The University of the Philippines Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Development will hold colloquia known as “Paliwanagan” and a Professors Emeriti Symposium, which features a collaboration of a group of researchers representing the old and the young. The public presentation of UP’s top researchers aims to contribute to the dissemination of research and development (R&D), create public awareness and create an academic environment that promotes the primacy of research.

As 2015 marks the 85^th death anniversary of Paciano Rizal Mercado who served as the mentor of Jose Rizal, the research event was also designed to highlight the lesser-known Rizal and to represent a research and academic culture that emphasized mentorship in research and academic discipline.

A variety of researches will be presented on 15 May 2015, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Quezon Hall, UP Diliman. Online pre-registration for the event is open. You may log on to http://bit.ly/1Ey1etn.

Known to a generation of students as the translator of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, and a biographer of Jose Rizal, Leon Ma. Guerrero is a writer and diplomat whose work was translated to reach today’s generation through the LMG Centennial “History in 100 Tweets”. According to his son David Guerrero, “the exhibit imagines how he may have tried to reach today’s generation. And distills some of his writing into the 140-characther platform we have become so familiar with.” I myself have been following Twitter for updates, and it is amusing to see the perspective of a statesman whose influence in the academe, as well as political affairs, is notable. It is disclaimed that much of the context will be lost in the 140-character platform, but still, you can understand what he was trying to say.

The Ayala Museum and the Filipinas Heritage Library opened the interactive exhibit on the life of Leon Ma. Guerrero to share his works for today’s millennial generation. There is an audiovisual presentation of a typewriter with some of the tweets, and 100 white boxes with short quotations, not more than 140 characters, from the diplomat’s writings. The entrance of the exhibit features an interactive chance to hear some clips of the Noli Me Tangere audiobook, read in English. It is refreshing to hear again the voices of Crisostomo Ibarra, Sisa and Padre Damaso.

Leon Ma. Guerrero, known to his close friends and family as Leoni, is known as the writer of “The First Filipino,” a biography of our national hero Jose Rizal, which won him the grand prize at the Rizal Centennial Biography contest in 1961. According to historian Ambeth Ocampo, “Guerrero took the heart of stone from Rizal, exchanged it with a beating heart of flesh, and gave color to a life story that has since become my area of expertise.”

Some of the tweets mention how Rizal is a patriotic hero who was not able to experience the revolution he started, and on his soft side, how he truly loved Josephine Bracken. There are some tweets which also focus on Leoni’s life as an ambassador and an internationalist. It can be truly understood how he was an intellect and a fighter using the pen as a weapon, which is similar to how Jose Rizal used his writings to show his love for the Philippines. Leoni considered his typewriter as a “lucky typewriter” which he used to type the draft of “The First Filipino.” At the beginning of World War II, he buried it in the garden of his house, and found it when he dug it up after the war.

Leon Ma. Guerrero lives through his writings. His works surely inspire today’s generation to fight for the upliftment of our country through all possible means.

Unlike any other human being who was about to face a firing squad, Jose Rizal was not feeling any anxiety due to the fact that his blood pressure did not go up.

He was executed in Bagumbayan, Manila on December 30, 1896. The day before he wrote several letters and using words about peace, tranquility, dying with a clear conscience and preparing himself for the inevitable by talking about it and maintaining a calm state.

To read the letters he wrote of acceptance of his circumstances to his family click the link below:

http://islandsentinel.com/2011/02/22/how-to-face-a-firing-squad-execution-with-a-normal-heart-beat-rizal-30-december-1896/

Read this article by Ivy Vibar of abs-cbnnews.com as Jose Rizal’s life and execution are being recreated through a Twitter account named @tweetnirizal ran by an entrepreneur who is a member of Dead Heroes Society (a group of bloggers posing as national heroes online to increase citizen’s knowledge of Filipino history and current events). Click the link to read more about it.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/12/30/11/rizal-dies-twitter

Filipinos upload photos of existing Jose Rizal busts and monuments from around the world in places like Toronto and Quebec in Canada, New Jersey, USA, Chicago, Illinois, Tokyo, Japan, Singapore, Czech Republic, Mexico, China, Peru, Madrid Spain, Ireland, Wilhelmsfeld, and Rome, Italy.

So if you have found anymore Jose Rizal monuments and/or busts feel free to send it to their facebook page at Monument of Jose Rizal All Over the World.

(https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.183449945087327.37622.119499311482391&type=3)

http://www.spot.ph/peopleparties/48543/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-jose-rizal#photo-1-1

http://tokyo.philembassy.net/events/philippine-embassy-in-tokyo-commemorates-dr-jose-rizals-152nd-birth-anniversary/

about Ambassador Manuel M. Lopez leading the officials of the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo to offer flowers for Jose Rizal’s 150^th birthday at Hibiya Park in central Tokyo that was held last June 19 2013. The ambassador has said that Prime Minister Abe of Tokyo recognized Rizal’s espousal of education and freedom as forming the basis of the principles of Japan’s ASEAN diplomacy. To see a photo of Jose Rizal’s statue in Hibiya Park, Tokyo please click link.

Translation:  “He who does not love his own language is worse than an animal and smelly fish.”

“Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinangalingan ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan”

Translation: “He who does not know to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination”

Jose Rizal was born to parents Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonso. He had 10 siblings with Saturnina Rizal being the eldest followed by Paciano, then Narcisa, Olympia, Lucia, Maria then Jose Rizal himself, the Concepcion, Josefa, Trinidad and the youngest, Soledad.

The Rizal family is considered as one of the largest families during Spanish colonization.

Although Jose Rizal went away to go abroad he continued his communication with his family through letter writing telling them about his experiences studying, staying abroad, his observations of news, people and advices for his family. They exchanged letters throughout his trips.

Jose Rizal’s mother wrote letterz to his son encouraging him to acknowledge the Catholic Church and the act of praying.

(Click for the letters here: http://thinkinglikeabubblehead.wordpress.com/2013/10/29/rizal-and-his-relationship-with-his-family/)

To name a few, he was very fluent in the Spanish language. He was able to use and express himself in idiomatic, smooth, funny, nuanced, contextually appropriate verse and was very metaphorical and literary.

Aside from Spanish, he also communicated in Tagalog, German and a little French.

In his personal letters to his family he would write between Tagalog or Spanish. To Blumentritt, he first wrote in Spanish but later converted to German, French and in English.

He studied English in London and his French skills improved when he visited the Indios Bravos.

The question is “How was Dr. Jose Rizal’s English?”

Find out by clicking the link below to read page of letter from Jose Rizal along with his grade and comments from an unsuspecting English teacher at a San Francisco high school.

http://islandsentinel.com/2011/09/17/how-good-was-dr-jose-rizals-english/