Hero

It is one thing to read history, and quite another to sense history – to see, hear and even feel it reaching out to you across time.

Dapitan is one of those places where history is very much a part of the city’s identity; it is, in fact, integral to the city. A recent visit to Dapitan gave me a new perspective and appreciation of national hero Jose Rizal. While we rightfully commemorate his martyrdom today, we should celebrate his life – all that he did, what he stood for, what he fought for.

Dapitan is where Rizal spent four years in exile. Perceived as a rabble-rouser by the powers-that-be, he was sent to Dapitan, far away from Manila; some believe the exile was to protect him from those who would try to harm him.

Rizal arrived in Dapitan on July 17, 1892, and the Dapitanons started in 2022 a reenactment, called Revisitamos, that has evolved and will hopefully become an annual tradition. Last July, Revisitamos featured a sound and light show, a red carpet reception at the Punto del Desembarco, the landing site where Rizal first set foot in Dapitan. The reception menu featured dishes mentioned by Rizal in his writings, like Pancit Ilustrado and Tinola ni Teodora Alonso.

A moving Paseo Simbolico, a walk where participants carried lanterns or farols de combate, saw descendants of Rizal’s students and friends, as well as youth and townsfolk swelling to over a thousand. I’m sure the organizers – the city government of Dapitan and the Romgarjal group – will up the pageantry for next July’s Revisitamos.

While Casa Real, the gobernador’s house where Rizal stayed when he arrived in Dapitan, now only has a plaque marking the site, many of Dapitan’s old structures have been preserved and/or repurposed, like the Sagario house which is now the Travel Bee Hotel, the Adaza house which now serves as the tourism office and the old convent which is now a school.

But one house has been lovingly restored and is now a museum – Balay Hamoy, home of Mariano Hamoy, Rizal’s friend and business partner. Descendants Britz and Kat Hamoy live in the annex behind the original house and give guided tours of the museum, a tour replete with not just historical facts and artefacts but also