The continuing relevance of our national heroes

National Heroes Day, celebrated every last Monday of August, is one of our country's 12 legal holidays. The historical accounts tell us that this celebration is rooted in the Cry of Balintawak or the Cry of Pugad Lawin, which marked the official start of the Philippine Revolution against Spain in August 1896.

Since the debate among historians could not be settled whether it was on August 23 or 26, the government made a compromise by passing Republic Act 9492 in 2007, approved by president GMA mandating it to be celebrated on the last Monday of every August. The national heroes include the more prominent, Dr. Jose Rizal, Gat Andres Bonifacio, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, Apolinario Mabini, Melchora Aquino, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Gregorio del Pilar, Antonio Luna, Juan Luna, Lapulapu, Sultan Kudarat, Mariano Gomez, Jose Apolonio Burgos, Jacinto Zamora, Diego Silang, and Gabriela Silang.

The rest include Rajah Lakandula, Rajah Soliman, Teresa Magbanua, Trinidad Tecson, Macario Sakay, Jose Ignacio Paua, Agueda Kahabagan, Leon Kilat or Pantaleon Villegas, Graciano Lopez Jaena, Mariano Ponce, Gregoria de Jesus, Fernando Ma Guerrero, Isabelo de los Reyes, Artemio Ricarte, Galicano Apacible, and Aurelio Tolentino, a prominent patriot and playwright handpicked by Bonifacio to help in rallying support for the revolution.

Gat Andres Bonifacio's co-founders of the Katipunan included Deodato Arellano, the first president of the supreme council; Teodoro Plata, who served as the secretary of the secret society; Ladislao Diwa, who served as the mastermind of the triangular method of recruitment to the Katipunan; Valentin Diaz, the first treasurer of the Katipunan; and Jose Dizon, who served as the adviser to Bonifacio in establishing the foundational principles and structures of the KKK.

Emilio Jacinto who was called the "brains of the Katipunan" was the most trusted advisor and confidant of Supremo Ka Andres, and was the author of the Kartilya Ng Katipunan. Pio Valenzuela, in whose honor Valenzuela City was named, was a close medical and political adviser of the supremo and was the emissary sent by Bonifacio to Dapitan to convince Rizal to endorse the Katipunan. Ka Oriang, or Gregoria de Jesus, Bonifacio's second wife, after the first died, was the keeper of secret Katipunan documents and courier of highly-confidential messages.

The 13 martyrs of Cavite (Trece Martires) sacrificed their lives in the defense of freedom, namely Maximo Inocencio, Jose Lallana, Eugenio Cabezas, Maximo Gregorio, Hugo Perez, Severino Lapidario, Alfonso de Ocampo, Luis Aguado, Victoriano Luciano, Feliciano Cabuco, Francisco Osorio, Antonio de San Agustin, and Agapito Concio, They were executed by firing squad by the Spanish military authorities for supporting the Katipunan in pursuit of the Philippine Revolution.

In Cebu, the heroes of Tres de Abril, led by Leon Kilat or Pantaleon Villegas, were Arcadio Maxilom, commander and general; Luis Flores, one of the pillars of Cebu Katipunan; Florencio Gonzales, the planner and strategist of the Tres de Abril uprising; Fernando Llamas Fernandez, another commander; Jose Ignacio Paua, a commander; Bonifacio Aras (in whose honor a street was named), also a commander; and Teopisto Cavan, among others.

In today's era of corruption, greed, crime, and the relentless plundering of the nation by politicians and bureaucrats, the youth can look at the lives and struggles of these heroes so as to realize that not all Filipinos are corrupt and greedy. Many have given up their lives for God, country, and people. Our heroes will continue to be relevant to all our sacrifices and struggles today and until the end.