Philippine national heroes and their biography examples

A national hero of the Philippines is a Filipino who has been recognized as a national hero for their role in the history of the Philippines. Loosely, the term may refer to all historical figures recognized as heroes, but the term more strictly refers to those officially designated as such. In the Philippine National Heroes Committee officially recommended several people for the designation, [ 1 ] but this was not acted upon.

As of [update] [ citation needed ] no one had ever been officially recognized as a Philippine national hero. Three more criteria were added in [ 1 ]. His writings had helped inspire the Philippine Revolution against colonial rule. On December 20, , Emilio Aguinaldo , president of the Philippine government, decreed that December 30 of every year would be commemorated as Rizal Day , a day of national mourning in honor of Rizal and other victims of the revolution.

By the start of the 20th century, the Philippines had become a protectorate of the United States.

12 national heroes of the philippines

Rizal was given special attention as a hero by the American occupational administration because, unlike more radical figures whose ideas could inspire resistance against American rule, he was considered to represent peaceful political advocacy. By , Rizal was already held in such esteem that he was referred to as the Philippine national hero, even though no legislation had been passed making it official.

That year, historian Teodoro Agoncillo wrote in his History of the Filipino People that the Philippine national hero, unlike those of other countries, was not "the leader of its liberation forces".