in the City of Calamba. The

house of Rizal is NHCP recognized, to which is described to be the birthplace of Jose Rizal. The

house was restored through the executive order no. 145 by President Elpidio Quirino. I chose

this location because it is the place where Jose Rizal grew up and where most of his life took

place. It is also one of the most visited historical site in Laguna and it is near from my house.

I was not able to go inside of the house because it is currently being renovated by the

NHCP. The house of Jose Rizal is huge, which tells me that Rizal came from a middle-class

family. When I arrived at the place, I was astonished by the design of the house because I really

like ancient houses. I noticed that some of the parts was already painted with new colors. I was

amazed of the overall structure of the house because it is my first time to see a Spanish colonial

house. There was this nipa hut outside of the house, where Jose and his sisters used to hang

out and play. The lot area outside the house is very big, and there were lots of trees around,

making the area good for picnic. My pictures are all taken outside the house of Rizal since were

not allowed inside until the house is finished with the touches.

I took a picture of myself with a very big poster situated in the front side of the house of

Rizal, because it contains a lot of information about the extraordinary experiences of Rizal

during his childhood. Next picture that I had was with the statue of young Jose Rizal and a dog. I

believe that the dog was named Verguenza since it is scribed in the statue. That picture made

me very ecstatic because I thought that it would be really fun to play with Rizal when he was a

child. I took a picture of a well that turned into a wishing well of the people visiting the house. I

tried to throw some coins in that well since I am aiming to pass a lot of exams this year,

especially the chemical engineering board exam. That well is the only surviving feature of the

Spanish-colonial house. I took a picture of the grave of the parents of Jose Rizal, which is about

20 meters away from the wishing well. I took that picture because Jose Rizal was goodly shaped

by his mother and father. Lastly, I took a picture of myself with the house of Jose Rizal. This will

serve as my remembrance in visiting the historically significant and captivating house of Rizal.

I learned a lot of things from my experience visiting the house of Jose Rizal. I realized

that it is very important for Filipinos, especially those who are living in Laguna, to take a tour in

the house of Rizal in Calamba so that they can understand Jose Rizal better by learning where

he spent his childhood days. I searched that the house was destroyed during World War II,

however I am so glad to learn that the house was reconstructed using original and durable

materials. I was shocked to learn that it was made possible through the donations of school

children of the Philippines. I am very happy since our generation were able to appreciate the

childhood home of Jose Rizal. As a Filipino, it is very important that we conserve the historical

artifacts and places associated with the development of the Filipino nationalism because these

things symbolized our hardships towards achieving our freedom and democracy that we enjoy

today till the end of times.